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THE LOVING DEAD. We hold oar sacred dead aloof, We put them by like treasures old. No more for them or hearth or roof, But narrow dwellings lone and cold. The dear, warm hearts that fell asleep! Why shun them to our secret thought* Why even at a distance keep, As If some change were in them wrought? They cease not from their constant love. They are not Btrange and far away; Their presences about us move Closer than presences of clay. How It must grieve them, when they come Heart-close, and find no welcome there! Or whisper love, and find us dumb, Forgetful, hedged with servile caret Oh, let us hold our dear ones close— Closer and closer, when they mov« Beyond the veil! For no one knows The preeiousness of human love! —Christian Advocate. | THE COMRADESHIP Of VIRGINIA I C£_J? ILLIAHD turned courteously at Iml Lydla Denning'a summons. "Will-you be so kind as to run up to Ted's den and get the book?" she asked. "Then we can set tle the question." Hilliard accepted Hie commission, as belli ted Ted's friend and a fellow who was often at the house. He went upstairs and knocked at the door of the den. Ex pecting no response, he immediately pushed it open. At the same moment a head with a mop of brown curls tied Into a bunch at the back lifted itself from above a big book, a pair of bril liant brown eye* looked up into IHI -llard's, and Virginia's face broke Into a smile as he stood smiling back. "Oh, come in," she cried. "Why are you up here?" Aren't you having a good time?" "A charming time." he answered without hesitation, for Virginia was the younger daughter of the bouse. "Why are you not downstairs. When are you going to be old enough to come to Miss Lydia's parties?" "Never, I hope," declared the girlish red lips scornfully. "Do you really like them? They sound so stupid to me. Think of staying in the house to dance when you might be out coasting or skating! Now, I've been coasting— Just came in. Such fun!" Hilliard sat down upon the arm of Ted's big chair. "Tell me alwut it." he requested. "In the first place—who took you?" Virginia closed her book ami came around to drop among Ted's sofa pil lows, six feet away. She wore her skating dress yet, he saw; an ankle length, and bordered, gray affair, with a touch of scarlet which set off her dark young beauty effectively. "Oh, I went with our set," she ex plained. , "It was magnificent. I Bhouidn't have made Kent bring me In so early if 1 hadn't forgotten all about Lydia's party." "But really,' 1 be insisted, "when are rou 'coming out. " "Why, that is a thing that's depend ent on several others," declared the girl. "In the first place, I'm in no hurry. In the second place, Lydia's In no " She stopped abruptly, look- Ing up at him with a shake of the head. "I don't mean that," she added quickly. Hilliard nodded. "I understand. I was Bure you must be —well, nearly 18, at least." "I am—lf>—at most" she admitted. "If I should put my hair up, you'd •cc." "And they're keeping you back on four sister's account?" "That's all right," ghe said defiant ly. "It does make a girl seem older to have a big younger sister around. And, besides, I really want to stay a girl as long as I can. I hate to put my huir up and my skirts quite down. I don't care a straw for dressing up and go- Ing to receptions and teas and parties. Lydia loves it. I love coasting and •kating and riding and s-wimjuing, and til the rest of it" "So do I," he said heartily, "and it's a long while since I was 19." She looked at him critically. 'Yes, I should think you must be about 35. No, you can't be, because you were at college with Ted." He laughed. "Not quite that," he •aid. "It won't be long before I am, though. But I should like coasting as well as ever. I wish I had been out with—your party—to-night It's years BliK-e I've coasted." Virginia's eyes turned longingly to ward the windows. "It's a heavenly night," she s»id. "Let's go!" She looked at him, smiling daringly. He stared at her for a minute, then he leaped to his feet with a laugh. "Come on," he cried, under bis breath. "There's nothing I'd like to do better. But how shall jp' %nage It?" "I didn't really mean it," said Vir ginia; "but if you do we might have just one const, and nobody would miss you. We'll slip down the side stair case, nnd Lucian's bobs are where we can get them." "I'll tell you," said Milliard rapidly, his eyes dancing. "I'll Just take this bo«j«i down to your sister, mix In the crowd. Klip away In ten minutes, and then we'll be free —see?" This plan was carried out. The two stole silently away from the house, and in ten minutes more were Bi the suburban hill, where a few joyful coasters Ktiil lingered. "Can you steer?" demanded Vir ginia. "Unless I've grown old fatter than t feel as If I had, I can—sure." He took his place, she started the bobs, and (lung herself on behind them. It was a long, swift, breathless flight, and then they stood at the bottom and looked at each other, laughing. They sailed down the hill again and again, until Virginia realized the dar ing of tliis unauthorized, unehnperou- A OI.OUiriKD VIRGINIA. Ed performance. Billiard