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FRAN & MM BRECKE.'tTEDoC ELLIS Illustrations by O. Irwin Myers Orsce repeated with delicate re proof?-"Your intimate friend!" "I know it was wrong for him to de? sert his wife." "Wrong!" How Inadequate seemed that word from her pure Hps! "But," he faltered, "we must make allowances My friend married Fran's mother In secret because she was ut? terly worldly?frivolous?a butterfly. Her own uncle was unsble to control her?to make her go to church. Soon after the marriage he found out his mistake?It broke his heart, the trag edy of lt. I don't excuse him for go? ing away to Europe?" I "I am glad you don't. He was no true man, but a weakling. I am glad 1 hare never been thrown with such a?a degenerate." "But, Mis* Grace," he urged plead? ingly, "do you think my friend, when he went bark to And her and she was gone?do you tllnk he should have kept on hunting? Do you think, Grace, that be should have remained yoked to an unbeliever, after he realised his forty?" There wan heavenly compassion In her eye?, for suddenly she had di? vined his purpose in defending Fran's father. He was thinking of his own wife, and of his wife's mother snd brother?how they had ceased to show sympathy in wbat he regarded as the essentials of life. Her silence suggest* ed that as she could not speak without easting reflection upon Mrs. Gregory, ehe would sav nothing, and this tact waa grateful to his grieved heart . I "I have been thinking at something very strange," Grace sr.id. with a marked effort to avo'd the Issue lest she commit the Indiscretion of blam? ing her employer s wife. "I remem? ber having heard you say that when you were a young man, you left your father's home to live with a cousin in a distant town who happened to bo a teacher In a college, and thr.t you were graduated from his college. Don't you think it marvelous, this claim of T run, who spys ? at her father, when a1 went to live with a coueln | who wau a college professor, and that he was r * mated from that college? And she lays that aar father's father was a neu man?Just as yours was? snd that the cousin Is dead?Just as yours Is." At these piercing words, Gregory bowed his head to conceal hlB agita? tion. Could It bo possible that she hsd guessed all and yet. In spite of all, could use that tone of kindness? It burst upon him that if he uud she could hold this fstal secret in common, thx> might, in sweetest comradeship, I'onn sn alliance against fate Itself. She persisted: "The sccount that )>an gives of her fsther is reslly your own history. What does that show?" He spoke almost (n a whisper. "My :*r1eno snd I were much alike." Then lie looked up swiftly to catch a look of comprehension by surprise, if such a look were there. Grace smiled coolly. 'Hut hardly Identical, 1 presume. Don't yov see that Fran hus Invented her whole titory. and thst nh' dldn t'have eoc igh imagination to keep from copying after your biographical sketch In the j newspaper? I don't believe ahe la i your friend's daughter. I don't be Iteve you could ovor faave liked the father of a girl like Fran?that ho I could havo been your In-lraate friend." | "Well?" faltered Orerory. But why l lould ho defend Fran? **Mr. Gregory." sho asked, as If what: ?he was about to say belonged to what lad gone before, "woulc It greatly in? convenience you for me to leave your employment?" He was electrified. "Grace! Incon? venience me!?would you?could . . ." ?*! have not decided?not yet. f peaking of being yoked with unbe? lievers?I havo never told you that Mr. f'.obert Clinton has wanted m*?? to mar? ry him. As long as he was outside of tie church, of course it was Impos? sible. Hut now that he Is converted?" "Orsce!" grosned the pallid listener. "Ho would llko me to go with him to Chicago." "Hut vou couldn't love Hob Clinton , ?he Isn't worthy of you, Gra;e. It's Impossible Heaven knows I've had 1 disappointments enough?" He start? ed up snd came toward her. his ey? \ glowing "Will you make my life a comph to failure, after all?" "Love him?" Grace repeated calmly. "This Is merely a qucbtlon of doing the most good. I know nothing about k re." "Then let me teach you, Grace, let?* "Bhall we not discuss It?" she said gently. "That Is best, I think If I do clde to marry Mr Clinton. I will tell you even before I tell him. I don't k ow what I shall choose as my best course " "Hut, Grace! What could I do without ? sh ill we just agree to say no more sjpgsjl HI" ana ?ffly Interposed. "That Is wisest until my decision Is made. We were talking about Fran?do you think this a good opportunity for Mrs. Gregory to attend sei f jgggl Fran can Stsy with Mrs Jefferson." 