that softly 'ne's got oe of hi ma J spells on." l aa tbe answer. ! "That's plain to be seen." sniffed the widow. "But what. In goodness' name, bag brought It on?" "A dog broke Into the fold last night killed a fine buck and crippled sev eral ewes." "For pity's sake! Well. I never! That's enough to make a man mad! Whose dog was It?" "He thinks It was Squire Long acre's." "Not Bruno?" "I believe he has only one dog." "Well, I. for one. don't think Bruno will kill sheep. I know he will not, and the squire Is too neighborly and too wise a man to quarrel with, just on a suspicion like that." . "They'll quarrel, though," said young Anson. "Father has gone over there, mad, and the first word he utters will start the squire." "It's a great pity," commented Mrs. Sloan. "That's what I say," assented An sou. And he walked through the kitchen and sought his own room. He seated himself at a desk which stood In one corner, and drew toward him pen and paper. After a few min utes' hesitation he dashed off a few lines, rend what he had written care fully and placed the sheet In an eu- elope. After directing It, he affixed a stamp, nnil. mittlne the letter In an inner EAR Cloverburg, Ky., lived two pot.keti ieft tne house by a rear door very respectable oiu geuuemeu. nn(t W1,ike(j across the Held toward me village. He dropped the letter In the box at the post office and returned directly home. When he reached there he met his futher. "Anson." said the colonel, sharply, fEwmire Israel Longacre, who got his t t scounclrel, Longncre, refuses to title from having been at one time a pay for tne gueep his dog Jellied, and county magistrate, wus auout simj ym going to bring suit against mm. years of age, of rotund ngure auu ..Ye8i gir. THE MESSAGS OF THE LARK. SwpptV.eart Sweetheart Sweetheart!" Calletb the meadow lark Thro the roue of dawu to me, o loud and so sweet oh, hark! : How tenderly, liquidly clear, ' Over the meadow. I bear Sweetheart Sweetheart Sweetheart !" And I think of my dearest acro the sea The blue, blue ea that holds us apart War there U a message i breathes Thro' the voice of the lark I "Sweetheart Sweetheart!" TSwitlieart Sweetheart Sweetheart!" 3alVth (lie meadow lark j Thro theroae of dawn to me, And thin is the messast hark! i My thoughts are lovebirds true ! That wing the smiles to you, "Sweetheart Sweetheart Sweetheart!" And I think of my dearest across the sea . The sea that cannot hold us apart While this is -the message that fondly l breathes Thro' the voice of the lark i "Sweetheart Sweetheart!" Woman's Home Companion, i f. way and walked rapidly across a wheat field toward a certain big willow tree which stood on the edge of a pond. By a singular coincidence Mrs. Abi gail Sloan, In the course of her ser pentine ramble, reached this same pond. Seated on a fallen log, she and the representative of county Judicial hon ors were soon engaged In an animated While Tese little scenes were being IMPROVE THE NEGRO'S COND.TION, m H3S8 i THE CIOVERBHRG COMEDY. I 1! ? enacted, pretty Nellie Longacre, in the seclusion of her chamber, wrote the following note, which young Anson Shortrood got out of the post office the next morning: "Dearest An: You know best. We will attend the Lexington fair, and I'll be ready then. As papa has for bidden me to see you, we must manage our correspondence and Interviews very secretly. Will be at the old place Sunday night. Your loving little "NELLIE." The Kentucky State fair that year came off at Lexington In October. The colonel, young Anson and the Widow Sloan were there; the squire, his maid en sister and pretty Nellie also at tended. On the evening of the second day of They owned contiguous uiue farms, each of generous acre- Both men were descended from old Kentucky stock, and both were extremely proud of their un stained and honorable lineage. grass flge- good "I've noticed lately that you've been paying that girl of his a good deal of attentloii. I want that stopped." "Yes, 'sir." "If I hear of you being together nstitution. flje carried his years well, and al though possessed of a naturally kind heart, was at times subject to violent Httncks of choler, during which pe- ..in,i nf tomnorary insanity he would nnin rii disinherit you. She's as bad neither reason himself or listen to the ng ller father, and he's no better than xeasonlng of others. a thief. His sister, Miss Dorothea, is He married, late In life, a very es- a very cieVer woman, and the only tlmnble lady, and had one daughter re(lny decent person about the house." a .beautiful and accomplished girl Mrs. Abigail Sloan, who usually spoke who, at the time of which I