Abergavenny Chronicle

I CLUB WINDOW. The Prince of Wales must be having one of the times of his life. Since his arrival in Western waters he has been feted and ac- claimed everywhere, thus proving the wis- dom of sending him upon such a mission of diplomacy. The cordial reception given him is not only a compliment to him but to his Royal parents, who will always be held in the greatest measure of respect by our Canadian brethren. At Quebec the inhabi- tants poured into the city for two consecu- tive days previous to the Prince's arrival, and the very manner of his .reception was so marked as to conclusively indicate that the people's loyalty is both deep-seated and enduring. It is interesting to note that the demo- cratic trend of Royalty is once more illus- trated by the announcement of the engage- meiit of Lady Helena Cambridge, Queen Mary's niece, to a commoner, Major Evelyn Gibbs. Lady Helena's father was formerly the Duke of Teck, but he changed his title to that of Marquis of Cambridge by Royal warrant in the dark days now passed. The bridegroom elect, who is a keen sportsman, tells the atory of a medical officer who re- marked to a patient, after asking various questions, "Weel, laddie, ye're fra Scotland, like mcsel'. Which pairt d'ye hail fra?" I "Nae, sir-r-r," replied the patient, "Aw'm no a. &ottic but Aw lost a' ma teeth in that fitba' match an' Aw canna speak properlie!" » At the moment our genial Prime Minister is enjoying the delights of Brittany. It is ( not generally known that one of the most remarkable things about Mr. Lloyd George is that he can always lay aside from his mind the difficulties of State. They never cause him a sleepless night, therefore he is always as fresh as paint in the morning. He breakfasts at nine. and enjoys a long Corona afterwards. Until that cigar is finished affairs of State never intrude. But the moment he finishes it hie coat is-meta- phorically speaking—taken off and he is hot in the battle of politics. Now ho is in the battle of flowers, fruit, and fun! < The ex-Kaiser is one who has been turning jewellery into money lately, and the Amster- dam diamond dealers could tell one or two strange stories. The wily Wilhelm, having learnt quite a lot about substitute during the war. left nothing but fiaste behind him at Berlin and Potsdam. He even had paste substitutes for the diamonds in the famous tiara which the Kaisorin used to wear on State occasions, and disposed of the stones at a very handsome figure indeed. They were given to him originally by a kindred spirit, the late Sultan of Turkey, and now, by the irony of fate, the Dutch dealers, if rumour speaks true, have sold them into the Belgian keeping. By the way. When are we going to see Wilholm on his trial? It is generally understood that the Cabi- net is much alarmed over the position in the East. Japan insists on the fullest exercise of her "rights" in regard to the occupation of Shantung, which China declares to be in absolute opposition to the spirit of the League of Nations. The most strained re- lationship exists at the moment between the two "yellow" peoples, while America, it is believed, intends to take action. Before China will submit, however, to what she calls "Japanese Kaiserism" she will report to arms in defence of her freedom and au- tonomy. The occupation of Shantung, of course, dominated the main rail route to Pekin. And yet we can very well do with- out any more wars. As is generally known, Mr Balfour is one of the most modest of men. A friend who often travels up to Westminster in the same District carriage as "A. B. tells me that OIl one particular morning he noticed Mr. Balfour sitting in a far-off corner of the carriage, hat well drawn over his head, with a well-seasoned pipe in full action, while the smoker had the air of being- well content with all and everything. Upon alighting at Westminster my friend instinctively raised hi.; hat. "Please don't do that again," pleaded Mr. Balfour. "It only lets people about .ece who I am, and I much prefer to remain unrecognised." S-sh! Pussyfoot! You have all heard of Mr. Pussyfoot Johnson, who is trying to make England dry." Well, his real name is Willia-m E. Johnson, and he has been called the Field-Marshal of the Prohibition Forces. After making America "dry," he has come over here with the avowed inten- tion of forcing us to become teetotallers. Hiy quiet methods have earned for him the name, but he will need more than soft per- suasiveness to make Britain dry." Mr. Johnson, however, is a humorous reformer. "Dryness malces for efficiency," he says. "Why even our highest-class burglars are abstainers. And," he adds, "there is one class of men that whisky has never been kuoiwn to injure—the men who leave it alone." But the point of the matter is that we have done without the Pussyfoots so long that we can continue to do so. And we cer- tainly don't want teetotal cranks to rule the majoritv through an influential Parliamen- tary minori ty.. Mile. Delysia is reported to be an all- round sportswoman, She is a keen angler, a splendid runner, and a fine horsewoman. Not long ago, while she was riding at Hyde Park, her horse took sudden fright and bolted. It waB impossible to stop the horse's mad gallop, but the famous actress managed to keep her 6eat while the frightened steed raced round the entire park. Then, when it was spent, she pulled it up and dis- mounted. The shocK sent her to bed for a day or two, but otherwise she suffered no ill- effocts. All patrons of the cinema will admire Mies Mary Pickford, yet how