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. WW \ - ' ^Wt __ ' "4 *> f V^; " it{: • ^\lW'V*"~ | K f®8w«S g#.S S::: '>!:•'..... THE Judge had dined* and was .en­joying an after-dinner cigar be­fore turning to a pile of papers that lay on the table at his elbow. Yet eren as he watched the'flickering fire and puffed dreamily at his cigar, luxu­ riating in a little relaxation after hard day's work in a close and crowded eMrt, his mind was busy formulating the sentences in which he intended to goto up a case that had been tried that day. There could be no doubt as to the guilt of the prisoner, who had been ac­ cused of a most impudent fraud, and though it was a first offense the Judge intended to pass the severest sentence which the law. allowed. The Judge was no believer in short sentences. He regarded leniency to a criminal as an offense against society-- a direct encouragement to those who Imitated on the brink of vicious courses and were only restrained by "fear of jNinishment The well-meaning people who got up petitions to mitigate the sentence upon a justly convicted thief sr murderer were, in his eyes, guilty •f mawkinsh sentimentality. - There was no trace of weakness or effeminacy In his own face, with its grizzled eye­ brows, somewhat cold gray eyes, thin Bps and massive chin. He was a just nan, just to the splitting of a hair, but austere and unemotional. He had conducted the. trial with the most scrupulous impartiality, but now that a verdict of guilty was a foregone conclusion he determined to make an example of one who had so shamefully abused the confidence placed in him. Stated briefly, the situation was as follows: The prisoner, Arthur Max-, well, was cashier to a firm of solicitors, Lightbody & Duftou. The only sur­ viving partner of the original firm, Mr. liightbody, had recently died, leaving the business to his nephew, Thomas Faulkner. Faulkner accused Arthur Maxwell of having embezzled a sum of $1,250. Maxwell admitted of having taken the money, but positively assert­ ed that it had been presented to him as a free gift by. Mr. Lightbody. Un­ fortunately for the prisoner, the letter which be had stated had accompanied the check could not be produced, and Faulkner, supported by tiie evidence of several well-known experts, declar­ ed the signature on the check to be a forgery. When the check-book was ex­ amined the counterfoil was discovered to be blank. The prisoner asserted that Mr. Lightbody had himself taken •ut a blank check and had filled it and signed it at his private residence. He could, however, produce no proof of •his assertion,, and all the evidence available was opposed to his unsup­ ported statement. "Arthur Maxwell," soliloquized the Judge, "you have been convicted on evidence that leaves no shadow of doubt of your guilt of a crime which I must characterize as one of the basest " The chattering of voices in the hall brought the soliloquy to an abrupt con- elusion. The Judge required absolute irilence and solitude when he was en­ gaged in study, and the servants, who s£ood in constant awe of him, were ex­ tremely careful to prevent the least disturbance taking place within ear­ shot of his sanctum. He jerked the bell impatiently, intending to give a good wigging to those responsible fof'^the disturbance. But the door was thrown open by his daughter Mabel, a pretty girl of 12, who was evidently in a state of breath­ less excitement. "Oh, papa!"' she exclaimed, "here's such a queer little object that wants to see you. Please let her come in." Before the Judge could remonstrate a little child, a rosy-faced girl of be­ tween 5 and 6, in a red hood and cloak, lugging a black pnppy under one arm . and a brown paper parcel under the other, trqtted briskly into the room. The Judge rose to bis feet with an expression which caused his daughter to vanish with remarkable celerity. The door closed with a bang. He could hear her feet scudditig rapidly up­ stairs, and he found himself alone with the small creature befoi'e him. "What on earth are you doing here, child7' he asked, irritably. "What can yon possibly want with me?" She re­ mained silent, staring at him with round, frightened eyes. "Come, come, can't you find your tongue, little girl?" he asked more gently. "What is it you want with me?" "If you please," she said timidly, *TVe brought you Tommy." Tommy was clearly the fat puppy, for as she bent her face toward him he wagged his tail and promptly licked the end of tK»r nose. "Come here," he said," sitting down, "and fell me all about it." She advanced fearlessly toward him, as animals and children did in his un­ official moods. "This is Tommy, I suppose?" he Mid, taking the puppy on his knee, where it expressed its delight by ec­ static contortions of the body, and ap­ peared to consider his watch chain a fascinating article of diet. "I've broughted you other things as well," she said, opening the brown pa­ per parcel, and revealing a doll with a very beautiful complexion, large blue eyes, and hair of the purest gold, a diminutive Noah's ark, a white pig, a | : woolly sheep, a case ,of crayons, a penholder, a broken-bladed knife, a small paint box, a picture book or two, and what bore some faint resemblance to a number of water color sketches. She seemed particularly proud of the last named. « "I painted them all by myself," she exclaimed. but why do you want to give them to me?" . "I--I don't want to give them to you," she faltered. The Judge regarded her with friendly eyes. He was so used to hearing ro­ mantic deviations from the truth from the lips of Imaginative witnesses that frankness was at all times delightful to him. ; "Come," said he, with a quiet laugh, "that's honest, at least* Well, why do you give them to me if you don't want t o ? " . . "I'll ,give them to you, and Tpmrayi too"--the words were accompanied by a very wistful glance at the fat puppy --"if--if you'll promise not to send poor, papa to prison." \ A silence, such as precedes some aw­ ful convulsion pf nature, pervaded the room for several seconds after this au­ dacious proposal. Even Tommy, as though cowering before the outraged majesty of the law,'buried his head be­ tween the Judge's coat and vest, and lay motionless except for a propitiatory wag of his tail. "What is your name, child?" asked the Judge, grimly. "Dorothy Maxwell," faltered the lit­ tle girl, timidly, awed by the sudden silence and the perhaps unconsciously "But, my dear," expostulated thfe treasures, trying to make up her mind Judge, "ypu must have known that it which she could part with'that would could do no good." be sufficiently valuable in the Judge's "I--I knew what the verdict would eyes to accomplish her purpose. Final- be," answered his wife. "I read a re- ly she selected the sheep and presented port of the trial in an evening' paper. But then there was the sentence, you know--and--and I thought , the poor child inight soften you a little, Mat- j thew." • { The Judge's hand strayed mechan- s- ically among the toys, and to interest the child he began to examine one of the most vivid of her pictorial efforts. "You think I am very hard and un­ just, Agnes?" he asked. "No, no, no," she answered hurried­ ly. "Not unjust, never unjust There is not a more impartial judge on the bench--the whole world says it.. But don't you thinfi, dear, that justice with­ out--without mercy, is always a little hard? Don't, don't be angry, Matthew; I never spoke to you like this before. I wouldn't now, but for the poor woman in thenext room and the innocent little thing at your knees." The Judge made no reply. -He bent still more closely over the scarlet ani­ mal straying amid emerald fields and burnt umber trees, of a singularly orig­ inal shape. "That's a cow," said Dorothy proud- fcr. "Don't you see its horns? And that's its tail---it isn't a tree. There's a cat on the other side. I can draw cats better than cows." in her anxiety to exhibit her artistic abilities in their higher manifestations, she took the paper out of his hands and' presented the opposite side. At first he glanced at it listlessly, and then his eyes suddenly flashed and he examined it with breathless interest. the luxuriantly woolly, almost exas- peratingly meek-lookiug animal, to the Judge. "You may have that and the pretty picture for being kind to papa," she said,; with the air of one who conifers Inestimable favors. He was about to decline t£e honor, but, catching his wife's eyes, he meek­ ly accepted it, and Dorothy and the puppy and the brown paper parcel dis­ appeared through the door. "Well, well," said the Judge with a queer smile as he placed the fluffy white sheep on the mantelpiece, "I never thought Ij^hould be guilty of ac­ cepting a bribe, but we never--know what we may come to." The next day Maxwell was acquitted and assured by the Judge that he left the court without a stain upon his char­ acter. The following Christmas Doro­ thy received a brown parcel containing toys of the most wonderful description from an unknown friend, and it was as­ serted by*his intimates that ever after­ ward the Judge's sentences seldom erred on the side of severity, and that he was" disposed, whenever possible, to give the prisoner the benefit of the doubt.