Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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easa sese00000 -.: :* THE MYSTERY Q 0 By CHARLOTTI Sao* 00000000000600000004 "'he house had been empty for some time, and had a weird, forlorn aspect. The windows were broken, the railings rusted, and tall, rank weeds filled the garden. Yet it was, to my mind, the prettiest house in the terrace. It was separated from the others and overloked a broad ex panse of green meadow land. We-that is. my mother and I -came to live in Western terrace some nine years before the story I have to relate opens. Western terrace is the last row of houses in that pretty outskirt of London which I will call Surbiton. The beautiful. fertile country lay fair and smiling on either side of us; in the far distance we caught a glimpse of a chain of blue hills. The mea dows were green and studded with white and golden flowers. The Terrace is far from the city, far from all the haunts of men; there are no shops near it; no busy crowds ever pass by. The silence of the summer evenings is unbroken, save by the singing of the birds and the- distant chiming of the church bells. When we first came to live here, the next house was empty. My mother often wondered that no one took it; but there were many ob jections; it was so far from all the shops; then it lay back, apart and distant from all the other houses; there was, too, a grove of solemn, melancholy pine trees near it, an' on wintry nights the wind wailed and moaned there until it shook one's nerves. Still, I believe the real reason why nd one cared to take it was that a dreadful murder had been committed there. In the silence and stillness of a dark night a deed had been committed in Mona House that cried up to high heaven for vengeance. We never cared to inquire about the particulars. It was some sad story of an unhappy marriage--a few years of sullen resentment and gloomy misery-a wild outburst of hot anger-a fierce and cruel blow, followed by the stillness and nor. rors of death. Perhaps, before telliqg my little story, I should introduce myself, in order that you may fully understand why I relate it. My mAther, Mrs. Gresham, had been for some years. a widow. I was her onlyr child. My profession was that of a barrister and I am glad to say I stood fore most in the ranks. My mother had ar. ample fortune of her own and my father had bequeathed to me the savings of a long life. My mother loved the country; she -could not endure the city. She must have fresh, pure air, large rooms, green fields. I was obliged to live somewhere near town. We found exactly what we wanted in Western Terrace. It was in the country, yet 'within an omnibus ride of the city, We had many friends, many acquain tances, but no relatives living. Few week-: passed without my mother giving a dance of an evening party. We aad a constant succession of visitors, and altogether life in West ern Terrace was very gay and agree able. Strange to say, and unlike most mothers, mine wished me to marry. I had already reached the mature age of thirty-six, and had never yet been in love. I laughed at the no tion. I had seen pretty girls and beautiful women, but no face, as yet, charmed or haunted me. My mother continually made a point of inviting young and attractive girls to the house.; It was all in vain; love to me was a stranger. It happened .just at this time that I was confined to the house for a week or two, from the effects of a severe cold, and then i: became to me a source of continua] amusement to watch Mona House and the doings there. From a dull, dusty, ;dlrty building it gradually changed 'into a '.right, light, cheerful one, with freshly painted railings. It amused me to watch the arrival of large vans of furniture and other effects. We often speculated as to whe.t our neigh bors would be lil'e. Would they be old or young, dull or sociable? For some time after all the arrange ments at the house had been com pleted there was no sign of them. An elderly woman of respectable ap pearance took up her abode there. We saw no arrival or the usual fore runners of a family m:>vmg. Once I heard (late in the evening and quite dark) the sound of a carriage, driving slowly up to the next door. I could disting'ish some slight con fused sounds, and in a few minutes it drove away again. . Three days afterwards I was walk ing home, when suddernly, at one of the upper windows of Mona House, I caught sight of a face that I shall never forget. The fair. pale face of