The Contrabandist:
:ori:
ine Life's
riiAPTnii vi
A iiiniiili imaacil. I...urx tin, Intended
III CV I 111! I'lllllOI tl,. .iri(i of
n iiiuuiii. ii h I,,, 1,111 mill hi, lingered;
nnil, as Im IhhI ii,, pri'Mlnit l.n.ln, u.
where, In' until in lilin,.r n,, n, .,.
Ilirr llllullt Hour nuuv i. u.,ll i. ...... ... I,.
places when, Ii lulu t m,, , w,, 1()
u'n" '" "" 'leparl.
Hum passed y,.r, iih.innniljf nt ,
rlmli'iill. A grcnl imrlliiii nf Ilia dnya wna
l I Indoors. In Hi,. society of hla mi-
rie nun ma lii'iiiilirul cousin Helen; and
llm rcinnliiilcr una spent In ,, tM-ri nlr,
III I ho purault ui ,, fn,r i,ih,.
Weill. I,imla una na r,iiul iif sketching
na ever, iiiul iick i ly ..very uumilug he
llllullt have, been nt-a-n riiiliii; iil.,iit Hiu
iielglilinrhund I mil ,,r f(,o, for hla
pencil, na hnn. ulri-mly seen him, re
turning nt iiiiiiii, iiiaplay Mademoi
selle .Moulnulinii 1 1, result of hla labor;
though, fill III,, Ural occasion uf llila kind,
It must In, nlloncd Hint tlx, cilillilllim of
Ilia skclchen mis u I.J.-. l.-.l tu tlim, alight
icaerve, lhi plrluni nf llo.u nnd Ii,t
n citing living withhold, For what ren
oil, however, In, himself, perhaps, acarc
1 knew nt dm Hun,.
II linil seen lliiau two or tlirrc tlmra
since Unit Vlall. holll ill It,., i'IhiIi.iiii ami
t the i-iittngc, where ho timl mot her
rather alau. Thu ailinlrullim of I.uula
fur our iiri'tijf lu-rulnu certainly wnn l,y
no tncaiia on thu doereuao; whllu HujU
Lninnuli, wna nn culgiun tu lilm. Thu pe
culiarity of thla mini's nppcnraucu nml
manurra una n mutter nf no Mill,, per
plexity tn lilm na to others. The grnvlty
nml reserve of 1 1 ilif la wero an many nub
Joel nf mystery, llm It wna n myatcry
Uut likely noon to Im aolvod, Nobody
know an) thing concerning lilm previous
tu III 1 1 1 1 1 of hla ruining to occupy lila
prt-acnt ub,nle. Ilia former place uf rea
Idcnce wna iinknnwii, Conjecture- ti ml
iluno lirr hot. nml tin myatcry remained
iiiyatcry allll.
Irfinla often apokn with lila undo on
llila subject. Thu good innrinla could
unly shako hla head In perplexity.
"llu la a strmigo mnn, Hint la nil I
enn ny, my dear lioy," anhl ho; "nml
i tlicrc la aiiuietblng nbuut lilm wliloli
nttrncta me. 'I'hnt lofty sternness which
he sometimes wears ntrlkra ono moat
strnngcly. I never olmerro It without
thinking nf "
"Of wlint. monsieur?" akt,l Iiiula.
"Of my -of lli'iirl your uncle, my Iniy.
We quarreled once, liu nml I, nml ho
wore Juat Hint look nml maimer after
ward. Von noVcr anw hi in, Ioula." Ami
Iho ciKkl innr,iila sighed.
"Wlint wna Iho rcnaun of Ilia quarrel,
uncle?" naknl Iula.
"It la n long slnry. I cannot loll you
now," wna the nuawcr; "hut. anmo ilny,
perhaps, I will ri-hito It tu )uu."
It wna no iiiicoiuinuii think now for
l,oul to riiconnlrr Jncquea l.eroux now,
In lilt tiaunl atrolla nbuul the neighbor
hood. They of Ion mot; nml tho young
count, frrllni; nil lulrri-at In thla rough,
I. lit cvlclrntly liuiirat lirnrtnl follow, who
hml tnkrn (inlna tu rrmlrr lilm n aorrlco,
anont many nn hour In convrrantlou wltli
lilm whllu recllnlnif on thu bnnka uf tho
vnlloy atrrnni, I'lik'nk'oil In nintlluk-, ur
runinlm; over wooil nml hill, with hla l
IoumI imrtfollii, fur l.oula wna nu unwrnr
I o,l nrtlat.
Ami nil thla tlmu Ouainril wna nwny.
Iluiih nnj Jiu-,iioa nlonu know whore;
fur tho fornior. IIiikIi I.ninontt', tinrnay
nt n iiolifhliurhuil an llttlo tu Im ilcalrol.
hml illaiatrhnt lilm to innunue tho nffnlrn
of Hint portion uf thu honlo niKnEou in
the cuntrnbnml Initio, well miaouing Hint,
Ih'Iiii! na fnr illatnlit na thu count Itaolf,
ho hail nothllli; unpU'iiaant to npprohoml
from lilm. (Iiiaiinnlo, na may Im KUoaaeil,
hml been no Utile illaanllalloil with thla
nrriingi'iiioiit, nml roaolrnl to return, ae
irvlly, na noon na nn opportunity pre
aouti'il llaelf.
