The Merthyr Express

POET'S CORNER. IN THE GARDEN OF GOD. As the lily of the valley White and pure and sweet; As the lowly violet trodden Under wandering ieet; As the rose amidst the briars Fresh and fair is found, Heedless of the tangled thicket, And the thorns around; As the sunflower ever turning To the mighty sun, With the faithfulness of fealty Following only one— So make me, Lord, to thee. —FA-TTLEB. TO BE OR NOT TO BE. The maid of March, a gleesome thing, My heart has captured, sighed young Spring; Then April's lady, fitfully, With tears and smiles enamoured me. And May, fond May, would then replace With all her charming, winsome grace. r really, really, cannot say, Which one of them will win the day. I fain would follow where March led, But 0, so fast she sometimes sped. And' laughed at me with boisterous shout. When I but asked what she's about. I think I'll win to my retreat. And sue for April, tender, sweet. And bind her brows so gladsomeW. With wreaths of cool anemone. But if she prove one whii less kind, I then straightway shall change my mind, And wait for May, and so fulfil ( With apple blooms, the young year s will

HER VENGEANCE By E. R. PUNSHON. Author of "Tl" 'iiolce." "The Spin of the C" i etc., etc. CHAPTER XXIX.-MR. TOM WATERS HIRES A BRITISH LORD. On the morning of the day the evening of which saw such things happening, Mr Tom Waters left PetersviUe i,n a borrowed rig for a small farm in the neighbourhood of which he was part owner. The farm was run by an old man named Hagen, whom Waters had onco found on t I „• verge of starvation, and for whom, be Leing then in funds, he had pur- chased this tarm and had installed him on it to work it on a profit sharing agreement It had not done very well, and had lately been mort- gaged, but having no other refuge at the mo- ment Mr. Walters was now upon his way thither for a brief period of rest and to assist in the harvest operations.. Mo$t of the money the crop would bnng the mortgage company would take, but Waters cal- culated that with good luck there ought to be Enough coming to him for his share to pay his fare to New York. "There might even be enough to leave me with five or ten dollars over when I strike New York City," he mused, "and then I should be able to begin operating on Wall-street right away. If not, I shall have to take a turn at shovelling snow first, while it the crop turns out W I shall just have to beat my way east." He drove on quickly enough, shaking his head to one or two invitation-, to join in the lyneli ing party, addressed to him by people he ^^ain't a thing I take any stock in," he explained, "and I don't take any in your Edi- tor Keene, either." So drove quietly on his way, but tor all that he wore his usual grave and serious air, he was much lees composed than usual. Not that he was thinking of the lyncbin-a matter that hardly crossed his mind ain-but he kept. looking back over his shoulder till finally he lost evea the tall elevators that were visible long after the other buildings of PetersviUe had sunk out of sight. He drew up and sat for a time thinking, and at last a soft sigh escaoed his lips. „ "That was a real plum dandy, that girl, he mused. "I never met one like her, and the way she hove that coffee-oi at me was simply treat! A fUi in te* thousand, tint, x He sighed again, and once more codtinu«$his course till he came to a spot where the trail he was following split in two. one portion lead- ing to the bush and the other to his own far*11- Indecieion was not one of Mr. Walters faults, and that very morning, having made up his mind on a certain point, he had taken imme- diate action. Now, for the first time in his life almost, he was undecided, wavering, and in dined to regret that he had acted eo quickly. "For there was no real need to clear out so Boon," he mused. "I might easy have stayed around awhile, and maybe had another chat with her. The plain truth is I was scared- geared. sir, I was—scared as bad as could be." He had not meant to dine till he reached the farm, but now he alighted from hii, buggv. and unhitched his horse and let it graze Them was a bluff near, and from it he collated some dry wood" and made a fire. In his buggy he had the outfit with which he had been prospecting, and soon he had some pork and beans frizzling in his frying-pan. and sending out a. pleasant odour over the wide prairie—an odour so pleas- ant it seemed one man at least-could not resist it, for Water* heard a faint sniff, and looking round in surprise saw a face peeping at him from behind the trunk of one of the poplars. "Hello!" said Waters. The stranger sniffed again. "Oh. I beg your pardon!" he said. "'Don't mention it," said WAters. The stranger came further out into the open and sniffed once more. He was very dirty, very untidy, his clothes were much torn and disarraved, and one eye was discoloured as if he had received a recent blow on it. "Oh. I'm really so awfully sorry, he said. "I'm sure I apologise for intruding like thi!. -You must think me a frightful bounder, and -really I have no excuse to offer" "I don't know what in blazes you are talking about," said Waters, "but if you mean you want gome grub, come right along and chip in." g "Really, pon honour, that's so awfully good of you" said the stranger, advancing with alacrity'; for if Waters' language was as tfrange to him as his to Waters, there was no misunderstanding the accompanying ges- Mr. Waters gave the contents of his frying- ■smp- a shake and surveyed his guest without much enthusiasm. The boundless hospitality of the prairie would not have permitted him to refuse to share his meal with any hurnan being; even a negro would have been entitled to the' fragments that remained. None the less, Mr. Waters was not very favourably impressed by his new guest, not because he was shabby and dirty, but because he had a subtle air of ibeing exceedingly familiar with work. Mr/ Waters knew the type and recognised it; he was only in error in details. But his somewhat unfavourable impression was con- firmed when he saw the other's hands, how small and white and soft they were. "83y," he remarked with