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' CHAPTER L John Crane, marine engineer, sonie- "time of H.M. Royal Navy, sat in a wicker: chair on the brond hotel var- who, like a nest of them back into the indulging in the futile but very | thing & Sommion amuse; ent of wishing that tod were to-morrow. He had finished the commission that had brought him to this now half-deserted port of Coatzacoalcos, on the coast of "Mexico, and only awaited the mail boat which would arrive next day. He greatly desired to be back in New York, for his resignation had already been accepted by the great shipbufld- ing firm with which he had been em- ployed, and his arrangements were all made for returning at once to Eng Jand and offering his services to the Mother Country. He was still young, active, and very strong; the wish in his heart was that he might be sent to the front. But his mind told him that his proper place was in the great shipyards on the Tyne, where, the 'clatter of ham- mers on steel went on night and day, and men 'strained nerve, brain, and muscle to repair the broken ships that limped in from the North Sea, and to turn out new steel gladiators, that England's grip on the Seven Seas might not be loosened. He knew that his services would be eagerly welcom- ed by the Naval Board, as he haa made a name along certain lines of marine construction that quite belied his youthful appearance. His mind was still occupied with the contents of the week-old newspapers scattered at his feet, which chronicled the disappearance of a number of British vessels plying between Aus: tralian and Oriental ports and the west coast of the United States. Ten or twelve ships were now long over due, and there were rumours that wreckage, appearing to belong to His Majesty's light cruiser Guernsey, haa drifted ashore at Tahitl. Fears were expressed that there was still a swift German cruiser at large in the Pacific, despite a statement by the Admiralty that every German war-vessel had been fully accounted for except those In German home waters. This state- ment laid the blame on a severe Cye lone that had lately raged in mid- Pacific. It was a quiet scene that met his pyes as he looked from the veranda over the luxurious tropical verdure ""pi-4he-courtyard, across the town with Its polyglot mixture of old native and. modern commercial architecture, to the long docks and railroad yards that pordered the bay. The opening of the Panama Canal, the European war, and the chaotic conditions in Mexico it- self had combined to reduce the once great traffic through this, the Atlantic port of the Tehuantepec ship-railway, to a fraction of its former propor- tions. A single ship was unloading at the docks, a rusty tramp steamer fly- ing the flag of Holland. The rays of the sun were by now slanting well from the west, and Crane stood up and shook himself, de- ciding on a stroll before dinner. He walked down the narrow cobbled streets, lined and peopled with the curiously mixed evidences of native in- dolence and foreign industry, until he gravitated naturally to the docks, where. he strolled about with an in- terested professional eye on the . un- loading of 'the Dutch steamer. His habit of close observation and his re- tentive memory of small details had played a large pare in his successful career. He had the typical engineer- ing mind that is constantly on -the alert for better ways of doing things, and neglects no point, however small, which leads to that end. So he watched keenly the work of the gig- antic steel cranes, their tons of metal skeleton animated by the small human being who sat in a little box on the neck of each, with his row of levers before hin: There was something al- most eerie in the way they swung out over the deck, dropped a mighty arm through the ship's hatch, grasped a titanic handful of boxes and bales, and swinging back again, deposited them gently on the dock-floor,( where they were pounced upon by the porters, a the joints o bands that had caught his eye. The were admirably ed for the pose, and something about them seem: ed familiar to him. They had a pecullar arrangement of small metal} claws to engage the wood; and he was positive that, sometime and some: where, he had seen them used before. The box on which they were used was some three feet square and fifteen feet long, and there were about twenty like it in the pile. Besides certain cabbalistic consignment marks, it bore, stencilled in English, 'the words, "Perra-cotta, Fragile' The thought ran through his mind that the boxes probably "contained ornamental col umns for the palace of some success: ful trader or petty ruler on a 'coral island of Oceania. He resumed his walk back to the hotel; but the thought of the iron strap-bands kept coming back, for his memory could not place their association, and did not like to admit a, lapse. The same thought came again next morning as he splashed in his bath, happy that he wous:a soon be sailing north across the Gulf, bound to throw heart, mind, and body into the great wargame; and something, possibly the stimulus of the cold water; brought the answer like a flash. He pusy ants, trunbled | es 3 nica tracks. However, a door stood open, and' he walked into the cool, gloomy room. ~ There were the boxes au right, piled near the opposite door. He started toward them, but "a voice stopped him. "It was a Mexican watchman, who had been sprawling on a pile of freight. He was a ragged, dirty lit- tle man, but a serviceable-looking rifle leaned against the wall beside him. He was saying, 'Buenos dias, senor. 1g there something you desire ?* '1 simply wanted to check that pile of boxes before leaving, to see that they are all there, answered Crane readily. 'I beg the senor's pardon. Perhaps he has a permit from the superin- tendent ?' 