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‘t she 't of a here, . that. eyes. and mo 1" you. her g It I 'e the Lyod the all ll!" "No,” said his mother quietly, “you didn't overcome your weakness that time. It didn't matter very much then His mother was watching him; then m a smile in her eyes} but her face was crave. “Tell the min what hap- pened.” she said quietly. “It was such a warm day for the 24th of May that we went in swimming in the pool in from of the bathing houses,”- said Ted sadly. “You know you said I could, mother. ’n' it was swell. The water was as warm as anything. 'N’ I was the only one who could stick his head under water and keep his eyes open. though Tubby Parsons can float better. Then someone said. ‘1 bet you fellows can't jump off the old steamer wharf! You know,- mother. since the Marvin dam was built up river. the old wharf’s about fourtien feet above the waterâ€"oh, ever so high! And there’s a great, deep hole in front of it, no one knows how deep. Well, 'we all went there and climbed out on the old piles. Tubby Parsons went first, and when he was diving dov'vn he yelled awful, and we thought he was never coming up. And then Fred Walker went. and when he came out he was all blue and shiv- er'y. And then Tubby pushed Chicky Butler in, and Chicky squealed so that it wicked ‘all up my back. And then it was my turn. I took a run down the piles, and has going to jump, though I can't dive very (well. But' just at the edge I stoppedas if a board has been put up. I looked down, down down, and I could see the water all black in the hole, and the horrid weeds round the edge waving like spiders' legs-ugh! And ‘I couldn't jumpâ€"I just couldnt jump, mother. I tried three times, and each time my legs stopped of their own accord at the edge, and I felt sort 0’ seasick inside. _And then Tubby beâ€" gan _saying,“Cowardy, Coward‘y, Cus- tardl’ andâ€"and all that stuff.” , “And, then 1 cIimbed of? the piles," said Ted, “andâ€"made him stop. But â€"-but' I didn’t jump, mother. I’m no better than a coward." He turned his flushed, honest face towards her. They were chums, these" two, as well as mother and son. (By Marjorie L C. Pichhall) , Ted stood dolefufly by the window, thumping his clinched fish on the sill. Th?“ was a black mark under his eye. “And then?” said his mother, giantâ€" ing at Ted’s nose. "You’re not a coward, Ted,"_ said his mother. “The greatest and bravest men in the world have often been afraid of things-quite silly things. Courage doesn’t lie in never feeling fear or weak- ness; it lies in overcoming those things.” - and once he rubbed his coatsleeve abâ€" sent-mindedly upon his nose to see if it Wm temp“ the gold, numbed feel~ in; that lingered abopt that upturned feature. “I'm no better than a coward,” be repeated huskily. "And I didn't overcome mine,” said Ted sturdily. ‘ A DAY OF VICTORY. _ A Story for Boys. except to Theodou Putnam: '-â€"ber lbs winkedâ€"Jun: some day it might mat- ter very fluid: indeed If you don’t overcome these things. they’ll ovetcome you. Now, don’t forty any mete about it. What are the boys going to do this aftemoon and this evening?” Ten minutes later he was bounding down the stairs, comforted but thought- in], his pockets bulging with squib: and cannon crackers. Around him hovered an odor of gunpowder and lulphur matches most cheering to his soul. At the foot of the stairs he felt obliged to give three cheers for Victoria Day. He went down the street at a run, crossed two fields, and came out on a bank of tlfe river through a tangle of young poplars and berry bushes. His way led him up the bank for half a mile. past the bathing sheds and the old steamer wharf. He went on at a jog- trot. The words “Victoryâ€"~Victoria,” danced in his mind. He felt-it was a good idea of his father's to keep Vic- toria Day by a victory over something. Personaily, he would have preferred a victory over Theodore Parsons. “Cruisers and fu’cworks and a bon- firc,” laid Ted, bl’izhtcning suddenly. “up a! “Irvin’s. Guess they'll be vii:- ingformenowunodler. lhndnoidca it was so lac." A little boy‘demched himself from one of the confused groups and ran to- wards him, waving his hands franticalâ€" ly, and pointing to the_ river. Ted wheeled about and dashed towards the old wharf, running as he had never be- fore known h'ecould run. He tore off his coat and let it fall, re- gardless utterly of Victoria Day celebraâ€" tions. “One of those crazy kids has fell into the hole,” he muttered to himself, re- gardlegs, also, of grammar. His mouth was firmly set, and his freckled checks were white. He remembered that years ago a child had