It wna ono ilny when l.oula hml born
rnuibllmt nbuut ilurliiK tho uhnlu morn
ing Hint, wonrlctl out, ho throw lilmaolf
liriiontli tho nhnilow of n troo to rent, In
tho mlilat of n amnll cruro half wny be
tween tho chntoiiii nml tho cottnKe. Ho
hml it book with lilm, nml ok-iiIiik It, soon
been uio ileoply oiiitiiKvil In 111 iHTIianl.
rerhupa ho mlitht hnn, pnaaoil half nu
hour thiia. At the mil of Hint time, how
ever, ho cIiihoiI it, nml tnkliiK up hla
cuu, which ho hml thrown on Iho turf
boalilo 111 in, ho took hla wny tuwnnla tho
rouil, which wna not iniiny atepa illatntit.
Hut ho hml liunlly rciuhoil It, ero n bul
let whlalloil throiiKh Iho nlr, "truck hla
left unit, pliiuchini; up thu tl'eah na It
went, nml rouliuului; ita rourao till It
IihIkoiI iu tho trunk uf a Inrk'o treo by tho
rumlalile.
It hml ovlilently proceeileil from aomo
plnco very near tho pot which lio had
loft; but ho hml no llmo to look for tho
auurco of tho compllinent, fur tho warm
blow) nlrvmly puurvil ilowu hla nrin, ant'
muting completely tho aleevo which cov
ered It. lliiatelilm; on, ho ant down by
tho trunk of tho treo which hml receiv
ed tho bullet, nnd Inking hla handkerchief
out, folded It Into n bnndnge. At that
moment, rnlaing hit eye, ho beheld
Jnctiuea I.oroux coining nlong tho roml
from tho village llu culled to lilm, uud
tho mnu ran up,
"Whnt'a tho matter now, Monsieur
I.oulii" he uaked, lu aomo aurpriap,
"Hhot In tho arm) Winged llko a wild
fowl! Why, what " Ho glanced nt
tho gun thnt tho count had ugalu laid
down, and I.ouls recogulrod tho luiproa
lon which ho entertained.
"Well, my good fellow," ho auld, light
ly, deaplto tho alight fnlntncaa ho felt
from tho loan uf bloud, "you do not think
I would commit Intentional aulcldo do
you? nnd If I did, I ahiiuld certainly ae
lect a surer aput than thla, Hut I am
glad you nro here, Thla onc-hnnded work
la rather awkward. Juat fasten the blind
age about It tightly, It you plonso to,
That la It, Ho nuro the knot la fast."
Aud during thla tlino I.ouU hail con
cluded, aluco Jnciitiea hml driiwn hla own
Inference!), to let hlin keep them, und tell
lilm nothing concerning tho actual state
of tho mutter; for n thought hml Bud
donly occurred tu lilm, nB ho endeavored
to account for tho enso hlnmeir, which
mado him reaolvo to trust hla own dex
terity In finding out tho truth, and keep
alleat on the subject until them. I'or
whoever had llrod this shot ut him wna
nn enemy, alnco ho could not bring him
elf to bcllovo tho deed unintentional.
Aud what eucmy had ho besides Oaa
imrdoV I,oula passed aovornl dnya lu deep retlec
tlon. A double object occupied Ida at
tention, which was, lu part, tho discov
ery of tho present whereabouts of (las
pardo, whom ho believed to bo lu the
neighborhood without tho knowledge of
Hugh I,aiiiontos the other point tho rend
er will presently understand,
A half-perfected achemo wan hi pro.
gross of completion. Vor a (line, ua wo
liai auld, ho mcdltutcd on this, uud
A
TRUE
STORY OF
THE
SOUTH
OF
FRANCE
Secret!
llnnlly laid It out to hla own anllafuc-
lull.
Ily thla Him, hla arm wna nlmoat en
1 1 rely honied, llu hml renin hied within
doors for some dnya; but now resumed hi
uaiinl oiit-iif-door nmuaemeiita. Inking
good enre, however, to avoid every plnco
Wherein n foe in g it lie concenled.
Home careless Imiulriea which ho made
or lloo nnd Iter father, assured him Hint
even If (Inapnrdu wero In tho neighbor
hood, they wero unconscious of It. II
resolved to sot a watch, however, to na.
certain the amount of correctness lu hla
suspicious.
One day, very shortly nfler tho occur
reiicea above recorded, I,oula received let
(era from Lyons which seemed to Inter
eat him very deeply, Hindoos of aomo
Importance, be announced, obliged him to
leave the chnteau sooner than ho had In
tended. Tho good mnriUls expressed the
utmost concern and regret at hearing
thla.
"Why, my dear Louis," anld he, "I
counted on keeping you for months yet.
Why will you go? Nurelr rou ran aub'
mlt to your agent, or nvocet, all affalra
of business for the present.
"My dear uncle, tho caao la Impcrn
tire," answered the count.
"Then, as noon aa thla affair la trans
acted, yuii will return to ua? I will hear
of no refusal."
"I promise you, monsieur, I will re
turn."
Helen Montntibnn hml waited silently
fur tho decision. Hhe mad no attempt to
urge I.oula to prolong hla atay. Hue did
not even eipress n regret nt tho nn
nouiiceinent of hla Intended departure on
the following' day; but a closer observer
might hnro seen Iho emotion which she
felt. And alio received the parting kiss
uf her handsome cousin with a smile.
'My dear Helen." ho snld. frnnkly, tak
lug her hands In hla, "tell mo that you
nre aorry to bid ma adieu, or I ahall uut
believe It.
"I do regret your departure, 1au," she
answered, In a low, clear tono; "but why
should I display It? iou say your bus I
iiesa Is Imperative, nod I would not detain
you. Hcsldrs, you are to return."