great frankness, *1you are a weary WiUv, aren't you. But the stranger did not understand this re- condite suggestion that he was a tramp by profession, and he shook his head. "No." he said; "my name is Lord Ambrose That's so," said Waters. "Well, if you arc Boust?ad. I am about busted, so we are quits 'here My name is Tom Waters of Seven Wells Farm, down the trail—so called because we sunk seven wells before we struck water and then it was alkali—and of Wall-street, New York City, when I can get there. Say, what made them give you a name like 'Lord'? I suppose, your pa and ma used to call you "It is not my name." explained Lord Am- brose; "it is my title." "Your how much?" Waters asked. "Say that last part again, will you?" "It is my title." repeated Lord Ambrose. "I am the son of the Marquis of Castle ham, an &Ii;<h peer." "Gosh. you don't say." said Waters, banding his lordship his share of the pork and beans; "and what have you been doing to land out here instead of lounging on the gilded benches of the House of Loros? But perhaps you would rather not say?" "Not at ail," returned his lordshin. "I came here on business to see Mr. SidHle—Mr. NORII Siddle, who resides near here." "Ah. he is busy receiving a deputation this morning." said Waters. "Say, though, there was another Britisher at PetersviUe seemed in- terested in Mr Siddle, a party of the name of I Kton. "Yes. I know him," returned Lord Ambrose gloomily. f "Do you know his daughter" asked Waters feagerly "Certainly," returned Lord Ambrose. j. "A charming lady." said Waters. "Delightful," said Lord Ambrose enthusias- tically. 1 "Sir." said Waters, shaking him warmly by /the harvl. "any friend of that young lady's b a i*friend cf mine. Only"—a new idea seemed to 'Strike hi-n and his face dropped—"say." he in- ?quirp' "does she hanker after British lords I "I am afraid," said Lord Ambrose puzzled, •*1 t'cn'f quite understand 'I mean," said Mr Waters, "is there anv- thing pi a tender nature between you and her? ,h' For I don't mind admitting she is a lady I take a great interest in." "I have proposed several times." said Lord Ambrose with a deep sigh "And she has never accepted you?" asked Waters. "Never once," confessed Lord Ambrose. "Have some more pork and beans," Waters urged him eagerly "If you ain't full, just say so. and I'll fry some more. Sir, if there is any single thing I can do for you, name it, and it is done." "Well," confessed Lord Ambrose, "I find my- splf in exceedingly embarrassing circum- stances." "Short of cash?" inquired Mr. Waters. "Well. yes," admitted Lord Ambrose sur- prised, "that is what I meant. I left England in a hurry "Don't bother telling me why. Urposed Mr. Waters sympathetically. "And when I got here, I and a man I had with me were very short. "But you are expecting a remittance every day." oblerved Mr. Waters; "that's it, ain't if It ain't come yet, but it will next mail. Eh?" "Dear me. how did you guess that?" ex- claimed Lord Ambrose, much astonished. I have met a remittance man or two before you," explained Waters, "and it's a com plaint, they mostly all suffer from. Only they don't, as a rule, claim British lords for their pa's; but that shows you have originality." "It is exceedingly awkward," said Lord Am- brose. "and unfortunately as were short of cash when we reached Peterr-ville we got a room with a man named Rcvton. as being cheaper than Mr. Billington's hotel. "Original again." oommented Mr. Watere ad- miringly; "most remittance men make a. bee- line for the biggest hotel in town." "And last night," continued Lord Ambrose, "we borrowed a horse and buggy from Mr. Rowton" "Now you are lying," said Waters. Bill Rowton never lent any man anything—except when he was drunk." he was," observed Lord Ambrose. "Come, you are none so slow after all, young fellow," commented Mr. Waters. "And I think." continued Lord Ambrose, "that he changed his mind. for as we started we heard him running after UII, shouting for the police. and that he would have me lynched for horse-stealing. We couldn't stop then, but the west of it is that by the most frightful bad 'uck the horse ran away from us—buggy and all, and we quite lost 'era." "Sure that too bad," said Mr. Water3. "And now." said Lord Ambrose looking ex- ceedingly uncomfortable. "I have heard that there is a bisc party of lynchers out." "Yes, yes." agreed Mr. Waters slowly. "I heard that. too." He paused, and then add- ed for reasons of his own. "horse-stealing is a thing folk here is very down on." "So I understand." said Lord Ambrose; "it is a most unpleasant nosihon to be in. I really don't know what to do If I return to Peters- ville I have neither the horse nor buggy nor even a pennv left till my remittance comes. And if I don't Teturn-wn, I thought I was going to starve before I met you." "See here," said Waters. "I suppose you haven't ever thought of getting any work to do, have vou?" "Why. no," confessed Lord Ambrose, that had never occurred to me." "I thought it wouldn't," said Waters geni- allv now. three miles down this trail is Seven Wells Farm and Abe Hagen, what runs it. wants help the worst-kind of way. I was going there myself, but you c*n have the job if you like for board lodging, and five dol- lars a month if you work well." Lord Ambrose hesitated, but in the end ac- cepted In fact, he did not know where else to go or what to do, for he simply dared not. return to Petersville without the horse and buggy he had borrowed or money to pay for them. Nor after his one night's experience of wandering out on the prairie did he desire another In the darkness he had even be- come separated from Hannah, who was wander- ing some miles away in an opposite direction, and for the first time in his life he found him- self dependent on his own unaided exertions. So he acepted, and presently went off down the trail, the bearer of a message to old Abe Hagen that he was to be hired for his keep and five dollars a month; and there he abode. work- ing very hard and wonderfully awkwardly, till three weeks later at last a letter reached him from his lawyers. Then he went to PetersviUe, settled his debts, and