The Athena press., April 23, 1909, Image 2

- WHEN BABY FELL.
Th time oar baby failed' an' breakei
His little arm right straight in two,
He hollered so I guess be maked
'Em bear him clear t' town, don't you
An' father, he tat couldn't bear
T' hear him cry an went outside
An' down behind the barn an' there
My pa 1st cried an' cried an' cried.
An' Polus, he's our hired man,
1st couldn't husk another shock,
But set behind the miikhouse an'
He most forgot t' feed the stock.
An' 'Lizabeth, she live with us
Because she's orful pore,
1st couldn't stand the baby's fuss
An' runned ubstairs an' locked the
door. "
The time our baby breaked his arm
My ma an' me, she's always thunk,
Was only folks around the farm
At showed a weenty bit o' spunk.
John. D. Wells.
.88
KB 1
Wl VIIVII blltJUtVIUVIll W
Bertha and her elder sister Ella
were talking It over. Bertha, with an
open book in her lop, was rocking her
self in the chnlr by the window with
suppressed emotion, and Ella was cov
ering a piece of canvas with streaks of
very highly colored wool.
"I always said," Bertha remarked at
length, "that we shouldn't get on well
together. I knew this would happen."
"And so you have really broken off
your engagement for good?" said Ella
quietly, as she gazed at her work to
see If a streak of bright green and
bright yellow would harmonize with a
similar streak of lurid blue.
"Absolutely," said Bertha, firmly. "I
waited till yesterday to give him the
chance to call and apologize, and then
I wrote and told him that all was over
between us, and that I should return
. his pr Bents, and that I didn't want to
see him again. And," she added, rock
ing herself furiously with the excite
ment of the recollection, "I'm very glad
I did, because I was able to get my
letter off first, and to show him that I
can be as Independent as he Is, and I
always said we should never Rult each
otlur, and I don't care for hlni a bit
now. and he's a horrid, hateful thing!"
"Dear, dear!" commented Ella, as
her sister paused from sheer want of
breath.
"Well," persisted Bertha, "it's his
fault. He begun It. I shouldn't have
said anything If he hadn't danced with
that' Jessie Hamilton twice running.
He couldn't dunce with me all the even
ing, I know, but he needn't have gone
out of his way to dance with her a sec
ond time when he knew my name was
on his irogrnm."
"But perhaps he made a mistake,
dear. You told me he tried to explain
the iantter afterwards."
"I'm glad you sold 'tried,'" said
Bertha derisively. "It was all arranged
beforehand. I told him so at the first
opportunity."
"And then he snld you had better
come buck home, eh?"
"There you are again!" cried Bertha
excitedly, as he turned on her sister
with what she evidently considered a
triumphant vindication of her rights.
"Fancy wanting to come away in the
middle of the evening, just as the real
fun was commencing! Would you have
your evening broken up just out of
spite, and be taken home In a cab be
fore suppep like a child In the nursery?"
Ella shrngged her shoulders and
looked bs If she were considering the
position carefully before committing
herself to a doflulte reply.
"I told him about It In the hansom,"
pursued Bertha, remorselessly. "And
It nil upset me so I couldn't help crying
a little, and that made him worse than
ever. And then he sold If I kept on
like that he would stop the cab and
send me home alone. I told hlm It was
the best thing he could do. And so it
was! But what annoyed me most was
. Ms making all that scene before the
cabman. I think that was mean above
everything. I shall never forgtve him
for that. The wretched cabman was
listening through the trap-door all the
time. He must have been, because
when Freddie was paying him the Im
pudent fellow said it was a pity sweet
hearts should fnll out, and If It was
his young lady he should go back and
try and make It up again,"
"And what did Freddie say?" Ella
Inquired curiously.
"Freddie," said Bertha, "oh, he
sold " She stopped suddenly, and
there was a slightly embarrassing
pause. "Well, I can't tell you exactly
what he snld, because I didn't under
stand at all. But he said it very loud
ly, and there was a great deal of It.
