THE RIGHT OF WAY
IIK president of the Great SouthWestern -
Western Railway Company
tapped impatiently on the table.
The other members of the board kept
a constrained silence , and the second
rice-president , In charge of extension ,
fazed longly out of the window. It
was at him the president was direct
ing his remarks.
"It Is ridiculous , " he said , "that we
ihould be blocked by the obstinacy of
sue man In our endeavor to build this
branch line. A casual observer would
rertafnly suppose that the executive
department of the company had suffi-
tlent brains to overcome such an ob-
itacle as this. The situation is sim
ple enough. Here is our road and here
ire the mountains In which the new
strikes have been made. To develop
Ihem , machinery must be hauled in
tnd ore hauled out That means a
branch line. One man owns all the
land mesa and foot-hills between
the railroad and the mines. We inus
cross his ranch , but he declines to sel
a right of way. He Is a pioneer and
la bull-headed. He says the country
was getting along without railroads
when he came there , and that it can
jet along without them still. We must
overcome his objections but how ? We
offer to pay him well for all damage
done , and he replies by suggesting that
our grading outfit bring along one flatcar -
car of coffins. He is certainly a con
trary individual. Have I stated the
case correctly ? "
"You have , " said the second vice-
president , removing his gaze from the
sign below to the map on the table
"with one exception. Colonel Snorts-
ally Is not an individual ; he is n com
munity , and more ; he is a corporation ,
because he owns forty thousand acres
of land ; he is a political party , because
he employs more cow-punchers than
you can ordinarily get together at a
country dance ; he is a law-givor , be
cause of his wealth and the fixes he
pays ; he is a law-enforcer so far as
he sees fit , because he can shoot
straight and has men with him who
can do likewise ; he is society , because
his daughter , whom I have had the
pleasure of meeting , is the most beau
tiful young lady in the Territory.
What can a poor , ordinary railroad
company do against such a combina
tion ? We cannot condemn untii we
can get a right of way from the board
of supervisors , and he is the county
government"
The president mopped his brow. His
gaze wandered across the street and
down seven stories. He arose and
picked up his silk hat
"All right , " he said. "We must get
across that ranch some way. "
A cloud of dust was coming down
the r ud. Theophilus Smith carefully
watched it for a moment , and then
turned P.ucyms among the bowlders
by the roadside. Bucyrus was his
mule. Just ahead of the dust-cloud
appeared a frantic horse , tearing wild
ly down the road toward him. Now
and then he could catch glimpses of
a swaying buckboard and a young lady
clinging to the spat Theophilus , who
was a careful young man , put his
brierwood pipe in the inside pocket of
his jacket , drew his sombrero down
tightly upon his head , and then dis
interestedly watched the approaching
runaway. As the dust-cloud and its
contents passed , Bucyrus wheeled , and
they , too , went flying down the road.
Through sand and over bowlders they
wont , horse , buckboard , mule and dust
"Excuse me , miss ? " said Theophilus ,
as he came alongside and reached for
the bit of'the running horse ; "pleas
ant day , is it not ? "
He gripped the bridle hard , pulled
fiidewise und backward , and Bucyrus
/ heerfully sat down to the occasion
and slid. There was more dust , and
then they stopped.
Theophilus rubbed some of the dirt
rrom his eyes and raised his som
brero to the girl in the buckboard.
She looked at bun with wide-open blue
eyes.
"I am very sorry , " he said , politely ,
"to stop you so rudely merely to ask
you a question ; but will you kindly
pardon me and infoime me where Col
onel Snortally lives ? "
The young lady's lips quivered , and ,
instcod of replying , she burst into
tears. Then , recovering from her em
barrassment and fright , she drew a
deep breath and smiled faintly , and.
us the color came back to her cheeks ,
she answered :
" 1 am the colonel's daughter , and I
will gladly show you the way home. "
Theophilus spoke a few words to
The still restless horse , banded the
reins up to the young lady , and led
Bacyrus to the rear of the buckboard ,
to which he tied him
"I suppose. " said thecolonel's daugh
ter. as they sUrted up the road , "that
1 should thank you for saving my life
and father's best buckboard. Real
ly. I tlinnk you very much. If you
will stop at the house for dinner , I
will try and show my gratitude with
some tortillas and frijoles of my own
cooking. "
"The debt of gratitude is on my side ,
and not yours , " Teophilus answered.