1 aaVtfl uo 4<?ubtt" ho said, still agl-j tated, "that my wife would find it easy enough to go to church, if she really wanted to go." "Mr. Gregory!" she reprove:l him. "Well," he cried. Boroewhat defiant? ly, "do'Vt you think she could go, If she wanted to?" "Well," Grace answered siowiy, "this girl will leave her without any ?any excuse " "Oh, Miss Grace, if mj v*fe were only?like you?I mean, about going to ohurch!" "I consider it," ehe responded, "the most important thing in the world." Her emphatic tone prored her sin? cerity. The ciiurca on Walnut street stood, for her, as tho ark; those who remained outside, at the call of the bell, were in danger of engulfment After a long silence, Grace looked up from her typewriter. "Mr. Greg-| ory," she said pauslngly, "you are uu bappy." Nothing could have been sweeter to him than her sympathy, except happl1 ness itself. "Yes," he admitted, with; a great sigh, "I am very unhappy, but you understand me, and that is a little comfort If you should marry Bob Clinton?Grace, tell me you'll not think of it again." "And you are unhappy," said Grace, steadfastly ruling Bob Clinton out of the discussion, "on account of Fran." He burst forth Impulsively?"Ever since she came to town!" He checked himself. "But I owe it to my friend to shelter her. She wants to stay and ?and she'll .have to, If she demands it" "Do yon owe more to your dead friend," Grace asked, with passionate solemnity, "than to the living God 7" He shrank back. "But I can't send her away," he persisted in nervous haste. "I can't. But heaven bless you, Grace, for your dear thought of me." "You will bless me with more rea son," said Grace softly, "when Fran decides to go away. Shell tire of this house?I promise It. She'll go?just wsit!?she'll go, as unceremoniously as she came. Leave it to me, Mr. Greg? ory." In her earnestness she started up, and then, as if to conceal her growing resolution, she walked swiftly, to the window ss if to hold her manu? script to the light Gregory followed her. "If she would only go!" he groaned. "Grace! Do you think you could7? Yes, I will leave everything to you."' "She'll go." Grace repeated fixedly. The window at which they stood ', overlooked the garden into which Fran had wheeled old Mrs. Jefferson. Fran, speaking through the ear* trumpet with as much caution as deaf? ness would tolerate, said, "Dear old lady, look up at the library window, I If you please, for the muessln has; climbed his minaret to call to prayers/'1 Very little of this reached its desti? nation?muezzin was in great dangei ef complicating matters, but the old 1 idy caught "library window," and hold 1: securely. She looked up. Ham? ilton Gregory and Grace Nolr wore standing* at the tower window, to catch the last raya of the sun. The flag of truce between them was only a typewritten nheet of manuscript. Grace held the paper obliquely toward the west; Hamilton leaned nearer and, with his delicate white finger, pointed out a word. Grac*) nodded her head in gentle acquiescence. "Amen," muttered Fran. "Now let everybody sing!" The choir leader and his secretary vanished from sight "Just like the play In Hamlet," Fran said half-aloud. "And now that the Inside play is over, I guess it's time for old Ham to bo doing something." | Mrs. Jefferson gripped the arms of her wheel-chair and resumed her tale, as if she had not been interrupted. It was of no interest as a story, yet pos? sessed a sentimental value from the fact that all the characters save the raconteur were dead, and possibly all but her forgotten. Fran loved to hear the old lady evoke the shades of long ago, shades who would never again assume even the palest manifestation to mortals, when this old lady had gone to loin them. (TO BE CONTINUED.) ROTATION or CROPS in sot tu t a k?lln a. ?I. Trunk William-. Demonstration Afjsjs] for Sumtcr i oiuity. Point* Out Way or ?MPPeas to l armer? ol stnti?I list mi the Address holh cred til < lem-on College, At I recent meeting ol the United states farm demonstration agents at Winthrop college, J. Frank Williams agent lot Humtet em.my, delivered the following Instructive address; The rotation ol crops (tncludlmi rover crops! is the must Important subject v.ph which we farm demon< at ration agents have to deal, Holl tertihr . control "f insect peats, soil moisture; control uf soil warmth, distribution ol labor throughout tin >eiir; the money returns from I hi sale of our crops and the keeping up ol the farm animals is all mure or lei dependent Upon the tTOpS W< grow in a rotation. If in? other reason than foi keeping up of increasing the feitiht^ the soll, n w??uhi be neccs?rj t> jiow crops In a rotation. Bo many ihmes happen to the farmer who |m cropping on unfertile soil, Money < n?p. in planning ? farm the first thing to de< Ide ih what mono) crop of crops can be the most successfully grown, it 11 generali) conceded Ihnt utton Is and will be our greatest money crop, at leasi until w# are evaded bi ihe boll weevil. Cotton looms up large in the eyes of every farmer. We have had abundant examples Of It! having been grown on the same ?Oil for 20 years in succession, with varying yltldl and profits. This was done with the use of commercial fer? tilizers, and as the land naturally yielded less, an increase application of fertilizers was made. It is very unfortunate for the farmers of South Carolina that they e\er learned, that by increasing the amount of fertiliz ' er from year to year^ that they