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About The Plaindealer. (Roseburg, Or.) 1870-190? | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 1903)
m A KINSMAN of THE HEART Christmas Siory JOHN J. a'BECKET CopyrtoM, ISOt, by JoJm J. a'Btcbci The touch of a hand, tho glance of an cyo Or a word exchanged with a passerby; The glimpse of a face in a crowded street. And afterward life is incomplete W- K. Hereford. O you think she is a bride?" Tho duchess dropped the sugar Into her tea without removing her glance from the young woman in ques tion. It was Christmas day at Shep hcard's, in Cairo. The subject of her Inquiry was interesting enough to seem a grateful present to the guests. Could any one doubt it?" replied Baldwin. "It is as evident as that the D rich. lie not only belonged by birth to the class which is not obliged "to do anything for a living," but eleetlvely pertained to that unhappy portion of it which assumes the ennui of an exist ence stimulated by no fixed ambition, lightened by no detlnlte endeavor. Such vital hardship has been known to drive n man to drink. The bride was one of two sisters cel ebrated in European centers for esprit and beauty. They were of line New England stock, both parents descend ing from families of high repute for political and literary achievement. Baldwin was forced to admit that for t with anything so liioTlerii ns a jealous husband. Hers was dawning on her in that light. She could not Hatter herself that the suspicious vigilance of her , matrimonial lord was the distorted ex- j pression of a too engrossed affection. She realized it as the selfish greed for absolute domination which Is compati ble with the narrowest of natures. Compared to this degrading Jealousy, which she quickly came to rate as ma lignant, her husband's tendency to stimulants, which also cropped out dur ing this stay in Cairo, seemed almost forgivable. Yet drink produced In I.u cien Bonvale that dry, insolent irrita I 1 of tho intense glitter hnd warm brown od the warm glow.Tiie acrid" smell, the clearness of the upper world they scurrying Might of kits and the smoky j plunged into the stulTy gloom of stralt llare "of the torches In these suhtcrra-1 ened inclosures underground. Descend nean chambers. , '"K 11 fl!W teps they found themselves "What Is an Apis bull? And why hi a long corridor, out of which opened should it have a tomb?" she asked en-' several small rooms some 18 by lfi feet rlously. hi dimensions- throne rooms, so to "Oh. when they found a bull with pl,tnk- nf the defunct nnd sublimated certain markings the priests made tho l'"n- ' the center of the room stood people think Osiris had gone Into him, the sarcophagus, hewn from n slnglo and thev adored the beast," replied hlock of granite or sandstone, the mass Bonvale. quite content with this do-, lvi! sllc" hifoldlng the remains of the er.v of erudition on the sublect. ! roul ,K,vlnu whMl H0 ""'' centuries ngetf of Osiris nnd IsIs, Hugh ns aro found in the tombs; Osiris -the Bencfl centl "By him who sleeps at I'hllre," she said to her heart "Come, aro .you ready?" asked Bon vale, reappearing. "Yes," she nnswered quietly, slipping the figures into her pocket Ten years .later, on Christmas day again, u beautiful woman in black stood in the drawing room of her homo Mrs. Bon-.ale informed herself some- lli,u housed Jho masquerading Osi- In Philadelphia before u'small cabinet If "s- tjic More than a thousand years liofore what more about the Apis bulls, she was going to the Serapeum, I ....... . . I 41... I.iof rf llm... I. ...1 ...........1 ....A .. bllity which is one of its unpleasanlest i necropolis oi iieiunei oovines at .mciii-, -- " ' "i ' pills, site chose to know what claim 'wi'i. nut ner own snort this sacrosanct herd could have on tho lifetime back, n Frenchman of Boil nttentlou of an intelligent New Kng-'higne, Marlette Pasha, had unearthed land girl of today. She would hardly their tombs, long lost in the irreverent have been a true product of her envl- enshrouding sand. Yet tho solemnity tonmcnt had she regarded with aught' of it all, If any there was, did not but quiet disdain the solemn mockery check the scornful quiver of her Up as of worship which lay In adoring tho , Clarice rellocted that her heart asked benevolent Osiris reincarnated In a not for orlsls, but for one friendly . . . i . ... I.i lilia- I smart uisagreeame xiia.u mfX R lowluK rol)ort ,uul lwt Hllvcd band." tlle wnv l0 a disappointing reality, lie "Disagreeable! h d not su,nK,sed thc Kjri Was so The surprise almost Pest ln U . u ,css h d he linagllIwl the duchess- tone had warrant. The young ( genuemuu u, v.. t- Clarice Bonvale was so radiantly riage and with the hall mark of breed ing. His clothes were quite de rigueur. Her grace wouhl have pronounced him distinguished without feeling con strained to qualify his moral or intel lectual trails. After another quick ap praising look at the man she said bluntly. "You think she is so very charming?" -Your grace must see that she is charming." returned the young man calmly. "It was t!.e man. not the girl, who belraycd Lis disagreeablencss. i beautiful that the most blase observer could not but surrender to some thral dom. Her face was aristocratically oval. Her clear olive skin, smooth as a rose leaf, was suffused with the most delicate pink, as if Cupid were breath ing on her cheeks; a well modeled nose, a mouth with clean cut, subtle curves and sensitive to a degree, which revealed perfect teeth when the lips parted and lent n lurking mobility, al most childlike, to her lower face. But her eves and hair were the girl's Look at thai!" I cr0Wnlng glory such round, lustrous The girl had drawn eiosoi o ucr foHHiantlv soft and. despite a keen alertness in their glance, incon- CompauiKii ami ss:u sompu-.iug. ne coiupressed his il'.n Kps and gave a Fhort nod of his head iu acceptance of her remark without turning toward her. He was impatiently pu.