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I
AN OLD WAGON ROAD.
' It holds, In a wide and easy curve,
The (fold-shot mist of a willow clump, '
-And takes the sun, In a lazy swerve,
To clear the roots of a half-charred
stump.
Yonder, ahead, where the slant is steep,
Turning aside from a primrose lane,
The cut of the wheel lies sharp and deep
In clay that gathered the slow spring
rain.
But wild sweet clover In time can heal
The scars long left by the wagon wheel.
Adown the hollow It runs awry
With errant scorn of a settled pace ;
The brown leaf-layers so densely lie
They hold the trail by the vaguest
trace j
And lower still where the mold Is wet
With trickling pearls of a wayside
spring,
The slender arc of the track Is set,
A couch for the wood-weeds' blossom
ing. Across the hill, on the other side,
A new road runs to the village rim;
Its bed is graveled and hard and wide ;
No star-weeds tangle along its brim.
It travels on through the sun's hot light
With naught of pausing to doze or
dream ;
No swerve it follows, to left or right
No luring dip to a shade-cool stream.
And the old road idles Its way alone,
A vagrant, careless of long neglect ;
Witch-hazel-threatened and bramble
grown, It sinks in a hazy retrospect.
.And Inch by inch as the wild things creep
Closer and thicker with web and skein,
It lapses into a placid sleep,
A part, once more, of the wood's do
main. And wild sweet clover at last shall heal
The scars long left by the wagon wheel.
Youth's Companion.
The Ring Availeth
(qJ HE knew that everybody at the
3) hotel was sure she was engaged.
She felt them observe her subtle
-ways of expressing the open secret of
her heart. She was aware that they
noticed her anxiety about the mails go
ing out and ber eagerness about the
malls coming In. She would affect that
tender glance at the ring when she
really knew that every one was look
ing. She would hurry Into the dining
room a half-minute late folding a letter
and crushing it into the front of her
shirt waist She would stand before
the long windows In the palmroom or
sit silently In one of the huge rattan
rockers on the porch and gaze ab
sently across the links.
When the boys asked for a set of ten
nis Bhe would look at once startled and
pleased, and hesitatingly would say:
""Tennis! Why, I would dearly love to,
but " And she would turn inquir
ingly to her aunt wth an expression
"by which most girls would mean, "Do
you think It is all right?" but by which
she seemed to mean, "Do you think
that he would think It Is all right?"
The more Bhe declined the more per
sistent they became, till at length she
was the center of all social activities.
"It is not because of myself. Men
always are silly about engaged girls."
This was her secret thought
She enjoyed It Immensely, however,
and the other girls envied and gos
siped. One afternoon a young college man
was presented to her. "Do you know,"
saidhe, "I've been dying to meet you
that is, ever since I heard er you
were engaged."
"Is it such a dreadful thing to be
ngaged?" she exclaimed. "I know men
Just simply despise engaged girls."
, "Oh, no, we don't that Is, some of
ns don't. You are all so different from
other girls, you know."
They took a short walk, and ended
by sitting on a bench In the arbor.
"Oh, yes, It's much cooler here." she
was saying as she toyed with the leaves
and twigs. They talked and talked,
and got to know each other far bet
ter than even she could have expected.
The boys said "Whew!" and asked
lier no more to piny tennis. The girls
eased to envy, but continued, however,
; to whisper. The boys joined them and
whlsiered, too.
The next morning when the crowd
went over to the links he carried her
. sticks. She did not usually play golf
lu the mornings, but on this particular
morning she was the first to go over.
She knew he would walk with her. She
thought he liked her, at least for the
moment; and. knowing the fickle frame
of men, she realized the critical situa
tion. They played a few holes, but lost
. 'their last ball, and rested by the brook.
"I'm sorry you learned I am en
gaged," she was saying.
"Sorry? Why, you needn't be," he
rejblued, frankly. "Do you know, I'm
deucedly fond of engaged girls?"
"-niidtHHl ! Why, I really thought that
you fellows were rather afraid of
them."
