LATE CHRISTMA8 AFTERNOON.
rbt find, gld belli of morning, th laagfc
ter at the dawnl
th lustra of th children' ;n U On t
io upon
Bat, I). the best of Chrlstmss th brat
dsr of them all
It when lha I hit firelight make ptctarea
on lha wall,
And 1 mar alt iu silence and gtv myself
ma boon
Of going ln. k to boyhood, lata Chrlaiutae
anarnooii.
liar I shall fall ta muting of pIcturM la
lha arste
There, esaer for my aummana tho ht af
boydaye wait,
Aad In and out a marching I'll e tew
come and go
With hn!a wared high la weJceea th
bovs I uand tA know:
And there. If I am patient, 'twill far
mm Ia see.
At one sees la a mirror, tba b I
ta bal
Out af tba swaying shadewo will rUa tba
long ago,
rha letj.h bells' tinkle tinkle, th ft klaa
of ma mow,
Tba wblta art of tba meedaw. wt.ee lha
pranking wlnda will lift
Tha King aweep of tba blllaw feaaae
In drift on drift,
Aad rrlD across tha Taller will cataa
ball-awprt tuna
Ta art ma nodding, nodding, lata CJsrlataaa
afternoon.
Lte afternoon. In Chrlatroaa! Tba twUlgbt
wilhlna In
And ma with these my Tlalana of glad
daye that bare been!
for I shall d ream and wander down a"
fnrmtten wars.
My eager arma enfolding all of my yea-
Without, the mellow ecboee of blended
phlma an.t hvnin'
Wltbla, the bygone voloee In murtnora far
and dim.
O, mine the gift of fancy, and mine thta
magic chair,
And mine the dim nroceIon of Cbrtst-
masses thst were!
I aak no richer token of lor on Christmas
r
Tban this which come unbidden, thaa thla
which will not star
Thla wealth of recollections that vanish
OTprannn.
The dreamland of the ahadowa, late Chrlst
maa afternoon.
W. D. Nesblt. In Harper'e Weekly.
mil bar kla, and Ida only, ttll rtf
ehould aad.
Throughout tha ceremony Cdrle kept
Ma chair ami made no aign. Sh was
marrieJ ah waa Ha era' a wlfl
Then followed hubbub of congratula
lions anj farawallt confusion of
friendly tongues; and prsseuity Jac-
quits, In a Paris traveling gown, with
oft hands of fur about her throat, and
eyes brimming with happluaaa. cama and
knelt by Cadrlc'a chair.
'Hood-by," aha said, lifting her beau
tiful face ta his reluctant gate. "You
way kiaa mo, Cedric. If you like.
"Tou belong to Daore," ha antwarad
bitterly. "I da not want to klaa you.
Good by."
We aaw tkam enter tha carriage to
gether both young and beautiful and
wildly happy. We flung tha rlca and
hoe after them; tha h or sea pranced
dawa th driv; the giteof departed, and
Oedrie and I wera left alone.
Darkness kad fallen. Tha wind tore
wildly up and down th curving Ply
mouth ehore; tha bay waa whit with
foam. I turned with shiver t the
leaping wood Are.
"What a dreadful night for a weJdlug
Journey!" I said.
In tha red glow of th log Cedric's
face looked like gray atone.
"I Ilk atorma." ha aaid, savagely.
"That pair ia too happy to know whether
the aun I ahlning or a norther raging.
Ileth, aweep those flower out of the
room their odor atifle me."
With tha last word Jacquita reeled,
nd fell fac downward on th floor.
Then lov for a ntemtant conquered th
Infirmity of th flesh, for, regardleaa
of tha crutch which bad bu hia con
atant upport for month and years,
0drle leaped from Ma chair, and with
terrible cry rushed to th w Ida wed
bride, and knelt beside her.
Two yara later. In tarrlflo winter
atorm, an Kngllsh bark waa wracked on
neighboring beach.
.Several bodies drifted ashore, and
among them waa a suitor, slander, young,
beardless: When found by tha patrol a
little Ufa atlll lingered In him. II waa
carried to th elation among th rock,
and every mean which surfiuaa know
employed for Ma resuscitation. Only
one, however, did tha wild aye af the
boy open, and then they chanced t fall
upon Cedric, wha had hurried to th
arena of th disaster, and waa ataadlng
with tha Ufa aaver In th warm, bright
ly lighted station. What memoriae did
th face of my brother conjur up before
this tranger ladT II tried to clutch at
Cedric' atorm coat, - My brother bent
down and looked at hlui.