many have heard of one of her most unpleasant experiences, which occurred during a rehearsal of "Hearts Adrift," when she was required to jump into the middle of a smoking volcano. lt was, of course, only a 6tage volcano, but it had its dangers. When the director cried "Jump Miss Pickford obeyed, and disap- peared into the yawning hole. A net had been spread inside to catch her as she sank down, but, to her horror, she felt the net giving way, and she knew that she was still fifteen feet from the ground. Then she heard a shout from below, and IShe j llmped again, trying to get clear of the net. That was the last thing she remembered. "It was not till "he had regained her senses that she learned that she had landed on the managing-director, who, by interceding his body, had broken her fall and very probably saved her life. That managing-director, doubtless, got a sweet smile as a reward. In pre-war days Miss Maggie Teyte, the wonderful singer, was very popular in Ger- many, and it seems strangely odd to- day to read the German notices which were published in her praise. Only a few mouths before the war, the "Deutsche Tageszeitung" said: "The Royal Opera will drive a good bargain if it can get Miss Maggie Teyte in exchange for the maay great artistes we forfeit to all-devouring America." But events materialised 'r/hich shattered this German dream. One of the most an-itising definitions of singing is attributed to her. "Slllging," she saye, "is only shouting in various refined forms." When the form is not refined—well, then you don't call it sing- ing

Two hundred and four medical men (age- limit 21-32) are urgently required to fiii vacancies in the Indian Medical Service. Canadian soldiers who took part in the Epsom riot appealed unsuccessfully against their sentences. Colonel H. Yarde-Buller has retired with the rank of brigadier-general on vacating a temporary appointment as military attaelie. Ten thousand pounds damage was done by fire at the works of the Scottish Whole- sale Co-operative Society at Sheffield. Major Herbert E. Mauger, Sheriff of Guernsey, has died in his fifty-sixth year. Ho was recruiting officer for Hackney from 101.5 to 1917.

I OTHER MEN'S MINDS. I' Everything appears to be out of tune.— I High Chief Ranger, A.O.F. I A TRUE BLESSING. There is no blessing in the world like that of peace.—Lord Ro"tx-t Cet.il. I OLD IMPERIALISM. The old idea of Imperialism would mean the break-up of the British Empire.—Gen. Smuts. I STILL FIRM. v I Our withdrawal from Russia does not in- volve any change in the attitude of the Go- vernment.—Sir Hamar Greenwood. I A PROPHECY. Mr. B. G. Spoor will be Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies within four years. —Col. Wedgwood, D.S.O., M.P. I I R, E L D'S CHANCE. Things are going on well commercially in I Ireland, and there is no reason why she I should not become one of the most prosper- ous countries.—Mr. W. Findlater. I I UNCONTROLLABLE! I I It is perfectly true that I have no control I I over magistrates.—Food Controller. I i THAT NASTY SWELL. I I Although the storm has ce-ased, the waters I are still rolling.—Mr. Bofiar Law. I ANY OLD CHANCE. I I Anything may happen in the way of a I strike any time now.—Railway Clerks' sec- retary. I SCOTLAND'S LUCK. I Scotland is a food-exporting" country, and has been better supplied than England.— I Col. Sir H. A. Rose. I "YOU PAT ME AND I Never has there been a more popular, more efficient leader of the House than Mr. I Bonar Law.—Mr. Lloyd George. I HONOURING THE DEAD. I When history comes to be writte-n Lord Kitchener's name will go down in a blaze I of fame.—General Sir Henry Home. THE PROFITEER'S CHANCE. I Workers can make no greater mistake than to encourage under-production. Scarcity of commodities is the opportunity I of the profiteer-Mr. J. R. Clynee, M.P. OUR "LOCAL" OPTION. I The country is not ready for prohibition, I hut is ready for local option.—Sir George I Hunter. IGNORANCE. I Only between 20 per cent, and 30 per cent. of the population (of India) under- I stand questions of reform.—Sir J. D. Rees. THE BOXER'S HONOUR. I It is against the honourable traditions of the boxing world to use a weapon, especially a knife.—Mr. Forbes Lankester, K.C. THE SEDUCTIVE WEED. I I don't object to any minister smoking if by so doing he can get nearer to a man's I soul.-Dr. F. B. Meyer. ALAS! TOO TRUE. I Many people treat marriage as if it were no more binding than an engagement to go out to dinner.—Mr. Justice Darling. SOMEWHAT INCONGRUOUS. I It is not by blacking her face and -1-iavinix the banjo that the Church of England will find a message for her people if the poor arc herded like swine.—Rev. A. V. Magee. BAD LUCK. I We shall never again have fares down to I pre-war rates; the week-end ticket had gone for ever.—Mr. Cowley (Liverpool). A HARD STRUGGLE. 1 The country has before it a hard struggle I to re-establish the prosperity which it had I to sacrifice to achieve victory.—Sir David Beatty. THE AMENABLE NEGRO. I No race responds so quickly to sympathe- tic aid as the negro. No race can be made to forget and forgive past wrongs as easily bv sincere co-operation and proteoiiou.-Ex- presidcll t Taft. VERY NEARLY. We nearly lost the war in 1917.—Lord Bercsford. I MINIATURE RIFLE RANGES. In 1905 the Coldstream Guards was the "I best shooting oattaiion in me tsritis>n Army, simply through the establishment of & miniature rifle range at the barracks.—Lt.- Gen. Sir J. F. Maxise. HIS ANXIETY. I am anxious to prevent local outbreaks and lightning strikes.