"Afraid of them! Nonsense. Ills
boyish nature was growing enthusias
tic. "It's the other kind that I'm afraid
of not engaged girls. Why, a fellow
like me could go with a girl like you
all summer and er she would never
expect that is "
The girl had lowered her head and
was gazing Intently into the brook.
You see, my friends tell me I am
susceptible," aud he softened his voice
to an extremely confidential tone.
"That's why I'm glad you're engaged.
You see, there's no chance for me to
fall In love this summer."
She was not Quite bo sure about It
and was thinking to herself wlat a
fine beginning It all was.
"Hadn't we better try and find the
ball?" she broke in, but made no tffort
to go. In fact they did not go. The
lazy morning slipped by, leaving them
at the brook. They came in late to
luncheon, and she knew what all the
girls were saying.
It rained torrents during the two
days following, and he taught her to
play chess.
'The object Is to checkmate the
King," he told her.
"Yes, I see," and she wondered if it
were not equally commendable to be
able to checkmate a "Jack."
As soon as the sun shone they were
out of doors again. They didn't play
tennis as much as golf, and seemed to
enjoy paddling a canoe better than
either. There wasn't so much to do
in the canoe and they could talk vol
umes. He told her of his work at col
lege, and, boy like, built for her castles
of future success. She appeared to be
most Interested and asked him so many
questions that he began to think his
plans were worth something after all.
She was the only one who had ever
sioken encouragingly of them.
"I shall be so anxious to learn in
after years of the name you surely will
have made for yourself," she said to
him one evening as he bade ber good
night
He looked longingly into her eyes as
the elevator boy waited in a "golng
up" attitude.
"By Jove," he ejaculated, 'if I only
had a sister like you!"
"I suppose she'd get you to quit
smoking cigarettes." And she laughed
out of his head once and for always
that bothersome, sisterly Idea.
That night she wrote in her diary
something like this:
"Every morning 3 hours.
Every afternoon 3 hours.
Every evening 2 hours.
Total, 8 hours every day.
Eight hours a day for two weeks would
be equivalent In point of time to a se
ries of weekly calls spread out through
a period of two years and besides he
has greater efficiency for speed than
most men."
A summer, is not a lifetime, but Is
long enough at least she thought it
would be long enough. She was to re
main through the month of October ; he
was to leave the last of September.
Time passed more rapidly and more
happily than ever before. They were
KNEW HE WOCLD WALK WITH HER.
having the sweetest experience of their
lives.
"He cares for me," she thought over
and over again. "He likes me, but why
doesn't he ?"
She began to realize that his "efficien
cy for speed" was not so great
"My engagement attracted him, and
yet my engagement holds him off," she
concluded. She knew it his every
word and act proved It He need not
speak; and yet he ought to.
At length the days of field and wood
were over. Their evening strolls were
at an end. Even summer-end "good
bys" are sad, and there is no use re
peating them. All were said that is,
all "gootlbys" were said but nothing
more. He went to pack his grip. She
retired to her room to weep, to dry her
eyes and to weep some more. For a
long time she lay on ..her bed, face
down, and the pillow was tear stained.
"It's all over now," she was thinking.
Then she walked to the window and
nervously tied the shade string in ever
so many little bows and knots. She
was looking at the two-carat stone on
her engagement finger.
"My ring attracted him and alas!
my ring Is driving him away." And
she tied more knots In the window
shade string.
"I have it !" she cried, and in a burst
of enthusiasm she Jerked the string
and snapped the shade to the top of
the window. Her tears burned dry and
beamed with determination and glowed
with anticipated success. It took only
a few minutes to pull the ring from her
finger, Beal an euvelope and wrap up a
small, dark-green box about an Inch
square.
Every evening at 5 o'clock the stage
drove to town not to return before the
following morning. When she came
down on the iorch the horses were
waiting and he was about to step up
Into the stage.
