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WWR- I;*; W MM' %-Wi: '-f%^*y^rxt" ' ' '<?. % *'$ 4]fnc®E f%:«f ^VWVV M > 5 * ^ '-wj.w!m $i$- f"ti j.W 4$| PRIVATE JIM'S RETURN. {4*. * # H * l - : ^ M " m -'A- .£jV.. **&" tfS? ER hair was drawn back in lit­ tle waves from her brow. Now and then she would raise her gentle eyes and glance out through Che jjantry window toward the patch of tell, waving hollyhocks that Jim had glanted four summers before. She was Kneading dough, and two or three times •be stopped to scrape the clinging bat­ ter from her finger* with the back of a case-knife. She hummed a little old-fashioned tone, emphasizing the "turn te turn" with savage jabs at the rapidly harden­ ing dough on the shelf:I ard before fcer. **Jane!" " • ' N© reply, **JaiSer> The'-ungalnjly figure of a young girl fc gingham, her hair escaping in strands the loosely tied knot at the back '*£ her head, ai>i>eared in the pantry doorway. "What d've want?" "I want ye t* git them biscuit tins out '•f th' kitchen cupboard an* bring 'em in here t' me." The girl slowly turned and shambled Across the kitchen flopr, the run-over keels of her old slippers clatteriug on (tie white scrubbed boards as she •walked. "1 never see sjch a girl." muttered Urs. Springer to herself. "Seems like • impossibility t' git any decent help •«t here in th' keutry. All th' girls that's good fer anything gits up an' gits tf teowun ez soon ez they're th' right • -*€* t' be srood fer anything. Only them A3 is too laisy t' live is. lef* fer us out here." "Here th'.. tins be. M issus- Spri nger." Jane dragged herself into the buttery aad laid the baking plates on the shelf at Mrs. Springer's elbow. Mr*. Springer turned, her hands and arms flecked with flour. "Did ye grease 'em?" she asked akarply." "N<Vjna'am; j-e didn't tell me to." "Bjprn't tell ye to? Hain't ye got «nse enough t' do that 'ithout bein' toir The girl took the tins and shambled Hack Into the kitchen, to return them after a space of five minutes, "greased." "Is they anything else?" she asked. "Yes; neow go out an' git me a pail o' water. I hain't got time t' do. every­ thing." Again the girl disappeared. From the great lump of dough on the hoard Mrs. Springer pulled little lumps and rolled them into flabby globes, which she placed in regular lines on the bottom of the biscuit tins. She had patted the last little lump ibto a ball and wedged it into a corner •f one of the pans and stepped back to •urvey her work, when through tlu> •pen doorway of the kitchen floated to Jter, on the cool September air, the call, -Missus Springer! Oh, Missus Spring­ er!" "Neow I'd like t' know who tha.t is," •he exclaimed as she crossed the floor and pushed open the screen door. "Per th' lan's sake, Zeke Evans, what he you a-wantin'?" She had stepped out on the back . porch, all green and blue with clinging vines and open morning glories. The little man in the light "rig" wiped the perspl ration from his brow and clambered out of the vehicle over the wheel. He advanced toward Mrs. Springer and extended a yellow envelope. "This ftvm las' night," he said, "jes 'fore th' ten twenty arrove. Th* operator asked •e'f fetch it. At fust I thought I'd liring it right over, not thinkin' but what It might be from Jira. Then I sez tf myself, sez I, 'Missus Springer will He t' bed an' better wait till mornin', so £ fetched it over on my way deown." At the name "Jim" Mrs. Springer •hitched the bit of yellow paper, and, with fingers that wavered a little, tore •pen the envelope. Zeke waited. The envelope dropped to the floor of •he porch. Mrs. Springer held the dis­ patch in her left hand and followed the •crawled writing with the fore finger of her right. One glance at the words and she cried •at, "It's Jim. He's coruin' home. It's from his capting sayiu' he has been sent Home sick in th' care o' two other sol­ diers. He lef' th' camp yesterday after- Boon an'll be here airly to-morrer morn- ita'." "Sho! Ye don't say," exclaimed Zeke. "Dew It tell how bad he be? Why didn't thet dura operator over t' th' depy tell me it wuz frum Jim an' I'd • brought it t' ye las' night." Mrs. Springer smiled and cleared her throat. "They's time enough, Zeke," she •aid. "I'll go right in an' fix up his' room so's t' have everything ready when he conies. , As yew drive on down, yell over t' Bmld. He's in th' spring lot hoelu'. Tell him t' come right up here t' th' haouse. thet Jim's a-eomin'." "Is there anything I kin do fer ye?" asked Zeke. a little tone of anxiety in his voir*. "No, ibcy ain't nawthin'. An' I don't believe I even thanked ye fer bring!