BILL'S IN TROUBLE.
from my gnu
I't got lt tfr. purxoii,
a way mil Went,
Ad' niy ul' heart In heavy an an nuvil iu
my liri'iiNt
To think tii Imy whose ftitur' I had once
no proudly planned
Should wii ihIit from I lie putli o' right an'
come tu Nirli mi etui!
I told liim ulii'ii lit- lift us only three
iiliort years ago
He'd I) ml liiniHi-lf n plowiii' lii a mighty
crooked row
He'd iiiIhh liix father's counsels, nil' his
mother's prayers, too,
Cut be nil id the farm wan hateful, nn' lie
guessed lied lime to go.
I know thur's big temptation for a yoiinjj
sfer in the Went,
But I believed our Itilly had the courage
to resist,
An' when lie left I warned him o' the
ever-waitin' snares
That lie like hidden sarplntB In life'i path'
way cverywhcrei!.
But Bill lie promised fuithful to be keer
fill, nn' allowed
He'd build a rcpiitution that'd make us
mighty proud.
But It seems us how my counsel sort o'
faded from IiIh mind.
An' now the hoy's iu trouble o' (be very
wustest kind!
Hi lettem eiinie no seldom that I some
how Hint o' knowed
That Billy wan a trumplu' on a mighty
rocky roud,
But never once imagined he would bow
my head Iu shame,
An' In the diiHt'd waller his ol' daddy's
honored name.
He writes from out In Denver, an' the
story's mighty short;
I just can't tell his mother; it'll crush her
poor ifV heart!
An' so I reckoned, parson, you might
break the news to her
Bill's In the Lcgislatur', but he doesn't
suy what fur.
Denver Post.
THE POISONED SPEAR
"It is rather a bad hole, boys, sure
enough, n ml the Lord bleBS you, It was
nip and tuck between tnc and tin devil
for a little while, I tell you. I can't
even think of the thing now wlrliout
feeling my blood run cold.
"Does It ever Lurt me? Well, 1
thould say It (Wa I can feel the
blamed stuff ruukMiig In my bonus this
very minute.
"Bli; what muff? Why the poison, of
course.
"Well, If you must have the story, I'll
tell It, seeing iih I'd have to anyhow;
but ns It's getting lute and I'm as
nleepy ns n il-weeks-old cub, I'll war
runt It'll uot bo very long and strung
out.
"So you want to know how I come to
have that big ugly hole In my arm
there, do you?
"All right, boys, all right; you shall
know; you shall know, (lire me n
match, somebody. This tobacco must
be wet, or green, or something. It's
forever mid eternally going out on a
fellow.
"Marly In the fall of the year 1808
or 18ii!), I'm not sure which, there were
nonio ten or twelve of us hunting wild
horses on the Upper Itio Grande, In the
northern part of the Territory of New
Mexico. The Indians were quiet enough
at the time and game wasn't scarce, so
what wllb pleiuy to eat, tobacco galore, i
a cask of rum and pretty fair luck
with the lnsso, we watched our corral
getting full with contented hearts,
"We had been some six or seven
weeks iu ciiiup when one of the boys,
nn Irishman named Mike Morlarily,
came In from an antelope trail that he
had been following two whole days,
with the startling Intelligence that
there were Indians on the creek about
three miles nbuve camp.
"He hnilu'l slopped to get close sight
of them, bill from the fact that they
wero mounted anil that 1 hey numbered
"There was no time for hesitation.
Wo were close under a row of small
coltonwoods, which fringed tho creek,
mid In a moment were out of our sail
dies, for we wero mounted, peppering
nway at our ussallauts for dear life,
and making pretty much every shot
tell, too,
"The conflict was a brief but decis
ive one. Within fifteen minutes It was
ended by the complete rout of the
Apaches. Or rather of ull but one. He
was a heavily built fellow, radiant
with warpaint, and bristling with tom
n hawk, knife, arrows and a long spear.
