Strong and txady
By HORATIO
CHAPTER I.
"Thl. is a nice room you're rot, Wal
tei." "Teg, you know I am to stay here for
two yeara, and I might aa well be com
fortable." "It's a good deal better than my room
twice aa big, to begin with. Then, my
carpet looks as if it had come down
through several generations. As for .a
mirror, I've got a seren-by-nine looking
glass that I have to look into twice be
fore I can see my whole face. Aa for the
btdstead, it creaks so when I jump Into
it that I expect every night It'll fall to
pieces and spill me on the floor. Now
your room is splendidly furnished."
"Yes, it is now, but father furnished
It at his own expense. He said he was
willing to spend a little money to make
uv comfortable."
"That's more than my father said. He
told me it wouldn't do me any harm to
rough it."
"Perhaps he's right," said Walter. "Of
course, I don't object to the new carpet
and furniture, but I shouldn't consider
It any great hardship if 1 bad to rough
it, as you call it."
'"Wouldn't jou? Then I'll tell you what
'!! do T.et'n rhnnre rooms. You can
go round and board at Mrs. Glenn's, and
I II come here."
"I am not sure what my father would
think of that arrangement," said Walter,
smiling.
I thought you d find some way to
crawl out," said Lemuel. "For my part,
I don't believe you'd enjoy roughing it
any better than I."
"I don't know," said Walter; "I've
sometimes thought I shouldn't be very
sorry to be a poor boy. and have to work
my own way."
"That's very well to say when you're
the son of a rich man."
"So are you."
"Yes, but I don't get the benefit of it,
and you do. What would you do now
if you were a poor boy?"
"I can't say, of course, now, but I
would go to work at something. I am
sure I could earn my own living."
"I suppose I could, too, but I shouldn't
Hunt to. Some people are born lasy, don't
think so?"
VPerhaps you are right," answered
Walter, with a smile. "Now suppose we
open our Caar."
Lemuel Warner was a pleasant looking
' boy of fourteen, the son of a prosperous
merchant in New York. Walter Conrad
was from a small country town, where his
father was the wealthiest and most prom
inent and influential citizen, having a
hands me mansion house, surrounded by
xtensive grounds.
Nobody knew jnst how rich hs was ;
Aut he was generally supposed to be
worth two hundred thousand dollars. Mrs.
Conrad had been dead for flvs years, so
that Walter, who was an only child, had
no immediate relation except his father.
It was for this reason, perhaps, that he
had been sent to the Essex Classical In
stitute. Being a boy of talent, and well
grounded in Latin, he-was easily able to
take a high rank in his class. Lemuel
Warner had become his Intimate friend,
being in the same class, but inferior to
him In scholarship. They usually studied
their Latin lessons together, and It was
owing to this circumstance that Lemuel
made a better figure in his recitations
than before Walter came to the school.
"There, that job's done," said Lemuel,
closing his book with an air of satisfac
tion. "Now we can rest."
"You forget the Latin exercise. You
know the doctor expects each boy to
write a letter in Latin, addressed to his
father, not less than twelve lines In
length."
The boys started on their new task, and
finished by nine o'clock. Lemuel's let
ter was written with a brilliant disregard
of grammatical rules, but it was consid
erably revised in accordance with sugges
tions from Walter.
"I've a great mind to send my letter
home, Walter," said Lemuel. "Father
expects me to write home every week, and
this would save me some trouble. Besides,
he'd think I was getting on famously, to
write home in Latin."
"Yes, if be didn't find out the mis
takes." "That's the rub. . He'd show It to the
minister the first time he called, and then
my blunders would be detected. I guess
I'd better wait till It comes back from
the doctor corrected."
"I expect to hear from home to-mor-rok,"
iaid Walter. "It Is my birthday."
"Let me be the first to congratulate
you. How venerable will you be?"
"As venerable as most boys of fifteen,
Lem."
"You're three months older than I am,
then. Do you expect a present?"
"Father promised to give me a gold
watch chain some time. You know I
hiive a gold watch already."
"Yes, and a regular little beauty."
"So it wouldn't surprise me much to
' get a chain for a present."
"You're a lucky boy. My watch is sil
ver, and only cost twenty dollars."
"I dare say I should be just as happy
with a silver watch, Lem."
"I suppose, you wouldn't like to buy,
would you? If ao, I'll give you the
chance. A fair exchange Is no robbery."
"No, I suppose not ; but it wouldn't do
to exchange a gift." ,
"Perhaps, If; my watch were gold and
yours silver, you wouldn't have any ob
jections." "I don't think that would altar tb
ALGER. JR.