---Strand Magazine. THE FARM AND HOME MATTERS OF INTEREST TO FARM. ER AND HOUSEWIFE. CHICAGO'S POSTOFFIC5L Novel Foundation OR Which It Wi!L Rest, The new $4,000,000 Federal building in Chicago will stand on a series of points instead of resting oil a founda- _ „ „ .. . , tion extending evenly along the entire Well, I'm blessed!" he exclaimed ex- ., r , . * , , „ wall line. The weight of the huge cltedly. It was not a very judicial utterance", but the circumstances were excep­ tional. "Here's the very letter Maxwell de­ clared he had received from Lightbody along with the check. His reference i IF YOU PLEASE," SHE SAID TIMIDLY, '-I'VE BROUGHT YOU TOMMY," life: iar ¥'4i\-• ¥ I®'# f: iprj t&-\ ' The Judge thought it not unlikely, as he glanced with twinkling eyes at the highly unconventional forms arid dar­ ing colors of these strikingly original works of art stern expression upon his lordship's face. i "Dorothy Maxwell," said the Judge, severely, as though the little figure be­ fore him were standing in the prison­ er's dock awaiting sentence, "you have been convicted of the almost unparal­ leled crime of attempting to corrupt one of her Majesty's judges; to per­ suade him, by means of bribery, to de­ feat the ends of justice. I shall not further enlarge upon the enormity of your crime. Have you anything to say why sentence should not be--no, no, don't cry! Poor little thing, I didn't mean to frighten you. I'm not the least bit angry with you--really and truly. jDome and sit on my knee and show me all these pretty things. Get down, you little beast." The last words were addressed to Tommy, who fell with a flop on the floor and was replaced on the Judge's knee by his. little mistress. "This is veiy like condoning a crim­ inal offense," thought the? Judfe jto himself With a grim smile, as he wiped the tears from the poor little creature's face and tried to interest her in the contents of the brown paper parcel. But the thoughts the tears had aroused did not vanish with them. Arthur Maxwell was no longer a kind of im­ personal representative of the criminal classes, to be dealt with as severely as the law allowed in the interests of so­ ciety in general. He was the father of this soft, plump, rosy-cheeked, ilue- eyed, golden-haired little maid, iyho would inevitably have to share, now or in the future, the father's humiliation and disgrace. For the first time, per­ haps, the Judge felt a pang of pity for the wretched man who at that' moment was probably pacing his cell in agon­ izing apprehension of the inevitable verdict. A vivid picture started up be­ fore him of the prisoner's white face, twitching lips and tragic eyes. He re­ membered his own emotion when he first sentenced a fellow creature to penal servitude. Had he grown callous since then? Did betake sufficiently into account the frailty of human nature, the brevity of life, the far-reaching con sequences that the fate of the most in­ significant unit of humanity must en­ tail? At this moment the door ppeped, and his wife, a slerfder, .graceful woman, considerably younger than himself, with a refined, delicate face, came quietly in. ! Ah," exclaimed the Judge with sudden inspiration, "I believe you are at the bottom of all this, Agnes. What is this child doing here?" "You are not vexed, Matthew?" she asked, half timidly. "Hardly that," he answered slowly, "but what good can it do? It is impos­ sible to explain the situation to this poor little mite. It was cruel to let li\r come .on such an errand. How did s get here?" "It was her own idea, ntirely her own1 idea, but her mother brought her and asked to see me. The poor woman was distracted and nearly frantic with grief and despair, and ready to clutch at any straw. She was so dreadfully miser­ able, poor thing, and I thought it was "Well," he said, "it is very kind of j such a pretty idea, I-^-I couldn't refuse you to bring me all these pretty things, | her, Matthew." • ~ s s f £ < £ . ' . ' : ' ' ' " - J " • to it, as he couldn't produce it, did him more harm than good* but I believe it's genuine, upon my word, I do. Listen; it's dated from the Hollies, Lightbody's private address: "My Dear Maxwell--I have just heard from the doctor that my time here will be very short, and I am try­ ing to arrange my affairs as quickly as possible. I have long recognized the unostentatious but thorough and en­ tirely satisfactory manner in which you have discharged your duties, and as some little and perhaps too tardy recognition of your long and faithful services, and as a token of my personal esteem for you, I hope you will accept the inclosed check for £250. With best wishes for your future, believe me, yours sincerely, "THOMAS LIGHTBODY. "What do you think of it? I'll send it round to Maxwell's solicitor at once." "Oh, Matthew, then the poor fellow's innocent, after all?" "It looks like it. If the letter is genu­ ine he certainly is. There, don't look miserable again. I'm sure it is. If it had been a