Highland Park Public Library Local Newspapers Site

McHenry Plaindealer (McHenry, IL), 12 Oct 1898, p. 6

The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

• I , T-V-* S*~»i fc •• *v J§> P N+ 5 Mm»lt«M»li*«liii9«f«N • ttttftwiwottitiiifttuwi Jg x * •£>| UNCLE JUDSONS CRUST. § **«**«(* A DA ITER little man, with a silky, yellow 'mustache which curled up jauntily at the ends came out and closed the door softly behind him. "Mr. Hardaere says he will see you In a few minutes. Will you be seated?" and the little man turned and began to rustle the papers on his desk as If he were very busy indeed. Willis Everett dropped down in a chair close to the railing, fussed with his hat and watched for Judson Hard- acre's door to open. He thought it was rathor a cold reception for an uncle to give his nephew, and yet his mother had warned him what, to expect. "Your uncle Judson," she had said, 'Is very much devoted to his business. He has never in his life had time, to give to his friends, and people say that he is crusty and hard-hearted, but I am sure that my brother Judson has as kind a heart as any man living, if only you can reach it." Willis had come to his llnele as a last resort. He had just finished his Junior year in college, and he knew that the completion of his course would depend on his own earnings during the sum­ mer. His father had been able to sup­ ply him witb money, although not so liberally as he really needed, for the first three years of his college life, but bard times had ruined his business, and it was all he could do to pay rent and grocers^IhII^. not to mention the pro­ vision of clothing for the younger chil­ dren. "I want to see you finish up with your class," he said to Willis, "but it is out of the question for me to furnish the money. You will have to get out and see what you can do for yourself." And Willis had tried his best to get a position. But he found that he was compelled to compete in this struggle for an opportunity to make a living with men older and more experienced than himself, who knew better what the employers required. One man said lie would take Willis on trial, but he couldn't pay him anything for a few months; another said he had a position, but he wished to give it to a man who Ibad intended to remain with him per­ manently and work up in the business. And so they all put him off, and now he •was watching for the door of his uncle's ^private office to open. He had not seen his uncle in several years. He remembered the last meet­ ing without any exuberance of pleasure. Uncle Judson had called on his mother %ne afternoon, and he had come in <varm and excited from a tennis game. "What's that thing you have got in jrour hand?" his uncle asked, after his another had presented him. "Why, a tennis racquet." ^'Sarah, can't you teach your children to go. into better business than dawd­ ling around in white trousers with a toy bat?" . Eve® as Willis thought of it now, he felt bis cheeks tingle with mingled mortification and anger. *Mr. Hardacre, is ready to See you," said the dapper little man. Willis stepped quietly into the pri­ vate office. He saw liis uncle at a hand­ some roll-top desk and glaring at him from under his shaggy, gray brows. He had a square, lean face, with a de­ termined chin, and his hair was coarse and gray. ^4'^eU, 8irJ» I am in Isearcn of wdrk,', 8fiid Wil­ lis, somewhat falteringly; "my father can't supply me with money for my last year in college, and unless I earn it I can't go." "That's just what I told your mother before she married Everett. Now that he has got a family of boys he can't educate them. But she wouldn't listen tb any of my advice.". The hot blood surged into Willis' face. He couldn't bear this reference to his hard-working, noble-minded fath­ er, who had sacrificed, everything in order that his boys might have their schooling. "My father has done the best he could," Willis said, hotly, "and I can't listen to anything against him. If you have nothing I can do " and Willis turned and started toward the door with his shoulders thrown back. "There, there," said his uncle, with the trace of a grim smile curling his lips; "we 11 let that drop. You say you want work--what can you do?" ' "I'm just out of college," Wlilfg said, Vand I'll have to do-'most anything 1 can get to do!" "I suppose you are well up in tennis and football and leaping the pole, and all that sort of thing." "Yes, sir," responded Willis, tempt­ ed again to turn and leave the room. "Well. 1 don't happen to have any of lhose things in my business. You know I'm not engaged in the manufac­ ture and sain of lumber. It's