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' Khan was probably no prettier, hap- pier and nature charming country girl in Italy than Mona Cempetti. Graceful Is a fawn, vivacious as a wood-nymph, innoaent as a child, she was the life of the rustic dance, the belle of the village festivals, the potted favorite of her neighborhood by reason of her piety and goodness, and at the same time the household angel of old Giovan- ni Campetti, her uncle, and sole near kinsman, a. well-to-do vineâ€"grower of Monte Paoli, with whom she had. lived tron: her earliest recollections. 5 Of course, lovers were not lacking. ’Mona had many of them, and as she was by nature straightforward and Iinglenhearted. she had at eighteen alâ€" ready made her choice from the many who eagerly sought her heart and hand. But, unfortunately, her choice was very different from the one de- signed. for her by old Giovanni, who, with pardonable self-consciousness per- haps, in view of his having tenderly reared her asihis own, could not but see that his own inclinations were the prin- cipal prize at stake, instead. of Monet's toelinga. Then she at Last pleeded no more, gradually assuming a defiant attitude and it was no secret that she was in the habit of having stolen interviews with her over, who did not venture on the vine-growers premises, though aoâ€" cuetomed to be made more than wel- come pretty much everywhere else. It was about noon of a certain love- ly Spring day, that Mona being on her way homeward from the market in Monte Paoli, drove her donkey aside from the rocky, open path into ase- oiuded little dingle, in which she had been of late in the habit of pausing tor the exchange of a few loving words and innocent endearments with Marco. Then the leaves parted. a darkly- handsome face and athletic figure came into View, and then, as a simultane- ous exclamation burst from her lips, and his, he was at her side, with a bound, and she was in his arms. This camp in the form of a singular- ly attractive young man several years Spalau‘o's senior, calling himself Mar- co Riviera, concerning whose anteced- aan and pursuits, there was a great deal of mystery, which, how-ever, had only added to the attx‘acLiveness which he had. exerted among the girls of Monte. Pauli from the first. 5 She had hardly looked around, expect- antly. after easing the animal of its panniers, before she heard the well- known footsteps rustling along the overgrown path above her head. After the first transports of their meeting had aub‘sided, the quick eye of the girl saw Something in her lover's demeanor that was new to her. \ His face worn a atern and anxious look, which even his unaffected delight at meeting her could not wholly dis- guise, and he.seemed agitated, as if hardâ€"breathed after an exciting adven- ture or a ang chaise. His choice was in Eavar of Giuseppe Spalatro, a likely young peasant pro- prietor from the environs of Catan- zero. He was an agreeable enough Young fellow, too, of whose love [or (Iona there could be no doubt, nocâ€" rithstanding that many a beLLer-cir- numutanoed girl than she had been tong setting her cap for him in vain. And the vineâ€"gnowor's niece would doubtless have succumbed: to his earnâ€" 08L wooing in the end, supporLed as it was. by he: uncle's urgent wishes, bad she not; met her destiny elsewhere. He somehow created. the impression that he was Ham somewhere, northâ€"in Romagna or Tuscany, and that he was a mere idlér of means. for which he was Seeking a profitable investmenL, eithâ€" u‘ in vineyards, olive growing or com- merce, he was not particular which; but no one exactly knew. Nor did he fully enlighten anyone as to whence he came, witherwavd he tended, and what could be his object in burying himself among the simple countryiolk of Calabria. However,‘ as to the latter. there was presently offered. a living and palp- able explanation in the person of Mona Campetti. They fall deeply in love a1- moat from the first sight they had. of each other. In less than a. month after their first meeting it was a generally ao- oepted fact that they had plighted their troth. Old‘bdfipetti, however, would not. be reconciled to it. in spite of Mona's pleadings} Impasaioned and resolute as he was handsome and accomplished. the stran- I soon had the field so thoroughly to imaelf as to hopelessly diepir- it all competitors. and in the magnetism of his pres- enCe the girl, for the first time, knew the intoxication of loving, and being loved to the full. " Marco, what has happened?" she exclaimed, " Ah, one might suppose that you had juat escaped. from those horrid brlganda that rumor says have come down to infeat our hills from the Abruzzi, with infamous Pietro Monica at their head I" I have not been chased by brigand'm, but I have been hard pressed to keep my appointment with you here to-day, and I would not have missed thin one Ibove all.” "Marco 95;; ‘a start. and than burst lntoAa laggh.