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A BLUES' =| ROMANC r~^\ By Miss Anni CHAPTER Y. t Continued. E It has beeu remarked that human nature is best judged of, as the house- ij drives judge of linen or long cloth, "in c email samples." t One might add, stiii in nousewue language, that human nature, like \ *nost mixed fabrics, requires to be a t bit unraveled before we can rightly ] judge of it at all. ii No unraveler like home life; the meeting a man at breakfast and din- e ner, and at breakfast next morning, t In every vicissitude of temper, with his \ mutton overroast and underroast, in e his domestic affections, in his slippers! t "Old heads, my dear Hosie, do not t grow on shoulders of six-and-twenty. That a young fellow of Mr. Chester's I age should love pleasure is butnat- c ural. A man of the world, and a mili- r tary man, too, must not be criticised I by the standard of Fief-de-la-Reine s ethics." All these exculpatory sen- o timents had Miss Theodora been wont i to urge in the days when Aunt Hosie t first expressed her doubts as to the Ii character of Daphne's lover. An \ autumn and winter spent under the s 6ame roof, suspicions,' little by little t dawning to certainties, regarding the nature of his friendship with county s families, had sufficed to turn the milk c of Miss Theodora's kindness to gall, s ? rrrno o cm r? i hr if f A ri DUiljr VUCflU ???> a ? t, man devoid of principle, an imposter. r Barry Chester, unless pretty stringent r measures were taken by the opposi- s tion, -would infallibly entangle every- rJ body -who had the misfortune to be a connected "with him in his own ruin. o Accordingly, one Saturday night, b fwhen. by reason of next morning's as- t eociations the prodigal might be ex- 1 pected to return from his haunts at an " earlier hour than usual, it was (3 planned that the three Miss Vansit- I tarts should sit up in solemn, inquisi- ( torial state for his reception. r Not a word have I, here or else inhere, to urge for Mr. Chester; not a t plea to advance in extenuation of his r guilt Yet I confess, when I think of C that terrible Council of Three, of the c first moment in which his fate pre- 1; Rented itself to his eyes, I feel that this young man owned' a common humanity b .with myself. I pity him. It was a rude March midnight; the y easterly blasts blowing up sheer from ^ the Cherbourg Straits, and bearing f ley destruction to the early bloom in j orchards and fruit gardens around n Quernec Bay. As Mr. Barry Chester, i iwith head bent low, made his way y along the narrow garden path toward p the house, his eyes, never very keen t At this hour of the twenty-four, were L too blind to note that shafts of un- E wonted light pierced through the obnttor r>hinka nf thf? nnrlor x windows. His blissful ignorance, bow- ( ever, was of sbort duration. While, -] iwith unsteady fingers, he was still ^ vainly endeavoring to fit the latchkey e Into the lock (yes, Barry Chester had 0 actually established a latchkey at a Fief-de-la-Reinek the door started r open, and an apparition stood before p him?an apparition whose import, stu- B pefied though his senses might be, he j, grasped on the moment! Miss Theo- f dora, dressed in her second best silk, t ber head be-ribboned and awe-inspiring, a candle?supported by one of the 0 eldom-used parlor candlesticks ? in v our?our " t Harry Cnester staggered into tee n house place, loosened his scarf, took off his greatcoat, then turned sudden-- i ly *ound upon Miss Theodora, who by g this time had locked and barred the i front door and stood coldly confront- v Ing him. t "You have not taken to any of p Daphne's?tricks of sitting up for me, b I hope, ma'am ?" u "I ha-se waited up for you once, Mr. c Chester," replied Theodora, in a stac- l cato, arctic tone. "I have waited up t for you?once! On one Sunday morn- j ing?with a purpose! You may be quite y sure I shall not lose my rest on your account a second time." s And upon that she turned back into i, the parlor, with all the majesty that r conscious virtue lends. Chester, half defiant, half coward?well he knew the f kind of scene that must await him!? t followed. p He walked up to the hearth rug, held t bis chilled hands out for a moment be- r fore such scanty remains of vraic ash t are still smoldered in the grate, then p turned around and looked from one to x the other of the three old sisters. Miss r Isabella, deaf, inexorable, in her easy- t chair and spectacles; Theodora, alert, t nprigbt. prepared for action; Aunt Hosie, her good face a couple of shades t paler than usual, her eyes turned p iw.qT from him t "I am in for judgment, I see," he remarked. "Let us get it over without delay. Daphne?where the is Jjaphne?" glaring savagely around the room for hfe wife. "Belter have a full court, had we not, before the trial begins?" "Daphne went to her bed three hour6 ago!" cried Aunt Ho&ie, looking up quickly. "Daphne knows nothing about our?our " The words died on her lips. Never were lips less fitted for enunciating judicial sentences than Aunt Hosie's. But Miss Theodora took up the cue promptly. "About our feeling it a duty. Mr. Chester, to expostulate with you as to your conduct. Yes. We have waited now eight months?it is eight months on the 24tb since your marriage, and your preparations for Virginia are no more advanced than they were then. We desire to ask explicitly, on behalf of Daphne, and of ourselves, what your j intentions about the future are?" < Well, if Chester had flown into a t fcearty, reasonless passion, it had been t better for hirn. so far as the immediate 1 defense of his position went. Instead of this, he began thickly, slowly, doggedly to argue. A fool who aijpues can f eearce fail to present you with an I analysis of the very height, breadth 1 and depth of his own folly. Through j 9Larrv ChPRtpr's hozv icon aem five 1 rocKiNG; ? / WC . - . - - - - - - - dl sta E# REALITY. I ( (w SAAA.'VAA\W\'\A ? ? his e Edwards. - p?