He was evidently the leader and op
posed the flight of his followers with
fiery vehemence. When he found him
self alone, Instead of joining the stam
pede, he turned on us fiercely once
more. It seined' as If he single-handed
ami alone proposed to assail us again.
"As he whirled his mustang about I
drew bead on liliti. He caught the flash
of thc-sunlight on my rifle barrel, and
raised his spear. Then came a report
nnd u whiz in the air at the same time. J
The Apache dropped backwards from
his saddle, and I clapped my hand over
a deep spear wound In my una.
"The lance had struck me In the
fleshy, part of the left forearm and
dropped to the ground. Moriarity, who
wus nn old Indian lighter, snatched It
up and exa mined the head, which was
a section of nu old kulfe-blade ground
to n razor-like edge. He dropped It In
a moment and turned to me with a
very grave face.
" 'I thought so,' he said anxiously.
" 'Thought what?' I asked, endeavor.
Ing to staunch the flow of blood that
streamed over my hand. 'What do you
mean?'
'I mean It's pizened, sir,' was the
reply.
"And so It was. Upon the polut of the
spearhead were still some spots of
thick green substance, a vegetuble poi
son used by the savages to render their
primitive weapons more deadly In ef
fect. Within five minutes I fainted
with the Inexpressible agony of the
wound.
"Boys, I've been partially scalped;
I've been torn by the claws of savage
beasts; I've been bored through and
through with leaden bullets, and I've
went for days at a time, under a hot
broiling sun, without so much as a
drop of water to drink, but uev'er be
fore or since have I experienced the In
tense suffering, the terrlblo misery
which 1 endured during those few pre
ceding minutes.
"When I recovered consciousness.
half a pound of flesh, more or less, hud
been taken from my arm. The opera
tion spoiled Its usefulness In a meas
ure, but It saved my life.
"The Indian? Oh! He turned out to
be Hawkeye, one of the most famous
chiefs of the Apaches. He and eleven
of his followers reached the happy
hunting grounds ot about the same
time. My bullet had found bis heart."
ORIGIN OF MAY DAY.
FESTIVAL OF THE FLOWERS AND
ITS ANTIQUITY.
May Dny 4,000 Yenrs Ago-The Day
In Kirypt, Clilnii, Mexico and Pern
Old English Customs In Connection
with the Floral Holiday.
First Day of Mny.
For the origin of May Day with Its
Joyous associations, we are compelled
to go back to a time when meu person
I lied the powers of nature and called
them gods and goddesses. How fur
SlPlIilPl
QUEEN OP MAY IU FRANCIS.
back the goddess of the flowers was
adored at the season when the earth put
on her green mantle with Its floral
spangles of every hue, we do not know,
for the earliest records speak of a
spring festival as nn Institution already I
nnd was crowned with the spoils of the
fields, a genuine Queen of the May. A
cities grew, it became Inconvenient to
go fur Int o the couutry, for the cxeur
slou steamers and railroad trains pack'
ed full of pleasure seekers were not,
and a substitute was found by bringing
a tree Into town, setting It lu the ground
hi a public place, decorating It with
flowers, which the country people. In
the hope of gaining shekels, or oboll
or denarii, or whatever other coin was
legal tender for debts public and private
In the neighborhood, were easily Indue
ed to bring lu. Thus, Iu the May pole
is seen the descendant of the green tree,
and the dancing about it lu circles Is ex
plained by the fact that the only way
to dance round It at all Is In a circle, and
also, perhaps, the circle has always had
a mystic significance, being much used
lu charms and Incantations. Having
learned this much from the antlqua
rlaus, these dlgnilled folk may be told
to go about their business, for the rest
of our knowledge of May Day and Its
festivities may easily be had from other"
sources than their ponderous and nl
most unreadable tomes.
