VOL. L1V.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., MARCH 25, 1899.
NO. 12
gXoxizs and M>XutcXxts.
A  MIDNIGHT MASQUERADE.
"Snowbound in a country house in the dead
of winter. What crazy freak prompted tne to
come out here at thia season of the year?"and
Mildred Oebome pressed her pretty face against
the casement and frowned upon the bleak New
England landscape, hill, dale, and lonely
highways, now dimly visible through the mist
of falling enowflakea, and the swift descending twilight of the winter's day.
"At this moment in the city the gay world
_ la preparing for an evening's pleasure; there
will be balls, receptions, without number,
grand opera at the Metropolitan, plays, concerts. My dear child, how do you exist in
such a wilderness? I Bhould die of ennui in a
week." And she turned to her companion,
who sat in the glancing firelight of the great
old fashioned kitchen, laughing at her discomfiture.
"I suppose habit has hardened me to the situation, Mildred. Never having tasted of the
forbidden fruit, I am content with beans and
brown bread. And then, I could never shine
In society as you do," she added humbly.
"Kitty, there you're mistaken. Wouldn't I
like to launch you on the world for one short
season; once learn the ropes, and then you'd
be a howling success. You don't half know
your points, child; properly dressed and presented, with a spice of vanity, a touch of coquetry to enhance your charms, you'd take the
town."
"And what then, Mildred?" gravely.
"What then? A season of gayety and conquest, followed by a brilliant marriage."
"Thank you, Mildred, I think that I should
prefer to stay at home," was the quick re-
sponce.
"Shocked, eh? you blessed innocent you
don't know the world you live in. I suppose
it's 'all for love' with out, after the confession
you made me last night at bed-time. But, seriously, it's a pity, with you face and figure;
ehould eee the world before renouncing it forever. In my opinion." And she flung herself
down on the sette in an attitude of graceful
abandonment, a pretty picture in her silk and
lace negligee, with her dark mocking eyes and
scarlet lips, a child of fashion's moulding.
The two cousins were strangely alike, and in
supple grace of figure, coloring, contour, tone
of voice might have almost been counterparts;
but years of luxurious idleness had set a seal
on the billiant beauty of the New York belt,
while the bloom and dewy innocence of youth
still clung to the modest country maiden.
"Mildred, I think you misunderstood me
last night. Roger and I were boy and girl together; we are good friends—"
"Friends," she echoed scornfully, "I know
all about friendship of that sort. I have had
friends in my day. Nonsense, chlid, I've not
forgotten a word of the confession made under the cover of night, and I mean to give you
a few words of advice on the subject. As I
made my debut early ln life, it's worth the
having, I promise you. The 'modest violet'
girl is out of date now, Kitty, even In a country village, and men are men the world over.
They must ever pursue, surmount difficulties,
scale new heights. Lead them on, flatter a
little, but never surrender the citadel till the
last gun has been fired."
"Mildred," ln a startled tone, 'iwhat are you
saying?"
"The truth, Kitty, on my honor. Your Roger, according to your ehowing Is a rara'avis in
a town like thie, and feels his importance; he
le so eure of hie mountain dairy that he doee
not even take the trouble to pluck it. Ah,
child, if I could manage your affaire for one
ehort week, I'd soon bring him to terms; not
that he is worth it, either, but here ie thie wilderness one muet do something or die. There's
a little play called 'Loan of a lover.'   Lend
me your Roger for 21 hours—''
"Hush, Mildred," cried the girl between
tears and laughter, at the careless, mocking
tirade of her worldly-wise cousin. "You are
terrible tease, but you muet not mako a joet of
Roger Howard; and though I lost all, I would
never stoop to deception in any cause."
A week later when sleighing was at its height
and the moon at the full, Roger Howard drove
up to the old homestead one night, having
sent word of his coming in advance, and a
veiled, mantled figuro came out at his call to
meet him. It was a wonderful night; to the
high-mettled horses the light sleigh was as a
feather, and as ihey whirled away from snow-
clad height to darkening valley, past frozen
streams, dusky woodland and sleeping village,
familiar scenes seemed touched to strange enchantment and unreality in the magical atmosphere.
