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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1885-10-15, Page 6The Collier's Dying Child. The cottage was a tha.ohed one, to outside old and mean ; Yet everything witliLn that cot was wondrous neat and clean ; The night was dark and etormy,—the wind was blow- , _ ink wild ;— A patient mother eat beside the deathbed of her child, -- A little, worn out creature—his once bright eyes It wAae a Collieerr's only ohlld— they called him " Little Jim." And oh I to see the briny tears fast dowing down h r cheek, As she odered lap a prayer in thought 1 She was afraid to speak, Leat she might waken one she lcved far dearer than ketene For she had all a mother's heart that wretched Col- lier a wife. With hands uplif tad, see, she kneels beside the suf- ferer's bed, And prays that God will spare her boy and take her- self instead ; She gets her anewer from the child—Bolt -fell these words from him— "Mother t the angels do ao smile, and beckon Little Jim 1" " F have no pain, dear mother, now ; but, ob, I am l" so dry; "Just moisten poor Jim's lira once more ; and mother do not cry : • With gentle, trembling haste, she hada tea cup s0 bis lips -- He bmilod to thank her --then hetook three tiny " Tell father when he Comas ercm work' I said "good eight" to him ; "And, mother, now go to sleep,"—Alta. poor to ,,little Jim t She saw that he was dying 1 the obild she loved so dear iisd utter'd the last words she'd ever wished to hear. The pottage door is oPe n ed the Collier' s step Is heard ; The father and the mother meet, but neither speak a word He felt deed all was over._be knew the child was Ile wok the emeria in tits head, and etood Weide the bed - Ilis quivering lip gavo token of the grief bad fila came.al ; And see, the mother feint him 1 the et:teem couple some fully pr ss red to do, for he was still Withh hiss rte bowed down by sorrow they humbly ask smarting under Dolly's refusal and the polit- e/ Hint melting he had received from her father. in heaven, erne more that they may meet their own ++ Yes" he repeated, "I couldn't tie ea poor"ItttleJim t" knowing 'em ; the Capt'in he lay all of a heap like, and Dolly was aitting on the ground with Iris head on her lap. ' Dolly,' I cane out, ' whet is it ?' .And then oho looks up, 'It's—oh, Joe, come here 1the hilt ale had not stayed ion;;, as he said Dolly answered. Captain Braithwaite is eery would be euro to be at home and waiting much hurt, I fear, I didn't waft to hear supper for him. more ; but I cla-ubered down therocks eh(re they're not quite ao steep, and in a minute I " That was all the evidence tit t was forth - was beside Dolly. I bead how it was with naming. and the Coroner, in a few lucid tate ('apt'in at the first glance. ' He's R senteI1 ea, sunrn:ed it up. Tie could not help dean !' I said, ' llow did it baypen ?' repeating that Dolly Jarvis's abaence was Oh, no, no ; he can't be dews, 1' Dolly cried very mnehto be regretted for her own sake, out ; and then eho turned as white as a As well as far the seke of juatioe, es it would ebeet. 'We must get help,' alio said then, Roam that she alone could have supplied the stag ening to her feet, ' You stay with details of the WAY in ahi4h Captain Braith- him, while I go for Neter Seymour.' Biot waits had mat his sad fate. He also had to I caught hold of her hand, ' Stop, Moline, call attention to the manner in which one of I acid ; ' you can trust me—I want to know the witnesses—Joe Smith—had given his who did it l' ' My 1 a ou aha iild hat a seen' evidence. That young man was evidently her then ! I'd had my auapia1 aha all along, suffering from tba smart of unrequited affec- and now I was more convinced I watt right ties, and had endeavoured to wreak aria spits owing to the ball as was to come off in the evening. While I was busy cutting flowers in one of the conservatories, I sees the Capt - 'in come out of the house and go across the park. That was about a quarter of an hour before' left. Well, air, I walked rather slowly, for I was tired, and I'd forgot all about the Capt`in, and I'd got half -way across the pine -wood, when 1 beard the awfulleet shriek ; it made my blood run ?old, and then there Dame another cry, and I went as fast as I could in the direction the sound came from, When I got to Giant's Hollow, I stood still and listened, for I could see nothing, although the moon was shining, and it was as light as day. As I wee a staring about me, I heard a woman's soba; and then it flashed upon me quite sudden some one had fallen over into the Hollow ; so I peeped over the rocks, and sure enorgh I saw two people*" Joe paused, and for the first time glanced round. By this time he was beginning quits to rel- ish the position he occupied, for every one was listening to his story more or less eager- ly. "Well?" queried the Coroner sharply, seeing that Joe made no attempt to proceed with his narrative. " You might 'ave knocked me down wit' a feather," Joe said then impressively, " for sure enough I knew those two to be the young Capt'in and Dolly Jarvis." There was a breathless