STORY J
2
l&e Courtship
sTcTlliles
Standish
With Illustration
by
Howard Chandler Christy
77ie Spinning Wheel
L.orth after month passed away, and
in autumn the ships of the
merchants
Came with kindred and friends, with
cattle and corn for the I'ilgrims.
All In the village was peace; the men
were intent on their labors.
Rufjr with hewing and building, with
garden-plot and with nierejstead.
Busy with breaking the glebe, and
mowing the grass in the meadows,
Searching the sea for its fish, and
hunting the deer In the forest.
All in the village was peace; but at
times the rumor of warfare
Killed the air with alarm, and the ap
prehension of danger.
Bravely the stalwart Miles Standish
was scouring the land with bis
forces.
Waxing valiant in fight and defeating
the alien armies.
Till his name had become a sound of
fear to the cations.
Anger was still In bis heart, but at
times the remorse and contrition
Which In all coble natures succeed
the passionate outbreak.
Came like a rising tide, that encount
ers the rush of a river,
Staying its current a while, but mak
ing It bitter and brackish.
Meanwhile Alden at home had built
htm a new habitation.
Solid, substantial, of timber rough
hewn from the firs of the forest.
Wooden-barred was the door, and the
roof was epvered with rushes;
Latticed the windows were, and the
window-panes were of paper.
Oiled to admit the light, while wind
and rain were excluded.
' There, too, he dug a well, and around
it planted an orchard:
Still may be seen to this day some
trace of the well and the orchard.
Close to the bouse was the stall,
where, safe and secure from an
noyance. Raghorn. the snow-white steer, that
had fallen to Alden's allotment
la the dlvUion of cattle, might rumin
ate In the night-time
Over the pastures he cropped, made
i fragrant by sweet pennyroyal.
TDK when his labor was finished,
with eager feet would the dreamer
Follow the pathway that ran through
the woods to the bouse of Pns
cllla, led by Illusions romantic and subtile
deceptions of fancy,
Pleasure disguised as duty, and love
tn the semblance of friendship.
Ever of her be thought, when he fash
ioned the walls of his dwelling;
Ever of her he thought, when he
delved In the soil of his garden;
Ever of her he thought, when he read
In bis riible on Sunday
Praise of the virtuous woman, as she
Is described in the Proverbs,
How the heart of her husband doth
safely trust In her always.
How all the days of her life she will
do him good, and rot evil,
How she seeketh the wool and the
: . . ' j.- r - i. s - . ' .. ...
The Light Foot on the
flax and wotketh with gladness,
How she layeth her bund ta the spin
dle and holdeth the iliftaff,
How she U not afraid of the snow for
heimelf or her household.
Knowing ber household are clothed
with tho scarlet doth of her
weaving!
Po, as she sat at her wheel one aft
ernoon In the autumn.
Alden, who opposite fat, mid was
watching her dexterous flitgers.
As If the thread she was spinning
were that of his life and his for
tune, Af.er a pause In their talk, thus spake
to the sound of the spindle.
"Truly, I'riscilla," he said, "when 1
see you spinning and spinning,
Never idle a moment, but thrifty and
thoughtful of others.
Suddenly jou are transformed, ore
visibly chauced in a moment:
You are no longer rrlscl'.Ia, but
Hertha. the lleautiful Spinner.''
Here the llsht foot ou the treadle
grew swifter and swifter; tho
spindle
I'ttered an angry snarl, and the thread
snapped short In her fingers;
While he Impetuous speaker, not
heeding the mischief, continued:
"You are the beautiful Bertha, the
spinner, the queen of Helvetia;
She w hose story I read at a stall in
the streets of Southampton.
Who, as she rode on her palfrey, o'er
1- v "
T T
Pressing Her Close to His Heart.
valley and meadow and moun
tain. Ever was spinning her thread from
b distaff fixed to her saddle.
She was so thrifty and good, that her
named passed into a proverb.
So shall it be with your own. when
the spinning -wheel shall no longer
Hum in the house of the farmer, and
fill its chambers with music.
Then shall the mothers, reproving, re
late bow It was In their child
hood. Praising the good old times, and the
days of Prlscilla, the spinner!"
