The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

“In that case, Madge,” he said. and h'is voice grew husky, “I'llâ€"I'll say good-by, and clear out of your way, for I couldn’t stop in the camp and see you, perhapsâ€"perhaps falling In love withâ€"some one else! I couldn’t do that! Tell me, Madge; speak to me, dearest, dearest!” “What shall I do? \Vhat shall I 1‘10?" broke from her quivering lips. “Let, me go! Ah. let me go! It is wrong, all wrong! Must I speak, must I tell you? Thenâ€"thenâ€"â€"â€"" She paused as if on the verge of a verge of a great efiort, then raised her eyes to his, “Iâ€"do notâ€"love you;" ‘she faltered. "Madge! Madge.” ho murmured brokenly. “My darling! My darling ‘And you said you did not, low: me? [Which is true? Whisper dearest. No. give me ochdssâ€"one kiss from your henrt, and then I shall know." The next moment, she was on his breast, her face hidden, her whole frame shaking with sobs. She had tried to do her duty and Jailed. Bi-hind them were {he glare and the din of the fair, abm'e them the “any night: the horfias neighed p “I forget nothing,’ he said, his face flushing, his eyes bent with pas- sionate love upon her upturned face; Her eyes melting with mingled love and pain, hope, trust, andâ€"yes, des- pair. "I know all you mean. but it amounts to nothing. If I were a king upon a throne, instead of being what, I amâ€"an outcast, disowned by his own peoplehl should say the same. You see, I can‘t help it! "A man can't help loving, Madge; and the man who loves as I love you and doesn’t. speak out is a cur and a coward, and doesn’t deserve to get What he wants. Soc. dearest! on't hold off from me, Madge. un- lessâ€"" his face paled suddenly, l'imless you don‘t Care for me." Her breath came and went, and she drooped her head, that he might not read in her eyes the loveâ€"the all absorbing, passionate love, that filled her heart to overflowing. Royce uttered a low cry and press- ed her to him, took her face in his hands and raised it, and kissed the lovely eyes and trembling lips. With her face hidden she slowly put. her arms around his neck and drew his head down, and then with that surrender of self, of which only a girl 'in the throes of her first pus- sivn can be capable, she put her lips [.0 bis. “Your wife! No, no!" she faltex‘ed, the agony of renouncing her exquisâ€" lto' bliss trembling in her voice, “Youâ€"you (orget! You forget what you are, and what I am! Aâ€"a com- mon gypsy, a, vagahond; While youâ€" 'Ah'. I must; not let you forget." It was at this same fair at Mark- ham that a groom from Monk Tow- ers had recognized Royce, although the latter did not recognize him. as he was hastening to another part of the (air, to attend to a matter of some import. By this time Madge had ceased to shun Boyce; and often in the even- lng, when the labor of the day was done. they Wandered hand in hand beyond the light of the camp fire, to Indulge in the sweet converse which dendte's'the highest. esfeem. On one ‘M these occasions he laid bare his heart before her in impassioned words. and asked her to become his wife. WWWW WWWWÂ¥ +44! The gypsies learned to respect and admire "Mr. Jack," as he was call- ad by those who liked him; but Long Bill and Steve could not con- Coal their dislike when anything was aald in Royce’s favor. The truth .wne, Steve realized that “Gypsy Jack," as some of the tribe named him, was daily winning the love of Madge, the girl on whom he himself had set his heart. It is not wonder- lul. then, that Steve viewed his riv- al's preference by Madge with eyes that glared with deadly hatred. A' Salome to injure him, by induc- ing Gypsy Jack to act as wrestler against all comers, at tho Markham Fair, was frustrated by the firm command of Madge, who readin guessed that the instigators had a strong hope that in one of the con- tests he might be maimed, or other- wise injured. From the hour Royce had forced' .the knife from Steve, the gypsiesl looked up to him, not only as their! superior in social rank, but. as their, supcu‘ior in pluck; for Lhough Lherq Were not. many cowards in the camp; few would have cared to tackle the, young gypsy, especially when' he! was in one of his savage moods. | He proved himself to be useful in many ways, but chiefly in horse- h‘ading, he being an excellent judge of horseflesh. He knew a superior animal, and was, therefore, a shrewd purchaser. He knew, 5180, how to 'display a valuable animal to the beat. advantage before a prospective buyer, and, therefore, managed to dispose of him at a fair profit. Women adore strength when it is allied to courage, and men respect it. They learned, too, th'nt their new comrade could not only_ fight but ,work. ’WHM'MMWH Wk1+4*H”FW CHAPTER XIII. . restlessly close by, u camp fire Shot The Gypsy’s Sasrifiee OR A SECRET REVEALED Her handsome face was almost Without a wrinkle, and the dark eyes shone clear and moonlike, and, like the moon, impassive and emo- tionless. Seymour appeared on the scene next, and went about with a smile, sleek and benevolent, upon his fair face. He was dressed with the ex- tremest care, and yet had contrived to give to his appearance the air of a man who cares nothing for his clothes. The officers. all the young men, in fact, opened their eyes, and found their hearts beating at this vision of loveliness, and even Seymour was startled. 