—Mr. Robert Smillie. A TRAGIC EVENT. I am not sure that..11e is anything more tragic than the British working man try- ing to spend his holiday with his family.— Mr. Austen Chamberlain. A NATURAL AMBITION. I Men go into business, not that they may be able to drink champagne and eat turtle, but so that they may be marked out as having succeeded in life.—Lord Haldane. THE SI, rVE-WOP.KER. I Every modern worker is' still a slave, and the obstacle to the brotherhood ideal is capital i siii.-M r. Frank Hedges. NO HERO. I f" .L 1- I The German ex-Emperor is not 01 me I stuff of which heroes are made.—Earl I Curzron. BIOGRAPHY IN BRIEF. I I believe Mr. Smillie to be a perfectly honourable man, whose word is 3S good as his bond; but that does not alter the fact that he is a dangerous revolutionary. He is utterly unfitted to lead a revolution. He is I neither clever enough nor ba.d enough to | Elav the role of a Lenin or a Trotsky.— I >uke of Northumberland. I

The Prussian Minister of the Interior has I decreed that the former practice of hoisting j flags on public huildings on the anniversary ji of Sedan shaH be discontinued. Lord and Lady Middleton, of Birdshal. Hall, North Yorkshire, were presented wit}. ¡ a gold cup by the tenants on the estates, 011 the occasion of their golden wedding. Striking a mine near the Goodwins, the 1 Dutch steamer Luna, Amsterdam for Lis | bori, sank. All hands wepe landed at Calais. Peronne, Amiens, and Montdidier, hav* been decorated with the Croix de Guerr. for the heroic behaviour of their inliabi tahts in the war. f

OUR LONDON LETTER. I [From Our Special Correspondent London. Much as he required a complete rest, Mr Lloyd George is, I hear, devoting a part of every day to the nation's business. He has appealed to other Ministers to give up n bit, of their holidays, if necessary, in order to keep up with the urgent requirements of our present critical situation, and he is set- ing a good example himself. Sir Eric Geddes, Lord Lee, the new Minister of Agri. culture, and others have been in consulta- tion with the Premier, and when Parliament re-assembles, and to some extent before that, it will be seen how much Britain has benefited by these conferences in Brittany. It is to be hoped Mr. Lloyd George win have benefited personally also. He has ex- traordinary vitality, Lut, of course, the strain of the last year or two has been tre- mendous. One cannot see that it is likely to .be much less in the immediate future. GENERAL BOTHA. I The death of General Botha came as a shock to the nation It was known that he had been in indifferent health for some time, but-there was no warning of his pre- mature death. In his passing the Empire has lost a statesman whose sagacity was only equalled by the simplicity of his life and the modesty of his character. He was a great soldier, yet he had not an ounce. of militarism in his composition. He was a strong man who was never provocative; he held stron gly to his opinion, but he was never prejudiced. His services to South Africa have been inestimable, and that those services should also have been devoted with such rare courage and such imperishable re- sults to the Empire is the best evidence both of his personal loyalty and of the healing and inspiring results of the democratic principles which inform British rule. A few years ago Louis Botha wae our gallant enemy in the field. He died the Premier of a. United South Africa and an honorary general of the British Army. History does not record a more striking example of the value of free institutions. A COSTLY STRIKE. I I am in a position to give figures which throw some light on the question of the actual cost, to the participants and to the community, of a strike in any of the major industries of the country. The strike in the Yorkshire coal mines began on July 16. and ended OIl August 16 last. Including Sunday? and the August Bank Holiday, it lasted for 27 working days. One hundred and fifty thousand persons were involved, and they lost wages amounting, roughly, to £ 2,910,000. The average output per man- shift per person in the Yorkshire collieries is about 0.95 tons. The total loss caused by the absence from work of 150,000 persons for 27 days would therefore be 3,507.000 tons. To these figures it must be added that a re- duction in the export of coal to the amount of some 550,000 tons was brought about by the strike. I think it would be superfluous- to comment on these figures, but I may ob- serve that they provide an object lesson much needed in these perilous times. CUTTING DOWN EXPENSES. A good deal of nonsense has been talked and written with regard to the Premier's letter on the necessity of effecting economies in the Departments. The suggestion that the letter was written in a panic is absurd As Sir Auckland Geddes pointed out the other day, the whole question of economy had been under -eview and examination be- fore Mr. Lloyd George left for his holidays, and this letter was not, there is every reason to believe, a sudden thought, but the out- come and not the beginning of decisions. It is very easy, by the way, to get an exag- gerated notion of the amount of money in- volved in these Departmental excesses or economies of which we hear so much. Com- pared to our total expenditure it is small, and while we must effect savings in the smaller as well as in the larger concerns oi the State, we shall have to look to the latter, as the Prime Minister has himself point-ed out, if we are to make such sub- stantial reductions in our national expendi. ture as our present case demands. ACTOR-AUTHORS. I