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N" - A FATHER’S BURDEN; 1 In a Cumbervale farm kitchen a woman was busin getting supper. A shout floated from the pike looping the base of the hill, and a barefooted girl ran from thtc rainâ€"barrel to the open door Steve was at the gate holding up a letter. She put her gourd dipper on the sill and hurried down. “It’s from Lem," she said, return» ing to her mother, waiting upon the step, "an’ it mus" be an awful little one from th’ feel." The son's note deepened the harass ed look that often comes to the faces of farm wives at the close of a busy day. She gave it to Ella who slowly spelled it out with her forefinger tracing the words. Steve had put his horse away and now came through the side gate, Mrs. Judd inquired whether the letter had not come to the post office that mornâ€" ing, and when he hal answered “yes,” asked him to fetch her husband from the field. The farmer soon came and she handed him the note. saying "Lem’s comin’ home." V “So he is," he echoed, aftcr reading the note. " It ain't his week's leave yet, is it i" "No, he wrote he’d be here f’r a week in August. If he came up on th‘ evening train he‘ll be here long." She shaded her eyes and looked along the visible stretch of pike. "I do b’lieve he's comin’ now,” she said. "There’s someone walkin’ an‘ Lem ’d. have t' walk if he didn‘t 'get a lift." Ella ran down to the road and the father limped after her. He seemed to be carrying a. burden. A glance at. the buses and‘over the form would have shown what the burden was. The mother waited in the doorway, her thin face changing from. expecta- tion to apprehension. The three presâ€" ently came up the path, carrying a satchel and several parcels. Lemuel was a stalwart, handsome fellow. He had discarded the slouch hat, shirting, 'eans and cowhide boots, usually worn y the farmers, for more fashionable clothes and a new look substituted the wholcsome one which had shone upon his face when he left home the aut- umn before. Seeing only gladness in her brother's return, the little girl danced about, unmindful that his halfâ€"bashful greet- ing gave substance to the mother's fears. The father leaned against the rainâ€"barrel, as if he kept himself up with an effort. Cumbervale folks are backward in questioning even a member of the famâ€" ily upon critical matters. At the supâ€" per table no one hinted at the reason for Lemuel‘s return. This was not beâ€" - cause Steve and two other “bands” __ ate. with them, for family affairs are often discussed before the “ help." The former made several attempts to re- lieve the situation. He asked Lemuel how the crops " was roun‘ about â€"â€"â€"-" and getting an unwilling reply venturâ€" ed an inquiry as to whether he “had saw flan) Dawn’s new red waggin in his burn road." Receiving only a brief or do? I hope the confounded letter negative he relapsed into a silent and vigorous use of his knife. Later in the evening when Judd went out for a last look at thle stock. Lem- uel stood at the kitchen door while his mother wearin performed the closing tasks of the day. Amid the noises of the city he had often thought of the rasp of the crickets and the gurgle of the frogs as music, but there was now a. discord in the summer nocturn. He turned. around, and said, " I‘m in trouâ€" ble, mother." " I knowed it, Lem. You’re face told me." ” The contractors in‘ â€"--â€"â€"â€" blame me for dishonesty, but I'm not guilty, mother." "I knowed that, too, Lemâ€"I mean I knowed you aint dishonest.” "There’s no use worrying you or father with any more of the facts. They’re hard enough for me to hear. All I want you to know is that. I’ve lost my place and will be home for awhile. They'll write me a. letter if they find out I wasn't to blame, and they will find it out rbefore long." " I hope they will,“ looking up wearâ€" ily from the hearth, from which she was sweeping dust with‘ a turkey wing into a pan. Then she rose painfully, and continued, " Lem. have you noticed that father