VOLUME XX.
A QUESTION
T a certain crooked city street, throuj'd
which I often ass.
There's n narnnv little window, set with
liny lflnea vt kIhks,
where It necii! tn m tlie moments must
In Rwcctncs ullp awtty.
For a Utile randy maker stands at work
llinre every dav.
lie wears a a: and apron which are pic-
tureHtpu'ly ! rench ;
There an aimwy llmir and ausar scattered
all about Ins Ix nrh ;
In fact, I ulni'.st fancy, neong thlnsa so
spick fend-KpHii.
That this Utile candy-maker la a little
waiuly man !
Rut how queer a candy man can be I never
rrally knew
Till I happem-d to passing when the mid
day whistle blew.
And thought to su-: and atare a bit could
hardly te a crliui.
Just ti see tin- t. (i ,,f randy he would eat
at luncheon time.
I A STRANGE CLEW
I Captain."
When I was quite a young man I
counted among my cloaa friends a pri
vate detectite. The two of us were
enjoying a quiet smoke and chat in
his cosy little office one day when the
door opened and his boy ushered in
a lady client. She was apparently
under twenty and was quite fashion
ably attired. Her form was tall and
slender and her face exceedingly at
tractive; but It Lore traces of some
sudden and overwhelming affliction,
lor her eyes were red with weeping.
"Mr. Banks, the detective, I pre
sume?" she queried, turning, after .
quick glance at me, toward my more
mature companion. (
"At your service, madam. Pray bo
seated."
"I am in sore trouble, sir," she said.
In tremulous tones, applying her hand
kerchief to her eye3. "Death has sud
denly robled me of a father, and the
prison, if nothing worse, threatens to
take a dear cousin from me."
"That Is very sad," my friend said,
sympathetically. "But compose your
self, my dear lady; we may yet avert
the latter half of your trouble."
"Oh, sir! Heaven grant that you
may, for my cousin, whom they sus-
peci oi me muraer or my poor iatner.
was to be my husband," she said, the
seriousness of the case quite overcom
ing her natural modesty. "But he la
UocejULi know it, I feel it, in spite
THE FRANKLIN PRESS
OF TASTE.
Then the sight was so surprising that my
vision seemed (o rail.
For frwu underneath his sugared bench he
And, as If he didn't tare at all for any sort
of sweet.
This funny candy-maker fell to eating bread
mil tnrnt !
Now don't you think that such a taste was
Hometning very stranger
Consider what a diet he coil Id easily ar
ranre :
On solid thine like taffy-balls, for Instance,
he could dine ;
For luncheon, i and led violets so delicate
and tine !
And on leaving In the evening, when the
honeyed day had fled,
Ife could take a box of creams to eat be
fore he went to bed !
I wonder, now, whHt vou and I would like
If we were French
.And moldod caudles all the day behind a
sugared bench?
Being' slightly acquainted with one of
the clerks, I stepped up to him for a
moment's conversation. When I re
turned to my friend's side ho waa
pocketing a sheet of paper which he
had been examining with his micro
scope. A quick glance at hU face
:thowod me that he had hit upon a
promising clue.
"I think we have seen sufficient,"
he said immediately, and in a few
minutes we were on our way back to
town.
"Found something, Banks?"
"A mere trifle," he responded, "but
mum's the word, my boy, even for
you. A little spice of mystery, yo.i
know, will sharpen your Interest."
It waa about 4 o'clock in the after
noon when we again entered the fac
tory office, Banks carrying a package
about fifteen Inches square.
' You will oblige me by gathering
all the employes of the factory to
gether in this office, Mr. Williams, '
said Banks, addressing the head clerk.
"Let the outer doors be locked, and
when the men are all In here see that
the office door is securely fastened
also. I wish to try a very -interesting
little experiment"
"I observe that you use a type
writer," he went on, after Mr. Will
lams had given orders to have the
men called. "Will you kindly remove
the ribbon or if you have an unused
nn.n. better still."
roeeeded
other pursuers realized what wu hap
pening John Trasker was struggling
to free his pinioned arms from ta
iron grasp of his muscular captor.
"Why, If it isn't Stanton!" cried
Mr. Williams In surprise as he and
the others came up.
Arriving at the factory, Trasker
broke down and made a most abject
confession. He had planned to remain
behlrd that evening to rifle the open
safe. Overhearing the quarrel between
uncle and nephew, he saw how it
miKht be used to his advantage. On
his way through the general office he
looked through Stanton's desk and se
cured his knife. Returning after the
deed, to complete the evidence against
Cie young fellow, he had left the
incriminating thumb mark. As for
Stanton, his story was very simple.
