Loading...
The Exeter Advocate, 1894-8-2, Page 3SABBATH READING. i TRRENT RELIGIOUS ',PALE . rite kind Ingo Selections of the Ablest Alen of the Day on Morality and Re- ]igion for Rome Reading. The Poor Ulan's Sheaf. I saw the wheat fields waiting All golden in the son, And strong and stalwart reapers Went by him one by one. " Oh, eculcl 1 reap in harvest i" His heart made bitter cry. "I can do nothing, nothing, So weak, alas, am 1," -At eve a fainting traveller Sank down beside his door A. cup of cool, sweet water To quench his thirst he bore. And when refreshed and strengthened The traveller went his way, 'Upon the poor man's threshold A golden wheat sheaf lay, "When came the Lord of harvest lYe cried:" Oh, Master kind, One sheaf I havo to offer, Bat that I did not bind. I.gave a cup of water To athirst, said he Left at my door, in going, This sheaf I offer thee.", 'Then said themastor softly : • "Well pleased with thee am I. One of my angels left It With then as be was passing by. Thou mayst not join the reapsrs Upon the harvest plain, Bat he who helps a brother Binds sheaves of richest grain." For Those Who Suffer. Very often there is scarcely breathing - time • between troubles that coneone after the other, like waves beating down gra struggling swimmer. Or there are re- peated attacks of physical agony, almost unendurable, which cast long dark shadows behind as well as before thein. 'Or there is life-long affliction and in- capacity—bereavement, disappointment, loss, There may be overwhelming un- merited disgrace, or the bitter grief caus- ed by the sins of those near and dear. Nights of wakefulness and tears ; days of darkness and distress ; waters of a full cup wrung out for the breaking hearts, the racked frames, the shrinking souls of 'God's dear children. Tronbles such as these make life at times a burden hard to be borne'; they rob it seemingly of its usefulness, certainly of all that made it bright. "'Lord, save nie from this hour !" is our ,cry ;• but deliverance does not come, and the cry dies into a faint echo of that wail .from the cross, "My God, why hast Thou forsaken me ?" Sometimes the faithless soul. is ready to despair—ready to believe that God has forgotten to be gracious. Is it not true that when we ask for great gifts and graces we generally ex- pect spect them to be bestowed in some mys- terious, but quite painless way ? We ask to be made holy in body and soul, to love Jesus as well as ever any of His saints loved Him, to be greatly used by Rim in bringing others to the cross, and we expect that somehow or other the de- -sired grace will increase within us, while our enjoyment of lesser gifts — love, health, reputation and the like -will still remain, or even be increased. also. We forget that it is enough for the disciple to be his Lord, and that He was "perfect through sufferings." If we will be very near His heart, we must be prepared to feel something of the pang that broke that heart. Shall we, then, ehoose,to be contented with a lower degree of grace, if haply more of earthly happiness may be ours ? Content with less main and less nearness to our Lord ? A lighter cross here, a paler crown there ? Surely not; oh, sure- ly not ! Let us covet earnestly the best gifts. Let us unceasingly pray for them. Only let us also bo ready to take up the cross, and, if need be, to die upon it. Watch with your dear Lord, then, in 'Gethsemane for the one hour of this life ; weep with Him, agonize with Him ; the angel of His Presence is at hand to strengthen. you. Carry the cross with Him along the Way of Sorrows ; He will bear the heavi- est end of it. Wear with Him your glorious crown of thorns ; you shall. rest your aching head upon His breast very soon in the green pastures of perfect peace, beside the still waters of His most sweet, most blessed consolations. " Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of life." Alleluia! The Lord God Omnipotent •reigneth ! Let everything rejoice and be •exceeding glad ! Jesus has gone. The Holy Ghost is here; and Jesus is coming, spon coming to round up the age, and gather in his people. Alleluia ! The results of sin are sure. Did you never cut yourself unexpectedly and -quickly? It took days and weeks to heal the wound, and the scar remained al- ways. Lord Brougham one day occupied a conspicuous place in a group to have .his photograph taken, but at an unfor- tunate momeni he moved, The picture was taken, but his face was blurred. It takes a lifetime to build a reputation, and only one moment to destroy it. Consecration is the first step in a real Christianity. In Rome there stands the Pantheon. It used to be a temple for all the gods. Round its circular sides were niches, in which were placed images of the various deities worshipped by the various nations which Rome had con- quered. That temple was a place of wedded. worships. When adherents to the Lord Jesus began to start