"I am in searcli of work as n cow
boy. and I cannot but hope that your
acquaintance is an auspicious omen. "
"Cowboys dont's talk like that , " she
said , a little sharply , eying him in sur
prise. "You're not fitted for a range
man anyway. Cattlemen don't ride
mules. Pnpn says there Is only one
animal more ridiculous , stupid , and idi
otic than a mule , and that is the man
who rides one. "
"But your father doesn't know Bucy
rus. "
"Nor his owner , " she rejoined , laugh
ing.
ing.They
They stopped in front of a long , low ,
adobe , ranch-house , with deep-set windows
dews and doors. Ivy circled the wiu-
doAvs and climbed to the eaves. A. few
fir trees , some tall blue gums , and a
dozen palms stood in the front yard.
The house was set far back , and the
veranda that surrounded It was half-
hidden In the green of orange-trees. A
stream from the mountains ran
through the orchard in the rear , its
course marked by a line of cottonwoods -
woods and willows , that broke the
monotony of the otherwise treeless
mesa. On the other side of the creek ,
and at some distance from the house ,
were the corrals and stables of the
ranch.
The young lady stepped lightly to
the ground. "I will call papa , " she
said.
said.A
A few minutes later a tall man ,
heavy set , with a face like a fool moon
in harvest time , his scanty locks some
what grizzled with the first snowfall
of the winter of life , came swinging
down the walk with great strides.
"How air ye ! " 'he shouted before
reaching the gate. "Glory tells me ye
ketched that son of Satan thar jest in
time. I'm glad to meet ye. " He
siezed Theophilus' hand and Theophi
lus tried to look pleased.
"Jack ! " shouted Colonel Snortally.
A dusty cowboy with a sombrero on
the back of his head sauntered around
the corner of the house. "Take that
boss out beyond thar 'n' shoot him.
Come In Mister er "
"Smith. "
"Dinner'll be ready by'u by. Whar'd
that beast come from ? " he added ,
pointing at Bucyrus.
"He's my mule , " answered Theophi
lus.
"You don't say so ! S'posed you
know'd better'n that Mules hain't no
place on this ranch. Can't you find
a greaser to give him to ? "
"Bucyrus is no common mule , " said
his owner , calmly ; "he knows more
than any horse you ever saw. And he
can run , too. "
This last remark amused the colonel
so mightily that he sat down on the
porch and laughed heartily. A mule
that could run ! "I never yet clapped
eyes on a mule that could ketch a
yearlin' calf in a fair race. Must be
a slow kentry you grow'd up in , young
man. " The colonel wiped his eyes and
chuckled.
"Well , if I stay , " safd the defender
of mules , determinedly , "I'll show you
one mule that can run. "
"Stay ! Of course ye'll stay if ye
wanter , " said Colonel Snortally , cor-
lially. "Ye kin hev your pick of jobs ,
in' ef you must make a holy show of
that mule , we'll pervule the necessary
icccssories. "
Theophilus stayed. He was handy
ivith the lariat , rode a horse like a
aative and a mule a great deal bet-
: er. He evidently understood all the
narks and deeps of the bovine charac-
: er , and very shortly won that for hirn-
> elf which he could not for his mule
the coloneTs respect When Bucy-
us would head off a skillful stam-
> eder , Colonel Suortally would grum-
) le something about "fools rushin' in , "
ind when he would dodge a belligerent
iteer he would growl something about
L "fool for luck. " On the subject of
nules the colonel and Theophilus con-
inued to disagree. They argued the
[ uestion morning , noon and night The
: olonel pointed out the bad qualities
f the mule ; Theophilus grew eloquent
ver the animal's virtues. Glory smll-
id , but took no part in the discussion
vhich resulted in the famous race at
Jrags Corner a race that Is still niem-
rable throughout all of the Poncho
Jasln country.