"lea I shall return," he echoed.
Adieu, sweet cousin!"
"I,ouls," aald tho marquis, na he ac
companied hla nephew to the gate of the
court, "you must mind and conio back
aa aoon aa maalble. If the plan which
I mentioned tho other day aueeeeds, Itoae
will bo an Inmate of tho chateau before
winter, l'oor little Itoae! one ennuot but
wlah to see her In such circumstances na
acem more bctlttlng her. Helen needa
a friend and companion, too, and both
will be benefited. If Hugh I.nnionto will
consent to part with her, she ahall conic.
The first thing that put this plan into my
thoughts was the persecutions of thnt fel
low (lospsrde. I wished to remove her
from his wny. To bo sure, he la not hero
at present, but then there la no knowing
how aoon he mny return. I shall talk
with Hugh-! ahall talk with lilm; and
Helen will us her Influence, too, I know,
for she likes Hose. Bo when you return,
you may, perhaps, nnd another cousin,
Louis."
"Your plan Is an excellent one, my dear
uncle," returned the young man, "and
I wish you all success. Depend upon It,
the endeavors which you nnd my cousin
make, fur tho bcncllt of Hose, will not Im
thrown away.
The gate of the court closed; tho guest
wns gone.
Slowly rodo master and man down the
valley to tho little Inn by tho ruadslde,
and here Louis dismounted. Immediate
ly, as he did so, thero camo from an
Inner room a young man, who, appearing
nt tlio door, made a respectful obelsauco
to Louis, saying:
"Ah! monsieur; you see I am punc
tual."
"tioodl" answered the count. "How
long have you been hero?"
"Three hours fully, I think."
"That la well. I aeo you do not forget
your master's hablta. Hut come; wo must
haw a room In private ror a little while.
Francois!" to hla valet, "get down and
wait awhile. I wlah to transact some pri
vate business with this person. Come,
ltobln!"
"You have got your spado and Its ac
companiments with you, 1 presume?" In
quired tho young count of tho man ha had
met, aa the two entered a little roum to
gether. "Yes, Indeed, Monsieur Louis, and ono
or two changes of apparel. It la tor no
more thau a month or two, I think you
aald?"
"That la all."
"Then I dare say I brought sulllclcnt
with me; more than that might lie
thought superfluous, you know. Wo
must be natural."
"Yea-yea. ltobln. It la all right. Shut
tlio door now, and bo careful thero is no
chance for eavesdroppers."
They went In, and tho door was clos
ed upon them.
Homo twenty minutes might Imvo elaps
ed when It wna ru-opened nnd they camo
forth again, the young count striking
from Ids varnished boot ono or two
straws with hla riding switch, and bend
ing hla head to conceal n audio that curv
ed hla mustached lip; whllo hla compan
ion, with less apparent restraint, wan
laughing outright a low, musical, but
hearty laugh. Ho quickly grow grave,
however, and aald, aloud, aa they pro
ceeded to the outer door, where the Inn
keeper wns still standing, and endeavor
ing to draw tho usually gruff Francois
Into something llko conversation!
"You think, then, monsieur le compte,
that I ahall get employment somewhere
about hero?"
"O, doubtleas doubtless, Itoblu!" woa
tho reply. "You will havo my certlflcatn
of character, It It Is required; but your
faro will do as well, If I am not mistak
en." "Well welll I need not tell you to bo
havo yourself, ltobln. I wish that you
may meet with good fortune."
"Thank you, monsieur," returned tho
other, gratefully, "I shall endeavor to
do credit to your recommendation,"
"Ah welll" muttcrod Francois, cross
ly, aa he mounted hla own llttlo hack,
and glanced surlily enough toward his
master; "if young pcoplo will turn Into
wild geese, I do not know who will re
pent but themselves."
OHAPTEH VII.
r ,I.a .1 nf Ihn nrtlinl'a dollA rtlltrt
from tho Chateau Montuiiban, there stop
ped at the cottage of Hugh I.nnionto a
young peasant, dressed lu coarso but
neat gain, ana carrying across ins mmue
iter a heavy stick, on which awung a buu
dlo neatly tied up In a largo cottou hand
kerchief. ,
This person was of something above tho
medium height, light and athletic lu form,
nnd with straight, shapely limbs, whoso
gruce uud activity his rude dress could
not conceal, Hla countenance was a fine,
frnnk mid pleasing one; Iho fentures In
disputably handsome, and the complexion
slightly darkened, evidently by exposure
In sun nml wind; whllo Iho simple open
ness nml honesty of his manner could not
fall to plenso line.
At tho Invitation of Hugh Lamonlo hn
entered r ml not iown, stating that he
hml coinu from Avnllon, and desired to
obtain employment In this neighborhood.
"Wlint kind of employ men t do you
seek?" naked Hugh.
"I nut n gnrdeiier, monsieur," answered
tho young mnu, respectfully, "nnd If I
could Imvo the cure of a gnrdrii some
where about hero"
"Hut," Interrupted Hugh, In a thought
ful lone, "we do not need gardeners about
here, lip In tho village, where the peo
ple are all fanners, they take eare of
their own gnrdens. Ilesldes, It la lato In
thu aenauu fur that work."
Tho youug ma ii blushed ns he returned:
"O, I know Hint, monsieur I know
that: but I would bo willing to wurk fur
so much Iho less,"
"(loud! Hut still, I think It Is not very
likely that you will find employment of
that kind. If It wero the spring Instead
of near tho autumn now, perhaps tho
marquis might tnke you, 'Hut as It is,
you miint think of something else. You
are really In need uf work, I suppose?"
