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THEnYSTE ; 'Florence W ^'Author ofw7hc Mouse < t Copyright, 1895, by Ro CHAPTER IV. Continued. " Tbere was a faint track over the fields, not defined enough to be called it lUUIJJUlIJ, UUl JUOl ucui cuvugu ?U1 him to discern by the trodden look of the short grass. He was within a couple of hundred yards of the little river, and was looklug out for any sign of Nell's presence in the little kitchen garden on the other side, when he became aware that the questionable Jem Stickels was in sight, punting slowly down the stream, as he had done the day before. Catching sight of the gentleman, Jem drew his 1 punt to the shore, and with his black felt hat on the back of his head, his 1 short clay pipe in his mouth, his hands in his pockets, he landed, and slouched along townrd Clifford. ' "Well sir T urnrnpd vrtll as how it ' were not a wise thing to put up at the Blue Lion," said Jem, with a swagger- 1 lng insolence which made Clifford : want to kick him. "I 'eard of it up at 1 Fleet yonder," and he jerked his head I back in the direction of the old ruined 1 castle up the river. "I s'pose there's been a grand pretence o' huntin' about 1 the place, and how they've found noth- in.' They're gettin' used to these lit- ' tie scenes by this time." After one glance at Clifford's face, ' the man let his eyes wander elsewhere. 1 Looking shiftiiv ana imy anout as ne ' Bpoke. his attention was suddenly ar- I rested, just as be finished his speech, 1 by something on the ground, apparent- 1 ly a few feet from where Clifford was ^ standing. The latter noticed the rapid { change which came over the man's 5 face, the eager look of interest and astonishment with which he stood cazing i open-mouthed at the oue particular I spot on the ground. ] In spite of himself. Clifford turned < Ixis head and looked, too. < There, on the grass behind him, not i three feet from the track he had fol- 1 lowpd, was his own watch, with the 1 chain still attached to it, lying halfhidden in the stubbly growth of the s field. For the first moment Clifford stared i without speaking or moving, dumb .with astonishment. s "My watch! How did it get there?'' he stammer at last. I ( The man laughed scornfully. t "Aye, how did it? I think I could i give a good guess, if I dared." itTTTU^i. J* 'JM T wiiui uu J>uu iutrnii ' "Why. tbat this is the v.*ay Miss Neil Claris poos to see Miss Bostal at Skin- s gle End, and that nobody but her ever uses it. Tbat is what I should make I so bold as to mean, if I could speak my I mind. And I'll wager Miss Nell has been along here tbis morning. Ob, c she don't get around the swells for f nothing, she don't." 2 Clifford sprang at the man and pinioned him by the throat. * "You lying cur!" he hissed out, sav- s agely. "You deserve a thrashing for ^ this!" But even as he flung the fellow s sprawling in the mud of the riverbank, Clifford felt a chill at his heart * when he saw the evidence closing s rouad pretty Nell. CHAPTER V. '' t To bring a woman into focus, by s means even of a scandal, has always * been a sure way to bring upon her * more xhan her fair share of the adminf flm cov T\7lion S Vi l"U OtA. IT "VU, am \. A V* fore, the object of public attentiou is ^ gifted with unusual attractions of person and manner, the havoc she makes c in susceptible masculine hearts is pro- s portionately great. t Clifford was not a particularly weak i man. and he would have scorned, a t week ago, the idea that he could love a a woman the more tor being under ^ suspicion of theft But it is incontest- 1; able, for all tliut, that, the stronger the 1 suspicious circumstances grew which r hedged her round, the stronger also become his own feelings of tender in- c terest. If she were not the thief, then who i could it have been? And if it were a indeed she who had taken his watch < and money, and dropped or thrown away the former on her way between c Shingle End and the Blue Lion, what 1 was the cause which had prompted the act? f The case for somnambulism still 1 seemed strong to Clifford, for this s would have accounted for the fright- t ened look of half-remembrance which '< he had seen more than once in her J face, when the theft was being discussed. i On the other hand, she had certainly been wide awake when lie saw her i start for Shingle End across the fields j that morning, at the very time when v she must have been carrying the watch. 1 And if not somnambulism, then what 1 other motive could there be for this 1 yielding to a horrible temptation on ; the part of a beautiful, amiable and apparently candid and good girl? Was ; she the victim to that doubtful disease invented to afford magistrates an ex- ] cuse for discharging well-connected thieves "of superior education?" Was 1 she. in fact, a. "kleptomaniac?" 