Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

FV 1 His f. A PSYCH( I. ' II CHAPTER VIII. 7 Continued. Then one man whose arm sh grasped in her eagerness, said "Yes, as he shook her off, and she mad ior^ a carriage; but another sai "No" to her on the way, and sh stopped when another declared h didn't know, .but thought it wai which made the matter doubtful one more, and again she began: "Is thi the Southampton train?" but befor Bhe received an answer she wa almost lifted off her feet by th sudden swaying of the crowd t make room for a porter with a mour tain of luggage on a truck, and wa carried from the door of the cai riage, beside which she had bee fitnTirtinp- nvpr trv thf> hfink-stal against which she was pinned fa $v- some seconds. The swaying of the crowd in th opposite direction released her, onl] however, to force her back the nes moment, back, back, struggle as sh would, through the nearest entranc this time, to the place where th booking offices are. Here the pres sure relaxed, the crowd thinned, sh could move again of her own a< cord. A porter hurried past her, gum ming a printed label on a new-look ing Gladstone bag as he went. Thei were two black letters on the bag She looked away after seeing them before the fact struck her as signi ???'' ficant. Then she looked again, hui rying forward to read them, and jus succeeded as the porter handed th bag into a first-class carriage. The doors were shut by this time she could not see through the "win day; but the letters on the bag wer L. S.? and she made a frantic das! for the carriage. The bell rung; th whistle shrieked; a voice shoutei "All in!" the buzz of the crowd be came a roar; there was a rush o rough men from the refreshmen room; they elbowed her to one sid ?"the weak must go to the wall"? and gained their own seats; th train began to move. Conscious of nothing but her ob ject she pressed forward again?an; carriage would do now?she tried t( catch the handle of a door; it passe* her. "Look out there!" "Stand back! "She'll be killed!" a dozen voice: , roared, yet she tried again. But now her arms were grasped 01 either side. She put forth all he: . strength to release herself, but wai held as if in a vise. Then, woman like, she' sent up an exceeding grea Y f' t and bitter cry, and then all was still. The train had slipped from sight; the crowd had melted away; a strange hush had fallen, a lack of life, where all had been uproar and hurry a mo ment before. Her captors droppec fjpV her arms. She pressed her handkerchief tc her lips; her mouth was full of blood The guard who had held her on one side looked at her pityingly, whilt the gentleman who had caught her tr ihe other spoke severely: "You've nearly killed yourself young lady. Couldn't you let thf train go when you saw you had missed it?" L.' . "Thot'c tho Tiro v thov Hn ci'rl v the A UUb U VUV " UJ VAAVxJ UV| MA* VW\ guard exclaimed, "and we gets blamed when accidents happen." "Oh, sir!" Gertrude moaned, clasping her blood-stained handkerchiel convulsively to her breast, "if yot only knew how much depended or my catching that train!" The gentleman took her hand and drew it through his arm. "Come," he said, "before a crowc collects. Allow me to see you into z cab. And forgive me if you think ] am taking too much on myself, be Ing a stranger to you. I have '< daughter about your age. I an afraid, though, you have had a seven shock. You can hardly walk. Tr] and eet as far as the refreshmen room, at all events, and lean on m< as much as you like. A glass of watei will revive you." With her usual good luck, Gertrud< had found another kind friend to hel] her in her need, and she resigned her self to his ministrations with perfec confidence, as she sunk exhaustet Into the deep, luxurious plush arm chair to which he led her in an Inne: i'r room behind the bar. CHAPTER IX. What with the refreshing quie of the room in which she found her self after the hideous nightmare o turmoil and trouble through whicl she had just passed, Gertrude rapidl; revived. Her new protector onl; waited, however, till he saw that sh was able to take care of herself agaii: a U/s ttiiu tutrix 110 lcit uci. He had a train to catch himscli and had waited till the last monieu on her account. And surely it was heart of gold that thus befriendei an unknown girl, because he had, for sooth, a daughter of his own at hom about her age! Gertrude had not th slightest recollection of his face. She would not have known hir again had she met him anywhere She would not even have recognize his voice. Yet she remembered hit always gratefully, but always with pang. In her preoccupation she feared tha she had let him go without a word o thanks. She hever knew, and sh could only hope that if she had. he in his haste, would not notice t? omission; but still, when she remem bered the incident, the dread was source of discomfort to her as long a she lived. ii was nui ctt iuy juuluciu, xiu? ever, that