- '
case with me. A gift is a gift, no matter
about its value."
"It's the hard study, I suppose, that's
dene it. I must be getting back to Ma'am
Glenn's. Good-night."
"Good-night, Lem." '
Lemuel Warner gathered up his books,
and left the room. Walter poked the fire,
putting some ashes on, so that it would
keep till the next morning, and commenc
ed undressing. He was interrupted by
a heavy step on the stairs, and directly
afterward a knock resounded upon hia
door.
Wondering who his late visitor could
be, Walter stepped to the door and opened
?9 WM more surprised to recog
nize in the visitor Dr. Porter,, the prin
cipal of the institute.
"Good-evening, Conrad," said the doc
tor. "I am rather a late visitor. I was
not sure but you might be in bed. Have
you heard from home lately, Conrad?"
anked the doctor.
"Yes, sir, I received a letter a few
days since."
"Did your father speak of being un
well?" "No, sir," said Walter, taking Instant
alarm. "Have have you heard any
thing?" "Yes, my boy ; and that Is my reason
for calling upon you at this unusual hour.
I received this telegram twenty minutes
since."
Walter took the telegram, with trem
bling fingers, and read the following mes
sage :
"Dr. Porter Please send Walter Con
rad home by the first train. His father
it very sick. NANCY FORBES."
"Do you think there is any danger,
Dr. Porter?" asked Walter, with a pal
face.
"I cannot tell, my boy; this telegram
furnishes all the information I possess.
Who is Nancy Forbes V"
"She is the housekeeper. I can't real
ize that father is so sick. He did not say
anything about it when he wrote."
"Let us hope it is only a brief sick
ness. I think you bad better go home by
the first train to-morrow morning."
The principal shook hands with Walter
and withdrew. When his tall form had
vanished, Walter sat down and tried to
realise the fact of his father's sickness;
but this he found difficult. It was a long
time before he got to sleep, but at length
he did sleep, waking in time only for a
hasty preparation for the homeward jour
ney.
He was so occupied with thoughts of
at. rattier that It was not till he was well
ou the way home that it occurred to him
that this waa- his fifteenth birthday, to
which he had been looking forward for
some time,
The seat In front of Walter was for
some time vacant; but at the Woodvllle
station two gentlemen got in and entered
upon an animated conversation. Walter
did not at first pay any attention to it.
He waa looking out of the window list
lessly, unable to fix his mind upon any
thing except his father's sickness. But
at length his attention was caught by
some remarks made by one of the gentle
men in front, and from this point he list
ens dlanguidly.
"I suspected him to be a swindler when
he first came to me," said the gentleman
sitting next the windo'w. "He hadn't an
honest look, and I waa determined not
to have anything to do with his scheme.
Mining companies are risky things al
ways. I once got taken in to the tune
of five thousand dollars, but it taught me
a lesson, bo I was not particularly im
pressed with the brilliant prospectus of
the Great Metropolitan Mining Company,
In spite of Its high-sounding name, and
its promised dividend of thirty per cent.
Depend upon it, James W all and his con
federates will pocket all the dividends
that are made."
"Very likely you are right But it may
be that Wall really believed there was a
good chance of making money."
"Of course he din, but he was deter
mined to make the money for himself.
and not for the stockholders."
"I might have been tempted to Invest,"
but all my money was locked up at the
time, and I could not have done so with
out borrowing the money, and that I was
resolved not to do."
"It waa fortunate for you that you
didn't, for the bubble has already burst.
There will be many losers. By the way,
I hear that Mr. uonrad of Wllloughby
was largely interested. He is a rich man.
but for all that he may have gone In be
yond his jneans."
"l am sorry tor mm, nut that was reck
less."
"Yes, he was completely taken In by
Wall. He's a smooth fellow."
When the gentlemen left the cars Wal
ter saw one of them bad left a morning
paper lying in the seat. He picked it up
and examined the columns until his eyes
fell upon the following paragraph:
"The failure of the Great Metropolitan
Mining Company proves to be a disas
trous one. The assets will not be suffi
cient to pay more than five per cent of
the amount of the sums invested by the
stockholders, possibly not that. There
must have been gross mismanagement
somewhere, or such a result could hardly
have been reached. We understand that
the affairs of the company are In the
bands of assignees who are empowered to
wind them up. The stockholders In this
vicinity will await the result with anx
iety." "That looks rather discouraging, to be
sure," thought Walter, "I suppose father
wfll lose a good deal. But I'll tell him
he needn't worry about me. I shan't mind
being poor, even if it comes to that. Aa
long as hel is left to me, I won't com
plain."