( pa alk, what were the facts prominently 1 ,hown? Not. certainly, that all human an (ffort, especially that of gentlemen em- frc grants in the Southern States of Ameri- or: :a, must, of hidden necessity, prove tei ruitless; that a man's destiny is born Su vith him; may just as well be met of! rith folded as with uplifted hands: fe md that a happy accident, a turn of no uck, was as likely to befall one here do a the Channel Islands as in Virginia . n -rather likelier. This was what h? Bn ought to prove. The things he laid de tare in all their deformity were?tb? do veak, devitalized brain, the faulty as- sir oclations, the perplexed despondenay. an >orn of self-indulgence, alcohol And stc licotine, of Mr. Barry Cheater. ha By the time he finished even Aunt shi losie's cheeks were dyed with a flush in/ if honest shame. Miss Theodora sat - ko oore severely upright upon the edge of n ler chair than ever. Old Isabella Van- eai ittart (primed beforehand with a few m< f the Tupperian sentiments commonly an ised as stalking horses in family con- vri entions) uttered the axiom "Conduct 0f s Fate;" opening her eyes as she spoke he rith the stony blank wideness of ill- i uppressed sleep, full upon Barry Ches- toi er's face. no "Yes. Conduct! That Js the word." Lo aid Miss Theodora, preparing to hit tic loser and harder than before. "Pur- h0 ue fortune, if you will,' our lamented f0] apa used to say to his children, 'but to emember that there is something a ! aore fortunate than fortune, more tin uccessful than success. 'Conduct.'" to To what strange uses are dead men's be; phorisms put! Spendthrift, genial, b?e pen-handed George Vansittart quoted mi s a promulgator of copybook moral- sm y! "As for accident, no one but an do mbecile," continued Theodora, hotly, no would ever speculate upon the acci- sin lents of life. A happy turn of luck! t0 f any turn of luck befall you, Mr. pi< Chester, it will be for the worse. You gu; oay rely on that." tio He muttered some of the old futili- an ' v. ''If OAlllfl A ** ICS auuui 11UI ac Ui. CCUiUj,. . .JL, vnv X.WM.V* au ent a few acres of moorland here on ha Juernec Common, even?the little Nor- iU( oan horses?a ready market in Eng- faj and " flij But Miss Theodora pnt him down tui riskly. . ari "Horse breeding! In an island that in? ou might cover with a* Union Jack! A lor aan might as well talk of making a an ortune by oyster beds on Salisbury pit Main. Have you ever in your life wl aade money by horses? Have you? or ask it honestly, Mr. Chester?have sa: ou gained either in reputation or we ocket by your connection with tbe lor urf?your steeplechases, trotting foi Hatches and paper hunts?since you to aarried Daphne?" J It was a poisoned dart. Tbe Miss laj Tansittarts had a wide acquaintance tbi Aunt Hosie among the working, Miss wc Theodora among tbe ornamental or da; iseless class) in the island. And from rei very side stories had reached them Th f Mr. Barry Chester's sporting trans- "le ctions. Stories of after-dinner bets, I?a epudiated when he was sober; of sus- mc licions of foul play between himself dir nd the other "gentlemen" riders; of an tjnoble quarrels: of yet more ignoble wi econciliations. Ugly stories, all of ? hem! mc "I just don't mean to stand tbis sort do f rross-ouestioninc." be exclaimed, th< nth a rising temper. "My money is vo ay own, to do as I choose with, and wi regards my debts of honor " wt "Honor!" interrupted Theodora. "Oh, thi think, sir, the less we say on that tr< ubject the better. When you married doi )aphne, such money as she possessed be: Fas given into your hands." This was wt rue. Daphne's fortune, amounting, tot ioor child, to between two and three in lundred pounds, had been made over " inreservedly to Mr. Chester, on the un ondition that it should furnish forth is wife's colonial outfit. "You told us hen, on your 'honor,' that it was your ntention to settle in Virginia; that 1 our capital " the "And suppose I have found out that th( ettling in Virginia, that all settling, nsj s a mistake?" he retorted, "As to is ay capital?" an Mr. Chester raised his eyebrows, f0c olded his arms, and. glancing up at th? he low-raftered ceiling, gave a sup- arc tressed kind of whistle. He had, in jy ruth, reached the stage of reckless- it less at which a man will fain "let the nu ow gang wi' the bucket." Even the up >itiful motive power or selfish enjoy- fl0 -ent in life was spent; and he cared ( lot how soon or how absolutely his ca] :eggared condition of soul and body |jk icfitmp known. SI, "Your capital, I hare no doubt you |ia vish to imply, is moonshine," said chi >oor Miss Theodora?a choking: sensa- * ion rising in her throat as the full ea] neasure of their misfortune began to < >reak upon her. "If it be so, and as it ?i s impossible for ns to ask you to pro- h0 ong your visit at Fief-de-la-Reine (aw- ? ul was her chill italcizing of the word jef 'visit,") the more reason for Daphne's 3 iake, and your own, that you should ea1 00k out for work of some kind withtut delay." an "Work! A fellow brought up as I lave been?" he answered, giving a rlance of saddened jcuntiness at his 1 lerveless. pale hands. "And what ch: jrancb of hard labor do you suppose I yei im best fitted for?a blacksmith, or Pa :$rpenter?" pa "I think you are fitted for no work litt vhatever," exclaimed Theodora Van- six :ittart, with emphasis. "So many posts re? n this world, however, are filled by ovi nen whose only qualification is inca- coi jacity, that you need scarcely allow ert four conscience to lie troubled on that Dv joint! There are clerkships to be had, sei should imagine, small positions under agi jovemmcnt and the like? Surely, No hrough the interest of your friends, Yc hrough the Warwickshire Stamers. 