ON THE BY JOHN CLAIQ JIINOT. - Afar, The glint of a sail where sky meets pea; The circling gulls where the pollock are; And the oceau's dread inmicndity.. Below, The gleaming rocks where the wet moss lies; The kelp that is streaming t anl fro, As the eddying tide be-ins to rise. Around, The grateful shade of n Vnely pine. Which, the salt wind stirs with n noofbinj sound; The pence of a day that is wholly nuiie. Above, The blue, blue depths of a summer sky; The tinted clouds that slowly ngve . To realms where the dreamer's riches lie. From Youth's Companion. The Wan Who Thought Himself Immonsoly Wealthy Prc-ved to Bs ths Real Thinj. (W. R. ROSE, In Cleveland Plain Dealer.) ft ? 'i Tv "f - t' K The letter was Inclosed in a stub born envelope. "Walt, Ezra," said the gentle voice of the farmer's wife. "I'll fetch a knittin needle. You might tear somethin inside." ... . "Some kind of advertisin', most likely," the farmer answered, "dure for dyspepsia, niebby, or rubber tires." He took the long needle his wife handed him and carefully slit the envelope. "It's a letter," he said, and turned the missive over and stared at it wonderingly. "Where's ny glasses, mother?" "I hope it ain't bad news," his wife 'anxiously remarked, as she brought the spectacle- from the mantel. Ke carefully drew the steel rim over his nose and .-stared again at the letter. "It's from New York," he said. He suddenly looked nt the bottom-of the sheet. "Well, what do you think of this, mother it's from Henry Ham lin!" "Well, well," said the farmer's wife. "Dr. Henry Hamlin an' what docs he say?" The farmer held the sheet squarely before him. "Deav Uncle Ezra and Aunt Lucy, how are you both? Almost aswell and comfortable as you deserve to be, I hope. Don't ycu imagine for a fraction cf a minute that I have for gotten you and all your kindness to a hungry little orphan. I'm trying to fix things so that Annette and I can spend a week with you later in the bummer. in me meantime, l am sending you somebody else a patient of mine who needs rest and quiet an elderly man in whose case I ha-?e become interested, and whom I am trying hard to help. The choicest location in all Dutchess Counts', with its hills and lake and stream and orchard, and the best housekeeping in all New York State, should help him. He i3 just a tired man with a peculiar hallucination be thinks he Is immensely wealthy. Don't mind what he says about money I don't want him to talk on the subject. He Is a little peculiar in several ways, but not at all disagreeable. I'm sure you'll be kind to him for my un worthy sake. His name is Judson Ford, and you'll have no trouble in recognizing him at the station. He is tall and thin and gray, and doesn't look amiable but his looks will change after he has been at Cheery cottage for a week. I know you will be good to him for my sake. Good by, dear friends. From your ever grateful Henry." The farmer laid down the letter and lifted his spectacles from his nose. "Well, I declare," he mildly said. "If that ain't just like Henry!" His wife locked down at the latter. "Doesn't he say when the man is coming?" "Eh! Why, yes. Here's a P. S.: 'I am going to start Mr. Ford up your way on the 9.45 way train Tuesday morning. He should be at your sta tion at noon.'' " His wife drew back quickly. "That's noon to-day, Ezra," she warningly said, "an it's most 11 o'clock! You haven't no more than time to get to the station. I'll tidy up the front room and see what there is for dinner." And she hurried away. The farmer turned over the en velope. "That Snellir,- boy should have left this here yestiudy afternoon," he murmured. "I'll have to speak to his father." He put the letter on the clock shelf and hurried to the barn. A little later he started for the railway that wound among the distant hills. Only one passenger left the way train at the little station. He was a tall, slender man of sixty, a man garbed in rather rusty black and wearing black gloves, a man with keen gray eyes and a prominent nose that curved like an eagle's beak. The farmer looked at the stranger and the stranger at once came toward aim. "Are you Uncle Ezra?" he demand ed. His voice was sharp and he had a peremptory way of speaking. "My name is Ezra Gaylord," the farmer replied. "Mine is Ford, Judson Ford," the etranger briskly explained. "How are you?" He