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t l. t,‘ ._/ .1» Ion; Kept essences 0r, The Girl With the Nut Brown Hair and Dreamy Eyes. : l .â€" WWW CHAPTER XI. Tom Tinion gave his quid a turn and spat viciously upon the blan- ket of 'ellow ooze which covered the bar or bed from the railway bridge to the shipyard. Obtain- ing no relief from the operation, 'he strolled forward into the bows and gazed reflectively upon the, wooden head of the prophet pmsed underneath the Habakkuk's bow- sprit. It was no use, however, the gimb- let eyes of Michael Strang had ursu- d him and were boring holes his back; so, after resolving that under no circumstances would he glance aft for the space of a quarâ€"g ter of an hour, he wheeled roundl at the end of five minutes-and lum- ‘ Eered back to his old station. Perâ€" aps by some this will be accopted as evidence of a weak will and a. partial explanation of Tom Tinion’s eventual apostasy. Be that as it may, the fact for the moment is that the mate of the Halx :1;.:k no sooner faced about than he again met the gleam of those perforating eyes. He began to feel angry, the anger of the impotent. Had he- dared he would have ordered his tormentor away, but this was more than he might venture, for though a. ship may be a sailor's kingdom and no man enter without a passâ€" port, there is no law known to the nations to prevent an outsider looking over the walls. Once, twice, thrice the mate went the’ length of the deck and back again, but there was no escape, every time he walked aft he en- countered the same hatefully peneâ€" trating gaze, and as a last desper- ate resource he felt that he must speak if only to break the spell. With his suggestion of a fine cvâ€" ening, Strang cordially agreed, and shortly afterwards he bade the mate good-night, and was carried by his long legs over the railway \crossing into the town. He had obtained what he desiredâ€"an inâ€" troduction. Strolling up the quay on the following evening it seemed the most reasonable thing in the ,world that he should throw the mate a word of greeting, and before the week was out he might have been observed seated on one of the bollards engaged in friendly con- versation with the watcher on the deck. Their half hour’s chat at an) 'end Tinion was left to his lonely vigil, and as he rolled along the de k he remarkedâ€" “Well, after all, the devil’s nut so black as he’s painted. But,” after a reflective pause, “I’d ray- der have him for a friend than an enemy.” ' All in good time, Tom Tinion, all in good~timcl You shall have him, friend or enemy, as you will; and you, poor fool, he shall have you, your agonizing woe. ‘ Like others, you shall find that in the devil’s lexicon there is no such .word as friend, that in very truth it is a volume of but one wordâ€"- Self. As for Mr. Michael Strung, own- er of ships, reputed miser, and no- torious screw, he, too, was pass- ing judgmentâ€" “He’ll do,” he said, “he‘ll do, besu-tiâ€"fully. Six months hence I’ll be able to twist him round my little fingerâ€"and after that Mr. David Graham may look for the launching of his line:” And the man nodded his head, a nod of evil import, and leered, a leer of malicious intent. Six months! Strung was right in his forecast. At the end of the time he had specified his meetings with the mate of the Habakkuk, had been transferred from the pub-l licity of the quayside to the privacy! of his own back parlor, and therel the two discussed the wonderful ways of the sea, and at first with! subtle suggestion and later by diâ€"j tect demonstration, the owner reâ€"i sealed to the mate something of[ its golden potentialities. So I stealthin was the odd associationl cultivated. in the quiet hours of the harbor life, and behind the cur- tain of the night, when none might; note the mate’s approach to the} door, that l’) all outside to I treated lall.” its Faith; s. profit, he was not blind to the Odi- um nor heedless of the risk involvâ€" ed. Craftily, cautiously, ceaselessly, Strang watched his man, nor.d}d eyelid flicker nor muscle quiver without his seeing it. He was looking for a sign, for the feverous working of the virus he had inject- ed. His iniative Tinion must satisâ€" fy