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;?< Af >M i ? ^ 7o/e j 4j of the / YU tj AnsMsdian I MIC'l SecretService \ ^ \ ^ *? \ ?s CHAPTER XXX. IS Continued. "Then," said the Englishman, **you have changed?" "Yes, I have changed." "I am sorry for it." "Why?" "Because," said Charlie, "it brings you into contact with such men as Monsieur Jacobi." Marie Bakovitch looked up sharply, but he avoided meeting her eyes. "What do you know of Monsieur Jacobi?" Charlie shrugged his broad shoulders contemptuously. "Nothing, mademoiselle." "But you hate him?" "Well?scarcely. I have never had the necessary energy to hate any one yet. I do not like him." "It is of Jacobi," continued the girl, "that I have to tell. It is against him that I must ask your help. Remember, I do not ask it for myself? for I do not fear him. It is for Lena .Wright " Marie Bakovitch looked up somewhat suddenly. She met her companion's^ eyes, calm, impassive, inscrutable as usual, fixed upon her face. "Yes," he said: "go on." "He is connceted with several secret societies, political and other wise. JNOtaDiy tne croinernoua 01 Liberty, of which he pretends to be the London chief. For some months he has been scheming to obtain money from Lena Wright for the purpose of the Brotherhood." "I thought money would come in somewhere." "Yes, all Jacobi's plots are connected with money sooner or later. He heard from sources unknown to me that she will be comparatively rich some day, and he has been endeavoring to persuade her to borrow this money. It is a large sum." "You have not told me what hold he has over her." "He has represented that the Brotherhood has agencies and connections all over the world, and by these means he could with the aid of a certain sum of ready money obtain immediate information as to the safety, or otherwise, of your brother iWinyard?She?I think?she " "Yes," said Charlie, gravely, "I understand. But how did he get to know of this? He has surely had no opportunity " He stood there motionless and strong as ever man was created, but there passed across his face a momentary twinge of real physical pain. Suddenly he roused himself with an nnH eoirl with o mat. ter-of-fact energy: "Mademoiselle, we must waste no time. I am deeply grateful?more grateful than ever I can hope to express?for the confidence that you have placed in me. You said just \ now that Jacobi pretends to be the London chief of this Brotherhood; have you doubts about the truth of his assertions?" "Yes. I know that such a society exists, and that its headquarters are in Rotterdam; but I believe Jacobi is no member of it. He has represented himself to be its chief simply for the purpose of obtaining money. He has, in fact, deceived us all." "Thank you. May I ask when you next assemble?" "To-morrow afternoon in this room; and Miss Wright is to be prest ent as a probationary member. .Three o'clock is the hour." "To-morrow at three. Thank you. tYou may leave everything to me, mademoiselle. I have a friend? Laurence Lowe?who is a journalist of some repute. He will doubtless know about this Brotherhood of Liberty?the real one. I mean. I will endeavor to do everything in as quiet and seaman-like a manner as I can. I will see you to-morrow afternoon." CHAP* R XXXI. The Brotherhood. ' Lena's singing lesson the following afternoon was interrupted by the arrival of Monsieur Jacobi. This gentleman was accompanied by his friend, Mr. Ryan, a keen-eyed individual, who was ever ready to espouse the taup? of the oppressed of every nationality, provided there was money to be made and little risk attaching. Presently a feeble-minded English lady of uncertain age a. "ived, and imtaediately behind her a mild-mannered German gentleman of short tight and unkempt hair. This was the first time Lena had fnet the members of the Brotherhood ?f Liberty, and she was divided between an inclination to laugh and a rir?cirf* tn run n urnv Rut rvArvhnrlv was desperately serious. Monsieur Jacobi was sauve and gentlemanly as usual, but* not entirely at his ease. Jiis hold over the Baroness de Nanlille, as she was still called, had never been very secure, and he instinctively "* felt that it was slipping from him day by day. However, the man was possessed of a certain superficial courage?a type of bravery which shines in the presence of women, but uoes no distance among men. There was just enough mystery in the proceedings to content the English maiden lady and the short-sighted Teuton without unnecessarily aggravating the Baroness. "I have considered it necessary," he %id, "to call the London Branch of tu4i Brotherhood together, for the ? purpose of deciding a question of cnm.i imnfirtanr.o It is HSilinl fnr Jnv self and Secretary Ryan to rlocidc such minor questions as may arise, but we feel that this is beyond our ju risdiction." ^ Here Monsieur Jacobi paused, aud I -"-v Isr\t ^ A By {? UNG \ Henry rtEY /-? i & w a j MerTiman% ,? ir / .. I ?? 