returned to England. where he has since become somewhat noted as an authority on the social and political condi- tion of the United States. On. the strength of this knowledge he was recently offered a small diplomatic post in Washington, but declined it hurriedly, preferring a smaller, indeed a quite minute, post in Paris. In Petersville his me- mory lingers as of a well-meaning but feble- minded young man, and Abe Hagen speaks of him tenderly as of one green beyond all former experience of greenness. I But Mr Waters, having seen his new ac- quaintance safely on his way, hitched up again and returned towards Petersville. "Clear providential, my meeting that young fellow," he mused. "Abe Hagen fixed up, me free to go back and meet Miss Hetherington again, and this young fellow what is so handy with his proposals safely out of the way for a month or two." He drove steadily on his way. and from » ■ distance saw tracks of the pursuit that at this i time was hard upon the heels of Eira and he" companions in the bush where they had taken shelter. One straggler he exchanged a few words with, and heard that the fugitives were suppo sed to be in the bush and would probably soon be captured.. "Thev are to be burnt at fiun down, said the man "But it is almighty strange—someone has been swaring Old Man Findlay 88.W Mrs. Bryan riding past his shanty last night. ''How could he when she was murdered day before?" asked Waters. "That's so, and Old Man Findlay says he ¡. didn't sec nothing of the sort, but. he says he heard that she was passed on the trail way north. Some thinks it must be her ghost. Waters suggested that it might be a spirit, but of the kind known as "whiskey raw," and drove on. Then after he had gone a long way, and was indeed not far from Petersville, the sun now j being low in the west, he saw coming towards j him down the trail a woman at whom he star- ed, and rubbed his eyes, and stared again. "Mrs. Bryan!" he muttered; "Mrs. Bryan, sure enough, or else her twin sister, or else— And then he paused, feeling very uncomfort- I able, and by no means certain that what he saw might not be a restless visitor from an- other world. But as he drew nearer he became reassured, I for very obviously the newcomer was at least a living, breathing being "Oh, Mr. Waltej-sl" she called, recognising him. "That's me," he said "but if you are Mrs. BrYan. why aren't you murdered? All the folks believe you were. and now they are out hunting your murderers to lynch them." "That's what I heard,' she exclaimed breath- lessly. "Isnt it awful? It is Noah Siddle done it all. He had a mortgage on our farm, and when he knew how Bill drank and that nothing was going right, he threatened to close down on us. He had been very patient, so I went to see him, so he said it was no good while Bill drank, but perhaps we could cure him if we gave him a shock. He fixed it up I was to pre- tend to be murdered, and he promised to make Bill think he had done it while he was drunk and scare him so he would never touch whisky again. We killed a pig and put its blood on some of my clothes, and he even got a. skeleton from a medical school, and wcputit in a fire we had built, along with my shoes and belt, and some of my things, so as the buckles and buttons and so on could be found and identified, and then he sent me off to hide at a shanty way north-east. But I got tired of hiding and Bill never came, like Noah Siddle promised he would, and I went out and saw John Dodd passing along the trail. So I called him and we tlked, and I gave him whiskey, and he said it was all a fake of Noahs to get even with some Britisher; and next I heard the boys had started out to lynch two niggers for mur- dering me. Is that true?" "Aye." said Waters, "they are hunting them in the bush, and if they catch them they are going to burn 'em there alive at sun down," and he glanced towards the fast-descending sun. "What had I better do?" she asked, very pale. Waters jumped down and unhitched his horse. "Ride." he said. "ride as you never rode before in all your life. Ride til) the horse drops and then get another at the next farm, and by God's help you may get thete in time!" CHAPTER xXXWOMAN COMES RIDING. How Mrs. Bryan rode need not be told, but sho left behind her. to mark her track, three foundered horse3. The one she had from Tom Waters, fell beneath her near a pasture where others were grazing, and she was fortunate in being able to catch a new mount without de- lay. This one she rode to a standstill near a farm, and from the farm stable she helped her- self without loss of time or ceremony. The third animal fell beneath her in the open prairie, when she was already within sight of the bush, but fortunately a man cantering up the train met her as she came down it, run- ning and screaming as she ran. He thought she was mad at first, but recog- nised her as she drew nearer, and then thought he himself was mad. He could not understand her grasped-out story, yet her mere appearance was sufficiently amazing, when all the prairie had heard the tale of her supposed murder, and te one word "lynching" that she screamed at him was enough. He jumped down, and she leaped into his saddle, sitting astride, with never a thought that on one side she showed a stockinged leg. So she came galloping till she drew near to the bush, till she saw a great crowd gathered at its border—a crowd whose ominous, sad si- lenco and unnatural stillness confirmed the wo at of her fears. Nearer she came, and beard the quiet twi- light pierced by loud cries of a man screaming without ceasing; and then she saw, and never shal lforget, how a flame of fire shot up and showed itself lurid in the gathering gloom of the dying day. The hoofs of her horse beat like thunder on the trail, and as she came she cried out with all her force; for she thought that if she shouted loud enough, God alcove, might bear her. But for all her shrill crying of despair. for al Ithe galloping of her horse, not a head was turned, not a man moved for her approach, not an eye but was held by the flicker of flame that had that moment shot up high into the darkening air. The circle of men was close as it was silent; it showed no gap anywhere ,as it showed not the least movement. This might have been a company of statues of bronze and stone the only living things there, the fire that re." on the dry wood amid which Hugh stood helpless, and the tongue of Mr. Hetherington, for though he himself -nntionlo-ss and rigid, standing as still as which he was chaned, yet his m0U\ open, and from his throbbing throat he sent, out scream after scream, very terrible to hear. One man amid the circle of spectator-, fell forward on his knees, and was very sick. and another cursed him for a fool. Several others relaxed their straine<l and tense attitude;, so far as to take boti !