write, was of MlBg Dorothea Longacre as that Just budding into womanhood. "hatchet-faced old maid," told young Tho squire's wife had died four years Angon that night thatho for one did previous, and since that time his not hdleve In these neighborly quarrels, household affairs had been managed nna gi,e meant to tell Squire Longacre 4)V his only unmarried sister, a lauy 01 tutlt gie had no hand in tne matter, - ..l ..l.. By Kx-Presldent trover Ctertland. It Is foolish for us to blind our eyes to the fact that more should be done to Improve the condition of our negro population. And It should be entirely plain to all of us that the sooner this Is undertaken the sooner will a serious duty be discharged and the more surely will we guard ourselves against future trouble and danger. If we are to be Joat and fair toward our colored fellow enovEB cxEVEtAKD citizens, and If tbey are to be more completely made self respecting, useful and safe members f nr hndv oolitic, they must be taught to do something more than to hew wood and draw water. The way must be opened for them to engage in something better than menial service, and their Interests must be aroused to .owni-ii nf Intellleent occupation and careful thrift. I believe that the exigency can only be aaequaieiy met ,crh th Instrumentality of well equipped manual trnln- the fair, at three several places in the ,ng and industrial schools, conducted either Independently blue erass citv. there were- three sev- - tn Pnnnertlon with ordinary educational Institutions. I eral couples, under cover of the night. I am convinced that good citizenship, an orderly, contented drove out of the city by three several llfe and a proper conception of civic virtue ana oDiigauuus roads, which all, however, headed to- are aimost certain to grow out of a fair chance to earn an honest, hopeful livelihood and a satisfied sense 01 secure protection and considerate treatment. ward the Ohio river. Everybody has heard of Aberdeen, Ohio, which Is of a verity the Ameri can "Gretna Green," and most every- WORK OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY. uncertain age, spare ugure aim .u- jpgnry temper. Tho squlre-albelt all people and all .things were usually subservient to his willhad a mortal dread of his spin ster sister, and a wholesome respect ,fov her sharp tongue. She had absolute control of house hold matters, and as the squire never and did not believe his dog killed sheep, the first time she saw him. At about the same time Squire Long acre was standing on the porch of his house, angrily confronting his daugh ter Nellie, who had Just returned from the village. "Nell," he said, "that old rascal, Shortrood, has been here, and I expect Interfered with her arrangements, the we'il have a lawsuit. He says my dog body has heard of Squire Massle Beas ley, the presiding genius of the little village. 1 Late on the morning of the night I speak of, a man and woman were fer-1 tied across the river from Maysvllle, and proceeded directly to the squire's house. A few lusty raps on the door roused his sable assistant, who rejoices In the name of Vulcan probably because he has assisted In welding so many pairs of hearts together, and he opened the door and admitted them. There was no light, and he ushered them Into a big room which opened di rectly off the hall. He was just going for a light when another knock summoned him to tho door, and he admitted another couple. Again he started for the light, and a third knock sounded. He admitted a third couple, and, leaving them all In the big room, he hastened upstairs to arouse the squire. Busnlz ez boomin', boss," he said, when the Great American Matrimo- ninlizer jumped out of bed. par uv em, sail! Three!" repeated the magistrate, making a hasty toilet. "Take that lamp down. I'll be there directly. statutes coincide with equity. This conumon wu. lawyers can bring about In politics the demand for serious rervi "" As we have to do with wise men and clean men. states- . i . ..l.nll tool rnnrn una men instead or vote manipulator, t more the need for them. We shall demand not only men who can lead In action, but men who can prevent unwise action. Often the policy which seems most ai.inu.