The colonel brought out a long-
agged mustang that he had purchased
cross the border the year before. This
austang was a sad deceiver , and hud
[ ghtened the pocket of many a cow-
> oy who had backed a home animal
gainst the imported stock. A light
weight Mexican rode him. A few (
ninutes later Bucyrus ambled forth , t
rearing that surprised look of a mule
vhen he is but half awakened from
sweet dream of peace with plenty
f barley hay In It Judge Arkansaw
Vest officiated as starter and judge.
Lll the inhabitants of the Basin were
n hand to see the race , and even old i
nan Johnson stopped his sheep-shear-
ag and came from over the range with
11 hands to enjoy the holiday.
At the start the mustang ran away
rom Bucyrus , and at the quarter there c
fas room enough for a threshing ma- \
bine between them. The crowd
lughed and cheered. For sonic reason
if lory did not smile. But when the
ninials reached the half , there was a
haiige. Bucyrus seemed to remember
hat he was neither asleep nor work-
ag for the government He began to
un. At the last quarter there was
Hence , for the crowd was holding its
ireath. While the mustang and Bucy-
ua were coming down the horne-
tretch the colonel's countenance was
ateresting , and when'Bucyrus passed
inder the wire something more than
n ear ahead , the colonel collapsed ut
eri y.
That night Theophilns showed a
roeful lack-of good taste. He osten
tatiously reviewed the merits of tha
mule family , and Bucyrus In partic
ular. The colonel sat In fiery silence
and chewed his cud of bitter reflection ,
but finally , when Theophilus wound up
by declaring that Bucyrus could out
run the Oveland Limited from Crag's
Corner to the mountain road crossing ,
a distance of a little over a mile , Col
onel Snortally arose in his wrath and
swore.
"I'll bet ye anything ye want that
yer wall-eyed apology fer a boss can't
do anything of the kind , " he said.
"Will you bet my pick of any hun
dred unimproved acres on your ranch
against Bucyrus that he can't ? " quiet
ly asked Theophilus.
"Sartinly , " said the colonel , who ,
deep down in his heart , had a liking
for Bucyrus.
"All right , " said Theophilus ; "If you
eay so , we will settle It to-morrow
going west" The colonel said so , and
went to bed.
By the light of the stars that night
a man rode hurriedly down to Crag's
Corner , the nearest railroad station ,
and before dawn rode as hurriedly
back to the ranch again.
The next day was another day of
excitement In the Basin. The rumor
of the novel race spread swiftly. That
is why Ike Williams heard , way up In
Rocky Gulch , that Colonel Snortally
had bet his forty-thousand-acre ranch
against a herd of rnules that a certain
swift animal of that kind could not
beat the Overland Limited in a ten-
mile race.
The wagon road ran for miles along
the railroad track , so Bucyrus was not
handicapped. The race was an even
one up to the last fifty yards , when
Bucyrus , by. a tremendous spurt , shot
ahead and passed the crossing with
twenty feet of daylight between him
self and the engine. But there are
wiseacres in the Basin who shake their
heads when telling of that wonderful
race , and hint that the engineer was
half a sleep.
Colonel Snortally was a good loser ,
and he cheerfully invited Theophilus
out the next day to choose his hun
dred acres. He was not the less chee'r-
ful because Theophilus the night be-1
fore had made him a present of Bucy- '
rus. Theophilus proved an amazing
chooser. He took a narrow strip of
land running from the corner up to
Warder's Canon , at the foot of the
mountains. To the colonel's jesting
about his choice , he said something
about it making a good race track. j
About a week later Theophilus was
enjoying one evening a quiet after dinner - '
ner smoke on the veranda. He was at
peace with the world , when Colonel
Snortally came up the walk. The col
onel's face was like the sun shining
red through a thunder cloud. He was
too much agitated to speak for a min-1
ute , but when he did begin to talk '
his words were to the point From his
expressions one might gather that he
was perturbed by the fact that Theo
philus had sold a certain hundred acres
of land as a right of way to the Great
South-Western Railway Company. Col
onel Snortally finished by declaring his
intention of removing from the scene
a stranger who had taken him in , and
therewith drew his revolver. i
There was a rustle of a dress , a low
cry , and Glory was sobbing , with her
face on Theophilus' shoulder.