The modern actor is mostly a poor stick when he turns author. I do not know that the profession has been graced by anyon< who shone in literature as well as on the stage since the Brooklields. In both capaci- ties I do not fancy poor Charles Brookfield, whom I knew well, has had a successor. The late Sir Herbert Tree wrote some plea.saut essays, and Mr. H. B. Irving has written well on his hobby—criminology. Most booke by actors are of the anecdotal sort nowa- days, and Brookfield's Random Remini- leaves them far behind. The other dav I read Mr. George Robev's Rest Cure," and found it a good deal less amus- in than the author. Now Mr. Seymour Hicks has written If I Were Your Father," which is a book of worldly wi"-I dom, crisp, and Indeed tart in places ir style, and full of what I am afraid arc very carefully prepared epigrams. Some of then.- are not bad for all that. For example, 1 "Never seek a handle to the name your father gave you; most men aTe knighted onlv for their extinguished services." If the reader likes this sort of thing he will find plenty of it in Mr. Hicks' pages. But over a hundred pages of it strikes me as a little like drinking gin and bitters all the way through oite's dinner. I AN ENEMY TRIBUTE. General Ludendorff, in his "War Me- moirs," adds -vet another to the tributes which the enemy has paid to the work which Mr. Lloyd George did for this country and its allies during the war. "Lloyd George performed the work of an organising giant," said the "Neueste Nachrichten (Kiel) some time ago. Ludendorff goes a little more into detail, and sa.Y6: "We knew that the wear and tear of the enemy's forces was high. But we also knew that the enemy was estraordinarily strong and, what was equally important, possessed extraor- dinary will power. Lloyd George was de- termined to win. He held England in hand. One thing a Jone we did not know—how much longer the battle would continue. Even the enemy was bound some day to tire." But Ludeudorff is wrong in the last sentence. Another thing he did not know was that eo long as the home front was, as he puts it, "held in hand," the British soldier was never likely to tire until he had won. That is his habit.

I OUR SHORT STORY. THE PRODIGAL'S RETURN. By VINGIE ROE. The community was small, and it was set ill a tiny green valley between the Cum- berland hills. It consisted of a dozen stores, a black- smith's shop, a poet oiiice that got its letters once a day by road, and a church and a pict.uesqre pclice-court, where pro- ceedings were held about once a month and were brought in from miles around. On u golden day in autumn something was ofi at the court. Crowds of men in cheap, ready-made clothes were gathered thick in the yard, while the court-room "within was close packed -with the country- side. The magistrates sat on the bench in stern dignity, for it was rare that they had the chanoe to display themselves in a serious court. Now a real crime had been committed in one of the outlying parts. An old man and woman had been robbed of their scant all, and a man suspectcd of the crime was here on trial. He stood in the prisoner's dock, with hit- sullen eyes upon the floor, his. shabby hat turning restlesslv in his dirty hands. He was some 'thirty-live years of age, and his face gave every sign of an evil life. His garmonts were worn and soiled, his shoes broken. Theve was nothing about him to rou&e pitv or leniency. It was plain as the light that he was one of those who demand a living from the world by other means than honest .work. The only witnesses against him were the old \õIOman herself, who had followed the thief into the yard, and a neighbour, also a woman, who, coming across the small meadow, had met him face to face as he ran. She it was who gave the alarm and set the yokels to catch him. And, strange to say, these two witnesses disagreed flatly. The old man lay at homo upon his bed, struck down bv the hand of the man who stole his old brown sack of money. Now the chairman examined the prisoner. "Where did you come from?" he asked. The man in the dock shuifled his feet and scowlad and did not reply. Anewer!" rapped the magistrate. "From Ireland." "How long have you been in these parts?" "J ust passin' through." "And you say you were not near the North Bend lane where this crime was com- mitted?" N o. Never got off the main road where your men picked me up." "Where were you going?" "To London." The magistrate turned to the inspector who had caught him. "Could a man have got to that particular point on the main road from the Weymouth cottage between the time the robbery was done and the time you took this man into custody e" The inspector was a little man, excitable and important. "Weill, now, your worship, he might-yes, sir, he might, providin' he did some hard running." The chairman of the bench thought a while with a lip between a judicial thumb and finger. Then he called the neighbour woman. "You were going to the Weymouths' when a man ran out of the house, followed by Mrs. Weymouth?" Yes, s ir." "Is this the man?" "It is! The woman was so positive that the magistrate scarce knew wliere to turn for more questions, but he was determined to make the most of his cane. "How close to him were you?" he asked. "About a hundred feet." said the magistrate. Then he called Mrs. "Weymouth herself--a meek little woman with hair as white as new silver, and faded blue eyes that were wise as King Solomon's. She was calm and quiet, and she took the chair across from the prisoner with a little sp-poad of her starched grey calico