Proponent of Bin to
Abolish Patronage la j
Washington. April 1.?L very Im
portant hearing wA begun before the
bou?3 oommlttea oo reform la the
civil service when Che trm ax: Oodwln
today beard Congressman Tin It ha m
on bla Mil to ptoee first, second and
third class postmasters under the
el vil service. Many prominent men
from Boston. New Tor If and other
see Cons of the country appeared be
fore the oommtttpe to urge a favor
able report oiv the measure I
4 There is n6 doubt that under the
present system^. naming postmas
ters Ibe. beet.; man la aeMom given
the Job. Thf* JLa certain unless the
^be?? n^an happen* to carry enough
political hacking to in ear# his ap
pointment. Aside from getting men
1 whom Postmaster General Burleson
himself baa classed eJW*?hnge and
Jail birds/' the prepiri ??tem takes
up many hours of tlmgJB postofflce
officials, members of Q||nress and
senators >n trfing to select a -post
master tkat will offend the politicians
the least. .
Should the Tlnkham bill become
a law the postmaster of the largest
cities us .well as the smallsst would
hsve to stand a competitive examin
ation Senators and congressmen
wou'd hare nothing to do with the
appointment. #
W y In the opinion of Postmaster Gen
eral Burleson, ft Is said, the bill has
a great deal ot merit. "He may make
a statement approving the measure,
^K to reported.
h* has no Idea thatCongreee will ad
Jo urn before the middle of August
or the first of September. . There ar?
manj bill? to be put through Con
free* before even a suggestion of
adjournment la thought o f. Unless,
means can be had to rush regis.stlon
a great deal more then the present
prospects indicate, the senior senator
does not believe Congreaa will quit
much before the middle of August
SCHOOLGIRL ENDS LIFE.
Reading ef Inneoent Note to Soy Be
fore Claee Causee BuicWe.
Hartford. Oonn.?rtadys Stone, fotnv
teen years old, committed suicide by
drinking poison becanee her school
fcMfhar had read to the class Ut s
grammar school an Intercepted note In
Which the glri had Invited a boj
friend to attend a social party at a
church.
The girl took the affair to heart, pur
chased pelaon at a drug store and then
?wallowed It at her home- She wrote
a note to her-mother ssking forjtiv*
LMt Letts re of Wagner.
tenor who won Wagner's
admiration, Tichatschek. left to his
daughter when be died a number of
letters written to him by the great
couipalter, whoee RlenzJ he created.
On her death the dsughter bequeathed
these letters to the Wagner musenm st
Eisenach, but on the way from Brus
sels the cane containing them jrss
openet^and the contents were stolen.
OeJng Weg
Btx?"How are *7ou wishing emt 01
your reaolutloa to economised Dfx
"Tine! I've got my running expanse
slowed down to a walk."
SIX LADIES
Will Go on A Big Tour
One of the Splendid Trains
""The Black Diamond"
Crack Train of Lehigh Valley Railroad
;
On^ of the Hundred Points of Interest
Wauch Chunk, Pa.
? ? * t .
THE .BIG VOTE OFFER
?' -? -f*
i Each Ten Dollars won h of (subscriptions
t mind in by April 8ih will rata one hundred
hint fifty thousand extra volts. This la-guar
uMiocd to be this biggest imd best offer of the
entire contest.
Sixteen Big Prize
?sh Awards For All Other ACTIVE CONTESTANTS
Address AH Inquiries to
CONTEST DEPARTMENT
DAILY. NEWS
(Continued from page Two.) j
Kltterabys and the J. Palmeraton
Smith??"
"Strang? name? to roe," h? Inter
rupted. "Poor thing*! None of them
bare my acquaintance."
"No, that's Juat it!" the cried. "And
papa had nerer even heard the name
of Vertreea! Mrs. Vertree? went with
'Papa Had Never Even H^ard of the
Name of Vertraes."
aome'fintlsmoke committee to nee hint,,
a ml f lie told'Iter that smoke wan what
mudil her husband bring home tin
wapes from the pay roll on Saturday
Light! He told, us about It, lind I
[thought 1 just couldn't live through
|the c.lc^t, I wo? so ashamed! Mr.
