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r For the. Boys and Girls IN THE FIRE-FLIES- KINGDOM BY IMOGENE H. SYKES. kn!h '•7?,**^* '»^'^""' "â- Â«Â«â€¢ on my o,tc (f the tiny crenturo's flashed ft^r flT . , ??;? •*'^ '" S^"* y**" â-  *h'-^"*fh her fingers, as she he'd it up ror th, ,lck child," said Mm. Drew against the vine, "that fire-fliw were: W ir» mlnwu-r'i wife, as thoy l«ft lanterns in the hands of anj'cls, who wie sftady porch and walked down the were looking for lost soule. I wonder . rarden-path toward the flower-beds, if i,:in<- is los! for stealin- mothcr'y J A pair of guilty eyea peeped after ''o'-c, "nd if these are angels hunting' wiein from the screen of woodbine at 'or it?" one end of the porch, behind which â-  The fire-flies came closer and closer •VM 8hrinkin<f a litUe girl, who seem- } at\>und her, flyin.g in her face, on her •d af naid to venture af t»r them. j l^air, and dropping down lightly on her "Oh. de«T. she'll find it gonel" she ''^eas. as she shrank back into the •jaculated. In dismay, slipping down ^'•''â- "^ysuckle. as her sense of guilt made in the shade of the honeysuckle, and '^*-''' '^^"''^^^ ^' n^®©'- thfe an^gels' eyes. crouching deep In its fragrant leaves | ^^^ looked up through the vine at to hide herself. I th« stars. They .shone down serenely "I wi«h I hadn't touched the old '" ^^ ^'"*' *"'^> ^'^ t*»« Icvely huah thing!" she cried, suli-ly. only haJf- **f "''?**'' "°^ ^^ aroun-d, filled her •shamed ot wliat sho had done. "But ' ^^^ * senee of great longing and It was only one roee. and I wanted it j sorrow. to make rose-water for Beulal.'* party, I ^*'' ^^^^ drooped back in its leafy and mother needn't ijave been ao m««n j "***• ^*^ hands clasped each other •bout refuain-g. Now, the iiiinislcr's i**^^*", ^^^ g^Jlden lamps in her lap, and wife will know, and she'll tell the min- ister, and he'll pneach • sermon at me •bout disobedience and stealing! As if taking one rose waa etea'.ingi" She peeped out again as footsteps sounded r.enr her, and saw her nwther parting with h<;r vii.'t/>r at tl.e garden- gate, with a sad look on her usually cheerful face. A sudden pang etruck the Htf.e girl's he«rt aa she watched her turn off on a by-path leading from the porch, ae if she wished to be alone with her own sad '..houghta. Jesaie plucked the leavea from the vine with nervous fingers, and strug- ifled with the good spirit thit prompt- ed her to nui after her mother and confeca her fault But a sense of shame held her back. She had done a mean thing, and her the sobs came half-uttered, as if a spell was holding them back, she mur- mured: "Please, dear angels, are you look- img for me?" And she sank off into dreamland, or into the kinigdom of the fire-flies, for they glittered over her sleeping face with a magic wand, and wafted her off Into their mystic realms. She was in a place of delicious fra- grance, and a soft, white light filled the air and the cool, green plants that arose up to the dome of heaven, while the trickling murmur of water made a sweet rhythm with the sighing sound of the breeze. Jessie looked about her in tremuloua awe. Nothing vras visible but the clear white Lig'ht, through which passed a shadow now and then, like a soft «.« ««,« uvr.,^ u iiKwii wijuK, Miivj inoi , «.*"^*v». twn mini Lii\rii, xin.w a SOU moral courage was not strong enough ! cloud, and the lovely plants with their to let her confe.'