&iug on after the porter, th-. girl prc-'slng after with a gliding briskness which kept her close at his heels. The duchess smiled again. "Of course he might have turued," she said indulgently. "But there's the luggage." "Of course they should have turned. There's the bride," returned Baldwin dogmatically. "Granting you the merit of your discover-," the duchess resumed with playful sarcasm, "there are other obvi ous points. For instance, they are Americans. That is as palpable as usual." "Accept an American's thanks." mur mured Baldwin, "not for the truth, but your forgiving tone. Yet do you know, the note of the thoroughbred American is to be facilely cosmopolitan solvitur cosmopolitando." "So few of that kind come abroad." replied the duchess absently. "But how very rude of me! My dear fellow, I never realize you as an American. You always seem to me a charming alien interloper at the United States embas sy In London. Do American women know Latin, by the way?" "Your grace knows everything." The young attache assumed the air of beinic driven Into a commonplace as he add ed, "Ignorance with you seems a cour teous affectation." "You have seen me put three lumps of sugar in my tea," replied the duch ess archly, "and know that I like sweet things. Don't imagine that I shall pro test because you pay extravagantly pretty compliments. She smiled brightly, then settled back comfortably In her chair, raised her lorgnette in a businesslike manner and went on: "Let us pursue our analysis of vonr interesting countrymen. Set me right if I go wrong. She is eight oen? And from New York? Not ac quainted as yet aux fonds, with Mr. Husband? He is very rich." Then, dropping the rising inflection, she add cd, with an assurance that excluded doubt: "She has a Itaudnitz traveling gown on. She will wear a smart Worth gown at dinner.' "I need not tell you that you are right about the gowns. I can on'y know that such an exquisite figure deserves to be clothed as acceptably as possi ble. As to her age, you are possibly right; almost certainly so ns regards the disagreeable husbands means. Girls of her type marry money. As to her habitat I hardly think it is New York. The New York girl Is quick and too proudly knowing to hesitate In thought or movement But she does not hurry. That is New Englandy or western. Yet her soft gliding grace unmistakably shows the southern girl." By this time the couple under discus sion had disappeared within the botcL They had evidently Just arrived on the afternoon train from Alexandria. Shep heard's was crowded that year. The little tables on the terrace in front of the hotel were nearly all occupied by people, chattering and laughing as they beguiled that delightful hour of the Cairo day with afternoon tea. New ar rivals are lawful prey for lodgers' com ments, and to have come two days be fore Is to hold a resident's vantage ground, which warrants a critical In spection. Young married people, more over, newly arrived or not are ever and wheresoever targets for tongue shafts. Two youthful beings mated and licensed for happiness surely suggest the fullness of life. Thc human doubt ns to whether they have it makes con- lecture interesting. The young attache consulted the reg ister later and learned that they were Mr. and Mrs. Lucien Bonvale, where upon he recalled what friends had told him of their marriage at the American chapel In Paris in thc beginning of De cember. The groom was from Borden town and. ns the duchess had surmised, gruouslv beseeching. The long, silky lashes, with their upward curve, failed ; to lend even a suspicion or language to their brightness. Ther delicately arched evebrows were an added note of wist- fulness. Iu the wavy masses of hair there was a subdued glint as of bur- 1 nished copper. On her hands, which were very temperamental, two or three , unique gems flashed with dignified j splendor. A transplanted Helen," thought : Baldwin after a critical survey of the ; beautiful young creature. She was a ! type, and he relished a new type of the I eternal feminine" more than he would . n lottle of Johannesberger from Prince j Metternich's own cave. During his dinner he watched her from his table ( with keen but well cloaked vigilance. Thc duchess was right again. The girlish bride wore a Worth dinner gown elaborately wrought out In the j highest elegance of the prevailing j mode. Her neck was so round and ! plastic