THE OLD-FASHIONED FIRE,
To steam bent the citiee aspire
As they shiver and shake in tha cold;
But give me the old-faHhioned fire
The round,- rosy backlog of old!
The warmth and the light
Of its fl;-nie, leaping bright
The drowHT-hends huddled around It at
night!
Id the darkness the winter wind sighing
Made the flame take a ruddier glow;
The sparks up the broad chimney fly
ing Like witch-eyes that gleamed in the
snow!
Oh, the warmt. and the light
Of those red flames so bright.
And the comfort and joy of the wild
winter niht!
Far better that friendly old fire
Than buiMitiKS of simmering steam,
With never a flame to admire,
And never a beautiful dream!
Oh, the love and the light
' Where 1 those flames danced so
bright,
And the old-fashioned joy of the Id-
fashioned night. 'i
Atlanta Constitution. .
HIS RARE SKILL.
tHit W-H 1"t i-1 ! I 1 I1 1' II I t 4
rACK
Jla I.o
pacit
ACK GREEN was a reporter ou
London paper, and In that ca
pacity he solved the riddle of the
celebrated Sykes robbery case. The
story was printed from one end of the
country to the other,' and It uiailo a
hero of Greon, especially as he received
a slight wound from a stray bullet In
the fracas that took place when Sykes
und his confederates were arrested.
His injury won him a mouth's vaca
tion, which he resolved to spend at his
home in Kent. Ashford was not a very
lively place iu the winter, but Green
was not looking for recreation.
He wanted to see Ethel Watson, who
in his opinion, was the sweetest and
smartest girl in the world.
On the afternoon of his seventh day
In Ashford Green drove up to the Wat
son house to take Ethel for a drive.
There had been a fine fall of snow the
night before. Ethel was standing by
the gate talking to Joe Sawyer, who
also was in love with her, but dldu't
dare to say so openly. Joe was a law
yer, and the only one in Ashford who
had any practice.
"Hello, Sherlock Holmes!" said the
lawyer. "Have you heard the news?"
"Ho," answered Green, sourly.
"I'm really surprised," said Sawyer.
"You should have deducted It from the
state of the atmosphere and the price
of potatoes."
"I haven't," responded Green.
"Justice Hawkins' house has been
robbed," said Ethel, "and I think it's
positively providential that you're
here."
Green looked at Ethel and ho saw
that she expected htm to perform great
miracles. He looked at Sawyer and
saw something quite different.
"Get In here, both of you," 'said
Green, "and we'll see what we can
do."
They drove to the Justice's house,
The robbery had been discovered by
old Mrs. Gubbins, a lifelong dependent
of the Judge's family, who went
through the house three or four times
a week to see that all was well, but did
not live there. She had reported the
case to the local police a day and a
night watchman and these function
arles were present, with a dozen of the
neighbors, when Green and his coin
panlons arrived. - '
Green consulted his watch, and then
ho slowly walked into the hall, where
the old-fashioned safe built into the
wall gaped emptily. He glanced around
with listless eye, while everybody
watched him. Then he walked Into the
parlor and stood for half a minute by
the mantelpiece.
From this room he passed through
all the others In the house, a slow pro
cession following him. Finally he led
them to the starting point the broad
hall, and there he sat down upon the
stairs and looked at his watch, which
he had consulted occasionally In the
course of his stroll.
"Nineteen minutes and a half," said
Green. "Mr. Jones, I believe you are a
deputy sheriff of this county as well us
a constable of the village. I will make
ray report to you, sir. This robbery
was committed by two men who do
not llva in Ashford, and who are not
here at present. Where they are
we will consider later.
"One of them is about six feet tall
and rather slender. He has red hair,
but is bald on the front part of his
cranium. He wore a long black over
coat and heavy rubber overshoes. The
little finger of his right hand has been
broken and ts bent almost double.
"It may Interest you to know how
discovered this. The thief la tall be
cause he bumped his head en the
swinging lamp In the parlor, and that
is about six feet from the floor. He
left upon it a small portion of his scalp
and one red hair. If he had not been
bald In front he would have left more
hair and less scalp.