this fear began to troubl her. Just then she could think o nothing but her one object, and ho> to accomplish it; feel nothing but th bitter disappointment caused by hav ing missed the train. The thought oj having been z near C5 him without even seeing hit A s e -rnj t rHLR 5E.LF " "D ) a 3LOGICAL NOVEL. i '< _____ y s ARAH CRAND. ^ M li was very grievous, but the feeling j| that every moment was taking him j| further and further away from her, v ,, and whither she knew not, was sim- j ply maddening. Yet it was the right s d thought to arouse her. v She had little or no imagination. E e Her mind was pre-eminently active s ' and practical, and consequently, in- E ' stead of following her husband in 0 . fancy, as nine out of ten women jj would have done under the eircum- t s stances, she began at once to con- t sider how she could follow him in a 0 fact. a It seemed easy enough at the first b glance. She had only to tike the next d train, and behold her! t ' But then came the question, When b j she arrived, where in Southampton c ' ^ ?Vi/\ Vi J m Via ofora/1 t l"?orD ? r WUU1U auc uau UlUi,!! uc ovu,j va buv* v? jj which was not at all likely? What v was it they told her at the hotel? j] r Oh, that he had said he was going v ,1 out as English consul to San Fran- s 'e cisco. n e Poor fellow! That, then, was his e delusion, and was it not also htr t! clew? A man bound for San Fran- n 'e cisco via Southampton?they had 0 mentioned the P. & O., too?would ^ surely he easily found. s And then there was the name he was traveling under, Lawrence h e Soames?it occurred to her the mo- b r ment she wanted it?L. S.( his own fc [' initials. They were on the purso he e j* had in his pocket that fatal morning. and probably, like that poor clergy- n !t man, he had forgotten what' they ^ e stood for, or was under the impres- a sion that the two first names that oc- C; . curred to him beginning with those t< two letters were really his. h e That new Gladstone bag, too, he h must have bought in London; and C: q wnai a lucity coaute: lur wiuiuul it, a ^ she must have lost all trace of him tl _ here. No, though, now she thought ti f of it, for she knew he was going to ji t Southampton, and wherefore. And u Q accordingly to Southampton she must r; _ go with all possible dispatch. e She therefore left the quiet little q parlor behind the bar, and returned a: . to the station, half expecting to find y Y herself in pandemonium again; but it 3 was quiet enough there now. The 13 j principal trains of the day had gone, w There was a lull in the traffic, scarce- h ? ly a passenger hung about the sta- S( g tion. g The officials sat on trucks or stood ii j in groups chatting with coarse laughr ter, or else they loitered about, as if t( 3 loitering were their business, like the tl _ police. Gertrude applied to the first t( t she met, and found that the next jr train for Southampton?a fast one? m ; left in one hour's time exactly. a, 1 She had leisure to loiter, too, and ti 3 she strolled on down the station, find- ^ . ing the next few seconds interminably I long, and wondering how she could jy endure to wait. But happily she had Vi ) others to think of as well as herself. w There was her sister-in-law also in as ? susnense. and doubtless wondering ? uneasily what was keeping her so a' ( long. There would not be time to go ti and return, so she must send her a note. d: i She procured pen, ink and paper O [ from the man at the bookstall, and ai was allowed as a favor to write at his h i desk. He also advised her to send a tl 5 cabman with it who would be paid pi on delivery, and she went to find one. fc - As she approached the stand she saw d: ' a crowd of porters principally round M i one of the cabs, the driver of which d< i was standing up on his box talking at H the top of his voice. tl I "What's up now?" one greaser called to another just behind her. s< I "It's old Moon," the other ani swered. "He ses he's bin deceived h [ by a lady. Ah! them wommin!" h "H's a tender-'arted one, is Moon," i the first man laughed. a; l "t-Tp'a ? full Mortn now. nr I'm 1 much mistaken," the other rejoined. f And indeed it was only too true. t Poor Moon had been indulging in gin ir 2 to beguile the weary time of waiting, h r and also to keep up his strength, for he had not had an hour's rest in the 2 last twenty-four, nor a single meal; ? but the treacherous spirit, instead - of comforting him, had only sufficed s' t to distort his view of thihgs in gen- " 1 eral, and of what, in his right mind, ls - he had considered a great piece of C1 r luck, in particular?this "engagement by the day to parties to whom money was no object." w The evil spirit showed him to him- j t self as an ill-used man, and prompted "j - j him to proclaim his woes, moreover, f with a loud voice from the box of his " ti own cab. Poor Gertrude arrived in 1 y time for the peroration. v She had forgotten the man's exist- ' IT e ence and