A FORFEITED
TEPFATHERHOOD
LMEU Harding picked up an en
velope addressed to the firm of
which he was senior partner ,
and which he found lying upon
Ills own desk , the letter itself being
placed on file for future reference.
Something about the handwriting re
called a memory that was haunting
and elusive.
"A woman's fist , evidently , " he said
to himself , and tucked the envelope
into a pigeon-hole only to keep think
ing of it to the utter exclusion of more
important topics. Then he took it out
of its hiding place , and examined it
carefully.
"Where have I seen that handwriting
before ? It is as familiar as a breath
of the old lilac tree that stood at the
door of the south porch at home. I
wish these vagrant memories would
not come disturbing me with their
A TALL , STOUT WOIIAN.
vague hints of a happy past. I muse
find out about this letter. "
He touched a bell and the head clerk
responded to the summons.
"Where is the letter which this con
tained ? " asking Harding , as he held
up the empty envelope.
"I will bring it. The woman who
wrote it wanted us "
"Oh , did a woman write it ? Pretty
good business hand , eh , Simpson ? "
"Yes , sir ; and she's a good business
woman , too , I should say. Her hus
band bought a block of buildings on
the South Side , and intending coming
to the city to live , but he died sud
denly , and the widow prefers to re
main on their farm , near Omaha. So
we are commissioned to sell the prop
erty here. I'll fetch the letter. "
The explanation , however , had aat-
Isfied Elmer Harding that he had no
personal interest in the matter , and he
took the letter when it was handed him
in a perfunctory manner , and did not
even take the trouble to read it. As
a mere matter of form , he glanced at
the signature and gave a great start.
He knew then why his middle-aged
heart had thumped so violently at
sight of the handwriting , why mem
ory had evoked sweet perfume and ,
wafts of incense out of a dead past.
Here was a name to conjure with.
Rose Atkinson ! She who had been
Rose Boynton , the flower that all were
praising , and the only one that had !
'
ever bloomed for him. Rose of the
prairie , rose of his heart. And she
had married that red-headed chump ,
Ed Atkinson , while he , Elmer Harding ,
was getting ready to start in business ,
and then go back and ask her to marry
him. He knew he had no one to blame
but himself , he felt sure it was -with
Rose a case of a bird in hand , but
for long years he was sore and ag
grieved over her defection , as he chose
to consider it. And now she was a
widow.
He read the letter then and found it
a concise , well-worded business epis
tle , quite unlike anything he would
have expected of Rose , who had been
diffuse and undecided in the old days.
It hurt him to think of her as a bus
iness woman when he remembered the
sweet girlishuess of her early youth ,
the ripple of her Roman gold hair ,
as he had loved to call it , the music
of her merry gurgling laugh. Then he
looked in the little mirror over his
desk and saw the promontory of
knowledge from which his own hair
had departed , the lack-luster eyes and
the heavy double chin. v
"You're a fool. Elmer Harding , " he
said , pulling himself together with a
sigh , "if she did not love you in the
old days she would not look at you
now , " and he gave his mind to busi
ness for the rest of that day.
But on the next day he wrote her &
letter , friendly , with an apparent bus
iness motive but filled throughout
with gentle reminders of the past , and
asking lur as an old friend to answer
it and tell him of herself. He had in
formed her that he had never married
and was devoted to old bachelorhood.
He waited for an answer with a fev
erish interest that gave a new zest
to life , and when he found it await
ing him at his apartments he was too
shrewd to have it addressed to the of
fice he trembled like a love-sick boy
as he opened it The letter was clev
erly written , leaving much to the
imagination of its reader. Facts were
merely touched'on. "Several chil
dren. " a good farm and money in the
hank were her portion. She would
not speak of her loneliness , but he
wcuM understand. She alluded to the
Mear post" in contrast to her pres
ent widowed state and hurriedly clos
ed her letter as if memories over
powered her. Elmer Harding rever
ently kissed her signature and mur
mured :
"Dear little Rose ! That slight ,
fragile creature , struggling with the
care of a growing family ! Why , she is
nothing but a child herself. I won
der if she has kept that perfect color
she had , like the flower for which
she was named. Dear , shy , sensitive
Rose , how I would like to see you ! "
Other letters were exchanged , and
finally a meeting between the two was
arranged. Mr. Harding had business
in that part of the country. Senti
mentalist though he might be , he was
enough like his fellow men to be able
to conjure up business in the Desert of
Sahara if necessary , and he wrote to
Mrs. Atkinson that he would be in her
neighborhood and would call upon her
at such a time , but the little god of
prudence restrained him from making
any open avowal of marriage until he
could see his dear one face to face.