could keep up the yield of cotton in season* aide years. For the increase in fer? tilizer does not increase the moisture holding capacity of the soil; and in ' seasons of excessive drought or rain I fall, the crop is a failure. As W. H. P.arton puts it, a man who uses a thousand pounds of fertilizer to the acre on a soil barren of humus prays l for a good shower of rain every week, I when he should be praying for knowl? edge to fill his soil with humus in order that be might stand a month's dry weather, without injury to his crops. Decrease in West. When the rich prairies of the Mid? dle West were first brought into cul? tivation, it was thought that their fertility was inexhaustible. After 10 to 20 years of cropping them in corn and burning the stalks, the yield was brought down from an average of CO bushels to a littlo more than 30 bushels per acre. By a system of rotations and the use of manure, these lands tire gradually climbing back toward the UO-bushM mark. No two plants to' e exactly the same proportion of the elements of plant food from the soil, so without i a rotation there results an unbal? anced supply of elements, which re? sults in a reduction of production. It is a well known fact that plants will not thrive unless the necessary pro? portions of soluble plant foods are present in abundance. A soil may have ever so much potash and nitro? gen and be deficient in phosphoric acid, and it will not produce good i results. Then taking cotton fur our money crop and corn, oats and wheat for our grain crops with which prin-i cipally to feed the farm t.nimuls, the ' other crops to grow In a rotation are those that will restore to the Soil the elements removed by the cot? ton, and to give a variety of foods for the farm stock. Three-Yeac Rotation. The rotation generally accepted in g. *OlinS is a three-year rota ttoni corn and small grain; not suggest a better one. .? a great stride from nearly all cotton to planting only one-third of the farm in cotton. As a stepping stone from the one crop system, to the three-year rotation, I suggest a two vear rotation, in which half of the farm is planted in cotton and the other half in corn and ^ats?cow peas to be broadcasted in the corn and on the oat land after the oats are har? vested. By planting cover crops of winter legumes after the pea vines are matured, and . in the cotton not plant? ed to oats, the fertility of the soil can be kept up. This is only a sub ? stitute for the three-year rotation. Roo) mo altack the cotton when it is planted alter corn, and there is troit bia in getting oats planted in time alter a crop of cotton, so I shall only dlSQUSS in detail the three-year rota? tion. In the three-year rotation of cotton com and oats or wheat, peas arc sowed in the corn middles at the last working and broadcasted after oats. To sow oats and vetch or clover In the cotton middles and turn the pea stubble and plant the same cover crops makes a rotation and system of cropping almost complete. - ?! tein will return plenty of humus to the soil, and with an occasional liming and thg addition of potash and ground phosphate and small amounts id' ni? trogen, marly any soil in the State WOUld gtow larger crops from year fo year. In this system of farming where cotton is subject to wilt or blight* only iron or Brabham peas should be planted iu the rotation to keep down the mematodes or root Knot. The Iron pea, being as good or la tter than any other variety of peas, should be planted by alt farmers in sections where cotton wilt is preva? lent The abQVS system is an ideal plan lor farming, but is not practical. Inasmuch as two-thirds of the farm WOUld be planted to cover crops. This would congest the labor on the farm during the months of March and April. I Conserve Moisture, i would advise planting only about half of the land to be planted In corn and cotton to cover cropa Then one ball of the land to be planted in the cultivated crop should be plowed ami harrowed In the winter In order t" conserve the moisture und make sine of ; st:11111 on at b ast balf of the crop in ease ol a dry spell Tins half being prepared can i>e planted and gotb n out of the Way, and amide time b?? given to harrowing ami plowing the lands under cover crops, rso as to ? i up good stands on this ball. Half of the land sown to peas after, ?;its should no! I>e mowed for ha>. ?in i ui nod in i he w intci, w hlle I he i half mowed for hay should be sown to cover crop in the fall of the year. If nothing is taken oil the land ex? cept the < Otton lint and one-half of the corn, all the rest either being turned inte? the soil, including the cot? ton seed, or fed to animals and the manure taken care of and returned in I .e soil,?Prof. Goodrich figures at the end of the three years, that there would be a gain of two pounds of' ; nitrogen a loss of 1G pounds of phos? phoric acid and 22 pounds of potash. This does not account for any leaching or denitrificatlon or the converting of potash or phosphoric acid into un ' available forms. Neither did he take into consideration the peas in