Straight uprose from her wheel the
beautiful Puritan maiden.
Pleased with the praise of her thrift
from blra whose praise was the
sweetest,
Drew from the reel on the table a
snowy skein of her spinning.
Thus making answer, meanwhile, to
the flattering phrases of Alden:
"Come, you must cot be Idle; If I ara
Treadle Grw Swifter.
a pattern for housewives,
Show yourself equally worthy of be
ing the model i f husl ands.
Hold this skein on your bands, while
I wind It, ready for knitting;
Then who knows but hereafter, when
fashions have changed aud the
manners.
Fathers may talk to their sons of the
good old times of John Alden!"
Thus, with a jest and a laugh, the
skein on his hands she adjusted,
He sitting awkwardly there, with his
his arms extended before him,
She standing graceful, erect, and wind
ing the thread from his fingers.
Sometimes chiding a little his clumsy
manner of holding.
Sometimes touching his hands, as she
disentangled expertly
Twist or knot In the yarn, unawares
for how could she help It?
Sending electrical thrills through
every nerve In his body.
I.o! In the midst of this scene, a
breathless messenger entered.
Prltiglng In hurry and heat the ter
rible uews from the village.
Yes; Miles St.indlsh was dead! an
Indian had brought them the tid
ings. Slain by a poisoned arrow, shot down
In the front of the battle.
Into an ambush beguiled, cut off with
the whole of his forces;
All the town would be burned, and all
the people be murdered!
Such were the tidings of evil that
burst on the hearts of the hear
ers. Silent and statue like stood Prlscilla,
her face looking backward
Still at the face of the speaker, her
arms uplifted in horror;
But John Alden, upstarting, as If the
barb of the arrow
Piercing the heart of his friend had
struck his own, and had sundered
Once and forever the bonds thut held
him bound as a captive,
Wild with excess of sensation, the
awful delight of his freedom,
Mingled with pain and regret, uncon
scious of what he was doing.
Clasped, almost with a groan, the
motionless form of Prlscilla,
Pressing her close to his heart, as for
ever his own, and exclaiming:
"Those whom the Ixrd hath united,
let co man put theiu asunder!"
Even as rivulets twain, from distant,
and separate sources.
Seeing each other afar, as they leap
from the rocks, and pursuing
Each one Its devious path, but draw
ing nearer and nearer,
Iiukh together at last, at their tryst
Ing place In the forest;
So these lives that bad run thus far
tn separate channels.
Coming In sight of each other, then
swerving and flowing asunder,
Parted by barriers strong, but draw
ing nearer and nearer.
Rushed together at last, and one was
lost tn the other.
(TO IiE CONTINUED.)
Hs Had One r.se-t.al.
Mr. Leo "Why did you let your
daughter marry that little bandy
legged sp,ort?" Mr. Monk "Why, he's
the best climber 'n the Jungle, and
that's nulte Important when food Is
so high."
Luke 19:3.
Deacon "I fear It's the Sunday pa
per we must blame for our small
morning congregations, pastor." Pas
tor "Yes, many of our people are
like Zaccheus, prevented from getting
near our Lord by the press." Boston
Transcript
The Mseksst Man.
Our notion of the meekest man Is
oca who Is afraid to attempt borrow
ing a part of bis salary from bis wife.
Atchison Globe.
What We Live For.
What do we live for If not to make
the world less difficult for each other?
George Eliot.
AUNT BETTY'S
CROW
Hy IlONAI.D AI.I.KN
Aunt Hetty lived In a poor little cot
tage In the suburbs of the village.
Her ouly Income came froia washing,
though to be sure there were kind
hearted people who were glad to help
ber out when her rheumatic spells
came ou and she could not use br
hands. Her special patron was the
merchant's daughter. Miss May Gra
ham. As a girl of twelve Miss May
used to go over to the cottage and
sweep and dust and cook and cheer
the patient up. She had come to
be nlueteen, and yet the visits contin
ued. One day a tin peddler came along
with something besides tinware to sell.