From authors of our own tongue we
may glean almost Innumerable refer
ences mid allusions to the pretty custom
of hallowing the May Day, and we also
learn that 1ms than "OU years ago the
May isde was as Indispensable In every
English village as the stocks or the pil
lory. When the rurltans, who were
uot afraid either of the name of traitor.
or of .deserving It. by beheading their
King, came Into power, the Idea of any
one presuming to enjoy himself while
he groveled here upon the earth lu the
humble capacity of a worm of the dust.
was Intolerable to them; so, with bell
lnglng and carol singing, nnd other
iclous Indulgences, the May Day danc
ing and flower gathering were tabooed
nnd Mny poles were all cut dovyu. But
after grim old Oliver passed nwny, the
night of the storm that shook all Eu
rope, the people began to amuse them
selves again, erected taller May poles
than were ever known before, and done-
fflm 1
"l DHKW A BKAD OX IIIM."
no women among them he was pretty
certain that they were a band of
Apaches on the war-path.
"This news was somewhat alarming,
to say the least, for we well knew what
our fate would be If we fell Into the
hands of the red devils, and a strict
guard was set that night for, previous
to that time, we had been living a hap
py-go-lucky kind of a life, secure In our
fancied Isolation, leaving the camp to
take care of Itself, after we laid our
pipes by and rolled ourselves In our
blankets. No attack was mnde, how
ever, and three days afterwards a
reeonnolsanee of the creek nbove
brought the welcome news that the red
skins were gone.
"Karly that afternoon some one sug
gested that we should visit the aban
doned camp, and five of us, Including
myself and Moriarity, set out for that
purpose. As had been reported, the
savages were gone and all that re
mained of the late cantonment was the
ashes of the dead Area and the debris
of some of their barbaric feasts.
"We were still wandering over the
apparently deserted plateau when a
lmlr raising yell behind up brought us
about with a start to see a score of
mounted Ac!- urging their mus
tangs at the top of their s;wd towards
us.
The Mosquito.
The female mosquito, after she has
filled herself with blood the male In
sect Is not a blood sucker seeks out
some dark and sheltered spot near
stagnant water.
At the end of about six duys she
quits her shelter, and, alighting on the
surface of the water, deposits her eggs
thereon. She then dim, and, as a rule,
fallslnto the water beside her eggs. The
eggs float about for a time, and then
In due course, give birth to tiny swim
ining larvae. These larvae, lu virtue
of a voracious appetite, grow apace.
casting their skins several times to ad
mlt of growth.
Later, they pass Into the uyuiplm
stage, during which, after a time, they
float on the surface of the water. Final
ly, the shell of the nymplia cracks
along Its dorsal surface and a young
most u i l o floats on the surface of the
water while Its wings are drying and
acquiring rigidity. W hen tins Is com
plete it tiles away.
The young mosquito larvae, to satis
fy their prodigious appetites, devour
everything eatable they come across;
and one of tlie first things they eat. If
they get the chance, is the dead body of
their parent, now soft aud sodden from
decomposition aud long Immersion.
They even devour their own cast-off
skins. In examining mosquito larvae
one often comes across specimens
whose alimentary canals are stuffed
with the scales, fragments of limbs,
and other remains of the maternal In-sect.
Jobnl's Call.
The daughter of Dr. Edward Hodges,
the organist, says that her father had
a delightful way of calling all the chil
dren musically. One Sunday morning,
when he was playing In St. John's
Chapel, New York, he said to her:
"I am going to call Jubal. Watch
him."
Jubal was sitting In his accustomed
place near the middle aisle. Doctor
Hodges' voluntary began thoughtfully
and smoothly, but In the course of It, a
significant phrase of two notes was
twice repeated. It was distinct, and
yet so truly a part of the Improvisa
tion that no stranger would have no
ticed It nt oil.
The tlrst time, Jubal's attention was
arrested; the second, he turned and
looked up, but saw no sign. At the
third call, he deliberately took up his
hat, left the pew, walked straight up
to his father, and said:
"Do you want me, sir?"
"Yes." said Doctor Hodges. "Go
home ond get my gold snuffbox."
The errand wus speedily executed.
for the house stood near. Jubal band
ed the snuffbox to bis father, and re
turned to his seat
Food to Injured Itallroad Men.