could hardly believe her i I oars when she heard him now, and ,. j li | Found her own adventures of the pre- . vious night, much misrepresented, the C' t subject of his discourse, he himself a appearing in them to the best advan3 tage, his own conductbeing described, . in fact, as little less than heroic, e The crowd was delighted. Cheters, e "Hear, hears!" and loud applause greeted him at every pause; and una der the influence of this genial sym?. pathy and the exhilarating effects of g d the gin the good man Moon, ordinar- ^ u ily so taciturn, so unimaginative, a waxed eloquent and glowed with a ^ poet's fancy. t, t "What do you suppose uu 'a be- g f come uf 'er," he wanted to know, a e "alone i' Lunnon town at night, de- t serted by that wagabond, with ne'er a c e place to go to, ef it 'adn't a bin for a i- Moon? She ses, 'Drive me 'ere, t a Moon,' an I druve 'er 'ere. An' she ,] s ses, 'Drive me there,' and I druv 'er there; an' wot's more, I druv 'er back - asrain when she told me, cos why, it e I didn't 'urt me, an' I knowed it vsj 1 s >f J comfort to 'er, for she keeps on think- t v in' ef lie's not 'ere 'e'll be there, f c j But I knov/'d what the old wagabond h ! meant when' e 'ailed me in that there I station at 2 o'clock this werry morn- , o I ir*;, an' I goes vo 'im an' I ses, 'You're i: n | tlxs h'Earl of Wartlebury. ain't you?'! s I es I, 'and I'm Moon the cabman; but f you don't come at once and do rot's right and honorable,' I ses, 'by hat young thing,' I ses, 'which 'er riglfit smile haunts me still,' I ses, ['11 advertise you on my own cab all ver JLiUDHUIl luw1i, J. dco, uiu illain,' I ses. And his lordship up t that, an' he ses, 'Moon, you're an anest man,' 'e says, 'an' I'll take ou're advice,' 'e ses, 'an' I'll take a overeign,' 'e Bes. "Now, go your /ays,' 'e says; 'wot man could do fur sr you've done,' 'e ses. -But 'No! my ord,' I ses, 'I'll not leave these premses,' ses I, 'till ychi sits yourself down q that there cab of mine,' ses I; 'fur rhen I goes to see a wrong righted, sees it right, and my name's Moon,' es I." Here he was interrupted by ociferous cheers,^and it was some ninutes before he could make himelf heard again. "It's no use telling ne they're a warm family,'' he went n. "Do you suppose I've lived my ife in Lunnon town an' don't know hat? It's not me pocket, it's me 'art hat's touched. She brought me 'ere ,n' she left me without a word, an' ?~ ? TM A r\-r\r\ '<ar onrl oil tft >1 LCI \Y iidl X U UUUC 1W1 VI uuu *??? w e deserted?to be left to die like a og in a ditch." ("Oh, you'll not die his time!" and "Cheer up, old loke!" various voices shouted in the rowd.) "And she's all my fancy ainted 'er; she's lovely, she's diine!" the old vagabond was proceedag, when, to 6ertrude's horror, his randering, watery eye rested on berelf with an instant gleam of recogition. She had been rooted to the spct by he subject of his discourse, and now, ot knowing what the consequences f the recognition would be, she rished that the ground might have wallowed her. She need not have been alarmed, owever, for the sight of her, or peraps of a policeman coming up beind her, had a curiously sobering ffect upon Moon; and all he did rhen he saw her was instinctively to lake the sign of his calling with his hip while he gathered up the reins nd sunk on his seat, looking, beause his great featureless face was 30 fat for expression, as if nothing ad happened. The crowd hooted and jeered and ailed to him to go on, but he was eaf to their entreaties-, and presently ley began to disperse. Then Gerrude went up to him, and after readier him a sfivprp lpr.tiirp. to which he stened in solemn silence, somewhat ashly dispatched him with the note. "Do you think you're sensible nough to be trusted with it?" she sked. "It's of great improtance. ou'll be well paid when you arrive." "Trusted!" he answered, scornfulr. "Why, miss, I've druv this cab hen I've been so drunk I couldn't ev stood on the ground; an' I'm not > drunk as that now," he added, reretfully. "Oh! I niver went wrong 1 me life." "Well, I suppose it's better to trust ) a half-drunk man I know someling of," she said, dubiously, "than ) a sober one of whom I know nothlg. Here, Moon,' take this note to [iss Somers. And, Moon," she dded, solemnly, "mark my words if lat.note goes wrong you'll have no tore luck as long as you live." "Now, the saints preserve us!" 