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The Exeter Advocate, 1896-1-9, Page 6TIE HEURE HS Q (CONTINUED.) CPC.APTER XVII. edam=? Ben Dundas recoiled in amazement. 'Under the weather-beaten i tiddiuess of his face he grew pale as the pearls in his : Laud. For a moment Laura believed that the a dreaded destrnetion had come upon that hoarse, and her heart quailedwithin her. Theo, with the presence of Mind often born of a oritiOal emergency, she rushed in to the rescue: " • ,^ - _ , don't notice her. She al lately. This is troth s that take her twine- s a superstition, you ft of pearls. It means , she thinks. 'She has sozy about that, and it uppose. Come, Donde, so absurd." as a man of simple un - re. He did not long this clue to the maze ent. It seemed to him xplanation. What else for his wife's distress? hat she felt he never doubt his little Dorothy 1h11e for him. �oma:l°s tenderness he raised arms. and laid her, still sob- a the sofa. re, there!" mid lie, with many a caress; "lay to a bit, and rise easy. jive me, little women, for being so sightless like. I have Neared tell of .eomo suck rubbish, but I'd clean forgot. Durn the stupid things for making; zny lass (try! There ain't nothing in it, Dorothy; but, howsumdever, we won't have no plaguy bad luck aboard our craft. There goes the lumber over the aided„ And, true to his words, he tossed the valuable pearls from the window into the river-zuud as indifferently as if they had been nuts or peas or any trifling thing. Laura, deeply concerned for her sister, made no attempt to stay him. "Leave her with hie, Sen," she whis- pered; "she will soon be more calm and sensible." With a good-humoured wink and ihuekle, Dundas reached for an old fay ourite pipe. that had hung by the fireplace all through the eight months of his ab- sence, anti rolled quietly out of the room. When he wac out of hearing, Laura ecpoetnlat,'d bitterly and passionately, but in suppressed tones. with her trem- bling sister, who, impressed by the narrow escape the had had, and grateful for Laura's timely service, grew calmer, and gave some attention to her words. "But how could I listen unmoved to suck reproaches?" Dorothy pleaded at l length. "They were reproaches—yes, again and again be stabbed me with the kind things he said. Of course he could not, understand how guilty I felt—how guilty I must always feel so long as I hide my wickedness from him." "But you will not confess'?" "I nnusf confess." "Whitt Tell him that you—that you have—God knows what wickedness you have to confess1 I have not had your confidence, I do not ask you for it now: but I entreat you to consider well whether auy good can come of your de - straying all his happiness and trust in you—whether what you have to confess s,an ever be forg„iven." There was hope in Laura's breast, an earnest faith in her heart that the emo- tional temperament of her erring sister aright have exaggerated evil thoughts into the hideousness of guilty acts; that after all there might be extenuation, pity, pardon for her sin. But an My chill struck through her soul as Dorothy turned away from her with bowed head, and murmured in ac- cents of despair: "No, no, 1 can never be forgiven I" CHAPTER XVIII. THD INQUISITORS. on to the gtoken pavement, and contem plated 19 a NShore S a 1 No: h Street. Laura, hidden behind the , wrndow- euitaiu, vatehedhisface Would he be displeas 1 with this humble abode? No, he setinled rather favorably impressed. Indeed, he I e had n c an- t 1 IG na ed finding 1n _ g an unsightly,perhapssqualid, hovel in such a quarter of the town. But the red and the white andthe green were pleasant to the eye, and the little house looked; cleani,and respectable.. He rang the bell. Laura hesitated. Should she avoid an interview? To de so would imply that she was ashamed to meet him. On the other hand, it would be inconvenient -- indeed perilous—to" adjust the misun- derstanding in that house. But see him she must. She felt that to dismiss him now would be to lose hi for ever. While she was •striving t prepare a reply to the questions wine she felt sure he had come to ask—arepl that would exonerate herself and at th saute time shield her sister—the bellran again, and she heard her brother -in -la coming upstairs to answer:it. Hastily calling to hinesto remain be low, she opened. the door, and foundher self face to face with Lora`Willmore. The young peer faltered in no littl embarrassment as he endeavored to ex plain his presence there. To him th doubt of last night had assumed th dimensions of a lovers' quarrel. Had h come to apologise