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Open Window By Saki "Out through that window, three years ago, they went off for a day's hooting... They never came back." very Interesting," "She haa been said Framton. "I hope you don't mind the open window,' said Mrs. Sappleton briskly; "my busband and brothers will be home directly from shooting, and they (always come in- tnat way. They've been out for snipe in the marshes to- day, so they'll make a fine mess over my poor carpets. So like you men- folk. Isn't It?" j She rattled on cheerfully about the "My aunt will be down presently, shooting and the scarcity of birds, and Mr. Nuttel," said a very self-possessed the P''spects for duck iu the- winter, young lady of fifteen; "in the mean- He made a desperate but only partial- time, you must try and put up with '>' successful effort to turn the talk _ e on to a less ghastly topic; he was con- Framton Nuttel endeavored to say scioua tuat uis hoste93 was <? ivin S him the correct something which should nl y a fragment of her attention,' and dulv flatter the niece of the moment her ' \ ere constantly straying without unduly discounting the aunt P ast him to the P en wmdow and the that was to come. Privately he doubt- lawn beyond - !t wa9 certainly an un- ed more than ever whether these for- fortunate coindicence that he should mal visits on a succession of total have P :lid his visit on tllat traglc an ' strangers would do much to help the ""versary. nerve cure he was supposed to be un- ' "The doctors agree iu ordering me dergoinK complete rest, au absence of mental -I know how it will be," his sister excitement, and avoidance of any- had said when he was preparing to thin & in the naturc of vlolent Physical migrate to this rural retreat; "you exercise." announced Framton. who will bury yourself down there and not . Iabored " nder '* tolerably wide- .peak to a living soul, and your nerves 3 P read ^"* ''><" total strangers will be worse than ever from moping. :lnd chance acquaintances are hungry "On the matter of diet they are not so much In agreement," he continued, whether Mrs. ' " No? " said Mrs - Sa PP leton - '& * Framton shivered slightly and turn- - ed towards the niece with a look In- I tended to convey sympathetic compre- 'hension. The child was staring out through the open window with dazed I shall just give you letters of b*fr for the least detail , of one ' s ai , lmenta duction to all the people I know there. d '"J 1 1 ^!'. 'l 1 . 6 ^"".-"-^ "* Some of them, as (ar as I can remem- ber, were quite nice." Framton wondered whether Mrs. Sappleton, the lady to whom he was . volce whlch oa!y replaced a yawn at presenting one o( the letters of Intro- 11 ' 1 ? > ast moment ' , Then sne 8udde ly duction, came into the nice division, i b"ghtened into alert attention-bur "Do you know many of the people not to '.hat Framton was saying, round here?" asked the niece, when I "Here they are at last! ' she cried, .he judged that they had had sufficient ' " Jl f ' me for tea ' and don l Silent communion. i look , as if they were muddy up to "Hardly a soul," said Framton. "My e Ister was staying here, at the rectory, you know, some four years ago, and he gave me letters of introduction to aome of Uie people here." He made the last statement in a tone of distinct regret. I "Then you know practically nothing lorn ' r ln er eye3 ' In a chl11 f J" .. about niy auntr pursued the ^^'^^^A'SXX^Si ' e "OnVher S na a i y e- and address." ad-! * *. deepen.* twiUgh: Uiree ,1, mitted the caller. He was wondering ure* were walking across the lawn t whether Mrs. Sappleton was in the ! war(is th w '" dow; they a carried married or widowed state. An indefln- 1 * under their arms, aid one able something about the room seemed ' ^em was additionally burdened with a white coat hung over his shoulders. A tired, brown spaniel kept close at their heels. Noiselessly they neared the house, and then a hoarse young voice chanted out of the dusk: "I said, 'Bertie, why do you bound'?" I Framton grabbed wildly at his stick 'and hat; the hall door, the gravel drive, and the front gate were dimly- noted stages in his headlong retreat. A cyclist coming along the road had to run Into the hedge to avoid immin- ent collision. i "Here we are. my dear." said the year, said Framton; "but has that win- ' bearer of the white mackintosh, corn- to suggest masculine habitations. "Her great tragedy happened just three years ago," said the child; "that would be since your sister's time." "Her tragedy?" asked Framton; somehow In this restful country spot tragedies seemed out of place. "You may wonder why we keep that window wide open on an. October af- ternoon," said the niece; indicating a large French window that opened on to a lawn. "It is quite warm for the time of dow got anything to do with the tragedy?" "Out through that window, three years ago to a day, her husband and her two young brothers went off for their day's shooting. They never came back In crossing the moor to about , am , their favorite snipe-shooUng ; ground. I of good-bye or ^., 1?:, 6 '"I? 1 !