^s it. i broad leaves growing upward Into a She wa.s a bravo child, and had a shaded canopy, good deal of cool nerve, as was proven I She attempted to rise and then dis A SABBATH BY M WAY The Sabbath morn dawned bright, it; no elder to»» and took tb« sttua^ A mist weat up from tlie stream. The tion In hand. Time went on. NothUij' whlp-roor-wiU was silent, but now be- but quiet. Tam, for ail the Thistl*.' !gan the thnish, the niocher, the red- brae training, fidgeted, drawing at last ! bird, the robin and the wren. Break- hie father's attention, who bent to htm fa*t wi4s so Bweet, with the dogwood and whispered. "This i» thMr way. around and the log meetinghouse : Sit still, and pray and sing wlthili." dreaming in the sun. Early enough- Tarn subsided. He was used to ab- toward ten by the minister's big sliver ^tfaction of attention In kirk, and watchâ€" appeared a woman, a slight, ' i^q^^ the way â€" though sometime* . . . person in a plain gray gown and gray close-flttlng bonnet. She what bis father was saying caught him. Now he went with promptness to croesed the stream upon a log fixed that miraculous Valley before him, and well aboTe the water and smoothed ^jjen for alteration to the moor above I for walking, but without a handrail. ' Thistlebrae, to Rob and WuU and When she saw the wagon she slopped jamle and Angus, the stone fort they for a moment, shading her eyes with ^^^ there, the curlews In the blue air her hand, then came on to the meet- ' ai>oye, and the two dogs. Dart and Inghouse, the little green, and the Sel- , Dover. He sat quite contentedly, pll- klrks. j ing stone* for the Wallace Tower. She wae the first of the Scatter- j Elizabeth dxew the like InformaUon goods. .Men, women and children, jrj,m ^^j. j^^^j Klrstie. "No, nothing's others presently appeared. Then came happened. It's their way. They Jaat the Tavemers. then tiie Carrys and ^^ gtlll and try to hear God *peak5ng. the Waites. Ail were dressed without. Yon do the same!" So Elizabeth sat any pomp and In one color, but most ^tm anj tried for It. Like Tam she n-eatly. All said "thee" and "friend" j g^w Thistlebrae, though she went else- and "John" and "Jean" and 'ChrUh ; where than to the moor and the bulld- tlna" ; all had deliberation and gentle- ' ^^^ fortresses. Then she thought of ness; all wetre glad that the journeyers to the ShenatMlo county aiiould come to meeting. They sat In the meetlnghouee, the Selklrks and Stephen Trabue, the men the Valley to which tihey were going, and Elbe also made It a cblld'si para^ dlse â€" only she hoped that the wolyee would not howl at night Several nights ago, waking, she bad heard with the men, the women with the wo- i tbem, away in the foreet, and had seen men. Great quiet fell. The walls of ' Stephen get up and throw a great RHE1IV18 CATHEDRAL Shelled by the Germans in the war. now being re8.tored through the liberality of John D. Rockefeller, Sr., who has given tlie money to France for the pur- pose. The scaffolding Is being erected around the building, which Is one of the most hlatorlc and beautiful in Europe. It was the scene of the corona^ tion of the King of Prance after the victory of Joan of Arc. Jeesie knew she had been dreaminir when the hay-rick fell over on her and covered that she was unaWe to move ' ""^ "^ and rubbed her cramped Bho was covered under the hay for ; from the spot where she was Ivini? for """?' "P]"" ^!"^'" '^^^ "^'"^'^ ^^^ ^'^'^ Who's Who in Music. Chopinâ€" 1810-1849. When Chopin was a boy, lils beauty rare. ....w.. ».« '-"J .....1 .-w.i ./ * ^.4 v^.i 11^1 nii.4 v.v.v.^« i,mn, C311C VYaa UliaU'tV LU move she was covered under the hay for ; from the spot where she was lying, for hours, with only a little breathing- | her hands were bound together by a place about as big or her hand, and band of silvery light. And, stretched when she was at last found and re- before her, like a barrier, was a scree.i leased from her perilous position, did of tiny .sparks which, as they ?:i.-ten©d i , - •, .- â- :^. „,.,.,. , not even cry or grow nervous. ; and darkened, swmed to be "-hutting: . "'"'â„¢^'"'''^' ?