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About Bandon recorder. (Bandon, Or.) 188?-1910 | View Entire Issue (June 8, 1905)
4 n Cupid's Kuklux By EWAN MACPHERSON bv Evan Macphcrton 8 4 4 4 Once more Charlton enjoyed n jubi lant laugh, ending in a kind of war whoop. "Hut I thought you were go ing to tell me about her." or tne country road and set the neigh borhood dogs a-barklng with one of his salvos of laughter. "Why, bless you. no! They say my impudence Is mr worst f.mlt lint "Oh. no. I take It back. Nobody in you won't tell anybody that, will you. this world knows Mab as well as I do. Mella? I suppose 1 have as much 1 ought to have known it was all over, right to call you Mella as all these I did know. If you had ever written little Kids Junior, haven't IV" He got she would have told me, even If she no answer to this Inquirv. so went on didn't tell any one else." without one. "If I could on'lv have "Hid she seem to mind 5" Mt thoroughly ashamed of "myself Mella sniffed scorn that was beyond once or twice in my life, there might articulate utterance. be some hope for me. Never mind; I "To be candid, sho never seemed to believe there Is hope for me anyway." care a row of pins." She stopped a He stopped to laugh again and then, moment and then went on: "Only Mab as she remained silent, ran on: "I'm Isn't like some girls somehow. She superstitious, and I feel that my star has her lovely. delicate tea rose no- don't know which it Is Is in the as tions about sacredness and all that cendant tonight -wherever the ascend hates all those silly love jokes more ant may be tin very night 1 wanted like your ideas of delicacy." it to be there. The first sign was when "Thank you. I didn't know I had I happened to see your posse just as any ideas of delicacy. By the way. they were riding into the yard; the It's time for you to make up your mind second was when I got the drop on you who is to drive you back to Yellow- all; the third Is my being in this rig bnuks. I must send Olmpultcpee to with you going lickity-elip to the Bar- Itltcli up and go in and dress. It won't tons. Hold up there, beauties' Steady'" take me more than ten minutes." "Mr. Garrnvd." "And ride horseback in your dress "Yes. Miss Harrison " clot,l,ef?" "l t" that I have shown mvself to "Lnless you choose to change your : you in a bail iiuht." mlud and let me drive you." "Bad night: H.'in! You surelv could '" -.i.'u uer neau aside as sue nave stood it eoo.i .i...,t t.-...... Still, when you consented to pull off that old pillow slip, and the moon you remember what I said about the chrysalis? I won't forget that effect in a hurry. And in another hour I shall see you at the party, you know." "Don't Jot. When vou see me there course you must said timidly. "Of drive me. please." "How many quarts of buttermilk have you two had:" the voice of die Quinn asked from the ghostly group under the osage orange hedge. "It's close on to 11 o'clock, and we've all i got to dress when we get back." "Well. I've got to dress before wo start." said Charlton. "You fellows can wait ten minutes, can't you':" "Hurry up. then." said another ex- will you promise not to let any one know you have, met me before. Mab above all?" 'Must I promise that?" "Do you very much want to see no. White Cap. And as Charlton picked up j there?" his rltle and ran off toward the house: "lo I? What a question!" the same speaker added. "Mella. that ' "Then vou must promise " be a wonderful man a great! "And you'll give me two dances no matter who else Is on your list? All must man. "Ought to have been a general in the Fulled States army," said Balph Desmond. "If he'll quit painting pictures, we'll make him governor of Kentuckv." an- And they all other voice chimed in laughed. "I'm afraid I don't quite know what ' you're all talking about." said Mella haughtily. "How many juleps have you had? Buttermilk would have been much better for you." "Oh. you needn't tell us you like but termilk. Mella!" said Cale Quinn. "But If you want to know what we're talk lng about this is the first time we ever saw anybody stand up to vou. that's all." "Except Queen Mab." Ralph Des mond put in. "Oh. I mean any man. Mella, honey. you ve lost your grip. You can't boss us any more now." "i m sure l don t want to. san Mella. with an alarmingly distant air "I may as well say at once that I'm very sorry about all this "Whew!" from Balph. the extremely Juvenile. ijwi t be vulgar. little boy. i see now that the whole thing was in horrli bad taste. And and look what a posi tkni I" She stopped there, somethiu in her throat apparently interruptin her speech. "Ye?." Cale Quinn took her up, hu raane-ly and adroitly. "look what a po Eition we all would have been in if the thing had cone through and Mabe Trice had heard of it. She .