A MAN'S VENGEANCE
IT was a stiff climb from Pongelly
mid tin basket of lish Isaac lloeken
carried wiih heavy. At tlic top of
tin; hill he wus fain to stretch himself
oil tin- turf and rest his bent old back
against the low stone wall which In
closed John Tregon's Held.
"No use going up to the house; John's
nt market and the misscs'll be turning
the idace topsy-turvey," ho reflected.
"What with spring clennlu's all the
year round and the drlvlu', Hertha h is
had n terrible hard time. And they do
Kay In the village Well, well," In;
muttered, checking himself, "It wasn't
1o be expected with hci' pitliy f.ii'c thai
Jim's her first sweetheart. And If Will
Carter deceived her, inebbe sluillLthiuk
the more of him. Jim just dotes on her.
More fule, he! Had wives are of no
iiccoiint whntlver, and suiiosin you
do hap on a good woman and It pleases
tlie Lord to take her, the year won't
till the emptiness In you she leaves be
hind. I ought fo know," and Isaac
heaved n mighty sigh. "I've hurled
wives of both sorts three of 'em."
Not n breeze stirred the lifeless calm;
nnd the midday sun poured fiercely
down. Presently he sought the shade
of a spreading tree which overhung
the wall n few paces from him. Rut
lie was no longer solitary. Voices fell
on his ear Ilertlia Tregon's and that
of the man who report said had jilted
her.
".My poor Herlha! You've no cause to
fear me. I know exactly how it wus
you forsook mu for James lloeken. Hut
1 wrote whenever 1 had the chance."
"Xot a single letter renched me."
"Because your mother waylaid the
postman."
Despite the heat, Isaac shivered.
Will's Insight was making clear much
that had puzzled him.
"Perhaps. What matters now?"
nsked Hertha in forlorn tones. "Ytm
should have kept away. It would have
been kinder."
"And let you continue to think that
I was false. I.oukee here, Hertha, you
promised to he my wife before ever
lloeken courted you. And now you
know I've been faithful to you "
"I durslu't break with Jim. Mother
Is set on li tin. Oh, why did you come?
You'll get n fresh sweetheart, but Jlui
won't. I feel he won't. And 1 shall
keep my promise to hlin."
Hut Itertha's love was unchanged,
nnd to the breathless listener on the
Hiltlier side of the wall. Will's tender
pleadings were the knell of his son's
hopes.
What girl who loved hlin could resist
handsome Will Carter?
(intuit and grizzled, with weather
lieateii, strongly marked features, he
had always known that Jim wasn't one
Hint a girl would fancy. And Hertha
had only accepted him at her mother's
bidding, believing that Will was untrue
to her. It was all so plain to hl;n now.
Poor Jim! Even a tlower that Hertha
had plucked was precious to hlin.
Hadn't he found a rose withered and
dead in his pocket? And all his love In
vain! Isaac whipped out his handker
chief ('lid mopped his face. Yet, if
Will luiin't returned
I'.ut. (jontrary to his expectations, the
girl waVi firm in her resolve.
"I wt'fYl listen to you," she said 'It
last, roused by Will's upbraldings.
"Jim Isn't to blame he knew nothing
of our sweetheartlng-iior am 1. It
didn't enter my mind thnt mother might
"ve got your letters. How should It?
As If you nlone suffered!" she faltered.
"Let us part friends."
"Sweethearts or nothing," said Will,
grntlly.
v tin tne swish, swish of feet through
the long grass, crawling to his knees.
old Isaac peered cautiously over the
wall. Hertha was running toward the
house nnd Will Carter, with his head
thrown back, striding In an opposite di
rectum.
"Bless the little inn Id!" he ejaculated.
"One time 1 was afenred for Jim. Hut
lie h got n goon grip o tilings. Yes,
plenty more sweethearts for Will," he
chuckled, observant of the pose of his
lieail. "aim there s but one in the
world for my lad - Hertha Tregon. May
my tongue l slit If I let out to him.'
Hislng, Isaac shouldered his basket
nnd proceeded on his round.
i ue oiu iisiicruiHii nan neen some
what rash, however, In his conclusions
Hy her own admission, Itertha's do
clslon had been prompted solely by fear
of her mother and consideration for
James Hockeu. Hut If on reileetlon she
were still willing to sacrifice her happ1
ticss. Will Carter certainly had no in
tent Ion of yielding to her weakness.