* * a 1W ,o g y -Hen you arrived. One would ing in through the window; fairly muddy, but most of It's dry. Who was that who bolted out as we came up?" "A most extraordinary man, a Mr. Nuttel," said Mrs. Sappleton; "could treacherous piece of bog. It had been that dreadful wet summer, you know, and places that wera safe in other years gave way suddenly without warning. Their bodies were never re- covered- That was the dreadful part of It." Here the child's voice lost its self- think he had seen a ghost." "I expect It was the spaniel," said the niece calmly; 'he told me he had a horror of dogs. He was once hunt- ed into a cemetery somewhere on the banks of the Gauges by a pack of pariah dogs, and had to spend the night in a newly-dug grave with the anyone lose their nerve." Romance at short notice was her i>.> in It y. Pearson's Weekly. creatures snarling and grinning and possessed note and became fa.ter.ng- foamin just above him . Ellough to ly human. "Poor aunt always thinks that they will come back some day, they and the ' . little in-own spaniel that was lost with them, and walk I:i at that window Just as they used to do. That is why the window la kept open every even- lug until it is quite dusk. "Poor dear aunt, she has otten told me how they went out, her husband with his white waterproof coat over his arm, and Ronnie, her youngest brother, singing 'Bertie, why do you bound?' as he always did to tease her, ' because she said It got on her nerves. Do you know, sometimes on stiff, quiet evenings like this, 'I almost get a creepy feeling that they will all walk Iu through that window " 1 * * * She broke on* with a little shudder. It was a relief to Framton when the aunt bustled into the room with a whirl of apologies for being late in] making her appearance Fresh Air School -aed warmly in Cowl-like robes these N.Y. school oh:'.ilron work out-of-doors. The above picture shows some of the pupil* busily attacking their crackers and milk. Sunday School Lesson Uabbit "I understand Mr. 1'os- : urn has a cas<> on you." Miss Porcupine "Ye*, lie'.s badly stuck ou me." King ner appeal ciuce. . i J( I hope Vera has been amusing tw ( _ "Phyllis has brains enough for you?" she said. Then why don't you marry her?" November 8. Lesson VI Paul In Ephesus Acts 19: 8-20. Golden Text Have no fellowship with the unfruithful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. Ephesians' 5: 11. I. THE FULL GOSPEL, Acts 19: 1-7. II. SUPERSTITION IN BELIGION, Acts 19: 8-20. III. THE BEGINNING OF THE END, AcU ' 19: 21-41. IV. PAGAN VICES AND CHRISTIANITY,.! Eph. 5: 5-11. INTRODUCTION Paul was permitted: to leave Corinth in peace and quiet. | After a visit to Jerusalem, Anitoch 1 and the Galatian churches, he came to Ephesus, Acts 18: 18-23. Ephesus, a more populous, wealthy and important city than Corinth, was capital 01 the province of "Asia." "Asia" means not the modern cortin- j ent of Asia, but that western part of it with which the Romans first cume into contact. Ephesus also had a great religious attraction in its fa- mous Temple of Diana. Paul, ac- ( cording to his custom, settled in this strategic situation and began to teach the new religioi. I. THE FULL GOSPEL, Acts 19 : 1-7. Among the believers whom Paul - und in Ephesus, one group was spe- 1 cially interesting, v. . Finding these ' men in that fringe of partial converts which surrounded eve.-y synagogue? 1 and knowing nothing about them ex- cept their evident sincerity, Paul ac- cepted thi_m as disciplea. Soon, how- ever, he discovered ha' they lacked that peculiar enthusiasm which marked the "Spirit filled" believers. "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked. Coming into a modern church, would he see a similar dullness and absence of Christian joy? The "joy '' in believing i* too often absent. Such joy as the average Christian possesses is frequently attributed to a dutiful J family, good health, or a satisfactory income. II. SUPERSTITION IN RELIGION, A-?tS 19: 8-20. Aftoi' three months' preaching in the synagogue, Paul found it neces- j sary, as in other places, to withdraw. He secured the lecture rcom of Tyran- nus vacant daily from 11 to 4 and there preached for two years. So deep was the impressim which Paul made that his superstitious converts believ- ed that even an article of clothing which touched him had healing power. | Unknown to Paul, who certainly would have discouraged such magical j ,>ractice3, zealous admirers would ' bring to the sick various articles ' which had been in contact with his lerson. Certain physical and mental conditions were cured. It was "faith ; healing." Not the art.oles of course, ; no more than the relics of St. Anne de j Beaupre, wrought the cures but the i faith in them. The sons of Sceva. pagan magicians, | =aw in these cures possibilities for | themselves. They would use this nama ' "Jesus" which they th n-ght Paul .jsed ! as a sort of charm. The demented j fellow on whom they tried it saw the deception and assaulted them with such fury that they barely escaped with their lives, v. 16. The incident resulted in many converts. Christians who had been practising the magic arts in secret, confessed and brought tl eir books