Abergavenny Chronicle

TALKS ON HEALTH. V I Ey A FAMILY DOCTOR. VICTORY OVER DISEASE. This year is to be celebrated as tie yeal .)f victory over ¿"<1,e I nave decided, tiiat, and what I decide has to be carried out Therefore, listen to the programme. At one fell swoop an forms of illness arising from alcoholic excess wi Ii be finally and com- pletely overthrown No more enlarged livers, ca more ulcerated ^tor^aehs, no more brain nr nerve diseases—a:! gone, never again tc appear on earth. It could be done very ?,Lsily The Dodo is extinct, the Plesio. ;j,-rus is a strange dragon only known by its fossilised remains, and the alcoholic liver will, after this year, be known only by the bottled specimens m museums. u TOO MANY CIGARETTES. Then I shall abolish for ever all forms of aicotine poisoning Too many cigarettes were sent to the troops, the young men of eighteen and twenty were taught that what they wanted was a io.,v good. dose of mca. une, and the more they smoked the better was the dear matron p!ea«itd I could not ount all the hearts I Lave listened to whose action was impaired by cigarette smoking; lud if the heart is out of order the whole system feels weak The poor dear ]ad found she rough training of the army too much lor him I Don't V0U believe it. He smoked snd smoked until his heart could not stand it any more. Weil. I have had enough of It. It is a crime for a strong young man convert himself irom Al to C3 by sucking bad tobacco all day. It has got to stop at )noo. 0: PUBLIC INDIFFERENCE. I am going to settle a long account with ihe social diseases that arise from immoral conduct. An army of our lads is in the •iospitats for venereal dieases-hundreds and hundreds of them Thousands of girls, ccores and aw res of middle-aged men, hun- dreds of babies-all of them suffering from a, preventable disease The standard of pu bliç niceness is very low; health has no attractions for the public, disease does not disgust them Fathers and mothers are quite indifferent; no one cares twopence whether the man who is going to marry Mary next week has an infectious disease or not Nobody inquires, and the man is not ashamed to lead to the altar a sweet young ijirl whom he intends to infect with his iiaease. Public opinion is so slack'. If the man knew that he would be despised by all his neighbours when the truth came out he would hesitate, but no one says anything, no one cares, and the wretched baby. born with a tainted body, has to bear much of the suffering. All this is almost too horrible to write about, and we are asked to believe that nothing can be done without the action of the law We ought not to need any laws, a little decency among the people wou'd banish the need for laws. 0: NO MORE INDIGESTION. I am going to make a job of it while I am about it; all this preventable disease will have short shrift. There ItS no form of indigestion that cannot be cured—or better still, prevented. No baby is born with indigestion—the complaint is acquired by bad habits. Listen to this:— INDIGESTION ITS CAUSE AND CUBE. CAUSE CeRE. 1. Eating fast Eating slowly. 2. Bad food Good food. 3. Bad cooking Marry girl witt cooking certifi- cate. £ Bad teeth Dentist 5. Hurried meals Taktng time. 3. Getting up late Getting up earlier 7. Strong tea and pickles Leave them off. 8. Nervous dyspepsia Self-control. 