Strong and Steady By HORATIO CHAPTER VI. ' . Mr. Drummond's store wu of fair aire, and contained a considerable and viiried atock of dry goods. Besides Mr. Drummond there was a single salesman, a young mnn of twenty-two, who wore a cravat of immense size, and ostentatiously displayed in bis bosom a mammoth breast pin, witha glass imitation diamond, which, had it been real, would have been equal in value to the entire contents of the store. This young man, whose name was Nichols, received from Mr. Drummond the munificent salary of four hundred dollars per annum. Having a taste for dress, he patronized the village tailor to the extent of his means, and considerably beyond, being at this moment thirty dollars in debt for the suit he wore. Besides this young man there had for merly been a younger clerk, receiving a salary of four dollars weekly. He had been dismissed for asking to have his nay raised to five dollars a week, and since then -Mr. Drummond had got along with but one salesman. As, however, the busi ness really required more assistance, he was quae willing to employ Walter on board wages, which he estimated would not cost him, at the most, more than two dollars a week. "Mr. Nichols," said Mr. Drummond. "I nave brought you some help. This is Walter Conrad, a distant relative" had Walter been rich, Mr. Drummond would no doubt have styled him a near relative "as he knows nothing of the business, you can take him in charge, and give him 'ime idea about prices, ar.J so forth." les, sir, said Hie young man, in an important tone. "I'll soon break him in." Mr. Nichols, who gave up what little n.ind he had to the subject of clothes, be gan to inspect Walter's raiment. He had sufficient knowledge to perceive that our hero's suit was of fine fabric, and taste fully made. rhat being the case, he con eluded to pay him some attention. 'I m glad you've come," he said. "I huve to work like a dog. I'm pretty well used up to-day. I was up till two o'clock dancing. "Were you?" "Yes. There was a ball over to Cramp ton. I go to all the balls within ten miles. They can't do without me." "Can't they?" asked Walter, not know (ng what else to say. "No. You see there isn't much style at these country balls I mean among the young men. They don't know how to dress. Now I give my mind to it, and tney try to imitate me. I don't trust any tailor entirely. I just tell him what I want and how I want it. Higgins, the tailor here, baa improved a great deal since he began to make clothes for me. Just then a customer came in, and Mr. Nichols was drawn away from his disser tation on dress. "Just notice how I manage," be said in a low voice. "Have you any calicoes that you can recommend?" asked the woman, who ap peared to be poor. "Yes, ma'am, we've got some of the boat in the market some that will be sure to suit you." He took from the shelves and displayed a very ugly pattern. "I don't think I like that," she said. "Have you not some with a smaller fig ure? "The large figures are all the rage just now, ma'am. Everybody wears them." "I should like to look at something else." "I'll show you something else, but this is the thing for you." He brought out a piece still uglier ; and finally, after some hesitation, his customer ordered ten yards from the first piece. He nu.asured it with an air of triumph and, folding it up, handed it to the customer, receiving in return a two-dollar bill, which the poor woman sighed as she ren- , dered it, for she had worked hard for it. When the customer had left the store, Nichols turned complacently to Walter, "How did you like that calico?" . he asked. "It seemed to me very ugly." "Wasn't it, though? It's been In the tore five years. I didn't know as we should ever get rid of it." "Haven't you got any prettier pat terns?" "Plenty. I wanted to get oft the old rubbish first. It isn't everybody that would buy it; but she swallowed every thing I said." "She seemed like a poor woman, who could not afford to buy a dress very often." "No, she doesn't come more than twice a year." -"I think you ought to have given her1" . the best bargain you could." "You can fold up those goods on the counter, and put them back on the shelves," said Nichols. "Customers put us to a great deal of trouble that way sometimee. Mrs. Captain Walker was in yesterday afternoon, and I didn't know but I should have to get down all the slock we had before we could suit her." "Why didn't you pick out something and tell her It was all the rage?" asked Walter, smiling. "That wouldn't go down with her. She's rich and she's proud. We have to be care ful how we manage with such customers at she Is. That reminds me that