- - -a . - - . " ' , ; rniXlyA-- T C(: " S,:rh "A. "'FT II iNK II NK II N II ,N SEiVlI-WEEKUY. Consolidated Feb., 1899. COItVALUS, BENTOX COUNTr, OREGON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 1902. VOL. III. m 32. is CHAPTER VI. At the Foot of the Rimrocks. It is the second night of Bertha's captivity, barring the night of her cap ture. After securing her on the horse at the time of that fearful event, the Indians kept moving at a rapid rate until about 10 o'clock the following morning, when they stopped and butchered a mule for dinner. To them the mule meat was a dainty dish of which they partook with a raven our appetite, but to the girl from Edin burg mule meat was not tempting, when in fact she had no appetite at alL The gluttonous feast of these savages added to the disgust and hor ror that surrounded the captive. The whole had seemed like fiction, a hor rible nightmare to her. The first night out had been spent In a email basin, surrounded by rim rocks with narrow outlets and these had been carefully guarded by the dusky sentinels. No fires were kin dled during the night and a stillness and quietude pervaded the camp, and this, with the demeanor of the In dians, showed that they were not only uneasy but strictly on their guard. A vigilant watch had been kept over Bertha the whole night long, though she had been made as comfortable as Indians' ingenuity could provide. Early the following morning an other mule was butchered, a hasty breakfast prepared, and the band moved on to the south. The course during the day lay over a rough country. It was taken as if the Indians had intended to obscure their trail. To the right and left stood the towering rimrocks and their trail led through the lava beds. Only those who have attempted to pass through this section of country can eotaprehend what is meant in speak ing of the lava beds. Huge boulders and smaller ones of every description, round rocks, flat rocks, standing upon edge, square rocks and diamond shaped rocks, sinks and crevices, all bo rough and ragged and uneven that It was difficult for the party to keep together without even its own mem bers becoming lost from one another. IJp and down the steep declivities, around the high ridees of boulders &nd over the beds of shattered rock mads thff travel difficult and monot onous, but Bd trail was left behind. To track the red men to this vast seer tion of the lava beds was to lose them. Here, only courses are followed, and not trails, for it. is properly called, ''the traillesg section of the desert." Oa this morning Bertha had been relieved from . the cramped position on' the animal which- had conveyed her, by being freed from the ropes which bound her, but she had been the more closely guarded. Without food for two days and nights and the hardships of a day on the desert, and a day in the lava beds, it would have told on most women, but with the slightest indication of fatigue Bertha looked as firm and defiant as ever. She was a Lyle!' iff thfj middle of the afternppn a halt had been made' and a consultation held by the Indian?. The main body with most of the animals proceeded .o the southeast, while Chief Egan, with a few of the animals in charge of a dozen of his chosen warriors, took a westerly course and the wily chief took with him his fair captive. The main band proceeded on its way to a designated meeting point, while the chief made this detour to consummate the last object of his trip. The chief and his small band were more guarded than ever. Realizing that'his mission1 wa a secret one, and . to avoid falling into traps, he traveled thrpugh a more obscure country than stSF- in3 Va still ' piyre cautious about not leaving any trail behind. That night he campgd at the foot of a high wall in the shadow of the pro jecting rimrocks. No eye could see hj'm jn itya immediate vicinity for the boulders that lay about him, and the ftmoka from his eamp was silhouted against the rock walls and mingled With the clouds above. At thp camp the scarred-faced old Warrior chief took more interest in his white captive, He had fear guar? ters prepared some distance from the main camp and while, he. himself, looked after her wants two of his most trusted warriors were placed on guard. At supper time Egan, by ges tures, plpad with the young woman to eat. While the terrible experience through which she had gone would have taken the appetite of most wo men of her age. she was too common sense and matter-bf-fact to loe her's permanently. She was 'really hungry, pjjj'bad usft reached that 'state of Starvation at which she felt S if she could partake Of mule meat. But a lucky Incident occurred. Even while pld Egan was tendering her a slice of mule prepared in the most dainty manner from the Indians' standpoint. & warrior close at hand, in attending t the animals, flushed a sage he:i. Bertha, although