and be reconciled, merely to investigate her surroundings and observe her more closely in h domestic life? Ile had persuaded himself that hi motive was interest, curiosity; but h was inwardly aware of an luvineibi love, of faith that was an instinct,. of. burning self-reproach, that made thi visit a pilgrimage of honor. An when he found himself confronted her sweetly modest yet fearless gat and took note of her simple attire au her unassailable air of womanly purity he felt all the shame which he had h expected he might see upon her face.. That flush of glad surprise, the ex- tended hand, the unflinching encount of her truthful eyes vanquished his dis trust, and scattered to the winds all un worthy suspicions. With a quiet, grave "I am very gladt see you," she admitted him to the parlor and, commanding with an effort the un rely fluttering of her heart, seated her self opposite to him, and waited con posedly for what he had to say. A icor complete reversal of their relations o judge and accused could not have be brought about. He found himself pour ing forth excuses, regrets, protests, as if he had uttered all his evil thoughts, if he had grossly calumniated her befor all the world. She listened with a happy kind smile, not reminding him how little had really done to deserve this self -re proaeh, If he had thought evil of her circumstances were to blame for that His hasty departure from Muriel's bons was but a manly restraint of jealousy hauling chorus—ay, pretty nigh the e its ha nes of the cc. 'L y and -ho!' from the look out when we're nearing home." And Laura sang in a soft sweet voice these words: Whither are our footsteps wending? Darkh road the and weird the hour, Life to life so eloselj bending; Thoughts that sigh L'amouri l'amourl" The verse was somewhat nervously rendered. The concluding words were slurred and expressionless. "Ah, siren l" thought Chester, "you would breathe that very differently to him alone!" But she resumed with more courage and sincerity: Pausing on the frontier lonely, " f wixt to -morrow and to -day, Pledge we to each other only Faith that shall endure afway.. m She began to lose herself in the senti- o meat of the song, that approximated so h closely to her relations with - Wilimore, Y and he, bending over her in impassioned ° delight, forgot, everything but his love g for her. v' The last verse rang out joyously. It gave expression to all the hope that filled - her sou): hope for her sister as for her- - self—hope, delight, security in the affec- tion of the man she loved. Let us from the sombre stillness Greet reveille of the, light, e And forget all bygone illness Dawn shall dry the tears of night, That's pretty," remarked Ben Dun - or des as Laura finished the song. "Ain't Ain't heardthat afore. Don't quite understand he , it. Give us ' Poll and I,' Laurie." I But Laura was listening only to a is question which, on the impulse of the e moment, Wilimore murmured in her ear: a "Have you had troubles that you would forget?" d "My life has not been altogether happy," she answered. by "But it has been blameless," said he; d "1 would stake my soul on that." I I would have you think me no' worse half than other weak women. I shall always try to deserve your good opinion, which i I respect more than anything in the er world, except—my duty," was her aline _ dentreply. Laura was not one of those who over-estimate their virtues. Her - thoughts were rather with her sister o than herself, as will be seen from her words. Who shall declare herself blame- ' less? Did no responsibility rest with her for the disgrace to which her sister had confessed that very morning? Had she e' not all too readily allowed' her guardian- f ship to be thrust aside? and but for a en sister's neglect, might not Dorothy be blameless too? In hex reply, and in the thoughtful act pause that ensued, Wilimore found cause o for a vague uneasiness. His enthusiasm. cooled. and a silence fell between them, ly Glancing up, he met Chester's gaze fixed h • upon the pair, His misgivings were re- , fleeted upon the face of his friend, I '•Time's up, Ernest," Chester remark - 1 ed. "I must carry you off westward, e Good -afternoon, Captain Dundas.. Will you say 'good-bye' to your wife for zee?" But Dundas would not hear of a vica- r rious leave-taking. He had not noticed t that Dorothy had left them. Be would go in search of her, and off ho went downstairs. Chester seized the opportunity of ex- perimenting upon Laura, with only Will - / more for a witness, "`1 will leave you the evening paper, Miss Kingdon," said he; "there is a ter - I