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ly fromthepost-offlce, whether directed to his
aame' or-whetber he Is a subscriber or not, is
sponsible for the pay.
Hie courts have decided that refusing to take
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and leaving the-n uncalled for, is prima faci
cvidcaco at iNTETio:;Ai. psacd.
LININGS.
"yaymyfdear cbild. I can not let ynu slight
TUos inner stitches on your gorrn's fair hea
Because, yoifsay, tS.eyUbe out of sight'
And'no stern critic 'Kill discover them.
"You do but build a raost inviting UeJgc,
Behind which faisobo! and d-v-it may lur
"When yon embroider fair the outer edge.
And to the inner give no honest worJi
"The silken chain of habit which yon wea.
So lightly now upon your careless youth
Will strcERthcn strand by strand; then have a
care!
Else it may throttle the sweet soul of truth.
"I hold taat every stitch untruly set
Weaves a soiled thread along your web of
fate;
And each deceitful scam may prove a net
To hurt and hinder, trust mc, soon or late.
"Ah, dearest child, on everything you Ho
Let the white seal of honor stamp its grace.
Keep all your soul as clean wi'h Heaven's dew
As the pink flower of your tender face.
"God makes no clumsy linings. Marl: this
bloom!
A Tally's K'ove;' and though it grieves my
heart
To send the smallest blo-som to its tomb,
Well tear the dainty little glove apart.
"In this nnd every flower that we behold.
From crimson robe to pansy's purple vest,
God sews the velvet on the inner fold.
And makes His linings fairer than the rest.
"I it nt perfect, frorr. the slenCcr stem
To the brown dapples on the curling rim?
God folds not carelessly the foi glove's hem;
Then try, my little child, to be 1.2:e Him."
May Ii'dvj Smith, ia .V. 3". OWntr.
AN ELEPHANT'S TRACK.
An Account of the Pinson Fam
ily's Trip to the Circus.
"I kin be lon, Nance, an I'm a-goin' to
do it ef it busts me." Newt Tinson brought
the forelegs of bis ravr-Uide-boUomcd chair
down on the puncheon floor with a thump,
and slapped bis knees emphatically with his
hairy hands.
"Five dollars air a mighty heap to spen'
for sech foolishness. Newt," replied his
wife, turning the squalling baby over on its
stomach and pounding it vigorously on the
back. Mo'over," she added, after a pause,
"I don't see ez yu bo yot the five dollars, no
how." Mr. Pinson stretched out one Ion? leg and
thruota hand into his trousers pocket.
"Yo're mighty right, Nance, I 'ain't," he
admitted, blowing the loose tobacco from the
handful of coin fetched up from the honest
home-made depths; Tve got jes three dol
lars and a half lef outn what Sam Leggctt
paid me fer the ycarliD.' But me an' the
children her been a-talkin' of it over, an'
they hevconclusioned to th'ow in thcr aigg
money ; Dan fo' bits, an' Pete fo'; Joe an'
Jedhcz two bits botwix em, an' Polly
31'rlar say cz how she hev fifteen cents. I'm
lackin' of a dime but I reckiu I kin scratch
thet up somewhere.'
"Ther's my two bits up van in the clock,'
Mrs. Pinson remarked, with pretended in
difference; "ye kin take that efyo air sech
a plumb fool cz to pike the whole passcl of
us inter town to sec the circus."
"Shucks, Nance!' he returned, indig
nantly; I ain't a-goia' to ecAyo' two bits."
Nevertheless he got up aud fumbled about
in the clock case on the high mantel-shelf
until he found it. "Anyhow," lie added, as
he reseated himself, "I kin pay it back
whence yc git ready fer ye' nex bottle o'
snuff."
"Will they be a cl'phantr" demanded one
or the frcckle-faccd urchins gathered round
the heads of the family, listening, breath
less, to the discussion.
"A dollar fer Nance, an' a dollar for me,'
Mr. Pinson counted, gravely, taking no no
tice of the interruption, "an' fo' bits apiece
fer Beck au' Dan an' Pete an' Polly M'riar
au' Joe an' Jed. Children half price' he
glanced casually at the flaming circus poster
tacked against the chinked wall in the chim
ney corner "not conntin' of the baby. An'
fifteen cents left, by jing!"
"Do yo rcckiii I kiu git in fer half price,
pawl" This question, which came from
Becky, the oldest of the Pinson brood, who
stood five feet six aud a half inches in her
bare feet, might have been meant as a bit of
covert sarcasm, had not the eager voice be
lied any such intention. Her father's eyes
traveled slowly up from the hem of her
homespun frock, as she stood leaning against
the chimney jamb, to her pretty round face
framed in its shock of frizzly red hair.
"Waal, I be dinged, Beck!"' he exclaimed,
in dismay, "I keep fcrgittin' cz how ye air
growed up! His face clouded, and be looked
ruefully at the pile of dimes and half-dimes
lying in his large palm.
'An' Sam Leggctt's gone to Kansas oa a
cattle drive," murmured the twelve-year-old
Dan, with a meaning leer at Becky. A
vivid blush overspread her face; shedroppod
her eyelids and squirmed her shapely toes,
But Mr. Pinson was absorbed in a mute re
calculation, which ended presently in a beat
out whistle and a mournful shake of the
head.
Mrs. Pinson. with the colickv baby laid
over her shoulder, was jolting Iter rocker
less chair to and fro, and singing, in a sweet
rlrawling undertone:
"Kar-ye-wcll, oh. far-yc-well:
When ye git tohe-Ten ye will pa-art n-o-o
m-oo'!'
