either direction as far as the
eye could reach; on every corner was a proud descendant of Erin's
nobility, clad in gorgeous raiment, who had been branded "St. Paul's
finest" before leaving the shores of his native land. In the midst of
this great city was a magnificent building, erected by the generosity
of its people, in which the paleface, supported on either side by the
Okons, was the high and mighty ruler. The Okons and the followers of
the Okons were in possession of every office within the gift of the
paleface. Floating proudly from the top of this great building was an
immense banner, on which was painted in monster letters the talismanic
words: "For mayor, 1902, Robert A. Smith," Verily the prophecy of the
dusky maiden had been fulfilled. The paleface had become impregnably
intrenched. The Okons could never be dislodged.

With feelings of unutterable anguish at the omnipresence of the Okons,
the aged voyageur quietly retraced his footsteps and was never more
seen by the helpless and overburdened subjects of the paleface.

SPELLING DOWN A SCHOOL.

* * * * *

When I was about twelve years of age I resided in a small village in
one of the mountainous and sparsely settled sections of the northern
part of Pennsylvania.

It was before the advent of the railroad and telegraph in that
locality. The people were not blessed with prosperity as it is known
to-day. Neither were they gifted with the intellectual attainments
possessed by the inhabitants of the same locality at the present time.
Many of the old men served in the war of 1812, and they were looked up
to with about the same veneration as are the heroes of the Civil War
to-day. It was at a time when the younger generation was beginning to
acquire a thirst for knowledge, but it was not easily obtained under
the peculiar conditions existing at that period. A school district
that was able to support a school for six months in each year was
indeed considered fortunate, but even in these the older children were
not permitted to attend during the summer months, as their services
were considered indispensable in the cultivation of the soil.

Reading, writing and arithmetic were about all the studies pursued in
those rural school districts, although occasionally some of the better
class of the country maidens could be seen listlessly glancing over a
geography or grammar, but they were regarded as "stuck up," and the
other pupils