A tine seaman, of whom Pengelly was
proud, for the last year Will had been
on board a yacht cruising in the Medit
erranean, Hut for reasons best known
to herself, Mrs. Tregou had discounte
nanced his suit, slid, although ho had
vry confidence lu her, Bertha's si
lence had Inspired misgivings not easy
to allay. Once more free, he hud re
turned at the earliest (late to England,
anil at Plymouth, where lie landed, had
met a friend, who, among other Items
of Pengelly news, informed him of her
desertion, adding:
"And she'll be .Mrs. lloeken in a fort
night." determined to demand a full explana
tion fi i Herlha herself. Will made
no comment, but his laugh was un
inlrthful. And witli rage In his heart
hi! had hailed a passing cab, driven to
the railway station una taken the tram
for Wmieiii iiige. Thence he could walk
to the Trogoiis".
Hut the house In view. In crossing the
Held, Will had espied Herlha in the gar
den nnd, with a mutlled ahoy! sped to
the tree that sheltered old Isaac. She
had swiftly joined him. Nevertheless,
the shock of his return was visible in
her while face, and her trembling lips
would frame no welcome. Looking at
him Imploringly, her blue eyes tilled.
And. longing to clasp her lu his arms,
the reassuring words which, whilst en
lightening hlin. hail chilled Jim's fath
er, did duty for the reproaches lie had
come primed with.
Hut Will had taken Hertha by sur
prise, and between her dread of him
ami terror of her mother, who ruled
the Tregon household with a rod of
iron, he rightly divined that she had
cnught nt the readiest means of escape
which In her distraction had presented
Itself to her. Yet his faith lu her lirm
ness was limited; the revival of fond
memories would tend to lessen her
mother's Inlluence. And cunningly cal
culating that apparent Indifference
would further Incline her to be guided
by his counsels later, he devoted a
week to his friends and generally enjoy
ing himself. Ills disappointment treat
ed thus lightly, he succeeded In delud
ing everybody, Including Hertha, who
shed bitter tears lu secret that he snould
be so easily consoled for her loss. The
bare sight of James lloeken almost
maddened her, and she had to hide her
aversion to him anil listen evening af
ter evening to his dull talk. And in nu-
otlier week she would be his wife.
The tree beneath which she nnd Will
had parted became her favorite resort.
Here she could Indulge In tin luxury
of a "good cry" uurclmkcil, nnd, grown
desperate with the nearer approach of
the wedding day, sitting on the gnnrled
roots one nfternoon, she burst into a
very passionate grief.
A face Will's appeared above the
wall.
A liny! Whatlver's the matter. Miss
Tregon?" he gravely inquired. "Shall
I fetch Mr. Hockeu to 'ee?"
"1 hate him! I hate hlin!" she sob
bed hysterically.
"That's bad." said Will, sympathiz-
ingly. "What's he been up to?"
"I'p to! Isn't lie old, Isn't he ugly,
isn't he stupid? And and I hate him.
Mother may storm, but 1 don't cure."
Will vaulted over the wall.
On the day appointed for Janies
llocken's nuptials the wdiole village
Hocked betimes to the church. Hut
uelt tier bridegroom nor bride put In an
appearance, and by and by It was
known that Will Carter ami Hertha
Tregon were missing, and that there
would be no wedding at Pengelly that
day.
Weeks and months rolled by, nnd no
tidings could be gleaned of the grace
less couple. They had clean vanished,
leaving no clew to their whereabouts.
Mrs. Tregon's tongue sharpened to a
dounble-eilged sword, ready to Slav
friend and foe alike who alluded to her
daughter. And the dumb misery In
Jim's plain face was pitiful to see. Old
Isaac's heart ached for his son. If he
had only prepared him for the blow!
To have hlin so imposed on! And with
his experience of womankind.
Curiosity was at length appeased. An
acquaintance of the runaways visited
Loudon mid returned with a woeful
story. She had seen Hertha. who had
ontlded to her that after being mar
ried nt a registry otllce Will nnd she
had decided to go to America, but while
looking in n shop window he had been
robbed of his savings, nnd that subse
quently they were reduced to great
straits. Then he had brought her the
welcome news that he had obtained n
berth on n steam launch, nnd tlie next
morning bade her good-by to go aboard.
since when she had never clapped her
eyes on hlin. Mrs. Pegg nlso said that
Hertha had refused to give her address.
Hut Jim ascertained thnt she had met
ner nt uoiiiernnne, nini that was
enough for him.
"I'm off to London," he announced
when he came downstairs, after pacing
the floor the livelong night. "I shall
never rest until Carter and me nre face
to race.
