elegant character, and the largest natatorium in the world-a bath 300 feet long and 100 feet wide, of natural hot water, medicated and curative, yet as clear as crystal, and without offence to taste or smell. The beautiful Moorish bath-house, with its daily concourse of health and pleasure seekers, its band of music and atmosphere of indolence, is the pleasantest holiday spot in the new States. But, in my opinion, still stronger attractions to Helena are its surroundings and its climate, its 300 bright, sunny, golden days in every year, its crisp, clear, healthful at mosphere, and its picturesque belt of soft, rolling mountain breasts encircling it.

Speaking from the stand-point of phys ical human pleasure, none of the new States has a climate to compare with that of Montana. There the air is always tonic, even magnetic. It rains on 65 days in the year, but the sun manages to shine more or less even on those days-which come in April, May, and June. The valleys are 4000 to 6000 feet above sea-level. Upon them the soft warm winds of the Pacific slope blow after they have emptied their moisture upon the mountain ranges of Washington. These winds temper the climate of Montana so that it seems not to belong in the cold belt of our most northerly States. It is nothing like so cold as the Dakotas; indeed, there are only a few cold days at a time, mainly in January, with little skating or sleighing, and an assurance that the Chinook breezes are always close at hand. Montana is a sanitarium. No account can be given of the attractions of the State with out putting the climate high in the list. It has a magic power to breed enthusiastic love in the hearts of all who live there, even if their stay is of but a few months' duration. The inhabitants all went there to make money, and now they remain to praise the country. A spell, a mania, seizes all alike, and each vies with the other in overestimating the vast number of ox teams that would be required to pull him back whence he came.

Close to Helena, on ledges which mark two former levels of the Missouri River, are the world-famous sapphire and ruby beds, 8000 acres of which, with 2000 other acres under water, have recently been acquired by an English company of noblemen, bankers, jewellers, and others for $2,000,000, the mere value of the gold which it is thought will be taken from

the dirt. That sapphires and rubies were there has been known for twenty years or more, some miners having kept the finer specimens, and others having thrown them out of their pans into the river by the hundredweight as pebbles of no value. The truth, as I get it from experts, is that these stones are true rubies and sapphires, and the only opportunity they afford for criticism lies in the fact that very nearly all of them are much lighter in color than the Asiatic gems of the same sort. In other words, pigeon's - blood rubies and sapphire-blue sapphires are found there, but not often. And yet these stones of the lighter shades are of far greater brilliancy than the Asiatic gems that fashion has approved; indeed, they are often like diamonds, and as their hardness is next to that of the diamond, their lustre must prove enduring. The gems are found on the bedrock under eight or ten feet of soil, along with crystals, nuggets of gold, gold-dust, garnets, and pebbles. The land was bought by two Michigan lumbermen, brothers, who now treasure a million in cash and a million in shares of the new English company-rewards for their foresight.

One of the English experts who examined the gem fields announced it to be his opinion that the diamond must sooner or later be found in Montana. All the conditions warrant its existence there. What a State Montana is! Gold, silver, copper, lead, asbestos, tin, iron, oil, gas, rubies, sapphires, and a possibility of diamonds— all locked up in her ribs and pockets!

I see a vision of Montana in the future, yet in the lifetime of the young men of to-day. I see half a dozen such mining centres as Butte, and they are all noble cities, set with grand buildings, boulevards, and parks. I see at least two great manufacturing towns besides. I see scores of great valleys, and other scores of little ones, all gay with the blossoms of fruits and grain, supporting a great army of prosperous farmers. I see tens of thousands of rills of water embroidering the green valleys, and I dream that the men who need that water to make the earth give up its other treasures are not obliged to pay more than the conduits cost, merely to enrich a set of water lords who seized the streams when no one was there to protest. I see the brown hills and

mountain-sides of the eastern part of Montana dotted with cattle and sheep in small herds. The woollen industry has become a great source of wealth, and Montana has robbed New England of some of her factories. I see in western Montana great saw-mills and mines that were not dreamt of in 1892. I see car-loads of fruit and vegetables and barley malt rolling into the cities, and out to other States.

I see

no Indians except those who work or who serve in the army, and where there were reservations I see the soil laughing with verdure or tracked with cattle. I see statisticians calculating the value of the annual product of the State; the figures are too stupendous for repetition here. Montana is fulfilling her destiny. She is one of the most populous and opulent members of our sisterhood of States.