shook hands in a hur ried way. "You are here to meet roe? Yeb? Where is your car?" "Car?" CLIFF. i & r 5 S oi 4i " "Eeg your pardon. I'm accustomed to cars. Perhaps we walk?" "No," replied the farmer, "we ride. My horse an' road wagon are behind th' station here. I can't promise you to break th' records, but I guess we'll manage to git there without any tink ering." ' The thin man drew down his bushy gray eyebrows and gave the farmer a quick sideways look. "Dr. Hamlin called you Uncle Ezra, I think," he said. "Do you mind if I call you Uncle Ezra?" "Not at. all," replied the farmer as he untied the hitching strap. "That's what ever'body generally calls me." "Good. I'd like to call you what everybody calls you even if you don't seem to be more than half a dozen years older than I am. And there is Aunt Lucy, if I remember right?" "Will she mind if I take the same sort of liberty?" "No," the farmer assured him. "Step in." The stra-nger took the seat and stared hard at the horse as they moved away. "It Js the f-rst time I have benefited by actual horse power in a number i ? years," he explained. The farmer softly chuckled. . "There's quite a number o4: hprs3S still left in this neighborhood," he solemnly assured him. "Most of 'em domesticated." Again the busby eyebrows came down. "This seems to be a rather choice specimen," said the stranger. "What would he be considered worth?" The farmer shook his head. " "Billy belongs to my wife," he said. "He's a pet. You ain't got money enough to buy him." The stranger cackled. "I suppose," he said, and his voice suddenly grew grave, "ycu wouldn't, consider an offer of ,810,000?" Uncle Ezra suddenly recalled what Dr. Hamlin had said about the stranger's chief peculiarity. "Fine view, don't you think?" he said, and neatly shifted the subject. "By George!" the stranger cried. His keen gray eyes took in the green valley an! the blue hills and the sunny sky. "Well, well! It's better than Dr. Hamlin described it." He drew a long breath. "I'm so used to stone pavements and granite walls that I've almost forgotten how nature looks. That's a delightful view. I wonder if it could be put on canvas? I'd gladiy give $20,000 for a picture that was anything like that." ' Uncle Ezra suddenly urged his horse. IIe felt that he mustn't permit this apparently sane visitor to slip from his mental foundation. "Gtt along, Billy," he said. ' The stranger gave him another swift took. "Dri Hamlin tcld me about this place," he said. "Ke claims there is nothing like it anywhere. He calls it home. He thinks a great deal of you and Aunt Lucy. He told me all about it. Says you opened your door and your heart to. him. Made him your son, in fact, when there was no one else to reach out a helping hand." "We lost our own son when he was just a little child like Henry was when he came to us," said Uncle Ezra softly. The strangsr drew off his black gloves and stuffed them in his coat pocket. "If yon loosen up one hr.nd from your steering arrangements for just a moment, Uncle Ezra," he said, "I'd like to shake hands with you." And the two men gravely per formed the ceremony, "I s'pose Henry is doin pretty well?" the farmer asked. "Henry is doing very well," replied the stranger. "And he'll do much better when he gets over his modesty and charges what he should for his services. You can be proud of the ou ever o c!oiTt5 yoir tevel feejt lieorinS before judging trjinKtn before 5pealinJ for pop o por tandincS by yoltr principle, "por feeing eneroUj "por promptness in o oMfeMMOeco doctor. There Isn't another man liv ing that could have pulled me away from my desk and sent me down here. He's right, of course. I may look as hard as nails but nails get rusty in time. They called me the iron man and I've paid pretty dea- for the title. Nerves shaky, can't sleep, can't eat, out of sorts, bad temper. Can you tolerate me?" Uncle Ezra looked round at" the stranger, "We don't have any choice in th' matter," he smilingly said. "Henry wrote to us that he was sendin' you an that was enough. . Did you break your health down bookkeep' I hear it's-pretty wearin' an' confinin." The stranger gave Uncle Ezra a (jaeer look. "Some bookkeeping," he replied. "General office work.. Hullo, look at that! Fine, fine!" He had caught sight of the little lake and its fringe of pine trees. Uncle Ezra