rible affair in it that is of interest to us i all. What do you think, Ernest? A murder on a platform of the Under- ground Railway; and the assassin got clean away 1" Some chord in Laura's memory was touched, but for the moment she could not say why that chill apprehension struck her. She said nothing, but slight- ly paled as she regarded Chester. How does it concern us three?" asked Wilimore indifferently. "Because," was the reply, "we all met the poor fellow last night at Miss O'Con- nor's. The victim was Ralph Kestrel." Then there rushed upon Laura's mind all that Dorothy had told her as being the story of a dream. ' She glanced from Chester to Wilhnore with white face and staring eyes, then fell swooning upon the floor. and anger. But Laura realised all his sin agains their love, and her conscience justified her in exacting the full penalty. She accepted the amende honorable as her ue, and when be had fully castigated himself she rose and gave him her hand in token of forgiveness, saying softly: "Ernest, as we love each other, so let us be always trustful, always true." Then she changed the conversation, and presently left him to summon her sister and Captain Dundas, that he might become acquainted with her only relatives. Wilimore was conscious of a certain dissatisfaction. He had looked for a re- sponse to his generous avowals. He had expected a voluntary explanation of the incidents that had gone so far to justify his mistrust. But Laura Kingdon had said nothing, and the bases of suspicion were as sound as ever. He was disappointed—vexed by her lack of confidence, hut he doubted her no more, His instinct told him she was guileless; his love bade him be' patient and trustful. Lauraquickly returned to him, bring- ing her sister and the sailor -husband, and introduced Lord Wilimore to them as herbetrothed. Wilimore winced at this, and before the hearty, honest congratulations of his assumed brother-in-law. No word of marriage had been spoken between him and Laura, and, reconciled as he was to love and trust her, he yet held in re- serve this crown of wedlock for the wo- man whose life kept back from him no secret and no mysteries. Laura King- don was not such a woman, and he shrank from this taking her to wife in the face of her relations with this spectre of reserve between them. But there seemed to be no alternative, and, with an uncomfortable sense of being enmeshed in a net, he submitted with the best grace he could command, aud, as was usual with himin debatable situations, he became eager for the sup- port and counsel of his friend Chester. Chester was outside, buried in the wait- ing hansom. Willmore begged leave to bring him in and present hint forthwith, and, per- mission being gladly accorded, he promptly produced the golden -bearded. politician from beneath an evening paper, which had been serving him first as a soporific and subsequently as a counterpane. Chester came in, and brought the newspaper with him. He conversed affably with the Captain and his pretty wife, and listened appreciatively to their praises of sister Laura. These seemed to be simple, genuine folk enough. They told him freely many things that explained the circum- stances under which he had met Miss Kingdon, but they either could or would impart nothing as to Muriel O'Connor, and he keenly surmised that Mrs, Dun- das, at least, had' some knowledge of that- lady which she did not care to divulge. Lightly touching on his last night's visit to `"the house at the corner," The day wore on, and peace reigned 'undisturbed in the sailor'shome. By the advice of her sister. Dorothy had not im- parted to Captain Dundas the knowledge which would work such havoc. in their future. Nothing had transpired to dis- quiet her further, and, busied about the house, she had recovered in a few hours much of her old sportiveness. Urgedby Laura, she made an effort to thrust away all that stood. between 'ser and a calm enjoyment of the present hour. And Dundas,' occupied with decorating the house and spinning many a yarn about his voyages, seemed to have banish- ed from his mind all uneasiness. Laura breathed freely. and took some comfort from the prospect of the success of her labours to preserve their hap- piness. What mattered the enforced duplicity? The aim was a just one. The result must be good, she persuaded herself: "He who is robbed, not want- ing what is stolen, let him not know it and he's not robbed at all." And with this specious reasoning she set her con- soience at rest. But with that ease of mindoame other thoughts that dismayed and tortured