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sffljl i ...HEARTSIE'S 'TONEMENT it** " v»' HHHBMBUMHMflHHHMBMHQBHHHHHBHMMNHMMHHHHHHIi Whack! bam! whack, whack, whack! echoed through the country stillness of «(South Carolina afternoon as the- man, reaching upward from where lie stood omdptoe on the ricketty step of a corn- hoiS«. hammered the big nails steady and square and drove them homes' Hav­ ing fastened one end of a narrow board to the upper side of the wall he drew It down diagonally aeroxs the dwarf door and nailed it hard and fast, effect­ ually preventing entrance. This done, he picked up half a dozen fowls which laid tied together on theVgrouiid and "went to the ©pen door of trie cabin, brushing ruthlessly against the blooms of a red japoniea bush in his haste*-'- 1 All was dark inside. The wood in the Qpeplace was only smoldering, not burning. The. daylight of the gray, afternoon that stole in through the, heavy shuttered window showed that a woman sat in ene corner. "Here, you there!" called the man: "you understand that if you rip off that board and use any corn out of that house you go to jaiL--you and your old man both! 'You understand!" "I know, but you ain't doing us right," answered the woman. "We's paid out for the things, not 'scusin' (ex­ cepting) the picture what you fetched last. Here's the papers what the mens give us, every time they been here." "I never authorized anybody to col­ lect payment, and you owe me clear $15, not to say interest, since April. I'll send back in a week for that corn and if you've laid a linger on it you'll be sorry. Where's your husband?" "I dunno; out gittin' wood, I reckon. Since you'se tooken the feather bed and the pick of the quilts we'll have to keep .up a steady-fire to warm by." - "Well, you make 'Riah understand what I say; you hear!" "Mr. Beck with ain't goin' to touch nothin'," said the woman in a° de­ pressed voice. "But you'se mighty hard on us old people. You ain't leave us even a pullet to raise from," eying wistfully the feathered bunch hanging limp and resigned by their yellow legs. "You couldn't 'low me dat speckled hen? She's a sure layer and an awful good mother. I'd save you a couple of the first chickens she'd hatch if you'd 'gree to it." The speaker came forward and re­ garded her creditor pleadingly, a re- jTressed eagerness in her manner as though she half expected he would comply. She was tall, with a smooth, shining, bronze-brown skin and good features, showing little trace of the thick lips, flat nose and receding fore­ head of the typical negro. "Speckled hen, indeed!" said the man, waving her off. "I've got her now; the chickens she mi* lit raise I might never see. I'm up to your tricks! Get some of your neighbors to raise on shares "That what make it come in here to hide. That white lien what died on the nest was its mother." A boy of about 10 years eftme in with his arms full q£ wood- He put his bur­ den .down, then drew near one corner of the fireplace ahd stood silent, look­ ing into the flames., "Is you hungry, feijid?" asked his grandmother. "There's a piece of corn cake in th£ "fcupboard. Where's Bol- l u m ? " ' v ) . < [ . - / ' "I left him in. the branch. He had jump a rabbit^ replied the child. "That dog got sense/1: pronounced Mr. Beckwith. "He know when there ain't nothin' fresh in the Iwrase. If that clock man had knowed he'd a' carried Bol- lum off long wid the other things. You see! If he don't' fetch in a rabbit to­ night he'll get <qm> by sunup. He's sut- tingly a knowi.a!;,ddg4^ Humpy was suSfcep and Bolium, the yellow spotted cur; dozed fitfully be­ fore the firie that night, but the excite­ ment of the afternoon1 had banished slumber from the eyes of Heartsie and her. spouse. They discussed and redis- cussed every phase of the situation. "Is you think to mention them things to him, "babyT' the old man asked. 'Them things is rightly worth a heap more than $16." ^ : - T "I ain't crack my teeth on him about em," said his wife. "I just was all timersome like for fear he- would go s'archin' about and stumble on 'em. It never 'curred to him though to look in that old trunk with the cover all teared loose and rags efcickin' out. He'd'a' took 'em soon as his eyes light on 'em, but it wouldn't have been for no pay he would have took. He'd "a' said as we stealed them things and had us up be­ fore the trial justice--you as a 'specta- ble member In good standin' and me what is always been held to be a right­ eous livin' woman. He'd a tooken that ground sure!" . "I believe you!" ejaculated 'Riah, looking admiringly at his quicker-wit- ted partner. "I never thought of that!" "Mr. Beckwith," said Heartsie at length in an impressive undertone. "I's got a notion that them things is a car- ryin' us to the devil. I's ponderated on it now a long time, when you ain't had no notion I was ponderatin', and aecordin' to my stakin' off we won't have no let­ up this goin' down hill we're doipHlill we gets rid of them things for good and all. Ain't we work hard this year every day the Lord send?" she went on. "Dat's what we done," affirmed her spouse. "Well! Ain't we try our best las' year?" "Dat we did." "And de year before that? Ain't we always been hard workin', and ain't even*thing gone against us? The chol- With you.