"Will you mail thbse in town for
me?" she asked, as with her left hand
she gave him the letter and the pack
age. He glanced from the package to
the hand and back again to the pack
age. It was addressed to a man in
Colorado. The letter was directed to
the same man.
"Good-by," he said; "I'll mall them."
She was expecting him to say more,
when suddenly all the guests came hur
rying out of the hotel. They crowded
around him and bade him a most dem
onstrative adieu.
"Oh, pshaw 1" she said, as the stage
swept round the bend. "I didn't think
the whole house would be here."
She ata no dinner that evening and
sat alone on the porch till It was very
late. The west wing was deserted save
for her. She was watching down the
dry, dusty road over which he had
driven. At length some one came trudg
ing around the bend. It was a man
with a grip. It was he he was com
ing back.
"Hello !" she called In a vain attempt
to be cheerful. "Did you miss your
train?"
"No, I didn't miss the train," he re
plied as he came up on the porch. Ills
voice was as hoarse as his clothes were
dusty. "No, I didn't miss my train,
but I drove clear into town before I
understood what it all meant I regis
tered that package and sent it special
delivery, too." He was sitting close
enough to whisper. "And I walked
back over six of the roughest miles I
ever traveled Just to ask you If I
couldn't put another ring where the
old one used to be."
The moon rolled back of a kindly
cloud, casting an Impervious shadow
over It all and even the omnipotent
story teller couldn't see.
Late that night sitting on the floor
in her room, she held a diamond ring
between her fingers and contemplated
It It was the same ring she hafd worn
alb summer, the same ring that made
the people talk, the same ring that at
tracted him.
WTlth an air of satisfaction she re
turned It to her jewel case.
"And what would dear old papa
think," she was musing, "If be only
knew I can never wear his present
again." Columbia Monthly.
LIFE AND ITS HANDICAPS.
Indians Educator Declare Ig-nor-ance
la Greatest Barrier.
Dr. R. J. Aley of the State Univer
sity of Indiana delivered an address on
"Life's Handicaps" at the annual meet
ing of the Alumni Association of Val
paraiso University. He said lu part:
"Most men attribute their lack of
success to an unkind fate that has
loaded them with some dead weight.
The world in Its pre-estlmate of men
usually predicts failure. It does this
because it sees only what seems to be
the handicaps. The world predicted
failure for Stanley, Disraeli, Webster,
Lincoln, Moses and Jesus. The Indi
vidual makes a wrong diagnosis and
the world fails entirely in its forecast
"There are many handicaps that may
come into the life of any one. Evil
habit may, like a vampire, suck the
very life blood. It may turn the life
current Into so deep a groove that
finally the Individual is powerless in
self-direction.
"Ignorance is the greatest handicap
of the present A generation ago one
could make a fair showing lu the race,
even though he knew but little. The
competition of the present and the
masterly methods now required in the
doing pf everything puts the Ignorant
man so far in the rear that he is hard
ly recognized as being in the race at
all. The timid man cannot solve the
great problems of the present The
need of the hour is for. men who have
the courage to do hard things. The
problems of adjusting the relation of
capital and labor and of cleansing our
municipal, State and national admin
istrations call for a high degree of
courage. We need men of the pioneer
type, men who will go Into the jungle
of corruption and graft with the same
conquering spirit that was in our fa
thers when they left the ease of the
East and bullded their homes in the
unbroken wilderness af the West
"No man can hope to be bunched
with the winners in the battle of life
unless he has a perspective good enough
to see things in their right proportions
and a spirit so elastic that he can read
ily adapt himself to conditions as they
are.
The real handicaps of life are cura
ble. They are within the power of the
individual. He can form habits; he
can remain ignorant ; he can be a mis
erable pessimist; he can allow fear to
overcome him ; he can pick a piece of
charcoal from the street and hold it
so close to his eye that he falls to see
the acres of diamonds all about him ;
he can do all these things, tut he does
not need to do them; he can do their
opposites. He can form good habits;
he can banish Ignorance; he can be a
happy optimist; he can round out his
life with the highest kind of courage;
he can push the bit of charcoal far
enough away to let the light of dia
monds in. He can do all these and en
ter the race without a single dead
weight to carry aud with the assur
ance that the great starter on high is
anxious for him to win." Chicago
Chronicle.