silence now, as the ender - gardener went on, speaking slowly and dis- tfnatly—"Whilst I was thinking what a queer thing it was, and cf all the tales I'd heard about the--., "Stopr. , interrupted the Coroner e at this point, " Confine yourself to the subject in hand. What happened next? You said you recognised the two persona is the ravine." "los,' Joasafd, atrifla sulkily at not being allowed to air his spite, which he had A 'RUBLE TH EBY. 3y the Author of "Tli>; FLo'svE:s Gram' "Lov£LY LAI'Y Lrsllr s r," &c., &e. CHAPTER VII, The little village of Midhurst was thrown lata the wildest state of excitement and confn'ion when the tragical fate of Captain Breitheraite bo:axe known. Ae h astral in such circumatanoea, the moat strange rumours gained currency, and the widow Laine drove a roaring trade, only dividing the honours with the landlord of the Gray Parrot, during the few days prior to the one fixed for the Coroner's inquest ; ering thoughts were recalled by the Coroner. " It is much to be regretted," that gentle- man observed, "that the most important witness in the case should be unable to at- tend ; but, from what Doctor Seymour says, I tee no alternative but to proceed with the examination of the few remaining witness- es," Adana Jarvis then stated that he had gone to Doctor Seymour'a house on the evening in question, haviog previously learnt front old Sue that his daughter was out. He had returned about nine o'cleek and found. that she was still away. Site had lot him in, and be had then sent her off to bed, saying that he would sit up for Dolly himself. The old woman corroborated her master's testimony, adding that she had understood from Dolly that she was going to have a' chat with widow Lane ; but she supposed the child was tempted by the beauty of the night to take a walk. It was a favorite stroll of hers through the pine -wood. Sue's eyes aoughtAdams with a half•trumphitut expression as she turned away ; but the blacksmith's chin had fallen upon his breast, and he was staring fixedly on the ground. The blacksmith, recalled and cross-ex- amined, admitted, with evident reluctance, that he had only that day heard from Joe Smith soma scandal concerning his daughter and the deceased ; and, on his return home, after leaving Doctor's Seymour's, be had sent Sue to bed beeenso he wished tc speak to Dolly on the subject when she came in. How long did he wait up for his daughter? It was close upon midnight when she ar- rived ; she had seemed unlike herself, and, as was natural, was much upset by the ac- cid entto Captain Braithwaite. He hadd understood that the latter had had a fall ; but Dolly had not been very explicit about it, and be had deofdod that it would be use- less to question her in her then state of mind. On the following morning however she was Ito ill that Doctor Seymour was called irr, and that gentleman had been attending her ever since. Mrs. Maine, Doctor Scymour's house- keeper, stated that Adam had called at the Doctor's house en the eveniug that Captain Braithwaite had met with his accident, He had oome to sea her on privriter burineere the went onto say, not without some confusior; him. "Here, Larkins, or whoever'a there, 1 HERE AND THERE. just come and look at Cele beast—he was ail right when we started, and now he's A Madrid engineer la at work on a pro - dead lame " joot for tunnelling from the mainland under Gibraltar and dynamiting the English garri- son out of Sp tin. In a household in Buncombe county, N. C., a large dish of peanuts has been placed on the dinner table for dessert every day in the year since the lady of the house took a fancy to fruit thirty years back, The deaths in Europe from small -pox are said to be 60,000 annually. The mortality is almost wholly confined to civilians, as owing to oonstant vaccination and revaccin- ation the armies are almost wholly free from the disease, According to the Lancet, the recent visit to America of Dr. Keith, who came to per- form a surgical operation, is the first instance since the Declaration of Independ- anoe of an American having summoned med- ical aid front the old country. The Practical Photographer suggests that in these days of convenient photograph- ing appliances, those who viait in any official capacity scenes of murder, wreck, or riot should apply the camera before anything is disturbed, as the evidence thus gained, be- ing incontrovertible, might posseaa incalcul- able value. It is said that the king of Siam has 3,000 wives, and very few members of the male sex are allowed to enter the sacred precincts where they are housed, The king seems to have less confidence In his wives than does the average husband of an opera singer. Aehease dealer atates of the s so called English cheese is made in this country and shipped to England, whence It is returned, enhanced in value by the ma voyage. Sometimes oheesaa areahipped back- ward and forward two or three times, each voyage adding to the riohneas of their flavor. After a severe illness an Engiehmaa shaved off bis whiskers and otherwise die- guised himself. He then went to his doctor and said he was a