"Don't do it , colonel , unless you feel
compelled to , " said Theophilus , rising
with one arm about Glory , "and unless
vou want to make Glory a widow. We
were married two days ago. "
Colonel Snortally's face grew white I
and the revolver slipped from his
rusp. Glory was the dearest of all
to him.
x
The president of the Great SouthWestern -
Western Railway Company looked
icross the street and down seven sto
ries. Then he arose and picked up
liis cane and silk hat
"Well , " he said , "we won after all.
rhat was cleverly done cleverly
lone. "
"Yes , " said the second vice-presl-
leut ; "but the attacking force lost
leavily. For the young man from my
) fflce who engineered the deal has
narried the colonel's daughter , made
) eace with the colonel , and at the last
eport was laying out a town at the
; erininus of our projected branch , and
ielling corner lots. " Argonaut
Census Work in Europe.
To the American observer of Euro-
ean census methods , one of the most jj
triking characteristics is the decen-
ralization of census work. In the
Juited States the census is completely
entralized ; every person engaged in
he work acts as an officer or employe
f the federal government , and all ex-
tenditures for census purposes are
uade from the United States treasury ,
n most countries of continental Eu-
ope , on the contrary , both the labor
nd the expense of collecting the orig- |
mil census data devolve upon the mu- j
ticipalities , townships or communes.
Jentury.
JSyesight of Fishes.
In the water fishes4 see only at very j
lose range about half their own r
2iigth. This will seem perhaps unlikea ,
y to anglers , although some of them l
an cite instances showing that fish "
annot see far. Snakes seem to have [ '
very mediocre sense of sight. The t-
ioa , for example , does not see at more ! '
han a quarter or a third of Its own f (
. -ngth ; different species are limited to ll
ne-fifth or one-eighth of their length.
Yogs are better off , they see at fif-
een to twenty times their length.
Fishers of Newfoundland.
More than one-fourth of the inhabit-
nts of Newfoundland are engaged In
atching and curing fish for a liveli-
ood.
. . . . . , . . ! . ! i ! . . . . . in
According to your notien , what pro-
> ortion of the people are "hard up ? "
J > * 3 r"5J1- * i Itt-ajSr *
_ -
< bi v& > l.ic % > > ;
Bracinjc u Sacglntt Gate.
The plan of preventing gates from
sagging , shown in the illustration , is
j one of the best used. It has the merit
of being cheap and decidedly effectual.
As will be noticed from the drawing ,
jthe posts are sunk In the ground two
'feet ' or more , and the ends set into a
heavy sill. This is best done by mortis
ing the sill. Both posts and sill should
be well covered with tar to prevent
rapid decay. On this sill is then built
a wall of stones to within eight inches
or a foot of the surface of the ground ,
and on this wall is laid a heavy piece
of studding which is spiked to the
posts. In the absence of stones , braces
BKACES FOR A GATE.
of heavy studding may be run from the
bottom of each post next to the sill up
to the top piece of studding ; the stone
wall , as suggested , makes the stronger
foundation. Built in the manner indi
cated , the gate will work for years
without sagging. Indianapolis News.
llojis for Bacon.
The demand for bacon hogs , a streak
of lean and a streak of fat , is increas
ing yearly. Consumers are less in
clined than ever to eat fat bacon and
their demands must be met if one de
sires to make the maximum of profit
in hog raising. True , the demand for
heavy hogs is great and will continue ,
but such animals do not bring the
good prices that are had for the bacon
hog. Little has been heard of the
Tamworth , the ideal bacon hog , of
late and mainly because breeders have
found that the bacon hog is more a
matter of proper feeding than of breed.