®' me this telegram, Zeke." Zek»> blushed and stammered that • "that was all right," and turned to clamber over the wb.eeL again into his "I'll te'sl Butld!" lie cried back over •toe top of the carriage as he drove on down the lane. Matilda Springer went back into the titchen and through the little passage w*ay into the front room. There by the half-curtained window, through which 4he sun rays had filtered on another September morning, long before, and lighted the face of a man tin a coffin, •he read again the telegram. "Jim is •Ick and I have sent two members of the company along with him." Mrs. Springer laid the telegram on the table and went over to the old hair­ cloth sofa- She sat there i^ the semi- dkarknefes for nearly an hour, and when ' ah* arose she lifted the corner of her •becked apron to her eyes and wiped away the moisture that had gathered in them. ' A little smile of happiness, too great even to give itself full expression, curved her trembling lips and as she climbed the front stairs and went along the hall to the door on the right, at the end, she murmured to herself so softly that the words were lost In the noise of her footfalls. "Jiin'll be here to-mor­ rer. Jini'll be here to-morrer. Heow I wish Ezry had a-lived till neow, to see his boy a-comin* home from th' war t' me like he come t' me more'n thirty year ago." That night when the rest of the fam­ ily and all the help were asleep Matilda Springer lay in her bed and dreamed awake. In her mind the .years unrolled before her like a panorama. She thought of the day Ezra Springer had asked her to be his wife, of her acceptance. It'was under the big shag hickory tree down by the spring lot, and they had gone a-nutting together. And then the war and his return. And then thieir mar­ riage. and their long, happy life there­ after. And Jim- the boy who twenty- two years ago had come to them. Then Ezra's death less than a year aft£r Budd's birth. How he had left her with the two children and farm, and an honest disposition to make the most of everything. That was fourteen years ago. And as Matilda lay there by the open window listening to the rustling leaves outside she marveled on the bird-like flight of time. And then the war--she thought long­ est of that. Four months before Jim had come to her, inflamed with enthu­ siasm. All the boys in the Thompson- ville company had signified their will­ ingness to go to the front at the call of the President. There were ten vacan­ cies in the company, and, could he go? It would all be over In a month, and then lie could come back. Yes, he could if his country needed him,.. £he remem­ bered how she went down to Thomp- sonville one summer morning with Budd to see Jhn off to camp with his company. He wrote her Vhe night be­ fore the regiment left for Cuba. Let­ ters came to her regulftrly for awhile, and then, of a sudden, they ceased. She thought of those endless driys of wait­ ing for just a word from him, ker boy, her Jim. And then at last, after cen­ turies It seemed to her, came the letter saying he had been in the hospital with the fever. She remembered how near- A-COMIX© HOME, BUDD around tV- -etrrve above the statloh the engine swerved. The bell clanged and the train stopped. Mrs. Springer ran back to the passenger coaches. One or two sleepy heads were poked out* of the windows, but no one got off. The woman's Jaws fell. No. there was no one in the rear cars for Evans Crossing, the brakeman told her. "Ain't they some soldiers?" she cried, her face all white. "Oh. soldiers," he said, "they's some up in the baggage car. The woman turned and ran down the platform. As she reached the forward end of the* .first passenger coach two soldiers lifted a long pine box from the car ahead and laid it on the platform. The woman cried out to them, "Where's Jim, my boy Jim? He was comin' on this train! Where is he?" "Who?" asked on6 of the meij in unl form quietly. "My boy. Jim Springer." / The soldier did not answer. He stooped and glanced dowp at the little white card tacked on the lid of the long pine box. "I can't tell her, Bill," he whispered to his companion. The engine bell rang. The train was moving. "Why--why--why don't you tell me?" cried the woman. She rushed toward the two men. She glanced down at the box. The card caught her eye. ,She leaned over and read the words written there. Then she stood up straight, her face white, her mouth open, her eyes staring at nothing. < A cry cut the air--a keen, piercing, gashing cry--and the woman fell upon her knees beside that