isâ€"-â€"" Judd’s heavy step sounded upon the sill, and the little womanI knelt quickâ€" ly upon the bricks. “ Father] said Lemuel, when he came in, ” I’ve told mother that I lost my place through no fault of mine. and will stay at home for a while." The father slowly opened the lanâ€" tern door blew out the flame, and set the lantern upon the floor. He rose, pressing his side as if he had a stitch. Then he walked over to the blue manâ€" tel, hung a key upon a. nail driven inâ€" to it, went to the sink, took a drink from a tin bucket, put the dipper back into it; then turned to his son. Cum~ bervale folks approach an important discussion by timid stages. "\Ve’ll be vurry glad t’ have y‘u home again, Lem, butâ€"~but l’m afcared you wont feel at home. It aint city- fied here, 1111' it aint a bit like it used t' be. V'e're sortâ€"sort o’ played out, Lemâ€"me an' mother. \Ve’re workin‘ too hard, I expect, lVe need help on the (arm, but w’en I say that, I don' mean that you'll be asked t’ do any work. Y’u need'n' be afeared 0’ that. Y'u never did like farmin', an’ y’u’ve got more above it in th’ city. We'll. get along somehow, I reckin‘.” A locum of his insufficient strength to tell her mother that ~ , Lem.” bf‘ifm‘elprods al: the table. seemed to fall suddenly uz-on him an1 be caught the corner of the sink anl waited, while the mother stopped her tired wisping with the turkey wing and looked up at her son. He, however, had his eyes and thoughts far away in â€"~â€"â€"â€" and do! not ace his father's weakness nor think of his relation to it. ‘You’re right, father. I never did like farm drudgery, and, never will. I can't be contented in it. I must get back to the city, an' [ hope this trouâ€" ble will soon blow over.” “Vurry well, Lem; vurry well. \Ve agreed that you wasn't meant fr a farmer afore you \sent‘. t’ â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€" so it’s no use talkin’ it all over again. Try t' fvecl contented while y’u have t" be here. \Ve‘ll let y'u do jcs as y’u please.‘ His 111ng his straw hat upon a hook and lighted a candle. His hand tremâ€" bled warnineg in doing both, but only the mother saw this as she rose from the hearth and put the wing. upon the mantel. The matter was not again discussed and no on". interfered with Lemuel’s freedom. He ramblc'l about the coun~ try, sometimes fishing, sometimes huntâ€" ing. Occasionally he went into the field anti did light work, but he show- ed no interest in the harvest or in the welfare of the farm. He renewed his acquaintance with Cicely blartin, who was acknowledged to be the “liltclicst” girl of the comâ€"i munity. The Judd farm adjoined her fathcr's. His calls, however, ceased abâ€" ruptly, and he founl some altract:on in the county town three miles away. Steve watched him sharply. He was a talkative fellow, and enjoyed a joker‘s ‘ license of blunt si‘eech. ” l‘m mighty glad y’u’ve came hum, was one of his characteristic “Y’u kin notice th’ improvement in th' farm a mile away. They was people liercabout as said th’ Judd Farm was goin’ down, but they aint no danger sence y‘u’ve came back. It’ll .3001] be th’ brag farm uv th’ vycinity. lut there’s one thing I’m mighty consarned about, Lem. I'm afcared y’u’ll overdo y'urself an’ then y‘ur father’ll hev t’ pitch in an’ help.’ One of Steve’s duties was to ride to town late in the afternoon for the mail and necessary supplies. Upon his way back he often found Lemuel sitv ting upon the fence looking for him wistfully. One evening when he askâ€" ed if a letter had come for him, instead of answering “ no," as usual, Steve disâ€" mounted, led the horse to the fence, and saidâ€"â€" "No, no letter has came an‘ I hope none ever well. I’ve gouged _‘, ’u at the table afore all th’ fo'ks an‘ y’u‘ve scowlcd, but it don‘t make no dff’r- ence t' me.” Lemuel sprang angrily from the fence." "Oh, y’u needn’t get huffy. I can’t hold in no longer, an' I ain‘t goin‘ to. You think us fo‘ks don' know w‘at trouble y‘u got into in th' city. Some uv us does, me f‘r one.