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• '~ t j f i »4 f / v , • ••$ V'S.!V--&V» i •': % rows i FYen ch ysfevt >>•*$ l#4fy of f*hHipf**vlf!e; wtfe-wf the brightest of the smaller Algerian ports, that I journeyed to Biskra, and passed through, for the. first time, the beautiful landscape of the North African Tell. It was in December, bat there was little to suggest winter In the scene that met my eyes. The tracts of forest, filled with cork, ilex and ollre trees and thick, bushes of arbutus, were colored tenderjy In shades of softest green and gray, and the endless orchards of orange and citron trees were hung with bright fruits. Great blue stars of convolvulus decorated the hedge- and twined over the porches of the little homesteads. Overhead, the sky was of cloudless sapphire and the mountains were |sharply etched against 1 ̂ It was only when I ,7-.^*.. v * passed the wide vineyards, empty except for the "V iv ' stunted -brown stems, that I could realize it was • December. Beyond Constantine, upon the high plateaus that make a well-defined ridge between £.the green and fertile strip of the plains and this : endless waste of desert to the south, an arid, *:rocky land presents itself. Scant and grudging vis the pasturage offered to the flocks that move ceaselessly across the hills. Thin and meager are the crops grown upon that land so patiently plowed. Here and there a chott, or salt lake, clear as crystal, gleamed like a shield of polished steel, reflecting every detail of the mountains with ^f Yaithfa) exactitude. Here, too, may be seen the 1h , <k*j, \ green. scrublike growth of the alfa grass, so much r.x.^.'Sexported to England, where, it is used in the pro- * ' Jductlon of highly glazed paper. iiit'V r 8i6ted the efforts that have been made to culti- ' Mr- vate it. Early in the afternoon the train dipped ^ U- V Sjjjj^.iKdown suddenly into the oasis of El Kantara, j&fi'i:! . C' known to the Arabs as Poum-el-Sahara--the ; • *|S.^HMouth of the Sahara. It is a place of palm trees 'and oranBe groves, watered by sweet springs, and possessing strange old Roman toijibs and delicate fragments of Roman architeetftro. marvel of El Kantara *'• • 'lies in that deep and ^ a;1 L'. narrow gorge where the ' L^/^huKe violet sides of & J - / D j s b l M e t l i l i , r i v e n ^ .&X ; asunder as if by the mighty stroke of an ax, • '% '.disclose that abrupt and i ^ <£'h? J wonderful the the Sahara. At entrance in- uie ooiiBnt. AI Its -narrowest the rent is >&j|, V'. about 40 yards Wide and k l e n B t h i s 3 0 0 y a r d s . '$ -<••" ;From the verdant and :palm-clad beauty of the ' J oasis the traveler gazes Jv «* "through that rent torn ".in the high rocks, and *V | sees before him the 11- ^Illimitable white expanse^ * jOf desert, silver pale and shining as if Encrusted jwith gems. A little wind came up from the south, "^blowing the fine white sand into my face, re- minding me of the desolate solitudes that lay be- ^ ' . ^y°nd, the endless empty sands dipping far south- *::«• f|ward. Groves of date palms grew close to the 1;,^river bank, and hedges of wild oleander still C" > j®howed a few belated blossoms of fragile pink. It |V , % 'I*Is thus almost dramatically that one enters the '"V >' Idesert from the stony alfa-strewn ways of the high ; ^plateaus. No longer needed now were the far 1coats and foot-warmers that had been so necea- 1... V,.' Jsary at the hour of our early departure from Con- : p. V ijst^ntine. We seemed to have passed suddenly k " v'.sX' fj. i > • But the grotto BrMkfast Table Set Not,Unreasonably , flxpensive, and Durable--Pern- *, "/^#Stand a Delightful Accessory ;v for Dining Room. Inexpensive Austrian ware for the breakfast table is called Rustl- cana. It comes in many odd shapes, though the same decoration holds throughout. It is cream colored, with garlands of large, brightiy colored Ger­ man flowers. Pitchers are from 25 cents to $1. Breakfast plates are 35 cents apiece; caps, 15 cents; egg trays, $1; platters, $1; bowls, 50 cents. An attractive breakfast table Is shown in the illustration. It is odd In design and takes up little space, as the four chairs are low of back and passed Mnto a sab-tropical land quivering in the burning .