9. Imagination Don't be silly. Consider the prospect. No more stomach- n(hes All indigestion '■will be prevented. It van be done, and I am the mau to do it. o: WIE AIR WE BREATHE. I often see patients who complain to me that the phlegm they cough up is black. Now. this is not a neW and direful disease; the blackness is due merely to the smuts that float in the air and are breathed down with every breath. The lungs of a man living in one of our towns are black; the lungs of a new-bo;:n baby are a rosy pink. Very sa-d, this. I don't know what I am to do about it; you never seem to help yourselves- Huve I not taken you up on a high hill in the pure air of heaven and pointed down at your little village or big town enshrouded in a pall of black smoke; vou can see then the sort of air you are breathing. There is a Smoke Abatement Society, I believe: more power to their dhow. o A LONG-SUFFERING PEOPLE. I We certainly are a long-sufferitig people; we let things slide. Kismet' Fate! Why struggle against the inevitable? My grand- father breathed smoky air: my father died of pneumonia; I suffer from chronic bron- chitis myself through filling my lungs with Kmuts, and I am going to take jolly good rare that my children and grand-children suffer in exactly the same way. Their little voiceta pleading for fresh air shall fall on deaf ears: their claim that if they are brought into the world at all they ought to be give-n a chance shal! pass unheeded. Black phlegm in 1800; black phlegm in 1900; blacker still in 2,000 AD. It is pos. sible for factories to consume their own smoke; it is possible to use smokeless gra.tes; ;t is possible to purify the air we breathe, and it ought to be done. In grave illnesses small things tiitrn the scale; a pair of ]unq" choked with smuts cannot fight influenzal pneumonia so well as a cleaa pa.r. -:0:- WORK FOR YOU. Do take an intelligent interest in every, thing that can make your children's lives hapmer. First find out what is wrong, and then set about putting it right. Having •it u died the question, having read the re- port of the chemical analysis of the air of 70ur town. having realised the wonderful medical truth that fre6h air is better than ■unokv air, you must put your shoulder to the wheel. Act in a constitutional man- ner. Apnroach the town council; support the candidate who seems to know most about the question; write to the papers; mention the subject at the club. and gradu- ally educate your friends to the proper un- derstanding of the problem. Don't overstep the "boundary of constitutional conduct; don't go on 'strike: don't whack inoffensive policemen on the head with broken bottles; trv to do a kind and a usdul action every day; and, if you really want to do a service to suffering humanity, work for Smoke I Abatement a Pu.rer A;r. Abatement and a Purer Air. ] A SPLINTER UDER THE NAIL. When a splinter runs under the nail the plan is to leave the splinter alone for a minute, and devote all your attention to cutting away the nail. When the end of the sxjiinter has been exposed, grasp it in a pair of tweezers and withdra.w it with a sharp jerk. If you start on the splinter before carina the nail, you will not get a good rip, and the end will break off. It is rather difficult to get a splinter out from under a nail, and vou will probably have to come round to mo in the end Anyway, don't leave the splinter in, as it may cause fes- tering.

Orimsbv is defying fish control. Coal rationing has begun in the United States. Aldershot postmen have decided not to canvass the town for Christmas-boxes. Yarmouth has received a Tank in recog- nition of the town's services in the war. There are now in France 53,500 British troops.

Twenty thousand men are affected by a strike in the Welsh tinplate trade. A royal sturgeon landed at Scarborough was presented to the King. In 1S13-1D14 t29,380 was spent in metereo- logical work; in 1918-1919 the cost was £ 66,371. A new crimson chrysanthemum on exhibit t at the Royal Agricultural Hall has been named "Lady Astor, M.P." The Infante Antonio of Orleans has re- nounced his title of Infante of Spain. A neW Continental air service, between London and The Hague, is to be started by the Aircraft Transport and Travel Com- pany.