-arely would too. As It Is. we're at Charlton Garrard's inen-v If vou've let it out to him. Mella. that this business has any thing to do with Mab. You'll have to make him promise, or we'll all be struck out of Queen Mab's visiting list." "lie won't have any chance to tell her." said tin young man who had wanted to make Charlton governor. "I don't suppose she'll speak to him." "Why not?" Mella snapped angrily "In't you know Mab any better than to think she's going to act like a school girl? She'll talk to him just like Jamie Sinclair or any of jou all. You don't j-'npiMiee she cares, do you?" "Lo'j4i here. Mella." said Quinn. "Now that this comedy of yours Is about right; I promise.' "Not to ghe the least little sign?" "Not the le.jst little sign. I can act a bit u know." She was silent for more than a mile while Charlton through I'm going to tell you some thing. Johnny, here, can bear at wit ness torn ij-.ru v-o.-k- before last. Don't you think perhaps we've all got hold of the wrons end of It? My own halizl is It was Mab cave Charlton Garrard the aiitten -years ago. Just like her to say rolling to anybody about it. even you." Mella looked at him quickly, as If l.iit to speak. Then she seemed to chance her mind. She turned and look ed down the wagon road in silence for moment and said, with much quiet dignity. "I'd rather not gossip about that if It's all the same to you." Qiifnn. making a queer grimace under cover of the darkness, sat suppressed, after which the few minutes of waiting Jiat yet remained were passed by all the jk.sso In strained silence. When they set out for Yellowbanks, the prisoner alone was cheerful, and he seemed In even higher spirits than be fore. He swung Mella into the road tvagon. sprang in after her and gave Ids last orders to Chapultcpee with the Joyous vigor of a big schoolboy starting for a picnic. I "What on earth has come over you , i i of the way after that r " , I X of lie sentiment' think of that lor one of those allegorical charts!" "I told you it was till a Joke, didn't I?" "Joke! Don't I know a joke when 1 meet one in the road? I tell you, the Latin quarter couldn't equal it in a century. You're not angry with me, are you?" She turned her head away. "No I wish we were at the bend of the road. i ne niooniigui s rignr. in my eyes. What else?" "Only one thing more funniest of all. though-you all took It for grant ed that 1 was to blame. You forgot she was only sixteen at the time. "She's a grownup young woman now. How do you all" he checked himself and began again "how did you all know she hadn't changed her mind since she grew up?" "Isn't sixteen grown up?" Mella ask ed very quietly, smiling, but Charlton did not see the smile. "Well, hardly. How did you all know she hadn't turned me down without getting out any handbills? Of course I'm not telling anything; I'm only asking. How did you know?" "We didn't know. We were I waa just a silly country girl. They all call me a tomboy except Mab." "And except me. Mella." Mella gave a little sigh. "And so all thats a note?" And she smiled to herself, nestling back in the shadow. And from then on Charlton had to car ry the conversation until they entered Yellowbanks and saw the bright gold en glow from the windows of the Bar tons, away down Augusta street, and could hear the chorus of last winter's Yellowbanks opera singing: "Never, oh. nevrr our hearts shall range From that old, old love again." Then Mella said. "I'll have to bum tin pillow slip or grandma will find me out." "Burn that? Never! I'm going to take it and keep it among my most precious souvenirs." She answered him with a decisive shake of the head, though smiling. "We're Just in time. The electric light goes out at 12, you know. Next turn ing on the left. And Mr. Garrard, you don't think me vulgar, do you?" "ou vulgar! I couldn't If I tried ever so hard." As he was leaving her. standing In the side entrance of her home, shrink ing Into the shadow lest any one might see her in that ugly white gown, he aked her once more, "Do let me take the pillow slip!" She shook her head. "Au revoir!" "An plalsir! Two dances, remem ber!" When she nodded and smiled