very pro­ saist'--you can't wear white trousers- might get soiled." Willis kept his temper, although ev­ ery one of his uncle's words stung him to the quick. I understand all that." he said, "and I am willing to do anything from wood- sawing up that will enable me to save a little money." "Wood-sawing, rh?" said Jqdsonf anything else, besides chopping and sawing." Judson Hardacre pressed a button, and a tall, quiet man with a pen thkisi behind his ear stepped into the room. "Calkins, this is Willis Everett. He will go to work to-morrow morning at the Edwardsburg mill at $30 a month. He will board at the company's hotel. Have hhu report to Matthews. Let me know each week how he is doing." "I'm very much obliged to you " Willis faltered, hardly realizing that at last he had found a job. "Don't thank me yet," said his uncle, almost gruffly; "you may not want to after you have been "working awhile." Willis went h«jie in high spirits. "Mother, mothee,v be called; "I've got a job at 44kSJfc~^and atjofefrom Uncle Judson. too.'*' That afternoon Willis packed his satchel and took the train down the valley fof Edwardsburg, where the Hardacre mills were located, it was about twenty-live miles from home, and he had never beeh in the place except on his bicycle,and he hardly knew where the mills were located. But he found them easily enough, and with them the foreman. Matthews--a big, red-face^, stoop-shouldered giant, with a voice like a foghorn^ Matthews read the letter and then glanced at Willis keenly and half contemptuously, Wil­ lis thought. vCr ' "Well," he said, "tiek. on hand at 7 o'clock to-morr6w morning, and I'll put you to work." Willis found a place in the company's boarding hou9e--a single bunk In an attic room with four other men. The walls were dingy, the floor was cover­ ed with coarse matting and the bedding did not look any too clean. One little, cobwebby window commanded a view of a vast heap of sawdust and slabs. Supper was served on a long table cov­ ered with oilcloth, and the tea was brought in by men waiters, who laugh­ ed and joked one another. The work­ men came In With their sleeves rolled up and ate almost in silence. In the morning Willis was set to load­ ing slabs from the waste pile Into a box car which Stood on a-staling near at hand. One man handed them down from the $ite,«'second tossed them in­ to the cal-', and a third corded them up. Willis was given the easiest job--that of piling--but he was compelled to keep up with the other two. The slivers stuck into his apft palms and the jag­ ged bark bruised his arms. Besides that, it was a hot June day without a breath of air stirring in the car. For an hour or 'two he stood it pretty well, but before noon he began to feel that he should drop in his tracks, but he was determined never to give up. He was a cog in the machinery of the mill, and he proposed to do his duty until he broke down. Never was music sweeter than the sound of the noon whistle. He wearily dropped the last slab and staggered into the dining-room of the boarding-houSe. At first he was too tired to eat, but he managed to swal­ low a little dinner, and by 1 o'clock he felt better,, But he knew he never could last through the long afternoon at the same work, and it was with a deep feeling of relief that he heard Matthew's order his crew from the car- loading to the sawdust chutes. Here he was required to stand knee deep In soft sawdust at the end of the chute, where the waste of the mill came blow­ ing out in a dusty cloud, and shovel for dear life to keep himself from being buried. It was hot, wearing work, and by the time the afternoon was finished Willis was thoroughly discouraged. But he was naturally vigorous of body, and, although his uncle had made fun of his tennis and foot-ball, he knew now how much good strength they had added to his muscles. He awakened the next morning lame in every joint, with his hands almost raw with blis­ ters. "But I'll stick to it," he said, gritting his teeth; "I've got to get through college next year." That day he was paired with a big, red-bearded Scotchman, and they were assigned to the work of trimming up some timbers with a long cross-cut saw. For a few hours Willis bent bravely back,and forth. It was fearfully hard work, particularly because he did not thoroughness and kept his accounts so accurately thai Matthews more than once grunted his satisfaction. * About this time Willis saw his uncle for the first time. Judson Hardacre came around with the superintendent, examining the work of the mill, and he must have seen Willis as he stood with his pad and pencil where the lumber shot