"Great heaven:" he cried. "Thl l
no boy, but th woman who killed Dacre
Holme:"
At thla accusation the young sailor
heaved himself up on the supporting arm
of a aurfman. and In one ahuddoring
scream hia soul pasted luto th night.
I atood in th bow window of th
and t maaa ta lav and cnerteh y till
th and of day." Peoale'a lis-
Journal.
HIS CHRISTMAS SERMON.
Aa
A tad Wayfarer Wha Teaajkt o
C r t e Coaleateaoat.
An Kngllsh clergyman declare that
tha best Christmas eermoa ha ever heard
wa preached by a woman and In three
wordsl
"In my little parish, under th aweep
of th Sussex downs." h ya, "I wa
walking awlftly horn on night buffet
ad about by th gray clouda of driving
Tke llara kaalera.
Lantern ar undoubtedly tha aafeat
rain that tha fierce u'wetar wpt things to uaa In ttie barn, and If they
landward from th aea when a poor, art hung properly and protected n
klple. gd woman asked ma for a J indicated hero the r will be .Utl or uo
trifle for a nlght'a lodging.
1 . . . ft
vuraiw ar sureo.., .w.7. .. ,,, . ,iri.i. twelva
It wa Oirletme tlm. and I had !. " ' . ' " ' , "
poor
Just parted with my laat alipenc at a
lonely hamlet where work wa acarca.
14111 I coold not leave my stranger In
tha si rest. a I asked her U come with
me to my lodging.
"She ahambled along through th mud
with her streaming clothe and clouted
boot, and w entered tny little room.
My thoughtful landlady had mad iny
table ready. A plate of hot toast waa
atandlng In th fender: the kettle sang
vociferously, aa If Impatient to be usod;
in front of tha Are atood my slippers and
an easy chair.
"To my aurprise, my poor, worn, hag-
daneer from flre. Tak a idrva of Inch
cut a clrcla twelva
I Inchra In diameter; then buy a i'lc
I m . .sa .. Ma
BY ETTA W. PIERCE. Jfl
s
GIRL stood at the door, with
a red shawl pinned across her
bosom, and In a ahrill roic
sang:
"Carol, brothers, carol; carol Joyfully.
Carol the good tidings; carol merrily,
And pray a gladsome Christma'
For all good Christian men.
Carol, brothers, carol,
Christmas cornea again."
"In heaven's name, who is that crea
ture?" eaid Cedric.
Hia easy chair, pushed Into the bow
window, commanded a view of the gar
den walk and the singer. His crutch
leaned against the wall beside him; hia
blond head rested languidly upon a crim
aon ailk cushion.
"I haven't an idea." I answered, as
I put the last touches to th Christina
pine above tba high carved manteL "A
tramp, evidently. Do you like the effect
of Christmas roses in silver bowls, Ced
ric? "Arrange your roaea in allrer bowls,
or in iron-bound buckets. Just as yon
like, Beth," answered Cedric, peevish
ly. "I hate weddings they are even
worse than burials. Cannot you aee that
jou are all riding;, roughshod, over my
ieartr
He raised himself on the arm of his
-chair and looked out at the figure before
the door. The bleak December wind was
blowing through the girl's thin gown.
Her face, which bore tracea of beauty,
was livid now with cold, and perhaps
Illness.
"She Is th image of despair!" be
cried. "I feel a fellowahip with ber!
Go, Beth, bring her in give her meat
and drink, and whatever els you may
have at your marriage feast."
Cedric was th most unreasonable of
human beings. I was always afraid of
bhn when be wa in his dark moods. I
ran out of the room.
But a third person had beard the sing
er, and, as I reached the ball, lo! there
waa Jacquita, gliding down tha shining,
shallow atalr Jacquita, with her dusky
hair and creamy skin and great South
ern eyea ahe whose bridal had filled our
old Plymouth house with bustle and ex
pectation. For years we bad been classmates in
a young ladies' achdoi. She was of the
hot South, I of the cold North. Yet we
loved each other devotedly. I'roud was
I when, at tha end of our school days,
Jacquita came, an honored guest, to the
old house overlooking the gray waste
of Plymouth . Bay proud waa I when
all hearts went down before her there,
and that gallant sailor. Captain Dacre
Holme, hastened to lay himself and bis
future at her feet; and, alas! sad was I
when I found that she had also made
wild havoc of my poor crippled Cedric's
peace.
"That girl looks sick and heartbrok
en," said Jacquita, as she stepped light
ly down into the ball. She flung back
the hall door. The eyes of the vagrant
fell on her with an expression that I
Khali never forget. An unspeakable
hatred and despair blended in the look.
"Here is a Christmas gift for you,
poor girl," said Jacquita, and she held
out the gold piece.