FASHION OF THE WEEK. A LOVELY EVENING FROCK. (E. 279. j Each week, as it passes, seems to bring with it a crop of new evening gowns, all lovelier than their predecessors. All the world and his wife seem to have become dancing mad, for one hears on all sides of invitations to subscription and private dances, of jancing clubs, of dance teas, and of new dancing classes. And for all theee entertain. ments there must be suitable frocks, conse- quently the shops and showrooms of the West-End are full to overflowing with beautiful models of every description, rang- ing from t'se semi-decollete frock, which is considered the correct thing for wear at dance teas and for afternoon dancing gener- ally, to the full dress and very much decol- lete creation which appears at large balls and functions of the kind. Practically all the smartest evening gowns are beautiful in colour and design, whilst a great many of them are very sumptuous as regards material. The loveliest brocades- often heavily interwoven with gold and silver thread-are used in many of the neweet gowns. So. too. are velvet, satin beaute, crepe de Chine, Georgette, gauzes, both plain and shot with metal threads. charmeuse, tulle, and exquisite filmy lace, to say nothing of furs and embroideries. The beautiful and uncommon mode' sketched in our illustration is carried out in a most effective alliance of soft, peach- coloured charmeuse and lovely lace in a jellowish old-lace shade. The under corsage of this drees is entirely made of the lace. It is quite plain, slightly full. snd is opened in front in a deep point, the border of the lace being arranged to edge this opening The short, transparent, and very loose sle-ve-i are cut in one with the lace underbodice. Over the lace comes a small tablier corsage of the charmeuse. This is open to the waist in front, the edges being rolled over in the prettiest way, and is finished by a heavily padded piping along its inner edge. The corsage tapers off to nothing at the shoulders. The skirt, of the charmeuse, is quite plain, and is narrower at the bottom than round the hips. Over it, on each Inp, comes a cleverly arranged cascade drapery of the lace. This is at its broadest round the hips, where it gives the effect of width, so fashionable just now, and tapers off towards the bottom of the skirt. A couple of ostrich tips in golden yellow shading to pink, and freely powdered with glittering gold, are tucked into the folds of the charmeuse belt. Paper patterns can be supplied, pric, lB. lid. Enclose remittance and address tc Miss Lisle, 8. La Belle Sauvage, London. E.C. 4. Note: The price may vary from week to week.

I To KEEP CAKES. I I Cakes keep best in tin canisters; wooden boxes, unless well seasoned, are apt to give them a disagreeable taste; brown paper should be avoided for the same reason. f CUBE FOB CHAPPED HANDS. I After washing the hands, instead of dr). ing them on a towel; "wash" them again thoroughly in bran. Rub the meal well into the cracks and wounds. The bran ab- sorbs all the moisture from the skin, tends to heal the cracks, and will, in lese than a week, entirely remove the trouble, leaving the hands soft and in splendid condition. FUR IN KETTI/ES. I To remove the deposit from the inside of J tea kettles, fill the kettle with water, and add to it a drachm of sal-ammoniac. Let it boil for an hour, when the fur, or petri- fied substance found on the metal will be dissolved, and can be easily removed. Rinse I the kettle out well, then boil out once or I twice before using. I )

I MOTHER AND H 0 ME. w Useful and Economical Hints on Domestic Management. I The careful and economical housewife aeeds no admonition in regard to the care of her clothes. It may, however, be allowable to repeat an old truism, and to the effect that the care of one's clothes has much to do with a well-dressed appearance. In fact. a woman Y/hose means are limited may, with proper regard for the care of ber clothing, appear an unlimited number of timed in the same hat, gown, gloveo, and veil. Instead of stripping her gloves off roughly, rolling them in a ball and tossing them aside where s he cannot find them the next time she wishes to wear them, she carefully pulls them off, finger by finger, stretches them full length, and lays them in her glove case. Clothes should never be shut up in a ward- robe directly after they have been worn. Let the bodice of a dress hang over the back of a chair for at least half an hour before you put it away. The eldest clothes can be kept fresh and odourless if they are treated in this way. Children should be taught to turn their stockings inside out at night, and hang them over the back of a chair. All body-linen should be hung over the back of a chair at night, so that air can circulate through it freely; the neat little packs of clothes, folded up and put one on top of the other, in wlfich our grandmothers delighted, waa extremely unhygienic. NEW