a lady, with the shidest expres sion1 in her dark eyes I ever beheld; a b:eautiful face, set in a frame of golden hair, with sweet, patient lips, that looked too grave and mournful to smile. I cannot tell why the face affected me so keenly; it seemed like the realization of a want I had long felt --like the completion of a dream. In that one moment it was photo grahed on my heart, and will be there till I die. All night long it haunted me; those sweet, sad eyes seemed ever looking into mine. I longed to hear the voice that should come from those patient lips. I told my mnotherr that~ ou)r new. neihor?' uad ar'rived, and1 th'at one of themn was a moest faTr an?d lov'ely lady. "It is strauge," she remarked, "that I have neither seen no:' heard anything of thenm." And as the days went on the fact grew mo're and more strange. We neither saw nor heard anything of them. I could not obtain another glimpse of the fair, sad face that haunted me. I am not ashamed to say how much I tried to do so.I lingered in the roa4 -and watched from the window, but there was nlE F MONA. HOUSES :i:.. M. BRAEME. 0000 1*0*00000000000 Other things struck me as strange and mysterious. Wheever resided there-whether the lady I had seen was alone or not, I could not tell; t but no one ever called. I never once saw friend or guest or visitor approach that closed door. The post- I man never took letters to Mona House. No one ever crossed the threshold; it was silent and solitary as a large tomb. Early in the morning I saw the old servant at work; but look when I would, whether in the bright, j warm flush of morning or in the I dewy evening, early or late, I could t not see the pale, lovely face I could never forget Was she maid, widow, or wife? I could .not tell. I might have lived a thousand miles frbm Mona House, and I should have known Just as much of it as I did then. We won dered often whether any one else i lived with the .ady I had seen. Once again I saw her. It was early in the morning. Unable to sleep, I had come out Into the gar den to look for some favorite fowers. She was in her own garden, leaning against the lattice-work that sepa rated our grounds from those of Mona House. She had gathered a few flowers, but during her fit of musing they had fallen from her hands. For full half an hour I stood .3 under the flowering lilac tr, es, I drinking in the beauty of the pale, drooping girl, who neither moved I nor stirred., Presently the old wom- t an came out and touched her gently on the arm. "Come in, Miss Clarice, and ake some breakfast," she said. "You look tired to death. A long sleep 3 will do you as much good as fresh air." Slowly and wearily the girl fol lowed the old servant into the house. "Why should she be worn and wan? Why. should she be tired or t wearied?" I asked myself. "Why should she have watched through the long hours of night? What shadow t had fallen upon the young life? What was the mystery hanging over Mona House? - There was no guilt, shame or i crime. I could have doubted any thing rather than the pale, sad face x upon which the morning sun had. < -shone so lovingly. I I asked my mother to make some I advances towards our neighbor. She 5 tried to do so but her efforts were s all in vain. The lady seemed to I shrink from observation, and only wished to avoid notice. .. - At last we began to notice that a closed carriage stopped once a day t at the door; a gentleman descended I from it, and remained some few C minutes in the house. For a long 2 time I wondered who he could be; s one day I saw him plainly, and re cognized the celebrated physician, t Dr. James. c The mystery seemea now to be d solved; doubtless the lady was a great invalid--thr.t accounted for I her pale face and utter seclusion from all society. I told my mother s of my discovery, and she, always E kind of heart, resolved to do some- 1 thing ,to help and aid the young girl who seemed so utterly friend- t less. The next time she saw the old housekeeper, my mother stopped her and inquired after the health of her mistress. "My mistress is quite well," re plied the woman, taken by surprise and thrown off her guard. "I1 am glad to hear it," said my mother. "I was afraid, from Dr. James' frequent visits, she might be ill." Something seemed to come over the woman, like a start of recollec tion. "She is not well," she stammer-'d, "but there is nothing serious the matter." There was a strange hesitation about the old servant that my mother could not understand. "Can I be useful to her in