"blue-bands,"

Paul Clark was ridinir homeward ia the stout farm wagon. A heavy frost had wlthered the praires on the prevlona tütght and a cool wind was miw blowing, bilt tlio lad dellberately toot off hls coal and laid it aeróse the seat by his side. He was vcry careftü to foid it with the lining outward. "Uncle must have hen.nl Avli.it the boys said," he spoke aloud, while the color derpenod in hLs round eheeks. "Just as lie prot on the train there fchey all eaJled me that óld nJckaame, 'Bine Bands!' He cmiidn't help seeing how t.hey pointed at niy coat." And then Paul reached down and tucked lus jjarment into Klill Bmaller quarters, and half threw t'.ie old lappobe over it. "I knew how it Iooked to him the liret day he came to the farm," Paul vrejit on. "And I couldn't help ■thinkintc he would buy me a new one Jtefore hi' went away - he has such lote of moncy. Hut now he'a gone, as thongh I liad the best of elolhes, and all the time he was here he liever gave a hint but what I was dressed like his eliildr.'u. I'm ladi I COUld be a ldttle like him, though, and not ehow a sitrn that it hurt me wlien he boys called me 'Blue Bands' down ■bhere at the station." But it was hnrtlng him so mucii now that thou.uh he t lied m stralghten. himself up bravely the hot tea is began to roll down his eheeks before he knew it. It had boen BUCh a pretty coat when he had moved west tWO years agro! But the suti had faded it, and the two siulden showera in which he had been causht while Roing home from Sunday School had made it look very badly and sbrank it so at the slee ves. "But the rain will make you gprow," hite mother said with a smile, as she brought hian dry i;arments. To Paul that growth had swinnl to be in his aj-ms, for the next time he put hils blue coat on, his wrists were only half-covered. And tlien the eleeves had to be "let out" at the bottom, showiluff the brifiht, -unladed blue at the ende, isi Btrong contrast with the color of the rest of hita coat, and winning for him the niCkname of "Blue Bands" from the thoughtless village lads. Paul was thinking so hard that he did not notice what the horse was doimg until he heard voices speaking hte mother's name, and glanced up to see that old Billy had quletly left the road and walked up to a nei'ghbor's watTinií-troi};h. "No person on these prariles has made the sacrifice that Widow Clark has to have her chiüdren brought up right," one woman was sayiníí to another. Then the tears dried quickly in the lad's eyee, he rose fin the seat and put on hds coat as carefully as though it was a new one his uncle had bought him that very day, and sprang down from the wagon to loosen oíd BillyV check-rein, so that he coaild drink easffly. "Dear oíd niother," he thought. "she liasn't liad a new dress since we carne west; but she is always so cheerful and happy- for the sake of her childrem." And wben the horse was done drinking, away rattled the farm wagon down the raad, and Paul drove up to the door of home, whl.stlinjï as though all thy world was bright to him. Was the disappoimted feeilng all gone from his heart ? Had the longing for a aew coat vanislu'd as swiftly as the ïrost had drwxl from the praires that day ? Did the nickname never hurt him again ? Well, Paul was a gemnlme laddie, and these tronbles rose to mind now and then. But that picture of his motlier helped him more a.nd more to be true and maaly, and to thmk less and lcss of hifi troubles. All that fall he worked faithfully at home, and when he had finishcd liis duties there he labored for the neighbors as opportunity offered, earning all the money that he couJd for the wwiowed parent who had always done o much for him. One day as he started homeward Irom the rillage, a boy called out to him from a group at the corner of the mam street: "Say, Blue Bands, there's a letter ior you down in the pos-tr-offiee, which the postmaster wanted us to teil you about il you hadm't been around after it." "Probably it's got a Christmas present In it, Blue Bands," said another. "And they sent it so you could get jour elceves flxed up for the holidays." Paul paid no heed to the insulte, but ■went into the office, where he found a great surprise - a letter from his Tincle, which contained more inoney than he had been able to eárn all the fall. "Take this," was the message he read, "and with it liy you a nice uit of clothes and the new overcoat which you need." And then the lad looked down instinctively at the eleeves, whose bands of color had seemed to defy all efforts of rain, frost, dew and sunshine to fade them, and which had never seeined to contrast so strongly with the rest of the garment as they did now. The overeoat which he had unbottond nervously wiion