box and, throw­ ing her arms over the top, sobbed and beat her head against the lid and scratched the rough boards with her naiis. And just then the sun broke through the clouds and the dewdrops on the grass, the leaves, the trees and every­ where sparkled like diamonds. All na­ ture seemed to mock a mother's agony. --Debroit Free Press. HASHEESH. The Cause of Insanity Among the Na­ tives of India. The reports of the asylum at Cairo, Egypt, as to the native patients there exhibiting the nature of the mental disturbance associated with the exces­ sive use of hasheesh are said to show some remarkable facts, It appearing that in 41 per cent, of all the male pa­ tients hasheesh alon^, or in combina­ tion with alcohol, caused the« mental symptoms, while this was the case with only 7 per cent, of the females. As to whether the^e is a special recog­ nizable form of mental disturbance produced by hasheesh, authorities con­ clude that in a considerable number of cases in Egypt the hasheesh is the chief if not the only cause of such men­ tal disease. The usual types of the dis­ ease are hasheesh Intoxication--that is, an elated and reckless swaggering state, with optical delusions and hallu­ cinations. Acute mania Is another form of hasheesh Insanity, involving fright­ ful hallucinations, restlessness, sleep­ lessness, incoherence and exhaustion; again, there is exhibited a weak-mind- edness, the patients, though well be­ haved, being excitable about small things and unconcerned as to the fu­ ture.--London News. mo NOT EAT ENOUGH. )• ly crazed she was after $he read that letter Then came others, saying he was bettor, and then day after day without a word, save once, when a short note, scrawled on a bit of wrap­ ping paper, came to her with the news that his regiment was again in the Uni­ ted States and encamped somewhere on the Eastern coast. And at last the dispatch of that morning--"Coming home"--and sleep closed her eyes. At 4 o'clock Matilda Springer awoke. She hurriedly dressed and called Budd. He went out and hitched up the two horses to the old democrat wagon and removed the back seat. He led the^ horses up to the back porch and called to his ihother. She came out dressed in a brown poplin, and on her wavy gray hair rested her best bonnet, a little affair of jet, with violets on one side and strings to tie under the chin. Around her shoulders she had wrapped a shawl. "I--I--can't hardly wait," she said, half to herself. Budd helped her into the wagon and climbed in after her. He drove over the dusty country road and across the old wooden bridge with one hand hold­ ing the reins, for she clasped the other. She did not speak often „during that drive. There are times when the heart is too full to allow of the forming of words. This was one of those times. The mother's heart was filled to over­ flowing with love for that boy whose face she had; not seen for so many, many weary weeks, whose brown eyes had not looked down at her for oh, so long. The vagon rolled down the last hill in the road and around the curve at the bottom. Budd drew up the horses at the depot platform. "Yew stay here an* hold 'em," said his mother. "I'll go over there an' sit on that truck 'til th train comes." She got out fef the <«onveyance and walked around the station bouse to the other side. Unobserved by Budd she wiped her eyes and then she sat down on the fruok. f\\ ' By and by tne^young agent came and unlocked the door of the building and went inside. Out upon' the cool morn ing air was wafted the "click, click" of the telegraph instrument. Mrs. Springer rose fitah her seat and, entering the building, walked over to the ticket window. < "Is th' train from th' north on time? she asked. "Three minutes late at Silver Lake, was the answer. "Heow long afore it's due?" There was a little tremor In the voice. "It'll Where fn eighteen minutes the operator replied. By <ftjd by from away up the track came tjie rumble of an approaching train. Nearer and nearer, and then . • * Winning t Prize, An odd example of the caprice of for­ tune came to light at the last great Spanish lottery, says Tit-Bits. A grocer in Lyons thought he would give some of his customers a chance, and also par­ tially secure his own outlay in a ticket, so he offered all the servant girls who traded at his ghop a two-shilling share in a ticket he held. If it won anything, the prize was to be equally divided be­ tween himself and the girls who took share. Some one hundred of them paid him their two shillings, and, strange to relate, that ticket won the second price of fifty thousand pounds, so that there came a nice little sum of nearly five hundred pounds each to deal out to these lucky servant girls! It need not t« told how delighted they were with the result. Some years ago, In at large English town, a young man who had some lit­ tle capital heard two experienced build­ ers talking about a shop that was to be let in one of the chief streets of that town. "Yes," said one of them, "it will be valuable some day; for when the railway company brings their station approach oat into this street--and they will do it, within ten years!