"Thee be a fule, Jim," his father, who
had been disturbed by his monotonous
tread overhead, said peevishly. "If
you must stir in this business, find
ilertliii. IfU be a charity. For all her
sharp temper, her mother's frettin' her
self Into tins grave. Take what money
you want out o' my leather hag: only
nroiulse. hid." noting the sullen tire in
his deet-sot eves, "not to meddle
Will."
"Trust me to lind Hertha! Hut she
would be destitute." he said hoarsely.
"And Hiii! limy have become a shame to
her kith nnd kin. And In that case no
promise would bind me, father. I'd 'vo
his life If I swung for it."
Hut Pengelly was convinced that Will
had betaken himself to "foreign parts."
And. recalling tills, old Isaac was en
couraged to hope that Jim would be de
nied tin opportunity of vengeance.
.tin. hail been II Loudon inrei'
iS.
months; his quest had been unsuccess
ful; yet he continued to hunt the prin
cipal thoroughfares, tramping north,
south, east anil west In turn.
Hig Hen had struck one; he was re
i.i,,c:iiHr Wuctniliwter bridge to his
lodgings when u woman crouching by -is.
a lamp post ahead of him fell forward "Dark Liulit."
in a heap and, liasteiilng his steps, he Monsieur Le Hon, a French expon
enileavored to raise her. Hut. with the rnenter, reports that he has obtained
liglit falling on tlie pallid, hunger-plncli- outline photographs on n dry phi to
ed face, a groan escaped hiiu. His ; through a sheet of iron, simply with the
quest for Hertha Carter had ended. nld of an ordinary kerosene lamp. He
At that moment a policeman came up. gets the best effects by backing the iron
"Poor soul! she's dead." he said at a ( with a sheet of lead, hut the rays do
glance. "Hotter so than the leap into not, like the X-rays, penetrate black
the water sin
my eye on !
was bent on. I've hud
r since 7 o'clock. She
seemed dazed."
The body was conveyed to the mor
tuary and the verdict at the Inquest
was in accordance with the medical
testimony, that death was due to star
vation. Outwardly calm, his sole thought to
avenge Hertha, Jim staggered out of
the court.
Ills Inquiries for the inn a who hail
robbed him of the one Jewel he coveted,
to cast it from hlin, nt length elicited
that a seaman answering to his de
scription of Carter was homewnrl
bound from Singapore. Thenceforth,
knowing neither hunger nor weariness,
lie was watchful of new arrivals at the
docks. 1
Ills desire for revenge wns by now a
monomania. And to-day he had a
strange prescience that Will nnd he
were soon to meet. Self-absorbed, in
crossing the street, he was knocked
down by a dray, nnd, stunned, convey
ed to the hospital.
On recovering consciousness, his first
request wns for his discharge.
"Not yet awhile," said the nurse.
"Hut you won't be dull. That poor
chap yonder," Indicating a bandaged
object In n distnut bed, "has been ask- i
ing for you. Y'ou don't recognize him?
No wonder! He was brought In months
ago after the tire In St. Thomas street, i
He wns looking on, nnd a woman and
some children appeared nt a top win
dow. The firemen were beaten back
by the blaze below, and poor Will he
won't tell us his surname couldn't
withstand their cries, nnd he climbed
up the wnterspont on to the roof with
a rope, nnd threw oue end to them, and
had actually lowered two of the chil
dren In safety when the walls collaps
ed. He was picked up so terrlbiy In
jured that we had little hope of him.
Hut he has done splendidly. If you"
Hut Jim was midway across the ward.
Oh, heaven, to think that this poor man
gled wretch wns "handsome Will!"
And so sorely misjudged! Leaning
over the brave fellow, Hocken's emo
tion was hard to restrain.
"Don't give 'em my name," whisper
ed Will. "I'm maimed for life. And
wouldn't 've my poor little Bertha sad
dled with a helpless husband not like
l.v-
To have happened just when the
tide had turned!" he groaned. "Where
is she?"
She has reached port before us," said
,11m, lu a smothered voice. "Don't 'ee
take on. Will." Ills own tears were
coursing down his rugged cheeks.
"We'll go back to Pengelly. I can work
for both."
You work for me"? Y'ou "
We both loved her," Jim reminded
him
"If so be you'll trust yourself to
me.
You will be doing me a favor."
Feebly pressing the hand that grip -
ped his, Will mumbled Indistinctly,
and hastily covered
hold Words.
his face. House-
Pathos of Presidential Convention?.
