BONO.
forgiye me If when lille blow ,
And lane are all a-trlll with song,
And hedge gleam with scented mow,
And vision fair on mortal throng--Forgive
me, of thy gentle grace,
If I can find 'mid scene so choice
No fairer vision than thy face,
No dearer music than thy voice.
forgive me if when bleak rain drips
And mist obscures the wintry skies,
I find June' rose on thy Up,
June' heaven in thy radiant eye.
So craving skies forever blue,
And roses ever at my door,
Forgive me If I ask of you.
For I lovs much and more and
more. ,
I. Zangwlll. : '
The Traitor's Thumb
"That's grand slam again In no
trumps to us, and the rub," said Guy
Hardwlck as he added some big fig
ures on his score sheet. "What do
you make it work out at,' Willie?"
Willie Stamford's face looked rath
er white as he slowly totaled the
amount that Hardwlck and his partner
had won; he was already realizing
what a fool he had been to attempt to
play bridge against a man with Hard
wick's notorious luck. , '
"I think," he said at last, "It is ex
actly 550. I'll have to send you a
check, Hardwlck,"
"All right," returned the other man,
easily. "No hurry, old chap. Nobody
game for another rubber, eh? Well, It
is a bit late."
"You do have the most extraordi
nary luck j Guy," said Willie.
"Luck!" said Hardwlck. "You may
well say that; I've got a mascot, you
know." . 1 , ,
Mason, bis partner, laughed some
what skeptically.
"It is all very well to laugh at what
you don't understand, but I'm not Jok
ing. Look here, 4f you fellows will
hold your tongue I'll show you the
thing."
Hardwlck took a silver cigar case
from his pocket and, held it out to
them open. They peered over it eager-
"haven't too heard, SIR?'.'
ly, wonder written large on the faces
of all three.
It did not contain cigars. All that
there was inside It was a curiously
shaped brownish, weezened, shriveled
object set in a wide gold rim of an
tlque workmanship, round which ran a
somewhat roughly executed Inscrip
tion. "It's a man's thu.mb," replied Hard
wlck. "I found it amongst a lot of
odds and ends when I succeeded my
old uncle at Hardwlck. You know he
would not have left the place to me
only I happen to be the last Hardwlck
left, ud he went and chucked a whole
lot of money all he could. In fact to
Impossible charities and things, and I
thought I was up a tree with the death
, duties an'd that. Well, I was rooting
about, and as I say I found that grlisly
re! In and a Ions rigmarole written on
parchment wrapped round H, which
being interpreted and condensed in-
the thumb had been a disreputable
Hardwlck who had tried to betray
torn fortress (or the safety of which
be was responsible. He was caugnt
red-handed sneaking off with the keys
of the front gate, and somebody lopped
oft his thumb during the resulting un
pleasantness The gentleman was sub
sequently boiled In oil or hanged i
forget which and the thumb was
pickled, and sent to his sorrowing rela
tives as a little reminder not to fol
low his distressing example. As tor
that chaste and elegant mounting, I
don't know who put that on.
"I felt pretty desperate when 1 found
what a trick old Uncle Guy had play
ed on me, and as 1 stood one day with
that thing in -my hand an Idea flashed
into my head.
"'Good luck you bring, do you?" I
said to myself. 'Well. Mr. Traitor, we
will try your luck."
"I did. I went off with my last hun
dred pounds ami a single ticket to
Monte Carlo and made that bank alt
up there. The traitor certainly was
all on tor roulette. Then I tried tha
stock exchange and paid oft the death
duties and all little worries Ilk that.
WORMS AND WORMS.
The most recent benefaction of John D. Rockefeller is the gift o
$1,000,000 to a commission of twelve scientists, educators and business met.
to Investigate the "hookworm disease" In the South, with the object of
checking Its ravages. The disease does not exist north of the Potomac
river, as the worm thrives only in a certain temperature. But in the South
tibere are 2,000,000 viotims infected by this parasite, which virtually sucks
away the vitality of those in whom It finds lodgment.