1 assumed a demeanor expressive ol some hesitation in the choice of words necessary to proceed with a somewhat difficult task. At this moment the door opened and Charles Mistley entered the roon alone. In one comprehensive glance he took in the situation, noting th( position of every person in the room He closed the door and stood with his back against it. Jacobi half rose from his seat, ant then sunk back again with rather i sickly smile. Ryan made no movement whatever, but his unhealthy face assumed an ashen gray. Th< maiden lady and the German sat gaz ing weakly at the stalwart intruder Noiselessly the Baroness rose fron her seat and crossed the room t( where Lena sat, and there she stood waiting. Lena felt that the whole situatior was intensely funny from an observ er's point of view; but unfortunately she was an actor in the comedy which sadly altered the matter. How I ever. Charles Mistley had too mucl tact to treat the affair jocosely. H< looked gravely round him, and'thei spoke in a deliberately authoritativ< voice, which recalled to Lena's mem ory a half-forgotten remark of Law rence Lowe's, to the effect, tha Charlie was essentially a foul-weath er sailor. "I am sorry," he said, "to disturl matters; but I think Monsieur Jacob knows who I am. If he should re quire any explanation, he know! where to find me." Jacobi shrugged his shoulders in differently, while Ryan watched hin furtively. "Will you come with me now?' continued Mistley, addressing Lena. Nothing of a dramatic nature oc curred. Lena rose from her seat, anc crossing the room, she stood besid( Charlie, experiencing a sudden sens< of comfort and relief at the men contact of his sleeve, which touchec her shoulder. "I do not know," said Charlie tc the assembled brotherhood, "and it i.< none of my business to inquire who i: implicated in this swindle and whc among you are dupes; but it may b( of some interest to you to learn thai that man there?Jacobi?is a com mon swindler. He is no more th( London chief of the Brotherhood ol Liberty than I am. Such" a societj exists, and I have been in communication with the authorities at its head quarters in Rotterdam. It liar transpired that Jacobi was once z clerk in their office; and they are at present somewhat anxious for his address, with a view to the recovery ol some funds which he, by mistake, removed from their cash box and omitted to restore. It is only fair to you Monsieur .Tacobi, to inform you ttiai in the course of my inquiries I air afraid, the Brotherhood must have learned that you are in London." Then he opened the door, and bj way of intimating to Lena to pass out in front of him, he touched her ariE slightly. It was not his habit to dc this, as it is with some men. No! even with his mother did he ever indulge iu such harmless famaliarities. Lena noted the little touch, and somehow, to her. it said much that Charlie never allowed to appear in his intercourse with her. There was a sense of protection, a hint, as it were, ol brotherly affection and reliability in this rare exhibition of feeling, slight though the indication of it might be. At the head of the stairs he stopped. "You will find Mr. Lowe down stairs," he said. "I must go back and see after the Baroness. Walk on slowly toward Bedford place. I will catch you up. My mother expects us all to afternoon tea." He watched her descend the stairs, and heard Lau ranee Lowe come forward to meet her. Before they had gone far their heard a quick footstep behind them, and Chales Mistley came to Lena's side. They were in Portland place, and as he joined them he beckoned to the driver of a hansom cab. There seemed to be no question of Lowe getting into a cab with Lena. He nodded, and as he beckoned to a second driver. Charlie took his seat I at Lena's side. The young sailor began his -explanation at once. "Lena," he said, "only Lowe and myself know of this, and it will bo better to keep the whole affair quiet for some time yet. Of course, it is not quite the right thing for you to keep it secret from your mother; but later?later, perhaps?when W:n is home again, you can tell her all about it." Lena turned slowly -toward him. She was leaning back in the cab, while he sat forward with his gloved hands resting on the door. They were passing down Oxford street, and the smoothness of the pavement rendered it unnecessary for her to raise her voice. "When Win comes home!" she repeated. wonderingly. "What has Win to do with it?" She was fully convinced that whatever he might know, he could nc. nave gucsseu at ner motive ior joining I lie Brotherhood of Liberty. That, at all events, was never to be disclosed. 