He had retnrnel to Cis premhi last
evening villi r. view of a. o!o. lalng
to his uncle, but, pride overcoming
his good lntcifloi, he lird gone away
wX: out entering. Shortly afterward,
meeting a friend who lived some
twenty miles from town, he had been
tempted with the prospect of a day's
shooting to accompany him home.
Thre o'clock that afternoon, and Just
after they had got back from the
woods, the first Information of whal
had occurred 'reached him, aud, bor
rowing his friend's mare, he started
for the factory, with what result has
already been made known.
Hanks received a check and abun
dant thanks from his charming young
client, and come fifteen months later
an invitation to the wedding. New
York News.
THE PROVIDENT LOAN.
A Society to Aid Deserving Poor by
Loans on Personal Property.
The Provident Loan society of New
York was incorporated In 1834, "for
the purpose of aiding such persons as
the society Bhail deem In need of pe
cuniary assistance by loans of money
at Interest, upon the pledge of per
sonal property." It was organized by
1 number of New York City's leading
citizens, Including James Spcyer, Beth
Low, Abram S. Hewitt, Otto T. Ban-
nard and Solomon I.oeb. It chargaB
1 percent Interest per month on loans
of less than J250, or at the rate of 10
ercent per annum on loans exceeding
that amount; and these rates are rec
ognized as somewhat phllanthroplcal,
considering the class of Eecurities of
fered, many of which, such as furs,
being likely to deteriorate In value un
less cared for at considerable expense.
It .Is true that the patrons of the
rr"vl lent Xoan have been mainly of
gjisayeraglng
FRANKLIN. N. G. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15,
THE JUNGLE'S TERROUS
WILD BEASTS AND SNAKES EX
ACT A HEAVY ANNUAL TRIB
UTE. The Total Loss of Life Ir) India
Through the Depredations of the Ti
ger and the Cobra Is Appaullng
Government Powerless Against Sup
erstition. It Is popularly believed by English
people whose friends have recently
gone to India that tire tiger and the
snake play an important and incon
venient part in the domostic economy
of the Anglo-Indians, and that the per
ils of life, already sufficiently numer
ous by reasons of climate and epidem
ics, are augmented by the aggressive
ness of wild beasts and the insidious
ambushes of reptiles. To allay these
apprehensions the unqualified assur
ance may be given that the majority
of Englishmen, and certainly most
English womon, never see a tiger dur
ing their slay in India, and may In all
probability never see a poisonous
snake. In the great cities and the
larger -civil and military stations,
where most of our countrymen pass
their lives, the houses are immune
from wild beasts and snakes, and even
In the more prlmitlvo and out-of-the-way
places, In which British officers
sometimes spend their lonely exist
ence, the house is secure from the
maneater, and the premises, thanks to
the mongoose and the vigilant fox ter
rier, are fairly free from snakes. If
ever there Is an encounter with a
tiger it usually arises from no fault
of the tiger.
But the life of Europeans In India
is one thing; the life of the Indians
is quite another matter. The aver
ago European, who observes a few ob
vious precautions and treats the In
dian sun with respect, will find the
conditions of life quite as healthy, If
not healthier, than those which are
found in Europe. His dress gives him
an immunity from snakes, and, as
some think, from plague, whioh the
bare-legged, bare footed Indiana do not
enjoy, and his place of residenoe and
habit of life do not expose him to dan
gers from wild beasts.
Unhappily, in spite of the rapid
Bpread of roads and railways and the
enormous Increase in cultivation, the
Indians in tin villages, and even In the
small towns of certain provinces,
every year offer a number of victims
to the tiger and the cobra and the
other wild beasts and snakes, which
they at once venerate and dread.
Scarcely a day passes without some
e tn tho Indian press of tbe depre-
1 1 P &3MBMXiJ&
worship and respect. Among tho mora
Ignorant sections of the people It is be
lieved that the cobra has supernatural
powers and can Influence their for
tunes. No Indian would kill a cobra If he
could help It, and It is said that, when
a cobra is killed perl-irce, It Is given
all the honors of a regular cremation
and assured with many protestations
that Its reluctant destroyers are guilt
less of its blood and that it was slain
of necessity. This unfortunate attl
tu3 of the millions of India toward
the snakes makes it almost hopeless
for government to diminish the Iobb of
human life. Many an effort has been
made to discover some antidote for
snake poison, but so far without suc
cess. One Is forced back on tho somewhat
helpless conclusion that the snake ter
ror will never be removed from the
people until real education has freed
them from their superstitious fears of
the serpent. It has been well said
that In India we htfve to deal with
"creeds that range between the ex
treme points of the basest animalism
on the one hand and the most exalted
metaphysics on the other, and with
standards of life that cover the whole
Bpace between barbarism and civiliza
tion," and no one who has listened to
the stories of tho Indian peasants
about king cobras and tiger Incarna
tions can gainsay the truth of the ut
terance. It is a melancholy present
ment of Indian life, this short annual
statement of men and cattle killed by
wild beasts and snakes; but the back
ground of terror and superstition is
darker still. London Times.