The hookworm is a hair-like parasite, which enters the human system
to some extent through the mouth, but generally through the skin. It ulti
mately lodges In the Intestines, where it feeds on the mucous membrane,
forming a poison which, while rarely fatal, renders the victim anaemic, re
tards development, and, by lowering his vitality, makes him easily subject
to typhoid, pneumonia, consumption and other more serious diseases. Much
of the so-called laziness and shlttlessness observed in certain sections of the
South and which seriously interfere with economicjdevelopment fere due to
the hookworm. The disease, however, can be successfully treated, and it is
to this end as well as to Introduce sanitary precautions by which the malady
may be prevented that the Rockefeller gift is made.
Apparently, all Is. fish that comes to
my lamented ancestor's net; we scoop
the dollars gaily In, even when we
play bridge for penny points or' beggar
by neighbor with somebody's children.
Well, goodnight, you fellows."
He lounged out laughingly, putting
the silver cigar case carefully back In
to an inner pocket as he did so.
"I wish," said Willie Stamford, as
they parted on the club steps, "som
kind ancestor had left me a mascot."
"Get Hardwlck to lend you his," sug
gested White, the man who had been
his partner; and he and Mason hailed
a belated taxicab, leaving Willie alone
In the murky night, for Hardwlck was
already out of sight.
"Five hundred and fifty pounds,"
groaned the young man to himself m
he walked along the deserted street.
"Heavens! Why, I can't raise fifty,
let alone five hundred. Briefless bar
risters shouldn't play bridge." Sud
denly something lying In the mud by
the curb caught his eye as the hazy
light from a street lamp fell upon it.
He picked It up. It was a silver cigar
case with a crest engraved upon it
Hardwlck's. He opened It, his hand.i
shaking with excitement as he did so.
There was no .mistake. Inside sinis
ter, crooked, loathsome lay the gold
mounted traitor's thumb.
"Hardwlck's luck," he exclaimed.
"By George! He must have dropped
It out of his pocket and not noticed.
I'll take It round to him in the morn
ing. It is too late now."
He slipped the sliver case into his
pocket, and suddenly White's words
as he climbed into the taxi after Ma
son flashed into his brain. "Get Hard
wlck to lend you his," hammered and
churned seething in his head. He
pulled out the case again. "Why not
borrow the thing for a bit?" he told
himself. "Not keep t. Just borrow it
for a week or two to pull things round
a bit and set me on my feet. Hard
wlck might refuse If I asked hlm.'so I
will say nothing about it. It it doest
bring me luck I'll return It at once.
At any rate, it is too good a chance to
be thrown away."
He closed the case and again put it
in his pocket as he reached the front
door ot the old house where he lived
and pulled out a latch key.
After he had drawn the bolts he felt
in his pocket the last edition of an
evening paper at which he had not yet
troubled to look. He unfolded It and
glanced absently through its columns.
"By George!" he cried. "Florida
has won the Grand National. A 60 to
1 outsider, and I have a fiver on the
beast Hardwlck's luck has started
me off with 300."
Three months later Willie Stamford,
poor briefless, obscure no longer, en
gaged to be married to a girl whom ae
had loved for several years, but whom
he had not dared to ask before to
share the fortunes ot a younger son,
stood waiting tor the door ot Hard
wlck's flat to be opened for him. In
his pocket he carried the silver cigar
case and its withered, crooked con
tents which at last he was returning
to their owner. Ho was going to make
a clean breast ot what he had done.
Hardwlck, he knew, was never a fel
low to bear malice. Even as a boy at
school he had been a generous-hearted
lad. Willie felt certain that when ne
explained to him how very tight a cor
ner ho had been in when the traitor's
thumb came into his possession he
would understand and overlook what
Willie acknowledged to himself had
been broach of honor, though tha
lapse had made him a rich man rising
fast in his profession.4
As.- he thought over these things
growing nervous and uncomfortable
the door opened, and Hardwlck's ma:
appeared.