1 Or. again: Were the difficulties of 1 her uncle not over, as she had repre- s sented them to be. aud was she the vie- I tim of a misguided determination to t clear them away, even at the sacrifice 1 of her honesty? I < Each supposition seemed to Clifford I anore improbable than the lust; aud i when, after compensating Jem Seekels for his roll in the mud by throwing 1 him a half-crown which had been left in his pocket untouched by the mid- I night thief, he caught sight of Nell on i the opposite bank of the river, he was I again ready to throw his doubts to the winds. 1 There was always a boat moored to I each side of the river at this point, so ] Clifford ian down to the water's edge, < and punUd himself across. < IRY-oFTHe 'eirde ^ m lUc A a. rah," e!"cj bert Bonner's Sons. 2 Jem Stickles burst into a mocking, insulting laugh, but Clifford did not care. As his friends, Jordan and Otto Conybeare would have said, he was by this time "too far gone." Nell had disappeared again by the lime he got back into the garden, and he had to look about for some minutes before he perceived her, crossing the fields, this time in the direction of Fleet, at a great rate. She had a UciSh.LJL UXi litri ai lli| auu sue ti-O tiuming so quickly that Clifford could at first scarcely believe that the figure which had got over so much ground in so few minutes could really be that of the girl he had seen in her uncle's garden a few minutes before. He was determined to show her his recovered watch, always hoping against hope that a fresh development of the mystery would bring about the longed-for explanation. But before he could over-take her, she disappeared from bis sight over the crest of the rising ground at Fleet, and when he got upon the hill, in his turn, she was nowhere to be seen. It was not for some time, after exploring right and left that he saw Nell, with an old broom in her hand, :merge from a poor little cottage tvhich stood by itself on the marsh beiow. She set to work very vigorously to sweep out the dust of the cottage, the doorstep and the bit of paved ground outside; and Clifford had stood for some seconds at a little distance, tvarned by the expression of her face :hat she was in no mood for conversation, when she at last raised her eyes irwl mot his A shock of pain convulsed the young nan when ho saw what a change the last few hours had made in the girl. Instead of the placid sweetness of the lay before, there was in her eyes such i world of sadness, of terror, that Clif'ord's heart smote him, and he wished hat he had suffered his loss quietly .vitbout a word to anybody at the inn. She stopped in her work when she saw him and stood erect, waiting, in in attitude which had something of lefiance in it, 1 "You have something to say to me, I fuppose?" she said at once, coldly. Clifford did not immediately answer, 1 )ut his hand went involuntarily up to 1 be chain of bis watch, which he was iow wearing. In an instant her face becamc as < vhite as that of a dead person. "Where?where did you find it?" ] itammered she. i And 6he trembled so violently that ; he broom slipped out of her hand and ell to the ground. ] "I found It on the grass, on the oth- < t side of the river," answered Clif- ] ora, wno was quite as mucu uyuuieu is she. s The blood suddenly rushed back to ler cheeks, and she began to breathe o heavily that Clifford thought she vas in danger of a fit of some sort. "What?what are you going to do?" he stammered out, waving him back vith a gesture which was almost ierce, as he moved forward as if to upport her. "Do? Nothing," said he. 1 "You are not going to prosecute me 1 or theft?" asked she, in a tone which 1 he meant to be hard and scoffing, but vliich was only a pitiful little makelelieve, after all. "Nell, oh, Nell, how can you say uch a thing to me?" cried Clifford, ' loarsely. He did not even know that he had ! ailed her by her Christian name. But 1 he knew, ana in the midst of her agi- ' ation she cast at him a shy glance, ] n which there was a glenra of somehing that was neither displeasure nor ! mnoyance. He saw it, and his heart ' vent out to the girl; he was ready to 5 ineel at her feet. But she recalled 1 iim to his senses with a very unro- ] nuntic remark: "If you will excuse me, then, I'll go >n with my sweeping." 1 And with great vigor and energy she psiimpil liov tnsk- lpnvin<* P,lifforil ifraid to conic within the "range of her jperations, yet unwilling to retire. ' It is very good of you to come and ' lo the old woman's sweeping for her," 1 ie remarked presently. ( "It isn't for an old woman, but for 1 i young woman. And I ought to have ivarned you not to come so near, for she's got scarlet fever, and you know 1 hat's catching," answered Nell, with 1 i warning gesture to him to keep ' iway. "You're not afraid of catching It, so why should I be?" "Well, I have to risk it, or there j ivould be nobody to look after her. ; knd I wouldn't run the risk just for lothing, as you are doing now." "It isn't for nothing," said Clifford, idly. Then, with what 6eemcd to ( liin an inspiration, he added: "I want . io talk to you. 1 want to know whom ' you are shielding." Nell started and stopped for a mo- , went in her work again. "Shielding! I am shielding nobody. , t wouldn't shield a thief!" 