'or example " " "Curse the Warwickshire Stamers!" v. t As he uttered this never-to-be-for- foi rotten malediction Mr. Chester sla )rought his hand down upon the man- rei el shelf with a violence that sent the no nortar rolling in nn avalanche down pu ht> nbiirnfv and n?iimh& ilt? Lwiria of fat o little wire-strung mandarins, the ner ornaments, to wag wel)-nlght dislocation. riif-odora Vansittart answered not a ml. .She rose, took a bed room can; from the side table, lighted it with itfly, 'deliberate precision, then of eil her arm to her elder sister, and, rowfull.v followed by Aunt Hosie. t Mr. Chester alone. Alor.e with the n and wind of that harsh midnight ailing like so many ghosts of his e's wasted hours), the certainty that ; pitiful game was up?roof, dinner, c-ket money, all forfeited?for comnionshlp. rhe succeeding Sunday was murk d chill, a day not soon to be erased >m the calendar of Daphne's memr. During the forenoon Mr. Clies kept to his owp room, as was his nday morning wont. Dinner passed ' in RTirs silence, only broken by neralitfss, interesting neither to cods r mea, from the lips of Miss Theora. Afterward, heedless of the sleet d M*.id still beating np from the sea. :rry Chester went forth into the gard. fjr an hour or more paced up and w* the distant orchard terrace, io*.lng or half smoking through cigar (3 <Ngar, his head down bent, his 95 irregular, his arms folded across breast; Daphne, sick at heart, with L' knew not what new fear, watcher him, unseen herself, from the use. ?0 this hour there is one window she q never stand at?110. not when sum;r is at its bravest?without the cold d darkness of that last Sunday, thout the miserable, restless figure Barry Chester coming back before r sight! 3e remained about the place all day; vard nightfall made the abrupt anuncement that he should start for ndon next morning. It was his parular request that no one in the use would get up or go through the :m of seeing him off. He had spoken Jean Marie; the lad would borrow spring cart and drive him quietly to e steamer soon after daylight. As Pflnhnp's flppomnnnvinir him. he ?ged?using some of our more forcis English abjurgations?that he ght be spared the very proposal of ?h folly. Fief-de-Ia-Reine "was, ubtless, still open to her, though t to him. Let her avail herself of its elter while she could. He was going London?oh, to look out for cm>yment, then, if he was to be the bject of such strict cross-examinan! Anyway, her presence would be (anathemized) incumbrance to him, (anathemized) expense, which he d neither means nor inclination to rur. Promise to write? Of course; tlifully, sacredly! Thus, with the >pant callousness of a vulgar na e, he answered, the girl's trembling n around his neck, her lips touch* his cheek. Promise anything so ig as he might be spared hysterics d scenes! Let Daphne, in return, ;dge herself to be silent about him len he was gone. If trades people others persisted in asking questions, F that he was absent on business? '11, on business likely to detain him ig?and that she had no moans of warding either letters or messages his address. U1 through'the night Mrs. Chester ' nn-oto wooninc c<vilrtin?r ir>nrs for s sorriest scoundrel upon whom a unan's .love was over wasted. At Vbreak came Jean Marie's signal of reille from the courtyard below, en. choking back her sobs by force. 'St she should anger poor Barry," phne had to nerve herself for the iment of final separation; and in the n morning her husband stooped, d, kissing her on the forehead, shed her a cold good-by?their last! smarting under an uneasy sense of mey obligations, doubtful as to what ims might be put in against him at i eleventh hour. Mr. Chester deutly hoped that, in parting from his fe, he had parted forever from the iole Vansittart family. As he passed ough the house place, however?a jad tiled passage dividing the front 3r from the stairs?Aunt Ilosie stood fore him; red about the eyelids, her | tole demeanor giving unmistakable 1 tens of a night spent otherwise than sleep. Really, Miss Vansittart. this is quite necessary," he was beginning. To be Continued. A Cereal Story, rhe refreshing part of a story which . xt ^ *^4. ? C W Jl U1 IV Jl. 1LL1 1 Cl'U Uli I O iO i-iV/ C > stupidity of man in Lis domestic lect. TLe particular man concerned an actor whose wife? an actress?is earnest advocate of the theory that >d should fit the consumer rather in the reverse. Consequently there I ; periods when milk flows incessant- j through the household menu. Again is hot water, and at other times . ts, fruit-, and grains alone are relied j on to nourish genius to its linest 1 <ver. )nce, in the grain age, the wife was led away to a rehearsal that was ely to last well into the afternoon, e told her husband that he would ve to get his own luncheon, and he eerfully consented to do it. I had a fine meal on your new cerI," he said, when she returned. 'What do you mean?" she inquired. I haven't any new cereal in the j use." 'Why. that nutty sort of stuff you t on the dining-room table." The wife sat down suddenly. "You've ten up my window garden!" she j liled. "All my petunia, nasturtium d pansy seeds!" How Paris Paper Grew, Ldtiitional proof of the enormous ange in French journalism in recent ' irs is seen in the fact that the Fetit risian now comes out as a twelve- j ?T6 paper. J.t?n rui o jl ??w lie four-page sheet. Then it grew to : pr.ges, then to eight, and has no-v iched twelve. As its circulation is i er a million a day, it may now be 1 asidered the best newspaper propy in France. Thirty years ago M. ' ipuy, its proprietor, was a bailiff ! ving writs in Paris, and three yeans o he was Minister of Agriculture, j iw lie is a muiumiiuuumie.?; rk Herald. 