any way?" she asked again. "No!" replied the woman abrupt ly; "she wants nothing but quiet." My mother saw there was some thing constrained about her manner; she noticed, also that she seemed anxious to end the conver'sation. From that time the housekeeper avoided all chance uf meeting with any one from our house. But for tune favored me again. A few evenings afterwards I was in the garden. The lady from Mona House stood, holding a heavy flower pot in her hand. She was trying to 'open the door of the little conserva tory. I cannot tell if a small slate fell from the house-roof, or if some one passing along the wall flung a stone; I saw only one thing; the heavy flower-pot was broken into Ia hundrcd pieces, and the little white hands that held it were fearfully cut and bruised. In one moment I had leaped over the wall and stood by her side. "Are you hurt?" I cried. I shall never forget the look she turned upon :ne; it was one of the most intense terror. "How did you come here?" she asked. "Who are you?" I never in my life saw anything like the wild fright in her eyes; her face was white and quivering. "I am your next-door neighbor," I repiled quickly; "from my garden I saw the accident which happened, and came to help you." "I am not hurt," she said faintly. "You must be," was my reply, pointing to a large crimson stain on her dress; "see how your hand is Icut. You look faint; sit here and rest, while I tell your servant." "No," she gasped, rather than spoke, while her feeble fingers clutched my arm, "no, no; do not enter the house." I bowed, and was turning away, when she said, gently: "Yon ae vmr king_ an~d I thanie -ou very much Indeed. Pray do not hink me rude or ungrateful." "It would be impossible to .nag ne you either," I replied. "Let me .t least bind up your hand. I saw her give one quick, eager lance at the windows of the house, hen with the trusting simplicity of little child she laid that little white and in mine. Nothing ever took me so long as hat act of kindness did. It was ike the realization of a bright ream to see that fair, sad face-to ook into the sweet, shy eyes. I was ibliged to finish at last, and then he gave me a grateful, gentle mile. "Do not thank me," I cried, see ng she was about to speak. "Will ou grant me one favor? Will you low me to call and see how your and is to-morrow or in a few days ime?" "Pray do not ask mie," she said, n such evident terror I could not ersist in the demand. Seeing my presence really dis ressed her, I went away, bearing vith me a passionate love of the fair, ad face, haunted by the musical one of that sweet voice. Yet afterwards, in thinking over he intervie;:, I was more at a loss han ever. What was the mystery? W,'hy did she look so frightened? ,Vhy did she evidently dread lest should enter the house? What vas concealed or going on there? My dear mother was moved to 'mpassion when I related the in ident. "I shall certainly go in and see er," she said. "Poor young lady! cannot help thinking she suffers rom a nervous disease." That evening when I returned ome, she, my mother, had a strange ale to tell me. She looked pale and cared. "Paul," she said, when we were eated alone in the drawing-room, 'I have had a great fright to-day. have been to see our next-door Leighbor." Before I had time to reply she ontinued: "Yes, I have been to see ier; but I shall never go again. here is something either very aysterious or very wrong going on here. The old servant seemed terri ied when she met me. I asked to ee her mistress. At first she said he young lady was engaged; then he said her mistress was not at tome. What alarmed me so much vas that as I turned to leave the oom, I heard a noise. "I cannot describe it," continued y mother, shuddering, and turning uite pale; "it was unlike anything Luman-unlike anything I have -ver teard. Just as I stood still, paral zed by the awful sound, I distinctly aw the young lady herself cross the anding above the stairs." "It seems very strange," I replIed, cusingly, "She was evidently in the house he whole of the time," resumed my other. "What can be the reason f her mysterious seclusion? 