that Baldwin felt it a delight to ! see the shapely head pivot on it while the tempered modesty with which her corsage screened her exquisite bosom showed a masterly knowledge of the value of modified exposure. The groom? Why. he was the groom, a side light on the bride. Baldwin re garded him solely as a correlated le ing, an accompaniment to his wife, a worthy one so far as externals went He was not above noting that Sirs. Bonvale partook moderately of the champagne which Mr. Bonvale or dered. He consumed most of It and with something more than the rel:sl: with which a gentleman drinks wine at dinner. "They are married, and it Is thc hou eymoon." Baldwin remarked airily to the duchess as he passed her table. During the evening in his role of be nevolous spectator and student of his kind Baldwin did not neglwt to ob serve that the young husband left his wife alone two or three times, though as yet she had apparently discovered j no acquaintances at Shepheard s. These withdrawals were to repair the fatigue of travel by supplanting the wine at dinner with more potent if smaller drafts. Besides his absence of desire to supply his wife with any other com panionship than his own. thc perfunc tory character of Mr. Bonvale's atten tions attested no tender .solicitude to make himself as agreeable as possible. He seemed to guard rather than pro tect his wife. Later on Baldwin felt the young wife's artlessly roving gaze veering in Ills direction. lie considerately ab stracted his own. When he let his glance drift her way again, thinking she would have passed him by, he was momentarily flattered to find her eyes fixed on him dreamily. Almost at the moment her husband turned and. with what Baldwin thought a tactless quick ness, let his own eyes follow the direc tion of his wife's to ascertain the ob ject of her regard. With still less tact he brought his thin lips tightly togeth er, and his white forehead puckered like a peevish child's. He must have intimated to the lady his desire to withdraw, for he brusquely rose nnd looked about with the repellent air with which some people insinuate, their exclusivcness. She got up at once and followed him from thc room with graceful deference. "He seems to like to st-ilk ahead and let his woman trail after him a la the ntmrlirinal lords of creation." reflected Baldwin with a somewhat contcmptu ous smile. "The honeymoon Is dwin dling to a crescent, I fancy, and I 6hould not wonder If there were a Bon vale Impaled on its horns before long. But which?' The Bonvales spent six weeks in Egypt Mrs. Bonvale had that oriental rolourn in ber memory ever alter wnn something of the feeling with which the children of Israel may have revert cd to their bondage In that land. She had little expected In a region saturat ed with antiquity to make acquaintance effects. ! As Clarice Bonvale's eager young , soul relKllcd under the scourge of this double revelation a dull mist seemed to obscure the effulgent radiance of the orient, and an iron thorn pricked through Its sensuous Indolence. She was a soft, innocent. Ignorant young thing, capable of heaven only knew what possibilities. I ntil now rose leaves had strewn her way through life, and homage to hor wonderful beauty had been a stimulating incense to Iter brain if not to her heart. Shu had always had her mother hitherto. Now she had only her husband. That she should so phrase it to herself tilled her with a childlike shrinking and de spair. Never before had her soul known this helpless loneliness. It Is a deso lating thing for a proud, anient young wife to learn that she has married a stranger who. as her husband. Is rapid ly becoming a bereaving acquaintance. There was a dumb cry In her heart for some touch of human sympathy, for the soothing support which affec-. tion exhales. This poignant isolation j was enhanced by her surroundings. I The gayety of the hotel people; the su- j lerflcial splendor, almost nakedness, of ' the orient's color: the melancholy of the , tombs, mournful memorials of a hu- J man kind associated with so remote a 1 past as to be merged in the mythical; ! the stolid Insensibility of the sitting lig-1 ures in the many simps of the groat bazaar, from which drifted perfumes Her eyes were fixed upon something in it Her air wns pensive, resigned, pa thetically sweet, as she stood there lost in memories. Her lustrous eyes seemed to soften as she gazed. At UiaVuiomcnt n woman who had come through the rooms without being heard on the rugs bustled up Ui her nnd exclaimed vivaciously: "I knew you would see me, Clarice. I am glad I camu in unannounced so ns to catch you in that inise. I wish you could no matter what its erotic mark- touch to save it from an aridity like j hrn'e your picture taken ns you looked bull. lugs. Yet ages before Christ had coma that of the surrounding desert. Alas, to Hood the chambers of the mind cowed by her oppressed feelings, intol- with his mystic light the early kings of erantly resentful of Lucien Bonvale's Egypt hud fostered the recollection of degrading Jealousy, scarce daring to tluir highest divinity by presenting to call her soul her own, she appealed the somber Egyptians "him who slept