'But you know," persisted the wife i 10 was trying to work her husband a new outfit, "that all women are ves to fashion." "True, my dear," jlied the heartless husband, "but Tin t the man to give up money for the rpose of encouraging slavery in ary no,"?PJiifflcro News ||^ousehold |T x patters j" ' fin <iUHr?lins Matclie*. I Always l;ocp matches in boxes "well I j out of reach of little fingers, and many j a fearful death and bad burn will then ! be avoided. ! oei w< Chain IJottle Cleaner. ! The really ideal bottle cleaner is un- i ^ i doubtedly of chain. By shaking the I wl | chain around inside the bottle anything j 18 ! adhering to its sides must be removed, j Attached to the chain is a brush to be I fn , used in cleaning the stopper. ; "I i Sa A Kitchen Apron. j An excellent kitchen apron is made ; ^ of unbleached muslin. This is superior j ,)U to the ginghams and seersuckers more \ lie generally used, for the reason that it can be thoroughly boiled and thus dis- f* infected of all possible microbes. A hn j few washings give it a snowy wuuu- | ness, which adds very much to the j j daintiness of the cook's appearance. ! ch ! a,e Bed Comfortables. til j The down and cotton comfortables, foi which it is wise to keep "handy" for ^ cool nights, should be provided with a wt J slip cover, which can be buttoned or inj ' tied together. Made of plain white muslin it looks delightfully cool, and j ^ can be washed every week as readily ; <i0 is a sheet. This simplifies the problem ofl >f having the comfortable always frosli ! J*1 ve and sweet without laborious cleaning j i at home or an expensive visit to the ( :'V i "dry-cleaner's.'' I J-0 I an " I tir Clean the Kefrijjcrator. ! a j A triple house cleaning every week is j jx none too much for tLe refrigerator. A j ha wise provision is to arrange it for the > days on which the ice is to be renewed, j r'0. Remove everything, wipe walls and ! m; shelves with a damp cloth, then rub cri with coarse, dry towel. Pour scalding water, in which a bit of washing sotia ro, has been dissolved, down the waste ha pipe. Follow it with a cold stream and I 1 permit the refrigerator to stand open and empty a few minutes till thorough- | as iv cooled. Five minutes' work three j times a week is all that is required to ! **' keep this part of the larder in perfect 1 jj, sanitary condition. I Mi | tin How to Make Tea. i ^U1 Tea should be bought in small quan- | aD, tities and kept iri an air-tight tea j ?j j caddie. j no The water uspiI for making tea tb should be freshly boiled, because below the boiling point tlio stimulating prop- sh< | erty (theine) is not. extracted. Tea is should always be infuseO, and never permitted to boil. Long steeping ex- a ( tracts the bitter principles (tannic acid) lie destroying entirely the delicate flavor si? I and aroma. \ First scald the teapot, dry it, then < add the proportions of one level tea- a. | spoon of tea to one cup of boiling j water; let infuse four or five minutes. ..r( ' If too strong, add more boiling water; do If not of sufficient strength, add more I hi tea: do not attempt to get the strength by longer steeping.?Men. and Women. yc gTi Getting; Kid of PcstA. tai Rats and Mice?Peppermint sprigs j p}1 laid around shelves and jjlaces these | ^ pests frequent will drive them away, hu ! Chloride of lime sprinkled about is to also effective. ^ Ants and Roaches?Powdered borax ^ scattered in their haunts is a "sure in? cure.'' One teaspoonful. of tartar }ia emetic mixed with one teaspoonful of j,*1 sugar, aim pui. wuere auus are iruuuic- all some, will drive tliem away in a day. sui i Fleas?Tbp.se may be driven away pr( by scattering eitlier lime or cayenne W8 pepper in the places which they fre- ulc quent. Oil of pennyroyal is also good. ^ai Moths?These may be prevented by ^ the use of moth-balls, or bags made of c0 crushed lavender and lemon-verbena no with clover and other pungent spice. Powdered borax, camphor and cedar pc dust are all effective. gii Flies and Mosquitoes?The best pre- 011 ventive is tight screens and constant i vigilance. Mosquitoes dislike lawnder j i0i and green walnut. Fly paper is made fto as follows: Take equal parts of melted 1 resin and castor oil, and spread while j ;m warm on strong, thick paper. Or use su four ounces of quassia chips boiled in ve one pint of water. When cold strain, then add water to make one pint, and re two ounces of alcohol. Sweeten with ce sugar, and pour in saucer.?Woman's I Home Companion. i jn in Stewed Mushrooms?Flood the chaf- j f0 Jng dish with really good olive oil. | w Put in a tea spoonful of paprika and a , ^ pinch of salt. Drop in the mushrooms j after having stalked and peeled them, 1 m black part uppermost. Cover up and j listen to the appetizing sizzling for j ?! seven minutes. They should then be bt uune iu a iiiru. cc Stewed Mutton With Macaroni?Cut j Ra a half to cue pound of mutton into p< small pieces. Put a layer of carrots, jj? turnips and celery into a saucepan, q then a layer of meal, then seasoning 0\ and more vegetables. Add two quarts of water, bring to the boil, then simmer gently for one hour. Put in half a pound of macaroni and simmer till all I X is tender. Add seasoning to taste and m serve in a deep dish. th Savory Rice?A very good dish for supper. Wash three ounces of rice f.n and boil in half a pint of milk till i"' tender, add pepper and salt to taste, j" Butter a piedish, spread half the rice ,'cj in it, sprinkle one ounce of grated j fv cheese (Parmesan, if possible) on it, ,-m add the rest of the rice, scatter over ^ it some more cheese, put butter on the eh top in small pieces, and brown in a in quick oven. f? til' Planked White Fish?Clean, split and season a three-pound fish; have ready an oakplank about an inch thick, and ] a little longer and wider than the fish: ne thoroughly heat the plank, lay on the ^ei iisu, skiij siue uowu, orusii wira meiiea l ^ butter and bake in a liot oven about j ma twenty-five minutes. Tbe fish way also be cooked under the flaiuc in the pas range. When done, brush with ^ melted butter, garnish with parsley ,tc and lemon, and send / p the table ou tra the plank. HE SUNDAY SCHOOL TERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS ' FOR OCTOBER 9. I ?; ihject: The TVIdow'g Oil Increiincd, II j Klnce, iv., 1-7?Golden Text, I'salm xxxvli., 3?Memory Verse*, 5-7?Commentary on the Day's Leatou. T. A widow in trouble (v. 1). 