'No, I haven't time for that. I must Stars and Stripes at her that some American gentleman of sure was sojourning here. Not suspicious note marred the peaceful} yn activity and tropic indolence of the raising scene. 38 (To be Continued.) Some mon entertain: the idea' that| There are many in order to make a high record with & cow, she must be particularly well bred, fed on specially prepared feeds, and stabled in the most modern stables. Such is not necessarily the by an amateur. Yet, it is paying strict attention to details that brings | success. It is necessary to know each had seen those straps before in the' catch the mail-boat," answared Crane, town of Essen, in Germany, where are » as his hand went to his pocket, and located the great Krupp gunworks. came out with a silver peso. Many rears AR Bie filling his firat The man shook his head, though he pyard, he had ' made several trips into Germany, ob-|6yed the silver wistfully. 'I am sorry, servant, as always. It was at the Krupp | Senor. Any one 'entering the ware- works that he had seen cars loaded | house must have a permit. It is ord- with boxes carrying those peculiar ers.' - bands, 'and had earned' a reprimand 'Oh, come !' said Crane, as he pulled from a watchman, or examining them |out four more of the coins. 'The boat too closely. This explained the|leaves in a few minutes, and I prob- strange uneasiness that had affected | ably can't get a permit and be back in him on seeing them again. Of course, | time.' And he jingled the coins se- commercial manufacturing concerns | quctively. A had undoubtedly come to use them. It| But the watchman was firm. 'I am was a good clamp for heavy boxes.|a poor man, senor, with many chil He put the matter out of his mind,|dren. Who am I that I should break and went down to breakrast. the orders of the superintendent ? 1 But the stubborn thing would not | should probably loss uiy place: : stay out. Why had he not seen that Craiie ~ulked slowly down the dock. strap since ine first time until now ?| He hads-had some .xperlence with He Lad seen hundreds of cargoes un-| Latin-American officials; he knew that case. Many cows, that are a credit to their owners, have attained the pinnacle of fame'in the dairy world by having the right blood in their veins, and then converting feeds, such as are grown on the average farm, into milk and butter fat. True, the dairyman plays an important part in securing the best from his cows by his ability to study the requirements of the individual animal, and to com- bine the various feeds into a balanc- ed sation Suitable for the dairy ow, e 'me! of raising calves ar feeding high-producing cows, as prac- ticed by a noted Ayrshire breeder, of Norwich, may convince breeders just starting in the business that breeding, careful feeding, and proper attention, are the essentials in building up a show herd. . 5 ] The herd referred to consists of from 30 to 35- animals, in the pink individual animal in the herd, amd endeavor to supply its wants. A variety of feeds to form as near a balanced ration as possible, re, ty in feeding, and strict 'attentions to details, are items of importance that! are considered by the successful stockman.--The Farmers' Advocate, Why Succulence Pays. : Numerous scientific trials and com- mon experiences on farms have abun- dantly demostrated the value of add- to the rations of rm ' The beneficial effects of succulence, whether supplied pasturage, silage, soilage, or roots, are many. Just as our own appetites: gre stimulated by fruits and green vegetablds, suctulent feeds are re- lishes for the animals of the farm, inducing them to consume more feed and convert it into useful products. It is reasonable to hold that such loaded in all parts of the world, he had examined the packing of thous- ands of parcels of sea-freight, had written technical articles on the sub- ject; it was one of his hobbies; and never, since he was at Essen, had this particular form of iron strap passed under his eye till mow. It failure to accept a bribe could usual- ly be traced to a larger counter-bribe, or unusual pressure of some kind, He sat down on a pile, in sight of the door, but some distance away, and stared at the murky, greenish flood that heaved in oily undulations below him. This thing was getting on his of condition. Individual yearly re- cords are kept, and mature cows pro- duce from 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of high-testing milk during a lactation period. In years past, animals from this herd have won laurels in strong competition at many of the big shows. palatable feeds stimulate digestion, and it is well known that their bene- ficial laxative action aids greatly in condition, There is no doubt that, for breeding stock, less tense and more watery flesh, a natural sequence of keeping the digestive tracts in good. was very strange, Then the waiter appeared with fresh papers. The mail-boat had come in during the early morning; she would sail at noon. He glanced over the papers, and his sense of un- easiness began to take shape. There was more about the mysterious non- appearance of ships in Pacific waters. nerves. All his inclinations were to- ward the mail-boat, and a quick voy: age north and east. But a number of unformed and exasperating suspicions tugged the other way. As he sat pondering, two men came down .the dock from the direction of the harbour-master's office. One was a dapper, alert fellow, in the uniform This herd is housed in a well-lighted, frame stable.: Silage forms the basis of the ration, and about forty pounds is fed each animal per day. Corn for ensilage is sown quite thickly, as it is believed more feed, and bet- ter feed, can be gown per acre than if corn is sown with the aim of pro- ducing