HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Fordwich Record, 1901-10-24, Page 7let-4:-W-a-ra-aa-ea-ert-40-410.--.
What the •
Judge Said.
can be better Imagined than describ- PERSONAL TIT-ZITS,
ed when he does open it, and finds,
Notes of Inter—est. About Some
Great People.
Mark Twain's tobacco account
must be a large one, for he con-
sumes over 3,000 cigars in a year,
He is said to allow himself 300 -
cigars a month.
It is related of Hall Caine, the
novelist, that he once worked in the
Laxey lead mines, in the Manx
mountains, in -place of a young man)
who was ill, to keep the young fel-
low's position for him.
Ainateur photography is a fad with
the Shah of Persia, and he has be-
come quite skilful in the use of the
camera. He has a positive mania
for being taken in every conceivable
attitude and dress, and has even
been photographed in bed.
It is stated as "a curious fact"
that the languages used by the Cy:1r
and Czarina in their private inter-
course are English and German—
French and Italian being seldom
spoken by their Majesties when
[None. The Czarina did not learn
Russian unIdl after her betrothal,
but, though as yet she speaks it
very slowly, it is with a good ascent
and great distinctness.
Mr. John Bolton'recently com-
pleted fifty years' service as a parish
clerk of Coppenhall, near Staffond,
England. He has never been late for
any church service, and has only
been absent on two Sundays, and on
those occasions owing to illness. He
has served under four vicars and
four churchwardens. It is corns-
what remarkable that during his
half-century of office the entire pop-
ulation (about eighty) has chatigee,
there being no person or the des-
cendant of any person in the parish
now who resided there in 18$1.
The curious sight of a clergyman
transformed to a miner was wit-
nessed in the Chase district recently. .
The vicar of Cannock, the Rev.
Stuart, attired in miner's dress,
with a red handkerchief round his
neck, union badges in his cap, and
wearing heavy boots and black
trousers, has been working on a deep
seam at- a local pit. In ant inter-
view he said he was doing it for ex-
perience. He intended working to
the end of the week. Whorl work
was over he was escorted home by a.
number of proud fellow-workers.
King Leopold recently delivered
himself of a bon mot. Chatting
after a public reception with one of
his familiars known to be on easy
terms with the extreme sections, the
King asked jocularly what sort of
Impression he made on the Social-
ists. "One of the leaders observed
to me" was the reply, "that if you
bad not been King of the Belgians
you might have been President of the
Belgian Republic." '"ahanke, very
much," said the King, with a laugh;
"but tell me, you, who are a doe-
tor, how would you like to be made
a 'vet' I"
N. Delcasse, the French Minister of
Foreign Affairs, who has had so
much to do with the arrangements
for the Czar's visit to France, is a
journalist who has won his way to
his position straight from journal-
ism. Jourrialism in France Is one of
the high roads to political rank
'witness MM. Brissou, Dupuy, hel-
cease, and others less known out of
France. Delcasse began life in the
"Republique Francaise," and made
foreign affairs his specialty. He has
been in the French Parliament for
only twelve years, ,but he got into
office eight years ago.
Very few people can be left who
knew Dr. Ievingstone long add inti-
mately. There is an old retired min-
ister, Mill hale and hearty, living in
a London suburb, who was at col-
lege with the great missionary, and
displays with pride a walking-Oa:le
of African wood given to him by
"David." alder still, and more
closely connected, is Miss Kate Liv-
ingstone, a cousin of Dr. Living-
stone, who has just completed her
106th year. The famous explorer
used regularly to visit her. She
lives at Gienaroa, Mull, and is now
very infirm and feeble both in body
anudmind.
The hobby of electricity ridden by
Lord Blythswood is shared by are.
other notable Scotsman, Lord
Kingebergh, the Lord Justice Clerk,
better known to many as Brigadier-
General J. H. A. Macdonald. Of
the thirteen Scottish judges, Lord
Kingsburgh es the most versatile.
His interest in electricity has led to
several inventions, which have been
duly patented. Be is Also an expert
shorthand writer. His lordship is an
enthusiast, in Rugby football, and
every volunteer and soldier knows of
the interest he has taken in the
volunteer movement. He is the au-
thor of a work which inspired the
system of tactics adopted in the Brit-
ish army for many years.
