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.t' « sewewewexewewem II\ I'\ /I\ I \ /l\ I \ 1" a ease 5?? if: 7“: Jones and the I . . e :‘j Missmg Lady if: :f someaexesea I. “You old fox!” exclaimed Dick Sin- clair, looking up from his paper as the door opened to .admit his friend and the Sharer of his chambers. “What's up?” growled the comer. “Oh, you might as Well drop that, Joney!” continued Sinclair, digging him lovingly in the ribs. “She's let the cat out herself!" Jones ignored the tore‘mentor and went in search of his slippers. Gladys Raymond is a very pretty girl,” pursued Sinclair soothingly; “and, after all, it's no crime to be engaged." The other man paused in the bed‘ room doorway and stared. “What on earth are you talking about?” aéeszeraeasease new- “Oh, come now, Joney, it’s too late for that bluff! Did she promise to keep it dark? I could have told you that the old ladies of the Dorcas Soâ€" ciety at home could worm a secret out of the Sphian Just look at this little giveâ€"away.” Jones took the copy of the “Mel- lowfield Observer" held out to him. and read the paragraph indicated. He stared at it with a dazed express-ion. Then he read it againâ€"very slowly. Mellowfleld is a towu of about two thousand inhabitants, and the “Ohâ€" server” is its only local newspaper. Dick's aunt, the wife of the rector, sends itucvery week to keep her nep- hew posted on news from home. The paragraph in question was as folâ€" lows: “An engagement of much interest to Mellowfield is that just announced of Miss Gladys Raymond, daughter of Ms. Robert Raymond, of New Street, 'to Mr. Cayley Jones of Bai‘rowby, Loamshire, and London. Miss Raymond has just returned from London, where she has been Visiting her sister, Mrs. Patrick Lee- man. It is understood that she be- came engaged to Mr. Jones during her stay in the metropolis." “Well, who in Heaven’s name is Miss Gladys Raymond,- daughter of Mrs. Robert Raymond, of New Street, Mellowfield?" demanded Jones. It required but a glance at the puzzled face opposite to convince Sinclair that his friend was in ear- nest. “\‘s'hy, then you're. not the man!” he said, in bewilderment. “Oh, I seem to be the man right! The question gill?" “Gladys Raymond is a very nice girl indeed. Very goodâ€"looking. The Raymond family is one of the oldest in the country.” “I should have been glad of a chance to decide those questions for myself. But, thank fortune/the mat- ter was discovered in time. I might have waked up one morning and found myself married.” “Of course, there is only one solu- tion,” argued Dick. “You must have a double. Jones is not such an extraordinary name." “There are pages of Joneses in the ‘Barrowvby Direct‘ory,‘ but there is only one J. Cayley Jones, of Bar- rowby and London.” “By Jove, old fellow, this begins to be exciting!” cried Dick, enjoying the dilemna. The affair certainly promised to develop some interest. Jones delib- erated the matter that evening, and determined to begin an investigation at once by going himself to Mellow- field under the name of Ransome, armed with introductions from Dick. He was received by Mrs. Mansfield, Dick's aunt, with every manifesta~ tion of cordiality. Good-looking ' (single young men were rare in the neighborhood, and she hoped to have tize exploiting of this rare visitor. She began at once to arrange for his entertainment. it was while she was eagerly retailing the plans for these hospitalities that he broached the subject of Glast Rayâ€" mond, and expressed a desire to meet her, "\Vhy, Mr. Ransomc,” she protestâ€" ed, “what advice has Dick been giv~ ing you? Gladys is goodâ€"looking, of course; but we have ever so many pretty girls in Mellowlield~girls who are bright. and attractive as well as pretty.’ ’ The young man all isâ€"Who’s the hastened to clear his friend of the selious charge of not knowing a pretty girl from plain one. noticed in a copy of the “Mellowfield Obs.rver” which she had forwarded to‘ her nephew in London an anâ€" nouncement of Miss Raymond's enâ€" gagement to J. Cayley Jones. Cayley he exulained, had been with him at college. Mrs. Mansfield bobbed excitedly in her chair. "Oh, then you know Mr. Jones!” she exclaimed. “Do tell me what he is like! You know, Gladys became engaged in London. No one in Melâ€" lowfield has ever seen him." Jones answered evasiver that Cayâ€" ley was a. good enough fellow, as men went. A As they sat talking the little gar- He explained that he had 1 I “Are you a wizard, Mr. Ransome,’ said