ory. It seems that Joe's
mother died in an insane asylum, and that is the cause of the hull
trouble. Joe was engaged to be married to this very doctor, who lives in
the town she cum from; well, one night she heard some of her folks
talkin' about crazy people, and all of 'em agreed that when there was
that sort er trouble in a family no marryin' ought to be allowed, and
they told the reason why. Joe loved her beau too much to run the risk of
bringin' such a misfortune on him as they described it to be, and she
couldn't bear to stay right there and break with him, so she up and
skipped. The poor thing sacrificed her hull happiness for what she
thought right, and I don't care what any er you say, I respect her for
it. I left the doctor explaining that her mother's case couldn't affect
anybody but her own self; I don't quite understand how he made it out,
but Joe was satisfied; that I could see plain enough, for it brought the
color back to her cheeks in a jiffy, and she jest looked as pretty as a
picter. I don't see how any of us could ever have believed such a sweet
lookin' creetur to be a man, or a boy either, for that matter."

"I ain't a bit surprised," calmly observed Mary Jane, with a curl of the
lip, Then turning to Dick Bowles, who beamed with happiness, she added.
"I kinder thunk there was sumthin' peculiar about Joe all the time."

What Dick's private opinion may have been did not appear, for he was
careful not to discuss the subject with his lady-love. It satisfied him
to find that when he took her hand and pressed it tenderly, she allowed
it to rest in his.

ROSALIE KAUFMAN.

_EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT._

THE LATE ELECTION.

There are two lessons, taught by the late contention, that the people
will be slow to learn until coming events force them to a knowledge.

The first is, that our government has passed from the political fabric
built us by the fathers to a financial concern in which private
interests dominate public affairs.

The second is, that no public man, let his honesty and influence be what
they may, can menace the moneyed power of our land and remain in public
life.

We are so accustomed to being fed on phrases that we lose in their use
the object for which they were framed. Our fathers sought the shores of
America to escape oppression at home. The sum total of the despotism was
found in the fact that while they who produced all enjoyed nothing, they
who produced nothing enjoyed all.