unacquainted with this bird knew that it must be palat able. She pointed to the bird in its flight with a sign to old Egan that if h had one of these she would pre pare it herself and eat of It. No soon er than she had niada her wishes known, the chief went to the quiver of hl hunting arrows, drew forth the choicest ones, and in a few moments was speeding among the rocks in search of the sage hen. In a short time "he returned and gallantly drop ped the tender bird at her feet, and wjth'gtf xpretisjoh of. tfrjde pointed to gear 'in us'nWck through which his arrow had passed. But of this gallantry Bertha took BO notice, Soon a fire was kindled and with woman's culinary knowledge (the soon prepared and ate a meal of which tihe was In much need. Long after nightfall, when all the clouds had passed away and the moon ' had risen above the distant rimrocks oa the east and Its light had fallen upon the camp beneath the rimrocks. pld Egan appeared at Bertha's quar ters. It was such a night as lovers would walk in civilization. It was such a night as would thrill the hearts of all people. It was such a night as the Indian warrior would venture upon a deed of daring. It was such a night as aroused the deepest passions in the bosom of the marauding chief. He motioned his warriors, who were on guard, to take their Igave, and then attempted a conversation by signs and nods with Bertha. Hoping that it -might mean her escape she tiied to understand him. With this encouragement he grew more bold and approached her more closely. Wo man's Intuition told her at once of this awful meaning and she rose up in her woman's weakness to defend herself against this giant chief, who had long been the terror of the desert Fortunately for humanity a lithe ath letic form had glided down the steep walls of the rimrocks in the darkness long before the moon rose, and had been waiting in hiding for an oppor tune time. Rushing forward like a "wildcat he seized the wicked old war rior by the throat, and there was at once a grapple between giants. But in spite of the silent prayers of Bertha for the success of her unknown rescuer and his determined grip on the old chief's throat, the latter gave a cry that called to their feet the en tire detachment of warriors, and they came like a storm to the aid of their chief. CHAPTER VII. A Woman's Scalp. It is at another point in the lava beds from that described in he last chapter. While many walls jpin to gether Jiere from different directions yet one point on the rimrocks com manded a ylew in all directions. Upr on this point stands an Indian. His arrow-like form silboutted against the horizon gave him the appearance of an Inanimate rather than an animate body. The afternoon sun was not far above the distant rimrocks. It was a picture for an artist to draw, The ragged rocks along the earth's sur face, the walls which converged from many directions toward the pedestal- formed center, at the top of which projected the flat rimrocks, and these crowned by the statue-like form pf the Indian, whose gaudy war bonnet indi cated that he was a chief, made the view a romantic one indeed. "If they dlpappoint me," murmured the Indian in his own tongue, "it will take many more white scalps to pay the penalty," and a; the same time he toyed with a scalp of long hair, that of a woman, tossed by the wind at his belt. Biit his mind was scon relieved en this point, From the shadow of the rimrocks in the distance, a little north 'ot west, he saw a lone horse man coming in a swift rot. He' be gan to' descend to the same side upon which the horseman, was; approaching, taking pa.rtj 'iQ.pxaininy' hi bow and quiver, tpniahawk, and scalping knife to see that all were intact. Seating himself upon a boulder that jetted from the wall ' many feet above the level plain, he waited he approach of his -visitor, When the latter eanie within hailing distance a familiar salute from each showed the jnutual recognition. The two men on the top pf the. rim rocks converged, familiarly. While ttin rnartr already knows that one was Chief Egan he has also surmised that the other was Dan Follett. wnic-h is true. To lopk upon the countenances of these two men was an interesting study, The old Indian chief, a ma rauding bandit, bore scars showing the terrible episodes of his life, while the Canadian Frenchman bore marks placed there by tim which showed the villlanou8 character of the man. The one. robbed of his ! country, forced to the barren ' rocks aivd; lava beds for" existence ' had become an outlaw from necessity, The other, containing a mixture of blood of the exiled criminals of a superior race mixed with that of the most blood thirsty and treacherous pf an Inferior race, was a villain from choice, and b,y nature. There were bluffing looks and ftrim smiles from each, but the arrival of the band of horses caused them to rise to their feet, and with a shout from old Egan's Hps his warriors appeared from a reeess in the rocks below, heretofore unobserved, and took charge of the band of animals repre senting the prize money for the mur der of Bortha Lyle. Taking the woman's scalp. Pan Fol lett climbed down the rocks and Join ing his men they saluted the Indians and rode away. The Tndians drov the horses into a deep canyon" pene trating ttit.