‘ - . ,,,_ “ Pesto {wind have you, too. come to share those tales about the brigands, Mona 'o’" he cried. " No, n_o,_my_dgrlingl ’Hii slinky reassured her. MUNA'S VENGEHNGE. She gave him a startled look. “ Yesâ€"yea," he went on hurriedly, as though making perfectly sure of her consent; " there is no other way. It is no longer safeâ€"I should say desir- able, Monaâ€"for me to linger in these valleys. I must hasten away from among these people, and I cannot leave you behind, And only think how for- tunate, darling! The good priest down gt the yillag‘eâ€"your friend. andnnner “Yes, yes!" said 'he, again, with Something strange and sombre in his air; but ~30mething has happened, Mona. I mean your uncle growa more and more suspicious of me,rand I can no longer rest satisfied with these brief interviewsâ€"that is all. Manna, your uncle will never consent to our marriage." “ Alas! I fear he never will I" " Then we must marry Without his consent, Mona. and there is no time to l have had an interview with him, He is going to make inquiries that I doubt not will convince him of my good char- acter, and better faith. and. in that case. he promises to await us by sun- set of this day at the little hostelry of old Beppo, high up in the Passe della Avoltore, there to make us one. But what is this, Mona '9" l"Ah! but there is no other way, my Mona! “And shall we not thenceâ€" foyth be all in all to each other l" he cried, clasping her close, " What! Are y_ou not yet ready to trust me, darâ€" 1111s W “ Yes, yes, Marcoâ€"to the death, if need, be, and you know it 1" she sob- bed. “Yes, I will make my prepara- tion. and rejoin you at Belppo’s by sun- aet. And thenceforlh withersoever thou goest there shall I go. thy God shall be my God. a-ncl thy people shall be my people. But, 0 Marco l” and her tear-brimmed, loving eyes Were lifted earnestly to his; “what is this mystery that cloaks your past and your present? Witherward and among what new scenea will you lead me when I am) yours? Surely I have a right to know; in View of what I am about to give up for you !" “All our interviews are so sweet, dear," said she embracing him. " that the last seem; ever the tenderer."_ » At the edge of the village two men came forward to meet him, with an air of having anxiously awaited his return from some momentous errand. These men were Mona's uncle and. Giuseppe Spagatro, her discaer lover: "Signors," aaid the spy. in answer to their looks of eager inquiry, “ your suspicions have not been misplaced. I have seen the stranger and identified him beyond a; doubt. Come, there is no time to lose. We will first to the priest’s house to give him warning, and then hasten to Catanzaro. Our enter- prise will, doubtless, require a larger force of the gendarmerie than Monte Paoli can afford to spare." in > He had hurried along so selfâ€"conâ€" sciously as only now to become aware that she was listening with an af- frighted air. “ To marry thus by stealthâ€"without my uncle's consent or knowledgeâ€"and at the old Beppo's hostelry in the Vulâ€" ture Pass, where the brigands used to hold their appointments 1" she gasped. Sim burst into tears by responding £0 his endearments. give up for you !" " Yes, my Mona. but at another time, and then all will be well," he repiied, with renewed caresses, as a cover, it would seem to his embarassment. " Suffice to know that you will be nothing less than a princess to, the brave people among Whom I shall lead you, besides the beautiful empress everâ€" mgife oi my fortunes and my heart.'