'oon exclaimed, crossing himself deDutly, an act so utterly inconsistent ith all she knew of London cabmen ? to make Gertrude smile. But sh^ perceived that that last bjuration was a lucky hit, and reirned to the station much relieved. On arriving in Southampton she rove straight to the Peninsular and^ riental Steamship Company's office, nd asked if Mr. Lawrence Soames ad been there that day. -Oh, yes," le clerk told her. He had taken a assage to Yokohama, and was bound >r San Francisco; but the next mail id not leave till that day week, and :r. Soames had said he would go and o the Channel Islands, St. Malo, St. elier and the country round about lem while he waited. "Did he say which boat he would 3 by?" "No, but he asked when the next oat for Jersey left, and went off in a urry when I told him." "When does it leave?" Gertrude sked. "At 3 o'clock," the man replied. It's well on its way by this time." Her heart sunk at this. What a lisfoi'tune the missing of that train ad been. To be Continued. Preserving Shingles. The Forest Service has. studied the lingle problem along with that of le preservation of farm timber. It ; found that shingles treated with eosote by a special process which le service has invented warp but trie ana aecay siowiy, Decause ater is kept out of the tissues of le wood. One such roof will outist iwo or three left in the natural :ate to curl, spring leaks and fall ) pieces. The creosote used is nothig more than dead oil of coal tar, ut it keeps water from entering the ores of the wood and render it imlune to decay for a long time. roof of that kind costs a ttle more at first, but it is heaper in the long run. Woods I/vU nlltr nloco/ifl oe in foninr Li I V..1Z. die uauauj v^l uoov.il uu&uui) uch as loblolly pine, beech, sycamore and others which are quick denying, readily take the preservative reatment and are given a largely inreased value. The preserving apparatus is either expensive nor hard to operte. One such outfit will serve sevral farmers. The main items are n iron tank (an old engine boiler ill do), with preservative fluid in : and a fire under it, and another ank of cold preservative. The shinies of other woods to be treated re immersed for a sufficient time in he hot creosote and then in the old. Full details or the operation re given to applicants for informaion by the Forest Service at Washagton.?Harper's Weekly. For the Greatest Success. Life is greater than any series of urroundings that may affect it, and igreater success in life consists in ollowing the possibilities of our ighest selves.?Ridley. In France the average span of life s bow seven years longer than it was ixtv vears aso. Feeding tlie Pigs. Tests at the Indiana Experimental Station indicate that pigs marfe better gains when the grain is fed dry than they do when it is mixed with water. This would suggest that those who take the trouble to mix grain with water before feeding wfeste tlieir time, and, to a slight degree, the food value of the grain.? Epitomist. Thorough Churning. In order/ to have as thorough churning as possible, the temperature of the cream should not be over fifty-eight degrees. While the butter is in the granular form, the churning is to be stopped. Then draw the buttermilk from the churn and wash, then butter and salt while yet in the granula. form. 'For the taste of most people, one ounce salt to the pound of butter is about right. ?Epitomist. Vary the Food. Don't depend altogether on corn when fattening your market hogs. Feed them some green stuff as an appetizer. Best of all it is if you have some artichoke3 or pome roots, say mangels or rutabagas. Failing these, don't disdain pumpkins. Anything that will give variety to the rations will keep up their appetite and there is then no danger of a standstill in the fattening process from the hogs being "off their feed," a condition which always is threatened when corn is f^d exclusively.?Farmers' Home Journal. J Diversified Farming. In diversified farming it is essential that we give due attention to the claims of each branch that is being followed and seek to harmonize them all. We must select only those branches which will fit nicely into our scheme of farm management and eliminate every waste. If a man fully intends to gain something by adopting the practice of a soil robber and buying large farms, creaming them and selling to another farmer, he may succeed in making money. It is little wonder that American farmers are often called soil skinners. They make more money as a rule than the farmer who puts his money into improvements, for they liave more cash to speculate with. But which men are the most useful to their community: The one who puts his whole time and energy into gleanfne fiverr Dossible dollar from the soil and putting it in the savings bank, or the man who improves his property, adds *o the assessment list .of his?township and helps to increase the valuation of ^adjoining farms?? Bpitomist. Saving Farm Seeds. The farmer and the gardener can often save money by saving his own seed instead of being obliged to go to the seedsman for his supply each spring, and he can also have better seeds, ana increase ms crop eacu year if he takes sufficient care in selecting his seed stock to grow it from. There is a value in breeding seed for better crops as well as in breeding for better stock, and while those who are market gardeners generally know this and save their seeds accordingly, many farmers pay. little attention co the matter. It is said