from the whirring saws, but he gave no sign of recognition. It hurt Willis' sensitive nature, but he only •&£ his teeth the harder. "I'm making the money," he said to himself, "and I'm going back to col­ lege." None of the men knew that he was Judson Hardacre's nephew. He had said nothing about it, preferring to stand on his own merits, and his uncto had been equally silent^ the mhft^e of September Wil­ lis "resigned h?s job, much lo the regret of the big foreman, who had come to like the clever, prompt young man. "When you try to get a job some­ where else," he said, "just let me know and I'll give you a good recommenda­ tion." It was said In a blunt, honest way, and no praise 4that Willis ever had re­ ceived had sounded so sweet in his ears. "By the way, Everett," said Mat­ thews, as he paid over the last salary check, "Mr. Hardacre wished me to ask you to call and see him as soon as you get back to town." Willis wondered why his uncle should care to. have anything to do with him, but he called the next after- i j. •£>.1•- 'vVi? DOINGS orwonm RUSSIAN CENSORSHIP. < A T7KCLB JUDSON'S CRUST WAS BBOKEX. 1 AM IX KKAKCH OK WORK, understand the science of getting the greatest results from the least effort. , Towards noon tluTTTig Scotchman, who . . t. ?.Bd ll,ipI *rlm sulil« again j had b,»en watching him keenly, found curled his lips. "Let me see your Hardacre, Hr. 1%. •-fe*1*- ;\ :• jhands." Willis held pnt his hands--they were certainly rather small and white, al­ though tennis playing had worn a few hard t^Houtses on the right palm. "I thought so." said Unefe Judson; "tennis hands, eh?" "They may be soft now. but I assure you, Uncle Judson, I am not afraid of itny kind of -work which will help me finish my course." jLt the sound of the unfamiliar words, "Uncle Judson," Judson Hardacre glanced up sharply, and then he said, -rather more gruffly than before: I'll take you at your word. that the saw would need filing. Willis never felt more grateful for anything in his life, and in the afternoon he was enough rested to continue the work. Aud so it went on day after day. Be­ fore the end of the second week Willis grew somewhat hardened, and al­ though the work wa«--still very hard lie did not grow painfully exhausted He also found that the other men were good-hearted, kindly fellows, and al ways'ready -tsf.help him where they® eould. Before the middle of July, Mat thewfc, thfefbig foreman, had given him the place m checker and scaler, in the temporary licence of the regular checker. Tl/is was mnch easier work, noon. He had grown brown of face, and his hands were calloused and mus­ cular. When he came in Judson Hard- acre said, gryfflys. "Well, hoy much money have you saved this summer?" "Nearly $75." "Is that enough to take you through college?" "No, sir; but I shall start with It. Father thinks he can help me toward the end of the year." "How did you like your work?" "Part of It I liked very well. Uncle Judson, but it was too hard for me at first." At the words "Uncle Judson," Judson Hardacre looked up sharply. It was not at all usual for anyone to address him as a relative, and somehow the hard lines of his face softened and his shoulders shook a little, as If he were laughing somewhere inside. "Well, my boy," he said, "you've showed yourself pretty plucky this summer. You've got the genuine Hard- acre blood in you. Let me tell you, I've watched you a good deal more closely that you thought, ,a^Qd I like you, sir. Yes, I like you." ' He held out one hand, and Willis, flushing red and then paling again, with surprise and pleasure, grasped it warmly. "Let's be friends," said the old man. "I haven't many of them, and I need a good one," and his voice took on a half-pitiful tone. Then he changed the subject. "Here's a check for $400. Get your last year of schooling and don't scrimp on the expenses. If you need any more let me know. And when you get through come back here. I've got a good place for you in my office, where you will have a chance to work up." Willis stammered his thanks, and stumbled, half-dozed, toward the door­ way. His uppermost thought at that moment was: "How happy my father will-be." As he reached the door his uncle Judson called after him; And say, just go ahead and play all the tennis you want to." « Uncle Judson's crust was broken.