SEMI-WEEKLY
!XmifS Ktab. July, 1397.
OA22TTK ltab. le. 12.
j Consolidated Feb., 1899.
COKVAI-LIS, BENTON COUNTY, OREGON, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 1903.
VOIi. IV. NO. 29.
The Contrabandist
:OR:
One Life's
;4
i
CHAPTER XL
A stranger brought a note for Lionis
some hours after the disappearance of
Rose. He said his name was Raimonde,
and that he had been sent by a person
who was a friend both to himself and to
the missing girl. . '
The-note required Louis to trust him
self absolutely in the hands of the mes
senger. . For a time he hesitated.- Then
his anxiety led him. to obey. He even
'.. consented to be; blindfolded, as the letter
had enjoined.
Under circumstances of a less urgent
and exciting nature, Louis might have
paused to question the wisdom of his
course in wholly and unreservedly en
trusting himself to the hands of an ut
ter stranger. Together they continued
their route. , Raimonde paused, saying:
.' Will monsieur stand here an instant.'
I must move a step forward, and mon
sieur must be very careful not to re
move the handkerchief just yet." .
He released his hand and - .left him.
Louis, standing still, heard a hash, grat
ing sound at a little distance before him,
and a sound as of some person lifting a
heavy body.
-."Gome, -monsieur," said the voice of
Kmmimris:-"tiitinni titan forward and
here is my hand. I am below you now.
- You must stoop. Put your hand on my
shoulder thus. Now, you know that yon
stand on a, rock, from, which . I. have
jumped. You must follow me so; that is
it.. Here we are!" ;
i The grating noiso was1 heard again.
Then Louis was conducted over what
seemed to be a smooth and level path
of stone. He had been admitted by
"Raimonde through the rear entrance of
the cavern and was passing now through
ithe long subterranean gallery in the rock.
At length they paused ' again ; a noise
of bolts and bars withdrawn, and a door
; i a m i . ... , ,
IThen the handkerchief was untied, the
door closed behind him, and taking ' oSE J
tue bandage from ms eyes, .Liouis round
himself in the cell of Jacques. - -''
"MonsieurJ" uttered , Jacques, spring
ing forward, "so you are disguised, eh?
I did not know you at first.
' "You here, my good friend?" uttered
uous, m ustomsnment, loosing aooui
him. "What place is this?"
"-r-sh! not too loud, monsieur, if you
-please. I told you I was a prisoner did
;,I not?" . r w -
. Rose tell me' where she is."
"She is here a-lso, monsieur in a cell
- w uuvt mjj at..
1 "Jacques! so near me-and in danger?
Let me go instantly and deliver her!"
He was at . the door, but Jacques
sprang to his side.
"For pity's sake, monsieur., be careful,
or you will spoil all! Come here, I en
treat you, and listen to me. Rose is safe
at present, and if you are calm enough to
hear what I wish to say, and to act with
lne, we may rescue her in ten minutes,
.whereas such impetuous haste as yours
would ruin the scheme.""- ', . ',: i
" It was plain enough. The count suf
fered himself to be led to a seat at the
opposite "side of, the cell, and listen to
;the explanation of his companion, while
woxk-of.it. He .began by relating the
;tory or tne abduction of, Rose, and the
plot that led to it. Louis was -angered
auu uiuigjiunt Deyona measure, as ne iisx
. ened to the account of Gasparde's vil-
iainy.
"Who Is he what is he, this wretch,
'Gasparde?" he uttered, hotly.
;r "The chief of ;a;horde of brigands and
ft "Is it possible! and yet, why not? One
; cannot be surprised at hearing it of one
so base as he. And Rose is in his pow-
j, "Not exactly, ..monsieur. He brought
her hither, as ' I - have told you, to this
place, which is a cavern in the center
of the forest, and after placing her in
-the-.. cell, of . which have spoken, went
away with the men upon an expedition,
from which they will not probably return
until midnight or to-morrow ' morning.
