Newspaper Page Text
THE MORTGAGE PAID.
Wo ain't harts' many luxuries, tike city folksy do, .
Bui we re havln' all we want to eat an , got U,e m ' ()n^ paid.
We ain't pill.,' up a fortune for the hoys to fight about
n^-sTo las, day's work is over a,,' we're stepp,,,' down an' out,
lint It , k ro«h1 to have succeeded in the effort that we made
For to keep things runnin' smoothly an' to get the mortgage paid.
We have had our share of ups and downs. as other people do
In -I we've tr ed{„ keep our spirits up when things X lookin' blue;
J ell be ready for the ending when the game of life is played '
For wove raised the children best we knew and got the mortgage paid.
MIRIAM LESLIE'S PROPOSAL.
H DON'T care if it is unmaidenly,
I'm going to do it. I know the
man loves me, and what is leap
year for if it isn't to give girls an op
portunity to help out those of the other
sex who don't know how to help them
selves? S<> here goes! He can't more
than refuse, and he won't do that: but
whatever tin- verdict', I know that
lie is too honorable ever to breathe a
word of the affair."
When Miriam Leslie had concluded
the delivery of this s| di, which had
(inly .Miriam for an attentive audience,
she sat down at her desk at once and
began to write the letter which she
had planned the nlghl before, after
I-' rank Webster had left the bouse. She
had parted from him with a smile on
her lips, hut the smile had lasted only
long enough for the door to close upou
him, and as Miriam had entered her
room she had looked far from happy,
She had enjoyed Frank's call; but it
had ended as unsatisfactorily as had
all the others, in that words whirl,
would have made her happy, and
which sin' believed had been almosi
upon his llpg many time-, had again
remained unspoken. If the tnau she
loved wouldn't take a hint, he must
be given something broader than a
hint, and when Miriam went to sleep
it was with the determination to write
a letter on the morrow that even a
stupid man might understand. Strange-
WITH WEAR VOICE AM) TAINT HEART.
ly enough, as she admitted to herself.
the morning found her mind unchang
ed, with determination fixed to take
advantage of her leap year preroga
tives.
The writer of the letter had gone
over in her mind its prospective con
tents a number of times, and as a re
eult her editorial revision had "boiled
It down" until It was brief and to tue
point. It ran as follows:
"Dear Frank —You have been com
ing to nee me for several years, and
tin' evenings spent together have made
me think how pleasant it would be if
we could go on spending them togeth
er the rest of our lives. Has the idea
ever occurred to you? MIRIAM."
Mi>s Leslie heard her lirother pass
her door, preparatory to starting for
business, and she no longer waited for
the ink to dry. but grabbed a piece of
blotting-paper and the letter was soon
ill the Lands of her brother, who was
told that it was important and that it
must be mailed by him when on the
way io his office. The brother's de
parture was timely, as Miriam had be
gun to weaken in her determination,
and as she gave him the letter she said
to herself: "Here's where l don't get
a chance to change my mind." She
did, however, have many changes of
mind through the day, which seemed
to her one of unusual length. Soon af
ter her brother had left she was templ
ed to telephone to him to try to get the
letter back from the postotfioe, but
■he didn't know if that would be possi
ble, and besides the request would
cause her brother to ask a good many
questions which it would be awkward
for her to answer, and so the request
was not made.
By the afternoon mail .Miriam re
ceived a letter addressed in tin- well
known handwriting of the young man
to Whom she hail proposed. "Is it poi
Bible that he has answered so <iui<k
ly?" she asked herself, ns she held the
envelope in her band, fearing to open
it. She had had a little experience as
a writer and knew that quick returns
usually meant no w?!es, and her first
thought was that Frank had declined
the honor of being her husband. That
was q mortifying thought in itself, and
the continuation of the train of thoughi
suggested by tne comparison of her of
fer with tlio manuscript was not a
comforting one.