1. "A rtain woman.*' .fftsephus says this ! >man was the widow of Obadiab, Ahab's | ward, and that the borrowed money "ntioned in the text had been expended ; the support of the hundred prophets i lorn he hid and supported (1 Kings j :5). "Of the wives, etc. It apoears I >m this that the members of the fcolleges prophets did not withdraw themselves I >m common domestic life altogether. Jnto Elisha." Elisha made it his home in 1 maria (2 Kings 2:25 : 6:32). This appeal ! ows that he was looked upon as the leadamong the prophets. He seems fo have j ide journeys around the country for the rpose of instructing the people. We ( ar of him in various places. "The cred- , >r.'' The man here spoken of had evi- ! ntly been engaged in some transaction | r which money nad been borrowed and | d died before it could be paid off. "To bondmen." The law of Moses provided rev. 25:39-41) that in cases of poverty and ability to pay his debts a man and his i ildren might be sold and remain in bond- ! e until the next year of jubilee. Matew 18:25 shows that this law was still in I rce in our Lord's time. This fact, thus ndentally introduced in history of Elisha ows that in his day the law of Moses I is the basis of judicial and civil proceed- J in the kingdom of Israel. The terri- I ; tyranny of debt may fasten upon those j 10 do their best to avoid it. It is more I enly felt in proportion to the desire to | everything in the fear of the Lord. It | ;en brings suffering upon the family. ; ace cannot keep us from financial re- ' rses. [I. The woman's poverty (v. 2). 2. I Vhat shall I do?" How shall I relieve j u? The sons of the prophets Were poor | d it would signify little to make a collec- j m fnr Kpr amnnir them. Eli-slia was also I poor man. "What "hast thou?" The j >rd always delights to take the little we j ve and increase it. He pursued this urse in feeding the multitudes with a tie bread and fish. If she has a little mmitted to her management, her need ist be supplied by His blessing and incasing that little. "Pot of oil." The ly thing she had in tbe house was a pot oil. "The word rendered 'pot' is from a ot meaning 'to anoint' and the clause s been rendered. "Save tbe oil with which ?liali anoint myself.' The word may be j ticed because it indicates the poverty of j e widow. It was not the finest oil, such i would be used for cooking food, that | e had, but the more common kind which ery Oriental makes use of after a bath." me think that this pot of oil was what is woman had kept for her burial. See itt. 26:12. Out of this last pot of oil? s sign of her utmost poverty?Elisha rnished the source of her future comfort d happiness. [II. The prophet's advice (vs. 3, 4). 3. torrow?empty vessels." But why did t the Lord supply the vessels as He did e oii? Simply because she had the abil' to obtain the vessels. Those who think cripples their faith to help themselves nuld remember that the exact opposite the ease. What right have I to expect j ?d to undertake my case when I have | t done what I can to help myself? "Not j few." This method of aid was a test of | r faith and an aid to her faith. The as- i tance was given in a way to benefit her d her sons in character and spiritual i i: "Shut the door."s So as not tp draw ' crowd of curious spectators round, or I d^e a vain and needless displav of the j racle. Some miracles God works in se- ! ?t for a chosen few. The work was to be j ne in quiet, without display, and where : s moral influences might have their per rt work. It v.as like praying in secret j latt. 6:6). It is not in the crowd that id works His wonders in nature and | ice: it is in the lonely place, to the soli- ! ry individual. The one who would see j e grander revelations of God must turn I t back on the human multitude. "Pour j t." God would supply the oil; from a j man standpoint there was nothing much ! pour out. [V. The supply of oil (vs. 5-7). 5. "So ! e went." The widow might well have j en astonished at such a peculiar com- j ind; "but as the wife of a prophet who i d been a servant of the Lord she had j irned whence help could be sought when j ery other source had failed." In spite <?f I the objections which might have been j ggested to 'her she hastened to obey the I ophet. 5. "Were full." Out of one small jar j is poured out so much oil as by a mirac- j jus multiplication filled all these empty : sks. Scare had that pot any bottom, at j ist the bottom that it had was to be j ;asured by the brims of all those vessels; I uld they have held more the oil would j t have ceased flowing. Even so the | untv of our God gives grace and glory I cording to the capacity of the receiver. >uld we hold more. 0 God, Thou wouldst j re more; if there be any defect, it is in j r vessels, not in Thy beneficence. "Not vessel more.' This is a good emblem of j e grace of God. While there is an empty, ! aging heart, there is a continual over- I wing fountain of salvation. If the oil j ases to flow it is .because'there arc no i lpty vessels there?no souls hungering | d "thirsting for righteousness. The re- < Its were according to her faith. Every ssel she borrowed was filled with the 1 iraculous oil. Then the flow stopped. I ic put her own limit to the amount she j ,in" "TVio oil staved." That is. it i used to flow longer.