13 ii t Charlie Mist ley had provided for this. "The Baroness do Nantille," he said, "is Marie Bakovitch!" She seemed to lie slowly fo-cing the realisation of his words into her own mind. At the first thought it appeared to be an impossibility; but as she looked back at her acquaintanceship with the Bproness, the thing seemed possible, and she felt that there was no doubt about the truth ut her companion's statement. CHAl'TER XXXII. Confession. Charles Mistley never gavs Lena the full account of his discovery of Jacobi's little plot. It is so easy tc ' put off an explanation till a more convenient occasion, which somehow never arises. From Lowe she could learn nothing?explanations were not his forte. j( And so the .subject was shelved, partly with deliberate intention on the part of the- young sailor, partly by the advent of a more momentous question. Jacobi disappeared, and never returned into Lena's life to wake up memories best left to sleep. ^ Marie Bakovitch left England with ^ Ivan Meyer. Some years later Mrs. ( Mistley heard of her in Paris, recogj nizing the beautiful Russian girl in ? , a vivacious French description of th? { "ravishing" wife of a rising young artist. On the day completing the eigh- r ' teenth month after Winyard Mistley's , k departure there was a dinner party j at the house in Seymour street. Any disinterested and experienced matron, E ! watching the arrival of the guests c from behind the laths of a Venetian [ blind, would unhesitatingly have r>r.onoViciofi s? Rinw and wearisome ? t t evening for the guests at this enter- c r tainment. There were no ladies? } "absolutely no ladies, my dear!"? _ except Mrs. Mistley and Lena and her g mother. i ' The only young man was Charles t j Mistley, >and he was handicapped by t the presence of half a dozen veterans, j ' ?white-haired old warriors, who x were desperately attentive and vastly gallant to the ladies, more especially t f to Lena; sturdy old rolling stones, E with an inexhaustible fund of anec- t ' dotes little calculated to entertain the t j fair. These old stagers, however, did g a weighty justice to the delicacies set j before them, and were mightily ? pleased with the manner in which r [ they each and severally entertained j the ladies. j t Mrs. Wright led the way to the i drawing room at the first opportun- t ity, and the old fellows were left to c j pull down their waistcoats with a I grave sense of satisfaction at the( skillful manner in which they had j , kept up the spirits of the assembly. t 5 When they at length trooped into f the drawing room, they found the S j two elder ladies sitting together near ? the fireplace, while Lena stood in the i , narrow window, lamng advantage uj ? the last rays of daylight to complete some dainty piece of needlework, j Charles- Mistley lounged across the 1 , room, and occupied in a masterly c . manner the remainder of that win- f I dow. i j The fading light of the sunset was s fully reflected on Lena's face as she 1 } stood in the recess of the tall win- t , dow, working deftly. Charlie, lean- t ' ing against the wall opposite her, was looking at her absently. One would 4 hardly have thought that he was not' ing the little painful droop of her eyelids when she ceased speaking. He t , had not the reputation of a keen ob- c j server. * . His reflections were interrupted by 1 the advent of Adonis, who solemnly 'k crossed the room at this moment to r . pay his respects. He stooped and 1 ' | caressed the dog's rough head for c t some moments; then, without raising his eyes, he said. ? "Lena." * I "Yes." ' _ y The girl looked up from her work c with lier ready smile, which had of * ! late grown almost mechanical. 1 : "At last?at last I am going to do J t something." c "To do something?" she repeated, s . with ready interest. * * "To-day is Tuesday," he replied; * H "on Friday I start for Central Asia. j ( I am going to seek Win." She grew very pale; the color even * | left her lips. Charlie continued to . inent. "If a member of a grand jury ^ has any criticism to make of admin- r istrative matters," lie said, "he ' should so to a newspaper with them, j and not endeavor to transfer the s grand jury into a machine for in- g vestigations on its own account." i He said t"hat the constitution recog- i nizes Ihe press as a critical agent, j and that it is their duty to find out c evi's and bring them to the attention t of the proper authorities. i t As the Librettist Likes It. p I hear that Mr. B. -.ndon Thomas is f louring with his play "Charley's * Aunt." I remember seeing the work E when it was tried in town for a few * nights iu December, 1SD2. There seems to m > n*? reason why this piece, if u'iHi nrlrliHnnnl by Charles Brookfisld, George Gross- q smith, Jr., and Cosmo Hamilton, j. music by Lionel Moncktou, lvan a Caryll, Paul Rubens, and Frank p Tours, and. oi course, supplementary ^ lyrics by Adrian Ross, should not, in ^ Lime, meet with some slight measure 21 of popular success.?Pall Mall Ga- t! zette o King; Despised Rachelors. r King Christian was one of the n greatest anti-race suicide enthusiasts i< who ever lived. He had 110 