Stamford screwed up his courage
and made the plunge.
"Is Mr. Hardwlck in?" he asked. "I
want to see him on Important bust
npss."
The man's mask-like face twitched
with a sudden gust of feeling.
"Haven't jou heard, sir?" he said
In a voice that only rigid affort kept
steady. "Mr. Hardwlck was run over
and killed by a motor 'bus Just before
lunch time today, sir. It's terrible bad
business." New Orleans Times Demo
crat.
Monte Carlo Threatened.
The little village of Cap D'Ail, oil
the national road near Monte Carlo, ii
threatened by destruction from a land
slide, a Cincinnati Inquirer's ' Monte
Carlo dispatch says. Suspended like
the rword of Damocles above the ham
let is a huge rock, which has lately
given signs of collapsing completely
It has already partially destroyed the
town hall and ominous cracks have ap
peared In the walls of other buildings.
The cause of the threatened catas
trophe dates back to when two Monte
Ct.rlo contractors commenced to dig
the foundations of a dwelling house
Just at the foot of the rock. These op
erations cut away a portion of the has,
of the rock, with the result that the
huce mass moved slightly, causing the
walls of several houses to become
cracked. After having visited the
scene the mayor of Cap d'All Informed
i M. de Joly, prefect of the AIpes-Marl
times department, of the situation and
a civil engineer was appointed to re
port on the steps to be taken.
A few days ago traffic on the ra'l
way line, which passes close by, win
diverted to a branch line, and similar
changes were made In the tramway
service. Despite these . precautions,
however, the rock again moved and
partially wrecked the house which
serves as the Cap d'All town hall.
Should the rock fall on to the nation
al road it will destroy the water mains
which .supply Monte Carlo and Men
ton and will piohably block the rail
way l'ne. 1 !
Comrades.
To complain Is not a fault of ag
alone; it is a favorite pastime of youth
also. A writer in the Argonaut tells
the following story of an incident in
a Western university. The dean ot
the institution was told by the stu
dents that the cook was turning out
food not "fit to eat."
The dean summoned the delinquent.
lectured him on .his shortcomings, and
threatened him with dismissal unless
conditions were bettered.
"Why, sir," exclaimed the cook, "you
oughtn't to place so much Importance
on what the young men tell you about
my meals! They come to me in just
the same way about your lectures."
REAL OLD CBOFTZH'S HOMB.
xao Reproduction of Irish Cabin
Built for Children's Playhoaao.
One of the show places of Far Rock
away is the handsome residence of
James Caffrey,, the Brooklyn Eagle
says. Visitors during the -summer
months rarely fail to stroll up Green
wood avenue from the beach so as to
get a glimpse of this fine piece of
colonial architecture, with Its massive
stone columns towering thirty or more
feet in the air.
But while the villa is Interesting,
there is still a more interesting ob
ject on the grounds that draws forth
exclamations. of pleasure and admira
tion. It is the play-house of the Caf
frey children. This play-house occu
pies a prominent site on the g&at
lawn to the west of the Caffrey resi
dence. It is an exact reproduction of
an Irish crofter's cabin, and is be
lieved to be the only one of its kind
In this country.
The play-house is about 15 by 12
feet In size and one story high. The
walls are of hewn stone and white
washed .on the exterior. It has a
thatched roof, straw tightly bound to
gether to a thickness of about one foot.
There are three windows in the front
and three in the back walla.
Near the center of the front wall is
the entrance. Visitors notice a .sign,
painted in real Celtic characters, "Don
Na Stoegas," which in English means,
"Fort of the Fairies." There is just
the faintest idea of a porch over the
entrance, the roof being supported by
two heavy trunks of trees. The door
to this "Fort of the Fairies" is made
of white birch limbs, set together lat
tice fashion, and swung on heavy
crude iron hinges. An old chain and
latch fastens the door when the chil
dren are not in the house. t
While the exterior of the cabin is
interesting, the Interior Is equally so.