'A hat 'uld be the cause of that fearfuI ound?" Even as we sat, trying to solve he mystery of Mona House, there ame a violent ringing at the hail or. "Who can be there?" said my zother. "It is. eleven o'clock." Before I had time to reply the old ervant from the next house hastily ntered the room, and went straight p to my mother. "Will you come in to see my mis ress nowv, directly?" she said.. "He s dying at last,. aA'd she is all alone." "Who is dying?" asked my be rildered mother; but the woman had ;one out again,. and we followed. In silence we entered Mona, House ;nd followed her up the broad stair ase. We heard a strange,. half noaning sound. Tihe old woman ~pened the door of a room,. and we ntered. I can never forget the sight. On bed near the fire lay a most beau iful boy; but at one glance we could ee he was not only an idiot, but also umb. A mass of short golden curls ay on the pillow. His large, bright yes wandered restlessly. The beau iful face was flushed, and the damp >f death hung heavily on the broad, white brow. From his lips there :ame incessantly that moaning, half rticulate sound that chilled one's. ery blood. By his side knelt the ;entle lady I loved so well. She rose as we entered the room, md coming towards us, said, simply: "You have been kind before; bc ind to me again. He is dyin, and [am all alone." My mother-Heaven bless her for it!-clasped the slender, girlish fig are in her arms, and kissed the rhite ace over and over again. Then we nelt by the side of the bed. Hour after hour passed, and no sound was heard, save the moaning af the poor dumb boy and the bitter sobs of his sister. The gray dawn of morning ap peared before the struggle ended, and the beautiful face wore the pallor and stillness of death. Then, while tears rairaed down h face, Clarice Holte told lior simple story. Her father had been a wealthy London merchant, who had made a large fortune entirely by his own skill and exertions. He died when Clarice was fourteen, and her little brother a babe in his mother's arms. She told us of her mother's de spair, when the toy, who had the most beautiful face and soft golden curls, was declared to be utterly and hopelessly imbe,cile. From that time she withdrew herself entirely -~rom the world. She went no more into society; she shut herself up with her children, and devoted every moment, every thought, every care of her life o he:- boy. Clarice -villingly shared her solitude. Whe. she was eight een her mother died. Then the real troubles of this life commenced for Clarice Holte. On the mother's death-bed she exacted from the young girl a promise that, while her brother lived, she would devote her life to him, even if it obliged her to forego all love and all happiness. Caice promised, and she kept her word nobly. To her great alarm one or two I ronas wished her~ to send th bo to a public asylnm, saying he would be better cared for. Then she determined upon leavinj her old home and going to some se cluded, quiet spot. where no one whc knew her could find her-where she could devote herself, as her mothei had done, to the unfortunate boy. Her faithful old nurse discovered the house in Western Terrace. Ii suited them exactly. and in the F, lence of the night the poor idiot wa. brought home. It wa:: a heavy bur. den for young shoulders to carry. The constant wateuing, both nighi and day, drove the bloom from the fair face, and imprinted there a loot of dreamy sadness, pitiful to see. To add to her troubles, poor Her bert began to droop; he pined aftei his dead mother, and could not bE comforted. Dr. James still attendee him, as he had done during his mother's life. Clarice lived in con tinual dread lest the kind but offi. cious friends, who were so anxious tc remove her brother from her care should discover her residence. Hence her terror when I suddenly ap peared in the garden. She believed herself discovered. For the same reason, she dreaded any one visiting or entering the house, fearing that, if her brother's existence becamE known, she would be deprived o, him. The mystery was solved at length We helped Clarice-we stood by hei when her brother was laid in the pretty cemetery near Surbiton. WE soothed her sorrow, and helped hei to bear her grief. Gradually thE shadow passed from the fair face al the lips learned to smile. She looked perfectly happy, onc morning, when the golden sunbeams fell upon her, and we stood side b3 side at the altar. She looked per fectly happy, for on that morning Clarice Holte became my wife. Good Literatifre. The layer of the sea taken up it clouds each year is now estimatec at fourteen feet in thickness. Magnetic compasses are to be sup plied in future to all British and native cavalry regiments in India a: the rate of four a squadron. The use of aluminum with whic' to wrap butter is said to preserve the sweetness of butter for a ver3 long period. Lightning clouds are always neal the ground. They are seldom at a greater distance than 2000 -feet. The Chicago and Northwesterr Railway Company has a tie pickling plant at North Escanaba, Wis. Creo sote is used as the preservative com pound. If this treatnient succeeds for railway ties,. It should act simi larly with fence posts, etc. About a dozen years ago, M. Richr ter showed that the mysterious fires in benzine-cleaninlg establishments are due to electricity, which pro. duces sparks as pieces of wool are drawn from the combustible fluid om cool or dry days,. and he found that the sparks could be prevented b3 adding magnesium oleate-even as little as 0.02 per cent.