* 7. "Came and told." Feeling that the sposal of the oil should be made accordg to the direction of Him who had told r what to do. It would seem to her that e unexpected supply could not be rerded as her own property. "Sell?pay | y debt." How caiinlv the prophet re- ! :ved her. He knew what would haopen. j ad does not this show a wonderful ! nount of faith and confidence in God on j e part of Elisha? If means are given | ee to satisfy thy creditor let it be thy i st duty to pay him - efore thou carest | r thyself. He who can pay his debts and J ill not takes what does not belong to [ m. and breaks the eighth commandment, j rhen the Lord gives there is always some- j ling left over and above. He never j ereiy takes away distress; He gives a | essing besides. "Live?of the rest." Th? j 1 was all to be sold, and the money that i as over, when the debt was paid, would 1 i a means of support till the sons might I id a way to earn a living. The mirach j >es no further than is absolutely nece* ' ry. It does not permanently enrich the j >or, but provides only for temporary ne | issity. How strikingly does this incident j low that we must be fellow-workers v.-itfc j od throughout, from first to last, in oui i vn deliverance. aionntnind Are Melting. rhe intense recent heat, says a Geneva I ecial in the London Express, has had an ; Inordinary effect on the Alps, which are places becoming bared of snow under c fierce rays of the sun, and are utterly anging their shape and appearance, cat crags and peaks of rock are emerging summits -which never before in the 'mory of living man have been free from ow. Huge masses of ice are continually caking away and falling with thunderous hoes into the valleys and ravines, and alanchcs have nev^r before been so nu- , ?rous or extensive. The overcharged juntain torrents have run wide of their nks, and have formed new and extended annels, while the Swiss lakes are one I d all far above their normal level owing the continual rush of snow water from e mountains. A Single Railroad. Experiments are now being conducted j ar Paris, France, with a single rail sys- | n. It is proposed that such a railroad i built between Paris and Marseilles, tich would only be used for carrying the tils, etc. To Preserve Elk. >ur Government is to preserve Yellowine Park elk in winter by sowing a large Kit with alfrlfa. - - V.V ! THE GREAT DESTROYER | SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT | THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. ^ Drink Cnrse of London?A Grocer'* License in the Greatest Cnrse of tbe Age in the World's MotropollB ? Many ' Women Becoming Iudnlgents. The evidence showing the extraordinary I extent to which the drink curse has undermined the social, physical and moral welfare of the people is overwhelming. A11 in a position to judge are as one in the opinion that the great mass of the people have no conception of the ravagea j which the consumption of drink ? espe- | eially the cheap and poisonous kinds?ia j making upon the phvsical and moral condition of the people, through the weaker sex. A doctor with a large practice in the j suburbs told an Express representative I that grocer.*' licenses are among the great- j est curses of the age. ?"I have traced," he ; said, "many cases of alcoholism among 1 women to this source. The evil begins with I the grocers' license, and in a sfrort time the | public house is patronized. "Another evil is the medicated wine, the trade in which has vastly increased during the past few years. Scores of people who would not touch ordinary wine or spirits ask if they may take a little of somebody's medciated wine. It is nothing but ordinary wine to which a drug has been added. I "It is my firm conviction that the use of such wine cultivate*, and in some cases, awakens a craving for alcohol in stronger form." A member of a public body in West Ham showed an Express representative round the best parts of the borough on Saturday night. Tne passing of well dressed women in and out of public houses of the better type was continuous. A visit was paid to what is an admittedly well conducted "hotel." In the saloon bar were fovty-fiv? persons, twenty-five of whom were women, including six girls with young men, evi? dently sweethearts. "If you saw what ] have seen everv dar of m.v life," said a head master of a board school in the East End, "'you would hop? that the children sent away Dy tne rreso Air Fund would never come back. If we could only take the children out of the at> mosphere in which they are compelled ta live there mieht be some hope for them. "With public houses at every street cop ner, where boys and girls play every nigh) for want of a better place, what wonder is it that the scenes of drunken, fighting women dull their perceptions and leaa them to look upon drunkenness as one oJ the usual features of their existence.'*? London Express. The No-Bar Liquor Sh^pg. The worst evil to-day existing in Hew York City in connection with the liquoi tra: ic is the no-bar whisky shop. I have often wondered why, when the license wa? raised the last time, these dens of iniquitj and destruction of physical and moral man got off so lightly. There is no more pitiable sigbfc than t< eee the wTetehes of all ages and both sexe# in their tattered garments spending theii last pennies for a bottle of some alcoholi' concoction as they flitter like phantoms or a Saturday night in and out of these places During the day there is almost constantlj a set of drunken loaders within and in fronl of these places. If any one desires to convince himself oi the havoc these places work among thew virHmsi W. him walk on Seventh avenui between Twenty-sixth and Thirty-seconc Btreets. Similar conditions exist in manj other parts of the city. No beer or lighte; drink is sold here. It is the real