It was something out of the usual. It seemed to be the photograph of a statue of a very beautiful little boy, with his arms clasped about the neck of a graceful young deer. The statue had evidently been executed by an artist of no mean ability, and there was a certain sentiment about the composition that arrested the attention and the sympathy. I was sitting with my friend in a cozy library in his home on the west side of Central Park, in New York City. We had just come from the dinner table, and as we sat there together we were talking over old school days. I had not seen my friend for some years, and we had many experiences to relate to each other. I could not take my eyes from the picture, however, and at length my friend said: "Would you like to know the it ?" connected with story My affirmative response resulted in the following narrative, which I give in his own words:

"Some years ago, when I was employed by a large coffee importing house in New York, the head of the firm sent for me to come, to his private office. He told me that they had decided to have me go to Central America to obtain control of the product of some important coffee plantations. I was not willing to leave my wife and my little. boy, whom we called Bijou, although that was not his right name, and so I decided to take them with me. Bijou was a golden haired little fellow, only five years old, of unbounded activity, and with an intensely affectionate disposition.

'We sailed from New York on a fine Saturday afternoon in May, arrived at Guatemala on Wednesday went from there by train to the Pa

cific coast, where we took a boat bound for San Salvador, and, after another journey by train, we arrived at Santa Ana on Sunday morning. We were fortunate enough to find in the suburbs a furnished house which could be rented at a moderate price. The house had a comfortable and homelike air, and was surrounded by extensive grounds. We closed the bargain at once, and moved in under an agreement that we were to remain for an indefinite period, the length of which would depend upon the progress of my business. We were strangers in a strange land, and after a time life began to be rather monotonous, so that I fairly longed for something in the way of excitement. One of the popular amusements in that region proved to be alligator hunting. About six miles. from our house the river, which abounded in alligators, many of them of enormous size and of the man-eating variety.

was

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was the custom to make up parties, taking along a number of peons who knew the country well and were thoroughly versed in the method of alligator hunting. The peons are Indians, or half-breeds, and take a great delight in this sort of sport. A young deer, or some other small animal, is tied to a tree or stake on the banks of the river, a fire is kindled at a little distance, and the hunters retire to some convenient place, where it is dark and they cannot be seen. The cries of the lonely and frightened creature, held captive at the river-bank, attract the attention of the alligators, and when one of them comes up and attempts to seize the victim, the hunter, by the light of the fire which has been made, shoots the

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alligator which cannot see its enemy thus hidden in the darkness. At least, that is the theory of it, but it is necessary to hit particular spot on the side of the alligator's neck in order to kill him, since his hide is elsewhere like an armor-plate, and it often happens that the alligator comes out ahead in the game, and seizing the unhappy captive that has been used to lure him, disappears with his prey to the bottom of the river. I was anxious to try the sport, and arranged with neighbor that we should make up a little party to camp out for a few days near the bank of the river. My wife would not listen to my leaving her behind, and, being assured that it would involve no danger, I took her and the boy, and set out with the party for the river. We pitched our tents at a convenient distance, and the peons, who are excellent cooks, prepared a palatable dinner for us. As a part of the preparation for the sport of the evening, the peons had brought along young deer that proved to be a beautiful creature, quite tame, and with eyes at once gentle and intelligent. After dinner, my little boy, Bijou, struck up quite a friendship with the graceful young animal and stayed close by him all the afternoon. They seemed to understand each other remarkably well, and Bijou talked and played with his new-found companion, almost as if it had been another child. After supper, Bijou was put to bed and we men of the party took our rifles and went a short distance to the bank of the river, the peons accompanying us and bringing with them. the little deer. A fire was quickly made, the deer was tied to a tree close to the bank, and we retired to convenient spot to await the