skirts. "The thief came into your house in broad daylight, demanded your money—did he not, Mrs. Weymouth?" "He did, sir," said the old lady gently. "What did you do?" I—I think I screamed," "And then?" "My—my husband came in from the next room. An involuntary shudder came over her at mellti-on of this. "Yes? Go on, Mrs. Weymouth." Y e-;? Go oil, LA I rs. We-, I mout h "The man told him to get our money, quick Y ee ?" "And my husband refused. He was a fighter, sir, all his life. He eerved in India." There was a little light in her faded eyes, a shade of pride in her gentle voice. "Was there any discussion? What did the stranger say then?" "No, sir. Nothing. He-he jumped at John, and struck him with the pistol. John fell across the threshold—and I ran and got the bag and gave it to the man. Then he put the pistol in his pocket, turned, and ran cxrfc. "Ah! said the magistrate. Now, look well, Mrs. Wey"mouth. Is this that man? The witness raised her old blue eyes and calmly and minutely surveyed the prisoner from his unkempt head to his shabby shoes. They lingered longest upon his face, as if they would assure themselves twice over, would make no mistake Then she shook her head. "No, sir," she said as positively as her neighbour had done. "No, sir. This man- would you make him rise, your worship." "Got up!" commanded the magistrate sharply. He felt his chance of a sentence slipping. The prisoner shambled to a goodly height. "This man is taller than that one was. He is broader in the shoulder. He could stand finely erect, this man." Her wavering old voice softened percep- tibly with age's tolerance of the young. "That one wa.s narrow in the chest, and his shoulders drooped. Aleo, he had brown eyes—sharp brown eyes. This man-would you a-sk him to look up, your worship? At the magistrate's word the prisoner raised flaming, resentful, Querulous eyes that faltered to the old woman's face, and they were blue. "This man's eyes are blue. This is not the man, your worship." But here the neighbour woman cried shrilly across the intervening; throng: "Why, Nancy Weymouth! What are you saying?" But Nancy Weymouth smiled. "Was I not nearer than you, Ellen? she said gently. "Had I not a better chance to see him?" She turned to the bench. "Had I not the best chance?" she asked. Reluctantly the chief magistrate admitted that she had. lie thought in silence for a moment or two, while a hush settled upon moment, or two, wl?. the primitive court-room and the prisoner fiddled with his hat and scowled. .1 The magistrates retired to consider the case. True, the old woman should know, they argued. In fact she was the only one to know. And there had been found upon the man no incriminating evidence-neither money-bag nor weapon. Of course, he could have hidden them- flung them into any thicket. There was no evidence to convict. They went back to the bench, and, the chairman swept some papers 0:1 his desk aside, and cleared his throat. "Well," he said, "in view of the evidence we can only dismiss the case, since Mrs. Weymouth could not be mistaken, having spoken with the thief, and Mrs. Stackpole only saw him from a distance. The case is dismissed. 11 YcRi, however," and he pointed an accu- sative finger at the man in the shabby suit, "get out of these parts and stay out. If you're caught around here twenty-four hours later it'll go hard with you." The eyes of the little old woman had never left the speaker's face; her thin lips were a bit apart, and onlv the prisoner under his lowered lids saw that her old hands were knotted like iron in her starched calico lap. And 6o the court was over and the crowd I shuffled out with open and curious glancee at the erstwhile prisoner, who put his dilapidated hat on his head and shambM hurriedly out among them and away to safety. Mrs. Stackpole clutched her neighboar with clawkike fingers and bored into l.er fact with her eagle sight. "Nancy Weymouth," she cried earnestly, "wherefore did you tell that awful lie?" Mm. Weymouth sm i led, mind you —back at her and took her hand and stroked it. "Ellen," she said, "we've been good neighbours for five years. Don't let's have hard words to come between us." But Ellen shook her head and went away in a Ioep quandary. Of all in that little, stuffy room she had seen beneath the sur- face. 0 0 0 t It was evening in the wooded hills. In the doorway of the cottage Nancy Wey- mouth sat with her face upturned to the gorgeous twilight sky. It was a far dif- ferent face from the quiet, contained visage she had borne in the court-room that after- noon. It was a mask of such tragedy as painters dream of and only the angels understand. A Bible lay open on her knees-a worn, thin-leafed book whose very look of well- kept age and loving wear told an eloquent story of woman's faith. Th9 faded blue eyes were dim with tears. She oouki hear the old man on the bed. in the room behind moaning in a wordless prayer. And ae she sat so. offering her burden to Heaven, there came n sound in the still night—the slip of a stealthy foot on the gravel path-and a figure emerged from the shadows to stand before her. It wao the slouching form of the man she had freed frorh the shadow of prison that" day, and he hung his bare head and tore his old hat into ribbons in his fingers. Then he dropped on his knees and sank forward with hvs unkempt head in the clean calico lap. "Mother!" he cried tragically. "Oh, mother!" Who in the world can explain the glory -itic y Wev- of ineffable joy that spread on Nancy W cy- mouth's faee as she caught -11 the shabby creature