and vanished through the side door Mella Harrison, leader of the Kuklux. van ished from Charlton forever. Hei promise of two dances was redeemed by another Miss Harrison, to whom he was introduced at the Barton party, a splendid young woman In pink satin and lace, with dark hair In immense tiulit coils that glowed like old ma hogany wherever the gaslight touched them, a stately and self possessed oung woman, too. who sang "Nobll Sinor" with great applause, but yet managed to murmur parenthetically to Charlton. "You see. I can act a bit mv self." This Miss Harrison he saw many times after that night. How Nugent Maeterlinck 'By KEITH GORDON N O PMiKht. UKJl. by T. C. McCluru.J I GKNT was in despair. For three weeks he had been try ing to ask Virginia Dinsmore that pointed and personal question that should decide matters be tween them, and for three weeks he had been held back by an invisible but impassable barrier. Balph Morton, of course, was always hanging about her. but that gentleman, Nugent assured himself, was neither invincible nor insuperable. The thing that he was afraid of was less Merton than the long, mystical discussions that the two held concerning the meaning of certain modern writers whoso very names were strange to himself. So. procuring a few volumes of Maeter linck, lie determined to prepare himself to "trot in the same class" with her, as his horsy friend, Michaels, would have termed It. Clad in an old coat whose pockets sagged delightfully, his feet thrust into slippers whose original shape and color could only be guessed at and fortitled by his beloved pipe, he settled down one evening and solemnly opened the first volume of Maeterlinck that his hand fell upon. But. though he made an honest ef fort, the atmosphere of his comfortable, bachelor quarters, whose golf clul r I m i ly v.tien Merton's diabolical f:r.c nun tne advantage ol irgun i iii:-'iest and appreciation. It was n : a t'..ng to be borne quietly. ieiii.ps ue understand it more clearly than yon do." she acknowledg ed, al that "we" thai put her and Merlon together on one side ol the question as opposed to him on the oth er shook .Nugent strangely. Something of the dismay that he felt showed in his face, and, seeing it. Miss Dinsmore attempted once more to ex plain the methods of the new school of writers. And her efforts were reward ed, for at last a light seemed to break upon him. "I see!" he ejaculated slowly. "I see at last! The gentlemen write in cipher, just as wc send secret messages in business, and It doesn't mean a thing unless you understand the cipher. 'Dog pigment chair' doesn't sound very in telligible to you, does it?" He waited a moment; then as Miss Dinsmore shook her head he went on: -nti yet j sent that very message to a tinn yesterday in a matter involving the investment of thousands of dollars. And they understood, Just as you and Merton understand your Maeterlinck ode!" he concluded airily, while .Miss Musmorc studied him with a new in terest. After all, she retlected. these practical minds were keen enough once they got the point of view. Meanwhile Deter Nugent went his way with a curious exhilaration. At last, he felt, he was catching up with Merton. Since he had the important question to ask. why not heap coals of lire on lrginia s head by asking it symbolically? But how? . It was the Saturday before Easter. All the afternoon the bell of the Dins more mansion had been ringing with monotonous regularity, which kept the Buttons at the door at work like an automaton. "Gee whiz!" he soliloquized as he took in an azalea almost as large as himself. "Miss Virginia must be de whole t'ing. judgin' by dese Easter greetin's." The very last offering to arrive came about U o'clock in the evening, when the Buttons, wearied out. was dozing at his post and dreaming that he sent Sadie Flaherty a bunch of American Beauties with stems as long as tele graph poles. It was therefore with a somewhat bored and chastened air that bolical keenness f fry) ci J 0V ge of Vienna's OlJC The Lilies, How They Grow EASTER IN JAPAN. JNTIL the early eighths the fa vorite Easter lily with Ameri cans, who spend over $l,00U, 0 0 a year upon this feature of Easter decoration, was the Madonna or Annunciation lily ( IJliumcaudidumi. the common white species of the old world, a native of southern Europe. But in ISSJ it was quite eclipsed by the Bit mudan lily, which was introduced bv William K. Harris, a I'hi!a.!elphia Ho rist, under the