pointed ahead to the low white farmhouse. . "That 's where we get o"," he said. "You can have all you want of the lake. I've got eighty acres abutting on it." The stranger shook his head In an intensely gratified manner. "Dr. Hamlin is right," he said. "You've got an ideal spot here. This air is bracing me up already. Well, well! It's a wonder somebody hasn't bought you out. I'll tell you what I'll do if you want to sell." "But I don't want to sell," said Uncle Ezra hastily. "Of course, you don't," replied the stranger. "But if you did I'd be will ing to let you name a fair market prica and then give you double what you ask." The farmer shook his headv Here was the stranger's peculiarify bob bing up again. He must turn his at tention. "My grandfather built th original house," he said. "He made that weathercock there on. the barn. It dates back to Revolutionary times." The stranger stared at the object the farmer pointed out. "Very quaint," he said. "Would you be willing to part with it for $2C0?" "Goodness gracious, no!" cried Uncle Ezra. "No offense," said the stranger. "I haven't the money with me I never carry money it's a bad habit. The man who i3 understood t carry money may easily get into trouble. I know men who carry large sums. I's cither carelessness or affectation." "IJ: isn'tany affectation with me," said the farmer, with a dry chuckle. The stranger looked at him again in his queer way. "Uncle Ezra," he said, "I'd give a steam yacht and a dozen pouring cars to be the placid philosopher you are." "That's a pretty stiff price," said Uncle Ezra. "I'll throw li a bank and a silver mine," said the stranger, and " he actually smiled. "Here we are, and here is Aunt Lucy," said the farmer hastily. He thought it high time to draw the stranger away from his delusion. "Lucy, this is Mr. Ford Henry's friend." ' The stranger warmly shook hands. "I fancy I couldn't have a better recommendation," he said. "I'll take ycu right to your room," said Aunt Lucy. "It's Henry's room when he's here. Mebby you'll find it a little too sunny. And our iinner will be ready at just 1 o'clock. Where's your baggage?" The stranger laughed inwardly. "It's like this," he said. "I wasn't sure I'd be contented here. I'm fussy, you know. That's why I didn't bring any bag. But if Dr. Hamlin dotsn't hear from me by to-morrow morning he will send along a small trunk I haven't many clothes, you see." Uncle Ezra nodded. "An will Henry send it?" "He will send it," replied the stranger, as he followed Aunt Lucy up the broad stairs. At 1 o'clock he had not reappeared. At 1.30 Uncle Ezra went up to recon noiter. He came down smiling. "Our summer boarder is asleep," he softly said. "He's stretched out on .the couch there ia front of the big window with the sun shinin' across him. Somehow he looks dread ful poor an mis'ble." "I'm glad Henry is tryin to be good to him," said Aunt Lucy. "He thinks mighty well of Henry," said Uncle Ezra. "Guess he'd better," said Aunt Lucy. At 2.30 the stranger came down and found Uncle Ezra in the airy sit ting room. " "You let me sleep, didn't you?" he said in his quick way. "I can't re member when such a thing as sleep ing in the daj'time has happened to me before. And I've known the time when I've have given $10,000 for such a sleep as that." "How does the room suit you?" Uncle Ezra hastily inquired. "It couldn't suit me better," the stranger replied. "I could hardly pull myself away from the glorious view o o io an enemf Keeping yoUr promises 2 mom team isni.CMoa from that window. , And now I don't want to go any further before w come to an understanding about tho price I'm to pay." There was a little silence. Aunt Lucy had appeared from the dining room. "We'd rather wait an' talk it over with Henry," she gently said. "Madam," the stranger replied, "I y.