A wicked look flashed Into the way
farer's face. She took the money, spat
on It, fluug It on the ground. Then,
seeing my rinlng wrath, she snatched It
again and Blipped it into her pocket.
"For luck!" she mumbled, in apology
for her strange action, and then added,
curtly, reluctantly, "Thank you, miss."
"Hare you traveled far?" asked Jac
quita. "A good bit." replied tha girl.
"And where are you going now?"
'To find my man," sullenly, "n
promined to marry me, but he went away
be didn't keep his word I'm looking
for him."
I led the girl to th kitchen and di
rected the servants to provide for her
needs. 1 went away soon after to dress
Jacquita for her bridal. Guest cama
trooping in and filled tha house. Un
der an arch of Christmas pine, with tba
mellow wax lights ablnlng lovingly upon
her, Jacquita, In tull and lac end
satin, atood by tha aid of her bronied
young viking, aad took th rows which
of gatvanltotl wire netting rtf torn Inch
cs wide and fotir feet long, then
pleoe of bright new tin rlgliNi-n ln he
aquarr, a hook with a flat end, ao It
can lx screwed to lha wall. Then build
a shelf flftren Inoltee wide and twen
ty Inches long Nail the ahelf In
oonvctilrnt b-tion In the barn, then
on the wall lunk of the ahelf nail the
plevr of tin which acta aa a reflector
a well a pntcvl the wall.
Fasten tli hook on the wall above
the tin. Then make a cylinder by null
ing the wire t. the edge of the circular
fpT
"Where." he asked, quickly, "is the
girl that sang the Christmas carol at
the door? Was she warmed and fed. as
I directed?"
"Yes. Cook set her a good dinner,
and when we were rushing about, too
busy to notice, she just slipped off, with
out a word of thanks to anybody. Un
der her plate, cook found a gold piece."
"Why, that must have been the money
which Jacquita gave her! How very
odd! Evidently the girl had a soul
above gold pieces," aaid Cedric.
I drew a stool to Cedric's side, and
aat down in the light of the biasing
brands. An oppressive hush had fallen
on the house. The riot of wind and sea
alone disturbed us. Cedric's eyes were
fixed on. the red core of the fire his
heart, aa I well knew, waa following
after the bridal carriage and its freight
of happiness and hope.
"She will go with him around the
world. Beth!" he groaned. "More than
once I have heard her aay thst she
was a bad sailor that she cared noth
ing for the sea; but her love for Dacre
has changed all that. And but for an
accident, Beth a blow from an iron
hoof a mere trifle I would have won
ber, in spite of a hundred Dacres yes,
but for that I might have been in bis
place this night!"
It was his one bitter, constantly re
curring thought. I stroked his white,
fevered band, which he had laid on my
shoulder.
"By this time they have reached the
station, Beth perhaps they are on th
train, whirling farther and farther froiu
us Listen! There is some one com
ing up the walk, I say I hear foot
steps!" It chanced that no one had thought
to lock the main door of the house after
the departure of our guexts. Now we
heard it open violently. There waa a
ruith through the hall. A hand flung
aside the curtain at the parlor threshold.
Cedric uttered a sharp cry, and made
as if to rise from his chair, fur there,
before our astonished eyes, stood Jac
quita, the bride of an hour, her travel
ing dress all stained and disordered, and
powdered with the snow that was begin
ning to fall, her face like the face of
one who had looked on some ghastly
thing, and frozen with the horror of it.
"In heaven's name, what has happen
ed, Jacquita?" cried Cedric, wildly.
She held out ber hands; they were
red with blood. Her while lips moved;
we beard her say:
"Down there, at the base of the bill,
near the atation, in the shadow of the
trees, ah was waiting for us the girl
who aang the Christmas carol at the
door. I saw her by the light of the
carriage lamps. Something bright was
shining In ber band. She wrenched open
tha carriage door she glared in on us.
She burled a terrible accusation at him
at Dacre my husband. Then she
fired, and h fell back dead. Ixok at
my hands! Thla blood la bis! They ar
bringing him afUcr m my husband
daadr
parlor, peering out Into the darkness,
when Cedric returned from the station.
The lantern in his band shone brightly:
bis erect figure advanced sturdily through
the tempest of wind and snow. He
had grown hardy and strong in the last
year. His crutch was now a thing of
the past: of the injury only a slight limp
remained.
A his familiar baiting step reached
the door Jacquita sprang up from the
hearth, where she had been feeding the
fire with dry pine cones, and flaw t
meet Cedric. For three mouths she had
been bis bsppy wife.
"Oh," she cried, in alarm, "how grave
and atrange you look, Cedric! Some
ta.ng has happened."