"Yes, monsieur. I bilug a certificate
from my former master."
"Who was he?"
"Tho (,'ompto d'Artols, monsieur."
"The Compte d'Artols!" Hugh regard
ed the young man fixedly fur a moment,
till the red color Hushed Into his cheek
agnln. "Let me nee your certificate. It
you please," ha said. .
The man druw It forth and gave It to
Hugh. It snld simply:
"This certifies that the bearer, Itoblu
Mar ron, Is Industrious, honest and tcln
pernio, and will he found faithful and
trustworthy by whoever may need his ser
vices.
"(Hlgned),
LOUIH, C0MITI3 D'AItTOIS."
"'hot I. ui.,11" ..I.I !!,,l, nnlollr
he returned the paper, "and speaks ex-,ree' for a f"011 n8Ter known, after
cellenlly for you, Master Itoblu. Hut It "Wild Bill" had aUked lilm. When
will not be of much use here, I am afraid. "Calamity Jane" heard of It, she start
Is thero nothing else you could do?" ed at once to find McCaull. "Wild
"Oh, yes. monsieur," answered ltobln. H" wnl uer friend, and the fact that
i nae mis iieiguiwruoou, aim i navo
aomo fancy for farm work. Doubtleas I
could make myaelf uaeful to aomo of your
nolirhlmra "
"Well, It Is a busy time, and there Is
every ehaiico for ono who comes recom -
mended like you. Ultra work-people ore
wanted by aeveral of tho farmers. There
la Antolne lAbrun and I'lerro Mnrtln,
both of whom I know need one or two
more men. They lire something llko a
mile or two beyond here. You will, with
out doubt. Dud work among aomo of
them."
"Thank you. I will try them," return
ed ltobln, rising, aud taking up his stick
and bundle, which hn had laid beside him
on thu Door.
(Tu Im) continued.)
A BRITON'S IDEA OF FREEDOM.
It Waa to Itoll Himself on tile While
House l.uwn, anil He Did It,
"I never gci to Washington that I do
not think of n young Kugllshiimn who
went uroiiml the city with mo u dozen
years ago," said u innii who had Just
returned from the Inauguration cere-
motile. "Wo nuw everything thnt there
wna to be hwu. He waa plenaed with
everything, nnd he auld no; but tbo
thing thnt ImprcHscd hi m tnont wiib the
luck of furmallty uud the nbavnee of
EUiirdH.
'lie never tired talking ot this and
comparing tho simplicity of the nr.
rutigcineiitx In Wnnhlngton with thu
way tho rulers of Europe nre guarded
Particularly he was Impressed by the
fact thnt uiiy one who wished wns al
lowed to go Into the White Housu
grounds, mid wander around without
showing nuy passes or credentials ot
nuy kind,
"Well, one day we were wandering
uroiiml und we went up past the White
House. Tho Englishman stopped aud
watched the stream of men uud women
going Into the grounds.
Hy Jove,' he snld, 'It Is wonderful
aud no mistake. Why, they let you do
Just ns you please. Do you know.
think thnt If n fellow wonted to ha
could go In thero and roll over on the
law n mid thero wouldn't lie u iiersou
who would think of speaking to him
about It.' 'Of course, no ouc would
speak to lilm about It,' I snld. 'What's
more, If you want to do It I'll stay here
nnd watch you, and If any one docs
say anything nbuut It I'll help you lick
lilm.'
Will you?' he snld.
'I iiieuii It,' I said.
He looked at mo for a minute nnd
then he walked Into the White House
grounds. There was a crowd there, but
no one paid thu least attention to lilm.
He went out on the lawn, right lu front
of tho main entrance to tho building,
und lay down tint on Ids hack. Then
lio rolled over three times, slowly nnd
deliberately. Then he got up and
walked out of tho grounds, as happy as
though lie hud found $10.
No ouo looked nt lilm, nnd no one
spoko to lilm; to roll over on tho Whltu
House lnwn might have becu the prop.
cr thing to do so fur as tho attention
that It attracted went. The English
mnu said that If lie had acted that wny
In any of the cnpltnls on tho other side
ho would havo been locked up ns n
dangerous character. Ho was very
proud of his exploit and I supposo that
ho Is still telling tho story of it lu En
gland." Now York Sun.
Never Again.
At tho mounted gnmcs of Squadron
, not so many years ago, n bright
young limn sat between two pretty
girls. In tho potato race a trooper ot
tho nama of Bellamy catnu lu second
'Alii I am so sorry, exclaimed one
of tho fair ones. "It seemed onco as
though ho would win."
"But," snld the bright young man,
ho was looking backward" (which
hud been true).
Ho wnsn t," snapped tlio girl. "He
nover turned around ouco."
Now tho bright young man says ho
will probably go through life nnd uovcr
seo another Bellamy looking backward.
Such Is tho futo of u punster. Now
York Evening Sun.
Would Never Do.
"I was thluklug," said tho architect.
"that you might call tbo houso The
Crescent,"
"Not on your life," protested tho pro
prietor of tho now theater, "that would
be a hoodoo from tho start. Tho cres
cent Is uovcr full." Philadelphia
Press.
A machine that wosIicb aud dries 8,-
000 dishes au hour has bceu Invented,
aud It Is guarantied that plates, cups,
saucers, aud other dishes coma out nf
tho wash without a scratch.