Mrs. Mansfield, "or is thi‘ menâ€" tal telepathy? You are going to have a chance to meet Gladys imâ€" mediately. Here she is." There was no time to warn his hostess against repeating What. he and said before a tall girl in blue appeared on the porch steps. She carried a large paperâ€"covered parcel. At sight of a stranger she hesitated. "Don‘t let me disturb you, Mrs. Mansfield. I just stopped to bring you theâ€"the things for those poor Lawsons,” she stammered. “Don't go, Gladys,” the l'CCt"l"S wife interposed. “I want you to know Mr. Ransome, of Barrowby, a friend of my nephew Dick. .Mr. Ran- some was just saying a moment ago that he should like to meet you. Mr. Jones Was with him at college, and he is anxious to get some news of him." I The girl flushed painfully, and shot the stranger a swift, questioning glance. His expression was guileless- ness itself, but at that moment he became convinced that there was no other J. Cayley Jones, of Barrowby. Somehow he began to feel glad that it was so. “I am so sorry I didn't know Cay- ley was in London, Miss Raymond," said the young fellow, with a conâ€" vincing air of candor. "I wonder at little that he didn’t look me up in tCWn.” “Oh, you know, he left London very abruptly," murmured Miss Gladys. “His father was taken suddenly ill, and he left within two hours. No doubt he intended looking up all his friends, but his stay was mucl‘ .hort- er than he had expected." At this point the Rev. Mr. Mansâ€" field appeared, and shortly after Miss Raymond lef t. H. As the days went by Jones managâ€" ed to get opportunities of meeting Miss Raymond frequently, and they became good friends. He postponed his departure from day to day. The visit which was to have lasted a. week lengthened into a month; but at last came the eve of his last day in Mellowfield, and still he was without any solution of the problem. That evening he walked in a westâ€" erly direction across New Street, re~ solved to question Miss Raymond frankly about it. He found her in darkness on one of these vineclad porches which abound everywhere in Mellowfleld, and he told her he Was leaving the next day. “But before going,” he added, “I have something to ask you. I think you can guess what I mean. You must know that I have always won- dered at your engagement to Cayley Jones. ‘Won't you tell me what could have induced you to take such a stop?” He felt, though he could not see, her violent start of surprise, and would have given a great deal just then for a glimpse of her face. For the first time in his experience he found himself sitting with a nice girl in a dark porch and wishing for a light. _ She (lid not answer for a moment. When she did she laughed nervously. “I suppose I might as Well ad- mit, then, that it is a peculiar enâ€" gagement,” she said finally. “But I hardly know how to telI youâ€"â€" where to begin." “Better begin at the beginning," he encouraged. “The. beginning," she said, with a ripple in her voice, “was Weatherby Tomson. You know Weather-by, don't you?" “Tomson? Let’s see. Short, fat fellow, with eyeglasses, isn’t he? The cha‘p that wrecked half a dozen trains at Mrs. Powell's dance the other evening?" “Yes; that describes him, though his dancing isn’t all there is against himâ€"even to a casual acquaintance. But I grew up with him, you see. We’ve known each other for years, and on that account I alWays tried to be very pleasant to him. Often as he came, however, he felt it in- cumbent upon him to let me know on every occasion that his intentions were not of a serious nature. It was amusing at first, but in time it pallâ€" ed. “Then there was Cecil Robinson. Cecil hardly came to my shoulder. He was amusing enough to waste an hour on now and then, and I used to thrall. enjoy his calls well enough. .Robinson came in. But in an evil hour Cecil called upon me twice in the same dayâ€"he came once to borrow my camera and again to return it. The next morning Mrs. She mentioned to mammaâ€"incidentally, of course- that her son could not afford to marâ€" ry a poor gill under any circumstancâ€" es whateverâ€"and I am a poor girl, you know. "There were several others in beâ€" tween, but little Norris Seniield was the worst of all. Norris was just He’d recently left college, earning a pound a week. was all my Cousin Ida's fault. She admitted afterwards that slte'd been teasing him about me just to see his pretty blush. But when he came to call one evening, with that rigid, resolute look on his face, I knew what to