He dashed down th lautern and press
ed ber to bis heart with passionate ten
derness. "Tell me," he said, huskily, "do you
love me, Jacquita? Does the past seem
to you like a nightmare dream?"
"Yes," she faltered; "oh, yes, yes!"
"Then you shall know the truth. That
girl la lying dead at the atation. She
cam ashore from a wreck, disguised as
a sailor. Don't tremble, darling you
must forget that portion of your life
altogether. You are mine, now mine!
gard companion raised her
hands and burst Into tears
words, 'Oh, what luiury!'
"That was the best Christmas eer
mon I ever heard, and the only o-ie I
have never forgotten." loutb's
panion.
dripping
with the1
Yale Tide I'rob ems.
Hunting for a Christmas present
Kr each blooming friend you know
Is a task tbat'a far from . pleasant
When your fuuda are running low.
It Is bsrd to make selections
Tbst with Joy all hearts will thrill
When you've got to m be twelve sect loin
Of a lone ten-dollar bill.
I'eople'a wsnts are so eitenslre
That they fill you wlib despair,
Tbey all hope for gifts expermlve.
They dou t know how III they'll f.ire!
If you bave a lot i.f money.
Buying presents Is great sport.
But It's anything but funny
When your bank arr-oant la short.
'Man Wants hot Mule"
"Made known your wants for Christ
mas yet?"
' Sure. Asked the forty seven friend
who sent me suspenders Inst yenr to send
trousers to match them this." Cincin
nati Time Star.
Iio.ill OAltl I.AVtMIV
piece of hoard, lacing the end of tlm
wire together with stout twine. Set
this on the shelf and slip the lantern
Inside of It, bunging the bale of the
lantern on the Imok The wire cylin
der protect the lantern yet doe not
kliut ofT much light, and y having the
hook curved there will be little danger
of the lantern falling, even utul-r ijitlte
a hard blow. The lllustratlo t allow
nil of the details fur coim'rui tln Ibis!
arrangement Indianapolis New.
tlnrlnar Hlsed feeds.
Why any feeder of farm atox-k
should buy mixed grains Is more than
one can understand, unless be Is too
lazy to do the millng himself. Time
was when acreeiilug were Just what
was claimed for them, the smaller
grains which dropped through the
sieves when acreenlug was done for
the first grade of grains. Now screen
ing are quite likely to ! the sweep
lugs from the mill floors ami contain
anything from nails to tot.ncco iiuUls.
Any of the grulns lists! for feeding
stock of any kind can I bought with
out mixture and one enn tell by exam
ination If lliey !e reasonably pure.
They cost some more than the mixed
feeds, to be sure, but lliey are cheap
est In the end, for less has to lie fed.
Of all the bad mixed feeds the ground
I feeds are the worst, for It Is practical
i ly Impossible lo know whut Is In the
'mixture, that I, for the ordinary ob
server lo ascertain. Ill feeding Mini
try it has been demonstrated time ami
again that It pays to pay 'J.I per cent
more for the grulns by themselves
than to feed the mixtures bought In
that form.
l-'lnlablnar "I I'ucipa.
One of the economics In the poultry
business Is to have coops which may
be used for any d. -sired purpose with
out making It necessary to In any way
sulHllvlde the main poultry bouse.
Coops for kick fowls, coops for the
roosters, coops for the broody hen and
coops to fin'sh off the birds which are
lo go to market later. Our of the best
designs for the latter purpose can be
built on the sunny side of the burn or
GETTING READY FOR A HOT TIME.
A COOP ANSKX.
the poultry bouse proper, thus saving
the expense for lumber. Thla coop Is
three feet In width, and any length de
sired, but figured ho Hint the lumber
will not cut lo waste.
Hake the frame of rough lumber,
using nny odds and ends one may
have around the place; cover roof and
Hides mill ends with tarred paper. For
ventilation, n six Inch space Is left the
entire length of the bouse at the lower
end and this Is covered with wire net
ting. For further ventilation holes are
bored in one end at the high side near
the top. At the lower part of I lie
house under the ventilating space the
boards are niriingeil ho that the one
nearcHt the ground la hinged to tho
one ubove It for eumt In denning the
coop. The door In one end la mado
of any size desired, although the
smaller the better, twenty Inches
square being a good size. ICxohange.