There wae intoxication ln the frosty air that
smote their faces, something weird and uncanny in the fast-flying landscape and moving
shadows; it took a strong hand to guide the
spirited pair In their mad career through the
moonlit night.
It may have been fancy, but to Roger it
seemed that the graceful, fur-mantled figure
beside him wae transformed, by the hour and
scene, to somthlng other than the modest
maiden he had known in close Intimacy so
many years.
The pleasurable excitement of the moment,
the touch of possible danger, it my be the
presence of the man beside her seemed to
have awakened the nature of the girl, in eome
strange inexplicable fashion.
She sparkled with mirth and rare drolleries;
the dark eyes flashing though the filmy veil
seemed to challenge admiration; her light,
silvery laughter rang out on the night air, and
chimed musically with the sleigh bells.
Roger was both roused and enchanted; surprised by this relelation of character, and surrendered himself to the enjoymentof the hour
without question or comment. But toward
mid-night, when on the homeward track she
told him of her "cousins visit, and the urgent
invitation ehe had received to return with her
to New York; and his pleasure came to a sud;
den end.
"Kitty, my dear girl, don't think of lt," he
implored.   "They would spoil you forever."
"Improve me, you mean, Roger," was the
saucy response. "When I eee my cousin,
graceful, self-possed and attractive, I realize
what a mere country rustic must seem beside
her."
"I recall you cousin, Mildred, as a spoiled,
forward child of fortune; what must sho be
now."
"A belle, and beauty, admired by men, en
vied by her own sex. Ah, Roger, I would not
dare trust you to her fascinations."
"Hush, Kitty. How strangely you talk tonight. I scarceknow you in this willful mood.
But I don't like the idea of this visit. Why
must you go?"
"Roger, it will give me a taste of the world;
they are rich, gay and fashionable; it was
kind of them to offer me such as outing. I
should bo foolish to refuse the opportunity."
"Kind," angrily. "I wish they would leave
you alone. No good will come of it, believe
me. There are bothers, too, boy cousins—insufferable puppies, no doubt."
The girl burst into a peal of laughter at this
juncture, and for a few moments could not
recover speech.
"Kitty, you shall not go, do you hear?" and
be turned on her with gleaming eyes and an
air of manly authority that checked her mirth
midway.
"Roger Howard, by what right do you interfere with my pleasures?"
For a moment ho wae taken aback at thie
firet glimpeeof rebellion in the gentle nature
he had known eo well, and when he resumed
it was ln calmer tones. "Kitty, by the right
of a lifelong love. If you go, you will never
return to mo tho same; I know it."
"Love," murmured tho girl, and was silent.
"Listen to mo child," and there on the
lonely, snowbound highway, beneath tho light
of the eternal •■tars, tho man's ttrong, silent
love found outlet at last in speech, and sped
to its mark with arrowlike swiftness.
It was long past midnight when they ncarcd
the old hometead, where ono solitary light
still burned, one restless watcher awaiting
their coming. They parted, as lovers part
who hope to meet again, aud then tho girl
rushed into the lighted room, flung aside veil
and wraps, and a breathless sort of way cried
out: "Kitty, my dear, consider youreelf engaged. The man actually proposed, and I—I
accepted him."
"Mildred!" ln accents of horror. "Why did
I allow you to go?   What have you done?"
"What it has taken you yearstoacccmplleh;
and really, my dear, he's not so bad. When
he got well into the heavy business I nearly
forgot my role." And tho girl's glowing
cheeks and flashing eyes betrayed the unwonted excitement of the occasion.
"Mildred, Mildred!" clasping her hands in
despair. "Roger will never forgive such a deception. I can never look him in the face
again."
"Kitty—if you ever dare breathe one word,
of thia miserable masquerade to a living eoul,
I'll kill you. To-morrow I shall take the firet
train home, and leave you to the congratulations of your friends." And, twixt smiles and
tears, the girl flung herself into her cousin's
arms.
"Kitty, Kitty," ehe sobbed, "if I had but a
friend to straighten out the tangle of my life
for me." And this was the nearest approach
to a confession that the light-hearted coquette
was ever known to make.