In ten rears fl.OUO.OUO has been paid
out by the casualty fuud of the British
Benevolent Institution to injured rail
way men and their families.
MAY DAY IX THE TIME OF
SKIN
roo MUCH
DOCTORING.
A"
-A- ,1,.
CJESAR.
well established and even then known
more from ancient times. The Egyp
tians made pictures of everything, so
it Is not surprising that amoug the
paintings on the walls of their cata
combs there should be found some
which, from the accompaniments of
Rowel's, garlands and wreaths, are Judg
ed by the antiquarians to be of a spring
festival, a feast of flowers. May Day
is therefore at least 4,500 years old, and
It Is quite possible that Adam and Eve
celebrated May Day In the garden of
raradlse If they stayed there over one
sea sou.
When traces of May Day are discov
ered lu the earliest ages of Egypt nnd
at the dawn of history in Greece, among
the Etruscans, among the Celts of the
Rhone and the Germans of the Rhine,
lu Scandinavia and Wales and Ireland,
among the natives of the Indian Pe
ninsula and among the Aborigines of
America and Australia and New Gui
nea, the conclusion is safe that such a
custom Is of universal observance and
remotest antiquity. So It may be that
the Chinese are not as extravagant as
they seem when they claim that May
Day originated In the Celestial Empire
00,000 years before the flood, being la
stltuted by the never-to-be-enough-praised
Emperor Chi-Whee, who was
fond of flowers and employed exactly
1,000,000 men to take care of bis garden,
Leaving, however, the claims of the
glorious Chl-Whce to be defended by
bis own people. It Is worth remembering
that a festival, In many particulars
bearing a close resemblance to our May
Day, was celebrated all over Italy and
the south of Europe at the beginning of
the Christian era, when every one who
could spare the time went Into the
woods and fields for a day's outing,
ed about them harder than ever. But,
as often happens In such coses, when
nobody opposed the Moy Day and Its
pole, both soon fell Into what Grover
Cleveland would term "Innocuous des
uetude," aud now there Is hardly a
MAT DAT PAKCEOF LONDOX BOOTBLACKS
There Is one thing about a crop of
wild oats: It harvests lutelf.
gathered flowers and retnrnlng laid
them on the altars of Flora. It Is also
Interesting to know that on these occa
sions the goddens of flowers was per
ousted by a young girl, the prettiest
who could be found, who, during the
day, paired the homage of her friends J
5. vm&t&&
Mir
SPECIALIST says too many
omen do their complexions to
death. At n recent lecture, one
woman declared that she was do years
ofage.and "I've been taking care of my
complexion steadily for ten years, and
I Just wish you'd notice what a fright
It Is. I've tried tincture of benzoin,
glycerin and rose water, a face iniisk.
steaming and massage, and If there's a
tougher, uglier, rougher, more sbrlvel-ed-looklng
face on any woman of my
age In this city, then she call have the
blue ribbon for dowurlght homeliness.
"You've doctored your complexion
almost to death," answered her friend,
quietly. "Many wo i do. They use
preparations, excellent lu themselves
often, but not suited to their require
meuts. Tincture of benzoin Is very
detrimental to oily skins. The familiar
rose water and glycerin, In the major
ity of Instances, makes the complexion
dry, yellow and leathery. Face masks
are dreadful In their effects on not only
the skin, but the general health, partic
ularly those made of rubber. They
make the face perspire, and the Im
purities which exude from the pores
cling to the rubber for a while, and are
eabsorbed. Steaming the face robs
the skin of Its natural oil, causes wrlu
kles to appear and makes one sensi
tive to neuralgia. Under the delusive
pretense of facial massage many hun
dreds of women have had the delicate
tissues of their faces pinched and slap
ped aud rubbed and twisted without
any regard whatever for the natural
condition of the skin. Disappointment
generally follows the use of all the
things I have mentioned, and nlso of
the methods employed. All of these
remedies are enough to ruin a woman's
face."