expect. Iie beâ€" twenty. and was His case v gan with along preamble, and then' asleed me I’d heard that idiotic re- port of his engagement to Fanny Paulton. When I assured him I hadn’t, he informed me that he wasn’t in a position to marry any girl at present. “The irritating part of it all was that one dare not resent their con- ceit openly. I began to realize that, if I did not wish to become acid to every man in Mellowfiel'd, I must adopt some preventive measures. “The way out of my trouble sugâ€" gested itself While I was in London lately. I happened to pass a shopâ€" window containing the Rose Diamond Company's stock, with realistic stones at unrealistic prices. I stopped in a moment of inspiration and bought an engagementâ€"ring for fifteen shillings. After that the rest was easy. I chose the name of Jones, as one that was not too distinctive. It was necessary to combine it with something wellâ€"sounding, so I adoptâ€" ed the namp of Cayley from an adâ€" vertisement I saw in going up town. The ‘J’ was just a little fancy touch to render it modish. I put my fiâ€" ance as far away from me as pos- sible, and selected Barrowby as -a suitable place. ' “When I first met you, and heard that you knew a Mr. Cayley Jones, I was terribly frightened. But when I found that you hadn’t seen him for years, and that it wasn't likely you would see him soon, I decided not to break my engagement.” “And may I ask,” he demanded, “why in the world you haven't told He broke it to her by degrees. But when he told her that Cayley Jones, under the name of Percival Ransome, had come down to Mellowâ€" field to investigate his engagement, and that, in doing so, he had fallen deeply in love with his fiancee, she was greatly startled, and some annoyance. They talked the matter over at some length, however, and in the end he persuaded her to adopt his own way out of the difficulty, which was to allow the statement in the “Melâ€" lowfiel' Observer” to remain uncouâ€" tradicted.â€"â€"London Answers. feigned -â€"â€"+â€"â€"â€"â€" GOOD LUCK IN SITEEPSKIN. According to jewellers, the belief in charms is widespread. Stones and bits of metal stamped with quaint markings, little strips of sheepskin or leather bearing a verse or the symbol of a heavenly body, are deâ€" posited along with money and keys and other valuables, to say nothing of four-leafed clover, wishbones, and other talismans in one guise or an- And the wearing of these averters of evil is not confined to any one class or nationality. The well-to-do woman or the wellâ€"inâ€" structed is as apt to have the quaint charms upon her as the untutore‘d. It is stated that persons born under the two extremes of planetary inâ€" fluence are most addicted to carryâ€" ing mascots. Those born under the gloomy spell of Saturn wear charms to neutralise the nialignity that ever threatens to encompass them; and those born under the beneficen't in- fluences of. Jupiter and Venus carry amulets to ensure their continued run of good fortune. ‘ The Italians of both high and low degree are inâ€" veterate believers in the efficacy of invite old spell of the mediâ€" in other. charms to ward off evil and good. The _ aeval mysteries still holds them ..._._...â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€" ’ ___________.__â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€"â€"_.._..____. eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeg 4? Ab t 33 . on the .. a . mitoses 3 f8 WWWWW CULINARY I-IINTS, Delicate Baked Applesâ€"Select large medium sour apples and wash them. Remove the cores without peelng and fill the centres with su« Bake until tender when tried. with a fork but not until mushy. The sugar will melt and with the juice form a jelly. Serve hot or cold. gar. Baked Cabbage.-Cook one small head of cabbage until tender, drain, cool and chop fine. Beat two eggs light, add oneâ€"half cup of thin cream one-half level teaspoon of salt. and a dash _ of pepper. Mix the cabbage and sauce, turn into a buttered bakâ€". ing dish and bake oneâ€"half hour. Light Corn Breadâ€"Mix and sift two cups of flour, one cup of cornâ€" meal, two levcl teaspoons of baking powder,” Beat the yolks of four eggs, add two and oneâ€"quarter cups of milk and turn 'into the dry mixâ€" ture. Beat smooth, add two tableâ€" spoons of melted butter and the whites of four eggs beaten stiff Bake in a loaf thirty to forty minâ€" utes. Egg and Tomato Stemâ€"Cook to- gether for twenty minutes one quart can of tomatoes, oneâ€"quarter of' a large onion chopped fine, one-quarter cup of fine bread crumbs, with a seasoning of salt and pepper. Stir often, add two level tablespoons of butter, and when all is hot stir in four wellâ€"beaten eggs. Serve as soon as the eggs are cooked through. Fried Rye Muflins.