- Don't meddle with the corn- I era killin' off us hogs and fowl and bouse, now," he called as he drove off in his rattling road cart. "The law drove them nails and it will be the worse for you if you draw any of them out." Heartsie Beckwith stepped outside j after he was gone and looked at the ! cornhouse door with the tell-tale board across its face,, then she looked patliet- j lcally at-the open trap door of the little fowlhouse opposite. "It won't be no use to shut it to- t,night," she muttered. "We's ruinated, plumb ruinated, and there ain't nobody and nothin' to turn to." Half unconsciouly sbe looked in the direction of the long avenue of oaks that stretched across the big flat field tin front of the cabin. As she stood thus an elderly negro in a tattered coat, witll his head tied up in a motley collec­ tion of scarfs and strings, came up be­ hind her. "Is dat debil gone?" he asked in a thin, high voice. "Yes, Mr. Beckwith. He's gone, and everything gone with him, 'scusin' the corn and that little handful of pea vines in the corn house, what we ain't to lay hands on. Everybody goin' to know now that we's been shut up and disgraced." • "Is you show him the papers what the mens give you in 'sideration of the 'taters and cotton and things what we pay out on de clock debt?" "Yes. But that make no differ. He tell it as how we give the things to the - wrong men, rapscallion men " hat lie ain't send to fetch 'em. He wouldn't' leave me so much as that speckled hen what's such a regular layer. It's wick­ ed for anybody to eat a hen like that, what pays for herself over and over every year." "Come in out of the damp, baby," was all that Mr. Beckwith said, and as they entered the cabin, where a light-wood knot in the chimney place blazed up abruptly in welcome, a brazen-tongued clock on a shelf struck thirteen in hur­ ried, uneven tones. Mr. Beckiwth's face brightened. "It's got us in a lot of trouble, but it's mighty good company," he said, looking up at the tall clock in its gaudy frame. Peck! peek! as of a sharp bill striking on bare boards came from the inner room. Mr. Beckwith looked at his wife inquiringly. "The rumplus pullet!" she explained. While the buckra and the dog was runnin' down the other fowls it fly in there- and squat down under the bed, so I just shut the door aiid ain't say nothiu'. Seemed like the Lord aimed for we to keep it." Her companion chuckled. "There's near 'bout four bushel of corn down yonder in the fence corner," he said, "but it ain't gone there itself. I took it out while lie was gone to the sto' for nails. He ain't goin' to" miss it out of the main batch." The rumplus pullet, released from confinement, stepped out near its mis­ tress, pecking at the oven,, against the. rim of which a few crumbs from the last cooked bread stuck fast, The pullet's red feathers stood up mutinously; it was not prepossessing in appearance, but Heartsie took it up and stroked it genltly. "It's one of the four that was hand raised," she said. t'ings and.skippin' other people's? Our cow crackin' of her neck in the ditch and Black Sally just naturally gittin' poorer and more perish-away lookin', the more feed we give her? Till the boss say we can't keep her no longer? Ain't all this what I tellin' you precisely so?" Mr. Beckwith nodded. His pipe had long since gone out and he did not closet I used to steal 'em back in place and scold and whip her, but, after she got grow'd and was such a likely gal as could speak up so smart, I hated to own as she was a common ni&ger thief." "How you am to give these things back, baby?" asked the old man. "The church is shut up these days. There never is anybody stirrin' 'bout there." "I hear Em-line say yisterday that there's goin' to be preachin' there-this Sunday. People is comin' over here from the city and they goin' to dredi- eate it over again. She say it's a 'ver­ sa ry and tliat it's the oldest church in the whole. country. | There's to be a' excursion." "But how we kin manage?" "I plan it out like this," saidHeartsie; "When they lifts the collection Cdey calls it the loftory in the white folks' church) you could tote up the things and hand 'em in and 'splain where they come from and how it' is a 'tonement we made wid 'em." "Before all the people?" , "YeSi 'Course the book say about ac­ knowledge' before men. I would say it myself, but it ain't respectful for women to • speak iq church, and if I patch you up proper seeming and do you up a shirt with rice starch you'd look better than me." . The ^dedication of St. Judo's co'ok place the next Sunday." The excur­ sionists W.ere there in numbers. Many saw the old negro, with his gray , wool combed into order and his shabby suit .brushed slick and span, walking up the aisle at a respectful distance behind the acting vestrymen AGRICULTURAL NEWS THINGS PERTAINING TO FARM AND HOME. THE How to Successfully Cultivate Melons --Method of Furrow Irrigation--Ap­ plying Potato Fertilizers --Points and SuesestionSoAbout lave Stock. could hear what he said, as, having deposited his burden, he bent low be­ fore the church officers and made hur­ ried obeisance to the minister. Before they had recovered from the surprise sufficiently to question him he was al­ ready half way to the door, mopping his brow that was moist with the stress of exertion. "Luck will turn now, see if it don't," said Heartsie, as she joined him.