forgery you may be sure it would have been ready for production, at a moment's notice. Where did you get this letter, little girl?" Dorothy blushed guiltily and hung her head. I took it out of pa's desk--I wanted some paper to draw on, and I took it without asking. You won't tell him, will you? He'll be ever so cross." "Well, we may perhaps have to let him know about it, my dear, but I don't think he'll be a bit cross. Now, this lady will take you to your mother, and you can tell her that papa won't -go to prison, and that he'll be home to-mor­ row night." "May I--may I say good-by to Tom­ my, pleased" she faltered. "You sweet little thing!" exclaimed his wife, kissing her impulsively. "Tommy's going with you," said the Judge, laughing kindly. "I wouldn't deprive you of Tommy's company for Tommy's weight in gold. I fancy there are limits to the pleasure which Tom­ my and I would derive from each oth er's society. There, run away, and take Tommy with you." ,v Dorothy eagerly pursued the fat pup-' py, capturjed him after an exciting chase and took him in her arms. Then she walked toward the door, but the corner of her eye rested wistfully on the contents of the brown paper parcel. The Judge hastily gathered the toys, rolled them in the paper and present­ ed them to, her. But Dorothy looked disappointed. The thought of giving them to purchase her father's pardon had been sweet as well as bitteK She was willing tip compromise in order to escape the pang that the loss of Tom­ my and the doll and the paint box and other priceless treasures . would have inflicted, but she still wished--poor lit­ tle epitome of$ur complex human na­ ture--to taste the joy of heroic self-sac- ^•lflce. Besides, she was afraid that fhe Judge might after all refuse to par­ don her father if she took away all the gifts with which she had attempted to propitiate him. She put the parcel on the chair and opened it out. Holding the wriggling puppy in her arms, she gazed at her structure will be so adjusted that it will rest on cement columns thirty-two feet apart, these columns going down to bed» rock seventy-two feet below the surface of the earth. This is the plan adopted in modern bridge "building and repre­ sents the most advanced progress in that field of construction. The mode of excavating for the foundation is very interesting and simplicity itself. A sec­ tion of a wrought iron tube of the de­ sired diameter is set upon the ground on its rim and as the earth within the circle Is removed the tube sinks. When the top of the first section settles down to the level of the earth's surface a second section is placed above it and the digging process is continued. One section after another disappears and bedrock is eventually reached without the slightest disturbances to the sur­ rounding material occurring. There Is no settling of neighboring foundations, no tottering walls, no alarm or dis­ quiet of any sort. When the excavation is completed there is a clean iron-walled hole into which the cement is poured and sub­ jected to the necessary pressure. When the iron tube is filled the job is finish­ ed, the iron casing being allowed to re­ main. The columns which will consti­ tute the foundation for the Chicago building will vary in diameter from twelve to fifteen feet. Through the wear and tear of ages they will support all the weight that they will be called upon to bear. By this plan it will not be necessary to drive piling down to bedrock or to resort to any of . the methods for mak­ ing broad bases for foundations to rest upon, so familiar to Chicago builders of lofty edifices and heavy business blocks. The element of uncertainty will be entirely eliminated. Cement columns have been tried in the construction of all the great iron and steel bridges built in recent years and found to be wholly satisfactory. There4s no guess work, no speculation as to the precise weight a cement column of Certain di­ mensions standing on solid rock will sustain. It is a simple mathematical and engineering proposition,; The Chicago foundation"will cost less than $200,000. Work upoa'^t can be commenced the minute Contractor Har­ ris finishes the removal1 of the old wreck that now disfigures tlitf site. The plans for building and foundations are now practically done, some of the de­ tails only remaining unfinished at this writing. Mr. Cobb, the architect, says Some Hints on How to Bay a Horse- Directions for 'Cultivating Corn -- Safe Way to Tether Cowi-Origin of the Berkshire Hoc. H6w to Bay a Horse, If you want to buy a horse don't be­ lieve your own brother. Take no man's word tor It, says an old horseman, in Horseshoers' Journal. Your eye is your market. Don't buy a horse in har­ ness. Unhitch him and take every­ thing off but the halter and lead "him around. If he has (any failing you can see it. Let him go himself a way, and if he walks right into anything you know he is blind. No matter how clear and brlgiit his eyes are, lie can't see any more than a bat. Back him, too. Some horses show their weakness or tricks in that way, when they don't in any other. But, be as smart as you can, you'll get Caught sometimes. Even the experts get caught. A horse may look ever so nice and go a great pace, and yet have lite. There isn't a man who could tell it until something hap­ pens. Or he may have a weak back. Give him the whip and pff he goes for mile or two, then all of a sudden he stops on the road. After a rest he starts again, but he soon stops fpr good, and nothing but a derrick can Start him. ' • • The weak points about a liorse can better be discovered while standing than while moving. If he is sound he will stand firmly and squarely on his limbs without moving them, with legs plumb and naturally poised; or If the foot is taken from the ground and the weight taken from it disease may be suspected, or, at least, tenderness, which is the precursor of disease. If a horse stands with his feet spread apart or straddles with his lvind legs there is a weakness in his loins, and the kidneys a re disordered. Heavy pulling bends the knees. Blu­ ish, milky-cast eyes in horses indicates moon blindness or something else. A bad-tempered one keeps his ears thrown back, and a stumbling horse iias blemished knees. When the skin is rough and' harsh and does not move easily to the touch, the horse is a heavy, eater and digestion bad. Never buy a hor$e whose breathing organs are at all impaired. Place your eye at the heata, and' if a wheezing sound is heard it is an indication of trouble. that the new Chicago postoffice will be the most scientifically .constructed building in the United States. The African Parrot. Our parrot was the present of a kind friend In the summer of 1877, having been brought from Africa only a few months previously. Her plumage is the same in color as was her prede­ cessors'. She was. evidently a young bird when she came, as she has grown since we have had her. In spite of her twenty years there is no sign of age about her; she sings, dances, climbs and Whistles with all the vigor of youth, and though perhaps smaller In size than our other two birds, is quite as noisy. In many ways, however, she is very different from them, being, for instance, much more shy in the pres ence of strangers, before whom she rarely talks, and Is more curious in her habits, taking great fancies to some people and decided dislikes to others. She has an unpleasant liablt of some, times saying good-by to visitors when she does not approve of them. When she cannot get what she wants she gives angry whacks and double knocks on the tin floor of her-cage. Nothiu; appears to delight her more than mis­ chief. She positively revels in it, and to get hold of anything she ought not Is to have unmixed joy. Evidently the bird has been at some time very cruelly treated; for months she was terrified at the sight of a man or boy, and for years a broomstick was an object of horror to her. Since getting over this fear she has shown a decided liking for the sweep and the coalman, and the latter has left the house- with the bird wishing him good-by, and affec tionately requesting him to kiss her, which gives rise to the question wheth­ er she may have had, in her African past; a kind negro friend. Any one who has fever had the opportunity of study­ ing the parrot tribe must have been struck with their extraordinary gift of memory, so long ago observed by the great Plutarch. f>•. How She Knew, He--What makes you think that Balderly will soon ask you to marry him? She--Don't mention it to any one, but I know his Income isn't large and he's beginning to argue with me that /plain living promotes the best complexion.-- Adams Freeman. , ; erything, despite the best care, It means that the locality where this often occurs, was not meant for farming purposes. If it is fit for farm­ ing, the season will be right to make a success of something. <t> Planting Potato Peelings. There is no temptation to potato growers to economize by planting pota­ to peelings for seed while potatoes are so cheap as they have been this year and last. Yet very good crops have been grown that" way, and-there are growers who believe that for a very early crop the peelings cut rather- thick­ er than usual, and cut Into pieces hav­ ing one or two vigorous feyes on each set, will bring new tubers'sooner than will sets cut through whole potatoes. The truth seems to be that the potato peeling is apt to be pretty well dried through when planted In