But he was a very impatient lover.
He reached Omaha a day in advance
of the time he was expected , but took
an immediate outgoing train for the
town on the border of'which the At
kinson farm was located. There was
one car a day , and Harding seated
himself in the back of it , pulling his
hat over his eyes , but closely observ
ant of surroundings. A noisy crowd
was entering , and he watched them ,
as , besides himself , they were the only
passengers. A tall , stout woman and
half a dozen hatchet-faced children ,
loaded with parcels and lugging bask
ets , struggled in and were soon hag
gling over seats.
"Here , you children , get into your
seats and stay there ! You , Ed , let
your sister alone. Wait till I get home
I'll teach you not to scrap in the
cars. Elmer , stop eating them grapes. "
"My name ain't Elmer , " said the boy
with a grin.
"Yes , it is , and don't you forget it.
Your new pa won't take no back talk ,
if I do. He'll soon size you up. "
"Will our .new pa pull our hair the
way our old pa did. " This from a pre
cocious girl with a shock of fiery red
hair.
"You bet he will , Reddy. My , I won
der how he looks. Say , ma , has he
got red hair ? "
"No , I reckon It's gray now , like
mine , though mebbe he hasn't changed
as much as I have , seeing he hasn't
a lot of young ones to worry his life
HE READ Till : LETTER.
out. He couldn't hold a candle to your
pa when we was all young together ,
but mebbe he's improved some. Do-
rindy Atkinson , stop pulling Clara's
hair. If you don't behave you can't
go to meet your new pa to-morrow. "
"He ain't our pa yet , " whined Do-
rindy , whereat her mother shook her ,
increasing the florid red of that good
woman's face , to a dark purple hue ,
while she renewed the threat , "Wait
till your new pa comes ! "
At the next station the man in the
back of the car sneaked out and took
the first train back to Omaha. Chicago
cage Record-Herald.
Windows as Fire-Spreaders.
In a paper read at St. James' Hall
before the Society of Architects , Ellis
Marsland , honorary secretary of the
British Fire Prevention Committee ,
stated that unshuttered windows are
the main cause of the spread of a con
flagration. Lantern slides of the Bar
bican fire emphasized his conclusions ,
and showed that if , as recommended ,
all such openings were closed every
night by iron , hardwood or asbestos
blinds , though the spread of a fire
might not be entirely prevented , its
progress would be retarded. As it is ,
immediately the hose plays on the
heated and unprotected glass it smash
es and the flames fly inward and on
ward. He suggested that the insur
ance companies might well encourage
this form of protection by reducing
fees to clients who introduced it , or
there might be legislation making it
compulsory. London Express.
Popcorn Is Excellent Food.
"Popcorn is one of the best foods we
have ; people don't begin to appreciate
its value , " said Mrs. Mary D. Cham
bers , in the course of a lecture on
cereals to a class of women in domes
tic scieupe at the library building in
Brooklyn. And then , seeing the sur
prise on the faces of the women before
her , she went on :
"Let your children eat all the pop
corn they want. It contains a valua
ble oil , has high calorific power , and is
mostly starch cooked thoroughly by
high pressure of steam. "
How the girls like to look at a bride's
clothes !
THERMOMETER MAKING.
llo\vT5oillnjr and Freezing Points Are
Found and Degrees Marked.
The making 01 a thermometer may
be either a delicate scientific operation
or one of the simplest tasks of the
skilled mechanic , according to the sort
of thermometer made. With the ex
tremely sensitive and minutely accur
ate Instruments designed for scientific
uses great care is taken and they1 are
kept in stock for months , sometimes
years , to be compared with instru
ments that are known to be trust
worthy. But so much time cannot bo
spent over the comparatively cheap
thermometer in common use , and these
are made.rapidly , thdugh always care
fully.