Fish Strlna-er.
Every fisherman, If he has been for
tunate to catch some fish that are
worth exhibiting, dislikes to hide them
in a basket He
would rather pro
cure a piece of
cord or wire and
carry the fish that
way. What the
fisherman needs in
such an emergency
is the carrier
shown In the illus
tration, the Inven
tion of a Wiscon
sin man. When
not in use it can
stringing fish, be slipped In the
trousers pocket, and when needed can
be quickly brought forth. It Is very
simple In construction, comprising a
handle, a length of cord and a needle
for slipping the end of the cord through
the gills of the fish. The cord Is ar
ranged so that It can be folded In the
middle and passed through a hook in
the center of the handle. In this way
the string of fish, If very long, will
not trail upon the ground.
Hat Ventilator.
The prevalence of so many bald
headed men has been attributed to the
! fact that the hair on the head is not
given proper ven
tilation. Nq one
will deny that
men's hats afford
no means of sup
plying this much
needed ventilation.
In addition, men
never discard a
hat while In the
open air during
hot weather as
women do. Means
AFFORDS VENTILATIO
0 f
ventilating
men's hats have many times been sug
gested, but Fashion has always ta
booed the Idea. Nevertheless, the sug
gestion is again brought forth In a re
' cent patent o,f a Mississippi man. This
hat ventilator accomplishes the pur
pose thoroughly, as shown in the illus
tration in connection with the ordi
nary derby hat Between the brim ana
crown of the hat encircling the latter
entirely, is a band (about the size of a
regulation hat band) composed of nar
row openings extending from top to
bottom. The band Is made of hard
rubber or celluloid, to give the neces
sary stiffness or elasticity. It would
undoubtedly afford much comfort to the
wearer. It would be Impossible to
make similar slits in the felt of the
hat, as the latter would not hojd its
shape. The Introduction of hard rub
ber keeps the hat in shape, and at the
same time is not unduly conspicuous.
Of course, the use of this ventilator Is
not confined to derby hats, but can be
attached to any style of hat
For Window Display.
Every shopkeeper endeavors to in
troduce something among the goods in
his window that will immediately at
tract attention.
Passersby will at
once be interested
in the novelty ex
hibited, and nat
urally will turn
their attention to
the goods on dis
play. American
shopkeepers are
far in advance of
flame isr water, the merchants of
other countries in Introducing these
"eye-catchers." Still, one of the most
Interesting seen recently comes from
Germany. It Is shown in the Illustra
tion. This apparatus is a glass vessel,
anu is nearly filled with water or other
suitable transparent liquid. A flame,
produced by liquid combustibles (such
as oil and compressed air) burns be
low the surface of the water. The air
Is led in through the larger and the
combustible by the smaller pipe. At
the left Is an opening for admitting the
liquid and on the opposite side an over
flow pipe. When the apparatus Is
placed In a shop front or the like the
flame, burning within the liquid ap
paratus, can also be used for produc
ing hot water for heating purposes.
THAW'S BEST FRIEND.
If Aayone Can Bare White's glare
It la 11 la Mot ber.
Mrs. Mary Copley Thaw, leader of
Pittsburg society and ruler of the many
millions left by ber husband, the lata
William Thaw, has proven herself re
markable in times of stress and trouble.
If anyone can save Harry K. Thaw
from suffering the consequences of his
crime in killing Stanford White, it will
be this devoted mother, who is his best
friend.
Mrs. Thaw showed her ability as a
manager when her daughter, Alice, de
cided to marry the Earl of Yarmouth.
There was opposition from members
of the family, who did not like the
earl. Once settled that ner daughter's
happiness depended upon the mar
riage, Mrs. Thaw consented. There was
trouble oyer the settlement but she ar
ranged that to the satisfaction of all
concerned.