silently to the whole world for sym- v.t Phihe." renascent In a lordly bull. pathy. and there was none to heed her Her imagination at least found :es- nnd bring peace to her soul. i thetlc delight In picturing the majestic With a quick sigh and n passing creature with Its lustrous, silky hide, tremor of her sensitive lips she averted the symbolic triangle standing white her dark, brilliant eyes from thc sar- upon its brow, the hair of its back cophagus standing grimly forth in the swirling to simulate an eagle, tho flare of the torches and without snowy crescent Hashing on its stalwart thought or intention turned them full flank" and beneath its pink tongue the uin those of an attendant knot which fancy called the mark of He was a young, handsome, pure type the scarab, the sacred Insect of Ptah. Arab, with clear, pale skin, clenn cut Wlmt a destiny for a bull to be features, tall, sinewy, silent gentle, taken from the common herd and In- mysterious, suggesting nn intensity of stalled as a gml. eared for with Infinite repressed passion. In thnt flickering attention during life and after death light, down In the gaunt chamber of embalmed at enormous expense nnd death, his soul looked straight through enshrined in n costly sarcophagus! if the glowing eyes which gleamed be- tlie revered animal rounded a quarter neath hH straight block brows and of a century It was imiosingly killed, grasped that of the girl with sense of If death mine to it lefore that time all Its desolation and hunger. It was n Egypt mourned, and sorrow settled on river of cool refreshment to her purch- the land UUe a pall. So charmingly cd being. Life thrilled through her. flerry TO s Xmas ALL H. Marks Co. 3 S S s s iT WAS iiEAI'.l' ... v J....-V. ui..ilii. Just ltow. You were perfectly lovely. I nevsr saw you with that expression before. You seemed lost In thought yet U was happy, peaceful thought What were you thinking about dear'" Tlin Imly's eyes reverted to the cabi net 11 if to discover the source of such soothing memories. "Egypt" replied Mrs. Bonvale very quietly, with a faint peculiar smile. "Oh, I see," murmured the other, with n conventional drop in her hearty volca. "You passed your honeymoon there, didn't you? Those two little im- ages recalled it I suppose. Poor Lu cien! Did be give them to you? Who are they, nnd what do they mean?" "Isls and Osiris," said the widow of i Lucien Bonvale. "What do they merfn? A great deal, but I really can't tell you Just what" "Well, don't try, Clarice." said her caller sympathetically. "It's the asso ciation probably. I understand." ' She put forth her hand and patted j the lightly clasped ones of the woman ! in black. I "Yes," answered Mrs. Bonvale softly. 1 1.1. . .1 1. , 1, . 1 1 im The shackles, whose tightening con-: WJUI a " strlctlons numbed her by their viselike ! "It's the assodatlon You will grip, fell off. She breathed wltb thc Btny to luncheon, won t you r Joy of a released prisoner. Her soul in thnt first impulsive mo- MAINE'S CHnloTMAb I Kfc.tS merit spoke back with all the eloquence which can be uttered by the eye. It wns henrt mtswprlnir heart. Time la measured by intensity, not inert- dura- A tew years ago the fir tree was tion. The whole length of that encoun- ' looked upon as a nuisance in Maine, ter perception, testowal, acceptance Sow it is a source of considerable in nnd grateful relief could not have ', come to hundreds and to the transpor- Our holiday stock was so extensive that you can 3 yet make grand selections from an almost unbroken assortment. 9 All Year Round You can rely on getting the i Newest Goods Best Qualities Lowest Prices t a a a o e o Is 1 Si a The Once DenpUrd Fir Xovr a Popn- j O lnr Source of Revenue. B a e 0 B Elegant Dress Goods Now offered. DrT goods in Great variety. Tre mendous line of Underwear Complete lineof Cloaks i 1 Now "sacrificed." tation companies as well. The beginning of its popularity was , 2 been a full minute. But it was a mile stone from which life was to le meas ured unca nance isonvaie ion tue In 1S0o wbcn partJ of hunters who tombs of the Apis bulls ami I returned to ! a Bteam dch tQ Now. Cairo she was not an alien woman . . ,, , - . . e ? . . alone in Esypt A friend was with ! undland to shoot caribou called at her. a kinsman of her hwrt-fcer proud. . Sargcntville. on Penobscot bay. to visit hungry young heart. The memory of some abandoned copper mines a short him in the long wanderings up the Nile J distance inland. The leaves had fallen was a tiny, bubbling sring In her be- 1 from the deciduous trees, causing the Ing from which welled solace and j dark evergreens to stand out In bold strength. The rancor of loneliness had relief against a neutral background of departed, the wasting touch of aridity j browns and grays. The owner of the was gone, the eager stretching f irtii yacht was struck by tho beauty of the for something on which to lean felt a scene and also with a practical .idea, prop awl suinort The image of that j He hired men and horses and had cut Arab youth, the strong gentleness of about 000 of the firs, which he carried the passionate grasp he liad laid upon ' on The deck of the yacht to Boston, Our Shoes Have already established their own reputation for Perfect Style and Durability Our $2.00 Shoe is Great No baits in any line but everything at extreme low prices. Groceries, always f:eshest and best including 3 S everyday staples to all thcluxuries. where they were offered for. sale. 1 The demand exceeded the yachtsman's greatest expectations, for the whole lot was. snapped up in 'short order. So profitable was the first venture that In the ntxt Christinas season fully 50,000 firs were sent from the shores of Pe nobscot lry to Boston, where they were j . strangely sensuous. lMt poorly Invigo rating: even the thlu. penetrating cry of the innezrlus. lurched .like humat him ir he did otnerwisc: storks on tile slender miliar.