her bun dle hasn't gone home yet. I'll get you to carry it up right away." It had been a considerable disappoint ment to Joshua to find that Walter was poor Instead of rich, for he had proposed to make as free use of Walter's purse as the latter would permit. . Even now It oc ALGER, JR. curred to him that Walter might have a supply of ready money, a part of which he might borrow. He accordingly took an opportunity one day to sound our hero on this subject. "Walter, have you a couple of dollars about you to lend me for a day or two?" he asked, in a tone of assumed careless ness. "Yes, I have that amount of money, but I am afraid I must decline lending. You know my circumstances, Joshua, and that I am in no position to lend anybody money." Joshua stalked away in a fret, angry that Walter would not permit himself to be swindled. From that time he cherished a dislike for our hero, and this he showed by various little slights and annoyances, of which Walter took little notice. He thoroughly despised Joshua for his mean ness and selfishness, and it mattered very little to him what such a boy thought of him. This forbearance Joshua utterly misin terpreted. He decided that Walter was deficient in courage and spirit, and it en couraged him to persevere in his system of petty annoyances until they might al most be called bullying. Though Walter kept quiet under these provocations, there vns often a warning flash of the eye which showed that it would not be safe to go too far. But this Joshua did not no tice, and persisted. "Joshua," said his mother one day, "I really think you don't treat Walter right. Y'ou are not poljte to him." "Why should I be? What is he but a beggar?" "He is not that, for he works for his living." "At any rate, he's a mean fellow, and I shall treat him as 1 please." One afternoon there were a few young fellows standing on the piazza in front of Mr. Drummond's store. Joshua was one of them, and there being no customers to wait upon, Walter also had joined the company. They were discussing plans for a picnic to be held in the woods on the nut Sunday afternoon. It was to be quite a general affair. "You will come, Walter, won't you?" asked one of the number. "No," said Joshua : "be can't come." "I didn't authorize you to speak for me," said Walter quietly. "You didn't authorize me to speak for you !" repeated Joshua, in a mocking tone. "Big words for a beggar!" "What do you mean by calling me a beggar?" demanded Walter, quietly, but with riBing color. "I don't choose to give you any expla nation, said Joshua scornfully. "You're only my father's hired boy, working for your Doara. ' "That may be true, but I am not a beggar, and I advise you not to call me one again." alter s tone was still ouiet. and Joshua wholly misunderstood him; other wise, being a coward at heart, he would nave desisted. "I'll say it as often as I please." he reepated. "You're a beggar, and if we hadn t taken pity on you, you'd have had to go to the poorhouse. Walter was not quarrelsome: but this last insult, in presence of half a dozen boys between bis own age and Joshua's, roused mm. "Joshua Drummond," he said, "you've insulted me long enough, and IVe stood it, for I didn't want to quarrel : but I will stand it no longer." He walked up to Joshua, and struck him in the face, not a hard blow, but still a blow. Joshua turned white with pas sion, and advanced upon our hero furi ously, with the intention of giving him. as he expressed it, the worst whipping he ever naa. Walter parried his blow, and nut in an other, this time sharp and stinging. Joshua was an inch or two taller, but W alter was more than a match for him. Joshua threw out his arms, delivering his blows at random, and most of them failed of effect. Indeed, he was so blinded with rage that Walter, who kept cool, had from this cause alone a great advantage over him. Joshua at length seized him, and he was compelled to throw him down. As Joshua lay prostrate, with Walter's knee upon his breast, Mr. Drummond, who had gone over to his own house, ap peared upon the scene. 