- rimfacks. and the stillness of approaching night closed the scene. CHAPTER YHI. The Trapper of The Rimrocks. He was knpwn from one end pf th desert to the other, as well by the red men ss the white. His life was spent in solitude. When the snows of win ter began to fly and others fled to shelter he worked the more persist ent. For eight months In the year his solitude was complete, bo far as the Hammersley. - -- m rest of the world view lor tt wag In the winter time that . the wild animals of the desert widened their range in - search ' of food, owing to its scarcity at this season. and many of all kinds were tempted to partake of the fresh morsels of ..anti lope, deer, rabbit and sage hen, so attractively prepared and placed in their trail and many of these same an imals found these nice "baits" sur rounded by a jagged iron circle that closed with a merciless clasp about their legs or noses and held them as prisoners. The traps of the Trapper of the Rimrocks always held their prey. ; JThe Trapper of the Desert was a young man of eight and twenty years. For ten years he had been known upon the desert. While he was a man of peace, yet his keen grey eyes and Arm set chin told those who saw him that he would face the worst -of the human race In any kind pf an encoun ter as readily as he would battle alone with the fiercest, animals of the desert, it the necessity arose. His hair was also light and he wore a gleam of friendliness upon his face. But the cloud that drove this gleam of sunshine away when he become an gered was an immediate warning not to trespass against the will of this man pf firmness, and his well propor tioned form was able to carry out the desire "pf the mind. He was five feet, ten, weighed iq p'eundg, and with al this possessed well prppprtipned inus. cles, as lithe as rubber aad strpng as gutta percha. He was known simply by the name of William, Hammersley, but his an cestry and place of birth were as mysterious as the man himself. When first known he was on the desert en gaged In trapping, and as he had no competitors, he had no enemies. His abode, a crude affair, partly a cave and partly a house in the rimrocks, was always welcome to the weary i traveler or stockman, who happened j to pass nis way, out this did not hap pen often, as few people traveled that way. He was a friendly host ana looked to the comfort of his guest, but he had little to say and asked but few questions. A guest after leaving his placp knew no more of him than when he pame, and there was always, a feql: ing pn the part pf the Visitor that no extended conversation was desired. And the wishes of William Hammers ley were usually rgspected. But the reader shall knew more about this trapper pf the desert and his abode than the visitors of those days knew. He was not . alone, and the compartments which the visitors saw were not all that were possessed and occupied by this man. The small corra mad rock In front of the prem ises and the few traps and skins that bung about the rooms onened to vis itors were only small and insignificant in interest compared with what was concealed in the background. A subterranean passage lead to . a larger cave beyond that occupied as the open home of the trapper. A crev-r asse let in the light from the side and the finest pelts supplied a bed with warm covering and a soft place to lie while ptherg Jay upen the floor a.4 rugs and hung frem the walls te keep out the etold of winter, A perfectly constructed fireplace, connected with the crevasse in "the rocks which was utilized as a chimney, supplied the room with warmth in cold weather. Upon the bed lay an invalid. Once a gigantic fprm with powerful phy sique and. musclehe was now emac iated tp almost a skeleton. His limbs had been frozen and his hands and feet werg pierg Crisps, though he still retained his intelligence ' and w-as a great comfort tp, the trapper who brought, bha the tenderest and pest prepared morsels from the table and fed him with his. ewn hands, and at tended him as carefully as a mother tends her own child. "I sometimes fear that I worry you, and that my monotonous life may ef fect yours," said the Invalid one day to the trapper, ''In carrying; out my de sire to strike lor vengeance and wait until JI can strike the mort killing The Hpms of Hcmmerslev. blow, I fear that I impose upon jour good nature, my preserver, and tax your patience." 