L

EOPOLD was not his Christian name. In fact, for all practical purposes except a legal signature, he might just as well have had no Christian name at all, for his letters bore merely his surname, preceded by an initial or so, which might have meant anything, and to his friends he was simply Leopold.

There was in this something not altogether without significance. The disused name of his baptism might be taken perhaps in a spiritual sense, as something which Leopold preferred to ignore and forget if possible; yet of which even the initials or rudimentary traces reminded him of a citizenship higher than that of this troublesome world-a citizenship whereof he had never cared to exercise the franchise.

He did not impress one as particularly happy, although he was of German descent; and for your true German there is seldom any medium between absolute satisfaction and suicide.

His business was multifarious, combining stock-broking with various agencies-real-estate, steamship, and others. There lay upon his office table-a dingy little office on a hill-side street in Smoketon--flaming and flaunting prospectuses of country estates and unbuilt Western towns, marked by a certain want of strict accuracy in point of fact, which in no way troubled the conscience of Leopold. They were not supposed to be as exact as the neat diagrams and elevations in red and black ink which he sometimes prepared, and to every line and figure of which he would have been willing to make oath.

I have said that Leopold was a German. No one would have doubted this who had seen tucked away under a falla

cious prospectus a volume of Fouqué or Hoffmann, Heine or Uhland; who had watched him lean back from the concoction of a specially astringent lease, to recover from this severe exertion in the perusal of Epictetus in the original; or who had glanced from the pile of threats of distraint and inducements to immigrants, that lay ready for the postman, to the gems of art upon the grimy walls, the bronzes on the mantel, the carefully tended flowers in the window, and the canary in his cage among them, content to sing his little heart away for the Isles of the Blessed, without hope of ever beholding them.

Was Leopold wiser or more foolish than the bird? There was a softness about his eyes and lips as he listened, with his book closed upon one finger; but one could not transact business in such distraction, so the bird was banished to Leopold's boarding-house, where, either from some accident or from simple loneliness, he soon pined away and died. Leopold never forgot him; he never tried to keep another near him; but his life was the poorer thereafter, though by such a very little thing.

It is unnecessary to say that Leopold was a bachelor, a Junggesell of the most hardened type. It was rather the fashion to make fun of him on this account; and in German circles it was said of each new débutante, "Perhaps she will make a conquest of Leopold," as in other circles, "She will have the world at her feet." Literally, of course, the world is at the feet of every one; but Leopold remained unconquered. Yet he was by no means insensible to the influence of women; only he divided them into two classes-women from whom one expects

nothing; and women from whom one is tempted to expect everything-and be disappointed.

Now to be disappointed disgusted Leopold; therefore he confined his attention to those who under his system belonged to the first class, and under the social system to no class at all. It was sometimes said of him, incorrectly, that he was afraid of good women; but the truth was far more sad-he did not believe in them.

It was sometimes said of Leopold that there were worse men in Smoketon who had a better reputation. He said of himself that if his code of morals was low, at least he lived up to it; and that, if he had but a poor opinion of women, no individual woman had ever been the worse for knowing him. But the advantage of a code of morals that one can live up to may be seriously questioned, and if no woman were the worse for knowing Leopold (which also may be doubted), it is certain that he was much the worse for knowing himself and them.

It was at this stage of his degeneration -for we cannot say development-that he found his ideal. He was standing idly at his window, behind the blooming plants which screened him completely, when he saw her coming down the hill, a slight girlish figure, with a pale gray gown and a fair sweet happy face. As she passed under his window the breath of the flowers floated down to her; she glanced upward and smiled. That was all; but Leopold went back to his work the preparation of a particularly delusive German prospectus which was to be sown broadcast in his native landwith renewed vigor. He wondered a little who she could be, but with a calm, pleasant, incurious wonder which rather preferred not to be gratified. The next day he saw her by chance pass at about the same hour; and after that he found a gentle excitement in watching for her, himself unseen behind his flowers.