he carne into the "warm air of the post-office - that had never looked so shabby. HU raother had sat up untU eleven o'clock one night lately to mend the collar añil fix the braid trtmmfng about the front, as well as Uw button-holes, but any one could see that it wan impossible to make the .narmcnt look as weH as that of the pooreSI lad in the village woi-c. Paul glanced up and eaw the postjnaster gmlling. He was so sensitivo about hi.s clothinpr just then, that he ■ thought that even thi.s good man must bc merry ovit hla tattered ditioa. No doubt he had heard the vülage lade tauntíng hhu agaln and agaln about "blue bands." The man was in reaflty thinking, "I am glad that Paul's uaclè Has sen1 him wli.it serms to 1j a, good long let tor." But wlien hé saw that bhe la il iliil not understnnd what made hiin smile he said aloud, as he carne very cíose to the delivery window: "It makes me very happy when you folks hear f rom Únele John Clark, he writes such thick letters, and is always so knil-hearted." Paul blushed a little as he answered, "He is a grand old uncle, Mr. Potter, and I'm asluimed of myself that you saw me looking at my clothes in the way I did just now. But I'm siïre you will help me select a drees for mother, and some new clothes for my little brother John. Yiiu are a good judge of goods, mother was telling me only the other day. And here's the money Umie John sent- I can buy dear old mother and the folks at home lots of things for winter!" Paul's voice was not perfectly steady as he spoke, but bhere was a gteam of determination and gratitud in his eyes which showed that nothlng could ehange tuis decisión of his. He made this change wlien he realized the Belflsh manner in which he had been. looking at his old clothes and thinking of the new ones whieh his unele wishcd him to buy. "Help you parchase some gOQds '.' Yes, indeed. Here comes my son now, from a trip tip your way, to look aften the office, so we'll go right out and attend to business. Yes, indeed. Then there's my wifo been haring a fine dress made, and she has declded to get another, not quite so thick, as she will be in town all winter. Did you know that she and your mother were old sehoolmates, and that their dresses fit eaeh other to a T ? Xo, of course you didn't know that last iact! But that's how we'll have a dress for you to take right home to your mother - such a good woman as she is !" And Paul's eyes shone as he said, "Yes, sir, she is!" He thought how rnuch she had done for him, and of these present wonderful plans which he knew that Mr. Potter would help him carry out so perfectly. AVhen at last Paul Clark went rattlIng homeward in the old farm wagon, and up the very same road over whieh he had ridden on that day when his Uncle John had started Imck to Chicago, the wind boomed and bellowed over the praries. making old ISilly shake his head nervously as it dashed the elouds of dust about him and whirled the ■tumble-weed" past him. But Paul feit very warm. He had the new dress for his mother- such a beauty! Suits for John and little Ted, and some other eornfortable garments which the lamily needed, Mis. Potter had said, as the combined efforts of herself and husbaml made Uncle John's money have such a purchasing power that the boy's face flushed in wonder when he found that he had a couple of dollars left over when at last his shopping was ended. Paul tried to drive up to the door of his home as though nothing miHsual had occurred. But mother nut him before he could reach the hiteliing-post. "Kather windy!" said the lad. en(Jeavorlng to make the most eommonplace rema ik of which he could think. Then he saw Ted looking out at oiie of the chamber Windows, a brlghtfaeed llttlelellow that everybody loved, and before he iully realized what he wa.s doing he stooped down and held up one of the bundies from the bottom of the Wagon, and e.illeil out: "Clothes for you, Ted! and mother's got a beautiful new dress, and - " .lust then Ted stooped down, too. and lwld aloft, as well as he eould, a fine new coat of that deep shade of blue which Paul had always liked so well, and crled, "Here's yours!" That was the errand on which the good postmaster had sent his son up "Paul'8 way;" to carry this present, yes, the gift of the entire new suit from Uncle John, to whom Mr. Potter had boen reporting the lad's noble comluct all the fall, as Paul found out a long time afterwards. "Blue Bande, Paul whispered to himself that night, and on niany others, as he lay awake thinking o happily of all which had lately happened. "Well, a nickname hurts when there's eo much truth in it. But God has helped that very thing to make me a little better, I hope, and to be kinder to dear old mother