Ver*.rees haa always lived on his In
come, and papa didn't know hint, nf
course. They're the atlffest, moat ele
gant people In the whole town. And
to crown It an, papa went and bought
the next lot to the old Vertrees coun
IXry mansion?Ifs In the very henrt of
I the boat itt!W residence district now,
and thart'a where the new house la,
right next door to them?and I mnst
say It makes their place look rather
Shabby! I met Mary Vertrees when
I Joined the Mixtion Service llelpcru,
i>ut she never did any more than Juf.t
barely bow te me. and atncu pupa's
break I doubt If abe'll do that! They
haven't called/* ,
? "And you think If I spread this gos
sift about Vertrees the First stealing
Uan'l Iloone'a gun, the chances that
they will cnll?"
uI*apa knows what a break he wade
with Mrs. Vertrees. I made him un
derstand that," said Rdltb, demurely,
"and he's promised to try and meet
Mr. Vertr<?ea and be nice to him. Bob
by Lamhom told Sibyl be was going
to bring hid mother to call on her and
on mnmmu. but II was weeks ago, and
1 autlr* be hasn't daae It; and if Mr*.
Vertrees decides no( to know us, I'm
darn sure Mrs. Lamborn '11 never
come. That's one thing Sibyl didn't
manage! She aald {lobby offered to
bring his mother?,r
"You a*y he la a friend of Roacoe'sT"
Bibbs asked.
"Oh, tae'a a friend of the whole fam
ily," she returned, with s petulance
which she made no effort to disguise.
"Ttosroe and he got acquainted some
where. and they take blrn to the the
ater a hob t every nlgbt Sibyl haa blm
to lunch, too, and keeps?" * She
broke off with an angry little Jerk of
the head. "We can see the new bouse
from the second corner ahead. Roscoe
has built straight acroas the atreet
from a*, you know. . Honestly, Sibyl
mokes me think of a snake, sometimes
?the, way she polls the wool over
people's eyes! She honeys up to papa
and geta anything In the world aha
wants out of him, and then makea fun
of blu^ behind his back?yes, and to
Ma, ftf< but he can't see It! She got
him To give her a twelve thousand
dollar poith for their bouse after It
wafe-"
'VJood hewn*!" eatd Bibbs, staring
ahc.id na they reajiietf the corner and
the err swan* to the right, flowing
a -WB.I In the street, "is that the new
bouse"
"Vt s. What Ao yoo think of Itf*
"Well.H hf dr&Wfrd,"I'm pretty sure
tb<? aarrtf -rl itV^r a: >n* half a sire big
ger; I can't be cert-ln till I laeaem**
And a moment la'-f. tn they entered
the driveway, be af.ded, Seriously 1
"But Ifi beautlfoir
CHAPTCft 111.
1?
It was gray stoat, wltk Ion;,' roofs
of thick green ft lata. A a architect who
loved the milder "Gothic motives" hud
built what be liked: It wm to be ?wn
at once that h? hau been left unham
pered, and he had -rrougbt a pMure
oat of his head Into a noble and ex
ultant reality. At the same time a
landscape designer had played so good
a second, with ready-made sccc-sorles
of screen, approach and vista. that al
ready whatever look of newn?*n* re
mslned upon the place was to tts ad
vantage, as showing at least one thing
yet clean under the grimy sky.
Altogether, the new boose was a ?ac
cess. It was one of those architects'
successes which leave the owners
veiled In prlvscy; It revealed nothing
of the people who lived in It save th&:
they were rich. In our swelling dtlw
rich families, one after another, tak'
title and occupy such houses us for
tunes rise and fall?they nturk the
high tide. It was Impossible to Imag
ine a child's toy wagon left upon a
walk or driveway of the now bonne,
and yet It was?as Bibbs rightly railed
it?"IwautifuL"
What the architect thought of (1m
"Golfo di KapoU," which bung in its
Vast gold revel of rococo frame asa!n*t
the gray wood of the ball, la to be con
jectured?perhaps be bad not reen It
"Edith, did you say only eleven
feet?" Bibbs panted, stariug at It, a*
the wblte-jacketed twin of a Pullman
porter helped him to get out of his
overcoat.
j "Eleven without the frame," nhe ex
plained. "It's splendid, don't yon
think? It lightens things np ho. The
ball was kind of gloomy before."
\ "So gloom now!" aald Bibbs.