--that shop will be right in the middle of their pro­ jected front, you'll see!" The young man heard the remark. He went away and thought. As the shop had never prospered, he took it on a long lease at a very low rental comparatively to its position. He worked hard, and by strictly atending to business got up "a good connection. Six years later his re­ ward came. The railway people want­ ed his shop. They were surprised at the sum he asked as compensation for being driven out, but after much hag­ gling they gave it to him, and the young man "cleared out," with a tor- tune of five thousand pounds. Liquid Air Versus Ice. At last I can see the finish of the treacherous iceman. A liquid air fac­ tory Is In construction, and presently we will be able to buy frigidity in pints, quarts and gallons. It will be delivered in quantities to suit at a price far be­ low the cost of ice, and in a condition that absolutely precludes the possibili­ ty of waste or short measure. It is clean and pure. It is made without the use of chemicals. One gallon of liquid air. reduced to its lowest temperature (470 degrees below zero), Is equivalent for refrigerating purposes to a ton of Ice. One small tumblerful, dipped out and placed in the ice chest will main­ tain a temperature of zero for twenty- four hours. Hail, boon! Hail, deliv­ erer!--New York Press. N eminent physician in one of our large cities has been making inquiries as to the diet of busi­ ness women, and comparing it with that of men in sifiiilar positions. "The fact is," he says, "three-quarters of the women who board themselves are about half starving themselves. Not that they deliberately and with malice aforethought neglect mealtime or re­ fuse to eat a fair amount of food, but they will not take the trouble to cook dishes suitable for them. I found at least a dozen women out of the thirty employed in one large house who frankly admitted that they never cook­ ed a hearty meal for their own eating. They claimed that the/felt quite well on a diet of bread and butter and cof­ fee or tea, with an occasional piece of cake or a pie. Fruit in the season Is quite frequently used, but at other times it is too costly for women of mod­ erate means or those who earn but; small salaries." It seems an impossible problem to handle, but in some way there must be an arrangement by which women can club themselves together and, by unit­ ing forces, live admirably and under much more healthful conditions than those which at present exist. prentlceshlp, if she succeeds at all, is mistress of the situation. Almost every­ one can recall Instances where women, thrown unexpectedly upon their re­ sources, have developed business quali­ fications of a very high order which they did not know they possessed, and would not have known but for the need of doing Bomething. A Useful Hack. A spool rack may be made from three pieces of thin wire and five pieces of wire. The sections of wood which form the sides are scalloped at their front edges to fit the ends of the spools In various sizes, and a small hole bored In the center of each scallop through A Scottish Soloist. Madame Annie Grey, of Edinburgh, how in this country, is to-day, accord­ ing to the best authorities, the fore­ most exponent of Scottish song. A diplomee and gold medalist of the Roy­ al College of Music, of London, she has had the honor of singing by royal com­ mand before Her Majesty the Queen and Court at Balmoral, on which occa­ sion she was personally complimented by Her Majesty, who is, as is well known, a great lover of the Scottish MADAME ANNIE GREY. minstrelsy, and presented with a gold bracelet set with diamonds. Her first noticeable characteristic is her superb vitality. She seems the very embodi­ ment of life and carries her listeners along with her in a tide^of enthusiasm that Is of her own creation. Scottish son^s embrace so wide a range of sen­ timent and style, that to sing them SUCT cessfully implies gifts of a very high order and no less superior