• and flasks from their pockets; and all who drank, drank deeply, and yet even while they drakn yet kept their fas- cinated eyes upon the wood, the flames, the man that these encircles. Then, from be- hind, came Mrs. Brvan, and put her horse right at the circle of men, and beat it. and drove in on them, knocking down some, and breaking her way through. Right into the middle of the space they had surrounded she came at a gallop, and rode straight at the piled wood where the flames still grew, and where one had already thrust out a red tongue to lick Hugh upon the check. The horse reared un on its hind legs as it came to the fire, and Mrs. Bryan r,lid down from its back to the ground. Rushing to the burning wood, she caught, it with her bare hand. and scattered it right and left. "Hi. you!" shouted Jabez Hunt, who had not recognised her, as he came running with his oil arid matches from the stake where Mr. Hetherington was fastened, where he had just been on the point of firing the wood; "what are you doing?" For answer. Mrs. Bryan ran at him, and screamed, and seized the oil can from him, and flung it far away, and then she screamed again. "Don't you know me?" Don't you know me?" she cried. "Why. it's Mrs. Bryan," gasped Jabez; "what, weren't you murdered ?" "No, I never was," said Mrs. Bryan indig- nantly. The word ran like a living thing through the crowd of lynchers. no longer silent and mo- tionless, but shouting, stammering, gasping, running wildly to and fro. The burning wood surrounding Hugh was flung all ways; and one man who had been pushed down, and for a moment held on the top of a burning brand, sat bellowing his oain. No one understood what was happening, but all saw that at least something was wrong with their plans; and swift as the name of Mrs. Bryan passed from mouth to mouth, there was one that leaped and followed it, and here and there, indeed, outstripped it. "Innocent," one said, and "Innocent" another repeated, and "Itmooent" they whispered over and over again to themselves; and some who had never shown a sign of emotion before were now trem- bling and shaken, and wiping sweat from their foreheads, and many, too, were weeping. "Steady on," shouted Jabez Hunt; "steady on, boys! If Mrs. Bryan here wasn't mur- dered. a, seemingly she wasn't, some one was murdered, for I saw human bones taken out of the ashes where the fire had been." "Oh. you galoot!" cried Mrs. Bryan, "that was a skeleton Noah Siddle got from down East. and put there, and hired me to keep out of the way. I didn't know then, but now I see there was some one he hated, and he made you a lot of paper dolls to do what he wanted. Why, you galoots, YOU pack of fooJs! -vp nav? all been doing his for bin, without know- ing it or knowing why." Eager hands had seized upon the faggots that were piled round the three eager hands were wrenching at the chains bound them in a moment, q." it seemed, all three were released and borne together to meet in the midst of that mass of excited hu- manity "Yes, but what's he done it for? what did old Noah do it for?" protested Jabez; "I don't get the hang of all this." "NoaK Siddle bated them, and you, too," said Mrs. Bryan. "I can see it now. He wanted to make use of you to destroy them, and then, when inquiries were made, nobody could have blamed him; and you boys would have had to stand the racket." "Then, perhaps," said the Baptist deacon, "them's white men. after all." "I shouldn't wonder," said Mrs Bryan. "We told you 50. bv! you not listen to us," said Hugh. He was standing supporting Eira on one arm, whiie Mr. Hetherington, still dazed, as it seemed, crouched and trembled at their feet. "Well" said Jabez Hunt, approaching Hugh, all I ca.n say is, I'm sorrv, and no man can say more," and he held out his hand. "Shake," he said cordially, "black or white, or what- ever you are, shake." Hugh lifted his hand, but his hand very tightly clenched, and with it he dealt Jabez sucb a blow between the eyes as sent him fly- ing. to fall full length on the ground, where be lay and blinked at the sky, and wondered what had happened to him. At that the crowd fell to cheering wildly. x looked round at them with flashing T the mood to rush at them, and go on h- t.t.a.g out wildly at them so long as he could move a muscle. But they cheered him wildly, til ltbo sound of it was like the sound of many waters: and for the first time he realised that his left cheek was raw and red, and giving him intense pain. "Boys," shouted some one in the back- ground, "we have Mrs. Bryan to thank for what has happened. Ought we not to give her a taste of Judge Lynch?" There were one or two approving shouts, and then Hugh jumped forward. "What! he cried, "haven't you had enough of lynching yet?" The question etung them as nothing else could have done, and the whole crowd seemed visibly to shrink beneath it. Not a man there but felt the rebuke. Hugh stood lip- right. waiting to see who would answer him and then it seemed that the sound of cheering he had heard like the sound of many waters, was now somehow roaring in his own ears from within his brain. He staggered, and someone called out something, and then the whole earth seemed to slip away from him; and with a sigh of content he thought that now at last all was over, that perhaps he was dead or dying, but that it was at least Eira's arms that held him, ranporfced him, and Eira's face that bent above him. (To be continued.)