very valuable and burn- ed them publioly, vs. 17-19. They not only removed temptation from their own way; they removed it from others also. When the church members puri- fied their own lives "that word of God grew r.iightily, and prevailed, v. 20. III. THE BEGINNING OF THE END, Acts 19 : 21-41. Verse 21 marks the beginning of the end of Acts. The keynote is struck in "I must also see Rome." Rome had long been Paul's goal. Now we are to read how he attained it. His desire for Rome was God's will, but he learn- ed like others that: 'Twas he who taught me thus to pray, And he I know has answered prayer, But it l.as been in such a way As almost drove mt to despair. He was not to have a quiet exit, as from Corinth. One of "the many ad- versaries" (1 Cor. 16: 9) suddenly emerged in the person of Demetrius, v. 24. Christianity was ruining his business. The turning from idolatry nnd magic in v. 18 was evidently real. He saw a serious falling-off in trade. The preaching that interfered with profits had to be stopped. IV. PAGAN VICES AND CHRISTIANITY. Eph. 5: 5-11. Not '.nly against superstition had Paul to wage war, but against ?in, personal and social. The letter "t> the Ephesians," which was probably meant for more than one church, deals among other matters, with the temp- tations which surround Christians in a pagan society. In ihe "kingdom ~>f God and of Christ." v. 13. that is. the Christiar. Brotherhood, there is no rcom for the "covetous" man. "Covet- ousnes~," as used here, means more than mere avarice. It stands for ,hat attitude of life which makes one's own advantage and pleasure the sole ob- ject. The impulse which leads on-.' man to covet another's share of this world's goods drives -inc/ther man into impurity. This motive of self-gratiti- cition, wherever it may lead one, is so alien to the Christian spirit that it is not even to be mentioned, v. 3. The way to "reprove" these "wortfs of darkness" is to live a life so un- questionably pure and right that it will reveal the heathen vices as they are. It is still the "Royal Way." At the Top of Mount Fuji Who lias not heard of Mount Fuji and longed for a glimpse of Its ! snowcrowned summit? This ma- jestic heaven-kisaing peak Is every- thing a mountain should be. It Is shaped even as little children ei-j pect a mountain to be shaped, it Is : beautiful to look upon from near i and far, It is surrounded by the halo ! of legend and tradition as Japan's i highest and most sacred mountain. \ Best of all, It ia accessible. So when I learned that the climb could be made between the time the i Siberia Maru arrived at Yokohama ' and sailed from Kobe I resolved that ' Fuji's summit would be my first des- j filiation after presenting some let- ters of introduction at Tokyo. With- in twenty-four hours of landing I would be on my way to get a bird's- eye view of Japan from Its very top. j "Americans are certainly ener- getlc," remarked the Foreign Office | official in Tokyo upon whom I called that afternoon. "I have been plan- ' ning to climb FJui myself for the ' past twenty years. Somehow I have never got around to doing It. Yet j here you come along from America | and within a few hours are on your j way. Well, I hope you enjoy the climb and get a clear view. Our i rainy season haa been lasting a little' longer than usual. . . ." A youthful member of a Tokyo hiking club who spoke some English and better German was soon, on his way with the American editor to ' Gotemba, the little town lying at the foot of Fuji. As the train wound Ito way through the foothills, sheet* of rain dasiiec. against the window! whtla clouds and mist obscured all view of the snow-clad peak towering twelve thousand three hundred and eighty-seven foet above the plain. The ascent began. It was TT> gradual, recalling In its early stagM the journey up Mount Rainier in the State of Washington, or the slowlr mounting slope of Mauna Loa on the Island of Hawaii. As in the Hawaiian Island, there was aemltropical vege- tation and red volcanic soil. After little distance had been traversed wild flowers and anemones abounded on the mosses under the fragrant fir trees. In the open spares we heard the distant song of larks and in the wood nightingales chanted melodiously and even responded when my young companion whistled the notes of their song. . . When our eyes turned in the di- rection from which we had come they beheld one of the world's love- liest mountain views. Fog aiiu mlsu were fleeing in every direction be- fore the piercing rays of th late af- ternoon sun. As their gray curtain* swept away, one low mountain range alter another came Into the line of vision. Between the slopH were beautiful lakes surrounded by sloping green field". From "We Look at the Wold," by H. V. Kal- tenborn. A Rising Scale The deaf man stepped down the dentist's chair after the operation. "How much do I owe you for that " he asked. The dentist looked thoughtful. "Three guineas." he replied. "Five guineas?" asked the deaf man uncertainly. "No," put in the dentist quickly; "nine guinea?." "My poor man, all the way from Chicago! Didn't ym find it very hot traveling?" "Not at