-to the ben zine. The reason of this remarkabe effect of the cleate has not beer understood. It has now been investi gtted by G.. Just at Karisruhe,. n hc finds that the conductivity of thE benzine is very slightly increased this change being sufilcient to pre vent the accumulation of aangerous electric charges. In pure benzinE an electrode kept its charges for minutes, while in the diluted oleatE solution it refused to. take ~any charge. One conception of the earth's in terior is being gradually transformaed by the discoveries in radioactivity. Radium or radioactive substance has been found in all igneous rocks, buli is most in evidence in granites and least so in basic rocks. That it is - the cause of the earth's internal heat is an idea that is gaining ground. The distribution of radi'um is fairly uniform, and this gives basis for calculations showing thai he earth's crust cannot be much miore than forty-five miles deep, as ro:erwise. the outflow of heat would be greate:' than Is observed, and or the conclusion that the interiox -comparatively cold instead of a iolten mass-must be of some total. 1:: different metal. The last result agrees with that reached by Pro fssor Milne from th? velocity ol athqualte travel throuigh the in trio:'. The moon probably cons ista m:ostly of rock, with an ititernaI temerature much greater than .:ai of the <>arth. and this ecplains ths g~cat d'velJpraecnt of lunar %'olca noes. 1:'on i:::coritea conmuin litti radiuzn. Carcasses of D~eer. Hunter's returning from the heac of Smith Rliver, in Del Norte County. Cal., repor; that fully 200 carcasses os deer may be seenscattee'td thr'ougt the mountains of that region. Onl3 the hind quarters hare been taker by the men who have devastated the inest deer hunting section of thE coast. Many of the carcasses seer were those of does and i'awns. ThE monftaini region that makes suet fine hunting ground lies in Del Nor'tt and Siskiyou Counties in Califor'nia d in Jiosphine and Curry Counties Oregon. -San Francisco Chronicle. Stutte'rin;: in Germany. Stuttering children have latel3 become alarmingly numerous ir Germany. The public schools con tin 80,000 of them. The increasc in the number is largely due tc mimicry. China has an estimated capacit: Ifor supplying the world from her cal Oelds for 2Q00 years. TYING SHOE LACES. If you are one of those girls whose &hoe laces flip-flop loose at every step, you will be glad to have this hint of just how to tie them firm: Proceed in exactly the same way as if you were tying an ordinary bow, but pass the right hand loop through the knot before drawing it up, and give a teady pull on both loops. It should be remembered, however, when unty ing. that the right hand string must be pulled, for if the other is pulled it will only tighten the knot. MECCA FOR WIDOWS. Washington is a favorite city with many widows who had distinguished husbands. The political-social at mosphere is attractive to them. Mrs. NIarcus A. Hanna has sold her home in Cleveland, and is to become a per manent resident of Washington. Other women who either live entirely in Washington or spend most of their time here are Mrs. Garret A. Hobart, Mrs. Daniel Manning, Mrs. Henry C. Payne, Mrs. Stanley Matthews, Mrs. John Hay, Mrs. Philip Sheridan, Mrs. Matthew Stanley Quay and Mrs. John A. Logan. A COSTLY FAD IN DANGER. According to all accounts, the famine in long gloves.is still seriously felt despite the widespread tendency of womanhood in the emergency tc go about with the arms bared to the snipped-off sleeves. If the sex im mediately interested gets really tc liking to do without gloves, the fash ion which decrees that the forearm shall be covered with five dollars' worth of kid instead of ten cents' worth of dress goods stuff, may have to surrender to the expedient that the famino has made necessay. Providence Journal. BACK