And I shan't forgive him for that dis
graceful scene, either. I wonder whether
he'll have the manner to acknowledge
my letter,"
"f hen you do waul to hear from hlm
again?" suggested Ella, quietly, as she
looked out of the corners of her eyes
"01, dear, no !" retorted Bertha, with
a haughty pout. "If he likes to con
sider my letter the last word to be snld
on the subject, he's welcome to, for all
I care!"
And she resumed her seat and re
opened her book, w hich she eoutlnucd
to read iiunplnowitly for several min
utes. In spite of the fact that she was
uohlhsg It. upside down.
lreeently the maid came Into the
riMn with a card on a troy. Berth
uaivned at It with a singular eager-
ii ess, find then tossing it carelessly bao
on the tray, remarked emphatically :
"Please sny I'm not at home."
"Is that Freddie?" naked Ella, look
ing up suddenly and stopping the maid
by a gesture. And as her sister replied
with a sullen nod, she continued,
think you'd better see him, dear."
"Oh, I'm not afraid to see him, If it
comes to that !" said Bertha, defiantly,
"Show Mr. Markhuin up, Mary," said
Ella, to the maid.
"You'll do the explaining, dear, won
you?" pleaded Bertha, when they were
alone, as she darted to the pier-glass
and criticized herself anxiously. "You
can talk to him, you know. How do
look? Tell him that 'I have nothing to
add to my letter, and all that. Is my
hair all right? Hush, here he Is!"
Mr. Markham bowed quietly as he
entered the room with his hat In one
hand and a large brown paper parcel li
the other.. Bertha, with her foot on the
fender and her arm on the mantelpiece,
acknowledged his bow, with a frigid
inclination of her head, while Ella hur
ried forward and shook hands cordial
ly, and hoped that Mr. Markham would
be seated. Then she volunteered the
suggestion that it was a nice day.
Mr. Markham agreed that It was a
very nice day, Indeed. Then he added,
studiously addressing himself to Ella
all the time :
"I have brought a few things with
me which I must ask your sister to let
me return. I thought I ought to call
personally, as I quite understand you
may reasonably expect some apology
from me for sending your sister home
alone on Tuesday, and I beg you
wlii "
"Oh, it's too late nowl" Interrupted
Bertha, with rather fierce emphasis.
"Oh, I quite understand that," said
Mr. Markham, still addressing Ella
"But I hope you will believe that I am
very sorry about it all. If you will
accept my apology, I er, I think that Is
all. There is nothing more to be said.
And he rose from his chair.
"Nothing," said Bertha, looking
fiercely into the fire stove.
"Oh, Mr. Mark-hum, do please excuse
me, cried Kiln, starting up from her
chair suddenly and running to the win
dow. "But there's Harry coining down
the lawn, nnd he's brought me such a
lovely bouquet. Bertha, you'll show
Mr. Markham out, won't you?" And
she was gone In a moment.
The situation had become somewhat
disquieting. Bertha turned rather red
and ibegan to contemplate minutely the
shape of her dainty boot which was
resting on the fender. "Mr. Markham
brushed his hat pensively on his elbow,
and seemed to be troubled with a slight
cough.
I er, I think that Is all," he Bald
at length. - .
"Oh, yes," suld Bertha, deliberately.
"After what has happened It is easy
to see that we can bo nothing more to
each other."
"Er yes. I suppose that is so," said
Mr. Markham, reflectively, as he con
tinued to brush his hat with extraor
dinary diligence.
"And I dare say you're very glad to
be out of It," snld Bertha, stifling a
big sigh of resignation, as she left the
mantelpiece and walked to the win
dow.
"Oh, no, not at all," Insisted Mr.
Markham. "I'm rather sorry In one
way, you know, because I thought "
"I see you've brought back my pres
ents," she said coldly. "But you need
not have bothered, I'm sure. I was go
ing to send yours back to-night. I've
got them all packed up."