Miss Clara Polzsey, is a Russian
inventor, whose forte is aerial navi-
gation. The Czarina recently honor-
ed Miss Polzaky with her presence
at a dress rehearsal of the high-
flying machine. Miss Polzsky has
designed her air-machine on dis-
tinctly original lines ; she uses no
gas, but has her egg-shaped air-
ship just- opened at the top, and
fitted at the base with an electric
motor apparatus. Accompanied by
a. little girl, the lady ascended to a
height of about 60 yards at her de-
monstration meatless a sail spread-
ing gracefully as sine rose in the air,
and after remaining there plastid foe
a While she descended in her ship,
proving that it was perfectly amen-
able to control and a very promising
invention.
A lady has
been e.epiithg
a list
of the favorite scents used by reign-
ing monarchs. The Kan& she
says, prefers "Camden of the Parish
Priest," but occasionally uses Ylang-
Ylang, corylopsis, and iris. The
Empress Augusta Victoria prefers
hay-scent, and for her private rooms
can de Colegno. The Czar has a
weakness for scents, but his especial
favorite is unknown. The Czarina
prefers violet perfume for the hand-
kerchief ; her monis and corridors
are sprinkled witlf jonquil and jas-
mine. The Queen Dowager of Italy.
Margherita, 'prefers eat do Cologne.
The Crown Prince of Roemania is
fond of rose-water: Sultan Abdul
Harold has a delicate taste, tar he
indulges in r. mixture of 'lilacs and
violets.
black coats and neat white ties,
smoked their cigars, and laughed
loudly at jokes among the•country
folk.
They, too, were all from the
"great city," for the village , was
too poor •to afford aught of its
own in the legal line, save a few
"attourneys."
Apart from all, breathing the
heavy scent of the heather bloom
that drifted in with the breeze, and
gazing thoughtfully out at the moun-
tains, sat the judge—a new man,
here for his first court.
And yet this little mountain town
was familiar ground to "his honor."
"How soon men grow old, and are
forgotten !" he thought. Why, it
seemed to him 'but yesterday -since
he, a briefless young barrister, had
come down here to obtain a little
rest and quiet after an unsuccessful
struggle in the Dublin law courts.
Ab, what days I The judge smiled
broadly as he remembered them, and
with them the schoolhouse, and the
uncouth, coatless urchins who came
thither to see the "Dublin attour-
ney."
How like untamed things those
urchins were—lithe, shaggy-haired,
restless, and shy ! How they alter-
nately dreaded and scorned this de-
licate young barrister, who preferred
to sit outside his cottage door,
studying law-books, rather than fol-
low the hunt - on foot. How little
they, or he, then thought that in
after years, When their heads were
growing grey, he would come back
again to sit in judgment upon some
of them 1
There was a restful somnolence in
the odour of the blossoms, and the
breeze blew fresh and cool. The
judge leaned back and shut his eyes
that he might enjoy it at his ease.
The strident voice of the Irish
Italian grew softer, and the laughter
of, the lawyers drifted farther and
farther away. Tfle pigs were still
grunting at the back of the little
cottage ; and, in his imagination,
the judge was there again.
He could almost hear the boys at
play on the steep-slanting hillside,
almost feel that it was afternoon
instead of morning. Presently he
would go, out and drink the clear
cold neater that gushed from under
the rocks, and then he would go on,
pushing his way through the prickly
blossom-covered heather that cum-
bered the path, until he crossed the
"ridge," and came down through the
apple-trees and the clover to old Pat
Carey's, where Moyra Carey was
chopping the nettles for the chick-
ens' morning meal.'
Moyra Carey I His face flushed
when he thought of her. Once he
had thought-- Ah, well I No
matter what lee had thought, nor
what Moyra had thought. The ways
of the mountain folks were not his
ways ; so he had gene emulating to
Iris traditions, and she according to
stupidly at the faces of the tired
jurymen.
The clerk, in a monotonous, drawl-
ing voice, read the indictment ; but
the judge had forgotten him, and
was gazing at the downcast features
of the boy. Surely there was some-
thing familiar about that face ?
Whatever it was, it troubled him,
and he frowned impatiently.