been drowned from the old wharf. The sheds and the bathing places were deserted. ,But as Ted apps-cached the old wharf, he saw a,lot of small boys clustered like sparrows on the slimry piles. The thought of his own failure that morning stung him‘afresh. He turned his head towards the fields, gripped the craekers in his pockets, ‘and trotted on faster. He would not look at these boysâ€"~mere kids of nine or ten â€"perhaps succeeding in doing what he had vainly attempted. At' lthe edge of the. wharf he'paused only to tear ofl‘ his running shoes- how thankful he was he had not worn bootsâ€"and push aside two of the ter- rified children who ran and clutched his hands. "He’s down there 1‘” screamed lirtle Alec Parsons. “He‘s dovm there! Oh. Ted. he‘s been down there ever so long! He did not see that the little cluster of boys perched on the piles was sud-, denly shaken ahd scattéred by some im- médiale fear, He did not see some of them wading into (the shallow water, and others running helplessly about on the bank. But he heard a chorus of shrill calls for help, and stopped in' a. second, his heart jumping at the sound. He was at the end of the rickety piles in a flash, poised for the dive. The sun struck clearly on the black water of the deep hole, showing it apparently bottomless; the slimy, fun-ed weeds about its sharp brink waved in the shal- low water as if they were alive. Sud- denly. an intense physical horror of the touch of thlt black water and those soft, wriggling weeds. seized hold of him. In mlity'he only hesitated an in- stant; but he thooght he stood shame- fully on the edge. of the wharf for many minutes. struggling with the thoughts and feelings that rushed through his mind while the younger hoy drowned below. He felt for a dash that he could not face that bottomless black pit of water. Then he seemed to ”hat his mother's voiceâ€"“Some day it will matâ€" ter very much. If you don't; overcome the weaknesses, they will overcome yo . He set his teeth and jumped out and down. He was not a very expert diver, and he .struck ' the water with a goodly splash. But, once under, he could swim with his eyes open. . It seemed to him that he was sinking down a fathomless funnel, fiIIed with gloom and greenish, murky ,shafts of fight, and the wavering shadows of monstrous Weeds. The water" {bated in his ears, and stung his eyeballs agonizingly. But beheld on to his breath, and went down, down, down. And then, just underneath him, he felt a child’s headqwith long, floating hair. He knew it was little Sidney But- ler. with the long curls that the other boys made fun of andjpulled} Once he had put burrs into those curls. Now he gripped hold of them mightily, and struck upwards with all his wavering strengih. towards the blessed air and light. Fortunately, Sydney was beyond struggling and panic, or it might have fared biidly with'them both. Ted’s endurance was almost at an end That iron band round his chest was tightening to the point of torment. Showers of stars and leaping ripples of light flared in his eyes. Up, up, up â€"would he never reach the air? A boy once told him that drowning didn’t hurt. He longed to III e, chiefly that he might seek out that boy and punch him. 0h. 'air,. air, air! Would he never reach it, Once,‘ the slimy Weeds mehed out and 'clung to him, and liltle thrills of dislike and fear tingled along his nerves. Then he remembered that a horse had fallen into this hole and been drowned three years ago. He dreaded that he might touch its bones, all overgrown with soft water plants, m the deepening greenish gloom. He began to feel ‘an‘ iron band around Ms, chest, and little sparks danced and swirled [before his eyes. A The ripples of light grew dazzling. Suddenly his head shot crear of the "Yes, I know, dun" she aid softly “Sydney’s all tight Go to sleep again. Ted.” water and he breathed. lie could not see. for everything we: ”maxi. In vat circles of green Ins! blue and crimeon. Shouts and criei ran; in his ears. Someone took Sydney Inom his firms. “€58 When he awoke. be m in bed at Marvin's. and his mother was leaninc met him. And “I missed the Gareth,” muttered Ted. “but I jawed.” At the pride in her voice Ted smiled and went to ileep again. For him. Victoria Day had been a day of victory indeed. “You cetebratcd the day with I no- blcr deed than setting 0! crackers." said his molhct. “I jumped. mother.” he aid, drowni- Every Lady of the North Shore should know that there garments or drap- eries than the Parisian Dye House then everything did aiay to black- West Centul Avenuc HIGHLAND‘PARK Tdcphonc 265 is .no better place in the State of Illi‘ for , clean-