11' Clifford had been as suspicious of ; tier as he was, on the contrary, sure of j lier innocence, he would have had all , lis doubts swept away by the burst of . juperb pride with which she flung 1 Ihese words at him. It was the very j, Lone he had wished to hear in her. the 4l.n nm.i. tcljf nww: i" ill untuiuic iuc l soul, capable of do wrong. It made i Lhe whole matter more mysterious, but I it soothed him. He heaved a great , sigh, and, in spite of her warning gestures, came nearer. . "Nell," he said, "I had been waiting , lo hear you speak like that. Those are ] I he very words I have been longing for you to say." "Well, now they are said, you had . better go back to Stroan to your friends," said she, ecolly. "And try to persuade them to take your view of i lie story. For certainly it will be all 1 jver the place by this time that Nell Claris Is a thief, or the accomplice of a thief." And the girl, having flung this speech at him with all the dignity of outraged pride aud innocence, suddenly broke down at the end, and burst into such bitter sobs that Clifford's heart was wrung. But as he sprang toward her, she sprang back and made a rush for the door of the cottage. Clifford, however, was too quick for her, and placing himself between the girl and the refuge she wished to reach, he 6poke to her in imploring, passionate tones: "One moment You must listen to me. All the world will be against you, you say? Not all, Nell, not all. I will take your part. I will show them what to believe. Take me for your husband, Nell, and then who can dare to think of you except as I think? Who can dare to say a word when you are my wife?" The girl stood transfixed. He was pleading as eloquently, as earnestly, as if it had been for his own life. When he paused, letting his burning eyes speak his love, as he watched her startled, blushing face, and fancied he could trace the feelings of amazement, incredulity, pleasure and doubt as they struggled in her heart, she presently shook her head, and turned awav so that she should not azain meet his eyes. "Do you know what you are saying?" she asked in a matter-of-fact tone, after a short silence. "And do you really expect me to listen to such nonsense?" "It is not nonsense. It is my firm intention to make you my wife " "Ah, but it's my firm intention to be nothing of the kind. I am very much obliged to you for your good intentions, and I quite see that you think you are doing a fine thing in offering to marry me. But," and she drew herself up, and flashed at him a defiant look, "I am not going to be married like that, and out of pity, too, to a man I never saw till yesterday!" These last words came upon Clifford with a shock of surprise. He had forgotten what a short time it was that his acquaintance with Nell had lasted; it seemed to him that he had known her for months?years. He was ready with his answer to this objection. "As to that, I have known $ou for a vprv lnnir tJmc. Nell." hp said, crave ly. "I have known you just as long as I have looked forward to meeting a girl exactly like you. And I have always intended, when I did meet her, to take no rest until I had persuaded her to become my wife. I think you may take this as an answer to the suggestion that there is any 'pity' in the case. The 'pity' will be for me if you won't have me." Now this was rather prettily put, and Nell looked mollified. She took her broom in hand again, and affected to go on with her sweeping, although Lhe pretense was not a very effectual one. "Unfortunately," she said, in a low rolce, which was not so flippant as she could have wished, "I haven't such a ylvid imagination myself, and I can't pretend that I have known you long r. a. _ a- ~ ? T IUpa ?UOUgIl XO Hi' sure iuai x auuiuu uo-c you for a husband." Her tone was not so discouraging aa her words. Clifford, who, much to his own surprise, was quite in earnest, pressed his suit with proper eagerness. "I don't want to rush you into marrying me," he said. "Take me on probation. Let it be known that I have asked you to be my wife; give way so far as to become engaged to me; and if, before I go back to town next month, I have bored you so much that pou have to break the engagement in iisgust, you send me about my business and refuse to receive any letters from me. At any rate, people won't i)e able to say unkind things when they know I wanted you to be my rcife." But Nell persisted. "I won't even be engaged toryou." "Why not? Don't you like me?" Although her manner betrayed that she did, Nell stoutly denied It. She wanted to go on with