â€"These llluflills are good on a cold day, and especial- ly good with some kind of acid jelly. Sift together three-quarters cup of rye meal, that has been sifted before measuring, three-quarters cup of flour, two level teaspoons of baking powder, two level tablespoons of sugar and a saltspoon of salt. Mix with one egg beaten with one-half cup of niiik. Drop in small spoonâ€" fuls into hot fat and fry like doughâ€" nuts. I’ianbury Cakesâ€"Make a rich paste and cut in egg shaped pieces, after rolling thin, or cut in rounds and press each out longer with the rollâ€" ing pin. For the filling use one-half tcr creamed and oneâ€"half leVel teaâ€" spoon each of cinnamon and allspicc. Mix in sufficient stale sponge cake crumbs to give a firm consistency. l’ut a'small spoonful of this mixture on each oval of pastry, cover another, and pinch the edges toâ€" gether. Brush over with beaten egg and bake in a quick oven. Sponge Cake.-â€".l.lea't the yolks of six eggs light, add one cup of powâ€" dere‘d sugar and beat fifteen minutes. Beat the whites of six eggs to a stiff froth, add the strained juice and the grated yellow rind of one lemon to the yolks and sugar, then one and oneâ€"half cups of pastry flour that has been sifted twice, and after mixing well fol1d.in lightly the whites of the eggs. Bake in a. thick sheet about forty minutes. Children’s Puddingâ€"Fill a pudding mold half full of fine bread crumbs, cover with milk and allow an inch more in depth of milk than crumbs. Let the mixture stand until softened and then add with two well beaten eggs and three-quarters cup of raisins seeded. Cover and boil for one hour; serve with sweetened cream or with a liquid sweet sauce. String Bean Saladâ€"Cook young string beans in boiling salted water for twnty-five minutes or longer .if necessary. Drain, cover with cold water to chill, and drain again. Lay on a napkin to absorb all the extra moisture and serve on lettuce leaf cups with French dressing seasoned well with onion juice. Quick Biscuitsâ€"To one quart of sifted pastry flour add five level teaâ€" spoons of baking powder and one level teaspoon of salt and sift again Rub in two level tablespoons of butâ€" ter and mix with one cup of milk, shape into biscuits and put into a buttered pan. Bake about ' twenty minutes. Make the biscuits small. _ Chili SaUCO.-â€"Cllop eighteen tomaâ€" toes, six green peppers and three onions fine. Add oneâ€"quarter cup of salt, one quart of good vinegar, one cup of brown sugar, one level tableâ€" spoon each of ground ginger, cloves and allspice one grated nutmeg, and two level tablespoons of ground cinâ€" namon. Simmer together for hours, bottle and seal. small jars and seal. very two Or put in _.... USES FOR KEROSENE. The kerosene can is not a thing of beauty... neither is it suggestive of strength, yet it is one of the most valuable of the housewife's allies. A spoonful of kerosene added 'to the basin of,water in which the windows are to be washed makes them beauâ€" tifully clear and easy to polish, while at the same time it repels flies and mosquitoes. If screen doors and windows are thoroughly brushed and freed from dust, then wiped over with kerosene, they will look as good as new, while mosquitoes, flies and moth millers will give them a wide berth as long as any trace of the odor remains. If, as is frequently the case in the lsink, boiler and bor, as is apt to In 2118 case in an apartment house, buseLwar'ds, window sills and the springs of beds: should be wiped off with oil at least once a. week as a. preventive, Applied liberally about the kitchen pipes, cockroaches and water bugs may be defied, even in an old house. For wagon grease or tar spots rub well with kerosene while the grease is fresh, then wash out in cold, soft water, using no soap. Kerosene will remove luk stains and fresh paint, while nothing takes out blood stains better than cold soap suds 'to which kerosene has been added. Irons that have been put away sticky should be well scraped with a thin knife, then rubbed with a. rough cloth, moistened with kerosene. A spoonful of kerosene in boiled starch keeps it from sticking, but do not use enough to make it smell of the Oil. Nothing equals kerosene for cleanâ€" iug porcelain