5pring Truants By W. F. BRYAN. CopyrlfMml, im, by AmooIaM Mutrary I'm. t,"Wbero ar you going, Butrr Hal irord looked down ujwn the sturdy filt er, of Dick lUmulnif ton, otlivrwU "Butter," with twliiklo In tbe kindly fray ), v; ' "PUyla' hookey," explained Hunter promptly. "Wautr come flahlnT For moment Brian llnlvord re SArded tbe Uy with Judicial gravity, "foil know very well," lie began, 'tint after eui'h a confesNlon It In my E unden duty to we that you ore (le ered Into the tender clutches of Mies .o(ford," be reminded. "And yet bore I am terloitily coiiHlderlng elmrlng Id your crime and your jdeaaure, Que ter. It' not only wrhoolboy who piny turnkey. I tbtnk 1 etutll become your accomplice and piny hookey myself." L Baxter looked up In yurpria Hal To'rd wil a growTT man I Men did no! lay hookey. llnlvord read tbe qnea tlon In the big blue eye. A f. "There la roport that 1 should get out today," he explained. "Not to ful fill bualnea promlm la playing hookey juat tbe an me at staying away from chool." "The flab are bltlu' flue. Jimmy Mor row got 'leren yeaterday," aald Buater defenalvely. "I got two llnee. I fcrought one for Bud ftcbenck, but Bud Wat 'frald." ""'' - ' "Clearly thl I the Intervention of J'rovldeuw," declared Ilalvord laugh ingly. "Lend on, my youthful tempter But auppoa we atop for lunch' flrat" ,1 J)UT IT WltL BI KIXT HATt'EDAT, WILt IT KOI ? ' natvord'a boarding plnco waa Juat round the corner, and soon .he had an ample lunch put up to aupplement But tor" well filled box. Together they turned thoir atepa from tbe village acros tliu flclda to where the "river," . Rcarccly more than a brook, tumbled - over the rock a In Its baato to Join tbe larger stream beyond. They found a little nook In the rocky vsM wht-re the gray rocks widened allKhtly tn form a grassy lawn fringed with tree Juat unfolding their leaves. There was still sufficient hint of chill 111 Ull' nil U muu inii in mo miuu warmth, and to Balvord, long burled at Lis dcHk und tfe Intricate analysis which f owned his work, It seemed aa though he bad becomo a boy ogulu as lie dug angleworms wltb a bit of broken branch and placed them In a box. , Never oo his flahlng trips during va cation lime had he enjoyed half tbe sport wltb costly rods and reels that he found In the grimy length of line which Buster extracted from his pock et It required aome surgical tailoring to remove the barb of the hook, which bad f n n toned itself In the. lining, and Halvord watched the proceeding wltU yes suanemy growu jouus;. I It wn loo early In tueleasoa for the flsh to be finical as to fare, so tho ,worni2. wjre more eagerly accepted tiiun Tim tnnAmt $ui would be iater In tho season. By noon the two bad caught a goodly atrlng, and Ilalvord. ' finding n suitable place of slate In tho stream, decided to add some of the fish to their picnic faro. So he built a rude stave with the flat slab of slate " for tbe broiler. i Buster, delighted wltb this novelty, assisted with a will, and they were so engrossed with their task that neither noticed the approach of a slender girlish figure until a laughing voice de manded an explanation of Buster's Itresenee so far from the schoolhouse. "We'r pbylng hookey," explained Ilalvord shamelessly. "Won't you play haokey, too, .Miss Bennington? If you will you may have some of tbe Ash." . " . ; ' ' As he spoke he pointed to the con tents of th combined lunch boxes tipread upon a stone and. proffered a . wotl "broiled tlsh upon a bit of dean l)lrch bark. Margaret Bennington looked, hesi tilted and was lost "I suppose that I should make Dicky go right to fehool," she said severely, t .... . w 1. .1. iL.. I 1 If . out 1 uaven s wio nenrt. "I should be at work," nalvord ad mitted, "but, like Buster, I have the fishing fever, and lama worse truant than he. Tbo morning has been well worth it, though, and there is still the long afternoon." - As he spotte he deftly lifted other fish from tho flat top of the improvised ntnve nn.lt announced that lunch was rved. The salt packed for the fctrd tolled egg also served to season tbe Huh, and to two of the trio at least the uxertluus of the morning' gave added Best to nppollto, ' " . Margaret, too, soomwd to fall under tln spell of the day, and after lunch Ilalvord resigned Ills lino to her, well content to merely superintend her fish lg. . -', ' Kver since be bad come to Chester lie hnd worshiped Margaret Bennlng ton from ufnr, but be bad absorbing work In hand and had not been able to .'outest with the younger members of her court. Margaret, on her part, find ing Ilalvord at first dortdedly enter taining, bad to pique decided that he was an old man and oblivious