use for s bachelors. Everybody over thirty years old ho besought to get mar- ? ried. It is related that one bachelor was pressed so hard by King Christian on this point that he fled to the ^ West Indies to keep from being per- ^ . suaded. C( ' " si Wood in building is used much n I more sparingly 111 i? ranee man in i j America; licucc danger from fire i? J k j Jess. ' T5 HI7VGS I Polar seas are in every case shalD\ver than tropical. TVia Mlnhnrtrli fnllrc nrpfpr Amitr gaze out of the window. [ "And I will keep you posted up as * , to my whereabouts. If 1 miss him? * ^ if we pass each other on the way? J , you should be able to stop me some- 1 i where; the colonel is arranging all ? [ that. Eut, after all, if I wander "* about there, say, for a year or so, it 1 does not matter much. A year more t or less out of au idle life is of no * great consequence." He stopped, and looked down at c her with his lazy, placid smile. Pres- ; ently she looked up and met his eyes. 1 (To be continued.) 2 Newspapers Part of Government. 2 Judge Sulzberger, of the Philadel- e phia Court of Pleas, in resisting the a desire of the grand jury to indict a * street-cleaning contractor, announced the doctrine that the newspapers are funrtainrmtal nnrt r?f thf> covpril jround In leaps. The first railroad operated in Moocco was lately opened for traffic, t is olle mile and a quarter in length, ind its reason for existence is the lauling of stone from a quarry to he harbor of Tangier, where German :apitalists are making improvements. The dreaded nun butterfly is ap>earing everywhere in Bohemia, hreatening the devastation of the orests. The neighboring woods of saxony and Silesia are also threatened. The ministry of agriculture las named a commission to investigate. "Blizzard" is an American word. The date and circumstances of its >rigin are obscure. Though it was irst commonly used by the American lewspapers as a good word for a mow squall in the winter of 1880l881, it is said to have been known o the West in that sense nearly wenty years earlier. How the Buffalo Died. It was up and down the Red River hat Henry passed during the years >f his trading at Fort Pambian, and t was C. N. Bell, we believe, who, n papers read before the Historical Society of Manitoba, first brought to lotice the extraordinarily interesting lenry Journal, which was later elab>rated by Dr. Coues. Here was a land which at certain seasons was run over by the buffalo n such numbers that the grass was vorn off it, the willows and the unlerbrush trampled to powder, and he traces worn smooth and polished >y the rubbing of the great brutes. ^ tributary of the Red River wag ailed the Scratching River. On these itreams as on others in the West here was always wholesale destrucion of the buffalo in the spring when he ice went out. As Henry says, 'It really is astonishing what quanities must have perished, as they ormed one continued line in the midIle of the river for the; parts of two lays and nights. One of my men ound an entire herd of buffalo that lad fallen through the ice in Park liver and drowned. They were still (ticking in the ice." A month later le writes: "Buffalo still drifting [own stream. It is most intolerable he stench arising from the vast imount of drowned buffalo that lay icross the banks of the river in every lirection, above and below, and of vhich we can see no end. They tell ne it passes all imagination the great lumber of buffalo that are lying ilong the beach and on the banks ibove. I am informed that almost ivery spring it is tho same, but not Llways in such immense numbers as his."?Forest and Stream. 0?r! trin nf Knmnc Viigut W* It is appropriate for the historian o recall that the original Spanish lame of the now stricken city was 'Mission de los Dolores de Nu<wtro 'adre San Francisco de Asis" (mision of the Sorrows of Our Father, it. Francis of Assist), just a-j Santa iVs full name, as translated into English is "The True City of the loly Faith of St. Francis." In one ase the short cut Americans took he name of the saint, and the other ts chief spiritual possession. But he griefs, or sorrows, of St. Francis, lerpetuated in one of the principal treets 01 san r raucisco, us wen ua a the famous old mission itself, are leculiarly suggestive at this time.? Joston Transcript. Teeth in Wrong Place. James Knarr, a farmer of Paluslcl Jounty, was husking corn in a field ast November when he suffered an ttack of violent coughing. When it assed a moment later he noticed hat his new set of false teeth had eparted, whither he knew not, hut e had a suspicion that' he swallowed hem. However, a young heifer expired n his farm to-day, evidently as the ' esult o? starvation. It had eaten otliing in weeks. Examination of :s stomach disclosed the missing tore teeth.?Cincinnati Enquirer. The Feminine Purse in Oklahoma. Even the dubious squar/ has jarned the usefulness of the feminle stocking. Mrs. Chiun, an Apache tidian woman at Lawton, was conBaling a pint of firewater in her tocking when detected by a policelan. The policeman was a rud? nave and grabbed the whisky.?