--New York Evening Post. Successful Melon Culture. Watermelons are excessive feeders, and many fail, in attempting to grow them because they do not furnish suffi­ cient plant food to supply the neces­ sary strength for vigorous vine and fine fruit. Not' infrequently watermelon vines turn yellow and die when they should be just in their prime, simply from plant starvation. ' I prepare the ground as for corn. Lay ,off in r*ws twelve feet apart each way. 1 dig a hole about one .and a half feet deep and perhaps three feet in diame­ ter. In the bottom of this I put a peck or more of good stable manure, tramping it lightly. Next I put in a layer of soil and follow with a layer made up of equal parts of soil and fine rich manure* thoroughly mixed, and lastly, where the seeds are to be placed, another layer of pure soiK Sow seeds thickly and cover about one . inch. When the second or third leaf shows thin out, to two or three plants in the hill. If exceptionally large melons, regular "prize takers," are desired, thin to but one plant in the hill. 1 cul- Only those nearest' I tivate about as I do corn, hoeing each hill after entire patch is plowed. If very dry, cultivate often, particularly about the hills.., It is some trouble to thus prepare tfie ground, but,it more than pays in the size, number - and quality of melons produced;, also in the increased length of time that the vines are in bearing, as they remain green and in good condition until killed by frost.--Orange Judd Farmer. May Be a Prehistoric Boat. Maj. G. A. Yandegrift, of the Board of Administration, who was eighteen years in the lighthouse service on the Ohio River, tells of an interesting relic of prehistoric ages that lies embedded in the river embankment a little below low water mark. The spot is a short distance from Barton's Landing on the Illinois side of the river, nearly 500 miles below Cincinnati. There at the rare intervals in which the river stage is at a very low point is seen protrud­ ing from the bank and inclined at a slightly upward angle a portion of a flatboat built of oak. The timbe rs, as far as can be seen, are rough and ap­ pear to have been hewn with an un­ evenly. edged tool, probably of flint, and are held together with wooden pegs. The protruding portion is small, but there is enough to indicate consid­ erable skill in the fashioning of the boat. Maj. Vandegrift and several other officers have seen it only a few times in the many years they were employed on the river, and once they examined it closely. The wood is now as hard as iron, and in a splendid state of pres­ ervation, on account of having been under the water for such a lengthened period. From the formations of the bank and the surroundings, which have not changed in the slightest within the memory of man, the Major thinks the subsidence that buried the boat under the embankment must have taken place ages ago. When telling of it he said he has often regretted that he did not make an effort to have it removed and placed in a museum. Such action may yet be taken when the fact of the boat's existence and location becomes more generally known.--Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. Furrow Irrigation. Having the water upon the land, it can be applied in various ways. Flood­ ing or allowing the water to spread over the surface to the depth of from two to ten inches was formerly exten­ sively used, but it is now employed only for grain and similar crops. The most common method for vegetables and fruits is to make furrows and run the water along in them so that it can soak into the soil. Professor Taft, in his article on irrigation incorporated in the year book of the United States De­ partment of Agriculture, says: If properly arranged, the water can not spread upon the surface, and by turning back the furrows as soon as the water has soaked in and cultivating the soil the moisture can be prevented from evaporating. Care should be taken to so lay out the rows in the orchard or garden that the furrows for the water can be run at a very slight slope, two or three inches in 100 feet being all that is desirable, while one foot in 100 feet is an extreme slope. With a little care in laying out the furrows water can be used upon land that at first sight it will seem im-, possible to irrigate. . done in the brief interval in the spring when they are casting their foliage and making ready for their new effort This period is of very short duration; and usually happens in May. All dead branches should then be cut back and the remaining parts given a chance to break again. Summer pruning of these is not advisable, and fall pruning posi­ tively wrong, for at that date the tree needs all its energies to carry itself through the winter, and- to that end has stored its .strength.