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* At the Old I I Farmhouse Malcolm Claii'e leaned back corn- Jortiibly an<l Jookotl tdly from the car ^vindow at the swiftly pasBing green fields, dotted with bright splashes of color where the wild roses cluatei-ed. He scarcely roinem- tered when he had had time to no- tice a rose before. "Well," he thought, somewhat grimly, "there's nothing to juovent luy giving my undivided attention to roses this summer." The week before. Dr. Wcstall had tokl him in very plain terms that only absolute rest nnd quiet would save him from an enforced vacation of throe or four years. "Go out in the country," he had said in his iihort, cri»p tones, "and take, board In a quiet farmhouse, where they don't take a paper or discuss poli- tics. And don't leave your address here. You are to see neither a daily paper nor a busino.ss letter for a month at least." So Malcolm hud arrange<l his business for an ab- sence of several weeks, bought a tic- ket to a small village .some 50 miles out, anfl slipped quietly from the city, saying nothing to his friends. He felt even ludicrous as he won- dered what he would do with himself buried in the country for a whole month, with no news of the world. "Well, J've simply got to have my strength back," he mused, "ana if this is the place to pay for it, all right, I'll pay it, and call it cheap." The train drew up at the dingy little depot of his village destina- tion. The half score of idlers loaf- ing about eyed him curiously as he .stepped onto the platform. "It hasn't often been my lot to be a jKjrsonage of .so much importance," lie though with a half-amused smile. Ho walked acro.ss to the one main street that straggled along only a few rods distant. It consisted of a postofBce, a store that kept all lines of goods impartially, a tavern and n. dozen dwelling liouscs. He looked around undecidedly and then walked over to ir young man whp was untying his farm team in front of the store, and spoke to him. The young man looked uj) and nod- ded silently. Malcolm noticed that he was tall and well built, though his silioulders were a tride stooped, [ind that he had a iJind, intelligent lace. "Do you know any quiet place in the country where 1 could get board for a few weeks?" Malcolm inquired. The serious gray eyes seemed to deliberate as they looked up at him. At last he said slowly: "I llon't know but we could keep you. Vou can ride out with me and sec. If you want to." . "i would be glad if you could," returned Malcolm, handing him a business cai-d. "The fact is, I'm a bit under the weather, and the doc- tor has ordered a few weeks of quiet." ' The young man looked at the card nnd then said: "Wcli, Air. Claire, lump in. I'll drive over to the de- pot for your things. My name's iJcorgo Winters," he added as an af- IcrUiought. Malcolm looked at the houtie and grounds with some curiosity when, lifter a five-mile drive, George turn- ed into a driveway leading to a large, unpaintetl burn. Tlie hou.se, standing at a little dist-ance, was al.so unpaintcd ho noticed, and con- sifAed simply of an upright and a lean-lo. There wa's not a single tree or shrub near it. The room they entered was un- scrupulously neat, the furniture was plain, even unattractive. A young woman, of somewhat angular form, was hastily arranging a large dish of wild flowers on a high wooden stool, which stood between the win- dows. "O tjoorge," she e.xclainiea, BS her brother ciune in, "I thought I should have tho.se all lixoil before you got back from town, but the swooping took a little longer than usual, and you have gotten ahead of â- tue! Aren't these wild flowers beau- tics? They are the very first ones, you know." A slender whltc-hairod woman sat mending an almost hopoless-looklng pair of fiocJ<s. Malcolm know by the light in her eyes that she was the mother, and he almost forgot that ho must talk business with her. Terms were agreed upon, howc\X'r, and Malrolm was soon ijiviled into the living room to dinner. The only other nienit>er of the family, an old man, was seated in a cluiir by the window. Geoi-ge stepiied up and wheeled him tv the table and Mal- colm saw that the old man was crippled. The food was plain, but wholQ«)me and well cooked. It was oaten al- most in silence, for Malcolm soon found that although his attonipts at conversation met kindly response, it Bccmcd understood that it was better not to talk freely when near the old miui. He was pleased, on the whole, Ihnt he was not expected to bo en- Icrtainlng. But he soon became ronsclous that the old man's table manners were distressingly prinii- tlvR, and he wasn't sorry when the Dioal wan finished. "What a crusty, crabfced cunwud- leon that okl rhup Is," he thought, 18 ho wandered about by himself Ihftt aiK-rnoiin. "I suppose iU) foars from now Oeonppe will hav« i(t\t^lor)«d or degenerated into just (uch another one, and Nnrah