-- Chicago Record. AFLOAT AS WELL AS ASHORE. Middle-Axed Man's Discovery of the World-Wide Use of the Buck Saw. "The bucksaw in any mind," said the middle-aged man, "is indelibly associ­ ated with a sawbuck--the reach be­ tween the two X's half sawed through, where it had been scored by the saw dropping down upon it--standing by a wood pile In the back yird. There are chips scattered around on the ground, and scraps of bark and more or less sawdust. "What brings all of this to my mind Is the sight of a man sawing wood wMi a bucksaw on the deck of a schooner lying at a South street wharf, a stick of cordwood resting in the saw- bunk, and the man with his knee on it ann sawing away just as he would ashore. At first this looked strange; and so it does still to same extent. I had seen sawbucks and bucksaws on the decks of canal boats, where they looked natural enough, because the canal boat is usually close by the land, where one could step to or from it easily; but I could scarcely make the bucksaw seem familiar on a salt-water craft, because it seemed to me so essen­ tially a thing of the land. "Finally, I did make it seem all right on the schooner, though, by think­ ing of that as a vessel making short voyages und keeping near land, and hauling up, maybe, in,creeks, close by the shore, and as being in various ways intimately associated with the land; but I couldn't think of it as being used at sea. But when I came.to think it over I knew, of course, they must have some way of sawing wood aboard deep- water ships, and when I came to in quire I learned that the bucksaw is used afloat Just as it is ashore; it Is plied on a ship 1,000 miles at sea just as it would be on a farm."--New York Sun. THE NATTY BICYCLE GIRL. EFORE she got her bicycle she sometimes used to make The beds and wash the dishes, and help her mother bake, She would even sweep die parlor and dust the bric-a-brac. And once she did the washing, though it almost broke hogback. But now she's got her bicycle she doesn't do a thing About the house, but day and night she's always on the wing. She's done a dozen centuries, and more, I've heard it said, While her mother does the washing, sweeps and dusts, and makes the bread. She looks extremely natty in her brief bicycle skirt. She often talks with strangers, and -she has been known to flirt. Her health was never better: brown and rosy is her skin. But her mother, if you'll notice, is looking worn and thin. ness of texture gives the dHscoterer a distinct shock. This Includes the mat­ ter of handkerchiefs as well a# lin­ gerie. Carrying a coarse quality em­ broidered handkerchief is a vulgarity no refined woman should be guilty of. If expense is an object the plainest possible bit of linen should be selected. The glove, the shoe, the lingerie and the hnndkerchlef are unerring indicat­ ors as to the possession of- elegance or the lack of It. Times are dull and I haven't much of j and WillLs|<Jid4t with a quickness and Pay of Actor* in China. In China a company of thirty actors can be engaged for $30 to play as many pieces as may be desiredfortwo days at a stretch. The elevator In a department store la merely a shop-lifter. Social Mistakes. Perhaps the greatest of all social mis­ takes is to be continually talking about one's self. There is no word in all the vocabulary of conversation so tedious to others as that personal pronoun "I." Another social folly is "gush." There is an insincere ring about it. True, there are people who gush from sheer good-nature fn wishing to give pleas­ ure, yet they should remember that eVen amiable exaggeration is like a coarse sugar plum, agreeable at first, but leaving a doubtful taste in the mouth afterward.- On the other hand, there is a certain class of people in society who are equally foolish in going to the other extreme. They feign indifference about everybody and everything, seldom ex­ pressing either interest or appreciation. A social folly is to imagine that peo­ ple are always looking at or thinking of you. As a matter of fact, people very often look at you without seeing or thinking of you. If we could only convince ourselves that we are uot al­ ways the pivot of our friends and ac­ quaintances' thoughts there would be fewer hurt feelings and imaginary grievances. President of the King's Daughters. No woman is better known to the young people of America than Mrs. Mar- Workina Women of Germany, Fraulein Marie Heller, who has re­ cently opened an employment bureau for women in Berlin, has been reading a paper to a German audience on "The Right of the Modern Woman to Work." She said that the woman who could do a little of everything, but nothing thor­ oughly, would find herself unable to earn a living, and she dwelt with em­ phasis on the importance of early pro­ fessional training. In support of her main principle Fraulein Keller quoted Prince Bismarck's declaration in the reiehstag, "I recognize unconditionally the right