The time passed until the cars ntonn.
Willnnirhhv tatinn. U'.H.. i,..,.A
over a fence and took his wav aero, the
fields to his father's house. By the road
it would have been a mile, but it waa
scarcely more than half a mile by the foot
Path-
He went up the pathway to the front
dr J1d X" th.' 4f 11 e do?r w'"
:T "tl ' " Z:: i "77'
gram.
"So It's you, Master Waiter," she said.
"I am glad you are home, bat It'a a sad
home you're come to."
"Is father very sick, then?" asked Wat
ter, turning pale.
My dear child, your father died at
eight o'clock thia morning.'
CHAPTER II.
This sudden announcement of his fath
er's death was a great shock to Walter.
The news stunned him, and he stood,
pale and motionless, looking into the
housekeeper's face.
"Come in, Master Walter, come ln and
have a cup of hot tea. It'll make yov
feel better."
-r ii . i x- it
Tell me about It, Nancy; I I can't
M,inV if. If. . .,M.n TAT,.m
was he first taken sick?' weight of orris root In powder, heat It
"I didn't notice nothing till last night j to Perfect fine paste, then roll It as
Just after supper! Richard went to the ' thl" paper, and cut It like to diu
postoffice and got your father's letters, monds with your knife, as with a fine
when they came he took em into tai li-
brary, and began to read 'em. There wus
three, I remember. It was about an hour
before I went into the room to tell him
the carpenter ' had called about repairing
the carriage house. When I cauw iu,
there was your poor father lying on the bflk, ,
carpet, senseless. He held a letter tigat. - L , '
in hi. hand. I screamed for help. Mr.!0 egg8 n,i -Wr together light, add
Brier, the carpenter, and Richard canu flour an(1 wh'te f egg beaten very
in and helped me to lift up your poor,1101: ana miiK. rut the unking pow
father, and we sent right off for the duo-
tor."
"What did the doctor say?"
"He said it was a paralytic stroke a
very bad one and ordered him to bo put
to bed directly. But it was of no uxe.
He never recovered, but breathed his last
this morning at eight o'clock."
"Nancy, have you got that letter which I
my father waa reading?
"Yes, Master Walter, I put it ln m
pocket without reading. I think there
must hart been bad news in it."
She drew from her pocket a letter,
which she placed in Walter's hands. II
read it hastily, and it confirmed his sus
picions. It was from a lawyer Mr. Con
rad had asked to make inquiries respect
ing the Great Metropolitan Mining Com
pany, and was as follows
"William Conrad, Esq.:
''Dear Sir I have, at your request,
taken pains to Inform myself of the pres
ent management and condition of the
Great Metropolitan Mining Company.
The task has been less difficult than I
anticipated, since the failure of the com
pany has just been made public. The
management has been in the hands of dis
honest and unscrupulous men, and it is
doubtful whether the stockholder, will be
able to recover anything.
ANDREW HOLMES.
Walter folded up the letter, and put it j blespoonful of rice from the top of
into his pocket. He felt that this letter each, and fill the place with Jelly. Serve
had cost hi. father hi. life, and in the n a glass dish with whipped and
midst of his grief he had very bitter sweetened cream piled over them light
thoughts about the unscrupulous man who i
had led his father to ruin. Had it been
merely the loss of property, he could
have forgiven him, but he had been de
prived of the kindest and most indulgent
of fathers.
- "I should like to see my father," he
said.
An hour later he came out of the death
chamber, pale but composed. He seemed
older and more thoughtful than when lie
entered. A great and sudden sorrow often
has this effect upon the young.
"Nancy," he said, "have any arrange
ments been made about the funeral?"
"No, Walter, we waited till you came."
"My father had no near relatives.
There is a cousin, Jacob Drummond, who
lives ln Stapleton. It will be necessary
to let him know. It will be best to tele
graph."
Jacob Drummond kept a dry goods
store in the village of Stapleton. He had
the reputation of being a very .mean man.
He carried his merfnness not only into
his business, but into his household, nnd
there was not a poor mechanic in Sta
pleton who did not live better than Mr.
Drummond, who was the rich man of the
place.
(To be continued.)
Ultra-Fashionable.
"Whatever became of that plain fam
ily called the Dewberrys who used to
live In the llttle house at the end of
the lane?" queried the man who bad
Just returned to the village after a five
years' absence.