THE GREAT TITIAN
His
Was an All-Embracing Genius,
Courtly, Serene, Majestic.
At once a genius and a favorite of
fortune, Titian moved through his long
life of pomp and splendor serene and
self-contained. He was of old and
noble family, born at Pieve. in the
mountain district of Cadore. By the
time that he was eleven years old his
father, Orcgorld dl Conte Vecelli, rec
ognized that be was destined to be a
painter and- sent him to Venice,
where he became the pupil first of
Bellini, and then of the great artist
Oiorgione; from the first, Indeed, he
enjoyed every privilege that an artist
of his time could need. Tbe Doge
and Council of Venice recognized bs
ability, as did the Dukes of Ferrara
and Mantua. As the years went on,
kings, popes and emperors were his
friends and patrons. In his home at
Blri, a suburb of Venice, from which
in one direction the snow-clad Alps
are visible and In the other the soft
...u i'rr"""nln"""". he
1005.
THE PULPIT
A BRILLIANT SUNDAY SERMON BY
MAUD BALLINCTON BOOTH, OF
THE VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA.
Siibjccii Freedom Through Clirlit.
Brooklyn, X. .-The seating capac
ity at the Mnjestlc Theatre was taxed
to its utmost Sunday afternoon nt the
meeting under tbe nllsplccs of the Y.
M. C. A. nnd many were nimble to se
cure admission. At the close of .Mrs.
Booth's address there was n most Im
pressive sight. As she gnve the invita
tion for men to definitely accept Chrlsl,
men nil over the house stood with
bends bowed and after u moment of
prayer the audience was dismissed.
Mrs. Booth said in the course of ber
address:
I esteem It a (Trent privilege to have
the opportunity of bringing a message
from my heart to this great nudlenec
this afternoon, and 1 am so glnd Unit
1 come to you merely as a messenger;
thnt I have not to rise before this
audience to exploit some hobby of my
own; that I do not couio to you with
some theory, but thnt 1 renlize s i
Btand up and speak that my mcssnga
is not only my own, but that I come to
you as I went to my nudlence this
morning with a message from One who
cnu follow the message with the divine
touch. As 1 looked down upon nnd
out upon tills audience trying to gather
something from the faces of those
whom 1 was to address I saw arise be
fore me again my audience of this
morning, n very different one In one
sense and very similar in another. It
was an audience of men nil men and
nn nudlence perhaps nenrly us large as
the one which I address this afternoon,
but, ah, what a difference. It was an
audience behind prison walls. An au
dience of men who have lost their
chance, nn audience of men shut nnny
from the world nnd Its sunlight nnd
blessings and happiness and freedom
and joy, and who in the darkness of
prison walls have learned to the lull
the bitterness of a life of sin. nnd yet
as I rise to speak tq this audience this
afternoon my message will be very
much the siiine as my message to Hint
nudlence this morning, for I come not
here to speak to Christians this after
noon. My message Is a tnejsnge to the
captive, a message of liberty to those
who nre bound, and it does not take
the walls of Sing Sing; It does not tnkc
those narrow cells to make bondage,
but there are many who walk the
streets of Brooklyn In the sunshine to
day and who boast that they are free
citizens, who are shackled and bound
because they have not yet learned the
freedom that the dear Christ can
bring. -
As I spoke to my boys this morning
I quoted to them two lines that some
how or other came to my notice a
little while ago, and I told them that
there were Just two classes of prison
ers before me in that prison. Tbe
lines ore these:
men looked out over prison bars,
"it.the mud. the other saw the
we want to know nnd when we want
to see then the light will come to us;
a revelation will comic tiiul we shall
lenrn In truth the message or Christ,
but we must leave our position as a
critic mid we must come down nnd as
a penitent sinner nt the foot of the
cross iiinl (he light nnd glory of rev
elation will stand behind that divine
and beautiful figure of the loving, teu
dcr, compassionate Christ and we
shall see. Him, not n dead Saviour,
not even a great mid mighty judge
of the world in the future, but our
own tender, loving, personal friend.