--American Gar­ dening. Artificial Comb. It is but, a few years since tj;e ex­ tractor was invented, artificial founda­ tion contrived and the-©ovable .frame discovered. Now the world is set agog by a German, Otto Schulz, of Buckow, in the constniction of artificial comb, all ready for the bee to fill with honey. Both wooden and metallic combs have been used for breeding purposes prior to this, but never for'the reception of honey. The artificial comb is made of wax, and, according to the Farm Journal's resCriptkm of it, the only ob­ jectionable feature is its heaviness. The cell constructed 1t>y the bees is in thick­ ness from two one-thousandtfns to four one-thousandths of an lfich,. but the Schulz is twenty-two one-thousandths. This would make it too, expensive for practical purposes. This objectionable feature will doubtless be overcome, and the combs', fully drawn out into cells, Will be given to bees as artificial foun­ dation is now givc-n^j. The insects will then be confitiftd to ®fhe business of propagating their species and gather­ ing the nectar from the opening. flow- prs A Snake Bite Jag. Scientists have found out that ani­ mals and men can acquire the power to resist the venom of poisonous ser­ pents. By gradual inoculation with snake poison, certain sects of snake charmers become able to handle the most venomous reptiles with impunity. It has been ascertained that in North­ ern India people allow themselves to be bitten by snakes once a week or, so, because the poison produces in tlio/in a form of intoxication. which is as al­ luring as the effect produced by liquors from Indian hemp. Not only does non-fatal bite by a poisonous serpent confer protection against subsequent bites, but the same rule seems to apply to other venomous, animals. Where scorpions are numerous many people can be found who sire quite indifferent to their stings; and coming nearer home, most keepers of bees will admit that after they have been stung a cer­ tain number of times the stings are no more painful than a slight pin-prick. Common experience ig thus able to give strong support to the conclusions of men of science as to the protective re­ sults of inoculation. know Itj&SL?/'; .' vi-i- :J'M ." "Well! Mark'my wofds^ emphasiz­ ing them with uplifted fingfer, "just so long as that' caoidlestick and that breastpin and that piece of watch chain stay there iir-'fhat trunk where they is the old boy?s goin' to follow us." Mr. Beckwith groaned with excess of interest and .belief. - "Well! what kin' we ido?" he asked, helplessly. ' '"Fling 'em away? Bury 'em, what? j If We wfci to try to sell 'em we'd git took up." "Fling 'em away! Bury 'em!" re­ peated his wife. "What good •> would that do? Uriah Beckwith,' there's no such a thing as ^tonenjent, 'tonement for wrongdoin'!' If we could hit on a plan to have theltf thingk'$y back to the fanibly they b'iongS 'to. the old boy would quit noticiuVpf, us so close and particular. We's. in a worse fix than we ever been in yet to-night, and if we don't watch out {plaguedworse than the white preacher ft$L about is 'goin' to 'stroy us finally." "But the fambly all is dead or else' move off, even the house burn down and the land sell or goin' to be sell," said Mr. Beckwith. { $ -O "I know. Uriah/ What was it the old boss used to think rttore of than any­ thing else 'sides good eatin' and drink- in' and he wife and children?" "A good"horse," ventured Urig.h. His wife looked disdainful. ** * i4His hounds, fishin?" Heartsie shook her head. "I dunno, less 'en you mean his nig­ gers. Since you talk 'bout givin' of the things back, supposin' we dig deep in his grave and bury 'em there. He'll have 'em then for sure, nobody else. His grave right there by the church without no headstone." Heartsie still looked inscrutable. "They ain't doin' nobody no good in the trunk and they wouldn't be doin' no good bury in the ground," she said. "Since you ain't 'member nothin' mind you how the marster think „ heap of he church, how he never miss a Sunday 'tendin' there and was a high sitting member--that's just the same as saying he give money reg'lar and a heap Of it. Now, if we give them things to the church in he name it would be a 'tonement just like it tell 'bout in the/ book." 1 Mr. Beckwith was strongly stirred. He gazed at his partner as though he thought her inspired "If we could give them things to the same church," went on Heartsie, "my poor Regina would rest more content eder in her grave and we'd have better luck to pervide for her orphan chile,' glancing at the corner where Humpy rolled up head and ears, slumbered peacefully. "I's wished many times had had the spunk to own that my gal ,toO|k them things and give them back' A dozen times a day something oc­ as was right and proper. When 'Gina curs