"This statue In the corner in pretty,
tee." she remarked. "Mamma md 1
bought that." And Itlbbs turned at
her direction to behold, amid a grove
of tubbed palm*. a "life-size," black*
bearded Moor, of n plastic composition
?painted with ui-. j-rasable gins* an1
brilliancy. Upor t-i< chocolate head ha
7ore a gold tov', a; in his hand he
held a gold-tlpp' 'pear; and for t' e
rt*-st, be was red uml yellow and black
and silver.
"Hallelujah!" was Iho sole comment
of the returned wanderer, nnd Edith,
*ayl::g she would "And mamma." Ie*t
him blinking at the Moor. Presently,
after she had disappeared, he turned
, to tbo colored man who stood waiting.
! Blhhs* traveling bag In bis hand,
i "NVbat do you think of it?' Bibb*
[asked solemnly.
"Gran'l" replied the servitor. "She
i mighty hsrd to due'. Bus' git lu ail
I 'eui wrinkles. Yes*uh, she mighty hard
to das'."
| "X cspcct ?be mnst be." snld Blbfce,
, tla glance returning reflectively to the
black full board for a moment. "Is
there a place an; whore J couUl 11c
down?" ?
"Yessuh. We got ono nem spare
rooms all fix np fo* you. anh. Bight
up stalbs, aub. Kloe room."
FTe Jod the way, and Bibbs followed
?lowly, stopping at Intervals to rest
and uOing a heavy increase In the
staff of Barvico ?luce the exodus from
the "old" honse. Maid and scrub'
women were at work under the pa
tently nominal direction of anothei
Pullman porter, who was profoumsy
enjoying his own affectation of being
harassed with care.
"Bv'ythlng got look spick an' span
fo* the big duln's tonight," Bibbs'
guide explained, chuckling. "Yessub.
we got big dolu's tonight! Big loln'sl"
The roojo-to which he conducted his
lagging <herg? wis furnished In every
particular like a room in a new uotel:
and Bibbi found It pleaeant?(hough.
Indeed? any room with a good bed
would have seemed pleasant to him
after his Journey. He stretched him
self flat Immediately, aud having re
plied "Not now" to the attendant's
offer to unpack the bag, closed bis eyes
wearily.
Whlte-.'aeket. raclslly sympathetic,
lowered the wlndoW ?hades sud made
j an exit on tiptoe, encountering the
other white jacket?the harassed over
seer?In the hall without. 8nld the
emerging one:
"He mighty shaky. Mist* Jackson.
| Prop right down an' shot his eyes
EyelldVall black. Blch folks gotts gr
same aa anybody else. Anybody ast
me If I change *lth 'at ole boy?No.
suh! Le'm keep 'Is money; I keop m.v
black.akin an' keep out the ground!"
Mr. Jackson expressed the same
preference. "Yessob. he look tub me
Ilka somebody awresdy laid out?"
? He fell silent at a rustling of skirts
la the corridor. It was Mrs. Sliarldsu
harrying to greet her son. y
8he was one of those fat, pink people
who (kde and contract with age litce
drying fruit; and bar outside was i
true por trs It of ber. Her tfa*b:m<l I
her da tighter had long ago ab?
ber. Edith lived all day <?
mother, as daughters do; and /
so held his wife to nei" unit*
thflt shg. baU tfftfc 19 t.
kiiotts or h*r existence ss ? thine ?ep-,
ar* te from his. / v.- *
lira. Sheridan's manner wm harried
and lucouMqoeut; her cloth?? rustled
tuore than other women's cloths*; ?be
seemed to wear too many at a time
and to be vaguely troubled by tlicui,
and site was patttng a skirt down orer
?urn?* unruly int?rnu! dbecnrlon at the
moaieu: she opqucd Bibbs' door.
At sight of the recumbent figure she
began to close the door softly, with*
drawing, but the young man bad heard
the turning of the knob and the rus
tling of skirts, snd be opened bis eye*.
"Don't go, mother.* be said. -I'm
not asleep." lis swung bis Ipng le^s
orer the side of the *ed to rise, but
sb< s??jt hand oc Uls shoulder, re
? straining blm; and He lay fist again,
i "No," aho said, bending orer to kiss
bis cheek, "I Just come for a minute,
but 1 want to see bow you seem. Edith
: told?"
"Poor Edith!" he murmured. "She
conhln't took at roe. She?" ?v., |
i "Nonsense!" Mrs. Sheridan. having
! let In the llgbt at a window, came back
to tbe bedalde. "Yob look a great
j d?*al better than ^hat you did before
you went to tbe sanitarium, anyway.
| It's doue you good; a body can see that
right away. You need fatting up. of
course, and you haven't got mucb
color?"