W11 ' '"H-H"s
GOOD
ShorttoHeJi:
A newly arrived Westerner wan con
fronted In ii street of New York late
nt night by a ruffian with leveled re
volver, who made tho stereotyped de
mand: "(lire me your money or I'll
blow your liralm out." "Illow awuy,"
snld the Westerner; "you ran live In
New York without brains, but you
can't without money."
A Houtli Hon Islander, at the close
of n religious meeting, offered the fol
lowing prayer: "O Ood, we are about
to go to our respective homes. Let
not tho word! we have heard be like
the fine clothe wo wear noon to be
takon off and folded up In box till
another Habbath conies around. Itath
er, let Thy truth be llko the tattoo on
our bod!e Itieffaccablo till death."
The recent death of Martha Canary
better known aa "Calamity Jane"
has revived many talc of her remark
ablo adventures In the West during tho
early trouble. Once, It 1 related, she
wan riding In n stage coach driven by
Jack McCaull, a notorious character of
Deadwood, 8, !., when a band of In
dian swooped down. McCaull wss
wounded, and fell back on hi seat
The alx passenger in the coach were
helples with fright. "Calamity Jane"
crambled to the seat, lashed the
. horse Into a run, and escaped. It wn
thla namo McCaull who afterward wn
made tho most memorable example of
"Calamity Jane'" vengeance. McCaull
hot "Wild Bill" Hlckok from behind a
he ba(j once gllvcj McCaull' life did
not deter her from taking It.
It to him once," ahe declared,
"I gave
'I'll take
" back now." She camo acros him
1 unexpectedly In a meat-shop, eelxed a
cleaver, and, threatening to brain him
if be moved, waited till her friend
' ,,n i,im Hh. .. . , ,h... h
- - -
tugged hardest to pull him over a cot-
tonwood limb, and with grim satisfac
tion she watched him kick bl life
away.
Dr. Gardner told Walter Wellman
the following story, the other day, of a
lucky escape from the bullot of an as
sassin which ci-Presldent Cleveland
once had: "Between hi two term as
President, Mr. Cleveland lived In Mad
ison areuue. A demented fellow Im
agined that he wa In love with Mrs.
Cleveland, and used to send her a love-
letter every day.
One morning, Mr.
Cleveland waa coming down the steps
of Ms house to drive to his law office
In William street, when this craxy fel
low met him face to face, and pulled
the trigger of n pistol aimed straight
at the heavy figure standing on the
steps two yards above Mm. By one
of those miraculous luterposlttons of
chance, the cartridge missed Ore. Be
fore the miscreant could use Ida weap
on again he was' seized and carried
away. Ha wa found to be Insane, and
lu less than 24 hours was placed In an
asylum, while the story was kept out
of the newspapers. I was at the bouse
within a tow minutes, and the pistol
was given to me. I have It yet; also
the bundle of crazy love-letters. It
wa a well-made rlm-tlre revolver, and
every other cartridge exploded nt the
first trip of the trigger. Mr. Cleveland
probably owes bis life to the chance
that the ono cartridge which had too
thick a rim was the one which the in
suue chap tried to lire."
AMERICAN FARM CONDITIONS.
Acrni: HUs of UnlteJ Btatea Karuta
Orcuter in IU0O Than In 1800.
The average size of furuis for the
country us n whole wus greater lu HMO
than In 1MX). This Is, ot course, u
miitbemntlciil corollary of the fact that
the farm acreage Increased faster
than the number of farms. It litis til
ready been pointed out, however, that
the additions to the farm acre.ige In
cluded largo tracts ot unimproved laud
lu the Western States, used as grazing
farms. While this hns materially af
ftcted the average size of farms for
the country as a whole, In the older
portions ot the country there are no
Indications ot any general movement
townid n consolidation of farms, or of
any tendency on the part of farmers
toward the cultivation of larger farms.
In tho Northern States east of the
Mississippi there was no very marked
change In the size ot farms. Mnssa-
husetts, lthode Island, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey. Ohio, Indiana and Illinois
showed n slight diminution lu the
average farm urea, while the other
States tn this region showed a slight
Increase. In the Southern States east
ot tho Mississippi, on the other hand,
tho Increase In the number of farms
far exceeded the Increase lu farm area,
and consequently the average size of
farms was materially diminished.
Only one-half ot the total farm acre
age In 1000 was reported as Improved,
but this represents a gain over 1800 of
87,170,430 acres. Most of this Increase
In tbo crop-producing area of tho coun
try was contributed by tho States of
the Middle West, the greatest exten
sion being shown tn Miunesota, where
tho Increase during the decade exceed
ed 7,000,000 acres. Increases of be
tween 4,000,000 and 6,000,000 acre
were reported for Iowa, North Da
kota and Oklahoma. On the other
band. In many States the area of Im
proved farm land was smaller In 1000
than In 1800. A decrease Is shown tn
all the North Atlantic States, especial
ly In New England. This Is due prin
cipally to a change In the kind ot
farming carried on In those States; the
raising of corn aud wheat for the mar
ket, having become comparatively un
profitable under tho Influence of West
ni competition, has been largely
superseded by dairy farming nnd mar
ket gardeulng, In these pursuits,
which are, of course, Etlmul.ited by the
proximity of a large urban population,
the Eastern farmer apparently tluds
It to his advantage to cultivate loss
land thnu he onco did, but to cut Ivutu
It inoio Intensively. Accordingly, the
less fertile lauds, nml the mendiw
lauds tbut cannot be mown with ma-
chines, bar In many case bsen rnn.
verted Into permanent pasture. Tho
Increased average fertility of the land
retained under cultivation, the me of
the alio, nnd the growing tendency to
cultivate corn and forage crops, In.
stead of hay, for winter feed, nre nil
factor which contribute to the same
end enabling the fanner to raise ou
a smaller area the winter feed for the
animal that ran be kept, during the
summer, on the enlarged area of pas
ture land. Century.