> [ansas City Times. :an handsaws to all others. There are in the world eleven ities with over one million inhabitnts. In the matter of train speed Ausria, Italy and Spain are at the botom of the list. An Ohio man claimed to have 'chewed" 90,000 ounces of tobacco n sixty-two years. The telephone girl in France does .rvf oav "hollry " Sho SSVR "'.T'eCOnte." vliich means as much. Eighty-flve women bootblacks are lumbered among the industrial work;rs of the United States. The railroad bridges at -Pittsburg landle more traffic than those of any >ther city in this country. Fishes have no Eyelids, and, necesiarily, sleep with their eyes open; hey swallow their food whole. Frogs,, oads and serpents never take food, sxcept that which they are certain s alive. Resembling in appearance and acion a jackrabbit is a Nebraska calf, iccording to all accounts. It has no ail, and its hind legs are longer han its front ones. It gets over the THE GREAT DESTROYER : SOME STARTLING FACTS ABOUT ] THE VICE OF INTEMPERANCE. How Alcohol Works in the Body and on the Mind?A Scientific State- i ment of the Harmful Effects Produced. An important scientific statement of the effects produced by alcoholic liquors is quoted by J; G. Wolley, in , the New Voice. It was made by an eminent physiologist in an address de- | livered to the Australian Intercolon- ] ial Medical Congress, which is as fol- < lows: * The explanation of the hold that alcohol as a beverage has upon all j civilized nations is to be found in the i study and appreciation of its physior logical action in the body; not prim- ] arily in the vicious tendencies of j men, nor in the craving for some form of narcotization, nor in the 1 mental and physical stress under i present day civilization. , The craving for alcohol, in spite j of the ravages it produces in the i human body, in the family circle, and in society, is the direct outcome of its own properties as a nerve paralysant when taken into the system," j and alcohol must, therefore, be held i primarily responsible for the human sacrifice associated with its use. The first effect of alcohol in the empty stomach is to dilate the blood j vessels of the mucosa, producing a feeling of local warmth. The next | is a reflex action on the vasomotor i centre in the brain, leading to paral- j ysis of the muscular coats of the ca- i pillary vessels, and accompanied by i a feeling of superficial warmth. ' 1 At this stage the pulse is. quickened, chiefly because of the diminished blood tension, and therefore of the resistance in the vessels. The \ cutaneous vascular dilation, though ] giving a feeing of increased radiation of heat# and therefore of a di-. minution in the body temperature. The presence in the brain of an increased blood supply is stimulating | the mental faculties to greater ac- | tivity, and the quickened cerebral circulation is conveying the alcohol | in its unchanged state more rapidly | to the brain centres. i The specific action of the poison | now commences?viz.: "paralysis af- ( fecting the, nerve centres in the in- | verse order of their development." The highest brain centres are the i latest developed, and these are paralyzed first and most. , With the progressive paralysis now , initiated there still goes on the hy per-activity by the increased blood | supply of all the centres below, so that with the complete loss of power of the higher tier of brain cells there is the accompanyiug over activity of , all the tiers below. ' , The highest tier of nerve cells, developed last and therefore most unstable, has to do with self-control. The highest pinacle in a man's i moral nat-jre is the power to control j or inhibit the suggestions or inclinations of his lower self. \ It is this power of inhibition or self-control that is the first paralyzed* , by alcohol, and the paralysis is apparent at the earliest stage of alcoholic ingestion. A man who has just | come under the influence of a moder- \ ate quantity of alcohol -is at once no- j ticed to lose his reserve, his self-re- | straint, his discretion. Later in the stage of intoxication ( the next tier of brain cells goes, wIiIIp thp first tier remains function less throughout, still more and more . saturated with its poison. His moral ( judgment becomes dulled, and more of his self-control is given up. 1 Another tier is paralyzed and some i motor centres are gone; still, in harmony with the law that the nerve j cells are made functionless In the inverse order of development, the highest and last developed suffering , first and most. During all this time all the lower j centres (including those governing . the animal passions) are in a state . of over activity. j Another tier goes, and the mind is j a blank. Paralysis of all the higher centres is complete; the victim becomes insensible; the muscular pow- j er of the limbs gives away, and profound anesthesia results. . If the alcoholic dose has been large, and still another tier paralyzed, the respiratory function is lost, and the heart whose centre is first developed, soon ceases to beat. Thus at the stage qf complete intoxication all the higher centres ? moral, mental and motor?are par** 1?rr?