matured cobs. In filling the silo, the corn is cut very. fine, and it feeding succulence, is more conducive to vigorous young at birth and to their hearty maintenance after birth than is the condition of hard, dry flesh produced by feeding only dry forage through the winter. , The dairy cow gives her maximum returns when she is supplied with succulence. Such feeds tend toward rapid sturdy growth with the young The list of*the overdue was longer; a boat belonging to one of them had been found waterlogged, its stern torn away, with the body of a sailor, who had evidently been killed by a bullet, entangled in its painter. There were conjectures that a German cruiser had slipped through the North Sea cordon and into the Pacific by unfrequented routes; that she was probably intern- ing the crews of sunen vessels on gome remote island. British and Jap- anese warships were scouring the archipelagoes for traces of ths sup- posed marauder, As Crane ate his breakfast these things kept running through his mind, and, tangled up with them, the incid- ent of the strap iron bands, which quite refused to stay down. Soon he finished the meal, paid his bill, saw that. his luggage was placed in the mail-boat pile, then took up his hat and struck a rapid gait for the docks. The Dutch freighter was gone and her slip lay empty. The freight had all been removed to the warehouse be- tween the dock and the railroad of the Tehuantepec Railway Com- pany; the other was a tall, dark man, dressed like a ship's officer in the freighting or coasting trade. But there was something about his gait and carriage that aroused in Crane the same sensation as those peculiar iron. straps had done. The two turned into the warehouse, and Crane arose and sauntered past the door. Glancing in, he saw the tall man standing by the pile of long boxes, evidently checking them off by a paper in his hand, The watchman was talking volubly to the railway official, and Crane quickened his pace till he struck the crowded side-walk which led to the mail-hoat, now almost ready to leave the dock. As he raced along he came to a quick decision; and' when the Galveston pulled in her gang-planks, a few min- utes later, John Crane had already ro trieved his bags, packed them into a rickety closed cab, and was rattling over the rough streets to a rather ob- gcure hotel on the other side of the town. | "~ Having engaged a room, he retired to it, and proceeded to change into a is believed to-make better silage than the coarse-cut corn, A few roots aré grown on the farm, and are con- sidered excellent feed for dairy cows. If it were not for the extra labor en- tailed in handling a root crop, a larger acreage would be grown, Clover hay is fed night and morning. The concentrate part of the ration is com- posed of oat chop and bran, in equdl proportions, the amount fed each cow depending on the milk flow. The heaviest milkers are giver from ten to twelve pounds per day. Two or three pounds of oil-cake or cotton- seed meal, are fed per day. Prefer- ence is given to feeding oil-cake one. meal, and cottonseed the next. The cows are watered in the stable, but} are turned out for exercise when the weather is favorable. : The' Milk From This Herd ' goes to a cendensary, consequently there is no skim-milk on which to raise the calves: When possible, the! cows are bred to freshen in the fall, as there is usually more time during the winter for properly attending to) the calves and heavy milkers, than and summer | of all farm animals, Some succulent ing the horse in condition, to which the thrift of the work horse when turned out to pasture bears Witness. But the horse at hard or fast work ance of thése feeds make rapid and economical gains on pasture, and grass-fed animals are in the best possible condition to make rapid gains when placed in the feed lot, Amopg the most important con- tributions of the &xperiment stations are their demonstrations of the economy of feeding silage to fatten- ing cattle and sheep and of the pos- sibilities of cheapening the cost of food is especialy beneficial. in keep-| should receive only & limited allow-| u Eo. Sioa end she ders 'to murder, massacre and gle widows and children, leaving tl nothing but their eyes to weep with, "Of course if Dr. Meyer's conten- tion is right I must confess to being quite wrong. In other words, if artillery ig not out primarily to the range for killing our foe, but to shoot or frighten black rabbits and mosquitoes, my kill Germans is al place. i fo "wAs for our friend the of Peter's, Hatton Garden, the Rev. New- sham-Taylor, and his rooted conviction that it ill beseems ecclesiastical H to advise killing Germans, I must make bold to say to him in reply that the only reason that I can discover for the unseemliness of such 0 ig that it is unbecoming a minister of religion to speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. = "Sir, with Joffre 'and Kitchener, French and Haig, 1 ¢ ; raise my voice reminding my country, way only, by artillery attrition. And I find that the chief reason why our war lords to-day are wo sanguine about peace rooted.in triumph over. the foe is that our artillery is: mow: better than his. As a plain English- man, I understand this fo mean we, can kill off the enemy quicker than he. us. 3 : "If our Nonconformists ministers had only exhorted their followers to. join the colors in the language of of fre and Roberts instead of in the hesitating terms of er' and Ne sham-Taylor 1 venture™ should now still be unde tary system instead of a compulsion bill. "Sir, unless our troops are the front to kilt Germans let come home and get killed with us. They won't have to wait long." - SHIPPING FEVER esse Bi and all others, no matter how roar alsossin 3 having any of these diseases with SPONN'S