"No," be said, "I htfren't mucb
color."
"You look a great deal bet'er than
wh.it 1 expected."
"Edith must have a great vocabu
lary !" be chuckled.
"She's too sfetsltlve." said Mrs. Sher
Idnn. "snd It mpkes her exaggerate a
Uttle. What^bont your diet?"
"That's alL^ght They told me to
est anythli^g.;
'"That's (990?" she nald, noddine.
"Tbey mean foe you Just to build up
your strength. Tbst's what they told
roe tbe last time I went to see you at
th* "Hiiltarlum. You look better thnn
wbftt you did then, and that'll on'r a
?Utile time ugo. IIow long was it T",
"I'lgbt months, 1 think."
**No. it couldn't be. 1 know It ain't
that lone, bnt maybe It wan longer 'n
I I thought. And this -last month or so
1 I haven't bad scarcely even time to
? write more than just a line to ask bow
I you were gettln' along, but I told Edith
to write, the weefca I couldn't, and I
asked Jim, too, and they both said
? they won! I. so I suppose you're kept
np pretty well on ?he bouie now* '
I "Oh. yea."
"What I think yoa need.' sn'd tb*
"Yo'J Look ? Great Deal Better Than
What ? Expected." ?
motlior, j^ravrly, "la t? liven np a iltt'e
and ink* an iotercat in tiling?. Tliat'a
what per* wn snj-la* tble morning,
aftvr w? gat jour telegram; nnd tliat'a
what'll atlmulnte yoar appetite. too
He was talkin* over bin plans for
yeu?"
"Plana?" Rtfrha. turning on hla ?dde,
ahleldod hla eyee rtom the Htrltt with
hlr hand, so that ho might aee her bet
ter. "What?^ Fie paused. "What
plawwte hf making for roe, mother?"
Rbe tur?ie<l away, going back to the
window to draw down the shnde.
"Welt, jou better talk it over with
him," ah* nnld, with perceptIHe nerv
onBnr??. "He better.teH you hlmsoif.
I don't feel na If I bad any call, ex
actly. to'go lnto>lt; and yon better grt
to Bleep sow, anyway." 8he cnlne and
atood ll> ttoo bedaldo once more. "Rut
you m u?| Lee member. Rlbba. whatever
papa doff fe for the beat. He loves hi*
children wanta to do what'a right i
by all eC<J+Ht and you'll always find
be'a right la the end."
rie made a little gesture of aaaent,
which aeemed to content her: aud ahe
rustled--?* the door, turning to aponk j
nenln aftef ahe had opened It. "You
get a god nap, now, ao aa to be all
reated op for tonight."
"You?you mean?he?" Rlhh* stam
mered, baring begun to apen k too
nnlckiy. Checking hlmeelf. he drew a
long breath, then aaked. quietly, "I>oea
father ex/or-t me to come downatalra
till? evening T"
"Well, *1 - think he doee," ahe an
?wi'mUtf "Yo? nee. It'a the "house
warming? a? he calla It. and he aald he
?Hour children ought to be
" "s.?a? well na the old frlenda
< ? folka. It'a Jnet what he
, nred?to t?*e an Intereat
1 You dont feel too bad
m do yotf
-Tak* a ?ood look at m?." bo ttM.
-Oh. mo hfroT ahe cried wMb
bruak cheerfulness "You're not no
bad off u 700 Cilr.k job in, Bibb*.
You're on the ihcnd. and U won't do
you any hfnn to please your?"
"It lan't that," be lutemipted. -Hon
estly. I'm only nfrofcl it might apoll
aouietKHly'a appetite. Edith?"
**I told you the child waa too sen*!
ttre." abe Interrupted, In turn. "You're
a plenty good-lookln' enough young
man for anybody! You look like you
been through a long apell and beguu to
get well, and that'a all there la to it."
"All right. I'll come t?,the party.
If the rest of you can atand It. I run!"
"It'll do you go xl," ah? returned.
ruHtllug Into the hall. "Now take a
nr.p, and I'll aend one o' the help to
wake you In time for you to get
dressed up before dinner. You go to
?leep rlicht away. now. Blbbol"
He woke refreshed, at retched him
at!f gingerly?aa one might bar* M cure
agnluat too quick or too long a pull
upou a frayed eluatic?and, getting to
hia feet, weut blinking to the window
and touched the shade so that It flew
up. Setting In a pale aunaet.