When he comes back, he will either ex
tort from her a promise to marry him, or
keep her confined iin that cell, until she
pines to death; for he. is just so-merciless.
He never has forgotten the treat
ment he-once received-at your hands, nor
the threats and rebukes of - Hugh La
monte; and he has been watching ever
since for an opportunity of revenge. It
is ours to deprive him of that revenge."
"Your plan your plan, Jacques!"
"The man who accompanied you hither
is; th guard left by Gasparde. He has
procured for me an interview with you;
but he never suspects that it is f6r the
purpose-of liberating Rose and myself;
for were we to escape, he knows that the
vengeance of the leader would fall on
him Now, we? must .either, manage to
gain his silence by force' or by & bribe.
If we bind him, and leave him here when
we leave" the' place, why, 'Gasparde will
shoot him when he comes back; but if a
sum of money were offered him, I have
an id'ea 'ithat he would not . only suffer
his prisoners to escape, but also take
leave himself, since he has grown weary
of -iie captain's tyranny." , . -
"The bribe, then-the bribe, by all
means"V'said Louis, earnestly. "I hap
pen to have a considerable sum' with me;
but we miist be cautious."
"Y.es yes! we must be cautious, as you
say;' and in case he should refuse the
money we must be prepared to spring
-upon him.. A cord for his hands and
feet and a gag hat will do the business.
Now, then-, for the work.- I will call him
3n.. JJe prepared." And he called "Rai
monde!" !: - i ; . -
The guard appeared. Jacques glanced
towards the count, and then said: ,
- "Comrade, you don't forget, I suppose,
the conversation which we had at dinner?
the agreement which we made about
bidding adieu to monsieur le capitaine?"
The glitter of gold caught Raimonde's
eye, from a heavy purse which the count
leld carelessly in his hand. His avarice
was aroused. 1 ; "
A
TRUE
STORY
OF
THE
SOUTH
OF
FRANCE
Secret!
"I remember it very well, Jacques," he
answered.
The count stepped forward.
: "My friend, suppose you were to shut
your eyes for the space of half an hour,
and unclose them at the end of that time
t find yoafcseiT richer by a thousand
francs, or two or three times that ram,
perhaps?" ,'
"It would be a very pleasant thing,
monsieur." '
..'."I offer you that sum in return for a
certain Tavor which I shall ask at your
hands."
"Name the favor and it is yours, mon
sieur." "I desire the use of the keys which un
lock the doors of these cells, and you
will show me those in which you have
prisoners confined."
"It is a bargain. Follow me, monsieur.
So this is your business, comrade?" and
he smiled grimly at Jacques. "Well, it's
all the same to me, since I shall myself
escape from this place and be able to
live like an honest man."
So saying, he led the way from the cell,
advanced a short distance along the gal
lery, and pausing before an arched door
in the wall, said, as he unlocked and
threw it open :
"The only other prisoner we have is in
here, monsieur."..
And Louis, leaving the others outside,
entered. This cell, like that of Jacques,
was lighted by a brazen lamp, suspended
from the ceiling. Directly beneath this
lamp stood Rose, slightly bending for
ward, with her hands clasped, and an
eager, inquiring expression of counte
nance, as she beheld some one entering,
and heard the words of the guard. . But
she -shrank back at first, with a low cry,
as the disguised count met -her view. She
did not recognize him.
'. "Rose, do not fear; it is I!" he said.
"You, Louis? ah, Louis! I know you
now!" and weeping, amid her smiles, she
sprang forward to the arms outstretched
to receive her. "
The young man trembled with emotion
with feelings that were unutterable, as
he held the light form of Rose in his em
brace. ' .
"Rose, I have come to makepou free!"
he said, tenderly, supporting her to the
door. "Come with me dear child!"
"To set me free"? Let us hasten, Louis.
But 'where is he that wicked Gas
parde?" , .
"""Gasparde is " absent," Rose, and we
must escape ere his return. I will tell
you all when you -are once in safety."