to remind a man that he would be was little and used to lift things out of in a position to laugh more, if he had ladies' rooms and out of the pantry 1 talked less. Potato Fertilizers. Fertilizers on potatoes have been the subject of exhaustive experiment at the Ohio State Station and numerous Sub-Stations. Phosphoric acid seems to h&y&vbeen the controlling element in increasing yield in all these tests, W-hereas, according to the "New Eng­ land Homestead," in many of the South­ ern, Middle and Eastern States potash seems to be the more necessary ele­ ment. In the Ohio test the lowest cost per bushel of increase was obtained by the use of superphosphate alone, but the greatest gain per acre was with 1,100 pounds per acre off a complete fer­ tilizer containing nitrogen, phosphoric acid and potash. Muriate of pQtasli and nitrate of soda when used alone did not give profitable increase, but proved beneficial with superphosphate. Millet a Bangerona Feed. .Bulletin 36 of North Dakota Station gives results of several years' tests and observations in feeding millet to horses and other stock. These tests at the station show beyond doubt that millet fed to horses regularly for any consid­ erable time produced an increased ac­ tion «f the kidneys, causes infusion of 4)loed into the joints, puffing them and destroying the texture of the ends of the bones, so that the tendons (leaders) and muscles break loose and death fol- 1°WS. • Eminent veterinary surgeons of Minneapolis, New York, Illinois, Ne­ braska and Delaware sent letters to the station, which are published in* the bulletin, showing that they have found in their practice that the same results follow the continued use of millet as horse feed, and two of them describe cases in which it was equally injurious to milch cows. In view of the "fact that millet is a staple human food in many parts of Africa, China and Japan, the above ex­ periences are rather remarkable.--Ger- mantown Telegraph, A Suggestion. If every farmer in the great West were to cut his tillable land in two, grazing one-lialf and ^ cropping the other, for a series of five years, I be­ lieve that agriculture fypuld be bene­ fited thereby. Some farmers could grow on one-half the land they are farming as much grain as they now grow on the whole of it. This sugges­ tion comes from the Iowa Homestead. Thieves Who Stole Ten Millions. The aggregate stealings of men ,vho violate public and private trusts, by defalcation and embezzlement, are probably much greater every year than those of the burglars and highwaymen put together. The record of such stealings durin 1895, as compiled by the insurance companies which guarantee employers against the dishonesty of their employ­ es, and the public against the dislion esty of officials, shows that the sum of $9,405,921 was obtained. The cases of embezzlement reported numbered 2-10. Of these fourteen stole more than £50.- 000, twenty more than $100,000, one more than $500,000, and one more than $1,000,000.' /City and county officials stole $1,393,- 075, banks lost $3,996,970, agents em- /bezzled $1,045,875, forgers obtained $341,500, building and loan associations $479,578, postmasters stole $32,815, and the miscellaneous defalcations amount­ ed to $2,175,782. New York led with defalcations amounting to $2,38S,810, while the stealings o,f that sort in Del­ aware were the smallest amounting only to $1,100.--Cleveland Leader, Live Stock Points. Did you begin 1897 by having a book in which to set down all your expenses and income for the year? If you did not, then you made a serious mistake. A farmer, no more than a merchant, can have any idea of whether he is making money or losing it unlesfc he keeps a strict account of everything. There would not be half so many farm­ ers groaning under debt or half so many mortgages on agricultural lands if the ruralist maintained a strict sys­ tem of bookkeeping. You can never know whether either live stock or dai­ rying pays unless you know exactly how much it costs to raise an animal or to feed a milk cow. If you have not already done so, be­ gin now to keep a stock book, in which the history and facts in regard to all the animals on your place are record­ ed. Register particularly the birth of »n animal; also be particular to note down when to look for lambs or colts or calves to bg born. No way has been found by which rape may be kept for winter feed. It may, however, he planted very early in the spring, and at the same time oats are sown, and it will quickly spring up and furnish the first spring pasture for sheep and lambs. It will give thent such a start that they will go ahead of sheep not tlins provided and remain larger and finer throughout. Enterprising Birds. At just about the time the Central Park ostrich laid its five-pound egg a Kentucky hen at Lewisburg laid a five- inch egg shaped like a pipe bowl. Pruning the Evergreen. The question of pruning is an open one. Different people have different views on the subject, yet all alike may be successful. Then, again, the ob jects to be attained