to her many charm. And bere she found him is much a boy as her ten-year-old brother. Ills unexpected enthusiasm and obvious capacity for enjoyment captivated her. It was all so different from the affectation of world weari ness which was tbe approved pose among the wealthy youtb of Chester, Tbe sun was dropping toward the west before Buster reluctantly wound up bis Hues and thrust tbom, all drip ping, Into bis long suffering pockets. Even Jhen tlit Jrto Hngered tp gather flVwers, and It Tat Twilight before tbey reached the road at last and came lo a parting of the ways. '., , ; 4 "It has been a most ploaynt after noon," said Margaret as she extended her slim, cold band to Halvord. "X am very grateful to you." ' "It Is I who should be grateful," tald Ilalvord softly, forgetting to relinquish bur band. "May I bop that some time again" "It sets a bad example to Dicky," she said laughingly, "but soma Saturday when he does not bjv to play truant tv may come again," , "Saturday Is a long way off, four days," llnlvord said dismally. "But It will be next Bnlurday. will It notr "Next 8aturlny," she promised as she withdrew her band. "Oee," vxclnliued Buster as be and Margaret swung down the tree arched lane, leaving the cbemlst-author stand ing, hat In hand, "but I've had a bully day! Aren't you glad you came?" He held up his string of fish, thrill ing with pardonable pride. "I've gt a One cotch toor Tbe girl looked straight ahead Into the purple twilight. "Yes, nus ter. dear; I'm glad I came. And I think we made a One catch." Pull Grown Children. "At an out of the way little station." said a railway guard, "a party, of worklngnieii wished to book to a town In the mldlniids to see a ' football match. ' Unfortunately the booking clerk had only a limited number of tickets for that Journey at bis disposal Eventually be got out of bis difficulty by dividing the pteces of pasteboard and Issuing children's tickets to tbe party, at the same time explaining to mo how matters stood. " They've paid the full fare, of course,' he remarked, so you must see 'cm through.' "I had almost forgotten the matter when a ticket examiner at B. came to me and remarked,, wltb a sorrowful shake of tho bead: "This under age dodge la getting too warmT " 'What's tho mattorr I asked. "'Matter?' he echoed disgustedly. 'Why, here's a whole carriage full o' children wot plays cards, drinks whis ky aud wears whlskersr "London Tlt-Blts. ' A Subtle Distinction. Ned. tba friend of Bill, the fish mer chant, surveyed him reproachfully. "Bill." he wild solemnly, "I ain't the chap to round on a put, but that there flsh you sold my missus this worulu' was -well, tho cat ain't been near the bouse since and" 1 "Nod." replied the frieud of his youtb sadly, "mine's a difficult Job. I've got to make a living, and If the flsh Is good 1 soils It and does pretty well. If It ain't good I sells It aud docs- pretty well also. It ain't my fault: I nerer sent tbe stuff wrong. But you're a pal o' muto, and I'll let yon know 'ow you can find out for yourself 'ow things are." "Yes." said Ned eagerly. "If yon "eiirs me shout 'Flue fresh flsh you can reckon it Is fresh fish, but If I shout 'Fish , ChT-well, it la flsh. oh!"-fxndon Tit-Bits. J "4""r Moon Blindnsit In Horses. It Is said thnt "moon blindness" In a horse la caused by "wolf teeth" two small surplus teetb Just In front of the first upper premolars, one, on each side of the upper Jaw. An authority says: "The 'wolf teeth' do not cause eye disease or any other harm and usu ally are not discovered until tbe eye dlsonse appears. The eye trouble la 'periodic ophthalmia' (moon blindness), which Is hereditary and Incurable. Thousands upon thousands of horses suffer from this eye disease, yet have not a 'wolf tooth in their heads. The Important matter to remember In con nection with periodic ophthalmia Is cot the significance of the 'wolf tooth.' but the necessity and Importance of re jecting from breeding' operations nil afflicted with periodic ophthalmia, or catnracr, which results from repeated attacks." ' : - -; Do You Count Your Staps? Do you count your stops?." It Is' a silly and useless practice, hutnt the buck of ula lienj this writer I .always counting his steps. He cnu te'.ryon tho number of steps that lead from hN flat In Kensington t South Kensing ton station (there Is nil unlucky thir teen at the station) until he has mount ed to the office window. And when he put the question to his wife she could not tell the number of the stairs she had , climbed (they are twenty) for three years to the first floor flat Lon don Chronicle. Her First Trophy. 