the ! corn nor the cover crops. Suhjugattc Insects. I This three-year rotation would keep in subjugation the root louse, bill bug bud worm, and other injurious in? sects. A good crop of wilt resistant cotton could be grown every third year on badly infested wilt lands. The ! clean cultivated crops of corn and cotton with peavines following oats, would keep down the obnoxious weeds ' and grasses. The two crops of peas and other legumes in three years would bring up through their deep root systems planjt f??d and through their decay leave it in the surface soil for the Cotton and corn. Cotton being a weak feeder on phosphoric acid it is; necessary to apply an abundance in j available form for its use. The corn , being a stronger feeder than the'eot ton would need very little applied and the oats would get a very good growth from what was left by the corn. The peas will take care of themselves in almost any kind Of sweetened soil, The turning under of the corn stalks, peavines, the oat stubble, the peas and i the cotton stalks and the cover crops would so change the color of the soil that it would be much warmer. The darker the color the more sun light | will be absorbed, and this will aid the growing plants In early spring. j Under this system the farm animals i would be supplied with corn and oats for grain and with oat and peavine hay for forage. Labor. ' An abundance of labor would be scattered very nearly over the whole year, except the month of August. There would be three seasons during the year when the labor would likely become congested. During Septem? ber, October and November the cot? ton Is to be gathered, the peas picked, the hay mowed, the corn broken in, the oats or wheat sowed and the cover crops to be planted and the fall plow? ing to be done. During February. March and April, the cover crops are to be disced and broken, the fertilizer to be put in and the crops of corn and cotton to be planted. During the months of June and July the crops of corn and cotton are to be cultivated, the grain to be gathered, the peas to be sowed and the top dressing with fertilizers to be made. This leaves the month* of August, December, Januar:' and May in which a farmer has time to <et a long breath. May is not a leis? ure month by any means. August can be devoted t>J building and repair? ing farm buildings and fences; De? cember and January to breaking the pea stubble und cotton land, not sown to cover crops, hauling and mixing fertilizers, the killing of hogs, feed? ing cattle, hauling litter, spreading manure and cleaning up ditch banks and hedge rows. I llnd plenty of labor on n y farm the year round for all of the hands that it takes to produce and gather the cotton crop. The happiest people are the busiest people, Concerning the desirability of continuous employment for farm labor, Roberts speaks as follows, when writing of rotations: "The bale fill results of raising a single or few products in extended districts may be seen In California and the great wheat districts of the Northwest In such localities there is little or no true home life with its duties and re? straints, men and boys are herded to? gether with cattle, sheep whero they may and subsist as best they can. The work is hard and from sun to sun for two or three months. When it abruptly ceases the workmen are left to lind employment as best tiny may or adopt the life and habits, <d the professional tramp, it is dim* cult to name anything more demoral*) izing to men, and especially boys, than r-V Greelyville BUSINESS SCHOOL Individual Training for Boys and Girls. THK cottrse of all English branches, short hand. typwrltltiK and book? keeping otters Unsurpassed opportu? nities to ilic youtliKuf your count! at a very reasonable prlcS'. Ihmrd can tie nhtallied in town. Tor piirti* eulsrs address, J. M. JERVEY, GREELY VII.LE, . S. C. A_ thi? Intermittent l^bort|and the higher the wages paid und the shorter the period of service, the more demoralis? ing the effeet. If there were no other reason for practicing a rotation with a variety of plants, the welfare of the workman and his family should form p ttlk'ient one. Ellicieiit Work. t When the nearly all cotton districts of our State put on the proper rota? tion of crops in a few years, all of this hue and < ry about sorry tabor will gradually disappear. This system of farming would ad? mit of the gradual marketing of crops. The cotton seed, hogs and cattle, sold in the winter and spring, should pay the fertilizer b ll and for the greater portion of the farm ex? penses, allowing the cott m to be raised practically free from debt. The practice of some of the farmers of the Middle West should be adopted? that is, that nothing could be car? ried to market except what could walk. This of course with us wou'.d except the cot ion lint. Most of the prolits from such a system should be invested on the farm in better buildings and equip? ment. I say prolits, because there would be a profit without fail. The law.M of the vegetable kingdom are definite and can be depended upon. Each seed that a