FUN AND FANCY. don't you give your wife an sllow- ance?"—"I tried that once, and she spent it bafore I oouid borrow it back." Brown: "Yes, I'm acquainted with your wife. old man. I knew her before you married her." —Smith: "Ah That's where you had the ad- vantage of me. I didn't. An Appetiser. — Traveller: "But, waiter, I only ordered two eggs. You have brought three."—Waiter: cor know, sah, but I thought possibly one might fail." "Does Mr Smith live here?"—"No, sir."— "Does he live in this street?"—"Yes, sir."— "Do you know hie number ?"—No, sir but you will see it on his door." "So your airship was wjrecked in the blizzard. I thought you considered it perfect?"—"The ship was perfect," replied the inventor stiffly. "The air was at fault." Painless Punishment.—One day a dentist had occasion to punish his five-year-old son for dis- obedience. As he picked up the rod, the little fellow said: "Papa, won't you please give me gas first?" Little Girl: "Mother, that's such a nasty little boy; whenever he passes me he makes a face."—Mother: "Very rude of him. I hope you don't do it back."—Little Girl: "011, dear, no! I simply turn up my noee and treat him with despisery." Van Aantler: "I think we are sure of a good,1 dinner to-night. You know my new butler does the entire catering for the hougehold." Crubb: "Can you rely on him to ?"—Van Antler; "Not always, but this evening I re-; quested him to send us up something from the kitchen table." "What! You haven't heard of our masonic lodge ? Why, sir, it's celebrated from one end of the country to the other."—'Ah, I see. Your lodge, then, has among its members the oldest mason?"—"No, sir; it's celebrated as being the only lodge in the country that hadn't the oldest mason." "See there," said the irate customer as he entered the clothing store, "yeu said this pair of trousers would wear like iron. I've worn them leee than six weeks—and now look at them. Do you call that wearing like iron?"— "Well, why not?" rejoined the proprietor. "Are not they rusty enough to suit you?" "I regret very much that we cannot use your story," said the magazine editor, handing back the manuscript. "It's astonishing how much really good litertaure we are compelled to de- cline."—"It's more astonishing, though," said the disgruntled author of the story, "that you never let any of it get into your magazine." "John—John, whispered Mrs. Gidgley, nudging her husband.—"What is it?" he sleep- ily asked. "There's a burglar in tho house."— "What do you want me to do—get up and run the risk of being killed?"—"No; but you find in the morning that somebody has gone through your pockets, don't you blame me." I A Cockney, while spending his holidays in the Highlands, met an old shepherd driving a flopk of sheep. Wishing to show off a bit, he said: "Now. if I were a shepherd, I would teach the sheep to follow me."—"Oh, aye," said the shepherd, "and I hiv nae doot ye wid manage, for if they saw anithei sheep in frent they wid be sure to follow." Scene One: At home.—Mr. Hubbv: "What's for dinner?"—Mrs. Hubby: "Oh, just a couple of chops!"—Mr. Hubby (disgustedly): "Always those eternal chops! I refuse!" (Goes off in a rage to his club).—Scone Two: At the club.— Mr. Hubby: "What can I have to eat:"— Waiter- "Nothing much readv yet. sir. Can cook you a nice chop, sir."—Mr. Hubby (en- thusiast-ic^Hy); "Good! Make it

FOR MATRON AND MAID. EFFORT NOT LVCK. Whether the idea that a few people possess the secrat o.f success if- true or not, every prac- tical business woman knows that there are well- defined rules that govern success, and that the cxercise of careful judgment is more to bo relied upon than luck. At a casual glance, it often does seem that an ele- of luck enters more or less into every rucco.-«, but, on a closer examination it is found almost invariably that those who nave succeeded are men and women who have given a careful study to all business conditions that have had a direct bearing upon their own industry. They have trusted to intelligent well-directed effort rather than to luck. The element of luck coming to them largely in the shape of a favourable circumstance, they have allowed their belief in it to take the place of an intelligent mental gnsp of business con- ditions. WISE IN TIME. Some valuable inner sonso of feeling belongs to the woman who is discrcet. She realises ^that her neighbours would rather be deceived aoout her powers than outshone. Her reputation stands a better chance if she does not live up to her income nor flaunt, her superior intelli- gence. The discreet woman heeds public opinion. I She may know those opinions to be warned and despise the mental calibre of tho ho aers, but, she recognises the folly of running against what the neighbouring world deem propor. VARIOUS TYPES OF PEOPLE. If you are arranging to live in a boarding- house for a short period, or a long one, it is just as well to realise in the beginning that