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fudge... . J Love Kept its Milli; @@©@@@@ Or, The Girl With the Nut Brown Hair and Dreamy Eyes. m “AAAAAflAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAVVVVVVMVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV CHAPTER XXVII. Touched by an invisible hand, the curtain stretched behind the mountain chain ligntly trembled, by imperceptible gradations its folds shook out their density; down in the valley a hedge sparrow twit- tercd, on one of the fellside farms an early bird bade shrill farewell to the night, and welcome to the birth of a new day. So once more David Graham looked down into the heart of Mar- gery Manesty’s kingdom. Byâ€"and-by from one of the upper forgdt you to see, andâ€"I didn’t think they would have told you.” “They did not. You made thun promise not to. But when the end came they cheered your name, and then I knew.” “The end. What does all th's lmystery mean? why are you hotel ‘It is only a fortnight since the Daniel sailed.” “A week was all that the orig would float. We left her on the bottom of the scaâ€"hcr boats land ed us on the Irish coast. Oh, yiu mustn’t look like that, dear. 17m that ships might sink, windows the blind was lifted, a,didn‘t you ‘lâ€"and the Daniel made thin column of blue smoke coiled! from one of the cnimneys, the big door opened, and a maid appeared with mop and pail. Still he var-l ried. Their day must at least be warmed before he cast his disturb- ing presence into its midst. One by one the signs of life mul- tiplied. Upstairs, the easement of. one of the roomy mullioned win- dows was thrown open and Miss 'Manesty’s grey head appeared. Ilnoonsciously he smiled a. greet- mg. Across the lawn a girl daintin tripped, a bunch of daffodils newly gathered in her hand. Her eyes searching the hillside'caught sight of the figure crouching on the ledge, and she wondered what fool- ish fellow was tempting Providence thus, nor knew tnat the “foolish fellow” was tenderly breathing .her name. . “Margery, Margery, my Mar- 8eryln ~ Over their breakfast Miss Mau- esty and Margery briefly discussed the man whom they had seen on Barf’s scaly side. "It’s just two weeks toâ€"day, Auntie,” Margery remarked at the end of the meal, “two weeks since â€"Davidâ€"went away. Another week may bring us news, don’t you think ‘1” “I hope so, dearie, Ihope so, but the sea’s so teribly masterful, and it has no dates. We shalI just have to wait its will. Some folks grum- ble about work, but it’s simply child’s play to the labor of wait- ing. I’ve seen many a weak wo- man made mighty by it and many a weak man saved.” And 10! even as she spoke, the time of their waiting reached its end. The gate swung upon its hinges and clicked, a foot crunch-| ed heavily on the path. Margery and her aunt rose, and with scare- blanched faces gazed through the window. David Graham was be- fore them, and they thought him on the sea, hundreds of miles away. Never a word did they speak, for words were empty, but when' David reached the step Miss Man- esty was there to demand of him his passport. “What word is it you bring?” she asked almost fiercely. “I must know whether it’s good or had be- fore you see my bairn. What she did was done for Love’s sake, and I’ll have noâ€"” “And Self has struck its blot- ted flag,” he interrupted, smiling, yet very grave. ‘ “You mean 1” “That I’ve thing.” , “God bless you, Davieâ€"go and tell that to Margery.” She stood, aside for him to pass. “Won’t you come, too, and hearl my tale l” he asked; but she shooki her head. “No, thanks, I’ve enough to be, gomg on with. Besides, I prefer; my joy in homeopathic doses â€" it lasts longer. Now, go, she's in’ theref’ Hr; found her still standing where her aunt had left her, one hand grasping a chair for support, the’ other laid upon her heart as though. in an effort to subdue its throbs, and a. thrill of pain, a pang of self-l reproach, smote him when he missed the roses from her cheeks: and saw what sorrow and suspense had done. "Have you nothing to say to me,‘ Margery ‘2” I l “Iâ€"Iâ€"dou't understand, David.s I