WT
X JD E TS l
HE
P A R a TON
ET H E L HUESTQNI
I U U A T B A T t D BY
W .C . T A N M E ]
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by
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K o M m M e rrill
C o iu p u i/ .)
THE MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION FORGET THAT
THE PARSONAGE FOLKS NEED MONEY FOR CHRISTMAS.
SO LITTLE CONNIE TELLS BANKER SOME PLAIN TRUTHS
Mr. Starr, a widower Methodist minister, comes to Mount Mark,
la , to take charge o f the congregation there. He has five charming
daughter*, the eldest of whom. Prudence, age nineteen. Seeps house
and mothers the family. Her younger sisters are Fairy, the twins
Carol and l.ark, and Coqstance, the "baby." The family's coming stirs
the curiosity o f the townspeople. After a few weeks the Starrs are
well settled. Prudence has her hands full with the mischievous young
sters, hut she loves them devotedly despite their outrageous pranks.
It Is a Joyous household, but the parsonage girls are embarrassed at
Christmas time because the congregation has fulled to pay the pastor’s
salary. Little Connie needs clothing, and sadly disappointed, takes
matters Into her own hands.
CHAPTER VI—Continued.
nl*.
Bow, cat your luncheon, and
don’t talk about coals any morn.“
When Connie had gone hnck to
school. Prudence went straight to Mr,
Harold's hunk.
Flushed and ember
rasaed, she explained (he situation
frankly. "My aympaihlt1
"« are all with
Conule," she said candidly. "But l am
afraid father would not like It. We are
dead set ugalnst borrowing
A fter—
our mother was taken, we were crowd
ed pretty d ose for money. So we had
to go In debt. It took uh two years to
get It paid. Father and I’alry and I
tulkcd It over then, and decided we
would starve rather than borrow again.
Even the twins understood It. hut Coll
ide was too little. She doesn't know
how heartbreaking It t* to keep hand
ing over every cent for debt, when one
la Just yearning for other things. I do
wish she might have the coat, hut I'm
afraid father would not like It. She
gave me the five dollars fur safekeep
ing, and 1 have brought It hack.”
Mr. Harold shook Ids head.
"No,
Connie must have her coat. This will
he u good lessou for her. It will truch
her the bitterness o f living under d eb t!
Besides, Prudence, I think In my heart
that she Is right this time. This Is a
case where borrowing I* Justified. Get
her the coat, and I II square the ac
count with your father." Then he
added. “ Ami I'll look after this salary
business ufter this. I'll arrange with
the trustees that I am to pay your fa
ther his full salary the first o f every
month, aud that the church receipts are
to be turned In to me. And If they
do not pay up. my lawyer can do a lit
tle Investigating 1 Little Connie carnod
that five dollars, for she tnught one
trustee a sorry lesson. And he will
have to pass It on to the others In self-
defense ! Now. run along und get the
coat, and If five dollars Isn't enough
you cull have as much more ns you
need. Your father will get his salary
after this, my dear. If we have to mort
gage the parsonage!"
Ing, Prudence dropped her heed on tho
table and wept. ” Oh. Fairy, if the mem
“ Oh. I had her dressed warmly un bers Just knew how such things hurt,
derneath. very warmly Indeed,” de maybe they'd pay up n little better.
clared Prudence. “ But no matter how How do they expect personage people
warm you are underneath, you look to keep up nppeiirauces when they
cold If you aren't visibly prepared for haven’t any money?*”
winter weather. I kept hoping enough ^ “ Oh. now. Prue, you’re worse than
money would come In to buy her a Connie! There's no use to cry about
coat for once In her life."
It. Parsonage people have to find hap
C H A PTE R VII.
"She has been looking forward to piness In spite of financial misery.
one long enough," put lu Fairy. "This Money Isn’t the first thing with folks
A Burglar's Visit.
will he a bitter Mow to her. And yet like us.”
"P ru e !"
It Is not snch a bad-looking coat, after
“ Poor little Connie!