not all of the hoarders may be congen.al. But on this account no girl need make enemies or piace herself in an attitude of criticism towards those about her. A fine sense oi humoui is in- valuable in making one's estimate of people. The gossipy old maid, the woman with an in- tellectual pose, the flirtatious widow, become in the lieht of one's laughing estimate, not people to be despised, but friends to be loved if one looks beneath the surface faults and finds capacity for good comradeship, for sym- pathy, for helpfulness. As for your landlady, don t think of her as a sort of defenceless hat-rack on which to hang your complaints. You will find that her atti- tude towards you will be influenced :argely by the way you treat her. EVERYDAY APPEARANCE. If girls could reali«3 how strongly neatness scores in the of love-as well as in the bea.uty quest—they would never take off hours when the? let themselves be bedraggled. No matter how charming a girl may Though she in her ball gown can fascinate a man almost into thinking her the "one girl" for him, she runs poor chances of holding him in his more lucid moments should he happen to know that she is a slattern at home. A man must be very young or very foolish who knowingly chooses for a wife a girl who does not care how she looks, save on special occasions. It, argues badlv for his comfort when the first glamor of the honeymoon has waned. POINTS OF FASHION. Plaid skirts and plain blouses find admirers this spring Leather belts are seen with all kinds of cos- tumes. Satin suits witb belted coats have the plain- est of skirts. Spotted net, muslin, and chiffon are favourite materials for undersleeves. Outside pockets with lapeis of velvet come on some new spring coats. Foulards and pongees will be ths leading silken frocks this season- Champagne shantung is as fashionable as it is useful for a wrap. Braid and covered buttons used together make a much approved-of decoration for loose bodices. The Louis XVI. model, turned up at the back, will be a popular hat shape. Dolly Varden hats are immense, their full crown comes sprinkled with coloured spots. Big heliotrope Bowers arc seen on turban hats of pastel blue. White mohair will be prominent when the hot days come. Pleated tailor-made skirts have wide bands of embroidery confining tie fulness just above the hem. Huge bows of ribbon come at the back of now large hats. Muslin shirt blouses with a stripe to match the costume ar" for morning wear. More coloured linings will be seen this season than for many years past. Sweaters and woolly coats for country and seaside wear are now to be of thick feather- weight polo-cloth. HINTS FOR THE HOME. A large safety pin is a very useful holder for odd buttons and loose hooks and eyes. Slip on the buttons, hooks and eyes, close the safety and you have everything handy, easily, and always in order To clean a. White Tiled Hall.—Wash the tiles with warm water, then sprinkle a small handful of silver sand over them, scrub with a brush, and dry with a soft house flannel. This will be found to whiten the tiles beautifully, and also be much cheaper than using soap. To Preserve Bool:6.-Remove all mud and 1 oil blacking by giving the boots a good wash under the tap, let them dry, then rub oz. of castor oil on them. Let the oil dry in and they will be soft and waterproof This will also prevent them from cracking and they will polish as before. For a black crinoline hat- that has become limp and out of shape, damp a, clean cloth, put this over the under-side of brim, and press with a hot iron. If the crown is out of shape, the wet cloth and hot iron pressed round inside will soon put it right. Usually this treatment stiffens the shape sufficiently. Should it. still be too limp, it may be brushed over with ink with a little gum in it. When dry it will be quite stiff. CAKES AND PUDDINGS.—No. 21. Tho recipe below gives a nice plain Ginger- bread, which is most suitable for the children. PLAIN GINGERBREAD. 1 packet of Cakeoma. Half a teaspoonful of Ground Ginger. Half a teaspoonful of Mixed Spice. 2 ozs. of Lard. 3 tablespoonsful of Syrup. 1 toacupful of Milk. METHOD. Mix the Cakeoma, Ginger, and Spice to- gether, and rub in the lard quite fin; add the milk and syrup, (warm), and well mix..bake it in a rather cool oven. A Rich Gingerbread recipe next week. Cakeoma is sold only in 3d. packets by Grocers and Stores everywhere. 1

FOR THE VOtiNG FOLKS, DAFFODILS. laffy-down ciilly Came up in the cold, Through the brown mould, llthousrh the March breezes Biew"keen on her face, Altli-ougb the white snow Lay on many a place. I can't do much yet, But I'll do what I can, It's well I began For unless I can manage To lift up my head, The people will think Thai the spring hersell s dead. 0 Daffy-down-dilly, So brave and so true, I wish all were like you.—■ So ready for duty In all sorts of weather, And loyal to courage And duty together. —Anna Warner. t.