are often widely, divergent, but on general principles the deciduous trees mentioned should never be pruned or restricted in their growth. In order to keep them shape ly a process of thinning should be adopted and by this means overhang­ ing and overcrowding branches remov ed entirely, thus preserving an even distribution of light and air and main­ taining the symmetry, of^he tree. As to the time to do this, when the tree is devoid of foliage should be; the best, for it is then easier of access, it makes less work in the removing of branches, etc.; there,is no risk of bleed ing and the chances of clumsy work­ men tearing the bark when sawing away limbs are very much reduced. Evergreens should be treated some what differently; some of the kinds mentioned are frequently trained into hedges and in their good nature stand several clippings during the spring and summer. But to be absolutely correct pruning, or thinning of these should be Farm Notes. Butter that Is washed until it is dry and hard usually lacks that quick, fresh taste that is in butter not so dry and hard. If you have a shallow well do not neglect to clean it out at the first op­ portunity which presents itself. It is a lai-ge factor in the health of the fam­ ily to have pure water. Should a young laini) get separated from its mother for some hours be care­ ful to milk her thoroughly before you let the lamb have access to her. The 'penned" milk is apt to kill the lamb. Weak and nonfertilized eggs are the stumbling blocks on which many a be­ ginner fails. Early-laid eggs are apt to be sterile unless the hens have been kept warm and so fed that they will not get too fat Every neighborhood has a farmer a little more progressive than the aver­ age, one who always has the best of everything. These are the persons to whom to go for improved stock, for ad­ vice as to breeds, for lessons in the care of stock. I know nothing about general farm­ ing," writes a York State nurseryman, 'my own particular business requiring all my time. I have no special advice to offer farmers, except that I do not think it a good idea to put a mortgage HIRAM DART'S REFUSAL. tVhy He Did Not Marry the CH&rming Widow Breese. , When old Hiram Dai*t was in his <bth. year the faithful old wife, who bad been his companion for & full half century, sickened and died, and, to the surprise hnd amusement of his'rural neighbors, old Hiram set forth in 3earch of another wife before Hannah, his first spouse, had been six weoks in her grave. < t, He made no secret of the fact that he was "in the market," and seemed surprised that the bidders were so few. He attributed this/fact to the general lack of taste and judgment In the "wimmin folks" of the present day. "They're a finicky lot, anyhow," said old Hiram, "an' it comes o' this fool new wimmen idee." One day old Hiram drove by a neigh­ bor's house all "rigged up" in his Sun-: day best and with a blue'satin necktie forming a marked contrast to the big red geranium in his buttonhole. He tarried for a moment at his neighbor's gate, and frankly confessed that be was "goin* a sparkin'." The object of this amatory visitation was the Widow Breese, who lived "over Hebron way," and with whom old Hiram was wholly unacquainted. Some one bad, in a spirit of either mal­ ice or mischief, made old Hiram believe that the Widow Breese, a robust, weli- to-do wofiian of about 60, would be in­ clined to look with favor oa^Hirani's suit. -V ' " - "An' it won't he no harm done to go an' see, her, any way," said Hirain, as he, droVe av?ay. It was nearly dark when Hiram re­ appeared, far less buoyant that when he went away. His neighbor was on the lookout, and0 hailing the old m*an, he said:" "Well, Uncle Hiram, did the Widow Breese refuse you?" "Not much she didn't!" retorted Hi­ ram, spiritedly. "I refused her!" "You refused her? Why, what do you mean, Uncle Hiram?" "Mean jess what I say. I refused the old--old--cattymount!" "Why, Uncle Hiram, is that a re­ spectful way to speak about a lady?" "A 'lady!' Humph! Great lady old Jane Breese is! You call a woman a 'lady' who sails into a feller with a broomstick an' calls 'im 'an, ole fool' an' sich like names?" » "Did Mrs. Breese do that?" "She jest did! I guess she'd got wind that I was comiii', for I'd hardly inter- doosed myself an' began to state my blzness when she flew at vme with a broomstick an' drenched me with hot water, an' sicked her dawg on me an' 1awed the worst I ever lieerd. I jess waited till she got through, an' then I up an' told her p'lnt blank that I wouldn't have her if she was the last woman o\ top of the earth. Yes, sir! I refused her jest that p'int blank!" mm * \ What the Color-Blind See. A writer in Science says that in ordin­ ary cases of partial color-blindness the color sensations that remain are blue and yellow, not blue and red, or blue and green, as is generally assumed and stated in text-books. Too Cold for Moths. ' The Department of ^Agriculture, through its entomologist, Dr. Howard, some time ago instituted experiments to determine at how low a