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A great German maestro was playing on the grand piano, a, buzz of conversation filled the room, and at the farther end, surrounded by Several men, they saw Lady Blanche. “No; she said distinctly that it was for. Lady Betty.” He shook his head. “I mistrust that girl. Let us take it to Blanche.” She was sitting in a deep. high- backed chair, leaning 1ndolent1y “No, I can’t remember; and yet the writing is as familiar to me as my own. Floris,” suddenly, “do you think it was this note that girl had lost 1” “Why, it has not come through the post, Bruce,” she said, then she laughed. “How dreadfully curious We are! It is awfully bad manners to examine another person’s letters 80 minutely. Pray take it to her all once.” 9â€"1 He put the letter in his pocket, still thoughtful. ylease!” he retorted, smiling. "man Inn“ :n "AAMMMI 4n n". d“What is that, Bruce?” she. askâ€" e . “It’s a. letter,” it to the light; tow!) Floris heard him speak, and look- ing around saw, to her amazement, the thin figure of Josine standing close up against the glass wall. “Yes, milord, certainly,” she murmured, and with a drooping head and gait, eloquent of the deepest contrition and humility, she passed out. “Let us go'in ndw,” she said, fal- teringly; and she drew away from him to_ thg drawing-room. “Lady Betty,” she broke in. “Bruce, admit that you have done pogr _Jo_s_ine_ an injusticgf’ _ He held the note'up with the diâ€" rection toward him. “Admit that in your mind you have dgne me an injustjce, ifmyou She was very pale, and her black eyes shone with a halfâ€"frightened, half-defiant glare for a moment, then (hooped, as she made a re- spectful courtesy. “What are 37011 doing here?” asked Lord Norman, quietly. “Pardon, milord,” said Josine, glibe; “I have lost my way._” H “You had better go and find it,” he said, pointing to the open door behind her. “Go through that door and you will find yourself in one (If the passages to the hall; there are servants there who will direct you, as you know, and might have remembered! Do not, please, enâ€" ter this part of the house unless you are requested to do so 3” Thâ€"ey waited a little while longer, ther_1 Floris got up. As she did so shevsaw something white lying on the ground at her feet, and pointed 130 it with her fan. He stooped down and picked it up. “Host your way I” he said, in his grave, clear vome. “Where were you gomg, then?” Josine had gathered her wits by this time, and raised her eyes with a {dgpre’catoryhglapca “To the upper corridor! What are you doing here then?” be de- manded. “Pardon, milord. I had a letter for her ladyship, and hoped to get an opportunity of delivering it. Mi- lord, a thousand pardons! I have dropped it I” “Yes 1” she exclaimed. under her breath, her eyes roving over the floor. “It is certain that I have dropped it.”r V Thé qugstion was so_ sudden that for a moment Josine was nonplused. She had expected Lord Norman would point to an open door in si- lence. ’ “To miladi’s room, milord,” she rephed. 1 Lord Norman looked at her keen- y. Lbid Norman looked at her stern- ly in silence. fighting Life’s Rattle; CHAPTER XIII.â€"(Cont’d) 0R, LADY BIANCIIE’S BITTER PUNISHMENT he said, carrying “and addressed “Will you meet me in the plan- tation by the bridge toâ€"morrow morning at eleven o’clock 2” ran the note. There was no signature, but though Lord Norman had forgotten the handwriting, Lady Blanche had not. It was Oscar Raymond’s. 7 VWith an inarficulate Very she drew herself to her fun height, crushing the paper in her hand. almost if applause broke out; there was a general movementâ€"people always move about at the end of a piece of music or song, as if they had been listening patiently, instead of talk- ing loudly as they invariably doâ€" and some one spoke to Lord Norâ€" man, and drew his attention away from Lady Blanche. When he looked around, a minute or two later, she had gone, and she did not appear again that evening. In the privacy of her room, hav- ing locked the door, she took out the paper and read it again, and as she did so her lips grew pale and hard, and her brows knitted with the look of care and anxiety which Lady Betty had noticed. asthhished. Lord Bruce looked grave. “Is it bad news, Blanche?” he asked. She looked up at him steadily. “Bad news! No! Why should you think that?” she asked, laughâ€" ing softly. “It is a bill, and so ex- orbitant a one that it made me feel quite angry. I wish you had prom- ised to pay it,” and she let the paper fall into her lap, but so “carefully carelessly” that the blank side fell upward. At that moment, with a final crash, the great mestro’s perform- ance- came to an end; a murmur of “J WWW“ M. , U, “How can I tell? Open it and see.” “May I ‘2” with a glance at Floris. “Yes, we are all curiosity,” he said, smiling. She raised her eyebrows. “Will you promise to pay it for me if it should be a bill? Will you~â€"â€"” She stopped suddenly, and the blood rose to her pale face, dying it a deep crimson, then left it paler than before._ 1 1 1' ‘._“| “Whiat is it 1” I am contingally dropping my bracelets and thmgs. Give it to me, Bruce.” Bruce pressed Floris’ hand to prevent her speaking, and she stood silently looking down, while Lady Blanche held the letter daint- ily between her finger and thnmb. J back, her fan Inoving to and fro listlessly, and her eyes fixed on vacâ€" ancy. WaxifilXiS from it? How did you come by it?” _....