PRESERVING THEIR DIQNITY.
A Mills Mllstntsa Transaction
Which Kach Waa floccesarnl.
In
"Being In Constantinople," said tin
Philadelphia!! who had circled the
earth, "It wa up to me to buy a
Turkish sdmlter. I believe they all do
that except the Hermans, who run tn
pipe. In looking through the bazaars
I cam acros a weapon that bad an
ancient look and wa assured that It
bad been worn by a Turkish general
fifty year before. The price asked
was about 120 In our money, and I
promptly declined buying. A I did
o the merchant tore his balr and
cried out:
" 'What dues this man want? This
weapon has slain twenty mtu. Is It
not good enough to bang on the wall?'
"I was about to pass when he asked
ma what price I would give.
" 'Not over 110.' I replied.
" 'Now may my beard be singed and
mr hair torn out br the root,' be
howled a h walked about. 'I give
you the word of a believer that thla
word ha slain thirty men, but lie
cause I must raise money today I
will take US for It, There-It Is
your.'
"'Not for 15,' I replied, knowing
that be would come down to my fig
ure. "'Then let tb blight fall upon me
and mine forever morel I say to you
and all men art my witnesses that
this sword ha slain forty men, and
yet you cavil at tb price. Not $15
for such a relic? To-day I go buy
another wife and money I must have.
Take It for $12 and know that you
have robbed me.'
"'I said $10,' I replied as I looked
carelessly around.
" 'And may I never Bleep or eat
again nor say my prayers,' he fairly
howled as he tore oft his robe. 'Hero
Is a sword that ha slain It titty men
sjid lived In history, and yet you look
upon It with contempt. Ah, If I did
not need money within the hour! Bob
ber of the unfortunate, take It at $11
and begone.'
" 'I'll pay you $11 on one considera
tion. Tell me truthfully bow mauy
men this sdmlter bas slain?'
"He looked at me for a minute and
then stroked bis whiskers and replied:
" 'If I answered sixty you would
think me a liar, and If I answered
none you would have to He to your
friends at home. Therefore, that each
may preserve his dignity, hand over
your $10 and take the sacred relic
away.' "
Law Too Costly a Luxury.
A lawyer, addressing the 1-ouUlann
Bar Association, declared that Utlgn
tlou has become so much of a luxury
that lawsuits are diminishing; that the
great expenditure of time as well ns
uf money required In the prosecution of
a lawsuit deters men from resorting to
tho courts for the redress of their
grievances. A Southern Judge wns
quoted as saying that be had spent
one-fourth of his professional life wait
ing In court houses for his cases to be
called. The delays of the law are au
ancient grievance, but It Is not certain
that they are an unmixed evil.
The deliberate procedure of the
courts may not encourage litigation
but It promotes settlements out of
court. Substantial Justice Is often
reached by compromises which save
time and court costs. The slow meth
ods of the courts have resulted in vol
untary arbitration In certain trade dls
putes. Much of tho law's delay Is due
to tlio technical errors of lawyers lu
the conduct of suits. An examination
of the records of appellate courts show
ed that a large percentage of appeals
were on points of practice. A more
thoroughly trained bar would, there
fore, hasten suits to Judgment. I.egls
hitlou being largely controlled by law
yers. It Is somewhat surprising Hint
avoidable delays lu procedure have not
been removed. Their removal, accord
ing to the Louisiana nttorney, would
teud to Increase lawsuits and profes
sional emoluments. Philadelphia
Ledger.
Typloal City of America.
The results ot recent Investigations
show that Philadelphia Is pre-emi
nently the American city. In 1700,
when the first census was taken, and
for at least two decades afterward
Philadelphia contained more Inhabit.
nuts thau any other American town,
As early a 1810 the population of Phil
adelphia waa 111,210. According to the
census of 1000 Philadelphia contained
1,203,007, of whom 008,357 were na
the nnd 205,340 foreign born, In not
a slugle ward ot the city are there
more foreigners than natives. Of those
Inhabitants both ot whose parents
were bom In the same foreign coun
try, 221,500 claim Ireland as the birth
place of their parents; 150,238, Ger
many; 53,020, England; 44,320, Itussla,
and 27,000, Italy.
Of the native born population of
Philadelphia (008,357), 844,548 were
born lu Pennsylvania, 30,078 In New
Jorsey, 23,184 In Maryland, 21,803 lu
New York, 20,088 In Virginia and 10,-
555 In Delaware. Comparatively few
residents ot Philadelphia were bom lu
Now England or the Western States.
That Is to say, Philadelphia does uot
exorcise upon those sections of our
couutry the magnetic attraction exert
ed by New York.
Of foreign born rosldeuts In Phila
delphia only 03,334 nre naturalized. It
follow that the political liitluenco ot
the so-called "foreign vote" Is luslg
nlllcant. Harper's Weekly.
What Happened to Mutdooii.
O'Toole Muldoou sthruck his wolfe
ylsthldy.
McKlck Is he In Jail?
O'Toole Naw; he tn til' harscplttie!
Baltimore American.
A man Is piiulshed so lunch for talk
tug ton fio.ly that an old mini usual.?
lUU less thuu a youu one.