“ “ You know it '5” "Yes, an" so does y'ur father an’ mother an’ th’ Martins. A man in town told mic th’ contractors in ~â€"â€"â€" blame y'u f‘r givin’ the’ figgers uv a bid {1' another c‘ntractor so’s he :c'u’d give a lower bid. an’ get th' job, an’ that y'u got big money f’r it." "And you believe I did it,” Lemuel said, striding toward him with white face. "No, I don’t Lem; true as I live I don’ b'lieve y‘u’d do sich a thing. But things looks ag'in y'u an I don’ expect y'u’ll ever get that letter." A wagon rattled toward them. Dan- iel Martin and Cicely were upon the seat and the spring bed. was filled with parcels from the t0wn stores. The fath- er bade the “time,” but the daughâ€" ter, who was driving, kept her eyes on the horses. ” I know now why she isn’t friendly to me any more," Lemuel said, bitten ly. "She believes I’m guilty." " It ain't that at all. Lem. There ain’t a man or woman in all this part uv th’ valley that 'd h’lieve Ez. Judd’s son ’d do sich‘ a thing, an’ least uv all Cic'ly Martin. She‘s th’ cleverest girl in all Cumbervale, an" she's ag‘in y’u ’cause y'u’ve no thoughts f‘r anything but â€"â€". Lookahere. Lem. This farm has b'en th' Judd Farm ever since th’ first deed were wrote on it, an' every evenin' y’u’ve dawdled on this fence, waitin‘ f'r a. letter that‘ll never come. It‘s goitn’ down as fast as a farm kin. an‘ it won't be w’orth raisin' mullen stocks on in‘ a month ’r two. \V’ere are y'ur eyes, Lem Judd? Jes' nin- hitch ’em t’morruh from -â€"â€", an’ look at th’ house mns' th’ barn‘ an” th' land. Get that letter out uv y’ur head an' y'u’ll see w'y it's going‘ down. He caught Lemuel by the shoulder, turned him around with an easy move- ment of his bravar arm, and point- ing. said,â€" “It ain‘t to oderk yet t’ see them w’ite stones over there on‘ th’ hill. If y’u don’ take off y‘ur city coat, Lem Judd, an’ help to rut. this farm, there'll be another stone over there afore long. an’ tli"'name on it will be Ezra Judd. P'r’aps y’u‘ll be in â€"â€" then, an’ strangers will have t’ go onto th‘ Judd li‘arm. an’ what in nation ‘ll y‘ur mothâ€" never does come. That’s all I got to 'Say. 811' I don’ care f‘r th‘ odds.’ He leaped on his horse and clattered away. Lemuel turned and crossed his arms on the top fence rail. The house and barn were sharply outlined against the evening sky. He had not noticed before that the left. gable of the formâ€" er had saggerl and that the latter needed reshingling. The decay that was now visible all over the place was not an illusion of the twilight. He remembered now that he had ofâ€" ten seen the farmers look up the hill and shake their heads as they drove by. He knew {now that it must be “common talk,” throughout the sec- tion that the old Judd place was going down. In‘ fancy he saw large bills, with a display top line, "-The Judd Farm for Sale,” followed by the pic- ture of a farm»h'ouse, and an’ enumer- ation of the carriage and plow horses. milch‘ cows and farm implements. He could almost hear the sale crier upon the court house pavement on a. Saturâ€" day afternoon‘ ringing his bell and so- liciting bids from the calculating crowd and the farmers tellln’g one another how the farm had come under the hamâ€" l Sweet Girlâ€"Yes, mer. He tore a sliver from the mi and went home chewing it. Tlfvi'oevenings later he returned from the creek with his rod and lip». The “cork” had bobbed unlicedcd in the, ripples all afternoon, for a subject had floated like it in the current of his thoughts. His mothwr ran from the kitchen door to meet him. She was very palc and was twisting licr apron helplessly in her hands. “Ii-cm th’ men has jus’ or in from th‘ upper field. there. He's on th' lied an’ flou‘ know any of us, ll'ould you cam t’ take one of th' horses an’ ride .’ mun f‘r th’ doctor?