ruiners of •.the new religion, the Roman Senate passed a decree consecrating a niche in. this temple of all the gods to him. But Christ enters no Pantheon. The whole must be His, or He will have atone of it, Said Paul, "1 am the slave of Christ." No, less word than that can express the. depth and fullness and thoroughness of the conseeration Christ demands. Said Anne of Austria, the Queen, of France, to her implanable energy, Cardi- nal Richelieu, "My lord cardinal, there is one fact whieh you seem entirely to have, forgotten. God is a sure paymaster. He may nob pay at the end of every week or month or year, but I charge you, re- raember that he pays in the end." God speaks to us through his word. The ancient Greek had one sentence which they believed came down from heaven, and to show their esteem for the gift they caused it to be engraved in tot- ters of gold on the front of their most sacred temple. We have not the sen tense only, but a whole volume. A, fine artist kept always onf his table precious stones of bright colors. His reason was that working in colors so con- stantly corrupted his eye insensibly, and he needed the constant company of stand- ard colors to keep his eye pure. So shall we become conformed to this world if we do not keep company with the perfect will of God expressed in his word Spiritual pride shut out the Jews from Christ's kingdom. The Pharisee who went up to the temple to pray was a re- ligious man, a strictly just and moral man. His spiritual pride alone kept him from Christ's benediction, which the poor publican received instead. To -day spiritualpride sets creeds and organiza- tions above charity—love to God and love to man. We who have reached serener years, whose eyes are not now dazzled by the glamor of life, havo the holy privilege of praying for those who are still passing through their exciting and possibly peril- ous youth, and who need a guardian help which they may forget to ask for them- selves. And we can ask for them a for- giveness which they, quite unconsciously to themselves, may need. "Bless them which perseiiute you," never found utterance in any oriental or other non-Christian. mind; but it is more than a sentiment in the oriental Chris- tian church. Lung Seng -Ki, a steward in the Methodist church at Hung -ting, China, was waylaid and led to a temple, his hands tied behind him with a cord ; a rope was attached to this cord and passed over a beam, by which he was drawn up a foot or more from the ground, and sus- pended in excruciating torture for an hour. He prayed aloud for his perseeu tors. They continued to demand money. He said, "If you want my little property, take it; if you want my life, that, too, is in your power." They did take all he had. The missionary says he saw him a month afterward, happy in the love of Jesus, with no word of bitterness for his persecutors. He still prayed for them. There are few things of more interest than the diversity in the sacrificial offer- ings of mankind. Cain and Abel but symbolize the parting of the true and false in worship. To -day the Siamese fancies thdpidol loves the steam of the in- cense of his intoxicating arrack and rice steaming hot. The Buddhist offers boiled rice, sweetmeats or cocoanut fried in oil. The Vedic sacrifice, Agnishtoma, required that the fleshy parts of animals should be committed to the gods byfire. The Mon- golians seg the heart of the beast before the god until the next day, Among the indigenous Indian tribes in the Garro hills the head and blood of the animal, with rice, is placed under a bamboo arch, covered with a white cloth. The Khond made an offering to the earth goddess, tearing the flesh of the human victim from the bones, the priests burying half of it in a hole in the earth behind his back without looking around, and each householder carrying off a particle to bury in his own field, He thinks the deity lives on the essence and flavor of the animals he offers, and hence he causes them to disappear. The modern Chinese uses joss sticks and censer, and beasts, silks and other precious articles are burn- ed that their vapor may go to the hea- venly spirits. Even the Moslems, on their return ;from Mecca, sacrifice in the valley of Munn, and give away the vic- tim. An interesting phase of the whole system of sacrificing is that of making typical offerings, such as that of Cain and Abel were, The Brahmans of India sometimes sacrifice models of animals made of meal and butter, to represent the real victim, A fowl is offered in Ceylon as a substitute for the person in case of sickness. A ease is given of the hair of a sick man in Malabar being cut off and nailed fast and left as a substitute for himself. In ancient Egypt illustration of this ex voto worship, a part for the whole, was seen in the offering in the temples of models of faces, breasts and hands of metal. According to Haug, the Parsee, in the ceremony of