to labor and shall enforce it as long as I remain in this place." The New Tailor Coat. , Now that sleeves are worn so very small and close, the single-breasted, tight-fitting coat has a very character­ istic style, and is eminently becoming to the fairly good figure. The tailor makes this type of coat fit like a glove, and the turn of the shoulder and the waist are "shrunk out" with the iron, and width is usually added to the bust by a little padding under the arms. The sleeves are made with only a soupcon of fullness1 at the top, and this 1s field out by a little roll of wadding, carefully disposed so,as to retain itsj shape, how­ ever pressed* • Remedy for Telltale Wrinkles. When fine lines begin to show under the eyes, procure a small package of fullers' earth and mix It with an equal quantity of wheat flour. Take a little of this and mix it into a paste with cleju1 water. Spread it beneath the eyes and let it remain an hour, then moisten it and gently wipe it off. For wrinkles on other parts of the face make a paste of white wax and oil of sweet almonds, and apply it as hot as can be borne, using a small pine stick for the purpose, that it may be applied -to the line and- nowhere else.--Woman's Home Com* panion. & V rk MUS. MAKGARKT BOTTOMF, A Woman Grave-Digger, Mrs. Steele, of Lewes, England,, is a gravedigger. She is sexton of the best- known church in Lewes, and every one knows her. Until recently she dug all the graves in the Lewes cemetery, but having reached the age of GO she now contents herself with filling them up and attending to the mounds aud flow­ ers. She declares she will never give up her place until some one has to dig a grave for her. Furthermore, she says the cemetery is a fine field for women, and that the work has made her un­ commonly strong and healthy. garet Bottome. Presidentof Internation­ al Order of The King's Daughters. The organization is composed of thousands of small circles of girls and women who are bound individually and collectively to help the poor and distressed. Under Mrs. Bottome's leadership much aid Is given to the sick soldiers. To Freshen a Bodice. If one wishes to freshen the bodice of a black silk or satin dress, airy black point d' esprit draperies on the waist and sleeves make a cool and pretty change In the gown. Point d' espriS wears better than Chiffon or mousseline de soie> and is not so quickly affected by dampness. Scarfs, ruffles and ruches or puffs made of it and edged with nar­ row black lace make most effective ad­ ditions to either bodice or skirt. Eucaeement Ring*. 1 In Denmark a girl never knows the pure, unadulterated joy of receiving a diamond engagement ring. She gets a plajn gold band known as a wedding, ring in that country, and it is worn on! her left tbird finger. On the day of h?r marriage the bridegroom changes it to' the right third finger, which is the mar- j riage finger in that country of queer j customs. When the husband dies his! widow changes her ring again to her left third finger, and.everybody knows that she is a widow. Being engaged can't mean a great deal of happiness in Denmark any way you!"take it, for a girl is never under any circumstances permitted to see her betrothed one min­ ute aloue. Getting Off Street Cars. Not one woman in n hundred can get off a street car gracefully. Most of them, totally Ignore the side bars as a help iu getting down. Others will seize the side bar and descend backward, but you'll very seldom see oue who takes the bar like a man and dismounts with the car in the direction it is head­ ed--the only rational tfay for a man or woman to do the trick. Care of the Hair. Once a week iu summer and once a month iu winter Js, according to a hair dresser, often enough to wash the hair. "For frequent washing weakens it. The scalp should be carefully dried after­ ward. The hair should be trimmed about once a month to prevent It from falling out. Occasionally its condition becomes poor, just as the general sys­ tem gets run down. It then needs a good tonic, and should have it; but oth­ erwise hair dressings are generally to be avoided. Brush thoroughly once a (lay. at least, and do uot braid tightly at night. While care wiU do much to­ ward strengthening weak growth of i sands of children perish annually from hair, it is, after all. a matter of tejnpvr- the use of these medicines. Should a anient. ^ diarrhaea "present itself, immediately stop fhe'iidministratlon of milk iu any form, aiid send for a physician at once. A baby should be given water to driuk frequently, between feedings. The water, however, must first be boil­ ed for one-half hour and