“ He ran to the barn and l)l"4.ll(,‘(i a horse. llis biotin, hint of. ii;iui.ling~ ncss to help in this cmcrp‘cnzy mo e him urge the animal to its utmmt. A mile from the house he met Steve com~ ing home. He rapidly told him what had bauponerl and asked him to go for the doctor. so that lve might rot HP!) to his father. The man turucd about, whipping the horse. Returning home Lemuel found his mother bewildered, and he assumed the brune- fal hr lie fainted care of his father. Daniel Martin ind lozcell’, who had been told cf: .'u i' llllll’SS by Steve, came in to assi ‘1'; c daughter was a typical ('umbcr and she, tool: charge of \lrs. (low) the steadiness of a matron. , The doctor who camn with I), .v',’] Q .,lcvo “Us the valley for his tongue as v cll as his tricat'ment. \Vlicn be had brought .Tudd lo consciousncss and bad givcn directions for the night, Lemuel dis. covered that he was skilful in diagnos~ ing other than physical troubles. " You are young Judd, aren’t you ’5" he asked bluntly. “Yes, I am.” “\Vell, I want to tell you that. this attack is not very serious, lut it's a ~varning. l‘ll expect you to see that your father doesn’t do a stroke of work until fall. if he does, you will be re sponsible for the consequences." \Vith a succession of characteristic sniffs he was off as busin as he had come. t "See here, Lem," Steve said, when he came in after helping the doctor start. “Here's th' mis‘able letter. lt come this eveniu'. If I'd darst I’d a kep’ it. Things always does come at th’ wo'st time," Lemuel read the few typewritten lines and crumbled the paper nervously. “Are they still a‘g‘in y'u yet, Lem?“ Steve asked. " No; they have discovered who gave' away the figures of the bid and. want me to come back to my place at once." “I’mâ€"i‘m glad f‘r y’u, Lem,’ the father feebly said from his pillow. “Me an’ mother has never b’lieved you done it. Now, y'u c‘n go back t’ th’ city an’ be c'ntented. Y’u’d better write y’ur answer at once so nobody else gets y’ur place. Lemuel walked slowly toward the bed. His hands were shaking and his face was set. “Do you want me to go away, fathâ€" er ?" he asked. Judd turned from him and put his arm over his eyes. “Y'u know, Lem, how much y'u are t’ me an' mother,” he answered, “an' that y’u‘re welcome t’ stay as long as y’u want. But y'u can‘t be c‘ntented at th’ old home any more, an' I won't say a Word t’ get you t' stay. I c’n be up workin' around t'morruh as ush- yal so y’u c‘n go without worryin' life a‘n’ mother'll get along somehow. 4cm.” Mrs. Judd and Cicely Martin came in« to the room from the hallway. Ella, who had been standing near, caught the corner of Lemuel’s coat, and, lookâ€" Ing up into his face asked: “Are you goin’ away again, Lem ’6” He took her hand, walked. to the bed. and asked, “will you‘trus-t the farm in my hands, father ?" .The farmer could not answer, but his look was all that was required. “I’ll do my best with it. All you need do is to give me directions and try to get well. We won’t mention the City again." . In ‘elling the other “hands” about it,’ Steve declared that " keepin a tight rein on a hurror was wo’se’n breakin' a Colt; and w‘en Lam's mother cried an' Judd hisself kivered his face with the bed kivers. I took an' run. An‘ I seen Cicely Martin shake Lem’s han’ an' tell him that if ever he done a right thing he done it then." Those who now drive arounl the base of the hill and look up to the left, see one of the fine farms that have made Qumbervale famous. \Vhen Cicely Mar~ tin came over to help Lemuel it: took a spurt forward and not a farmer in the vicinity thinks of it now in conâ€" nection with a same bill or an auction- eer. .._. _._._____. AN AMATEUR DETECTIVE AGENCY. Sweet Girlâ€"Pa, the house next door was robbed last night. Pa~Mercy ! Next door ? and the burglars have been in two or three houses on thlis block within a week. Pa-I know it. l know it. rible! But What can we do? Sweet Girlâ€"l was thinking it might be a good plan for Mr. N'icefello and l. t 's torâ€" me to sit up a few nights and watch for him. GEMS Oli‘ \Vl’l‘. The man who tells you. he is no fool may be only mistaken. The barber is the only man who does headwork with his hands. The mercury never gets warm in its efforts to lower the record. It