"Oh, they don't mutter, I. assure
you, Mr. Markhnm hastened to assure
her.
There was an awkward pause, and
then to relieve the strain he crossed to
the table and laid the brown paper
parcel gingerly pn the extreme edge,
By that time ho had thought of some
thing to say.
"I'm nfwild I've fled up rather an
awkward bundle; but I wanted to get
the parcel done up In a hurry, because
Jack Hlngsrnn surprised me In the mid
dle of it. He came in to know If I
was going to the Tomlinsnns' dunce,
and "
Bertha wheeled around suddenly, as
If she had quite forgotten the painful
nature of the Interview,
"Are the Tomlinsons going to give
a dance?'' she asked eagerly. "I won
der who's going. Will Jessie Hamilton
Ihj there?"
Then the sad formality of the oc
casion dawned upon her, and she sighed
and turned to the window again.
"I I really don't know," said Mr.
Markhom. "I'm not going."
"Oh, pray don't stay away on my
account," urged Bertha, sarcastically
I 1 er wasn t going to I
mean "
"Thank yon for Hie compliment," she
said ironically, bowing at the same
time with mock emphasis.
"I I mean 1 haven't been asked to
go," stammered Mr. Markham. wiping
his forehend with his handkerchief.
"Oh, I beg your pardon," said
Bertha, coldly.
There was another pause. Bertha
glued disconsolately out of the wludow,
while Mr. Markham, In order to break
the intolerable silence, desperately cut
the string of his parcel and spread the
contents out on the table. Bertha,
hearlug the noise, turned, and coiulug
nearer the table, watched the proceed
ing with a badly-affected Indifference,
"I think you'll find they're all there,"
said Mr. Markham, Indicating th "pres
ents." "There s the sinoklug can you
worked for me, I'm Rfrald it has been
used rather roughly, but, you see, I
had It all ready to pack up yesterday,
when my little fox terrier got hold of
It and beran eating the braid, and aa I
was getting it away from him we
pulled the tassel oft between us. There
was nobody else in the way just then,
so I had to sew it on again myself,
and '. ,
i Bertha lost her head completely for
the moment. She burst out laughing
as she snatched the cap-out of his
hand. ' " ".
"Why," she cried, glancing at his
workmanship, "you've sewn it on with
white cotton, and" dangling It by the
tassel before him, derisively "it isn't
in the middle!" Then. she recollected
herself at once and seemed angry at
having been momentarily betrayed into
a show of Interest in the proceedings.
"But really," she added, tossing the cap
on the table and returning to the win
dow, "I don't know why you should
expect me to trouble my head about
these things now. I "
"Oh, quite so," suld Mr. Markham ;
"I'm sorry I mentioned it. Only, you
see, this is the first time I have had
to perform a melancholy duty of this
kind, and I thought "
"Oh, you do think It melancholy,
then? And whose fault Is it, I should
like to know?" And Bertha turned
and advanced a step toward the table.
"I I dou't say you are altogether
to blame, because -" ,
"Oh, I'm glad you don't think I am
altogether to blame!" she cried sar
castically. "Of course you've ' done
nothing to he ashamed of!"
"I don't say that at all. I mean"
"Well,' said Bertha, coldly, "I don't
think we can discuss the matter with
advantage now, thank you. I under
stand you desire to leave these" and
she indicated the "presents" with a
majestic sweep of the hand "and that
is all."
"Quite so," said Mr. Markham, pick
ing up his hat and -resuming the brush
ing operation with a vigor that amount
ed almost to brutality. "Only, as I
say, I felt I ought to explain "
"Oh, it doesn't matter, thank you,"
said Bertha, with tremendous dignity,
"You shall have yours back by to
night."
"I really don't want them." insisted
Mr. Markham, bucking a little towards
the door.
"Oh, yes, you may want them for
Jessie," she said in a tone of wither
ing sarcasm.
Mr. Markham paused in his retreat
and came back to the table prepared
to argue the matter.