never hated to do anything in his life so much as ho hutcHl to put up those bobs and go in. He lingered in the shadow of the side entrance. He pulled off his glove and held out his hand. "It's the best fun I've had In a doz en blue moons," he said enthusiastic ally. She nodded, smiling. He retained her hand for a moment, then he gen tly drew off the scarlet silk mitten. "I don't like to shake hands with a good comrade with gloves on," he ex plained. She let him have the warm, firm little hand a moment—a very short one—drew it demurely away. "Good night, Mr. II ill lard," she said. "I've enjoyed it, too." "Miss Virginia," he urged, taking a step after her, "I've a favor to ask of you. Couldn't you—wouldn't your sis ter be willing for you to appear at her evenings now?" '"This is nicer—and so Is all the rest of my world. Lydia's too much in doors. I don't like to wear my best clothes, Mr. Hillard." "Try it. It's more fun than you think. Come down next time —please, Miss Virginia. I can't grow young again and get back into your world. You could put up your hair and put on a trailing skirt and—come into my world. Miss Virginia " "I really must go." Bhe was on the top step, her hand on the door. Hut she could not escape him. He was at her Bide in two leaps. "I should like to be in the same world with you." he said rapidly. "Miss Virginia, come down next time —will you? It will just mean that you are willing to be friends—comrades— in the same world. You don't know how long I've been waiting for you to i;et oV. ;iougb for that" She \ a a gone before the word* were fairly finished. Presently he was back in the hot rooms and the crowd, a faint flush on his smooth cheek, and a singular sparkle in his eyes. When at last Lydia entertained again, Hilllard found himself entering the crowded rooms at the Denning*' with a quicker pulse than any social affairs had ever caused him. As the evening drew to a close and DO Vir ginia came, he blamed himself for an unwary hunter who had been follow ing his game down the wind. "Louis," said Ted Denn'ng's voice In his ear, Just as he had made up his mind to go dejectedly home, "come up to my den for a minute, will you?—or —you run up first, and I'll be along. I've something I want to show you." Willingly enough, Milliard escaped to seek the familiar spot. He opened the door unceremoniously—and stop ped, with a rush of warm blood to his heart. With a little cry of discomfited surprise Virginia tried to pass him, but his tall, broad-shouldered figure filled the doorway, and he stood de terminedly still. But was this Virginia —this lovely woman with the blushing face, the sweet, bare neck and the trailing white garments? A transformed and glori fied Virginia, then! He stared at her, a joyful smile breaking over his grave face. But with her head bent down and turned aside, her hands hurriedly pulling a filmy scarf over her shoul ders, she was Imploring like a fright ened child who has been caught at mis chief: "Please let me go by. Mr. Ililliard. I was not going down stain*—really I was not. 1 Just dressed up for fun — for for Ted to see. I— it was just for fun " "You didn't do it for me, then?" He would not stand aside an inch. lie felt with a thrill thai her sudden in tense shyness was far more significant than her appearance downstairs would have been. The thought swept him off his feet. "I always liked to dress up," she breathed. "It's a childish trick." "You told mo you hated your best clothes." "1 do!"—vehemently. 'Then why did you put them on? 1' "I—you—Mr. Ililliard!" She raised her head and tried to meet his look with dignity, but the lashes fell be fore the light in his eyes. "Virginia" —he took a step forward and bent to whisper the words— "you did do it for me, only you didn't dare come down. Tell me. wasn't it so? You were willing to be comrades after all—Just comrades for a while, Vir ginia—till you get used to it," he add ed, under his breath. Ted's step was on the stairs. Mil liard turned and closed the door be hind him: he set his foot against it. Virginia looked up appeallngly — found herself for one breathless mo ment in his arms. I "Just comrades —till . you get used to It, darling," he repeated softly, "and then, more— more!" "Hello, old man!" called Ted, out side. "Did you find it?" "Yes, I found it," answered his friend's voice, with a happy laugh. "Come in." — York News. Monk- v* Do Waggish Things. Recently a monkey got the better of the common enemy, the carrion crow, by feigning illness, says the .Lahore Tribune. He was fastened to a bam bo pole with a running ring. When lie was on his perch the crows annoyed him by stealing from his porringer on the ground. 