will be V«nt find worn. She dv^an't show nush signa of it yet, though. But deliver me from such a Hfel Wcstall needn't worry. There's danger of my brain getting overcx- cited here, unlose it is trying to keep track of the day of the week. I'm not sure I can accomplish that. The day of the month I won't attempt, even with last year's almanac to help me out." The days passed on. the weather was pleasant, and Malcolm spent most of the time by the side of a rippling brook, idly dreaming, but steadily growing stronger and stronger. Although at the house during mealtime he often had to listen to the old man's biting sarcasms and faultlindings, still he did not find himself any sort of a martyr, for the mother was always there, and so was Sarah, and George, all of them gently supplying his needs. They didn't need to talk, he thought. One night, when he had been at the farm house for nearly a month, the old man was taken sick. In the morning Geo. went for the doctor, who proved to be a pleasant, intel- ligent man of, perhaps, 40 years. Malcolm enjoyed meeting him and gratefully accepted his invitation to drive while he made the rest of his rounds. In the course of the drive the con- versation drifted to the Winter's household. "How those young peo- ple can be satisfied with a life like that is more than I can compre- hend," remarked ^Malcolm. "They must be utterly without ambition." The doctor made no reply for a few minutes, then he said slowly, with an odd look upon his face, "I have known George and Sarah ever since they began to go to school in that little brown schoolhouse back there. They were a lively couple then, ready for all kinds of fun and frolic. And learn â€" how these youngsrters did learn! They were always at the head of their classes, even though their father kept them out of school much of the time to work. Even in those days he was the same crabbed old fellow. The children hai-diy dared speak when he was around, and his dear little wife seemed as meek as oould be. He was a hard, grasping old fellow, and a perfect tyrant. "As long as the children were small they didn't seem to mind it so much, and we Were all happy to- gether. But when Sarah was about 15 and George 17, I began to notice a change. Wo were having jolly times that winter with surprise par- tics, skating and all kinds of tro- lics. George and Sarah were gen- eral favorites and were always in- vited, but they never went. 'ITiey were having to work hard, and were not in school more than a quarter of the time, but Uiey kept up with their classes. 'Sarah and I had always been good friends, nnd one day I urged her to go to a surprise party that WHS to be given that night. She would just say 'no' without giving any reason, so I kept \irging, though X could see tluit her lips were pressing together in a straighter line all the time. At last she suddenly turned to txu3 with her eyes flashing and held out her arm, turning it so that 1 Could .see the elbow of her dress sleeve. The dress wasi an old brown one, dingy and ugly. The el- bows wore liberally darnetl in three or four places. 'How do you like it?' she asJ<ed. "It's the best dress I've got and these are my party sliopK,' sJie wont on, putting out her foot that was encased in a dilapi- dated old shoe. 'Po you think 1 had better go?' I- shall never forget the look she gave me. I .stammered, and she turned on her heel and walk- ed away, her head even higher than usual. "That was during my la.srt year at the district school. I went away to stuily the next .year and did not see much of the Winters for a cou- ple of years. During my vacation that summer I was one day wandering through that bit of wood back of their house, when I ran across Sarah sitting bo- sido the little brook there, lisitening, with joy to a bird singing. " 'This is a beautiful little spot, isn't it?' I said to her. " 'I should die it it wasn't for this,' she exclaiinotl vehemently. "1 was surprised, for I h'ud never hoard her speak so str»>nRly. Uut for the once she talked on quite frtx'ly. She asked me Innumerable questions about .school. After a lit- tle silence, when sho seemed to ho considering my answers, she re- marked, '\Vc are going to school next year, George and I.' "You ore!" 1 exclaimed, thinking of the miserly old man. " 'Yes,' she said with a. determined exprcwsiiin, 'we are! I've got to live.' she wont on. her cheeks flu.shod nnd her eyes growing intons<>. "Do you know, 1 have never road but three books beside sciiool books in all my life, and I've iK^vor had a dross that was lit to be seen, and it's just the snmo with (Jeorgo. We can't over do anything or bo anybody if wv stay here. Next year (Jeorgo will bo 21 and I will bo 10. and we ore go- int? to leave homo and work our way tiirough school. Wo can do it. 1 know wt! can. We've studied nights, all tlie books we could get. and we won't mind if wo are older than nil the