"The prints of bis overshoes show In
the dust on the floor of the kitchen
closet. The print of his little finger Is
In the dust on top of that table, or was
before Joe Sawyer sat down on It."
"There wasn't any dust here not
speck!" exclaimed Sawyer, Jumping off
the table.
"It depends on the eye," responded
Green, calmly.
"To continue: The other robber was
short, thick-set and dark. He wore
pea Jacket and a fur cap. He had
heavy black beard, which may, how
ever, be false. I cannot tell from the
single hair which I found upon a piece
of bread In the kitchen until I have
examined It with a microscope. He
was aa Irishman." .
ITALIAN ALPHABET
V,
This quaint and Interesting alphabet was selected and adapted from
Italian Mas. of the sixteenth ceutury.
on table-linen, using this size for napkins and enlarging any one of the
letters for table cloths. Embroider In
In satin stitch, and the light lines In
monograms are suitable for towels, etc.,
bordered towels and red embroidery cotton on red ones.
Great Scott!" exclaimed the con
stable. "How do you know that?"
"From his method of knocking out
the ashes from his pipe," replied
Green. "Irishmen have a peculiar way
of doing it I have not time to explain
iu detail."
"The tall man walked on this side,"
said Green. "Mark the longer stride
nd the prints of the overshoes. With
out doubt they walked across the mea
dows to Cbartham and took the 7:10
train for London."
"Why not the 6:60 for Dover?" ask
ed Sawyer.
"Thieves with plunder always strike
for the big cities," said Green. "Mr.
Jones, if you telegraph to London, giv
ing a description of the men and their
plunder, I think the police can catch
them for you before to-morrow morn
ing. Now, Ethel, If you're ready, we'll
go for a drive."
At 0 o'clock the next morning Jones
received this message from Scotland
Yard: '
"Have your men. Description per
fect. Most of goods recovered. Will
send men in charge of Detective Cuff,
10 o'clock train."
"I'll give it up," said Joe Sawyer.
And he gnawed his knuckles till they
bled. Green walked away from the
station with Ethel, and a cheering mob
followed.
He got her Into her own house as
soon as he could, and there in the par
lor he faced her, red with shame.
"Ethel,", said he, "I love you, and"
"And I love you," she answered,
but I'm only a silly girl, and I'll never
be anything else. I haven t the mind
your wife should hove
'Don't! Don't!" he groaned. "Ethel,
I can't act this lie before you. I have
only been a lucky idiot In this affair,
as in that other In London."
"Luck!" she cried. "Could luck tell
you that the robber carried a black bag
Instead of a brown one
Child! Child! , I saw It!" moaned
Green. "I was sitting on a rock Just
at the back of the Judge's house when
those two thieves came out through
the yard. I heard oue of them say
that they had time to walk to Chart-
hara and catch the 7:10 train to Lon
don." ..
"Jack," she cried, "you're a bigger
man than I thought you were. You're
a wonder: ana sne nung ner arms
around his neck. Indianapolis' Sun.
MOUNTAINS ON VENUS.
German Astronomer Claims
Have Discovered Them.
to
We seem to be getting on familiar
terms with neighboring worlds. With
Mars and Its Intricate system of ca
nals. If not its actual Inhabitants,
thanks to the delicate Investigations of
late years, everybody Is- pretty well ac
quainted. Now Herr Arendt, who is a
German, and, therefore, not a trifler,
announces the discovery of mountains
on Venus. To observers hitherto the
planet has seemed wrapped In an lni
penetrable envelope of cloud, which,
when near the earth. Is the cause of
Its astonishing brilliancy; but Herr
Arendt who has had the instruments
of the Urania observatory at Berlin
to work with, considers that he has
detected markings on Venus which In
dicate the presence of great eleva
tions, seen from time to time through
the clouds surrounding It
Novel as tha snggostlon is, It Is but
a revival of an old idea. Long ago
Schroter fancied he saw evidence of
mountains on Venus in the raggedness
of the terminator that Is, the line
where light and shade meet such as
the Inner line of the crescent moon.