"Jessie who?" he asked, with a be
wildered look. "I don't understand
you."
"Oh, yes, you do," she retorted, "Do
you think I sat out that dance with
my eyes shut? And all the time she
was pretending to be my friend. I'll
never speak to her again as long as I
live, the horrid little cat!"
Mr. Markham put his hat down on
the table with deliberation.
"i reany can t imagine wby you
should think Miss Hamilton is any
thing to me," he said. "Why, she Isn't
even good-looking."
"Yes. she Is ugly, isn't she?" said
Bertha, betrayed into a .confidential
tone. "And her hair is red, isn't it?
She tries to say it's a fashionable shade
of art brown; but everybody knows
it's red. Of course, we'ye been friends,
nd all that, you know; but you can't
always choose your friends Just, where
you want them, and she never did come
up to my idea of a true friend, and she
couldn't have been or she wouldn't
have schemed to get you away from me
at the dance "
I Old Favorites p
"Oh, but," said Mr. Markham, lean
ing comfortably on the table and un
consciously acknowledging the confl
dential development of the Interview,
that was quite an accident; it was,
really, I mixed up the dauces."
"And I kept that , one for you spe
cially."
"Yes; that's what I'm so sorry about.
But I should have thought there would
have been plenty of fellows who would
have Jumped at the chance of asking
you the moment they saw you weren't
aimed for that dunce. There Is al
ays a run on the prettiest girl lu the
room, and "
Bertha so far forgot the solemnity of
the occasion as to look up at Mr. Mark
ham and smile. -
"I did look nice, didn't I?" she sug
grsted. "Everybody tells me I look
ery nice In pink."
"I think you look nice in anything,"
asserted Mr. Markham, with a pleas
ing candor, as bv the merest accident
right hand, which was traveling
imlessly across the table, ran Into
Bertha's which was proceeding appar
ently with a similar Indecision of nur-
se.
About an hour after Mr. Markham's
last observation. Sister Ella darted
suddenly Into the room, calling - for
Bertha to come out Into the garden.
Bertha was standing near the window,
and Mr. Markham was standing very
near to Bertha with his arm unmis
takably round her.
"I beg your pardon Bertha, dear,"
protested Ella, as she retreated In con
fusion; "I did not know you were
engaged 1" Pennsylvania Grit.
A Suhllul for Work.
"Physical culture, father. Is perfectly
lovely !" exclaimed au enthusiastic
young miss Just home from college.
"Look! To develop the arms I grasp
this rod by one end and move It slowly
from right to left."
."Well, well!" exclaimed the father;
"what wou't science discover! If that
rod had straw at the other end you'd
be sweeping." Success Magaalne.
When a widow tells a man he. is
"different," that's his cue to ait up
and take notice.
Blessed are they who expect little,
for they usually get It
Hon Hetty and I Made t'p.
Give me your hand, Mr. Lawyer; how do
you do to-day?
You drew up that agreement I s'pose
you want your pay;
Don't cut down your figures; make it an
X or a V;
For that 'ere written agreement was just
;' the makin' of me. , 2
Coin' home that evenin', I tell you I was
blue.
Thlnkin' of all my troubles, and what I
.was goin to do;
And, if my bosses hadn't been the stead
iest team alive,
They'd 've tipp'd me over, certain, for I
couldn't see where to drive.
No for I was iaborin' under a heavy
load; -
No: for I was travelin an entirely differ
ent road;
For T was a-tracin' over the path of our
lives ng'in,
And seein' where we miss'd the way, and
where we might have been.
And many a corner we'd turn'd- that just
to a quarrel led,
When I ought to've held my temper, and ,
driven straight ahead;
And the more I thought it over the more
these memories came,
And the more I struck the opinion that I
was the most to blame.
And things I had long forgotten kept
risin' in my mind,
Of little matters betwixt us, where Betsy
was good and kind ;
And these things they flash'd all through
me, as you know things sometimes
will,
When a feller's alone In the darkness,
and evsry thing is still.