name of IJiinm hanisij. Tiie new variety had larger tlowcrs than the Madonna lily and more of them. It was earlier, requiring only thirteen weeks for development under tavoralile conditions, and. best of all. it took kindly to the hothouse forcing process. Then came the bonanza period for the Bermudan grower, but in his zeal he came near to killing the goose which laid liis golden egg. Competition car ried the forcing process to such a point that the bulbs were dug before they were ripe In order to get them In to the American market by Christmas or earlier, and disease resulted. In the most prosperous days of the Bermudan lily one grower often harvested UO.iMHi bulbs from a single acre, with lto profits of $iimhj to $2.r.(j0. The United States department of agriculture ex haustively investigated the lily disease, but the Bermudans were not bound to follow its advice, and little good was accomplished. Here was Japan's opportunity, for the Bermudan lily was originally a na tive of Japan and China, ill 1ST!) Japan sent the United States only $'2,000 worth of bulbs. In lSflo the exports amounted to ?40.0u0. By lSPJl they had reached SKiO.OOO, and they have been increasing ever since, while the Bermudan product is supposed to be a quarter less than it was a decade But the Japanese made the same error as the Bermudans, and the lily disease is now ravaging the white fields of the mikado's empire. The agricultural department again The Cherry l!loN.,om Festival, Ileatir- rcclloii of Fruit and Flowers. By reaching .Japan just at the begin ning of spring yoii u.jn f,mi yourself in the midst of the native Easter season, which in reality Is the cherry blossom festival. Because It comes at the time that Easter is celebrated in the western countries it is given that name. The dawn of Easter in Japan is a dazzling and fascinating sight even to an American, used as he is to the great display of ilowers and bright and dain ty cosytmes that come out on that day in all the cities in the United States to welcome the season. '!!:. Japanese :iri Mice ?i lot of ii. school ehil.lren let out to play, happy in their r. ligioiw dower festival. None of the ch::,eli ceremonies has any part in their celebration, and, although the cherry festival commemorates the res urrect! n. it is the resurrection of the fruits and Mowers. .MI Japan rejoices. The children have a day et apart for their special delec tation, and the grown pvo5d( d0 little bi.l seei; to make the young people hap py. Along the roadways, inch deep witli fallen cherry petals, the children draw immense movable temples. Some time more than a hundred little girls dieted in gorgeous hues are in line, piil.ii.g on the ropes attached to these chariots, on which the boys, dressed in bine and white togas, ride and play on their musical instruments, while the cleverest of their number in masked faces render religious dramas on the elevated platform in front of the char iot. The streets are choked with thou sands of grown people, who give up the day to witnessing these processions, and as the chariot and the children pass down a carpeted avenue of cher ry trees, and the gentle spring breeze blows, a constant shower of pink per fumed snow falls from the cherry trees and everything becomes hazy in the MISS PINSMoKi: Al'I'IIOVi lIKp IIKK I.ATKS1 WISDOM OF CHILDREN. Drlsrht From Willi Mella seemed a lit lie spoke llieiiee. "Oh, does he? tie frightened. "Eh? Oh. well. I mean of course If he does." And his laugh seemed to be in mockery of his own unguarded outburst. "And what is a sweetheart?" Mella asked in a very subdued voice. "A sweetheart? Don't you know? Then I'm afraid I can't tell younot yet." He flicked at the team and sang .. i e ,i ... o !: t I... all: he asked as the blue irrass team , . , , nclll into tneir stride on the dirt were happy about the ascendency of liMve :t little moon, i his Star. She uos silent or more than n niio the way. sang snatches of Wagner, talked to his team and pointed out recondite beau ties of moonlight and shadow. At last she said. "Mr. Garrard." And the ti midity of her tone would have aston Ished the Kids Junior. "Yes. Miss Harrison." "Tell me what you thought- think of all this affair." Your expedition?" Thinking of lt Diade him laugh again. "Well. I should call It a 'note.' " A what?" What thev call a note In art. A thing that marks a picture so that It h itself makes it. de:.r old Shellbark all over couldn't be found outside of old Kentucky