He looked out lnt?? the leruon-?mored
light and ainllcd wanly at the next
house, aa Edith'a gran Hone | hrano
enme to mind, "the old Vertreea omu
try monaiou.** It atood in a Voad
lawn which waa separated froii the
8berldana'*by a young .hi-dge: an.I It
wn< n big. s<|uar<?. plain old b?s of a
bottle with n giant salt-cellar ai?;p fur
a cupola. Ptilut had been spa re.I fur a
Ion* time, and 11 ? ?>n<> eould Imvo put
a name to the c>#?r of ltvl?ul Lli ?>;. ?? i?f
that tin* place had uo look uf being
out at l??*el. and the awnrd ?.14 aa
ne.?t:r trlriiu.el aa the Sheridan*' own.
IXrtvtly op^nxiie the wtnd<--v the
Vertre?*?' lawn bad been graded ho up
I Y~.~_
Staring Full Into His Window.
' to make a little knoll upon whlrh .-?loed
| n small rustle "muninor l>ou?e." It
I whs nln:oM ou a level with liiObi* vrln
j daw m;d nut thirty foot away, Prob
; ahly tin* "summer hou^e" w..* pleasant
i and pretty 111 suiiiiiier. I?ut r^w In
' t!)? t1>!n light It was desolate. !iie color
I of dust. and hung with hazard vines
I whU-h had lost tlielr leave*.
* Bibbs l?oked at It wltli irrave *ym
! pathy, probably fo*Untc srmie Win--!ilp
j wiih tiny thing so dismantled: Own Us
J turned to .1 ohev.il glass I?e?l.le tha
t window ?nd pjlil himself tlae dubious
I tribute of a thorough lusjte* :ion.
I Thnun-'^oiit th's cryptic *<?:<ni-c his
milliner vim |?r.;fi*un-lly ini*.e.'^?n:il,
bul i;:?:V.y Jm apjteareil 1? lavcuie |ips
nlmUtl.*. 11" alio V. ids hca.l s. bim.ly;
:h?*si citvI rg.|lu a:id >Ii-."?oL n.-i hr.nl
apafu. and cmllnr?! to pn.i' c it
ly. in complete disapprove
"You cvrtu inly are one horrlbla
sight!'* lie said. aloud.
And at that he wan Instantly .iware
of ?u observer. Turning qulekly. he
wua vouchsafed ttao pleture of a ?h.inn
ing lady, framed In a rustle nperfura
of Ihe "summer house" and starini; full
into his window--straight Into his eyes,
too. for the Infinitesimal fra' ilnn of a
*??? >nd before the flasblngly censorious
withdrawal of tier own. CnmpviMjr,
she pulled several dead twigs from a
vine, her aetion conveying a proc'a
ma t Inn to the effect that ?!?<? v-'us t
the summer house for the ??ols p --po ?
of suchlike pruning and tending.
Having pulled enough twigs to em
phsslzo.her uiuon<;clou?uc*??end pt
tsame tin e her disapproval--of *
erything In the nature n RMrllau
or belonging to n Sheridan. s ho de
scended the knoll with iniliii.^-'t!
composure, and sauntered toward a
side door of the country mnnaU n of
the Vertreeses. An eld^r'y la?*y. bon
neted and cloaked, opened tLc ???x>r an I
came to mcfet her.
"Arc yon ready, ."farr? I'\? iM*n
looking for you. tVuat were j?u
Ing?"
"Nothing. Just looking Into ona rf
Sheridan*' windows." sad Ma~y Ver
trees. "I got caught lf.M -
"Mary?" cried h??r mother. "Ju^t is
we were golug to call! G\>od l ea ? usT
"We'll go. Just the same,'* *he
ter returned. "1 snppos the.v. v >vien
would lie glad to I^Vf us if vrt U
burned their bouse to the greni?J."
"But who saw youV l.iJst?J
Vertreea.
"One of the sons, I ?nnpos* I o war
I belltfve hp's Insan?, or soi .etk og. At
lealt I bear they keep hi... In a aar.l?
tarium aomewher?, s i>d oavrr trik
about him. He waa ?*.vtes at Lim*?.'
(CONTINUED .VIJCT