“ 1 She might have been listening to the music, or to the man who was talking to her, or lost in her own thoughts; to Floris’ mind she made a splendid picture of beauty conâ€" scious of its power, and Floris stopâ€" ped Lord Norman by pressing his arm. U} “How beautiful she is, Bruce; she whispered. “Eh? Oh! Blanche ’lâ€"yes l” “Very beautiful, I mean!” she said, with emphasis. “I think her the loveliest woman I have ever seenâ€"mount)! you must not indulge They went up to the little group, and Lady Blanche raised her eyes and smiled up at them, a, halt sleepy smile such as Cleopatra might have dwelt in as she lay on board her yacht surrounded by her slaves. ‘1 “I’ve something for you, Blanche,” said Lord Norman. “Yes?” opening her eyes wide and holding out her hand. It The little crowd looked on for a moment, then man by man cleared away, and the three were left to- gether. - .- n WShe timk it, glanced at it, shook her head. in such silly flattery!” for he had whispered a word or two of a beau- ty that was sweeter to him than Lady Blanche’s. “See how they hang upon her for a word or smile. If she were a, queen she could not be more courted. If I were a man I should not be able to resist her.” He laughed softly. He was so happy, so free from care, so entirely wrapped up in his passionate devotion to the beauti- ful girl on his arm, that he could afford to laugh at his fancy for Lady Blanche as a midsummer madâ€" ness past and gone. HI UIVB H; W 1116, .Lnuuc. “It IS not a bracelet, Blanche,” he said, a_nd_ helfi out‘the l'ettyer. 1 , O , f‘Let us glve her her note,” he sand. no wonder. Your French women are bad tools; they are always so curiouspn their own account. That is Josine’s own fault.” “It; was Josine, then, who brought me thxs note?” she said, coldly. Lady Blanche followad him until they had got well out of sight of the road, then he stopped, and, courteously motionng her to a bank, drew himsle up to his full height and leaned against 3} tree. “We need to be cautious, my lady,” he said. “Last night my messenger was discovered by Lord Norman. He was suspicious â€" and the writer were before her, and she could crush hxm w1th her scorn, and contempt? and defiance. “Is it you?” she said. “Yes,” said Raymcnd, “and if your ladyship does not recognize me, I need not fear detection by any others here,” and he peered up at her from his half-closed eyes, with a furtive smile. “Why are you here? Was it necâ€" essary "3” she asked, coldly. “Quite,” he said, “or depend upâ€" on it I should not have taken the journey. Things are working well for us, my lady! There could be no better scene for our little com- edy than this. You will under- stand that when I unfold my plot I” “To strike!” he said, quinly, and with the smile of conscious power which had never failed to impress Lady Blanche. “But we had betâ€" ter come into the middle of the wood, my lady,” and he hobbled in front of her. “He writesâ€"he orders me~as if I were his slave!” she muttered, fiercely, between her teeth. “Oh, fool! fool! that I was, ever to have listened to him! And yetâ€"â€"and yet â€"if it can be done! Oh, how I hate her! If it can be done! If he can tear them assunder, I do not mind this humiliation, this disgrace! Her happiness mocks and niaddens me! And it is for Bruce’s sake, not for mine alone! He would tire of her In a month, while Iâ€"I know that I would keep his love for my life! Oh, love! love! to what depths am I dragged for your dear sake!” The “plantation” was not a re- cent. addition to the estate. for the first had been planted three generâ€" ations back, and were grown high and large enomxh to form a little need, that served as a cover for the game and made a pretty point 1in View from the house. “Your plot? Then 3‘ ready~â€"_’_’ There was no sign of Oscar Ray- mond, and she had seen no one since she started, excepting an old laborer in a, rough frieze coat, whom she had found busily engaged picking up sticks at the fringe of the plantation, and with a sigh of relief, as the clock chimed the half hour, she rose and closed her book intending to go home, when the old man in the frieze coat hobbled toward her, passed her a few steps, paused to gather some sticks and cones, and then hobbled back again and stood beside her looking up at her, with his hat in his hand and his reddish~gray locks streaming down his neck. Lady Blanche had taken out her purse, when the old man put his hat on again andilaughedi. At Vbhe sound of 7she laugh â€"â€" the