-wT the majority Is full of danger for the future, we neeu men who can face popular opinion and If need be to face It down. ' "' The need of the teacher will not grow less as the cen- . ( . lA4. l 4 V A tury goes on. The history of the ruture is wmira m schools of to-day, and the reform which gives us better schools Is the greatest of reforms. Free should the schol ar be-free and brave, and to such as these tne twen tieth century will bring the reward of the scholar. The twentieth century will mark an epoch In the his tory of religion. Some say Idly that religion Is losing her hold In these strenuous days. But she Is not. .She U simply changing her grip. The religion of this century will be more practical, more real. It will deal with the days of the week as well as with the Sabbath. It will be as potent In the markets of trade as In tlie walls of a cathedral, for man's religion Is his working hypothesis of life, not of life In some future world, but of life right here to-day, the only day we have In which to build a life. ' per. jalr got along very nicely togetner. Both loved the beautiful girl who .had grown up to womanhood under their eyes, and tho heart of the old quire could always be approached through Nellie, who was the Image of lier dead mother. The daughter and her aunt who re joiced In the name of Dorothea Long ji(rc never quarreled, and, taken alto gether, the Longacre household ma chine moved smoothly. The Longacios" nearest neighbor was Col. Anson Shortrood, who at one pe riod of his life rode at the head of a valiant regiment of militia. The colonel was a widower of long standing, his excellent spouse having departed this life several yojim ago, leaving to him, as a legacy, a boy, now grown to manhood, who was named Anson, Junior, after his father, nnd who was a model of Industry and sobriety. Tho colonel's household goddess was a buxom widow, Mrs. Abigail Sloan, who was related to tho head of the household by marriage, belug tho only ulster of his late consort. The colouel was fifty-five, or there abouts, was tall, angular and bony, nnd disposed to be unrelenting and un yielding lu disposition. The colonel and the squire had'llved neighbors for thirty years, and up to .about six months previous to the oc currence I am about to describe were warm friends. They fell out over a trifling matter. The colonel owued a Hue Hock of me rino sheep, of which ho was very proud. The squire was the possessor f a large mastiff dog, of whoso Intelli gence and good qualities he was al ways boasting. One night an animal, supposed to 3o a sheep-killing dog, broke into tho colonel's fold, killed a valuable buck and mangled several ewes, When the doughty military chieftain discovered his loss lie was furious, and stormed In true soldierly style, "What dog could have done It?" In quired the son, who had been attracted to tho spot by his father's storm of word. "Why, that cur of Squire Longacres," tawled his father. "He shall pay me heavy damages, or I'll have the law on Mm." "I don't think' began the son. "Well, don't think, then!" bellowed his father. "I'll do tho thluklug." "But" Shut up!" roared the colonel, froth ing at the mouth. And young Anson wa9 silent. The colonel hurried back to the house ' for his cane, and In a few minutes vas stfidlng across the field In the di rection of Squire Longacre's mansion. "What's the matter with your fa ther?" asked buxom Mistress Sloan, young Anson entered the kitchen, vhere she was at work, shortly after the departure of Us slra. Bruno killed" his sheep last night, and I told him flatly that If he said my dog killed a sheep he was a liar!" "Oh, papa!" protested Nellie. "Well, he's an unreasonable old wretch, and I'll give him all the law he wants. His son's no better. And hark ye, girl, If 1 ever catch you and that young puppy together again I'll break my cane over his back and put you In a a madhouse! Do you hear?" "Yes, papa." "Well, heed, then!" cried the squire, warulugly; and he walked In to sup- By Dsrld 3. Jorlan, President or Leland Stanford Vnlrerslty. The twentieth century will be strenuous, com plex and democratic. Strenuous It must be, as we can all see. Our century has a host of things to do bold things, noble things, tedious things, difficult things, enduring things. More than any of the others, the twentieth century will be democratic. The greatest dis covery of the nineteenth century was that of the reality of external things. That of tbe twen tieth century will be this axiom In geometry: ine st.raightest line is the shortest distance between two points." If something needs doing, do It; the more plain ly, directly, honestly, the better. ' Democracy does not mean equality Just the reverse of this. It means individual responsibility, equality be fore the law, of course, equality of opportunity, but no other equality save that won by faithful service. The social system that bids men rise must also let them fall if thev cannot mantain themselves. To become the right man means tbe dismissal of the wrong. The weak, the