The Tain worths seem peculiarly suit
ed to feeding for bacon at the lowest
cost though any breed can be properly
fed and at comparatively small cost
For the growing pigs a ration of
two-thirds oats and one-third corn
gives good results. Bran combined
with skimmilk or whey with ground
peas is a good ration for older hogs ,
the milk to be Increased as the fat
tening period is begun. Probably the
Ideal ration for the bacon hog after
It Is half grown is corn-meal , oats , and
barley mixed with skim milk. This
furnishes the desired streak of lean
and streak of fat in the bacon and
gives us an animal of medium weight ,
which will bring a good price on the
market
A Swinsr Stanchion.
A stanchion which will swing side
ways and not forward and back has
> eeu asked for by a subscriber. The
\ \
STANCHION AJTD STALL.
ecompanying illustration shows how
t can be made. This is an ordinary
hain hanging swing stanchion , with
looks on tiie floor and from the cross- _
iece above on each &Jde , to prevent
lie forward and back swing. This
rill allow it to move sideways. Rather P
lian go to this trouble , why not tie the
tittle by the neck Farm and Home. Vitl
tl
tla
The Peat of Wild Carrot. a
The wild carrot is causing the farm-
rs a great deal of difficulty. It is in-
Ceasing in many sections. In a bulletin
isued by the Maine Experiment Sta-
on it is stated that as this weed is a
leunial plant if it can be prevented ol
'
: -om going to seed for a' term of two
ears , it will be eradicated. This would
ican mowing it as often as it came
ito bloom , two or three times in the
n
\ison. Some have been quite success-
il in killing it out by pasturing the ju
eds ! with sheep. Cows do not like car-
ai
> ty hay. Horses will eat it , even if
jntainlng a very large proportion of
le weed. But it injures health and
> irit If fed to excess. ci
ciS
Snvin r Tomato S ;
Discard large , gross fruits , which , di
did
[ though they contain a number of d ,
seeds , generally produce a large pro- fr
jrtion of rough tomatoes. Having tL
tLS
losen good specimens , squeeze ont the S ;
; eds into a vessel , and stand in a
arm phice. In a few days the mass sfc
ill have undergone fermentation , and "I
ilp and seeds will have separated. er
Cleanse thoroughly by throwing thf
whole into a large basin and adding
water , skimming off the skins and pull
and any seeds which rise to the sur
face. Afterwards dry the seeds in the
sun , sprinkle with sulphur and store iu
a dry place.
Crimson Clover ,
In almost any section the best plaii
for sowing crimson clover is to sow L
during the last cultivation of the comer
or , If necessary to cover it properly ,
make an extra cultivation and harrow
the seed in well If the weather Is at
all dry. Use the best seed obtalnabL1
and , if possible , obtain American-
grown seed , using , under average con
ditions , fifteen pounds of seed to the
acre. According to locality , crimson
clover may be sown during July and
August , and even in sections where It
partially winter kills It may be con
sidered as valuable to the soil , for It
will make sufficient growth from th ?
time of sowing to frost time to b
worth all It cost for plowing under in
the spring. The writer has a strip ol
ground on which he has worked pa
tiently for five years to get a stand
of clover , and only the last year waa
the work successful ; yet we feel that
the portion turned under in the spring ,
which passed safely through the win
ter , was worth to the soil all It cost.
Wentworth's Way -with Shepp
A friend was telling me a day or so
ago that when a boy he lived near
Old "Long John" Wentworth , of Chicago
cage , who at one time kept a number
of sheep on his lands near that viN
lage. He said that once when he had
some of them killed by dogs he had
his help go round and see some of tha
dog owners and they all reported that
they "kept their dogs in the house. "
"Very well , " says John , "it may ba
wolves , and we'll put out poison , " and
he did so , but got dogs galore , as they
wore up against the deadly stuff in
the middle of the night , when they
should have been In their accustomed
places holding down the bed clothes
to the feet of their humane owners.
"Old John" went further , and if the
wolves were in it , got them also.
