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OR, THE GIRL IN BLUE CEH REH OE C4 THIER 00H OH OHHH EA OE CHAPTER X.--Contmued). If, however, Nelling Channing was _ -prelly, her beauty was far eclipsed by + that of my neighbor on my right, a tall, dark-haired girl in blue, 8 Mis Anson, who with her mother, a quiet, white- haired, elderly lady, were the only other 'guests in addition to myself. From the moment we were introduced I saw that Mrs. Anson's daughter possessed a face that was absolutely perfect, rather oval in shape, with large, beautiful eyes, that scemed lo shine asthey looked wp- on me, and to search me through and through. Her complexion was good, cheeks well moulded, her mouth small and perfectly formed; her teeth gleamed white ever and anon as she smiled at the Colonel's humorous re- marks, and her nose was just suffici- ently tip-tilted to give her countinance a piquant air of coquetry. } Her costume, rich and without any un- due exaggeration of trimmng or style, spoke mutely of the handiwork of a first-class couturiere, The ghade of turquoise blue suited her dark beauty admirably, and the bodice, cut discrect- Iy low, revealed a neck white and firm- ly moulded as that of the Venus of Milo. Around her throat, suspended hy 2 golden chain so fine as to be almost imperceptible, was a single diamond sel in a thin ring of gold, a large stone of magnificent lustre. It was her only ornament, but, flashing and glittering with a thousand fires, it was quite suf- ficient. She wore no rings. Her hands, white and well-formed, were devoid of any jewels. The single diamond gleam- ec and glitlered as it nese and fell up on her breust, an ornament assuredly fit to adorn a princess. Mrs. Anson sat opposite me, chatted pleasantly during the meal, and now and then her aughter would turn, raise her fine eyes to mine for an instant and join in our conversalion. That she wes exceedingly clever and well- inform:d I al once detected by her terse and alever crilicisin of the latest play, which we discussed. She compared it, with a display of knowledge that sur- prised me. to a French play but little known save to students.of the Freich drama, and once or twice her remarks ujon stage technicalities caused me to suspect that she was an actress, Mrs. Anson, however, dispelled this notion by expressing her disapproval of the stage as a profess'on for women, an opinion with which her daughter at once agreed. No, she could not be an actress, | felt assured. Both mother and daughter bore the unmistakable hall-mark of gentlewomen. I cat beside Mabel Anson in rapt ad- miration. Never before in all my life had my cyes fallen upon so perfect an incarnat'on of feminine grace and mar- vellous beauly; never before unlil that moment ml a woman's face held me in such ¢rchantment. Presently the conversation turned, as it so often dees at dinner-tables, upon certain engagements reeen'ly announc- ed. whercupon the (ol mel, in the mer- ry careless manner habitual to him, advanced the theory that most girls marred wit't a view lo improve their social positqn. "As to a husband's fortune," remark- ad his wie, w.th that stiff formality which wes her peculiar characteristic, "it really isn't so inv ortant to a wo- man as (he qualities which lead lo for- tune--ambilion, determnalion, indus'ry, ghrift--und position such a wan may allain for himsélf." "And in education?' inquired Mrs, Anson, sofily, apparcnt'y mle est:d in the argument. "If education a man certainly should he his wife's equal," answered Mrs, Channing. speaking with that high- pitched jerkiness of tone which made {l appcar as though ter words snapped off short. "Undoubtedly there is some subtle affinily between cpposites. Yet there must be likeness as well as un- likeness. The latter will lend piquancy, which is pleasant, bul the former will give peace, which is essential." "Wilh that «pinion I quite agree, mo- ther," remarked Mabel Anson, merrily. "At first love itself is, of course, all- suflicing, but a little la'er the individu- al characteristics must reassert them- selves, and then in the absence of com- prehension and sympathy in ones tastes and theories a barrier springs up, slight, unconfessed perhaps, bul still impassible, and in one sense man and wife are not 'one,' but distinctly 'two."" "My dear Mabel, you talk lke a wo- man of fifty," her mother remarked re- rovingly, whereupon all joined in ughter. Her daughters cheeks flushed slight I ard for a moment she appeared coli used. - Re "1 "Well, mother, I'only expressed what is my firm opinion," she protested, wilh & pretty pou'. "I see 8) many iias:|in rled engagements -ennounced' and arriages confracted that my (heory becomes Strenjtheriod every day." ~#And is not good temper essenlial h a husband?