'One morning they had been specially disagreeable. He closed his eyes and feigned a bad illness. When his day's food was brought him the crows de scended upon it and he had scarcely strength to defend it. By good acting he managed to capture one of the crows. To pluck It alive was the ob vious course. Then, instead of pulling it to pieces, like the king monkey whom Kipling and Sir Edward Buck watched enjoying a similar triumph at Simla, the monkey tossed the crow into the air. where its own companions fell upon it and killed it. Monkeys certainly have a sense of fun. Darwin used to spend hours watching a young female orang-outang in the zoological gardens, and was mire that she had the comic sentiment. She delighted to put upon her head, like a cap, a peculiar-shaped bowl, which had a droll effect and she was sensi tive to the effect which her joke pro duced upon the spectators. Good Luck for the Turtle. The Chinese have a peculiar custom with regard to turtles, which they con sider as very good Joss, says the Hong Kong Press. Almost any day one can see those creatures, some of them of huge size, being carried on board the river steamers, not to be taken to Can ton for culinary purposes, but to be dumped Into the sea and restored to liberty and freedom. Good luck is thought to follow. The Bncollo Humorist. Visitor —Have you lived aU your life here, my little man? Little Man— Noa, not yet A woman who will "wear out" ev ery other article of clothing she has, will change in hats whenever she tirej of th* old one. ■£>*"" ) v A A WIFEB REVENGE. An Army Officer's Widow Who De voted ileraelf to Kihtiii Indians, In the United States National Cem*> tcry at Ft. Gibson, Indian Territory, is the grave of Cant Charles Mix and that of Ills wife. Roth were famous Indian fighters—the captain In the line of duty, his widow actuated by re venge. Capt Mix was one of the earliest commanders at the old frontier mili tary post of Fort Gibson, when the whole vast region, now under the In fluence of civilization, was a wilder ness, occupied only by wild beasts and roving bands of wild Indians. Capt. Mix bad plenty of work to do In af fording protection to the scattered whites and In resisting the wild tribes of the plains, with whom he was In al most constant turmoil. He had com© from the east, and was accompanied by his wife. She was a fine horseback rider and enjoyed outdoor life, often riding out with her husband on the prairies around Fort Gibson, engag ing in the hunt, and sometimes on ex peditions against the Indians, thus making life to her an almost continual round of romance and adventure. In one of the military expeditions against the fierce Sioux. In which sev eral companies of United States troops were engaged, Capt. Mix was am bushed and killed, with a number of his command. The sad news changed tho whole tenor of the life of Mrs. Mix, who was inconsolable for the loss of her husband and companion. She brooded over the tragedy and came to the conclusion to revenge the tragic death of her husband. She assumed male garb, and never missed an op portunity to join an expedition against the Sioux to fight them, being daring and reckless almost to madness, dis tinguishing herself in many a hard and bloody fight. Mrs. Mix, in her male disguise as scout, continued her warfare of re venge for about eight years, undergo ing many hardships and dangers, and becoming noted for reckless bravery and good fortune, so that she attracted ; attention of head olllcerH of the army ! and others, and thereby became noted. In one of the expeditions against the enemy the whites were ambushed, some killed, and others captured, among the latter being Mrs. Mix. She managed to escape from her captors, and after a long journey through the wilderness In winter weather reached the fort In a famished and almost dy ing condition, when her sex became known. Although possessing a strong constitution, she never recovered from her journey through the wilderness, becoming a physical wreck, and died at the fort about a year later. LEGAL DEFINITION OF SAND. Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Ren -1 ders One of Intercut. One of the sources of occasional con flict regarding contract requirements Is the lack of exact legal definition of common terms and whenever one of them Is the subject of an opinion by a court of final jurisdiction this fact de- j serve* attention, says the Engineering Record. Accordingly, the definition of "sand" recently given by the Su preme Court of Pennsylvania In Hen dler vs. Lehlgh Valley Railroad Com pany (58 Atl. Rep. 486) Is of interest Any builder knows that a good sand i pit near a large city will yield a com- j fortable Income to its fortunate pos sessor and that Band In such a location Is a material deserving respectful at- j tention. This is shown even in com- | mon slang; it might be said that the : Pennsylvania farmer who brought this suit against a powerful railway cor- I>oration possessed considerable sand, both mental and material. The court rules that In a scientific sense sand may or may not be a min eral, according to what It. is composed of. For example, If It Is made up wholly of grains of silica It Is a min eral, but if it is made up of grains of different substances it Is in a technical sense only «r«ln« of rock. In a commercial sense 'sand" has a different meaning, says the court. It defines "mineral" as any organic sub stance found in nature having snfll dent value when separated from its surroundings to be mined, quarried or dug for its own sake or its own speci fic uses. Sand may or may not come under this head. A