low, soft, mocking laugh â€" Lady Blanche started and turned crim- son. She reachéd the bridge as the clock struck eleven, waited there for some minutes, then slowly strolled into the dense shade of the pines. Sir Joseph had formed a riding party for that morning, and Lady Bianche had promised to join it, but she sent down a message by her maid that she had a headam-he. and did not appear in ihe breakfastâ€" 1'oom, in which breakfast was kept going from nine tiH noon, and which preSented the appearance, of a London restaurant from the num- ber of people who dropped in at all times between those hours. and the continued moving to and fro of the servants. To know that they were separated for a few hours, brought a strange unreasonng feeling of relief, and almost accepting the fact as an omen of success, she dressed, and telling her maid that she was going to walk her headache off. made her way to the plantation. She had brought a book as an exâ€" cuse for loitering, and with it open in her hand she sat down on a fal- len tree and waited. From that point of the plantation which he had chosen, the whole of the road could be seen, and no one could come upon them unaxxr‘aresw at- any rate, from the house. At ten o’clock the riding party started, and Lady Blanche, having made inquiries, learned that Lord Norman had gone with it. but that Miss Carlisle had remained in the house with Lady Betty. MLacrly Blanche knew the spot we“ and knew, too, why Oscar Raymund had chosen it “It was Josine who should have are “Tell me 1” she said, impaitnctly. “With pleasure,” he answered. “Lady Blanche, before the week is out, Lord Norman and the young lady who stands between youâ€"par- don! the young lady he loves â€"- will be parted, and I shall come to you to claim my reward I” “Yes,” he said, with a smile, and with a look of confidence that shone through the painted wrinkles on his face. “Yes, my little comedy is new ready for the stage, my little plot is prepared, and given a fair oppor- tunityâ€"which we must make â€" and average luck, I shall have my reâ€" venge, and you-well, you will have had your amusement l” brought it, but she dropped it, and it was brought you by Lord Norâ€" man,” he answered. ‘A dangerous episode, my lady! Her stupidity might have ruined us, and that would have been provoking, just as our plans are ccmplete.” Sulphate of iron is a byâ€"product in the manufacture of wire and is put up for the market in conveni- “Complete!” she'repeated, turn ing yery‘pale. __ Q+H§ ++++§§+ ++f++ 4? I‘M? § §Ahout the Farm? Where crop rotation is possible, weeds are not so much of a meâ€" nace, but crop rotation, as a means of weed destruction, is not always possible on account of climatic and labor conditions. For instance, rotation calls for a money crop, and a manurial crop as well as a cleanâ€" ing crop. The cleaning cropâ€"corn, potatoes, beets, etc., cannot be used over great areas on account of labor and market conditions. So it appears that spraying must reâ€" main the only practical means of weed destruction for many years to come. or until our population increases to the point where our vast prairie lands are held as small farms, making crop rotation prac- ticable. 5QT§+9+++ +++§++++ #4 0 4' H5 SPRAYING POTATOES. In the words of a report from the Geneva Station: “It is unwise to neglect spraying in dry seasons. Even when there is no blight, five or six sprayings should be made during the season. In dry weather the wounding of the leaves by bugs, flea beetles, and other insects, is more injurious than in wet weather. it is an established fact that through spraying at a. proper time will‘lessen the damage done by flea beetles. If flea beetles are not at least partially checked by spray~ ing with Bordeaux mixture, it is positive proof that the work has been done properly. With us the opinion is steadily growing that very few farmers spray thoroughly enough to secure the maximum profit from the operation. There seems to be little danger of over- doing the matter.” There were gains of from 30 bushels and up- wards per acre, even in the dry seaâ€" son of 1908, as a result of sprayâ€" ing with Bordeaux, compared with areas on which insectiticides only were applied. As is well known, both early and late blig t on potatoes are much less prevalent in dry than in wet seasons. In the State of New York the season of 1908 was dry through- out, and late blight was practically unknown; nevertheless, the conclu- sion of the Experimental Station, Geneva, N. Y., is that even in dry years it pays to spray with poisonâ€" co Bordeaux. This conclusion was reached from observation, not only that of their own experiments, but also those of farmers in different parts of the states who joined with them in conducting experiments af- ter the fashion of the experimental union at Guelph, Ont. Many farmers do not realize the extent of damage done to crops by weeds. It is stated that every ten of dry matter produced on a field