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CA L y AFTER STORM, Life is the long and difficult campaign, The gladiator's struggle on the sand, The ship’s contention with the furious main; While ceaselessly the silver trumpets strain . Is calling us in confidence to stand With palm and incense 'mid the peaceful band. Blow, trumpets, blow, and bring again the dream That thrilled the ecstatic outcast on his isle; T hough we may never loose our grasp the while On blades still bared, and long the waiting seem, Till gates of pearl turn on their hinge amain, And storm and battle vanish in the gleam Shat forth from streets untrod by guilt or pain, Where heaven’s own hosts their wished-for welcome smsle! —The Churchman. A SPY’S EXPEEIENCE. by ewing orison. i ' . I was at a small town in the West on V business some time ago, and, missing my tram, was detained several hours with nothing to do. While idling mound the little hotel my eye was caught by the striking appearance bench outside. of an old man sit ting on a He was tall and powerfully built, but h:s long gray hair proved him to be no longer young. I asked the clerk of the hotel who he was. This individual was busy, but ari&rar fawtoa. ,r„* s x“ s»s Jack lie was abravesoldier iu the last war and played l,ta the tell* spy two or «, you some of his those experiences. who 1 hey are right good, and know say they are true.” I escaped He and made smoking my way to the old veteran was a short clay pipe and refused my offer of a cigar in its place. After a lew well-directed ques tions I got him talking and I asked him to give me an account of what he consid ered the toughest scrape he was ever in. The old fellow looked at me calmly as he refilled and lit his pipe, while I made my self comfortable and waited for him to begin. He had a short, strong way of talking, and I will try to tell his story in as nearly his own words as possible, Picture to yourself a strong old man of sixty or thereabouts, with a rough face full of have character fair idea and determination, and you a of him. “Well, stranger, about the worst fix I was ever in, and I’ve been in a good many, was somewhat in this way: inV 1 was withmy company in Kentuck and the enemy were not far off getting ready, we knew,to make an attack onus at any time. We were encamped in a small town and the time passed slowly with nothing to do but u>be on the lookout for a surprise. But tbe enemy seemed to be in no hurry and I got tired of wait ing. I had been thinking over a scheme forsometime, and at iast I suggested to my Captain that I should go as a spy into mea ana j proceeaea to get ready, mere were several prisoners m camp and I took my choice of their uniforms. In the town there lived an old chap who kept fancy pigeons, and among them he had some trained carriers. The Captain suggested that I should carry a couple of these with me and hide them in the woods near the enemy’s line. Then if I found diate action out anything should that send needed imme I a message by one of these birds, which would carry it far quicker than I could. L didn’t take much to the idea of the pigeons, but the Captain in was basket. set on it The and got two forme a small next morning I had hid my birds and boldly walked into the enemy’s line. I was carried to head quarters at once. suspicion My story was a straight one and no was aroused. We had taken a prisoner not long before who had and belonged passed to a regiment in Mis souri, I myself off for him, giving his name and company and a few other points I had taken caie to obtain, As soon as I could I went around picking up information. It would not do for me to seem too inquisitive, and I was in doubt what to do next when I noticed an old building with the door partly open. I looked in. The place seemed empty at first sight. Looking nearer, however, I saw the figure of a man lying on some straw in a comer. I thought he was sleeping, but he seemed strangely quiet. I went in and looked closer and I saw that he was dead. A glance around showed me a coffin with the lid resting on it in another corner of the room. I did not much like to have a dead body for a companion, but I rC St a ” d 'J nd ? r tb ® c!r ' cumstanee T I thought a dead soldier ^;:E:hh¥nTJr-i : od^Tiu o L r‘ '7* soon ££!&£ fleers could^t given in mean?’ loud hastv tones What all I was not long in doubt. I soon heard nassmri steps and a voice asking what colon!] was the matter ‘Mat ter enough ’ was the renlv ‘then was a fellow come oTr here to-dav ore tending to be one of men from Mis souri He had hardlv disappeared and^Their be fore the real man turns up voices faded away as they walked oast but 1 had heard enough in? to convince me of the scrape I was What hard luck that the prisoner I was representing should have escaped on this dav of ail others I had b!the“oise no time for idle regrets however for outside I knew an active search was being made for me I heard a voice shout- ‘look inside the dead house 1’ „„'i Quick ? as as thought tnougnt I i ran ran t "f K ot \ aslde - As well as m a secona me aoor was pulled open and ^ bal * d< tillthefr Stomed eyes y got g accustomed to to „ t, ** • Swea^oflook , 5 but seemed me coma never never seemed.to to occur occm * b1:b ?