Mercury Is generally used for scien
tific instruments , but most makers pre
fer alcohol because it is cheaper. The
alcohol is colored red with aniline dye ,
which does not fade. The thermom
eter maker buys his glass tubes in
long sti'ips from the glass factories.
The glass blower on the premises cuts
these tubes to the proper lengths , and
with his gas jet and blowpipe makes
the bulb on the lower end. The bulbs
are then filled with colored alcohol and
the tubes stand for twenty-four hours.
On the following day another workman
holds each bulb in turn over a gas jet
until the colored fluid by its expansion
entirely fills the tube. It then goes
back into the hands of the glass blow
er. ' He closes the upper end and turns
the tip backward to make a little hook ,
which will help keep the tube in place
in the frame.
The tubes rest until some hundreds
of them , perhaps thousands , are ready.
Then the process of gauging begins.
There are no marks on the tube and
the first guide-mark to be made is the
freezing point , 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
This is found by plunging the bulb
into melting snow. No other thermom
eter is needed for a guide , for melting
snow gives invariably the- exact freez
ing point. This is an unfailing test for
any thermometer when accuracy may
be suspected. But melting snow is
not always to be had and a little ma
chine resembling a sausage grinder Is
brought into use. This machine shaves
a block of ice into particles , which
answer the purpose as well as snoAv.
When the bulbs have been long enough
in the melting snow a workman takes
them one by one from their bath , seiz
ing each so that his thumb nail marks
the exact spot to which the fluid has
fallen. Here he makes a scarcely per
ceptible mark upon the glass with a
fine file , and goes on to the next.
The tubes , with the freezing point
marked on each , now go into the hands
of another workman , who plunges the
bulb into a vessel filled with water
kept constantly at 96 degrees. This
is marked like the others , and the tube
is now supplied with these guide-
marks , each 32 degrees from the next
With its individuality thus establish
ed , the tube goes into the hands of a
marker , who fits its bulb and hook
into the frame it is to occupy and
makes slight scratches on the frame
corresponding to the 32 degrees , 04 '
degrees and 90 degrees marks on the
tube.
The frame , whether it be wood , tin
or brass , goes tf the gauging room ,
where it is laid .11 a steeply sloping
table marked ex.K'tly in the position
for a thermometer of that size.
A long , straight bar of wood or met
al extends diagonally across the table
from the lower right-hand corner to
the upper left-hand corner. On the
right this rests upon a pivot and on
the left it rests in a rachet , which lets
it ascend or descend only one notch
at a time. Each notch marks/the ex
act distance of two degrees. London
Express.
BIGGEST CRAB EVER FOUND.
One in Brooklyn Museum Over Eleven
Feet in Diameter.
julie biggest crab ever discovered , it
is said , is now mounted and on exhibi
tion in the Brooklyn Museum of Arts
and Sciences. The natural home of
this creature is under from GOO to 4,000
feet of water. "The crab measures 11 %
feet in diameter and for the most part
it has a very beautiful complexion
for a crab ranging from a delicate
old rose tint on the top of the carapace
and legs to a pale brownish shade on
the underside.
The two front legs have the usual
crab claws , which are big enough to
crush a man , but the others end in
narrow brown hoofs without toes. The
eyes on the branches are enormously
large and the feelers are as big as
garden hose.
The crab was taken off the Japanese
coast and formed a part of a collec
tion made by Professor Bashford
Dean , of Columbia College , last year ,
and it was presented to the Brooklyn
museum by Eugene Or. Blackford. It
took more than a month to mount it.
It is sxipposed that the giant crabs
grow to twelve feet in diameter , says
the Detroit News-Tribune , but the one
in Brooklyn is the biggest ever cap
tured. Not many of them are cap
tured not more than ten or twelve a
year although the Japanese are fish
ing o\vr the grounds where they are
found all the time.