'As the bell rang for dinner, Irene entered the drawing-room. She came in quietly and noiselessly enough, but, nevertheleSS, 'her appearance created what is called in newspaper parlance a. sensation). The lin maid was dressed entirely in white. Her frock was of soft; white silk, which, colorless as it was, did not dim the glorious ivory of her neck and arms. Shegvore no jewelry, but a white rose nestled in the silken coils of her golden hair, and another rested on the bosom of her dress. He had never seen Irene in her “war paint," and to-night she .was a revelation. The blood quickcned in Exactly at eight-0510c}: the counâ€" tess entered the drawingâ€"room in readiness to receive her guesw. 0L, . She was dressed in [flack " satin, wore priceless lace, and a part of the Landon diamonds. CHAPTER XI V. Two nights after Royce had told Madge Lee, the gypsy, that he loved her, and had asked her to be his wife, there was a dinner party at the Monk Towers. 'A dinner party at the 'l‘owers was an event. It was the principal house in the country; the countess was, adâ€" mittedly, the first lady in the (Ilsâ€" trict, and the function was one at which every person of standing in the place was proud to assist. The guests numbered twenty, and were representative. The Earl and Countess of Bulfnrras, a. neighboring baronet, his wife, and two daughâ€" ters; four or five Squires and their wives; a couple of oficers from the garrison town; the rector and his wife and son; and a celebrated au- thor, who was staying with them. "Wh07'1 he retorted with an oath. "The fine gentleman that's sneaked in among us; this Mr. Jack, as you call him! I'm not blind. if the rest of you are! I tell you she's clean gone on him! “pasn’t some of you there when she wouldn't let him go on the wrestling platform? Wasn’t; that enough 30 show you what was happening? I tell you if it uint't stopped thaL Madge will bring ruin on herself and disgrace on all of us." She started, her breath seemed to cease as she listened, but though with a kind of shiver she panted, "No, no!" and hid her face still more completely, she still clung to him in léving surrender. Madge drew herself upright, and her eyes turned with a flash toward the fire; then suddenly the passionate indignation seemed to flicker out, and she sank on Royce's breast, panting hard. . “I-Iush,’ hush, Madge," he said through his clinched teeth. “What does it. matter what they say! They don’t know any better. We'll show themâ€"” He stopped. thought a moment, then bent till his lips touched her hair, and whiqwred long and hurriedly. "It must be put; an end to," he was saying. "D'yo hear, all of you? I say it must be put an end to! It's Madge's fault as well as his, but. he's the worst. Who's he that he should bring- 'disgracc upon us?" "Disgrace," cried mother Katie's voice. "Who's going to bring dis- grace on us. I should like to know?" Ho could feel her hoan throbbing wildly against his side, her breath stirred his hair, and as he bent, to kiss her now and again and mur- muredâ€""I love you, Madge, my darl- ing‘, my dearest!" he know that. though the lips were silent her heart; gave back the refrain. restlessly close by, a. camp fire shot up luridly in the darkness. It, was a fitting- scene for Madge's hctrotlh- al, and one that, she would not for- get until the hour comes when death wipes away with one sweep of Ms fleshloss hand all earthly scenes, sad or joyous. Ho had turned to lead her away, and was drawing the shawl around her with the newly-horn, protecting tenderness of possession, when her name struck on their cars. Mechanically they stopped and lis- tene'd. Neither of them at first; recognized the voice. but presently both knew that it was Steve's. All unconsciously, rapt, in the dream which is the sweetext to us all, they 'drew near the camp fire and Madge, Waking with a start, stop- ped shrinkingly. HeVput his arms around her, lov- ingly, protectingly, and unconsciousâ€" ly they wandered axvgxy. “We treat our cook just like one of the family,” said Mrs. Gilfoyle. “We don't,” added Mrs. Poindexter. "We dun't dare. We are polite to our cook!” In the Russian Railway Budget for 1904 the gross revenue from the State railways is estimated at £47,- 3()0,000 and expenditure on them, including working expenses, improve ments and purchase of rolling stock, is estimated at £46.400,000, show- ing a net revenue of £900,000. But as the payment of interest on Gov- ernment railway bonds absorbs an- nually a further sum of nearly £14,- 000,000, the total deficit on State railways alone would appear to be thirteen millions sterling (£14,000,- 0(mâ€"_£90(),000), exclusive of ad- vances of guaranteed interest, etc., to private con1panies.