She had offered herself, even as she
had been wont to submit a story or
1 in to an editor. The only consola
tion she could get out of the coinparl
- m <yaH found in the thoughi that -be
wasn't exactly placing herself on the
market, as if one editor. Frank Web
ster, by name, declined, she wouldn't
offer herself to another.
When Mi.ss I^siie thought to look
nt the postmark she was convinced
thai the letter had been mailed before
Prank could have received her letter.
With trembling fingers, this maiden,
who had had so much courage a few
hours before, opened the envelope and
read as follows:
"My Dear .Miriam I see you so of
ten that it seems cowardly to write
what I might speak; but, although
many times when in your presence I
have tried to say certain words, cour
age has always failed me. Resolu
lions made when alone have not been
kept when I found myself by your
side.
"I think you know what lias been in
.ray heart for n long time, and I have
occasionally felt that you cared for
me; but If you have, you have never
made the least attempt to help me out.
1 should have forgiven you if you had
made it easier for me, and should have
blessed you for having done so, and
yet, after all. dear, I love you all the
more for your womanly reserve, and
have always contrasted it with the
actions of some of your sex, who seem
< ver ready to say. 'This is so sudden."
I hope, dear, that you do care enough
for me, or fee] that you can care
enough some day, to make me the hap
piest man on earth. I know they all
say that; hut forgive my lack of or
iginality, ami remember that there is
something original about my statement
—as I really mean that on the day
you say you will he my wife I shall be
happier than anybody in this or any
other neighborhood.
"Don't answer this letter in a hurry,
unless you can at once reply to my
question: 'Will you be my wife? 1 by
saying 'Yes. 1 If you can send that an
swer I shall have no cause to com
plain of your haste. Hut I feel that I
must have the right answer to my
question, and if you cannot give it at
once, I want you to take all the time
that you need in order that you may
arrive at the favorable verdict so nec
essary to my happiness.
"It is hardly necessary to say that I
shall not call again before receiving
your reply; but when you say the word
'Come! 1 it will not take any great
length of time for me to accept the
welcome invitation. I hope that you
will be able to say that word. Yours,
with love. FRANK."
Miss Leslie's mingled feelings of mis
ery anil joy when she read the letter
may be Imagined. "Why did I write
thai miserable letter? Why didn't I
give him one more day after all these
years? Oh, why wasn't I too sick to
gel up this morning?'! were some of
the questions that the poor girl asked
herseif", when the feelings of misery
were in control, as they were during
nearly all the resl of the afternoon, tin
happiness which she had felt for a
short time giving way under the influ
ence of the thought that she migbi
have been happy without the loss of
her self-respect.
• •iHut, perhaps, there is yet a chance
to save it," thought Miriam, as once
more came to her mind that friend of
mankind and womankind, the much
abused mid misunderstood telephone.
she would try to get Prank at ins of
fice, and if by any chance be bad not
received it, she would make him prom
ise to return it without reading. Bui
she realised that the hope wus a faint
one. as theft was almost no chance
that the letter had not been received,
and if he had received it—well, she
would like to sec him leave a letters
of hera unopened for more than a
minute: And so this contradictory wo
man went to the telephone with h
weak voice and a faint heart, hoping
against hope that Frank had been
away from the office, and that the let
ter had p.rrived in his absence. The
reply to her Inquiry for Mr. Webster
pave her momentary comfort, as she
was told thai he was out. nut when
She asked further questions slip learn
id that ho bad been at the office until
a few minutes before the time of her
telephorie call. As she hung Up the
receiver Miriam said to herself, with ■
sail smile, that she wished she could
hang herself as easily.
The next half hour was one of the
most miserable that the girl bad ever
s|MMit. She again read her lover's let
ter; but Instead of finding any com
fort for her trouble* the reading only
added to her misery. "He thought me
so modest and womanly and contrast
ed my conduct with that of others who
were riot so modest Hut what does
he think now that he has read my let
ter. Modest girls don't propose to
men. even if the men haven't nerve
enough to propose themselves."