_' The interview lasted but a few min- utes longer, after which, with apart- ing embrace, they separated, Marco dia- appearimg up the mountain side, and Mona resuming her homeward path, While driving her beast of burden be- fore her. They had hardly more than vanished before a spyâ€"«a shrewd, cunning-faced man, in semi-official costume, who had secretly watched and overheard every- thing that had taken place between the loversâ€"stealthin gained the path from his place of concealment and ran rapid- ly down the mountain. They entered the tillage with the rap-id, assured steps of men confident in the purpose on which they were bent. The Pasao della Avoltore, or Vulture Pass, was a. wild and lonely gorge of the Apenninens about seven miles trom the Campetti cottage, and Beppo’s lit- tle inn-a place of unenviable repute, though occasionally sheltering tourist parties of good characterâ€"clung“ with its little garden and vineclad porch, on the very edge of the rocky, sinuous trail that skirted the deep and peril- ous abyss, through which a wild tur- rent frothed and roared. The sun was just sinking behind the mountains when Mona approached the house, with her bundle, which contain- ed all the scant_ girlish possessions which she had been able to collect to- gether before quitting her home withâ€" out exciting the suspicion of her un- cle's housekeeper. She was already anxiously awaited by her lover, who ran out of the porch and relieved her of her bundle while em- bracing her. _ " Ah, my Mona. my life, my love, my darling! My heart told me you would be true to our trystl" be ex- claimed, conducting her into the porch where a little table had already been spread and supplied for them. “Father Ambroaius has not yet arrived, but I am sure he will not be long ?" " Perfectly sure, dear Marco; at least so far as I am concerned,” she replied, with surprise. " But see; the good father is at last coming up the pasu." He continued to speak on rapidly, and she perceived that he seemed even more anxious and disturbed than at theirmecent meeting; but she was happy now that the fateful step had been taken, and she made no comment as she seated. herself at the table oth- er than to respond to his tenderness. “ You are sure, quite sure, Mona, that no other living being could have got an‘ inkling of your coming here to meet me i” he at last said, in a low, anxious tone. while helping her to 'i‘he unmasked. brigand started back with an oath, whileVLhruating his hand under his short coat, but he almost at once "bowed his head upon his breast. “ Wlâ€"xén, Marco! Gan it_be true ?" she gasped. “ Youâ€"you and Monica one and the same ?" They both started up joyfully to wel- come the newcomer, but then fell back in dismay on perceiving that Father Ambrosius, usually so benevolent and urbane, was approaching them with a. stern, uncompromising look, upon his face. He extended his hand as if con- ferring his blessing upon the girl, but there was no kindness in the look be bent upon he; companion. “ WhExt, good fath-ele Have you, then, no {gang for gay Marco l" faltered Mona. “ Fatherkdid you not consult my re- oommendatxons “I” stammered tha youpg man, 7 “ NB, villain I” thundered the pnest, in a terrible voice; “ since timely in- formation saved me from falling into the snare set [or me by youâ€"Pietro Monica 1" Mona had also recoiled, and white to the lips, was regarding him with wide- staying, tagger-dilated _eyes. To disengage himself from Mona’s wreathin-g arm, confront them before the hostelry, revolver in hand. and at the same time sounding a shrill whis- tle, which he phaced to his lips. was with the brigand chiell the work of but an instant. But at the same moment and as a dozen or mom of his band, who had lain in concaalmetnt near at hand, came rushâ€" ing to his rescue, the squad charged furiously up the path, firing carbines with deadly effect. " Mona, it is true!" he murmred, in broken and hollow tones, and without raising his eyes. “ But, ah if you knew all! Oh, Mona. Mona. do you they: abapdon mp ?" ” Never l” she cried, mastering her- self and rushing to his side, in spitw of the priest’s attempt; to interfere. “My love, my life! whether brigand or not, I am none the less thineâ€"thine for ever I" But at that inshant there was a about of triumph, and a dozen gendatmes, headed by the spy, now in full uni- form as an officer of the guard, and followed by old Campetti and young Sp-alatrrro, dashedAup thg path. Though conveyed under a strong guard to Catanzaro, she on the very next day managed to make her escape and join the band whose fearless, piti- Ie'ss and sucoassful leader she has ever since rewained. Her vengeance has already compass- ed the death of Giuseppe Spalatra and every member of the gendarmerie en- gaged in Monico’s- taking off, though it has spar ‘. both her uncle and the