Inside the walls are covered with twigs
and straw intertwined and cemented
over, while the children's playthings,
tables, chairs, rockers, dressers, side
board, etc., together with toys and
dolls galore are found there. It is an
ideal place for the children to preside
over and play in.
Good Bora.
"Young men are so selfish about not
wanting to kiss their slstera more
often."
"On the other hand, they show a
wondrously generous spirit toward
their chums in turning all such pleas
ures over to them." Boston Herald.
Up to date, every joke concerning
Dr. Cook and the north pole has uadt
mention ot a gumdrop.
The Sentimental Son-o.
My sentimental sense Is such
That Realism's ruthless touch
Can not displace
' ; The fond embrace '
"With which Romance I cling' to.
Now pigs are hardly thought to be
A theme for loving eulogy,
Or lyrical apostrophe;
Pigs are poetical to me.
And so a pig I sing to.
Oh, pig, thy blue and beaming eye
Smiles on me from thy rose-decked
sty.
Oh, pensive pig,
'Romantic pig,
Hear my adoring sigh!
A cabbage, by the common herd
Is generally deemed absurd;
Both coarse and plain.
Of common grain,
A vegetable yokel.
And yet to me a cabbage seems
Fit subject for an artist's dreams; .
For fond effusions, tender themes;
A cabbage, in the moon's pale beami
Inspires my praises vocal.
Oh, cabbage, of the pale-green hue,
Washed by the pearly morning dew,
Oh, cabbage fair,
' -' Oh, cabbage fair,
I bring thee homage true!
And some there be of whom I wot,
Who holds that kitchen soap I not
A proper thing
Of which to sing
In sentimental measure.
But kitchen soap, by one of taste,
Upon a pinnacle Is placed;
And any scene by it Is graced.
So smooth and bright, so pure and
chaste,
It gives exquisite pleasure.
Oh, kitchen soap, of graceful form,
I bring to thee my worship warm.
Oh, kitchen soap,
Oh, yellow soap, . .
You take my heart by storm!
Harper's Weekly.
Flaar Display Accounted For.
On a visit to St. Petersburg a vis
itor noticed that on the occasion of
the birthday of the Czarina there were
only one or two flags visible, these be
ing displayed on official buildings. On
a later visit, a week or two later, he
observed that flags were everywhere,
the very streets obscured by waving
bunting. "Why," he asked a ' friend,
"do you show a flag now while you
did not then?" '"Well." was the reply,
"a police agent came round and said
that if I did not display' one I should
be fined 200 rubles. So I hoisted
three,' to be on the right side, and the
others are doing the same."
Art Farm Land Prices Too Hlghf
How long will the price of farm
lands continue to increase? Just so
long as the price of farm products con
tinue to increase, and these prices will
remain firm so long as labor finds
steady and profitable employment. In
no other country in the world is la
bor so well rewarded as here. Where
prices are low, wages are necessarily
low. The man who Receives liberal
returns for his work can buy liber
ally, and can pay a fair price. There
seems to be no probability that in
dustrial conditions will, be radically
changed in this country soon. ( The
people generally are too well satisfied
with them. Good markets may, there
fore, be expected to continue indefi
nitely. Farm lands which may be relied on
to product satisfactory crops of grain
snd grass are not selling too high.
Land which, with proper management,
will produce from 60 to 100 bushels of
50-cent corn per acre is well worth
$150 an acre or more. There is a large
amount of such land in Kansas and
adjoining states.
The sure way to increase the value
of land is to increase its productive
ness. Under existing conditions prices
will take care of themselves. The
days of large surpluses are past. De
mand crowds close upon the heels of
supply. Mouths are multiplying faster
than food for them. Kansas Farmer.
Individual Hog Hoaaei.