The Slangy Girl.
The use of slang Is the easiest of
all habits to acquire, yet so hard to
break. - It vitiates our speech, and es
pecially marks a woman as ordinary,
though she may be of eminently refilled
birth and education. To converse well,
even elegantly. Is only a matter of cul
tivation. Study the selection of your
words, and after a while It will be sec
ond nature to use only such as are es
sentially above criticism. All cannot be
fluent conversationalists, but all can
speak correctly, using only such lan
guage as expresses what you wish to
say, but not In the slangy fashion that
too many young people think chic and
convincing. It may sound smart and
cute In some ears to be fluently familiar'
I with all the up-to-date slang phrases,
I but the best people, the refined nnd cul
I tlvnted members of society, will never
be able to discover any beauty In this
knowledge. ,
Many girls use slang as they puff
cigarettes, thinking to make an Impres
sion upon men by their worldly ways,
the little "fast" touch In Its dangerous
proximity to the extreme edge of the
border Hue of decorum possessing tlint
strange fascination that has belonged
to forbidden fruit since the days of Eve.
The men whose good opinion Is worth
having, however, do not cultivate the
society of slangy girls. Its use may be
only a habit, but slang will Impress the
hearer with a feeling that the nature
of the woman employing it Is lu touch
with Its brusquerlo and Its unconveU'
tioual idioms.
od necessary. All of which Is Interest
ing for two reasons, one as showing
that the service question Is ns serious
across the water as here, nnd anoth'-r
that in the opinion of at least one ob
server the hope of betterment lies In
ability and practice of doing one's own
work.
To Make n Corurt Cover.
A quickly made corset cover has only
three senilis, one on each shoulder and
one across the waist line. To cut u
pattern, take your waist pattern and a
newspaper. On the straight edge lay
the middle of the buck, next to this lay
the piece that comes next, lapping the
pieces where they allow for seams;
then hip onto this the next underarm
piece, next Ihe front with the seam
that Joins onto this, and fold over each
dart. This will leave your shoulder
seams quite away npurt. Measure
ronsuT coveh pattern.
across the bottom nnd be sure you havo
It large enough around the waist, then
cut your papers, allowing an Inch In
front. The pattern will be straight lu
the back and bias In front. Lay the
pattern so the middle of the back will
bo on a fold of the cloth, baste tho
shoulder seams, aud try ou over your
corset and draw the front together bo
it will lit. Being bias. It wilt lit per
fectly smooth. Mark where you need
to trim the front edge, then see If you
have the bottom just at the bottom of
the waist, allowing the width of a
scaui. If you have had to change any,
put It back on your paper and trim It.
then you will have a perfect fitting pat
tern. For the lower part, cut a circular
piece that will fit smoothly around your
hips, six Inches deep. Exchange.
An Ideal Hnaband.
The Idenl husband Is thus described
by a blight woman who keeps her eyes
open and has a repreheuslve habit fher
friends say) of "taking notes:"
"A temperate, moral. Intelligent, en
ergetic, affectionate, truthful, forgiv
ing, Christian man, who chooses a wlfo
for her mind and heart rather than her
face, nnd waits until he finds the right
one.
"Who neither scolds nor laughs at
his wife, and never contradicts her lu
public.
"Who loves home and children, ard
has certain moans for making an hon
est nnd comfortable living.
"Who Is economlcnl, but not stingy;
gives lils wife a personal allowance to
do with as she chooses nnd. unless
wealthy, keeps his life insured In '.:er
favor.
"Who understands that women hava
nerves, enjoys pretty things, and are
happier for being 'petted' once In a
while nnd sometimes oftener."
This observing woman is herself an
energetic, happy, lovable old mnld.
with unbounded faith In the possibili
ties of man nature under proper condi
tions, nnd says some wives of her ac
quaintance have husbands who can be
easily developed Into paragons if just
"managed" properly.
TUB JACK IS TBR BOX.
May pole to be found In all England.