̂ eunliaht ~ It is the fashion to say of Biskra that she has ^ . ^ • | been spoilt sinoe 'The Garden of Allah" awakened J the world to her hidden beauty, made her popular *to the hordes of Cook's tourists and gave a fresh |*mr>etufi to the loafing profession of guide, which : . the Arab is always only too ready to adopt. He- . S ̂ is, indeed, somewhat more of a pest than he used- ' ito t-e; he knows that he has been written about 11 *nd perhaps presented in too flattering an aspect, fjylC; and it has made him conceited and self-consclooa. "3 '̂ " he is really no worse at Biskra than he is in IHiV^ ^ Tunis. Immense and luxurious hotels have sprung, "7i, i* UP to supersede the simpler caray^ngerais of fQT- '¥jiner days, when the little town was a favorite bvi ' jj quite unfashionable resort of French people in | eearch of simplicity and sunshine. But I am in- | clined to think that Biskra is unspoilable. "The '<• Heart of the Desert," as the Arabs affectionately 1 call her, she was the Ad Piscinam of the Romans, /4'i • h* . • L ^he famous Third Legion sojourned in that wonderful and fertile oasis which can now be ^ • . I| reached on the fifth day after leaving London,. ; "Two things are necessary," says Stevenson, "ii* . a any neighborhood where we propose to spend a \ 11'®--a desert and running water." Biskra pos- i/4 'j Be88es these essentials in abundance, and she has l;v. the additional advantage of constant, almost per- ;| petual, sunshine. Her palm and olive and orange groves are watered by springs that have never I failed. Close to her--so close, indeed, that she J almost seems to mock at its parched infertilitynr J lies- the white splendor of the desert with Its palloir as of a calm sea faintly touched with blue haze. I The moonlight-colored city with its blanched " i.streets lies surrounded by a fringe of perpetual * V "• *»'» % ft verdure. Watch the dawn waking iris-hued iu the §$•?'• ̂ eastern sky, painting the Aures mountains to a ^ H; ^®eP®r rose and drawing a filmy amber veil across . the sands, and I think you will agree with me W'.~. " " that Biskra is unspoilable. |iv;. There are many simple sights that cannot fail to interest the unaccustomed visitor from the North, on account of their novelty. The Arab school, with the bright-eyed, inattentive little tur- baned or befezzed scholars, listlessly reciting verses from the Koran, under the aegis of the tolba, or schoolmaster; the market-place, teem­ ing with native vendors, story-tellers and Sand diviners; the groups of picturesque Arabs wrapped in their white burnouses or shabby gray haicks; the caravans arriving almost dally from the south with their loads of dates; the swaying palanquins within which the women travel on the camels' backs, hidden and mysterious; the fine garden of Count Landon, with its lovely tropical trees and flowers; the village of Old Bickra, with its clay-built huts swarming with dark-eyed chil­ dren--these are bat a few of the picturesque, quaint or beautiful things that Biskra offers to the . Cauips, vuu, twt> a BUUIUV OL tents of camel-hair cloth, > guarded often by a white Kabyle dog. The nomad SpV:' mi*' certainly gives a .very practical example of the simple life, for his needs are re­ duced to a minimum. Pood, shelter and clothing of the rudest kind are all that he requires as he wanders from desert to tell with his flocks. Like the bishop of Browning's poem, seems only to ask that , "That hutch should ratio with . straw," *:•>' but he Is nevertheless said to suffer 41 %- J greatly from rheumatism caused by in- -f cessant exposure to all weathers, and nlw tftm - ophthalmia, which is a real scourge among the natives of Algeria, and results all too frequently in complete blindness. •bout a week or ten days before Christmas the "courses indigenes," or native race meeting, takes place at Biskra. This meeting is, of course, mttch less popular than the fashionable one which is held in the spring, but a good number of French people always attend it. There is a superstition in Biskra that this particular week is always the windiest in the year, and certainly, on the soli­ tary occasion of which I have had experience, the reputation was justified. Even in the shelter of the stand we were thickly powdered with fine, white sand that was blown in upon us by the high, strong wind. We drove out to the course in one of the shaky little carriages drawn by two swift ponies, which can be hired so cheaply in the town. The Hippodrome d'El Alia was thronged with people, French for the most part, with a sprinkling of English and Germans, and some native Kaids gorgeously appareled. The first part, "Courses du