A year or so later Harry Kendall
Thaw returned from Europe with Eve
lyn Nesblt announcing her as his wife.
The elder Mrs. Thaw hastened to haul
in the reins and arranged for anoth
er vsoddlng. Then she took them home
with her. This hlgh-mluded and de
voted mother has redeemed situations
that to others have seemed to be beyond
hope of saving, and has controlled her
offspring when only she was capable
of doing so. Out of the complex love
affairs of her children, when all the
world scoffed, she has seen what was
true and developed successful mar
riages. With her other children, Joslah and
Mrs, George Lauder Carnegie, Mrs.
Thaw seems to have had less trouble.
Mrs. William Thaw has her own
views regarding the conduct of the
NATIONAL GAME PARK.
i- .-"Mis? ..sn.,i ii ,. . - tii,
The KlnRflxher.
Many and curious are the legends of
the kingfisher. One of these Is to the
effect that the bird was originally a
plain gray In color, but upon being let
loose from the ark flew toward the
setting sun and had Its back stained
blue by the sky and Its lower plumage
scorched by the sun to gorgeous hues.
The dried body of the kingfisher was
once used as a charm against thunder
bolts and moths, and it was hung up
so that It might point with its bill to
the wind's quarter.
Consistent Stady.
"now are you getting along with
your nature study?"
"Oh, finely; I am now studying to
find out whether the cat-tails belong
to the same family as the pussy wil
lows," Baltimore American.
Nearly GO.OOO acres in one natural game preserve! Such is the new enter
prise which the national government is establishing in Oklahoma. As far back
as tribal tradition runs the Wichita mountain region has been the favorite
hunting grounds of the Comanche and Kiowa Indians, drawn thither by
abundance of game and delightful climate. But now game, like the Indians,
is largely a thing of the past
It Is proposed to reproduce in this splendid natural park all the best spe
cies of game animals and birds that once made the great West the hunter's
paradise. Deer, antelope, bear, the otter and beaver, quail and doves, prairie
chickens and wild turkeys will be given protection and encouraged to Increase
and multiply. Probably the most Interesting feature of the undertaking will
be an effort to have, in the course of years, large herds of buffalo again roam
ing the plains within the reservation as they did before the pitiless warfare
upon them was carried so nearly to the point of extermination. When the
plans now under way are carried out Oklahoma will be able to boast, in this
Wichita mountain game reserve, one of the finest natural game parks In
the country.
Naturalists who have visited the region unite in saying that the preserve,
without question, can be made one of the most successful in the United States.
The 57,120 acres of land set apart by act of Congress for this purpose lies In
the rugged embrace of mountains that attain an altitude of 2,700 feet above
sea level, from whose summits one may behold the marvelous expanse of
plains rolling westward to the Rocky mountains and southward to the Rio
Grande del Norte.
To the east the country is brpken by timbered streams, many of them
splendid water courses, between which are fertile prairies and ever Increasing
hills that merge finally into the bastions of the beautiful Oznrks In Arkansas
and Missouri. From the north, as far as the Dominion of Canada and stretch-'
ing southward to 'the Gulf of Mexico, there sweeps past the WIchitas the
mighty pathway of the plains, rich in nutritious grasses, over which grazed
In the earlier days the migratory herds of buffalo and deer. The climate is
mild and dry, although snow whitens the tops of the mountains In winter. In
summer the peaks swim In a sea of purple haze. The average rainfall Is about
twenty-nine inches and the annual mean temperature close to 60 degrees
Seldom does the temperature go below zero.
THE FINAL WORD.
No Excursion Ticket.
Beenaway Let me see! About No
goodson when I left he was going
from bad to worse, and Staidhome
It subsequently developed that he had
no return coupon. Puck.
I No more loyal or devoted servant
could be found than Nora Sweeny. The
thought her mistress was an angel In
- very slight disguise, and that the rest
of the family were all far superior to
the ordinary run of mortals.
