... : ... , i : '. $1.0O Year, In Advance. FOR GOD, FOR COUNTRY AND FOR TRUTH." Single Copy 3 Cent. VOL. XVII. PLYMOUTH, N, C FIUDAY, JULY 27, 1900. NO. 18 4 M WHAT'S What's trie us oi -ryliiR? The sun wili shine aain. Wha.t's the use of sighing'? l.ifo isn't wholly rain. Ton will not always have to stand The cold ulii world's utilise; Some Im y you'll got the upper hand fc)o what's this use? LADY FAY, Lady Fay Ferenice looked in at the big north window. Her slight, silk, clad shoulders shivered with a delight .Eur excitement. She tapped at the French window, and laughed. It was a pretty accomplishment; it suggested spontaneity rather than practice. The man within, frowning over an easel and sucking at an empty pipe, started. He came forward and threw the win dow open. "Lady Fay, by all that's wonderful! he said. t "Frank Dcrwent, by all that's . You see, I know my Sheridan." She stepped in daintily, a very little figure outrageously frilled and flounced. "Shall we establish a new 'School for Scandal'? If we only could! But nowadays scandal requires no school. I knew you were here. You long to ask me how but you can't get a word In edgeways. My maid. She recog nized you in the village alter ten. Really, maids have bo many oppor tunities. They are allowed out by themselves until'ten once every week. And if they smile at. the butler the privilege is extended. I should go about grinning at him always. She said, -The mysterious artist, Mr. Jones, at The Don, is Mr. Derwent. Don t frown. No one else knows." "But a woman and a secret" "That's unworthy of you. Don't yon know that we only tell secrets when they are to the disadvantage of other females? And I wanted to keep this, and Elise wants to keep her place. Why do I want to keep this secret? Oh the country gives me primitive im pressions that it is improper. I come to see you in a studio horribly untidy place, Frank alone. And you are here incognito. It's thrilling and dear Lady Jane have I told you I am stay ing with the Hollingtons? I am, it's my penance for a season wickedly de lightful; my doctor said, 'You're run down' (which sounds like something to do with a motor car, which is absurd), 'go and be as dull as you can be.' So naturally I thought of dear Lady Jane. I've been a thorn in her fiesh she has so much that one has to be a huge thorn to be at all impressive and now she has her reward. She will be shocked: Think of it, Frank! .Isn't it Cranfordish? Shocked! She will sermonize, and I shall be flippant, and both her Nonconformist conscience and her droll, evil thinking heart will rejoice!" "But. I nm your cousin," Frank Der went interposed. He was a tall lazy looking man, young to be an Associate. old enongh to-be interesting. Many people said that he was handsome, some that he was ugly, a difference of opinion which invariably suggests dan ger. '"When was cousinship a bar to scan dal? Don't you want to know why I have come?" "No." "Why not? That's a horrid remark." She pouted picturesuely. "I know." He looked at her stead ily, half quizzically, and she looked away. Her hair, as light as spun silk, had brought a memory of sun into the studio. "You don't!" she said, hastily. "We naturally gravitate toward each other. In other bodies it Is called the law of attraction." He gave the sen tence a caressing finish. A smile flick ered over her face. "Ever since you came out we have obeyed the law. You have confessed to me as many of your gins as you could remember. I have invented as many peccadilloes as my imagination eould compass to match your confessions. Each time you have been engaged I have been the first to experience desolation. How many times have you broken my heart? You . liav,e even criticised my work frankly, " very frankly, and I have quarrelled ' with you over a frock." "Yes, we've been chums, good chums for a loin; time." she said, pausing in front of theeu:-cl. "Don't you find painting monotonous. Frank? You are shocked. Bat I should get so tired of canvas and oils smell like a garage. Why don't you do things like Max? He's much funnier. I am sure his caricature are lovely when you know who they are. Did I tell you Lady Jane won't aikrv me out alone?" But" "Oh, I atirtsd with a girl. She's staying with Lady Jane, too. She (the "irl. not Lady Jane) has a passion for viewoTio of those extraordinary bo iP. who go to Davos Platz for the scenery and nor tobogganing. I told her the view from the Beacon is love- 15 is, isn't it? It ought to be, it's a tjteep hill. She went at itj THE USE? What's the use of moaning? It will not ulter things. What's the usp of