trays men to their women-folk, "whether that friend of hers, Miss-er-Tatiana- -" He suddenly stopped, and with a swift, unchivalrous charge upon the crowded staircase, tore his way over trains and tunneled it around massive shoulders and sharp elbows. Little need to ask whom he had seen. Mrs. Etheridge, looking after him, dropped giddily on a divan and forgot her sweet Elaine's existence. Her boy, her one boy-to save Winship, she herself had deliberately pushed him into the arms of the siren! Anyone but a mother would have known Her punishment was greater than she could bear. Horace Hoxton, passing by, stopped at her side to warmly thank her for her kindness to his young guest. She merely smiled wanly. Her thoughts were upon her only son. "Such a fascinating little creature, do you not think?" the genial Hoxton continued. "Her people were hospitality itself to me in St. Petersburg. She is the daughter of Domboievsky, the famous astronomer; and, simply as they lived, one really met at their house all Russians worth meeting. And do you know her delightful friend, Princess Velaselsky?" "Princess "pathetically quavered Mrs. Etheridge, following his glance-and her son's impetuous progress-to the doorway of the gold-and-white salon below, through which, by a shifting of the crowd, she saw, stationed beside her host and hostess, the Ambassador, stately, silver-bearded, bestarred and bejewelled; and beside him, a dreamily lovely girl in pale-gold satin, pearls on her creamy neck, priceless diamonds on her ripply hair. "The Ambassador's young sister, you know," went on Hoxton, mercilessly. "She and Ekaterina were fellow-students for a while, and when they met unexpectedly in Washington, where Princess Tatiana was making her brother a little visit, they returned together for what she designated as 'one lark.' These Russian girls are so interesting, are they not?" It was Elaine who firmly piloted her mother downstairs and into the drawingroom to greet the hostess and the lion-but not the princess, who had suddenly disappeared; nor could she find her son Ralph anywhere. "Princess-Princess-Velaselsky!" was running through her stunned brain. Suddenly she came across Ralph, isolated among a group of strangers, at whom he unseeingly glowered with the fierce brow of disappointed masculinity. "Ready to go, are you?" he said, shortly. She had not said so. "That's good." Before such a crowd of witnesses she did not dare to question him. New impressions in too rapid succession had left her mind in a well-nigh gelatinous state. But in the carriage, while the tedious wheels were bringing them home, she found voice and a very deep, indignant voice it was— for the half-incredulous question: "Oh, my boy, she hasn't refused you?” "Oh, no, she hasn't refused me." Ralph's voice broke forlornly. He was still very young. "She's only married already, that's all. Husband in Russia—a councillor or something. I might have known that such a superb creature Elaine, don't pat my hand like that!" "It was all my fault, dear," said his mother, in an unwontedly low voice. The void in the place where she had used to keep her complacency hurt her. "I was so afraid she would attract Mr. Winship "Winship!" contemptuously. "Winship, who from the very start of things has been head over ears in love with Ekaterina!" "With-Ekaterina!" It was Elaine who echoed him. Her mother was beyond speech. "Why, yes, head over ears! He says she is the one woman in the world who completely suits him. He's an oddity himself, you know. If you had spoken with him to-night he would surely have told you that they are to be married as soon as they can get the paternal blessing cabled over from Russia, for he's fairly effervescing with the news." Still his stricken mother sat silent. David, suddenly confronted with a spectacle of the seed of the righteous begging his bread, might have worn some such expression. But as there passed before her burning vision a picture of Ekaterina, with her sleek head, her mild blue eyes, her square-shod feet, her wide, confident smile, and her absolute and tranquil invincibility, a brief and bitter defence escaped her: "I have always tried to do right, I am sure! both as a lady manager and amother, and—a friend to Mr. Winship. It's none of my doing; and yet, Ralph"-with a sudden descent to a slight sob-"oh, yet, Elaine, it is!" Every word of which was perfectly true. Snow all gone now: ice is out of streams; Up start the green things. Welcome, even weeds! Fishing time is come again. My! how good it seems To shift one's mind from ice and snow to dwell on bait and seeds. Anniversaries, Aspects, Weather, Of Interest to Farmers. Expect eggs to 3 Tu. Rhodes' scholarships founded, 1902. 4 W. oo inferior. cheapen now. Baseball breaks out. 9th. A war ended at Appomattox, 1865. Vesuvius erupted, 1906. 12 Th. H stationary. 13 Fr. Good Friday. runs low 14 Sa. So and so, you say, is worth five millions! Is he? Or do you only mean he has got five millions? If so, is he worth it? Is he worth what five millions will do-the leisure it will give, the consideration it will procure, the service it will command? If he is, he must be a worthy man, valiant in battles worth fighting, faithful in true service. But if it is only that he has got five millions-that is not very significant. He may have robbed somebody. He may have bet on the right horse, or card, or turn of the market. He may have rackrented poor tenants, have sweated sewing Now women, have over-reached the simple-and the cunning, too, for that matter. And he may have got his money honestly and handsomely and still not be worth it, for that often happens. use worms 18 W. Low tides. And sometimes it happens that men are worth five millions and never get the money. That kind usually don't get it. Eli Whitney was worth it, but never got it. Various inventors have been worth it and have got it and more. Divers American generals and statesmen have been worth it, none of them 20 Fr. War with Spain touched off, April 21, 1898. got it, nor did ever a poet get it. No better crop can be raised on a farm than a boy or a girl that is worth five millions and upwards. Whether they get the money is not so important. If they are worth it they will usually get as much of it as they need. Many such have been raised on farms in time past, and there is still abundant virtue left in the soil. strong, but good results have been had on For this crop the strongest soil is not too land not fit for much else. More depends on the quality of the plant than on cultivation. Raise according to judgment and market early. 15 S 5th Sunday after Trinity. St. Swithin. 16 M. in Apogee. 16th. Santiago surrendered, 1898. 17 Tu. Low tides. 18 W. 19 Th. { 46. runs high. 20 Fr. St. Margaret. 21 Sa. ♂ 6. O partly eclipsed. invisible. man, living in a civilized community. Every truly civilized community rests upon the theory that the care of all is the duty of each, and its civilization is high or low, according to the prevalence or scarcity of individual responsibility for the general welfare. There are two large classes of folks in the world, those who go through life leaving messes behind them to be cleared up. You and those who clear up the messes. If you clear up faithfully after yourself, that is much, but it is not quite enough. must expect also to contribute part of your time and strength to clearing up after the Signs of circuses. weak and the shiftless. If everybody did his duty there would be little need of government. The purpose of government is to defend the weak, to constrain the lazy, to restrain the greedy, and to make the best sense 22 S 6th Sun. aft. Trin. St. Mary Magdalene. of the wisest people available for the benefit 23 M. 24 25 6. 22d. in Aphelion. Tu.. W. St. James. Dog Days begin. 26 Th. St. Anne. Medium tides. S27th. War declared between Japan and China, 1894. stationary. 27 Fr. 28 Sa. 30 M. Crop scares due in Wall Street. 29th. Carnegie Institution at Wash- of the general community. If we were all responsible and dutiful and picked out of the road the stones that we saw there, the work of government would be light. Hard bargains, hard words, neglected chances to give help where help was needed, slanders, ill-natured gossip, misrepresentation-all such things are stones in the road. Don't leave them behind you, to plague you when you come that way again, or else to plague some other traveller. Clear up as you go along. |