Leopold was an enthusiastic amateur florist. A new variety of rose or geranium he would have followed up eagerly; he would never have rested until its origin and habits had been thoroughly analyzed and understood; and if he had wished to produce its like himself, he would have considered it perfectly possible to do so, by observing the proper conditions as to soil and temperature. But from this human flower-this new variety of wo

VOL. LXXXV.-No. 505.-12

man-he preferred to keep at a respectful distance. Perhaps, after all, she was not his Gloire de Dijon, his queen rose, the "perfect woman, nobly planned," of whom he had dreamed all his life without ever feeling impelled to finish the quotation. Or, if she were his ideal! Well, even at the heart of a rose a worm may lurk, and his life would then be barren of even a dream.

He made no effort to discover the name of his divinity. It was by pure accident, if there be such a thing, that he one day saw her entering a certain house with the air of a person at home; whereupon her identity flashed upon him, slightly against his will, even though his ideal could not possibly have suffered loss by the knowledge.

Smoketon was a small place, and Dr. Worthington one of its best-known physicians; and Leopold remembered a great deal of chatter-not malicious enough to be called gossip-about the doctor's course in bringing home lately his father, whose health had suddenly failed after a lifetime of work as cashier of a great bank in a distant city, his mother, and young sister. Dr. Worthington had a houseful of small children, and no income beyond that derived from his practice; and Smoketon was decidedly of the opinion that, while his conduct might be strictly justifiable by a reference to Bible precepts, it was, on business principles, indefensible. Smoketon did more than chatter; it interested itself, through its school board, to obtain employment for the sister as a teacher. Leopold had seen her name in the paper when the appointment was made" Margaret Worthington."

After all, there was no reason why she should not have a name of her own; and Leopold, after his first indistinct sense of annoyance had subsided, repeated it over and over to himself, and felt distinctly pleased.

This was in the early spring, and he awaited with almost absurd dread the closing of the schools for the summer, when her daily path would no longer lie before his window, and, without some trouble on his side, he should be unable to see one who merely as a vision made him, as he expressed it, “ a better man."

To shorten the blank and break the change to himself, he timed his usual fortnight's holiday at the beginning of July.

There was an accumulation of letters, advertisements, and other documents awaiting him on the day that he re-entered his office. When he had watered his window plants, which had gone thirsty during his absence, sighed over their drooping looks, and cast a regretful glance in the direction whence no slender girlish form was to be expected that morning, he sat down with manly disregard of dust and untidiness to open his correspondence.

Methodically and with businesslike accuracy he read and sorted rapidly letters to be answered from letters to be ignored, circulars important and unimportant, bills, checks, and all the numerous items which make up a business man's daily mail, coming neither first nor finally, but quite in the midst, between two absolutely commonplace letters, upon the following, which he read through calmly enough until he came to the signature:

"DEAR SIR, I have called to see you once or twice lately, and finding your office closed each time, take the precaution to send this that I may stand a better chance of finding you in when I call again.

"I am anxious to rent a small house --about three bedrooms, parlor, diningroom, and kitchen-rent not to exceeddollars a month, in this part of the town. I would take such a house at once if satisfactory in other respects, but I must be settled by September 1st. Unless I hear from you to the contrary, I shall be at your office again on Thursday, at about 10.30 A.M. Respectfully,

MARGARET WORTHINGTON."

Leopold absolutely sprang out of his chair; then he sat down and re-read the letter. No; it was quite impossible! A letter so brief, businesslike, and to the point, so clear as to the wants and the pocket-book of the writer, could never have been written by any woman under forty; certainly not by his divinity, whose only business in life was to be put upon a pedestal and adored. To be sure, the address given was Dr. Worthington's residence, but then- Why, of course, it must be her mother! He felt unreasonably disgusted with himself for having fancied otherwise for a moment, and was about to toss the letter aside with an utter failure of interest, when it struck him

that the hand was not that of an elderly person, and at the same moment he noticed the date. Thursday! To-day!

She might appear at any moment.

By a sudden irresistible impulse, Leopold caught up his hat and rushed headlong into the street, scarcely taking time to close the office door behind him. When he recovered himself, it was to determine that he had considered it necessary to go in search of the German Frau who did the modicum of cleaning which he and she considered necessary; whom he accordingly fetched and mounted guard over, while she expended herculean efforts in raising such a cloud of dust that both of them were wellnigh strangled, while the general complexion of the office was not materially improved. Leopold was very cross indeed when she was fairly gone, and more averse than ever to the establishment of such human relations with his ideal as involved these strenuous personal exertions.

"And perhaps, after all, it was only her mother," he said to himself. "But if she is angry, and does not return, best so, for there is little commission on a house at that rent."