--come, now. Lets 5 ideas on that point." said ted. - For an instant, her hem ik vd sv SOABONC and she at once think of each other's features, because they are always in each other's pres- ence, They become heedless of whe- ther cach other's features are classica' or ugly, but they never fail to be cog- nisant of one another's temper or short comings." "You speak as though from experi- cnce," she laughed without, however, altempting to combal my argument. Another outburst of laughter greeted this bantering remark of hers. "No," observed Nellie, on my other hand. "Mr. Heaton is the most con- firmed bachelor I know. | believe hes a woman-hiter--if the truth wera told.' "Oh, really, Miss Channing!" I pro- testod. "That's certainly too bad of you. I assure.you I'm no hater of the sex, but an admirer." '"'Heaton's about to make a pretty speech," observed the jovial, red-faced Colonel, "Go on, Wilford, my dear fel- low, we're all aitention." "No," I said, laughing. "I've been drawn quite unfairly into this contro- versy. Therefore I'l preserve a master: ly silence." "Mr. Heaton is, I think, diplomatic," laughed the dark, handsome girl next lo me. "He has cleared his character of the asparsion cast upon it, and pre- serves a dignified attitude." And she turnnd and smiled gaily upon me in triumph. She was exquisilely charming. I sat at her side gossiping merrily, while to my dazzled gaze she presented a beau- tiful picture of youthful airy delicacy-- feminine sweetness combined with pat rician grace. For the first time in all my life that petticoated paradox, wo- man, conveyed to me the impression of perfect beauty, of timidity and grace, combined with a natural, inborn dig- nity. There was nothing forced or un- nalural in her manner as with other women | had met; none of that affected mannishness of deportment and slangy embellishments of conversation which are so characteristic of girls of to-day, be they daughlers of tradesmen or of rs. The qualities whch imparted lo Mabel her distinct individuality wore the beaut ful combination of the dainty deli- cacy with the elegance--of simplicity with elevation--of spirit with sweetness. The ar.ess manner in which her innate nobility of soul and natural lofliness of spirit shone forth through her patrician disguise was apparent from her con- versalion when, an howe later, we re- sumed our chat in the drawing-room. She showed in that short and pleasant gossip that she possessed thal upright sinplicity of mind which disdained all crooked and indirect means, which would not stoop for an instant to dis- semblance, and was mingled with a ncble confidence In the power of good in the world. She gave me the impression--why, I cannol tell--of one who had passed un- der the ennobling discipline of suffer- ing and selfden'al. A melancholy charm tempered the natural vigor of her mind; her spirit seemed to sland upon an eminence and kok down upon me as one inferior to her in intellect, in moral principle--in fact, in every- thing. From the very first moment when [ had bowed to her on our intro- darstion she held me spell-bound in fascination. When the ladies had left, and I sat alone with the Colonel, smoking over a liqueur, I inquired about her. "Mrs, Ancon is the widow of old Gen- eral Anson," he said: "He died about {welve years ago, and they've singe lived a great deal abroad." » "Well off?" I inquired, with affected carelessness. : "Very comfortably, I should say. Mrs. Anson has a fortune of her own, I be- lieve. They have a houso at present in The Bollons."" "Mabel is extremely good-looking," I remarked. "Of course, my dear boy," laughed the Colonel, with his liqueur-glass pois- ec in his hand, a twinkle in his eye. "Belwcen us, shes the prettiest girl in London. She creates a sensation wher- aver she goes, for beauty like hers isn't met with twice in a lfet'me. Lucky chap, whoever marries her." "Yes," 1 said reflectively, and then diligently pursued the topic in an en- deavor to learn further details regard- ing her," My host either know very lit tle, or purposely affected ignorance-- which, | was unable fo delermine. He had known her father intimately, hav- ing been in his regiment long ago. That was about all I learnt further. So we tossed away our cigars, dra'n: ed our glasses, and rejoined the four ladies who were awaiting us in the drawing-room, where later, al Mrs. Channing's urgent persuasion, my di-| vinity in blue seated herself at the piano and in as ele tralto "sang Italian 'a charming sola from: ; i's Boheme, Then, with the single diamond - glit- leting at her throat, she came back lo wi ys 'oorner with its" prétly" nel, chaflingly, from behind 'the | Jo ; she Be 3 he notable opera. of that | 1 5t00d, and sinking into the cosy s 1g int le © | the parlure, "we are old friends, Will you] permit me to say one word without tak- ing lfence at a il "Certainly," answ , surprised. "What is it?" . j | "I've noticed to-night that, like many another. man, ycu ara entranced by the beauty tc make a fool of yourself," "lI don't understand," I said quickly. "Well, all I would say fs, that if you desire happiness and peace of mind; swercd with a distinet air of mystery. * "You speak in erfigmas." = "I merely give you a timely warning, that's all, my dear fellow. Now, don't be offended, but go home and think it over, and resolve never again fo