poisor and nothing else that is dealt out withou restriction of any kind. I would rather there would be ten sa loons where there is some restriction anc ?very man is on his good behavior thai one of the pestholes where man sinks t< the level of the beast and is helped alonf by the vendor of the vile stuff?Carbon, ii the New York Sun. Temperance Work Among Sailors. A great Christian temperance work ii carried on in England in tne Royal Sailors Rests. No fewer than 9658 pledges weri recorded during the year, and of these 201.' were secured by seamen themselves on thi respective ships, those on small craft beinj as earnest in the caijse as those on largi vessels. "Miss Wintz, as heretofore, de votes her energies to the duties of admin istration in the Refits," says the Lon jbr Christian, "and "with what conspicuous sue cess is demonstrated by the fact that 295, 000 men used the institutions during thi year; nearly 1,000,000 meals were supplied and the takings amounted to ?27,000. Thi profit*; were devoted to the maintenanct and extension of the general work. Re cently an Admiral looked over one of th< Rests and asked: 'Is it possible this place ii run without whisky?' On being assurec that it was he ejaculated: '-Then such place* ought to be general.'" .. Women Repudiate Eccr Bills. Aeeordine to Associated Press disDatchei from Berlin, the Germau hotel keeper me" his Waterloo when he included in the billj rendered to the American women wb< were his guests during the Internationa Congress, items for drinks which had no1 been ordered, much less consumed. De spite his assertion that such charges an included in every bill, regardless of thi guest's habits or principles, the Americai women were obdurate, and the bills wen modified accordihgly. A receipted drinl bill will never go down in history bearinf the name of Susan B. Anthony, Carrii Chapman Catt. Anna Shaw or any othei representative American woman. The sy<s j tem of European "graft"' has its liinita | tions.?Union Signal. . SlliiAi: rersonal Responsibility. Cariyle writes: "Brother, thou has? pos ' sibility in thee for much, the possibility o; j writing on the eternal skies tne record o: i an heroic life." ' Let each individual tota abstainer seek to realize the greatness anc importance of temperance work, the abso lute necessity of personal service, and th< splendid sphere of work offered, and ther with tbe determination and pcrseveranci apply himself to this work. I am only one, But I am one; I cannot do everything, But 1 can do something; What I can do I ought to do. And by the grace of God I will do.?'.Na ! tional Advocate. "Drink Did It.' John R. Hennine, a prosperous merchant of Brooklyn, N. Y , committed suicide ve j cently, leaving as a legacy to his widoa J and four fatherless children a scrap a paper on which was written the ominou words: "Drink did it. God help me." I is recorded that Mr. Henning was a man a temperate habits until the week previou' to his drAth. His cry for help may we| find an echo in the heart cf every so-cailc moderate drinker. Thu Crnendc in Kricf. Americans spend $1,000,000,000 a year foi | alcoholic (!rinks. The Belgium city of Licce. with a popu ; lation of 150.000, maintains 11',000 drinl j In a company of Chicago frentlemen thi | other week a successful banket and capital | ist declared that in his belief the- time !iao j come :.o prohibit the manufacture and salt j of spirituous liquors. A cow pave a good pal! of milk anc | kicked it over; all cows don't clo that. A j good churchman prays :l*J4 days "Tliv king dom come,"' and on the 365th day votes foi rum; all churchmen dou't do that. Dr. Justin Edwards said that 30 00C drunkards who took the pledge had been permanently reformed in five years. Of e-very 100 alcoholics attacked by pneumonia seventy die, whiie of every 100 non . alcoholics so attacked only twenty-three , die ^ Governor Yates, of Illinois, has appoint ( cd five commissioners to purchase a statue . of Frances E WilJard. and erect the samt j in Statuary Hall. Washington. She was against whisky to the end and her memory is blcs-ed? To legalize the saloon i? mora! robbery, intellectual ruin and spiritual suicide. Doe* a your vote help to legalize it'.' The vote of c the American citizen is one of tiie grea'es! ? moral levers, or one of the greatest Ciims ? forces in our civilization f r": -.V.r^aw ^yuad^ $re&Jif&.5l i llircCbJkle * Oar Vanished Lored On?r. still on the hps of all we question, The finger of God's silence lies; " Will the iost hands in ours be folded?. Will the shut eyelids ever rise?' 0 friend, no proof beyond this yearning^ This outreach of our hearts, wc need; God will not mock the hope He givetb, No love He prompts shall vainly plead. Then let us stretch our bands in darknea And call oar loved ones o'er and o'er; Some day their arms will close about us, And the old voices speak once more. ] ?Wbittier. Chiiatianity in Bannft. According to the census of lflft 17*6 are 1*20,768 Christians in Burma. Of the 25,000 are Catholics, 15,008 be.ong to tl Church of England, 7500 are MethodUt o00 Presbyterians and 41,700 Baptists. Tl Baptists claim 74,700 adherents, which 1 dudes the lamilies of member* o: the church, write* William E. Curtis. F .'J l'hinney. superintendent of the Bapti printing hoiwe, tells me there are 173 mi tionaries belonging to that- denomifcatic in Burma. 1746 native pastors and mlssw wuiKtriJ*, /ii i;i ^aiuz-cu LUUI tuua, ?-iviir logical seminaries, with 135 student*?^ colleges ""and boarding schools with"-SO students. 