all, madam. I always take a refrigerator car iu the sum- mer." Hope tor the bes,t. prepare for thej worst, and take what conies. Some racy ' anecdotes of John W. ("Beteha-a-Million") Gates, capitalist and gambler, are told by Albert Ste- ven* Crockett (in "Peacocks on Par- ade," a chronicle of New York in the "Naughty Nineties.") Gates acquired his nickname, "Betcha-a-Million," from his habit of using that form of wager upon the slightest provocation- He would bet on anything. One after- noon a heavy rainstorm came up. The pelting of raindrops on the window- panes made Gates's eyes brighten. "Say, John." he suddenly remarkfxl to John Drake, "see them two rain- drops? I'll bet that fellow on this side reaches the bottom before that one over there." * * Ten dollars was the first stake, and then this jumped to one hundred. It was a new sport and it became live'.y. For some minutes, at '.east, they stak- ed hundred-dollar bills on the course and speed of raindrops chasing down a window-pane, just as if they were at some race track, playing the pon- ies, says Crockett. * Often what to an ordinary man would represent a huge fortune would change hands among Gates's "crowd" during a few hours' play at poker o* bridge- At one of these panics a prom- inent New York politician was invit- ed to "make a fourth" at bridge. By no means wealthy, caution made him inquire as he sat down: "By the way. what are we playing for?" "One a poi.vt,' Gates answered tersely. The game began and ended. The New Yorker finished 330 points ahead. "You'll get your cheque tomorrow. ' Gates's secretary who attended '.J such matters told the winner. * * When it arrived, the New Yorker fell back in astonishment. It was for [ $33,000! From Gatt-s's secretary he : learned that the game was for $100 a point, not $1, as he had imagined. So he sought out Gates. "Mr. Gates," he protested, "I dor.'t feel right in taking this money 1 e- : cause, in a sense, I got it under f alne ] pretences." He went on to explain the situation, when Gates broke in with : 'Cut it out. We had the game, didn't we? You won didn't you? Y'i;i got the cheque, didn't yju? Well, let's forget about it. * * * Writing to Austin Dobson just. after he had finished his Life of *.he poet Gray (of Elegy fame). Sir Ed-' mund Gosse said the letter is quoted in Evan Charter is' Life of Gosse: "I am in a state of agitation; I have just written the death of Gray, with inexpressible excitement: I have! been crying so that my tears blinded j the page how ridiculous tears for I a little man who died more than a hundred years ago how ridiculous!" Which reminds me that some autn- ors do suffer horribly when a work on a story with tragedy stalking through it. I recall, for instance, that when A. S. M. Hutchinson was writing "This Freedom" which fol- lowed "If Winter Comes" he became a wreck while working on the chapter dealing with the suicide of a young girl. He was haggard and "all in" and you could see in his face that it was taking hold of him terribly. He would stay up all night with his char- acters and suffer excruciating agony in their company. Curious, isn't it? * * * Hamlin Garland in his new book, "Companions on the Trail" quotes Eiiward W. Bok as telling him this story about Rudyard Kipling with whom Bok once crossed the ocoan. Said Bok: "One day as 1 was lying in ray steamer chair reading "The Brush- wood Boy,' Rudyard came up behind me with a roll of wet newspaper and gave me a fearful swat- 'Put that book down,' he said. I was hurt and disgusted. 'That was a bad boy's trick,' I remarked. * "I was hot, and when he saw that I meant ' he sat down beside me and tried to make me forget it. H apologize) and then explained the genesis of the book. 'I was *eeo years writing that story,' he said, 'and it represents my own life in a way.' He offered to read it aloud to me as compensation for his crurf swat, and in the end I forgave him. I loved hi'ii.'* Another of Mr. Garland's stories is about Bret Harte. Garland heard it frum the iips of William Dean Ho wells. "Bret was a careless vagabond," said Howells "improvident but highly amusing, and wo all liked him. He was always in debt. It fell to me on one occasion to present him as a lec- turer to an audience in Tremont Tem- ple (Boston), and when I called at his house to escort him to the hll, I found him in the custody of a eon- _ table. "Han.- explained, without apparent concern, that his tailor had sent the fiicer to collect payment for a suit of clothes and the constable, said to mo: 'This :v.an shall not give hi* lec- ture without handing over his fee.' Thereupon Harte invited him to rida with us to the hall and sit on the plat- form. "This he did," continued Howells, "and so, as I rose to present tin speaker, I had on my right hand a distinguished novelist, and on my laft the constable 1 Harte being the least perturbed of the trio." MUTT AND JEFF- BUD FISHER The Perfect Lover Should Have Eve.-;, ll>'ng. i GOT rue MOOWUGHT, vg ves, NOO T, 60T TH CANO^, I HAVfeN'T I GoT-tOU-U-U- i 6<jr THe BANJO, 6oT THe vioice^ r GOT THe x GOT THe LA ice, i THfe MOONJC16H" i GOT THe DISPOSITION - BUT r HAV).N'T GOT