"Oh, they struck oil, stranger," re
plied the old postmnster. "They own
a big mnnslon on the hill, three auto
mobiles aud their daughter Is engaged
to a real duke."
"Strange! And do they still have
'Dewberry' on the gnte as they did
when they lived in the little bouse In
the lane?"
"Oh, no. They cnll themselves Du-
Bnrry now. Dewberry sounds to
plain." , . .
Changed. ,
"They're not as loving as they were
when they were mnrrled last spring."
"No; she has developed a terrible
temper."
"But he used to consider her an
angel then."
"Yes; and now he wishes she was
one for sure."
East Indian Preserver,
Klgnt nar(1- Bree lnrs. chopped; six
Pounds of sugar, one-quarter pound of
fcreen ginger root, one pint of water,
three lemons. Pour the boiling water
, on the ginger root, let It stund for a
few minute, then scrape and cut thin.
(cbP fln low rind of the lemon
nnd ln ot water for fifteen mlo-
utes. Put all the Ingredients together
and cook for three hours or longer.
Cheese Cakes.
Cream one-half pound butter with
one pound sugar, beat in the yolks of
8lx e8K9. ne Juice of one lemon and
the grated rind of two, a grated nut
meg and two tablespoonfuls of brandy.
At the last stir In the whipped whites
of the six eggs. Bake In small open
shells of pie crust, and If you wish you
can lay narrow strips of the pastry
across the top.
Mnacadlne ComflU.
Take four ounces of double refined
Uf5nr flne'y beaten and searched, put
thretft . . mii. '
Cl" l"" Siniun in uiusne, a peuill-
Jagged unwell (roll) cutter; so dry
thorn In your stove nnd keep them.
Nponue Pudding.
une lumespoonrul milk, one
cup
flour, one im k r ...,. I-,.., r..l
der In the flour. Steam In cups twen
ty minutes This makes seven cups.
To be eaten with rich sauce.
Lemon Sance,
Three-fourths cup sugar, one-third
cup water, 1 level tablespoon fill butter,
2 tablespoonfuls lemon juice. Boll the
sugar aud water for ten uil'ii'tes. Re
move to back of range and add butter
and lemon juice. As soon as butter
Is melted serve on the bananas, with
lnmh as an entree, or with cake as a
dessert.
Shears for Carving Fowl.
A pair of carving shear has been
devised especially for those who find
the talent of carving hard to acquire,
says Popular Mechanics. ' The upper
blade Is a carving knife and the dented
lower blade forms a' clip. The shears
are easy to handle and permit one to
successfully attack any part of the
fowl.
Jellr Rice.
Boll one cupful of rice In sweet milk
nn,t1' Boft- addln llttle. 8U "
salt to taste. Pour Into cups, and when
I cool turn Into a dish, scoop out a ta
Fig Filling for Cake.
Chop tigs fine, adding a few seeded
rnlsins. Make an ordinary boiled frost
ing and put aside part of It in a separ
ate diuli (for the top). Mix the figs
with the rest of the frosting, stirring
until It Is an even paste. You will
find It cuts more easily thnn if the figs
were boiled.
Cream and Banana Pie.
Heat together In n basin a little gran
ulated sugar and n lump of butter, the
yolks of three eggs, n little milk, mid
sherry nnd some biinnna thoroughly
mnslied. Pour the mixture Into a deep
dish nnd stir In the whites of two eggs, j
well ben ten. . Hake In an oven not too
liot, remove nnd serve.
Sponge Cake.
Beat together six eggs nnd a hnlf
pound of powdered sugar for fifteen
minutes, using a wire whisk for the
purpose. Flavor with n hnlf tenspoou
ful of lemon Juice or vanlllu. Sift well
n hnlf pound of flour and fold this ln
lightly with a spoon. Buke In a good
oven for a hnlf hour.
Mexican Rice.
Put a cupful of dried rice Into a hot
frying pun Containing a tablespoonful
of olive oil. Roast the rice until well
brown, but not scorched. Add to this
4 or 5 finely chopped tomatoes, a llttle
snlt and 2 teaspoonfuls of Mexican or
chill pepper pulp. Pour In a cupful
of boiling water and let simmer until
the rice Is soft.
Poor Man's Cookies,
One egg, one-half cup lurd, one-hnlf
cup molasses, one teaspoon salt, one
cup brown sugar, one-half cup water,
twt teaspoons sodn ; sploe tp tnste ;
three cups flour; stir in flour until so
thick you ennnot work any more, then
drop In pnn nnd spread with fork dip-
oed In hot water.