that in one of our leading corn growing States the crop per acre and the total value of the crop in the State has been increased, the latter to the value of millions of dollars per year, by the efforts of one man, who offered premiums for the best ears of seed corn sent in to the State and county fairs. Such interest was taken in the matLer that many strove for the prizes, and it is said that single ears from those that re ceived the highest prizes were sold at what seems extravagant prices, even as high as $25 pe<- ear having been reported in one case, and from ?1 to $5 per ear in many cases.? American Cultivator. Advisability of Planting Trees. From time to time this department has contained advice regarding the importance of farmers planting a forest upop their now waste lands. Especially in the New England States, upon the deserted farms, we see many so-called pastures that are practically a useless waste, that could be planted, as we might say, into a chestnut orchard. Not such a great while ago we gave a very full account as to how this fruit might be grown profitably, and anyone familiar with city streets in tha fall of the year could readily judge for themselves their standing from a commercial point of view. Right here is a way of having, after a lew years, an almost sure crop every fall that is almost sure to hold its price, and then after the trees seem to outrun themselves can be sold at fully fifty times their original value. This country alone is said to be using 422.400,000 railroad ties on its railroads, and these ties have to be replaced about every five years. This alone ought to suggest to every farmer the fact tnat in time to come there is almost sure to bo a shortage oi timber suitable for this purpose, as the railroads are continually on the increase and the timber lands decreased by the woodman's ase or the ravages of forest fires. Of course the r gumrnt could bs used that in the course of time somethin?? will turn 1111 thai Will take the place of wooden lies. This may be a possibility, but we should remember that nothing is a certainty. Business men take risks in all sorts of things; but the planting of these timber trees we could hardly call a risk, for if the trees when matured could not be turned into money as railrnnri pE3^jn< they could surely be by using the for any of the numerous things th call for good sound timber.?Week Witness. Flies and Sheep. Ffy time is on, .and sheep, eepecit ly rams, should be watched close for maggots. All rams should ha liberal quantities of pine tar aroui the horns, which will prevent the 1 from depositing her eggs. Wh< present turpentine or dip will dislod; them and pine tar will keep the qujqv xuritea an Ohio hrsedpr In tl National Stockman and Farmer. T] lcng and middle * wool sheep a more annoyed by the common bou fly than the Merinos and should ha' a dark woods or an undergroui cellar or cave in which to spend tl day. A single fly will prevent o: of these sheep from thriving a who day. The owner of a grade flock Shropshires once took the writer the mouth of a cave in which h sheep spent the daylights of summe secure from flies and in a clima very nearly like the native conditio] of the Shropshires of England. I lamented the loss of the manure, b the loss was more than made up the condition of the sheep. Look out for the gadfly. Her egi ar? deposited in the nostrils of t] sheep and almost as soon as depo ited move up into the sinuses of tl head, and the sheep has grub in tl head. Tar on the nose or even du will warn the mother fly that such place is not a promising home for hi future family. In the absence of bare ground furrow plowed in the pasture wi supply the dust. Sheep salted in. V-shaped trough, with tar on sid of trough is practiced as a preventi1 by some flockmasters. Sometimes think that between gadflies, stomal worms, lung worms indicated 1 the sheep standing with their heai close together with their noses on tl ground and by running ticks?fo rot and blizzards we have a strenuoi time. , v Poultry Pointers. Whitewash is better than paint f the interior of a poultry house. ] liberal in the use of whitewash, ai put in a little pulverized glue, tho oughly dissolved in warm water. Do not be deceived into believii that practical qualities 4nd fan points can not be bred in the san bird. This is a favorite cry wi some people who can't raise go< ones and who wanf to sell their cull If you feed your chicks around tl kitchen door, you may be sure th they will always hang around the watching for something to eat. Xei th^m away from the house by fgedii them away from the house. Keep the drinking vessels fill with fresh water. More or less fo< Escapes from, the beak of the litt chick while it is drinking. This foi soon becomes sour in the war moofhor and matpr fnul When you whitewash the interi of the poultry house mix a liber amount of some good disinfectant crude carbolic acid with the whit wash just