He was very nervous all the afternoon, and started at every step in the passage; but when the next morning passed without bringing her, he settled in his own mind that she was quite unlikely to come at all. Yet when, in the midst of a deed he was drawing up, a gentle knock sounded upon his door, Leopold knew the knocker before he lifted his eyes.

"Come in," he said, in a very fair imitation of his usual voice. He motioned her to a chair with his left hand. "One moment," he said, continuing his work as though the fate of the nation hung upon that particular document. Nevertheless, the entire work had afterwards to be done over again. There was a thumping in his ears, and his breath came short, as though he had run very fast; but the pleasure of being still able to experience such keen sensations helped him to selfcontrol.

"I am Miss Worthington," said his visitor, when at last he laid aside his pen and leaned back in his chair, with a mute air of being quite at her service. sent you a note the other day."

I

He shuffled among his papers without

finding it, partly, perhaps, because he could feel it in his breast pocket, pulsating with his throbbing heart.

"I think I remember," he said, clearing his throat in order to speak. "You want a small house? I am sorry I have been out of town."

"Oh, that was why your office was closed," she said. "It is so hard to find the sort of house I want. I think I have been to every agent in town."

"Yes," he said; "but one must go home sometimes to see his mother."

And it was true that such had been the object of Leopold's journey; he brought it forward now with pathetic haste. The beautiful eyes before him were very clear and observant, and he wished to stand well before them.

Margaret smiled brightly. "Of course," she said, half amused, yet sympathetically.

He studied her face as she talked, with quick stealthy eyes. She was older than he had thought, and her manner was very calm and businesslike. Her face was not beautiful, and there were lines upon it that told of suffering, either mental or bodily; but Leopold, who had had experience, judged it the purest face he had ever seen. Margaret, on her side, whose eyes were trained to detect the ringleader in a knot of delinquents, had taken in at a glance the incongruous surroundings which I have described, and felt strangely interested in the man before her. The flow ers, the gems of art, the simple childlikeness of his reference to his holiday and its object, appealed to the girl's heart. His face was written over with characters which she could not at all understand; but it was not far from a handsome face, and certainly was not ignoble. And he looked at her so wistfully: the expression of his eyes was certainly fine, and the overfulness of his lips was redeemed by a pathetic droop at the corners. "Poor man!" said Margaret.

She was impressed also by the patient care with which he listened to her requirements in the matter of a house, making minute notes of the same on his tablets.

She did not know that he had in his mind a house which would have suited her exactly, the present occupant of which was very anxious to sublet.

"I will look around," said Leopold, "and drop you a line in a day or two,

if I hear of anything." For he could word the note so as to bring her to his office, he thought; and he would rather find her another house if possible, for the one he had in mind was on the wrong side of her school-house: there would be no more passing his window twice a day if she lived there.

"You know the rent would be sure to the day," Margaret told him. "I teach in the public schools."

In No. 7," he said, smiling-and the best in Leopold came out in his smile"I have seen it in the paper. Oh yes, there is no fear of the rent, Miss Worthington. Your brother, too, is well known in Smoketon. There are not so many houses to rent, but perhaps we can find what you want."

"You know my brother?" she said; "and you know he has a great many children. My mother and I would never complain of their noise, and indeed they are good little things; but my father is old and very nervous, and sometimes they annoy him. So we think it best to keep up a separate establishment."

Leopold smiled; there was a very pleasant thrill at his heart that she should so confide in him.

Upon various pretexts he managed that Margaret should come rather frequently to his office during the next few weeks. It was, as we have seen, not an unattractive place; and in addition to the transaction of business, offered facilities for artistic and literary discussion, of which Margaret, the most unconventional being who ever avoided eccentricity, was not sorry to avail herself. Leopold lent her books, he was a cultivated, well-read person, and she enjoyed talking to him. But Margaret wondered a little sometimes why he had ever turned his attention to the renting of houses, of which he seemed to know absolutely nothing. He was always on the eve of “looking around," or else had just seen a house that would not suit her at all. The girl, as a practical woman of business, felt annoyed at times; but she was a stranger in Smoketon, and supposed that all Smoketonians did business that way.

Meanwhile the man, with his experience, and his enfeebled yet sure and living instinct, was reading, searching every day more and more the depths of this pure soul. Not that he willed to penetrate her thoughts, for Leopold would