In the following May, when all nature was
awake and astir, and fresh-voiced robbins
called across the fair, blossoming land, a simple wedding took place at the old homestead
on the hillside, the union of two loyal and
loving hearts, that would never know change
throughout the coining years.—Boston Budget.
expense to the patrons of tho public schools,
is more burdensome to them than it ever was
before we had these Stato books. And such
revisions as we have had. I aek any man to
simply comparo tho readers, for instance,
and I ask him to make a test in his own family, for if he has had children in school for 10
yoars past, ho hae theso different readers, and
then decide which ono of his family has harl
the beet advantages.
Tho fable of tho cat* and tho monkey, for
instance, is a good illustration of revision.
When I read that fublo some 35 years ago, It
commenced "onco upou a timo two hungry
cata found somo cheeso, etc. Now it reads
"once upon a time two cals that had stolen
somo cheese, etc., etc. In both instances, tho
monkey was called In to decide how an equitable distribution should bo made, ending
with exactly the same moral. Now for this
little change ln only a very few of the pieces
contained in this third reader, and an occasional new piece, the patron who haa paid
25 cents for the book for John last year must
discard the book and buy h new one for
John's little sister, who commences the third
reader grade this year, all because the Stato
board of education has decided that a revision Is necessary, in order that the children of
the State may keep abreast of the time in
theee great fablee, etc.
The fundamental principles of arithmetic
have never changed since Noah built the ark,
and why the State Board must have a revised
Indiana series of arithmetics ie more than I
can see, unless it be for the purpose of adopting a book written or rather compiled by
some member of the board, or some friend of
some member of the board.
The old books have not outgrown their usefulness. There have been pretty good scholars produced in Indiana, even before wo had
State books, and I dare say thero will continue to bo good scholars turned out of our
public echools regardless of old or new books.
Much more depends on teachers anyhow than
upon revision of books. The question is Ie
the books we have in our homes remain thero
and save this extra expense, unites an entirely
new book be substituted. Tbachek.
Clinton Oo.
Our School Books.
Editors Indiana Farmeb.
The school book question is again before
the State Board of Education. A few years
ago there arose a demand for a change in
school books in thie State that would secure
uniformity throughout the State. So that the
migratory portion of our people, might be
relieved of the great burden of buying new
books and throwing away old ones every
time they moved from ono county to
another. Not only eo, but it was urged by
the originators and defenders of tho movement that if the State would furnish the
books it could be done at smaller coet to the
people, and when the bt oks were once adopted for the whole Stato there would be no necessity for changing them at all. I grant that
these two points were well taken by the
friende of the law, and if the law after
its passage had been complied with,
and the matter thoroughly fixed, a
great good would have been accomplished; but it did not rest there. The ever
meddlesome Stato Board of Education, an institution or organization that ia ae useless to
our public school system as tho New Testament ie to a Hindoo, could not let the matter
rest there, but every few years tho readers
must be revised, the histories must be revised,
the arithmetics must be revised and eo on until the whole list of books used in the public
schools must be revised; and with each re-
vlson comes an edict that all old books must
be discarded.   And I  dare say that the extra
Mormon Converter.
The general public does not know what tho
Mormon church is, or what it purposes. It in
a religious despotism, and Intends to gain tho
absolute control of the politics of the whole
country.
"Absurd!" you say? Not if ono knows
their method, and their success up to date.
They own most of the land fit for agrlculturo
from the Rocky mountains to the Sierra Nevadas, an area equal to that of France, Great
Britain and Ireland. They already virtually
control three States and one territory, hold
the balance of power in several others, and
boast that In one generation they will con
trol every State west of the Mississippi.
In 1897 they gained 03,000 members. At tho
beginning of that year they numbered only
ono to 15 when compared with Methodists,
Prersbyterians, and Oongreationallsts; and
yet they gained some 13,000 members mora
than all three of those denominations put
together. They have eome 1,700 missionaries,
scattered over the country, going from house
to house to make proselytes. They intend to
vlelt every community. They find many victims, because the people do not know what
Mormoniem le.
The League for Social Service bas published a number of leaflets, which, lt ie believed, will make Mormon success Impossible
wherever they are read. Samples, together
with a practical plan for easily putting them
into every house ln a community, will be sent
free on application to League for Social Service, 105 East 22d St., New York Oity.