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" ' * An i *&*&$* * vm ':rr%* FWTOdn far* MKLWDR jjy CHARLES MORRIS BUTLER. Ht ffertntr of Atorrr: " "S? Tenc/nct*/ Copyright, l?«i. by CharJes Mdrrls Bufl«?., -- - ; - - CHAPTER VIII.--Continued, ; v "We can run 110 chances, you know, Doe," laughed Pearson, insinuatingly, rlft- Ki pv;; ' W': W-i-i.? S. - i • then as if in apology fur uis act, "be­ sides, it will be to your own Interest ta cps« the haunt was discovered. If you do not know where it is, you at least will not be held responsible for any harm that may come through the discovery, see?** • & "We kill traitors!" aaid the matter- of-fact Sharkey, complalsantly. * "It may save your life," said Pear­ son, as he satisfied himself that the doctor was completely blinded. But lie took no pains to insure the doc­ tor's comfort, for he placed a pair of handcuffs upon his wrists. "I am obliged to do this," he said, as he changed places with the boy and sat upon the seat with Schiller, driving the team, "so the boys won't tha»& me unmindful of the duty I owe them in protecting them from possible danger from treachery." " The doctor sat in silence for quite . « time, meditating upon the strange­ ness of his adventure. Oft and anon, «,*obi the distance, could be heard th£ haying of dogs,' so that the doctor knew he was being driven past farm houses now and then. But they met bo one. At last the team came to a halt and the .doctor was assisted to alight. The trio left the roadway and the doctor heard the team drive off. Pear- con walked arm in arm with Schiller, guiding his footsteps, so that the doc­ tor did not fall into any of the numer­ ous ruts or bark his shins against any of the snags in the underbrush. Shar­ key followed on behind, carrying the doctor's case of instruments. Again Doctor Schiller broke the •Uence: "What kind of a place are you taking me to?" he asked. This time Pearson condescended to keep up the conversation. "Did you stance, we shoot a man for interfer­ ing with another man's wife. If there is any law we do respect, it is the law of marriage. Most all of our penal­ ties are death. A man is compelled to be honest to another if he desires to live. We are not justified in taking life, we are not the law, but it can­ not be otherwise with us." "How do you live? That Is how do you obtain your supplies?" asked the doctor. "We have agents who supply our wants. They have many acres of fine agricultural land, supplied^ with mod­ ern machinery, and plenty of help to till the soil. What we do not raise, we buy, or in extreme cases, like the present, we raise by force." "You talk of schools. I should think t*ere would be no need of such a thing as an educational institution. The country cannot exist, it will be depopulated through poverty, if noth­ ing else. You certainly have not been in existence long enough to have rais­ ed children to the age of schooling." "Not so. We have existed for twenty years or moire unmolested. We are self-supporting. We dig gold from the mountains. We have manufactures (in a remote form) for the making of shoes, and supply a large^ portion of one of the states with this article. In fact our treasury is on a sound basis, better to-day than it ever was." "Why do you divulge to me the secret of your existence?" asked the dottar. "For the simple reason, my dear doctor," replied Pearson, complaisant­ ly, "that it is my wish that yoii take up residence with us. We are in need of a few professional men like your­ self, to make life pleasant for us. You are one of our kind--an outcast--and have nothing to lose by joining us. As for a money consideration, we can pay you a salary princely in magni- wt 'Hi & w, •>* * Pearson walked arm in "anttwfth Schiffer. A sentinel, armed to the teeth, guard­ ed the door, hot upon reoeiving th< tto ~ZVi7 to "MS. Hewed logs at the rear of the roomi formed a "blind door," which led into another room twenty feet long and Six- .een feet wide, along one side of which bunks were arranged after the: rash ion of berths on a steamboat, and from the number of these at least thirty persons were finding sleeping accommodations in the abode. In one corner of the room, on a lower berth lay the wounded man. Up to