2ty J. LVVLVM LEE. Copyrighted, IM, by Associated Literary I'rt, Harriet Lake was Indolent by na ture. 8b knew It and admitted It On warm ' mornings she preferred a rocking cbslr on the piazza to any outdoor sport. But Harriet at twenty four was taking on flesh, and tbe spe cialist whom the consulted said, "Play gotf, take long walk and eat no rich food." So Harriet went In for golf. She bad Just driven ber ball from tbt second tee, a very short and crook d -drive, when a cry from tbe bushes reached ber ears. She glanced at ber caddie, and, as If having received a Dent command, be started In tba di rection of tbe ball. Harriet's fact won a somewhat bored expression. Walts between drive were so long. The caddie returned breafbiesi. "You certalnlf did swat that gentle man one, Ml Lake," be announced. "Tour ball hit b,tn right oq the back of the hand as he wis pulling soma bushes aald looking for his own ball" "Lucky fellow!" replied Harriet. ; "1 wish something would hit me on the bsck of tbe band so I wouldn't have to trail around this green every day lu tbe week!" - tbey bad reached tbe fourth green when tbe skies suddenly clouded over. Glad of an excuse to stop, Harriet di rected the caddje to take ber stick back to Ber locker, while she would cnt across lots borne for luncheon., " Bbe walked slowly through tbe old orchard that adjoined the links aud was startled by the rumbling of thun der. Realizing that there was no pro tection aa sight, she harried on until she reached a broad lane that must lead to a house. . targe drops of rain had began to de scend. Another clap of terrific thun der, and Harriet began to run. When the lightning flashed ber ambition and energy seemed blighted by It At the eud of the Ian stood an old barn. With renewed effort abe started for Its sheltering roof and, breathless, reached tbe door and dashed In. Her bat had blown off. Her black hair waa falling In tiny ringlets about , .iE'lfcBiiil "HATBI TOU CAN BAT IBS. ' her forehead. Her petticoats were held at ankle- length to lend fleetness to ber strides. She certainly made a stunning picture as she stood In tbe barn door. What was that queer noise? It might be a horrid rat. But before she had time to decide she was confronted by a tall chap clad In whit flannels. "H'm I beg pardon," he began. "Perhaps we ar poaching?" "We?" repeated Harriet "Are there two of you?" "Well, almost" aald her companion. "That Is, I am bere Intact but my friend over there hi a bit damaged by a blow he got on the links. Otherwise he' a very decent sort of chap. We ran In out of the rain, you know," he added. riarrlej glanced guiltily In the direc tion" of the "friend," who eeemed busy opening a basket "I ran In out of the wet too," she announced finally. "You don't mind if I stay until the lightning stops, do your "Mind? Well, I guess not!" assured the man, promptly turning host "Come over and meet my friend, Mr. Burch, won't you? Billy, here's a lady come to our feast" Billy rose and beamed on the unex pected guest Ha was taking a most delicious looking lunch from a large automobile hamper. . "I wish I could shake hands with you, Mies-Miss" he stammered. "My name is Lake," supplied Harriet. "Considering the day," said the chap In white flannels, "It's very appropri ate." " " -,r "Shut up, Arthur, will you4 and let me finish my speech?" Billy Interposed. "What 1 was saying when my married friend, Mr. Ralston, Intemipted"-con-slderable emphaBls on tho word mar ried "was that I cannot shake you by the hand owing to the fact that some clumsy gawk selected me as a target this morning. Really there should be a law preventing such persons running at large." ; - Harriet was getting up courage to confess when Ralston came to her rescue.'.:. ' ..,"., : ' s "Why talk about personalities, Bil ly ?' he began. "Suppose you ask Miss Lake to share our repast?" The three of them sat down, tailor fashion, on the floor of the old bara and made Inroads on the luncheon. 5s" !?Sf nr - . tint iw. S! a u Nothing waa wanting. Cold drink la patent bottle, sandwiches, salads, strawberries and a Jar of cream. Bucb a feast! And wheu they had finished tbey were old frleuds, "I say, Billy, Violet certainly does put up a fine luncheon." said Ralston. "She's the greatest girl a man evet found," agreed Billy, Violet! Who was sbe7- Harriet could not explain why she felt a touch of disappointment on finding that Bil ly, too, was a married man. "I guess I'll be running along," tald be, after thanking tba men for their hospitality. "Ob, no; you need not drive me over in the machine. Tbe fact I I Just live In that big shingled house beyond this fence." With a wave of ber hand she was gone, and tbe men watched ber slip nnder