STOCKINGS. I Never wear new stockings before they are I washed. The washing hardens the wool, whereas if you wear them at once it gets frayed and soon goes in holes. An excellent plan is to darn lieeis and toe3 with fine buttonhole twist of the same colour before washing. This strengthens them and puts off the dreaded day of darning real holes. BIRTH-MARKS. I These are not always curable, but, if seen to quite early in life, many of them can be alleviated if not entirely removed, as is desirable if they are on the face. The appli- cation of radium during recent years has shown that many so-called obstinate cases have been bettered, and surgical operative treatment often works wonders. Electrolysis j is of great service in removing some of the Bmaller marks. These skin marks do not affect the general health at all, but their un- ) sightly nature m»kes it essential they I Bhould be removed if possible. ISTAINS ON MARBLE. I ) Try a paste mado of whiting, powdered soda, and water to remove these unsightly stains. You might mix a little liquid am- I monia with it if they are very bad. I BLACK LEAD MARKS I i Turpentine is an excellent cleanser for I many things. It will remove the marks of black lead from a marble mantelpiece, I amongst other things, i THE CARE OF CARPETS. I j Oarpet cleaning is a duty which should precede spring-cleaning. Both mats a.nd car,pots should, in turn. be taken, in hand. Among the various methods which are given for the oleaning and refreshing of a shabby oarpet is to wipe it over with a cloth which I has been wrung out of warm water and vine- 1 gar in the proportion of a cupful of tftie Ilatter to a pailful of water. This process must not be carried out, however, unitil the carpet has been carefully and assiduously brushed, and care must toe taken to let it dry thoroughly before it is walked over. I To REMOVE GREASE FROM CARPBTS. I When the stain is of long standing it may be treated twice over witih tlhe following ap- plication: Get a lump of fuller s earth from the oil-sbpp, mix it with ammonia dis- solved in waiter, or with fluid ammonia, as sold by chemists. Make a rather thick paste, and lay it a quarter of an inch thick on the grease mark. Leave it for 24 hours or longer, then earuib with very hot water with ammonia in it. We have tried this method of eradicating grease, and found it invariably successful. To SAVE GAS. I When using gas-stoves to cook, do not light the gas to heat the water for washing- up, but put a bowl of water in the oven during dinner time, and it will be quite hot I-. for wa&ing-up purposes when dinner is finished. AN EXCELLENT PLAN. I "Clear as you go," is an excellent motto for the cook, for if dirty utensils are allowed to accumulate the task of clearing up seems a hopeless one. Another hint towards good management is to see that everything is left straight and clear before retirmg for the night. Nothing is more depressing than to come downstairs in the early morning and find some of yesterday's work waiting to be done. BUY SOAP IN Qu ANTITIRS. I Soap improves with keeping, and it will be found economical to purchase it in large quantities. Before storing it, however, the bars should be out up into convenient sizes. for this is easily done when the soap is soft and new, but not when it has become dry and hard. The easiest plan is to cut it with a piece of wire or a bit of twine, in the same way as grocers out cheese. ECONOMY IN CANDLES. I Candles burn better and more slowly if they have been stored in a dry place for six or seven weeks before they are used. BAKED HERRINGS. I Clean a<nd dry half a dozen fresh herrings; cut off the heads, tails and fins, and then split them down from head to tail. Remove the backibone carefully, and sprinkle on a little salt and pepper. Begin at the tail-end and roll up; place each one in a deep pie- dish, and put in sufficient vinegar and water to just cover them. Add some peppercorns, a bay-leaf, four cloves, one blade of mace, and bake in a moderate oven for three- quarters of an hour. A USE FOR ASHES. I If the ashes and cinders taken from dining and breakfast rooms are put on one sid« of the coalhouse and some very small coal-dust with them, also tea-leaves and potato- parings, damped well, and all mixed thoroughly together, it makes an excellent backing for the kitchen fire during the afternoon. It burns brightly when caked, and makes a lovely fire; it is a great saving of coal. You may back up the dining-room fire with same with good results. Mildew on leather may be removed by rubbing the affected parts with vaseline. When making cakes use sour milk in pre- ference to sweet, as it makes the cakes lighter. When peeling onions begin at the root end and peel upwards, and they will scar- cely affect your eyes. When you choose poultry, see that the beak and claws of a fowl are soft, not stiff and horny; the bones of all young birds are soft and easily broken. Pour boiling