"Noticing articles from time to time
on the construction of individual hog
houses, I wish to submit the plan of
houses that we use," writes a corre
spondent of the Breeder's Gazette. "1
make them six feet square on the
ground, both doors to be hinged so
they will open and close readily.
Twelve-foot boards make side and roof.
I use good soft pine flooring, as It is
lighter and much' easier to move when
necessary than heavier lumber. Four
pieces 2 by 4 inches and six feet long
INDIVIDUAL HOG HOUSE.
Coat Fine hr Jadn-e Latadls.
Judge K. M. Landls, who fined the
Standard Oil Company 129.240,000, has
fined John Bower, of Rockford, 111., 1
cent Bower had sent a threatening
letter to his brother-in-law. who is al
leged to have misused members of his
family. The Judge apparently sympa
thised with Bower and told him that
if he had said to the relative what he
had written to him it would have bee
all right - .-
I co Box Reoarteo.
"Huh!" sneers the plate of ice
cream to the piece of limburger cheese.
"You needn't give yourself such airs.
Didn't you see in the papers where
ttere are a million microbes to each
drop of ice cream?"
"I did," retorts the limburger,
"That's nothing. Compared to me you
are a sparsely settled territory.":
When you die, will people say of
you: "It s too bad he didnt die ten
yearsago! ..."
The world's estimated steam power
la use to-day is 12,in)0,000 horse-power.
' ':. . ' . . . i ; ; .
are for sills. Two pieces 2 by 4 Inches
and 6 feet long are for ridge and
plate.
"If this plan is UBed It will be found
much more satisfactory than- a plain
A shaped house. The door In the roof
can be opened when the $in shines.
Sunshine is the best tonic known for
little pigs, and the door Is essential
when the sow needs attention at pig
ging time as a means of entrance and.,
as is sometimes the case, a very hasty
exit." ' .
Valne of the Home Market.
Farmers should encourage their
home town, to build up a good home
market for their dairy and poultry
products, fruit, vegetables and many
things that sell far more profitably at
home than they could by shipping
them away. Here Is where the French
farmers gain their prosperity; they
have good home 'markets, where they
market everything at high prices dl
rect to their customers in their
thrifty home towns and villages.
Towns can be revived by the farm
ers and merchants working together
to get new industries, and the home
market soon develops for all the farm
products that make a prosperous com
munlty, and as the town grows the
farms -increase in value. Inland
Farmer.
Squashes and Pumpkins.
With care in storing, there is very
little difficulty in keeping these, es
pecially the former, In good condition
until spring, and I have kept soma
varieties of the genuine pie pumpkins
until well into March in just as nice
condition as they went into' storage,
Select those that are well matured,
and make sure that they are gathered
before being touched in the least with
frost Store in a cool, dry place a
late as safety from freezing will per
mit, then remove to a garret where
they will keep cool and dry, but al
ways safe from frost. Do not pils
them, but set them on the floor and,
better still, separate them . so that
they do not touch.. In this way. weil
matured specimens can be kept almost
t will. Exchange.
Alfalfa Soils. .
. . Alfalfa does best on well-drained
soils, where the water level is several
feet below the surface. It is a very
deep-rooted plant, ' sending its roots
down into subsoil which is largely un
available to other farm crops. .These
roots will not thrive in a water-soak
ed soil, and in attempting to grow al
falfa on a wet soil, or a soil with the
water level only a few feet from the
surface, the alfalfa Is placed in un
natural conditions and little can be ex
pected of it If possible, a field with
a sufficient slope to effect thorough
surface drainage and sufficiently open
to porous to provide good under-drain
age should be selected for alfalfa.
Maryland Experiment Station.
Vhy They Dot lr.