kneeling before h. and clasped him to her breast—who but mothers? "Johnny!" she whispered "Johnny! Oh, my son My son For a tense moment she held him so. Then the man drew back and took her thin hands. "Mother," he said, "before your God. I did not know who lived in this little house when I stepped into it to rob. I was desper- ate—out of work and hungry. And then I am bad, anyway. But I didn't know. Yüu must believe that. And then I tried to oiuff it out. I think I was crazy when father came from the other room and I-I struck him. I tried to bluff it out and hoped you would not know me. Ten years make a let of difference. I'd give my worthless soul to be your boy again. And here is the little bag—take it, and take me to father." The man's featuree were working, and he rose and lifted the little old woman from the sill. With an arm round her he passed in across the step, to stand beside her at the old man'e bed, wher.e he again fell oil his knees and cried out the bitterness and anguish of an erring soul. "Take me back!" he rasped; "take me back and I'll redeem this day's work! Let me stay here and face these neighbours oi yours, or come away with me to a new place where I con begin life anew suid let me be your boy again The white-haired patriarch put out a trembling and forgiving hand. Absalom he whispered gently. "My eon Absalom Then he lookod up into those brave old blue eyes. "Nancy!" he said, "the Good Book made one mistake in speech—it should have read in that mighty word of hope, like as j mother

LOOK AFTER YOUR FOOD. I Some very important statements regard- ing food and health were lately made by Professor E. H. Starling, scientific adviser to the Ministry of Food. He said: It was impossible to preserve health unless the food contained vitamines of the three different kinds. A sufficient provision, therefore, of fresh vegetables, fresh milk, butter, or animal fat was essential if the diet were to be satisfactory. The absence of theve vita- mines gave rise to beri beri, to scurvy, and to deficient growth or rickets. Deficient nutrition waa due to the absence of the growth factor, which was chiefly found in animal fat, especiallj- milk fat. Our chil- dren might be well fed. but if they were not getting fresh milk or butter they might get all those little disorders which were re- sponsible in the main for the enormous number of deaths among children. With a proper system of feeding and the control of proper kinda of food they would reduce the child mortality to the largest possible ex- tent. Attention should be specially directed to the fact that the disorders due to lack of quantity or improper quality of the food did not break out suddenly, but the definite diseases were preceded, it might be by many months, by a diminution of resistance to in- fection and disease, by minor disorders, and by lack of efficiency. It was this aspect of underfeeding which under peace-time con- ditions waa of the utmost importance in determining the incidence of sickness and the doeah rate among the general com- munity.

TO PURIFY OIL. I Oil being eo expensive, it naturally does not pay to cast away a dirty oil that can be cleaned and used again. A great many owners of automobiles do not know that oil may be filtered and almost all of it re- turned to the boarings for further use. The oil taken from the bearing wells, engine crank cases, and the like, contains mauy impurities. There are numerous filters. hut these are expensive for the owner of one car, as tbeee devices are made for handling large quantities of oil. A very satisfactory filter may be made from two roasting paiia or a similar tin pan, either round or rec- tangular, the pan being about one inch smaller all around, or on all sides, than the other. A smaller pan is supported on standards made of metal strips within the larger pan. These strips are soldered to both pane. The height of the smaller pan above the bottom of the larger c:w should be about six inches. Procure several heavy wicks and e-oak them ,in clean oil and hang them over the edges of the smaller pan. The ends of these wicks should hang down into the lower pan. The dirty oil is poured into the upper pan and the process of filtration begins. The oil will be siphoned from the upper pan to the lower and all grit and dirt will remain in the upper utensil.

Seven film actors have been fatally in. jured at Rome by the collapse of the scenery (representing the Temple of Jerusalem) amid which they were performing. General Sir John S. Cowans, Quarter- master-General to the Forces during the war, is to be presented on September 18 with the freedom of Carlisle, hie native city. with the free-J <)m of C- Head teachers in the North Riding ele- mentary schools, where the teachers ha-ve been on strike for several weeks. will ecate work after Sunday, when their notices ex- pire. An international seaplane race will he held at Bournemouth on Wednesday, Sen- tember 10. Thirty thousand people greeted the Prince of Wales when he opened the Toronto Exhibition. Kate Old (50), of Limeliouse, died while walking to obtain a her father's death. For his services to aviation Major-General Sykes has been made K.G.C. of the British Empire. Three acres of land realised < £ 1,000 at the Earl of Yarborough's property sale at Grimsby. Scavengers at Swadlingcote, Derbyshire, have struck work because under new ar- rangements they cannot earn overtime. Grimsby Corporation have decided to erect a garden city of a thousand houses on land purchased from Lord Yarborough. The scheme will cost nearly £ 1,000,000.