'Oh, no, no!" replied the trapper, as he stroked the pale forehead of the invalid tenderly, "without ypu life would be ruly monotonous to me, be sides, youp cpunsol and company are worth all the trouble, if your condi' tlon could be construed to cause me trouble; and outside of all this, jour cause has become my cause from aa interest in humanity and justie. You have been grossly outraged, and look ag anxiously to the day of rock' oning as yourself. " On the second night after the at tack of the Indians on the pack tiain and the capture of Bertha I. yle, the t apper brought in a large supply of prepared provisions and placed them on a table beside the invalid's bed. The latter knew what this meant. - "So you are off for a trip, my friend," said the Invalid,. "How long will it be before you return?" he continued. He was interested, for the difficulty in hobbling about and waiting upon himself with his stubby hands and feet in the trapper'-a absence was great, and the lack of his companion-, ship was greater, "I will only be gone for a few days, replied the trapper. "I am going tq visit the traps near the picture rocks as I am trying te eatch a mountain lion that frequents the place, and have seme hopes of getting a grizzly. And It happened that at this time Chief Egan and his warriors with their cantlve were making for the same viclnty. J (To b concrauedJ ym&k s&M "v To Balance a Plate. I . We have seen in the circus how plates, dishes,' etc., are turned around on the sharp end of a stick. Such things are generally made of wood or metal, and they lose their balance as soon as the turning movement' gets so slow that they cannot overcome the force of their gcavity. We will now learn bow to balance a p'ate on the point of a needle without the help of potation, ; ' r '! , Split two corks lengthwise and- stick a fork la the end of .each of the four parts, gp that they form not less than BALAKCED ON A NEEDLE POINT. a right angle with one another. Then .'place the four pieces of cork lu- even distances on the rim of the plate, and see .that the forks touch the edge of the plate. ' ." After this is done, place the plate oq the point of a needle, the head of which is. forced in the cork of a bottle, and tije plate will balance." By careful handling the plate can b.e' given, a. rotary motion which, , wll Jas,t some tjme. as the friction betweea the needle point and the plate is very small. The Back Yard Fence. Dorothy peeped . through the knot hole in the backyard fence in a state of high excitement. The four little Mc Fees were haying a tea, and she long ed with all her heart to-; be with them. As far back as she could remember, Dorothy had wished she bad a sister to play' with, hut to have three sisters or, what a delight! And yet each one of the little. McFees, had tbreej sisters; When they- played houne they- would havera, father and a mother aqd a, jfftok art) a H-fl nraHnu wlill- Kr '""TSrtiv4-K case al these characters bad tp be tafc en by d.oils., What Ud It matter that the little McFees wore patched dresses, and lived In a tiny two-roomed house? Dorothy thought them the happiest of mortals, and longed ardently to be friends with them. She went back into the house, after she had gazed through the knt awhile. " ' ahma," she, sid, ''.gp, yo,u. tfoink: hej will ever, uayita nje q epine and lay Uh, hepA?u '-perhaps, so," said mamma. "Put how can they when they have never even seen me?" asked Dorothy in doleful tones. "Couldn't I go and see them just once, and" then, If; they didn't like me, they wouldn't need to invite me to come again?" "Suppose you didn't like them,"- said mamma, smiling. "Oh, but " I do," said 'Dorothy. '-'The are' just as nice and polite to feaeh oth er as if they, were coorpanyC and Katie -she.'s" t'h'a biggest one keeps Maud Itian when their mother goes away to, work. ' They're, all .clean the. time, and they do have, such njee imes, pla,y tug. house. Don't you think; ujlg'b.t go just once?" "Wait a few daya satd; mamma, ''and. we shaU see about it," Qn the day the Mc-Feea had moved in the little houe, Dorothy had begged her motftep to allow her to go and play with them, and mamma had said she might go when they iuvited her. But that time seemed as far off as ever, for the fence dividing the back-yards iwas pf high, close boards, and the McF.es had never even bad a glimpse of their Uttle neighbor. -So, for many .days, Dorothy contin ued to watch the McFees" through "the knot hole, and to imagine'how delight ful it would be when she, coukj pjay with them. One morr(in s,he started out with her. doll for- a stroll lg the back: yard, b,ut came rushing back a moment later in breathless amazement, ' "Mamma," she cried, "the back yard fence is down flat on the ground." "Is t, Indeed?" said mamma, coming to the" door to look. Sure enough, the back yard fence was lying In ruins. "Do you think It's a miracle, mam ma?" asked Dorothy, solemnly. "I