five hundred tons of water is taken from the soil and discharged into the air, water that is needed for the growth of the legitimate crop. It is clear then how important it is that the weeds be destroyed. Wit-h the introduction of improvâ€" ed spraying machinery and better methods of manufacture, sulphur of iron is coming more and more into use as an effective weed destroyer. Formerly when applied with a brush, any solution for the pur- pose would form in large drops, ('1‘ in smaller drops which would form large ones and drop 03. Now, with the improved sprayer which are available, a, spray is made that settles down on the stems and leaves of the weed and stays‘ there. AN EFFECTIVE WEED DE- STROYER. (To be continued.) rent-sized sack-s like plasters, ill- stead of coming in huge crystals as formerlyâ€"American Fafm Review. “Slight? No I” Shafter thunder- ed in reply. “I’ve been a fat old nuisance ever since the day I tip- ped the beam at over two hundred pounds, and then I ought to have. been courtâ€"martialled and cashier- ‘ed for outrageous and malicious, adiposity, sirwfor scandalous cor- pulence to the prejudice of military discipline 1” Dora~“And so you quarrelled ’l” Lottieâ€"“Yes; and I returned all his presents. And what do you think he did ‘2” “Something hror- rid. I’m sure.” “He sent me half- u~dozen boxes of face powder, With a note explaining that he thought he had talhn as much as that home; on his coat since he first knew me." On the other hand, Tennyson very nearly destroyed one of his most; popular poems. Mr. Edward Rawnâ€" sley was sitting with the poet in his lodgings in London, while Tenny- son was busy burning some old manuscripts. He picked up “The Brook,” and was just on the point, of throwing it into the fire. Rather than to cause cattle suffer the tortures of pain by haw ing their horns removed after th have attained their normal growt A and owing to the fact that it, is am advantage» that an animal be de- horned in order to protect than from each other, it. is advisable to- prevgnt their homes ffo‘m growing “Stop! Stop 1” Mr. Rawnsley‘ cy-ied. “You mustn’t burn that. It is one of the best things you have written.” Mr. Kiphng warms to destroy one of his poems, and also the author 0" it. He was sitting in his garden one day, when a street organ struck up “The Absent-Minded Beggar,” which he wrote about, the time of the Boer War. Mr. Kipling was silent for a minute; then he turned to someone near. Many famous people have done their best to destroy the works of their youth. The learned Bishop Thirlwell was one of these, and it. .‘S little wonder that in his later years the Bishop did his utmost to get hold of copies of his; early work “Primitiae” and destrQy them. Another clergyman, the famous. Dean Farrar, in his youth fell in love with a beautiful girl. In her honor he published a volume of very sentimental verse, but, alas! the lady jilted him. When he found his real affinity in his wife he tried hard to collect and suppress the book of poems; but copies were al- ways turning up, and quotations made from it to tease him. It may have teased him, but it certainly had not the least effect on his wife. “Is it?” said the poet quietly" and put it back. _ “They’re no use!” he would bluster in his tremendous basso” “They pant, they wheeze, they snort, they choke, they grunt, they groan, they waddle, they slouch through the world! Not a particle of good on earth, fat; soldiers? Would not have one of ’em if I could help it!” This can be successfully done by clipping the hair off of the little knobs Where the horns appear and carefully applying a dchorning pre- ventutive to a, small surface not to exceed the size of a quarter of a. dollar. Sir Arthur Sullivan liked his own setting of the song no better. A lady persuaded him to play it, and when he had finished he swung round and asked abruptly, “Well, what do you think of it?”k “So is the musicfi’ was the com- poser’s comment. The late American commander, General Shafter, although a man 0‘ corpulence, had a. deep dislike for fat soldiers. “Erâ€"butâ€"â€"erâ€"-y0u would not exactly call yourself slight, would 3011, Colonel?” a major once asked Shafter after one of these out- bursts. Authors Who Have Been Ashamed of Their Productions. “If it were not suicide,” be re- marked viciously, “I would klll the man who wrote that.” She thought very little of it, but she hesitated to tell him so. In- stead, she ventured to remark that the words were rather vulgar. If on the other hand the horns} have been allowed to grow and the; owner thinks it best to removei same, it is advisable to place ani-' mal in a stansion, carefully secur- ing the head, then apply the de» horning shears for enough down in. to the head so as to remove enough| of the born to prevent any further- growth. To prevent. infection apâ€"f plv an antiseptic solution to the' affected partsâ€"Dr. David Roberts.l SCANDALOUS CORPULENOE. DESTR OYED '1‘ HEIR WORK S. DEHORNING CATTLE.