The Japanese fishermen set lines sev
eral miles in length , with many hun
dreds of hooks , which are sunk to the
floor of the ocean and left over night.
When the lines are hauled in the next
morning all manner of extraordinary
things are found attached , from giant
crabs to sea lilies.
None to Spare.
"Tacoma peaks up and says she is
not suffering for sweet girls for
brides. "
"Well , there is one thing sure , and
that is that none of the other cities is
suffering from an overpiuo. " Cluve-
laid Plain Dealer.
I
Reasons for Preferring the Shop.
I
The Wisconsin State Labor Bureau
has been collecting reasons why girls
prefer working in factories and stores
to household service. Inquiries were
sent to 709 persons , says a Chicago
j newspaper. Among the answers were
these :
"If ladies would only give girls bet
ter rooms , kinder treatment , and warm
er beds and let them live independently ,
more girls would do housework. "
"I went into a factory because I
wished to be treated like a human be
ing. "
"The reason 1 won't do housework
is because I won't be treated like half
a slave and always a nobody. "
j "I love housework , but , like the host
'of other girls , I refuse to do it under
present conditions. "
| "None of the girls I know would do
housework because a girl who does it
is always looked upon as a kitchen
drudge , always on duty and seldom
treated justly. "
j "I am treated better in the factory
'
'in every way , and , besides , I am no
longer obliged to entertain in the
! kitchen or receive my friends at the
back door , since I can live at home
with my own people. "
There is no sign in these replies of an
insistence on the part of servants that
they be regarded as members of the
family. They -desire as little to intrude
on other circles as they wish for intru
sion upon their own. But they complain
'justly ' when the fact of social distinc
tions is thrust upon them with bald bru
tality. The Wisconsin answers , which
would probably be good for any other
State , suggest that upon the untactful
mistress of the house 1'es a large bur
den of responsibility for "the servant
girl problem" as it is. Exchange.
Keeping : Home for Others.
Many a tired housewife and mother ,
robbed of much needed change and
rest by the lack of a competent substi
tute , would be more than relieved
could she turn over her entire house
hold to a temporary housekeeper ,
knowing that home and children , hus
band and hired men would be well
cared for in her absence. There is
scarcely a village or community where
one competent and free to do this work
would not be a God-send. The inex
perienced girl will have to content her
self with small pay and much work ,
but if she Is a competent waitress , a
neat and dainty maid and an apt
scholar she will find the work much in
demand and will gradually learn , by
! I observation until she , too , can aspire
| to the dignity of a professional title.
[ As she progresses people will hear of
, her and her work , demand will follow
and success is assured , for housework
is the one industry which never com
plains of hard times.
A start may be made by taking up a
certain branch of cooking and making
a specialty of it Orders may be taken
for canned fruits , preserves , jams , jel
lies or pickles and , by buying at whole
sale or nearly so , a reasonable profit is
made. A good specialty would be one
of the nice cheeses which we find so
delicious and which require few special (
appliances and only a reasonable
amount of work. Milk may be pas
teurized in suitable bottles for infants'
use and delivered daily and orders may
be taken for special delicacies to be
delivered regularly once or twice a
week.
A Dress of Thin Material.
The tops of the skirt , sleeves and
neck are shirred. Irish or Renaissance
lace forms a bolero. It is appliqued
onto the back , but hangs loose in front ,
ribbons crossing in the front being of
the same color as the belt. They are
caught at the lower corners by rosettes
of lace or chiffon.
.The Really Well-Dressed Woman.
It is extremely difficult to find a
woman really well dressed under the
existing prejudice that everybody must
be dressed like everybody else. But
once in a while AVC do find one whose
taste and tact command our admira
tion. Her first study seems to be the
becoming ; her second , the good ; her
third , the fashionable. You see this
wise woman giving but scant hearing
to the assurance of shopmen and the
recommendations of milliners. She
cares not how new or original a pattein
may be , if it be ugly ; or how recent a
shape , If it be awkward. Not that her
costume Is always'costly and new ; on
the contrary , she wears many a cheap
dress , but it is always pretty and
many an old one , but it is always good.