Mnv who keep hens are asking
themselves just about now why their .
pullets don't lay. when the fact is that
a lot of their young stock was hatch-
ed too late, or was not given proper
fond and Care during growth. The
size and general appearance of a pul
let does not always denote tne ume
nrhon uhA should commence producing
I have seen flocks of pretty
big nice pullets and they would lay
hnrdiv an eez all winter, ine nrst
essential for. winter eggs is the riht .
kind of, stock to produce mem. j?ooa
will not supply that want; It may
help some and In some Instances it's
pretty difficult to help the matter very
much by giving extra care. The strain
has got to be of the right sort If they
nrove themselves reliable and profit
able layers. After being in the poul
try business so long, and seeing so
many people fuss and experiment and
work in the effort to get eggs from
stock that had no eggs to lay, no in
clination to make eggs or ability to
commence to get ready to lay, It Is
impressed ail the stronger upon my
mind that there is a whole lot to this
hen business besides feed and care.
Inland Farmer.
. . .
Beehive of Concrete,
Among the occupations which offei
profit and amusement, and at the
same time entirely suited to women,
is that of bee rais
ing. Its advant
ages are that little
space is required,
there i, is no great
expense and the .
work is light, re
quiring only a lim
ited amount of time
and care. Much ot .
the apparatus re
quired may be made
at home and where
tlie facilities for
concrete beehive this are not pres
ent, the things may be purchased with
out any great outlay of money.
There have been many Improve
ments lately in the manner of con-
structlne the beehives, and probably
the most Interesting is one which is
made of concrete. A patent has been
recently issued covering the manufac
ture of concrete, beehives, but any
one with a little Ingenuity may easily
make them, and a set of molda once -having
been made satisfactorily, may
be used indefinitely arid any number
of hives made from It. Anyone at
tempting to make a hive of this ma
terial should acquaint themselves with
the character of the cement and should
also be familiar . with the habits of
bees.
i
Warning; to Dairymen. : .
We have repeatedly , ' warned the
dairymen that the oleomargarine law
is likely to be amended next Winter,
and that the amendments proposed
will destroy the value of the law, so
far as concerns the protection of dairy
products. Again, we ask you ;hava
you written your congressman about
it? Do you know his views? Does
he know what you want him to do in
the matter? Does he know what you
are going te do to him in the cam
paign next year if he doesn't give you
a square deal? This is no Joke. i It
is a serious proposition, and no time
is to be lost if the oleomargarine law
is to be preserved In Its present form.
Missouri Dairyman.
Convenient Light for the Barn.
Many fires may be avoided when
the short winter days require the use
of a lantern in the
barn by having
some such device
as here shown to
keep the lantern in
place. , This affair.,,
requires only two
small pulleys and
a rope. The rope
is run through the
pulleys, the banters
attached to one end
and then pulled up to a convenient
height, the loose end of the rope be
ing fastened to a cleat on the wall.
If this device is arranged in about
the center of the barn much , better
light will be given than if the lan
tern were carried around from place:
to place. Cor. of Farm and Home.
FOB SAFETT.
Prises for Peasants.
The hilly territory of Trieste, it is
stated, in a consular report on that
district, is covered by pointed stones
which prevent any cultivation, and
some years ago the Society Agrarla
offered prizes for those who would
remove them and .thus change the
waste ground to meadows. The work
has now been going on for some years
and every autumn a commission ascer
tains the area of . the proposed redemp
tion and the difficulties to be encoun
tered and fixes the prize to be given.
In spring it again visits the improved
BiuuuuB iuu va)u iue prizes ii un
served. This year in the different par
ishes sixty-six peasants Improved
forty-four acres and received 11.040.
, . Snnahtne la the Dairy.
Sunshine is the dairyman's bes
friend. When the sun beats down
hot in the summer we are apt to think
it an enemy, but a week of clouds,
even in July, casts a gloom over
everything and makes both man and
beast at cross purposes with the world.
Sunshine is required to kill germs and
microbes and keep both animal and
human dispositions sweet . The Ver
nionter's cow barn that must be built
so warm and tight lacks sunshine t
keep the inmates in the best of health.
All along our country's northern bor
der, tuberculosis is on the Increase ia
dairy herds. Farmers' Mall and
Breeds.