allowed to thoroughly cool. Vessels for keeping milk should be of tin, glass or porcelain, and should bo thoroughly scalded and scoured with washing soda and a brush immediately before and after use. Milk intended for feeding babies should be boiled for one-half hour im­ mediately after it is received. It should then be placed In a clean and closed vessel, and allowed to thoroughly cool before use. Without the advice of a physician never give the baby soothing syrups, cordials, spirits, paregoric, etc.; tliou- Wlicn Women Are '"otel Onc«t<, When you are about to leave a ho­ tel, make your arrangements in good time; ask for your bill, leave orders where any mail or telegrams arriving after your departure may be'sent [to you; get your receipt; tell the hotel elerk just what train you a it to takej find out from him when the omuibus;Igrmver. will leave, and be ready in time, giving i up your room keys at the office and J being careful that you have all your be­ longings together, and that the porter has given you your trunk check. At the train you must reclieek yotlr trunk. --Ladies' Ilomu Journal. Odds and Ends. The woman who uses vaseline uik>u her face is as behind the age as the damsel who plays "Silvery Waves." This 'ultra messy compound Is a hair- Fair women wlio freckle should priz;< a lemon as a friend. After being In the sun a rub of lemon over the sun kisses will often banish them in an hour. Elect ricjty will remote all freckles. One of the most curious things' about Ma-ks of Refinement. I woman is her queer met-iods of e<*>no- Tlie fresh, dainty looking girl or mixing, to wit: She will buy soap at woman suggests delicate lingerie, and o cents a cake, cheap powder, and then a discrepancy between outward fine- pay a "specialist" ten dollars to undo ' Bess of raiment and untiaruaath coarse- the damage they have wrought. Bone of Its Peculiarities Are Quite Familiar. The peculiarities of the Russian .cen­ sorship are not quite familiar. It is well known that a Russian newspaper Is liable to Instant suppression when its editor has received three intima­ tions of official displeasure; that news­ papers and books from abroad can be stopped on the frontier at the discre­ tion of the government, and that no publication containing any allusion to or quotation frqm. Scripture may be issued before it has been sanctioned, and, if necessary, expurgated, by the ecclesiastical censor. But even those who have studied the system will be surprised and amused at the latest in­ stance of its application that has been reported in this country, says the Jew­ ish Chronicle. Some weeks ago there appeared! a novel called "Hernani tlft Jew." The book dealt with the Polish insurrection of 1863, and the historical incidents which it contained are such as must be familiar to all subjects of the czar who possess a tincture of edu­ cation; certainly they must be well known to all Russians who are likely to read an English novel. The plot was. it is true, concerned with the attempt made by a Russian governor of Poland to possess himself, by the use of his official position, of a beautiful Jewess, the wife of a prominent Jew of /War­ saw. But the wicked official is a char­ acter tihat has been used by novelists of all times and countries, and certain­ ly "Heraani the Jew" contained neith­ er revolutionary tendencies nor a pol­ itical moral-of any kind. Neverthe­ less, the importation of the book into Russia has uow been prohibited. Such an incident, ridiculous«>at first sight, is, on the whole, encouraging to those who look forward to a change, sooner or later, in Russian methods of gov­ ernment. The homogeneous Russian empire, with its great army, its navy and its trans-Siberian railway. Is im­ posing to the outer world. But the hasty suppression of a harmless his­ torical novel is a sign, though a slight^ one, that the servants of the Russian government, are conscious that all is not quite well with the system which they administer. Well-balanced gov­ ernments do not suffer from weak nerves, and It is quite possible that those who are behind the scenes in Russia may be aware of causes of in­ stability unknown to the world at world. ' Tennyson at Home. Fortified with letters of Introduction from Lady Pollock and Miss Thack­ eray, I visited Tennyson. Spendihg the previous night at Cowes, I was driven eight miles to Farringford, where Ten­ nyson then lived, by a very intelligent young groom who had never heard of 'lennyson. Arriving, I sent up my name, and heard presently a rather heavy step in the adjoining room, and there stood In the doorway the most un-English looking man I had ever