farmer plants in? creases a hundredfold and more. What more can a man do for his pos? terity and his country than to leave to it a farm and a system of farming from which a bountiful increase is sure? NATION'-WIDE STRIKE THltEAT ENED. j Hallway Men Meet at London Todar to Discuss Advisability or Strike London, Sept. 17.?Great Britain will know tomorrow whether she will have to endure another national transport strike. Acting on a demand from Birmingham, where the strik ? situation is serious, the executive board of the National Union of Rail? way Men will meet at the London headquarters in the morning to dis? cuss the advisability of calling a na? tional strike. Birmingham lias tak.m Liverpool's place as the strile centre. Seven thousand men are now ou there. The stoppage of freight ship ments is complete; even local deliv? eries are impossible. The only favorable indications are to.be found in the return to. work of ,a riumberof, Liverpool- frt ight handlers and agreements by the offi? cials of the various railway compa? nies involved to receive delegations of strikers. A prominent labor leader of Bir? mingham said tonight that no matter what action the executive board took the passenger train employes would join the freight workers tomorrow. Already several hundred engineers and firemen have struck, and freight is piling up. The various trades are beginning to suffer losses as a result of the disorganization of traffic. The directors of the Manchester ship ca? nal have declined the offer of media? tion made by the mayor of Selford, declaring that they can not grant any advances at the present time. The railways at Birmingham are refusing to receive any more consignments. Hearses are being utilized to carry meat from the depots to the butch? ers, as not a single railway dray Is working. At Dublin the unrest Is Increasing. James Larkin, the labor leader, in h speech tonight declared that they would soon have all the workers with them. A procession numbering 6,000 marched through the streets and stoned a car when the motorman re? fused to quit. Trade in Dublin is almost com? pletely paralyzed. It is feared that as soon as the slender strike fund of the Irish union workmen is exhaust? ed dangerous outbreaks will occur. ' The strike fever is spreading to Wales and Ulster. One thousand col? liers are out at Pontypridd. They refuse to work until the sole non? union man Ihere joins the union. - Unless the employers give in, all those ?..ho ride in busses m London ?VW go afoot by Saturday. Arrange? ments have been made to give the signal for the bus men to desert their vehicles at midnight Friday unless the director? of the small bus com? panies which refuse to allow their men to wear union buttons rescind the order. Such a strike would involve 10,000 men and withdraw 500 motor busses from the streets. The strike might eventually include the employes of the railways and the outlying street car system, which belong to the traction combine which owns the motor busses. {* Liberty Street Is an object lesson of the unsuitablencss of macadam for ^1 Excursion t? VIA The Atlantic Coasft Liile On Tuesday, September 2Hrd, the Atlantic Coast Line will sell round- trip tickets from Sum tec to Jacksonville, Ma., at $6.50 and to Tampa at $8.50, limited returning to reach original starring point not later than midnight of Tuesday, September 30th, jvl3. Proportionate rates will be made from other points in Virginia, North and South Carolina. Ample Pullman and coach accommodations will be provided for all passengers, and everything will bo done by the manage? ment of the Atlantic Coast Line to make this a first class ex? cursion. For tickets, Pullman accommodations and schedules see the nearest agent**, or address, W. J. CRAIG, Pass. Traffic Manager. T. C. WHITE, Gen. Pass. Agent. Wilmington, N. C. Sumter Railway & Mill Supply to., SUMTfcR, S. C. The season is here when you are obliged to have repa rs, generally, as quickly as they can be gotten. We are in your midst, can give you quicker service than our competitors, and we bespeak a part of your business, guaranteeing satisfaction. Our Stock is Complete in the Following Lines: H QalvatllftSdi Cor ?? rupated and V. Crimped: Fleetrold rubber rootling. I, t and :t ply. Haitis** HuhtMi. (iandy Dulling. aM(1 Leather. Injectors:AU k,n,,s Packing: A HoS6* s,, am a,M* "'ler. Ax6S' perfect. Blocks: woo<i. Kopc a,H' Chain* s,o<>1 i<)n<| n- *n<f No. 4. allsisea proof Rested Pulleys: wood spin win tu suy size shaft. Lace Leather: ,n<1 Babbitt Metal:1 Shafting: Hangers: 1,n,p aml post Shaft Coopllngs. plate and ribbed. Vilwttc .Teaitlas and st?.a* lilftfd. an| i-4!n. e la. a stock. Iron Pipe flttlifl. ?*gjf ? all styles. Bar Iron. *?nnA *ml Ut PlBi ?ut *n(1 Threaded ?I"5' from l-filn.to rthi. in . lujklvey to sketch. Wire Ripe. Sawti s*cui and 1 ,rru* ChI Hooks, rumps. Blacksmith Toils. In fact everything carried in ?n up-to-date supply house. When needing anything write, phone, wire, or call. Yeur wants will have immediate attention. Respectfully, Sumter Railway & Mill Supply Co.