temperature it is necessary to keep furs and woolen goods in-order to save them from the ravages of moths, carpet beetles, etc. The results shqw'that a temperature of 40 to 42 degrees F. during the summer is sufficiently low for the. purpose. A Baliooir Railroad, During the coming summer a nfew kind of mountain, railway is to, be tried in Germany. The motive power is to $be furnished by a; balloon attached by cable to a ,rail running, up the face of the Kohenstaufen Mountain, near Reichenhall, which attains a height of about 6,000 feet. The excursionists will ride in a small car running on rails, and drawn by the upward pull of the bal­ loon. . *•: Relieves Him of Monotony, She stood at the window of the Illi­ nois Central ticket office and compared her tiihe with that of the depot clock. "You're too fast," she said to the tick­ et agent. "According to that clock my train would be gone ten minutes." . "Which is your train?" asked the man. "The 10:15." * - .... "Yes, it&^gohe. It is now 10:25." "You mean that your time is 10:25. Now my watch never was wrong since I owned it, and it is just 10:15. I have lost a minute looking for the train. It's tOo 'iVad that things should be run that way." "We run all trains on schedule time," said the ticket agent. "I should think there would be col^ lisions and all sorts of happenings with such time as that. You might set your clock by my watch if you like and start your next train on the right time." The man smiled good-naturedly and then, as a sudden thought struck him, asked: ^ "Is your watch going?" "Sir, you don't think I carry a dumb watch, do you?" "Sometimes ladies' watches run down." She put the watch to her ear and looked very grave. Then she tried the other ear. "I believe my cold has made me deaf. But you can hear for yourself." He listened and shook his head. Then he handed it back to her. "It's as dead as a door nail. You must have forgotten to wind it last liiglit." "You must be a mind reader," said the woman, holding the delinquent timepiece to her ear as if the charge on the place in order to buy a grand i piano, etc., as some farmers have done I against it had not been fully provten. in our neighborhood." J "i took that watch off to wind it last It is seldom that a farmer can acd>uiglit when the fire engines \vent past cumulate a sufficient amount of wood ashes for a large field, but on farms where wood is used there is a limited supply, which can be put to good use on the garden or on the young clover. Ashes are excellent also on all grass lands and in orchards. They are ap­ plied broadcast, in any quantity de­ sired, as many as one hundred bush­ els per acre having been used on cer­ tain soils. There is an Immense amount of but­ ter sold every year that would have been salable if properly made. Al­ though farmers have made butter for centuries, yet at the present day there are many of them who cannot put a good article on the market, even with modern appliances to assist them. The creameries produce better butter than farmers because of having skill and experience in the business. The farm­ er n -ed have no fear of competition if he knows how to make butter of su­ perior quality. A great many persons take an inier- est in pure-bred poultry, probably be­ cause it costs but little to enjoy a small flock, while the numerous annual poul­ try shows stimulate competition for the prizes. It is a fact alp-, thajfc the farmer's'boy who is given a flock of pure-bred fowls for pleasure fis induced to take greater interest in pure-bred stock of all kinds. He learns the value of breeding and gains sufficient knowl­ edge in the management of fowls to convince him that success can be best • attained by using the best in, every de­ partment of the farm. Something New in Soap. It is said that a French chemist has made a blue soap which will render unnecessary the bluing in the-laundry, In ordinary soap lie incorporates a so- utlon of aniline green in strong acetic acid. The alkali of the soap converts the green Into blue. India's Giant Bee3. Bee-keepers are interested in the pro­ posal that a species of giant bee, inhab­ iting India, be introduced into the southern United States for the sake of the large quantity of wax which It forms. The demand for beeswax for use in the arts is said to have largely increased of late. . The bees referred to fasten their combs on the under sjde of the limbs of trees, or upon overhanging rocks. Attempts to import them have not thus far succeeded. 