She interrupted herself to observe, quietly :
"Ye kin tote the baby. Beck: an' I kin tote
Joe; an1 yo' pawi kin tote Jed, twel we
Kit inside the tent. They ain't no charge for
children in arms. It says so."
''Lord, Nance!" exclaimed her husband,
in an ecstacy of admiration, "ye air the
bcatenes" white woman on Rattler's Creek!
That settles it oncet mo1 ! Fetch ma a coal
fer my pipe, Polly M?riar."
Becky heaved a deep sigh of relief, and
sank down on hsr heels, reaching under her
mother's chair at the samo time for the
snuff bottle.
"Will they be a el'phunt J" persisted Jed,
tho tow-headed boy next to the baby, al
ready in long trousers, which -were hitched
up to his shoulders with a single white cot
ton "gallus."
'Of co'se. They is al'uz a el'phunt with a
circus," replied his father.
"I'aint nuver seen no circus," said Mrs.
Pinson, in jerk between the long-drawn
swells of her mournful lullaby.
"Nuher hev I." admitted Newt, "but I
jes natchly know that ever' circus has yot
to hev a el'phunt an a clowu.'
'Didn' I tell ye so!" cried Dan, triumph
antly, following -with a dirty forefinger the
bead-lines of the poster. "Ain't tho el'
phunts right here, a daucin' an' a stan'in on
they heads, an' a-rollin' o' barrilsj An' ez
ferrfown.' they is four mirtb-pro-vo-lcing
clowns in-this herd show. It says so. An'
live beau-ti-ful and ac-com-plishcd lady
bare-back riders;" and ho continued to spell
out laboriously the manifold and unrivaled
attractions-of Riddler's Mammoth Circus
and Menagerie, billed for one performance
only in Johnsburg at two o'clock p. m.,
Monday, the ISth -pi October. Come One.
Come AIL
Becky, struck by a sudden thought, stared
at him, shifting the brush uneasily from
one corner of her mouth to theother. "Like
ez not" she broke out, abruptly, "Brother
Skaggs '11 preach agin it nex" Sunday. Sho-'s
yo' bawn,- .Brother Skaggs air a-goin' ter
preach agin it"
Mrs.- Pinson stopped singing; Polly 31a
ria and the boys turned stricken faces upon
their father.
His eyes twinklcvl uh"uert"5eir bushy red
bro"iTOT)at"'liS voice wai decorously sober
as he drawled: "Brother Skaggs hev gone
to Confnhce, an' he won't be back twel
Sat'day'jrefck.. Ye mm', Nance," he con
tinued, -"it atr thirty-one mile to town, an
f ire laytogitthe-rin time fer the show
"Mondny, we got to camp somcwhcr3 'bout
Jim-Ned Creek Sunday night."
".Tea to think o' me goin to town oncet
mo'
said
Mrs. Pinion,,, meditatively, that
night, -when she and Becky were getting
Bupper in the brash arbor behind the cabin.
'1 'ain't been cence you was a baby. Beck.
Yo' jaw an' me weal to Wah Diagwail'3
infair he died wita his "boots on four year
ago; an' Tempanee Loo tact's his widder
she's married agin to Bijy Orcen. I rid
behin' him, au' he toted you on his lap.
Townfolks air mighty bfc-uty." she aJ2ed.
warningly; '-'n" ye rnus' do up thet pu'pie
caliker o' yourn, Beck, an' put on yo' shoes
an' stockin's.'
"Seem Jak fo' day waa",t nuvcr go,"
fretted Beck, "an ole B ldy air sho to lame
hissc'f. orump"n. It's oi'.uz that a-way
whence a body are plumb sot oa 'Join' a
thing."
But the four days did go, and when the
eventful Sunday afternoon came, old Baldy,
unusually sound :md spirited, was with
..'inny, the gaunt gray mule, harnessed to
the wagon; the patche'l and dingy cover
was drawn over the bows, a bundle or two
of fodder and a few cars of crn were
thrown into the hinder part, and Mr. Pinson
drove gayly alongside of the rail-fence in
front of the cabin. The rickety house door
was drawn to with a rock bshind it to keep
it shut. A couple of chairs were handed up
for Mrs. Pinson and Becky, and they clam
bered in with the baby. The yellow cotton
poke, well stuffed with corn bread and
bacon, and the battered coffee-pot and frying-pan,
were stowed under the chairs.
Polly Maria and the boys sat en si quilt
spread over the sweat-smelling fodder;
Kove. Ring and Spot, the lean, long-cared
brown hounds, yelped and whined ag-iust
the wheeh.
Thy jolted away, s?riou. as became a
perfcs,in' f.'.:nb!y on a S'inday, but full of
inward excitement. At night they carnpsd
on the p?can-f ringed banks of Jim-Ned. and
were oil b'jtimes in the morning. But not
too soon to And the roads lively with friends
and acquaintances from ail the settlements
around, bound on the s imo joyous errand as
themselves. They passed Joe Holder, with
hi wife and sister-in-law and the thirteen
children of the two fa-nilies, creaking along
In a huge freighter's wagon drawn by five
yoke of gaunt, wide-hcrned oxen; they were
overtaken and outstripped by a noisy squad
of girls and young men on horseback from
the Fork Valley neighborhood; they kept
within hailing distance for a dozen miles or
more of old Daddy Gardenbricr and his wife,
riding double on their blind yellow mare.
Tho Mount Zion folks, they heard, were
ahead of them by some hours, and an im
patient youngster who trotted by on a paint
pony threw over his shoulder the informa
tion that the Big Puddle lay-out was coming
on behind.
"Lord, Nance!" Mr. Pinson exclaimed
more than oucethat morning, "I wouldn't
of took live dollars to of staid at home."