Then a low sob caught his ear, and
he looked quickly across the rows of
the court seats at the place where a
woman was sitting. He hated wo-
men who came to his court-room to
snivel and to cry. She was old—he
could see that—old and tired and
worn. Her brown shawl had fallen
off, and a wisp of grey hair strag-
gled across her forehead. Her eyes—
motherly eyes, for all that they were
faded and sunken and dim—were on
the boy, and her bent and knotted
fingers clutched nervously at the seat
on front. Suddenly she arose and
spoke :
"May Oi say wan worrd, yer
honor I"
The judge started as if something
had frightened him. From under
-that wisp of grizzled hair, from
behind that wrinkled, yellow mask,
a voice had called to him—the voice
of smiling, black-eyed MoyraMoyraVarey.
He raised his hand, and the clerk,
who was moving to hush her, drop-
ped into a seat. amazed. The wo-
man was talking on.
"Faith, en' it's himself is the on'y
wan I has. yer honor," she said.
Shure, wasn't it to gimme a
hand that he' sold thin shperrits ?
He's a good boy, yer worship ; an'
ther's nobody but and left now to
moind the pigs cut the turf.
Honey judge, lave him wid me, and
gimme wan more chanst Hist wan
more sitarist !"
She sat down. The noise of the
dogs had ceased, and their owners
squabbled loudly over the result of
• the fight and the judge moved inn-
patiently. 'All this was irregular,
and lee disliked irregular proceed-
ings. He was troubled, too—
troubled because lee was old, end be-
cause Moyne. Carey was old, and be-
muse she had a boy who ought to
be tried.
Why was she here ? Why wasn't
she at home—at old Pat Carey's—
cutting the nettles, as she used to at
the end of the summer afternoon,
when he came grasping at the wood-
en handle to help her, and catching
her warm brown one instead ?
"Mr. Clerk," he said suddenly, "re-
lease that prisoner, without bail, to
be present at the next ternr of the
court !"
The clerk started up and leaned
back. The Constabulary had had
trouble catching that boy, and he
thought that he ought to be tried.
"Your worship," he whispered.
"you don't know these folks That
boy'll never come back !"
The judge's teem flushed an angry
red.
"He'll be a cursed fool if he does!"
he said explosively. "Call the next
case I".
ABOUT RUBIES.
What They Are and in What Es-
teem They Are Held.
Rubies are growing scarcer. . The
most beautiful come from Ceylon,
India_ and China. The mines of
Peru are nearly exhausted or but
little worked to-day. The regions
where they are situated are danger-
ous of approach; besides, in the
states of the Grand Mogul the expor-
tation of rubies is forbidden until
they have been exhibited to the sov-
ereign, who retains the most beauti-
ful. The ruby of Siam is distin-
guished by its deep red color, some-
what resembling the garnet. ,
Carbuncles, to which the ancients
attributed fantastic properties, were
in reality rubies. They served, it
was said, to give light to large ser-
pents or dragons whose eight'had
been enfeebled by age; they bore
them constantly between their teeth,
and laid them down only for eating
and drinking. It was even claimed
that the carbuncle emitted light in
darkness, and that the thickest
clothing could not stop its rays.
Without all the exaggeration of such
legends, it was believed for a long
time that rubies contained luminous
rays. The truth is that they have
double refraction and send out red
rays with unequalled brilliancy. Tra-
versed in a vacuum by an electric
current, they are illuminated with a
red fire of extreme intensity. _ The
greatest heat does not change their
form or their color.
The largest ruby known in Europe
is said to be one that the Russian
caravans brought from China with
other precious stones in exchange for
their peltries, and which forms to-
day one of the rarest-ornaments of
the Imperial court of Russia. The
one of which Cardin speaks with ad-
miration was of splendid color, and
bore engraved the name of the shiek
Lephy. That of the Shah of Persia,
of which Travenier made a drawing,
weighed 175 karats. That of the
King of Visapour was sold in 1653
for nearly $15,000. The one pos-
sessed by Gustavus Adolphus was as
largo as a small egg and of the most
beautiful water. It was presented
to the Czarina on the occasion of
Gustavus Adolphus' visit to St.
Petersburg in 1677.
THE PROFESSOR WAS TOUCHED
"I look upon you as a disgrace to
'the college," tbendered the irate
professor. "And were it not for my
lifelong friendship with your honor-
and it was very apparent from the
old gentleman's voice and manner
that he was about tired of it.
Had the present offence been merely
of the usual character he might not
have felt so indignant. Participa-
thought, that struck at the estab-
lishment's. very foundation.
fatten°, as one having no defence,
offered- not a word of explanation or
apology.
"And to think that you, a schol-
ar's son and a student at this col-
lege, should descend so low as to
sell all your books !" ended up the
learned but angry man with a fine
burst of scorn.
