As the Senators entered the House of Representatives, all the Congressmen rose, and remained standing while their visitors filed in, two by two.

The little procession was preceded by the officers of the Senate, who carried the ballot-boxes.

The work of counting was then commenced by the tellers, and ere long it was officially announced that William McKinley was the choice of the people for President of the United States.

GENIE H. ROSENFELD.

CRETE AND GREECE.

Well, well, well!  So little Greece has really done it!  While the Great Powers have been worrying each other, have been forming alliances and triple alliances, have been threatening Turkey and shaking their fists at each other, have been trembling in their boots and calling conferences, little Greece has fired upon one of Turkey’s ships, and “accepts full responsibility for all her acts.”

The first shots came from Crete, that long, beautiful island south of Greece, called in the time of Homer the “Isle of One Hundred Cities.”  It has a most heroic history, remaining free long after Greece herself had become subject to Rome.  Only in the year 68 B.C., after a long and determined effort upon the part of Rome, did Crete surrender.

And her islanders have the same heroic blood in their veins to-day.  The trouble now is that Turkish misrule, since she was made over to the Turks in 1840 by the Great Powers, has fanned the old desire for freedom into flame.

The Greeks were most probably unwise in firing upon the Turkish transport Fuad as she was bearing munitions to the Turkish garrison at Canea; but we can hardly blame them.

There comes a time when patience almost ceases to be a virtue.  The Cretans are human.  They have waited long, though impatiently, and their very impatience has shown us how hard the waiting has been for men of such fiery character.  They feel now that they would rather die in the struggle for freedom than submit longer to the injustice of their Turkish rulers.

I was in Athens when the coming of age of Crown Prince George, the brave, handsome young Greek of whom we hear so much, was celebrated.

The streets, from the palace to the church where the ceremonies were to take place, were most beautiful with triumphal arches.  Rich tapestries floated from the windows all along the way, and the flags of all nations—­among them our own dear Stars and Stripes—­swung merrily to the breeze.

The city was full of soldiers.  Among them were the Greek mountaineers in their picturesque costume of white linen, consisting of tunics with long, flowing sleeves, and kilted skirts so full and so starched that they stood out like the skirts of a circus rider.

Their long, pointed shoes, which turned up at the toes like a toboggan, had large red rosettes on the very points.  Their caps were gayly colored, and a long tassel fell from the crown to their shoulders.