Izoshne, killed no ani- mal, but placed the hair of an ox in a vessel and showed it to fire, the sacred element, The IChonds of India are now prohibited by the British Government from offering human beings in sacrifice, and say there was a time when the earth goddess wanted human sacrifices, but the light god crushed them under a moun- tain, dragged out a bttf ale, and said " Liberate the anan and sacrifice the buf- Palo." Bowaro of answering " personals." What seems sport may, torn out very dis- astrously. I ISCELLANEOUS RE.t.DING GRAVE AS WELL AS GAY. Old and Young will find these Selections Interesting andProfitable as they are Oarefaily Seteeted. The Sant of Living.. If you have a friend worth loving, :Love him, Yes, and let him know That you love him, ere life's evening Tinge his brow with sunset glow. Why should good word eo'er be said Of a friend -411111e is dealt ? If you hear a song that thrills you, Sang by any.child of song, Praise it. Do not let the singer Wait deserved fraises long, Why should one who thrills your heart Lack the joy you may impart. If you hear a prayer that moves you By its humble, leading tone, Joirt it. Do not let the seeker Bow before God alone. Why should not your brother share The strengta of "two or three" in prayer ? If you see the hot tears falling Pion). a brother's weeping eyes, Share them, And by kindly sharing, Own your kinship with the skies. Why should anyone be glad When a brother's heart is sad ? If a silvery laugh goes rippling Through the sunshine on Ins face, • Share it. 'Tis the wise man's 'saying.— For both grief and joy a place. There's health and goodness in the mirth In which an honest lenge has birth. If_yyour .work is made more easy 13y a friendly, helping hand Say so. Speak out brave ancltruly, Bre the darkness veil the land. Should a brother workman dear Falter for a word of cheer ? Scatter thus your seeds of kindness, All enriclunn as you go— Leave them, QTrust the Harvest Giver, He will make each seed to grow. So, until its happy end, You shall never lack a friend. He is a Regular Customer. "Talking of pawnbrokers, there is cue man in this city who at certain times has all his possessions in the grip of the fraternity. He has a gold medal given him for brave conduct in his native city of London, where he rescued women and children, at a fire, and three-fourths of the time it reposes in the pawnbroker's safe. It is usually pawned for fifty Dents to get a drink. The first mosey that comes in goes to redeem it, but there soon comes a day when there are no funds, and a drink must be had. Back itg. es, this time not to be redeemed for some months. The owner is a genial character, and always welcome in bibu- lous circles, Some one will ask him about the sear on his face, and he tells the story of the fire. "I'll show youthe gold medal the hu- mane society gave me, boys," and he thrusts his hand deep into his pocket, first into one, Hien into the other. "Gone! Good heavens -oh, I remem- ter, boys, it's too bad, but my uncle has Then comes a fine bit of acting of a pathetic sort, and there is always a softy to ask to look at the pawn ticket, and who runs off with it, to return presently with the medal, which its owner receives as if it . were the prodigal son. Then more drinks, and the grateful nephew of his uncle sings them a lot of jolly songs, and is the hero of the house. The Little Girl and the Yellow Dog. A. strayed or lost yellow dog, tired out and discouraged, had crowded itself into a niche between a pillar and the door of a leading dry goods store, as a lady step- ped past from her carriage. She led a little girl by the hand, who stopped short at seeing the dog. Her instinct told her that it was lost. "Oh, mamma," she chirped, "he's a poor little lost dog ! Do let me take him? Hasn't you got anybody to love you, lit- tle bow -wow?" "Let that horrid dog alone; he will bite you," said the mother, trying to drag the child away. "No, he won't, mamma; see his tail go, and he's laughing, too. Oh, do let me have him." Before her mother could prevent it the child was on her knees, and her little arms were around the neck of the lost dog, who was licking her cheek with the greatest affection. But a clerk who had seen the perform- ance came to the assistance of the mo- ther. He kicked the dog, which ran off ki-yi-ing, and the child followed her mother into the store. "He was such a nice bow -wow," she sobbed, giving her small foot a vigorous stamp, "and it was just the other day you —said—you—loved—yeller." A Gaiistuo .i.iceaeaNewsboy, A lady passing along the street saw that both of her shoes had come untied, and she stopped near a group of newsboys and beckoned one to approach. "Kneel down," she said, "so that I can put my foot on your knee. Now, tie my shoelace, please." The boy did as directed, but he was in - dined to be conversational and remarked: " 'Tain't no wonder they came undid. That