Catching a young one , he put It with
some dogs having the mange , inoculat
ing It thoroughly. He turned it loose
and it wasn't long until they , too. were
"good" dead ones. Upland Letter in
Indiana Farmer.
Cheap Wny to Subsoil.
Have your blacksmith make you an
Iron foot from an old wagon tire , in
shape as you see in cut , Bore a small
hole through beam
3
in your two-horso
-plow , behind where
the upright joins
beam , at A , also ,
have a fork made
In the brace , so one
lole through the beam will be suffi
cient Then have a clamp made , B ,
vith threads cut on each end so you
an tighten ; this clamp to be placed
ust in front of cross bar between ban-
lies. By using iron wedges you can
; et to any depth desired. Use a 7 or S
nch shovel on this foot as you would
> n common single stock. W. T. Oliver
n Epitomist
Hungarian Grass.
Hungarian grass is a good crop to
ow late for fodder. Like millet , it
vill produce a heavy crop on good
and , and can be cured and housed so
.s to keep with less trouble than fod-
Lcr corn , and many prefer It , though
tot as much weight can probably bo
btained from an acre as from corn ,
lungarian grass grows rapidly and
an be fed green like corner be dried
or winter use. If sown thinly , the
talks are stout jaiG somewhat woody ,
iut if sowed very thickly It will ba
horter and will not support its own
reight There Is a medium , however ,
nd one should seek to strike It This I
rep can be raised on sod land from
rhich a crop of grass has been taken
I the season Is favorable. It likea 3
rarm weather. Fins crops have been
aised. from seed sown as late as July.
t is better to use some fertilizer if
le seed Is sown late or on any land
lat Is not already In good condition.
Fruit from Africn.
One of the Interesting exhibits thai
lay be seen In the horticultural de-
artment at the Louisiana Purchase
xposition at St. Louis next year will
a the fruits from South Africa. The
r
ianag re of fruit farms of the late
ecil Rhodes , at Cape Town , have an-
aunced their Intention of placing
esh fruits on exhibition each week ,
ven ! n London thJg feat has never
jen undertaken. South African
urns have been on sale In New York ,
oston and other markets the past
inter , and no reason appears why
ie proposed exhibition should not be
success , with the help of cold stor-
Philippine Gardening.
Recent attempts to raise garden veg-
ables in the Philippine Islands have
ct with brilliant success In the case
eggplant , tomatoes and peppers ,
hile beets , turnips , lettuce , endives , n
inach. and radishes do fairly well , ( i
any other kinds were tried without \v
uch success. Grapes and some other
nits promise well , and there is some
ipe for new industries in cotton , jute ,
id coffee. IK
The "Dairy Shark"
J. A. Crokett , dairyman , Utah Agri-
ilttiral College , has recently sent out
aniing to the butter makers of his
ate against a "dairy shark" who Is
5-posing of a process whereby he
liins the yield of butter is increased
oia 50 to 100 per cent In excess of
at made In the ordinary manner , VI
me old fraud that bobs up now and
; ain. All farmers and dairymen
n
ould leave all such fellows and their
rocess" alone. Dairy and Cream-
Io
'
-
,
GREAT MARKET OF EUROPE.
t Takes One-Half of the American
Manufactured Products *
"Our Manufacturers in tlie Markets
it the World , " Is the title of an inter-
sting article by O. P. Austin , chief
> f the Buruta of Statistics , which ap-
) ears hi the North American Review.
Imong the astonishing facts eonneel-
d with the marvelous Increase In our
ixports of manufactures Is , that one-
lialf of our exports of manufactures
tvent to Europe ; that one-fourth went
to that great manufacturing country.
Che United Kingdom , and that nearly
one-half of the total went to British
territory. The share of the total experts -
ports of the United States represented
by manufactures has steadily la-
rreased has increased. Indeed out of
ill proportion to the great increase in
y\ir export generally. The exportation
yf. manufactures has Increased even la
larger proportion than the production
manufactures. In an effort to esti
mate the probability of tfoo United
States' continuing to export manu Pic
tured products In large quantities , Mr.