«"•'«" t-y: ! ^^ P°''«^ '''"â- "'â-  ^'-^ Parents well to do. But she had no bravery for this her out from the pure white inclosure i ,-'^ flre-fias, I wi.l novor go into JVIthln a gentle atmosphere he grew, great danger she was placed in, no beyond. I y**""" kmgdom ajjain as a wicked girl. i"oiigU long he lived upon a foreign â-  â-  ... . . . t • , . . j And I know now that you do watch' resting, but the spirit of the dream was upon her with a holy caini, and aa i .-.v^, she stretched out her hanils to tht> fire-! And genius won him homage every- flies g'leiiminff in and out thj woodbine, I where. the buHiding were of round logs, the chinks between ftlled wHh mortar; above the beams rose a caivemous, shingled roof; the floor was wood, smoothed as It might be, the benches rude, without backs. The two heavy doocre and the small windows stood oi>en to the sunshine. It poured In, be- stowing upon the interior gold bars and gold disks and gold dust But the Quakers seemed to sit in silver â€" or maybe gold withM and silver without A plain allver and restful. The forest pressed around, the forest fragrance entered with the wandering airs, and also the song of birds and the ripple of the etream. But the Quakers sat without sound or movement, not preaching nor praying nor singing. The elder Selkirks and Trabue doubt- lass knew of that; they sat as quietly as their hosts. But Tam and Elizabeth had not understood.- They waited for the minister, and when he did not ap- pear ... no one came to tell about branch upon the fire. She hoped there wouldn't be wolvee â€" or rattlesnakesâ€"- or Indians. A bird was singing In aa ash tree that pressed close to the win* dow. He waa singing because the Quakers wouldn't In Thistlebrae they, were singing, O lord unto my prayer give ear, My cry let come to the A stream of light was flowing from the door through the meetlngifaouse. It struck on this side and on that where, like a doubled string of beads, sat without motion men and women. . . . They sat so stlU, held In that light In the meetinghouse the quietness continued. The Spirit moved no one to apeak. The place grew peace, not' gray peace but crystal peace. John Selkirk sat with folded hands. "Lord, Lord, In a New Land give us peace with freedom!" The redblrd sang, the crystal peace flowed on. â€" Mary John- ston, in "The Great VaUey." strand. strength to resist the ovei-whelming ! A heavy weight was upon her heart, I , , , 1 ,,, .^ i.. ' feeling of shame that crushed her and n burning brand seemed to burn I °''fJ "' ^''''' ""^^ ''*'"" ""•W-'!." | "'» '"oushts turned ever to hi* native An-arn nrff.K/^nt ^-via, „ iKnf^ K.<oaf)iir.<y- rlofn inf.^ v,«- t,,.„„. • ^he .SUV/ her mother comln? aloncri land. deep into her brow. • ' | ^ihe .saw her mother comin? alonsri Her eyes dared not meet the holy ' ''*'* P^"' '" **"â-  ^''''^ ^'''^^' ^"J ran l "'« sufl-eringa (ililng his loving heart ,dianco of thnt ni«.r;. .;.,.â- â€ž f ,^ J. j *» her, Joyously: I ^ with woe, And to this grief much ot his work ; radiance of that majric circle from] down without even a HttCe breathing place. "1 don't think it's so very wrong,' , __ _,,.^ ^ ...... she argued, making a pi'.e of her which she was shut out, and. as they i , ., , ' ' " â-  •> â€" • . leaves and idly filling the hole in the sank down with bitter .sbame the , ^'J"'' ^'"'*'*''*'' *'^''''"2^ ''*-''^* 'o the! we owe. centre wHh the long U^n^ues of the tea.-, rushed into them quickly '''''"" ''â- "''' ''"' ^''^ ".nfessed her fault. | ""«^* ^\ the piano, I J I fi,^,, j.y,^ t.j.j jjpj. jrej^n,_ .,„j (jjjji played. "Mamma, I am sorry I pained you," j Chopin sat and woodbine. "On'ly mother is so par-; "What do you brini; nie?" asl;ed a ticular. She wants me to mind every wondrous voice, so full of love and influence of the pretty won't care to- pity that Jes.sie started up to li.ston T*'^ ... : with trembling heart. â-  her to forbear from her throughout her childhood, helping little thing. Sh(,' morrow." , ^...„....^ muiv. , - c But stiM Jesdie lingered in her hid- i And, through the white radiance ' ''^^^' '''':' 'ho brand of her brow and litf/xri fVi^ =K„^«,„ „ :..