"Nuthcr would I, Newt," Mrs. Pinson as
often returned, with a kind of solemn de
light on her thin, sallow face.
Tho long roaches of iost-oak "rough"
were heavy with sand: theshinn-oak prai
ries letween were a tangle of roots that
zigzagged across tho road, and made prog
ress slow and painful; the abrupt banks of
the frequent "dry creeks" were steep; the
October sun -was hot: and by noon old Baldy
had become utterly dispirited. Ho had,
moreover, fallen a little lame, and he moved
dejectedly along by Jinny, who long ago
had Hopped her big ears downward in sign
of weariness aud discontent.
Tho Pinsons under the dingy wagon cover
were well nigh speechless with impatience.
SuddonlvDan stood up. 'mocking hi? head
against tho low wagon bows. "Jes over
yan," ho declared, "pas' one little bit o'
shinn-oak prery, an' rrost a dry creek, an'
up a hill, is town." Dan had been to town
once with Sam Lcgett to lay out his long
hoarded egg money iu a four-blatlcd knife
and a pair of store suspenders.
Poily Maria, slim and thin-legged, stand
ing up beside him, pitched backward into
the fodder as the wagon came to a sudden
halt behind a group of dismounted horse
men, who, with their bridles over their
arms, were squatting down, apparently
searching for somethiugin a half-dried mud
puddle to the right of the road. "Hullo,
Jack !"' called Mr. Piuson: "what ye lost;"'
One of the men looked over his shoulder.
'Hy're, Newt" Howdy, Mis" Pinson I" ho
cried, springing to his feet and coming back
to the side of the wagon, where he shook
hands all around. "We "ain't lost nothin',"
ho went on. putting a foot upon the hub of
the front wheel and rcsti ng his arms on the
hot ti;"; "we dune found sump'n", though,
you bet ! A genooine el'phunt track in the
sof mud yauder, plain a daylight, an' no
inistak-V
Poil. Maria and the boys scrambled in hot
haste over tho tail-board. Mr. Pinson
throw dowa the rins, an-1 held the bajy
whil'' Becky and her mother juni'icvl int.
"Wish I may die ef it '' a el'phunt track
sho !" he exclaimed, when he had joined the
wondering circle gathered about the huge
footprint.
"It look; to me lak ez ef it were hind-side
afore somehow," said Mrs. Piuson. timidly.
"I have just been explaining to Mr. Jack
Cvart"r here and these other gentlemen,
m i:ian,"' said Mr. Tolliver, the old Virginian
who taught the school at Ebenzcr Church,
"that it is a fact in natural history that the
track or the elephant always presents that
appearance." He removed his hat as ho
spake, and ma do an old-fashioned courtly
bow.
"Yc don't say! murmered Mrs. Pinson,
over-awed.
Jack Carter cud his friends mounted their
horses and duliod away, followed at a more
sober pace by Mr. To iliver on his slab-sided
plough-mule.
The Pinsons climbed back to their place?
and jogged on. across the bit o' prery and
over the dry creek where they came n"ar
getting stalled and up the hill. On its
crest Newt Pinson involuntarily drew up.
'By jing! this beats )te.'" he ejaculated,
with widening eyes. The square at the foot
of the slope was in an uproar. Hordes 3tood
nose to nose around the court-house fence,
and were hitched to the scraggy mesquit
trees that shaded the town well. The dusty
streets leadiag away from the plaza were
blocked with wagou3 little and big. carts,
ambulances, dilapidated hacks, high-swung,
red-bodied stages every imaginable kind
of vehicle nnd all the intervening spaces as
well as the irregular sidewalks in front of
the four infacing rows of stores, were alive
with men, women and children, who el
bowed one another, whooping, laughing,
gesticulating surging about in a state of
tho wildest, bet-naturcd excitement. Be
yond the unpalnted little Baptist church, on
the further side of the square, the circus
tents were visible. Flags and streamers
were flying from their poles, and a vanish
ing burst of music came floating from them
up to the top of the hill.
"This beats tr.e."' ejaculated Mr. Pinson
again. With a deep-drawn breath he gath
ered up the ragged, homespun lines and
drove down into the square, picking his way
dexterously through the crowd until he
halted alongside the shaky platform in front
of Bush Gaines store. "Holloa agin. Newt
that you i" grinned Jack Carter from be-hiad-the
counter within, where ho was help
ing uimseir to a plug of tobacco. "Ye'ro
jes' a minute to late to see the perccssion.
It air certain a finp show. The el'phunt
were thcr', mighty nigh cz big ez Ebcnezer
Church. Au seech a clown! You'd a
laughsd yo'sef to death to 'a seen him. His
breeches air mor'n a yard wide, an' he "aint
got a hair on his head!"
"Ef we hadn't of stopped to look at the el'
phunt's track" began Newt, regretfully;
but nuver min Nance, it air a heap better
to see it fust off f urn the inside."
"O, aheap better," responded Mrs Pin
son,. with cheerful alacrity. Bush Gaines,
measuring off some jeans for a Mt. Zion
matron, called to Newt to bring hisfarably
la the sto' an' set down, an' pass the time
o'day. But after a brief consultation with
hi wife, during which Bocky took mental
nta of some town girl in looped overskirts
and bangs an observation -which bore fruit
at the next Quarterly AeeUnff-Mx. Piasoa
dec'Incd with thanks, aud drove on to the
town well a 1 but gone dry from the ex
cessive strain upon it where Dan and Pete
watered the team.
Afterward they crossed the square and
stopped by the Baptist church, in full view
cf tho circus tents, whence arose at that
moment a prolonged and sullen roar.