her. She loved Lord Wiilmore. The sight of her brother-in-law's devotion to his wife brought this conviction freshly to her heart. And how had the parted? What cruel doubts of her had she left to rankle in his mind? Was it not clear from his sudden departure without leavetaking, and from the subsequent repulse she had received from Muriel, that both friend and lover misjudged her relations with Kestrel? And had not her lover's friend, Cecil Chester, actual- ly seen her bestowing an endearment upon that inan? Would not Chester surely confirm Willmore's suspicion, and Must not the result be that her lover would loathe and forsake her? She felt that she could better bear to lose him than to be condemned in his thoughts: But how could she protect heisolf from misconstruction—how dis- pel the cruelly false impression she had made? Her sister's happiness she must guard at all costs, and the secret once told would imperil it from that moment. As she gazed into the street through a veil of tears, picturing the bitter' saeri- floes which seemed forced upon her, Lord Willinore's love and good opinion the confidence and affection of IVluriel O'Connor, a cab came rattling up to the door, and Laura gave,forth a `big " O i" and turned as Griumon as this front of the cabinet piano for Wilimore himself, i�i faultless visiting -dress, spranb� forth lie took occasion to refer to the persons he had • met there—to Dennis Donovan and to Ralph Kestrel. Hal there,was a weak point in the armour, or his obser- vation erred. Mrs. Dundas, at the men- tion of Kestrel's name, had suddenly left the apartment:without apology, or apparent cause. Captain Dundas professed that neither of these persons was known to him, but the wife, Laura Kingdon's confidante; clearly did not want. to be questioned concerning one of them. Chester was satisfied for the moment, and reserved his next attack for Laura herself. As he glanced at a paragraph in the evening paper, he felt that he had a strong weapon in his' hands. The Captain suggested that Laura should sing for the company, a proposal which Lord Wilimore ardently backed.. "Tune up,- my little nightingale!" cried Dundee. "Ever heard. her sing, sir? There's more music in it than a CHAPTER XTX, THE SHADOW 013' A CIaierse The sensation which agitated Ernest Wilimore as he bent over the inanimate form. of Laura Kingdon cannot be de- scribed. They were too complex, too contradictory. The soft brown hair broke from its confines as he raised her, and, framing, the pure Madonna -like face that he pillowed on his area, pre- sented a picture to his gaze that seemed as immaculate as any . lily. Yet in the marble whiteness that gave almost a holy aspect to her features he was forced to read the confession of a secret tie that could hardly be free from shame or sin. Coupled with his observations at Muriel O'Connors, this swooning at the tidings of Kestrel's death had a -very grave significance, What was this man to her? For a mo- ment he was impelled to state all that he knew to her sister, to whom he now surrendered the cold limp form, and ask an explanation- trove her knowledge of Laura's life. But it seemed ungenerous to pry into her mystery while she lay there so pale andpitiful, guarded almost by' the sanctity of death. He and Chester hastily leave with- out waiting for her recovery. Their presence when she should return to con- sciousness must deeply embarrass her; and while Chester considered the case against her proved, to the inevitable de- struction of his friend's relations with. her, Wilhnore felt the need of private discussion and reflection he should speak to her again: So they departed,• and took with them the newspaper which had brought the mischief. TO BE CONTINUED. Lille Other Great Men. "Who is this Dean Swift they are talks ing about?" whispered a society' lady to Lady Bulwer,at a party., "I should so' like to invite him to one of my receptions." "Alas, madam, the dean has done some- thing that hag shut him out of society" "Doer trio, you don t°'say so? What a dreadful thing!" saidthe lady in a`breath, "Arid what was it?", she added. "Well, about a hundred. Years ago he died.' Bnihracing an Opportunity. Wife (to husband, an insurance agent) --Why, Jack, what kept you eo late ? It is after midiiight. vVR OTTAWA LETTER SHOWING THE PECULIAR GYRA- TIONS OF THE POLITICAL WHIRLIGIG Two Messages of :vii---Wilioug]bys Let- ter--Oeeasion of Defeat ---Clarice .