„ i:..';the weight on her soui ph«i.ld shame ;gand clung to '^° ^'* >""""« schoolmates, listening, â- â-  . . . - I half afraid. many a wrong j ''^" "*« strange robber tale his fingers ing-place, and. despite her bravado, felt very .sorry in her heart that she had so willfully pleased her-;e'.f in tearing that deep red rose to pieces, and mixing it up in a glass dish with water and sugar, aa a delectable bev- \ erage for her doll, but imbib<.>d by her- ' self in small sips and with much | flitted the shadow, growinji: more dis- tlTict each moment, until a white-robed figure, with wide-spread wings, hover- e ! in the centre. "A guilty soul." murmured n little glittering sound, like the tinkling of gold. And the living screen glowed and relish. I darkened before the angel, with a It was to have h^en sent to a sick sv.-ift mingling of light and shadow, boy in the village, and her mother "Ah!" .sigiK'd the loving voice had charged her not to touch It. Ami she had taken it, despite the- What is its sin?" Disobedience, theft and cowardice," her as it had done in the pi-esence of the angel. warning. She felt very miserable in murmured the fire-flies, .'(â- adly. her hiding-place, and wished her mo- j "And the sinner a little child!" cried i ther would find hi-r, and make confes- i the angel, with great sorrow, aa the I sion easy by putting her ann around scintillating screen parted, and the' her and questioning her gently. j white wings fluttered down beside But the evening lengthened, and no Jessie, one came near her. The porch remain- j "My child," said the tender voice, ed deiwrteil, save for its one occupant, I as a soft hand touched the burning and half-hidden in the woodbine, deep sil«ice filled the air. A tiny spark glistened suddenly onder Jessie's fingers; anothe^r, an Down In Miami. She "Why do you smoke those aw- ful cigarettes? I>on't you know they slow up the heart action?" He â€" "If they didn't, mine would be j brand on her forehead, "Is the fruit of I your sin still sweet to your wiOul ; lipe?" X1.UCI u'^oc.T. n â- ii.nDio, «ii,,.,iT-i, uii- 1 Then it seemed to Jessie aa if a other â€" here, there, on her hair, be- great dull weight fell away from her. tween her fingers, as she idly tore the! She felt her spirit grow light and leaves â€" until all at once she was .sitr- ' happy, and the dull weight fell away j rounded by the golden light flashing from her. S.he stood erect before the ! - •â- - â€" in and out so rapidly. | white-robed figure and held out her i "'**°8 all the time down here at the Jessie look<Kl at the fire-flies with a l)oiind hands. *'" " sudden thought, and a questioning "Forgive me, dear angel!" she cried, awe in her face, as they flitted pleadingly. "Oh, help mo to find my through the wire-screen atK>ve her, in soul, and I will try to keep it safe!" and out the fragrant vine. j And the fire-flies seemed to flash j mlng a lot In Bible times? "Mother rend in a little book trans- 1 around her with a delighted gJeam, I Father "I don't know. Why?" lated from the (lerman, the other and raise her up upon their tiny wings ' Bobby "Well. It says here that they day," she said, with a hushed voice, as ti-> receive the angel's kiss of pardon. ' died of divers diseases." told . How they all broke Into a house for gold. And when the deed was done ran far away Into the woods to sleep until the dtfy. And while sweet chorda described their slumber deep His little friends fell, one by one, asleep. Then Chopin, all, with lively chords awoke The little sleepers, laughing at his Joke. Poor Chopin died at Paris ere his prime. But left a name remembered for all time. At An Indian Railway Station. | 'hat ascending singsong that trails off I on a questioning note. At Jhaasi a man shells dolls of all sizes; dressed in the gaudiest