technical training. Both of these are Madame Grey's equipment for her task. Woman's Lannh. A feminine laugh has to be decora­ tive, and so it should be the laugh of gayety rather than of humor. There can hardly be a question as to the sweetest laugli to be heard among na­ tions of women--it is surely the French­ woman's. She has the softest warble of all. If doves were not so serious they might remind, us of Parisian worn • en laughing together. The Italian laugh is happy enough, but it Is not quite so Independent of the subject of laughter; it has a jollity all }ts own. It is some­ what uncivilized, but needs no civiliz­ ing. But its principal characteristic is the contralto tone proper to the woman who is to the last somewhat of a peas­ ant. The laughter of Englishwomen is too various for any brief description. For Englishwomen laugh, not according to their race, but according to their caste, as caste has lately been revised aud redistributed. It may be said that in caste also the treble note, the ready, the immediate, flits up to its own place --the top--and is audible there, for all its slender quality.--Collier's Weekly. Keeping Horses' Wind Sound. ' A broken-winded horse is rarely seen in Norway. The faeMs accounted fo* by the statement that a bucket of watel' is always, placed within reach of th« horse when he Is feeding and the an* mal alternately takes a mouthful ol hay and a sip of water. The bigger the bore a man is smaller the hole he leaves when days are numbered. the his The present is the child of the past and the father of the future. They Run the Town. The women of Las Cruees, N. M., just about run the town. Four years ago the Woman's Improvement Society of Las Qruces was #»rganized, with Mrs. Mary S. McFie, wife of one of the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the territory, as president. Although the town numbered 3,000 inhabitants, there wasn't a hearse in the place. The first thing that the women did was to buy one and let for funerals at a moderate price. It was a paying investment. They have bought ground for a public park, fenced it and planted trees and shrub­ bery, and are now accumulating money to erect a town hall and public library building. How to Secure Fluffy Locks. The girl who cannot accomplish a shining pompadour has gone In for elaborate curling. To do this she is making her hair as fluffy as possible. The locks should be rippled first, combed out and then curled, just as if it liad not been rippled at all. Wlien finally combed out, the hair will be all a crinkle. It will fluff up to an amazing extent, and will hold its fluff, too. A "rat" is hardly needed for the pompa­ dour, the comb Is caught on the under side of the side locks, which ends turn under, held by the comb. Adoptability. The adaptability of women Is one quality greatly in their favor. Set down iu the midst of uncongenial surround­ ings, a woman's first impulse is to im­ prove them. She quietly gives a deft touch here, straightens a little there, and though poverty may be still appar­ ent, yet order has succeeded chaos, and she has imparted to everything within her reach some expression of homely comfort. She carries the same instinct Into business, and after a month's ap- A SPOOL BACK. which to pass the wire; these sides are nailed or glued to "the back, which is narrowed toward the top and extends in fancy outline above the sides, a. hole being bored to hang by. The spools are slipped on the rods or wires, which should fit snugly in the places fixed for them. Sorrow and Beauty. Observation has disproved the theory that only the women devoid of emotion and feeling can retain a youthful ap­ pearance In maturity. Women have been known to pass through heart- tragedies and cyclones of emotioif, and yet wear the satin of youth upon their cheeks, albeit their birthdays have long ceased to be among the year's festivals for them. They said: "My youth and happiness are gone, why should I throw my beauty after them?" And they straightway begat to battle with time and grief. There was scientific mas­ sage for the encroaching lines about the mouth and eyes; there were care­ fully prepared baths for the complex­ ion and varying "food tonic" for the wasted pores; there were outdoor exer­ cises unlimited, resting and sleep-pro­ ducing. Strong, great emotions, such as love and sorrow (and they walk ever hand In hand), may ravage beauty for a season, but they intensify it eventu­ ally If the exterior is well cared for.