"They're fcedin' of the nannimals,' ex
claimed Mr. Pinson. in a familiar, off-tand
3ort of way, whereat 3Irs. Piuson shuddered
and avss the sleeping baby cloer to her
bosom.
Old Baldy and Jinny were unhitched and
fed from the trough at the back of the
wagon; the panting dogs lay down in the
shade of -the church: the children had a
snack all around oat of the yellow poke, and
Becky and her mother fetched out the
chairs and sat down to "have a dip."
"It air a haffa nour yit twel the do's is
open." said Mr. Pinson, finally. ''Jes ye
an' the chlldern stay right here. Nance. I'm
goin' to tramp down to the pos'-oDIce an'
git the las' 'lection news, an' sich. I'll be
back tho minit it air time, an' min' all be
reaiy, Kssn we don't git no seata."
Mrs. Pinson nodded, and he strolled away.
"This here beats w," he kept saying to him
self. Johnsburg was indeed in an unwonted
state of excitement. Riddler's was the first
circus that ever quitted the lino of railway
and ventured across the long sandy reaches
of ost-oak rough to the little isolated town
in West Texas. And tha whole surrounding
country had pulled to its doors like the Pin
son's, and responded to the invitation of the
huge posters: "Come One. ComoAll."
Newt's progress was slow, owing to the
frequeut. encountering of neighbors and tho
ncccsity of inquiring after the health of
their families. He did at last, however.
reach the post-office, a ra:a-shack!c building
next to tho blr.ckjmith shop. As ho turned
tho corner ho camo ur.ou a cakc-and-lcmou-adc
stand. His hand went instantly down
into his pocket, and came up with the extra
fifteen cents, which he exchanged for throe
solid slab 3 of mahogany-colored ginger
bread. "Fer Nan'-o an' the children," he
explained, as the woman in charge wrapped
up his purchase. Tho bleary old creature
looked at him with a sudden kindly smile,
and slipped a stick of psppermkit candy into
the parcel.
With one foot on tho post-office step, he
paused to look at a man who had planted a
gigantic yellow umbrella out in tho dusty
square, and, standing bareheaded beneath
it, was yelling some unintelligible jargon at
the top of his lungs. Mr. Pinson hurried
over and joined the ring of gaping specta
tors. On a bit of board in tho shadow of
the umbrella a couple of odd little mario
nettes of colored metal were circling in a
kind of grotesque waltz. "Lris of fun for
twenty-five cents !" shouted the showman,
stooping now and then to touch up the fig
ures with a stubby forefinger. "Lots of
fun for twenty-five cents ! Tho greatest toy
invented in this age or any other. So sim
ple t'mt a crawling child can not fail to
manage it! Thoso who know the trick will
please say nothing. Cheap, gentlemen, for
twmly-fti-e cents. O, I sec the gentleman ir.
going to buy!"
Newt grinned and shook his head regret
fully. "One for one, two for tiro, three gets the
half-a-tulah !" bawled another individual
who had ret a table near by covered with
woolen nine-pins. Jack Carter and his
crowd were throwing at these with little
painted balls. A cigar. Jack oxpluincd to
Newt, was the reward for one pin knocked
down at a throw: two cigars went to the
player who knocked down two; while the
lucky thrower who succeeded in knocking
down three received fifty cents. "One for
one. two for tico, three gets tho half-a-fw'-lah,"
wont on the proprietor monotonously.
"Three throws for five cents. Step up, gen
tlemen, and try your luck! For a niclcel!
One for one, two for tico, three gets tho half-a-tfonah!"
"Lord ! ef I hadn't of bought this durned
ginger-cake !" groaned Mr. Pinson in spirit,
gathering the paper-parcel more securely
under his arm and moving on with the
crowd.
A step or two brought him to an open
wagon from which a palent-medicino man
was holding forth. "Try the remedy,"' ho
whined, flourishing a stout black bottle and
a powtcr spoon. "Cures all diseases ! Try
the remedy ! Administered free of charge
to any one in the crowd. This superb bottle
filled with the remedy only fifty cents. The
wise man tries, the fool die-s. Try the
remedy!"
"This hero beats nif," murmured Newt,
mechanically wiping the perspiration from
his forehead, and backing against the court
house fence, where he leaned fairly ex
hausted with tho variety and novelty of his
emotions. "The hafl'n hour mus' bo nigh
'bout up. Dinged cf I ain't glad," ho con
tinued, letting the crowd drift on without
him to whore the health-lift man was ex
horting the cautious ranchmen to "try the
machine, try the iroiil'--fiil machine, gentle
men, rccllcnt for the constitootion ! Only
five cants a trial. Try the machine," aud
the reckless cowboys were emptying their
pockets at the isivitation of the vender of
the prize-boxes.
"Curious ganu that, sir." said a smooth
voice at his elbow. Ho looked around,
startled. A &oedy but respectable-looking
personage was standing by him with his
arms crossed oa the low fence. He jerked
his head as he spoke toward a little knot of
men hanging around tho stile-steps leading
into tho weed-grown court house yard.
Newt walked over and looked on. It was
a simple-c-:o Jgh-looking game at cards. An
innocent-faced little fellow with black hair
and curly mustache was manipulating the
greasy dcclc Tho b t was five dollars. Two
couutrj'mcu, unknown to Newt, with sus
piciously still white collars above their
coarse hickory shirts, and scrupulously
clean finger-nails, won successfully five dol
lars, and the dealer much chagrined, seemed
on the point of giving up.