water to which a little borax has been added through any part of a table- cloth that has been stained wiJih tea. If you have a soapstone, use it for an iron-stand. The irons will keep their heat twice as long if they are allowed to 'stand on the hot soapstone during the moments when they are not in use. When baking, pack the aide of the fire farthest from the oven with large pieces of coke. These will get red hot, and will not burn away. If the oven is too hot, put a hasin of cold water in it. This will reduce the tempera- ture of the oven very quickly, and steam from the water will not injure anything that is being cooked except puff pastry. A mouse hole can be effectively stopped for all time by pasting over it a piece of cloth which has been liberally sprinkled with red pepper. To CLEAN WHITE FUR. Get some lump ammonia, powder it and mix with equal quantity of dry whitening. Well rub this into the fur; fold it up in a newspaper for a time, then shake out. Get some bran, make hot, and well rub the fur with this. Shake out, and the fur will be perfectly white. LIGHT MASHED POTATOES. i A teaspoonful of baking-powder added to mashed potatoes with the milk before they are shipped will make them very light and flaky. NUTRITION IN RICE. The most careful chemical analyses have demonstrated that rice possesses more nutri- ment than wheat, oats, or barley. It will sustain life longer than any other starch- producing plant. The Chinese and Japa- nese live upon it. endure great fatigue, and work harder than the people of any other nation. # TOUGH MEAT. A spoonful of vinegar put into the water into which meat or fowls are boiled makes them tender. To KEEP GAME SWEET. Ground coffee sprinkled freely amongst the fur or feathers of freshly-shot game will keep it sweet for a considerable time. It should always be treated in this way when packed for travelling. I To WASH BAKING-TINS. Baking tins should be washed as clean as I possible with a strong solution of soda, and then scoured with a piece of pumice-stone. This will keep them in excellent condition. I To CLEAN A FHYING-PAN- To clean a frying-pan in which fish or onions have been cooked, fill it with water, and bring it to the Loil, then drop in a red- hot cinder. Afterwards rinse in the usual way. I SOME USEFUL RECIPES. I CHRISTMAS PUDDING.—Shred very finely ilb. beef suet, add £ lb. flour, and ilb. finely- grated breadcrumbs, 6oz. currants (picked and dried), 6oz. stoned raisins, 21b. brown sugar, ilb. mashed carrot, and the same of mashed potatoes, loz. chopped candied lemon, and loz. fresh lemon-rind, salt to taste, and one tablespoonful treacle. Mix well together, tie loosely in a floured cloth, boil for four hours. If possible, let this pud- ding be made a few hours before it is wanted. QUICK PICKLICS.-Take two or more beet- roots, cook in the usual way, and when cool peel and slice. Next, take a few raw onions —one part onions to two parts beetroot- and peel and slice. Place in large-mouthed jar a layer of 'beet, a little salt and pepper, then a layer of onion, and so on. Fill full, cover the whole with good vinegar, and it will be ready for use in 24 hours. LIVER CUTLETS.—-Fry in a little butter lib. lean baoon, then ilb. calf's liver, cut into thick slices, then mince all very finely, adding loz. fine breadcrumbs, one table- spoonful dried herbs, pepper and salt to taste, a mushroom chopped fine, and one teaoupful of good (brown gravy. Shape the mixture into small cutlets, brush over with egg and crumbs, and fry in boiling fat. Drain, and serve very hot. GROUND RICE PUDDING.—Put one pint of milk into a saucepan, with lin. stick of cin- namon. Let it remain by the side of the fire till the flavour of cinnamon is drawn out, then boil and strain. Mix with the milk 2oz. ground rice, moistened with a little cold milk, and stir over the fire till thick. Pour out, and when cold add two eggs, slightly beaten. Bake in a well-buttered piedish in a moderate oven for three-quarters of an hour. If baked too quickly, the pudding will be watery. LEMON CUSTARD.-Strain the juice of two lemona upon 2oz. powdered loaf sugar. Soak the thin rinds of the lemons in one pint of cream, and when the flavour is extracted, boil the liquid, let it cool, and pour it very gradually over the juice and sugar. This custard will keep for a day or two if put in a cool place. FRUITS IN JELLY.—Make any kind of jelly according to directions given, and when nearly cold pour into a wet mould about jin. jelly. Decorate with selected fruits, and allow to set. Carefully add more jelly (with spoon), and fruits in layers—allowing each layer to set before adding another. Turn out when required. KNEADED CAKES.—Mix ilb. currants with SIb. flour, and a pinch cf salt. Make up into a paste with some rich milk, knead well, roll to the thickness of lin., cut it into rounds with the top of a small teacup, and bake on a girdle or in & brisk oven fot fifteen minutea.