'What's all this?" he demanded. In mingled surprise and anger. "Conrad. what means this outrageous conduct?'1 Walter rose, and, turning to his em ployer, said, manfully, "Joshua Insulted me, sir, and I have punished him. That's all." CHAPTER VII. Without waiting to hear Mr. Dnim. mond's reply, Walter re-entered the store. He had no disuosition to discuss thn ui.k. ject in the presence of the boys who were standing on the piazza. Mr. Drummond followed him Intn tha store, and Joshua accompanied him. He was terribly angry with Walter, and de termined to get reveneed unnn him through bis father. "Are you going to let that beggar pitch Into me like that?" he demanded. "He wouldn't have eot me down, nnlv ha tni. vu at a disadvantage." "Conrad," said Mr. Drummond, "I de mand an exnlanatlon of vnnr mnHn t come from my house, and find you fighting like a street rowdy, Instead of attending to your duties in the store." "I have already riven vnn n tlon, Mr. Drummond," said Walter, firm ly "Joshua chose to Insult ma hefora all the boys, and I don't allow myself to De insulted if I can help it. Aa to being out of the store, there was no customer to wait upon, "and I went to the door for a bteath of fresh air. 1 have never been accustomed to confinement before." "You say Joshua insulted you. How did he insult you?'' "I was asked if I would go to the pic nic on Saturday afternoon. He didn't wait for me to answer, but said at one that I couldn't go." "Was that all?" "When I objected to his answering fot me, he charged me with being a beggar, and said that but for you I would have been obliged to go to the poorhouse. If this had been the first time he had an noyed me, I might have passed it over, but it Is far from being the first; 10 I knocked him down." Mr. Drummond was by no means a partisan of Walter, but in the month that our hero had been in bis employ he had found him a very efficient clerk. What ever Walter undertook to do he did well, and he had mastered the details of the re tail dry goods trade in a remarkably short time, so that his services were already as valuable as those of young Nichols, who received eight dollars a week. There fore Mr. Drummond was disposed to smooth over matters, for the sake of re taining the services which he obtained so cheap. He resolved, therefore, to tempor ize. "You are both of you wrong," he said. "Joshua, you should not have called Con rad a beggar, for he earns his living. You, Conrad, should not have been so violent. You should have told me, and I would have spoken to Joshua." "Excuse me, Mr. Drummond, but 1 dun't like tale-bearing. I did the only thing I could." "Ahem!" said Mr. Drummond, "you were too viuleui. I vvou'.J sugge-t thnt you should each beg the other's pardon, shake hands, and have done with it." "Catch me begging pardon of my fath er's hired boy !" exclaimed Joshua, scorn fully. "I haven't got quite as low as that." "As for me," said Walter, "if I thought I had been in the wrong, I would beg Joshua's pardon without any hesitation. I am not too proud for that, but I think I acted right under the circumstances, and therefore 1 cannot do it. As for being a hired boy, I admit that such is my position, and I don't see anything tf be ashamed of in it." "You are right there," said Mr. Drum mond ; for this assertion chimed in with his own views and wishes. "Well, It seems to me you are about even, and you may as well drop the quarrel here." Walter felt satisfied. He felt that he had won the victory and maintained his self-respect. There was one thing more h desired, and that was to go to the picnic. He would not have urged the re quest,' but that he was well aware that Joshua would report that he was kept at home by his desfte. "It won't be very convenient for you to be away Saturday afternoon," said Mr. the hovn. nd I don't allow mrir t i jtj "v Drummond, who was principled against allowing clerks any privileges. "Y'ou know we have more trade than usual on Saturday afternoon." "I don't think we shall have next Sat urday," said Walter; "everybody will be gone to the picnic." "If you insist upon going," said Mr. Drummond, reluctantly, "I must try to let you go." Walter felt no scruples about insisting. Meanwhile Joshua went home in a very unhappy frame of mind. He had not suc ceeded In humiliating Walter as he in tended, but had an unpleasant feeling that Walter had got the better of him. He was very angry with his father for not taking his part, and was not slow in mak ing his feelings known to his mother. "What's the matter, Joshua?" asked Mrs. Drummond, observing the scowl upon his face. "Matter enough! That beggar has been insulting me that upstart, Con rad. He pitched into me, and tried to knock me over." "What for? I am surprised to hear it, he seems so polite and well bred." "Nothing nt all. lie sprang nt me like a tiger, and nil for nothing. lie took me by surprise, so at first he got the ad vantage, but I soon gave him as good as he sent." I am really sorry to hear this," said Mrs. Drummond, distressed. "Are you sure you didn't say something to pro voke him?" "I only said, when he was invited to go to the picnic Saturday afternoon, that he wouldn't be able to leave the store." ' "I am afraid you suid it in such way as to offend him." "Seems to me you think a good sight more of him than of me in the matter," giumbled Joshua. "That's just the way with father. He wanted us both to beg each other's pardon. Catch me begging pardon of a beggarly hired boy !" 