-ould much prefer to have the ar rangement made now." Aunt Lucy looked at Uncle Ezra. Then she looked back at the stranger. "Shall we say ?4 a week?" she mildly asked. , The stranger stared at her. Then he stared at Uncle Ezra. "Good lord!" he murmured. "On second thought," he quickly added. "I think it would be better to leave the whole matter to Dr. Hamlin." Aunt Lucy looked relieved. "Now. that that's all. settled," she said, "you will please come into th dinin room and have some dinner. We didn't wait foriyou. We thought it better to let ypu sleep. You must be real hungry." "Hungry!" repeated the boarder. "Why, Aunt Lucy, I haven't eaten an actual meal for years." "Mebby ycu can eat one to-day," she answrered with a little quiver of pity in her voice. But he shook his head gloomily when he saw the appetizing dishes she set before him. "Aunt Lucy," he said, "I'd give well, I'd give a fortune to be able to do justice to this spread. I should have told you before and saved you all this kind trouble. It's a shame. A small bowl of milk and a piece of old bread is all I dare eat." But he was gaining In cheerfulness, despite his meager meal. "And now, dear friends," he said, "I want you to humor me a little further. You are to keep the news papers away from me and all tele grams and messengers. ;I hope I'm hidden here, but I can't be sure. And let me wander around, just as I please." They promised him, of course, and pitied him and did their best to cheer him. "You can't help feelin' sorry for nim," said Uncle Ezra to Aunt Lucy that night after the boarder had re tired. "It's really wonderful how he keeps up th delusion about money." "And I ain't any doubt," said Aunt Lucy, "that Henry Is takia care of him all th' time." They liked their boarder more and more. He made no trouble and his cheerfulness steadily increased. And he slept better and better and his ap petite improved little by little. And Uncle Ezra was glad to notice that as his phj'sical condition was bettered he made fewer references to money matters. , "His mind is gettin' th' dollar cob web out cf it," said Unclfc Ezra to Aunt Lucy. "Did you see him eat my apple pud ding?" said Aunt Lucy. He had been there just a month when that rising medical man, Dr. Henry Hamlin, came down to see the patient from whoia he had received such good reports. Hs found him paddling about the lake in Uncle Ezra's rowboat. A half Lour later the doctor came back to the house again. "It's almost a miracle," he said. "He doesn't seem like the same man. I'll have to take him back with me. He's needed In the city, but he wants to come again, and he asks to be al lowed to reserve the same sleeping room. And, by the way, we have settled on the price he is to pay you." "Now, Henry," said Aunt Lucy, "if it's comia' cut of ycur pocket, we won't take a penny of it." Henry Hamlin suddenly laughed. "You dear old auntie," he cried and fondly kissed her; "my pocket is quite safe." He drew forth a slip of paper and handed it to Uncle Ezra. "Is that satisfactory?" he asked. Uncle Ezra gasped. "A check for a thousand! " ho faint ly cried. Dr. Hamlin quickly held up ti3 hand. "That's all right," he said. "Don't you hesitate a moment over taking it. He gives it gladly and adds a lot of gratitude and wants to come here again." "But we thought " began Uncle Ezra. "T know what you thought," said Dr. Hamlin quickly. "It was what I intended you to think. Jly motive was all right and you were mis taken, as I expected you to be. This man Ford is a Midas everything he touches turns to gold. In short, dear friends, your summer boarder, this tired and dingy dyspeptic, is really cne of the greatest of the great money kings." Natural Gas in Europe. The first important discovery of natural gas m Europe is reported from Kis-Sarmas, in the district of Klausenburg, in Hungary. Its pres ence first became known two years ago, when shepherd.boys used to light the vapors arising from the marshes. Upon a geologist's report the Ministry 'of Finance directed borings to be made, when large quantities of gas were discovered at a depth of sixty feet. The borings were continued to a depth of 600 feet, when the gas was found in such volume that big stones were thrown into the air by it. At the present time the gas is flowing out of a pipe twenty feet above the ground with a noise that can be heard six miles away. Experts estimate the flow at seventy cubic feet a seconds Dundee Advertiser. , Diamonds are almost perfectly transparent to X-rays. CHILDREN'S. LA hopes. When I was small, 1 hoped for toys And dolls and sweets galore. And then when I was six I wanted Books of fairy lore. At seven, I wanted roller skates; At eight, I yearned for wealth; But now. that I'm eleven, All I really want is health. , -A St. Nicholas League Member, in S Nicholas. CAUSE OF DEATH. A little chap of five