If she had
all.” And Hie quickly rnu up a seam cried about It, I wouldn't have cared so
A small bund gripp'd Prudence's
on the machine.
much. But she looked so—heartsick, shoulder, und again came a hoarsely
whispered :
“ Here comes Connie!" Prudence didn’t she. Fairy T
“ Pru e!"
hastily swept a pile of scraps out of
Connie certainly was heartsick. More
Prudence sat up In bed with a
sight, and turned to greet her little than that, she was a little ‘ disgusted.
bounce.
sister with a cheery smile.
She felt herself aroused to take action.
“ What In the world?" she Ix-gan,
“ Come on in. Conule." she cried, Things had gone too f a r ! Go to church
with a brightness she did not feel. In her father's coat she could not! She gnzlng out Into the room. half-llghu*d
“ Fairy and I are making you a new walked sturdily down the street toward by the moonshine, and ***elng Carol and
coat. Isn’t it pretty? And so warm! the “ city” — Ironically so called. Her Lark shivering beside her bed.
See the nice velvet collar and cuffs. face wus stony, her bauds were
“ Sh ! Sh ! Hush!” whispered Lark.
W e want to fit It on you right away, clenched. But finally she brightened. “There's a burglur in our room I”
dear.”
By this time, even sound-sleeping
Her lagging steps quickened. She
Connie picked up a piece o f the I skipped along quite cheerfully. She Fairy wns awake. “ Oh, there Is I" she
goods and examined It Intently.
turned westward us she reached the scoffed.
“ Don't you want some fudge. Con corner o f the square, and walked along
“ Yes, there Is,” declnred Cnrol with
nie?” exclaimed Fairy, shoving the that business street with shining eyes. some heat. “ We heard him, plain as
dish toward her hurriedly.
In front o f the First National bank she day. He stepped Into the closet, didn't
Connie took a piece from the plate, paused, hut after a few seconds she he. Lnrk?”
and thrust It between her teeth. Her passed by. On the opposite corner was
“ He certainly did,” ngr*-ed Lark.
eyes were still fastened upon the brown another hank. When she reached It,
“ Did you see him?”
furry cloth.
“ No. we heard him. Cnrol heard
she walked In without pausing, and the
him first, and she spoke, and nudged
“ Where did you get this stuff?" she massive door swung behind her.
Inquired, as soon as she was able to
The four older girls were at the
table when Connie came home. She
speak.
“ Out of the trunk in the garret, Con exhaled quiet satisfaction from every
nie. Don't you want some more fudge? pore. Prudence glanced at her once,
I put a lot of nuts In. .especially on and then looked away again. “ She has i
reconciled herself.” she thought. Din
your account.”
“ It’s good,” said Connie, taking an ner was half over before Constance
other piece. She examined the cloth burst her bomb.
“ Are you going to be busy this after
very closely. “ Say, Prudence, isn’t this
i li
noon. Prudence?” she asked quietly.
that old brown coat of father’s?”
Fairy shoved her chair back from the
“ We are going to sew a little.” said
ri
machine, and ran to the window. Prudence. .“ Why?"
“ Look, Prue,” she cried. "Isn’t that
"I wanted you to go downtown with
Mrs. Adams coming this way? I won me after school."
der— ”
“ Well, perhaps I can do fhnt. Fairy
“ No, It Isn't.” answered Connie will be able to finish the coat alone."
gravely. “ It’s Just Miss Avery getting
“ You needn’t finish the coat— I can’t
home from school.— Isn’t It, Prudence? wear futher's coat to church. Pru
Father’s coat. I mean?”
dence. It s a— It’s a— physical Impos
PM •
“ Yes, Connie, it Is,” said Prudence, sibility.”
very, very gently. “ But no one here
The twins laughed. Fairy smiled, hut
has seen It, and It Is such nice cloth— Prudence gazed at "the baby” with
Just exactly what girls are wearing tender pity.
now.”