thoughtâ€"" “ “You thought I was at sea on board the Daniel?” ' “Yes.” "Learning the lesson I wouldn't' learn at home, ehl Ah. my dear,‘ my dear, you see how I have found, you out. how I know that daring, madcap scheme. for your very own." § “Forgive me, Davidâ€"I wanted; seen the hidden the only way. the fruit of his labor. a splendid voyage.” _ Impressed by the calamity, she missed the drift of his words, and' passionately besought his forgiveâ€" ness. “Forgive you, Margery; come to thank you.” “My dream in the dark is over,” he said. “I’ve seen with mine own eyes in the daylight, and I’ve sortâ€" ed the shams from the make-beâ€" lieves. I’ve been longing for gold, and I’ve had it all the time in abundance, though the Queen’s image. I’ve been long- ing for power, and that, too, was mine, the power of fair dealing, the power to make the rough way smoother and lighten the heavy burden of toiling lives. Dearest, it’s a wonderful victory your wise little head and faithful heart have won. Saved my kingdom for me by compelling me to look upon the facts of life.” “A wonderful victory,” Margery repeated, "well, perhapsâ€"but not a wonderful way, David. It has all come so clearly to me lately. There is no hope for any man until he beholds Knowledge of the way and the endâ€"without that a man is living only half a life.” Crossing the T’s and dotting the 1’s of this pronouncement a little latter in the day, Miss Manesty caustically observedâ€"â€" “Sight indeedmthat’s one of the senses that Providence has been niggardly in. Not one in a thou- sand men ever do see; that’s why so many of them are so well satis- fied with earth and so sure of hea- ven. If they’d put their glasses on and look for a few of humanity’s gangrene sores, they’d be thinking differently of their acres and their banking accounts, and they'd be wanting to do a bit of cleaning up before they asked their Maker for the crown and the robe they’ve never earnedâ€"As for yourself, David, it’s a fine bit of blundcring you’ve accomplished. You set out to establish a line, and-two of your ships are at the bottom of the sea. What do they say at Allerdale’l” “They don’t know yet. You see we only landed at Liverpool yes- terday, and as I wanted Margery to know before anyone else, we came along to Penrith right away, and then coached the rest of the road to Keswick. I left Cap‘n Dan behind me this morning; he’ll be here by-and-by, and we’ll go home together with the neWs.” “And what then ‘1 No heroics, I hope; no flag hoisting. I don’t care much for fussy conversions." “No.” David colored distressfulâ€" 1y, but met her piercing gaze with- out flinching. I‘m just going to try and drop quietly back into the old way. As the ships come in they shall be overhauled, and made as my father Would have had them; their ratings shall be restored, in- surance reduced. food made right, andâ€"and ” "Well l” I've “I’m going to take the tiller , again.‘ “Meaning goodâ€"bye to the man- agerl” “ch. His appointment is my greatest shame. It was a cowardly trick. And I've paid. There‘s one thing I want to say for myself and only one. This is for you, and Mar- gery, and Bella, and Cap'n Dan. and no-one else. Though it’s true that I used the fellow as a shield, and would neither see nor hear my men, I had always made him proâ€" duce samples of the food that was being shipped. Those samples. it is clear, must have been false; I've paid for tons of stuff that the men‘ have never tasted.” "How (lid you come to engage the man,” Margery inquired. “He was recommended to me by " Michael Strang.