TO THE OLD-TIME SATEEN. Though the belle of twenty years ago cannot come back to us in all her ful!, fair freshness. one form of gown material that the dear creature used a double decade back is coming intc use again. It is French sateen. Some women who do not care for changing styles have clung to the sateen, and now they are chuckling, "Didn't I tell you it would come back?" Hear what a thrifty woman did with a gown of this kind. It was trimmed in lace and chiffon for the first two years. Then it was remade with more subdued accessories, and it lasted for 'second best" in spring and autumn for two more seasons. [hen it was ripped to pieces. Now il s finishing its career as a dressing sack for steamer and sleeping car ses-New York Press. WASH "RIBBONS" OF LINEN. For the woman who wants a sub stitute for the perishable little rib bons she runs through the beadinge in her underclothes, and yet to whon :h narrow linen tapes are entirely utilitarian in their character, come attractive and inexpensive linen rib ns of delicate pink and white, sayc the Washington Times. They are made with a cord, on eaci edge, and wear and wash until the ice they are r-un in is worn cut. Of course, there's nothing quite se dainty 'as the little silk ribbons, bul if you can't keep them exquisite13 fresh, renewing them at the firsi signs of shabbiness, the pink liner ribbons are the next best thing. For the busy women they sav( time to a surprising extent, doin; away with the necessity for takinI the ribbons out and threading then in again each time the things ari washed. MISDIRECTED ENERGY. Frances, a girl of thirteen, wat destined by her mother to be a fini musician. While still a little chil< she was taught to read the notes anc her tiny fingers were placed on thi keyboard. Year in and year out th4 child was obliged to practice, and sh4 acquired a measured amount of skill but her playing was wooden and spir itless. In despair, her mother said t< her, "What do you expect to be whei you are grown up?" The girl sighed. "When I an grown up, mother, if I have a hous of my owni, the very first thing shall do will be to order the piani chopped up~ for kindling wood. want to be a doctor." As time passed musical studies wer dropped, and~ duly Frances went ti the medical college. At last she wa allowed liberty to grow in her ow: )roper direction. She is a successfu uhysician, treating nervous disorder ith r-are sympathy and understand ing.-Magaret E. Sangster, in th WVomans H-ome Companion. LAGTER. IS BEAUTIFYING. Cultivate happiness, smiles an laughter; they keel) you young. Take exercise in the Openf air daily air is essential. Begin from your earliest day t sleep with your window open and nc only have a warm bath every day. bt rub and stimulate the skin in you bath from the head to the heel. Never neglect to go through sonm exercises which will keel) the musc1h in order, the head erect, the shou ders well thrown back: carrias stands you in good stead, even in~ oi Believe that people like you an admire you; it is more than half tl battle, and takes you more than ha on the road that leads to univers: admiration. Never let yourself go. Rich or poor, you can always i the best f',r your-self; and be mo. careful of your diet. Study what suits your digestior do not eat too much~ meat 0or drin t ua tea; indulge in goC draughts of pure water at least twice a day, hot or cold, as suits you best. CHILDREN'S DRESSES. Every mother who has a little tot to dress takes as keen an interest in juvenile modes as she does in fash ions for herself. All mothers like to feel that their children are well dressed, and to ob tain that result an endless amount of patience, time and good taste are entailed. TQ be well dressed is always to be appropriately clad. ' It isn't essential to have so many suits in number as it is to have them suitable for various occasions. A child can never be unattractive in a freshly washed frock, no mat ter what its material, and all suits should be made with a view to fre quent washing. This year the eyelet embroidery, done entirely by hand, is engaging the attention of enterprising moth ers, and the result, either on china silk, fine handkerchief linen or coarse weaves, is equally effective, says Mod ern Woman. This is popularly a white year, and colorless frocks are always re freshing and dainty. They are the most economical, too, because they wash better than colored fabrics. KEEPING HOUSE. When the truth that woman might have other aspirations than those to