hardly think so," said mamma; "there was a very heavy wind last night, and I think that may account for it" "Well, it's as good as a, miracle, any way, and now maybe they'll ask me. to come, ami iday. witlj them," said Dorpr thy." " " ' " ; She, walked into the back yard a,nJ (here, were the, four. MeM , playing VudW- their apple tree. They looked at Dorothy, and "her doll admiringly, but they never thought of such a thing as asking her to come and play. Poor Dorothy walked up and down near the nnuined. fence, with hope almost gone from her bsart. "They don't want to play with me." ,;he said to herself, "and It doesn't do a bit of good that the fence is blown down." But Just then, as she passed the place nearest the apple tree, she beard Mary say to Katie: - "I just wish she'd ask us to come oyer and play with her, Well, she won't," said Katie; "don't yon suppose she's got enough to play with? Why, she has a lot of dolls and everything." ;. ' u . . Then Dorothy, with' a joyful heart, went over to them. - : - -"Would you please ask me to come and play with you, because my mam ma said I might as soon as you 'asked meT,and I want to so much?" Then the McFees, in an excess of de lighted hospitality, all asked her. even little Maud, who was only four years old. After they-had talked a little while, Dorothy ran In the house to bring her share of playthings, and the good-ua tured cook gave her some cakes and. apples for the play-house dinner. A half hour later, when mamma look ed out, she saw five little girls sitting around the dry goods box under" the apple tree, and she knew that Dorothy was quite happy again. Christian Her ald. -:" ,'" When Godfrey Grows. I wonder when it is I grow! "It's-in the night, I guess, - . My clothes go on so very hard . Each morning when I dregg, ' - 3?urse says they're plenty big enough It's 'cause I am so slow. But then she never stops to think That children grow and grow. - I wonder when! -1 can't find out. . Why, I watch Tommy Pitt In school for hours and I can't see .-- Him grow the smallest bit! I guess that days we stay the same, There's so much else to do In school and play, I must grow . ft ngn, i nraK jurat you ( , Youth's Companion. . . It Take. Qqite a Pftrty, :-"Mamma, aicf little June, "I 1- wayaj $wu.gh.t when . was little lots littler than J am now that folks grow ed married, but $ found out that they haye ft WS party and get married, and when I get big am going to have ahig party and get married, too!" Bow Awkward of Them. A small girl of three suddenly burst out crying at the dinner table one dy. "Why, Ethel, what $ the matter?" asked her mother. "Oh," cried Ethel, "my teeth stepped on my tongue." Little QhronMe, THE PANAMA HABIT, Alai a, New Idea on. tfe Ppon.nn.ciai tio,n of a, WM-d "If the Spanish, war didn't flo any. tWeg else for the country," says a man Who sells articles f wearing apparel for men, utt started a boom in paja (PM TVajaiuaa have-been In fashion for maBy yeawCbut not one man in twenty wore them up to four years ago. I haven t any statistics on, the subject of the pajama crop, for the year of the Spanish war. but, judging from the way the women's sewing societies In all the country towns weftt to work to make them, our army must have, beeij, supplied wth at least four suits fgr ?C wan in it, horse, foot ap,d dra.gO0& At once We began to feel the effect of it In our business Kvery man wanted to wear pajamas. We get orders now from rural districts where the pajamas was not even a name four years ago. We pronoijnc the word with the accenl; the sec ond syllable, but fin, Englishman, who came in here yesterday taught me ter. '.'I want to, see. some. paj-Jamas he said, bearing down hard on, the 'paj,1 At firsjt couldn't think wha,t b.e meant.. Then, said, with my penultimate ac cent; ' ' 'Qba ye, we have a, fine itne of PAjamas.- ' The Englishman looked at me. glass over one eye and disapproval in the Other, 'Young man, said he, speaking through the unglazed eye, 'I said paj- jamaa, and I know what I am talking about. I wore them in India before you were born, and I never heard them called anything but paj-jamas till I came to this beastly country. You'll show me paj-jamas, or you'll show me nothing at all' So I showed him paj-jamas, and now I'm willing for somebody. Ijo come In and ask for pa-jah-mas, so J can spring my new. British. pronunciatioD,.' Washington . PosJ. Pe. Meant Not Baby. Just sa.y "It's a great blessing" to ftovernor- Wells when you meet him and see him smile. - It happened this way: Tie Governor was feeling particularly happy and so ciable, when Surveyor-General Ander son came along last Saturday and started the conversation. Well," remarked the surveyor-gen eral, "It's come at last!" "Yes," responded the Governor with his most expansive smile, "it's come." "It's a great blessing, isn't it?," eon tinued Mr. Anderson, with, the