air wuz a granny's knot. They won't come undid when I tie them, you bet, ma'am." "But how do you tie them?" ""'Tain't no bow knot.. I jist put one over bother like this, and tother under like that, and there you aro, ma'am." "And here is ten cents, and, thank you." "You can keep the chink, ma'am," "But why—I would rather pay you." "No'm. You see, tother kids see you call me an' they thinks yer a frier d. It's worth more'n ten cents that way." The woman walked away smilingover that democratic attempt at an acquaint- ance. Why Does She Always Do It ei "Did you ever notice a woman mailing letters?" asked a postman who was talk- ing to an acquaintance on the street car. "Well, I don't caro who she is, whether she's your wife or mother, she'II go up to a mailbox just as if it was an infernal machine, look all around, and drop that letter in as if she wouldn't have anybody see her for the world. That's why some mon will always step up and offer to help her; he thinks she wants assistance. It's the same- if a woman hams a latter to a postman—she acts as if she hates to have it go out of her hands," "How do you account for it?" "I don't try to account for it. It's like the way most women pay their car faro —as if they were most surprised to death at having to pay it at all, and then hang- ing on to it, till the conductor drags it away. I guess it may be for the reason that girls aren't raised like boys to do things offhand in a business way. But it's so, anyway." An invalid, an elderly person • or a lady must bo given the most comfortable chair in the room, and must be allowed to select the light and temperature. a•eifeeeeseeeeeee' A Boy and Rio '(Posit. The boy came briskly into the office, doted his cap and 'bowedto the boss.. "I understand you want a boy, sir;" he said. " Zes, we have a vacancy," i"Can I fill it 2" "Can you ? What sort of a place do you want?" "Where there's as little work and as much pay as the house .can. stand." "Um, most boys when they eome are willing to take all work and no pay." "I'm not most boys." "Oh, you're not? You are pretty fresh, aren't you ?" "Yes, sir ; but I know it, and I'm get- ting cured." "Do you expect toob j et the kind of a you want ?" g "No, sir; nobody gets what he wants, exaetly, but it doesn't hurt him to expect a good deal." "What pay do you think you should have?" "Three dollars per week." "The other boys we have had only got two." "How many have you had in the last year ?'r "Eight or ten." "I thought so. That's the kind of a boy a two dollar boy is." 'And are you not that kind?" "No, sir ; if I come, I hang up my hat and stay." "Suppose you don't like it?" "'tI'll stay just the same." "Suppose we bounce you ?" "I'11 be glad of it, sir." "Glad of it ?" " Yes, sir ; if the house isn't satisfied with the right kind of a' boy, it isn't the right kind of a house for the right kind of a boy to be in." The employer took a second look at the boy. "Um," he said, "willyou say that again ?" "No, sir; it's time I was going to work if I'm going to work, and if I'm not, it's time I left. Do I go in or out ?" and the boss with much doubt in his mind said "In," and the boy went in with a will. The Rice Paper Tree in Florida. The rice paper tree one of the most in- teresting of the entire flora of China, has recently been successfully experimented with in Florida, where it now flourishes with other subtropical and oriental spe- cies of trees and shrubs. When first transplanted in American soil, the ex- perimenters expressed doubts of its hardi- ness, fearing that it would be unable to withstand the winters. All 'these fears have vanished, however, and it is now the universal opinion that it is equally as well adapted to the climate of this country as to that of the famed flowery Kingdom. It is a small tree, growing to a height of less than fifteen feet, and with a trunk or stem from three to fifteen inches in diameter. Its canes, which vary in color according to the season, are large, soft and downy, the form somewhat resem- bling that noticed in those of the castor - bean plant. The celebrated rice paper, the product of this queer tree, is formed of thin slices of the pith, which is taken from the body of the tree in beautiful cylinders several inches in length. The Chinese workmen apply the blade of a sharp, straight knife, to those cylin- ders, and, turning them around, either by rude machinery or by hand (in which latter operation they display much skill and dexterity), pare the pith from cir- cumference to center. This operation makes a roll of extra quality paper, it is unrolled and weights placed upon it until the surface is rendered uniformly smooth throughout its entire length. It is alto- gether probable that if rice paper making becomes an industry in the United States these primitive methods of manufacture will be done away with. In Confidence. " What I am going to ask you is in strict confidence,' r