"Dut I didn't sell them all,"
feebly answered Fulano. "I have
one left."
"Oh, you have, have you-1" sar-
castically. "And, pray, what is
that ? A Patent Office Report ?"
"No, sir," and the youth blushed
as though conscious of showing a
weakness of feeling. "It is the pre-
sentation copy of your own 'History
of Spain' with which you honored
me on my arrival here."
The professor was touched in a
tender spot. He was naturally proud
of his authorship. He also loved the
son of his old friend almost as his
own, and now that the boy had spar-
ed that one book while sacrificing the
rest showed there was something
good in him after all.
"Well, John, my boy," he finally
said, in a gentle tone; putting forth
his hand, "all youth has its faults,
and I forgive your ; but why, why
did you not sell that book like-
wise ?"
"I tried to, professor, but nobody
would buy it
YOUNG SIGHTSEERS.
Berlin has a child exchange. Tine
poorer people of the city who cannot
afford outings send their children to
country peasants and receive in re-
turn for an equal 'length of time
peasant children who want to see the
city. Tho plan has worked so well
that the charitable German women
who originated it would like to ex-
tend it. There is even talk of ex-
changing children between neighbor-
ing countries, so that they will gain
still more paluable experience.
A penny on the British income-tax
represents $31,560,0"50
THE BITER GETS BITTEN.
DUPES WHO GET THE BEST OF
THE BARGAIN.
How the Dentist; Got Even With a
Young Man—TheGreen
Goods Game.
A young man, fairly well dressed,
quite recently dropped in at a Lon-
don West-end dentist's, and when in-
vited into the consulting room, alter
negligently disposing himself com-
fortably in the dentist's chair, said
he was afraid he had carelessly ne-
glected his teeth for Some time, and
wanted the dentist to look at them
and give such as needed it the best
treatment and filling he could.
Upon investigation the dentist
found that no fewer than five of them
needed filling, and that very badly.
He offered to make an appointment.
"Ohl but that would never do,'
objected the young man. "I shall
be leaving town to-morrow for a
while, and I want to have them done
before I go."
As the case seemed urgent the den-
tist deferred to the young luau's
wishes, and set to work immediately.
He spent several hours on the job,
and filled every one of the teeth with
gold. His surprise can be imagined
when, having completed the task, on
presenting his bill the young man
nonchalantly informed him he was
afraid he couldn't pay it, as he
hadn't any money.
"Do you mean to say," said the
dentist, "that you deliberately came
here, knowing you had no money, to
practise fraud?"
"Pm very sorry," replied the
young man in a cheeky fashion, "but
I'm awfully short, and as I couldn't
stand the Pain of my teeth as they
were, there was nothing left for me
to do but get them filled as best I
could. You can prosecute me if you
will; but that won't make you any
richer, and it might make you poorer
by taking up your time." ...
• THE DENTIST SCORED.
The dentist contemplated this mon-
umental impudence for some mo-
ments in silence while he thought
things over; then he said:
"It's easy to see you're a gentle-
man, and I suppose ono day when
you have got the money- you will
come in and pay then; eh?"
"Ohl yes!" replied the young man,
eagerly. "I'll do that of course."
"Well, that will be all right," said
the dentist; "only if your teeth pain-
ed you 'in the meanwhile you might
think differently. I'm afraid I hur-
ried the job a little just now, but if
you'll sit back in the chair I'll put
caps on, and they will insure the fil-
lings lasting."
The young man readily complied,
and then that dentist, one after an-
other, deliberately pulled the fillings
out of every one of the teeth and
left all the nerves exposed. When
this was done and the *ung man
rose from the chair he found out his
mistake, for, If the pain had been
great before, with the nerves exposed
the suffering' must have been awful.
"Now you can go," said the den-
tist severely; and the young man
went. It is safe to assume, if he
lives through the awful sensation of
the exposed nerves trying to hammer
his head off. he will hardly ever try
to be smart again.
THE "Giiiamie-00oDS GAME."