Jacques stood at the door, unable, to
suppress his delight on seeing Rose
again, an durging them to hasten. Rai
monde said, briefly: :
"You had better use all the speed you
can, you can scarcely get away from
here too soon."
"Thanks, my friend; and here is your
reward," returned- Louis, at the same
time placing in the man's hand a well
filled purse. "And now, Jacques, let us
begone.".
: They reached the front of the cave.
Stretched on a heap of skins, by a glow
ing fire, lay the guard, smoking a short
stemmed pipe and meditating. ' '
" "Michel, come with me," said Rai
monde, briefly. '.
The man rose, indolently, and obeyed.
The cool,-damp wind blew across their
faces as they gained the entrance. An
involuntary exclamation of thanksgiving
escaped from the Hps of Rose and Louis.
.... "We" are free free!" uttered Rose,
with sweet and thrilling solemnity; and
pausing an instant, she bowed her head
upon her clasped hands
They parted, Jacques joining the count
aad Rose, to accompany them to the cha
teau. Louis pushed on, still supporting
tenderly the young girl at his side. A
few moments passed, and they were mak
ing' good progress,- when suddenly their
attention was attracted by a sound of
voices at some distance to the right and
the faintly discerned forms of persons
moving through the trees. Jacques paus
ed and listened. .
"Fly, monsieur fly! the men are re
turning!" whispered he, suddenly.
"Rose!" murmured Louis, in alarm, "I
must save you, at least!"
"Hasten hasten on!" urged Jacques;
"there is a hollow tree just beyond here
whWe Mademoiselle Rose can conceal
herself."
They pressed forward silently, but they
were perceived.
, "Yonder yonder! the third tree on the
right!" whispered Jacques, frantically ;
"hide her. or she is lost!' ;
There were shou.ts behind ; the brigands,
eight or ten of them, sent back by Gas
parde, were approaching; they discerned
the fugitives dimly in the gathering dark
ness, and their suspicions were roused.
They commenced a pursuit. But they
pursued only the count and Jacques; for
Louis had gently placed the form of the
half-fainting girl within the hollow tree,
and Instantly took an opposite direction
to lead their pursuers away from the
spot. The ruse succeeded; the brigands
passed the tree.
With an irrepressible cry of victorious
joy, Louis hastened on, with Jacques;
their evident desire to escape increased
the suspicions of the approaching party,
who now pressed close upon them. On
on, still, they went; further and further,
nearer to the edge of the forest. But
the brigands gained on them. Shots were
fired, too, but they missed their aim.
"Monsieur Louis, we shall be taken!""
uttered Jacques, as he made a last effort
for life.
And answering not a word, the count,
turning, fired at one of the men, who had
almost laid his hand on the shoulder of
Jacques. The brigand fell. A shout of
vengeance was raised by the pursuers,
and they rushed forward with mad haste.
"My good fellow, flight is no longer of
use. We must yield. . But she is safe!"
said Louis. -
He turned to deliver himself up; he
heard a cry of savage joy, felt a heavy
blow, and then lost all consciousness.
.
When-the young count recovered his
faculties he found himself lying on the
stone floor of one of the cavern cells,
which was fully lighted y the brasea
lamp swinging from th roof. How long
he had been here he was unable to guess;
but the scenes through wfcich he had
passed relative to the rescue of Rose
flashed so instantly and vividly upon
his recollection as to persuade him that
no very great portion of time had elapsed
since their occurrence. The flight, the
concealment of Rose, the moment of cap
ture all these were before him. He
wondered only that the brigands, enraged
as they were at the injury to tlfeir com
rade, had not torn him limb from limb. '
His captors had taken care to secure
him beyond the possibility of escape; for
they had fettered him,, hand and foot,
and to these fetters was attached a heavy
chain, the other end of which- was fast
ened' to a huge ring in the wall. He was
in captivity, but that captivity was sweet,
since he had, as he hoped, ensured the
safety of Rose. Yet he thought of her
with the deepest anxietjv still. He cak
euiated the chances of her findiag the
way from the forest, or, perhaps, she had
fainted in that narrow place of refuge,
and remained insensible amid the nox
ious damps of night, and with slimp rep
tiles and poisonous insects all about her!