rtaTt yon tried tha dry feedln ay,
tent, now practiced by most of tba
well known poullrymen of tha eoitn
try? Fgga are th basla of tba poultry In
duslry. Kg farming I tba tuot prof
itable branch of poultry cnltur. Hut
In order b get egg we liar to keep
lieu at a sort of necessary Inruniher
anc. roe nrb Wire (',
When a horse baa been Injures! an
wtr lha flrat thing to do I atop lha
flow of bhKid; thl may aa a rul h
dona by bandaging u up tight It
may also frequently be best ta apply
powdered alum or common saWralua,
both of which will generally be found
effective. In a few hour, consider
able swelling will set In; thla should
ba reduced either by applying old wa
ter frequently, or wbt , rtuly ,t.
ter, applying pure kerosene oil, not
only to the wound, but also lo tha
awollen part. No bnndnge honld Ihs
kept on where kerosene I used, aa It
will then cause the hair lo fall off tem
porarily, and a soon a It la safe lo
do ao. tha aore should be carefully
washed with aoft water and castlla
aoap. This ought lo be repeated dally
until the sore heals. One of the best
healing medicine for horseflesh that
I have ever used ran be pit up at any
drug store, as follows: One half ulnt
of alcohol; one half pint of spirits of
turpentine; 1 ounce of pure glycerine;
mix all together In a large bottle and
shake well before using Apply only
with a feather at morning ami night.
The sore should never be bandaged
Hy dally washing It will In this way
heal up very rapidly I can person
ally testify to the effectiveness of thla
simple remedy, m we bne made uso
of It In numerous cases, with the bent
results, where every other remedy we
tried fa! led to be.il up the sore on Hie
horse - Agricultural I'pllomlst
rrartlral . ymmirumr.
A aw lug gate Is somewhnt of a nui
sance, unless It Is arranged with a
fastener that will net as desired. Tlm
idea Illustrated Is a simple one, .is
Will lie seen. Take a strip of one I'V
four material and cut It of convenient
length, as shown at figure I. II must.
however, be long enough to extend be
yotnl tha cross bar D and the upright
piece at Figure 'J, both of which pieces
are double- that Is. one ou either side
of the gate. Two Iron pieces (to are
bolted to the (wards 1 nml 4. a shown.
The fastener works In this manner:
lo unfasten, pull the ti.iard I to the
left, whic h raises the end opposite I on
account of the placing of l. and when
J
Ifpil
Poultry Notes.
It la pretty bard to feed the lieu
too much If the food Is of the right
sort Improper feeding doea more
barm than excessive feeding.
WI.NU OA1K ANIKaN.
released drops toward I and finally
rest on the Isianl marked :i. A rloae
study of the Illustration will show how
simple the plan Is, ami how readily it
may be put In operation on any swing
ing gate, provided always the gate Is
properly hung ami works smoothly. -Indianapolis
News.
I nl Hone ssd Aslmsl food.
Just the day the fowls nre brought
Into the house and con fluid to the run
of n small yard they begin to pine for
animal food which they bad In ubund
a nee on the range. It la Ibis lack
that la at the bottom of the egg falling
off rather than any other cause, as
will be discovered. If one will take lbs
trouble to look Into the mailer. It
must be understood, however, that ani
mal food does not menu anything In
be shape of meat one can get. There
are plenty of meat scrapes on ih
market that are good enough for fer
tilizer, but decidedly not of value for
feeding poultry. If one can arrnne
with the local butcher to supply whit
neat Is wanted for the fowls he will
I ave no trouble provided hi buys meat
that la not tainted and does not lay In
u supply too large. Urccu bone an
swers the same purpose to some ex
tent, lint It b hard to grind and must
be ground fresh to be of value. Willi
a miiuI! supply of animal food, green
hour nml green food of some kind one
ought to bave a good production of
eg-s throughout the winter, following
any plan of feeding that ha a reason
able amount of variety.
Meed rotator.
Fvery knows that when seed
potatoes are allowed to sprout ami the
Mprouta are broken off, as they often
are when the potatoes are kept In a
dark cellar, the tuber Is perceptibly
weakened, the yield lessened and tha
ripening retarded. The best way to
keep seed potatoes In In cold storage.
It Is Important that the temperature,
should net it fall hojow .To degrees,
nor should It rise much above 40 de
grees. In a press circular sent out by
the Ohio station It Is advised that tlm
K 1 potatoes should be shoveled over
frequently, as this prevents sprout
lug to a certain extent where cold
storage Is not uvallable. Planters nra
I' lnded, however, that under eertalu
conditions this sprouting process may
be used to advance the curly ripening
of tho crop. If the tubers nro placed
stem end down In single layers In
ahullow truya In a alight and inodiT
ately warm room, they will send out
abort, stubby green ajirouta, which
will ri'inaln In that condition for
weeks, and If the Potatoes irs thn
plantod without breaking tho aprouta.
tuey win atari immediately.