her work, she said, and he had better go back to his ,'riends at Stroan. And he must please consider, as she meant to do. that he aad not said any of tne silly things to svhich she had tried not to listen. She should forget them at once, and she lioped he would do the same. And it imused her to think how disgusted his elations and friends would Lave been if she had really been so silly as to listen to his idle talk, if be had returned ;o town engaged to an innkeeper*' niece. : To be Continued, i A Blind Globe Trotter. "Curious fact, but the most interesting charge I ever had was a blind nan," said the head of a "personally conducted tourist agency," a day or two ago. "He went to California and Alaska tvith me once and to Europe another lime," continued this Baedeker In the flesh, "and he was wonderfully appreciative of all the usual 'wonders.' "It's true he had his son with him, . i lad of sixteen or thereabouts, who used to go into ecstasies over the peaks of the Sierras or the beauties of Jie Riviera, but then the old gentleman derived a lot of pleasure independently of his family guide and mentor. He would sit in the private car and listen to the comments of the Dther travelers and occasionally drop i word that astonished the re6t of us, coming from a blind man. "He would say he got tired of sittinp it home. I suppose conversation in a limitori f.nmilv circle soon exhausted itself to a man of mature mind and I keen fancies; so he used to drop in here and say ho guessed it was time for him to take another trip. We'd li'x up a route to suit him and off he'd go i.era in, tickled ove- the prospect of paslures new as a ho.v with a new pair of red topped hoots." The I'oct's Dream. Once there was a poet. lie wrote :::i epic poem on the Beautiful Snow, ;:i'.d took it to an appreciative editor, who grasped him by the hand, and said he was a new-horn genius, and cave him a check for ten thousand dollars, and an order for ten more epics. And then the alarm clock went off. Moral?The world owes much to alarm clocks.?Baltimore American. The census returns show that a clear majority of '..he people of New Jersey live within twenty miles of the New ifork City Hal) IJJJE?ESTIJJQ J^EW | | SOIL EXPERIMENTS. J AL t*?? ?|| 2 United States Government Using Ingenious m Instruments. W The division of soils of the United Stales Department of Agriculture lias just described h new instrument now in use for investigating the properties of soils. This is a great time and labor saving apparatus, giving accurate and reliable results, which otherwise would require months to obtain. The physical properties of soils are recognized by plant physiologists to be of the greatest importance in plant economy. Even in the consideration of climatic conditions it is now generally considered that for most plants the conditions of the soil hold equal rank with atmospheric conditions. A high temperature iu the soil under favorable conditions promotes extensive rrtnf /lrjvnlnnnn-int n hipll AtmosnhwiC temperature under equally favorable conditions favors a heavy growth of foliage. A deficiency in water of either air or soil is attended with distress. The new apparatus as devised by the division of soil is an elcctric affair. It registers a half dozen or more various soil properties. This method depends upon the principle that the resistance offered to the passage of an electric current from one carbon plate to another buried in the soil depends upon the amount of moisture present between the carbon plates or electrodes. This resistance is measured. The illustration shows the instrument as used in the field, with the carbon electrodes and temperature cells in place. The carbon electrodes and temperature ceils may be buried in the soil at the beginning of the season and remain undisturbed throughout the year. The moisture record obtained consequently deals with the variation in moisture contents in the r ime portion of soil. This is one of the advantages of the method, siuce it has been shown that the moisture contents of a seemingly uniform soil may vary as much as four per cei>i. within an area of one square rod. Consequently, in order to obtain a consistent record of the change in water it is necessary to deal with the same sample of soft, which can only be done by this electrical method. The scale of the instrument is arranged on a decimal plan, so that the various soil properties cau be determined directly from the scale cf the instrument. It was observed by Frofossor W that soil areas of the Connecticut ValIpv ivere nracticallv identical as re gards texture and water content with certain areas in Florida upon which the finest of cigar wrappers are being raised from Sumatra seed. Experiments were accordingly made on one of the Connecticut areas, usiug the same seed and methods of cultivation and curing employed in Florida, with the most satisfactory result?. Should the n-ore extensive experiments now in progress support the earlier work, as there is every reason to expect, the result will be to increase greatly the area adapted to the growth of the liuest quality of cigar wrappers known, anil there will be raised in this country tobacco now imported to the amount of .