‘ it didn’t bear " It was . Strang,” the girl murmured; but just at that moment she caught sight of Cap’n Dan plodding up the path and flew to meet him. Now all the way from Keswick Dan had diligently employed the time in preparing a fitting greeting for the two ladies, or. as be him- self expressed it, in "pl‘ilt'ilfilng a xmv hail." But when Margery scizcd his hand and actually kissed him, his red Chocks flamed crimson as his bandanna and every frag- ment of his SpuOCl] bascly deserted him. “Eh, Missy, what a headpiece you have got." When the shadows were, again lengthening on the land the train that began its journey by the grey ruins of Gannnersby Castle and would end it on the edge of Bran- siy Harbor rumbled round the curve, and, halting at The Bridge, dropped the young shipowncr and the little skipper on the platform. In silence they crossed the river, but when they struck the Mill Field byâ€"way, and beheld the snowâ€"white flash of the cataract beyond the green and farther back the tangle of brake and thicket and steep- poiscd wood, and away in the rear of the fells the misty mountain horns, memories that for years had soundly slumbered awoke and became articulate. “D’ye remember that morning when you and I came through the fields together, Cap’n Dan, long long ago?” David asked. “Ay, we were going to see Missy, an’ you carried the Chinese idol over your shoulder, an’â€"an’ ” ' “And you sang ‘Rio’ as though )t was you who were the boy. Sing 11' again, Cap’n Dan, sing it again just as you did then.” "Sing ‘Rio,’ Davie. ayâ€"if you want me to.” “Oh, never mind,” Davie begged, detecting hesitation in the tone, "I ought not to have asked it. You must be dog tired.” "Oh, it’s not that, Davie, it’s not that. You see ‘Rio's’ a grand charity when you ve got the wind- lass manned and the voyage it be- fore you, but I never fancied it so much when I was making the home port.” "No? What did you sing then ’I” “The Doxology, boy.” There was no sting of intent in Ayâ€"well, lthe words. "I‘d like to sing it now, Cap’n Dan.” “Sing what 'I” “The Doxology, and I together.” please. Reverently he David following suit, and the two voices, one lusty with life, the other cracked by years of use, burst into thanksgivingâ€" “Praise'God from whom all bless- ings flow, Praisle Him all creatures here be- ow, .host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” And again, as on that other long ,(lead day, the rabbits lay low in ,the underwood and the birds xhoppcd to the higher branches; and the white-haired woman waiting in the old home on the top of the hill, ‘llung wide the door, and strained her ears for the sound. “It canna be him,” She cried, "Nothing but a mirrikle could have browt him back seah scon. An’ yitâ€"it is him, it is. My oan lad- die’s back, agcn, an’ aw mun be ,rcct or he‘s nut be singin’ ‘Praise Him.’ What can it mean?” The voices died away, but she could hear the crunch of fallen twigs and the swish of the branches Ias they drew nearer. they emerged from the cover of the trees and beheld her, Cap’n Dan again plucked his hat from his (head, and waved a. joyous signal. ,But David dashed across the lawn, ifiung his arms around the woman ‘who had tried so hard to fill his mother's place, and kissed her. Then, without a word, he passed into the house. Blowing like a grampus Cap'n Dan trotted to the. door, and of him Bella demanded the news. “Hooray, hooray,” he "Glory be to God. Miss Margery’s licked the divilâ€"raked him fore an’ aft. '1” Daniel’s lostâ€"Davies savedâ€"an’â€"an"â€"here we are.” The details of the story David himself filled in. This was part of the penance on which he insisted, that, as far as possible, he should be the instrument of his own hu- miliation. A little later he mild- ly rallied Bella on her share in the 'drama. "That’s one of the things I can’t get over." he assured her; “when Barney Rigg came with his cockâ€" icud-bull yarn about the Daniel you knew what it meant, what they in- tended to do with me, and yet you trap. When at last‘ pantcd ;. l 1 Praise Him above ye Heavenly. -nllowcd me to walk blindly into the (lore, lt's past understanding. storekeeper or farmer. “Michael Strang, always Michael lYou were always a fairly hard one, butâ€"” “Ay,” she grimly interrupted, “soft-heartedness isn't oalus a proof of luv. When I was a lass I used to think my mother a mighty cruel mak,’ bit what; I’m gay set up n00 that she licked me seah weel [un’ scah often. The ways of the lLord arc wonnerful, laddie. I’m ,thinkin’ that yan 0’ these days ,we’ll aw be thankin’ Him for His gskelpin’s. Eh, what a pack 0’ chil- (lcr we aw arc, wid oor tantrums au’ oor pretendin’ that