He went so far as to measure them,
and announced that they were t wen-
AND MONOGRAM.
O.T
The letters re well adapted for use
white cotton, making the. solid parts
cording stitch or outline them. The
using blue embroidery cotton on blue
ty-flve miles high. But then no one
had believed him. Markings have been
noticed on the bright planet from very
early times, from which It was con
cluded that it rotated In about twen
ty-four hours, Its day being the same
length as our own. Herr Arendt's ob
servations point to the same results.
In direct contradiction to Schlapar
elll's famous theory that Venus, held
by tidal Influence, always turns the
same face to the sun, as the moon does
to the earth. London Globe.
WAY8 OF WOMEN.
No Limit to Tyranny Borne Will Stand
from Milliners.
There does not seem to be a limit
to the tyranny which some women
will stand from milliners, modistes,
beautlfiers, and other autocrats
mat uk. it is related of a very
grande dame who had just returned
from abroad to her New York home
that she visited her milliner In a day
or two wearing a creation in headgea
for which she had paid a fabulous
sum In Paris. The milliner saw the
situation in a moment, and, being
quick-witted person, resolved on In
stant action. "Take off that hat and
never put it on again," she said lni
periousiy to ner visitor, a woman
whose social power Is almost without
limit "Why do you say that?" she
asked, with a weak-kneed attempt to
assert her dignity. "I met Mrs. Blank
this morning and she told me this hat
was very becoming." - Quick to seize
a point the milliner answered calm
ly: i "Just so. Mrs. Blank Is no friend
of yours, and would gladly see you
wear that hat" This, was an Idea that
had not occurred to madam, but It
took root at once, just as the milliner
was sure It would. The upshot was
that the hat was left to be made over,
madam taking a new one home, and
the milliner had still more firmly riv
eted the chain which bound her
patron.'
The professional beautlfler Is about
equally autocratic. For Instance, a
noted complexion specialist who Is
said to have "made over" Mrs. Fred
erick Vanderbilt accompanied that
wealthy woman to Florida last winter
and kept her "under repair", there for
six weeks. It is understood that Mrs.
Vanderbilt saw no necessity for such
close . attention, but the beautlfler
thought otherwise and charged $10,
000 for her services. Another special
ist by way of a vacation last summer,
sauntered through a few watering
places and picked up $0,000 before re
turning to her "studio" tn New York.
Chicago Chronicle. ..
Pi e;m 7 Camels of Persia.
The western part of Persia Is Inhab
ited by a species of camel which Is the
pigmy of its kind. These camels are
snow white, and are on that account
almost worshipped by the people. The
Shah presented the municipality of
Berlin with two of these little won
ders. The larger Is twenty-seven
Inches high and weighs - sixty-one
pounds. The other Is four Inches less,
but tie weight Is not given.
. Examinations of the Air.
Regular examinations of the air In
New York City are to be made to de
termine the presence of bacteria, and
when dangerous germs are found to
be prevalent the public will be warned
and steps will be taken to head off the
disease.
German Postal Stations.
The multiplication of railways has
not diminished the number of postal
stages In Germany.' On the contrary,
the number of stage drivers rose from
5,173 to ISM to 0,814 In 1000.
remi
UIET and the Jnnitor reigned supreme in the big room on the Board
of Trnue where pandemonium had existed a little while before. Gra
ham swung bark and forth before his desk In a side otlice In the hall
below, talking to a friend. "I.ook here!"
as I know It you wouldn't have been sold.
"Do I know grain? Well, 1 ought to
what was expected, either. Oh, the
Sometimes it Is high when tilings should
You can't tell. Hut you can't fool me
"When I was a boy, you see, there
hung around there till the proprietor bad to give me a job from sheer desper
ation. The first thing I knew there was a course In the agricultural college
to be given to some one and I thought I would aspire to it. Well, I got it .
from the Congressman of the district
earnings In my pocket.