It was a tame crow. The bird could
make a fair attempt at singing and
talking. At least, he was a lively crow,
and It was purchased to be presented
to Aunt Hetty, who hadn't good luck
keeplr.- a cat about the house. The
bird's antics and chatter would be a
diversion. Mr. Crow was tied by the
leg for a week, and then he had no
thought of flying away. It cniuo to
bo known whose crow he wns niid th
'stone throwing boys did not bother
him.
Miss May had been In the city for
four days, to fine" upon ber return
that Aunt Hetty's hands and arms
were aching with rheumatism. Tl'.u
dix tors had said that she could never
be free from tlie nlliueiit, but she al
ways found temporary relief by rub
bltig the fresh plant of the Ittterg: ecu
over the affected part. Many nml
many an armful of the plant hnd the
giii gathered. She had to go down the
highway a bit and then turn aside to
when the creek ran through a marshy
spot. On this day she left the cot
tage almost on the run, and the crow
followed. bciiMIiis ner for her long
Kbsetu-it. Willie she gathered the
plants he sat on the limb of a dead
tree not far away.
Presently the girl henrd Hie chug of
an auto, but she hadn't the curlos'ty
jto look up. She heard It halt a few
'yards away, but It could have nothing
to do with her.
"A splendid target, but I'll wnger
you don't hit It!"
"Three to one 1 do!"
Miss May straightened up In a
breath. There were two young men i
In the auto, nnd one h:;d a pistol on
the tame crow, who was locking ! wn
w Ithout fenr.
"Don't! Don't shoot!"
It vjas too late The shot rang out
and the poor bird fell. Mls May
Dung down the plants she bail gath-
..'.vA.
"Don'tl Don't Shoot!"
cred and advanced upon the auto. Its
occupants stared at her as sho came.
Her cheeks were red and her eyes
flashing.
"You you ruffian!" she exclaimed
at the young man who still held the
revolver In his hand.
In her Indignation she did not take
notice whether be was young or old,
fair or ugly. All she did notice was
that he had big black eyes, and her
big blue ones looked straight Into them
as she continued:
"It was the cruelest act I ever
heard of, and you ought to be sent
to prison for it!"
"Why, I have simply shot a crow!"
he replied In a dnzed way.
"Yes, but whose crow wns It I Oh,
man, It a dastardly act!"
"Drive on!" whispered the other
young man, with a nudge of the elbow.
"Yes. drive on. like two rowsrds!"
replied the girl as she caught the
words. "You have committed some
thing almost as hnd as murder, and
now It's for you to sneak away!"
"You are mistaken," replied the
man with the big black eyes as ha
lifted bis cap at last and stepped down.
"I I don't understand at all. please
explain "
Miss May stepped to the spot where
the dead crow lay, and picking it Up
In ber arms she returned and said:
"It was a tame crow. It belonged
to poor Aunt Betty. She wlli cry ber
eyes out over Its death."
"A tame crowT Why, I don't think
I ever heard of one. You see, we saw
It sitting up there, and I thought I
would try this new pistol. I hadn't
an Idea an Idea"
"No. You thought you could shoot
.)
CD
nt anything that came In your way!
You didn't happen t see me, or I
might have heed the target!"
Please don't be too harsh on mv
I'm willing to do anything U make
good. Wheie does this Aunt Hetty
live? I'll try and make It right with
her."
The girl passed him the crow, went
hack for her plants, aud when she re
turned sho led the way to the cottage,
crying a little and saying never a
word. The black eyed man walked be
side ber. while the other drove the
auto to the Inn.
"Aunt Hetty." said Miss May as the
cottage was reached, "here Is a uian
who has shot your Pickle!"
"What! Killed my crow!" walled
the old woinsn.
"Madam." replied "'"n- "' hav
had thnt misfortune. I saw him sitting
on a limb, and I supposed he was a
wild crow. It was very foolish of me
to shoot at all. but I did. ami I can't
tell you how much 1 regret It."
"Hut Pickle was company for me.
He kept me cheered up Ho was more
to me thnn any person except May.
Why. the place will he so lonely that
I won't want to live any longer!"
"Won't you please speak a word
for me?" asked the man of Miss May,
who sat with teHrs In her eyes and
her Up trembling.