a ny w ay." "Provincial." "M'm'm'n'n'no. That isn't the word. I'm a slouch at finding words. You see. you took such a lor for granted first, that I had fallen In love with a girl that had been sitting to me for ber portrait. "Ami you're not?" "Bless you. 1.0! Fan Garnett Is the nicest kind of a girl, with a swell pic lure of a face. But an artist doesn't fall in love with his model. How could ne paint ner If he did? What he wants Is a sweetheart real, true sweetheart." feeling, almost vehe Comment That Drim the l.liit of Juvenile. What could be more simple or more splendidly direct as a compliment to a pretty girl than the small bov's ad miring question, "Are your eyes new ones: No "grownup' person could have thought of that. "A ruminating animal is one that chews her cubs" there might surely be less thoughtful definitions As for definitions, no dic tionary has ever given anything better than "a movable feast a Picnic." There Is a delightful note of the night nursery In the beginning of a girl's essay on boys, "The boy is not an ani mal, but they can be heard to a con siderable distance." equaled perhaps In Its splendid simpllcltv bv the bov's written criticism to the effect that 'most girls are very shy and angry." It Is the directness of the description which compels attention In vivid com ments such as. "Just before it killed me the tooth came out," and nothing surely could be more Johnsonian in its ubsolute truth than the answer given to the painstaking schoolmaster try ing to n. .ike the class understand what might be meant by the subversive word "antipodes." "If I bored a hole right thiough the earth till 1 came out at the other side where should I be?" 'Off yer ead! You can't do it!"-Lon don Spectator. FRIENDSHIPS. i Isn't It? These beauties are new and I don't know the road a little bit. Did j you have a row with your deputies while I was dressing?" Mella seemed to be shrinking as far back as possible Into her corner, twist Imr tight In her hands the perforated pillow slip. "I can only speak for my self. Mr. Garrard," she said, and it was a strangely meek voice for the Mella Harrison that Yellowbanks knew. "Have you ever felt ashamed of yourself?" Charlton awakened the night echoes "You know you are the first roffnlar artist I ever met," she said, as If apol ogizing for something. "Go on about your note." "Well, then, second place, that idea of a leading man, all tar aud feather, to to the altar." "Nobody dreamed of such a thing. Mr. Garrard!" "Of course I know that. Why do you keep calling me Mr. Garrard? If you get cross with me I'll shut up. What I mean is well, public opinion In love affairs 'Cupid awakened bv pub- DIITiTcliccN Pet iveen TlnH' of .Men and Those of Women. One difference between men and women in their relation to friendship Is that a man's friends like him in spile of himself; a woman's friends or acquaintances care for her because of herself, because of her powers of agree ability, her tact or her charm. A man may be as grouchy as he likes on occasion. He may swear at his best friend and treat him as cavalierly as he pleases, yet that friend will wait in patience for 'the old man to como round." knowing well that beneath the surface are a kLudly heart and a will ingness to share a last crust with him. Willi her friends a woman may take no such liberty. The kind heart and the good intentions count for nothing beside a woman's bad manners and lack of taste in the treatment of her nearest and dearest, and condemnation Is swift and sure. Nothing excuses tier. and she Is rarely forgiven. Nor would she expect to be forgiven. Not possess ing that large patience undeniably nec essary to friendship or the power of forgiving and waiting for the "grouch" to blow over, she does not look for for glveness when she has sinned against these laws of a woman's making. Bather she gives up her friend and contents herself quite placidly with an other. But then, as we said before, woman lias no genius for friendship. Vindictive. "All," sighed the young rhymester "you care nothing for the trials of us poets." "Frobably not." replied the crusty editor, "but I'd like to be on the Jury In just one trial." Philadelphia I.edg er. pipes, swords, riding crops etc.. dis played themselves with masculine vari ety and confusion, did not seem con ductive to the study of the modern mystic. Horse and doir pictures look ed down on him, and pictures that were neither of these noble animals testified MMtiewhat