3" How Polar Ice Fornis. Dr. Nansen observed that the Ice does not form by direct freezing on the polar sea to a thickjUesei exceeding about thirteen feet. Tliat was the maxi­ mum noticed by ;^jn;,but'in.Vthetjice fields the thickness becomes greatly in­ creased by the piling up of broken masses, under the action of winds and waves. "The massive ice-cap which many explorers have, believed to cover the polar area," lie said in his recent lec­ ture in London, "has been shattered. Instead of it we have the ever-wander­ ing ice fields." v :v- ' The Cannon Car. Military; journals express interest in an invention by which it is proposed to arm a self-moving car, driven by a six- teen^horse power engine, with two rap­ id-fire cannon; mounted on pivots so as to sweep in all directions. Having four broad-tired wheels, it is claimed that the car can run across a level country (barring fences, of course) at the rate of forty-five miles an hour. Terrible pic- tuers are drawn of the havoc that such cars could make on a battle-field. Only one man is needed to operate the car and its cannon, and he is protected by strong steel shields. Squeezed by Sun and Moon. » A very curious observation was made by Dr. Nansen during his adventurous journey toward the North Pole con­ cerning the effects of the tides on the floating ice. The worst pressures ex­ perienced by his ship, the Fram, when enclosed in ice (except those due to high winds), occurred regularly about the time of new and full moon, the greatest being at new moon. The rea­ son was because the tidal currents near the margin of the polar ice fields drive the floating ice before them, and at new and full moon the tidal attraction of the sun is added to that of the moon, and the effect on the sea is increased. our house, and I forgot all about it. shouldn't wonder if your tirno is all right, after all." And she walked cheerfully away, while the ticket rqan said to a waiting customer that life would be a dull, dreary Sahara of com­ merce if such litle diversions didn't happen frequently.--Chicago Tribune. The Egg in Surgery Skin grafting with the inside coating of an egg is the delicate operation that gave Thomas J. Tannian a good sound ear the other day in Cincinnati. Tan- nian's ear drum had been punctured as the result of a long attack of grippe that caused deafness and extreme pain The ear specialist who attended him resorted to a noVel treatment. He called for an egg, broke it and dropped the yolk and the white, into a pan. There is a thin skin on the in­ side of the shell of an egg, and this the specialist tenderly picked out and spread carefully on a piece of steril­ ized glass With a pair of scissors he cut out a round bit of the skin, being careful not to lose any of Its under coating of albumen, and then, distend­ ing Tanniau's ear to admit * a probe with the bit of skin on it, he intro­ duced the probe into the drum, gently forcing the bit of egg over the punc­ tured part. The skin stuck, covered up the aperature caused by the wound, and nature did the rest Tannian's ear will be all right again soon, and the will have found" a place in sur- New York Journal. \ Trees Two Inches High. On the summit of Ben Lomqnd are the smallest trees in Great Britain They are dwarf willows, and when mature are only .about two inches iu height. - It makes a woman feel chagrined to express admiration for an'article In a store, and find out afterwards that the article is cheap, A Motor Run by Moonlierht. An account is given in Nature of a motor, intended for delicate experi­ ments in heat measurement, invented by Mr. A. K Benett. It is so sensitive that it begins to revolve the moment it is exposed to daylight, even when the sun is hidden; and in clear weather it will work all night, being affected even by the radiant heat of moonlight. The motive power is due to convection cur­ rents set upjtnside the glass shade with which the instrument is covered/While the glass is not warmed by the radiant heaf of daylight or moonlight passing thrdugli it, the metal surfaces of the motor are, and the minute differences of temperature t^ius produced suffice to start convection currents. egg gery. No Living Mammoth?. For several years the story has been extensively circulated that the natives of Alaska are acquainted with living mammoths. The probable origin of the story was pointed out at a recent meet­ ing of the Biologic*! Society of Wash­ ington by Mr. C. H. ToWnsend. In 1SS5, <vhen he was in Alaska, some of the na­ tives questioned him concerning the na­ ture of the giant animal W/hose bones are not infrequently found, there, and he drew restorations of the mammo.th in order to show them how it looked when living. They were greatly inter­ ested in the pictures and made copies of them. These copies, he thinks, have been widely scattered through Alaska, istd being found by white men in the kands of the natives have given rise, to the belief that the prehistoric beasts etill inhabit that country. ; Will Harness Sierran Lakes. The tremendous power stored imtlie Sierra Mountains in California is to be harnessed. Contracts have been let for the construction of an electric plant which will supply 2,000-horse power, and this plant will" be increased as needed until it will perhaps be three or four times as great. At the point where the plant will be located a waterfall of 1,065 feet can be secured. The power generated by such ar-*treraendous fall will be enormous, even if the quantity of water is smalh The electricity will be used in working the mines of Cala­ veras County and for supplying light %nd power to a score of thriving towns.