“’ ^® ar d ° ne say : ,® e isn * 10 ^ ’ ^“ d J he ^ H? , f 3 qu J- . ckl J ,f 3 they had entered. I tell you a (lead house u ba« aomesupersiitioc abDatthepreseQCe ot -fjj*-; f ! e deaci aad Tke to get away as quick anc i oia not Know wflat to do. Any at tempt at escape m fhe present excited '^ ® tate °f " d d tho Ce ^"' camp would y °Z mean ^"*1 death “ to “r Vit and tr Lht p y n the “ fte n "“ ',,'1“ When was that y, dead soldier to . be buried, , That tba t P as ® ed through my ™ d -everal times as I lay contmed in ^ °n that rough cofhn. I hoped Everything for the best depended and lay A uiet - I ^ a ” badly cramped in my ^angereriing s P lte of all place I was but aroused I fell asleep by hear- in ’“8 S0 ™ e one enter and close the door after him. I _ opened my eyes. Who e 'er it was had brought a-lantern. As dmetlv as I could I slipped my hand to “ y back and unloosened my pistol If J b g bt bad l °r t< L it. die 0 Scarcely * determined daring to to make breathe a L wa,ted ' kbe - ste ps approached closer. mmg on tne Ud and it was lifted up. At tJie sa mcmstan11 sprang up and leveled “y ”‘ d pistol^ sray-headed at the mtruder. darkey. In This:was lifting the an H h | keld f beiween himself and me leanea n . lst tb ^ aad ^ burned ^ b , ® sdld so b ® a §ht / to ^l 1 come “ P ® e . ® p hid f n 1 rol!e d n^tawoKlbutoointed wil d in hfa m he stared I said hear seeded ?tr?ck thenistol P !i£ at his He , • His Ws ..hnnir £ nd at “ kst HisXndlwen? gave way and he fell on hk k 9 ; a 7 II? a snnnli If } *= map “““ e ap 1 d lins moved J as d ”” e ntlv ‘ y he tmok mJ fo, * 9 Tlhoft a gbost. As A L 1 f - «I could hrin it* 1 T said • ‘Old 0 d ’ vnn you en‘ S nn i„ ». JJel , w ,, ,* T J!ver? ", ' !t ii t . ’ i,u A, *o,! ff an mike„L~ ri n g * y U lf von you make a noiae above « a h - , t This was a practical sort of „ talk that he understood and convinced him that 1 ^ a3 re al fl ® sb a “ d bl ,°° d -. T _ fo , , God, Boss! I ain’t , gwine . to e breathe hard 1 As he spoke I noticed a spade and 0 ,® r b0 ?, he ha.d brought with him. A sudden idea, flashed through my brain, desperate was a desperate one, but I was in a fix and could not pick and choose. I took out of my pooketbook a ten-dollar bill. I held this in my left hand and my pistol in my right. 1 l ‘°’ 1 see these? I asked, as I held them before the terrified negro. ' A, 63 ' boss. T you do just as I tell you the pc ne y ia yoursif you don t, the pistol _ is, and I put it an inch nearer his head as 3 spoke. “He cocked his head quickly to one side _ and swore he would obey me. j told him to get up and answer my ques tions. “ ‘When is this man to be buried?’ I asked. ------- “ * Dis ebenia ’> boss I’se made his - grave and was gwine to put him in his i ‘ tbllt r- fast n*. acd, s corner as as you can.’ “ The ne S ro seized his spade and worked like , lightning. In a few minutes be bacl hollowed out a hole large enough for tbc ^TPnrpou. dead soldier in Then his shallow together we laid grave, the ne ^amazement. » ro doing all I had told him in terri After he had thrown back the earth and flattened it I scat tered straw arouud the spot, so that no s ’ s ’ ns of tbe digging would be observa ble ’ Tbe flrst P art of my task was done. The last and worst was yet to come. I took the lid and put it on the coffin. It btted flush, with no overlapping gimlet edge. This) is what 1 "“ted. 1 took a from among the tools, and m the head of tbe Td as nearly as I could judge above where a man’s mouth would be, A I bored half a do7ea ,, , , x dark pine box they were not noticeable Them I took some nails and broke them i n half—all except two Those two T mailed in the lid about one-third the j th from tho t i worked fast for every moment wasof value The negro watched me meanwhile with open and 1 am gu) , e me a lunatic. My '-I next remark convinced ^“T^aid him of it am o-oino-to in that < a „ t u want you “* rw , ? “ ThiAas°a 1 U p rst way ® id f which y . y „ Wv a „ p d P r , aper to my Captain, tellni f him of the fi x i wa s in. 1 added that I had im portant news to tell him I put this in because I knew it would make him take more trouble to save me. I made a copy of this and took out some silk thread goth of these things I had brought ° to use w jth the carrier pigeons. 1 crave tbe \ t ° t y c0 l ?en 0 red man and described to hitp 0 w to fa the paper Fet arouud each bir ,j> s le „ an d then to them hiose T ba q to teH him *gu three rf"unSStanding times before me? be and eren / hen S it was doubtfuJ a bu H co ,q d j ose u0 more t j me j drew' my pj sto i once morCl an d pointing it at his beftd J, told him tnat if he failed to obev Tl ; d killed?’ d about me adde7 j wou i d Kill am 1 This’threat T will baun fceliev/had t T0U till you die.’ I as much terror in it as mv - t j nffild!^ q-hen I o-ot in the coffin t£ and told the lid halfnaUs j had broken he had used all around the bd f They were too short to catch anv bo d and merely made a show. s'i®iit The fo.V^d two real nails Ld^holes caught but a the!