with a responsive effort. It was not enough that he should manifest interest, be it never so keen, he must be spurred into desire. It came at last, shaken into lusty being by an entrancing story, part- ly true and partly false, of ship- owning triumplrâ€"a tale of thou- sands inade in a single venture. As Strung concluded, the mate, jerk- ing himself bolt upright in his chair, exclaimedâ€" “Ay, it’s all very fine for you, but it's beyond such as me. David Graham and Michael Strang can rake in the yellow boys by the sackful, but as for me, the best that can ever offer is a berth as skipper of a dirty collier. In fact, now I think of it, I must be a den- ble-decked fool for listening to these fairy-tales. They’re only set- ting me at war with a life that six months since quite contented me. Once I used to think I’d be t’ hap- piest man alive when I walked me own deck and swung on me own tiller, but nowâ€"-â€"” “And now?” “And now it’s rotten, rotten. I’m only a man without a chance.” “Chance, chance,” Strang scorn- fully repeated. “What is it you want~to lie in a hammock all day and watch the sovereigns drop from the deck beams, to sling a cod line overboard and haul it in with money bags on the hooks, to open your hatches for coal and find nug- gets of gold flung down the hur- ries? Chance and luck, chance and luckâ€"oh, what a pretty song for bairns and lassies. Fortunes don’t chance, they’re made. I never had chances such as you are whining for, but I’ve hammered them out of life for myself, and .what I’ve got I’ve earned.” Amazed at the outburst, the mate stared dumny across the hearth, and Strang, with a sudden drop in his voice, went onâ€" “Do you know that when I sent my first ship out of Allcrdale, I hadn’t five pounds left to bless my- self with, and many a time after that I got down almost to my last copper. And nowâ€"nowâ€"now, I could buy up David Graham and two or three more of the Solway pack, and still have a sackful left.” Tinion grinned knowingly, and speech having come to him again, he drawledâ€"â€"- “Ay, folk say you’ve a fine fat stocking hidden somewhere, Mr. Strang.” “Stocking!” Strang chuckled gleefully~“stocking, oh, yes, I've a stocking. Ha, ha, haâ€"oh, yes, there’s a stocking.” Then, as if moved by impulsefi “Would you like a peep at it!” “Ay, if you care tovshow it.” With a curt invitation to him to follow, Strang rose and crossed to the door, but there he paused and, facing the sailor, looked him up and down, head to foot, and in an un- dertone of suspicion observed~ “I don’t knowâ€"never done it be- fore.” Then sharplyâ€"“Are you to be trusted?” The mate checks bridled up, his tan, flushing angrily, and re- into the middle of the room. “That's for you to say, Strang,”! he responded. “Besides, I’ve nev- er asked to see your stoeking, and if you fancy I’ll steal it, you‘d bet- ter keep it stowed away. For two; pins I'd not look at the thing ati “You wouldn’t, eh? “’ouldn‘ti look at bonny gold. Oh, Mr. Tiiiâ€"i ion, what a funny dog you arcll Next thing you'll ask me to believe; that you mean it. Come along." i Tinion at his heels. Strang shuf-‘ fled out of the room and along a. Short passage, which ended at a! low door, well locked and bolted} (‘reakiiig rustily upon its hinges: the precious stocking at the bot- tom of the sea, and his misgiving dccpcncd when Sirang, instead of procuring a light, gripped his hand and led him further along the uiiâ€" scen path. Stories of his companâ€" ion's past rccurrcd to him vividly with disturbing emphasis, and the perspiration broke in beads upon his brow with the fancy that for once gossip might have underâ€"rat- ed its victim, and that Strang's potentialities might not yet have been plumbed. In his fear he lost sight of his own strength, forgot that if it came to a battle of thew and sincw he had the other at his mercy. His wrist tightly held, ho was guided dccpcr and deeper into the sonibrous obscurity, dragged step by step, it seemed, from the region of living things and rescue. Once he growled an anathema against the darkness and the mystery, but the only response was a thin, cackling laugh more fearsome than the silence. He tried to define the direction whither lie was