In the United States there are re-
gular gangs of swindlers who perpe-
trate what is known as the "green-
goods. game." What they do is to
lure credulous farmers and general-
store keepers of the small towns anal
villages into one of the large cities,
principally New York or Chicago, by
the aid of tempting circulars. In
these they assure them, in confidence,
that they have printed off some ab-
solutely perfect counterfeits of the
paper money in general circulation
in the States. This money is known
as "greenbacks," from its color;
hence the term green-goods" The
supposed counterfeiter's further d,
clare that their notes can positively
not be detected from genuine treasury
notes, and the victim would do well
to become one of their distributing
agents. If he will come to the city
they make their headquarters, he can
inspect the notes for himself, and if
satisfied livith them he may -buy as
much as $15,000 worth for $1,000
of legal currency.
When the victim maps at the bait,
and comes to the city to meet the
supposed careers, he wears some pre-
arranged symbol, such as a rosei in
his button-hole, and Is met at the
station by the sharpers. One of
these immediately takes him in a
roundabout way to some premises
that will have been just engaged,
where the transaction is to take
place. Arrived there he leaves him
alone in the room, bare of any fur-
ature but a table and a couple of
chairs perhaps, for a few moments,
when he retires to a room at the
back, or behind a hastily-constructed
partition, to fetch, the goods.
Presently he rettans"with a small
satchel containing 15,000 dollars
worth of real legal currency, in notes
of all denominations, which he repre-
sents as counterfeits. The prospec-
tive purchaser handles these, and
comparing them with notes from his
pocket finds that he cannot detect
the slightest difference. It hardly
ever fails that a bargain is then
struck, and the victad pays his
1,000 DOLLARS DOWN.
The sharper pockets this, carefully
puts the ether money back in the
bag, and then, arguing that he and
his confederates can only allow the
purchasers of their notes to dispose
of them in their own districts, to in-
sane this, undertakes to escort him
back to the station and lead him the
bag once he is safely on board his
home-bound train.
The "new agent," as this Was pre-
viously stipulated, does not demur,
and they immediately go out. But,
as they do so, unknown to the vic-
tim, a change of bags is effected.
When safely aboard, just before the
train pulls oat, the counterfeit bag
is handed the victim by the sharper,
with the strict injunction that he
should not open it earl he arrIves
Imam. And to this the victim
agrees. His surprise and chagrin
instead of nates, that it is full of
—sawdust.
But these sharpers sometimes have
the tables turned on them; and gen-
erally by former victims.
On one occasion some of them made
their temporary premises an empty
shop near a busy thoroughfare. When
the bag containing their money was
brought out the intended victim be-
gan looking It over, when, suddenly
raising his head, he said-someone
had called from the back room.
"Did they?" said the sharper under
whose escort ho was. "I didn't hear
it. Wait, and I'll be back in a min-
ute."
But the moment he reached the
back room where his confederates
were, there was a great crash,. and
on hurrying into the shop found
their bird had smashed the front
plate-glass window and fled, carry-
ing their 15,000 dollars with him.
They knew better than to pursue,
and, as this large sum of money was
their "working capital," those par-
ticular agreen-goods" men went out
of business for some time alter.
On another occasion the intended
victim, on the pretence of looking at
the notes in a good light, "moved to-
wards the window. This he•prompt-
ly opened, and threw the bundle to a
friend waiting for them in the street
below. As murdering him wouldn't
bring the money back, the sharpers
had to let their outwitter go—taking
however, the 1,000 he carries with
him first. But the man, who had
been swindled once, didn't object to
this, and said he-would be willing to
make the same exclfange every day.
SALMON RIVER RUNS DRY
Fish Waiting for a Chance to As-
cend the liairainichi.
The news that comes from the Mir-
amichi River, N. B., one of the
greatest salmon streams of New
Brunswick, must prove somewhat
tantalizing to fly fishermen, who
found the sport rather below the av-
erage there this season. Now the
lower waters of the Miramichi are
teeming with splendid fish. This is
due to a most unusual state of af-
fairs.
No rain has fallen in the watershed
of the Miramichi for the past three
months, and the northwest mid
southwest branches are extraordinar-
ily low. For nearly 200 miles, in-
deed, they are almost dry, so -that
the salmon are unable to move up
to their accustomed spawning
grounds. The fish have gathered.in
unprecedented numbers in the tidal
waters of the river, and the atten-
tion of the Department of Fisheries
has been called to the fact that there
is likely to be wholesale destruction
of the salmon unless measures are
taken to prevent it.
Nothing elite the present condition
of affairs has been known on the
river for more than twenty years.
Moreover,- the runs of fish on the
Miramichi have been greater this
season that they have since the fa-
mous runs, of 180.4_3.