"You see, I was making my way and
what I expected to do. , There was to be a reunion of soldiers at another
town and I thought I would hurry up a bit before school and- get to the
encampment, where some one could do an odd job or two for the command
ers. The thing worked all right and I counted out $150 to put tn the bank
In the agricultural college town. But one night every cent was stolen.
When I got up in the morning I slipped my fingers under the pillow, where
the purse should have been, and nothing was there. No matter how I looked
the wallet could not be found, and at last
him. Of course he was sorry and said
would notify me. .
"I was In a quandary. I suppose I
man and told him my troubles. I had every reason to think he would have
believed me, but I had a strong aversion to going back at all. My ticket
had been bought to the college town and It, too, had disappeared with my
pocket book. But the walking was good and I could make it in a day. So
the hotel man put up a lunch for me and with that I went my way.
"In the course of time I came to the college. I faced the president with
my story.
" 'We can set you to work in the barns,' said the president 'Can you sort
grain?' Could I? It was my trade, as it were. I sorted grain, leaving the
small kernels and picking out the big, at the rate of 12 cents an hour. I
worked hard, too. The Congressman came once and stood watching me.
Finally he filled his pockets with the packages of wheat and I'll bet every
one of the samples made him a vote. .
. "Wheat gave out after a time and I was given other grain to sort until
vacation came, and then I was like the boy who wanted to go to the circus
and couldn't I wanted to go back to the town with the elevator, but didn't
have money enough. So I went to the college president with my troubles
and as a result I worked while others had a good time. Most all the stu
dents went home, but I well, I sorted beans and did other things through
out the Christmas holidays.
"That is the way I got through school. The next move I made was to
get an interest in the elevator and finally I came to Chicago as a grain ex
pert After that I started an office here In the Board of Trade."
"But all self-made men will tell you much the same story."
The self-made man turned to his desk with his letter-opener, for the mall
carrier had come in and thrown down a bundle of orders. Chicago Dally
News.
I I II I I II I 1 III I I I I I IP I I I III
UNPOPULARITY OF HOUSEWORK
. ......
1 1 1 ii
Miss Mary E. Trueblood, an Instruc
tor In Mount Holyoke College, has re
cently made an investigation for the
Massachusetts bureau of labor in re
gard to the employment of women In
that State, and her report, an abstract
of which appears In the New York
Independent contains much that Is
of Interest bearing upon the unpopu
larity of housework among American
working girls. The principal indus
tries which attract girls away from
housework are the shoe factories, tex
tile mills, department stores, and res
taurants. Of these the department
stores contain the highest per cent
of American born girls, while the
houseworkers who figure in her sta
tistics not one was born in this coun
try. In Massachusetts less than a
century ago numerous native Ameri
can girls not only lived In families as
jervauts, but were regarded as belong
ing to the family a relation not pos
sible now. The overcrowding of all
departments of work except house
work Is all the more curious when it
Is considered that the housework does
not wear upon the health, whereas all
the other departments of labor do,
especially the mills and factories.
The average cash Income weekly In
the shops is $7.52; in the shoe factories,
$10.45; in the restaurants, $5.38; in
the textile mills, $8.35; In household
work, $3.09. The houseworker, how
ever, earns more than the shop and
restaurant girl because she does not
have to pay for food and lodging, and
when lost time In mills and factories
Is taken into account the household
wages compare favorably with those
in shop and store. The housework-
er's labor Is more healthy. The de
mand for that labor is constant, and
girls engaged In It can save more.
And yet the supply of Intelligent ser
vant girls is constantly diminishing.
Miss Trueblood talked with large
numbers of girls engaged in the shops,
mills, and factories, and heard the
same story everywhere. They ob
jected to the long hours of housework,
to Sunday work, to unspeclalized work,
to the loss of social position, to the
loss of Independence and free time,
and to the Irritating relations which
nearly always exist between mistress
and servant. It was the general opin
ion that "a girl must necessarily have
lost her self-esteem who would sell
all her time but half of one afternoon
in each week, who would submit to
be called a 'servant' and who, Instead
of learning her trade and being left
to exercise It must constantly be sub
jected to the whim of each new em
ployer."