Ministere de la guerre," consisted only of two events, the distance in each case being 1,500 meters. In the second part, "Courses de la Com- mung Indigene," there were three events, and the longest distance run was 2,400 meters, this race being open to horses of all ages. The horses bore such names as Boucoucha, Lamarl, Salah and Mabrouk, while the jockeys figure on the pro gram under such nomenclature as Messaoud-den- Chebha, Belgacem-ben-Mohamed «and so forth. The course is of hard, white sand, upon which t)ie fly­ ing hoofs beat with a noise like thunder. The streaming burnouses of the Arab jockeys-- red and white and blue of all shades--made patches of brilliant color. There were no rows of raucous-voiced bookmakers shouting the odds; but as the Arabs are inveterate gamblers, no doubt a good deal of quiet betting went on. Among the spectators were many French officers, wearing the pale blue tunic of the famous Chasseurs d'Afrique. Most of them were combin­ ing business with pleasure, for the Arabs froni all parts of the desert bring their best horses to compete in the races, and these are frequently bought for the remount department of the African cavalry. Every effort is being made by the French government to encourage horse-breeding among the Arabs. Close to the grand stand some of the harem carriages, with their shuttered windows, could be seen wherein the Arab ladies of quality were sit­ ting, concealed, catching Imperfect glimpses of the races and also of what probably interested them far more--the toilettes of the French wom­ en. A group of Spahls, in their bright red burnouses and high red boots, added to the pio- turesquenest of the gay scene. When the races were over we were invited to mount up into the judge's box to witness the fantasia. This was a thrilling and rather dramatic finale to the day's JU f"* The men of each goum, or tribe, rode past, head­ ed by their kald, or chief, galloping in rapid sue- are made to exactly fill the four quar- ter-epaces of the table. It Is also a fine card table. The amazingly low price for table and chairs is $21. It is in dull old oak. An oblong, three-shelved stand, with a handle stretching above the top shelf, was seen at f 12. This was simi­ lar to a muffin stand, but newer of de­ sign. • delightful dining room accessory Is a fern stand. It has ft sine lined flower box, and is about the height of ^an ordinary table. These fern stands are often very handsome. One of ma­ hogany with cane insets was seen at $17. This had square ends. And one with rounded box ends cost $20. A dull oak stand was $11. A mahogany tea-wagon, which It Shown in the last drawing, costg $20, and another one in oak and cane, with a cretonne-filled tray, is $25. Two little high-chairs for the babies were most delightful little things--of mahogany, both of them. One at $22 was a Chippendale, and the other was a Windsor at $12.--Philadelphia Rec- oi - U T"- v • • . ' - cession down that hard, white eommi, waving their swords and firing their guns as they went. The very smell of powder never fails to fill the Arab wiiu liittuueol tsACiiBiueut, &uu tho !£uv£Ei& had all the appearance of a fierce cavalry charge. I retained an impression, vivid if fugitive, of kaleidoscopic colors passing swiftly by, blurred by the blue mist of the smoke mingling with the thick, white desert dust. The noise of the firing, of the beating hoofs and of the wild cheering of the multitude of spectators, the sight of the many- colored burnouses and the bronze faces under their white turbans, left a confused sense upon my mind as of something strange and fantastic, almost unreal." • Driving home, we saw the sun sotting behind the groves of palms In a sky that was colored like a pomegranate blossom, with a glow that turned the very sands to flame. Djebl Ahmar- Kraddou, tallest peak of the Aures mountains, caught the reflection of it and shone as with rose- colored fire. The palm fronds were softly sten­ ciled against the sky. Then the swift, sudden twi­ light of the South drew its delicate purple veil over the scene. Strange music stole out of the silences, the faint flute notes, liquid and tender, of the gazbah, the dull throbbing of tom-tom and derbouka. The moon rose over the white city of the desert and, touched by its matchless radiance, the streets looked as if they had been wrought of gleaming marble; the cold IncUgo shadows flung by the houses were Sharply defined. And