°to hold fitT^ for ^ w Hh a * gimlet taSe’ Mv lid? idea anl was if not res the in P-e terror which would accompany my sudden res urrection to escape. I was never a nerv ous man, but I tell you when I heard that jiff? heart almost railed me. But it was this or death in some other form. In a few moments he had gone and I was alone. The holes I had made in the lid enabled rae to breatb witb comparative ease. As I they thought over slim> my chances of life I felt were in( j e ed. Granted the negro might proved the faithful to me, he not find pigeons, If he did find them he might not fasten the paper properly,or the birds there” might not return in time, or-in fact, were so many chances against me that I knew my life hung on a very slender thread. A nerv ous fear seized me that the negro hq^ have used the half nails I had pro vided, but had substituted others. certainly had hammered in a way that se emed harder than was necessary to drive in half nails. If that was the case J might be buried alive! This thought s0 fj j led me with horror that it was with difliculty that I could refrain from the lid. Only the knowledge that would mean discovery if the lid yielded restrained me. It was a hot day, and the beat was intense in my narrow prison, I was fearfully cramped from my strained position, and this and the heat added to my misery. After waiting what seemed an age I heard at last the sound of steps, ^ party of men had entered and came up tome. The next moment the coffin was lifted. A sudden giddiness and a rus h of blood to the head followed, and I knew they must have held the head lower than the foot. I felt the bottom grating into something Then hard. I I was moving, being put could a wagon. hear distinctly, was but I not very I could make out the regular tramp of soldiers following. The road was rough and I was fearfully jolted My one a? 1 quiet. Ifo lowed the movements m my H?' nd and I knew now I was in my grave, hcre was a pulling at my feet one of the p ro P es must bave '’-aught, and the " ext n i? ment * hea 'T body sprang on he coffin Then a voice, hoarse and husk /’ but * hl cb I knew well, wlds I? ered through the , gimlet holes: ‘I let den ? birds loose jest;as you told me. For ( -’ 0( \ 3 sake, don t haunt me, boss!’ The f. tlme ext foment f or m y bc he lP was to “ out. m e lf > ow 11 was was oom the , * mg a * all, „ but I resolved , to wait to the las ^ ™ lnut ®\ A. dead silence iollowed, ? nd then I dimly heard a voice. Bead “£ the funeral service, thought. How I kept myselt calm at that turn: is more J ban 1 can say, but the knowledge that m a moment I could break out and be in the fresh air must have had much to do wif h it. The voice stopped, and a dull tbud flowed tbat made my' heart beat - llke aled hammer. They a S e were Rowing bein S Tilled in up. the dirt, I had and no my time grave to spare, was With head and brain reeling I doubled myself up to force open the lid. Oh, horror! I could not move it. I made one last desperate effort, but in vaio; r could not lift it an inch. I had never in my life before fainted, but this was too ,or ~ **’ r wi b “ i! ° * *•* Wken I recovered I found mv.cff on horseback in front of acomrade wiio was »« ™ Hd- 3 “g at a furious rate, and the fresh air Thickly revived me. My friend handed m e a flask. I took a good pull and looked a round ; 1 was surrounded by my friends. - We soon reached our camp and I got an explanation of what had happened. ^ It was my Captain who gave to me. He shook my hand warmly, T f- ot your message by those pigeons,’ he said - ‘ a nd I got up We this had party"for your r cscue at once. very little trouble with the half dozen soldiers who wereat your f " nerai ‘ but tbo « ld negro’ -bere he burst out laughing-'bad jumped in your grave at the first sight of ns, and we had a hard time to make him c °me out. We got you out of your hole as fast as we could, and the 'rest you This explained all, and it Was tbe negro’s weight that prevented me Tom getting out. I was a hero for some time > aad Tie information I had n'ot picked «P ^ of great value but it did pay me f °r the agony I suffered in that S rave - Ton see this hair,” he added, running loc his fingers through his silvery ks. “It was as black as yours when I entered that coffin. When they took me out it was as you see it now.” Hills of the Engraving Bureau, The girls in the Government Engrav ing Bureau are from every part of the countrybut surrounding chieriyfrom the district Washington, says the < ln cago Herald. Most of them are poor, Some of them have had the advantages of wealth and social position, but have been overtaken bv misfortune and corn yelled them to earn their own and living. Many of are studious work hard to educate themselves. Iamtoldthatsev eral of them are excellent musicians, while others are proficient in elocution. There are also several artists, and one who is a fine botanist. “But are they never tempted to take some of tbe millions of money (bat they handle?” I hear some one ask. “We look upon it only as so much paper,” said one of the girls to whom I had put the same question in a different form. “It becomes of value to us only when we receive it in payment for our work. We never think of it here as money. ” Even if they did look upon it as money, and were tempted to till their pockets with it, they could not get out of the building with it. So perfect is the system of checks and balances in the bureau of engraving and printing that a piece of blank paper, such as is used to print securities on. could not be taken without being missed inside of ten min¬ utes, and if it were not found no one in the division where it was lost would be allowed to pass out of the building until it was discovered and made safe again. Of course, where such vigilance is exercised there is no temptation to steal. Appearances will go a good ways bufc reality will keep going right along.