What is the next thing Hint seems lo
me the greatest hindrance of men who
should swiftly run the race, to tho
men who should bravely climb the hills
of power, to il.e men who, wilh their
manhood ami strength, should battle
on tin? side of Christ' It is one word
and It Is Hint word Hint has done more
to fill our Stale prisons than anything
else. It Is weakness. We nre not nc
customed when we speak of the human
race to think of men as weak. Woman
Is always spoken of as the weaker ves
sel, but I spent; not of coiuparlsou be
tween men mid women, but between
men and men. it Is weakness that
has led men to go with the tide, in
Rlenil of llglning against It. It is
weakn.ss that has iniule them yield in
the presence nf evil companionship
nnd do that which their manhood and
conscience rose against. It Is weakness
that has made tliein se.l tl elr sauls
to drink. It is weakness '.lint has
made them, Mislead of being the pro
tectors of the weak, trample even
women under their feet. It Is weak
ness Hint lias made them hide their
colors when the name of Cod is taken
lu vain or when ribald jokes nre made,
when they should rise nnd proelnim
their Indignation against It, nnd, if
you should ask me what keeps these
men between prison walls, I should not
answer the desire for my of these
things, but weakness. And no man
ran have strength unless the spirit of
(.'ml Is within him. It is weakness
Hint drn','s him down and strength
Hint enables him to mount above, mid
strength can oi'!,v couio from the touch
of tbe bund divine.
Ferh.ips you sny to me: "Do yon be
lieve that all nu n are weak?" Indeed,
I do not. I have known men, strong
men, but I have known no man strong
enough to be strong without the di
vine Christ. I have known strong men
who have said thnt they were strong
enough to ll?ht the evils of this world
nnd It bus termed that the grosser
evils have pnss-'il them by because of
the strength nud nobility of their char
acter, but (hey needed something more
thnn that. If they would be a bless
ing to the world, that needed more thnn
their great, manly strength they need
ed the strength divine. And even Into
these very strong men's lives have
come some one temptation stronger
than themselves, nnd 1 hnve known
what It wns to see the strong man de
feated. And yet I hnve known what It
wns to see poor weak men, men whom
I hnve seen wrestle In anguish over
the past, men who have (aid to me:
"I cannot live right. Look what the
past bus been -n series of attempts
to do right ami nil hnve failed. I am
too weak." And 1 linife seen them
NUMBER 11
WITH A STOCK COMPANYg
ft was a prontl and happy day
When HiiHsell I'rane SaWlnl tiray
Joined n Muck
(T a 'ho- Tnllc, r real stock tfoupe ;
V. I" ' as laVea In the group
Willi t In- Htoi-k.
Tlir started west without delay.
And ItiiHsoll I'rane Stilvinl lirny
Wore a frock -A
lovi-ly ri al with fonsrlnna air,
KelnlrliiK Ki-catlv to bo there
With 11,,' stuck.
They bnstf-d cut near Santa P.
And ttTi4Mi-l 1 I'rnm' Salvinl dray.
Who couldn't Ituek
Ilia cl'ith'-H at iiiiyihlm; like par,
Cam? Iiiirm' lnnlde a tattle ear
Willi Hie Mock.
l.'tuiitrillr Cnnrirr-Jnurnal,
JUST FOR FUN
He Has he a college education? 8b --J
Oh, yes; he plays football, golf and
he's a crackajack at tennis. Yonkers
Statesman. " .
Gerald. Mamma, can you change 15
cents for me? Mother How do you
wish it changed, dear? Gerald. Into
quarter. Puck.
Lady Oh, that big dog isn't the one
I advertised for. My dog was a little
fox-terrier. Boy Yes'm. Your dog's in
side o' dls one! Puck.
Suitor I came to ask your daughter'
hand, rather Can you support her J
auto In the manner to which It lutf
been accustomed? New York Sun.
Mayme What a gossip Mrs. Gadby
.s! Edith Yes, Indeed. I never tall
her anything without finding out that
she hA already told it herself. Phil
adelphia Bulletin. 1
'Giles So you've got a place in that
banking house? I suppose it was be
cause you knew the president? Harris
tnew the president? Harris ' i
t.Bnt""XU2' because he did'
me. nfiijlr Transcrtptr-
ranger Excuse, me, sir, but '".':
Partly that,
not know me.
Seedy Stranger-
can you change a dollar for me? Hu
manitarian Why, yes. . Seedy Strang
erThanks. And now will you kindly
tell me where I can get the dollar?-?
Cleveland Plain Dealer. ,(
"That Mrs. Snaggs Is too much of
aristocrat fur me to mingle, wld.".
"How's that?" "She waa knocked down
by a pushcart and she had It put into
de paper dat she was hit by an auter
mobllo." Detroit Free Press. ' '
Rimer "Do you really prefer to
have long poems sent in to you rather
than short ones?" Editor "Yes. When
they're long, you see, I don't luu'C to,
think up any other excuse for reject
ing them." Philadelphia Press. ; ' ,
Mamma "Fighting again, Wllllel
Didn't I tell you to stop and' count
one hundred whenever you were an-
In this audience to-
In their helplessness
ei a? 1 Willie- But It dtnn't do any
ist two classes of
upon the strength o
There nre
They have coine,
upon life.
strength, the;
iwenk