priest. By her audacity and activity she has made herself the terror of the country. Her troop is numerous, and always wellâ€"informed by the peasan- try, through dread of her vengeance. The slightest disobedience to her orâ€" ders i537 Punished with death. ' How the blflel'ent countries Iluve Incl-ens i'ul Slncc flue Beginning of lhe (lentul'y. Some interesting statistics in re- gard to the increase of population have just been compiled by Sir Robert Giffcunr, a distinguished English expert 0411 this subject. He shows that Eng- lei/ml now has possessions on all five continents, and that a quarter of the population of the entire earth is subâ€" ject to her suzeraiinty. The axtent of territory owned by England amounts to 13,000,000 square miles, and on this immense tract is a population of 420,â€" 00J,000. During the last twenty-seven years the English realm has increased by 2,854,000. square miles, and within the same period 125,000,000 have been added to ALhe population: The lease? brLganda were killed, wounded or dispersed, and Pietro Mon- ico fell dead at the edge of the chasm riddled with bullets. Mona with a shriek, threw herself upon her lover's: body, and wildly kissed the inanimate face. Then, tearing the weapon from his lifeless hand, she dis- charged it at his assailants, narrowâ€" 1y missing S-palatro's head. and, rais- in her eyes to heaven she swore to dedi- cate her life to avenging her lover’s death. How st-awnly she kept her oath is made ,manifest by the records of what happened afterwards. ‘ Still in the flush of her youth and beautyl her hear} hala become like stone. She has no other thought, it would seem, save that of vengeance, and this strange and lurid anomaly is, nevertheless. presented as an ac- tual personality of Mona, the Btigand Queen. " Noble girl I” he exclaimed, clasp- ing her to his breast. Sinoe 1871, the. population of the United Kingermâ€"L'ngland, Scotland and Irelandâ€"has increased from 32,- 000,000 to 40,000,000. \At the begin- ning of this century England, Scot- land and Ireland had a population of 11,000,000, and. France of 26,000,000; yet toâ€"day the proportion of population in both countries is almost alike. Rus- sia. has increased her population by 60,000,000, since 1870, the result being that she has now a total populatiom of. 130,000,000. Germany had a popula- tion of 20,000,000 at the beginning of this century ; now she has between 50,â€" 000,000 and 60,000,000, of whom almost a quarter is the result of the increase of births over deaths. Germany, too, is making vast strides as a colonial Power, and her population in those distant possessions already amounts to a considerable number. I firmly believe, she said, that wo- marn should have the right to proâ€" prgpose. ‘ 0t course. if woman proposes. he re- plied, she would give an engagement! ring and other presents instead of re- ceiying them. 0n Eecond thought, she answered. perhaps it would be better not to change existing conditions. ANOTHER VIEW‘ OF THE MATTER. INCREASE 0F POPULATION. A home is attractive or otherwise as it Seems to be the abiding place of loving, warm-hearted people. One nev- er passes a house where flowers are in the yard or windows without having a little betier impression regarding the occupants than if no flowers were in evidence. Flowers not; only indicate character, but do something towards forming it. It may be possible to find a bad person who is a lover of flowers, but one would have to look a long while. “00m.”00”0”m”5005 MAKING HOME BEAUTIFUL. Every farm, every home in country, or country village, should have some flowers around the house, writes A. W. Cheever. ‘The quantity grown must depend on the situation and lay of the land. A country home with no flow- ers ie‘anything but attractive. One who cares nothing for flowers is apt to care little for looks anyway, and will neglect giving any attention to appearances. Green grass in a. door- yard is attractive even without flow- ers. But I recall the home of a neat old Quaker family that was really tire- some because of its neatness and sameâ€" ness. In such a yard a boy's hoop or wheelbarrow left in the way would have given me a pleasanter impression than that extreme neatnesn. Not many flowu‘e are needed to change the appearance of a place. Even a few perennials bordering the path to the: trout door shows that some- body has been thoughtful and has had an eye for the beautiful. Many perâ€" sons