* * *
Miriam was still In a most unhappy
frame of mind when her brother re
turned al night from business. Me had
a shame-faced look as he approached
her.
"I'm sorry, sis, after nil you said
about the importance of that letter;
bui well, I've had an awful busy day
of it and I forgot to mai! it. Here
it is."
Her arms were around his neck in
an instant "You dear, darling, forget
ful, absent-minded brother!" she cried,
as he looked at her In amazement.
"Now that you have forgotten to mail
the letter, just forget another thing;
forgei that 1 asked you to mail it."
And the brother, who dearly loved
Miriam, and knew from her earnest
ness that 11 was Important to her thai
he should suy nothing about the let
ter, kepi her seerei faithfully. Bui he
marveled us the tiny* went by at her
continued sweetness to him, until she
told him of her engagement, and then
he explained the problem to himself
by saying thai there was nothing like
requited love tf> change a woman's dis
position. And to tliis day .Miriam's
brother, believes thai her happiness in
loving and being loved saved him from
a scolding the day he forgot to mall
her letter. Miriam has been married
for ten years, and in all that time has
kepi only tme thing from her husband.
That is the dark secret of the letter
that her brother forgol to mail.—New
Tribune.
HARD RIDING IN NORTHWEST.
Ualfbreed Who .Made 120 Miks In
Ten llowih.
"Y<>u people who came here since
the railroads were built have an idea
that we used to have a bad time of
it in gettfruj about Washington Terri
tory," said the old timer the Other
day. "Thai's when yt,\i are wrong.
Distances were no greater tJian they
are now. True, we didn't always go
so fast as you do now, but we made
speed that would astonish you.
"1 remember one trip an old friend
of mine made, a big cattle man from
Kittitas County, afterward the owner
of considerable property in Seattle, n is
divorced wife was living here, and she
took it into her head to go after him
through the courts for non-payment of
alimony. There were a number of rea
sons why he shouldn't pay, but lie
didn't care to stay here and argue it
out with the court, so. getting a tip
on what was doing, he decided to go
back to the cattle in Kittitas. About
o o'clock one evening, accompanied
by his bone wrangler, who happened
to lie hero with liim, he struck out
horseback for Ellensburg. The two
rode nil night— it was in midsummer
and ut the full of the moon —and the
next morning they ate breakfast in
Ellensburg—loo miles away. And they
didn't tliiuk It was much of a ride ut
that.
'•Hides? Why, I could talk all day
about rides In tboae days, one of
the best ever done in the territory,
however, was that by a young half
breed during the Nez Percea uprising
pf 1877. When Joseph went out w illl
his hand on<> of the first things they
did was t<> cut tli»> military telegraph
between Fort LapwaJ up the riear
water river from Lewiston and Walla
Walla. Fort Lapwul wanted to send
dispatches to (;<'ii. Howard at the post
at Walla Walla, and wanted to send
them bad. At that time nearly all th<>
Indians on the reservation hail a half
breed or at least one pretty pood horse
in his riding string. This particular
youbg half breed hoy had an extra
good one, and lie vrau selected to carry
the dispatcher, being a reliable and
faithful fellow. Well, he rode through
to Waila Walla in ten hours, a distance
of 120 miles, and during the ride he
never slowed down from a gallop.
That was in midsummer, and if you
ever have been in that Snake river
regiOß at this season of the year you
can Imagine that was some riding."
Seattle I'osMntelliyencer.
Getting I.vcm.
Sinn —That dentist is an old enemy
of mine, but I bad to go to him. It was
a ease of emergency. Though i think
he needn't have rubbed it In so!
Jim—Whatdldhedol
Slim —When I asked bin if he'd pull
my tooth, he nald "with pleasure!" —
I>etroit Free Tress.
After a girl passes 18, she can't take
so much an a week off her age by
wearing her hair down her back.