Austin asks two questions namely ,
whether the manufactures we export
are of a class which the world will
continue to require as a part of Ita
daily life , and whether these manu
factures are composed of a class of
material of which we have plentiful
supplies. To both of these questions
Mr. Austin gives a reply in the affirm
ative , quoting the statistics on which
he relies in doing so. Mr. Austin calls
attention to the opportunity lying be
fore the United States for vastly in
creasing the exportation of manufac
tured products :
"But there are still other worlds to
conquer. While we have more than
quadrupled our exportation of manu
factures since 1SSO and outgrown all
other nations of the world in their pro
duction during that same period , we
are still supplying but 10 per cent 'of
the manufactures which enter into the
International commerce of the world.
The value of manufactures exported
from all the countries of production ,
and In turn imported by some other
country or countries , amounts to about
5-1,000,000,000 annually , the share
which we supply of this grand total
being only about $400,000,000 annually.
Of this ? -l,000OGO,000 worth of manu
factures which enter into international
commerce the United Kingdom fur
nishes about one-fourth , Germany one-
iifth , France one-eighth and the Uni
ted States one-tenth. About three-
fourths of this great mass of manu
factures which enter into international
commerce are composed of iron and
steel , copper and cotton , of which we
are the world's largest producers , and
for the manufacture of which we hare
facilities at least equal to those of any
other country ; while in other classes of
manufactures our productive powera
ire developing at a rate which prom *
lies that we may with confidence en
ter the field of international competi
tion. "
FIRST RURAL DELIVERY.
Ct Proved H-chly Profitable for "Extra
Uillv" : uiith.
In view of the recent disclosures in
thu Post Office Department , says the
\Vashingtou Post , it is an interesting
fact that the idea of rural free deliv
ery was originated us far back as the
idiumistration of Martin Van Buren
md that the route was between Wash-
ngtou and Milledgeville , Ga. The
riginator of the idea was a prominent
.oung . attorney practicing at Culpeper
Jourthouse , Va. , named William
smith. He became interested in tha
icheme and soon grew to be an ext
ensive mail contractor. In those early
lays the mail routes were , in many in-
; tances , little more than bridle paths ,
tver which Use Uncle Sam's'post wa
ransported on horseback.
"With an eye on the main chance , "
ays Ben : Perley Poore , in "Pel-ley's
teininiscences , " "and with a laudable
lesire to extend the mail facilities of
'irglnia , Mr. Smith managed to se-
ure a large number of 'expeditions'
hrough Parson Obadiah Bruin Brown ,
ommonly called 'Parson Obadiah
Jruin Beeswax Brown , ' the superia-
endent of the contract office of fcto
'ost Office Department
"In place of the horseback system
tage lines would be substituted , and
his service would be frequently 4ez-
edited' without much of a view to
> roductiveness , ' from one trip to threa
r six trips a week. All of these ex-
editions were noted by stars ( * * ) at
tie bottom of Smith's vouchers ,
rhich , interpreted , meant 'extra al-
> wance. '
"So frequently did these stars aj > -
ear in the Virginia contractor's ac-
ounts that he soon came to be known
i the Post Office Department as 'Ex-
a Billy- Smith , and it adhered to him
i after life when he became a mem-
er of the House of Representatives
nd afterward Governor of Virginia. "
Not So Easily Pooh d.
"Fine wasn't it ? " 'exclaimed Citi-
an , after the trombone soloist had
lished his star performance. "That
as really clever , eh ? "
"Oh , shucks ! " replied Citimaa'a
untry cousin. "He didn't fool me a
: tle bit. That's one o' them trick
> rns. He didn't really swaller it"
iiilndelphia Press.
The Ancient Sages.
'After all , it's the wise man who
in change his opinion. "
"But the wisest men simply can't
> it"
"Why not ? "
"Because they've been dead for
Jar. " Philadelphia Press.
The man who Is always telling hovr
uch more work he does than his as-
clates , should be "watched. Screw
somewhere.