EPITOME OF NEWS. Enfield is to have street markets. Soldiers are again to be grante d leave fol harvest work. Plans for 498 houses on the Ea.stbury Estate, Barking, have ten passed. Over 300.000 score of mackerel were caught in the Kattegat during the past few weeks. There are now two drivers licensed for every one of London's 5,000 taxi cabs. Complaints of "iive" ammunition thrown into dustbins are made at Acton. Open-air markets are to be held in Treatv-road. Hounslow, and in the Square, Islevorth (Middlesex). Wimbledon Corporation has asked that the temporary cenotaph in Whitehall should be erected in Wimbledon. Lord and Ladv Cowdray have promised £ 20,600 for a hall and art museum to be added to Aberdeen Art Gallery. A schnoll),ov of thirteen was fined 4,1 at Wallsend, Northumberland, for driving a motor-car without a licence. The inquiry into the great fire at Broken Hill, the New Soutfe Wales silver-mine centre, has resulted in a verdict cf in- cendiarism. Lord Desborough succeeds Mr. H. Osborne O'Hagan as president of the Thames Ang- ling Preservation Society. For swimming ashore with one child on its back and another clinging to its tail, a Rotherham retriever had been awarded a medal. Both deaf and dumb, Thomas Derbam and his wife were each fined £ 5 at South- ampton for receiving betting s i' s in public. Damage was caused by fire to Gardiner's pleasure report, well known to thousands of ?oiidoii picnic parties to the Catcrham Valley. Paris, which is short of tobacco, was grieved to learn yesterday that 1.100 tons had been destroyed in a fire at Pantin, a north-eastern suburb. Parents of school children at New Hartley, Northumberland, are threatening to boycott the schools if more adequate heating is not provided for the cold weather. Footit. the well-known clown, was at- tacked and robbed of about 10,000 francs (. £ 4:00) by six American sailors, in a bar which he owns in the Hue Montaigne, Palis. Airship M.l has returned to Rome after a flight to Naples and back without the slightest hitch. H.M.S. Alacrity, flying the flag of Vice- Admiral Sir Alexander L. Dun, the new Commander-in-Chief of the ha." ailed. from Devonport for China. In view of the increased ti 11e rate, which comes into operation from October 6, North of England boot traders are the question of increasing the charge for re- pairs. Lieut.-Colonel T. H. Parry, M.P. for Flintshire, has been ordered by his medical adviser to take two to three months' com- plete rest, owing to recurrence of trouble due to an injury received in Palestine. It was decided by Tottenham District Council to encourage open-air markets. For 1181b. short weight in 12 sacks of 1-or 6bort v;ei-lit in 12 &-icks of co?il E. Hov, -iii?,l fined L- 5 a t In Walpole Park. Ealing, it is sugTesled that there should be a "Reformers' Tree, the quietude of the park for open-air gltherings lwin preferred to the noise on Ealing Common. Lord and Lady Cowdray are giving £ 20,000 to provide a hall and art museum for Aberdeen, :is part of an extension fceheme. Prof. Patrick Geddes, St. Andrew's unl- versity, an authority on town planning, has been engaged bv the International Zionist Com mission for tho planning of the new Jerusalem and its proposed uni- versity. During the war Samuel White and Sons, C-owes, built 23 destroyers, two submarines, 11 mystery eiiips, and over 60 other war j craft. Lord Lee of Fareham ^President Board of Agriculture) has promised to receive a depu- tion of allotment holders on the question of eviction. Under the national award -Nottiii-hpir. bread will drop a halfpenny per 41b. loaf. Operatives' will also drop 15, ¡wd their hours be increased by four to 48. For beating a horse with a spanner, Richard Orchard was sent to gaol for a month with hard labour by the Linslade (Bucks^ magistrates, without the option of a fine. New Toronto, a steamshijj of 6,500 tons, launched at Belfast, is the fifth vessel Messrs. Harland and Wolff have launched there for the holder Dempster line this year. In the presence of the donor. Miss Perce- val. who is 91 YDarS old, a "wayside cross in memory of 61 men from the parish of St. Lawrence, Chobham. Surrey, who fell in the war, has been unveiled. On account of the expense of renewing books, a Glasgow Corporation committee re- commends the temporary closing of five dis- trict libraries, though the public are using them more than ever. Sir Connop Guthrie, K.B.E., who was Special Representative of the Shipping Con- troller in the Uuited States, has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the American Government, in recognition of valuable services rendered during the war. Although the Epsom Urban District Council refuse, for the present at any rate, to re-engage the cable-jointer whose dismis- sal led to a strike of electricity employees, the men have decided to return to work. Three of seven hDY, charged with having killed 34 lambs (by riding- on them) and maimed 5 were discharged at Newcastle, and the others were remanded. Having saved four children from drown- ing. William Saul Turner was presented at Waltham Abbey with the Royal Humane Society's certificate and a sum of money. Latest subscriptions towards £ 500,000 for a Commerce Faculty at London University are P.O. and associated lines, 110.000; Royal Mail and Uniou-Castlc, i-'G.OOO; EIler- man lines, < £ 6,000. The cream jolted out on the way to the station," plead d a Cadeby (Leicestershire) farmer, against whom a charge of selling milk 35 per cent. deficient in fat was dis- missed on payment of costs. Marshal Joihe is at present taking a holi- day in a flower-covered barge, which he has had fitted up as a houseboat. It is drawn oy two horses, and in it the Marshal is tour- ing the canals of Central France. Epsom is enjoying electric lighting equal to its service before the strike. This is due to the engineer acting as engine-driver, and his assistant as stoker. 0# Mr. Robert Taunton Raikes, of Treber- fvdd, Brecon, has just died, at the age of 76. As far back as 18G5 and 1866 he rowed in the winning Oxford boat against Cam- bridge. A collection cf stoneware pottery, includ- ing a pattern of an ] Toby jug. which has been manufactured from clay ex- tracted from a coal mine, is on exhibit at Wigan in the Lancashire coalfield. Sir Stuart Samuel. ex-M.P. for "W hite- chapel. has been appointed chief of the British Mission to Poland to investigate the reported Jewish massacrcs there, and win leave England on September 2 or 3. France has offered two alternate sites on Vimy Riklge-tlie scene of such bitter iight- lng-to Canada for the erection of a war memorial. Swjvs boot and shoe manufacturers' propo- sals for reducing prices being considered in- sufficient, the FecJeral Department of IC Economy has suspended authority for" he exporj of their goods. John George Dabley. of Lympne, was fined £ 5 at Scabrook, Kent. for shooting a carrier pigeon belonging to Lympne Aero- drome. By 20 votes to 12 Swindon Town Council have decided to continue the Sunday service of tramway-cars, which was opposed by the religious bodies.