She deals in no gaudy confusion of
colors , nor does she affect -studied
primness or sobriety ; bat she either re
freshes yon with a spirited couirs. rt ,
or composes you with a judicious har
mony. ,
After all there is no great art either
in her fashions or her materials. The se
cret simply consists In her knowing
three grand unities her own station ,
her own age , and her own points. And
no woman can really dress well who
does not After this , I need not say
that whoever is attracted by the cos-
fume will not be disappointed in the
wearer.
She may not be handsome nor accom
plished , but I will answer for her be
ing even-tempered , well informed , thor
oughly sensible and a perfect lady.
Housewife.
Don't pick it up every time it cries
or you will instill into it a restless dis
position.
Don't give it any toys until it passes
its first year. Let it bite its fist and
play with its toes.
Don't try teaching it to walk before
it is a year old. If you do , you may
make its legs crooked.
Don't give it elaborate mechanical
dolls. The rag doll of old times suits
it better and furnishes a lesson in
economy.
Don't worry about its crying If you
have made certain that nothing hurts
it That's just its way of developing
its lungs.
Don't hurry it into talking. You
may overwork its brain , and , besides ,
it will make up for any lost time be
tween the ages of four and five.
Have a Sewing Room.
The wise housewife is she who would
rather dispense with a reception room
anil have a sewing room than vice
versa. The sewing room does not need
to be large. It must not contain carpets
or upholstered furniture. The floor
should be stained and varnished , so
that the daily brushing up may be eas
ily accomplished. There should be
hooks on the wall , from which the
piece-bags should hang' Several shelves
are necessary , where boxes containing
buttons , trimmings , findings , patterns
and the like should be kept A lapboard ,
an armless rocking-chair , a dress form
and a big closet for unfinished work are
other necessaries. The machine should
be placed in a strong light , and there
should be a long mirror , in which the
"hang" of a skirt may be viewed with
ease.
The Secret of Youth.
The great secret of keeping fresh
and young is to be cheerful and always
to look on the bright side of things. A
sense of humor is a gift to be grateful
for. Laughter and light-heartedness
are beauty philtres of the most potent
description.
Gloom , sour looks , discontent , peev
ishness and bad temper generate wrin
kles. With activity of mind and body ,
and a determination to make the best
of life , we may retain our youthful
feelings and our youthful looks.
Led in a Praiseworthy Reform.
Wisconsin was the first State in the
nation to give married women the ab
solute control over their own prop
erty. Fifty-five years ago , when this
radical change was incorporated in our
constitution , it was thought by many
to be a dangerous and extreme reform
and yet that grand step has since been
followed by nearly every State in the
Union and no one now says it was a
premature and unwise law. Milwau
kee Wisconsin.
Hints for the h ousewife.
Hot , sharp vinegar will remove paint
spots.
Salt is excellent in removing dirt from
marble-top furniture.
The making of the bed should be the
last duty in putting a room to rights.
A copper cent rubbed on the window
pane will rid it of paint or plaster
specks.
A thin paste made of whiting and
cold tea is a splendid mixture with
which to clean mirrors.
When matting is soiled wash it in a
strong solution of salt and warm
water and it will look like new.
To restore an eiderdown quilt to its
original fluffy lightness hang it out of
doors in the sunshine for several hours.
Old newspapers are an excellent pro
tection against the cold , and serve in
place of blankets if put between the
quilt and counterpane.
To renew old bedsteads , bureaus , ta
bles or washboards , polish with two
ounces of olive oil , two ounces of vine
gar and one teaspoonful of gum arable.
Besides the thorough airing that beds
and bedding should daily have , mat
tresses , bolsters and pillows should be
beaten and shaken three times a week.
Pillows may be cleaned bj patting
them out upon th cross In a drenching
rain. A.fter being well dunked they
should be nqce c d end bansla a shady
place to dry.
JOHN B. M'DONAuD ,
Who la to Build a $5OQOOOO Railroad
in Alaska.