see her--never, you understand--never."" CHAPTER XI, Long and deeply I pondered over the Colonel's words. That he had some underiying motive in thus warning me "against the woman by whom I had be- come so fascinated was vividly appac- ent, yet to all my demands he remained dumb. On the afternoon following 1 fcund him in the St. James's Club -- to the subject, But all the response he vouchsafed was-- "I've merely werned you, my dear fellow. | shall say no more. I, of course, don't blame yow for admiring her. [ only tell you to pull yoursell up short." "But why?" ] "Because if you go further than ad- miration you'll be treading dangerous ground--devilish dangerous, I can as sure you." "You mean that she has a jealous lover?" I suggesled. "She has mo lover, as far as I am aware," he answered. "Then, speaking candidly, Channing," I said, "I don't scc why yow should turn prophet like this without giving me any reason." ) "My reason is briefly told," he said with unusual gravity. "I dom't wisn lo see you upset and unhappy, now that you've recovered your s'ght." His words seemed very lame ones. * Why should I be unhappy?" "Because Mabel Anson can never be more to you than an acquaintance; she can never reciprocate your love. I tell you plainly that if you allow yourself to become entranced and all that sort of th'ng, you'll only make a confound- ed ass of yourself." 'You certainly speak very plainly," I observed, annoyed that he ahould in- terf: ro so prematurely in a matler which was assuredly my affair alone. "] speak because I have your welfare al heart, Wilford," he answered in a kindly tone. "I only regret now that 1 asked you to my table to meet her. ft is my fault, enlirely my fault." "You talk as though she were scme genius of evil," I laughed. "Let me act as 1 think fit, my dear Channing." "Let you go headlong to the devil, ch?' he snapped. "But to love her is not to go on the downward path, surely?" I cried incre- dulously. "I warn you, once and for all, to have nothing whatever to do with her," he said. "I know her--you do not." ) But [ laughed him to scorn. His words seemed utterly absurd, as though his m'nd were filled by some strong prejudice which he dared not to utler for fear of laying himself open to,an action for slander. If her acquaint ance were so extremely undesirable, why did he invite her and her mother to his lable? His words were not borne cut by his own actions. So 1 bade him farewell rather coolly, and left the club abruptly, in anger with myself at having sought him, or bestowed a single thought upon his ex- traordinary warning. (To be Continued.) -- LOOKING AFTER HIS HEALTH. "I am sorry lo sce you neglecting your business this way, Sinkin. They say that you don't spend half an hour a week at your office." "Well, a fellow must look after his health, you know." "Yes, but. you don't look What's the matter with you?" "My wife takes the 'Family Health Gazetle," and she makes out that I have 3 tendency to softening of the brain, with complicated symptoms of Bright's disease, liver complaint, dyspepsia, pal- pitation of the heart, inflammation of the lungs, cremation of the spleen, in- dignation of the cesophagus, hyporto~ phy of the palate, and, besides that, I am not at all well. She insists that 1 must observe all the rules in the 'Ga- zelte, and, you see, I've no time for anything else." . unwell, HOW SHE KEPT YOUNG. Some one once asked a woman how it was she kept her youth 80 wonder fully. Her hair was snowy white, she was 80 years old and her energy was waning, but :he pever impressed one still young in &ympathy and interests, And this was her answer: "I knew how to forget lisagreeable things. "I ant things. 1 did not expect too much of my friends, 1 kept my nerves. well (in hand, and did not allow them a, of Mabel Anson, Be careful not} steel your heart against her," he an: |' that club of dip'omatists--and reverted |! farmer breeds with the idea of age, for her heart was |i work that came to hand congenia Re Since milk is so extrermiel in quality, and is so easily' adulterated; | bcol since oflen considerable variations are not readily ; above all, tecause th~ amount of milk person or family is col tively small, the consumer of mik 1s almost wholl a! the mercy of the producer and bv very largely upon their honor, says Prof. H. H. Wing, of Cornell | Fri sity. The State has reco, 3 and to prevent imposition by i pulous poople, has in > scught to regulate like produets.. 