-ts and iu- I Brought In by King Katecbos nearly citing ihe Moslem to mechanical devo- j ft.000 year In-fore Christ the last of tlons with their reiterated "Alia Akliar. ; thc Apl boils had passed out of Egyyt Alia Akbar! I-a Allah 11 Allah! Heyya alasallah!" the narrow, dirty alleys, the garish Paris suggest! re 1105 in so much of the khedive's capital-all seeoied to drain her hcurt and leave in It a heav ier burden of acLlng void. The same numbing undercurrent of sadness ran through their excursions to the excavations. trii on the oily calm or sluggishly ruffled Nile, drives to Ge zireli, the pyramids, sphinxes, columns or what not Some one land of myste all one lovs it There is no half way her, haunted her with a soothing swee ness. Site seemed to feel it especially at Phlho. The soft charm of the little Is land and the graceful ieaoe that brood ed over it she felt her new kinsman more in them. With a suiile it oc curred to her that here .was ' where Osi ris the BeneJIcent was laid to his rest; ; all sold at good prices, and in the foh i!mt to tlu old E-rvittlan tlwrV was no ' Ijwlmr vear the trade was extended to mightier oath than that sworn "by New York, where the firs .were as j SCRUGGS' naif summarily eject the god who him who sleeps at Phifci'." It was at 1 eagerly taken. In lSu the shipments , nntrMl t f.iitiifnl ii-ii.iut and to bewail tlie solemn tomb that guarded the ' of trees from- Maine to the large cities j stately nun which tie uau msi-sseu 10 lie again with M adorers that she had met the one who liad l?d her out of Bpyit. the dark land of Iter heart long ings that could find no rest. When wouM slie see him next? Would she H. Marks Co., Phone 671 Roseburg, Ore t t I eviMIKMIMIltIMUaiellHMHHMHHHHni SIEGE to b brought to the Kmeror .Julian II. A. I). C Yet through tbe centu ries their preserved exuviae had held stately possession of tbe Seraueum were waiting there for Iter to come where they held their silent court. So much lavished on a beast of '.In field, and she, made in tbe likeness of God. looked In vain for sympathy. iwme touch of human Interest that might ease her aching heart! What a inckerv: This bull, flower of the ln-rd. had Increased to alwut .V.f00. and in j 1ST9 over 1 ..',00.000 were sold. In some sections, where thc fir Is es pecially prolific, the cutting and. pre paring of Christmas trees Is made tbe occasion of festive gatherings, corrc- to execute strategic movement. Final ly the sport became so exciting and aa OF NECKT1EPH0ID PWted that two men had their arna 1 broken, and I had to go Into the fight ; and declare a truce." W&shlsxtD Star. ever see him again? Awl. If she did. ' sjtouding to the huskings in fall" tisne. whole families going Into tbe woods and taking their dinners along. A man cuts the trees close to the roots had 1 and a boy or a strong girl cuts with n sham hatchet the few dead limits from Tliey were returning after tbelr long j tlie lse. Women and boys tie the leagues up the Nile. At last their feet trees Into bundles of a dozen, and then were set iKuneward. Tltere was not so thc lis rv est is piled Into hayracks and coutd he say more than he had said in tliat first quick. e!oe. magnetic fusion of tlicir souls'; Well. Osiris tlie BencA cent the struggler against evil. been good to her. It was enough THOMAS SCRCCGS. on Christmas day. Cot packages galore, -Until be woaderol U there could By chanc be any mora. much charm in that as that they were carried to tlie nearest railroad station. ha said: -The east Is a bv force" of his lordly markings raised having Kcypt the place where -die had j The smaller children gather the trail- I erv. If one cares for It at to the pinnacle of a nation's adoration! fr the first time realised Lucien Bon lug creepers of the ground pine, pluck He ttfxa! each nn: xchen it cams And sJowly crew enrased. An not a package held a thing That hl preat wrath assuased. FVt each one. be tt Ions cr short Or sllra or thick aod fat f ontained. In varied shape and form. n gaudy near cravat. ! k gather the red fruit of the wild raisin ... !,.