being conducted, but baffled, he abandon- ed the effort. He knew that they had descended a flight of steps, and at the foot made a sharp turn to the right, but after that they seem- ed to have traversed a labyrinth of passages, cvcr twisting and turning. He had lost all sense of locality. Ali! At last a halt. Strang was fumbling at another keyhole, an- other door rumblcd for their ad- mission, and clanged behind them; there was the fizz, of a match and the splutter of a lantern, and the mate beheld the snipowncr waving his hand, and heard his attention invited to the “place where I hang my stocking.” To a hurried glance the feeble rays of the lanicrn revealed a square apartment with walls of rough hewn stone, dank and moul- dy. Imagination invested the place with the glamor of: romance; in a less excited mood, Tinion would have seen that it was simply an or- dinary cellar, though under any circumstances it would have taken more than argument to convince him that he was within call of the door at the top of the steps, that the tortuous maze along which he had travelled consisted of a couâ€" 4ple of passages with an opening at either end. Along these he had been led over and over again, un- til hc had been worked up into what Strang regarded as a fitting condition for a drama in which he was intended to assume one of the leading parts. Still playing the mystery man, the shipowner refrained from fur- ther speech, and not until a conâ€" ple of other lanterns were adding their rays to the first did he break the silence. Ranging the lanterns on the table, he drew the attention of the sailor to a stout 'seaâ€"clicst, the only other piece of furniture the place ,containcd, and raised his as- tonishment to a still higher pitch by a declaration that here was his stocking. Then fitting a key into the heavy lock he threw open the lid, and sharply drew back into the shelter of the shadows that he might note the effect of his revelaâ€" tion. To its brim the chest was laden with gold, gorgeous guineas, se- ductive sovereigns, thousands of them and thousands again. All of them wrcsted from the waves, a gleaming harvest of the sea, and on all of them the splash of blood. Statuesquely posed, motionless almost as creatures of sculptors chisclliug, the two men remained rooted in the middle of the flagged floor, themselves the centre of a surrounding circle of weirdly witch- like shadows, the sailor feasting upon a banquet cf gold, the mer- chant watching, with all-seeing eyes, the fierce emotions sweeping teinpestuously over the other's face. For a moment, Tinion was conscious of naught save the ponâ€" derous chest and its deep sunk, glittering hoard. Not once in all his life had he looked upon wealth so immense as this, never had he contemplated the possibility Michael Strung possessing anything so vast, and the sight paralyzed all his energies and charmed his finest senses. Greed formed no part of his attitude, not yet had desire been called into bearing; he was fascinated by the luring gleam â€"â€"that was all. A movement on the part of his comrade recalled him to a sense of his surroundings. Strung had dropped upon his knees by the side of the chest, his fingers with sinu- ous caressing touch were filtering coin from coin. “Look, man, look," he cried, mocking. passionate, entreating; . it! the door swung back: and Tinioni‘look, did you ever see a sight to passed unknown, and for this, Tin-lstcpped out of the dim light intoieq ual this”.I You are one of those ion,‘ who had no suspicion of design: a dark. unfathomable yoid, the ab-{who go down to the sea in ships, behind the matter1 was conscioussolute blackness of which was coniâ€" have your eyes ever feasted on of a sense of modll‘led satisfaction. T pleted when Strung pulled the doorlsuch a wonder of the deep before! for although he was gratified bv the notice bestowed upon him the shipowncr, and ere long began to indulge in dreams of personal and carefully shot! Impressed by the: solitude, and thel behind them back the bolt. secrecy, the Look at itâ€"look, it's gold, gold, goldâ€"bonny, glittering goldâ€"the thing for which men sell their lives of g lgold, the thing for which mcn sink their hope of