before applying it. Th will insure the destruction of all li and mites with which it comes contact. Be sure that the roosting quarte are well ventilated at this time the year. Pure air is free and ine pensive and will enter every noi and corner of the poultry house, if is permitted. It is one of the ve essential things to the profitabl'e ra ing of poultry. Close, stuffy quarte are very injurious.?Indianapo News. Silage as a Horse Feed. I know silage is a good feed f horses, for I %ave tried it. I ha not, however, fed to any great e tent, because I did not have as mu silage as I wanted for cows ai horses both, and as I thought mo of iny cows than I did of my hors; the cows had all they needed and t horses had to go short. One wint we had a brood mare that was t silage all winter, probably twen pounds a day. She had some h; and straw to go with it, and no gra except what was'in the silage, ai she came out fat and with a glos coat in the spring and had a fir healthy colt. Horses like silage well as cattle do after they get accu tomed to it. A man in Michigan few years ago 'wintered two hundr horses on silage and straw exclusiv ly, with no grain. They came throuj in fine shape and the brood mar all had fine, strong colts. The Ob station tried feeding horses on sila through the winter and reported th they came through until spring in t: \\f n DroWl/! uest cunuiuuu. mi. ?. ojiuuh of Hudson, Wis., says that one ye during spring work he was out hay and the only coarse fodder 1 horses had during all that period hard work was silage. He says th his horses never stood work better.C. F. McKerrow iu the Weekly W ness. " The Home Doctor. In view of the adoption by the Ds onshire County Council of the medic inspection of children, several indi nam mothers have written to t head mistress of one of the schoo claiming exemption from the oper tion of the act. Que emphatic protc comes 1IUIU ? ..v. mm "Dear Madam?I objects to my chi being overorled by a doctor. I clea his blood vessels regular with brii stone and treacle, and he don't wa no more doctrine."?Westminster G zette. The estimated world's products of lead in 1907 was 90-1,0] 0 metr tons, as compared with 90S,174 to i u 19 0 G # I m n &unbatf-??cRoof INTERNATIONAL LESSON COMMENTS FOR NOVEMBER 1. Subject: Absalom Rebels Against David, 2 Sam. 15?Golden Text, m Ex. 20:12?Commit Verses 5, 6 at ?Read 2 Sam. Chs. 13, 16. ;1? TIME.?1026-1022 B. C. PLACE. I -?Jerusalem. EXPOSITION.?I. Absalom's Intriguing, 1-6. An appropriate Golden Text for this lesson would be Gal. ,jy 6:7. David was simply reaping what he had sown. Though God had fully forgiven David's sin, David did not ld i on that account escape the natural 9y consequences of his sin. God had told sn him at the time that the sword should ge never depart from his house, and that m He would raise up evil for him out of [je his own house (2 Sam. 12:9-12). . Seven years had elapsed since David's sin. David's daughter had been disre honored, one son had been murdered*. 30 and another was the murderer. Abve salom had onl* been emhittered hv id his banishment from the king's presbe ence, and his restoration to favor had Qe not helped matters In the least. He j was one of those incorrigibles that is helped by neither severity nor by kindness, a thoroughly self-centered of man. Brilliant but without characto ter, a far more dangerous and. dcils picable man than the ordinary desir^ perado. Absalom's first step in ante nouncing himself as a candidate to the throne was by riding in a state . that.David himself did not affect (cf. 1? 1 K. 1:33 and 1:5). It was expressly ut forbidden by God (De. 17:16; 1 Saw. in S:ll). Many would be pleased by. Absalom's departure from the slm59 plicity of his father. Absalom dishe played diligence In seeking to steal s_ his father's throne. So did Christ's enemies in their plots against Him (Matt. 27:1). There Is no one more 16 diligent than the devil. The Hebrew st of v. 2 indicates that Absalom "was a in the habit of rising early." 'it er would be well if Christians were as diligent in seeking the throne that a God offers to them. Absalom sought ,,, the favor of the discontented, the usual practice of politicians. Indeed, a all the methods of Absalom are much e3 in vogue to-day. He utterly misrepve resented the facts about his father's I administration (cf. ch. 8:15). He was guilty of three sins, of (1) Not ay honoring his father (Ex. 20:12). (2) j Speaking evil of the ruler of his people (Acts 23:5; Ex. 22:28). (3) Bearing false witness (Ex. 20:16). ot These are all common sins to-day. us Absalom deftly suggested that If only he were in power everything would be all right. In earlier days Dqvid had been a man of genial spirit, but In later days he seems to have drawn ?r Into his shell. Perhaps the memory 3e of his sin and its consequences was id responsible for this. Absalom pracr ticed his art on "all that came to the king for judgment." He succeeded