'The ¢ has been to establish arbitrary stand: ards of quality, and to subject to fino] hose dealers whose goods should 'be found to be below the required stand. ard. The standards established bv various states and municipalities have varied widely, From-2.5 to. 3.7 per cent. of fat, and from 11.5 fo 13 per cent. of lotal solids have been the minimé requirements, These stand. ards, while efficient in securing honest dealing where they are rigidly enforc- ed, nevertheless may work injustice, so €r, and must rely for a good product bo far as honesty of the dealer is con-| cerned, under various circumstances, and may prevent the production and sale of a comparatively low quality product at a reasonable price. "It would seem, ltherefure, that the best means ol regulatng the traflic in milk would be, mot to set up an artificial standard to which all must come, but to require cach individual dee'er to gra:aniee his own standard, and hold him re spon- sible if his milk were found below. In this way it would be possible to sell milk of various qualities, from strictly skimmed to heavy cream, upon a gra- dualed scaie of prices, with exact jus- tice to everyone. a " FARM NOTES. A great factor in the production of a great potuto crop is sufficient moisture to dissolve the plant food in the soil. When a fence is down put it up, and then it will not get any worse. When a harness is broken, mend it before you have a runaway, or before it becomes worthless. When weeds, bugs or fungi threaten, got after them before the dam- age is done, . Necessity may be the molher of in- vention, but it should never drive a man into selling his products for less than they cost him. When buyers know tbat a farmer is obliged to sell, they can fix their own terms; but when the producer is not forced into the market, he can have n voice in fixing prices. There is the difference between success and failure in this. LIVESTOCK NOTES. Almost any farmer who has horse- sense and is a good feeder, can raise draft colts at a profit. He must be a good feeder. A great many; farmers seem to lose sight of the fact that it pays to feed colts well. Goslings do not care for bread and other mixtures made for liltle chicks, but live on grass and tender weeds prin- cipally. They are very fond of young plantain, and if you have patches of 1t that you want killed out, make a mov- able board pen, and keep the goslings in it, moving it each day or two to a {resh patch. When the ewes and lambs are turned cut to pasture in the spring and be- gin to get a bite of young grass, then they will begin {o refuse hay. Give them 'hay just as long as they will eat it. As they 'gradually leave off eating hay, in- crease your. feed of grain a little until they begin to get a little feed of grass, and then decrease your feed of grain gradually as: the grass comes up to a full feed. In this way both sheep and lambs 'will keep right along growing, both. in wool and - mutton. It seems that there is no one depart. ment of the farm where - there <is so much loss easily -aveidable as in the treatment of the slock. The first blun- der is in the breeding, no particular {ype or-plan being adhered to, but the to the animal that is handiest, or will cost the least. This is &- confmon that every neighborhood will furnish examples of it, and when the services of a thoroughbred -bull-- |: short Horn, Holstein or ol some other breed--has been offered the farmer 1 $2 or $3, he has deliberately chosen a scrub at 50 cents, or a mongrel stal- lion at #8 or $10 rather than a thorough. Bred at $15 to $20. By using thorough-| bred sires. we gel al a very small cost the advanlage of generations of good which cost time and mon. . Would 'be Stely "out of the tried fo master fhe art of saying pleas: | rp, . used by any given f inary means. the. Bs Queen. Ranavalona wa neasy about the grow Ty. 5 were gathered § uecn s gers that they had. I country and had and were. told uch, but that taught ; Al was now. time for them to think of | | rning 4H to their native land, missionaires, alarmed at this a, egun to teach scme of the clements of Jnowledge, be imparied, They 'mentioned sundry branches of 'ecucation, 'among which were the Greek and Hebrew languages, which had already been partially taught tH Soe. i ke 2 messengers. refurnad to the queen, end soon came back with this answer: "The queen. does pot care much for Greek and 'Hebrew. : "Can _.you teach something more useful? 'Can you, for example, teach how to make soap?' This was an 'awkward lion to ad- dress fo theologians, but after a mo- mienl's pause Mr. Griffiths turned to Mr. | Cameron and 'asked him whether he could answer it. , "Give me a week," said Mr. Cameron, and the week was given. At. its close the queen's messengers again met the missionaries, and Mr. Cameron was able to present to them a bar of tolerably geod white soap, made entirely from materials found in the country. This 'was an eminently satisfactory answer, and {he manufacture of soap was forth- with Introduced, and is still continued to the present day, although no one would now venture 'to call the soap "white." As a result of making this bar of soap the mission gained a respite of about five years, during which time the queen still tolerated the presence and teaching of the missionaries for the sake of the material advantages derived from the work of the artisans; and it was during these years that the first church- es were formed, and the Christian re- ligion began to take deep root among the people. ------ IN THE REALMS OF ANTIQUITY. By A. 