THE LITTLE GENTLEMAN. I knew him for a gentleman By signs that never fail; His coat wafe rough and rather worn, His cheeks were thin and pale; A lad who had his way to make With little time for play; I knew him for a gentleman By certain signs to-day. He met his mother on the street, Off came his little cap; My door was shut, h3 waited there Until I heard his rap. He took the bundl-e from my hand, And when I dropped the pen, He sprang to pick it up for me, This gentleman of ten. He does not push or crowd along, His voice is gently pitched: He does not fling his books about As if he was bewitched. He stands aside to let you pass, He always shuts the door He runs on errands willingly— To forge, or mill, or store. He thinks of you before himself, He serves you if he can, For in whatever company The manners make the man. At ten or forty, 'tis the same, His manners toll the tale, And I discern the gentleman By signs that never fail.

EVENTS OF THE WEEK. Sir John Dickson-Poynder has been appoint- ed Governor of New Zealand. Hundreds of meetings are to be held in London in the course of the campaign against the Lords' veto. A verdict of "Accidental death" was re- turned at the inquest on Monday on Mr. Tomkinson, M.P Al r. T. E. Scrutton, K.C., has been ap- pointed a judge in place of Mr. Justice Sutton, who has resigned. The Queen arrived in London from Sand- ringham on Monday, and was present at the sitting of the House of Commons. Thomas Anthony Evans, a cattle salesman, was fined £ 20 and costs at Swansea on Mon- day for having unsound meat in his possession. One of the largest and most striking pro- cessions ever in the streets of London is to be organised at the end of May by the sufFragettee. It is stated that Fred Welsh has received an offer by cable from California to fight "Battling" Nelson on July 2nd for a 5,000 dollar purse. Mr. Tomkinson, M.P., died on Sunday morning as the res j It of an accident sustained in the Parliamentary steeplechase at Epping on Saturday. Lord Brassey, who is 74 years of age, has accepted tho mastership of the Bexhill Har- riers. He rides regularly to hounds, and is a fine horseman. For murdering Mrs. Mary Purcell in a Dublin slum on March 6th, Thomas Coleman was on Monday sentenced to death. The exe- cution has been fixed for May 11th. In his annual report to the Foreign Office the British Consul-General in New York gives details of unemployment and high prices, and issues a warning to British emigrants. Councillor It. Campbell (Woolwich), the Conservative working-man candidate for the Swansea District .seat at the last General Election, has pro vie.on ally consented to con- I test Stockport. Mr. Asquith, in the House of Comons on Monday, replying to Mr. John Redmond, strongly condemned the action of Sir Robert Anderson in cotincoi :OP with the "Parnellism and Crime" episcode The managers of the Roman Catholic School at Lianellv have made a claim of over £ 600 against the Llaneliy Education Authority and allege that this sum has been withheld from them by the Committee. As the result of a gas explosion on Mon- day, at the residence of Mr. Hewitt, at 2, Bonfield-road, Lewisham, a domestic servant named Clara- Yallop was badiy burned about the. head, face, and hands. The new Dreadnought H.M.S. Colossus was lauched at Greenock on Saturday, and on the same day the torpedo boat destroyer Yarra, the second unit of the Commonwealth fleet, was launched at Dumbarton. It has been decided by the Swansea Hospital authorities not to admit to the institution in future cases of attempted suicide, owing to the pressure upon the accommodation. Such cases are to be sent to the workhouse. At the annual meeting of the Tin and Sheet Millmen's Union at Swansea the sec- retary reported that there had been an in- crease of over 100 members during the year, and there had been a net agin to the Society's credit of £ 1,000. Although unable to swim, a Reading resi- dent named Henry Martin has rescued sever- al people from drowning, and he has been presented with £ 5 from the Carnegie Hero Fund for plunging into tho Kennet and rescu- ing a man aged RO. At a meeting et the Sussex Territorial I Association, presided over by the Duke of Norfolk, it was decided to endeavour to raise a new cyclic battalion at Brighton, which, it is thought, would be an admirable centre for patrolling the coast. Orlando Tr-snto Sparrow (58), a shoemaker, of Drydcck, Dea.n Forest, slipped off a bench and fell dead on the platform of the G.W.R. station at Cardiff on Saturday. Ho ^suffered from heart disease, and had been warned by his doctor against leaving home The Great. Western Railway Temperance Union, hieh has a membership of 11.193, on Saturday at Cardiff inaugurated its 27th an- nual conference. The delegates and members ware welcomed at a public gathering by the Lord Mayor of the city (Aid. Chappell). The Rev. \V D. I. Mackintosh, Vicar of Pontnewydd, in presiding at an assault-al- arms il1 his parish, in aid of the local harriers, said he was there in the name of athleticism. He knew tha no man could keep fit for that sort of thrng unless he lived a good, clean, and pure life Speaking at the annual meeting of the National Democratic