>ts) - flin nortrno flnnfrno aro hotVloH CLXJ ^CU , LUC ilCi ? ^U(,(VU MIV WM.VMVU. in blood saturated with alcohol, and surcharged with waste, products, which the exhausted circulatory system and reduced vitality are not able to eliminate. ! It Rots and Ruins. A bartender plaintively bewailed the necessity of having to rub congealed drops of sticky beer of? the bar. "But if I let them remain," he said, in tones of one seeking: compassion, "they rot the wood." ' "They rot the wood, do they?" fiercely repeated the beer bibber. "Then, what in the name of common sense do they do to my stomach?" "It is beyond me to tell," replied the manipulator of drinks. "Of one thing I am confident, and that Is, that man's stomach is made of cast iron. Elsewise how could he with-J. Jl 4. n.. C ^ V? n Slcllia U1K cllilU Ulit Ul uuiu mat lie pours into it? Let me show you something." He placed* a piece of raw meat on the counter and dropped it into a small measure of imported liquor. In five minutes the meat had parted into little pieces, as though hacked by a dull knife. It is not surprising that beer drinkers are held by life insurance companies to be extra hazardous risks.? Arkansas Searchlight. A Bombshell. Governor Folk has thrown another i bombshell into the ranks of the ? liquor politicians of his State in a 1 declaration that every liquor club in < St. Louis should take out a regular < saloon license. 1 1 Not a Respectable Business. 1 a nnnr Irishman whn annlied for < a license to sell ardent spirits, being < questioned as to his fitness for the I i trust, replied, "Ah! sure, it is not < much of a character a man needs to 1 se.'J rum." Root of Most Crime. "When I com3 to look through th'e | court calendar, aud when I see tho ( number of crimes which have been , committed under the influence of ] drinlc, 1 cannot help saying a word or ^ two on \that subject. Every day I ] live, the more I think of the matter, the more firmly do I come to the \ conclusion that the root of almost all j crime is drink," declares Judge Haw- . kins. Local option is in force in a majority of Alabama counties and parts of , others as well. \ \ \ . pP! - . ; | y * fHE SUNDAY SCHOOL. INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS "FOR MARCH 10 BY THE REV. I. W. HENDERSON. Subject: Isaac a Lover of Peace, oen. iiuiutu i?i| Matt. 5:9?Memory Verses, 1617??Commentary. Our attention shifts now from Abraham to Isaac the child of the old age of Abraham and Sarai, to Isaac the man of peace. With the circumRebekah, we are all familiar. The lesson finds him in Gerar, in close, and aftentimes unpleasant, relations with A.bimelech, king of the Philistines, and his tribesmen. After a severe altercation over Rebekah Isaac is permitted by Abimelech to sow in the land. His seeding is blessed of the Lord with an unusual harvest. His wealth increases from year to year until he is tne envy of the Philistines. Matters wax so vwarm that after a season Isaac is asked by Abimelech to leave Gerar. So Isaac goes into the valley of Gerar. In that region he gets into trouble with the herdsmen of Gerar. Whenever, after the fashion of the country and the example of his father, Isaac digs a well for the satisfaction of the wants of his flocks and retainers, these herdsmen, jealously, engage the servants of Isaac in open conflict. Twice the herdsmen that are of the pompany of Isaac dig wells only to be compelled for the sake of peace to abandon them to their foes. At last, however, Isaac is able to finish a well over which there is no dissension. This well he calls Rehoboth (Room) for saith he, "Jehovah hath made rooih for us and we shall be fruitful." From the well Rehoboth Isaac journeys to Befersheba. Here God appears to him. He erectes an altar, pitches his tent and digs a well. The lesson shows us that the blessing of Jehovah extends to the temporal concerns of those who fear Him; that it is hard for some people to regard the propsperity of their neighbors without jealous thoughts arising in their minds; that nothing Is lost by refusing to fight over matters that may, very easily, be made subjects for contention; that the blessings of a righteous father fall upon a good son; that Abraham overshadows Isaac to such an extent that [s^ac seems merely to bask in the greatness of his father. The first three verses of our lesson show us^that God is intimately concerned with the material prosperity Df His children. Isaac fears God and the