Newt made half a step forward. His heart
was beating violently and the blood was
surging in his ears. "I'm a perfessin' mem
ber," he argued mentally with himself,
while the cards -were once more shuffled and
spread out. "yit it air jes 'bout the easies'
thing in creation to tell which one of them
cynrds air the right one. An' Nance an'
me'li hev mo'n time to trade out tho five
dollars whence the show air over. Shucks!'
And he counted out and laid down his
handful of dimes and nickles, and hazarded
abet. He bent forward eagerly, and un
consciously stretched Xorth a hand. "This
here monty air a mighty decoivin' game,"
remarked the blacksmith, with an air of
conviction, us the dealer raked Mr. Piuson's
money into his own pocket and walked
jauntily away.
Newt turned about, hilf dazed by tho
suddenness of the whole transaction, and
bewildered by the jeers of the by-standers.
Just then, however, a noisy burst of music
from the circus teuts gave the signal for the
opening of the doors; a wild rush immedi
ately began in thnt direction, and in a few
moments the square was deserted, except
by the patent-medicine man and the owner
of the big umbrella. These joked each other
loudly and slapped significantly their silver
weighted pockets.
Newt passed them with his head bent,
heedless of the sneering laugh which they
sent after him. As he approached the
church he saw that Becky had tho baby;
she was holding him up and smoothing the
pink calico skirts over his fat white legs.
Mrs. Pinson looked at him with en unwonted
sparkle in her solemn black eyes as ho drew
near, and lifted the chunk' Jed in her arms.
'She looks lak she did whence I war a-court-in'
of her," he thought, with a sore pang.
Joo plunged toward him with a sudden
whoop. "Hurry, paw, hurry!" screamed
Polly Maria, "we ain't a-goin' to gitnoseats
lessen wo hurry." He put Joe aside roughly
and strode on to his wife. His face was set
bard, though his mouth twitched convul
sively "Lord-a-mighty, Newt Pinson, what ails
yo!" ejaculated Mrs. Pinsox, letting Jed slip
from her arms.
"Nothin' ain't ailia" me ez I knows on,"
ha returned, in a dry, harsh voice; "we got
to go back home 'taout seein" o' too show,
thct's alL I dono bet away every cent of
ourn an' the childem's circus monoy on a
fool game o' cyard3 yandcr. O Lord "'
he ended with a groan. A single wild wail
burst from Polly Maria and fhc boys. Then
they huddled against their mother's skirts
in mate agony.
A faint flush passed over Mrs. Pinson's
thin face, and the light faded from her dark
eyes.
''Tain't no diiiunce. Newt," she said,
lightly, catching the baby from Becky's
limp and nerveless arms. "Jes ye hitch up,
quick ez ye kin. an' le's get outn this here
bigaty town. Me an the childern air plumb
beat out wi' these stuck-up townfolks. any
how!" Newt stared at her in 3ilcnce, and slouched
away. Her gazo followed him to the rear of
the wagon; when he was beyond tho reach
of her voice she whirled around and blazed
in a threatening half-whisper: "Ef ary one
o' ye says a word to ycr paw 'bout this hore
misfortm o' hisn. or 'bout hankerin' a'ter
the show; er ary one o' ye ain't thet
gamesome an' lively lak ez cf they wa'nt no
sech a thing cz a circu3, er a clown, er a
el'phunt in this hero livin'.worl' sho's ye
bawn I'll shot tha do in Sam Leggett's face
an' cowhide the balance o' ye twel ye can't
set down fer a week!"
Becky's ruddy cheeks grew pale. "Yes,
maw,' she returned in a subdued tone.
"Yes, maw," echoed Polly Maria and the
boys, stolidly, not without squeezing back
some ungamesome tears, however, as they
stood in a row against the Baptist church
and watched their father bring around
Jinny and old Baldy.
Had they only known it. they might'havG
seen, whilothey waited, thi Lilliputian Lady
and the Fat Woman go by in a shaky hack
with torn curtains, and descend before tho
painted flaps of one of the side shows. But
they did not know.
The wagon was turned around; they
climbed over the wheels and settled them
selves under the dingy cover. As they
moved slowly across the silent square a
tremendous shout from the spectators
within the tent, and a pomjwus fanfare from
the brass band, announced that the Grand
Entry had begun.
Newt stalked along beside tho tired team
downcast and miserable. "I've even fergot
wher' I lcf the childeras' ginger-cake," he
muttered to himself. a3 his mind went over
and over the incidents of that fatal halfn
hour.
A curious hilarity prevailed that night
around the. little camifire. Mrs. Pinson,
usually silent almost to taciturnity, had be
come all at once loquacious. She painted to
the family-circle in glowing colors the pride
and wickedness of town-folks; she pictured
the denunciatory wrath of Brother Skaggs
when he should learn that perfessin' mem
bers of Siloam Church had been inside of a
circus tent; she related tho experience of
sundry sinners who had been overtaken by
divino vengeance while in the very act of
laughing at tho antics of tho clown; she
even lifted up her voiceandsaug tome partic
ularly tlamc-and-brimstone promising hymn
tunes. Becky, mindful of Sam Leggctt away
oS iu Kansas, seconded her efforts to keep
the general cheerfulness up to a propcrpitch.
If it show-id signs of flagging, however, a
warning look, shot from beneath their
mother's drooping eyelids, acted like a
charm on Polly Maria and the boyi.
Newt, who sat mournfully hugging his
knees at first, and gazing into space,
presently caught tho infection himself, and
when, fiually, ho unrolled a patch-quilt and
threw himself thereon, closing his eyes in
peaceful slumber, it was almost with the
conviction that the five dollars liad been
well lost in keeping a perfessin' fambly out
of the worldly and soul-destroying circus
tent.