years, who; grandfather had recently died, w asked by an old friend of the fami. what caused the death. For a m ment the boy looked puzzled, the .. brightening, he said: "I don't 'zact! . remember, but I think it was nothir j serious." Philadelphia Record. , THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS. On the first Sunday of their vu In Chicago the successful mercha escorted his parents to a fashionable church. Some of the hymns were familiar, and in their rendition the visiting pair contributed heavily, with the credit for volume in favor of the father. Although not always in correct time, and sometimes- in discord, yet the joy of the good couple leaped forth in joyous praise, and they did not see the glowering looks ofnear by worshipers or the flushed face of their devoted son. "Father," observed the merchant that afternoon, while his mother was taking her accustomed nap, "in our churches the congregation does very little singing; it is left entirely to the choir." "1 know, my boy," said the old gen tleman, as he lovingly placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "that it was very embarrassing to you this morn ing, but If I hadn't sung as loudly as I did the people would have heard your mother." Youth's Companion. THE RAINDROPS' CALL. There , was a great whispering among the trees as Billie Eubble awoke from a deep sleep. He had been very tifed. The day before he had helped a little girl get her dolly out of .the water, and it had been hard work. The sky was very dark and cloudy and every now and then would come flashes of light and low mctterings of thunder. "I wish I knew what th3 leaves were whispering about," thought lit tle Billie. "They seem excited, and yet they seem happy." "Hello! Billie Bubble!" said a soft, sweet voice. Billie turned around, and there, swimming easily and smoothly be side him in the gray water, was a beautiful red leaf. "So you were wondering what ail the excitement is about, were you?" "Oh, yes," said Billie. "Can you tell me?". "Yes," said the Leaf. "There Is to be a raindrops' ball in just a few mia- utaes. Almost every leaf sends one drop at least to ths ball." AN AGGRAVATING CLOCK. I thought I would try to write a letter, but not having any pets I was at a loss to know what to write about, and on looking around I thought per haps our old cuckoo clock would do for a subject. This clock is quite an old one, and in times past i: has done admirable servica as a timepiece, but now it does net seem to be particular about what time it strikes, and al though sometimes it gives the right time, more times it is incorrect. It seems to have a faculty of striking when perfect quietness is more desira ble in tho house. This is particularly so when any cne is using the tele phone and often when one is trying under difficulties to get a message over the wire, this clock is "Johnnie on the spct," with usually twelve ringing strikes, mixed with "cuckoo." Although the clock aggravates us at times, we seem to have become at tached to it, and it is a sort of a jcke in our house. If anything should happen to It we would miss it very much, indeed. It is aA ornament in our hall, and is certainly a "cuckoo" of a clock. Claire Courtenay, in the New York Tribune. QUEER PLACES. Doubtless the most unique snot in all Europe is the litle village of Al tenberg, on whose borders four coun tries meet. It is ruled by no mon arch, and has no soldiers, no police and no taxes. Its inhabitants speak a curious jargon of French and Ger man combined, and spend their days in farming the land or working in the valuable calamine mine of which it boasts. The little town of Stanley, In the Falkland Islands, possesses the most unique school services ever" known. Two traveling schoolmasters, pro vided bv the government, visit the different families where there are children, and give instruction. The length of their visit depends on the astuteness of the children, and they may spend days or weeks, as the case may be, at one house alone. There is a place in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, well known to mariners, where there is never any Christmas Day. This ia owins to its DEPARTMENT; stJssawW Jin M being ia the IS Oth degree of longi tude and directly opposite Greenwich, and therefore twelve hours ahead of Greenwich time. In a journey around