$(J,OUO,OOU annually. ?New York Herald. TJiis Invention a Boon For Sltoppcro. "Pickpockets who have been in the habit of making a living by stealing purses from women on the streets or I P? Willi!1 irn". I.;,. ??1 in crowded stores are likely to mm their occupation gone in the near future since a cunning device has just been invented which will ren-ler it impossible for them to snatch tbo coveted portemonnaics. This device, which can be attached to any purse, consists of a small band, at one cnil of which is a ring and at the other end a clasp. The ring is intended to be worn loosely on the lady's finger, and by means of the clasp she can fasten the purse to her arm so that it. cannot be removed without her knowledge. I Which One is MLhhiiir ? I ? Over in "Junk Shop Iiow," the following sign has been hanging in a win| dow for several days. It has attracted [ quite a little attention and given pasI sengers passing on the Fourth avenue cars a ehance to show tlielr wit or lack ol wit. 1; reads: "For Sale?Sb: Pressing Vices." Art- these the Seven Deadly Sins? And. if so, where is the missing one??New York Times. The Forth Bridge is coutautJy being repainted. So vast is the structure that it takes fifty tons of paint to give it one coat, and the area dealt with is something like IliO acres. New Zealand has in its edelweiss n plant differing but slightly from the fain/?ne Qupici! v;n*intv The unsuccessful man realizes tint there is plenty of room at the bottom. \ 1tse round table i , : 1 of mm arthur. ? , $ * The famous Round Table of Kin;? Arthur is still preserved in the great hall that was attached to the ancient castle built by William the Conqueror ' at Winchester in 1235, and it is one of the most interesting relics in all England. The castle of Winchester was destroyed by fire several years ago, but the hall in which Parliament sat 1 for 400 years is still preserved in its original condition, ana a secret "trough," as they calf it, -which "was bored through the wall and enabled ' the king to hear what was going on in Parliament as he sat in his Cham- ( ber, is still pointed out to visitors. The castle was the residence of all the early Norman kings. Richard Coeur ! de Lion was received there by his no- i bles when he returned from captivity. Ail the Edwards resided there, there Henry VIII. entertained the great em. peror, Charles V. of Spain; there Queen Mary entertained Philip II. of Spain until they were married in the ancient cathedral near by, and there Sir Walter Raleigh was tried and condemned to death after his return from his fruitless explorations in South 1 America. i Winchester is one of the most ancient cities of England, and was set tied 1n the year 900 B. C. Julius Caesar lived there while he was in England, and the Roman emperor Ves- J pasian made it his capital. Five hun- I dred years after the birth of Christ the city was captured by Cerdie, who mnrip if csnitnl of the Saxon dvn asty, aud in S27, in the cathedral, Egbert wa9 crowned as the first king of all England. The round table is In an excellent state of preservation and is fastened against the wall at one end of the great room where John Harding, the 1 chronicler, who lived from 1378 to top of kino Arthur's round table. 14fJ5. described it. I-Icnry VIII. re- , paired It, and placed an iron band ' around the outside like the tire of a 1 wlieel, to keep it together. It was a great curiosity in his day, when it must have been at least GOO years old. The under part of the table is a network of braces; the upper part is laid off into twenty-four sections, each i bearing the name of the knight who occupied it, and you can see the names 1 of Galahad, Launcelot and others mentioned in Tennyson's poem. The chroniclers say that the table has been hanging in its present place since the year 1283, but has been taken down on ' several occasions. The last time was ; when the castle burned. The citizens of Winchester were determined to j save it, and a hundred men were cn- j gaged in removing it from the wall, J hut when they got it to the floor they found that it was too large to be taken \ out through the doors and the fire was J extinguished before they could take it ! to pieces. The Gate-Lei; Table. The K.nte-lpg table is an old-fash- j iom-il institution just returning to favor. It has manifold uses. It does ! j j i scrvicp at a lea or a card party and i is convenient to hold a bottle or glass * of lemonade, besides a reading Chair. * When not iu use it folds up out of the j. way and takes a place against the a wail. c The interest cn the national debt fo; last year cost each person forty-four cents. , fi rflE SABBATH SCHOOL INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS FOR SEPTEMBER 29. Fievipw of the Twelve L?Mon? of the Third Quarter, Gen. xvili., 17-22; xxxli., 24-28 ? Golden Text, Psa. Clll., 17? Summary. Lesson 1, Topic: The creation. In the beginning God created all things; afterward He came to the earth to 8ct it in order; He performed six days' work; on the first day He made light; on the second the waters were divided; on the third the c -y land, seas, grass and trees appeared; on the fourth He made the sun and moon; on the fifth, fish and fowls:* on the sixth, creeping things, beasts and man; on the seventh God rested. 