I.Irs. Pinson, sitting alone by tho smoul
dering lire with the bab3' in her arms,
looked at his unconscious face upturned in
the dim moonlight: her gaze traveled slowly
from one muffled, indistinct form huddled
under the shadow of the wagon to another;
she sighed heavily, and her face relapsed
into its usual somber expression. "1
wisht "' she muttered: then after a long
pause, as she stretched herself on the quilt
beside her slumbering spouse and wrapped
tho baby's feet in an old shawl, she conclu
ded with a little touch of triumph in her
whispered tones : "Anyhow, I hev seeti the
cl'pliuut's track!' J. K. DhvU in Jtiritr,.f
Weekly.
THE LIMEKILN CLUB.
IJrother Gardner Expose a lMiichbeck
f.ei-turcr on Economy.
'It ur my duty to explain,'" said
Brother Gardner, us the hall grew
quiet. 'dat de Hon. Gawjje Washing
ton .Jones, of Mempina, arrovo heah
two days ago on purpose lo deiiber a
lecktur" l)cfo" dis club. De name of
lecktur' ar": 'How an' When lo Econo
mise.' I hud a ehtince to look de
gcm'lan ober an" size hiin up, an" las'
night I walked him down to de ribbcr.
pin ted across to Canada an' told him
to skipp. He skipped. Sich of yon as
had your motifs all ready for sumthin"
good, will no doubt feel a bit disap
pointed until L furder explain. By a
kcerful study of the lion. Jones I dis
kibered most of his pints.
"I found dat lie wa-, ecouomizin" on
boot-heels to buy mo" brass wateli
chain.
"He wa-; makin' one shirt his" him
floor-in de spring sezun in order to
buy to" pink collars which reached up
to his cars.
He hadn't any underclothes, but ho
had a galvanized watch dat run twenty
six hours to de day.
"He was barfut in his butes. but. he
wore a glass diamond dat nebber co-jt
less dan thirty cents.
"He hadn't any obereoat, but he
wore a pair o bewtiful yaller kid
gloves dat made ebery strcet-kyar boss
stop dead in his tracks.
While he didn't cany a comb nor
brush, he swelled out wid a blue hand
kerchief on which de Czar of Russia
might hev ached to blow his uose.
"He showed me a dozen blank checks
on varus banks dat he was luggin'
around fur show, but it took his hio
nickel to git across to Canada.
"He had a bewtiful way of speakiu"
to you, but three different policeman
war gwiue to run him in fur a sus
piehus character.
"While he hadn't had a good squar"
meal fur two weeks, ho was armed with
a dozen cheap cigars to make a shou
on de streets.
'I looked ober him. an under him.
an' all around him. an' I cum to de
conclushun dat we didn't want any of
his hints on economy. I didn't want
to seem too cold and severe wid him,
an arter turnin" de subjick ober in my
mind I decided dat de United. Slates
was an onhealthy climate fur his
system."
On motion of Waydown Bebee, the
thanks of the club were tendtTed the
president for his action in the cage ind
a resolution of sympathy was extenaed
to Pickles Smith for having loaned the
Hon. Jones $2 in cash, without security.
Detroit Free Press.
Until it is shown that earth below
tho five or six inohes tilled is destitute
of the elements that enter into plants
it is wise to go deeper, particularly is
what are called heavy soils.
WHAT CONSCIENCE DOES.
A French Mnrdrrer Voluntarily Gives Hlm
seir Cp to Justice.
Charles Dickens in "Martin Chuzzlc
wit,' and Erckmanu-Chatrian in "The
Polish Jew,"' have depicted the case of
criminals who preferred surrendering
themselves to justice rather than to
longer endure the feeling that they were
being hunted down like wild beasts,
but sueh a case of conscience has
actually happened here in Paris. This
same feeling has just driven a murderer
to give himself up to the police after
thoy had hunted for him in vain every
where. A poor devil named Cornu
killed a dealer in birds at the little
town of Saint Maur. and then he wan
dered over the face of the earth in
company with a man whose acquaint
ance he had picked up on the road.
The two made no long halts at wayside
inns, they avoided towns and villages,
slept under hedges or in such sheltered
corners as they could find, and they
mado long detours to dodge the gend
armes. In this way they crossed four
department; occasionally thoy were
noticed and were chased by gardes
champetres. who perhaps knew in
stinctively that thoy were suspicious
characters on whom it- might bo well
to lay their hands, and, although they
managed to escape arrest, they
had the fear of it constantly upon
them, and the specter of the guillotine
was ever before their ej'es. Perhaps,
too, remorse, or at least regret for
a useless crime, hung- heavily on Cornu,
murdering his sleep just as it did that
of tho successful Macbeth. Finally
the two tramps arrived safely at tho
frontier and stepped acrObS into Bel
gium. They were now, comparatively
speaking, safe from pursuit, and Cor
nus companion, who doubtless, also,
had his reasons for shunning the gen
darmes, had papers to prove his ident
ity when, on reaching Antwerp, they
applied for passage as emigrants to the
Congo. He wtis accepted, but as Cornu
had nothing to show who he was or
where ho cr.me from, he was refused,
the agents of the Free State of Congo
being determined to keep the wilds of
Africa uncontaminated by the presence
of European criminals. It wtis not in
the heart of the "dark continent" that
the repentant, or least regretful, mur
derer could be permitted to begin a
new life. Before seperating the two
made a division of the few francs that
remained in the joint purse, and then
Cornu mechanically commenced re
tracing his steps toward his own
country. He re-crossed the frontier,
followed the same roads, slept under
the satne hedges and dodged the same
gendarmes; finally, footsore and starv
ing, he reached the capital, went
straight to the Palais de Justice and
said to a policeman: "Arrest me; T
am Cornu. the murderer of the bird
dealer of Saint Maur." Xow it was
misery as much as tiny thing else that
put Cornu in the hands of justice. But
one of the ways in which remorse some
times acts on a guilty man is that it
makes him feel hinielf isolated from
the rest of mankind. There are mur
derers who are haunted by aveng
ing furies quite as terrible as those
which women, crowned with writhing
serpents and waving lurid torches,
represented on the ancient stage, and
such men cau only find refuge from
this mental anguish in a prison cell.