-- Woman's Home Companion. . New Boil for Palms. A soil composed of three parts of good fresh pasture loam and one part each of leaf mold, sand and well-rotted ma­ nure is a good one for palms. Water frequently enough' to keep the soil moist, and when it is given let It be In sufficient quantity to moisten the whole ball of soil, but do not keep the soil soaking or soggy; leave it until the sur­ face of the soil looks a little dry and •then again water plentifully. It needs hardly to be said that less water will be required In winter than in summer. Woman's Rights in Turkey. The Turkish woman is marriageable at the age of 9 years, and by Turkish law, at that age, if married, she is competent to mange her property and dispose of one-third of her fortune. The law allows her to abandon her hus­ band's house for just cause, and will protect her in so doing. She cannot be compelled to labor for the support of her husband.--San Francisco Chronicle. For the woman who cannot afford many gowns the perfectly plain bodice is, perhaps, the best she can elect for. With this can then be worn--in these days of countless waist accessories- all sorts of tasteful and varied fit­ ments. It serves as a background and foundation. In spite of the edict which has gone forth declaring tjght bodices to be the proper attire, many handsome blouse waists are still shown for evening and dressy wear, and it is safe to predict that this becoming style of garment will remain in favor with a large ma­ jority of the feminine world. A pretty finish to the neck of a dress is at all times desirable, the plain linen collars being only suitable for morning or business wear. Cravats are made in silk, silk muslin, lace, and chiffon, and the foundation of each is a plain band, a well-fltting linen collar being useful for this purpose. They say that dresses are to be very clinging, but as yet they do not show it. The Paris models to be sure, are a little close to the figure, but the Ameri­ can modistes have not yet followed suit to any great extent. The only concession to the clinging skirt is in its set around the hips, which is certainly very tlgh^ . Very few women agree on the ques­ tion of another woman's looks. RECENT INVENTIONS. Hook-down caps are ventilated by eyelets inserted in the front of the cap to correspond with holes formed in the front-piece to admit air to the forehead and interior of the cap. To assist in holding wearing apparel while darning holes therein the materi­ al is stretched over a flexible metal ring, the ends of which lap each other and engage one of a series of Catches to expand the ring to the proper size. i For locking the wheels of baby car­ riages while standing, a new device consists of a rubber band attached to the body of the wagon, and having a hook on the loose end to engage the rim of the wheel and prevent It from turning. A handy device for florists' use is a '.hooked rod for picking up single Hos­ ier pots without the necessity of mov- jing a large number, a sliding bar on one jSlde of the rod closing the aperture be­ tween the hook and the end of the rod [to grip the edge of the pot. To facilitate the opening of paper bags two notches are cut in the mouth of the bag on either side of the center, or two ears are placed in like positions, 'to extend past each other, in order that 'they may be grasped separately to spread the mouth of the sack. Merry-go-rounds are being built In England in whlth the animals jump hurdles, fixed at intervals around the ,course, the horses being suspended rom rollers running on a- circular over­ head track, undulations being formed In the track of the proper shape to lift jthe rider at each hurdle. An'English inventor has patented a life-saving vest to be worn on sea voy­ ages, which is shaped like an ordinary vest and may be worn as ,such, inflat- iafble pockets being provided, which are filled with air through a mouthpiece carried in the pocket and attached to a tube connected with the interior of the vest. The English author most popular in Holland Is said to be Ian Maclaren. Dr. A. Thesleff, a Finnish scholar, who has spent several months among the gypsies of Northern Sweden' and Norway disguised as one of their class, will shortly publish a work on their language, life and manners. - Constable & Co. are to publish a com­ plete library edition of Smolletfs works in the same general style as their recent edition of Fielding. It will consist of twelve volumes and will have an introduction by W. E. Henley. Mrs. Cralgde, who Is still called on her title pages and the announcements of her plays "John Oliver Hobbes," is engaged upon the seqiiel to her