incompetent, the untrained, the dlssl pated find no growing welcome In the century which Is coming. It will have no place ror tne unsKiuea laDorer. A bucket of water and a basket of coal will do all that the unskilled laborer can do If we have skilled men for their I?, -direction. The unskilled laborer is no product or democ racy." He exists in spite or democracy. The lawyers of the future will not be pleaders before juries. They will save their clients from need of a judge In every civilized nation tne lawyers must be STRIKES HELP WORKINGMAN'S CONDITION. By Bishop Potter, ot New York, I believe In strikes, shocking as the statement may seem. I believe In the conservative value of the organizations from which the strikes come. The con- dltlon of the working man was never Improved until In reply to the demands of a labor organization Itself or by the interposition of persons not Interested as capitalists or laborers. The real value of the labor organization Is that It appears to be the only method by which the great Interests which serve themselves best by exacting most can bishop potter. be obliged to yiew some consideration to those over whom they have control. INSECT TRAP FOR NIGHT USE. An Inexpensive Method for Killing; Insects That Fly. The Government Bureau of Statistics Is authority for a statement containing figures reaching Into the hundreds of millions of dollars as Indicating the ex penditure applied directly to fighting the Insects and worms which damage the cotton, wheat, corn and other crops which form such a substantial part of our revenues. A large portion or mis Nellie retired to her room, took a letter from her bosom and read the contents eagerly. "Dear fellow!" she said, nnd kissed the sheet which had been penned only A few hours before by young Auson. Then she went down to supper. But little was said during tho meal. Tho squire wns cross and sulky, and Miss Dorothea was evidently In oue of her worst moods. After the meal she put on her bon net and threw a light shawl over her bony shoulders. "Where are you going, Dor?" asked her brother. "None of your business!" was tho sharp answer. "You needn't bo so snappish about It!" "Snappish!" cried the ancient maid, and she tossed her head. "I should say snappish! A man as unreasonable as you are, talk about people being snappish! Quarreled with one of the nicest men lu tho county." ' "Ilo'a a scoundrel!" snarled the squire. "He's a Christian gentleman!" con tradlcted Miss Dorothea, "and you ought to go dowji on your knees to him aud ask his pardon. "I'll see myself! If there's any go lug down on tho knees, let htm go down to mo. lie Insulted mo lu my own bouse." "1 suppose you'd go down on 'em fast enough If that maneuvering old widow would ask you!" "She's a lady!" cried the squire. "You'd better go tell her so. It'll be news to her, I reokou." "Perlwps I shall." "Well, you'd better. A lady! Well, heaven save the mark!" And, with this spiteful reflection Miss Dorothea flounced out of tho room. Sho directed her steps toward a grove of maple trees which marked the boundary line between the farms of tho two belligerents. Bv a curious coincidence Colonel Shortrood strolled In the same direc tion at about the same time. Tho angular soldier and the maiden ladv met. Tbov spoke, and finally walked toward a. unfrequented part of the grove, arm n arm. Shortly after Miss Duiuthea left the house the squlr stole out the back lor jury. vi.,o u00 ti, rf; n,i when 'the lawgivers. The sword has given place to the green a ' ,w t ,hl hto. rnnm I bag. The demand of the twentieth century will be that the and the rays of the lamp he carried ' z flooded the apartment, the six people therein contained gave utterance to six quick cries of astonishment. It was the denouement of the Clover burg comedy! Standing In one corner of the room was Colonel Shortrood, on whose arm hung Miss Dorothea Longacre. Facing the military chieftain was Esquire Is rael Longacre, whose arm was twined about the waist of buxom Abigail Sloan. In the middle of the apartment stood young Anson Shortrood, holding to his breast "pretty Nellie Longacre. After the first cries of astonishment there was a moment's silence, then a tremendous roar of laughter; and then 'followed such handshaking and kiss ing, and cries of mutual forgiveness and pledges of eternal love and friend' ship as probably were never neard or seen before. Squire Massle Beasley married the three couples, and they went back to Cloverburg together. The lawsuit was dropped, and all parties thereafter lived together lu peace and amity. Saturday Night DEMOCRACY Of THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. Br Jacob fcoiiJd Schurman, President ot Cornell Vnlrerslty. State schools are, so far aa mental training and the acquisition of knowledge go, vastly su perior to either church schools or private schools. Private and church schools tend to breed caste and division among the children of the com munity. The public school, on the other hand. Is the mirror of the republic. In the public schools of a town you have the purest democ racy In the world. When we look at hard facts. we see that It is folly to blame the schools for defects ot blood, lapses of virtue and blight of character, which neither our laws nor our policy requires the schools to combat. You must blame the church, you must blame the offenders, you must blame yourselves, when your children become the victims of Intemperance, vice or impiety. THREE MEN WHO HAVE MADE THEMSELVES WEALTHY AT FARMING IN THE SOUTHWEST. STOLEN DOQ AND REWARD. What Happened to One of Sir Edwin Landaeer'a Models. Sir Edwin Landseer was about to put finishing touches to the portrait of a dog belonging to Lord X., and was expecting a visit from his model, when the owner arrived In a state of great perturbation, without the dog tho animal had been stolen. After talking over tho loss with Sir Edwin, the owner decided to leave the matter In the painter's hands, together' with a 10 note as a reward for the recov ery of the dog. Now, Sir Edwin's acquaintance with tho dog fanciers was large, and he summoned to his aid one Jem Smith, who he thought might put him on tho right track. He showed the man the picture, and the bank note and promised that if the dog were restored no questions should be asked, Jem Smith said ho would do his best, and went his way. Six weeks later Jem Smith arrived at the studio leading the missing dog by a piece of string. "Is this the dorg, Sir Edwin?" There was no need to ask the question, for tho animal was the very plcturo of his portrait "Here Is vour 10 note," said the artist, "and I suppose I must ask no questions, But now that the affair la done with, you may just as well tell me all about It.' After a moment of hesitation, the man confessed that he himself was the thief. "You! you thundering ras cal!" exclaimed Sir Edwin, "then why on earth have you kept us In suspense all this time?" "Well, yer see, guv nor," was tho answer, "I stole the dorg. but the gen'elnian I sold him to ken' Mm so Jolly close that I hadn a chance of nicking him again till yesterday, and that's tho truth, s'elp me,"I.ondon Chronicle. In order to be sure you are right you must go ahead and Ami out FLAME ATTRACTS PESTS. amount, no doubt, goes for the Intro duction of new Ideas which have been devised to aid lu the work of destroy Ing these pests, and perhaps this latest trap, the Invention of a Kentucklan, will receive a share of attention and serve Its purpose In many a field. The Inventor takes advantage of the well known propensity of Insects to fly to ward a light the flame In this Instance being mounted within a metallic cas Ing, to which entrance Is gained through four funnels pointing In differ ent directions. Once within the hood, ihaS hisect soon falls to the reservoir benenth, wherein a quantity of lnsectl clde has been placed to complete tbe destruction of those which escape the actual contact with the flame. Men tlon Is also made of the fumes rising from the liquid and Impregnating the atmosphere around the flame to over come the Insects and cause them to fall Into the liquid. NE of the most successful millionaire farmers in tne went Rankin, of Tarkio, Mo., who has made $1,000,000 In farming, and who actually owns the largest farm In the world. Rankin has 23,000 acres nnHoi. hia nernonal sunervlslon. all of which Is under cultivation. He began farming with a colt which his father gave him when a lad. He traded the colt for a pair of oxen and with them tilled eighty acres of rented land, until he had accumulated enough to buy a small tract. He had been living In Illinois, but thought better of Missouri as a farming country. So for $8 an acre he bought great tracts of ground, adding to his fields as the Income of the other fields would permit, until he had surrounded himself In thirty years with 23,000 seres, all or which is sown to crops . .. . il.. IT. U t n A l everv vear. He employs zuu men on uie iarm. ne u iw iwuia, uu good seasons he makes 5100,000 clear money, ne Duys o.uw io iu,vw um of steers every year and feeds them. He keeps these cattle, not in pastures. but In clean stables and lots, where they are red rrom tne proaucis or nis fields until he Is ready to ship to the