'He isn't any worse because your father hires him, Joshua." Oh, yes, of course, you stand up for him," said Joshua, sneering. "Now, Joshua, you know I always take your part when you are right." So Joshua continued to scold, and Mrs. Diummond to soothe him, until she found a more effectual way, by placing at his disposal half an apple pie which was in the cupboard. In the evening she told Walter that she was sorry there had been any difficulty between him and Joshua. "So am I," said Walter, frankly, for lie was grateful for her gentle kindness. "I am sorry, if only for your sake, Mrs. Drummond." 'I know he's provoking ; but he doesn't mean what he says, Mr. Conrad." I ll try to keep on good terms with him, Mrs. Drummond," said Walter, earnestly, "if only in return for his moth er's kindness." "I am sure Joshua was hasty, and mis judged Walter, said tho mother to her self, trying to find an excuse for her son. (To be continued.) k$kcience As we reach lower and lower depth the water becomes colder; the warm water, being less dense, remains at the surface. At about 12,000 feet the tem perature Is little above the freezing; point of fresh water. Light gradually disappears, and at 1,400 feet, says ixuntry L,ire, absolute dnrkuess pre vails ; and as no plant can live without light, the vegetable kingdom is unrep resented, except by some boring algae which have been dredged from a depth of over 3,000 feet. Further, there are no currents, oxygen Is scarce and uni formity of temperature prevails. Prof. A. Herschel, In the Quarterly ... w. .... ... Journal of the Royal Meteorolozlenl Society, describes the extraordinary ef fects produced by lightning In the midst of an open moor In Northumber land. A hole 4 or 5 feet In diameter was made In the flat, penty ground, and from this half a dozen furrows ex tended on all sides. Pieces of turf were thrown In various directions, one 3 feet In diameter and a foot thick hav ing fallen 7-S feet from the hole. Inves tigation showed that In addition to the effects visible on the surface, small holes had been bored In the earth ra diating from t lie large excavation. Many renders may recnll the surprise they felt on reading Darwin's book on cnrt!nrvri to And how ttie prent nat uralist had lent an irresistible cliarin to so apparently unpromising n subject. It led them to entertain n respect they had never previously felt for the hum ble borers in the earth. It now appears that earthworms must be regarded ns useful otherwise than ns simple culti vators and renewers of the soli. Ac cording to E. A. Andrews, they are tree planters also. They draw the flat seeds of the silver maple into their burrows, and such seeds, in districts too dry for them to germinate If left upon the surface, sprout from the wormholes, and grow Into seedlings, which, under favoring conditions, mny become flour ishing trees. MaJ. W. V. Judson, the government engineer In charge of harbor work at Milwaukee, Wis., is reported by the Railway and Engineering Review to be experimenting with re-enforced con crete blocks, made hollow, so that they can be floated to place In constructing the government breakwater at that point. The proposed block of standard size will weigh about fourteen tons, but In the experiments the weight Is only about seven tons. The blocks will consist of re-enforced concrete walls, Inclosing a hollow space. After It has been towed to the site of the work an ! opening In the bottom Is uncovered nnd 1 water is permitted to enter the block and sink it. The Interior of the block Is then filled with sand nnd gravel, nnd the open space in the top Is filled with loncrete. This questionalways Interesting foi ' the light it throws on the past history of the earth, has had many answers., The latest Is that of Dr. J. W. Spencer, who, from recent studies on the spot, flnds that the mean rate of recession s,vel' Jewish town in the world. It of Niagara falls nt present Is 4.2 feet per haB 0 population of 2,500, Is up-to-dute year, and this hns been the rate for ap- ln municipal Improvements, and Is wolV proximately 227 years. But owing to rul,'d' u naB n(),le but Jewish res the fact that originally the waters of dellt8- Jewish town officials, Jewish Lake Erie only were discharged over 'i'H'men und firemen; in fact. Jewish, the falls, giving but one-fifteenth of the everything. Seventy-five per cent of the) present water supply, the rate