The custom of remembering the day,
however, still survives, and little girls
wearing garlands, and carrying with
them a doll decorated with flowers,
termed the "Lady of the May," still go
about the towns on this dny, presenting
their doll to the passers-by as a modest
hint for halfpence.
In the quiet country districts of
France, Germany and Italy there are
still queens of May, young girls who are
on this day crowned queens of the fes
tivities. In many parts of Europe the
May festival takes the form of games
and athletic sports of various kinds. It
Is a singular fact, as showing not only
the universality of the custom, but also
the fact that all the varieties probably
had one origin, that many of the fea
tures of the celebration In countries
very widely separated, are almost Iden
tical The Chinese, as well as the Eng
lish, bad a queen of the May, while in
Mexico and Peru, the crowning of a
young girl with flowers at this season
Is a bint of the same thing.
While there seems nothing so tran
sient as a jovial custom like this, noth
ing Is, Id reality, more permanent, and
the manner In which apparently frivol
ous and meaningless celebrations are
banded down from parents to children,
from race to race, constitute one of
the bonds which nnlte us to remote
age and countries far distant from our
owa
Sle-p nnd Healthy Beauty.
One should never allow one's self to
! be too busy or tired to neglect the
nightly toilet. One should not simply
drop one's clothes and tumble Into bed,
else neither one's self nor the clothes
will look attractive lu the morning.
Have plenty of hot water and a dash
of cologne and give your face a thor
ough laving. The result will be as re
freshing as an hour's sleep. Brush the
hair for twenty minutes, It will be
glossier and thicker for the trouble,
nnd your nerves will be soothed by the
process. Then, after the exercise, robe
yourself In a warm gown and drink
a glass of hot milk, weak cocoa or even
hot water, entlng a wafer or bit of
toast If you like. When the small sup
per Is finished you will be rendy to go
to sleep without insomnia cure, and in
the morning you will waken refreshed
nnd thoroughly In good humor with
yourself and your world.
Scarcity of Domestic Help.
An Englishwoman who evidently has
been over here studying us more or
less thinks she has found a message of
enlightenment to bring back to her sis
ter housekeepers at home. In a long
letter printed In one of the London
weeklies she urges Englishwomen to
assist in the solution of the domestic
service problem by being more Inde
pendent of servants. "Let each girl,"
she begs, "be taught on leaving school
at least how to care for her own bed
room." Then, realizing how radical
are her views, she hastens to exclaim
and explain. "Why not?" she snys.
"Our American sisters except those of
the extreme fashionable caste which
has arisen of late years do this as a
matter of course (as they also do many
things about the house which we never
dream of touching), and that they are
one whit behind us In the niceties of
life anyone who has bad the privilege
of spending any time in the bosom of a
typical American family will strenu
ously deny." The paper goes on at
considerable length to point out the
value of fewer servants and of becom
ing one's own housemaid In a limited
degree, and explains In detail the metb-
Spring Walking Suite.
How to Cnrl Feathers.
Feathers may easily be curled, If
only a little time and care be devnre.1
to them. A simple process Is is fol
lows: Have a large kettle with steam
pouring out of the spout Hold the
feathers In this steam for a few mo
ments, and then with a blunt krlfe
(preferably a metal paper cutter) curl
each separate plume, and when com
plete, hold the feather In front of the
fire to keep the stiffness In. Profession
al dressers do little else, but, of course,
they are more expert than a mere ama
teur. '
Chinese Gown a.
The klnomo is the name of a band
some new lounging robe, which may
be made from a discarded opera cloak.
Its long, loose folds crossed and con
fined by. a broad sash at the waist, its
queer, square-shaped sleeves, the ease
with which It may be manufactured,
all appeal to comfort loving women!
If being made new, it should be of yel
low satin, with trimmings of embroid
ered peacock feathers.
Large families are the rule rather
than the exception among the Dutch,
but a certain Susanna Joubert, of Klip
fonteln. In the Free State, baa broken
all records In that line. She has had
four husbands, and her living descend
ant number 327.