Hand IMow for Snow.
When there Is such a quantity of
ground to be cleaned of snow hh is
Found around the average tann home,
tomething more than the ordinary
IIIOW shovel is needed. If the snow
is deep and the space to be cleared
considerable, then one should bring
into use a large plow with the horse
to pull It. For a hand plow nothing
ifc better than the simple one made in
the following manner:
Select two pieces of board free from
knots, each three feet lons nnd six
inches wide. Bevel the end Of each
board nnd nail them together in the
form of n V. If necessary they may
>c braced at the wide end by a strip
three Inches wide and the necessary
length. Then put in a pole live feet
long with a cross piece at the upper
rod. To strengthen the end in which
the handle is Inserted cut a Mock of
wood ns large as possible, ami tit it
SIMPLE HANK PLOW lnK SNOW.
In the end where the two pieces of
board join.
This will make it easier to Insert
the handle firmly and will make tin
side pieces stronger an well. The small
cut In the. upper part, of the lllustra
lion shows clearly how this block of
wood should be formed and the handle
Inserted to get the best results.
Btirrlngc Cooking Food.
Whore more or less food for Htock
Is cooked, some handy way of stirring
It OUghi to be devised. ()f course, the
)ld-fashioned ladle, or the great wood
en spoon, 1m always available, but if
the quantity is large, to use these In
struments means aching arms and
shoulders. A stirrer which will save
much labor Is readily made in the fol
lowing manner. Mako a shaft of a
strip of wood two Inches thick and
long enough so that it Mill extend
threfl or four Inches above t ).c* top of
rho kettle. At the bottom of chia shaft
mako paddles by crossing two thin
boards two or three Inches wide.
Fasten a crank to the top of the
nhaft and to this crank fasten a pole,
or not, as preferred. Then prepare a
•trip of board six or eight inches wide,
bore a hole through the middle,
through which to pass the Bhaft,
match both ends to fit over the handle
af the kettle and at one end fix a
TO SI lit COOKING 1 '",!>.
slide aud a set screw to hold It In
place, if the cooking of the food
tor stock is done away from the
liouhc, an it ought to be, one should
build n Sreplace <<f bricks and cement
in which to set the kettle. The illus
tration shows both the fireplace, or
pot, us suggested, and the plan for
making the slirrer and it will be seen
that it Is comparatively easy to ar
range the device as Suggested—lndian
apolis News.
Some Incubator Hints.
Do not turn the eggs for three days
from beginning the batch, nor after
the nineteenth day.
Leave chicks In the Incubator from
twenty-four to thirty-six noun after
they are batched; they do not need
feeding for at least thirty-six hours
after they come from the shell. Na
ture has provided for their sustenance
during this time
Keep the temperature as uear 103
degree* as possible, but do not worry
If It runs up to LOB degrees, or as low
m IK) for a short time. Watch the
size of the lamp Same, and keep it as
nearly the size that will produce the
proper temperature as possible.
Do not open the egg chamber after
the eblfVem begin to pip the shell,
even if some chick seems to be having
a hard time to get out. A chick that
cannot get out of the shell without
help is not worth saving. If the chicks
gasp and struggle, do not bother them
-It Is good for them.
Bop tliat the tnmlmtor sets perfect!/
level, otherwise: tiw< egg chamber wlJl
bo warmer in one place Hum nnother.
Use only the bent oil, unit feed and
trim the lamp every morning; no unit
ter how long It might burn without
doing this.
Open the egg chamber only when
turning the egg* Take the eggs out
to turn them, nnd shut the egg Chan
ber while they nre out. Let the eggs
cool for from ten to thirty minutes, ac
cording to the weather, every day.
The MnrluiiKt' Paid.
We ain't linvin' ninny luxuries, like city
folksy do,
We ain't weurin' nil the* latest styles an*
nil our clothes nin't new;
Of our honesty ninl goodness we ain't
innkin' no parade,
But we're hnvin' nil we want to eat an'
got the mortgage paid.