of re-Puolle owu tue,r owu homes, cession was nt first much lower. A mid- Alld- t,le Inhabitants are showing den' widening of the gorge above Fob- tho world at large that the Jews of t ter's Flat indicates the position of the dl,y "re a8 capable of self-government falls when the other great lakes began "s tu,!V were In the days of the Judges to discharge Into Lake Erie. From his of Israel- data, Dr. Spencer calculates the entire I Uttrtm De Hlrseh's theory Is being nge of the fnlls nt 3!,000 years. Tha 'vindicated. The school turns out grnd cutting. with the full power of the four u"t,'8 every yar' who nre sentteivsd lakes, is estimated to have lasted 3.5O0,'111 over tlle country managing large years. Chinese Faith In GtnaenK, Many of the Chinese believe that when all other remedies fall, and "oseuhnym, Alllnnce nnd other south death Is at hand, ginseng bus the!er ew Jersey towns, power to bring back henlth and ion- In every Instance the Jew Is proving gevlty ; hence, when they feel the need himself a capable farmer. The grnd of It they will pay fabulous prices for! "at08 of the school leave It well drilled. certain kinds of roots. A root to be really valunble as a commodity must 1 come from the mountains of Klrln or be reputed to have come from there. It must be bifurcated, so ns to resem ble as much ns possible the human form, and be semi-transparent, dry, and flinty. Of course, the larger tli6,fture burial. root the better, nnd ns It Is sold by "Don't worry nbout that," replied weight lt Is not very uncommon for a'Rrown; "the thing Is Impossible, good specimen to bring ns much naj There's no danger of your being bur- ium an ounce, me vaiue or mien a root is In Its shape, Its texture, tha manner In which It has been cured, and the region whence lt came. The Fall Our. "I dropped four stories this morn ing without being Injured." "Wh-what !" "Fact. They'd Just been returned with thnnks, nnd I dropped Vm lo the fireplace." Kansas City Times. A man does his own love-mnklng, but he hires a lawyer when It comes to try lug to get lt undone WHITS' HE MET hb HATCH. Ntrwt Stenographer Wanted to Find Out About Employer. He was engaging a new stenographer. And he bit off his words and burled theiu at her in a way to frighted any- ordinary girl out of her wits, says Judge. "Chew gum?" he askex, "No, sir." "Talk slang?" "No, sir." "Make goo-goo eyes at the fellows when you're not busy?" No, sir.' "Know how to spell 'cat' and 'dog correctly?" "Yes, sir." "Chin through the telephone half s 'dozen times a day?" "No, sir." "Usually tell the office force how 1 mucn the flrm owes nd 8,1 he reBt ' Itu nplvdta KllfllliAaa -1 . . lnnwn Its private business you learn?" "No, sir." He was thinking of something else to ask her when she took a hand in the matter and put a few queries. "Smoke cheap clgnrs when you're dic tating?" she asked. "Why er no," he gasped, In aston ishment. "Take it out of the stenographer's hide when you've had a scrap at home uud got the worst of It?" "Cer-certttinly not." "Slam things around nnd swear when business Is bad?" . "N-never." "Lay for your employes with a club when they get caught In a block some uiui u!i7" "Xo, Indeed." "Think you know enough about gram mar and punctuation to appreciate a good stenographer when you get one?" "I think so." "Want me to go to work, or Is your time worth so little that " "You bet !" he broke In, enthusiastic ally. "Kindly hung up your things and let's get at those letters." NEW WORLD JERUSALEM. Airrlcultural School at Woodbine, X. J., Ia Turning Out Knrmera. Is the Jew essentially wedded to the commerelol life, or, given the opportu nity, would he again become a tiller of the soil ns In the old days of the na tional life In Pal estine? Baron De Hlrsch believed they would return to the soil with proper encourage rapnt and opportunity. He established Ha agricultural school for Jews at Woodbine, N. J. The result Is a new world Jerusalem. Woodbine is to-day the only cxclu- raring or conducting smnller onej of their own. There are fifty Jewish farms scattered around Woodbine; ninny others around Millvllle, Vermel, Henry W. Geller, agricultural expert, t'le superintendent. The college and lt9 superintendent nre pictured here. Hard Hit. "There Is one thing I drend," re marked Johnson, "and that Is a prem led too soon." Tit-Bits. IllKhlly Named. "Sny, paw," queried little Tommy Toddles, "what Is the bone of conten tion?" "The Jawbone, my son," nnswered the old mnn, with a side glance at his wife. Othera Whenever, 8onie people mnke happiness wher ever they go. Success Magazine. Nobody is so much alive as the deaif beat C0I.LB0I AND SUPERINTENDENT.