tbe fence and disappear behind tbe tall hedge on tbe other side. , Tbe storm did not clear away entire ly, and Harriet realized that tbe lawn dance which the WUllamsea were bold log In honor of tbelr first anniversary must be given Indoors Instead of on the lawn, so b donned her prettiest frock. Harriet was never on time for anything, and when she arrived tbe dance waa In full swing. Mrs. Wil liams greeted ber at the door. "You do look peacby, Harriet" said ber hostess. "What have you been doing to yourself? You are more love ly than ever. Oh, the poor, poor men!" adjied Mrs. Wlljlams mockingly. ' Tbey stool together for a moment and the beaming face of Billy Burch confronted them. - .i-- "Mr. Bnrcb, this Is Miss Lake," said Mr. Williams "IJknow jrou two will get along" immensely. Poor Billy was hit In tbe hand today by some strag gling lunatic who thinks she can play golf. But barring his Injured right hand, he's tbe dearest man In tbe world-except one." At supper time Billy discovered a cozy corner lu tbe conservatory, where tbey could "cat In peace without being Interrupted by that married man, Ral ston," as be expressed It Harriet was eating salad and studying Billy with her big, dreamy black eyes. -I wish Violet was here," Billy ex claimed as he tasted the salad. "Really, Mr. Burch, L,am sorry that I am not sufficient company." Billy actually snickered, but Harriet was plainly In earnest so Billy ex plained: "You see, Violet ia my colored cook that I brought up with me from the sotith and If she were here she could taste this salad and then go home and mak a better one. Seer "But, Mr. Burch, L too, have a con fession to make." . "Spare me!" cried Billy. '1 , will run for Arthur If you wish a father con fessor. He's listened to my alns for years and really borne with them very leniently." But Harriet Insisted. - "I want you to know that I am the clumsy gawk, the "straggling lunatic' who hit your hand today." , Billy teamed. "That's not the only place you bit" he said. . "That'll get well. But you gave my old heart such a blow that It hi completely broken In two, Miss Har riet and only you can mend It" "But Mr. Burch" began Harriet. "Oh, I know what you're going to say." Interrupted Billy, "but don't say It yet, I'm In love, and I know It though I don't expect you to fall in love with a cripple oa sight; but some day, Har riet" he continued in softer and more earnest tones, "maybe you can say 'Yes.'" Harriet looked once more Into his clear, honest eyes. She, too, was In love, and she knew.lt He had none the best of her there "I haven't said 'No,' hava I?" she asked. And Billy felt that In time his heart would be mended. A Cur Fer Despondency. A large, fleshy man with whiskers told me of a sovereign cure for de spondency the other day. He had a number of girls In his employ, among them one that he knew was In strug gling circumstances and supporting a sick mother on a none too healthy sal ary. She had come into the store and laid her purse and somber widow hat on the counter while she did something about the place. The large fleshy man got between her and the purse, and when she was not looking Jielppeda five dollar "Mi Info It "and, moved un consciously tbout his business. In tbe afternoon he noticed that she had a red spot In each cheek, and she was heard asking other girls If they be lieved In fairies. She never solved the mystery it was two years ago and never will unless she reads this. But the five dollar bill was very useful In Its little way, and the large despondent man felt so good for two whole days that he hip-hopped on the sidewalk on his way home. Minneapolis Journal. Living oiv-Nxt to Nothing. Most people do not need the evidence of recently published statistics to prove to them that It costs more to live In London thr.n It once did. But It Is doubtful If any Londoner now living was ever able to do it on f80 a year, as Cos well's poor Irish painter did. "He allowed 10 for clothes and linen. He said a man might live In a garret at 18 pence a week. Few people would inquire where he lived, and If tbey did it was easy to say, 'Sir, I am to be found at such a place.' By spending threepence at a coCeo house he might be for some hours a day In very good company. He might dine for sixpence, breakfast on broadband milk for a penny and do without supper.", Of course expenses can always be re duced to a minimum by dc'ng without things. ; The question Is, Which of our various expense Is unessential? Bos well's Irishman hinted at one. "On clean shirt day he went abroad and paid visits," say his Ingenloa chron icler. London Chronicle. 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