"But," says I, "we're too far along to
take another track,
And when I put my hand to the plough
I do not oft turn back ;
And -'tain't an uncommon thing now for
couples to smash in two,"
And so I set my . teeth together, and
vow'd I'd see it through.
When I came in sight o the house 'twas
some'at in the night,
And Just as I turn'd a hill-top I see the
kitchen's light;
Which often a han'some pictur' to a
hungry person makes, ,
But It don't interest a feller much that's
goin' to pull up stakes.
And when I went in the house. the table
was set for me
As good a supper's I ever saw, or ever
want to see ; i
And I cramm'd the, agreement down In
my pocket as well as I could,
And fell to eatin' my victuals, which
somehow didn't taste good.
And Betsy she pretended to look about
the house,
But she watch'd my side coat pocket like
a cat would watch a monse;
And then she went to foolin' a little with
her cup,
And Intently readin' a newspaper, t-hold--
in' it wrong side up.
And when I'd done my supper I draw'd
the agreement out,
And give it to her without a word, for
she know'd what 'twas about,
And then I humm'd a little tuna, but now
and then a note
Was busted by some animal that hopp'd
up in my throat.
But somehow It does tnt lots of good to
l-!l it once in a while;
And I do it for a compliment 'tis so
that you can see
That that there written agreement of
i yours was just the makin' of me,
So make out your bill, Mr. Lawyer
. don't stop short of an X;
Make it more if you want to, for I have
got the checks ;
Ira richer than a National bank, with
all its treasures told.
For I've got a wife at home now that
worth her weight in gold. -
Will Carieton.
STRENGTH OF SILK.
Then Betsy she got hor specs from off
the mantel shelf,
And read the article over quite softly to
herself;
Read it little and little, for her eyes Is
gettm' old,
And lawyers' writin' ain't no print, es
pecially when it s cold.
And after. she'd read a little she give my
arm a touch,
4 .1 I .. ) ' , 1 1 ....
ami mmiiy saia sue was a Tram I was
lowin' her too much :
But when she was through she went for
me, her face a-streamln' with
tears.
And kissed me for the first time in over
twenty years.
I don't know what you'll think. Sir I
dtdn t come to inquire
lut 1 picked up that agreement nnd
stufTd It in the fire;
And I told her we'd bury the hatchet
alongside of the cow;
And we struck an agreement never to
bave another row.
And I told her in the future I wouldn't
speak cross or rash,
If half, the crockery in the house was
broken all to smash;
And she said in regard to Heaven, we'd
try and learn its worth
By startin' a branch establishment and
runnin it here on earth. .
And so we'sat a'talkin' three-quarters of
the night,
And open'd our hearts to each other until
they both grew light;
And the days when I was winnin' her
away from so many men
Was notbiu' to that evenin I courted her
over again.
Next morn in an ancient virgin took
- pains to call on us.
Her lamp all trimm'd and a-burnin' to
kindle another fuss;
But, when she went to pryin and openln'
or old sores.
My Betsy rose politely, and show'd her
out-of-doors. "
Since then I don't deny but there's been
a word or two;
But we've got our eyes wide open, and
know just what to do;
When one speaks cross the other Just
meets it who a laugh.
And the first one's ready to give np con-
siderable more than halt
Maybe you'll think u soft. Sir, a'tsikia'
In this style,
How the Yarn Is Weakened by the
Modern Method of Treatment.
Silk science Is changing. If the silk
dresses of fifty years ago we compared
with many of the sillc articles manu
factured at the present day It requires
no elaborate tests to show the superio
rity in strength of the older materials.
This usually, is due to the fact that
silk yarns now are frequently treated
with metallic salts, such aa tin chlo
ride, which are readily absorbed, form
ing insoluble compounds and thus in
creasing the weight of the fiber. So
prevalent did this practice become some
years ago that even the manufacturers
recognized the necessity 4 of putting
some limit to it.