Crullers,
One and one-hnlf cups sugnr, one-
hnlf cup lard, two eggs, two cups but
termilk, two teaspoons soda, two tea
spoons crenm of tnrtnr,' two teaspoons
clnnnmon. Flour enough to roll out
This recipe requires about 2 and one.
half pounds lard for frying.
SOMETHING FOB EVERYBODY
Good opportunities for electrical un
dertaklngs ln Spain are reported.
The Federated Mnlay States product
CO per cent of the world's production
of tin.
There Is a hacienda, or ranch, ln
the Mexican State of Durango, com
prising 10,000,000 acres.
Kite day Is a Chinese national holi
day. An expert Chinese kite flyer will
easily keep six or even eight kites go
ing on one string.
In 1804 Japan exported a little over
$1,000 worth of human hair; the total
export was valued at $00,000 ln 1906.
Large quantities are made Into wigs
ln Paris.
A very creditable exhibition of ori
ental pnintlngs, both modern and an
cient examples, was held at the India
government school of art ln Calcutta
recently.
Five generations of the family of
Mr. Pettlt, boot dealer of Mexborough,
England, are living, his own child be
ing the youngest member. The great-great-grandmother
Is ninety and the
child Is eleven months old.
Consul Gracy at Tsingtau warns
young men against going to China in
the hope of finding profitable Jobs.
Any young man who Is willing to work
will, he says, And better opportunities
every day In the large American cities.
A new iroceos La been discovered
In China by which ramie fiber becomes
a soft fllasse In a few minutes. A
compnny hns been formed to prepnre
the filnsse for general use, and the
first shipment will soon be made to
Europe.
The Municipal Chamber of Para,
Brazil, has recently authorised a re
duction In the tax levied on traveling
salesmen. The reduction will be ef
fective until Jan. 1, 1009. The new
tax amounts to about $100, with addi
tional fees of about $18. The penalty
for evasion Is confiscation of sampes
and a heavy fine.
The Orleans Railway Company ot
France recently Inaugurated a new
train de luxe, consisting of six new
cars each seventy feet long, or six
feet longer than any cars now In use
on the French lines, and mounted on
trucks with triple axletrees, giving
great smoothness ln running. There
are two smoking cars furnished with
writing tables and newspapers and pe
riodicals. The highest authorities place the to
tal number of years elapsed since, in
the light of the best geological evi
dence, men first appeared upon earth
at 288,000. Of this, 78,000 belong to
the preglaclal epoch, 100,000 years to
the glacial epoch and the protoblstorle
and neolithic, 10,000 years to the last
named epochs, and 6,000 years to the
time elapsed since the beginning of the
historic period ln Egypt
A recently published statistical re
port gives the number of "diploma
physicians" ln the world as 228,234.
Of these Europe baa 102,334. The ta
ble credits Germany with 25,518,
"which," says the Frankfurter Zel
tung, "shows the table to be Incorrect,
for the Medeclnlscher Yahrbuch gives
Germany 81,415 physicians, of whom
one-fifth are specialists. In all the
large cities of Germany there are two
to three physicians to every thousand
Inhabitants, while In Berlin there are
about five for every four thousand."
An extraordinary addition hns been
made to the exhibition of Inventions
In Berlin. A shoemaker named Weg
ner, living In Strasburg, has sent ln
a clock of the grandfather shape, near
ly six feet high, made entirely of straw.
The wheels, pointers, ense and every
detail are exclusively of straw. Weg
ner has taken fifteen years to construct
this strange piece of mechanism. It
keeps perfect time, but under the most
favorable circumstances cannot last
longer than two years. London Globe
The most curious railway In the
world Is built on Ice. It Is laid between
Oronstadt and Oranlenbaum, and Is In
use only during the winter. Its suc
cess has suggested the construction of
a similar winter railway between the
two Important commercial centers,
Krementehug and Ekatarlnoslav,
which are united ln summer by the
steamboat traffic along the Dnelper
river. This means of communication
Is closed ln winter by the Ice. A cost
ly, roundabout Journey has to be made
between the two towns, though they
do not He far apart.
Under the now Korean forest laws
the forests will be clnsslfied In four
kinds, according to the stntus of their
owners. These four classes are Impe
rial, state, public and private forests.
The minister of agriculture, commerce
and Industry may work out and order
the preservation of such forests as may
be necessary for the prevention of land
slides, floods and droughts. The min
ister can also prohibit the cutting of
forests, the destruction of which would
Impair the scenic features of places of
public resort or localities noted tor
scenic attractiveness,