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"As we stood thus, in the friendly shadows, the scene before us was

unusual and picturesque. The moon had not yet risen, but the stars were shining brightly. The fire made by the peons was burning briskly. Its rays lighted up the surface of the river for quite a distance from the shore, and the great masses of tropical vegetation, a little way back upon the banks, took on a strange and romantic aspect. The silence was only broken by the occasional cry of the little deer, who seemed to have a sense of the peril of his position. We remained thus for some time, with our rifles ready for immediate use. At length a long, dark object made its appearance above the surface of the river, and moved slowly towards the shore. As it drew nearer the bank, we could see the ugly black head, with its immense and cruel jaws, already half opened, as if in anticipation of its expected feast. We lifted our guns to our shoulders, waiting for the moment when the alligator should push his head and shoulders up upon the bank and offer the vulnerable spot in his neck as a target. He came on slowly, as if wary and watchful. The moments seemed of interminable length. Nearer and nearer he came and was in the act of raising himself up upon the bank to seize the trembling deer, who had now perceived the approach of the monster. Just at this instant, and as my finger was on the trigger of my rifle, I was seized with a horror such as I would not experience again, if all the wealth of this world were heaped up before me and offered me as the price of undergoing it. For there, in the full glare of the firelight, I saw my darling little Bijou dart out from a clump of bushes, rush to the deer, and clasp his arms around its neck! We had left him fast asleep, but he must have been awakened by some unusual sound, and looking out, he

may have seen the light cast by our fire, and may have heard the cries of the little deer, to which he had taken so great a liking. Of course he had heard us talking about the alligator hunt, and, noticing my absence from our tent, which was not far from the river, he had determined to follow me. His mother was sleeping quietly, and he had not disturbed her, but had gone out from the tent and made his way down to the river-bank. The light of the fire guided him, as well as the increasing frequency and strength. of the cries from the poor animal. He had reached the scene just at the perilous moment, the alligator being hidden from him by the bushes, and had obeyed a sudden impulse of affection to go to the little creature who was uttering its fear and distress.

"I had no time to think, for at the exact moment in which Bijou had thrown his arms about the deer, the alligator had suddenly lifted himself high up upon the bank, and his jaws were wide open ready to seize those innocent ones and close over them forever. From a boy I had prided myself upon my marksmanship, but little did I dream that it would ever be put to so cruel a test. For just a little wavering of the hand, just a slight miscalculation— and my terror might well produce these-and the bullet meant for the alligator would take the life of the child I loved better than myself. And if I hit the alligator but my bullet only glanced off from his impenetrable scaly armor! An instant of delay would, too, be fatal, since those fearful jaws were on the point of doing their work. I only know that with a swift and half unconscious prayer, I aimed at that vital spot on the alligator's neck, and pulled the trigger. The black head stopped and seemed to waver, then slowly that immense bulk

sank back into the river. The deons measured him afterwards and found that he was a few inches over seventeen feet in length. Why was mine the only shot fired? They told me that the sight of that child in his flaming white nightdress, rushing out in that way so suddenly, and putting himself in a position of such awful danger, had so paralyzed them with astonishment and fear as to make them absolutely helpless. solutely helpless. That was the last of alligator hunting for me. How fervently I thanked God that he had given me the steady nerve and quick action to save little Bijou to his mother and me. My conscience was never quite easy about having let those peons pursue their usual method in using that poor little deer as a bait. Well, of course, after that, the little creature became a part of our household. We went back to Santa Ana the next morning, and, from that time on, Bijou and his pet were inseparable. Something in that moment of joint peril and deliverance, seemed to have bound them together in an unusual way, and to have awakened in that little animal an affection, an intelligence far greater than the ordin

ary.