Tho changing of a river's channel
Is the greatest project now being con
sidered by Italian engineer. Tb
Hale flow Into the Mediterranean near
Halormo, but It Is to be tapped In the
hills, and the water taken acros to
the Adriatic watershed to Irrigate the
province ot I'uglln.
For measuring feeble Illuminations,
like tho Zodiacal Light and (Jegen
scheln, M. Touchet has devised a spe
cial Instrument, resembling a theodo
lite In appearance. It Is provided with
a constant flame and a slit regulated
In width by a screw with divided head,
and when the Illumination of the field
through the slit exactly equals the
light to be measured, a reading I ob
tained that la easily reduced to a
standard.
Although there Is a certain are, of
about three and a half acres on Man
hattan Island where the density or
population Is at the rate of 030.000 to
the square mile, yet the city ot Pari
shows a far greater average density
of population than New York, th
figures for Paris being 70,300 per
square mile, and for New York City
proper 40,000 per square mile. The
average density of London' popula
tion 1 87.000 per square mile, and that
of Berlin 07,000.
The Elnsen lamps are now credited
with ten cures ot cancer of tbe skin
out of twenty-two case treated, and
with cures ot obstinate acne and ot
baldness due to bacteria. Erysipelas
and minor eruptions have been treated
with good result. At tbe Flnsen In
stitute are rooms for exposing patients
to electrlc-ltght bath and to sun-baths,
and an exhaustive and promising In
vestigation of the Influence ot light in
various nervous diseases and In In
sanity Is In progress.
A New York man has Invented a
mirror that can be made translucent
at will, so that when placed in a show-
window It at first reflect the faces
of people looking In, but suddenly turns
transparent, whereupon tbe spectators
see the content of the window In place
of their own reflection. This la effect
ed by means of a tbtn film on tbe back
of the glass, which, when the back
ground la dark, reflect the light from
In front like a mirror, but when die
background Is Illuminated, becomes a
Invisible as a pane of clear glass.
One of the winter sight of St Pet
ersburg Is a system of electric tram
ways on the Ice In tbe Neva. One
runs from tbe left shore of the river
to the Island ot Petrowsky, and an
other from the English quay, opposite
tbe Senate House, to tbe Island of
Baslllo, near tbe Academy of Pine
Arts. Wooden posts solidly embedded
In the Ice support the trolley wires.
Besides these tramways many wooden
roads, Intended for pedestrians, cross the
water lu various directions. In sum
mer bridges ot boats take the place
of tbe roads on tbe Ice.
Tho smelting of steel by electricity
is still an attractive problem. Thn
two furnaces built In Swedes In 1000
reached a technical solution by pro
ducing steel of fine quality, but the
furnaces were ruined by Are before
commercial success had been attained.
Another furnace planned by the same
makers Is to hold 3,070 pouuds, with
a yearly capacity of 1,500 tons, and la
to receive the current of a three hun
dred horse-power dynamo. Though
microscopically Identical with crucible
steel, tbe electric product Is claimed to
exccll tn strength, density, uniformity,
toughness and ease of working when
cold.
ERROR THAT COST DEARLY.
.Millions slight llavs Ilean Bar. J If
Aator Had Uen Hacked Up.
When, back In 1811, John Jacob Aa
tor, with his Pacific Fur Company,
established tbe trading post ot Astoria,
at the mouth of the Columbia, be took
a step which, It followed up by the
support that he had a right to expect
from tbe United States government,
would soon hare given this country
possession of all tbe territory on the
Pacific coast up to Russia' colony of
Alaska, which came to us through pur
chase In 1807, and thus have shut Eng
land and Canada out of access to the
great ocean.
Dented by President Madison the
slight measure ot military aid wMcb
h asked for the defense of his post
on tbe Pacific tn the war ot 1812-15
with England, and with bis appeal to
the tame President for letters ot
marque to equip an armed vessel at
his own expense to defend tbe mouth
of the Columbia Ignored, Mr. Artor lost
hla post, which was sold by hla treach
erous British subordinates, who were
temporarily In control, In 1818 to Can
ada' Northwest Fur Company for a
third ot It value and tbe place wa
captured by a British war vessel
shortly afterward. In the settlement
at the close of tbe war the place was
given back to the Americans, but here
again Madison, and subsequently Mon
roe, denied to Mr. Astor the protection
ot tbe few soldiers which he asked and
he declined to re-establish the post.
This lack of courage and foresight
on the part ot these two Presidents tn
this case was fatal to American Inter
ests on the Pacific. Here are some of
the few things which would have come
to pass had Mr. Astor been sustained
by tbe government: He would easily
havo held his ground against the Brit
ish warship which captured the post
In 1813 and the transfer to the Cana
dian company, which took place bo-
fore the capture, would have been
averted. With the advantage ot his
sea base and his Kusslan affiliations In
Alaska, both of which had beeu firmly
established before the news of tbe war
arrived on tbe coast, be could readily
have excluded England's Hudson Bay
Company and Canada's Northwest Fur
Company from all the territory west
of tbe Itocky mountains. That dis
pute about the ownership of the pres
ent States of Oregon, Washington and
'dubo, which did not end until Eng
land gave up all claims In 1840 to the
territory, would never havo taken
plnco, for England through her fur
I nil. 1 9 would neve- have obtained a
foothold tlicrr. All tb? prtient Oant
dlnn territory of British Columbia and
Yukon, which are west of th great
mountain chain, would have, been
cund for the United States. And then,
when the transfer of Alaaka to u by
Itussla came and it would hava com
earlier than 1807 In thnt event w
would have an unbroken stretch of
territory from the northern bonier ot
Mexico up to beyond the arctic cltcl.