was originally intended to have sheet music sung by the choir. Some men act like hogs and there are others who do not need to act. The horseless carriage is a novelty, but the cowless milk wagon is a chestâ€" nult. R. EV ENGE. Have you been reading about. the spots on the sun? asked the young man. No, replied the taxâ€"summer girl, but I’m glad the old thing has a few frocks lea himself and can see. how he likes it. ‘lfill t l l i l l l l l i l l . i l . . . l S . V g ‘l illl pi'oci-ssiun must pass. noted throughout the whole section of ? ,li'ilc i city, l l I l “hi. . lll‘S RULlllli PUWERS. DQWAGER EMPIREâ€"SS BOSSES Till SON OF HEAVEN, inning i-Ssn shut E'p an Hi» I'm-pk: Fol-hm don City will: His How and Arrow» -'l‘lu- Gram] (‘oum-Il, “no :‘viiuisli'y or “'nr. Hir i‘sal»:-,:»li~\':inwn and the M01) “Glitz i‘muaizulc 'fl'isl‘aii ~ Uni!) “H1 of Eizr 1‘ minor offlic Mm. m) :nl‘l'i‘ i» a young man in I’ckin ‘Alu' \thlill be t: sub} juvt now in his lilac ur. : uij, .iblcto maliyopl‘o [‘Hl'l “- ‘ mum‘w that in tlii’iuluné‘xl LU Him and bi- -.’"3’}‘-li'.‘ bv'sumc of lhosc very kind li‘iv‘n'l: who um.- rmuc to him (tuna {f‘li‘ntitm lie is the l-lmperâ€" (Il' Kuduiz' llru. cupbrgniisticztlly known. aniline" other outrageous titles, as the Hon of kuwn and Brother of the Sun. It- is the m ist sccludcd monarch on idem. who, on being ushered into his presence, go down on their knces and perform the 58' cu fa! oil "Ko-tou' â€"â€"-that is, bump their heads again and again on the floor. 'i'uey also remain on tlwir knees while before him. Every- thing about and connccted with Kuang lid; is rcgulatcrl by law, even to his incals. Accordingr to the aid Chinese books thcrc must. be placed before him iluily thirty pounds of meat in a basin la< a daily allovJaJii‘ze of, about a pound of bug’s lat and butter, and he has the J'iplt to order two sheep, two fowls and two ducks, wluilu his drink for the 'lay rustiicted to lite milk of eighty <~ow< and the steeping of seventyâ€"five ‘.'ll‘(‘{‘,l:x‘ of tca. it is probable tl at li: ral diet is dilfci'enit. but these. are t.‘ c rcgulation pro: i ions, and if be deâ€" .~i.-'es anything that is not on the menu the board havinl’: charge of the im- perial table has to be consulted. It is mow 1| an doubtful whcthor his Ma- jesty l‘t alizcs lvis exalted Sltlliitltllh and his powor. ll - has been hun‘med in and fooled all i.i\ lil'c. lie knows nothing mirth. When he. appears in public. which i:. viii‘v izii‘cly, matting is hung‘l up in front of all the liou..cs, :=ud strips t‘ clot b ars- st ("‘lfl‘llk‘tl across the alleys .tilfl able strut-ts through which the lmâ€"‘. rlo is in‘ iiilllly :i<'<'lni;aii-ic(l by a vast reâ€" Ll"lll,(! of sublicrs anl an army of courâ€" lit thiry norm-r Ul‘ has li-Es eye fastened to a in the mailing is liable to be. blinded by a bullet. or an ltl'I‘OVV. ‘Vhen he is at; humi- he is carefully hiddem away in thc (:cntre of a big ’J'ai'tar which la the centre of the Chinese city, at Patio. and you have [30 8‘0 through three sets of wallsâ€"â€". simply an impossible task for a EurOl,F and the min who peeps around is yuan \‘l Norâ€"before you approach the i building in which he is kept, guarded by eunuchs, First, there are the imâ€" mtnne walls of the great Tartar city. which are sixty feet thick and as tall‘ 3.». a London flat. These inclose a: large area filled up with the houses of 'l‘artars and Government building-“‘1 which run round a spam! the middle This has a high wall of gray bl‘it‘k about six miles in circumference. and it includes the outside palaces, the pleasure grounds, ant the temples of the sacred city. The lmmci'or is kt‘Pt inside this, and his exclusive. quarters are known as the PURPLE FORBIDDEN CITY. The Walls of this last pen are rigidly guarded. They inch-so the quarters of the Emperor, his family, the ladies of the royal harem, and the thousands of eunuchs who make up the servants, and include buildings for court cereâ€" monies, which are arranged round the sides of uridge of palaces running from the north to the south. The Emperor himself lives in the northâ€" western part of the pen, and the Emâ€" press Dowager has a palace near by.