-,. I. Ii.tae i!rl frrm tl. ! liori of Imt SOV llBll Ulie nlglll at l.UXOr SIIC SIOOl Oil U1C it n.i nil "it, wsvs." Clarice Bonvale , gained by this gift a husband whoe wharf, waiting to emlwrk on the little shrub, nil of which are packed In boxe did not love it. She saw it all with her highest Torm or reguru was an tutowr husband. She had come to feel him a ; able Jealousy, a life partner who was disturbing figure in the foreground of ' already numbing the eager vitality of jvcrv scene, even the widely extending one of life. her girl's heart and making it cry out to iLself Iu thc yearning of its lonell- Those ranges of boats with their ! ness. Why should the heart spontane- curved yards make me think of great I ouly put forth tendrils if there was dry sedges bent by the wind, ami those j naught which they might grasp for tall, tufted palms look like gigantic j support no other heart to which they feather dusters stuck In the sand," she , could cling, strengthening and strength remarked once to Bonvale, with a slwrt ! ened by the preordained clasp? steamer which puffed with Impudent Impotence to 1 gone. Bonvale had left her for a few moments on one of his fuy. suddenly thought of quests. Around her was a motley crowd, with sprinklings of many nations In Its mov ing mass. In the noise ami confusion and small babel of Jarring elements strong lingers suddenly slipped smooth- and sent to Uie cities for tlie making of wreaths and garlands for the decora tion of church nnd home. Tlie evergreen harvests are generally bought by men who make a business of supplying the Christmas markets of the cities, though many farmers and others send their crops direct to market.. For trees five to six feet In height the buy- little laugh. They were sailing on the Nile, the yellow Libyan hills in tlie dis tance. Thc quick wrinkle came Into ills smooth forehead, and there was the disgusted compression of his lips. "You ought to learn to take things as you find them." he said, with an Ir ritated, monitory air. The girl's mouth quivered to a slight, proud smile, but formed no answer. She had already begun to take Lucien Bonvale as she found him. but her re sentment at having to do so wns not therefore the less. She was looking forward with sharp desire to the hour of their departure, if she fell In unprotcstlngly with Mr. Bonvale's proposition to go here or there It was wiUi the relieving sense that one more reason for remaining would be exhausted. In this spirit she assented to his wish to "do" the tombs of thc Apis bulls. She hated tombs more than anything first because she was too alive not to detest tlie thought of death, and then because she loath Such was the leaven of thought In the hungering soul of Clarice Bonvale us she sailed up the ten miles of river that lay Itetween Ca.iro and Memphis on the pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apis bulls. The trip should have been an enchanting one. Streaming sun shine, vivid color and air that would have rejoiced spring buds lent swect pss to tbe Egyptian day. But the mill of her heart was grinding fine Its grist of bitterness. In the near foreground of every view, even the long vista of existence, stood a human being whoe . shadow fell upon her soul with blight ing chill. They landed at Sakkarah and made the short transit to the tombs on don keys. Clarice smiled faintly ns she felt that the kindliest emotion nwakened In her by this land of Ptolemies and the resplendent Cleopatra was due to this same small beast of burden strong; di minutive, with demure relish of Its gorgeous trappings. The tombs of the Apis bulls were ns depressing as she had Imagined. Out lv. nossrssirelv. Into the baud which j rs in Maine pay S cents each, and for i hung listlessly at her side. A flutter I trees six to ten feet In height th price ; ran through her. Her own fingers, j P-W h? 10 to Xi cents. The five cent i with nn Instinct of sympathy, closed i tree sells In the city market for 'Z, j cents, wniie uie uiiecn cent tree oncn upon those which had been so gently pushed Into ber warm palm. She looked up with a soft welcoming of childlike eagerness. There In the flooding light of the moon stood her heart's kinsman, the strong young Arab of the Serapeum. Impassive. owerful. with a repoo that the west knows little of, his dark eyes under the strong brows burned with a fire which told of Ills intense feeling. His eyes bent on her unwaveringly. He murmured softly: "I have brought you my heart nnd something to remem ber me by when you are gone so far away to your country- n not forget mo In the long years to come or that I love you." The crowd pressed. lie wns gone. Ho hnd melted Into It nnd wns lost Clarice raised her hand nnd with a tremulous smile looked to see what artless souvenir he hnd left with her for remembrance of hlin two tiny lm- brlngs f 1 or more. The total revenue 1 to Maine people this year from the i Christmas greens crop will probably amount to 5150,000. New York Trib une. ' Gift" For Children. Children enjoy things with which they can do something. They nre hap piest when both brains and hands are employed. An Ingenious boy will get more pleasure out of the material with which to make a kite than .he will out of a finished kite. Thus a box of car penter's tools makes a fine present for n boy, particularly If It is accompanied by n few light boards and some nails. A game that requires the looking up of names or characters is a present that can be enjoyed by .the entire family- A box of ray colored beads and a spool of wire will bo