But wiat would not be preferable to the
prison from which she had escaped? .
To Jacques his thoughts turned. As
a matter of course he also must have
been brought back, and he. too must be
in a cell, chained also. When would a
chance of escape come to either of them?
It was a matter of ignorance to him,
"whether Gasparde had returned with the
men whohad captured him. He was in
the power of murderers now, and there
was no reaon for them to be more len
fent to him than to any other who might
excite in them a thirst for vengeance.
Yet, with the probability of the" escape of
Rose, he suffered no apprehensions to dis
quiet him.
CHAPTER XII.
With rare booty, the spoils of that
night's work, the brigand chief, Gas
parde, returned, a little after midnight,
to the cave. He was in an excellent
humor with his multiplied success in ef
fecting the capture of Rose and gaining
far more than he had anticipated by the
robbery committed that night. ;
- What, then, was his rage and disap
pointment to learn from the men whom
he had sent back three or four hours
earlier that Rose had made her escape!
He "raved ' like a maniac; he vowed the
direst vengeance on the faithless guard,
who had disappeared, and on the spur of
the moment, would instantly have gone
to assassinate their new prisoners, had
not some quarrel arising among the men
diverted his attention for a time. During
this interval he had an opportunity to
become cool, and afterwards repaired to
the cells to ascertain whom it could ,be
that the man had taken in company with
Jacques, and who wore the disguise of a
brigand. His mingled astonishment, rage
and exultation may b easily imagined gm
discovering it to be the Count d'Artois.
"Oho, my fine fellow! so you are there,
are you?" he cried, savagely. ."Well
well, not a bad exchange of prisoners!
Won't I make you dance presently, mon
sieur! Just wait till daylight!"
"You may do with me what you will,"
answered Louis, calmly, "since she has
escaped. I can suffer any torture now."
"You talk bravely, monsieur! But I
mean to get her back again do you hear
that? I. will watch, day and night, till
the time comes, as I have watched since
the time when I vowed revenge for all
that happened to me at your hands. So
you helped her to escape, did you?"
"Yes; and be assured that she will be
kept now so far beyond your reach that
ho scheme of yours will ever draw her
hither again." .
"We will see to that, monsieur we will
see to that! Now mark me! I will get
the girl back, and you shall starve before
her eyes, day by day, hour by hour, till
you die in your chains!"
He went out, and left his prisoner in
the deep silence of his lonely cell to think
of those cruel words,
(To be continued.)
Country Is Good tor Working-Girls.
The girl who as bookkeeper, clerk,
stenographer, milliner or teacher in
her village home receives a weekly sal
ary of five, six or seven dollars is far
better off financially than the girl in
the same occupations in the city who
gets nine, ten or twelve dollars a week.
In the first place, the living expenses
are much smaller in the country than
in the city one gets very much more
for her money in the way of home com
forts; the wear and tear of clothing is
much less, and as a rule the work less
harassing to the nerves, since there is
not the same hurry and rush, keeping
brain and nerves stretched to the tight
est possible tension, so that after the
day's work is over one is too tired to
go in search of enjoyment.
Working long hours at muscle-wearying,
brain-wearing,, nerve-rasping tasks
in shops, offices, counting-rooms and
stores causes the city working-girl to
long for rest above everything else,
and in itself precludes the chances of
her malting desirable outside acquaint
ances except such as may be offered
through church affiliations, and even
these she is too tired to improve.
Woman's Home Companion.
Short of Water.
Utah proposes to avert pending ca
lamity to . her agricultural section by
supplying the Great Salt Lake basin
with needed water. Irrigation has cut
off the supply and the lake itself is in
imminent danger of drying up. The
usual supply of water is being with
held and evaporation is rapidly lower
ing the level of the lake. Centuries
ago the shores of the great inland salt
sea were high on the mountains, where
the line of the ancient brook is visible
to-day and the lake, which has sunk to
its present dimensions, promises to dis
appear far more rapidly than in the
ages past.