ward housekeeping was first borne upon mothers, some of them became radicals. They said to themselves, "Mary shall be a teacher of music; it is un necessary for her to learn to cook or wash dishes. I have been a household slave all my life, I shall see that she isn't." Or, "I discern in Helen the spirit of the public reformer. She shall not be bothered with housework." They assume, as the persons of the opposite point of view had done, an irreconcilable antagonism between the intellectual and the domestic. They differ from their opponents merely in choosing the. intellectual as the predestined sphere of women. And thanks to that opinion, there are to-day many young women who are helpless when confronted with stocking darning or curtain washing problems, which sooner or later find out all womankind. An elementary knowledge of cook ing does not make a girl any more than an elementary knowledge of geography Is going to turn her into an explorer. There are certain things which all must learn to be equipped for com fortable living in this day and gener-, ation, and to learn those things does not make one a specialist in those lines or keep one from being a spe cialist in others. A modest acquaintance with the art of nail driving will never keep a boy from becoming a mining engi 'neer or an artist if he wants to be And so a rudimentary knowledge of housekeeping will not prevent a girl from being a violinist or a land scae gardener. Kousewifery ne m't interfere with lessons. It need not interfere with sport. And the girl who starts out in search of a "career" will find herself greatly handicapped in the race if she has not some knowledge of housework. She must needs forbear the jolly, sociability promoting "spreads" and chafing dish suppers unless she is able to contribute her share to these entertainments. Then, again, the heart of manhood has been said to lie at the end of the esophagus, rather than over among the lungs and ribs. Even the self-reliant woman of af fairs who battles bravely by day in the commercial arena has her little nook, made dainty by feminine touches, to which she gladly creeps at night. Woman and domesticity are inex orably linked together. What a mighty thing life Is. You cannot get away from its duties. Fight, revel, shake your puny fists t the sky and make your Insignifi cant life a rule unto yourself. :ts no use. The great pendulum keeps right on swinging and if you l on't duck in time it will hit you a resounding whack. Domesticity and womanhood. It is a wise maiden who apprecI ates their relative value in time. E lizabeth Biddle, in the New York Rewards of Literature. A very talented and well-known wr~itersccessful, too, in the popu lar estimation-tells me: "I know a man who spent fifteen years leisure in getting the material for his best book and writing it over three times; then offered it to almost every pub isher in America, meeting with re fusal by all, and finally sold it to a Lodon publisher for ?50; had it re ppblished in America some years af trward; got a few dollars before the publishers failed, and as his last roy eaty received just two cents, which was exactly ten per' cent. of the last um due himr. I am the men, but I d dn't publish the fact, nor feel in dcind to brag about it, nor to comn pain, for that would be useless and dould only cheapen my wares in the literary market. x The book paid me Iby accurate calculation thirty-three Lin ed a half cents a week for my fifteen yyars' work. "-From Papyrus. oThe Great Wall of China is the argest artificial structure in the world. It is 1500 miles in length, ad varies in height frcm forty fezt totofifty feet. It was built over 2000 ye yars a-o. P[P OHTH LEAGUE LESSONS' SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, Our Debt to the Knowledge of God's Word-Heb. 1. 1. The blessing of righteousness. Psa. 119. 1-18. The moral law. .Mark -10. 17-19. The Gospel. John 20. 30; Luke. 1-4. The guidance of the Church. James 2. 4; 3. 1; 5. 13; 1 Ti. 3. 14, 15. Wisdom that Is salvation. 2 TIm. S. 15; Prov. 1. 7. . Spiritual quickening. Heb. 4. 