lg for the time, he "stole the hearts of cy, the men of Israel." But it was David * himself who had undermined the power of law and loyalty ip the kingdom. He had opened the way for the people to transfer their r.ffections Is. to another by himself stealing the ! L .1 A He uea.it ui auuiuer man 8 wue. ah/ at man that commits the sin that David re did is sure to lose men's esteem. II. Absalom's Conspiracy, 7-12. p It may be that the forty years of v. 7refers to the years of David's reign, but it is more likely that it should ed read "four" (see R. V. Marg.) and re3d fers to the years of Absalom's in;le triguing. If Absalom had made such 3(j . a vow as he pretended (vs. 7, 8) he had been at least six years indifferent to it. Quite strange that he should wake up to it so suddenly. Many men or wake up to their religious obligations al when they have some end to gain by or doing so. David seems to have lost :e- his grip, or he would have suspected something in the light of what was going on. Nothing so soon robs a man of his grasp of practical affairs in as the entrance of sin into his life. It is not.likely that Absalom had ever rs made such a vow. If he had he had of not kept it, and he was not keeping it (X- now. Absalom next hired some jfc shouters and trumpeters. This, too, is a favorite method of modern politicians. The mass of men are quite ry easily carried by a hurrah. Even is' Biblical critics sometimes adopt the frs game methods. He chose Hebron as lis the centre of operations because of its sacred memories (ch. 2:1, 11; 3:2, 3; 5:5). Absalom tried to make it appear that all the best men were on his side, by taking with him 200 who or had no knowledge of what was going ve on. It is always wise when one gets jx- Invitations from such men as Absalom ch to look into them before accepting acj them. Many a foolish one is caught In this way. Ahithophel was Absalom's chief adviser. The woman *s? whom David had wronged was his he grand-daughter (ch. 11:3; cf. ch. er 23: C4). David felt no other defeced ' tion so keenly as his (Ps. 41:9; ty 55:12-14). But again he was reapay ing only what he had sowed. Absa1 lom, like many another unmitigated scoundrel, observed carefully outward 11(1 religious rites (v. 1; cf. Nu. 23:1, 14, sy 30, 1 K. 21:9, 12). "The conspiracy ie, was strong" Absalom's followers were as continually increasing. The people is- were saying of David, "There is no a help for him in God" (Ps. 3:1, 2). pd But David was not forsaken of God even in this darkest hour (Ps. 3:3-8). ?- -- > j t -j ?x i_ -n v,; ? ADsaiom naa leu uoa out m an uia =h calculations; so utter failure came of es all his matchless cunning and seemio ing promise. Absalom himself was ge to blame for his own ruin. But was at not David to blame, too? he ' Waits Forty Years For a Debt. aj John R. Runnells, of Hanover, N. , H., had been awaiting the arrival of . . Samuel R. Foss for forty yoars when 11S the gentleman put in an appearance. In 1868 Foss sold his farm to Runat nells and went to Nebraska to live. ? Later it was found to be encumbered it- by a mortgage of $1700. When Foss arrived he went to the homo of his brother, where Lawyer Ed. Cook, of Concord, and Sheriff Gecrge H. Stearns, of Grafton County, both repv resenting Mr. Runnells, appeared. A al settlement, was demanded and made, g_ the sum beins naid exc?<?dii>r: S2003. he Farmer Was StiJl Plowing. Kasson P. Stanard, of Sheffield, a- Mass., was plowing twenty-five years 'St ago when an insurance agent from s: Pittsburg induced him to take out an endowment nolir:v on his life for rs S1000. The policy matured recently and the same insurance agent found Mr. Stanard still plowing when he nt tendered him a check for the amount a- of ibe policy. Go-Carts Must Have Headlights. Judge Cleland. of the Municipal ic Court, in Chicago, lias decided thai i?s baby carriages must have headlights if used uu the streets at night. I _ Religious Reading FOB THE QUIET HOUR. "JUDGE NOT." t'ra not your judge. Nay! God forbids' Me judge the record of your deeds; But tells me wait, with ready handj To love and help and understand. I'm not your judge. Nay! I'm unfit . . ijjfo God plainly tells in Holy Writ; But bids me raise and lift you up, Then pass, to you, the loving cup. . , * I'm not your judge. Nay! One on high Will read your sentence by and by; "Rnt vhils vbb innrnpv sriHe bv side. I am yo^r friend, wVate'er betide. I'm not your judge. Nay! On His throne, Sits One w^ioae love will judge His own J So over all your faults I cast Charity's mantle to the last. v '/ ?Saran Spencer Ruff, in.Mome Herald. . [ Living Close to God. If we live near our heavenly Father we should strive to realize Hife con- ,, stant companionship. Wherever a devout soul meets God is a sacred >>, spot, whether It be like Jacob's pillar of stone or a Sabbath sanctuary. .We may make the workshop, the count- .'