frivolously to the existence of the eternal feminine. Bows of smart ly bound volumes filled the low book cases decorously, bearing witness to their owner's aspirations, while his actual achievement was evidenced by the litter of magazines and several dog eared Kipling books upon his library table. Obviously it was not a Maeter linck room. "Good Lord!" he groaned at last. "Good Lord! And to think that she can read such slush as this when there are iior-es to ride, good golf to play and men to talk to!" For one passing moment a doubt of Virginia's common sense assailed him, but only for a mo ment. Not even Maeterlinck could make him disloyal to her. Besides, it must mean somethinir- all this endless dialogue in which fear whitened men and women echoed each other's words to the accompaniment of shrieking winds and ghostly moans in a greenish gray light that never ex isted outside a melodrama. Surely no man would write all this stuff without meaning something. But that was ju-d it what? "Vou may search me!" growled Nu gent, throwing aside the second vol ume witli a disgusted air and refilling his pipe, "if I've got to stand above ninety in Maeterlinck before I can win Virginia-well, I might just as well give up right now!" Then Virginia's face, her eyes alight with interest, rose before him. That. he remembered perfectly, was the way she looked as she listened to Merton's conversation, and for the first time he felt a sharp pang of Jealousy of the man. The certainty that Merton under stood and even found Interesting what he could not read, much less compre hend, goaded him. In a meeker spirit than was usually his he tried tenta tively to get some points on the und denlng Maeterlinck from Virginia. "It's symbolical, you know," she ex plained a trllle vaguely, regarding him with a lazy question in her eyes. It was so unlike Peter Nugent to be vrt-M-ninu- for book talk that she was curious. "Everything stands ror some thing." slu added, as if that made the matter entirely clear. "But tell me," retorted Peter, "what Is the use of having everything stand for something? Why doesn't the man say what he means and be done with it?" Miss Dinsmore had no answer for this pertinent question, and, seeing his advantage, her stalwart admirer con tinued: "What would you think of me If I employed s. nibols instead of plain, cr rydae English?" nis listener laughed outright at this simple way of disposing of a great modern writer and his cult. "I'm afraid I should think you were :iff your head, Mr. Nugent." she re plied with the frankness of long ac fpiaintanco. "That's Just what I think of Maeter linck." replied her companion dryly, feeling that the writer must either be conquered or crushed and leaning to ward the last named alternative. Still, he could not give up. It seem ed to him preposterous that a fellow l.ke Merton should understand things which he. Nugent, could not. especial- took up the lily question, and in 15)00 he carried the package that was hand-1 an attempt was made to transplant ed m up to Miss irginia's room, where the whole lilv industry to the United in a low chair she sat reading "Monna Vanna." "Open lt, Thomas," she commanded languidly, laying her book face down ward In her lap and watching him iilly as lie removed the enwrapping tissue paper. But at sight of the object he lifted out of the box a moment later all her languor disappeared, and she ut tered an exclamation of amazement. It was a huge nest, upon which a bantam hen soft, white and with ma tronly, alert yellow eyes sat with non chalant grace. Tucked under the edge of one wing was an envelope. Buttons did ids best, but It was poor. With a guffaw as involuntary as it was hearty he deposited the nest and its occupant upon a table and. holding his hand over Ids mouth, Med from the room. Miss Dinsmore approached her latest possession and removed the note, saying. "Who under the sun" Having read it, she sank into a chair, tears of merriment streaming from her eyes, for this was what sho read: P'-ar Virginia I call you that because I kaow Instinctively that symbolists have no use for formality. The F.ist.