‘ In anotlwr part of the inclosure is the hall of literary abyss, or the imperial library. and in this the Cabinet offiâ€" cers. about whom more anon, hold their 1 sessions. Pekin is a huge city, creditâ€" ed with l,5b‘0,U..U inhabitants, but apart from the cumuchs, the toadies, and the women who haunt the Purple ll‘orâ€" hidden City, it is doubtful if 5,000 of this vast mum-her have ever set eyes upon the monarch, and among Euâ€" ropeans and Americans it is only the. Ambassadors who are permitted to upon his august countenance. Though he is gent-rally credited with the possession of a very ugly temper. which incites him to smash the bric-aâ€" brack of his apartments when he can- not have his own way, his efforts at ruling go no further than doing what he is told to do. He is kept in orderâ€"- ancestor worship being a strong point in the Celestiau moral codeâ€"bythe. old Empress Dowager, who practically runs the State show. and who is influenced sometimes by whim working through a thin leaven of diluted statesmanlike fceling, and sometimes by that backâ€" stavirs palace intrigue which works through the favorable medium of her favorite eiirnuc‘h, Pitsianâ€"li. Kuang Hsuâ€"W‘hich means The. lllustrious Sucâ€" cessiprnvâ€"has been under the old lady’s thumb since he was 4 years of age, when he was chosen to succeed T‘ungâ€" chi. She supervised his education. She. picked out his wives for him, and she makes the ladies of his harem skip toâ€" (lay if they don't walk chalk in her presence. (if course she took her min friends when she selected. his wives. and «she has him so hemmed about with her officials and girls that if. he had will of his own hc. wouldn‘t know how to use it. The Empress Dowager, who has bosscd the TsuJig-li-Yamcn for a. generation. is now 63 years old. She . was the secondary wife of the. ,ltlimpcror Hsicin Fu'ng. She was at the head of the Empire during a greater part ofl the Cl'aepivng rebellion. She managed its affairs during its war with France and she has had more then one taste of Russian diplomacy. She is said to have a mind of her or n. and all of the l Chi-nose RESPECT AXD FEAR HER. She is a stickler as to form, and in~ sists that all business hull. be (101193 through the young Emperor, though she really directs what he is to do. She is even more secluded than the Em- peror, and when she receives her offi- cials and the Cabinet Ministers her practice is to sit behind a screen while they talk at her through itâ€"unlcss she has something strong to say to them. The Emperor is 27, lean, undersized and unhealthy, His features are Tartar as con/tradistinguished from Chinese; the reigning family being, as every one should know, but probably does not, Tartar. He does all his busâ€" iness at night and he sleeps in the day- time. He begins his work about 2 in the morning. after a midnight break fast, when he receives his Cabinet. Min- of modern civi: 'aliiin, and, in spite of the recent war. next to nothing of ’mudcrln warfare. He has never re- lviewcd. and is not c1 pal)le of review- ing, lxi< army. and his common amuse- munrt it. to shoot with a bow and arâ€" row. If he ever had in firm the mak~ rats of a character they must have been ruin-Ad inn; since by his anode of life and his surroundings. THE SUPREME BODIES which, by the grace of the Empress yDowager and the favorite eunuchs have the direction. of the country’s af- ,fa.irs, are the (iruind Council, the Min- 1 i. .try of \Var, and the Tsunguliâ€"quncn. The first. which is erroneously cull- founded with the last, corresponds to our Cabint‘t, and consists of five mem- bOl‘sâ€"I’rince Kung, the Emperor's uncle, whose principal aim in life now appears to be to thwart the Empress Dowager, with whom he ha); many stormy scenes; S'luih To, better known to us as Prince Li, who has no knowl- edge of foreign affairs and hates all “foreign barbarianaf \Vcng