appreciated by a quletjlttleglrj 'II il I I I I I 55" twy.i ri I I -aam,-. xi i ill Cbxtstmaa In Other laali. In Norway, 'where Christmas finds the land buried deep under the snoir. the fiords frozen and the whole cooa try tight In the grasp of the Ice, ther are many quaint and prettj Christmas customs. Perhaps the most lnterestlay of all are the nesting and feedlas; of tbe birds. A few days before Christmas new "Straw and hay are pot Into (Ter nest that can be found in tbe hollow of trees and the eaves of booses and barns, and straw Is scattered about over the frozen saour to be carried away by the birds themselves. Thea. In every available spot a th thatched roofs, on bosse tops, window sills aad doorsteps, are strewn large tneaserea of grain. It is a pretty sight to see the flocks of birds swooping down to this feast So they feed royally daring th holiday times, making up far maay days of scant living, for it Is bard to find anything to eat where everything la frozen so fast The Tnletlte Lev. A custom at one time prevalest is England and still observed in some of the northern districts of the old cess try Is that of placing an Immense let of wood sometimes tbe root of a great tree In the wide chimney place. This la often called the Yule log. and It wis ou Christmas eve that It was put 03 the wide hearth. Around It would gather the entire family, and Us en trance was the occasion of a great deal of ceremony. There were music and rejoicing, while the one authorised ts light it was obliged to hare clean hands. It was always lighted with a ' brand left over from the log of a prc- ! vious year. of Near the North Pole i . i . . r.. 1 1 .. 1. .7-m.1.1 Ua itnftnr nil. hiiow iiuu jviij ,,.i, ,,u nni-iilile. Over It WO liiiu eacii crse circumstances. As tbe Christmas , Mirjstmns stories. We exclnuig -d chocolate, we tried to prolong as ible. Over It wo tom eacn mwTVTT Christmas, 18S3, was . . ,, i.i mr most meinoraDic one, nam General Greely. the arctic ex- i - "With mv commauu i mutt;. .... - was proceeding southward in the hope of obtaining help, and about the 20 h of October we ensconced ourselves in 1 1 little hut at Cape Sabine, Our sup ply or rood was running very low, and Vc were on very short rations, every ZL lSs allowed just food enough iu i. 4.nntv-four hours to sustain life. Under these depressing dumstanc o,irt the awful silence of the imu .. - . ..,llf polar night the clieenume continued to maintain wns remarkable. U would have been a splendid onpor tunity for Dickens' character, Mark Sev, who was always seeking some special y depressing situation In life to v season approached we nil looked for ward to It with eager anticipation, not only as a festal day thc as-sociatlons and memories of which would to some extent vary the wearisome monotony of our lives, but because we knew that the winter solstice would fall about Dec 22 and that then the sun would return nnd the long, dreary night bo at an end. "Christmas day came nt last Christ mas in tho arctic regions! At 0 o'clock wn bad our breakfast thin soup mado of peas, carrots, blubber and potatoes, n,,.- -iiritni!is dinner wns served at 1 o'clock. Hearken to our menu, ye who will sit down the coming Christmas to roast turkey stuffed with oysters: First course, a stew of seal meat, on ions, blubber, potatoes nnd brend i.e. omnnii r-niirse. served one ,..iik,-..ii.-p of bygone Christ muses at home with the loved ones so far away. We discussed the probability of our ever reaching our own firesides again, and we entered Into an agree ment that If we got back to civilization before another Christinas we would pass the day together In memory ol that awful Christmas we were then spending in the realm of the relentless Ice king. Alas, many of those brave fellows never lived to see another Christnias:"-BuiTalo Express. ClirlnlnmM Dinner llec-Ipox. Chestnut stulling Is the most dell clous that can go with a Christmas tur key. r-UU a quart of Italian or French ch'estir.i s. Put In hot water and boll until tl:e skl.is are softened; drain oil n... ,,-.,(..: -Mill remove the skins. Prw . ' V. i. n otmv nf raisins, blub-' nlf.m n few at a time, through a colun i ...in-.' ,iiKHi.rt. n cun of hot! ,if.r mid B.ason with butter, salt and chocolate. The best and most Christ-! pC!,:)cr. Add ehopp-d parsley, onion masllke feature of this meal was thnt , nd bread crumbs and swison with we were allowed a sufficient quantity , stock. of It to satisfy the pangs of hunger, j ci'jlol Sauec.