Lord grants him material prosperity as well as spiritual happiness. And this is simply the logical outworking of the laws of the kingdom of God. If godliness is at the basis of all prosperity then the good nna and the good nation should prosper. A.nd when society is godly there is material riches for all. The godlier the land, the better off itti inhabitants. The last six words of verse 14 point the second lesson for us. And when any man or any people becomes saturated with the evil venom of jealousy then trouble comes quickly. Verse 22 indicates that Isaac nroved the truth that nothing is to be lost and that much is to be gained by not engaging in conflict over disputed matters. It is hard to fight with a man who will not defend himself. The assurances of God given to [saac in the twenty-third verse are an evidence that the Divine favor that is bestowed upon a godly father will descend in no unreal fashion upon a godly son. Abraham loved God and to follow His commands, [saac did likewise. And for that reason the promise made unto Abraham was given to Isaac also. The last lesson that we may consider here i3 that of the overshadowing of Isaac by the memory of Abraham. Isaac is a man of peace, he is a man of immense power in his own land. But it does seem as though in many instances he was but a mere slavish imitator of his mighty father. In fact, stories that are told of Isaac have their parallels in the.stories that" are related concerning Abraham. For Abraham's sake God blesses him. After the manner of his father he tills and toils and grows rich. Like Abraham he digs wells, builds altars, nolle unnn tho name nf .Tphnvah To be sure, imitation of his father in these things was not evil. Abraham was as good a man as he was great in his day and generation. But it does seem as though with the example of his mighty ancestor before him, the favor of God upon him, his own capacity for righteousness, Isaac might have done something more distinctive. He is overshadowed by the magnitude of the character of his father. These few notes are offered: Vs. 12. "Sowed." This is the first mention of sowing. Before this we have seed, seed-time and harvest. Vs. 19. "Springing." Better, "living." Vs. 20. "Seek." Heb. for "contention." Vs. 21. "Sitnah." Heb. "enmity." Vs. 22. "Rehoboth." Heb. "broad places." The Children's Safeguard. Thp rornerstone of our nation is religious liberty. The cornerstone of the home is the family altar. The greatest safeguard we can throw around our children is to establish and keep up the family altar in oui homes.?Ram's Horn. A Delusion. Some men seem to think that slashing up the creeds will be accepted as a substitute for deeds.? Ram'e Horn. Chinese Railroads Appreciated. -.1 ! 1 Li.t. X ue duvaillrtgcft Ul IcllIWrtJb, WU1UII gnorance declined to have at any cost rmly a few years ago, are now being fully appreciated by the merchant ind the traveling public generally in Ch'ina. Where lines are at present ivorking they are utilized to the full l)v both goods and passengers, and :he owner of produce is able to bring 3r send his goods to a market instead )f, as hitherto, disposing of them to in up-country agent, who had his adiitional profit to make out of the ;ransaction. a I>14>ill"al llWljl 111 J. 141 IV In spile of tiie depression caused by the failure of the harvest in MaceIonia, great activity in building operations prevails in Salonica, Turkey, reports the Austro-Hungarian Consul there. Active demand exists for hardware, timber, planks and iron girders. 1 : commercial quarter is extending, and the trade of the sur ounding districts is becoming more ind more centralized at Salouica. London's Use ol' (ias. London's gas consumption is over 3000 feet per year per head. [ I 9 fifty I I ijjgTB*Me, I HEAVEN'S CHOIR. H Angdg, from the realm of .glory, fljtt \Vinrr v/uir flin4if n'flr nil th? PArhllI ' Ye who sang creation's story 19 Now proclaim Messiah's birth; , Come and worship; . , Worsen Christ, the new-born King. Shepherds in the field abiding, Hn ^Watching o'er your Hocks by ni&ht, \ H9 JUU W 11/11 Utail IS JIUtY iwuuift. .Yonder shines the infant-light; Cone and worship; . HE Worship Christ, the new-born King, |^B cages, leave your contemplations, Brighter visions beam afar; Seek the great Desire of Nations; r Ye have seen Hie natal-star; * Come and worship; - H Worship Christ, the new-born.Kinf Saints before the altar bending, Watching long in hope ana, fear,, Suddenly, the Lord descending, In His temple shall, appear; H| Come and worship; ,^H| Worship Christ, the new-born "King. ' IB H Sinners, wrung with true repentance, .