Tung-hO. the Emperor's private tutor, who is equally Conspicuous for his dislike of .thc barbarians, though he is credited with having taken to the study of forâ€" ‘Wgn affairs since the troubles with Ja- llle'; Kong Yi, an official Who gamed . _ . . ' ', v 1,3 x, ,' i ‘. It} - . of which is known as the Imperial City.l m3 hlgh “film by Dr‘“ “hug th‘ m pcror, for the purposes of the late war, with a. large sum of iiiolniey, which he had tun doubt obtained by extortion of one kind or another, and whoac ap- preciation of modern conditions in warfare may bc judged by the fact that he prefers bows and arrows to guns. and has ordcrcd that those of his com- panies which are provided with the .uurdcrous rifle shall use clay bullets. so as to save the expense of laden ones; and Chicn Yingâ€"pu, President of the _ Board of works, who is singularly free ifrmn prejudice against foreigners. in Spite of the fact that experience has never brought him into proper contact with them. The Ministry of War con- sists of Prince Kung, President, Prince Chung, Viceâ€"President, VVeng, Tong-ho, and Jung Lu. With two of these gentlemen we have already made ao- quain'tance. Prince Ching, IKuang, second order of princes four years ago. of the TsuLngâ€"ll-Yamen, to which he still belongs, and is reported to be a fairâ€"minded manâ€"relatively, that is, for he has never been far from home. meg Lu is a Manchu, and airs advanc- ed views which are crude. His lengâ€" th-y coumcction with the \Var Depart- ment may or may not account for his insistence upon the necessity of showâ€" lung‘ A BOLD FRONT to foreign aggression. The Tsungâ€"liâ€" Yamcn consists of Prince Kung, Prince Citing, \chg, Tungâ€"ho, Kang Yi, and Jutng Lu, in addition. to our estimable old friend, Li Hung Chang and Chng Hx‘i‘n, a stiff and bigoted nominee of Prince Kung; Chting Li, a very old man from whose mature lips drop words of antiquated wisdom; Hsu Ying-wei. a Cantonese, who was once literary Charccllor in Kansu. but who has re- mainnd in Pckin for a good twenty years past; Liao Shaolienvg. elder broth- er of the Governor of ClieA-Kiang; Chung Y‘indiuan, ivho spent twelve years as Minister to the United States. Spain, and Peru, and was Special Amâ€" bassador at the diamond jubilee, and Wu Tings-Jen. the leader of the Reâ€" form party. The men most capable of offering good counsel in the present emergency are the two last named. but (,‘liang Yin-huan is of too low a rank to possess any real influence, and it is rtiLlLlld that. “’11 Ting-fun despairingof any reform wlziile the country’s affairs are in the hands of the prejudiced fos- sils and corrupt servants, recently apâ€" plied for two months leave of absence to repair his ancestral tombsâ€"a pre- lhninary to retirement. in thc mulâ€" titudc of counsel offered by these var- ious officials thch is much guilc but little Wisdom, and thcre is much plotâ€" ting on the part of: each member of the three boards against each and every one of his fellows. Periodically the Empress Dmvagcr comes out, rates tlicni soundly from beluind her screen, and if they have done something unus- ually foolish, boxes all their cars. Anid between one and another of them the unhappy Son of llcaveu comes a crop- per. a.-_...n__.__..v.. L. INQITES’l‘ ON A HEN, An analysis of the contents of the gizzard of a hen killed at (lpalopolis, N.S.VV., revealed one thrceâ€"pcnny-bit, one bone overcrmtdmtton. six metal t rouscrâ€"but tons, two brass-headed tacks, 3â€"4 in., about 5 dozen metal Spl‘ig‘s (for boots). and sundry opal chips, The old lady suffered no inâ€" convenicnce, and contributed her daily egg to the breakfast table up to Up, last. , . DANGEle OF MAT R lMONY. Mrs. lJc Peckâ€"~Sincc l married you I am losing all my good looks. Mrs. De Peckâ€"Doctors agree that nothing will spoil a woman‘s beauty quicker than frequent. ehullitiom of temper. and sewn pounds bailed into soup. He - was promoted from the third to the. He has held manly offices in the capiâ€"' tat. among others that of President