MORE SCHOOLBOY HUMOUR.
There is invariably a greed deal of
amusement to be found in school-
boys' examination papers. Here are
a few recently written :—
A kitten is remarkable for rushing
like mad at nothing whatever, and
stopping before it gets there.
Alias means otherwise. For ex-
ample, he was tall and she was
alias.
Soap ie a kind of stuff made into
nice-looking cakes that smell good,
but taste awful. Saapjulce alvokys
tastes the worse xylem you get it in
your eyes. My father says the Bowe
don't use soap. I wish I was a
Doer.
Hens is a curious animal. They
don't have no nose. nor no teeth,
nor no ears. They swallow their
vittles whole, and chew it up in
their crops inside of them. Ihe out-
side of hens is all feathers, and is
sometimes put into pillows or made
into dusters. The inside of hens is
sometimes filled with marbles and
shirt-buttons and such. A hen is
very much smaller than a good many
other animals, but they'll dig up
more potatoes and eat more corn
than anything that isn't a hen.
Hens, however, is useful to lay eggs
for plum-puddings. Hens have got
wings and legs, and can fly when
they are scared out of the garden.
Hens sometimes makes very fine
spring chickens.
• A DOUBTFUL COMPLIMENT.
A Parliwthentery candidate for a
Scotch constituency came across a
crofter, who seemed to be dissatis-
fied with both candidates.
"It's nae use a-talkie' to me, sir"
said the man ,to his would-be repre-
sentative in Parliament—"not bit
o' use. The kind o' man we want
here is a rieht-doom rascal—one that
dime, care a rap for man or beast I"
'Hopeless as the case appeared to
be, the candidate bravely persisted
in expounding his views, and soon
succeeded in interesting the seeming
irreconcilable. Indeed, the crofter
was so carried away by the earnest-
ness and enthusiasm of the vote-
seeker that, glowing with satisfac-
tion, and anxious to make amends
for his first reckless remarks, he
seized the candidate's hand, and ex-
claimed
"Sir, ma vote's yours Ye're the
very man for us i"
WORTH OF RAILWAYS.
The railways of the. world are to-
day worth from £5,000,000,000 to
£6,000,000,000; This probably rep-
resents one-tenth of the total wealth
of civilized nations, and one quarter.
if not one-third of their invested cap-
„ital. The world's whole stock, of
money of every kind—gold, silver and
paper—would purchase only a third
of its railways.
In the West of England, especially
Cumberland, the greater part of the
rain falls in winter ; but in the east
the fall is heavier in the summer
half of the year.,
Night had fallen on the forest-clad
slopes of the mountain, and Moon-
light, breaking through the feathery
leaves of the tall, dark hill-pines,
fell in a cataract of radiance over
the edge of a precipitous gorge, fill-
ing for a time the gloomy` depths,
and losing itself at last in the formi-
ing water _that marked the passage
of the river below.
Half-way up the .mountain-side
there was a space of cleared land, so
steep that it seemed almost to stand
on edge. in its midst a spot had
been levelled to give footing to a.
tiny cabin. Around the cabin the
young corn was growing. Far off in
the eastward a single light burned
like a star, and from the window of
the cabin aeother light seemed to
answer.
A woman leaned flmits the cabin
window watching that eastern light
—a light that located for her the
gaol in the courthouse town ten
miles away. •
Behind it lay the sharp, curved
ridge of Croaglimoyle, on ' whose
heather slope this woman lead been
born. To-night she wished that she
had died there, on that rugged,
'shelving -spur." long ago, in the
days when her cheeks were red and
her lips were' ripe, when life had
seemed full and joyous to young
and laughing Moyra Carey.
Now she was Moyra Carey no
longer, and she was old. She had
not known how old she was until
these last few days, for it is not the
passing of years that makes for
age, but the passing of joy, and the
light and the sweetness of living.
The woman watching the distant
light was alone, while that for
winch she lived was yonder, under
that light, in the gaol of the town.
Alone in her sorrow the woman sat
there, oppressed by the mighty sil-
ence. Involuntarily her mind sought
relief in wandering back over the
days of her life, lingering here and
there on well-remembered scenes.
Among her memories was that of
summer days of her fresh young
avomankciod, how, when the sunset
carne, .and she was stirring to-mor-
row's breakfast pgrridge, there came
also the tall young lawyer from
that wonderful, city, where the peo-
ple knew so much, yet strange to
say, knew nothing of the ways and
the thoughts of the mountain folk.