- He Would Make Her Cry.
Tommy Oh! Ouch! Stop that!
; Mamma Why, Tommy, aren't you
ashamed? I wouldn't cry that -way if
it was my hair that was being combed.
Tommy (fiercely) I'll bet you would
If I was doin' the combing. Philadel
phia Press.
Florida papers report that the lob
ster is disappearing.
I By!iiAaB . ' X .ugr' ...... i
Harrow for Bonscli Land.
While the average harrow, such as
may be bought at any amplement store,
does well enough on the average soil,
something of different construction is
necessary for stony or rough ground.
The tool shown in the illustration is
one of the best harrows possible to use
on -rough ground. The; main feature of
the tool Is that it is hinged in the mid
dle, so that in working around rocks
or stumps, either side "may be lifted
and the obstruction easily passed.
The lumber used tt generally 3x3
material for the portions marked A,
which represent all the" top pieces, and
1x3 for the piece marked B, the under
portions or braces. The coupling rod
used in the middle is attached with
hinges, as shown in the cut . The teeth
are of the old style spikes, and the
harrow can be easily put together by
any one. after the iron work is fashion
ed by the blacksmith. .
Buildinsr Poultry-Houses.
That the poultry houF must be com
fortable and free from drafts are the
main essentials, and the word comfort
able means that it should be light and
free from dampness as well as of a
proper temperature. The style of ar
chitecture is of little importance, ex
cept that it is best that the house be
comparatively low and rather square
in form, so that there will be little or
no waste space. Whatever seems best
as a floor, use, being careful, how
ever, that there is no possibility of its
being damp nor opportunity for ver
min getting into the house. If of
boards, cover the floor with dry sand
and over that keep a litter of some kind
all the time. , Clean out the sand every
month or six weeks and fill in with
clean material.
In lighting the poultry : house see
that the windows are so placed that
the greatest amount of sun may be
had and arrange so that they may be
covered at night during the winter.
Use newspapers freely as lining to the
house, tacking thm on in double lay
ers, after first filling in all cracks. A
house huilt after this plan, even of
the cheapest lumber, will, be all that is
desirable. ', '
Cots wold Breed of Sheep.
The illustration furnishes an idea of
the Cotswold sheep, which are becom
ing very popular, as breeders under
stand that they require good care. As
lamb producers they rank very high,
while the fleece is heavy and of first
grade. Considerable trouble has been
experienced in raising the breed in
some sections, for seemingly they were
not suited to the climate.
; No trouble will be experienced in
," THE COTSWOLD SHEEP.
this respect if the animals are given
suitable quarters, where they may be
free from wet and sufficiently warm
so that there is, no danger of chilling.
In some respects the result of crossing
a Cotswold ram with ewes of other
breeds, notably South Downs, gives a
stronger animal than the pure-bred
Cotswold. .The length of the fleece, as
well as other desirable features of the
breed, make it well worth" the atten
tion of sheep raisers, at least for cross
ing purposes. J,
Winter Feeding of Sheep.
Many sheep raisers have an : idea
that sheep should be fed succulent
foods and a variety only for a few
weeks before the- lambs are dropped.
This is a mistake, particularly when
the economy consists of making , the
food for the early part of the winter
dry fodder. Sheep may exist on such
rations, but they cannot thrive on
them. As a rule timothy hay is not
goed as a dry fodder for sheep. I have
HARROW FOR ROUGH LAND.
found my flock gave much better re
suits by using corn stover and feeding
liberally of succulent foods, such as
turnips and mangels ' mixed with
a little wheat bran. By this feeding
early in the season less grain Is re
quired, even at the time when it is
fed more liberally, two months before
the lambs are to be dropped. It does
not pay to work on the idea that the
sheep have gathered on the pasture
enough fat and muscle to carry them
through several months on starvation
rations.
Machinery in the Wheat Field.