deposit of pure white quartz sand suitable for making glass or for some other use would be considered a mineral under this defini tion. Ordinarily mixed sand, useful merely for grading or a similar pur pose, would not be so classed. Railways often secure a right of j way subject to a reservation vesting in the original owners and their legal successors all minerals in, under or upon the lands. Sand and gravel are often very valuable for grading pur poses and the right to use as much of them as is to be found on the right of way is important, particularly when there Is a reservation In the deed of the land similar to that mentioned. The definition is also Important when, as in this case, the railway must obtain such material from borrow pits on pri vate land In mining regions, where the owners are so accustomed to squabbles over mineral rights that it Is second nature for them to regard every bowlder as gold-bearing quartz and every stream as a petroleum welL "Pa. what is a repartee?" "Oh, merely an Insult with lt» dress suit on. my son."—Puck. Mr. Flush—Have you change for a five? Mr. Broke—No; but I would Ilk* to liar* a lire for a change.—Ex. Jurge Knoz (in the court room) — I've lost my hat Attorney—That* nothing. I lost a suit here yesterday. —Ex. Ha—lf hard to keep a secret some times, isn't it? She—l don't know; I 1?* never tried it—Detroit Free Press. A little boy was asked his name, and answered: "Well, they call me Jlm mle, for short; but my maiden name Is James." "I'm sure he said he was out of pol itics for good." "You must hare mis understood him. He's out for the goods In polities."—Philadelphia Press. Edith—When I accepted Jack he said he was In the seventh heaven! Ethel— Quite likely; he's been engaged to nix other girls this season.—Jester. Minister—So you saw some boys fishing on the Sabbath, my young man. Did you do anything to discourage them? Small Hoy—Yes, sir; I stole their bait Hawkins—That pickpocket they caught is really a very intelligent fel low. Sampson—No doubt of It. He proved that by his ability to locate a lady's pocket. Jaggles—Do those noblemen who come over here to visit us acquire many of our customs? Wagglesl presume so. At any rate, they borrow a great deal from us. "My kingdom for a horse!" cried Richard the Third. And a moment later he was seen slowly emerging from under his balky automobile.— Cleveland Plain Dealer. Mr. Gooder—Here's a book I'd very much like to have our daughter read. It contains some good advice for a girl , of her age. Mrs. Oooder—Very well. I'll forbid her to touch It. > » "A mighty poor sermon!" said Knox, I as they came out of church. "What would you expect for a cent?" an swered Cox, who hud sMi what the kicker had dropped into the plate. "Jones borrowed n dollar from me yesterday." "Yes." "He paid me back with the same dollar I loaned him." "That's strange." "No. I couldn't pans it either."Cleveland Plain Dealer. Just Too Lovely: "Yes," said the first actress, "I've got a lovely new ! play for this season." "What is it?" asked the other. "A society drama in four acts and five new gowns."—Ex. Kissing Dugs: He —Let us sit oat on the lawn and watch for shooting j stars. She —Oh, somebody might sea us. Let's tilt inside the grape arbor and watch for lightning bugs.—Judge. "Yes," said Mr. Horein, "I'm disap pointed In these shoes. It's funny now adays how one's tilings wear out be -1 fore one knows It." "Yes." replied j Miss Weary, with a yawn, "especially one's welcome." , Teacher—Now, then, Tommy, you ! have no good excuse for staying away from school yesterday. Tommy— Well, It wasn't my fault. Teacher It wasn't? Tommy—No, ma'am. I done my best to think up one. "Oh, children! You are no noisy to day. Can't you be a little stiller and better?" "Now, grandma, you must be a little considerate, and not scold us. You see, if It wasn't for us you would not be a grandma at all." She—And you say you would die for me? Mr. lioresome—A thousand times. ■, She—Would you mind doing It Just > once—straightaway? You know papa has been appointed coroner, and be hasn't had any practice yet.—fftstsa Traveler. Burly Party—Are you aware, sir, that you deliberately placed your um brella In my ear last evening? Little Hlfferton—Very careless of me, I'm surel I wonder what became of it, and Would it be too much trouble to ask you to return It?—Tit-Bits. Jones—lt Is just impossible for me to keep a lead pencil. People are al ways borrowing, you know, and they always forget to return. Brown -Why, I never have any trouble. See, I've got a whole vest pocketful of pencils. Jones —Doesn't that prove Just what I said? Willie—l met our new minister on my way to Sunday school, mamma, and be asked me If I ever played mar* bles on Sunday. Mother—H'm! And what did you say to that? Willie—l said, 'Get thee behind me, Satan!' and walked right on* and left him."—Lon don Tit Bits. O'Halloran —It's sorry 01 am to foind that yet hoy a ticket to the play to-night McGovern, for yex'll not see Sir.lllnnery. McGovern—How do yea know that? O'Halloran—Because I was there last nolgbt and wld me two eyes seen hlry •"•In the last act—Lee* lie's Weekly.( mim \ -