markets. Take the Forsha ranch. In Kansas, for Instance, where another system Is carried on entirely, Mr. Forsha is a believer In the raising of alfalfa, and he has 15,000 acres sown to that. He also raises and feeds cattle for the markets, but he never raises cereals. He has a mill on his ranch, and he buys the wheat from other farmers, makes It Into flour, but he raises little wheat himself. He makes from $10 to $100 net profit an acre from the alfalfa, and the fields In the fall nnd winter furnish pasture for his herds. Forsha began ranching and farming in Kansas only a few years ago. To day he Is worth several hundred thousand dollars. John Stewart began farming in Kansas without a dollar. He was work ing In a real estate office as a salesman. He bought some homesteaders' rights to deserted quarter sections for a mere pittance. A boom came, and in three years he was worth ,ouo. 'men tie went to Sumner County, Kansas, and began ranching and raising wheat. To-day Sumner County produces 8,000,000 bushels of wheat annually, and holds the world's record in quantity for Its size. Stewart bought additional land every year there was a drouth, thereby getting it at a reduction. He has made a large fortune In less than thirty years. suspicion I hope unfounded that mv correspondent Is "getting at me" with a view of lusplrlug wholesome terror In the hearts of women of dis honest proclivities who do their shop ping in the West End. But as that is a desirable end, I have no objection to co-operating In It to this extent. It may perhaps be useful If I mention at the same time that, according to my shopkeeplng friend, his manageress Is a very muscular woman and her weap- on a formidable one. Perhaps some of the shopkeepers of Selby may feVl Inclined to give a trial to this castlga tory cure for kleptomania. New Cure Tor Kleptomania, A few years back a West End shop keeper, prompted by some remarks in Truth as to the best punishment for kleptomaniac woman shoplifters, wrote to luform me that he had adopted the plan of giving every woman detected In purloining articles in his shop the option of being summarily birched by the manageress or prosecuted by the ordinary process of law. The same correspondent now writes to report the result of his operations In this direc tion up to the present time. In all. he vs, twenty women have accepted the ordeal of the birch, In addition to two young girls of foreign nationality, who. In consideration of their tender years, were treated to a milder form of chastisement. I am not, of course, in a position to guarantee tne accuracy MEXICAN ARMY. Will Boon Number 300,000 Perfectly Equipped Bold lor. Mexico, which next to the United States, Is the most orderly aud stable of all the American republic, Is pur suing a policy of military expansion which seems likely to develop a highly efficient system of national defense. It Is the desire of President Dlaa that within two years the Mexican govern ment shall be ablo on short notice to mobilize an army of 200,000 thor oughly trained and perfectly equipped soldiers. To make this result possi ble more than 800,000 boys and young men are now recelvlug regular dally military instruction in 11,000 public schools of Mexico, and the army will be recruited from their number. This greater Mexican army is supplemented with plans for a larger naval estab lishment, two vessels for which are now under construction at the Cres cent shipyard, Ellzabrthtown, N. J. In this development of her military re sources Mexico Is following the natur al policy of enlightened nations. It Is believed lu some quarters that the In tegrity of Mexican Institutions will be severely tested when President Diaz retires from office, and that a strong government. Including an effec tive military establishment, will be needed to protect the republic against serious Internal disorder. It Is pos sibly with a view of providing for such an emergency that the present movement for a large and trustworthy army has been Instituted. Army and Navy Journal. of this Information; I own, Indeed, to ; rvrovram for the creation, of a Municipal Ownership in England. A comprehensive return of tbe finan cial workings of the "public utilities" undertakings In British towns and cit ies has just been given to the public through a government board. It cov ers the four years ended March, 1902. The principal undertakings carried on by the 209 corporations were: Mar kets, 223; waterworks, 193; cemeteries. 143; baths, 138; electricity, 102; gas works, 17; tramways, 45; harbors, 43. The aggregate net profits were $23, 417,522. Fresh men usually tell stale storlea-