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.