he said to a conductor on a Grand River avenue car two or three days ago. "Yes, of course." " You have to git a license to be mar- ried in this town, don't you?" "Yesor anywhere else in Michigan." "So I've heard, but don't you say that I asked you about it. Hey to get it of the county clerk, don't you?" Yes." " I thought so, but mum is the word, yon know. Don't you give me away, and I won't give you away. Is there any limit as to age?" " No limit," " Wall, keep awful quiet about it. Kin a feller of sixty-three git a license to marry a galsof nineteen ?" " I expect he can." " That's beautiful, but don't you whisper a word to anyone about it. Do you pass the city hall ?" " We do. " Wall, when we gib to the city hall you tip me the wink and Igmme off, and if any of the passengers aura out and want to know my bizness you tell 'em I've gone in to see about a stray hoss. Strict confidence—keep mum -0. K. ! Msbbe I'll see you onmy bridle tower and flip you a cigar." Historian Grote's Timidity. Mr. Grote, the historian of Greece, seamed incapable of caring for himself when moved by consideration for others. His exaggerated acquiescence in what he thought a constructive obligation is il- lustrated by the last sitting he gave to Millais, who painted his portrait. The studio was cold, Mr. Grote had removed his overcoat, and presently felt sensibly chilled. Yet he did not com- plain nor resume his overcoat. " Why did you not say you were chill- ed ?" asked Mrs. Grote when she learned the circumstances. " I did not like to appear to reproaeh Mr. Millais for letting the fire go out." " Well, but there was your thick over- coat." " Yes, bat I did not know if he would Like me to put it on." " What could one do with a man so in- capable of caring for his own absolute necessities ?" remarks Mrs. Grote in her "Personal Life" of her husband. "Had I been present it is superfluous to say all these scruples would have gone for noth- ing." Broken China. Broken china may bo mended by mak- ing. a light paste of the white of an egg and flour, cleaning the broken edges from dust, spreading them with the paste and holding the parts together while wet. Wipe off all that oozes out. It must be held or fastened in position until dry. A colorless cement is made by dissolving a half ounee of gum arabic in a wine glass of boiling - wate adding i a din plaster of Paris g r to form a thick paste. U'se ab °nee, ap- plying with a thibk brush. THEY i3'A.l? 11Ib VinticrE. Mark Twain's 0/lends ,Asked forr .tut graph in Wholesale, Late, A number of Mark's friends who li been victimized at various times reaoly to give him an unhappy quarter ho11r one April fool's day. George W. Cabl knowing Mark had a spoeial horror the Chronic autograph collector, arrange with a couple of hundred well -know peopple to eome down en hhimsirnultann ously for a speeinten of his handwriti Some of the demands wore very funny Edmund Clarence Stedman's letter was good burlesque of the average' schoo girl's: Many of the words were and scored. and dr..Clemens was tickled wit sueh phrases as "my favorite America author," "your well-known kindness,:: etc. Mr. Stedman not only solicited dif ferent kinds of signatures, but wanted Sentiment in Mark's handwriting, or few pages from "Roughing It," "Th Prince Abroad," or ""The Innocents an the Pauper." Sohn Hay wrote fro Cleveland, asking Mark to take a leis= hour or two and copy for him a few bun drod lines of "Young's Night Thoughts,' and an equal amount trotrona.Pollock' "'Course of Time." Thomas. W. Knox' request came from the Lotus Club. H had a royal Commission from the king o Siam, he said, for autographs for th king's 258 children, but begged to sag gest that the order be filledfor 800, as th king's family was increasing. Stephe Fiske wanted a Mark Twain autograp fora friend who was going abreact an wished to take it along as a mascot, an Mrs. Fiske modestly spelled the nam "Clements," and solicited 160 autograph for a church fair booth. H. 0. Bonner, of Puck, wanted a autograph for his two -weeks -old grand daughter, adding : "The little innocen abroad in this strange world of ours wil value your gift when she is old enough to appreciate it." Joe Howard, jr., re called meeting Mr. Clemens twenty-foiir years before in front of the New York city hall, and applied for an autograph on that ground. 