cold, moist soil early in the spring, and it therefore starts to growing at once. The thick pieced of potato,'especially if fresh cut, is moist, and .this with the moisture of the soil keeps the potato germs from starting until both soil and seed have dried. i Uniting Weak Colonies. Beekeepers often have colonies that are apparently listless and unwilling to work, even "when conditions are fa­ vorable for procuring pollen and honey. In such case the colony thus affected is probably destitute of a queen, ami unless one is quickly supplied the col­ ony soon dwindles to nothing. The life of an active working bee in sum­ mer is uot more than six to ten weeks. Were it not that the queen Is constant­ ly depositing eggs for her new brood the colony must perish. If a new queen can be got, slip it into the hive, and within a day or two the bees will be actively at work bringing in honey. Another way is to stupefy the swarm with smoke and put it with one that is known to have a queen. One strong swarm is always worth more than two or three weak ones. Cultivating Corn. After the corn has been planted a few daysv take the sulky cultivator, put oh the feeders and run through the rows the way the corn was planted. This cultivation can be readily done when the field is put in by the planter. After the corn is well above the ground, cultivate across .the rows. A third cultivation should be given when the corn is six inches in height. These three workings will mellow the soil and kill off all the young weeds that have germinated in the top soil. The sulky cultivator is just the implement for this work, as it completely stirs the ground, letting in the air, dews, sun­ shine and rain. The corn should be worked four times before it is laid by. For weedy land work tl>e crop five or Blx times at least. Shallow and fre­ quent cultivation should be the motto; the sod should be deeply plowed, and the field put in mellow condition be­ fore planting. TetherinK Cows, The best way to tether cows is to have a head halter for each cow to be tethered. Have a ring fastened secure­ ly in the nose-piece; the chain can be snapped into this ring, and the iron pin at the end of the chain driven about a foot or more into the ground, the cow is then firmly held. Light steel tethering chains should be used. These chains are made especially for this purpose. They have a swivel in the middle, and are twenty ft t in length, and the retail price is 50 cents each. A cow should never be tied by the horns or round the neck, as she may be thrown down and her neck broken. If fastened to a neck halter she has too much power and can easily pull the pin out of the ground. Feedinsr Calves for Cows. When calves are intended to be grown for cpws it is a great mistake to feed them so heavily as to increase the tendency to fatten. Often this can be seen at birth in the thick, bull-like neck and heavy head. In such dase It Is best to fatten and sell to the butcher, no matter what stock may be its an- centry. But frequently also the calf which seems to be all rigEtjfor a good milker Is fed so beaviljAand on such fattening food that its tendency for life to produce fat and beef rather than milk and butter Is fully established. To grow a good cow the calf should not be stunted. That will impair diges­ tion, which is just as important for the cow as it is for a beef animal. Calves intended to be kept for cows should have much succulent food, with enough of the kind of nutrition required to make large growth. Origin of Berkshirea. A correspondent of an English paper thus states the origin of the Berk- shires: "The family of pigs in Berk­ shire, which was the foundation of the present improve,d breed, was of a san­ dy or buff color, about equally spotted with black; was of a large size, a slow feeder, and did not mature till two and a half or three years old. But such as it was, however, it was highly es­ teemed for the proportion of lean to fat in the meat, and for the superior weight of the hams and shoulders. The Improvement is reported to have commenced during the last century, through the importation of a Siamese boar, which was mated with the Berk shire sows. This breed (the Siamese) were generally of a black color, of me­ dium size; quick to mature; very fine on all points, with short, small legs and head, thin jowls, dish face, slender, erect ears, brofod, deep, compact body, well ribbed up; extra heavy hams and shoulders: a slender tail, thin skin, and firm, elastic flesh.. After using the Sia mese boar to the old style sows as long as it was considered necessary, he was discarded and the cross pigs then bred together." Extra Work Pays Best. It never pajrs to shirk work on the farm. Nature cannot be cheated. It Is always