seen. lie* WHS tall and high-slioukler- ed, careless.in dress, and while lie had a high aud domed forehead-, yet hi-, brilliant eyes' and. tangled hair and l>eard gave him rather "the air of a par­ tially reformed Corsican band-'t, or else an imperfectly secularized Car­ melite monk, than of a decorous and well-groomed Englishman. He greet­ ed me was Englishman, then sidled up to the mantelpiece. leaned upon it. and said, with the air of an aggrieved schoolboy: "I am rather afraid of you Americans; your countrymen do not treat me very well. There was Bayard Taylor." and then lie went into a long narration of some grievance 'ncurred through an in­ discreet letter of that well-known jour­ nalist. Strange to say. the effect of this curious attack was to put me per­ fectly at my ease. It was as if I ha'1 visited Shakespeare, and had found him in a pet because some oue of mr fellow-countrymen had spelled his name wrong. I knew myself to be wholly innocent and to have no jour­ nalistic desigus, nor did I ever during his lifetime describe the interview.-- Col. T. W. Higginson, in Atlantic. le shyjy^ave me bus hand, which i'1 thq^jda.v^ a good ileal for an Peddlers tn Mexico. "While traveling In Mexico a few years ago I had a funny experience with a Mexican vender which goes to show what little business ability the lower classes have," said E. F. tJuig- non, of St. Louis. "I was en route I? look at some mines away up in th* mountains. At the station where we left the train tp take the stage I saw an old woman selling some honey. She did not have more than ten pounds of It altogether and as it looked so good I wanted to buy it all to take along with us. I asked our interpreter to buy it. Much to my surprise the old woman would sell him but two boxes, claiming that if she sold it all to him she would have nothing to sell to other people, neither would she h^ve any­ thing else to do during thp remainder of the day!"--Denver Republican. Her Unfailing Instinct. Manlike, he had often resolved that when the time came to marry, he would sell his liberty dearly. But when the fateful hour came and be under­ took to pop the question he felt cheap enough, yet she accepted him. How little men understand the femi­ nine nature, anyhow! If he hadn't acted cheap, like as not she would have refused him. She hadn't frequented bargain sales for nothing. She knew when a thing Is dear, and when it is cheap, a mighty sight better than be did.--Truth. Roman Cartel^. ,The carters wlio haul Into the city of Rome the sand used in making mor­ tar work nineteen hours a day. They are always exposed to dangers, the greatest ol? which are the landslides in the country and the fines of the guards in the city! Their five hours' rest is taken in the stables with their uiules as bedfellows. All this for about 35 cents a day. ^ovel Japanese Custom. One of the novel ideas of decorative effect in Japan is to catch fireflies, keep them in a cage or box'of wire until you have company and then release them in the garden for the guests to admire and talk about. A woman makes a fatal mistake with a man when she lots her anger drive him to some other woman for sympa­ thy. suoces? OfvTHg BOY FAftlMgqpL The Johanson Children Kipectto Clefcr 96,000 This Year. Charley Johanson, known In the Bed River valley as the Bonanza .Boy Farmer, expects to dear tieariy $6,000 on the products of his far® this ytkr. He is 17 years old and has a brother, Frank, aged 14, and a sister, Lena, aged 11. Twelve years ago John Johanson came from Norway, bought a few farming utensils and a team of broken- down car horses, and one bright April morning in 1889 left Chicago, beaded toward the great Northwest. After tveeks of traveling over rough row!*, the half-starved and worn-out horses arrived at Crookston, Minn. Here mis­ fortune overtook him. One horse died and the other broke a leg and had to bo shot. Half his earnings for nearly two years were gone. It meant two more years of struggling before he could have his family with him, but h^ get to work plucklly, and in the f«Jl of 1890 entered a homestead on lBflf'aeres of farming land. He bought a horse, some lumber, and tools with the money he had earned, and before Jhe first snow had put up a small sh^ty on his claim. Here he lived all winter^ un­ dergoing a great deal of hardship. The next summer he worked for his old employer, but In 1892 he worked his own farm, produced his first ^rop of wheat, and cleared eaooph^ money to enable him to send for lis family in Norway. / About this time his wife died, and the three children were left alone; The United States consul was consulted, and