" I ’m bo sorry, dearest, but we haven’t
“ But 1 wanted a new coat!" Connie the money to buy one now.”
did not cry. She stood looking at Pru
“ W ill five dollars be enough?" In
dence with her wide hurt eyes.
quired Connie, und she placed u crisp
"Oh, Connie, I ’m Just as sorry aa new bill beside her plate. The twins
you are,” cried Prudence, with starting gasped! They gazed at Connie with
tears. “ I know’ Just bow you feel about new respect. They were Just wishing
it dearest! But the people didn’t pay they could handle five-dollar bills so ,
father up last month. Maybe after recklessly.
Christmas we can get you a coat. They
“ W ill you loon rne twenty dollars un
pay up better then.”
til after Christinas, Connie?” queried
“ I think I’d rather wear my summer Fairy.
Prudence Dropped Her Head on the
coat until then,” said Connie soberly.
But Prudence asked, “ Where did you
Table and Wept.
"Oh, but you can’t, dearest It is too get this money, Connie?”
cold. Won't you be a good girl now,
“ I borrowed It— from the bank,” Con me. Then I heard him. too. He was
and not make sister feel badly about nie replied with proper gravity. “ I at our dresser, but he shot across the
it? It really Is becoming to you, and It have two years to pay It buck. Mr. room and Info the closet. He closed
is nice and warm. Take some more Harold says they are proud to have my the door after him. He’s there now."
fudge, dear, and run out-of-doors .a trade.”
“ You’ve been dreaming,” said Fairy,
while. You’ll feel better about It pres
Prudence was silent for several long lying down a ¡pi In.
ently, I ’m sure.”
“ We don’t generally dream the snrne
seconds. Then she Inquired In u low
Connie stood solemnly beside the voice, “ Did you tell him why you wunt- thing nt the smne minute,” snld Carol
table, her eyes still fastened on the ed
storrnlly. "I fell you he’s In there."
coat cat* down from her father’s. “ Can
“ And you two great big girls carne
“ Yes, I explained the whole situa
I go and take a walk?” she asked tion.”
off ond left poor little Connie In there
finally.
alone with a burglar, did you? Well,
“ What did he say?”
“ May I, you mean,” auggested Fairy,
“ He said he knew Just how I felt, you are nice ones. I must sny.”
“ Yes, may 1? Maybe I can reconcile because he knew he couldn’t go to
And Prudence leaped out o f bed nnd
myself to i t ”
church In his w ife’s coat.— No, I said started for the door, followed by Fairy,
“ Yes, go and take a walk,” urged that myself, but be agreed with me. lie with the twins creeping fearfully along
Prudence promptly, eager to get the did not say very much, but he looked In the rear.
small sober fuce beyond her range of sympathetic. He said he anticipated
“ Mho was asleep,” muttered Carol.
vision.
great pleasure In seeing me In my new
"W e didn't want to scare her,” added
“ I f I am not back when the twine coat at church next Sunday.”
Lark.
get home, go right on and eat without
“ Go on with your luncheon, twins,”
Prudence wn* rnreftil to turn the
me. I ’ll come back when I get things said Prudence sternly. “ You’ll be late switch by the door, so thnt the room
straightened out In my mind.”
to acbooL W eil see about going dowa was In full light before she entered.
I When Connie was quite beyond htar town when you get horn« tonight. Go»- The closet door was wide open. Ooo-
è
Al
it r
(fi
nle was soundly sleeping. T h e n was
no one else In the room.
“ Yon eoe?“ said Prudence sternly.
"PH het he took our ruhy ring«," de
clare«! Lark, and the twins aud Ifalry
ran to the dresser to look.
But a sickening realisation hnd coma
home to Prudence, lu tho lower hall,
under the staircase, was a small dark
closet which th«>y culled tIto dungeon,
lite dungeon door was big and solid,
aud was equipped with a heavy «*ateli-
loek. In this dungeon, Prudenra kept
the family silverware, and all the
money she had on hand, aa It could
there be safely locked away. Hut more
often than not. Prudence forgot to lock
It
Have you ever awakened to
find a burglar In your room?
What did you do— pretend sleep?
Or shout? Or keep «till at hie
command?
»To lib. CONTINI! KU.)