Vast undertakings are not new for
John B. McDonald. Hi * is contractor .
ivho has put through some large en
gineering enterprises -
prises , not least of
which is the New
York subway. Now
he is to build a line
i a Alaska , which
cost $5,000,000
and will take three
years t build. It
runs fr Yaldes to
DawsoK , a distance j
of 500 miles , through j
the Copper River J. B.
valley , and it is predicted that within ,
a. few years a million persons will re
side where there are but few settlers
will be employed
ftow. Five thousand men
ployed , and they -will be sent north to
wx > eV..next spring and summer.
JaUn B. McDonald is a remarkable
uiau. He was born in Ireland in 1844 ,
but has lived in New York since he was
three. As a young man he became
connected with the work of a contrac
tor , and it was not long before he put
in a bid for some contracts of his own
in the building of the New York Cen
tral tunnel. Being successful , he went
into railroad construction and did his
work right But the occasion was to
present itself when he could show that
ue was capable of more than ordinary
work. He was living in Baltimore , to
be near his railroad work. The city's
transportation facilities were wretched.
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad , un
able te get a franchise for tracks
through the city on grade , was ferry
ing its trains completely around the
city to make connections with Philadel
phia. Tunneling had been put aside.
Baltimore stands on low gravel hills
under which run countless little
streams , perhaps the most difficult of
oils to tunnel. The problem came to
his attention. He thought it over ; he
computed ; he estimated ; and in the end
he prepared a plan for a tunnel. A
franchise was obtained. The people pro
tested , declaring that to build a tunnel
under Baltimore would imperil life and
endanger property. Day after day with
a rubber coat and hip boots Mr. Mc
Donald went down into the tunnel to
ilrect the work himself. For five years
'
the struggle continued. Any visitor to
Baltimore knows the outcome. The
Baltimore Belt Railroad , as the tunnel
is called , is one of the hardest bits of
tunnel construction ever successfully
accomplished.
Now Mr. McDonald is at the head of
i construction company capitalized at
$0,000,000 , and in the building of the
subway 10,000 men are employed by
limself and the sub-contractors.
THE MAD MOLLAH'S ALLY.
In many of the dispatches from the
scene of trouble in Somaliland the
name of Karl Inger appears. No one.
however , appears
to know just who
Karl Inger is.
Even that astute
body of fossils
officially known
as the _ British
War Ofiice ad
mits its ignor
ance of his iden-
t i t y , declaring
that they have so
far been able to
ascertain only
that Inger is "an
ex-Austrian offi
cer. " Considering
that Inger for a
couple of years
has been burden
ing the British
mails vr i t h ap-
KARL ixGEK. peals to business
aien in London to get Lord Salisbury
to intervene to prevent the war which
[ nger foresaw , it would seem that any
body but an English official might by
this time have learned at least the
man's age. Those who have seen Inger
leclare that he is about thirty-fire. He
ividently has had military training ,
ind doubtless much of the Mad Mol-
'ah's ' success may be attributed to the
foung man's knowledge of tactics.
Some years ago , when Inger abandoned
Christianity to become a Moslem , the
Mahdi , whose successor Inger declares
aimself to be , christened the Austrian
Emir Suleyinan. There may be some
loubt as to Inger's exact status , but
ihere can be no doubt of the fact that
it the present time he is hand and
jlove with the Mad Mollah , and that
iis presence in Somaliland will not
aaake the campaign any easier for the
English.
Plants a Travelers.
Plants travel to astonishing dis
tances. The seeds stick to this or that
article and are carried by ships and
by those that go down to the sea in
ships , from one end of the world to
the other. Sir Joseph Hooker relates
i striking instance of this seed-carry
ing , whicli is perpetually going on.
"On one occasion , " he says , "landing
Dn a small uninhabited island nearly
it the antipodes , the first evidence I
[ net with of its having been previously
risited by man was the English chickweed -
weed , and this I traced to a mound
that marked the grave of a British
sailor , and that was covered with the
; > lant , doubtless the offspring of seed
; hat had adhered to the spade or mat-
lock with which the grave had been
lug.
Girl.
He I keard seme one say y u have
i very attractive face.
She Guess I have. At least , when
was in the country last summer it
ieemed to attract plenty of flies and
oosquitnes. Philadelphia Bulletin.