THINGS THOUGHTFUL I THE WISE MAN. I Death never catches the wise man unpre- pared; since he has learnt always to antici- pate the time when he must make this last journey.—La Fontaine. Looking on the bright side is commend. able, but the wise man looks on both sides I INJUSTICE. WOoe unto you that make a few rich to make many poor 1 Woe unto you that make merchandise out of the needs of your brethren! Woe unto you who on the hust- ings and the platform fall down and humble yourselves that the congregation of the poor may fall into the hands of your leaders. Woe unto you, for God the Father of all is against you, God the Son, the poor man of Nazareth is against you. God the Holy Spirit, Who cannot lie, is against you !c. Kings ley. The heart has- reasons that reason knows nothing aboiat.-Pascal. I MORTAL DAYS. For some we loted, the loveliest and the best That from this vintage rolling Time hath prest, Have drunk their cup a round or two Before, And one by one crept silently to rest. And we, that now make merry in the room They left, and summer dresses in new bloom, Ourselves must we beneath the couch of earth Descend—ourselves to make a couch-for whom? Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend, Before we. too ,into the dust descend; Dust into dust, and under dust to lie, Sans wine, sans song, sans singer, and-sans end! —Fitzgerald. I HOME. The real purpose of every home is to shape character for time and for eternity. The home may be one of poverty, the cross of self-sacrifice may be required, suffering may sometimes be necessary, but wherever a homo fulfils this purpose it is overflowing with joy.—Dr. J. Wilbur Chapman. Expediency is man's wisdom: Doing right is God's.—George Meredith. I RAISE THE SOUL. You do the greatest service to the State if you shall raise, not the roofs of the houses, 'but the souls of the citizens; for it is better that great souls should dwell in small houses rather than for mean slaves to lurk in great houses.-Epictetug. He who reigns within himself and rules I passions, desires and fears, is more than a king.—Milton. I "GIVE" AND "GET." The two little words "give" and '.r get J, sum up the differing creeds of earth and the ambitions of mankind. Those vho are eager to bestow, to enrich the world around them, to bless, to help, to uplift, constitute the one class. The other crowd grasps every- thing for self, seeks only its own. I SONG OF NIGHT. I Alone at last! The firelight glimmers on the walls. I All's quiet. The hours of work are past. Calm night my soul to leisure calls. I Hail, Night, that takest work away; I That takest, too, companion, foe, I And friend from out my sight! I lay, 0 Night, my heart to thine; and lo, Thine own sweet calm pervades all life The joy that's born of.quiet and rest- The joy that feels not care or strife Is mine, I live amidst the best Of things that mind can think and soul Can gracp. Ideals half lost by day Come back to take once more the r61e Of guide to all that's good, to play Again the part of seer, and show Me truth and beauty. Gentle Night Completes her work. The fire turns low Glad strength awaits the morrow's light. -Laura Austin Dickinson. To allow passions, cravings, propensities, to rule us and govern and determine our conduct is to become the worst of slaves. There is absolutely no path to liberty through wrong-doing. The road is barred that way. Freedom cornea through disci. --rcus Dods. Do right-it recompenseth! do one wrong- The equal retribution must be made. —Edwin Arnold. GENIUS, The man born with what we call "genius," which will mean lorn with better and larger understanding than others; the man in whom "the inspiration of the Al- mighty," given to all men, has a higher po- tentiality; he. and properly he alone, is the perpetual priest of men; ordained to the office by God Himself, whether men can be so lucky as to get him ordained to it or not. —Thomas Carlyle. Cleanse and purify thy heart to up hold right, and do right. Sacrifice thyself at the shrine of duty, forgiving injuries, and acting only towards others as you would have them behave towards thyself.