-r kMI that 1 am sending may at the tlrst Hash seem bizarre, but when I explain that lt is a symbolic offering you will under stand, lt Is as symbolic as anything Maeterlinck ever dared to do. and I inter pret It to you because In this particular case I fancy that I can do better than Merton himself. The nest what la It but the home that I would offer you? The egg therein please notice that lt'3 been made beastly ugly stands for me. and, ns with me. you will have to get beneath the shell to find Its real significance. The hen that Is sit ting upon the egg in the nest I como now to my liveliest bit of symbolism, a touch that I pride myself upon typifies my frightened expectation of being "sat upon" when this .simple effort of my Imagination reaches you! Be merciful, then, to P. N. Tin: tii.N r lily ok inpia. entrancing mist of a pink snowstorm of soft petals. All nature seems to take part In this Easter festival of the Jap anese children. "Cherry blossom Sunday" at Uyeno park, in Tokyo, is one of the prettiest sights in all Japan. The avenue of cher ry trees going up from the town forms an exquisite arch of pink boughs, under which the people throng purely on pleasure bent. The tea houses have spread their best red blankets on the matted plat forms, which serve for seat and table. Carriages and jiurikishas roll by, their occupants dressed in their best, the women in exquisitely delicate crapes, because It is the time of spring aud Ilowers. and the light and dainty col ors are most appropriate. I'lider the trees are light hearted picnic parties seated on their blankets and lunching on rb-e sandwiches. Bestraint is thrown aside during "cherry time." ami at Mukojima, where a double avenue of cherry trees, the most magnificent display of these love ly blossoms in Tokyo, stretches along the far bank of the Sumida river be side the road, the wildest carnival reign. Mummers in ail sorts of fau tastie costumes, in which red and white, the colors of spring and happiness, pre dominate, dance in aud out among the tea houses that stand along the bank under the trees. The river is gay with rtnfed pleasure boats, and the sound of the geiha's samiseu Is added to the general clamor of rejoicing aud merry making. Washington Star. Weak- with laughter, the recipient of this extraordinary missive appioaeueu the table once more and gingerly re moved the hen. half expecting an an gry, clucking protest. There In the lie-;!, sure enough, was an egg bearing an ugly caricature of Nugent, which crumbled In her lingers as she clutched it, releasing a scrap of paper that flut tered back into the nest. It contained but a few words, but in them all the poetry of Nugent's strong, sane nature had been compressed, and with a little oateh of the breath Miss Dinsmore pressed the slip of paper to her lips. The book that she had been reading had fallen to the floor. With the tip of her toe she gave lt a disdainful little kick as she fluttered across the room to her writing desk. A .Menu For the Knslcr Pinner. Oysters on Half Shell. Salted Almonds. Olives. Crt am of Celery Soup. Fricassee of Belgian Hare. Rice Croquettes. Mashed Potatoes. Fried Eggplant. Bird's Nest Salad. Cheeso Cake. Ice Croam. Angel's Food. Coffee. Dlniell nn n Dundy. A contemporary of Disraeli In his memoirs records this impression of that famous dandy's personal appearance: Usually he wore a slate colored velvet coat, lined with satin; purple trousers, with a gold braid down the outside seam; a scarlet waistcoat, long lace rullles falling down to the tips of his fingers: white gloves, with brilliant rings outside them, and long black ringlets rippling down over his shoul ders. When he rose In the house he wore a bottle green frock coat, with a white waistcoat, coliarless, and a copi ous supply of gold chains. Cnutlon Scocasnry. The young man moved n little closer. She moved a little farther away. "Why are you so cold and distant this evening, Miss Pinko?" he asked. "I am not at all cold, Mr. Spoona more," she answered, "but I am com pelled to be distant. My vaccination is taking." Chicago Tribune. States. The be-t stock obtainable was imported and planted in chosen sec tions of the southeastern states. Ev ery scientific method of propagation and growth was tried, but the experi ment proved a failure. The climate was unsuitable. Now the department has conceived the bold Idea of grow ing the bulbs from seed, and experi ments along this line have been un expectedly successful. The main advantages of the new method of propagation will be the elimination of disease and the fixation of three or four well marked varieties. We need early, midseason and late va rieties, the first of which will naturally cost more and the last least. One of the most beautiful of all white lilies is the Lillum gigenteum. or giant lily of