Apart from the fact that one is buy
ing a compound of silk with a metal
instead of pure silk this treatment fre
quently causes the fibers to become ten
der, especially after exposure to direct
sunlight
From Herr Strehlenert's experiments
It was found that taking the strength
of genuine silk as 50 to 53 the strength
or a sample of loaded French silk con
taining 140 per cent of added material
was only 7.9. Not only does tho weight
ing process reduce the tenacity of the
fiber and often destroy the dye stuff
but also is a frequent cause of the ap
pearance of mysterious spots..
Often bright red spots appear on a
fabric after exposure to the sunlight
It has been found that even a diluted
solution of common salt acts upon load
ed silk in the presence of air and mois
ture and produces stains and complete
disintegration of .fiber within twelve
months. The action of stronger solu
tions of salt is still more rapid, and
the "tendency" of the fiber is marked
after treatment for seven days with a
2 per cent solution.
The presence of salt in stained and
weakened silk may be accounted for
readily by the. fact that salt is a con
stituent of human perspiration and
thus may have been Introduced during
the handling of the yarns by the work
men.
Special precautions are now taken to
eliminate this source of injury, and the
disintegrating action of the tin salts
upon the fibers also Is reduced by a
subsequent chemical treatment of the
yarn. So the weighted silks of to-day
are stronger than their predecessors of
a few years back. Chicago Tribune.
THE CHEROKEE ROSE. -
Romantlo Indian Legend of This
. , Beantlfal Flower. ..
There is a beautiful romance ' con
nected -with the Cherokee rose. A
young Indian chief of the Seminole
tribe was taken prisoner by his ene
mies, the Cherokecs, and doomed to
torture, but fell so seriously ill that it
became necessary to wait for his resto
ration to health before committing him
to the Are.
As he lay prostrated by disease In
the cabin of the Cherokee warrior the
daughter of the latter, a young, dark
faced maid, was his nurse. She fell In
love with the young chieftain nnd,
wishing to save his life, urged him to
escape. But he would not do so unless
she would flee with him.
She consented. Before they had gone
far, impelled by regret at leaving
home, she asked permission of her
lover to return for the purpose of
bearing away some memento of It. So,
retracing her footsteps, she broke a
sprig from the white rose which climb
ed up the poles of her father's tent
and, preserving it during her flight
through the wilderness, planted It by
the door of her new home In the land
of the Seminoles. And from that day
this beautiful flower has always been
known throughout the southern states
by the name of the Cherokee rose.
Philadelphia North American.
-A London Term,
"Where will I find the bloozes?"
asked the woman who had Just re
turned from London.
"De Woozfis!" exclaimed the eleva
tor man, staring pop-eyed and vague,
"De bloozes w'y, dey nius' be on de
'scuse me, madam, you'd hetter ask
de floorwalker."
"Certainly, madam, second floor.
James, take the lady to the second
floor blowses lawngery waists, y
know."
The Most Daagerona Capital.
Ixndon, which used to boast of being
the quietest and safest capital of the
world, has become noisier than Paris
and more dangerous than New York.
Nearly S00 persons are now killed an
nually by street accidents, and how
many more Just escape with their lives
cannot be computed. Outlook.
A Real Strata.
A land agent in the great Northwest
had Just described the Incredible rich
es of the region. Some one protested,
and he defended himself, says a writer
In the Outlook, with a paradox: "
"The truth Is so wonderful that it
take a -whopper to express It!"
Don't feel lorry for a man because
he la cheap. He doesn't know ha la
cheap; ha thinks he ta superior
TRUMPET ; CALLS.
Ram's Horn Sounds a Warning Not
,. ." to the Unredeemed.
- The profane man Is everywhere tha
devil goes.
No tears are ever shed for the chick
that dies In the shell.
The man who is willing to be carried
might as well have no legs.
If every man lived In the right way,
no boy would live In the wrong way.
The devil can't pick the lock that
guards the treasures of the righteous.
The man who is waiting to do a big
lot of good oil ot once will never do
any. " '.. .:-;:.. : : .