The Information secured by Miss
Trueblood sets forth In a strong light
the difficulties which stand In the way
of the solution of the servant girl prob
lem. It will never again be possible
to return to the old conditions when
servants were treated as a part of the
family because domestic relations are
no longer the same. It must be ac
knowledged that there Is nothing In
household Work to attract Intelligent
I
he was saying, "if you knew grain
. . .
know it And this year's crop is not
market? That's a curious element
be low, and again it Is the reverse.
about wheat. ... ,; '.
was an elevator in my town and I
and went away with my summer's
! . ...
paying as I went At least that Is
I went to the hotelkeeper and told
If he ever heard of the money he
n . - ;
could have gone back to the elevator
American girls. The most dlscourair.
lng feature Is that even the untrained
foreign born servants are growing
more and more lnslstant In their de
mands and begin to make them some
times as soon a they have acquired
sufficient knowledge of the language
to uo so. Chicago Tribune.
Cows Showed the Charm.
At a recent concert of the hospital
music fund, given in Cambridge City
Hospital, one of the musicians did
a thing which recalls the ancient his
tory of Orpheus and his enchanting
lyre.
At the further end of a field opposite
the institution two cows were quiet
ly grazing with their backs toward the
street. The first violinist asserted that
he could speak with those cows by
means of his violin at that distance.
Being doubted, he played one chord
on the two lower strings of his In
strument. The animals Immediately
quit feeding, raised their heads-, turn
ed In the direction of the sound, and
looked Interested. The violinist drew
his bow on the strings a second time
and the animals came directly across
the field and put their heads over the
rails of the fence, with ears thrown
forv ard, nostrils dilated and eyes In
quiring. The third time the chord was
played the animals simultaneously an
swered with a sharp, short lowing and
uneasy stamplug'of forefeet
w ord In cow language was plainly
said by the violin and was answered
by the cows. The Incident was seen
by Dr. Dlxwell and six or seven oth
ers Interested In the hospital music
charity. Some of the more Incredulous
members of the party thought that
perhnpt the animals which answer
ed the sound were looking for another
cow bidden from view, but there was
no near hiding place and the sunlight
was clear. Boston Transcript
Baked Apple Dumplings.
reel and core as many apples
As your appetite may wish.
Six or eight perhaps a doren
That would be a generous dish.
Make a dough like cracker biscuit,
Hull It thin with skill and care.
Place an apple lightly on It .
Take your knife and cut it square-
Large enough to fold your fiUlt in.
Then within the vacant place
Of the core a bit of butter.
Cinnamon and sugar place.
Draw your square up well together, '
Pinch it gently on the top,
So your dough will be protected,
Lest the cooking Juices pop.
When your apples are all covered,
Take a fork and prick them through,
'Twill prove better in the baking
Half a dozen times will do.
Bake them slowly, and, while cooking,
Take of sugar just one cup,
And a modest lump of butter
And with light hand cream them up.
Adding extract, and your bard sauce
Set on ice to harden more;
Lift your apples from the oven,
And your labors will be o'er.
Serve them hot the juice adds flavor,
And each dumpling, firm and brown,
la a practical achievement
Adda a Jewel to your crown.
Columbus Journal.
A Teat of Troth.
"Is he truthful f
'Indeed be 1st About everything but
the prowess of bis football team."
PRESCRIPTIONS FOR TROUBLE.
Bcnsibl Advice Given by Believe
in Work.
Never since the first sick man grum
bled have there been so many cure
for the body known In the world as
now. That niun is the exception who
has not been cut to pieces and mended
up again. . There are a dozen schools
of healing for every disease. One phy
sician attacks the liver, another tha
bone, a third the skin. They assail
you with drugs, with heat cold, mudr
magnetism and - prayer. They lock;
you up In a box and bake you, or turn
a swarm of bees In on you, or bathe
you In purple light. 1
So much do we care for the body-
But who cures the hurt soul? What
patent' medicine will dry tears?