Her indignation was beyond bounds
'when she found that Bridget Halloran,
attached to the Laphams on the second
floor of the apartment house, consid
ered "her family" far ahead of Nora's
in every way, because of their style of
dressing.
"She's always talking to me about
their clothes, Mrs. Harmon, dear,"
said Nora, with a hint of tears in her
voice as she set down the heaped
j basket of snowy garments one Monday
'on her return from the roof, "but I've
given her a comether to-day that she'll
not be forgetting in a hurry." .
"Why, what did you say, Nora?"
asked Mrs. Harmon, with an anxious
glance at the pretty flushed face of her
little maid of all work.
"She said," and Nora caught her
breath, "she said, 'The dress your lady
wears to church Is about flt to hang
out my lady's washing in!'"
"And you said?" prompted Mrs. Har
mon, as Nora paused.
"An' I said," Nora's head was proud
ly lifted, " There's not a thing my lady
wears, even If it's when she's all alone,
wid himself away, would be flt for
that!' I said to her, an she'd never
a word to give me back." Youth's
Companion.
0 imHiBmmvmiiimmmmmmmmml
rw MM
Ms I
. .
MBS. WILLIAM THAW.
case. What those views are remain
untold. It Is certain, however, that she
will expend her entire fortune, if nec
essary, in the effort to save her son.
from the electric chair. Her mother
love has been touched at Its tenderest
point, as Harry Kendall Thaw always,
has been her petted and best loved son.
Always has she forgiven his escapades
and dissipations, continually trusting
that her love and devotion would tell
In the long run. Now, in her old age,
she faces the terrible ordeal of a son
charged with deliberate end premedi
tated murder.
Why They Call Htm "Old Beans."
"Senator Pomeroy was called by
many of those who knew him as 'Old
Beans.' His friends used the nickname
as a term of endearment while those
who didn't like him employed It to ex
press their derision. He obtained that
title by reason of having at one time.
when the people of his state were hun- i!
gry, a large quantity of that nourishing
food shipped from Boston to Kansas.
Whenever he profited in a pecuniary
way by that act of course I don't.
know, but he, at least, gathered In a
bost of friends.
"I first heard of the soubriquet whon
I was one of the assistant doorkeepers f
of the Senate. My station was to the't
left of the chamber, facing th secre- -j
tary's office. One day, when the Sen-
ate was in session, a big, breezy west-1
erner came up to me, and said: 'Willi
rou kindly send my card to 'Old Beans.' e
"Well, that stumped me, and I wasjy
obliged to confess that I didn't knowix
'beans. Then the stranger explainedjjo
When. "Old Beans appeared he fairly-;
fell Into bis friend's arms, and wberilo
that gentleman told Wm, that I was lg-iii
norant of the name the Kansans knewee:
him by, I was told why they so deslgf-l
nated him." Washington Post p
f
New Kind of Dialect Story. el
"What's this?" demanded the puz- r:
Eled critic, reading the manuscript "Gj
'long wld ye or Oi'll gif you a punc-' Fc
mlt der nose yet already.' What sof 1
of language is that to put in the mouti. i
of your hero?"
'That's the most novel feature of mj
book," replied the young author; "yo'j'r
see, the hero's father was Irish and hli , 1
mother German." Philadelphia JjedgerF j
What He Called Him. V(Lo
"What do you call your baby?" Wl
"Aw, has my wife been telling yell
about that when I called him tfof jf
he'd been keepin me awake over threw
eh? Oh, his name I 'John. Hons
luu emu
al
A candidate was feeling tough and
looking tough, this morning, and said:
"I'd like to tell the real truth about
running for office-."
He Knew Him.
"Why don't you propose, if yon lovj
her?"
"She hasn't known me long enough.a(
"Great Scott, man 1 propose at oner!
then. Don't take any chances." Clevyi
land Leader. g '
Treat your parents with great letj
derness and respect: lou owe mei
something because you were not borl
va czar.