How queerly, he had looked at her,
until her bright, black eyes grew
shy and timid ; and once, when he
had caught her hand, and seemed hers.
about to speak, she, with becoming He had not thought of her for a
maidenly modesty, had broken away long time ; but to-day he. almost
from hint, and ran down the path. wished that he had never left this
She had looked over her shoulder place, and with it shy, dark-eyed,
and laughed at. hini ; taut he had not ignorant Moyle. Carey.
followed. If he had, how different it 5 5 5 5
all might have beer. 1 Court was open, and the third case
Again, she thought of a time when on the docket was about to be
the trees were bare, and the brawn tried. The accused had no counsel ;
leaves lay thick on the frozen there was no chance, therefore, of an
ground. The cold wind moaned at exciting legal battle.
the eaves of the dwelling, and sighed The charge was a common enough
in the tops of the trees ; but the one in this region. The prisoner—a
fires burned brightly, and there was mere lad—had told a piteous tale, it
good cheer within doors, for it was is true ; but all the prisoners told
her wedding-night. piteous tales when their misdeeds
The summon• was past, and she were aired in open court. What
was but a. woman, after all. Barney would become of the law if every
Nolan had a farm at Balleyeroft, lad whose mother needed money for
and Barney was a good man, so
everyone said. He had a "still,"
and made whisky, of course ; but
that was all right. provided he was
not caught by the Constabulary.
So she, had gone away with Barney
to his place at Ballycroft, and there
the baby had been born.
She looked up quickly at Va dis-
tant light. What mattered it that
the babe had grown to be almost a
man ? His little hands had twined
themselvei in her flowing hair, his
little arms had clasped about her
neck, his little cheek, soft and warm,
had pressed itself close to hers: Her
baby—yonder, under the light I
For when Barney had gone—killed
in a fight with the Constabulary—
and the "still" had been broken up
and the farm sold, site had come
away up here with her child j and
here they struggled on, poorly and
feebly enough, but happily, because
they had each other.
But last year the pigs had failed,
and for the first time they lacked
money for the rent. Then she, had
told the boy something that she had
kept to herself through all these
years, lest. a time like this should
come ; for away on down there in
the valley, under the shadow of the
shelving cliffs, and hedged about by
the heather and the tangled bushes,
once she had helped Barney to hide a
cask of whiskey, burying it 'in the
earth, and trailing the bushes cun-
ningly over their work.
The whisky was old and valuable,
• and the rent money might surely be
had. How could she know that when
the boy, with the instinct of a been
mountaineer, had unearthed it, and
sold it stealthily, and paid the rent,
someone—a spy, perhaps—would re-
port him, and set the Constabulary
on his track ? She had.hidden hint,
when this came to pass, far back in
the wilds of the mountain-side ; but
one night they had followed net- as
she slipped away to carry him food,
and now he was yonder.
Hungrily she watched the light.
It seemed to be telling her of him.
Suddenly it went out, and there
were only the moon and the pile
stars that hung offer tha.dark-blue
masses of the distant "spurs."
•
The day whIcli followed the wo-
man's•vigil was Monday morning of
court week, and the little slow-go-
ing mountain town was filial with
the long-limbed, .loose-jointed men
and Sallow, apathetic women who
came from "Cronghmoyle way," or
the easier slopes -of Balltigha-der-
reen.
Out in the front an "Oirish
fatalism" from the eastern and more
enterprising country had established
himself, rued was busily foisting his
wares upon a gaping crowd. Just
behind him, sitting in the door of
the hotel, a- group of lawyers, in
u
t
B
rent was allowed to retail unstamp- ed father I would expel you, sir."
ed whisky ? The present had been about the
It was hot in the courthouse, and tenth time during, the term that
the air was laden with stale odors. Young Fulano had been reprimanded
The judge glanced enviously at he for infractions of the college rules,
retreating lawyers, and plied his
handkerchief with testy vigour. e-
neath the open windows a dog fig
t
th
t
o
ht
was in progress. The snarls of he
curs and the excited cries of eir
backers disturbed the quiet of he
court, so the clerk of the court, with lion in the lively escapades peculiar
well-assumed dignity, leaned far ut to collegians, if not carried too far,
to chide the crowd—and to see which
gazing ry in order to assist in a grand
jollification—was something, he