FUN AND FANCY. Teacher: "What is Q'rass" LondcB Scholar: "Please, teacher, it is what we aiust keep off." Magistrate: "Where did this man etrike voi, "On the doorstep, sir." Jobley: "Doing anything now, Hobley ?'' Hobley: "Yes. Writing lor the Press.* Jobley: "Sotries or editoiialsr" Hobley: Wrappers." "When are they going to be married 1'' "They won't be able to afford t far some time. He let Tier choose the engagement rlllg. Hubby: "I wil] rot stand these shopping bills of yours aiiv longer!" WiHe: "I don't care whether you stand them or not as 10:'g as vou foot them. "How modestly she dresses, and how sen- sibly! Yes; that woman will do any- thing to attract attention." Angler: "Hang it' Is there a dry spot in. this boat where I can strike a makr. Boatman (who has been disappointed as re- ga: ds refreshment): "Try my throat, "Ah! pretty lady," said the fortune- tel'xr, "you wish to be told about your tutuie husband? "Nc," replied Mrs. Gailey. "Fvc come to learn where my .pre- sent hui-baud is when he's absent." Teacher: "What do you learn from the ?torv of Samsonr Tommy 'with unple?s- ant results still maii*fe?t?: ?llat it doe-n't pay tc-r have womenfolks cut a feller's tcr have wo?mq 'I cut -I Schoolteacher: "What animal has the greatest na-t-ural fondness for ma-n? Pupil: Woman." Mamma: "Willie, haven 't you any man- ners? Willie: 1-11 I waste them now I won't have anv when company :>r:1C's.q Teacher: "What makes th" grass TOW WMlie: "The jrra.ss has blades, and wnth lh,. it cuts way through the earth." She: "Who said one man was as good ag mother? Some Socialist. I suppose." Ee: No. Some old maid, I suppose." "What a good job it was a doctor's motor that ran over him." Yus. that's Bill Johnson all over. 'E always is luc&y! Sweet and Twenty: "But, daddy, money isn 't- everything." Sour and Sixty: but it's the price of everything that's worth anything." Modern Girl: "I can't quite make up my mind about Dollie. T here's something queer a*!<on.t her." Second Ditto: "I']] tell you what it is. She has an offiminate streak." "I under.staiid you have several Parlia- mentary speeches ready for delivery." "Yes. answered the candidate, who had just- heard that he had been be:.ten in the election, "but they remain uncalled for." She (during the quarrel;: "I wish I could recall the past." He: The past? I'd be satisfied to get my presents." He: "Will you love me if I give up all mv bad habits?" She: "But, George, hew s? "Shc,: -Pol, GQorL-e, C(;Uld YOU exiw"*t me C) iove a periect "What was Seorcham arrested "Fast driviiig." "That's too bad." Not at all. He wants people to believe he owns a fast car, and he paid the policeman to arrest him." Jones: "What a well-informed woman that Mrs. Wadsleigh is, isn't she?" Brown: Vv hy "houldn t the be? Her cook has worked for nearly everybody in the neigh- hourhood." Sentimental Suitor (after being rej ected) "I shall never many now." Miss swon: "Silly man Whv not? Sentimental Suitor (vieiousiy: "'If yen won't have me, who will? "father, a psendonTm; a-J:ed Johnny. "I don't know, my boy," replied the man whose motor-car is in the repair- shop a. great deal of the tirne: "but* if it's anything to do with a motor-car, I'll htive to buy it sooner or later." Gibson: "I see you are wearing that extraordinary necktie vour wife gave vou for your birthday." Meekes: "Of course I am. The reason she bought it for me was to s how her autio ritv. Client (jnst acquitted on burglary charge): "Well, good-bye 1 I'll drop in on you some time." Lawer: "All right; but make it in the davtime, rleas^. Miss Fortee: "They teli me I ought- not to wear white as it is not becoming to my complexion." \1i Teens: "Whv White and yellow go so well together." Mr. H. Peck- ifUr dinner mart is my favourite hoar on Sunday." His Friend: "1 thought.- yon didn't sleep after dinner." Mr. H. my wife does." "If ihere were lour flies "11 the table and I killed one, how many would there be left?" inquired the teacher. "One," an- swered a bright JittJe girl-" the dead one."

I RELIABILITY. I II One of the secrets of power to .1 withstand the trials and worries of the present, time is the pos- session of an efficient digestion. The man who is thus favoured is usually strong in nerve and muscle; he is generally found to be reliable. A digestive organ- ization in good working order ensures that the best results are obtained from the nourishment taken. For the preservation of the efficiency of the digestive organs Beeehr;m's Pills are widely known and heartily re- commended by those who use them. These pills have been the means of preventing illness and establishing health in many thousands of instances. The numbar of people is ever cn the increase who owe health and energy to the judicious use of BEECHAM'S PILLS. Prepared on17 by THOMAS BEECHAM. St Helens, Laacm. Sold everywhere in boxes, labelled Is-Sd and Ss-Od.