brother of the siek man, who, he asserted, was now dead, Ile time obtained a certificate of his own death, had his own decease registered, drew the burial money from his lodge, and decamped. Prize fighters evidently have not yet learned the moat effectual methods of rodeo - Mg their weight. The British .1feiteeat Journal tells of a fat pig which was buried under the chalk cliffs of Dover for 160 days. It weighed 160 pounds when imurured, and when dug out turned the scale at 40 pounds. It thua loat 120 pounds In 160 days, and came out a very eiean pig. but, wild and improbable as theismcermet-than ever. She intdro riled hire a atone at by ceattng aaperelors on those unable to da- dI .really thought Rho die i of fright ; but abe' were suf iciautlp areerent, and it would be came round after a minute ar two, and,' for the jury to deal on.} with the bare facts when Iaaked her the serge question, she of the case. The medical tcstlmory was draw herself up and said i he would explain most important iu the circumstances. If everythirg to the proper peo- ie at the pro. they were to credit Susan Green, Dolly cry welt ' IC VA I ; ' then I tell Jarvis was Is the habit of frequenting the 1 foil ehnrt a£ the ru . they al urea were, y " It's only jest what might here been ex- peeted t' Meg Smith declared, with a scorn- ful tars (�f her untidy head. " I al'aya raid no good'd come of her gallivantin' about wi' her betters ; and now my words 'ave oome Fortunatelyitis motives fond themselves. `v E n1e t.A 1 maw foot ani if •ou II baa o mg , } ,g , Tom came out hastily and raised his cap, casting a startled and uneasy glance at the fair occupant of the T -cart as ne stooped to examine the ailing animal. " Cast his shoe, sir," Tom announced, after a brief examination. " I can put on another in half au hour." " All right. It's an awful nuisance ; but I suppose we must wait." " Pm sorry I can't ask you in, sir—the lady especially," Tom said awkwardly, as he assisted the groom to unharness the horse. " You see, sir, they" --lowering his voice.—" never receive visitors now." "Who?"—some what puzzled. "Oh, yes, 1 understand'." Percy Briathwaite add- ed hurriedly, a remembrance coming sudden- ly to him ; and he too glanced at his compan- ion apprehensively. " Shall we take a stroll through the village whilst this business is being settled ? " he asked the lady quickly and, she acquiescing, they set out and leisurely picked their way through the groups of dirty but smiling children, for the '+putty lady' had a pleasant word and e penny for most of them. They had parsed the High Street, and had come into a lane where the cottages were sprinkled but sparsely, when Geraldine Mainwarning clasped her cousin's arm sud- denly and startled hire by an abrupt query.. "Pere,,, what did that young man say about the Jarvises? "My dear Geraldine, I---- He never toknowledge." the Jarvises my mentioned , c+ T ?`� o, no ;but you know what I mean," the rejoined impatiently. "Ile made some reference to them, I am sure ; though I did not catch the words, I saw him gianae to- warda the house when he was speaking to yon, y "Oh, ah, to be sure 1" Percy said, with assumed sudden recollection. "He was apologising for not asking you to go in. " " Did he give any reasons for not doiug AO y, " Oniy that ' they' did not reeoivo any v isitora now," There wean little silence after this ; them Geraldine epoke again. "I wish, Percy, you would tell me all you know about these Jarvises. I went away immediately after --after poor parry's death, and I Nave not been to the Ball until now— as you know." Why would you seek to recall what must be so painful to you as wall este me?' the youngman caked, in a troubled voice. " I hoped you had learned to forget." "Forget ",:' she oried,"agiving him ore *Wilt glance of reproach from her dark vel- vety eyee, " Aa if I ever could do that her if I ever shall forgot 1 No ; diving all those live years I have never for a moment ceased to think of poor Harry's sad fate ; and—forgive me --1 never can understand how Sir I«alph and aunt Braithwaite and you could let the matter drop." "But why—what mild we do 1 All the eviderce that was obtainable was produced e Inquest, but it fed to nothing, atth g 1 , a i1 , f1{! Not all ; you £ergct Dolly Jarvis. No, I do not ; but it was of no use to rake up a soaedal that could reflect little credit on any one concerned in it, and noth. ing could Ining poor Barry back to life." "True; but I would have avenged his death." Percy shrugged Ida shoulders. Ho had been sincerely attached tc hie brother. and had felt his loss keenly at the time, notwith' standing the fact that there had boon little in common between the atudioue heir to the Braithwaite estates and the gay careless younger son. He bad always regarded the u of an ao-' death rho result young officer a sat � cident ; and, knowing his weak vacillating' charsoter, he had thought it highly probable that he had bean carrying on a flirtation with the bieckamith's daughter, and had concurred in hiefether'e decision that further inveetigatitrn could lead only to unpleasant revelations