bathtubs. The ugly black streak around the sides that requires such vigorous rubbing when only soap and water is used, disap- pears as if by magic when wiped with a soft cloth, moistened with kerosene. Common kerosene is excellent in cleaning hardWOod or stained floors. Sweep carefully and dust before ap- plying the oil. Use only a small quantity at a time, wiping a small space, then rubbing the oil up with a soft. absorbent flannel cloth. USEFUL HINTS. To cool a hot dish in a hurry place it in a vessel full of cold salt water. if a chimney catches fire run to the salt box and empty it out on the flames. Borax will keep moths out of clothing that is stored away in drawers or boxes. If you eat a small piece of parsley it will remove the odor of onions from the breath. Do not throw away the sour cream; it makes delicious scones. You can also use it for pastry. .When boiling eggs put on the lid of the saucepan,» and you will find your eggs have a much better flavor. A pound of prunes is said to be equal in value as regards food to a gallon of milk, and is far more healthful. Although celery has the name of being very in'digestible, it can claim to be both an invigorator and sooth- er of the nerves. Always put an unpealed onion in the water in which corned beef has been placed to boil. The meat will be much more juicy and tender. The best pieces of old tablecloths, if cut into squares and hemstitched do excellently to spread over the cloth where the meat dish stands. A weak solution of salt and water is recommended by good physicians as a remedy for imperfect indigesâ€" tion, and for a cold'in the head it is a complete cure snuffed up from the hollow of the hand. 'To make egg sauce put a piece of butter in a saucepan and mix with a little flour till smooth. Add one teacupful of milk and stir 'till it boils and thickens. Season and stir in a hardâ€"boiled egg chopped small. Never put clothes away unbrushed, nor forget to pull and straighten out gloves, to roll up veils careful- ly, and never sit about in a walking dress indoors, are golden rules to re- member for the preservation of clothes. ..___.__+____.... THE WORST EVIL. Gambling Instinct Is the Most Vicious. The Of all the vices to which men are addicted, gambling is undoubtedly the worst. Gambling has a worse effect on the mind and conscience even than drink. The inveterate gambler cannot re- main honest, he does not remain hon- est. We talk earnestly to the young men with the gambling habit, be- cause many such young men are strong in ability and character and would render good service to the world if they could use their energies properly. The gambling instinct is a pervertâ€" ed form of ambition, the most dang- erous of 'human perversions. l‘lvery young man who has genuine strength should think about gambling from» his own point of view, and his own pride should give him reason for stopping. ‘ If you want success in life you should want it as a result of your own efforts. not as the result of any accident. if you want to be pros- porous you should have the ambition to be prosperous because you have worked hard not because some horse. lashed and spurred and overdriven, has happened to win when you bet on it. The gambling instinct is weak as Well as vicious. It is selfâ€"indulgent and contemptible, it represents .the desire to get'somethiug for nothing. ~~â€"â€"+ I’OLl’l‘ENE-SS BETRAYED I-l'lM. “Yesl,” related the tattered wayfar- er, “I told de lady in de wayside cottage dat I was a street car com ductor out of a job, but she Wouldn’t believe me.” “Why was dat?" asked his compan- ion of the ties "She said I was too polite.” V-‘V‘v-s ya ‘\“. ‘~ e w ~o v w“ ‘x’VA--‘ “.3 .' Gira‘ a,§~§ W den gate opened from the outside, beSt regumted families' the beds beâ€" and that portion of ‘he lawn which was \isible through the vines of the po:ch became suddenly flecked with blue muslin, A WISE CLERK. Bookkeeperâ€"That- last office-boy reminded me of a rusty shotgun. Stenographerâ€"In what way ? Bookkeeperâ€"He kicked when he was fired, come infested with occupants that " do not belong there, they may be exterminach by a free use of kero- lf one has a careless neigh~ :3“ van... A man never knows what a woman thinks of him until after he has been married to her for at least six Weeks. A. m“; ‘ me all this long ago?” pound of curran'ts, oneâ€"quarter pound She moved uncomfortably in her of candied orange peel, cut very fine chair, and did not reply. or chopped; one-quarter pound of but- ECHO.