India, but only those who are especially favored may enjoy this Easter emblem. It is seldom grown In America except by scientific horti culturists. It often attains a height of ten to eleven feet, and its large, odorous Ilowers remain in good con dition for nearly three weeks. The Lllium longillorum is a tall, late northern variety that sometimes re quires thirty weeks for the develop ment of the flower. Its southern form Is called by the botanist and the Japa nese grower Lillum longitlorum var. eximium and by the Bermudan Liiiuin liarrisii. The Intermediate form, Llli um longifiorum var. giganteum, though requiring about eighteen weeks to force, Is a most promising variety for the plant breeder. It Is taller than eximium. with larger flowers. The bulb stores better than those of the other types and commands the highest price of all because it is said to bo a difficult subject to propagate by vega- tative methods. Country Life In America. THE EGG DANCE. A Ciirlou Kii.stcr Custom of Ancient I-r:inee A Hoyal Ilomnnee. In very ancient times a most curious Easter custom prevailed in France. Wooing lads and las-os would come forward as applicants for the "egg and matrimonial dance." A hundred eggs wen arranged on a level sward spread with ;and. and all the young tenantry selected their partners to dance on the green among the eggs. Tin story is told by an old chronicler that Philibert. duke of Savoy, was out hunting and. being in the neighborhood of the beautiful palace of Margaret of Flanders, called to pay his respects to her. All tin tenantry were dancing on the green, the eggs were laid, and the lovers were treading a measure of the national dance amid them. Few there were who managed to dance through without breaking some of the obstruc tions. If the succeeded not even the "nay" of the parents prevailed to break up the match. It was an evidence of the intentions of Providence to smile on the union. While many had tried and been un successful, the duke besought the prin cess to try the dance with him. Though it was the first time they had met, she agreed, and they executed the national dance without breaking an egg. Tliey were greeted with enthusiastic cheers, and. as it wa a sure sign that they were affianced by divine will and their wedded life would be one of great bliss, they bowed to the fate3 that or dained it so. and In the sentiment of the romance they were "married and lived happily ever after." Philadelphia Press. ronxldcruf e. "no pretends to love music, but he never asks me to sing." jt",rCrIinpS tnnt'B uIs wa3 of proving I.tigiihrion Ileililii! It seems, by the way. almost forgot ten that lt was with a burlesque of lb sen that Mr. Barrie made his first bow as a dramatist. His travesty of "Hod dn Gablcr" was one of the most de licious pieces of fooling ever seen ut Toole's theater, and in it Mr. Toole (as Ibsen himself l. George Shelton as Tcs man and Miss Irene Vanbrugh as a blend of Then and Iledda were de liglitful. In one scene Tesnian was busy writing a review when iledda en tered, and the following dialogue took place: Tesmau (looking up) Thea Iledda (languidly) I nm not Thea. I am Iledda. Tesnian Then, Iledda, Is there a k In "Christianity?" Iledda (very slowly und intensely) There Is nothing in Christianity. Tesman Fancy that! London Pall Mall Gazette. K:iMter Doll I'ltrtien. Parties where each little girl is In vited to bring her favorite doll, or her whole doll family, for that matter, are popular and timely. At one affair of this kind given under the direction of a kindergarten teacher, says the Wash ington Star, there were dolry songs and a dolly drill, doily tableaux and dolly recitations, a baby coach parade to mu sic ami lastly a photograph taken on the front porch, where the whole bevy of little mothers posed with their ba bies of bisque, china and wax gathered about them. When refreshments were served there was a special table for the dollies, beautifully set with doi: dishes, tiny candles and colored shades, simple refreshments warranted not ta disturb the most delicate digestion and a little name card with appropriate sou venirs at each plate. God nnd Immortality. After you have assumed God you cannot without doing violence to your reason fall to assume immortality. Washington Gladden. Didn't Dare. , , "Mr. Meekton says he never spoke a harsh word to his wife." "Yes," answered Miss Cayenne, "but I'm not sure whether that Is due to kindness or caution." Washington Star. ' (