0. C. Buel, of The Cen- tury, wanted a humorous article for pub- lication with Mr. Clemens' signature attached to every paragraph, so that the "copy" could be sold to advantage ; while Robert Underwood Johnson applied by postal card as follows : "'Could you let me have an autograph for a lame boy whose mother has interested him in things spiritual by encouraging him to make an autograph collection to be raf- fled for at a fair; the proceeds to go to the Society for the Suppression of Toy Pistols 2" Mark gave his persecutors something of a fright in return. He published an interview in which he stated that he in- tended to make up a pamphlet of their letters, with various humorous and sati- rical annotations of his own, have it illustrated, and issue it in suitable form for sale at the news stands and on rail- road trains. The profits, he declared, he should pocket entirely himself ; and if he found, when the book was ready for the printer, that it did not seem sensa- tional enough to catch. the public fancy, he would enlarge it by the addition of a lot of private letters he had received from time to time from these ladies and gentlemen, dressed up with emendations from his own pen which would make them more spicy. He never carried out his threat, however. ll 10 ed e, of ed n o- • a 1- or- b a a e d m e s $ e f e n h d d e s n t 1 Wants to See That "Other Man." He is an "artist in black eyes"—not a pugilist, as some might imagine, but a clever old fellow who so fixes up discol- ored optics that they can be detected only by careful observation. He is some- thing of a philosopher, but the other night he was so disgusted with the pride and vanity of mankind in general that to relieve his tired feelings he indulged in a little spree. A friend found him late in the evening much the worse for wear, and surprised at his unusual condition, inquired what was the meaning of it. "Well," said the other, with slight in- coherence, "I've been looking for that other man." •'What do you mean by that ?" "Mean? Only this. Every time a man comes to me to have a black eye fixed up he tolls me that I ought to see the other man. I've heard that a thousand times, and to -night I made up my mind I'd have a look at him and see what he looks like. But I haven't found him yet. I've seen three men with black eyes, but every one of them gave ine the same story, I'd 'ought to see the other man.' " The Sign of the Three Balls. "I'll bet," said the man who stood with the feat of the crowd watching a pawn- broker's sign being put in place. "that none of you fellers who think you know so much can tell me what those three balls mean, and how the eastern of that sign originated." "Suppose you tell us about it," jeered one ol the crowd. "Don't know it myself. Never saw a pawnbroker who could tell what it meant, only that it is always used as a sign." "It was used by the first pawnbroker," said the owner of the sign, taking a part in the discussion; "they were a family of moneylenders in England; that is traditional; and that is all we lniow." "It's a good sign," said another one, going inside, wherell() was lost to sight. Lost a Small Fortune. There was quite a crowd around a coal - hole in the sidewalk, and it was soon learned that a lady who was passing had stepped into the uncovered hole, and they. were getting her out. She was not hurt in the least, but rather frightened and dusty. A male relative who accompanied her was executing a series of gymnastics around her. "Sure you're not hurt, Addie?" he asked anxiously. "Not e. bit, Richard." "No sprains or broken bones?" "Not one, You see, I was caught by a man who was passing and that saved me from being hurt. "Where is the officious wretch?' "Richard, he is my deliverer 11' "Deliverer nothing! If you had just broken one little bone wecould have sued the city and recovered $10,000 damages." " How to Prevent Divorce. They were talking about divorce and the evil it has grown to be through the laxity of the laws in certain Western States. " It should be destroyed utterly should divorce,' said Maj. Brayne, a confirmed old bachelor; "But there is only one way to do it, and that is to strike at the root of the evil." " Which is where ?" asked the colonel. " In marriage," answered the major. 'ciltake marriage a criminal offenes; pro- hibit it and divorce becomes impossible: The IBrido's Dot. It youVro,aouueo It right, you'll not Pronounce as `'dough' the arreneia worn "dot,'" Yet, notwithstanding this, we ktiow There is no dot without the "dough," Greatness. "What makes a great man great ?" you ask ; The answer comes at call; He isn't great so much es. that The other men are small EVERY INCH A Dli7IIlrl. Re Looked Like a Noblemen and Fre Rad the Necessary Title. On the blue velvet eushions of the Gar+, rime roelined an old man, with a snow- white imperial and mustaehe. He was heavy of face and figure, and from bei neath drooping eyelids lusterless eyes looked out as if upon a world in which he had seen nothing except satiety. Hier forehead was high, his nose aquiline and his whole air one of aristocratic re. pose, "It was a strong face and one to be re., membered. loan see it now rising through the mists of memory above those of kings and •princes. As the carriage swept by and was lost in the throng of the crowded Corso, I asked my driver, " Who was, that?" "The Duke de la —," he answered. It was an ancient name, long known in Itaty, and I speculated, as I drove up and down, upon what that man might