surely nowhere in the world can one see a wider expanse of sky, filled from end to end with clusters of golden 8ta.rs, than that which hangs its canopy, velvet-soft, above the Heart of the Desert SLANGY PA. /•.)' «f. 1*1 Willie, put away tliose $r*in» Don't you know your father has a head* s< ache? > Willie--But, ma, when I was going into the par­ lor with my drum he told me to bfeat ft"' Boston Evening. Transcript. the Sfogue. Checks are used almost as liberally as stripes and plaids. Black-and-white «checked street suits are shown in all •:the newest cuts. They are always a good choice for the women who need not be very economical. For the wo­ man who can have only one suit the ^checked one is hardly the right choice. It is much more noticeable than one of plain color, and therefor? the owner of one tires of it more quickly than she would tire of a plain colored suit. Moreover, black-and-white checked woolen goodi does grow soiled rather USE FOR OLD LACE CURTAINS May Be Employed for Effective Do- signs in Decorative Needle­ work as 8uflfleeted. the housewife who Is the owner of some really pretty old lace curt&lns has in them valuable materials for economical decorative needlework if the fairly good parts of the curtain display effective designs. If the de­ sign is small and dainty and enough duplicates of it are intact, then they may be appliqued successfully to net for yokes, cuffs and even panels for children's wash dresses. For the lat­ ter purpose the pattern should be Bharply cut out and arranged to the best advantage on a background of linen ̂ or washable material and basted firmly, taking care that all of it is perfectly flat Either buttonhole the outline invisibly in white or use a thicker thread and bolder stitch. Let the applique stand out distinctly; If fancy dictates, work in veinings and other markings to suit your taste. It 1&> a comparatively easy matter to convert the larger undamaged pieces of old lace curtains into a va­ riety of table and cushion covers, etc. By combining with linen or batiste very effective bureau or table covers can be made in many Attractive pat­ terns. Colors and Combinations for Spring M*y Almost Be Oe^erlbe* ,̂, Qlsrlng. T>oes your $01 NO HER BES"fV;: v*0iL „ you vi =; i*- k,t, r wlieh 4 .̂ yod wife run to meet come home in the gloaming?" "Well, her gown Is a trifle tight for running^ She hobbles toward me as rapidly as she ean£f' rt THE LONGER THE BETTER. took a long walk yesterday," said Boreman. as he collapsed Into a seat ai Busyman's desk. "Take another, old man," suggested Busy man; "ItH do us both good."--Puck. , y v': • i :fj&i » •' 1 • • ------.i 11 • » i •-- WHICH IS UNG«NtROUS.p|H§iii Bix--I always keep my trouble to myself. Dix--Quite right, too! When yo*l tell them yon are taking up the time ol the man woo is waion« to tell you his. Lille REP TAPE AND FIRE correspondent reports a singular incident on the Franco-Bel­ gian frontier. A fire broke out in a shop at Herseaux, just beyond the bor­ der-line, and the Belgians asked for the services of the motor fire engine froyt the French village of Wattrelos, close by. . The firemen turned out promptly to answer the call, but on reaching the frontier were stopped by |hf canons officials, who elected to treat them as motorists, and demand* ed their papers. They were, of coujse, unable to produce them, and were ac­ cordingly forbidden to take their en­ gine .orer the border. Happily, how- over, a way out of the difficulty was found. The engine was stationed on the French side of the frontier line, and a sufficient length- of hose-pipe was forthcoming to enable the fire- «o worfe, on , the burning house. which was only about *. hundred yards or so farther oh. Proper Decorum In Words* - A country girl returned fro»,her first year at college. An old beau called and found- her quite superior. He asked for a tale of her college days, and was told to say "narrative." Later on he remarked that if he didn't put the window down this wind sMght "put the lfctap out." "Why dciit you say 'extinguish' V she asked him. Sow they heard a tneket outside. The young man rushed out. After a long while he returned breathless, saying that he had found a pig in the yard and the young lady's father try­ ing to get It ouL "Well, what did you do?" he was asked. "Oh," he replied, "I caught it by its narrative and ex­ tinguished It! "--New York Post , Teaelng Him. MtisfcJAn--"Whafs the renttflPQOr