others." Then nho talked on breathlessly telling me their plans. "T encourngc<l hor, aj>d promi.sed to help them all I could. Well," the doctor went on, "that year the old man was crippled as you Fee him now. That was nearly years ago. and he has been help- less ever aino*. Dr. [years he has tried to rule the whole no family as despotically as before. '1 saw Surah soon aft«r I reach- ed home that summer, and said something to her about school, but she shook her head, 'No,' she said, smiling tenderly, 'we have given that up, â€" father needs us, and mother needs us.' - pjver since then, for these 20 years, they have worked on Just as you see thcna now, except that they have been growing, all the while along with the flowers." Malcolm returned to the city the following week with renewed health and plunged into work a^aln. )n the years that followed, his thoughts would sometimes turn to the quiet farm house and the lives of the good friends he met there, who all unseen of the great busy world were light- ing life's battle with a courage which found its sole reward 5n the consciousness of unswerving fidelity to a plain duty, albeit the cross in- volved seemed more than they could bear. f Hb>.(5aiRigw MILITAHY BUEDENS. and France Bears the Heaviest Russia the Lightest. With a population of 57,000,000 inhabitants, Germany now fur- nishes an annual contingent of 540,- 000 soldiers, which must be reduo ed to 413,000 after deducting the exempt from service, according to the latest figures given in an article in the Courier des Etats Unis. A considerable share of these 413,000 men are immediately iiicorporated either in the landstrum or the re- cruiting reserve, however, so that the number of men really incorpor- ated in the regular army is only 220,000 men. Hut this number is sufficient to bring up the present effective force to 495,000. The men serve with the colors only the rc- qujred time to gain instruction. The length of service in the lino is two years for the infantry, three years in the cavalry and one year in the train. In Russia, where compulsory ser- vice has been in existence for the last thirty years, the men are oblig- ed to serve five years in the regular oimy, thirteen years in the i-eserve and live years in the Opoltchenie, which is the same as the reserve of the French territorial army. With a population of 132,000,000 Russia furnishes annually 980,000 con- scripts, "of whom about 860,000 are good for service. Under those cir- cumstances the Government can well afford to be generous in the matter of exemptions. Their number amounts to 400,000. so that the real number of men in the ivgular service was 308,000 in 1901 and 318,000 in 1902. In Austria the annual contingent is 470,000, but the e.xemptions re- duce it to 417,000. The length of the regular service is two and a half years. In Italy, where the finnual con- tingent is 31.5,000. only ^.05,000 are found to be good for service, whicli varies from two and a half to three years. As to exemption from military service, in Austria they amount to 50 per cent.: in Germany to 37 per cent.; in Italy to 27 per cent.; in Franco to 21 per cent.; and in Rus- sia to 19 per cent. The number of men incorporated in tlie armies of France is 78 per cent.; in Germany 51 per cent.; in Austria 40 per cent'; in Italy 33 per cent., and in Rus- sia 29 per cent. The unfit for ser- vice are, in France, 21 per cent.; in Germany 37 per cent,; in Austria 50 per cent.; in Italy 27 per cent., and in Russia 19 per cent. Out of ewry thousiand men from the ages of 21 to CO there are in service in France 58.4; in Germany 48; in Russia 43; in Austriu 34, and in Italy SO. In case of war those figures are increased in Ger- many to 139; in Austria to 90; in I'rance to 171; in Italy to 107, and in Russia to 81. These figures show that France, in proportion to population, bears the heaviest military buixlen and Russia the lightest. CHINESE ARMY ROLLS. Now that China has Russia for a near neighbor, it remain.^ to be si!en how successfully, or othcrwisi', the Middle Kingdom wlil cuntinuo to practice its fa%xirito gunio of blufl". How it has i-ointorcod its army is shown by the Swedish exploi-er, llt^ din. The Chinese have a most ex- traonlinnry way of enumerating their troops. 