groaning? Beneath misfortune's t-tiiiRS? Perhaps you'll bo an ace some day, Though now you are a deuce; Hut no one makes complaining pay. !So what's the use? Los Angeles Times. By WALTER E. GROQAN. eagerly and I came on." She made one or two lunges with her parasol at a canvas standing with its face against the wall. Derwent movod it out of reach. "Then, when you go back alone Lady Jane" "Oh, no. The girl will come on here. I am afraid she thinks you are a wom an. I said I was going to see a friend.". "She does not know you very well." "No," Lady Fay acknowledged very frankly. "She never would." "Then we may be interrupted at any moment?" "Yes and when Lady Jane knows that you are here She is scan dalized at the idea of your painting.. She savs there is no excuse for a man in BurKe doing such a thing, that Jezebel painted, and we all know what happened to her. So I shall not be able to see you again down here." She really was very pretty. Der went moved slowly over to the couch on which she sat. v "Has it occurred to you, Fay, that whenever we want to see each other one has to go in search of the other? It it is a waste of time." "There is the expectation." "There is always the danger of a rainy day." "Or a sunny day. The sun is terri ble this afternoon, and I freckle so easily. But I don't see how we can obviate the difficulty. You couldn't set up a studio at our pla.ee. There is the question of models and mother loaths the smell of paint. We always go to Monte when the painters come." "No, Grosvenor Square is out of the question. There is only one way." She scratched meaningless ciphers on the floor with the point of her para sol, watching -the operation intently. "Don't you think the 'only way' is always well, heroic?" "Every one has prophesied it," he suggested. She really was attractive and, after, all, it would be eminently prudent and practical. It seemed in cumbent upon an Associate to be mar ried. Much can be done in the interest of art by an interested wife, who is not artless. Dinners open doors." A lifted cheek showed an added glow in its coolness. "It would be rather hard upon them to to make them false prophets. On the other hand, if we establish them" . She paused suggestively. "It certainly would be a compliment to their intelligence at once subtle and delightful." "And later Lady Jane would be glad. I feel that I owe Lady Jane much. She has been my skeleton at the feast so long. It is refreshing to be famil iar with one's skeleton." "But she she hates me!" Derwent remonstrated. "Yes. She has always prophesied a bad end for me. Think of her delight in the contemplation of an end out marching her imagination. Don't frown. It really is a beautiful trait in my character. I am being unselfish. Is that the wrong word? I always do say the wrong thing on these occa sions. Never believe that experience teaches, Frank. Experience, when var ied, muddles. But it does seem hope less, doesn't it? Everybody has expect ed it for ages and the worst of it is that I can't quite dislike you." . "No, that is hopeless no one can." "I have never seen enough of you to discover vour worst faults that may be remedied. Oh, if it is, Frank, if, seeing so much of you the Lollerts will insist upon lending us their coun try house. I know, they offer it every time I grow to dislike you" "I think it will be impossible," he said. "But in any case we need never see too much of each other. Of course I could never see too much of you cela va sans dire but for your own comfort I suggest railing to recollec tion the married couples we know. They are uevcr bored with each other's society the occasional times when they meet must ever keep their fresh ness. There is not one circle in Lon don, there are several; there is not one country house, but several; not one yacht, but many. 1 really think I speak for your consolation that wc need never meet except possibly at our own functions and er Christians Day. I throw in the latter a3 a sop to popular sentiment." "You are so considerate, Frank. You understand more than any man I know. Whether you are considerate for me or for yourvjlf I am not quite sure." She spoke a little wistfully, v.lich he did not notice. "As long as the end is reached I hardly see that that matters," he said, cheerfully. "And I suppose we have reached a real, definite, decisive end?" "Yes or a beginning. There is al ways a haziness about these matters." "Then we have decided. It must be diamonds. Frank. I never accept any thing else half-hoop, of course. You had better get a few down to choose from. That is what I generally prefer. And