League, on Saturday, Mr. Masterman said, witii reference to the conflict between the two Houses 01 Parlia- ment, that it would be the faul' of democrats if the present situation was not ended as speedily as possible. Upholding the claim of the Swansea and Neath Law Society that limited liability societies should not appear without a soli- citor or counsel, the Registrar of Swansea County Court on Monday decided that a law employee of r company could only appear in the capacity of a witness. Buglars broke into the premises of a jewel- ler in Cann Hall-road, Stratford, and got away with J6150 worth of jewellery. Two assistants sleep on the premises, and by their bedside they keep a life preserver and a poree whistle. They awakened in time to see the thieves get through the roof with their booty. Mr. Alfred H. Rees was on Saturday ap. pointed clerk to the Newport Board of Guard- ians and the St. Mellons' District Council, in succession to the late Mr. Ithel Thomas. He has been in the service of the Board since 1880, when he was appointed relieving officer. There were 55 applicants for the position. A case of tinned fruit opened on Saturday at the shop of a Newport grocer contained a show card on the back of which was written: "If this should fall into the hands of some nice young man who wants to correspond with a jolly good girl. address, Miss Carrie Kleiner, Grove-street, Oakland, California. Sufficient money has been received at the Bethnal-green Coroner's Court to allow 10s. a week for over a year to Mrs. Brewer, who, after being deserted by her husband, lo3t her child, aged 3, through its clothes catch- ing fire. The child got on the fender during the mother's absence, and offered up a prayer to Father Christmas to send him some f: *v as he was starving. His clothing caught' nie and he was burned to death. Early in December las. it was reported that Miss Hetty Vaughan, a teacher engaged at Tutshill Village School, near Chepstow, was missing from her lodging. No reason could be assigned for her mysterious disappearance, and though every inquiry was made, she could not be traced. The mystery has now been solved by the discovery of h?r remains, in a very de- composed state, in the River Wye, not far from the ruins of Tintern Abbey. So far as can be ascertained, the young teacher was not in any trouble. She was very popular with the school children, as well as with the towns- folk. Miss Vaughan, who was only twenty-one years of age, was a native of Brecon, and I prior to going to Chepstow she was engaged at Birmingham.

ç VEMO'S I COUGH CURE The purest and surest remedy obtainable for I ACUTE COLCS I INFLUENZA CHRONIC COUGHS WHOOPENG COUGH 1 BRONCHITIS NASAL CATARRH HRONIC ASTHMA WEAK LUNGS I ALBERT SMITH, M.S.B.SC., the celebrated Tendon I an"Jyst, aVi ;V¡;o's J.l0U'l'a:-¡Q COEGU Cunr. 1i ;composed of piiro ingredients, and is a most cxoullcr.t iremedy for bronchitis, asthma, and all Inner affections." ( Prico Sid., 1/1} and 2/9, of aU Chemists, f t. 'w. ,) | Fi^ io^aFwe^ Pudding I w .>: 'i, i ■ I! "CU::TARD; | Delicious served Hot as a Sauce with Rhubarb > 1 Pudding or Pies and Stewed Rhubarb. J & Bird's Custard softens any | fi slight acidity of the Rhubarb. a DIRECTIONS. B To prepare a richer and stmer Sauce to pour ? .1 h ,.1111CA fill, ) /jj^ To the riverside, to the seaside, intathe htsrt of the 5! country on the Atl.Steel Raleigh £ is the height of cycle enjoyment. /J TUi •? THE ALL-STEEL VtI I RALEIGH IS fined w;th Dujlat Tyres, Brooks' Saddle and Sturin^y-Arciisr 3-Speed Gear li ^'c* *or > ar* /pO Look of tb. R.I,igh.- 18-RAEL fine" awn Terrace, <t' 1- 4/- MONTHLY I Will secure 10/6 and 21/- Bales of HOUSEHOLD DRAPERY, also Blankets. Sheets, Quilts, Boots. Costumes, Skirts, fluits, Clothing, etc. Send postcard for lists. Wholesale Supply Co., 79, Knightrider Street, London, E.C. i CLARKE'S B41 PILLS 1 are warranted to care, in either sex, all acquired & constitutional Discharges from the Urinary travel, and Pains in the back. Ftpe from cury Established upwards of 40 years. In boX» 4s. 6d. each, of all Chemists and Patent Medicin* Vendors throughout the World, or sent for sirfC stamps by the makers. The Lincoln and Counties Drug Company, Lincoln. h PILLS Marvellous Remedy For Piles and Gravel And all the Common Disorders of the Stomach ¡-' Bowels, Liver and Kidneys, Such as Piles, Gravel, Pain in the Back and Loins, Constipation* Suppression and Retention of Urine, Irritation of the BJaddeft Sluggishness of the Liver and Kidneys, Biliousness, Flatulence Palpitation, Nervousness, ,,Sleeplessness, Dimness of Vision Depression of Spirits, all Pains arising from Indigestion, &c. JiQ. THEIR FAME IS AS WIDE PO f-.TVTT.T7ATIONe They have stood the test of Forty years. THE THREE FORMS OF THIS REMEBY; No. 1.—GEORGE'S PILE AND GRAVEL PILLS. No.' 2 —GEORGE'S GRAVEL PILLS. No. 3.—GEORGE'S PILLS FOR THE PILES. SOLD EVERYWHERE in Boxes, 1/1 h and 2/9 each, By Post, 1/2 and eropiwtoi; J. JS, U J¡¡OJ.U, Ukwaiii, AllúX!

Make sure of success in your bakings by using "PAISLEY FLOUR" -the sure raising powder- Paisley Flour does the raising so evenly and so well that home. baking becomes a pleasure. Even novices succeed well.