^Hj Doomed, for guilt, to endlesc pains, Justice now revokes the sentence, BC Mercy calls you?break your chains; , Bfl Come and worship; s H| Worship Christ, the new-born King. Hi ?James Montgomery. Bringing Out the Best iu Us. Whatsoever tilings are triie, whaP^H soever things are bonest, whatsoever (wings are just, whatsoever things I are pure, whatsoever things are love-,H ly, whatsoever things are of good revH port, if there be any virtue and if H there be any praise, think on these;? things.?Philippians, iv.,8. These words dre an appeal to the ! best in human nature. In every man the;e is an angel and a demontendencies toward right, inclinations toward the wrong. There is no man so thoroughly' bad that some good may not be found in him. There is no man so truly good that he is with- ; out imperfections. . "Every once in. a while we say of a man there is no good in him whatsoever. Bnt that judgment is,rather an expression of our attitude toward him than a real estimate of his character. A Christmas card was in circulation last year which read, "There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad y in the best of us, that it doea not'be*'' hoove any of us to talk about the rest of us." we frequently talk about the flxitJO of character, but with almost every passing hour our consciousness Ls undergoing change. The mechanism of ? -? j tnougru, ieenng, purpose, is out: 01 stupendous variability. One hour we " ?re under the influence of one set'of emotions; the next hour these eino- ' tions are succeeded by an entirely different feroup of sensations. I .There Is an unrealized self in every man. Now and then we catch gleams of our better life. They Come to ua in stray, sacred moments as prospects caught a few times from some lofty mountain altitude?the vision of that other being, that better self buried , down deep within us, for a larger; truer, nobler, diviner life. 'ftoo young men came to this city from a Western town. One of 'them ' had felt the narrow limitations oft- hi? boyhood. He thought, well, as a man passes through this world but oiice and he will be a long time dead, he.,, might as well have his fling and see what there is in life. So he shunned the good people. He had seen enough J of them at home. He visited the 1 haunts of sin. Well, lie has had his fling. His face and his eyea tell^the ; fnl/v .A Cttitr. , , rfjr. The other young man came frith, the determination not only to niakd the best of his opportunities but ulso, as Jean Paul Richt^r said, ''to make as much out of himself as it is pusSible to make out of the stuff." He put' himself in touch with the best associations; yes, he went to the church, and was encouraged in his purpose. The passing years have witnessed not only to his material success but also to his growth in 'manhood. He paid attention to what was best. The difference between y these two young men consisted simply in the different voices to which they responded. One responded tc the highest, the other to the lowest.' One endeavored to Tiring out the best,, the other stifled and smothered the best. My appeal to every young man who reads these words is: Overcome the lethargy and tyranny which holds you down to your lower self. Bring out the angel that Is within you. Every honest effort toward the things which are true and honest anc^jufft and pure and lovely and of good report is so much gained tow< ard the imprisoned ideal within.? Rev. William C. Stinson, D. D., Bloomingdale Reformed Church, West End avenue and 106th street. New York City, in the Sunday Herald. A Personal Thought. Let me remember that the kindling | of the light is only part of the work that needs to be done. The other , part is the sustaining and nourishing 4 of the light when kindled, and if the first part is God's, the second part is mine. Much secret fellowship with 1 ? * * S i. ?I4.U A Uoa, mucn prayenui miercuurse wnu Him, nothing else than this will main* tain my light. I must watch, there* fore, least my indolence, or neglect, " or worldliness, my prayer-life becoma ' a fickle and constant thing, and &c my candle burn too low to be of any use.?G. H. Knight. ^ The Doctrine of the Holy Ghost. He is the effectively present deity. He is God continually in the midst of men and touching their daily lives, He is the God of perennial and daily aspiration, the comforter to whom w look in the most pressing needs ol comfort which fill our common life He is the God of continual contact with mankind. The doctrine of the Holy Ghost is a continual protest against every recurring tendency ta separate God from the current world. >?Phillips Brooks. Noted Pictures Condemned. Omaha (Neb.) cojirts have decided that works of art by famous painters, including Van Dyke, Reubens and Vander Werff are improper and that reproductions of them cannot be j sold in Omaha stores. For persisting I ill tnoir saie jonn ureuxiuere i fined and warned that for the next offenso he would be sent to jail. I Greenberg had on sale copies of Rubens' "Judgment of Paris." the original of which is in the Dresden Art Gallery; Van Dyke's "Diana and the ' Golden Reign of Jupiter," Vander Werff's "Magdalena" and other* of that class. ... -