colors and braids, they sit tlffly on a tray poled on his head. bay. the stations themselves are ^- n-S^^^mT^ TZ" W!r'' '^ fairly gcod Imitation of their London ! ^r the whhe ho^ IZ f^'^'''"^' In them you will nM<t:'''LZt'\'^^'J'''\°l t """"hlf An Indian railway statkjn Is a naive i mixture of the old and the new â€" ^clvill- ' zation treading on the heels of super- stition. In the big cities, such as Bom- prototypes. In them you will find large ticket, telegraph and Inquiry of- fices, bookstalls, electric luggage trucks, long platforms and refreshment rooms. So mucJi for the framework. The figures In the picture however, belong to an earlier day ot traveling, when the children of Israel were marching through the desert to the promised land. Men ot every caste and creed, with turbans of every shape and hue â€" Parseee In frock coats. sun; scarlet flowers, sleeptnig figures stretched out on the ground. A little boy is splashing un- der tlie pump. A tonga draws up out- side the railings, and deposits its bur- den of veiled ladies. Like gayly plumed birds, in their green, red and yellow draperies, they flutter onto the platform and, with much jingling ot bracelets and whispering, squat down In a circle. Prom the branch of a pipal cotton trousers,, and shiny fish-shaped ! T.it:^!^^:^ '^^^a ^^ Charmlnfl Thought It was after dinner and the talk had turned to psychology. This disturbing question had Just been put: "When does old age really begin?" To establish a formula was proving rather dlfBcult, when one lady, who did not look hor years, found the fol- ! lowing: "To me, old age Is always fifteen years older than I am." shore." Bobby-^"Pa, DIvsra. did people go swim- Hatred. Mother (scrubbing Johnny's ears) â€" "I certainly hate dirt," Johnny â€" "I do, too, ma." Mother â€" I'd never believe It! Why do you hate dirt?" Johnnyâ€"" 'Cause It make you wash me." hats ; erect Punjabi Mussulmans, walk- ing with a swagger; soldiers In khaki wearing khaki turbans; whiteclad j "bearers" watching over their sahib's ' belongings like anxious hens over ! their brood; coolies staggering along with enormous loads balanced on their 1 heads; a family squatting on the plat- form, and from Its mother's arm two I large black eyes set in a tiny brown face surveying the scene. No one hurries ; no one Is Impatient. It Is doubtful whether the equivalent of the phrase "to catch a train" or "to miss your train" exists In the vernacu- lar. In India you go to the "Isteshun," and If you have just missed your train you squat on the platform and sleep, eat and exchange views with your neighbors until the appearance of an- other train. You are always sure of having neighbors, however small the station, because here a station Is al- most aa much a social meeting place as a means of coming and going. In fact, many up-country statlone at a I sits at the trunk of the tree watching i the train. 1 An Ostrich's Appetite. Monkâ€" "Let's go have a little lunch." Oatrlch â€" 'Tm not hungry, I just ate a couple of kegs of nails." For the Waste Basket. A round piece of heavy paper or ofl first glance look like some sort of open- ^^^^ placed in the bottom of a wicker air hostel. |or other open-mesh waste basket pre- Wheu the train arrives. Innumerable ' ^^'^t* ^^ pencil shavings and other hawkers collect like flies round the I "''^ material from sifting through on carriage window. .\ man with sticky sweetmeats In a wire cage balanced on his head, his wicker show stand tucked under his arm; a little Hindu boy with English magazines ot doubt- ful age; men with trays of oranges. the floor. Thla saves many steps. simple precaution Nonsense. "Whata's the use of saving $50?" "None whatever. It's too little for guavas, grapes, crying their wares In ' a car and too much to give the wife.' REG'LAR FELLERSâ€" By Gene Byrnes. Selling Out to the Enemy. » V e. « '