The grower who raises a square mile
or more of wheat is constantly look
ing for machinery' that will lessen the
expense of harvesting and threshing,
the crop. For this reason the machine
known as the header has come inte
favor within a few years.,.. Theheader
clips the stalks of wheat' a few inches
below the head of the grain, and no
binding is necessary. It cuts a swath
twelve feet wide. The" four horses
which furnish the power are , hitched
behind, and they push the machine
into the field. A self -binder drawn
by three or four horses and cuts a
swath six or seven feet wide. A head
er will harvest forty acres a day,
while the capacity of a binder is fif
teen acres a day. The cuttings are car
ried from the header, by an , endless
belt, to a header barge, which is
driven beside the machine. When one
barge is full it Is driven to the stack
and another takes Its place. The ad
vantage of a binder is that the wheat
can be cut before it is thoroughly ripe,
as the ripening process will continue
in the shock. Harvesting is often be
gun with a binder and finished with a
header. A new machine which is being
tested by the farmers Is a combina
tion binder and header. A header is
indispensable who the wheat is short.
It lessens the expense of harvesting,
as the wheat goes at once into the
stack, instead of being shocked and
then stacked. Review of Reviews.
Money from Apples.
, One of the troubles with fruit-growers
who do not keep posted on the de
mands, of. the market is the Idea , they
have that any sort of an apple will sell
at some price. This is so as far as it
goes, provided the fruit is properly
graded, but when one packs all grades
in the same basket or barrel, the
chances are, nine out of ten, that the
fruit will bring only the price of the
poorest specimens. The most success
ful fruit growers have but two grades,
and any fruit, particularly apples, that
falls below the second grade, goes to
the cider milL
If this plan is carried out and the
packing is done attractively, the two
grades of fruit will bring in a greater
profit than would be possible if all oi
the fruit was marketed with little oi
no surfing. Care should also be taken
that the fruit is picked carefully; have
each specimen go into the barrel with
its stem on, but not with a twig which
will Injure the other fruit.
Pruning Berry. Plants. "
As a rule growers of raspberries and
blackberries do their annual pruning
in the fall, particularly if they follow
the plan of summer Dinchlng back.
The idea is in fall pnirfing to cut back
canes that are making a very rapid
growth, which is not likely to mature
before cold weather. If cut back in
the fall, these canes will heal over and
are not likely to winter-kill a great
deal. In sections where the winters
are severe and the canes are likely to
kill back during the winter, the fall
pruning may not he desirable, unless,
as stated, the growth is not likely to
mature before cold weather. Under
such conditions, the pruning may be
left undone until spring, when one can
readily determine how much to cut
back by the length of canes that has
been winter-killed. .
Farm Notes.
The farms of the United States 'cover
841,000,000 acres and employ nearly
10,500,000 people.
The total income of all American
farmers last year was about five and
one-half million dollars.
"The upper ear on the stalk for seed
corn" seems to be the verdict from
some Rhode Island trials.
Golden Bantam "sweet corn is spoken
of as a comparatively new small vari
ety well suited to the home garden.,,
It requires the labor of about ten
millions of men and women for nine
months of the year to harvest all the
crops of the world.
Manitoba is the greatest wheat-raising
country in the world. It yields
twenty-five bushels to the acre; North
Dakota yields only thirteen.
An egg-laying race is in progress at
the Agricultural College oi Australia, In
which the American Brown Leghorns
and the Australian Silver Laced Wyan
dottes lead. At the last count the
Americans were five ahead of the Aus
tralians. The total number laid up to
that date by these and other competing
breeds was ISO. ,
South Africa is now buying largely
of imported dairy products. During the
six months ending June 1, 1901, 480,000
pounds of butter and cheese were im
ported Into that country, whereas dur
ing a corresponding period in 1902 the
amount was nearly doubled, and ' a
steady increase In the yearly imports
may be expected.
Apple-Time.
We ist loves to go to gran'ma's,
Apple-time,
When the trees ist loaded awful,
An we climb.
'N get ist all the beauties,
, Eve'y one;
. Up 'fore day to help 'em gather
JTwful fun!