â€"â€"London Enâ€" ginecr. Ever}- nuw and then Seymour glanced across a; the two keenly. He saw the sensation Irene had pro- duced, and it set him thinking that he had hotter not. postpone his at- tack. unless he wanted to see her borne off by some other man. (To be Continued.) “I am not bored in the least,” said Irene so sweetly that. her voice rang like music. in the young fellow’s ears, and kept him silent for a min- ute or two. ’ "Do you think it is too late now toâ€"to restore Royl-Mr. Landon?" “Nâ€"o, 1 don't; think so. The earl I believe has, a great deal of influ- ence with the Government, and could bring tremendous pressure to bear at the War Office. But I don’t think he himself is very hopeful. Perhaps he fauCies that it would only make the unfortunate afi'air more public than it is. I'm afraid I've bored you to death, Miss Tresylian, but the fact is my brother is always drum- ming the business into my ears, and I‘ve caught something of his enthus- iasm.” The young oflicor who had taken Irene in, and was more Hmn half afraid of her celestial beauty, fell head over heels in love with her be- fore the third course, and, though he was a silent man as a rule, found himself trying to amuse and interest her. tess' ward, and living in the house; but regarded her as a guest of the evening like himself. He told her some anecdotes of barâ€" rack life, which delighted her because Royce had been a. soldior; but pre- sently he made her start and turn pale. "Not a (lay passed but Landon had to endure some open or covert insoâ€" lence, and he bore it wonderfully un- til the night when the other man threw the wine in his face. Why, in the old times such an insult would have been wiped out with blood. All the sympathy was with Landon." he went on. "He was the favorite of the regiment, and the colonel was (lr-testecl. According; to my brother. Landon was just what an officer should be. Kind and considerate to the men, and as full of pluck and generosity asâ€"as this glass is full of wine! My brother took Landon's resignation so much to heart that he called upon the earl, Lord Landonâ€"” "Called-upon the earl?" said Irene. ",Yes, rather a cool thing to do. but he has plenty of check. He went to him and laid the whole case beâ€" fore him, gave him the full particu- lars, and begged him to use his in- terest at the War Oflico, and get Mr. Landon back again; and my brother is convinced that there wouldn't have been any difficulty in reinstatâ€" ing Mr. Landon." "Andâ€"and "did he, the earl, try and (10 what he could?" she asked breathlessly. “I don't know," replied the officer with some hesitation. “But I think not. I suppose he thought that it was of no use. We should have been surc- to have heard of it if he had applied at the War Office; these things alwzus leak out, you know.” his veins as it had nevvr done at avathing hefoercching baccarat. He had valued her hitherto for her money, but to-night he realived her indescribable beauty, and it made his pulse quicken. He did not know who shv was, and liad no idea that she was the coun- tess' ward, and living in the house; “Yes,” [altered Irene. "Well, I think it's rather too hard on him, and not fair." "Why do you say that? Tell me," said Irene. "Well, I fancy the whole truth of the lnmiucss isn't. generally known. I’ve got; the rights of it; from my brother. and I'm convinced that ,if young Landon had stood his ground he would not have had to resign. My brother says that the colonel was and is a perfect brute, and that he exasperated Landon beyond mor- tal endurance. The colonel had a grudge against him, and lost no opâ€" pol‘tunity of rounding on himâ€"I beg your pardon, that's barrack slung!" reg "I understand, I know; Go 01â€")! murmured Irene, breathlessly. RUSSIAN RAILWAY RETURNS. While this is done by some in a systematic Way, the great mass of fruit trees are not receiving any special attention as to feeding. Often the ordhard has to produce crops in the farm rotation with only about as much plant food as the rest of the farm received. This