you must be very, very attentive to me while we are engaged." "I insist upon a short engagement. And you will dismiss your cavaliers." "All of them, Frank?" "I think all. I have a sympathetic heart, and I really could not bear to see them." "There are sacrifices!" She sighed, and then lifted smiling lips to him. A tap at the window' startled them. "Go round to the door, Sydney!" Lady Fay called out promptly, without turning round. "There's always some thing wrong with the catch of a French window. How like a woman who is fond of views to come blundering at a window like that!" she added, as she heard footsteps retreat toward the door. "Sydney?" Derwent inquired eagerly. He had not noticed the face of the woman at the window. "The girl, you know. Oh, yes, it is an absurd name. But appropriate." "Sydney Egmont?" "Yes." Her voice had a surprised cadence. "Do you know her?" "I did I saw a great deal of her at one time." Derwent spoke in a con strained manner, yet there was a strange note in his tones. She looked up at him quickly. "Ah!" she said, and then mused for a while. "Can't you order tea? We shall not want it. really housekeeper's tea is terrible. But I think I had bet ter explain. You see, naturally she will be surprised at finding that you are not a woman." He jumped at the chance of .escape quite eagerly, and Lady Fay smiled a little forlornly at his retreating back. She smiled again, but quite brightly, hoAvever, when Miss Egmont entered. "You are alone, Fay?" Miss Egmont demanded. She looked white. Lady Fay noticed that quickly. "Yes isn't it stupid? I waited for you an eternity. I do hope you found all the trees and fields and things lovely to look at?" "You were with a man?" "I I am afraid so, Sydney. It gen erally happens to be a man. I really don't know why coincidence, I sup pose. Frank has gone to order tea, but I told him distinctly that we should not drink it." "Frank!" "My cousin, Frank Derwent. He is a lucky man he was made an Associate a few months ago and now" She broke off and waited. "Then I am to understand" Miss I Egmont murmured, perfunctorily. "How dear of you to guess! I'm afraid it is foolish of in4, but every one said it would happen. I suppose it will be in the autumn that will mean rushing off to town and Paris at once." "I I am very glad. Fay." Miss Eg mond said, unenthusiastically. "I hope you will be very happy." "Of course, there is always a chance. And I love shopping. Mother doesn't it tires her. I believe she is unique." Lady Fay watched her frlejid under her eyelashes. "But Fay are you never serious?" Miss Egmont demanded. "I sincerely hope not. Only the mid dle class are serious. It's what they eat, I think. I am told their cooking is atrocious, owing to the Education acts. I can't tell why it should be, but it is." A door opened and Frank Derwent entered very stiffly. "Oh, Frank," said Lady Fay. "this is Miss Egmont. She wants to con gratulate you. I think she said you knew her?" "Some time ago. I dare say Miss Egmont hardly remembers me." He spoke as stiffly as he held himself. She gave him one quick glance. The little color left in her cheeks fled. "Mr. Derwent, 1 believe?" His stiff ness appeared to be communicated to her. "I think we met" "Three years ago. There was a river" "Ah, yes. I have some recollection of the river. You were painting, I think?" He bit his lip. Her elaborate indefl niteness piqued him. Lady Fay sat. watching both under the screen of a charming detachment. "1 was painting," Dcrwent assure. 1 her. "It was not my only occupation. I was dreaming of more important things." "Really! It's so long ago." The in difference was a trifle too obvious. "Three years!" cried Lady Fay, shuddering. "An eternity! Time is a horrible monster I am always killing him. and all the. while I have the knowledge that he oust turn the ta bles one day." "Miss Egmont. has found that time obliterates impressions." Derwent de clared, with unnecessary pique. "Time's one redeeming feature," Miss Egmont said, with conviction. "We are growing morbid," Lady Fay declared. "It is hardly a compliment to Frank's work. I told hira he wasn't amusing, Sydney. He won't do nice black and white caricatures like Max he won't even do portraits, which Is nearly the same thing. Don't you ever do portraits, Frank?" "I tried once it was never finished it was not a success." He was look ing at Miss Egmont, not at Lady Fay. "The beauty of portrait painting is that when the sitter is aggrieved all his or her friends rise up and call the pic ture lifelike." Lady Fay said, sagely. She rose and wandered around