room, including the use of the piawT" Landlady--"! can't say offhand, ffcfc - must piay^~m+ something ."4 '&• The Soman stripes their das> r.ling bright hues are to be worn this spring by women. From all indications' the red and gold stripes are to be displayed in every possible guise, say the mer­ chants. In vests and sashe* and even in more startling ways the tright stripes ere to be worn. The most popular way of wearing the Roman colors will be in sashes. They are being shown In the stores made with a bow in the back, built high and with draping tassels on the Bide. The stripes also will be seen on the hats. The ribbons will be draped about the hat and will allow a sort of tassel to hang, from the side or back. Other styles will be striped vests. Vests -have beep worn all winter, but the brighter stripes are to be the spring style. These ere to be made with long points and cut on the bias, allowing the stripes to slant away flcom the points. * - * • FASHION HINTS 4^ *:The woman of limited income WW be wise to adopt one color for her wardrobe, with variations of tone and treatment. The tufban shows no signs of 'wan- tog. One of the fashionable colors is stone gray. Both long and short sleeves are fash­ ionable. Among the late skirts are those out with yokes. Hats of corduroy are fashionable for young girls. Fabrics show designs borrowed from' the Chinese. Many new spring costumes show the rippling flounce. ' For morning wear the silk or patln skirt holds its own. * Rich flower tones appear In the col­ ors of the new fabrics. » • • Winkles Are Ottta 'IPhey're 'passe. Women do not have them. They are not being worn this years. Massage and the tango have done It A sparkle to your eye Is worth two crow's feet in the corner. PLACE TO KEEP PLAYTHINGS Pees Away With Litter, and May Be . ; Considered an Omapiea ̂to ths I'}~i:Apartment, I Hiid this plan most auccessfOt fo> keeping the children's toys, living as I do In a small house, writes a con­ tributor to the Modern Prlscllla. I secured four boxes of equal size (dry eOOxtB boxes), large escnjh to? two to give a small wardrobe effect when placed one upon the other endwise. The ends of the other two boxeB were used for shsltes in these. The whole wasf placed in a convenient corner and covered smoothly with cretonne. In the'lower box, closed by a loosely - hanging curtain, the children were taught to put all toys. The upper box was neatly lined with canvas through­ out, and with a curtain meeting the one below and having a draw string at top and bottom, it provided three dustproof shelves for linen or any of the maay tfclafcs that It 111 hard to find ffjtefce for In the small house. The outside appearance la very effective, eapmrtally If the cretonne Is ~ White Gowns for Sferhtg. So many and various of type are the white gowns now being made up for spring service, that unquestionably a "white" season confronts us. The costumes likely to be first worn--at after Easter church weddings and the like--are those in taffeta made up into skirts with circular flounces and into bodies trimmed with narrow ruffles, and the embroidered voiles, veiling fcengallne slips: Somewhat less elab­ orate are the ratine.gowns made up with heavy filet laoe and with girdle and pipings in colored voile, and the wool crepons with embroidered hatlate yoke and sleeves. ' New Handkerchiefs. There is quite a departure frojm cus­ tomary handkerchief styles this sea* son. Some are trimmed with footing; black and white handkerchiefs are quite the thing; colored handkerchiefs are very fashionable, the handkerchief proper being the color and the border of white. >• - 't ' NEW CREATIpN gf| 3ft MS Model of tulle and applique with tunic of black end white lace. with other hangings, or with the paper 4t a room. - - * ' Calendar Blotters. A rather well-known but useful lit­ tle gift is that of a calendar blotter. It is quickly made and very in ex pen- give. Prom a large 10 cent desk blot­ ter cut smaller blotters, say 6 by 8' inches. Paste upon each of these smaller blotters a small calendar leaf. When finished, you will have twelve (Maall calendars, each iabeieu wiiu uiiu of the months. Then the pack is ar­ ranged in order from January to De­ cember and tied with a broad red rib­ bon. Slip a twig or so of holly or jafcrtletoe under the bow. ^ :To Freshen a Hat. ̂ _ To renew, the appearance of* the navy blue straw hat for this spring's wear, when the trimmings are re­ moved, wet the straw and wipe it clean dust. Before it dries scrub in navy e aniline dye with a stiff brush. It you do not object to a shiny finlpk there are small tins of hat enamel la all colors to be had at^tfe* druggMffc tor about tan eaata. Hotel Clerk Takes It Seriou$l| When Money, Watch and t Stranger Disappear.: S CWcago.