air of Ji man who knows, whereof he speaks. Is it?" said the Governor with some perplexity; "well, I should say it te, 'And it's a nne thing for the farmers, too,' asserted the land; man, . Then a great Itebt dawned upon the Governjr. Anderson was talking about the rainstorm; the Governor had only one subject on his m.md that day. The stork had arrived with a baby boy. You. really ngbt to, see the Govern-; ox's face, when he hears, "And it's a great blessing." Salt Lake Herald. Immune. Towne It's a shame the way these big corporations put the screws on the people. ' - . Browne Never mind they'll have a hot time In the next world. Towne If I could believe that there' d be some consolation in that thought, but corporations, you know, ' have no seuls.Pb.nclelphta presa. Patience la a, virtue found chiefly la lazy people. ... Handling Corn Fodder. : Where shocks are made of unbound fodder It will be necessary to employ the aid of. a horse for building them and they should be well tied with binder twine. Al most any . device " . win answer for a - horse around which to shock the corn. Herewith is shown a device sent by a contributor for .tying shocks that Is. very neces sary. After the shock is made as large as desired.' the shaft of this device Is tbrart through, the shock- a Uttle above the half way distance from the bottom to the top, the end of the rope Is brought around the shock and the end passed over the smooth end of the shaft. By giving the handle a few turns the compass of the shock will be so drwn that It can be easily tied. Shocks tied in this manner seldom get twisted or out of condition. For hauling m. fodder, we have two designs. One of theme is an ordinary led-like deyice that is easily construct ed and will be found very handy for hawing fodder. It will be found espe cially handy Jn loading fodder. Some use this aled for hauling and ' the Shoefcs are not torn apart in hauling, t but are simply tipped over on tfie sled ana hauled away In this manner. The other deyice consists in a peculiarly constructed rack to' be placed on a low- wheeled wagon. , By the aid of a sim ple derrick-like contrivance on the rear "end of the wagon the shocks are easily lifted on the wagon, and; placed in a position on the load;. We know of sev eral farmers who hav used this de vice,, and; they pronounce tt good. Many ways can be provided for mak ing racks that will be convenient for hauling fodder and: these are only giv en as starters along this line. Iowa Homestead, Winter Spraylnsr of Frnit Trees. The spraying of fruit trees during the winter should not be neglected. Before the leaves start the trunk and every branch of the tree should be well spray ed with a solution of one pound of cop per sulphate in twenty-five gallons of water to check scab, codling moth, bird moth, tent caterpillar, canker worm, plum curculio and San Jose scale on apple trees, to be followed njo, afte- the blossoms fall by the routaf bordeaux mixture of four ppuoad each of sul phate of copper and lime tQ fifty gallons of water. Some prefer to' use six pounds sulphate of copper Instead of four pounds, buj w are not sure that this is any better than the other, while for peach trees that have put out their leaves the use of three pounds of ;sul phate of copper to six or nine pounds of lime Is thought strong enough for fifty gallons of water. But we are np,w; speaking of a winter spray tiefore the leaves come out. The mature of fifty pounds each of l,ine, salt and flowers of sulphur & used on the Pacific coast for the San Jose scale, but in our East ern climate it does not seem to be as effectual, as the frequent rains wash It off. A mixture of pure lime made as a thin wbitewa.sh and used on peach trees two or three times hV the winter has been recommended as a spray that will keep the leaves and buds from starting early enough to be killed by the spring frosts, American Cultivator. Feeding Pigs. An experiment made by the editor of Hoard's Dairyman shewed that pigs weighing one hundred pounds each, fed for eight weeks on skimmllk alone, and gold at the same price paid for them, had gained enough to make the value of skimmllk 22 cents a hundred pounds. Another lot fed on skimmilk and corn- meal for the same length of time made ten pounds of pork, and one hundred pounds of skimmilk and corn meal mixed and fed together made eighteen pounds of pork.