She brushed away the tears and
looked at lilin for a long minute. He
had a kindly face, nnd his eyes 1 ked
the sympathy and regret he felt. Sho
went over to Aunt Hetty and put her
arm around her ami said:
"It s too bad. but we inusn't cry over
It. I I think the gentleman will get
you another tame crow, if ho ran find
one."
"If you will please leave It to tno,"
was answered. "Here Is my card."
It was not glanced at until the win
tergreen plants hail lnen well rubbed
i n. Then Mis May say the nddrcn
read: "Mr. AdNon llrnee, N Y City"
"lie-he shot Dickie. but I like
him," said the old woman us tho girl
was rea.ly to go."
"I'.n sure he'll g't Jou another
crow "
"Ami did you nothe hli eyes?"
"I saw they were bl.uk"
"And l.e r. It lind. didn't he?"
"I I elleve he did "
"And shooting a crow -and yeur
pitching 1i:to him - ami he com Iiik here
anil hewing my pardon and he to
.!acl:,g Hi, kit ai.,1 r?.. n falling 111 J
line with you Is th.it what young!
fi Iks call romance?" :
"Aunt Het. are you reilly g"'f
out of your mind?" win the reproof as
Miss May hurried out of the limine j
Mr. AiIIkoii Urine did tint leave the 1
villa;) with bin companion. He set
fed rlsht down there .In didn't I
hunt for tame crows, but he sent up j
town for a mocking bird, ami Aunt
Hetty received It with joy Then, after j
Miss Craham had given h!in her name. I
and her father had ald the Hrure fatu !
lly was of the best, she eti'en-u Irto.
a little plot with the murderer of the i
tame crow. A better cottage was
bought for Aunt Hetty, and she was
moved In to Uae poverty and the '
washboard behind her What's a roupln
of thousand dollars to a rich young .
nan who has shot a tamo crow and Is
sorry for It, and who has st the same
time found the girl of all tho girls ho
wants for a wife?
It wasn't so many weeks sgo that
th happy Aunt Hetty said to the sing
Ing Miss May:
"Yes. I guess this Is romance. If
only the parlor was big enough tn hold
you all Id have the marriage take
place right here!"
And when tho girl retorted: "What
mnrrlHge!' her hlunhes gav, her
away.
New Heat Unit.
The line of nas for heatln. ns well
as lUhtlnK has made, obsolete tho old
unit, the candle power, oulng to the
fnct that this unit rates merely the
brlhtness of the flames, not the heat
In power, according to a writer In
America.
Devllle and tnoro recent experi
menters discovered a remarkable pro
portion between the llKht and heat
of a mantle, and imlng this, makers
are rating burners according; to tho
units of heat alven to them per unit
of time In standard calorics, tins of
5,200 calorics efficiency a cublo meter
has been recommended ns the stand
anl.
The latest deslKtia of burners for
heat and lU-htlnir require that the Kas
have a fairly constant consumption,
since tho maximum efficiency of the
burned It attained only when tho rel
ative quantities of nr and iras are
closely regulated. Water as mny be
added to prevent cxennslvo variation
In rnlorld value.
Witnesses.
Whenever the Key. filon Jeffr,n
called on Aunt Candnco it was her
custom to set a plate of Rlnirerbrend
before him nnd then ply him with
what she called "'IIkIous 'sponn.lln's "
"Wha' fo' does tie ,Rwd send epl
demies onto de land?" she asked him
one day.
"When folks rets so had dey must
he removed, some of Vm. Hist fan
daco. den de Ijiwd imrmii. a .
- u n comma
ob an epidemic,- snld Mr. Jefferson.
mnnerbread.
I h h! said Aunt Candace. "Kf
rlat'S SO. how Nima A- .......
. , . "' people
gets removed along wld de had onesT"
. a ""i ones are summonsed fo'
witnesses- sBd the Reverend Holon
fortified In snlrlt .. -!...-,. . "
.. , - "iiiieu m mind
by the ttlnnerhrend, although slightly
embarrassed In his utterance. "De
Lawrl gibs ebery man a fair trial
wuiua voiiipnnion.
As Eagerly,
Drowning men catch at straws."