2. Topic: The fall of man. Placc: The Garden of Eden. The serpent beguiled the woman; said, "Ye shall not sure!/ die," but "shall be as gods;" the woman saw that the tree was good for food; was beautiful; would make one wise; she ate the fruit; she gave to Adam and he did eat; their eyes were opened; they made j aprons and hid themselves; God came; ' spake to them; the serpent was cursed; the Redeemer wa9 promised. 3. Topic: The deluge. Place: Aarat mountains. Noah built an ark; took beast8 and his family into the avk; the waters were sent; the earth was covered; Noah sent out a raven, and then a dove; Lhe ark rested; the earth bccanic dry; God told Noah to go forth; he built an altar unto the Lord and offered burnt offerings; the Lord was pleased with his offering, and promised never again to curse the ground for man's sake. 4. Topic: Abram's obedience. God Bpeaks to Abram: "Get thee out of thy country;" "Go to the land I will show thee;" God made great promises; Abram was to become a great nation; was to have a great name: he would be blessed, and would be a blessing. Abram obeys God: Sarah and Lot and all his substances and left Haran and went to Canaan. Here God apain appeared to Abram, and Abram Hunt an anar. 5. Topic: The separation between Abram and Lot. Place: Canaan. Abram and Lot left Egypt; they had many herds; the herdmen strove; they decided to separate; Abram told Lot to choose; Lot chose the best; pitched his tent toward Sodom; God appeared to Abram; told him to look in all directions; was promised all the land he saw; wa3 to become a great nation; built an altar unto the Lord. 6. Topic: God's covenant with Abram. Place: Hebron. The Lord appeared to Abram in a vision; Abram asked for a son; God made him a great promise; his seed was to be .is the stirs for number: Abram believed God, and the Lord counted it to him for righteousness. Abram prepared an offering?a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove, a pigeon. Abram waited for God to appear; God gave instruction, made a covenant and answered by fire. 7 Tonic: God's judgment on Sodom. Places: Abram at Hebron. Lot at Sodom. Three angels appear to Abraham; they promise him a son- they tell Abraham that the cities of the plain are very wicked and must be destroyed. One of the angels is Jehovah; Abraham stands before this angel and makes intercession; Jehovah promises to spare the cities if there are ten righteous; Lot is rescued; the cities are destroyed. 8. Topic: The trial ox Abraham's faith. Places: Beer-sheba was Abraham's home. The sacrifice was on Mount Moriah. Abraham is commanded to offer up Isaac as a burnt-offering. Abraham obeys; arises early; takes Isaac, fire and wood and starts for Moriah. Isaac asks a question; Abraham answers. An altar is built; Isaac is bound; the knife is raised; an angel stops him; a ram is seen and offered. 9. Topic: Isaac oppressed by the Philistines. Places: Isaac dwelt at Gerar, Rehoboth and Beer-sheba. Isaac is married; Jacob and Esau are born; Isaac is prospered; becomes very great; has many possessions: was envied by the Philistines; the Philistines fill his wells; Isaac leaves their country; the Lord appears to him and renews His promises. Isaac built an altar, dug a well and lived in peace. 10. Topic: The Lord appearing to Jacob. Place: Bethel. Jacob secures Esau's birth right; flees to naran; Bieepgonmc givuuu, has a dream He sees a ladder from earth to heaven and sees angels on the ladder. God 6peaks to him and makes many promises. Jacob awoke; knew God was present; was afraid; set up the stone used as a pillow, for an altar; gave himself to God. 11. Topic: Jacob'8 prevailing prayer. Places: Mahanaim, Peniel. Jacoo decides to return to Canaan; is met by a host of angels; fears his brother Esau; sends messengers and presents to Esau; divides his company into two bands; prays all night; wrestles with Jehovah; finally surrenders and receives the blessing, is made a prince; his name is changed to Israel; has a friendly meeting with Esau. 12. Topic: The effects of wine drinking. Solomon, the author of Proverbs, was endued with an unusual degree of wisdom. That we might