- Combining them in creased their value twenty per cent - The QoOper-ative Lanndry, The co-operative laundry should be just as practical as the co-operative creamery. There is no labor that Is so dreaded by those who have the house hold duties to perform as is the work of the laundry, and It Is asserted that if it ware rt for this one item of labor the help question would not take on such a serious aspect as it does at the present time. It in suggested that a laundry for rural communities would give great satisfaction if not run on the co-operative plan, but simply placed on a busi ness basis like any other private con cern. If women simply demanded that laundry should be done away from home there is no question but what their demand would be satisfied. Iowa Homestead. " Artificial Ice Bonds. . - There are few better sources for get ting good ice than from a properly con structed artificial pond, because they can be placed on a stream of pure run ning water, which can be let off during the summer months, and allowed to fill up before freeziug weather. The bot tom can be cleaned before the water is let in, and if there is no impurity above, the ice will be much purer than from the" ordinary pond. A pond containing one hundred square rods should cut about twenty thousand square feet, or five hundred tons, when the ice will average nine inches thick, and this would be enough for several families or dairies. For a single family with small dairy, even six square rods would fill an icehouse ten feet square, twelve feet deep, or about thirty tons, more than many use for a dairy. If the ice was. thicker or was cut more than once : In a year, the amount would be largely j increased. Both these might happen in ( ordinary winters In this climate. The j Ideal pond . should be about 'AY3 feet , deep, and with a gravelly or sandy bot jtom. Water in the shallow pond j freezes more quickly than in a larger pond or a running stream, and where it Is filled quickly the ice is clearer. A grass bottom is allowable, if it be cleansed by mowing and raking before the water is let in. The shallow depth prevents danger from drowning unless one goes in head foremost. For the smaller houses one-needs no expensive outfit of ice tools. A straight-edged board to mark off the squares, a cross cut saw, and an ice chisel, a few pikes, a runway, with blocks and ropes to draw the ice up the run, are all that are absolutely necessary. Two men to cut, two to run it into the house and one to pack it inside will make a good gang for a small pond. -New England Farmer. Cheese Press. ' Here Is a sketch of a cheese press that we have found to be very useful; It can be made at a trifling cost. The up rights are 2x4 inch scantling, 4 or 8 feet long, with pieces of the same fast ened to the bottom for bases; 30 inches from the floor stout cleats are nailed firmly to the uprights, upon which rests a 2-inch plank, which serves as a tame; upon this plank Is a cheese hoop with a cheese Inside to be pressed; above this is a stout strip (2x4) with ends resting In mortises cut in the uprights; this strip should be cheese press. 5 or 6 feet in length; under it. In th center, is a block which rests upon a round follower the exact size qf the cheese to be pressed. The power is fur nished by the eccentrics, or arms, which are merely levers with, unequal circular ends; these work: on a bolt Which . pierces the circle near the top; 6 the ends of th arms fasten strings, which are tied to the side of the table tojpain tain the pressure. When the cheese ia placed in the hoop, the follower! and -bloc's adjusted, by pulling down on the eccentrics a pressure of any recfUired degree Is applied upon the ch.eesel."Both . the board and strip being elastic, th pressure is maintained as long as re quired. Jacob Harper, in the Epltonv 1st. . Charcoal for Hega, . Every hoghouse should contain a box full of charcoal. This may- be secured hy digging a pit-in the ground, starting the fire at the bottom and as it . pro gresses throwing in cobs and wood un til it Is full. When the fire in well Started, cover the whole with a.jjlece of sheet iron. The mass will be'Thor oughly charred In a day or .two'? and ean be taken out and used. Some feed ers make a solution of twelve pounds of salt and two pounds of copperas in a pail of water and sprinkle over the charcoal until it is pretty well satu rated. Hogs will remain healthy and in good condition If they are given good feed and plenty of charcoal. Amerian Agriculturist. it The Milkhonse. In planning a house for handllittfythe milk the main points are veutilsEfion, sunshine, drainage and to have it fijjhdy to an abundant supply of cold witter. The location should be where the.-ajr is pure, as milk absorbs odors and Is7 eas ily tainted and spoiled for butter-tfak-Ing or any family purpose. The build- lnff should have at least one window on the south side, so as to allow the-jsun to shine In when desired, yet so. ar ranged as to exclude the direct sunshine when necessary. '; " " fr The best mulch for a stra wberrytjjed is fine horse manure. Early in-he spring It should be raked off the'r&va and worked in - close to the plaats, using salt hay or any clean materia?. i"n Its place on the rows as a mulch after the plants are well grown, so as to pro tect the fruit from dirt and also to. shade the soiL. MM . , r