420 other schoo's with"'EM! children unde: instruction, and there we ^695 b*ytisniH of natives l-?t yeai Terrible Cons eqcen?e?. Jesua picture? the tiivine view of ?in its terrible consequences. On which si< are the probabilities of a sever ending ? fering? They are with Jesus Christ. The is a so-called larger hope that someiw men in eternity will be Drought back in fellowship with God. Such a conception not biblical. Exegesis has not estaDlish< such a hope. Men have swung away fro ch? view of a material hell. But that not the emphasis of Dante nor Chrii Their emphasis is upon the surety of pe alty for wrong doing. The complete i volt against a literal bell has led many an attitude of absolute disbelief in he Medievalism had its faults and its virtu* Men to-day need to turn back and stu< that medieval period. It has a messa for this art. What this age needs is ti message or Christ. It needs a vivid rea nation of the consequences of sin. Wou that we might be permitted to look in the eoul of tpe evil doer in public and p vate life who has been brought to ju*ti< The mental aironv beheld would wa young America from sin. What this a needs is the mind of Christ. Mater forces are mighty. Cantilever bridjg giant iron horses and ocean greyhoun bear the traffic of the world. We i thrilled with the advancement of the tj We admire great steel structures, massi buildings and splendid granite walls. 1 that which builds is greater than tl which is built. Nimbler and swifter tb the arms and the muscles was the invisil thought which wrought through them. \ do not read cf Jesus Christ as a man w a giant arm and a mighty shoulder. -1 who can measure the length and bread and depth of power of that magnifict personality? He was bone, flesh a sinew. Yet in Him was good. Oft vealed the power of God ana sent it dothe ages. He revealed the power of -G against sin. Let'this mind be in you wb: was also in Christ Jesus.?From serm on "Hell" by th? Rev. B. F. Root, in i Third Congregational Church, Waterbu Conn. renioaa j.ena?Dci>? There are three ('mischievous ind p<5 ou9 tendencies" jo our modern wo* adds Dr. Van Dj-Jie, against which i spirit of Christianity embodied in "a v. and virile and lovable literature," cat. much to guard us. Tfhe first is the gn ing idolatry of military gloiy and c quest. "A literature \ that is Christ must exalt love, not onJy as the greati but as the strongest, thing in the 'worl The second is the groming idolatry wealth. "A noble literature, truly in 1 mony with the spirit of ffihrist, will r erate in a hundred formsXof beauty-J power His teaching that 'a Iman's life^ c sistenth not in the abundance of the thi which he poBsesseth/ " Thek third "is growing spirit of frivolity. \One of Greatest services that Christiannnr can l er to current literature is to na^gir* with a nobler ambition and lift itTTW higher level." Dr. Van Dyke concludes: "I remember an old woodsman in t Adirondack forest who used to say that (ranted to go to the top of a certain mou tain as often as his legs would carry hi because it gave him such a feeling 'heaven-up-histedness.' That is an u couth, humble, eloquent phrase to descri the function of a great literature. "Unless above himself he can Erect himself, how mean a thing is man [ want the "books that help me out pf t racancy and despair of a frivolous min out of the tangle and confusion of a socie that is busied in bric-a-brac, out of t meanness of unfeeling mockery and t heaviness of incessant mirth, into & lofti and serener region, where through t clear air of'serious thoughts I can learn look eoberlv and bravely upon the mingl misery and splendor of human existent arid then go down with a cheerful coura to play a man's part in the life whi Christ has forever ennobled by His divi presence." "Cramped Livea." 'A writer in The Observer has thU ay: "It is unpleasant to see anything, evei vegetable, growing in such cramped qui ters that it cannot expand ana becoi symmetrical; when we gather it, we c but think how it would have been <?ul< have had room to come to perfection, x there are thousands of peoplfe growing just this way, passing their days in su narrow, cramped spheres that they cann round out into complete lives, and dea gathers them in without the possible p fection which, in tJl justice, should ha been theirs. There is much said conce: ing the dignity of labor, and in labor 1 the only true dignity possible for man woman to retain; but it is a duty we owe to ourselves and our Creator to cho< the path in life where highest usefulm and greatest development are to be four We should make the most of ourselv and he or she is a coward who shrin from doing so for fear of the senseless cc demnation of those who know little a care less what our struggles against en ronment and hereditary mean. 0, the.b ied millions, and the grand possibilit i - j il ? ourieu wiui iucui. _ The Hinda Priest"* Answer. H Mar.y af the priests in India go throoM the ceremonies as meaningless rites, whfl hold 110 solemnity for them. W One priest pave this striking nnd pH chance prophctic answer to Bishop FostH who, in company with Bi?hop XhobnH visited the temple. The bishop asked hfl '"How long has a!! this worship been goH on here?" "For thousands of years, iH the reply. "And how lone will it the bishop inquired. "Xot long," S young prie.-t rcp'icd. "And why?" contH ued the bishop. The Hindu hesitated, iH raisin;; his hand and pointing with Bj finger ho swept the '.ir.e of the horizon nH eimi'lv said, "Jesu?."?Mosaics From IticH Jersey's Thirty-three Mosqailoe*. KJ Tt is meet and right that the New JerH experiment station should devote a laH part of its entomologists' energies to famous Jersey mosquito. According to H rent investigations by this eminent H thority thirty-three species are known occur, and a comprehensive table has prepared by which anv individual may H identified and classified. Near-Sighted Ant. W Scientists conclude that the only troulH .bout the Guatemalan ant is that itH tear-sighted. If America's inventive lius can devise eyeglasses for the &nt tH toll weevil i/> as good &e dead. B MA