%Tal- laeo Mistaken --Opening Debates of the ession---Montr'eai Centro! Sinop your readers have had my Jest letter the gentlemen who hold the reins of power at Ottawa ha heard ` two messages of evil, 0 came from Cardwell, the' other w from Centre Montreal, Each possess peculiar poignancy; In Cardwell t hated Dalton,; McCarthy, who is in dangerous and therefore more feared the any Liberal at this period, snored a vi tory that muss have brought sorrow an evoked angry feelings. The day bele the election in Cardwell the leader of t Third Party told an enquiring journa ist that his candidate, the inelegant named William Stubbs, would be elect by a inajoriby of at least four liundre We whose business it is to watch the gyi tions of ,the political whirligig, and veil have convinced ourselves that we know something of the gauze, esteemed M. Carthy's vision to be obscured by th mirage of the partisan. We did not 's how the Government could be defeated l Cardwell; in the riding that has bee overwhelmingly Conservative. since pr Confederation adays, We remembers that it had sent to parliament Hon, Joh Halyard Cameron, Hon. Thomas Whi and, not so many years ago, Dalton M Carthy himself. We knew that th Orangemen were strong in the'riding and that there was a large Roman Catho lio vote, that had elected Br.b White i the election of '91. Also, we were away that the Government would spare neithe men nor money to elect W. 13. Willough occasions upon which it will be to the ad- vantage of ;:both of them to co-operate. 'Wallace will have most of the Ontario Conservatives with him, and he it will be who' will make the plans for the cam- paign. amn- aiY ,� ani To McCarthy Ille e P b Will be relegated d the duty of making the great oratorical efforts of the debate, .O'Brien will second his leader, and Clarke' Wallace will make it clear that he speaks for most of s: the people' of Ontario in their antagonism to Separate schools. The School debate over, the line of `cleavage: beeween the Wallace faction and the McCarthyites will become marked. Wallace and the Conservatives who will follow him on the School ques- tion' will return to the aid: of the Adminis- v8 tration. As. far as the fiscal policy of the Ile Government goes, the ex•Controller and as his companions are as good Conservatives ed as ever they were. Mr. Wallace made ho this fact evident when he resigned. When ore the division comes'aftir the Budget de- n bate, Wailee@ and companions will vote °' with the Go'vernrnent. McCarthy, who d is a low -tariff Shan, and his merry -men,. re Stubbs and O'Brien, will vote not at all. h0 or will stand up to be numbered with the - "peevish Opposition." It may not easily ed be seen how Mr. McCarthy may hope fo augment his supporters. There is but one d' Stubbs and one Cardwell. Conservatives a- who disagree with the Government on O ono point of present polloy,: because of " I that will not abandon the political faith ° that they held before the School question ee was ever thought of. And it: is because ee of this that the best thinkers in the cumi- n . try wish for an early settlement of the n whole question. For reasons that surely ° are partisan, lir. Greenway has declined d to do anything towards granting the de- Joh mends of the Catholics of Manitoba. Be- te cause a hot-headed young Minister in- volved the Government in much tribula- e tion,tbe whole'country is racked with re- ' ligione strife. This is not as it ought to - be, The parliament is above the Govern - a; ment" and the people are above the par- liament. Why should the people be forced r to suffer because of the indiscretion or by. do not wish to be taken as sayin that there is anything in the stories o wholesale bribery whicn have come to u from the riding. Most of them were writ ten by gentlemen whose papers are i opposition to the Ministry. In Cardwel there was more money spent than is usa al in elections in this ()wintry. As fel the stories of turkeys being sold for twent dollars and of strasv-stacks being pur chased for the seine sum, I must say tha most of them are possessed of every sigi of being apocryphal. In the first place your soientific briber—and we are tut that the Government sent past masters o the art into the riding—yotu. scientill briber does not go to work in so bold an barefaced a way. Willoughbrs Letter. Frequent mention has been made 1 post-election editorials, of that letter i which W. 33. Willoughby was offere "considerations" for withdrawing from the (mutest. 