Gre't big Baldwins, yaller Midas,
Sour 'crabs, '
'"'Nen when we eee extry beauties,
We ist grabs!
v Apple-pie, 'n' apple-dumplin's,
' . Cider, too!
'Nen we have to have a doctor
'Fore we're through.
We ist loves to go to gran'ma's,
. An' to climb
When the trees ist awful loaded,
Apple-time.
St. Nicholas.
A.Weelc'of i&aterdaya.
If every day were Saturday, ,
Oh, wouldn't human life be gay?
To-morrow then would always be
A Sunday ae you all can eee.
Then Sunday night would not be blue,
Because no Monday is in view.
And all the teachers would be made
To look out for another trade.
t - ...
But ma eay if she haflt her way
There'd never be a Saturday;
She says if there was more than one
Her labor never would be done.
Maybe I'll be like ma some .day
And quite forget how 5tis to play.
But until then I wish, oh, dear,
That Saturday was always here.
Tha Choice of Jeffy
"There's five!" Jeffy announced at
dinner. He had spent nearly all the
morning with them, and he was in
the "addition table" at school, so he
knew.
"Flve? What a lot!" mamma said,
Interestedly. "Are they all pretty ones,
Jeffy?"
"Yea'm, all 'cept just ene. He's
homely. I guess it makes him ache,
for he keeps a-crying. The other thr
four." Jeffy had not got to the "sub
jtraction table" yet, so It was not sur
prising he said three at first "the
other four," he corrected himself, "are
pufflckly beauties, yes, sir! You ought
to see 'em, mamma!"
At tea-time there was another an
nouncement. This time Jeffy's face
was radiant.
"I can have one!" he shouted. In
his excitement. "Mrs. Jumper says
so! She says I can have first choice
there!" '
"Why, isn't that beautiful, dear!"
mamma said. "Which one are you
going to choose?"
"Oh, I can't tell yet 'slf ! I'm go
ing over every day an' decide. It
takes a great deal of time. There's a
white-an'-black one, an' a black-an'-white
one, and two little Malty ones
all over."
"Asnd the homely one, Jeffy."
"Yes'm, of course, the homely one."
"Does it still make him ache?"
Mamma's voice was pitying and gen
tle. "It must be awful to be as home
ly as that, Jeffy!"
"He keeps on a-crying," Jeffy re
plied, He did not care to talk about
the homely one.
Every day Jeffy went over to Mrs.
Jumper's to decide. He decided dif
ferently every day. Monday he chose
the white-and-black kitty; Tuesday,
the black-and-white one. Wednesday
he decided on the Waltiest Walty
one. But on none of the days
'Thursday nor Friday did he
choose, .the homely one. Jeffy
thought, it grew, i anything, a little
homelier.
Friday at dinner Jeffy announced his
latest decision.
"I think the Malty one that Isn't
qul-ite so Malty," he said. "That one's
got such a puffickly beautiful little
face! . But I'm going to take one day
mere to decide."
Saturday there was no school, and
Jeffy could spend all the time he liked
up in the sweet, clovery haymow de
ciding. He lay ' stretched out besides
the little Bcooped-out nest in the hay,
and stroked one after the other of the
tiny, soft kittens with his kind little
hands all but the homely one. Jeffy
did not stroke the homely one. He was
a little afraid to, for fear but of
course there was not any real danger.
The idea of choosing the homely one!
Still, the little forlorn crying kind of
hurt; you could not help hearing it
When Jeffy went home on Saturday
he had his kitty snuggled up in his
it
Little Stories . and t
Incidents that Will
Interest and Enter- J
tain Young Readers
t
blouse. It was purring as if it was
having a beautiful time.
"Why!? Mamma took a peep.
"Why, Jeffy, it's the homely one!"
"He's a very nice kitty," Jeffy said,
stiffly. Then he fell to stroking the
warm ball of fur, and his kind little
ftngeps were very tender. Then after
while he explained- softly: "I took
him up for a minute Just to comfort
him, because he was crying and so
mis'ble, and I found out that he was
the most lovingest one of alL"
Youth's Companion.