'Banker.) To those to whom the mighty past presents greater atlractions than the less refined and class'c utilitarianism of the present day, Athens, the cradle of esthetic architecture, and the birth- place of chaste .and graceful statuary and ornate design, far surpasses any other capital of Europe in interest and in real fascination. Here the visitor is in the midst 'of the sublimest creations of man which the world has ever seen --not massive and vast, as the stupend. ous pyramids of Egypt; not gorgeously embellished with all manner of prec'- Gus stones and overla'd with solid gold as Solomon's temple at Jerusalem; not cven decorated with elaborate mosaics 23 some of the old Roman masterpieces ot structural art, but erections of the supremest and the most exquisite re- finement and elegance of design. First ascending to the summit of the Acropolis, a conical hill near the cen- tre of the city, the visitor is at once transferred into the realms of ant- tiuity, Here the picturesque minature temple, the Erechtheum, with its portico of the Carystides, known the word cver, and when imitated in modern buildings giving a distinct:ve grace and artistic charm; here the handsome lem. ple of Victory; and. here, its superb and lofty marble columns. towering up- wards 'and standing: in hold "relief against the wonderful azure of (he Greclan sky, the magnificent temple of Minerva, "doubtless--with possibly the one exception of the. great temple of Diana of 'the Ephesians--the- sublimest specimen of the purest classic art ever erected on this earth. But alast the de- scendants of those vulgar barbarians who stripped the Pyramids of their marble casing lo build" their palaces, with an equal savage vandalism direct ed their ca against this priceless monument of the past, and unhappily achieved the « disgrace of irretrivably damaging it, the cruel rents made b; their Jastng dishonor, 5 ness 8 their lasting dishonor, =~ 5 "And at vavious poinis in the city sre other fine relics of Grecian 'art; 'the splendid Temple of Theseus, still hap- wily in perfect repair, built "immedi: alely after the great victory of Mara- Mn neh, J cmc, fi le of the winds; th re, names of the Satiholacrs iheoeibed ! , eg BY bore other people. I tried fo find any ft she 'a long lime in the gh means used on ge, answered that they had only and that much remained fo | larea and in (he other Matter That is to be 'Subject of gation in England, © A question recently put to. the S tary of State for the Home Depa as to how many deaths occurred ing 'the year 1907 in the mettapo fran and. Walés respectively from fects of the adininistration of aj tics "elicited the. reply that the for"the year 1907 were nol yet a able, but according to the verdicts: coroners' juries and the certificates medical practitioners there were in tha year 1906 sixty-four deaths in London and 119 in the remainder of England' and Wales caused by anesthetics ad- mnrinistered for operations, says the Brit isk. Medical Journal. Toph It is stated that there appeared to be some reason to doubt whether the of tificates on which these returns were based were in all cases complele an that, there must necessarily sometimes be difficulty in determining i death' under an anesthetic was caused by the anaesthetic. It was proposed, there fore, to make further inquiry into matter. tf ; GENERAL INFORMATION. "1 Interesting Bis of Knowledge Abouf "Most Everything. : On an average 700 British subjects: are ycarly born at sea. Spain's population has increased' by only 3,000,000 in the past forty-five years. : A Frenchman can secure a divoree from his wife if she goes on the stage without his. consent, ra In France the doctor's claim orn the eslate of a deceased patient -has pre. cedence of all others. a The number of leaves on a lar G) foot high oak tree has Leen counted and found to exceed 6,000,000. 3 An eating-house, mude entirely ot compressed paper, has been ercoled iy Hamburg. The dining-room. is large enough to accommodate 150 persons. The dolphin is a wealherwise fish During a flerce gale or storm at sea t dnariner knows that the end is neac it hs can sec a dolphin sporting on the high waves. 400.2 The result of tests carried out in the German army proves that. 68 pounds the outside weight the average soldier. can carry on a days march without in- fering his 'heart. TY Ir. Nathan'el Moors, of «(he Rock' Is- Jang Ree braid his' erit ceo! L b, iving a din which cost $20,000, ho a were presented with favors of gold a diamond sleevesbutions, - and Bie ad men with pearl necklaces. ii It is a popular fallacy that foun pens are quite a modern invention 3 matter of fact, 24 10 work 'nce. publ "in" eonly lustegtion uf 2 fountain on ho fe once of which is very much ont time. ie tion; ho vas 50 3 ale" and clumsy, the pen consis various pieces of mielal, which hi be screwed and unscrewed before pen: could be used, k People sometimes. lose their disease or in fights, and them in war. For noseless mosl appropriate organs are $17, Dough o meaty. fot , though a got or Fa deceptive, and for a mache may be Foughl Lmade of his material are are } are said to answer all | opi The heal eyeaiht is" p