this point the doctor had not been relieved of the bandage from, his eyes. This was now taken off, together •with the handcuffs. The room was dimly lighted by a candle stuck in the neck of a bottle. The doc­ tor first rubbed his eyes, then his wrists, while he accustomed himself to his surroundings. A groan from the direction of the corner berth made him look toward it. There were two villainous looking men sitting at the side of the bunk, holding the hands of a wounded man. > The doctor threw off the covering which was over the man, who lay stretched upon a rude mattress, a bandage roughly tied around his waist and over, one Hmb. He was soaked in blood. > "A basin of warm water," said Schil­ ler to Pearson. "Hand me my instru­ ment case.' he said to Sharkey. With one hand on the wounded man's wrist he was counting the number of heart­ beats to the minute. This being done, the doctor opfened his case and laid out a package of clean bandages, and selected Several Instruments to have them handy. After the water arrived he bathed the hurt with a sponge, and examined-the wound made by the bul­ let. "We will administer a little chloro­ form." said the doctor, as he satu­ rated his handkerchief with the fluid taken from his case. When the man was thoroughly tinder the influence of the drug, he was lifted upon the table. The doctor then began probing for the bullet and succeeded in locating it alipost imme­ diately. It was but the work of a mo­ ment to remove it, and to thoroughly cleanse the wound with a preparation taken from his case. The flow of blood was stopped as well as possible, and the wound bound up. The patient was placed upon the bunk again, be­ fore the chloroform was taken from him. (To be continued.) .-isLv 8 BEATEN AT HIS OWN GAME. gster hear of the Jonesboro Bank rob­ bery?" he asked. "Yes! You mean the time when President Jones was killed by about twenty mounted desperadoes while at­ tempting to protect the bank's prop­ erty?" /'The same. Well, we are going Tight to the cave in which the des­ peradoes took refuge when pursued liy the citizens." "So?" asked the doctor in surprise. "Yes, I don't mind telling you, Dr. •Schiller, that we are only a foraging party for a colony of convicts--it is a |ard term to call a company of men-- convicts, but that is what we are! We have formed a colony; built a ftty; protected ourselves against cap­ ture, and mean to live in peace--if we can. But, Doctor, I don't think you will find us such a bad lot of men, after all. I don't know whether you m sympathy with crime or not, though you once did commit a crimi­ nal offense. Even your class will nev­ er realize what a life such men as I have led in Infancy, youth and man- hood, and the need of protection from •ourselves and the world." "It must be an interesting com- iasunity," said the doctor. "So it is. You would hardly be­ lieve that we compel one another of the motley group of citizens to live upright and honest lives, would you. • Composed as it Is of all the different ^tfiades and grades of criminal out­ casts." [ "Hardly," »was the incredulous an- „ #wer. "Such is the case, however" replied ^Pearson, enthusiastically; "We respect ; ««ne another's rights; carry on busi­ ness honestly; support schools, and * While our colony, as you can well 5 m- iitgine, is not founded on a religious tude In comparison with fbur pres­ ent income!" The doctor was somewhat prepared for the offer. "All I want is money and revenge in this world," he said, as if assenting. "Money to be happy --revenge on the man who, is the cause of all my trouble!" "You can command money in plen­ ty,' said Pearson--what kind he did not say. "Revenge depends upon your­ self. Whom have you such bitter feel­ ings against?" "A doctor who Was: instrumental in sending me up." "How^ and in what way do you mean to accomplish your ends?" "How I don't know, nor care. But I want to make him suffer as I have suffered. Disgrace him before the world aft he has disgraced me! Re­ duce him to poverty and want! Ruin him; imprison him; do anything to make him feel what It is to be damn­ ed--an outcast of society. That is my only aim and desire!" Sure Thing Gambler for Once Gets the Worst of It. "There was a sure thing gambler down in Mississippi named Gamble-- good name by the way," said John Sharpe Williams. "He never made a bet unless he was sure he would win. He was out at a country fair, staying at a hotel. One morning a man who was in the sporting line himself got up early and looked out of the win­ dow. He saw Gamble carefully meas­ uring with a tapeline the hitching .post in front of the hotel. He knew something was up, and When Gamble went out to the fair he went out and measured the hitching post himself. Then he took a sledge hammer and drove the post into the ground an Inch and a half. . "That night, after supper, lrhile they were sitting on the hotel porch, Gamble craftily led the conversation around to the difficulty of Judging dis­ tances and heights. " 'Now,' he said, "there's that hitch­ ing post out yonder. I'll bet a hundred I can come nearer its height than any body here.' " How high would you reckon it is?' said the sledge hammer artist, who after a lot of conversation, had put up the hundred with Gamble. 'Oh,' said Gamble. 'I'll take it at 30 inches.' " 'Oh, no,' replied the other man, you are wrong. I'll bet it Is less than 29.' "They measured and It Was 28%. Gamble hasn't smiled since that day." --Rehoboth Sunday Herald. . 'l&jfb'ir ' gort--honorable marriage, or duty to «$ur neighbor. Barring a few neces fary raids, such as we are out upon / '- ^ow, we live very ordinary lives." k'"You are not all hardened then; .•v'"'*ou cannot be!" V * "We are not all criminals, of course . pot. But most of us have done some- Ifchlng some time or other to merit pun ^shment from the government. There 4re many like you, who have paid the 1 -penalty of their islns, and only asso- V '; jciate with us because they cannot bear " to parade themselves before the world as having fallen once. Being 4>ound together in the state described, however, places them on a footing Irith the rest of us. Whether all do *puiything contrary to the law or not, Ml are held accountable to the law for what the few have done, under- j jatand?" Wi' "Yes, I believe I do. What you mean to say is, that the law never forgives ryou what you have done at any time, ino matter how right you live after- vrards." "That's it. But we live In open «#flaace of the law. That is, we hare iflMmfnrtnred laws that conflict with tit !«ws of the United States. F6r in- CHAPTER IX. Or. Schiller Initiated Into flu#"' Con­ vict Society. The time may come," said Pearson, Insinuatingly, to Dr. Schiller, as he helped that worthy over a log lying across their path, "if you join our forces, when you can do even more than this. You are a man of intelli­ gence and will undoubtedly command influence in time. There is no reason why, in the future, you could not or­ ganize a band, kidnap the gentleman, and incarcerate him alive in a living tomb!" The chance was readily grasped by the doctor. "I accept," he said. have everything to gain. If you desire my presence among your clique, you can depend upon me. To show you that I am sincere. I will do all in my power to aid you in any undertaking you may engage in. To show the people whom I come in contact with that I will do right by them; if human hands can save your comrade I will put him on his feet again!" "We will soon be at the rendezvous and can then be convinced of the sin cerity of your resolve," said Pearson They walked on in silence the bal­ ance of the journey. At last the party came upon a little clearing. By aid of the moon, which was- shining now a man's form shown up in the dis­ tance. "Halt! Who comes there?" was the challenge. <s "Citizens, friend sentinel, who have with them a doctor," was Pearson's re­ ply, and at the same time he made a mystic sign with his fingers. The trio traveled a short distance further and were again halted. Again they passed a sentinel and at last stopped before Jthe door of a dugout, situated in a ravine. -The door stood partly ajar, through vWilch came the glimmer of a light created by the burning of a pine knot suspended from the ceiling of the room which was about elarht feet square. Which He Took. You probably remember the school­ boy who, in a composition on pins, said, "Pins have saved the lives of many people," His teacher was astonished at this statement and asked him to explain it. He replied: "By people not swal­ lowing them." That was not the case with, the pan in the following incident: ' 'My dear,' Mr. Finnicky said to his wlte, 'I don't think those pills I have been taking have doije me much good.' " "Why, you haven't been taking* any for three weeks.' "Yes, I have; I've swallowed one three times a day as directed.' "'You have? Then why is it that there are as many left in the box as there were three weeks ago? What box have you been taking them from?' " 'This one--marked for me.' " 'Dear me, John! That is my shoe- button box.' "--Birmingham Herald. ' Printed Swisses. Printed Swisses with flower designs >ver a plain or dotted surface have appeared in attractive guise, and a clever combination was effected in a little Swiss frock of white dotted Swiss trimmed with English embroid­ ery with two bands of embroidery run­ ning down to the waist line, forming a panel, which was trimmed with ruf­ fles of Valenciennes lace. The full skirt was trimmed with ruffles of Va­ lenciennes. Another white frock, more lavishly trimmed, with Valen­ ciennes insertion and lace, had small medallions of fine SwiSB embroidery in its trimming. On the skirt and around the body of the blouse ran alternate rows of inset insertion Mid nedallions and tucks. i ; "H Sugared Almonds. Sugared almonds in place of aalted ones are now preferred and the recipe for their preparation is the following: Remove the skins of the almonds after having poured boiling water over them; then place them in melted but­ ter, about two tablespoonfuls, leaving them to stand on the back of the range for about an hour. Pour off the butter, put the almonds In a shallow pan and cook in a moderate oven for a quarter of an hour. Put three table- spoonfuls of sugar in a small frying pan, set over the fire and stir until it melts thoroughly; then when the sugar becomes liquid turn in the al­ monds, stir for a few seconds and spread on a plate to cool. German Breakfast Cake. Keep from the bread dough enough for a large loaf just before the last rising. Add to this dough three eggs, a cup of seeded raisins, a cup of cleaned currants, one and a half-tea- spoonful each of cinnamon of minced citron, a half-pound of butter and a half-teaspoonful each of cinnamon and nutmeg. Mix and knead thoroughly. Set aside to rise as you would bread, only adding to the usual time for bread fifteen minutes, as it needs a little longer to become light enough. Bake. , How to Starch Napkina. A good laundress never" all6W8 tier napkins to be too stiff. They are glossy and Just stiff enough and this is how it is done: After washing tnem she dries them in the air if possible. Uhe then dips a large, soft, clean cloth into starch and rolls the dry napkins in this, spreading them out on tne starched cloth, which also is spread out, roiling up aii together. When ironed they will have acquir­ ed the desired satiny stiffness which is such a charm in a well-laundered article. Box for the Shirt Waistik The'girl who is an adept a;t tr&fas- forming old furniture with cretonne and tacks has just evolved a desira­ ble shirt waist box from a small, old- fashioned, wooden trunk. She began by scraping off all the old lining pa­ per and pasting a dainty calico over the entire inside. A flounce of pret­ ty cretonne was tacked on the out­ side all around, the top was padded with an old quilt with cretonne smoothed over it, and a four-inch ruf­ fle at the edge (covering the opening) put on with brass-headed tacks, makes it look like a French doWer boat. Omit the Ugly Choker. The separate waist is still as much In vogue as ever, and on the heavy linens and madras materials, embroid­ ery is very much used. The sleeves in these waists are not so extreme--a slight fullness is gathered into the cuff, which is a little wider than usual, and stiff. It is to be hoped that the high linen collar will not bear them company, for while the cuffs are pret­ ty and rather becoming to the hands, the high choker collars are both un- oomfortable and unhealthy. Plaited Linen Waist. Blouse of linen made with plaits at the shoulders and a double box plait in front. The little plastron Is orna­ mented with buttons and the cravat and girdle are of silk. The sleeves are full at the top. An Energetic Builder. One of the most energetic nest builders is the marsh wren, in fact, he has the habit to suqh a degree that he cannot stop with one riest, but goes on building- four or five in rapid suc­ cession. And there is nothing slov enly about his work either. Look among the cat-tails in the nearest marsh, even within the limits of a great city, and you will find his little woven balls of reed stems with a tiny round hole in one side. There is a certain method even in his madness, for the nest in which his wife is brood­ ing her seven or eight eggs is less likely to be found when there are so many empty ones to be around. Then, too, he uses the others as roosting places for himself.--C. Wm, B&ebe in Recreation. „ > Heard of Otter. She--They say the Kongo dwarfs, six specimens of whom have been brought to London by Col. Harrison, never reach a greater age than 40 years. He--What do yon suppose does it- chloroform? Japan's 8pecle Reserve. Japan's specie reserve stood at $225,* 000.000 (American gold value) on Jan. 1, 1905, after eleven months of costlj war 1 where they are made with crosswise plaits and inverted plaits and are fit­ ted below and trimmed with a band of the rial ornamented with but­ tons. ^ • Don't get the stiff ones. They are ungainly, give an awkward line to tne little figure, and are very warm. The latter is especially true of patent leather. Attractive Sleeve*. In voile and thin wool gowne the sleeves are Immensely attractive. For Instance, a pale blue gown of the cob­ web like old-fashioned fabric known as wopl delaine had in it gathered sleeves of the thinnest tucked swiss, with a touch of the same material re­ peated in the collar. A light gray chif­ fon evening gown cut low has an em- piecement and yoke of cut steel open­ work land on over white chiffon. A tiny ruche of the white chiffon edges the neck and the gathered) sleeves are also made of th$ white and finished at the elbow with chiffon ruffles. Sleeves of finest white lawn are also put In co|p|-@4s muslin gowns. ^ Girl's Woolen Ore as. The short skirt forms a bo'f pfalt in front, and is finished at the bottom with a wide band of sdutach® em­ broidery. The long blouse, witV slightly " »it5 feW ! crossed fronts bordered with embroid­ ery, opens over a tucked chemisette of white batiste. The girdle is of leather. The sleeves are puffed at the top, fitted below and finished at the wrists with thf fiDBhroidery. Stnart Traveling Skfrt. A smart traveling skirt is made of checked tweed, with a long checked tweed coat of light weight. The color can be gray and black, or a pretty combination is steel color, gray and red. . ' WMe Belts for Childi*tL_ So many hundreds of women have gotten into the habit of dressing tneir young ones, boy and girl, with narrow leather belts with tiny buckle, that it would sound discouraging to them to advocate the wide belt. However, it is true that the latter are at the top of fashion. Many children wear the narrow ones and will continue to do so, but if you would be smart, the three aqd four- inch qpft leatber belt Is the one to adopt. f .. Pickled Oniorfil, ' r Select only small, white onions. Put them over the fire in cold water, with handful of salt. When the water becomes scalding hot, take them out and peel off the skins. Lay them in a cloth to dry; then put them in a jar. Boil half an ounce of allspice and half an ounce of cloves in a quart of vinegar. Take out the spice and pour the vinegar over the onions while it is hot. Tie up the jar when the vipegar is oold and keep it in a dry plaee. New and Elegant. Supremely elegant Is a frock of satin-spotted gauze, a new fabric as yet sacred to the elite of the sartorial world. In the present instance the spots are large ones sprinkled at in­ tervals on a Sevres-blue ground. A draped belt of the same colored taffeta emphasizes the beauty of this popular hue, the under dress of white silk serving to keep in countenance the trimmings of white applique lace on the outer robe. With the latter toilet a hat was worn with a sweeping blue feather with a cluster of blue mar­ guerites beneath the brim. The hat proper was of white straw. Choloas in Colors. In dress materials the colors as well* as fabrics of gowns contribute much to the wearer's comfort. White, vio­ let, dim blues and string colors are to be preferred always to deep tints and all black should be religiously avoid­ ed, unless the wearer is too stout to wear anything else or is in mourning. In material, wash fabrics are always more productive of comfort than wool textures, no matter how thin the latter may b& 1 *' Makes the Blouse Effective. A scatter of tulips in outline, drawn Upright with a curving leaf springing from either side of the stem, all work­ ed In delicate green on white linen, makes a wonderfully pretty blouse front. The cuffs and neckband should be worked to correspond. So, also, three and four-leaved clover, outlined on green silk and filled in with open­ work lace stitches, make a decorative scatter for white and cream-colored Silk or linen shirt waists or blouses. Delicious Coffee Cookies. Beat half a cup of butter and a half- eup of lard to a cream with a cup of brown sugar, add a cup of molasses, stirring in a pinch of baking soda dis­ solved in a tablespoonful of hot water, beat hard, stir in a cup of strong cof­ fee, a tablespoonful of ginger and a« tablespoonful of cinnamon. Add enough flour to make a dough that can be rolled out, roll into a sheet three-quarters of an inch thick, cut Out and bake for IS minutes. Features of New Belts. Broad white suede belts, with a strip of pink, White or blue satin rib­ bon sewed through the center, are being worn with white summer frocks that are trimmed with pink or blue ribbons. Reversing the order of deco- ~ -ration, pink and blue, and black suede or glace kid belts are adorned with one broad strip of white kid or three narrow, one in the middle, like the broad stripe, and the other two sewe«b to the edges. * Pretty Finish to Frock, i A stetty finish to a muslin or chif­ fon frock is a neckband of wide soft satin, matching or contrasting with the general color scheme, drawn through diamond slides In the manner ef our old friend, the dog collar. " fAitfes Q# BILLIONS. i»r." at $11,244,882,000 Pay Little, Census Shows. According to a bulletin of the Cen­ sus Bureau, the commercial Value of the railroad property in the United States is 911,244,852,000, distributed among the various'states as follows: Alabama, $150,211,000; Alaska, $100,000; Arizona, $68,356,000; Ar­ kansas, $124,626,000; California, $35,- 694,000; Colorado, $198,261,000; Con­ necticut, $105,369,000; Delaware, $17,- 285,000; District of Columbia, $5,578,- 000; Florida, $80,467,000; Georgia, $156,603,000; Idaho, $91,877,000; Illi­ nois, $805,057,000; Indian Territory, $79,405,000; Indiana, $375,541,000; Iowa, $344,847,000; Kansas, $356,356,- 000; Kentucky. $155,772,000; Louis­ iana, $123,401,000; Maine, $80,146,000; Maryland, $132,342,000; Massachu­ setts, $250,052,000; Michigan, $277,- 597,000; Minnesota, $466,734,000; Mis­ sissippi, $107,884,000; Missouri, $309,- 768,000; Motana, $196,209,000; Ne­ braska, $263,170,000; Nevada, $43,745,- 000; New Hampshire, $79,786,000; New Jersey, $333,568,000; New Mexi­ co^ $86,400,000; New York, $898,222,- 000; North Carolina, $113,146,000; North Dakota, $123,390,000; Ohio, $689,797,000; Oklahoma, $78,668,000; Oregon, $75,661,000; Pennsylvania. $1,420,608,000; Rhode Island, $25,719,- 000; South Carolina, $75,500,000; South Dakota, $49,646,000; Tennessee, $131,166,000; Texas, $237,718,000; Utah, $90,325,000; Vermont, $37,311,- 000; Virginia, $211,315,000; Washing­ ton, $182,837,000; West Virginia, $201,- 799,000; Wisconsin, $284,510,000; Wy­ oming, $100,367,000. The percentage of tax valuation compared with the commercial value Is given for the various states as fol­ lows : Alabama, 35.9; Alaska, --; Arizona, 9.7; Arkansas, 27.8; California, 26.3; Colorado, 25; Connecticut, 114.4; Delaware, --; District of Columbia, 44.6; Florida, 27.1; Georgia, 40.3; Idaho, 11; Illinois, 63.8; Indiana Ter­ ritory, --; Indiana, 44.3; Iowa, 16.7; Kansas, 16.9; Kentucky, 49.9; Louis­ iana, 28.9; -Maine, --; Maryland, --; Massachusetts, --; Michigan, 70.9; Minnesota, --; Mississippi, 27.7; Mis­ souri, 31.6; Montana, 18.7; Nebraska, 18.5; Nevada, 31.5; New Hampshire, 28.8; New Jersey, 69.5; New Mexico, 9.9; North Dakota, 18; Ohio, 19.4; Ok­ lahoma, 15.3; Oregon, --; Pennsyl­ vania, --; Rhode Island, 61.5; South Carolina, 39; South Dakota, 28.9; Tennessee, 46.6; Texas, 40; Utah, 22.9; Vferraont, 73.3; Virginia, 37.7; Washington, 14.3; West Virginia, 14.2; Wisconsin, 76.6; Wyoming, 7.5. The valuation given does not In­ clude the value of Pullman cars or private cars. The value of this equip­ ment, independent of the commercial use to which it is put, is estimated as follows: Pullman cars, $51,000,000; private cars, $72,000,000. The publication is intended to show the estimate placed upon the railroads for business purposes, and it purports to give their market value rather than the tax valuations. In a note It is ex­ plained that "The value submitted was determined, not with a view to discovering a proper purchase price for the railways of the United States, nor as a basis for taxing these rail­ way properties, but as one step in ascertaining for the Census Bureau the total wealth of the United States-" LEADS MEN OF SWEDEN. Christian Lundberg Looked To ln, the Present Crisis. Christian Lundberg, the new Swed­ ish premier, whose official title is min* ister of state, and who will direct Swe^ den's course with regard to the seces­ sion of Norway, is the conservative leader, but recently, has favored mod­ erate reforms. He is a wealthy manu­ facturer, and has been a member of the upper house of the riksdag since 1885. Mr. Lundberg was, until his ac- cesion to the cabinet, chairman of the committee on state affairs, the most influential parliamentary post in Swe­ den. He is a shrewd and cautious statesman, is possessed of great en­ ergy, and, while not a brilliant orator, is extremely effective in debate and as a public speaker. He was born July 14, 1842. illt uplift His Excuse;/ •' "Ah-hah, Squire!" cackled Hi Spry, the village wag and cut-up, upon en­ countering the Old Codger, next morn­ ing after the date of the appearance of the Greatest Show on Earth. "Keiched ye in a yarn! Told me y« was goin' to take boy to the circus, and I Heen ye right smack up on the tip-top seat last night, without a sin­ gle sign of a boy with ye!" "Took the boy I used, .to be, years and years ago!' returned the veteran, crabbedly. "I'm In my second child­ hood, golram ye!"--Puck. Oats In the Poultry Ration. V I find sometimes that there Is prej- adice against feeding oats to poultry|||^|i but I always find that this prejudice ~ is based on Inexperience. One man i';^, that raises a great many birds said to> me that he had never fed oats and did" ^ not believe in feeding them. I askedl him why, and he said that his poultry did not like oats, and also that he had . heard that hens and chickens Would , fill their crops with oats and that!***?" when they drank water the sharp" points of the oats would penetrate?J" their crops. I asked him whether he^ ^ ( bad ever heard of a case of this kindj*f^,, a n d h e r e p l i e d t h a t h e h a d n o t , b u t ^ - ' that he had heard so much about it' that he was inclined to believe that it was true. I told him that I had oats for a dozen years, and had neverv*;, ^ bad a case, of this kind. ' If oats ever penetrate the crops ofjf <•-f' fowls, it is under exceptional condi-r tlons. I can well understand a chickfe^ being deprived of food for a good! • * many hours and then being given a^/V, large supply of oats. I can conceive of), this chick filling its crop so full of! oats that when it took water the oats-f' u k' would swell, and the points of somefe*- of them would penetrate the mem brane. I have never had a case oa'vO v this kind because I have never per-^'ii;-, mitted the chicks to get so hungry"! that they would fill themselves full oft'.*' oats in an attempt to appease that? a hunger. It is perfectly safe to allow^ hens to have constant access to oats, ~ in which case they will never eat too many. As to the liking for oats, it is quickly acquired by the flock. Most birds and animals show a dislike to foods that they are not accustomed to. As is well known,-the steers from the" western plains, when offered corn, re­ fuse it at first. They acquire a liking for it little by little. The same is true of poultry. I believe that the oat is a very desirable food for poultry, as the ingredients composing it are well bal­ anced In their relations to each other. --Peter Graham, Bourbon Co., Kan., in Farmers' Review. Health of Show BHi||C A large breeder of poultry tells us that the losses in the show room sus­ tained by fanciers is very great. In some cases half the fowls that are taken to the shows and that .make the rounds of the shows, die before the show season is over. Some of the ones that come back are debilitated and are never of much value to th® show man or others. The man that sends his birds to the show has to ex­ pose them to all kinds of weather con­ ditions. The worst of these are damp­ ness and drafts. It is extremely diffi­ cult to get a show room, especially at the fairs, where there are no drafts. Doors are generally open on opposlta sides of the building, and frequently cn four sides, and when this is not the case, windows are open to get a draft through. When hundreds of birds are on exhibition in one small room it is absolutely necessary to get frequent changes of air, and this re­ sults in drafts. Probably in thes show rooms drafts cannot be avoide and the show man must do the nexf; best thing, which is to have a coop closed on all sides except one. Thesa exhibition coops are generally cov­ ered with muslin or cotton cloth, and the danger comes in having it open, or only partly nailed down at the sides* The coops should be so thoroughly! covered with it that no drafts can ge§ through. This will leave one side open for the feeding of the birds, and drafts are not possible in such a case. - Cockerels for Market. •'4 ^' half of all the hatched Out prove to bof cockerels and most of these have! to be sent to market to get?" rid oC' them, when the flock is so big that tho ^ farmer's family cannot consume th«M extra birds. They should be segre­ gated early in the summer, .as soon af :' v their frame is fairly well developed, •; and should be fed on a ration that is well balanced, having about one-sixth of it protein. Some say feed corn a% soon as the birds are shut up, bub this is not economical. Feed some com and add ground oats, and give soma green food. A variety of food Is good at this time. A little time befom marketing, say two weeks, deprive"® them of all exercise, as this will help them to lay on fat rapidly. The digest­ ive power that has been gained while they had exercise will last for a time after they have been deprived of exer- cise. To. Edit Secretary's Manuscripts. The late Secretary Hay left to hit daughter, Mrs. Whitney, a number oi unpublished manuscripts. She inher lted no inconsiderable share of hex father's literary taste and shortly will begin to prepare for publication some of the manuscripts. During her ab­ sence abroad she has caused a species of kiosk of quaint design to be built on the shores of Shadyslde lake al Manhasset, and it Is there that she Intends to do most of her literan work. Variation in Fowls. Fowls vary according to the num­ ber of strains that compose their an­ cestors. Nearly all our modern breeds are combinations of other breeds, and birds of new and strange plumage ar« continually appearing. Many a man that has Plymouth Rocks has pure white chicks. Some men have saved these chicks and developed the white Plymouth Rock. It is safe to say that we might go on indefinitely increasing our breeds by saving the variations, but there is no advantage in this. It is merely increasing the confusion al­ ready existing. The effort of the poul­ try breeder should be to eliminate all these variations, that he may help purify the standard stock. Cooling a Hot Room. One of the quickest ways to cool a large room is to hang a towel or blanket that has been dipped In cold water in the mid­ dle of the room. The temperature will fall several degrees in a very short time. The possibilities of this ar­ rangement are apparent, as many sheets or blankets can be used if de­ sired. The small grower of fruit can reach his customers personally. The large grower of fruit cannot. This is where the small grower has the advantage over the large grower. Intelligence <can overcome - both drouth and freshet, at least ia their after effects. Deep rooting plauta ^4wprpve drainage of the soil. tfce -'§S<ctJ Wvt1 1