Leslie' Weekly,
NEW STORY OF EDEN HOLDEN.
I.lttla nirt Who I.ot.,1 a Doll llattar
Than Olia Did Haraalr.
"Wal," aald t'nclt Kb, thoughtfully,
"I 'member one year, the day before
Chrlstmua, my father gin me 2 (hill
In'. I walked all the way t' Salert,
with It. I went In a big store when
I come t' the city. See ' many thing
couldn't make up my mind t buy
nuthln'. I stud there feclln' v.v a
pair o' skate. They win grand all
shiny with new straps an' buckles I
did want 'era awful but I didn't her
enough money, Purty soou I see a
leotle bit ur a girl In a red Jacket
lookln' at a lot o' dolls. She wus rag
ged an' there were hole In her shoe
an' she did look awful poor an' sick
ly. She'd go up an' put her band on
one o' them dolls' dresses and whis
per: "'Borne day,' he'll say, 'som day.'
"Then she'd go to another an' fuss
a mlnnlt with Its clothes an' whis
per 'some day.' Purty soon she aa't
If they bad any doll with a Llu dress
on ter 3 pennlea.
" 'No,' says a woman, says she, 'tb
lowest price for a doll with a dresa
on It la one sblllln'.'
"Tbe little gal ah Jes looked es If
he wu goin' t' cry. Her lip trem
bled. " 'Some day I'm goln t' hv one,'
aid ahe.
"I couldn't stan' It, an' so I slipped
up an' bought one an' put It In ber
arm. I never'll fergtt the look that
come Into ber face then. Wal, ah
went away an' aet down all by herself,
an' It come cold an' that night they
found her asleep tn a dark alley. Bh
was holdin' tbe little doll with a blue
dress on. The girl was half dead with
tbe cold an ther waa one thing about
It all that made her famous. She had
took off ber red Jacket an' wrapped
It 'round the little doU."
"If one of those gocd old atorle,"
aid I. "Of course she died and went
to heaven."
"No," said he quickly, "he lived an'
went there. Ye don't her t' die t' go
to heaven. Ye've crossed the boundary
when ye begin t' love somebody mor
'n ye do yerself. If It ain't nobody bet
ter n a rag doll." Irving Bacheller, In
Leslie's Monthly.
Tbe Real "Hoy" In Fiction.
It was Miss Yonge who first Intro-
duced me to the Boy In Fiction with
whom I played, studied, quarreled, and
made up every day or two of my llf,
whose standards of honor and play I
tried to make my own, whose faults I
bad a wholesome aversion to, and who
was oife ot the strongest formative
lnfluencea of my childhood. He stands
out against the romance, tbe chivalry,
the blgb Ideals, and poetic fancy ot
Sir Walter Scott as tbe Intimate com
panion of everyday life. Into a world
In which fairies were already unfold
ing from the truest realities of ex
istence Into the tradition, tbe aura
which makes reality a forever budding
prophecy and promise, he brought
ceaseless activity and tbe opportunity
to exercise It, a keen lore of the rough
and tumble of life, and an equally
keen desire, not for money to buy
beautiful things, but for capacity to
know and enjoy them.
Miss Yonge's Boy Is not always
clever, and he Is never perfect, but
he Is so healthily aud sanely alive that
he makes you ashamed not to be th
same. Then, too, his opportunities are
always at hand there Is no need of
shipwrecks and desert Islands, and
ship conveniently above water with
convenient supplies until you bavs
made friends with your island and
your man Friday and yourself In your
strange new life. You might long for
ever to be Robinson Crusoe In vain,
but you could be Harry May, or Nor
man, or Iteglnald, or any one ot a .
score of boys, by Just making the moat
of your own country and your place In
It. Ounton's Magazine.
Modern Antiquities.
Th quest for thing antique ha
led to systematic forgery and Imita
tion on the part of dealers. Part tl
tha great center ot this deceitful in
dustry, says the Nation. Ther hat
been discovered In the suburb a thriv
ing factory for the fabrication of Egyp
tian mummies, cases and all. The
are shipped to Egypt, and In due tlm
return a properly antiquated discov
eries. A funny story Is now current about
a collector ot medieval things. A cer
tain clever workman In stone made to
the order ot a dealer In medieval an
tiquities a Venetian chtmneyplec of
the fifteenth century, and received for
his work some two or three thousand
franc. Tbe dealer shipped tbe chtm
neyplec to Italy, and had It set up
In a palace near enlce, bringing back
to Pari photograph of the palace and
ot the chlmneVplece In situ. By mean
ot these photographs be aroused the
Interest of a rich collector, who sent
hi secretary to Venice to make aur
that the photograph did not He, and
on his favorable report, bought th
thing for fifty thousand franca. On
the arrival of the article at hla house
In Paris, be sent for some workmen
to open the cases. One of them appear
ed to him to go about tho work rather
carelessly, and be remonstrated with
the man, who answered, "Have no
fear, sir. I know Just how It need
to be opened, for I packed It when It
left Tarls."
The World' Colonies.
The colonial possession In tbe world
number 141 and all ot them are trop
ical or subtropical In location except
Canada, Their population aggregat
483,000,000.
When there Is a bad accident, tin
first thing tbe coroner does Is to go
through tho pockets of tbe mau re
sponsible for It, to sea If a bottle can
bo found.
As a rule, when a man bas phenome
nal uerve, there Is turning else to hlin;