the farmer who does his work promptly, and who neglects no point necessary to make a good crop, who succeeds. There is no money made by growing poor crops. In most cases, he who merely plows and sows, without manuring, does a great deal of work for nothing. "Let him that plow eth, plow in hope," said one great apos­ tle In olden time. This is the best pos­ sible motto for the farmer. It means that everything, before and after plow ing, shal^be all that labor and skill can give to make the harvest a success. It Is a sad confession that the old-time farmer made that his crop did not turn out as well as he expected, and he al ways knew it wouldn't. No farmer, coworklng with nature, ought to ex­ pect failure. Seed time and harvest do not fail to those who do their part of the contract. If they do fail in ev- For Land or for Crop, The old question Avhether it is better to manure for land or for crop is not much asked nowadays. The lpss of original fertility of soil and the narrow­ ing profits on crops require that farm­ ers In these times should get as nearly full returns as possible from all the manure they apply. If they manure at all for the future It Is by seeding with clover when they apply the fertilizer, so that part of its benefit shall remain in the clover roots. Besides this, seed­ ed ground does not waste fertility, either by washing or blowing away, as that left naked In winter is sure to do. Muddy Barnyards. It is not easy to uriderdraln the barn­ yard. In most cases so rich is the soil in fertilizing matter that much of the fertility will soak Into the underdrain, no matter how deeply it may be put. There it will develop a fungus growth that will completely stop the drain and make it of no value whatever. When this once happens there is no way to clean the drain so as to prevent new growth of fungus from appearing in it. The best way to care for a mud­ dy barnyard is to have it small and bed it heavily with straw. The Pigpen in Slimmer. As warm weather approaches sows and pigs should be given wider range. When grass starts the pen should open upon a yard where fresh grass and access to fresh soil can be had as freely as the pigs desire. There Is nothing like rooting, and the roots and grubs that pigs get thereby, to keep them in good health, and if well fed they will not do more rooting than is best for the soil to clear it of insect enemies to all crops, either in the orchard or in the pasture field. Bot in Cherries. Many find that they cannot grow cherries on account of rot. This is al­ most invariably from lack of potash In the soil, though it may occur where trees ate set in low land filled with stagnant water during the spring months. A heavy application of wood ashes or of muriate of potash applied now and with plenty of water to dis­ solve it will make fruit that will ripen without rotting. Farm Notes. Plan to grow more grass and clover. Study the requirements of the soil as well as of the market. Select the crops with respect to their adaptability to the farm. It is not only an Item to increase quantity but to improve the quality of the crops. . Colts should be trained to walk fast before attempting to improve them in any other gait. On the farm, as in any other line of business, it is an item to save labor and economize time. The first hatched queen bee will de­ stroy all remaining queen cells, provid­ ed It is not in the height of the honey flow. Manure adds to the productiveness of land as soon as it is applied, but all of the substances will not be used up in one season. \ The farm products should be put in the form in which they will bring the most money and yet leave the farm In the most productive condition. If the bees seem to dwindle In the Spring, look them over every day; close up the division boards, taking out all of the combs they canot cover. While the farm may not always show large returns in the ,way of 1 cash, yet with good management the farmer may be reasonably sure of a good living. A. E. Keet, editor of the Ing the last! two years, hits' position. - "The Pursuit of the House Boat," John Kendriek Bangs, will be issued in book form. - M. Berthelot, the eminent French Chemist, intends' to publish the many letters from Ernest Renan which he has in his possession. It is said that Stevenson's story, "St. Ives," is to be completed, and that the ' name ;of the author chosen for this re­ sponsible tpk will shortly be an­ nounced. Jnstin McCarthy was just able to fin­ ish the additional volume of his history before his illness became severe. He had worked so steadily, over the book as to have been under a considerable strain. "Darlel," the new novel. by Mr. Blackmore, author of "Lorna Doone," is to t>e published in the autumn. It