have an annual revival of floral instincts when the florists’ catalogues arrive. They look at the pictures and make selections of seeds which are or- dered and planted, but without persist- ent interest in the work and a willing- ness to study the wants of different plants, the results will be more or less disappointing. Planting seeds is not the whole of securing a good show of flowers. Many plants are too feeble when young to fight their way among the stronger ones and. weedis. Persons who depend on annuals are apt to get discouraged by midsummer, it is so much work to kill weeds, and. seeds are so uncertain of meeting expectations. ‘ Persons who have had failures with annuals sometimes conclude that per- ennials will be better. They want only such flowers "as will take care of themselves." A few will do it. among them the old-fashioned lilac bush that spreads from the root and several kinds of lily such as are occasionally seen around the aim of old farm houses that have gone to decay. A few such plants are sometimes the only living evidence of the location of an aban- doned home. They are as enduring as the stonedâ€"up well and cellar hole. But most things that are worth plant- ing need some after care. For flowers late in the season, some annuals are Indispensible. but agood deal can be accomplished with peren- nials if well chosen and cared for, es- pecially if a. few bulbs are. added to the collection. Teln or a dozen varie~ ties each of peoniee, iris and perennial phlox will give a wealth of beauty through nearly all the season. The main thing in their care is room enough to grow without being crowded. and fertilizer enough. None of these-will do well in grass or in a hard, unworked soil. To get '75 to 100 blooms from a single peony plant it must have root mom and plenty of plant food. It must have moisture, too, and if trees or grass roots drink the water the flowers must suffer. Among the early flowering bulbs I find the tulip the most satisfacttory. A few crocuses, narcissi and hyacinths must have a place because of their beauty and earlinese, but for quantity and variety of colov for a full month nothing suits me as well as the tulip. It is a; hardy as grass and about as easy to grow, but it will not do well in the same place with grass. Rich mellow soil, not too wet, and transâ€" planting and dividing every secondyr third year is all it requires. though some extra care will_pay. For midsummer and fall blooming I know of nothing as satisfactory as the gladiolus in its many varieties. For indoor decoration as a cut flower I know of nothing that is its equal. Cut when the lowest bud has opened. if kept in water, every bud will open to the very top end. They propagate fairly well by offsets, though faster by seeds, and the choicest varieties are best kept up in this way. The less de- sirable red colors multiply more rapid- ly in ordinary culture than the better kinds, like Shakespeare, Eugene Scribe and other delicate light colors. An inquirer’ asks if the gladoilus will come true every year, or will revert to some original form. Once I should have said without hesitation that it would come true, but last spring I procured a few new bulbs of a choice color: when they came to bloom ,not one was what I had expected. Mr. Allen, in his excellent work on bulbs, gives a somewhat similar experience. He planted a lot of named varieties two years in succession and found an evident reversion. But such cases are comparatively rare. As a rule one gets what he plants in this line of bulbs, as with most other plants. Here are some suggestions for des- serts which will please the palate and lower the temperature of the par- taker: Lemon Ice.â€"In making lemon ice. disâ€" solve two oupfuls of sugar with three O” OWWOOOOOOOOQOOO§ ICE CREAM AND SHEBBETS. About the House. ’ Vienna Orange Cream.â€"-Put half an ounce of. gelatine in a small saucepan with half a gill of cold water; let it stand till soft; then add half gill of boiling water; set the saucepan over the fire and stir till dissolved; then remove and set aside. In the mean- time stir the yelks of six eggs with six tablespoonfuls of sugar to a cream, add by degrees half a pint of orange juice and three tablespoonfuls lemon juice; add lastly the gelatine. Continue to stir till thick; beat the whites to a stiff froth, then add slow- ly, While heating constantly, the or- ange mixture to the beaten white: rinse out a form with cold water, pour in the cream and set aside till cold and firm, then serve. Grape Ice.