SYMBOL UNTOUCHED BY WAR
IF YOUR C H ILD I « CROSO,
fIV K M B H , CO NSTIPATE D
Leek Mothsrl
If tongue Is oeatsd,
citants llttls howtls with “ Cali
fornia Syrup of Figs.”
Mothers can re d easy after giving
"California Hyrup of Fig*.” because iu
a few hours all the clogged up waste,
sour bile and fermenting food gently
moves out of the bowels, and you hav*
a well, playful child again.
Mick children needn't bo coaxed to
Inks this harmless “ fruit la xa tive"
Millions of mothers keep It hundy he
cause they know Its action on the
stoiuuch. liver aud bowels Is prompt
and sure.
Ask your druggist for a 50 cent but
tlo o f "California Hyrup o f i-iga,”
which contains directions for babies,
children of all ages and for growu ups.
Ons Instance.
“ Like produces like."
” Y«*s; 1 suppose that Is one reason
why they have baggage smashers on
trunk lluea.”— Baltimore Amerloan.
SAGE TEA KEEPS
Lion of S t Mark Hat Escaped De
struction, Though Hand of Tima
Has Been Heavy on It.
The lion of St. Mark still stands.
Curiously enough, while utmost pro-
cautions have been taken to pri-scrva
the ediflcvs ami monuments o f Venic*
ugalust the ruthless huud of tho avi
ator, this symbol o f tho republic, otto
o f the chief nrtlstlc and historical glo
ries of the city, still poses on lla col
umn In tb«> Rinzxvtta with never a
sandbag, masonry shield, or wooden
covering to guard It from harm.
The lion o f Si. Mark loug has l>«-«-n
an Interesting relic, oourco o f aotne
s(>eculutlon and an eiidleas amount of
historical legend more or leas authen
tic. There Is n tradition that »lie n
Napoleon carrti-d It to Purls there
were diamonds lu its eyes. They were
really white agates, faceted.
It la coujectured that the lion may
have formed a part o f the decoration
of some Assyrian palace centuries be
fore It became the symbol o f tho Vene
tian patron sulut. Ml. Mark. Tho hand,
except for the crown, the mane, and
the larger part o f the body and legs,
except the cluws, are much older than
other portions o f the figure. The wings
and paws ure o f u much later date,
while the rump part aud the tall ure
restorations executed ufter tho lion
had been sent buck from Purls early
In (ho lust century.
The Uon Is in a condition that care
Is required even under ordlunry condi
tions to preveut Its disintegration.
There are rents and fissures through
out the body, and the portions are held
together by Iron rivets thut have rust
ed uwuy. Muiiy Initials murk the metal,
presumably engruved by artists em
ployed In various restorations.
The Lion of ML Mark could bo de
stroyed with little efforL It has sur
vived the chances of wur to tho pren-
etiL
Work of Japanese Silkworm«.
An improvement in the manner of
hatching silkworms has been r«*c«*ntly
perfecte«! by Japanese growers. Egg
cards are Immersed lu diluted hydro
chloric acid for five to ten hours Just
before th«*y are hatched. In a fort
night or 11! days after tho Immersion
the eggs are perfectly hntched, and
worms thnt ure stronger and more
healthy than those hutched In any
other way may he seen coming out o f
the shells. The silk produced by tho
worms thus hatched Is better and long
er than
that
produced In nny
other wuy. It has been stuted that tho
silk produced by the worms bred la
the newly Invented way measured
l.HOU fe«-t, whereas the thread pro
duced by the worms hutched In thu or
dinary way ini-usures only 700 feet at
the longest.
8oldier Didn’t Impress Her.
Field Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood,
who, at the age o f seventy-nine, has
recently contributed some elev«-rly
written articles to the periodical press,
tells this story:
An entertainment wns given In his
honor at his Norfolk home on his e-
turn from Egypt. Among the crowd
assembled on the occasion wns the
w ife o f au agricultural laborer. She
was very eager to know Mir Evelyn
Wood, and u bystander pointed him
out to her.