.4 ing house, the study, the kitchen and the farmer's field sacred with God's presence. The nursery" in which the pious mother trains her children is one of God's dwelling places; and I have seen many a sick chamber that was the vestibule to Heaven. Happy the pastor who, returning k/':to his study for his year's work, finds , both his Bible open and the mercy ' seat close beside him, with precious promises strew thick about it! The nearer he gets to his Lord and Master in that study the nearer will he get to the hearts of his people, both In ) his pastoral work and in his pulpit. The man of business who gets a little time with God in the morning, over his Bible, or on his knees, will go all ' i the stronger into the tumult of the day. To him the day with prayer will keep it from raveling out into many a folly or sin. Stout old Luther . used to say that he "could not get on without two hours a day in prayer and close fellowship wit? God." The "higher life" is simply liylng close to God, on the Sabbath In His sanctuary and through the week in our own dwellings and places of busl-, ness. It is peeping our citizenship In. Heaven and our eyes above the blind- a Ing mists of worldUness and our * hearts in close touch with our Divine ?^ Master. They that thus wait on God shall renew their strength; they shall mount up as eagles. Their outlook Is wide; their spiritual atmosphere Is bracing; they rehearse a great deal ' of Heaven before they get there. ' Close to God here, they will find the gates of pearl opening to them all4n good time, and they will go in to be K forever with their Lord."?Episcopal ' Reorder. . ? _ Rise, Let Us Be Going. Though the past is irrevocable, It is not irreparable. In the garden of Gethsemane our Lord said mournfnllv to the chosen three. "SleeD Ott ' " | now, and take your rest;" but He instantly added, "Rise, let ud be going." In the first sentence He taught the lrrevocableness of the past; they might as well sleep, for ', -2; any good that watching could now do. But In the second sentence He taught that there was still a future < before them, with new chances andv ' ? opportunities and hopes. So shall It ever be. God Himself cannot undo ' the past. But He can, and will for- / give. He will mention the past; but '< give (is a fair fresh start. He will even "restore the years that the' v' canker worm has eaten." He will give us new opportunities of showI * vma wnonr I 111^ ilUW Li utj TT C <1 VJ^/VMV WW | decisions of the past, and how loy- ? [ ally we desire to serve Him In tfie , v; ! decisions of the future. He will not ! even mention the thrice denial; but He will give us three opportunities , f i of saying how much we love Him, as ! He thrice bids us tend His flock. '<) \ | "The King is dead!"?that is the ' proclamation of the irrevocable past. ! "Long live the King!"?that Is the { ' : announcement of an available fu j ture.?F. B. Meyer. Recognizing Our Best Friend. V"; ? I I? God our last hope, or our first? | Many a man has turned to his heavenly Father only in his extremity, as 0 a last resource. Men who have not tfygj prayed for years have dropped upon '<" their knees?or asked some one else to do so?on the deck of a sinking ship, or when the last hope in ths universe, for this life and for the * ' sext, was God. Other men, in the uiidst\of physical safety and pros- " 'r perity, are nevertheless turning to ..: ;;v God daily and hourly, not as their J last, forlorn hope, but as the glorious assembling of all their hopes; as their richest blessing beyond all other blessings in this present hour *?* woccin? How much more the Father can do for those who are ready to find in Him every good thing, than for those who leave Him antil every other hope has been tried and proved false! He will do all He can for those who turn to Him last; but His greatest blessings are for those who seek Him first.?Sundayschool Times. 1 ? Silent Threads of Gold. Little nameless acts of kindness, little silent victories over favorite temptations?these are the silent J threads of gold which, when woven together, gleam out so brightly in the pattern of life that God approves. ?Farrar. Mind Your Own Business. There is no promise of a crown of righteousness for proficiency in regulating your neighbora. Not in Thai Class. ? There are comparative religions, jut Christianity is not one of them.? Toseph Parker. An Kpigrnm. ^?1 * - Pnnehinn" om nora V L,C>ai lb totUlCU OUiiJmuv, s stored Gospel. 1 Panama Elects Three Vice-Presidents. The Assembly of Panama elected Jose Augustin Arango, Carlos Mendoza and J. M. Lambert, First, Second and Third Vice-Presidents of the Republic respectively. Bills presented included one providing for the establishment of a national agricultural bank and another for the establishment of colonies of immigrants. Whipped For Wife Beating. i At Denton. Md., a sentence of nine* ty days and twenty-five lashes on his bare back was imposed by Magistrate j Wilson on John Carpenter, a negro, ' lor wife beating ? * - ?