-â€"Add to a half pint of un- fermented grape juice one pint of cold water; pour it in a freezer and freeze till.thick; then serve. This will make about one quart The};- Auacks on Sh- Dlarlln Conway In the linllvlnn Andes. Sir Martin Conway, the Englishman. who has given the world so much in- teresting information about such wide- ly separated parts of the world as the Himalayas, Spitzbergen and the 001‘- dilleras of South America, has just been telling the Royal Geographical Society of his eXploraLions in the Boli- vian Andes last year, when he ascend- ed Illiunani and others of the highest peaks of Lhe Andes. His remarks about the Bolivian Indians surprised many in his audience, for it is well known that most of them are nomin- ally Christians, and it was supposed. that they were at least? half civilized. Sir Martin says, however, that ~they are never wellâ€"dISposed toward white men, and. the task of keeping them in order is not a slight one. In fact, the Government police have little. inâ€" fluence ovar them, and such order as is maintained is due chiefly to the priests. The Indians are exceedingly bigoted, and retain their ancient sup- e‘rstitions under a mask of Christian- ity. Grape Sherbetâ€"Prepare the same as above, and, when frozen thick. add the white of one egg beaten to a stiff frgth; freeze five minutes, and serve. Plain Ice-Cream.â€"Mix one pint cream with one pint milk, add one cupful sugar and two teaspoonfuls vanilla ex- tract, and freeze. INDIANS WHO DON'I‘ LIKE WHITES These natives seriously interfered with Sir Martin's mountain work beâ€" cause the nature of his undertaking did violence to their superstitions. They look upon the mountains above the habitable zone as a part of the other world, the abode of divine and diabolio beings and the haunt of their departed friends The Puna Indians believe that on the summit of one o! the peaks of Mount Sorata are a bull and a cross. both of gold. that were piaoed there by supernatural agency» They were sure Oonway had no other purpose in View in ascending the mowntain than to obtain possession of these priceless treasures. So they raided his camp one night for the avowed purpose of killing the party. It happened. however, that the explor‘ er and. his men had left the camp and were sLeepimg in small tents on the snowfbeld above, and as the snow areas are never visited by the natives, they did not get their prey. In Sir Martin’s opinion. if he and his men had. been “at home" that night. it would; have some hard with them, for they would have been outnumbered many times. ' Lemon Shamanâ€"Prepare the sum. as ab0ve, adding, when the mixture in frozen chick. tbs white of one egg beaten stiff; freeze again for five minutes and serve. - . On another occasion it was neces- sary to spend some. time on a hilltop LL) carry out the triangulation requir- ed. for the map the explorer was mak- ing of the country. Unfortunately the funeral monument of a departed chief stood. on this hill, and the na- tives seriously cl)ij to having these tombs profaned by the visits of stran- gers. He [had no sooner set up his theodolim near the monument than the Ind? -, began collecting from all quarters bu he was surrounded by more than 2‘00 enraged natives. Ho had with. him only a half-breed mule- teer wnd‘it was only by the skin of his teeth that he escaped. He had to abwndon his. theodolite and make off as fast as he could on his mule, and he found that the Indians who were showering stones at him could run al- most as fast as his mule could gallOp. He was chased for four miles until he found refuge within the walls of a. Down. Before he began his race for shelter he had been able to slip the theodolire into its case and next day it was found uninjured. It was neces- sary to finish his observations and he returned with persons who Were sup- posed to have influence with the ria- tives. He had scarcely begun work, however, before the stone throwing was resumed, and work had to be sus- pended forr the day. With the aid of a. company of Bolivian soldiers he was able, at last; to compleie the work. supfuls of cold water; and halt . cup- 1‘ ul of lemon juice and freeze. Miss Ryval, slightly envioua â€"I know you didn’t; Young Brideâ€"Bow do you know? Miss Ryvalâ€"You weren't there. Young Brideâ€"I didn't accept Tom the first time he proposed. AND THEN.