have accomplished had he not been born a duke. " That night at the Hotel de France I remarked that I had seen the duke that day in the Corso, for his strong face was in my mind. The eocapany, two or three of the old Sicilians and an Englishman, long resident, laughed,: and one said: " Oh, yes, as clever a man as you would wantto meet exetpt for his dukedom.' " `How is that?" " `Why, he was a poor peasant boy who worked like fits, and finally made a for- tune by inventing a new kind of chewing gum. He put his money in railroad con- tracts, and made mons. Then he bought the De la — estate, and in those days the title went with the estate, so he is the duke, as you see him. The last of the De la —'s have long since slept in the family sepulchre, but for energy and ability I will match this chewing -gum man against any one of them that ever lived. THE SAPID GIRL. Just Returned With His Bride and Meets a Sympathetic Old Friend, " , Jack, old boy ! Haven't met you in a month." " No ; I just returned from the country with any bride." "Really ? Shako ; my congratulations. Come—I'll open a small bottle in her honor. She wasn't a Squedunk girl, where we summered last year, was she?" "Exactly. You left in July; Ilost my heart in August." " Ah, you old rascal ! Well here's to the bride ! Drink hearty. Great town, that Squedunk ; full of awfully jolly girls ; some of them great flirts, too." " Ah ?" "At least, I found them so. I had no end of fiancees, so to speak, some- times meeting two or three on the same evening by appointment. It was great sport. You see, a man has to go a long way around among so many girls at a summer resort. But they were charmers—no mistake." " Yes, I found them so." "Ani so deuced sentimental, too, by Tavel I remember ons in particular—a hazel -eyed blonde, with a bewitching air. Gad ! She would actually hug herself into hysterics. And such kisses—waow l We used to wander over the lonely moun- tain. paths by moonlight until midnight. A dear girl, too; forgotten her name. Guess you didn't meet her. Let me see —it was Lottie some—body—" "Not Lottie Huggus ?" " That's the girl—the very same, by Jove ?" "She's upstairs now." "Gad, you don't say !" "Fact 1 She's on her honeymoon." Waow—Who's the poor devil ?" " I am." Row the Contest Enclecl. " I'll pay the fare of both, conductor," said one of two female passengers in a cable car as that functionary made his rounds. " Indeed you won' t Sue," said the other?. as she opened her handbag, and began to look for her purse. "I think I have the exact change," said the one who had first spoken. ""I know I have, if I can just get at my .. purse, for I put it in. just before I left the house," " And I'm sure I have half a dollar, for I got it in change not ten minutes ago at the confectionery store." " That reminds me, clear, your treated me to chocolate soda there, so I must in- sist on paving your fare this time." "Indeed, I won't listen to it. The very last time we rode together, I remem- ber distinctly, that you paid mine." "I don't believe I did. I think that was the time before the last, while you paid mine the last lime." At this juncture one of them found a dime and the other produced half a dol- lar, each abjuring the conductor not to accept the fare from the other. The poor man was bewildered, but a passenger who had not paid his fare broke in with ° " If you two ladies are very anxious to pay some one's fare, one of you can pay mine." $oth glared icily at the interrupter, and the conductor improved the opportunity to collect a faro from each and pass on down the car. Patent Leather Dressing. As patent leather shoes, even of the best quality, are liable to crack, and the shoe dealers will not be responsible for them, it is well to know how to doctor thein a little for yourself. In the first place, keep them wrapped in cotton bat- ting and the inside filled with soft paper or cotton. If necessary to wear them on a very cold night, put them on in the dressing -room after arriving, if possible. To keep the leather soft, rub it occasion- ally with a little sweet oil, rubbing it in as much as possible, and then wipe the shoes thoroughly with chamois. If the glaze is cracked, buy or snake a good var- nish and keep the shoes dressed with it. A good varnish is made from a quarter of a pound of powdered gum -arabic and two ounces of logwood. Cover with a pint of claret and simmer very slowly a quarter of an hour, Strain, bottle and label, Apply with the tip of the fingers, or with a soft blaek flannel, Before using see that the shoes are free from dust or any old coat of varnish. Dry thoroughly in a place where there isno dust. Post- pone the day of using patent dressings on shoes as long as possible. It may be used on the heels and sides of the soles with much less injury than when applied to the other parts of the shoes. Keep those clean and rub occasionally with. vasoline or castor oil.