18 vv ill be remembered tha last week I told how Mr. Willoughb was charged with having written. th document, how he gave it to a Toront young Conservative for signature, and how this gentleman promptly sequestered it in his inside pocket, only to produce i a week before the dilation. Well, Mr Willoughby was accused of having writ ten the letter. He stood up before a nubile meeting and gave his explanation, an explanation that for crass stupidity bears the palm. He did not deny the authorship of the document, he smiled pleastntly and said that the es hole affair was a joke! Down the back of Sir Charles Hibbert Tupper, who was on the plat. form with hina, cold shivers must have ran. Here was a Conservative candidate who considered it a funny, even a humor- ous thing to, sit down and arrange for the barter of a nomination fur cold cash, a county judgeship and some other "con- siderations," I have never heard of a more childishly barefaced piece of busi- ness. "If this man wins this eleotion," a prominent member of the Cabinet is reported to have said, "he must under- stand that the Government will not bear the burden that he has taken on his shoulders. We snail see to it that he will never get bhe nomination in Cardwell again, for his recoyd is too odorous." Occasion or Defeat. It was that letter that did• more than anything else to defeat Mr. Willoughby. He had a hard man to tight in William Stubbs, but he would have beaten the Orangeville veterinary surgeon had the fac similes of the letter not been brought into the riding. The Liberals, led by John Shields, did more than the Mo- Carthyites to desseminate them. They filled the townships of Mono and Adjala with the copies of the letter. And the Catholic township of Adjala went back on Mr. Willioughby. It is said by some that many of the Catholics voted Liberal. I do not believe it. To my mind,it seems certain that the MoCarthyite.was elected by Orangemen who had their knivei ready for the Government ever since the passing of the Remedial order. It is al- leged, also, that the defection of Mr. Clarke Wallace swayed many votes. This I do not believe. Had Mr. Wallace gone into the riding; had he stamped the county; had he made personal appeals to the electors, some of the•credit for the MoCarthyite victory might have been his. As snatters stand now it is clear thot Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Willoughby are chiefly responsible for the victory of William Stubbs. Clarke Wallace ponder- ed over his future course. He took counsel with his late enemy and 'present friend, E F. Clarke. He eaW nothing before him hat a repetition of North Ontario, He thought the Conservative vote would El tand reasonably solid, that the Me - opposition vote, and that WiLoughby would be elected by a plurality of emne hiindreds. "It is a case of the greater bang bigger than the tvvo less." said he to a friend in Toronto the day before the election. opening Debates of the session. For once, Clarke Wallace, than whom there is ncemore astiate politician in Can- ed d The Zvohdlon of Proverbs. Thomas Jefferson did not say in just t those words, "Few die and' none reeign." y What he did say was, "Of deaths there e are few, of resignations none." Rat his O choice of words was less epigrammatic than was that of the nameless multi ude, who by tradition shaped the aphorism in t its present form. , I It is a fact of curious interest that _ comparatively few of the famous sayings attributed to famous men bear the stamp of arm which was given them by their authors. The thought is the SaMe, but somehow the expression seems to have been in each case originally somewhat unsuited for permanent popular curreney. They have undergone a procees that may be compared to that by which a pebble that was first an irregular piece of flint, capable of striking Bre but not smooth to the touch, has become polished and rounded by continual coetaot with the running water, the sand and stones, and the sudden turnings and twistIngs of the I For instance the proverb, "Praise from Sir Hubert Stanley Is praise indeed," was originally "approbation from" eto. His. hop Berkeley wrote "Westward, the course of empire takes its wav," but irresistible popular instinct has changed "course" to ' star." Even 'the golden rule thou ,11 familiar in its true form, is for every day 1 proverbial usage changed from "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them." into the terser injunction, "do as you would be done by."