You have worked hard and honestly '
In life, perhaps, and suddenly you are
struck down on the rond and thrown
aside a failure. Or the being dearest
to you, your wife or the boy who was? :
flesh of your flesh, your one care and' '
hope in life, Is dead was put out of
your sight yesterday. In that cut In -the
muddy ground yonder. ' Never to
come 'back home never to speak' to "
yon or touch you again. What are you? '
to do? The hours and days ur.d years
must creep on and on before you can
go to him. Or perhaps the hurt Is not
a vital stab like that, but some mean,
belittling shame, some vulgar disgrace
that has fallen on you by no faults of
yours. You think that. you never shall
lift your head or look your friends In '
the eyes again. . . "
What can you do? You are young
and strong: Is life over now and dead?
No doctor prescribes for these hurts;
no drug touches them. Yet there ar
homely prescriptions which do give re-';'
lief. ,
First don't disguise the wound to .
yourself. It Is there, real; it nmy
never heal. When Tope was an oldt '.
man he wept bitterly at his mother'
grave. Not all of the long years, her
said, had healed the hurt of her going
away.
Don't touch your wound. But your
physical nerves are weakened, your vi
tality Is lessened. Go to work there-- .
Is there any occupation or amuse- -
ment which you especially relish?-;
Take It up. Be it the theater, or novel- .
reading, or photography, or cookery -"
go to It Don't mind what the neighv
bors say. You will be surprised anil)'
perhaps a little ashamed to find how
soon your pulses will grow regular andK
your thoughts sane.
Next, stiffen yourself to carry your
grief alone. Don't drip the black flood
hourly on to your neighbors. Be sure
each of them has his own load to '
carry. Look for It Give him a help
ing hand with It
And after a year or two of this com
mon-sense nourishment of yourself yon
will suddenly see that going through,
the vale of misery you have made it'
a straight road to the heights. Satur
day Evening Post
POST BOXE8 IN 8TREET CARS
Every Car in Washington la to Be as
Moving Letter liox.
A plan for converting every street
car in Washington into a moving let
ter box has been submitted to the
first assistant postmaster general from . v
the office of the superintendent of free) :
delivery. The project was advanced to '
the department by George B. McAllis
ter of Baltimore, who Is the Inventor,
and was referred by Postmaster Gen
eral Payne to a special commission of
his subordinates about October 1st. -That
commission' has now completed -Its
report and transmitted it to Mr.
Wynne, who, as first assistant post
master general, supervises all the fea
tures of mall delivery and collection..
By a vote of the commission it 1st
proposed that the plan shall first b
tried In Washington, where the ofnV '
cluls of the department can observe
It In practical operation, reports to
Washington Star. It Is thought this
course may be followed within the. '
ensuing six months. "
Mr. McAllister's device, as manifest' ' '
ed in models submitted to the depart
ment consists of waterproof drop let
ter contrivances which are to be so
built in the sides of the street cars)
that letters may be readily dropped '
into them while thej car are passing:
crossings. The mouths of the recep
tacles will be perfectly open to admit
of the free dropping of a letter Into
them and adequate provision will bw
made for preventing rain or snow-'
from finding Its way Into the letter
compartments. The plan Includes tha '
transferring of the mall from car line '
not directly connecting with the post
office to one or more lines making tola '
connection, and a variety of Ingenious
mechanical arrangements Is provided
for doing this In periods of time rang- ;
lng from three and four to five and ser- ! '
en seconds.
- What's In a Name7
"She Is a Russian countess," said 1
one of two speakers whose con versa-
tlon Is reported In the Yonkers State---
man.
"Indeed !" said the other. "Has sbw "
much In her own name?"
'Has she? She's got the entire al
phabet!"
Confeaslon.
Singleton How long have you been
married?
Wederly Six months.
Singleton And of course you think
your wife quite an angel.
Wederly No, not quite but then I
have hopes. : .
Of course brains count but the j ftteV
quently get mixed np In their calca
latlons. '
As a physical exerciser, the old
fashioned woodpile never bad ao-quei.