The sinner on the avem; is Just as
much a sinner as tie, slnuer in the
slums.
Some people spend so much time In
counting the mileposts they miss all
the scenery. ' . ;.
When the snail makes a mile it is
a mile jutt the same as when made by
the automobile.
There is blessing in being rich, and
strong and gifted, but there is more
in being none of these and yet doing
better than they. : v
- The man vho pays his debts and
lets booze alone is helping to bring
the world to .the place where the lion
and the lamb will lie dowu together.
The man who looks to t'.io Lord for
his daily bread will not be found saw
ing off the end of his yardstick to
make it easier for the dollars to find
his pocket.
Travelers in Africa find the standard
of living somewhat different from what
they are accustomed to at home. One
of the latest to report uihjd this mat
ter is Mary Hall in her book, "A Wom
an's Trek from the Cape to Cairo."
The' following paragraphs reflect a
strong light upon the condiiion of mar
ket, and ktteheu in British Central
Africa :
When the- native butcher proposes to
kill an ox, notice to that effect is sent
round to the white people on ,the prev
ious day. Once they were apprised of
the fact by-the following startling an
nouncement: ;'A bule will be murdered
tomorrowmoiiiiing at 6 a. iu."
This coid-Mboded crime, so carefully
premeditated even to the exact hour-
was, however, , not committed, as the
following morning a second notice was
Issued, as follows: "The bule ran away
this morning, so was not murdered."
But this was an exceptional case.
I heard one story which is so char
acteristic of the native that I repeat
It The man who related it told me
that the Incident occurred when he
was on a Journey, and was suffering
from a bad attack of fever. " One even
ing he fancied he would like some eggs,
and told his boy to get two and boil
them lightly.
After a time they were brought to
him as hard as bullets. lie told the
boy he must get some more and boll
them less ; but alas ! these were brought
to him In the same condition, and the
poor fellow wished he had never or
dered them at all.
Being unwilling to give in, he made
another attempt, and told his boy,
"Come to me when the water boils."
rra. , j,, j
a ue uvy una ou.
"Now," said his master,, "put the eggs
in, and when you bave counted fifty,
take them out. '
The native method of reckoning is to
count up to ten, and then begin again,
arriving at the total by the number of
tens counted. The sick mau heard tho
boy start fair and get as far as four
tens, when a second boy interfered, and
questioned whether it were the third or
fourth ten. '
This started a discussion ; and as
they could not agree, it was decided to
begin all over again. Meanwhile tho
eggs were still boiling, aud getting
harder and harder. This was about
the last straw, and 111 as the man felt.
he was compelled to get out of bed and
put a summary end to the cooking op
eratious. "
A Cartons Vane.
One of the most curious vanes to- Da-
seen on any church In Great Britain la
at Great Gonerby, a parish adjoining
Grantham.
It is in the form of a fiddle and a
bow and is unusually' large. Its his
tory is curious. Many years ago- a
peasant resided in Great Gonerbywho
eked out a modest livelihood by per
forming on an old violin which waa
almost a part of his life. At last ha
decided to emigrate, and out in the far
west prospered and became a rlcht
man. - ?
One day he sent to the clergyman at
Great Gonerby a sum sufficient to build
church, and attached to the gift the
curious condition that a metal replica
of his old fiddle and bow should be on)
the summit of the edifice. The gift
was accepted and the vane may be seen
on the church.
A Case of Urgent Need.
It was in the hotel of a Western min
ing town that the New Fjigland guest,
registering In the office, beard a succes
sion of loud yells. "What In the world
Is that a murder going on upstairs?"
he demanded. . .
No," said the clerk, as he slammed!
the book and lounged toward the stairs.
It's the spring bed up in Number Five.
That tenderfoot up there dont get tha
hang of It and every few days he get
one o' the spiral springs screwed into
him like a shirt stud. I guess 111 hara
io go up, u mere am t anything mora."
I can do for you for a few minutes,