-Aris- totle. For modes of faith let graceless zealote fight; His can't be wrong whose life. is in the right. —Pope. SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS. Jver-sensitiveness is the cause of many a failure. Self-consciousness is a drawn brake on the wheels. Men of ability fail where some bombastic egotist with mediocre talents wins amid the trumpeting of the multitude. It is one of the weaknesses of the flesh that is hardest to overcome. Its mastery is more difficult than the conquest of a city, but prayer and faith and perse- verance are the best of allies. The person whom we dislike, whatever else he may be, is not the one of whom we should talk. Justice and prejudice can never agree on a righteous verdicts they do not see the same person. SELF-CONTROL. Plutarch said to the Emperor Trojan. "Let your government commence in your own breast, and lay the foundation of it in the command of your temper and paesions." Here come in the words self-control, duty, and conscience.—Smiles. A right to the "pursuit of happiness" is all that our forefathers sought to secure for us. There is no guaranty of our overtaking it. That must forever depend upon the in- dividual.

An advance of 12t per cent. in wages has been conceded to the Massachusetts textile workers, and tho strike has ended. Sir Alfred Butt announced that he has purchased a site in Glasgow for the erection of a theatre, where the best in music and opera will be .provided and original plays occasionally produced. A deputation of Carlisle City Council hopes to interview the Prime Minister and Minister of Labour to urge a resumption of work at Gretna factory. Wounded officers who had passed through her hospital in Bryanston-square have pre- sented to the Countess of Carnarvon an an- tique gold teapot, formerly the property of the Duke of Hamilton.,

OUR CHILDREN'S CORNER. I I I THE FUGITIVES. "What are we going to play?" aaked Betty, who had come to spend the day. Indians," said Ronald. "We'll pretend the tooi-shed is my wigwam and you live in the apple cupboard." "Y es," a greed his little friend joyfully, "YGU get your bow and arrow and sword, and be a chief." Away sped Ronald, while Betty hung some brignt-coloured rags round her door, and picked up some feathers for Ronald to stick in his iiair. "Nov. I'm busy making bows and arrows and you're cookmg my dinner," cried Ronald, ■"and presently we shall hear a war- whoop, and we have to run away 'cause there are so many." "We must have a horse," said Betty. There was nothmg in the garden that would do, so she ran into the field. I've got one," she cried. Ronald ran after her, and when he overtook her Betty was standing by the pond pointing to the big tree that had fallen right across it. "There's our horee," ahe cried. "Have you some string?" Yes," he answered. "Tie it round that big root," ordered Betty, "so's when we've run a hundred miles we'll ride an' ride an' ride for ever an' en-er. As they ran back Ronald said, "It's night now-you listen." A j earful howl came from the toolshed, and Ronald rushed out. "The Indians are coming!" he shouted. and taking her hand tht-y ran off. When they reached the shrubtery Ronald said, "Hide in there, I must fight: this big one 1" So Betty crept behind a bush until Ronald called, Come out now, Betty. I've killed him." "Betty ran out. "Oh r Ronald," she said, "you re wounded. 1 must tie up your head." "Quick, quick I" cried Betty. "they're coming after us." Donald looked round, and there was Nurse coming out of the house. He helped Betty on the horse, then climbed up himself, and away they went, galloping over the prairie. After a while they got down, and Nurse came up. "Mind you don't fall in," she said, as she gave them each a jam tart Cook had juet takeu out of the oven. "Oh no, we won't," they both answered. They went back to their wigwams to eat their lunch, but the riding W<.8 &o delight- ful that they spent most of the day on their wonderful horse, while Betty invented all kinds of exciting adventures. LESSONS. The Small Girl pointed her finger