'J'hoy are not content with counting the soldiers only, but reckon in also their horses, rifles, shoos, breeches. and so forth, so that the i-esultant total is a long way above what it ought to bo. They apparently go on the s-uppos- ition that the rillo is at least as valuable as the man, and by an an- alogous train of reasoning they ar- gue that a man is of Ifltle use if he has to travel on foot, that he can- not go about naked, und so on. Henco they count the whole kit, rifle, brctches and all. By this process of ni'ithmctic they fancy they deceive the Russians Into be- lieving their garrisons much strong- er than they are. Miss (Jolily â€" "I can never murry n man who works tor a living." n'Aubir â€" 'Hut I am an artist, dear- est." Miss Goldy â€" "Yes; but you sell your pictures." D'Auber (with a vi^on of the hard time he has boon having ever since he entored the profcNBlon) â€" '"You wrong me. Miss (loldy ; you wrong me, I never sold i from healthy stwk But Uu-ough »U the a plotura lu my lit*." \ well cared lor hens will give CLOVER FOR HOGS. One of the grasses that will prove beneficial a.ud profitable to every farmer who can grow it is clover. It is not only an excellent food for swine for both health and growth, but it is a land feeder and fertilizer. But few farmers understand the ad- vantages that come from growing clover, outside of its feeding value. The productiveness of the farm can be maintained or improved by the growing of clover. Every farmer should exert himself to provide fields of clovei'. It is not only a good hog feed, but it is equally as good for sheep and cattle, and the very best you have for young calves. A good many farmers have used clover hay for feeding hogs in winter season, running it through a cutter and mixing it into a thick slop as a balancer of the ration and distender of the stomach, preventing compacting of the concentrated feeds. The advantages of clover as a food are that they give the pigs that succulence thai Is so desirable to provide the smooth coat and rapid growth that comes from feed- ing it. It is a balancer of the ra- tion of grain, which cheapens the feed and lessens the cost of pro- ducing pork. It is not only good for the feed value, but because of the advantages of combining it with a grain ration which enables more to be gotten from the grain than other- wise would. Besides the growth and gain that comes from feeding it, it is the fact that it is highly relished by the swine and productive of bet- ter health. It keeps the bowels in good order, prevents constipation, and is, therefore, a very valuable hog feed. SHEEP. The sheep is one of the greatest aids in building up worn-out lands. Ninety-live per cent, of the fer- tilizing matter of the food consumed by the sheep is returned to the soil. Sheep will eat brush and weed^ when they can get no better rough- age, and when they acquire this habit they persist and do well. Much wool is now imported to the United States, the home product not being suflicient to meet the demand ; there is also a good and increasing demand for mutton. In England sheep are fed to profit on land worth $400 per acre. Wheat middlings led with the fall pasture is a valuable ration for the breeding ewes. The ewes should be kept strong and thrifty at this sea- son of the year, and wheat mid- dlings are rich in ash and proteids, which are the food stuffs necessary. The Merino is the best wooled sheep. The Downs, Leicester and Cots- wold produce good mutton. The mutton ram bred to the Mer- ino produces a sheep having good mutton form und a good fleece. Weed out the flock each fall; keep only the best breeders and feeders. Do not breed the young ewe until fourteen to sixteen months of age ; earlier breeding is not conducive to vigor of constitution. A grain ration of two-thirds corn to one-third bran is good with the fall pastmo for the fattening sheep. The sheep will eat about one pound of grain per head per day with pas- ture and roots or rape. sixty per cent, supply of eggs for ten months of the year. The man who compels hi« heavy fowls to use high perches ia the one who wants a remedy for bumble foot. Bug hunting will soon be over. Let the young stock have their liberty as leng as possible, espe- cially those to be kept for breeding. The early pullets should be yarded now and fed for egg production. If any fowl on the premises has symptoms of tuberculosis, no matter what its age, "kill and burn." This is the only safe way. The symp- toms are cough, wasting away (seen in the comb and lace), and often, also, diarrhoea. FEEDING MEAT. When feeding meat to hens do not use the fatty parts. The object of feeding meat to hens is to supply them with nitrogen or albumen and not fat, as the grains contain all the fat and starch they require and in a cheap form. If the fat is fed it does not assist in any way to pro\-ide material for eggs, but rather retards than assists laying. The cheap por- tions of beef, such as the neck, are better for fowls than the choicest fat and lean steaks. Blood meal is excellent for fowls and can be easily fed by mixing it with their soft food. The ordinary ground meat, meat scraps, contains both fat and lean and sells for about three cents per pound, but as the meat is subjected to heavy pressure at a high tempera- ture, most of the fat is removed. The meat meal of commerce is made at fertilizer factories, and consists . chiefly of lean meat and' a little bone ground fine. The fat is all re- moved in the rendering tanks and used for other purposes. The blood meal .is made at the great packing houses. TO RELIEVE A CHOKED COW. A neighbor turned his cattle into an orchard with fallen applcsrâ€" a bad place for cows. One cow became badly choked ' with an apple. A neighbor happened to have a piece of rubber hose about three feet long, rather sitifT. We greased this with lard, held the cow's head up, and shoved the hose down into the sto- mach. A piece of rubber hose is just the thing for this purpose, being flexible and soft, >et stlfT enough for the purpose. Hogs are better for the orchard than cows. A little caution saves trouble and expense in many instances. pigs PIGS. The pigs that grow are the that pay. ^ If skim-milk be fed to pigs that run to grass, one hundred pounds will make or.e-third more increase in weight tlian when led to pigs not on grass. If tho pigs root out, dig a trench one foot diep beside the fence and tack poultry net to the posts. Their sensitive nosas will avoid it. A good trough for little pigs may tc made of a long narrow und shal- low box of any kind. The first feed of wot biau will make it milk tight. Dou't keep "em In a narrow, nasty pen. Next to grass nothing grows pigs so fast with skim-milk as corn- meal. The s(ii:caU-r isn't the best feeder. Don't lai.so this type. At ruling prices the breeding up of choice droves ^.hould be given a great impetus. Notice if tho Eng1i;h and American full Iterkshires ciossed. are not among the quietest und most pro- fitable stock. Keep the sow for a breeder until she becomes awkward u;;;'. t«o heavy if she v>roduces good litters. I'ick up early fall pigs and winter them in warm pens on skim-milk and oil mcul. Dress and .»ell in the earliest -spring at about 125 to 150 pounds, before prices drop too far. Ring the pigs that are in the orchard. Then protect tho tree trunks if they manifest a disposi- tion to peel them. A hiph-hred sire ought to enrich a town $1,000 if used right. POULTRY. Notliing brings the ready money to the home like the product of the hen. Keep the floor of the duck house dry. Too much wetness Js bad even for a duck. New blood insures healthy off- spring only when tho new blood ia CAKE OF THE FEET. Ways By Which Aching Feet May Be Alleviated. Those who suffer habitu.olly from tired and aching feet may be" glad to know that there are many ways in which this condition of things may be alleviated. Reference is not now made to the mote serious troubles, such as flat feet, or to corns or bunions. It is perfectly obvious why these pests should cause pain and trouble, and whenever they occur they should at once receive" profes- sional treatment. These words are for those people who say, "There is nothing the matter with my feet; I have not a corn, and yet I am in agony if I try to use my feet much." This condition of things m.iy be brought about in several ways. It may be caused by a gouty condition of the system, and in such a case all wine or beer drinking should be stopiHxl: the diet should be simple and even frugal for a time, and sev- eral doses of bicarbonate of sodium may be takenâ€" ns much as an after- dinner coffee .spoonful in water. Sometimes aching feet mean that the weight of the body is too much fcfr a naturally slender foot and ankle; and then a shoe should be chosien with a view to the more com- plete support of these members. It need not be swid that rubbers should never be worn a moment longer than is necessary, and never in "the house, as they check ventilation. An ach- ing foot is often a foot simply V>anting for breath. For the sonie reason patent-lonther shoes may cause much distress. House shoe's should bo easy and well ventilate*!, ami it is well, if possible, to adopt the sandal for house wear. If a foot is aching or smarting badly after much Walking or stiwul- ing. great relief may be obtained by plunging it for a few minutes in hot Water in which has been dissolved a handful of salt. Then, with the feet still iirmiersod. let the water be gradually roolwl until it is quite cold. This tit'atnieiit is also great- ly helped by a little massage by the hand under the water. Rebellious feet. c.six-cially if their owi\er rU'siros to i:.«e thotn for much walking, are greatly benefited by the use of the rubber heel on tho walk- ing shoe, a device which relieves not only the feet but the whole system. Finally, one should always l)c care- ful to wipe the feet very dry after the bath, and to insure this a dust- ing powder will be found a useful adjunct. â€" Youth's Companion. -^ "No." said tho gentleman in the brown wig, "I ain't mt:ch of a bass singor. but you ought to hear my brother." "Jtas be a big voice ?" asked tho gentleman with tl.e iea- greou whiskers. "Itjg ? His voiic i« so heavy a- bass that it makes him bow-legged to carry It." It Is calculated that tic seas of the woi-'.d provide man «';th ore and a half million tons of fish every year. This is c<)uai to over fiM-tj i ; a million sheep.