Misplaced Sympathy. v
Nellie went with her mother to call
on a lady who is a collector of old
china, and in whose drawing room are
many cabinets filled with her treas
ures. "Mother," she said, when they were
going home, "don't you feel sorry for
poor Mrs. Haskell?"
"Why, dear?" asked her mother in
surprise.
"Didn't you notice. Mother, she
hasn't any kitchen? She keeps all her
dishes and plates in the parlor."
' A Lok1c1 Conclusion.
Elizabeth, a three-year-old tot, was
standing on the porch with me. No
ticing smoke some distance from the
house I said:
, "I wonder what that smoke Is com
ing from?"
"Fum a fire, I fink," was the se
date reply.
' For Tonntcer Worshipers.
Little Joy learned her prayers about
as soon as she could talk, but appa
rently did not grasp the meaning of
"Amen," as one night she devoutly
concluded her petition with the substi
tute, "A Little Boy."
CUSTOM OF FLAGELLATION.
Lieut. Barry Report. It Still Preva
lent Amoajc Filipinos.
According to a report received at the
War Department from Lieutenant C
M. Barney, of the medical department,
now stationed at Fort Schuyler, N. Y.,
.3 M 1 .1 . 4-V -rlh-tli
pines, "the custom of flagelation is still ;
prevalent among the Filipinos, espe
cially during holy week.
While in Bulacan province Lieuten
ant Barney had an opportunity to wit
ness this practice, in regard to which
he says: '
"A person falls ill, for example, and
ne promises tne ueixy inai n ne get
well he will perform penance of such
and such kind, during such and such
days of holy week, for so many years.
Or 4f he has an enemy whom he wishes
to get rid of he vows that if this ene
my dies he will drag a ball and chain,
or flagellate himself, or perform some
other specified penance on holy Thurs
day esery year during the rest of his
life. Back of the small chapel called
visita,' which exists in every village,
begins his penance. With his face cov
ered to -prevent recognition, stripped to
the waist, and with no clothing but
loose thin white cotton trousers, one
finds him standing with his arms fold
ed, his head bowed forward and his
body, bent, while an everyday-looking
native slaps him on the back till the
blood comes into the skin. Then he
is spatted with a piece of wood with
little metal points in it till his back is
macerated and the blood runs freely.
Then he starts out on a long day's
lournev from visita to visita.
"He Is certainly a weird and bar
baric spectacle as he silently and slow
ly stalks along with covered face,
swinging from side to side a cord Into
the end of which is braided a bunch
of sticks about the size of pencils,
which strike his bare, bleeding back
with a loud sound at every step and
macerate It so that the blood oozea
down and soaks his white trousers.
"At short intervals he prostrates him- -self
in the dust, utters some unintelligi
ble Jargon, possibly a prayer, while the
everyday-looking citizen spats him on
the back ad on the soles of the f eet .
with a flail as he grovels there. At
Intervals the outlandish figure goes
through grotesque contortions or pro
gresses by handsprings. Whenever he
comes to a stream or ditch he plunges.
Into it, and whenever he reaches a vis
ita he grovels before it and spends
much time in prayer. , One may see
these flagellants lying prostrate in the
dust for long periods at a time. But
the chief picture one carries in mind la
an erect native with covered face, bare
bloody brown back and blood-stained
trousers, stalking slowly forward along
the bamboo-fringed roads to the rhyth
mic accompaniment of the swinging
scourge, while from every house for
miles comes a weird monotone lilt
which represents the chanting of the
passion." Washington Star.
Where Manufactures Go.
Half of the manufactures of this
young and newly . developed country
go to the old and well-developed sec
tions of Europe, where manufacturing
is the chief industry.
The Jews-of London.
The Hebrew population of London,
has more than doubled during the last
twenty years. It is now estimated at .
between 100,000 and 120,000. -
There is but one. thing that can be
accomplished in a hurry, and thrt is
nothing.