he secured passage for them on a trans-Atlantic liner, and the young travelers were soon on their way to their new home. The entire responsi­ bility for their care and safety fell upon Charlej', who was not quite 11 years old. Each child was tagged as fol­ lows: "Forward to John Johanson, Crookston, Minn., United States of America," and their tickets, together with their money, was sewed to tlje In- Bide of Charley's coat. None of the children could speak a word of Eng­ lish. • The United States consul gave Charley letters addressed to the super­ intendents of police at New York, Chi­ cago, and St. Paul, and Instructed Charley to show them to any perison who spoke to him. The children ar­ rived in Crookston all right. In the fall of 189(5, after five years' continuous residence on his claim, in only one of which Johanson's crop fail­ ed, Jie took out his second papers, be­ came a full-fledged citizen of the United States, and secured a patent from the government for the land. It was short­ ly after this that he was mortally hurt In an accident. He lived in an almost helpless condition for six months, dur­ ing which all the responsibilities of the household and farm fell on the shoul­ ders of Charley, who was 15 yiears old. After his father's death Charley per­ suaded the guardian of the three chil­ dren not to sell the farm, but to let him and his brother and sister try to run it. He hired a man on shares to help him with the heavy wort, while Frank and Lena looked after the poultry, the vegetable garden, and their two cows. All three pitched in and, did the house­ work. The first crop "was a success and brought a handsome price. A Min­ neapolis grain man who was traveling through the country buying wheat dur­ ing the harvest took entire charge of the marketing of the crop for Charley and handed over to him $1,800 clear profit for 1897. This stimulated Charley's ambition, and he immediate­ ly began to make preparations for the harvest of 1888. Improved farming implements were purchased, a woman was hired to do the housework, Frank and Lena were sent to school, and two . men were employed and put at work breaking in new land for the next sea­ son's crop. At the suggestion of his Minneapolis friend, 150 more chickens were purchased, and this branch of the business was turned over to Lena and Frank. The wheat crop is a phenom­ enal one. The profit on the wheat alone, it is estimated, will reach $5,000, while the flax, will bring $050 more, and the chickens have already earned $150 more than their keep.--Chicago Inter ' Ocean. * Van and Von. It is a common mistake of those who speak English to suppose that the pre­ fix "van" before a Dutch name signi­ fies nobility. In the "low countries"-- that is, in the kingdoms of the Nether­ lands and of Belgium--"van" has no particular meaning. Names with "van" are to be read on shops, as well as on the doors of the most aristocratic mansions.* The humblest persons have them, as well as the most exalted, and a great number of the very oldest fam­ ilies are without it. f But in Germany "von" implies no­ bility, and all persons wlio belong to the nobility prefix "von" to their fam­ ily names without any exception. Per­ sons who do not belong to the nobility cannot have the right to put "von" be­ fore their names. A man who is knighted for sime reason, however, has the same right to put "von" before his family name as a person of ancient nobility. For instance, when Alexan­ der Humboldt was knighted he became Alexander von Humboldt. All his de­ scendants, male and female, take tho prefix.--Philadelphia Press. Don'ts About Poison. Don't believe that death by .poison is easy. The average self-poisoner suf­ fers the tortures of a thousand ipfer- nos. Don't believe there is any poison (hat eannot be detected. Every poison leaves some trace. Don't keep violent poisons In tho* house unless you absolutely have to do so. If you do, lock them up. Don't save a poisonous medicine sim­ ply because you ">uay need it some time." . Don't forget ,tUat if a solution of poison evaporates one-half the^ re­ mainder is probably twice as^strong. Always stopper the bottle. Don't foci with poison; or talk reck­ lessly about it; or fancy that you un­ derstand the subject. Rather, as Mr. Chuck Connors would say, "Ferget It." --Ne'iv York World. - E\;ory time the women pack fried chicken and children off on a railroad excursion, they declare that it will be the last till tlie'children are grown. . Managers of bicycle academies saj there is .quite a falling off" in tfce at­ tendance thereof. .

Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy