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SYNOPSIS OP PRECEDING CHAPTERSâ€"Guy Bartleigh leave. England to find his long lost. cousin in San Francisco. Hulda Curing. lord. an actress in that city, is pes- tercd by genteel loafers amongst whom is Caryl Wilton who propose: and is rejected. She learns the story of her mother's betrayal by Sir Richard llartleigh. Sir Rich- ard's child, Constance. whom Guy is seeking. dies. and Maida im- personate-s her and is tak- en to llartleigh "all, where she be- comes the ilol of the household. A late is given in her honer at V3700" Castle during which it .3 suggested that she take part, in some amateur theatricals. \lildred Thorpe, an un- cnlployed.Americun girl in London is exhausted by her fruitless efl'Ol'l-S to obtain work. After securing anâ€" gagen‘ient as cmmtry church organâ€" ist she is about to faint when the is misted by Carl Wilton who is struck assisted by Caryl Wilton who is Itruck by her likeness to Haida Cal'- ringlurd. He Visits the Duke of Bel- daire at whose soul, the amateur act- or: are disconcertml by the loss of their Romeo. lie is persuaded to act as substitute. They stood aside with a movement. 0! curiosity. The tail, graceful fig- ure in its magnificent costume came in. Carrying his domino and mask in his hand, and. looking around with a nonchaiant, easy grater, so natura to him. He was certainly another who showed neithu apprehension nor nervousness. - "Come on gentle vuicc citcnwnt. t0 Juliet." At this momon room and aumou leudy. “We are ready Lord Aigy. ”“1 high?" “Oh. Constance. let me introduce my friend who has so kindly con- Icntcd to come to the, reecue and save us all from failure. Mr. Caryl Wilton. Miss Constance llartleigh.” She Was Still talking to the Mer- cutio. and turned gracelully with name light. remark upon her lips. They were all looking at her, and they all. without exception saw the mask slip from the hand that went with a quick movement to the heav- ing bosom. as the face. a moment ago so smilingly. so girlishly serene. turned a deathly white, from which the dark eyes gleamed as might those 0! a doe at. bay. Maida’s A certain t'xpl't'FSiUn as of incredu- lous horror. dimly defined. passed over the white face. and she stood ailently staring at, the man before. her. who had not. yet, taken the trou- ble to 1m his languid eyes. Secret ...... ..":"..nxnzuxuzu..uzuzx..n.¢ £§~¢¢~§z§3§3¢3§. one. was or keen mqmry. Caryl had been the first himself. and. as if he had understood each flashing the other. had answered first. expression had been or exultation. his next. had I)- doubt. and then had a! calm cold smile of compo waiting. 32.x. :3? "$53.3 2 $¢§§§¢3¢¢w As long as it had taken to record this meeting. it. had tukvn but a mo- ment for it to take place. and ere any one there to witness it had fully tealizcd that anythin' was amiss Caryl Wilton had bowul low. and in his most natural tone had said: "I am afraid I have kept you waiting. Miss Ilartleighâ€"an unpar- donable sin behind the scenes. I With a mechanical smile her eyes fell upon his. and she inclined her head. struggling for the voice which would not come. Then. with an ef- fort not the less strenuous that no one was cognizant of it. she said: "I do not think you have kept us waiting. It is very much better late “I do not think you have kept us waiting. It is very much better late than never in such a case." Her voice. though low. was as steady as his own. and her eyes met his unflinchingly. Anal this was all, only two polite. conversational sen- tences. while the heart of each throb- bed wildly under the strain of a sud- den recognition. And if the out- ward eye of each was cold and stea- dy. the inward eye was none the less levcrish with the far away visions 0! another theatre tar distant. where a Romeo had stood one night before a Juliet; of a lonely house and o! a. passionate declaration of love. dare not hope for forgiveness, though I am filled with remorse.” What. of the boasted stoicism of the ted Indian in the {ace of self-re- straint such as this? With his white fingers playing with ‘ - “Eh?” muttered Sir Richard. lean- npparent carelessness with the jewel-L ing forward. His only interest in ed handle of his sword. stood a man the mattcr was its bearing on his who had suddenly. without a hint of; daughter. I! it was anything to at- warning. come “POD the Woman'iect her he was anxious to know. whose face had haunted him for; "Who is it? Caryl Wilton? Wouldn’t weary W001“, and whom he had long-' know him. “here is Munville. then? ed to see as only such a man could. I hope he will do as well." long: stood carelessly waiting and‘ “As well?” echoed the duke. “I whirls. his heart on fire, his brain should think so. Monville was a M13118 with astonishment. delight. l good Romeo to look at, but Wilton wonder. lis good to look st, and â€"â€"- By ‘M “‘0“ “WM!!! him, erect Jove! listen to him! He has the .II composed, with her “into lips nerve of a professionsl. I didn't. There ’()h. 1 CHAPTER X lV.â€"Ccntinued n," said Lord Algy in his '. now tremulous with ex- ] Want to introduce you .dy. ton.” :1 Where is Miss answered 8 Hart.- curved in a taint. sweet smile, stood a girl face to face with the detector of her crime, face to {ace with one who must either be a passionate lov- er or a. deadly toe. And before her was a. task sufficient to try the strongest to the uttermostâ€"a task requiring all the delicate fire of gen- ius, all the cairn composure of train- ed talent. How was it. possible that she could go through it with this manâ€" this relentless pursuer, watching her (-vcry word and looking for some sign of weakness? “wen." said Lord Algy in a. com- monplace tone that seemed all out of tune with the passions hidden in those tm) breasts, “are you ready?” Realize it! Words cannot even de- scribe it. Caryl Wilton glanced at. the face opposite him, and then, in his most. indolent tune, answered: “Oh, yes; but give me a drop of champagne to drive away the nor- voussncss of an amateur. My knees are trembling." "You look irightened." said Lord Algy, laughing. “But here .is the champagne." and he handed him a. glass. (Jury! took it and appeared as it about, to drink it, when a sudden thought seemed to strike him, - and he 011mm! it to Muida. She shook her head with a smiling negative, but, he did not. take back his hand. He still held the glass before her, and bowing courteously, said, in a 1mm audible to every one: "Take the advice, Miss Hartleigh. of one who has haul the misfortune to go through this sort. of thing sc- wm' times. whereas you, probably, g “If it. were not bad manners to ' propose a toast, to a lady at. such a time. I would drink this to Miss iHau'tlcigh’s success in Julietâ€"~or in any other part, she may play.” 110 drunk the wine. "Now I am ready to do poor Romeo to his death. have never had a taste of amateur t!u.~utriculs before. You would be wise to take. a glass of champagne.” Unly Lord Amy notices the change which has come over the whilom in- dolent. mun. The indifferent. drawl has gene from his voice, the dark- m'uy eyes flash with a new tire. and mm,- is something imperative in the yuimr of his head. Mama hesitated a moment and then took the glass. Did he know that. her throat was parched and burning, that her heart was beating so that. it. 'mk all her strength to speak? what. did he mean? Was he covering It was a face handsome enough at all times, but made particularly so now by the long, flowing hair, which set it. off in a Titian-like modeling. 'l’here was no weakness in it, and though it. was inscrutable even to her sharpened eyes, she seemed to feel that. it. held her fate with a. con- scious power. Should she defy him, deny him. or yield to him? Neither. She would be woman-like and wait. And if light she must. then, woman- like again. she would fight to the last gasp. a threat. under his proflcr o! aid? Was he merely 1laying with his vic- tim? Or was he trying to encourage her? She drank the- wine slowly in or- der to collect her forces as well as to profit by the liquid refreshment. Her eyes sought his face and studied it. “A‘xiotilcr glass?" he asked polite- ly. as she took the empty glass from her lips and hold it out to him. And when the glass was filled he raised it. to his lips, and, with a smile which only Maidu could under- stand, said, carelessly; liavc no concern Miss lIartlcigh; should vour lines fail \ou. you may rely on me. for I have played the part quite recently.” He leaned a little nearer. so that only she could catch his words. and went on, with a light smile: “I don’t mind telling you that the last time I played it was with a professional actress in America. Her name was Maida Car- ringtord. You must have heard of her. though I know you have never seen her, for she was killed on the overland route during a stage rob- bery." "Hush!" said Lord Algy. “All ready, now. Take your places for the first set." The curtain rose. and there was a delighted ripple of applause at' the beautiful scene disclosed: another and still another, as each actor made his appearance. ‘ -L Then Romeo, with moody, ab- stracted step. entered. At. sight of the tall. richly dressed figure there was a loud welcomeâ€"When a. little buzz and hum of surprise. “It. isâ€"no. it. isn’tâ€"yes, it. is. Why it is Caryl Wilton!" whispered her mac. __ - na- n: -L-...I Inn-a. “bxâ€"why satâ€"id 'the duke, “that is not Manvillc! Who can it. be?" “It isâ€"no. it. isn’tâ€"yes, it is. Why “Ell?” muttered Sir Richard. lean- ing forward. His only interest in the matter was its bearing on his daughter. If it. was anything to at- iect her he was anxious to know. ”Who is it? Caryl Wilton? Wouldn’t know him. Where is Manville, then? I hope he will does well.” ‘__s_- €01 \V I! tho AI!" 0!"... u A Ginny's Dunne." “ Anetta M's Witt.” “ A Hart's Blunt-cu." CIIA I’TER XIV "1 pectation a Most 0 ton talked wi 3’ they now the but they ln't to come. l°now he was here. I’ll wager Mn is delighted." It Algy was. so was the audience. They had been well enough satisfied to get a handsome Romeo, but here they had the looks and much more besides. Composed and selfâ€"possessed, Caryl Wilton played as i! he was earning his daily bread. Letter-perfect, ac- tion perfect, but rather like an ad- mirable machine than a real Romeo. ‘ He was playing mechanically, for; there ran constantly through his brain the query, How comes Maidn Curringford to be Constance Hart- leigh? _ - She declined with a slight gesture, and stood looking past him toward the wings, and his eyes watched her with only half-concealed earnestness. He went off to a hearty round of applause, and Lord Algy caught. him by the hand and thanked him eager- ly for having done so well. :TNot yet, ” he anr chrcd “they are shifting the scene. Will you not. take a seat?” They were standing thus when Guy, covered with perspiration, came suddenly upon them. A puzzled ex- pression flashed over his face. and he dropped into a chair, looking at Manda with admiring, wistful eyes. - “I séchyo; have forgiven me, old fellow," he said. “How well you did it!” ”xiii-d I?” asked Caryl as a peculiar smile passed over his fac_c:. He looked around for Maida, but she was not to be seen. She had re- tired to her room. But presently she came out. and when he looked at her he saw that she had fought the battle with herself and had conquer- ed. A calm smile was on her face, and her eyes rested on Caryl Wilton as unconcernedly as it she had never been aught but Constance Hartleigh. wvv- '- “Have I been called?” she asked of him. Manda with admlrmg, wnsum cycs. “All ready?” he asked. "Now for your boasted courage, Constance. Are you sure you feel calm?” “write,” she answered, but she did not look at him. .Her eyes were full on Caryl Wilton. "‘I have courage enough to carry it. through. 01 that I am confident.” “--- 'V And (‘ai'yl \\',ilton looking straight back into her eyes, saw a gleam there which told him that she was prepar- ed to hold the position in which he had found her. said w--_-‘- (.111 turned to him with a sort, of apologetic smile, and said, in his [rank way: O ‘ 1 "We haw-c not been introduced. 1 am Guy llm'tlcigh. and stage car- penter, at your service. I want to congratulate you on your perform- ance. I never saw la professioxml do Caryl turned a cool, composed, ab- sent gaze on the frank, handsome face of his questioner, and, Without the least. show of consciousness, an- swe red : Iâ€"I'vv"__ “I have not had the pleasure of meeting Miss Hartleigh before to- night. Why do you ask?" (my hesitated a moment. “I fanciedâ€"I don't. know, eitherâ€" that you seemed to recognize her. Foolish, of course, but I had the no- tion.” ‘â€" ""B'ymth?) Way,” he said abruptly, "have you met. my cousinâ€"Miss Hartleigh, you knowâ€"before, Mr. Wilton?" it as Well." "I suppose I may thank you for the compliment without fear of being understood as believing it." replied Caryl, with his careless smile. “Oh, but I meant it literally." Caryl bowed with an air that might be construed any way but as one of acceptance. _ - fl With a composed glance around, Maida moved away, followed by the other characters. Guy looked after her for a moment, and then turned to find Caryl also gazing after her. And he was struck by the singular expression on his face. “Juliet! the nurse! Lady Capu- let! ” shouted the callâ€" boy. Caryl watched him narrowly to see if there was any hidden meaning, but. the honesty and openness of Guy was unimpeachable, and he answered, slowly: "0:18 does not meet such beauty as Miss Hartleigh’s every day, and, to confess the truth, 1 was startled by it ” my colored and looked curiously at Caryl. He did not seem the man to be startled by anything, but it was not Guy's way to harbor suspi- cion without more than good cause, and so he now dismissed the subject from his mind for the time. Moreover, there came a diversion which, anyhow, would have ell’cctual- 1y driven the thought from his brain, and that was a sudden and prolonged burst of applause from the audience. (my jumped to his feet and cried en- thusiastically: “She is on. Listen to them!” Caryl laid his hand upon the back. of a chair and turned to listen. “It is an o 'ation.” he said. “I wonder if it is for the beauty or for “it is an ovation." he saw. I. wonder if it is for the beauty or for the acting.” It was for the beauty, for as yet she had not said a word. The cos- tumer’s am; will render even a plain person fair look upon; there is a wonderful magic in pearl powder, rouge and India ink. Imagine then Maida’s loveliness, heightened by their aid, her exquisite form set off by the close-fitting costume of satin and pearls, the whole set in a beautiful picture and moving to soft music. They were astounded and looked from one to the other in am- azement. Was this young creature with the girlish, almost childish face, with the happy, innocent smile on her half-parted lips, and deep, trans- lucent eyes, the reserved, silent Con- stance IIartleigh. who had come among them like a vision, none knew whence. â€" n . . C Sir Richard, pale and agitated, as much by her beauty as by the noise, half arose from his seat. then sank back and looked at her with his trembling hand shading his eyes, which were moist with tears of lovâ€" ing pride. “Hash, hush!" said twenty voices, and at once there fell a silence of ex- pectation. Most of them there had met and talked with Constance Hartleigh, and they now listened to hear her voice, but they listened for what was not to come. Constance IIartleigh no {62), am confident of it," he longer stood there. Haida Carring- Iord had sunk her identity into that of Juliet, and those who sat there heard fall from the cherry lips only the artless prattle of the childâ€"wo- man of old Florence. It was Juliet herself who stood there, Juliet who spoke; and she had not uttered a half dozen words ere all had forgotten that she was anyâ€" thing else. The audience sat spell- bound. But. there was still a further sur- prise in store for them. Presently there came the meeting between Romeo and Juliet. For an instant Maida grew cold and merged into the Constance Hartleigh they all knew, but, as if Caryl Wilton's spirit had caught the tire from hers, his acting was quite dill‘erent from that in the first act, when he had been alone. It was all intense, earnest, passionate. now. And so it went on, she cold and he passionate, until her nature could stand it no longer, and the actress once more conquered the woman. Then there came such acting as none in that audience had ever seen or hoped to see. Romeo and Juliet in the body seemed to be before them, talking and moving about, instinct with the life great Shakespeare had Reel of Cotton Suggested the Deadly Naval Engine. Everyone must be familiar with the ingenious locomotive animals to be bought in the London streets for a penny, miniature mice, lizards, and spiders that, on being dropped from the hand, at once begin to run by merely slackening the string that is fastened through the creature’s back on to a bobbin. given them. But probably very few people are aware that the simple contrivance that makes the animal move was the means of giving the War Office the Brennan Torpedoâ€"an expensive toy indeedâ€"as it gave Mr. Brennan '250,000. The manufacturers of locomotive animals noticed that if an ordinary reel of cotton was put upon the ground, and pulled towards the hold- er ef one end of the threadâ€"the un- wound thread being underneath the reelâ€"the reel did not come towards the person pulling, but at once ran in an opposite direction. Conse- quently a string was wound on a wheel inside the dummy of a dimin- utive animal, with the resut that the toy mentioned above was produced. The mechanism that propels the Brennan torpedo is in the main no- thing more than a wire rope coiled round a drum in a steel case, a more elaborate version of the penny street toy. Twelve miles of steel wire are ne- cessary for a two mile run of the torpedo. six miles being wound on each reel. The curious part of the Brennan lies in the apparent paradox in its method of 111opulsion, the harder the torpedo is pulled back the faster it “ill go ahead. Yet :1 reel of cotton will do the same. The technical working of the Bren- nan torpedo is as follows: 'l‘wo wires are rapidly unwound from two reels placed in the interior of the torpedo, and connected to' the two propellor shafts of the weapon. The unwinding of these two wires is ef- fected by means of a Winding engine placed at the starting point on shore, for the Brennan is particular- ly useful for harbor or coast deâ€" fence, for which purpose it was prac- tically invented. The unwinding of the wires causes the two propellers to revolve at a very high rate of speed, and forces the torpedo through the water. The explanation of the tcrpcdo's vagaries is easy enough in reality. 13y hauling at the Wires a corres- ponding rate of revolution is im- parted to the reels which are fixed to the propeller shafts in the tor- pedo and thus to the two propellers themselves. This gives a contrary power to the propellers, a power, which, if it only be strong enough to resist the retarding strain on the wiresâ€"us it isâ€"must urge the torâ€" pedo through the water. 'l‘he Brennan torpedo will travel at twenty miles an hour and has a. range of two miles. It weighs, when fully "dressed" with its dead- ly explosive about twenty-live hun- dredweight, being twenty-five feet. long. And this formidable “ toy " came from the same source as the penny crocodiles you can buy in the London streets. Nobbâ€"You must like to hear that dreadful grind organ, since you pay the man to play under your window every day. Motherâ€"Johnnie, I am going to whip you {or taking that piece 0! pic. Bifikinsâ€"I tell you I hate to think of my wife going away on a vaca- tion. Nobbâ€"No, I don’t like it any more than that. girl over the way who is taking vocal lessons. Johnnie-Look at the elephant moving his great. big fins, mamma. Mammalâ€"Those are his ears, dear, What. use has an elephant for fins? Johnnyâ€"Huh! I pfuess he can use them when his head swims, can’t. he? Diggs â€" There goes a newly mar- ried couple. Daggsâ€"Ilow do you know? Diggsâ€"I saw him give her a, 35 bill to buy some chocolates mun,- Bilkinsâ€"I dare say you will be lonely, old man. BitIkinsâ€"It isn’t. that, but she al- ways mowed our lawn. Johnnieâ€"All right, maw; whip me real hard; there's another piece left. P UN] SIIMENT IN ADVANCE. TOY INTO TORPEDO. HIS REAL REASON. SWEET REVENGE. To be Continued. AT THE ZOO. P ROOF . The principles which underlie suc- cessful crop growing in Canada may, said Dr. Saunders to the Parliamen- tary Committee on Agricultu‘rc, be thus summarized:â€" Maintaining the fertility of the land. mainly by the proper care and use of barnyard manure, and the ploughing under 0! green clover, thus adding fertility and humus. D â€"â€"â€"â€"--u â€"v_ Adopting a indicious rotation of crops. .- n . A. _‘, -‘_â€"A v- vrâ€"- Following the best methods of pre- paring the land. Early sowing. Choosing the best and most pro- ductive varieties for growing. The selection of plump and well ripened seed for planting. Along these several lines many ex- periments have been conducted. _-- - -I‘ rV-uâ€"u-vâ€"v'w -v- Continued efl‘orts have been made to gain knowledge as to the best methods of maintaining and adding to the fertility of the land. which is so essential to the continuance of good crops. Special attention has been given to investigations to de- termine the best methods of handling barnyard manure, the universal fer- tilizer which is more or less avail- able everywhere to the Canadian far- mer. Experiments continued for eleven years have shown that a given weight of manure taken fresh from the barnyard is equal in crop-produc- ing power to the same weight of rot- ted manure. It has also been shown by repeated tests that fresh manure loses during the process of rotting from 50 to 60 per cent. of its weight. The eflective use of the barnyard manure, so 'as to obtain the best results with the least wasts is one of the most important prob- lems connected with agriculture, for on this material the farmer's hopes of maintaining the fertility of his land and thus providing for a succesâ€" sion of good crops are mainly based. During the past twelve years an- nual tests have been made to gain information as to the relative value of artificial manures used separately and in combination, on nearly all the important farm crops, and the re- sults obtained have been published. Long continued experiments with ar- tificial fertilizers used alone have given results which are disappointing considering the large amount of available plant food they contain. One reason for this lies probably in the fact that these fertilizers con- tain no humus, and that the propor- tion of vegetable matter in the soil has been much reduced by constant cropping. Thus the capacity of the soil for holding the moisture has been lessened to the detriment of its crop-producing power. Experiments have been conducted for several years in plowing under of green clover to enrich the land, and it. has been shown that clover seed can be sown in all the eastern Provinces of Canada and in the coast climate of British Columbia to advantage with all cereal crops, without lessening the grain crop for the current year, and that after the grain is cut the clover grows luxurâ€" iantly, acting as a catch crop dur- ing the latter part of the season. Green clover turned under is special- ly valuable to the land for the rea- son that it absorbs while growing large quantities from the air which is stored up in its tissues. A heavy mat of growth is produced by the autumn, which, when plowed under, adds considerably to the available nitrogen in the soil, as well as to the store of humus. The proportion of nitrogen thus added to the land has been found equal to that obtain- ed l‘roni a dressing of ten tons of barnyard manure to the acre. Con- siderable supplies of potash, phosâ€" phoric acid and lime are also taken up by the clover plant during its growth, a part of which is gathered .rom depths in the soil not reached by some other farm crops. In this way the clover practically enriches the soil to some extent in these oth- er important elements. That the land has been much improved by this treatment has been shown in in- ‘creased crops on many plots, when compared with adjoining plots on which no clover has been sown. In ione series of experiments with oats, ‘ the average increase for the first year was 28 per cent. in the weight of the grain produced and 78 per cent. in the weight of straw. In the second year, when the barley was sown on ,the same series of plots without any additional fertilizer the increase of the weight of the grain produced on the plots which had. been treated with clover was 29 per cent., and tie increase in weight of the straw was 35 per cent. In a similar series 0‘ experiments conducted with pota- toes, the plots treated with clover gave an average increase in the Weight of the tubers of 28 per cent. These experiments are being contin- ued from year to year. The tests made in 1900 with oats, wheat, bar- lcy and potatoes, confirm those of the preceding years, and further es- tablish the value of this method of adding to the fertility of the soil. In preparing the land for crops; different methods are adopted in difâ€" {smut nnrm nf the Dominion. In the is the timcwta make amends by gu- thering the obstructions and dumping them in the games. Thresh the wheat the earliest pos- sible moment if you had the grain moth last year, else the miller will not buy it. ' _, â€"-_-.l I-" In preparing the land fer crops; (lin'erent methods are adopted in dif- ferent parts of the Dominion. In the eastern Provinces the advantages arising from fall ploughing have been repeatedly shown. The exposure of the soil to the influence of frost, sunlight and air is beneficial. Spring work is materially advanced and the crops can be got in earlier by the adoption of this practice. 1“] V II nu~v August sown rye makes good fall pasture. Use three peeks of rye and fifteen pounds of crimson clover and you will have first-class full feed. __--.| L__ 4].. “'1; the mower was injured by the loose stones in the hay field, some one was negligent last. spripg.‘ This UNDERLYING PRINCIPLES. SEASONABLE TOPICS. from fence corners and out-09M” places had better be burned I! put. in the pig-pen or barnyard they seed the farm with weeds. and a portion will not rot. inside of five years. --- ”vv â€"‘r â€"V. Rather shallow {loughing should be practiced in the spring. but dur- ing the summer, in July and August. deeper culture is preferable. Condi- tions being favorable at this time for nitrification the subsoil can be brought to the surface and rendered a part of the cultivated portion Thus a deeper soil produced: -â€"-â€"N w-_ Every farm should be supplied with gypsum. Scattered over nmnurc heaps it saves the escaping ammonia to be given up to the land when ap- plied later on. Beside this, gypsum itself is a valuable fertilizer to most soils. Considering the value to the {arm of a ton of gypsum it is com- paratively inexpensive. Just how to make a strong and durable whimetree: Do not weaken it anywhere by the auger or drawing knife. Plane it smooth and have the hooks welded to a band that goes around the stick. Shrink on these bands, then drill and put through a small rivet. This will prevent slip- ping on if the stick ever shrinks. It often happens that a farmer is caught in a shower with his Wagon full of grain, vegetables or fruit of some kind, and cannot reach shelter. At such a time a few square yards of tai'paulin or oiled cloth is worth many times its cost to him. The farmer on his way to market with his produce can laugh at the min if his wagon is covered With a water- proof. The public library building in Chi- cago is pi'otecurd against the inva- sion of lire from the outside by means of a soâ€"callcd "Water cur- tuin." At the top of the building is a system of tubes through which wa- ter, supplied from a tank, can be caused to flow over the outside walls Some time bncv the eâ€"ciency of the water curtain was tested by the oc- currence of a fire in a spice mill ad- joining the library building. The water being turned on, the outer walls were immediately covered with a. liquid sheet, which, as the temper- ature was low, became eventually a sheet of ice. It the ground is properly prepared before planting the work is more than half done. The farmer who has starved his soil is afraid to work a. seed bed enough to get it in order for fear it will run together. He keeps clods to hold it up. Soil that is filled with humus has some life about it. It will bear working,r to one’s heart's delight. It is possible to improve land so that it is easier farmed year by year. If the seed bed gets poor more tillage is re- quired. Artificial wool made from turf fibres is now employed at Dussel- dorf. Germany. for manufacturing cloth, bandages, hats, rugs, and so forth. Ten years have elapsed since the first attempts to make turf wool, and it is averred that recent improvements in the processes have resulted in the production of a soft fibrous material, which can be spun as readily as sheep’s wool, and which, besides possessing excellent absorbent properties, is capable of being bleached and colored for use in various textile induStries. What is probably the biggest treci in the world has been discovered to belong to the cypress family, and‘ was found in Mexico. Its circumfer- ence 6ft. from the ground is 15-ift. 2in., and to see the top of it one must stand many yards away. It is near the famous ruins of Mitla. in the State of Oaxaea. It is called the “big tree of Yule,” and its age is variously estimated at from .500 to 1,000 years. The weeds. bricrl and bushy cut. Mrs. Starvcmâ€"Ilow do you like the chicken salad, Mr. Joaksmith? Mr. Joaksmithâ€"Uh, that. reminds me: I bought a book that was to be sent. home to-doy. Did it come? Mrs. Starvcmâ€"ch, but why should the chicken salad remind you of it? Miltonâ€"Gibson doesn't seem to be getting rich at poultry raising. Bil- tonâ€"No; but he says his hens have taken to eating their own eggs, and he hopes that they'll become self- supporting. A CELESTIAL BATTERY. Tiny claim that hailstones weigh- i111; three pounds apiece recently fell 1i1 Russia. 011, comeoffsky! First Bunglarâ€"Did you make a big haul last night? Second Burglarâ€" Didn't get a thing; somebody had been there before me. Firs. Burglar -â€"'l‘imt’s just it; competition is kil- ling our business. Mn. Joaksmithâ€"Wcll, thd book is half-calf. He (wildly)â€"â€"May 1 not then fall prostrate to the ground and weep at thy feet? She (practically)â€"ch, if you wait. till I put on my wnterproot Summor Boarderâ€"You didn't men- tion having so many mosquitoes. Uncle ‘Zxraâ€"No, I knowed it wasn’t, no use. cuz you’d find Ulct out. soon as y’ got here. Farmer Dunkâ€"Ilow's your new hired man. Ezry? Farmer Hornbeakâ€"Jest like all the rest of ’em I've ever hadâ€"so lazy that. he gits tired rcstin'. Look at the MU“ that, goes to waste in the grocery business, said the loungcr in the store, and think of the small margin on most of the goods. Where does the profit. come in? The profit, said the impatient man with the basket on his arm. comes from having only one clerk to wait. on thirty-six customers. WORLD’S BIGGEST TREE. YOU MAY HAVE NOTIFIED A WATER CURTAIN WOOL FROM TURF. SUPERVLUUUS ALL ALIKE [NIB '1'. WIDE WORLD. Fucts Gnthorod from the Corner. of This Grent Big Eur-tin. Next to Great Britain. Russia in the largest exhibitor at Glasgow Exâ€" hibition. Lord Kitchener is now in his 52nd year. His military service is one 0‘ 30 years. Ninety-eight. per cent. of the slave. o! Zanzibar and Pcmbu prefer to re- main slaves. France has 60 citics with mom than 30,000 inhabitants, and 12 0! these exceed 100.000. The world has two and a quarter million acres under tobaccn, Much produce 850,000 toms a your. The lowcSt tides. where any exist. at. all. are at Panama, where two feet is the average rifle and fall. The punishment. for bignmy in “un- gary is compelling the man to “V. with both wives in one house. The Egyptian Soudan has 12 pro- vinces, with an area of a million square miles. and 105 million pume. Patented processes have how do- viied in Germany for conVcrLing Haw- dust into charcoal and other pro- ducts. Four thousand nine hundred sixty-eight. of the present [m]... of the United Kingdom \ch‘c In Germany, with one thousand and eighty-three paper mills. mukw only half as much paper as England “1“ but three hundred. The banking power of the United Kingdom has increased from on. hundred and thirty-two minimum in 1840 to over one thousand milliunl at present. The Norwegian Parliament is called the Storming. that of vacdcn tho Regsdag, of Scrvm the Skupshtinn. of Greece the Boulc, of Bulgaria um Sobranje. Four hundred and fortyâ€"eight “rib- ish gulcs blow from the southwest in the last fifteen years. only ninety-six from the northeast. London uses onr‘ hundrml and to. pounds of ice yearly per inhuhmmt, New York one thousand thrcc hun- dred pounds a year. By the “Australian Naval I‘ma Act, " passed in 1887, a fleet of me Inst c1 unsers and two torpedo gun- boats was equipped for service in Australian seas. The Empress of lint-«in opc'ruus z typewriter. and assists hu hwh- by taking down many of hi.) kt Q: {tom dictation. The Congo is one of the wide‘ watcrwavs in the globe if not tho fmcst. In some parts it is so wib that. vessels may pass one (moth. and yet be out of sight. As an initiative to secure highar tax assessments in C‘cvcland, Mayor Tom Johnson asked the assessor to increase the valuation on his hmno in Euclid avenue from $300 to 8500 n foot. Thirty per cent. of the civilized population of the world speak Eng- lish, nineteen per cent. German. nino- teen per cent. Russian. twelve per cent. French. ten per cent.'Spnnisli. Mr. Gully, K. C.. the speaker at the British House of Commons, went to Cambridge when he was only 1' years of age. He was the younge‘ underâ€"graduate of his time in the un- lversity. OVVI ’d".y . Prussia holds the record for hay production. growing thirty-thud hundredweiglit to the acre; mum comes next with thirty litzndrel- weight. Thirty hundredweight a! hay means {our and a half ton. a! green grass. The Salvation Army has obtained a grant of 20,000 acres of land in Australia as a settlement for colon- ials. The area. is situated 120 mild. from Perth, and a great clearance ol timber must be eflecud before it can be used for agriculture. A Belgian engineer residing in England has discovered a method by which smoke can be turned into light. In operating his device the inventor collects the smoke from any kind of a fire and forces it into a receiver. It is then saturated with hydro-carburet. and a brilliant light results. The method is simplicity it- self, and its discoverer is now at work upon a. sinmle apparatus whidl can be attached to any chimney to bring about the desired result, no that at night-time, instead of t dense cloud of black smoke being emitted from the chimney-tops a bright light will take its place. The apparatus is already at work in London, and its general adoption in probable, and highly desirable. Mrs. Naggsbyâ€"Why don't you spend your nights at. home? 1 al- ways do. Naggsby-l‘erhups, my dear, that. accounts {or it. THEN 111'] TAKES HIS CHANCES. He can: answe'red the other until he comes to make his will. A Woman. said Mr. leituod, can't keep a secret. Huh! said little JOhDHY- Teacher kcp' me wm-kin' an hour on a 010 example when she might, have told me the answer any time. A millionaire can have things [ret- ty much his own way in this world, said one philosopher. Ono hunched gallons of crude on. as pumped from the earth. We on- ly 28 gallons 0! refined oil. w" The tube a a 12-inch gun has rm grooves. causing the pro‘ccwo to m- volve 75 um a £00030. The letter B holds the record (or frequent use. In one thousand Ico- tcrs it occurs one hundred and thirty- cight times in English. one hundred and cightyJour in French, one. hul- drcd and seventy-eight in German. and one hundred and forty-live in Spanish. A LIT DY CHIMNEY-PUTS INTO um nil-”FEB!!! COUNTRIES . SEEKING REST of crude oil. LUUI "N