—Boston Ad: a, WAS wrong in his promises. He must reg,ret that he made an incorrect estiniate of the causes that would operate in the Contest. , Bad he gone , into Cardwell much kudos would now be his. Ile has not lost anything through not entering the campaign. he inieht have gained something through doing so, Bo would have been helped towards his eoal which es., entering the next parliament with suffieient- members behindshim to enable him to dictate to the Goeernment in his demands for a seat in the Cabinet of Can- ada. During the session that is to begin on the day when most of your readers 1 scan this letter, Clarke Wallace will °rye an maned neutrhlity. As regards action on the _Remedial bill, I bodeve t he will co-operate wit.h Dalton Mc- rthy. I do not think there will be an inan from North Simeoe, for the zgerce inns of years May not be quenched in) ay or a session. There will be certain, wil obs h is Husbande-Yes, my deal., A couple. ut1:11.1 ife--Bus Mess „1.1, t this time of night? •–n` of footpads stood me up on the corner, es! and insured their lives for live thous- ant Time to 33e Obliging. It is to be feared that we Canadians are not always as obliging as we might be in the niatter of small courtesies to strangers. A traveler writing to the Ad- vance tells of an experience in Holland evhich suggests a lesson to us all. In Leyden we tried to find St. Peter's ' Church and the John Robinson Memori- al, and not knowing the name of the church we asked the waiter in the re- staurant the way. She rushed out arid brought in the waiter that spcke Eng- lish, none too well. but sufficiently for ' our purpose. We made her understand that we vvanted to find the church that had a copper tablet on it. She compre- hended, xan out a moment and returned with a piece of paper on which she had drawn the streets we were to take and the cornere we should turn. We follow- ed it and had no difficulty. It is doubt- ful if absolute strangers would' have found such courtesy in our own land. A Di g Inclined Plane. Pittsburg capitalists propose to have rapid transit there on a novei plan. A cpmpany has been formed to build a gigantic inclined plane from a point on, Fourth avenue over the Monongahela river to the top of Mount Washington. The structure will be 40 feet wide, with double tracks. It will be 6,000 feet long, and will have a grade of bewteen 9 and 10 per cent. Its chief feature wlil be a suspension span 1,565 fest lorie The towers at each end will be 250 feet tall, and the Boor of the structure will cross Carson street almost 200 feet from the gronnd. The incorporators propose to carry passengers from the center of the city without the discomforts of transfers and slow service.—Buffalo Express. A Novelist's Debt to the Bible. "I think," Hall Caine says, "that I know my Bible as few literary men know it. There is no hook in the world like it, and the finest novels ever written fall far short in interest, of any one of the sterree it tells. Whatever strone situations I have in my hooks are net of my own creation, bet are taken from the Bible. The Deemster' is the story of the prodig- al son. `The Bondman' is the story of Esau end Jacob, though in my version sympathy attaches to Esau. 'Ilse Scape- goat' is the story of Eli and his sons, but with Samuel as elate) girl. 'The Manx- man' is the story of David and Uriah. My new book also oomes out of the I3ible, from a perfectly startling source."—Mo- THE POULTRY YARD. One of the objections which comes from merchants who handle inoubatorhatehed ihicks is that such ohicks are inferior te those natehed and raised by hens. The hens do not really peoduce any better thirsts than those hatched in incubators, but better care is given hi' the hen, %nlvl that is what makes the difference. If in- cubator chicks receive careful attention they will not only be fully, equel to the others but better if they are btoodea so no't to be chilled at any time during growth. The miserable spepimens of brooders that sometimes reach the market are the results of careful hatching hut careless brooding. The winter seaeon seldom witnesses the hatching of ohieks by hens as tney perform such work in. the spring, and most operators do not seem to realize that it is difficult to raise chicks in winter under any circum- stances, and consequently they expect the chicks to partially care for themselves. Of the breeds from which broilers should be hatched, the Plymouth Rook, is con- sidered a favorite, because it hes yellow legs, but the color of the skin and legs are of but Jittle consequence In the sale of broilers. The main gerility is plumps ness. When pressed Poi' market they seldom appear fat, but an expert can easily select the best specimens, which usually have a streak of fat along the back, on both sides of the back bone. The Langsh tn Is an Qxoellent breed for broilers, though it is blaok plumage and has dark legs, 'dressing white, how- ever, They have more breast