We ain't pilin 1 up a fortune for the boys
to tight about
When our last day's work Is over an*
we're Steppln 1 down an' out.
But It's good to have succeeded in the
effort that we made
For to keep things runuin' smoothly an*
to get tinl mortgage paid.
We have hail our share of ups and
downs, as other people do,
But we've tried to keep our spirits up
when things wore lookin' blue;
We'll be ready for the ending when t.h«
game of life is played,
For we've raised the children best «■«
knew and got the mortgage paid.
—The Gentlewoman.
Sow inn Tills in I he I'll 11.
Market gardeners arc familiar with
nil of the pinna which will enable them
to get crops on the market early. Near
sonic of the large cities those men
grow nothing but the early varieties of
.-ill classes, doing nothing with the mid
seafton and late sorts. Their plan of
raising early peas is to prepare the
ground In the fall just as thoroughly
as they would in the spring, and just
before the ground freezes hard they
sow the very early hardy varieties,
drilling them in not over two im-hp«
deep. Mulch is then pill over them for
the winter and as soon as the ground
can he worked in the spring, cultiva
tion begins, as If the seeds were spring
sown. The result is generally a very
early crop thai brings the highest mar
ket price. The plan is worth .1 trial
by any one located near a good mar
ket.
Bmoking Meal Safely,
Take mi <>I<l Btove ami lead (lip
■moke through a l"in_ r Btove pipe i>,
into a large box, a. Set the bos a
little higher than the
Btove, I >rlve tialli
through the idji of
the l ni x ainl li(>nil
them Into books, <*»
it. bang your meat.
Boz sm,,kk Bousa Al'|U<l" ""all door in
tin- side to put the
meat through, With a stove you can
control your flre and It is also mufti
safer Henry Nessen, in Farm and
Home.
Kill <>ll i Ik- Cabbage Lire
Cabbage aphis is one of our worst
cabbage pests. The lice multiply very
rapidly when conditions favor them
and are a source of great loss and
annoyance. They may be killed only
by Insecticides that smother, or kill by
contact; ordinary poisons have no ef
fect on plant lice. Kerosene emulsion
diluted with 10 parts of water, applied
thoroughly to the lower side of tho
leaves when cabbage plants are small,
is effective In a measure. Fumigating
seed stocks in spring with carbon bi
sulphide gets rid of the original brood.
The pest Is nasty and should be treat
ed wherever found. —Farm and Home.
Road Dust for the Hennerr.
Collect a few barrels of dry enrth,
road 'lust, One dry dirt in the cornfield
or potato patch, or anywhere that i«
mosi convenient Thia is a handy
thing to have in the fall ami winter
for sprinkling under the roo*ts ami <»v
the Moor of the poultry bouce. it ab
sorbs ammonia, keeps down ameila,
it riil keeps things ship-shape, it. will
pay f" attend to this when it fan be
so i«:i<ily done, II <-usts but little aild
is a real advantage,
Slui|> Slua ririun.
The way to keep Ideal sheep li by
trying to improve them.
Sheep are always Improving or they
;i r-< ■ deteriorating.
Stationary troughs and rack! are not
desirable In the sheep stable.
Bwei will produce larger and fetter
lambs if in plump condition at time of
mating,
Ai weaning, if possible, the ewe*
■ l be placed Id ;i field out of I
Ing of the lambs.
An uneven 10l of good sheep are bet
ter than an uneven lot of jxior ones.
It in well to place the ewe* on short
pasture for a week or more after the
lambs are weaned.
In fattening sheep especially, pone
tuality In feeding should be strictly
observed.
In many cases, nfter the corn Is laid
by, the sheep mfiy be tunif<J Into the
cornfield to #"<><; advnntiige.
Sheep are easily managed, are first
class fertilizing machines, good farm
scavengers and yield two harvests an
nually.