has been running serially in England, and* Is considered, one of> the author's best novels. The literary monument of the late Archbishop of Canterbury is his im­ portant work, "Cyprian, His Life, His Time, His Work," which is to be pub­ lished immediately, with an introduc­ tion by Bishop Potter. About the time of the Crimean wax Carl Marx wrote a series of newspaper letters on the Eastern question. His daughter, Mrs. Marx Aveling, has been collecting them--not an easy task--and they are to be published as a book. Pierre Loti Is at work on a drama for which he has obtained the material from papers-in the possession of his family. The piece is an historical play dealing with the period of the revoca­ tion of the Edict of Nantes. It is in­ tended for the Comedie Francaise. Opie Read's "The Jucklins" is re­ ceiving rather more favorable reviews in England than it did at home. The London. Telegraph ascribes the grow­ ing English interest in American rustic life to the pioneering work of Harold Frederic. One of the longest novels of the year will be Hall Calne's "The Christian."* The passages omitted from the serial are to be restored in the book, and the work is expected to cause consdderable discussion. It is probable that its pub­ lication will be deferred until the au­ tumn. The committee that has been formed to erect a monument to Paul Veriaine IS preparing for publication a small volume containing some unpublished verses of the poet, In addition to con­ tributions by Stephane Mallarme, Hen­ ri Bauer, Edmond Lepelletter, and oth­ er writers. Mr. Crockett's autumn book will be "Lochinvar." That Is to be followed by a shorter story called "The Stand­ ard Bearer." He has just returned from Pomeramia with the materials for "The Red Ax." Bu^ these make only a beginning on the five years' contracts that Mr. Crockett still has ahead of him. , Ian McLaren will not publish any work of fiction during this year, but he will issue one, if not two, religious books before Christmas. The scene of his next volume of stories will proba­ bly be laid, in part at least, in Ameri­ ca. He is making progress with his life of Qhrist, which will probably be entitled "The Life of the Master." ; : .»• i Too liong in the Business. One day in a Sixth avenue chop house a well-dressed young man sit­ ting at a table not far from me finished his lunch and asked for his check, but! as it was brought to him he suddenly, rose up and hurried to the cashier's desk, which was near the door, and' said: "Sir, I have dropped fifty dollars out of my pocket in this place. Let no one go until I make a search." "Where's your check?" he was asked. "Here It is. I had two twenties and1 a ten dollar bill." "Will you pay this check of. one- fifty?" asked the cashier. "I can't till I find my roll." "Thomas, call in an officer." / J "What for?" asked the victim. "To arrest you if you don't pay. That's an old game--too (ancient to work here." / I "But I have dropped fifty dollars!" "Guff! Will you pay?" "I'll pay if I can find my money. I) know I had it when I came in here." • "Call the copper, Tom!" Two minutes later an officer bustled in to see what was wanted. The cash­ ier was telling him that he had a deadJ beat to be cared for, when a woman rose up to leave and the young man'a fifty dollars was found on the floor, where it had been covered by her skirts. "Didn't I tell you so," he exclaimed, as he returned to the cashier to pay the check. "Nice sort of man you are! I'll sue you for damages before I'm through with this!'? The cashier looked tired but made ho reply. When the indignant young man had departed/! said: "Then he wasn't a beat, after all?" ! "The slickest kind," he replied. "But he lost his money, and it waa found?" "Don't you believe It! .The woman was his pal and gave it up only when she saw that he would be arrested. Your Uncle Hiram has been right here for twenty-five years, and he know* the ropes'. "t:-' A Thrifty Georgia Negro. Barton F. Powell, of Albany, Ga., a negro 32 years old, is one of the most successful farmers in the State. Twelve years ago he had saved up $2,000, with which he bought 500 acres of land. He went to work on it and cleared $2,500 the first year. He has continued to add to his landed possessions paying spot cash for every farm purchased, and la now the owner of 2,100 acres of land,f from which he markets 400 bales of\ cotton annually. Besides his Success on the farm he has developed the coun­ try supply store idea, and thus rake* in thousands of dollars a year. He also owns a comfortable residence in Balnbridge. His profits last year were over $7,000. He says that the question of social recognition doesn't trouble Wm so long as he can get financial recognition at the bank.