"Bo do thirsty nisn.-
I
Roots
Barks Herbs'
Thnt have arreat meiliein.i - k
- - w a w,
Thnt have great medicinal ro-..
raised to their hlKhr.t m,n,I' V'
purlfylna- "'d enriching In hi.Jj
thry ara combined In Hood's gT "
iiirlllu.
i).3A6 testimonials t"'elvd br
count In two yrars. U. urs to
Hood's Sarsaparilla
flrt It todar In Usual 1,,M 1
choculatsd tablets cull.., I a. ...I f
" -law
The World's Islsnds.
Tha Islands of the world i..
total length of more than 17 tw'J
clrc'imforeuce. of Uio erth .. 1
equator.
CURED IN ONE 01!
As a ruU. fw fita of Mutiynn'icvu
will tinNtli up anr Jit ami rvM .... ""I
i. . - I . i . - . , "3
tatitly. Pru- ib cvnla al any drutat'a mm
It yiiu ntd SImIIc! advice wrlto iMim
K. T , ,.. i, ..
..... ...... ,mm,rm
ami i J aaiTMw " , mail. aiMtihitrlr ffaV
A'litri-aa Profrwmir Miinyutl, .kl Ittm
Hnmlm, I'tula,!. Ipli.a. ,
8oft Water for Cood Tia
"New York water Is loo hirl ;
fnako good lea.- said tn tt(
matron. "The use of soft water hi'
secret of tea ranking that Net jr
people Seem never to liATa irtng.
Hefore we found that we could W
soft water bottled we softrntt1 !
water for making tea with a flack
soda."
Fori jxHirly most of th
time stomach !ml - am
titt? iMxir -- nil run down!
You should try
HOSTETTER'S
STOMACH BITTERS
at once. It has helped
thousands who suffered
from
SOUR STOMACH
INDIGESTION 0YSPEPSI1
COLDS. MALARIA
nnd will aid yon, too.
Plucky Robin.
Tn iJidybank Auction Msrt, s
rgetlo auctioneer had knocksdskn
In the rostrum with his bsmmtr. !
side this hole and behind th boiri'S
a robin has built Its nest. whtl
now sitting on four cieks. Tbs 8
man.
Hy Lvdla 11. PInkhaffl'J
Vtvri'tfihle Compound
lVorl:Ull.-''T wish to let eTfrfWJ
i .... ... r ii.. i i i.,L liim I rfin
snow w iiai, i.jiii.v i.. i , ,
tn... rortwoj1
. ...it...,,.) Thr
tr will I
mors, and th '
remeily wtM;
peon's l""'fc,,i
inotlier
pounil, n4 tAV1
am a hm
I1 UH'.HIT" ' "II Slllienn
equal ns a catliarll.;. Any ""O
.1. a a .. . . ...... i lllfl l"
pruoi oi wuav, join .Hr
.i a ... . u r.,m anf
ii'iiiii ior uio can K' i" .-nei
a. o... Avnlllf
inoinrrp'riiii"" - ,
Xew Orleuna. lA.-'-Vot Jfl-.
r-reil from wvero iem.ii" '.
l'lnally I w-ai cotillne.l to ",T
tlindiH'tors il.l an '" """".yw
s.irr. lravoLy.lliK.J'lV'Sti
etiil.iA r,,rr i,iiinl a trial n.
ivis saved from nn nperfiti"'1
I.ii.y I'Kvitoux, 1111 Korlorecst,"
Orleuns, I A.
The jrreat Tolnmo of ""'K,..
tlmony coirt.intly I,,,,rt"',!rlkhi'
roncluslvnlv that I.yH "r,il)'
Vegetable iloniK)iiiul l "T.Vini'1
remedy for thoae distressing
PDSO'S.
.... a. - I - M IP
I HOW IS
YOUR
I HEALTH?
,-r..,. fVff if.m J
SAVED
FROM AN
OPERATIOS
k i ' .i sti i i n
r ni ii uy hiiiiiik viiii - ik
liiytestltnonl.il In any wny ''J " -,
nn.l 1 will Ik. to nnswef
I'corla, 111.
ROUGHS oCQt