we can't lcll mire fra. solid groond. It s nmazin’ 1100 the Lord fashes Him- self aboot us at aw. I wadn’t; where fwoly tummelt, I’d let ’em lee.” “Listen to her, Cap’n Dan,” David cried; “d’ye hear that? Why, she’d run to help them up.” He threw back his head and broke in- "it a gleeful laugh, and Bella’s face u‘claxcd its set, dimpling into a smile. That laugh was David’s own, the first she had heard since Michael Strong spread his net, and it flooded her heart with the joy of content. Now, in their innocence, Bella and (‘ap’n Dan regarded the vic~ tory as complete, and only to Mar- gery had David revealed the gap ,that must be filled before he could ,proclaim himself satisfied. That night, when Margery retired to her room, she lifted her ring from the breast of the yell iw god, held it for a while, and then replaced it. softly whisperingâ€" "Not yet, little god, not yet. You must keep it for me until every- thing is made known. The mysâ€" tery of the Habakkuk is still to be explained. Da'id’s name still bears that horrid blot. Not yet, David says, not yet.” (To be continued.) fl+++++++oooo++++ooo++v item the Farm a++++++++eea+++++++++o SELLING LOW-GRADE SEED. Practices tending to defeat the purpose of the “Seed Control Act," in protecting the farmer, are re- ported as being prevalent in some sections of Canada, even among farmers themselves. Not only this, but also the regulations in the Act, You are being violated. Seedsmen just- ly protest against farmers who pro- Dan’s face flushed with delight. wince grass and clover seeds, sell- took Off his hat’ lng them to neighbors, when the standard is lower than the law al- ows them to handle. Farmers seem to forget that they are liable under the Seed Control Adz. The only exemption is that the farmer is not obliged to have "each and every receptacle, pack- age, sack or bag containing such seeds, or a label securely attached thereto, marked in a plain and inâ€" delible manner,” showing name and address of seller, kind of seed contained, and common names of weed seeds present. Instances are known where those who deal in .seeds refused to purchase lots of seeds from growers because of the presence of foul seeds, and where the farmer then sold the same seed to his neighbors. Seed represented as being number one, must not contain more than one of the fol- lowing weed seeds per 1,500 of the seed represented: Wild Mustard, Tumbling Mustard, Hare’sâ€"ear Mustard, Ball Mustard, Field I’ennycrcss (Stinkweed or French Weed), Wild Oats, Blindweed, Perennial Sow Thistle, Ragweed, Purple Cockle, Cow Cockle, Orange Hawkwecd (Paint Brush), Ergot of Rye (Sclerotia), White Cockle, blight-flowering Catchfly, False Flax, Canada Thistle, Ox-eye Daisy, Curlcd Dock, Blue Weed, Ribgrass (English Plantain or Buck- horn) In addition, seed of first quality, offered for sale, must “conâ€" tain. out of every one hundred seeds, not less than ninety-nine seeds of the kind or kinds repre- sented, or seeds of other‘useful and harmless grasses and clovers, of which ninetyâ€"nine seeds ninety must be germinable. For the general trade in seeds, the following section applies to all: “No person shall sell or offer, ex- pose or have in his possession for sale. for the purpose of seeding in Canada, any seeds of timothy, al- sike or red clover, or any mixture containing the said seeds, if the seeds of the weeds named in this Act are present in a greater pro- portion than five to one thousand of the seed sold or offered, exposed or held in possession for sale." Every intelligent farmer realizes that only clean farming pays, and that, in order to keep down weeds, strict care must be taken to avord introducing the pests through grain, grass or clover seeds. Proâ€" tection is afforded against all ven- whether seedsman, general w'elvet. trimmed witn In order to be fair to those who, handle seeds, the Act stipulates that complaint must be made with in seven days. The section relat- ing to this reads: “Any sample of seeds taken from any seed found or suspected to be sold in violation of the provisions of this Act shall be taken and forwarded to