the globe the other twelve hours would have to be marked out of the navigator's calendar; and, if this point crossing the Antipodes be touched on Christmas Eve, there can he no Christmas Day. Popular Mag azine. A SERMON BY A CAT. One day, upon returning to my room, after a brief absence, a curious state of things was to be seen. Cards and papers were tossed about. Papers, writing desk and tablecloth were sprinkled with ink. The nearby window shades and white curtains were bespattered with Ink. It was clear that someone had improved the opportunity to have some fun, which did not .seem to me to be funny at all. Of course, I thought of the children in the household. But it did not seem to be like them. They had not been brought up in that sort of way. And it was not their habit to come to my room alone. Just as I gave it up a white paper was seen on the other side of my desk and on it some telltale marks. I un derstood. The mystery was solved. Two distinct footprints left upon the paper let the secret out. The pet cat, which had the run of the house, and whose bump of curiosity was overdeveloped, had climbed upon my table, and being anxious to find out the contents of my ink bottle, had put its foot into it ia more senses than one. To get rid of the ink, in shaking its feet it spat tered things far and near, stepping twice on a sheet of paper before leav ing the table. Of course, it could not take all the ink with it. It was just a little sermon on the text of Moses, when he talked to the peo ple of Reuben and Gad. Can you find the text in the book of Numbers, 32:23? Look for the text of the cafa sermon. Sunday-School Advocate. HARRY'S NEW NAME. Harry Wood had been called "Rea dy" ever since he could remember. And, oh! how he hated the name! His hair was red there was no doubt about that not a "chestnut" or an "auburn," but a real, fiery, sure enough red. But the things that made Harry's life hard was not, after all, his red hair, though he thought it was. It was his quick temper. The boys persisted in calling him "Reddy" because they thought it funny to see him fly into a rage at the word. It was cruel fun, but beys sometimes like to be cruel. Harry's mother grieved a great deal over her boy's quick temper, and did her best to think of some way to cor rect the fault. "I can't help it, mamma," he would insist. "It's that dreadful name. I don't often get mad at any thing else, but I don't believe any body could stand being called 'Red dy.'" "But why should you care so much?" asked his mother. "You cannot help the color of your hair." "I know," agreed Harry. "But T don't like to be tcld cf it everywhere I go. I tell you, mother, it's the name that tloes it that dreadful name that I hate so. If I could get a new name I believe I could get a bet ter temper." "It works the otter way, though," his mother told him. And opening the little pecket Testament which she kept on the stand beside her sewing sLe read these words aloud: "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple cf My God, and he shall go no more out; and f will write upon hira the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, which is New Jerusalem, which Com eth down out of heaven from My God, and I will write upon him My new name." "Ycu see, Harry," went on Mrs. Wood, "the new name is for thosa who overcome. Suppose you try for just one month to keep down your temper when you are called 'Reddy.' I think you will be surprised to see what a long way it will go toward do ing away with the nickname you dis like so much." Harry promised to try, and ha looked as if he really meant It. About a month later he came to hla mother with an important announce ment. "The boys have got a new name for me." he said. "They don't call me 'Reddy any more. It's a splendid name." "What is it?" asked his mother, with some anxiety. "It's 'old boy,' " said Harry, with a pleased face. "Why," said Mrs. Wood, rather doubtfully, "old boy doesn't seem to me like such a very nice name." "Oh, but it is! The boys mean It for a nice name that's what makea the difference. And if you'd been called 'Reddy' all your life, I guess you'd think 'old boy was real splen did." "At any rate, it is the reward of your overcoming," his mother said. Jessie Brown Poundsin the King' Builders.

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