the studio a gay little figure like a stray ing butterfly. "Why is this canvas turned with its face to the wall? Js it?" She looked, raising eyebrows, at Derwent. "I believe it is and I shall bo horribly shocked." She pick ed it up. "Don't touch it!" Derwent cried, striding forward. He was to late to prevent her seeing it. A half finished study of a woman's face smiled out of the canvas. The woman's face had the features of Sydney Egmont. "This is three years old, Frank?" she said quietly. "Yes." 5 "Why didn't you finish it?" 1 ' "The sitter went away." "Why did the sitter go away, Syd ney?" Miss Egmont, twisting a glove, looking out of the window at the broad sunlight and biting a tremulous lip, gave a shrug of the shoulders that was meant to convey indifference and was merely pathetic. Lady Fay smiled a little wry smile at her friend's back. Men were un observant animals, so Frank did not count. Besides, people in love, what did they ever see? Her left hand went straying to her left side. Her friends unanimously held that though charm ing she was heartless. Yet undoubted ly there was a pain there; a throb, a catch, what you will, but certainly a pain. "And you let her go, Frank? Why? It it really is not a bad attempt." She looked at the canvas quizzically, and under cover of her little hand again pressed her side. "She she did not care to finish it." He found phrases hard of making. 'She allowed me to commence and then went away." Evidently, it was not the unfinished portrait that rank led. He was watching the effect of his words upon the impassive back. There was a light, half hopeful, in his eyes, that Lady Fay had never before seen. "I should never have missed it if I had not seen," she whispered to herself. "I shall always miss it now.'' "What a silly reason! If she had not cared she wouldn't have gone away. Oh, don't tell me. I know. I have had quite an extensive experience of such matters. You hardly remember now I'm sure I am very hazy about all mine. Of course I've had so many quarrels and when there is only one it makes a difference But you don't know you're just two children quar relling about something you are neither clear what, and sulking in two absurd, uncomfortable corners. Frank, you look diabolical when you frown." Der went turned away angrily. "But I'm glad I saw you like that; if it had come afterwards it would have been a shock. Like marrying a prince and finding him turned into the beast. You might smile at him, Sydney, encour aginglyanything to alter his expres sion." "But Fay" Miss Egmont was unable to keep joy entirely absent from her voice. "My dear child, I'm a sportswoman not a poacher. He's your bird. Of course, I'm glad to be able to add Frank to my list though brief, it counts one. I believe you think well, absurd things. I have discovered that Frank can be serious. Just imagine a butterfly being unequally yoked to a tortoise! Quite absurd. And we were agreeably and mutually accepting each other to be rid of each other at least, we found out how very little we need see of each other. And now I've chat tered away all the awkwardness, haven't I? and Frank completes' the dozen, and I'm off to sing comic songs to hymn tunes for the horrification of Lady Jane!" Half an hour afterwards Frank Der went, looking absurdly happy, said, "Pshaw! Lady Fay! She has no feel ing at all shallow, (juke shallow." "I wonder!" mused Miss Egmont. Black and White. His Ambition. A new vicar was being shown round the parish by his warden. "The natives are a hardy lot, sir," he said; 'but you haven't seen Peter Sparks he's the quaintest character in these; parts." This individual turned out. to be the sexton, and he was discovered ringing the church bdl. "Is not this bell ringing almost toe much for you, my friend?" asked the vicar, sympathetically noting the bent figure of the old man. "You must be a great age?" "Yessir, ye.ssir," mumbled the oh fellow, " Ow many years I've toilet the bell 1 can't tell ye, but it's begin ning to toll on ;ce. "Owsoever, I'v tolled the bell fcr five vicars." "Dear me!" ejaculated the clergy man, uncoinfort ably. "And," continued the sexton, "IT. he happy when I've made up the 'all dozen. I think I'll retire then." im ON THE PARTY WIRE LONELY FARMERS' WIVES BE GUILE THE HOURS WITH 'PHONE CHATS. How One Telephone was Gradually Moved from Hen House to Barn and Then to the kitchen Sewing Circle on the Wire Weather Re ports Useful. "I never realized what a henpecked race we American husbands were until I began to canvass for telephones in the rural districts," said an agent for a "farmers' telephone" company to the Aurora (111.) correspondent of the New York Telegram. "It's the farmer's wife every time who decides whether an instrument shall go in or not, and I have to make arguments according-. If she says 'no,' that set tles it. The farmer will have nothing more to do with me unless she changes her mind, which she frequently does when her neighbor, Mrs. Jones, a half mile down the road tells her what a 'solid comfort' her telephone has been. "To tell the truth, I depend greatly on the neighbors who have put in 'phones to plead for me. They can think of more advantages to be de rived in fifteen minutes than I could conjure in a fortnight. And sometimes a farmer's wife will advise her hus band to putjin a 'phone for no other reason than. that she doesn't want her dearest enemy to get ahead of her. But for the most part we have to meet the objection of extravagance when we approach the lady of the house, for these women have learned to count their pennies carefully, and they are horrified at the idea of put ting as much money into 'a thing -to talk through' as it would take to re shingie the barn. Once the telephone goes in, however, it is the wife who sees that, the bills are paid promptly, and would give up her precious egg money rather than be without one again. "I know of only one case where a farmer put in a telephone in spite of his wife. He argued and argued, but she was obdurate. Finally she said: 'He'll just have to put it in the hen house, fcr when wo married we agreed that he was to have charge of every thing outdoors and' I of everything Indoors. I ain't going to have a tele phone always ringing in my house. Henry says the telephone will help him in his business, an'i if that is so he can have it in the henhouse and attend to it nimself.' So the bell jangled merrily amid the crows .of the roosters "and the cackle of the hens fcr a month, when it was moved into the barn. From there it soon made a jump to the kitchen, where It was almost at the good wife's elbow. She said apologetically that its ring was 'so sort o' cheerful that she hated to have it wasted on the cows and horses in the barn." "The president of a sewing circle found a new use for her 'phone one stormy day. The weather was too severe to hold the regular business meeting, so she called the women up, for they were all subscribers, and the meeting was held over the 'phone, each member holding a receiver to her ear and concurring or dissenting, as suited her. "One of those pleasantly garrulous women confided to me that her hus band's taciturnity had always been a thorn in her flesh. 'Those long, silent evenings with him used to drive me nearly wild,' she said, 'but now I call up my daughter Maria, or the minis ter's wife, or my nephew Tim, and discuss all the news of the day. I save up all my telephone talk until after supper, so I can make the even ing pass pleasantly.' "The practical ways in which the farmers' wives use the 'phone and trolley are numberless. For instance, last summer I called on a thrifty housewife who was preparing to can some cherries. She telphoned to her daughter that she was having them pickled, and if her daughter wanted to do her canning- thai day she'd send along a mess of cherries by the next trolley. The daughter did, and put her syrup on to boil at onco. For a nickel the next trolley car brought the cherries, and the daughter had her canning all done before dinner, "In one town the wife, as usual, decided that a 'phono should go. in, but in the riuire year it was not used cnc Consequently, the man who went out to renew the contracts thought it hopeless to ask these peo ple to renew. But his proposition to take it out was met indignantly. 'Well, I guess you don't take it out,' said the farmer's wife. 'We wouldn't know bow to do without it." The con tract" was renewed, but the mystery remained unsolved until a few weeks later, when the stork paid a visit to the farmer's house. Then the fre quent wailing of an infant, heard by other subscribers talking on the line, explained thai tho people had got their fun out. of the telephone, not by talking themselves, but by hearing others talk. "Funny thing happened in a town where there was a long s'ring of tele phones. A woman at the lower end of the town telephoned her neighbor that I a mad dog was coining uptbe road to ward the neighbor's house, and to d clared he would kill the beast before It could get further. But he was so eager to hear the particulars that the dog got past before he was ready for it. Accordingly he telephoned to his next neighbor, where the same