is better than no feeding for the trees will appropriate to themselves at least a portion. Too often orchards get about the same attention as forest trees. Many state crop correspond- ents say that stable manure has proven the most satisfactory. This may be due to the fact that by the use of it, both humus and plant food are given to the soil. There may be soils so rich in plant food that fer- tilizing would be wasteful, but they are unquestionably rare. HeaVy crops of f1 nit are a severe drain upon the fwtxlih' of the soil. The age at which to breed depends on the maturity more than the age. A gilt that has been properly hand- led will weigh 200 pounds or more at. eight months. and ought to raise a good litter of pigs if bred then. When a young sow has only a few pigs, or is a. poor milker or a care- less mother, she should be sent to the meat barrel at once. But if she is a good milker, and attentive to her young, she should be tried again, for the second litter will usu- ally be larger than the first. If her second litter shoWs increased num- bers, and the first, one developed inâ€" to good hogs, she might be retained for a breeder until a. better sow can be obtained. When selecting the brood sow, go to a pen where a number of gilts are kept and the fattest and best developed ones will always come to the trough first. From these seâ€" lect a brood sow. ’I‘he gilt selected should come from a large litter and from a saw that is a. good feeder, gentle and easy to handle. For if she is gentle and kind and a. good feeder, she will usually be a good milker, a very essential point in a. brood sow. One cannot judge ac- curately of the milking qualities in e gilt, but a chunky, heaVy boned, short legged sow is not as good a milker as one with a longer body and legs, and less rounde sides. Under all circumstances avoid line that is wild, or nervous, or has a low back, The legs must be strong and straight. The sow must stand entirely on her toes and should show ten or 12 teats. ‘ Many farmers claim there is no money in [all pigs. I believe I can make as much growth for the same food with a fall pig as I can with a spring pig, writes Colon C. Little. or course, a man must provide suit- able feed and shelter and know how to take care of fall pigs or he will not, be satisfied. The fall pig can- not hustle for himself around the barn yard, eat out in the snow, sleep in a cold nest. and thrive very Well A pig several months old may (10 this if he has plenty of com and a little slop. But the young pig, fai'rchd say in October, must have special care and feed in order to make a reasonable growth. About cnce'u week the pigs are giver- a fwd of charcoal, which helps keep" the digeshive organs in good condition and sweetens the stomach. Evm'y lit-fie while, also, wood ashes are put into their troughs. This also helps to keep the digestiVe or- gqu in good condition and guards against intestinal Worms. CHOOSING A BROOD SOW. Mine is a winter dairy. I have more skim milk to dispose of during the cold months than during the warm ones. During September and October a large number of my pigs are. farrowcd. I must; have them to utilim this by<product of the dairy profitably. v In my case, I proved that necessity is the mother of invention. I will admit that I had to solve the problem of grow- ing fall pigs. For mature hogs, the temporary, outdoor hog house works very well, but it, is not the place for the fall- favrowed pig. He needs a good roomy pen that is warm and dry. Fm weeks at 0. time he ought not to go out of doprs. Every pleasamt day the doors of our pen are open. cd to give the hog house an airing and to allow the pigs to take out- door exercise if they choose, yet they prefer to remain in the pen most of the time. Some days they gc out in their yards for a. short time. But they act as if they wore pleased when the doors are shut and tho pen again assumes its norm- al temperature. 'l‘hn .fnll pig should have a balanced mtion. He should not be allowed to eat too mucn corn or too large g proportion of skim milk. My ex- perience is that bhe milk should be in about the ratio of three pounds in one pound of com. I never feed the skim milk clear, but make a slop of it by mixing wheat mid- dlings and dried beet pulp. The former is splendid food for growing young pigs It contains the pro- tein and the carbohydrates in just about the right proportion. 'l‘here is nothing that a young pig likes Better than a slop made in this way. FEEDING ORCHARD TREES MONEY IN FALL PIGS He writes shorthand, but ha is so quick at the art that he often gets in advance of the dictator. and not. wishing to Waste his time we deem- ed that he shauld take our corre spoudcncc in Iong‘hand. Yours truly, BLAND 8: CO. The bearer, John James, has been in our employ for the past three months.’ During that short period he has had the most unfortunate ex- periences of anyone that We know. viz., he has buried no fewer than three grandmothers during his short stay here. If you are fortunate enough to secure his services we would strongly advise you to insert the grandmother clause in any agreement you may make with him. Also. Singular to say, he was always the first to be attacked with any prevailing epidemic in his neighbor- hood. Another matter Worthy of notice is that we could never get him to agree with our office clock His watch was generally about ter minutes behind it, especially on re suming his work in the morning. Indigestion was somewhat. severe on him as on Monday mornings he had occasion to stay away frequentv 1y; indeed, so had was he one day when We sent, down for him that he had been compelled to hurry away to the doctor himself, and our mes- senger did not get to see him. We never knew him to be absent on Saturday morning, our pay-day. which, of course. is another instanca of hi: devotion to duty. People can be much more sweetc tempered after a fistâ€"fight than an argument with their. tongues. Full crops are the ones that make fruit growing profitable and unless the fertility is maintained exhaus- tion will follow. and the result, will be. unproductive and unprofitable or- chul‘ds. Give to the soil such plant food as is required for the develop- ment. of the tree, or fruit, and the feeding question is solved. But a. soil rich in all the elements of plant food, but deficient in humus or neg- lected as to cultivation, will not bring the desired results. To sup- ply humus and fertility nothing cx~ ccls the leguminous plants. The dry feeding system is meeting with increasing favor, Breeders who have tried one season of it. says the Poultry News, claim thab the egg production is increased and they have more uniform growth with the young stock. The feed boxes are kept filled with a. variety of grains, the grit box is full and also a. box of charcoal. From these the fowls take their choice, balancing their OW! rations as they do in bhe sum- Imex time on free range. It has not been v'ery long since the farmer was censured for letting his poultry h-ave.the range of the feed yards, where was always a. sup- ply of corn, and of the bum, wibh its wheat and oat bins. It was a source of wonder to the town breed- er that. under such conditions the farmer's flock laid an egg. yet, they continued to pay the grocer. Where there is a variety of grains it is not very different from the dry feed SyS‘ [em if chickens are supplied with pure water, housed warmly in dry quarters and really have access to feed bins. if they are supplied wibh. grit and charcoal they will dOIfl‘IUBSS lay as Well as the fancier’s fowls on dry feed and free range. Lake 'Assal lies considerably below the surface of the sea, It has been ascertained that the water that pours into it. comes from three brooks which flow from the Gubbet e1 Karab, a. little bay at the ex- treme western end of the Bay 0! Tadjoura. Course of Two Streams That Feed. An African Lake. The Waters of the Indian Ocean are carried inland to fill this de- pression in the interior, and when. they reach Lake Assal they are about 400 feet below the level of the sea. The mystery of Lake Assal was; solved in 1885 by 'the French ex- plorer, Henry Auden. He carefully; examined the shores, though he‘ found it very difficult, His hard‘ work was at, last rewarded by the murmur of a waterfall. Guided by_ the sound. he approach- ed Lhe spot, and the solution of the. enigma was before him. He found a} large brook of crystalline water foamingr over the stones and throw- ing itself impetuously into the lake. He tasted the water and found it as salt as the ocean, of which indeed it. had been a. part. Lake 'Assal is a small body of very salt water lying seven or olght miles inland from the Bay of 'I‘adjoura, ono‘ of the French possessions to East Afrlca. It comprises only about sixteen square miles. For years nobody knew whence it den'ved its water. The few men who1 visited it could not ascertain that any stream flows into it. It was thought that the lake probably had subterranean afiluents, but this theory was not demonstrated. It is surrounded by a wonderful. confusion of jagged mountains, 'de-‘ scending to the water’s edge, so that it is almOSt impossible to travel around it. Its waters are salt to‘ the point of saturation, and its low- est level there is Seen upon its bank layer of nearly pure salt over a, foot, thick. THU CLERK’S TESTIMONIAL MERITS OI“ DRY FEEDING FLOW FROM THE SEA.