an ofii- cial seed analyst: (at) from seeds that are sold in sealed packages, sacks, bags, or receptacles, at the time of breaking the seal thereon; and (b) from $.6de that are not sold in sealed packages, sacks, bags or reel-ptacles, within seven days from the date on which the ends entered into the personal possession and became the properâ€" ty of the purchaser.” Sampics for official analysis are to be drawn in the presence of the vendor or two disinterest-ed witnesses, and for- warded with a certified statement, accompanied by name and address of the vendor, and particulars re- lating to the seed. Those making purchases of seed would do well to examine it care- fully at the time of purchase. If there is ground for complaint, write at once to the Seed Commis- sioner, Ottawa, Ont. It is his duty to make investigation, and do everything possible to protect the purchaser from undue contamina- tion of his fields with foul seeds, and, if circumstances warrant, to prosecute the vendor of such seed. Four conditions form exceptions to the Act. viz.: (a) Any person growing or selling seeds for the purpose of food; (b) any person sel- ling sccds direct tc merchants, to be cleaned or graded before being offered for sale for seeding purposâ€" es; (c) seed held in storage, to be reclaimed before being sold for seeding purposes; ((1) seed marked "not absolutely clean,” and held or sold for euport only. All seed held for sale in Canada for seeding pur‘ poses, comes under the Act, and offenders are liable to prosecution. During the past few weeks samâ€" ples have been collected from stock sold by farmers, and if there is roof of violation of the act, the offenders are liable to prosecution. In the interests of Canadian agri- culture, those farmers who are guilty of selling lowâ€"grade seed should be dealt with just as promptly as they would have other vendors treated.â€"Farmer’s Advo- cate. .pâ€"â€"-â€"â€"- CZABINA’S CO STU MES. Wears Plain Dresses Except at Regal Functions. According to a writer in the Girl’s Cwn Paper, the Czarina takes no interest whatever in her clothes, and though her costumes are of course well made and of exâ€" pensive materials, they never have any thing remarkable distinctive about them, for the very reason that she cares so little about the matter. She does much of her own shopping in Paris, but she does it by proxy. Each season one or the ladies in waiting is commissioned to buy in Paris her gowns and her hats and all the other little details appro- priate for the wardrobe of an em- press, but many times when they reach the Czarina. she discards them with the expression, “Indeed, that is perfectly lovely and very Frenchy, but it would never do for me at all.” For everyday wear her gowns are all of the plainest. but, of course, there are occasions when she must wear legal robes. Her court costume is a magnificent creation of the richest satin, elab- orately trimmed with heavy em- broidery. Masses of the embroid- ery are used, while the corsage is laden with jewelled trimming. The buttons which trim this court cos- tume are each one of them worth a small fortune. They consist of a large pearl in avwonderfully artis- tic setting. The Czarina’s pearls which she wears with this costume are famous the world over. Sometimes she wears drop nar- ings of matched pearls, which are very valuable, and her dog collar and necklace and corsage orna- ments, also of pearls, are almost priceless. The Clarina is always glad when the time comes for her to take off her court costume, the long heavy train is a burden to" her. She always prefers gowns that are light in weight. Many of her dresses are of the lingerie order. consisting of lace and fine cambric. Yet on the other hand, she has many house gowns and cloaks of rare laces. Perhaps. of all her jewels, she preâ€" fers a long; string of wonderful pearls, which she, wears very often. The string is so long that she can wear it twice around her neck. and vet have the longest loop reach her knees. The short loop comes to the waistline, and is finished with me single pear-shaped pearl of each mous value.