12. The Bible Study feature of the League work is under the supervision of the First, or Spiritual, Depart ment; and .the First Vice-President, therefore, should appoint a strong Bible Study Committee, and speedily organize the class for the prosecu tion of the work. A class can be form ed and sustained in any chapter any where. Even though the number taking the course be very small the blessing resulting to the number, in mental illumination and- in spiritual quickening, will be /great; and , through the few the many will be . more or less benefited. The blessings for which we are in debted to the Bible - find a partial rumming-up in 'our Daily Readings. First Is the boon of. righteousness. The One Hundred aid Nineteenth Psalm is a h) mn in praise of the Word of God. As a guide, of life; as cleansing power; as source of peace, happiness, and the good regard of men. "I shall not be ashamed," says the writer, "when I have respect unto all thy commandments." The Bible presents humanity with a standard of morals, a code of ethics, to govern us In our relations with God and with other men. Jesus referred to this code, and quoted a portion of It, in our Reading f# Tuesday. We are "freed from the law," In some sense, but we need it yet. The law was presented to re main forever a rule of life, a stn dard of conduct in the relationships of men. But who can keep the law entirely Unless it be fully observed It stands as a monument of condem nation. We must have the gospel The law Is the token and standard of holiness, but that holiness is be yond human attainment except through the grace of God, which pro vides the enablement, first by bestow ing a new nature, and then by the Indwelling of power. The Bible provides directions for the government of the church. No system of church polity was given by Christ or the apostles. .That matter was left for determinatia -by the ex pediencies of circumstances; but a system of principles for the guidance of men and women in the church life was clearly outlined. Some of the details of these principles we have in our Readings. CHRIST N ENEAVOR NOT SEPTEMBER SIXTEENTH. How Christ Met rHis. Enemies, and How We Should Meet Ours. Luke 4: 28-30; 11: 37-44; . 23: 33, 34. The best victory over most foes is to pass through the midst of them and go on to our tasks. The Christian life often gives oc casion to enmities. It does not seek the enmities, but it does seek the oc casions. Recrimination Is unchristian, but rebuke is Christian; the second Is of ten needed, the first never. If Christ could be sure that the great sin of the Jews sprung from ignorance, dare we judge harshly any man? Suggestions. An enemy forgotten Is half con-e quered; an enemy loved is wholly de feated. A Christian dares have no enemy but Christ's enemy, nor treat him ex-. cept as Christ would treat him. The spirit -of love to men is not born of overlooking their faults but of seeing their merits. No enemy can hurt us till we hate him. llustraitions. In fighting it Is always an advan tage to get on the higher ground. We do so when we forgive a foe. A grain of sand in the bearings will stop a machine, and a grain of un kindness will destroy friendship. Am I converting enemies to friends, or friends to enemies? Do 1 submit both my loves and my hatreds to the judgment of Christ? Are both miy loves and my hates such as strengthen me? Quotations. If you know that you hold any Ill will toward any one, and you wish God to work a mighty work in your soul, get down and ask God to cast the bitterness out of your heart.-R. A. Torrey To lose your temper shows that you are out of communion with your blessed Lord.-H. W. Webb-PeploO Hunting the'Brown Grizzly in Alaska. "He quickly arose to his haunches, scented yet once again, and hesi tatingly came yet one -step nearer, then gave a final pause and was about to retreat, when Dan said: 'Shcot, or you lose him.' I dropped 'to my knee, sighted, sighted yet once again and fired! I saw the place where the bullet struck. He sank slowly to the ground. I knew that for him the end had come, for he carried in his heart my messenger of death. Then he arose in his might, and locking to where T stood, gave a roar of defi ance that shook me to my soul, took two steps toward me and toppled over; yet cnce again rose to his haunches opened wide his mouth and with great arms cleaving the air twixt him and me, sent forth one long wailing sound and fell. Was it the- cry of the Indian warrior's spirit? Did it call to me from out the silence which follows death? Did it ques tion my soul? Did it say. 'By what right, man, dcst thou kill?' If so, perchance, the cry was heard and answered. Rigld as if cast in bronze stood my two companions4. A raven iew by, giving forth a sad croak. Then all was still."-Frank M. Stone, in Outdoors. The supreme test of a rich msan's sagacity remarks the Boston Trans cript is a will that will hold together against a swarm of contestants.