"Not many weeks after that eventful night of the alligator hunt, we, that is, my wife and I, were sitting together on the low verandah of our house. Bijou and his fourfooted comrade had gone off some little distance from the house, and were for the moment out of sight. Suddenly we were surprised to see that fleet creature dash up to where we were sitting, and manifest every appearance of great excitement. He ran up the low steps, and seizing the sleeve of my coat in his mouth, pulled at it as if he wished me to come with him. My first thought was naturally of Bijou, and something told me that he was in

my rifle, which stood by my side, and followed in the direction taken by the deer. That intelligent creature stopped occasionally and looked around to be sure I was in sight, and then darted off again. I was running at full speed, but of course could not keep up with those delicate limbs that seemed to have wings fastened to them. We came near to a clump of bushes, when, suddenly, the deer gave an immense bound and

landed in the bushes, and out of my sight. I pressed on and, pushing aside the branches, found an open space, and there, seated on the grass, was Bijou, pale as death, and the deer had just fallen at his side. Looking more closely, I saw a great rattlesnake, with its fangs fiixed in the side of the deer. It was all plain to me now. The faithful animal had recognized the presence of that terri

me to the rescue. When he neared the bushes he had-seen that rattlesnake just about to strike his little companion, and had rushed in between to protect the one he loved. A bullet from my rifle quickly despatched the snake, but nothing could help Bijou's little friend. The subtle poison had done its work, and all was soon over. I picked up Bijou in my arms and carried him back to the house, but he grieved so for the loss of his companion that it was many months before he was like himself again.

"There is a monument out there in Central America, just over the spot where that little deer gave up his life, and where we buried him with all the tenderness and honor we could give. The picture which interested you so much is a photograph of that monument. Do you wonder that I prize it?"

Τ Ta

HE old adage as to giving a dog bad name is as true of farm mortgages as of dogs. The loss throughout New England caused by the collapse of the early boom in farm lands in the Agricultural West left a deep impression in the minds of Eastern investors and a deep distrust of mortgages on western farm lands. This impression, strengthened by the obvious deterioration of the New England farming. population, resulted in a similar prejudice against local farm loans. To those, however, whose business has made it necessary for them to keep in touch with New England rural estate conditions, a change in these conditions has been apparent, just as real if less striking than in the agricultural west. We are apt to overlook the quiet and slow going changes in our immediate vicinity while looking with admiration at the more remote and spectacular development of places farther removed, but while our gaze has been bent on the western horizon, changes have been slowly but surely going on at home and changes distinctly for the better.

The rapid deterioration of the New England farm seems to have begun after the Civil War by which the best of our New England farming population was withdrawn for service in the Union Army. Much of this population never returned to the farm, which was left to shift for itself until the tide of European emigration brought from the north of Europe men, who had at home been farmers in a small way, who have ever since been slowly but surely taking up the New England farm lands. The Swede, the Norwegian and others of foreign birth, by industry and frugality, are in this way, making excellent homes for themselves and their families, and are constantly increasing the pro

ductiveness and value of the farm lands they acquire.

The period marked by the disappearance of the old stocks was a period of steadily declining values. Since the advent of the new, the tendency has been slowly but surely upward.

But few of the new farming population have had enough capital to pay outright for the farms that they have bought, and they have had to turn to Savings Banks and similar institutions for aid in financing their undertakings. The experience of the writer in making mortgage loans on central Massachusetts farms has led him to a feeling of distinct optimism. as to the agricultural future of New England.

The Worcester County Institution for Savings located in Worcester, Massachusetts, because of its age and resources, has a large clientele throughout Worcester County, inducing a large farming population. It has always been this bank's practice to take such local farm mortgage as seemed safe, and its experience has amply demonstrated the safety of this policy. Applications based on farm mortgages are only received for loans on property for which Worcester is the natural trading center. When the farm is so located that the territory in which it is situated is tributary to another city or town in which there is a Savings Bank, the applicant is referred to that bank. In this way, loans have been confined to a territory of which the bank has current local knowledge. The farm property offered for security is appraised for the bank by someone living in the neighborhood of the property on which a loan is asked and the amount loaned is ordinarily not more than fifty per cent of this appraised value. A semi-annual payment on account of the principal of such loans