No oue can examine the records of
Presidential conventions, with their
personal successes and failures, and
easily escape the conviction that there
Is far more of tragedy than comedy In
our national politics. There are touch
es of humor here aud there, but the
dominant note Is that of pathos. He
hind every great success there Is to be
seen the somber shadow of bitter dis
appointment, of wrecked ambition, of
lifelong hopes In ruins. As oue pursues
through biography, autobigrnphy, and
memoir, the personal history of the
chief figures In the conventions that
have been held during the sixty years
which have passed since thnt method
of nominating Presidential candidates
came Into use. he finds It nlmost Invnrl.
ably ending in sadness and gloom. Not
one of those seeking the Presidency
with most persistence hns succeeded l
getting possession of that great otllce.
and few of them, when final failure
uas
come, have shown themselves able
Lear the blow with for..ui
to
tury.
Bit1 Mrll, ?
i-w .TtA '",-)
Tumbling: Mustard.
It is said that the tumbling mustard,
n weed Introduced from Europe about
twenty years ago, has become very
.troublesome In Manitoba and other
parts of Northwestern Canada. Prof.
Fletcher, of Ottawa, estimates that a
single plant bears no less than l,5t:0,U(J0
paper. He call the radiation which
produces the photographs "dark light."
The Cradle of Mankind.
The recent discovery In Somnlihind
by Mr. Seton-Knrr is regarded as an
Important contribution to the evidence
by means of which men of science hope,
eventually, to be nble to locate the cm
die of the human race. The implements
referred to nre Identical lu form with
those found In Northwestern Kurope
and In India, and this fact Is thought to
be an Indication that lu the remote pre
historic times called the Palaeolithic
age the Inhabitants of Asia, Africa and
Europe belonged to a single race.
Kxtertninatinir Butterflies.
Collectors of butterflies lu England
are somewhat alarmed nt the prospect
of the extinction of several localized
species, mainly through the effects of
overcollection. It apears that three spe
cies of butterflies have already been
exterminated, nt least from their
known haunts, and that three other
species are lu Imminent danger of ex
tinction, and the Entomological Society
has been requested to take some action
for the protection of the Insects. Some
of the much-hunted species. It Is said,
will probably take final refuge lu the
Irreclaimable feus of Norfolk.
Valuable Fox-Skins.
The most expensive and beautiful of
all fox fur, according to Knowledge, Is
that of the American silver fox. The
color Is usually almost entirely black,
rexcept the tip of the tall, and certain
gray-white mnrklngs ou the back,
thighs and head. Occasionally a com
pletely black specimen Is found, aud
there are also some which are com
pletely gray. The animal was once
comparatively abundant, but is now
scarce, nnd about a year ago a single
flue skin was sold lu London for the
surprising sum of 873. In 1S04 many
skins were sold for more than $ot)0
apiece. The cheapest skins are the
pale-colored ones, some of which do not
command more thou $2".
A Walking Fish.
A queer fish, called the "walking
goby," or the "hopping ash," Is found in
the Iudiau Oceau as well as along the
shores of West Africa. Crowds of
! these c"rlo"s creatures, resembling tad
poles In their outlines, bask In the
sun on a muddy shore and scamper off
on being disturbed. Mnuy of them keep
me ends of their long tails dipped In
the water, while they lie ou the sun
heated mud, or sit ou mangrove roots,
and Prof. Hnddon has suggested that
there may be an organ of respiration
!n the end of the tall, additional to the
similar organs In the gills. A more re-
i cent Investigator, Dr. Forbes, of Liver-
P00' thinks the fish are able to store
' a sufficient quantity of water In their
B'1,s to maintain aquatic respiration
during their prolonged absences on the
shore.
Great Tide Waves.
Those who see the rise and fall of the
tides In our Atlantic harbors seldom
think of the wonderful career of the
moon-raised ocean-waves which cause
the tidal flux and reflux. Such billows
uot only cross the sea, but flow from
ocean Into ocean, aud In this way com
plicated movements are set going.
Thus, as Mr. Vaughan Cornish has re
cently reminded Eugllsh readers, once
!n every twelve hours the moon raises
a tide billow In the Southern Indian
Ocean. When this billow passes the
Cape of Good Hope, nt noon, Its suc
cessor Is already born, and by the time
the first billow has reached the Azores
isianas, at miunigut, the second Is
rounding the Cape, and a third has
come Into existence In the southern
ocean. By 4 o'clock In the morning fob
lowing Its passage of the Cape the tide
billow reaches the English Channel and
there the shallow water delays it so
uiucu mat it noes not arrive at the
hi T . "mu,lu a' "' "tc
'
wtraits of Dover until
to rise very high and almost puts an
van to uie wave, in the meantime an-
other branch of the billow runs arouai
the western side bf the p.ritish Islam,
rounds the north point of Scotland i
moves slowly down the eastern .
of England, until it llnally flows una'
Thames, and In pa the wharves ufl'
don.