Paris Letter.
ROOM AT THE TOP.
The Kind or Operative That Will Succeed
iu Any Circ-iiiiiHtiuioes.
A young lawyer once complained to
a member of the same profession, who
was a very successful practitioner, that
the profession was crowded, and that
there was but little chance for a young
man like himself, whereupon the old
and wine man gave the young man a
little advice. He stud: "Young man,
that the lower stratum of the profes
sion is crowded there is no doubt, and
it always will be; but. sis in sill kinds of
business, so in ours there is plenty of
room at the top. Get out of the lower
ranks and come tip higher, and you
will not be crowded." While these are
not the exact words of the wise doctor,
they convey the idea actually expressed,
and teach a lesson to laborers and pro
fessional men. Did you never notice
in an orcharxl the finest apples and
cherries and peaches are always in the
very top of the tree, and that they aro
not crowded, but have plenty of room
to grow, and plenty of air and sunshine
and dew and rain to assist in their de
velopment? Do you not know that the
upper rooms of a house are the healthi
est to live in. because of the pure air and
sunshine. But you will notice they aro
almost always unoccupied, because, wo
suppose it is too much like work to
climb the stairs. There are some op
eratives who are never idle. They al
vrnys have employment and get good
wages, and it is just because they have
climbed the stairs, and have thoroughly
mastered their businessaind not only so,
they have mastered themselves, and in
addition to being proficient in their re
spective , callings, they have trained
themselves to be gentlemen, and have
given some attention to business prin
ciples. They are known lo be sober
and industrious and well qualified.
Such men do not have to seek employ
ment, but employers have an eye on
them, and when they wish to change
their locations, positions arc open to
them. Such men become foremen, and
eventually the superintendents. In tho
lower positions, representing the ma
jority of the operatives, will be found
those who are all the time complaining
that their ranks are crowded. They
whine that they get no work to do. The
trouble is that they hnve not the ambi
tion to get up into the place where there
is room. Do yoi ask how I can get to
the top? Begin with yourself, if you
have nothing else, and be a gentleman.
Be sober and honest, and when 3-ou find
some tdnd of an opening, go right in and
do your best. Slight nothing, and do
thebest it is in your power to do, and
yor have made several steps toward the
tipper room. Too many of the craft aro
given to frequenting the drinking
places, and while we are willing to ac
cord to every man personal liberty and
all that kind of thing, we know that
employers are not seeking that class of
help, nor in just that locality, for fore
men or superintendents. Put.yourself
in the way of employment, and you will
not only find it, but it will find you.
Baldwin's Textile Designer.
FARM AND FIRESIDE.
Fruit on the table regularly will do
much to counteract the craving for al
coholic stimulant.
The farmer who by draining or ex
tra manuring increases his crops may
not for the time seem to be making
any thing, but he is laying sure founda
tions for future success.
To take rust out of steel rub tho
steel with sweet oil; in a day or two
rub with finely powdered unslaked
lime until the rust all disappears, then
oil again, roll in woolen and put in a
dry place, especially if it be table cut
lery. The greatest inventions of the
world were first conceived by the
moderately educated classes, and the
practical experience of a careful, ob
serving farmer is often of more value
than the costly experiments of highly
educated professors.
To give shirt bosoms, collars and
cuffs a glossy appearanee, one ounce of
white wax and two of spermaceti are
melted together :md a little of this is
put into the starch; or. sometimes p.
little of a thick solution of gum arabic
is used in the starch, a tablespoonful
being enough for a pint of starch.
Charcoal roads have given good
results. They are only of vtilue in sec
tions where timber is so cheap that it
can be burned to get rid of it. The
lesson for other sections to learn is that
it will pay to cart the remains of old
charcoal pits into the parts of the road
that contain too much water.
Some weeds provide pasturage
when they are young and tender: hence
a flock of sheep turned on a field in
fested with weeds will do good service
in not only eradicating the weeds but
in converting them into mutton. By
preventing weeds from seeding they
will soon become extinct unless they
are of varieties that propagate from
roots.
Orange cake: Two cups of sugar,
two cups of Hour, one-half cup of water,
a pinch of salt, the yelks of five eggs
and whites of three, three teaspoonfuls
of baking powder and tho grated rind
and juice of one orange. Beat the
whites and add sugar for frosting, and
the grated rind and juice of one orange.
Bake the cake in layers and put frost
ing between.
To keep flannels as much as possi
ble from shrinking and felting, dissolve
one ounce of potash inabucket of water
and leave the fabric in it for twelve
hours. Next warm the water, with the
fabric in it, and wash without rubbing,
also draw through the water l-epeat-edly.
Next immerse the flannel in
another liquid containing one spoonful
of wheat flour to one pailful of water,
nnd wash in a similar manner.
Hominy Drop Cakes: Stir the beaten
yelks of two eggs into a pint of freshly
boiled hominy; if cold hominy is used
heat it without adding water and stir
up lightly with a fork to separate the
grains; then stir in the beaten whites
and salt as may be required, using less
if the boiled hominy is already salted.