at the Wax Doll. "What are twice one?" she asked. The Wax Doll looked nervous, and did not say anything. The Small Girl asked again. This time the Wax Doll made an effort, "fwice one are—one," she said uncertainly. "Quite wrong," said the Small Girl, and she pointed her tinger at the Japanese Person. The Japanese Person was always bad- tempered. "Twice one are forty-three," he snapped. "Quite wrong," said the Small Girl. "And do you know that it is a very stupid thing to maice ridiculous guesses?" The Japanese Person shut his eyes. "And do vou know, he said, "that it is a very uude thing to point your finger at people?" Hero the Golliwog began to giggle. The Small Girl withdrew her finger and turue-d to the Golliwog. "What are twice oner" she asked quickly- The Golliwog pulled his handkerchief out of his mouth and tried to stop giggling. "I know," said the Fat Dog. holding up his hand. "Twice one are——" "Forty-three," interrupted the Japanese Person; "I told you that just now." The Fat Dog began to cry, and the Golli- wog had to stuff his handkerchief into his mouth again to stop giggling. The Small Girl frowned. "Twice one are two," she said The Japanese Person shut both his eyes again. "Twice one are forty-three," he said decidedly. The Golliwog's giggles came through his handkerchief. "If you don't stop giggling in two seconds, said the Small Girl to the Golli- wog, put you in the corner." We will not do any more arithmetic," the Small Girl said. "Let's look at some pictures, and you can tell me what they are." And she got a great book and began slowly to turn over the pages Soon she came to a picture cf some pussy cats. "What's in this picturc!" she asked, look- ing at the Teddy DeaF. The Teddy Bear was much too far away to see properly, even if the book were right I side up for him, so he only shook his head I sadly. sa?'?ext," said the Small Girl, turning to the Little Doll But the Little Doll was fast asleep, so it wasn't any good asking her. "I know," said the Fat Dog. Jit is a pic- ture of a c——" "Cabbage," interrupted the Japanese Per- son, with a frown. "It's not a cabbage," said the Small Girl. "It's a cat." "Then it's a very poor kind of cat," re- marked the Japanese Person, "especially up- side down. It's a good deal more iike a | cabbage." The Small Girl shut the book with a slam. "It's no good giving you people any lessons, she said; "you are not clever enough." T h ,?? "But I enoiig h. Fat Do looked unhappy. "But I did know-" he began. "He doesn't," interrupted the Japanese Person. "He hasn't an idea." But the small girl picked up the Fat Dog. "Com along," she said, "aud I'll teaoh you in the next room." I THE WEATHER CLERK'S NAP. I The Weather Clerk was tired. He had changed the weather twenty times since day- break, so no wonder he felt sleepy. The worst of it was, he forgot to turn off the rain-tap before going to sleep, so the whole of the time he was snoring the rain was simply pouring down in torrents. Before long the roads and fields and gar. dens were swimming in water, and loud groans and howls rose up from all the creatures who were out in the wet. There was a terrible noise, but it did not disturb the Weather Clerk, and although Steeple- cap, his servant, heard it, he did not care in the least. Why should he? He was warm and dry at the top of the weather tower. So the rain poured on until at last the houses and stables and byres were flooded. "This is really too much 1" cried the Cow and the Cat. "Something must be done." And thev did it. They climbed to the top of the weather tower, and the Cow howled her leudest beside the Weather Clerk's bed. Stecplecap put his fingers in his ears to keep out the noise, but the Weather Clerk lid not leave oflt snoring. Indeed, he might have been snoring still if the Weather Glass, in trying to fall- as low as possible, had not tumbled" off the wall and hit him on the head. That woke him with a start, and he ,'l'm:>d off the rain-tat) in a twinkling. And then—would you believe it?-he actually -aid it was all Steeplecap's fault and he '1ught to bo ashamed of himself-