thing happened, until it had about every one on that entire line yelling 'mad dog' over the 'phone, and meanwhile the animal vanished utterly. "A minister's wife in a gossipy, humdrum village rather suffered from the rural telephone, I'm afraid. The minister was new and this was his first parish. His wife was a young, gay, fun-loving person, who liked to go to town as often as possible. Ac cordingly, she was put down as friv olous said 'leetle too lively' by the sis ters in the church, who set out to make life a little less joyous for her in the way some women have. They took turns calling up the house and asking for her, find invariably she was out. Sometimes they would call up as late as one o'clock, and express dis may when the minister explained rather falteringly that she had de cided to stop in town all night with some old school friends. It ended in the young couple going away, for they couldn't stand this telephone com ment, so to speak. "Sometimes there are rather warm fights over the 'phones when one sub scriber uses it a little too long. I know of one case where a woman In sisted on giving the crochet pattern of a tidy over the telephone, the wo man at the . other end requiring her son to hold the receiver to her ear while she crocheted according to di rections. The other subscribers were getting so hot, that the operator at the switchboard had to butt in and call the tidy off. Those two women were so mad that they threatened to have their instruments taken out, and suid it was for just such things as that they had consented to a 'phono in the first place. , Of course, number less recipes fly over the wire' in the country, but, far . from resenting it. the other subscribers run to the in struments when they get wind that a recipe is. in process of dictation, and they all calmly copy it. down. "Some smart Alecks who drove out from the city and tried, to bulldoze a shrewd farmer's wife have the tele phone to thank for tfcir failure. They wanted to buy some eggs, and they -assured her that eggs had dropped several cents that day in the city. The woman was puzzled to know why, for at that.' particular sea son of the year eggs WereLno drug oit the market. Thes mart Alecks claim-, ed they knew what.theywere talking about; for hadn't they just-come from the city? -The "woman just skipped Into the house and telephoned to a large produce store and came back with the information that not only had the eggs not fallen off, but they had gone up two cents. So the smarties had to pay a little extra for their trickery. "The custom of the telephone com panies of calling up the subscribers every morning and giving them the correct time is much appreciated by the farmers' wives, for country clocks generally keep . ragtime,,.., The weath er reports that are. given., to the sub scribers every day are much appreci a ted by the women, for often on these reports depends whether they'll make a trip into town or not , or whether the church picnic will be held or not. Labor in Barbados. The island of Barbados in the Brit ish West Indies, familiarly known as Little Britain, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world said by some to surpass even Belgium, in this respect. The constructors o the Panama canal are endeavoring! now to get laborers from the British West Indies and their efforts have been concentrated largely upon Ja maica and Barbados. These .raid: upon labor in Barbados are now de veloping a scarcity of labor evei there and this is referred to in a ref cent issue of the Barbados Globe ii which it adverts to the fact that th scarcity of men as cane cutters ha led to the employment of , women fo cutting cane This is regarded a rather an exceptional condition, an yet the editor says, the fact that wc men should be asked to labor lik'i men is not an innovation- of whici Barbados should feel hi the leas ashamed. ... He says, further, that ttv cost at which sugar should be mantij factured at the present day suggest! the employment of women laborer j as far as practicable and hopes thai the advent of - the central factories wiih labor-saving devices will econq mize human labor to so great an e:. tent as to lessen the demand fcr it.- 1 I Louisiana Planter. Wronr; Training. Dealer How dot's your wife lil the sewing machine you bought her? Young Husband She hasn't learmf how to operate it yet. She bad ; Hea it worked something like at typi writer. Chicago Tribune. I Work has been started on the .$3.0.)' COO plant of the American Smelihf Company, at Point Sua Bruno, Cal. J)

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