Drop, with ti tablespoon, on well-buttered
tins and bake to a good brown in
a quick oven."'
In this Western country, says Sec
retary Graham in the Industri'ilist, it
is noticeable, as it is the world over,
that the immigrant farmer whu builds
a 9mall residence and a large barn,
and always has both well painted, and
every thing about his farm in good re
pair, will have, in time, a large house
to live in and other red barns as well;
while he who expends his surplus in an
imposing house, and "knocks together'
ji few cottonwood poles and some slough
grass for his stock shelter, will not get
a second coat of paint on his house be
fore the mortgage is foreclosed.
VALUE OF DRAINAGE.
How Land Is Ijcautlflril by Thorough and
Practical Underdralnins.
There are hundreds of acres sowed
to oats and planted to corn every
spring, that are spoiled in the cultiva
tion because the land is too wet to till
to good advantage; yet it is the best
that can be done under the circum
stances. You must go on whenever i
is possible for the team to travel acrosi
it, or tho field sowed in such a manner,
put in when the ground is so soft that
the harrow does not fill up the horse
tracks, then followed by a hot sun that
bakes a hard crust, on the surfacs
through which the air can not circulate
freely. Indeed, when we consider the
unfavorable conditions the plants htiva
to contend with, it is surprising that
we get the crops we do. Then let u.i
look at a field that haa been properly
drained. The low spots are dry and
fit to work as soon as the knolls. You
can get on to work it easier and in
better shape; the surplus water in
stead of lying on the surface until
it evaporates, leaving the ground
baked sind the oats in a very sickly
condition, goes through the earth to
the channel provided for it, thus
making innumerable little passages
through which the air can penetrate
and sweeten the soil. The drained
land absorbs more heat from the sun;
plants get the benefit of this htit and
air: are healthier; grow better, and
therefore give larger yields, and as a
rule the growing season is considerably
lengthened. This one advantage of
getting oats towed e:rly. often make
all the difference between a poor and a
good crop.
Another important point in favor of
tile draining, in my opinion. Ls the
greater benefit we derive from the ma
nure applied, as "compared with wet
land not drained. It is the plan of
most farmers in this locality to haul out
the manure in the winter and early
spring and spread it on the fields in
tended for corn. After the ground
thaws out and before the manure ic
turned under, we generally have some
heavy rains, r.nd I am attrj every ob
serving farmer must have noticed (on
wet lands) the streams of liquid ma
nure running down the furrows seeking
their way to the nearest water course,
because the ground was full of water
and thera was no other alternative- In
the case of the tiled land tho water
level ia always on a level with the tiles,
consequently when the manure is spread
on the surface, that which the rain
washes out and carries with it, must be
nearly all left in the earth as the water
filters through to reach, the drains.
W. T. Bithune, in Ohio Farmer.
THOMAS KIKBX,
Banker,
ibhjgse, mm.
TRANSACTS A
GENERAL BAHK1HG BUSINESS
Gives Especial Attention to Collections
Onys and Sell;- Foreign and Do
mettle Exchange.
Negotiates Mortgage Loans
f3TAU business promptly attendod to. ly
(Nlalott & Company.)
nnsi cuff rri
K&s2.nt - - Elf-li
Transacts a general banking business
JSo limit to our liability.
A. W. KICK, D. B. (JORI)EN, JOHN
JOILNTZ, W. H. GILES AM)
T. II. HALOTT.
T. H. MAI.OTT, Cashier.
I. K. BosEnaAtts, rres. Theo. MosnEit, CosTv
MKST NATIONAL BANS,
Capital, 75,000. Surplus. $Io,00C
STAJIBAUGir, IIURD & DEWEY,
ATTORNEYS AT LAW,
ABILENE, KAXSAS.
T. S. BMTOH, Prop'r,
Respectfully inriles the citizens of Abi
lene to his Bakery, at the old Keller,
jtantl, on Third street, where he has'
ronstnutlr a supply of the best
FKESH BREAD,
CAKES,
COOKIESr
CADDIES,
PIES,
OYSTEES, &c.
to be found in the city. Special order
for auylhhrr in my line promptly aU
tended to on short notice.
Respectfully,
T. S, BART0S1.
Respectfully inform all who intend
building in Manchester and vicinity
that they are prepared to furnish
9
Basil, Boon
fft)39
ill!!!
Ptorii :-: Mai
AS LOW AS THE LOWEST.
Call and get estimates beforg
purchasing.
M. T. GOSS & CO.,
Manchester, Kansas.
KAILWAY
TO It
ST. LOUIS ASD TIIE EAST.
S Daily Trains S
BSTWEtSJf
Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.
Equipped with Pullman Palace Sioeper
nnd Bullet Can.
FREE RECLINING CHAIR GARS
and Elegant Coaches.
THE MOST DIRECT LINE TO
TEXAS and the SOUTH.
2 Daily Trains S
o principal points in tho
I.02VE STAK STATE.
IRON MOTOTAIN ROUTE
MwapWi, Mobile. Now Orltans and principal
cities la Tennessee. Mississippi. Ala-
baj and Louisiana, offer-
Ibct the choice ot
6 ROUTES e
TO NEW ORLEANS.
Tor Tickets. Siep-n7 Car Berths and further
taforsaUoB, applr to aemreat Tleketanent or
J.H.MOT.Tr.F.A,gSsTBS,Jib
W. H. NJtWHAN. Oea. Trmc Mass er,
.aio.Mi,.r.timl(ilBi
OiTilENS' BAUK
GTY
LflQnamfnv bid Brnf"!!!
ffii I a yy & yUn
Lumber. Lain
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