-Boll the giblets until Our enjoyment of the dessert, one cup' tender; cl-o;) them, but not too Hue. and add a tnbie-ipoonf ul of Hour to the pan in which the turkey was roasted. Brown the Hour, stirring constantly, r.dding slowly a cupful of water In which the giblets were boiled; senson with salt and pepper and add the chop iied giblets. A Country Xnnn-il Vor Chrlatma. Smith Africa was discovered by the Portuguese, who were searching for nn ocean road to India. Bartholomew Diaz was the commander of thc two little ships that formed tho expedition in 14S(5. Eleven years later Da Oania took another Portuguese licet south. lie discovered Natal on Christmas day and thus named It In consequence. YULETIDE DECORATIONS. Tin- ChrlKtilitiN Colum nnd Mnlerlola nnil lluiv to liHi- Tiitm. There Is nothing more delightful In housekeeping than decorating the ta ble, an.l itheady the dainty housewife Is pondering the matter of appropriate lloml display for the time honored fes tlvul. The foundation of all artistic results lies iu the pure white damask, on which every bit of color will standi senlce should be china ornamented forth as onlv a perfect background can! with narrow red bands, supplemented , k . tt by the usual cut glass and silver. The K. d Is unquestionably the true color star may be uueu niso wiui uonj u- 1 . ... . . .1...... lwlhi nf 1 n 11 rsV or Christmas decorations, it we wouiu m.il.e them distinctive, and this bright coior gives always a suggestion of warmth and chceriness. A most charming centerpiece Is In the form of a star. Directly under the I chandelier, bedecked with laurel and holly, place the table draped with whlto iiien. In the middle put n tall and graceful crystal or silver candelabrum. rimmed with greenery and holly ber ries, each of Its lights shaded with gauze or (lulTy paper shades of a bright scarlet At the base a large flat star radiates from the candelabrum In live points. A tin form serves as a founda tion. This Is packed with damp moss nnd then filled with scnrlet geraniums. offset with n fringe of feathery green rles. with a deep bonier of laurel leaves, or another variation of this Idea is to form the star of heavily frosted evergreens, bordered with holly berries. While holly nnd mistletoe for many decades held almost undisputed sway ns Christmas decorations, their substi tutes nre now numerous. Lycopodlum. familiarly known as ground (or run nlng) pine, has a light, feathery effect nnd Is lovely for festooning ami ura pcry, or It can be made Into flat wreaths nnd tied with smart liows of broad red ribbon. These wreaths may be placed at the four corners of the table or laid around thc candelabrum placed In tho center. "'tis eveh Tires 1" Tls ever thus!" moaned Thomas ScrugKs; , "In every Christmas wreck I am the sufferer vrhp sets U always in mo ceca. Thi Hps were irrecn nnd red and brown Ami black and pink ana blue. With stripes and dots and funny Unea Of truly awful hue. . At last he fretted so about The things thnt he fell IM, And thn. to add to all his woes. There was a doctor's bllL Today, when asked about tho cae He seems to prow annoyed And answers that he suffered from A slvgo of nccktlcphold. -Judge. Soldier Hoys' Christmas. "There was uever any fighting oa Christmas day during the civil war." said the late Geueral Hampton when asked for some reminiscences. "It has beeu a loug time ago, and I cannot re member much of those Christmas tunes. We of the army had other things to occupy our attention. But Christmas was one day on which there was no fighting. The men received messages nud boxes from home, and camp life got nn inspiration on that day. "I remember that on one Christmas A "Hot Time" C&rlarsaaa. Australia has hard work to keep cool when it Is time for a visit from Santa Clans, for It Is then mldsujnmer with its people, who.are doing their wisest to get away from the terrible heat of ihe terrible sun. Funny though It may lecm. they have in mind at this time Ihe picture of tbe Jolly and generous ld Northman saint who is making the Add country- folk happy for at least ne day In the year. At each place a bunch of holly, tied " . . . ., i - - Tho little flowerets of the geranium , witn narrow gn-u numim., mm iu tue grolUMi wn3 covered with snow, must be divided from the parent stem' name card aro placed. These cards are TuJ men nulKCa themselves "on sides and packed quite compactly. - I etslly made round, with a wreath of f,lkc smhooibajg, and a tremendous bat- ti i ..i..... i il. In wi,irt-iWn iirn fnlir '. lmllv lenves Oil the edge, palllted 111 .ft.c,,, ,v.r A Innir limn thn ran. HiiiMit tint dishes containing alternately ' green nnd outlined In silver, with sll- i . . " , ' The Unes charged and wen falls to be taken up by the skin wlp little mounds of ruby Jellies nnd can- ver lettcrlng.-Boston Cobklug School broken formed again and endeavored it off and put less on the next tune. died chestnuts plied cannon ball fash- Magazine. ' . . . , lou. As far ns la practicable tho table " Pottcd Plants aa rrrseata. The last weeks before the holidays arc crowded with belated shopping trips and half finished homemade gifts. Why work so hard to make "something that will answer" and yet that la all probability will meet no want and therefore receive little welcome? 'why not save one's nerves and give mora pleasure by buying a few Noosing bulbs in pots or selecting soaae thrifty plants of oxalls, abutllon. ivy or se ranlnm from one's own window garden, making the pots pretty with paper and ribbon after the fashion of the florists, if you like? For Roasb Basis. When the hands look rough and red, an ointment rubbed In will generally make them more attractive. Mix to gether one dram of powdered borax, five ounces of rosewatcr and one-fourtti ounce of glycerin. After washing th hands and drying them well rub thU lotion In. Put on only a little, and if it