heavcn and shout dc- fiaiicc at the powers of hell. “(live inc thtit lamp; watch the treasure while I wave it, so. See the flash and the starry twinkle of its eyes, the laughter rippling, rol- licking back to usl \l'lnit Would the lovcr giio for glance from eyes so bright? \VllCl‘C is the woman with smile so rich? Herc. man, is the sweetheart for youâ€"sthc witch with all the World grovclling ut licr feet, whining, fighting, slaying for her favor. “And it's mine, all iuincwcvcry yellow coin, cvcry grain, cvcry pinch of golden dust. Mine to buy me power if I want it, mine to buy me friendsâ€"ha, ha, be, friends, if I think them worth the priceâ€"mine for a throne, if I'd set thereonâ€" mine to purchase life, years and years of it, while other poor devils die in their thousands for lack of physio or a bone. “Mine for their music”â€"he filled v both hands and let the coins trickle throuin his fingers with mellow ringâ€" “Minc to fondle"â€"he laid his hollow face against the heaped-up hoard. “Mine to curcss”â€"he thrust his arms deep into the chest and wal- lowcd in his riches. . . . “Mine.” Again the miser was on his feet, one hand tightly grip- ping the sailor's shoulder, his lips against the sailor's car, his voice vibrant by stress of concentrated emotionâ€"“mine to sink in the sands of the Solway if I will; mine to give if I desireâ€"inineâ€"to pay a prince's ransom’ to those of whom I ask a service.” Twisting in the vice that refused release, Tinion, bewildered, faced the tempter, and roughly askedâ€" “VVhat is’t you’re driving at; what d‘ye want me to do?" (To be continued.) 2: SAFETY ’NEATII THE FLAG. Results of British Operations in Nigeria. A British Whiteâ€"paper gives an interesting account of the splen- did progress of peaceful penetra- tion in the provinces of southern Nigeria. Many of these rich disâ€" tricts were closed only a few years ago to all comers. The natives vigorously excluded the outer world, and gave themselves up to barbarous customs. In the Ibibio cessant inter-tribal warfare was ca-ried on until quite recently. Slave trading, twinâ€"killing, human sacrifice and cannibalism were openly practised. In the Omodiiru, Ahvada and Bende districts a siâ€" milar state of affairs prevailed. Without bloodshed, or even miliâ€" tary measures, the country has been civilized and developed. In the majority of the districts offenc- es against human life are rare, and old customs such as witchcraft and trial by ordeal are being dropped. Even in the most uncivilized tracts the natives are speedily acquiring an appreciation of the justice adâ€" ministered through the native cgurts which have been establish- e . Altogether a remarkable trans! formation has been brought about in a short time, and great headâ€" way has been made against the evil influence of the Aros. They have a powerful hold over the nor tives, who are generally afraid to give evidence against them, and they indulge whenever possible in slave dealing. Despite their powâ€" cr, however, and their persistent attempts to spread evil reports about the intentions of the Govern- ment, their power is being stead- ily undermined, and the work of progress is going rapidly forward. p}. SI'ICIDE 0F .\ “STAR.” ('hiucsc Actress Shot lIcrsclf l)cspair at Sixteen. A tragic story comes from Harbin of the suicide of a young Chinese actress. 1 Si Tsay, although only sixteen years of age, was the “star” in a large company which was on tour in the Russian frontier towns. She Iliad scored great triumphs wherâ€" ever shc appeared. when suddenly the Emperor's death interrupted her career. The mourning decree issued throughout the Empire forbade any jtlieatrical performance during the ’ncxt three years, but the prospect of giving up her art for that period lwas so unbearable to Si Tsay that ihe resolved to dic. [ She swollowod a phial of opium 'onc morning. but a doctor hav- ing been summoned, she was res- cued from death. She then sucâ€" in during the night shot herself. I as “A man is only half a man until ‘after he gets married," says 3 Wu- 'nian wr.tcr. Yes. and after that darkness. the mate began to wish and pledge their soulsâ€"gold, gold, he may he [windy at an, country of the eastern