last novel, "The School for Saints," and is also at work upon a historical play which will be called "Gwendolene and Locrine," but neither of the works will be before the public for some time' to come. Wemyss Reid declares that the orig­ inal of Rochester in "Jane Eyre" was the brother of Charlotte Bronte's friend, Ellen Nussey, and was a West riding merchant who had all the unpol­ ished force and dogged egotism which sometimes marked the Yorkshire mag­ nate in those days. "Charlotte," Mr. Reid adds, "idealized him into Roches­ ter and planted him in the jnidst of cir­ cumstances of which his own life knew nothing." The death of Mrs. Lynn Linton calls attention to the circumstances that many of the most famous women nov­ elists cotft'e «f a clerical stock. Jane Austen whs the daughter of a Hamp­ shire rector, the Brontes were the daughters of the vicar of Haworth, Olive Scbreiner is the daughter of a South African missionary, and Mrs. Humphry Ward is the granddaughter of the Rev. Thomas Arnold, the famous headmaster of Rugby. The sixpenny editions abroad of the best books of well-known modern au­ thors seem to have hit the popular taste. Rider Haggard's "King Solo­ mon's Mines" ran to 100,000 copies and is being reprinted. This was followed by "Treasure Island," which- has done almost as well, and now Cassells are announcing Mr. Quiller Couch's "Dead Man's Rock," a book of adventure ,that* is less known, but which is likely to rival the popularity of its two prede­ cessors. Hme, Patti'n Burglar Alarms. Visiting Mme. Patti's superb castle In Wales, a guest not long ago had a very curious experience. He chanced to open his window in the middle of the night, and, to his surprise, bells be­ gan to ring in every quarter of the grounds. Very much scared, but realizing that he had, after all, only set a burglar alarm going, the guest descended to re­ assure the household, when he Instant­ ly found °h'iihself in danger from a dozen roVlngf dogs, who had obtained their freedom and were growling and snapping in the ugliest manner. At breakfast next morning he learned all about this curious fad of Mme. Pat­ ti's and wondered at it. The singer has a great dread of burglars. Some time ago a gang of these gentlemen from I^ondon attempted to obtain ad­ mittance, but were defeated in their object, and since that date Mme. Patti has set up every kind of burglar alarm that exists. _ ' The queer part about one of these is, however, well worth noticing. Her largest dog, an, enormous brute, ,*who might be relied on to cope with a little army of thieves, is kept rigorously chained In a patent kennel, but the chain is so arranged that should any one attempt to open a window or a door in the castle the dog is released and free to rove at his pleasure, it be­ ing presumed that he would at once make for the burglars and do his duty. The idea is ingenious and, as the guest discovered, not a little dangerous. Big Trees in Australia. The gum trees of Victoria are the tall­ est trees in the world, averaging 300 feet high. Odorless Onious. The Chinese cultivate an odorless' onion. i&Si ijfeSLLf Those Girls at Golden's. Everybody knew that the Goldens couldn't get a girl to stay, or one that would suit them if she would stay. That was the family worry from January to December--how to secure competent help. A few girls stayed the month out, some only half a month, the ma­ jority a week or less and there had been known cases where the girl left the day after she arrived. It must not be supposed from this that the Goldens were hard people to gfet along with. Mr. and Mrs. Golden were nice, quiet peo­ ple of an easy-going nature, and the two daughters were just as affable and good natured as any two girls in the city. Young George Golden was rare­ ly at- home except during sleeping hours, and Willie, who attended school daily, did not Interfere with the servant girls at all. The family always provid­ ed a good table and paid fair wages for help, while the house was not so large as to frighten a girl accustomed to a reasonable amount of work. But inside of twelve months the Gol­ den family had had English, Welsh, Scotch, Irish, Dutch, Danish, Swedes, Norwegians and colored girls. Those that weren't lazy were dirty or cheeky. The English girl was found by Mrs. Golden stretched at full length on the parlor lounge reading a cheap novel, while her work remained untouched around her. The Scotch girl had such a thick brogue that It impeded her ut­ terance and made it almost impossible for her to be understood. The Welsh girl was addicted to drink, and the Irish girl was decidedly too familiar and act­ ed as if she was mistress of the house. The Danish girl didn't speak English at alL The Swedes broke almost everything in the house, including a few command­ ments, and the two Norwegian girls were lacking in neatness of appearance and general cleanliness. As for the in­ numerable colored girls that had been employed by the Golden family, they were in the aggregate lazy, dirty, cheeky, parsimonious in the matter of the truth, and generous in the dispen­ sation of groceries and other eatables to their relatives and friends. The great cardinal virtue in the Gol­ den household was scrupulous cleanli­ ness, and had that been the prominent characteristic of any one of the girls it is likely that her other shortcomings' would have been overlooked and that she might have stayed in the position. As it was, however, the only two of the entire bunch that kept the house even passably clean were slow and always behind with their work. One day Mrs. Golden returned home from the "Intelligence" office--by the way, why on earth do they call these headquarters of ignorance "intelligence offices?"--in quite a flutter of excite­ ment. "I do believe," she declared, as she took off her hat and wrap, and seated herself In her favorite armchair, "I do believe that I have secured the right girl at last." "Yes, we have heard that very often before," remarked her husband, com­ placently; "they are always the 'right kind of girls' until they get here, aud then they turn out wrong." "But this one is really different from all the others," said Mrs. Golden. "Different in what--appearance, manners or accomplishments? Is it im­ possible for her to oversleep herself in the morning, burn the toast, or tell a lie? Doesn't she break crockery, give cheek, or read novels? Is she fonder of work than of gossiping, or what kind of a freak is she?" "She's just a plain, ordinary-looking girl, but she's an American--first American we have had yet, remember, Joseph, and she looks clean, moves quickly, and talks well. She wants $20 a month, which shows that she has a high appreciation of her own worth." "Oh, they all have that--none of them are too modest in their claims of what they can do. Twenty dollars is a mere bagatelle if she is worth it, but we have not had a girl yet that was worth half of it." "Well, she's coming this afternoon, and we'll see how she gets on. For my part I believe the girl will give com­ plete satisfaction to us all. I believe I have captured a new gem at last!" "What's her name?" "Annie Rooney." "Good gracious!" Sure enough Annie Rooney assumed her new duties in the Golden household that afternoon, and somehow there was that in her appearance which in­ spired confidence In every member of the family as soon as they saw her. At the table she was a jewel. Little, active, alert--swift to see what was wanted and quick to supply it, she had earned the admiration of all before the evening meal was over. She was up early in the morning, lighted the fire noiselessly, started breakfast on the way, and then commenced to clean the kitchen and everything in it; as she ex­ pressed it, the place "wasn't fit to be seen with dirt." "Joseph," said Mrs. Golden to her husband, shortly after breakfast, "An­ nie has gone to do the up-stairs work, and I just want you to come down and look at her kitchen." Mr. Golden softly followed his wife •own stairs, and the pair quietly tip­ toed into the kitchen. The greasy, grimy look on the walls had disappear­ ed, the paint looked fresh and clean. The tin and agate ware shone bright­ ly, as did all the metal work about the stove and kitche»n shelves, the crock­ ery dresser glittered and glistened In the morning sunlight, the linoleum on the floor was spotlessly clean. "There's her morning's work before breakfast," said Mrs. Golden. "I won­ der how ever she did it in the time?* "Here's the answer," replied her has- band, sententiously, as he pointed to a package that stood near the sink. "The girl is a gem, as you said, my deaxy* she uses Sapolio." "But I Should think it would talc* time " "My dear, Annie Rooney evidently knows the difference between time llnd Sapolio." "What do you mean, Joseph?" "Time, my dear, was made for : --Sapolio has abolished housework." Man VInhumainity. "Oh, you needn't talk, said th« tn- dignant wife. "What would you be to­ day if it weren't for my money, I'd like to know?" "I really don't know, my dear," calm­ ly replied the heartless wretch, "but I'm inclined to think I would be a bach­ elor." . . . : '£&&&