behold the value of true wisdom God has preserved some of the wise sayings of His servant for our study. This lesson has been called the drunkard's looking-glass, and is set before those whose faces are toward the drunkard's habits, so lhat thcv may see what they will be if Uiey go on. Teachings.?God, our Creator, is iblo to create us anew and give us a new nature. The Psalmist prayed, "Create in me a clean heart, O God." In yielding tc the inducements held out by featan man disobeyed God and accepted "the world," which St. John says consists in "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye and the pride of life," and in returning to God it is necessary to forsake "the world'* oefore we can expect to be forgiven. Although God's judgments may seem severe, yet in the end they can not fail to accomplish food results. God's promises are great md precious; we should believe them and step out upon them with confidence. Those 1 / % ^1 * ~ "AntfAl 1 hoi r >vno allow seinsiuiens t-u tvuuvi lives cannot retain the favcr and blessing :>f God. While God is merciful, yet the ti ..e will come with every sinner when the door of mercy will be closed and the judgments of God will be meted out. Faith is always tested; the test is not for the purpose of destroying faith, but to strengthen and perfect it. God stiu appears to His people for the purpose of encouraging them and leading them to heaven. True prayer takes hola, holds on ind does not let go until an answer is received. The evil effects of the legalized liquor traffic are so great that every person should stand unalterably opposed to ,ts continuance. Russian Reindeer For Alaska. The Secretary of the Interior at Wash ington has received from Lieutenant E P. Bertholf. of the revenue cutter service ii report of purchases of reindeer made ir Siberia for shipment to Alaska during the 5um?ier. He nfivs he has secured 45( voung does and fifty bucks, al! of the lars;< Funguse breed, and that he thinks a eon tract can be made for 1/500 reindeer foi next summer. Lieutenant Bertholf ex pressed some doubt as to the success o! List* experiment. The total cost of the an mals landed in Alaska will be about $3( Mill. Small Fortune In a Wheat Bin. John Walaum, a.farmer, living near La Crosse. Wis., found in a bin of wheat a ack of gold, notes and securities, placed here by his father, who died over two ears aco. Ever since the death of his uther Mr. Walaum had been looking for nonev which he was convinced his father ind concealed somewhere on the farm VhiJe measuring wheat preparatory to aking it to the market the son found he sack of money and securities, the alue of which runs over | Billions in Electrical A competent aiithori^^HwHHH^Era| he capital invested ^HHBHB rises in the Unite^^^^HflH^R^^H he sum four bilJ^HHH^HKn|HH industries represented rmpIo^^^nHDHM| persons^^^9^^H^HHB|^B Nickel-in-th^HHn9^H^B^^^HH con to GOD'S MESSAGE TO MAN PRECNANT THOUCHTS FROM THE WORLD'S CREATEST PROPHETS. \ Tlie I-ord'i Day?Oar Beiettini Sin#?'They; May Bo Conquered by Prayer andj Faith and Cultivating Holy Purpose# ?Winning Great Spiritual Victories. Say not the sun no brighter shines Upon the Sabbath morn; Say not the first of all the days Like other days is born. Tho' nature's laws bring 'round T- '* - ? ima in its apuuiuKu i>u.v, , The great Creator of those laws Hath made .this day sublime. For He. the Sun of Righteousness, Dispelling death's dark night, Arose triumphant on this day, The Lord of life and light. No brighter morning ever dawned | Than on that glorious day, And every Lord a Bay in its turn Reflects its golden ray. Oh, day of rest and joy and peace, I We hail thy golden light, Prophetic of that better day When faith Bhall yield to sight. Then, with unclouded vision blest, God's glonr we shall see, And there shall find a Sabbath rest Through all eternity. ?The Rev. W. L. Curtis. Overcoming Besetting SLns; Our besetting sins are peculiarly humiliating. They cling to ua so firmly after we have determined to be rid of them, they reveal their power so often after wo have supposed them conquered and abandoned, they assail us so unexpectedly and often beguile us so easily, that we sometimes doubt whether we really have any power of self-control remaining or any trustworthy loyalty to God and duty. It is no excuse for us, but it certainly is com* fortine to remember that everybody elsfl is tempted similarly, and that our jieav? enly Father understands the situation even better than we do. It is a strong temptation to make special excuses ioi euch sins? and sometimes and to some ez< tent this is proper. Besetting sins are to b? conquered like any other, bv prayer and faith and courage and sturdy resistance, by cherishing holy thoughts and cultivate ing holy aims, by avoiding circumstance? involving temptation, by choosing ennob* ling companions, by studying how to live in constant