province in«' cceded in securing a revolver, and' HtH§++++ +++++f++§§f+f2 ,. I t : , + ‘h H' F t .g u in arm, r E iu+++++++++++++t++++++s A LFALI’A GROWING IN ONTARIO. Prof. C. A. Zavifz, in discussing the value of alfalfa at the Winter ‘I‘air, stated that it was interesting farmers throughout. all Ontario. The hay from this crop contains 11.4 per cent. protein in compariâ€" son w1th 6.4 per cent. in red clover, and 12 per cent. in brans. In our- bohydratcs it contains 43 per cent. in comparison with 38 per cent. of red clover and 45.4 per cent. of bran. The nutritive value is thus intermediate between red clover and bran. As a fertilizer alfalfa is a very valuable crop. The hay itself is worth 7.34 for the fertilizing in- gredients which it contains and when fed 90 to 9.3 per cent. of the elements of fertility go back to the soil. Besides, alfalfa obtains most of its nitrogen from the air and much of its mineral matter from the sub-soil, consequently the surface soil loses but very little of its plant food. It is. sometimes said that a field of lucerne cannot be plowed, but this is not true. Al- though harder to plow than red clover, the soil is invariably found to be more friable. Alfalfa is not as suitable for put- ting into the regular rotation as red clover, but it is well suited to rough fields, high land or fields far from the barn as it may be left standing for years. The one importâ€" ant essential, whcrevcr grown, isa well«drained sub-soil. At the college, four cuttings were obtained in 1896, giving a ,total of 22% tons of green crop and almost 7 tons of hay per acre. This was the only year in which four cuttings were ever obtained and since 1896 the average yield per acre of green crop has been 211/2 tons and a little over five tons of hay. In preparing the soil for the cm}. the field must be well cleaned and must be entirely free from Cana- dian Blue Grass, as the alfalfa is not a good fighter during at least the first two yeais. Alfalfa sown at the rate of 20 pounds an acre in front of the drill with one bushel of barley per acre gives much better results than when sown behind the drill. The barley, when cut, should be remove ed as soon as possible because the young plants underneath the shocks are apt to suffer. Mr. Hy. Glendcnning, of Manilla, in the discussion, spoke against pasturing alfalfa. He found the sowing of orchard grass in low parts of the field to be satisfactory as both will be ready for cutting at the same time. Farmers sow- .ing alfalfa for the first time should treat the seed with nitro-culture in order to make sure that their soil is inoculated with the bacteria so necessary to the vigorous growth of the crop. The sowing of inocu- lated seed in front of a drill assures the covering of the seeds which is necessary before the bacteria will multiply. In cutting and curing, great care should be observed to preserve the leaves which are the richest part of the. plant. For the first crop, cut in the morning, ted in the fore- noon and afternoon, and put up in small coils after the second ted~ ding. For the second and third crops, Mr. Glendenning, never coils alfalfa.â€"â€"H. C. D., in Cana- dian Dairyman. PEDIGREE AND BLOOD. Pedigree does not necessarily bring along with it purity of blood, nor is it in itself any guaranty of in- dividual excellence. Grade animals may also have pedigrees. Such pedigrees in practice are seldom kept, since the animals are not conâ€" sidered sufficiently valuable to jue- tify the labor of keeping them, nevertheless, where grades are of high excellence, and more especi< ally where they are kept for milk- giving, and when rounds are kept of milk production, it may also be advantageous to keep private rc- cords of the breeding. Individually pure bred animals are frequently ‘infcrior to grades. This does not arise from any law necessarily leading to such a result. but rather from improper breedingâ€"Prof. Thomas Shaw. "+â€" IN DANGER. “I was never more insulted in ,my lifel" said a man wcll knnwr lfor his unscrupulous methods witl [.nlicr people's property. "I rue lTnm Jackson just now, and, thinl ‘.-of his impertincnce, he carcfull; lcounted his fingers after I ha; ishaken hands with him?"