meat than Plyinotith Rooks and are fully as hardy, as well as growing rapidly when well oered for. The Langshan is an Asia - tie ebreed, and has feathered legs. The hens are good layers and excellene Mot hers. Davie() for Keeping Poultry Poed Olean. Where soFt food is given towle, it is usually trampled upon by all the fowle before fully eaten. To avoid this, make a shallow box and hinge to it a cover of slate made of lath. Through these the fosvi can reach all the food, but cannot soil it. The same device may also be used with a smaller box for giving water. Have a box just large enough to set the dish of water within reach and shut the slat cover over It. A similar device for giving water in a w ay to Itesp tlie fowls out of the watsr vessel, is to have a mod- erately h1gh bux with slats up and down one side. Then sot the wate, dish within mid the fowls can drink through the slats. The top of the box, or cover, ehould be sloping, to keep the fowls off from it. Reaves In Horses. Heaves are associated by Dr. La tv with the feeding of clover -hay. He finds it most where clover is fed, and least in seo- Mons where it is not grown, although im- perfeetly oared 'hay that has become dusty may cause it. Over.exertion is one of the causes that induce It. Horstat With small chests are more liable to it than other classes. Feeding on pastures or laxative foods is recommended by veterin- arians. Bay is limited often to one feed per day and grain given liberally. Horses in S01118 of the Western states do not have broken wind or the heaves, and those that have it are said to reeover on being taken to those states. Jenning advises to use upon the throat for fly() or six weeks, three times a weak, a salve well rubbed in, made as follows: Iodine oint- ment, tvvo ounces; blue ointment, Ono 01111.00, well mixed together and made thin with oil. There is to he given In- ternally every night one of the following powders: An ounce each of pulverized ginger and sulphate of copper and two ounces of pulverized gentian root, divided Into 16 powders. If by rubbing the sides of the throat a cough is induced, a cure according, to the above authority, Is prob- able, hut if the windpipe requires squeez- ing to produce a cough, the chance of cure is slim. The cause of heaves is obscure, and the diffismIty nob well understood. Some of the symptoms given and the causes ascribed make it not improbable that it is of bacterial urigin, yet this is a mere suggestion of little value. Now Year's Customs in Wales. One of the most universal of all New Year's customs ninon.. the Welsh people, and (me around there cluster more popular superstitiotis than are tis be found , associated With any other, is that ot hay- ing a bonfire lighted by each household at nightfall on New Year's eve. This was done by both the,Celtie and Germanic na- tions many centeries ago, and the quaint . ideas and superstitioes which the Welsh peasantry aseociate With the custom are derived from these peoples and have lost nothing in the age§ that have elapsed since it was firstprectised. . The Welsh invest the *fires which they ligeit on New Year's eve with a peculiarly sacred diameter. They intend these Brae both to light the spirit Of the old year on its passage and to greet with cheerful wele. come the coming'iof the new. In nropor- then as these fires are large end bright Or small and dull, as they ate kindled readily Or with difficulty and as thei burn slowly er.briskly, so, it is said,. will he the hippie ness or 'unhappiness, the good or tian-, of the hoesehold to which the fire . belongs. Should a .New Year's ere fire.. die out frOm any cause before the hour of di veer of:death dieastere—New York World. At the dente of the Pope, it was for- merly the custom to break his ring. This practice was discontinued in the present century. New Year's Superstitions. One thing that makes business good for the dealers in crockery is that when a ser- vant breaks a piece of crockery she in nst immediately and wilfnlly break another piece hi order to destroy the spell. When the housewife drops her dishcloth, she will surely have company that day, and the same rule applies if she drops a fork and the tines hold it to the floor, bnt in this case die visitor wiil be a gentleman. Should she without premeditation place either two knives, forks or spoons at oue plate or give two spoons with one etre or bowl, the person receiving them will be married within a year. Place the wish., bone of a fowl over a dooe, and the first one who enters under the bone will be the 'first in the house to be married,—Ex-