communion with the Holy Spirit. When the heart is consciously ana gladly surrendered to Him so that His presence and power rule in it, even our severest begetting temptations can find little or no opportunity of access. The sins which beset us specially do us a great service in teaching us self-distrust and humility. But for them also many <oi our greatest spiritual victories would not bo arn-n onH nnr characters would not gain that degree of vigor which now is attainable. When we come to look back upon: our lives from the divine point of view we shall confess that in spite of all the sorrow and strain which thev caused us our besetting sins were valuable agents in securing the chief object of life, the development of a holy, heavenly character.?* Helpful Thoughts. Hop? Thon In God. To think of what we have to do *nd bear in this life is quite likely to be disheartening. To think of God s sure -?elp in our doing and in our enduring can hardly fail or giving us courage and hope and joy. Many of us know what it is to meet the cares and trials and griefs which we anticipate for the day even before we are fairly awake in the morning. Through the slowly opening gate of consciousness they flood1 in upon us like a turbid stream that has been surging without while we slept, impatient for an entrance. By allowing these apprehensions to have the mastery, the new day, God's special gift to us, is marred at its very beginning;: the wonder of the dawning light passes unnoticed and the strength of the early; hours, which was given us for efficient service, is weakened and half wasted. As an antidote to this joy-poisoning habit our , first thoughts of the day should float upward and our morning greeting to our troubled soul Bhould be: "Hope thou in God." Experience shows us that our fears are often only a delusion, prompted by minor difficulties magnified m the morning mist, or by shadows that have no answering substance. On the other hand, we have been shown concerning the care? and trials and griefs which God does appoint for us that as we look to and trust in Him He furnishes strength and grace< to meet them in the hour of their appear- s ing. Our fears may mislead us. Our faith ^ ' never will. Our troubles may be less than we think for. God's love is always more. . i Humiliation. If we cannot, at need, even humiliate ourselves to win our brother, it is difficult to see where our religion comes in, especially when we think what humiliation Christ suffered that He might reconcile us to God, and make us friends again with our Heavenly Father and renew our broken love. Whatever be our faith and works, and however correct be our creed and conduct, if we are giving place to anger, if we are stiffening ourselves to strife and disdain, we are none of His, who was meek and lowly of heart. Misunderstandings and estrangements will arise; occasions will come -when it seems as if not even love and forbearance can avoid a quarrel, but surely Christ has died im vaiD if His grace cannot save us from continuance of strife.?Hugh Black. Investors or Wactera. One of the delicate problems of business is the proper investment of capital belonging to another. Froni the days of the conservative trustee -who deposited trust funds in a napkin, the world has held that man a failure who neglects to invest moneys intrusted to him, who wastes them in wares of little worth, or, worst of all. who buvs with them harm for himself or his fellows. God debits each one of us at every dawning with a trust fund; of 1440 minute?, fire-new from the great; mint of eternity. In accordance with the accounting that we can render Him of these funds at the ending; of all our days must we be ranked by the Master as investors, as wasters, or as embezzlers, of His capital.?Sunday-school Times. Have Faith in Yourself. Ko natter how dark and discouraging the outlook may be, have faith in yourselves and in the good providence of God, and may this year bring you the fruitage of your hopes, the transformation of life, which is as wonderful and yet as possible as the change which comes to the earth in May, when the warm rains and the mounting sun suddenly work the miracle of the springtime, when the cold and bar ren earth, as in response to the touch ot an invisible want,.blooms with verdure.? Watchman. Sunshine and Cheei What a subtle kind of heartache we give others by simply not being at our Best and highest, When they have to make allowance for us, when the dark side is uppermost in our minds and we take their Kjnlight ano ''ourage away, by even our unspoken thought, our atmosphere of heaviness! Oh. to 6tand always and eternally for sunlight and life cheer' Intemperance. T'lic man who has eaten too heartily to * enjoy the sermon is sinning in exactly the tame way as the drunkard lying in the alicy.?liam'u Horn. in England. jfl Ajjrieulturc an- H va- 9H HHBHnQDIiMyy. The Bj