"W h a t!” she exclaimed. In amaze
ment, "that little man General W ood!
Why. my old man could clout (thrash)
him <*nslly!”
“ Never,” said Sir Evelyn, as he con
cluded his story, “ hnd I felt more
humiliated.”
The Obstacle.
A little two-year-old boy wns at piny
on the bench. At every other step he
would stumble und full, only to pick
himself up plucklly und try It ngnln.
His fond mother decided the bench
roust be rough, nnd suggested going
to another spoL
“There Is no use. denr,” her husband
replied, “ he would stumble over a
grain o f sand I”
Breslau bas a paper chit toey whlcfl
la 80 teat high and proof ngiUnt flan,
When Mixed with Sulphur it
Hrinicii Hack IU Beautiful
Lustre at Once.
Gray hair, however handsome, de
notes advancing ax«.
We all know
the advantage o f a youthful appear
ance. Your hair la your charm. It
miikca or mars the face.
When It
fudi-s, turns gray and looks stn-aked.
Just a few applications of Mage Tea
und Hulphur enhance* Ha appearance
u hundred fold.
Don’ t stay gray!
Look young!
Either prepare the recipe at home or
get from any drug store a CO-ccnt
bottle of "W yeth's Mage and Bulpbur
Compound," which Is merely the old-
time recipe Improved by the addition
of other ingredients. Thousands of
folks recommend this ready-louse
preparation, Is-cauae It darkens the
hair beautifully, beatdea, no one can
possible t« 11, as It dark«-ns no nutur
ally and evenly.
You moisten a
sponge or soft brush with It. draw
ing this through the hair, taking one
small strand nt a time. By morning
the gray hair dlsapprata; after an
other application or two. Its natural
color Is restored and It becomes thick,
glosny and lustrous, and you app<-ar
years younger.
W yeth’s Mage and Hulphur Com
pound Is a delightful totlet requisite.
It Is not Intended for the cure, mitiga
tion or prevention of dlavaoo.
Homs Truths.
"M y wtfo would rather cook than
e a t”
” 8o would mine— than eat tho atuff
she cooks."— Boston Transcript
END STOMACH TRO UBLE.
GASES OR D YSPE PSIA
“ Pape’s Dlapepsln” makes Sick, Sour,
Gassy Stomacha surely feel fine
In fiv e minutes.
If what you just ato Is souring on
your stomach or lies llko a lump of
lead, refusing to digest, or you belch
gas and eructate sour, undIgt-Mtcd
food, or have a feeling o f dlxxlnesa.
heartburn, fullness, nausea, bad taste
in mouth nnd stomach headache, yon
can get blessed relief in five minutes.
But an end to stomach trouble forever
by getting a largo fifty cent case of
Bape's Dlapepsln from any drug store.
You realize in five minutes how nee«l-
less It Is to suffer from Indigestion,
dyspepsia or any stomach disorder.
It’s the quickest, surest stomach doc
tor In tho world. It’s wonderful.
Here Flrtt.
W illie was boasting about his fnm
lly. "Our folks came over in tho May
flower,” he declared proudly.
“ Huh!
That’s nothing,' said Bob
ble. “ I guess they stayed with our
folks the first, night after they land
ed.”— Boston Transcript.
t’» f
M a rin e
nH er
K ip m a rr
In
C o l*.
Cutting W in d « and l»ust.
It Renter) *,
R efreshes and Bromides K y e Health.
Good fo r
all K y r s that Need Care.
Murln«-
E ye
Rem edy
Cn.. Chicago.
Sends K y e Rook on request.
Both Waya.
"Th ere Is much opposition to put
ting an embargo on wheat.”
“ Yes; It goes against tho grain."—
Baltimore American.
As wc grow more sensible, we refuse drag
cathartics and take Nature’s herb cure. Gar
field Tea.
Tim e Limit.
" I seo that Miss Gunn Is married at
la s t"
“ Well, It was time she was going
off.”— Baltimore American.
Q o n Q O
Every Niqht
F o r Constipation
HeddâcheJndigestion.rtc
RANbRETH