Tree-Kin us.
On May !!S mention was mnde lnth(
column of a curious theory ciiiiecniiii.
the history of a very old llr-tree frUJ
North America, a section of the luWt,,
part of whose trunk Is preserved iuEj.
gland. The growth rings in the lruilk
allow that the tree lived for several
hundred years, and that when It ai
about a century old something ha.
pencil which Interfered with and J,,
layed Its growth. The effect wus to pro.
duce a series of rings very narrow and
close together, followed by rings ut Mr
usual width, Indicating that the tree
had suddenly regained Its vigor. At.
cording to the theory mentioned
iiitlueuce that retarded the growth of
the tree was a series of atmospheric dis
turliauces in the Middle Ages w liich
caused widespread epidemics in Kurtipe
and Asia, and presumably in Xnrtb
America also. Mr. H. E. Feniow, ot
Washington, writes to Nature that he
.i.i.. i... .i.t.. i r. i it.. .
- "! j nanny liiui.
Zones of narrow rings, he says, are
common In all of our trees, and liemig.
Bests this explanation: Let a tree, lite
the tir lu question, grow up under fj.
voruble conditions for a hundred years,
and then let a hurricane break off a
large part of its crown. Suddenly, at
least within a year, the rings of growth
will become narrow. Within nliuut
thirty years the crown recuperates, hut
still the food-inaterlal descending from
the leaves Is scanty for the lower por
tion of the trunk and narrow rings con
tlnue to form there. 1 Uglier up the tree,
however, the rings will be found widen
ing. Finally, and rather suddenly, the
supply becomes normal lower down
and the rings resume their regular
width. Thus various accidents occur
ring to a tree record their effects lu its
rings of growth.
Knglund's Food Supply.
Strong as the English war tleet is, It
is very far from being strong enough to
successfully engage a possible combina
tion of fleets and ut the same time pro
tect our sea borne food supply, saji
the Nineteenth Century. If the tinted
States and Russia declared war with
England there would practically be no
food supply left to protect. They
would keep the Immense supplies we
now get from them at home, aud the
fenr of capture or destruction would
effectunlly prevent Argentina aud other
neutrals from sending food to us in any
sufficient quantity.
What Is wnnted Is that. Instead of
only a precarious week's supply, wi
should have stored up In this country
enough corn to last for ot least twelve
months. Experts In the corn trade
agree that there would be no Insupera
ble difficulty in gradually accumulat
ing this store of corn. It would he for
experts to advise ns to the best meth
ods nnd plnces of storage.
Perhaps the best plau would be to dis
tribute it over the country lu magazines
nt the military depots, giving the mili
tary authorities charge of It, but If It
wns In the country nnd safe It would
not so much matter where It was. Al
though most of our corn Is made Into
flour at the great ports, It would uot be
wise, seeing that most of them are so
defenseless, to store It there.
The entire control und management
of this great national store of corn
should be under some permanent gov
ernment department. Although Its ex
istence could uot fail to have a steady
ing effect ou the corn market, It should
be outside all speculative Influences,
the price nt which It would be sold,
when necessary to sell It. being fixed
law. It would be no sacrifice, in the
long run. for the country to provide
such a reserve of food, as It would al
ways be worth Its cost.
Other nations accumulate gold for use
In war time. We should have a war
chest of corn. If we have It. what will
It do?
It will give our navy time to devote
Itself to the crushing of the navy or
navies opposed to us. It will give us
time, with out great resources, to aug
ment our fighting fleet to almost any
extent, and It will give our farmers
time to grow three or four times as
much corn and breed a much larger
quantity of cattle and sheep than they
now do.
Protection Against Snorers.
Now a New Jersey justice has passed
judgment on a man who was charged
with disturbing the neighborhood wlt
his snoring, which the prosecution
likened unto the noise from a boiler
factory In full operation. The justice
advised the man with the wonderful
snoring power to move or readjust hia
breathing apparatus. It was claimed by
the neighbors that he could be heard
snoring a square or more away. A"
Individual with such lungs would
doubtless make a good cornet player.
Over In Jersey they do not want to
give a man a chance to even sleep
without disturbiug him. Harrisburg
Patriot.
rirst American Hallway.
The first American railroad was laid
in lS3tj. It was three tulles long, from
the granite quarries of Qulncy, Mass,
to Neponset River.
si