-r-Bruce Clark, clerl ^i hotel in East Eighteenth streeV pressed lightly on the desk with hi§ finger tips and assumed an air at politn expectancy when a baggagslsajl but seemingly prosperous stranger as$ preached him early the other morilr< l«g. •/- Even when thO stranger rudelf shoved aside' the pen offend to hlajjt Clark was unruffled. if' "Thought you wished to* register sir," he apologized. "What else c&fi I do for you, sir?" "Now you're talking," said the tor. "Fork over!" He took two large revolvers fro his pockets and aimed both, of ttiei at Clark's right eye.. ^ "Ha. bai Very good, very good!??, laughed the affable clerk. "I t Aimed Both of Them at Clark. I-could keep toy face straight likSl that." !• "If you laugh any more I'm going t|t kill you," earnestly remarked the ma# with the revolvers, shoving one the guns into Clark's open mouth- "Now try keeping your face straight! f Clark tried and succeeded admits ably, for be had a sudden hunch thf: stranger wasn't joking. He was surer than ever hfter $7 and a watch whic^i had been in his pockets went into, the other's and the man, the watch* the revolvers and the $7 left.' ' ' ^ •2Ti KILL A W0UNDEP PRISONER. Two New Jersey Policemen Capturgy; ̂ Mortally Injured "Burglar" and ; ̂̂ 'End His Sufferings. - • t West Orange, N, 3.--Two polleeme|f captured a burglar the other night, found the culprit had been mortally wounded, and killed him to end hn(- sufferings. Returning to his home' on Vailed • Road at midnight ThorwaW Jense$ an Edison works employe, hear| strange noises on the second floor.-- So did his wife and she fieu with har'".-,: child. Jensen took a gun from a closet; , and started up the stairs. But • \ crash caused him to retire for second thought. Four policemen arrived, summoned by Mrs. Jensen. Two / waited outside while two others e#» ^ tered. They went up the stairs an# % heard .these strange noises. Draw* . Ing their revolvers they shouted: . •^Surrender, or we'll lire!" Ji '* No answer came, so the two blu* coats rushed into the pitch dnrl^ room. A blow from an unseen souroi „ . knocked off Patrolman O'Connor's halt As he swung his revolver it caughjt ^ to his coat and was discharged. • Just then the other policemen foun§ " the push button And switched on #.*•>• Hood of electric light. They lookeif . •found. They saw nobody. Yet.pictures laf-£/< on the floor, flung from the walls. Thlr ' policemen stared around again ana the mystery was solved. Perched oil a chiffonier was a wild duck. It had *•'" flown into the room in the storm aojtfr had imprisoned itself by knocking, over the stick which propped up the Window. O'Connor's bullet had struck , v. t h e d u c k o n t h e l e g . I t w a s k i l l e d a S > > tin act of mercy. ? PICKS POCKET WHILE KISSINf . -- fciA'. Italian Thief Employes Novel ftu* t*f ̂̂ • f > Rome. • M . «.*&;• 4 Rome---Dr. John Fraltfcl# pocket was picked In the Piasa Defk pagna as he emerged from a bank where he had cashed a check for 1150;... _ In relating his experience to the polios ' Doctor Hurie said that what surprise#- ; him was the way the thief ^lMX»n|' 5 pllshed his purpose. • "He embraced me and tried to klsgv* me on both cheeks In the true Italian fashion," said the doctor. "I freed my* self immediately, and the man apo£ + oglzed courteously, and apparently was sorry for the mistake. When ht / disappeared I dleoovered the;|oss oi^V my wallet." " Miss Booker says she has other di|» ties outlined for Professor Tom, but does not wish to divulge them until they have proved successful. She fS a strong advocate of the "parrot-ii*- UltMH.-UUUUVUlll u tuality and studlousness, and declares the large red and green plumed bir^ is indispensable to her. Hugs Old Lady Bea .̂' , Alpine, Texas.--Wood Mendel e%> gaged in a hugging match with it r mother bear, whose cub he killed ' Mendel was the better hugger anil - sgueesod the old lady bear to death. / Alleged Burglar Outwit® Polloe. Passaic, N. J.--The police were ug»"';> able to take the fingerprints of Alfred Smith, arrested for burglary, beoauso he used add which made tlpe aa 'smooth as gfauNi. .. ?< '