without securing the and thoy had in view. "1 am more and more convinced that thcre line been some foul work," Geraldine want on, in a low oonetrained voice. " The way in which these Jarvieos shun society points to their guilt, " "Hush, Geraldine ! " Percy said warning. ly" I don't care," the girl cried pasionately, " If every one hears me ; but I will ascertain the truth before I leave the Hall." "Thea we may look upon you as station- ery with ue,' the young man said ; and there was an undercurrent of meaning in his words. His cousin, however, did not heed them. She was gazing straight before her. " Ah,,. what is that ?" she questioned abruptly. TO BE CONTINUED, ., "Ay, poor Iasi; but it was hard for her you straight I believe you killedthe Capt'in pans -wood therefore her rneoung with the if tins man made itEula of her. I've heard yourself, all aloes of —' .But, before I young ofliccr might hare been aocldental. say as how tits Captin oeuld be awful Us- °mild lioieh rho had flown off like ono be. ile, the Coroner, sympathised greatly with alantin when he chose, and It's not aurpriaad itohad i' ' 1 the bereaved fancily, and he was moat Anx- I am if he turned the gal's head 1" one good- natured dame declared. "Pooh 1' rejoined Meg, who appeared to be in one of her moat vindictive macula. "Shed been werned often enough, but aha a was too grand for poor folks Irk us, and was 'igh a -hankering after folks. I dare say'—with a harsh laugh—"it did make her feel a bit mad when she found the Capt - 'in meant nothin' f,ar all his aof t words ; and then to think that she, who was such a stuck-up piece of goods, should actually have killed the Capt'in 1 I declare it makes me feet quite creepy when I think of it 1" "Stay 1 "interrupted a deep voice et this point, " It would be well, Meg Smith, not to say things yon cannot prove, or you may be getting your self into trouble. No one has a right to accuao Dolly Jarvis of any evil deed yet," " Oh it's you, Tom Larkins, is it`?" queri- ed Meg, with a little disdainful shrug of her shoulders. " Of amine we all know you would stand by Dolly, even if she had com- mitted murder'.' A dark red flush rase to the young man's f orehead. "No one who deserves the name of man or woman would strike another in the dark ! " he cried hotly. "Dolly Jarvis ought not to be condemned unheard and—and she is too ill at this moment to defend herself or to ex- plain matters." " Ay, ay!" "That's right, my boy 1" " Tom eay'e the truth 1' And the little group, who evidently sympathised with the young smith, gather- ed closer around him. " Do you say she is ill ? " questioned -widow Lane anxiously. "Shall I step around and see her ? " "N -o, thank you l" Tom answered, a little confusion apparent in his manner. "I beg your pardon," he added quickly ; But I know she does not wish to be disturbed ; and Adam will admit no one." " Of course not ! " Meg sniffed spitefully. " It wouldn't do to have any eavesdroppers about now 1" There was a general cry of "Shame, shame ! " But Meg stood her ground. "Oh, yon may pretend to bo shocked, if you like ! " she said. "But, for all that, I know you all think you as I do, that Dolly Jarvis killed the Capt'in out of jealousy ! " And, before any one could answer this bold challenge, the girl had stalked off, leaving a decidedly uncomfortable impression behind her. There had been whisperings, and mutter- ings, shaking of heads and uplifting of henna ; but, until Meg gave utterance to those words, no one had dared to speak his or her thoughts. Now, however, the ice once broken, it soon became an accepted fact with ignorant folks that Dolly had really killed the young officer. But the excitement reached its climax when the day fixed for the inquest dawned. In the grand old dining -room at the Hall, with its oak panelling and sombre oak fur- niture, the twelve good men and true were ssembled to consider the circumstances at- tending Captain BraIthwaite's death. They had viewed the body in the adjoining room; and now the Coroner called the first witness, Joe Smith. As he stepped forward, more than one noticed the dark sinister look on his brow. "Tell us all you know about the sad af- tair," the Coroner, a neighbouring Squire and an old friend of the ;Braithwaitoa, com- manded, as Joe stood twisting his cap, and never raising his eyes from the ground. Thus adjured, he oleared his throat several times, and then began. " Well, sir, I had been doinga day's work at the Hall—" "I believe you are employed as under - gardener there?" interpolated the Coroner. " Yes, sir, and I'd stayed rather late ; there was some decorations being finishes " Ant what diel you do then 1" question• bus that the ends of justice should be a:rv- ed the Coroner drily, as Joe paused for want I ed ; but It was monatrcus to ask them to of breath. believe that A young girl had, through pique "Why, I didn't Iike to Ieave the poor! end jealonry, pushed }ler lover over aprect- gen'l'man, and he not dead, perhaps, after a plat, Captain Braithwaite was a man in all ; and so I stayed awhile ; And then the prime of life,penned of health and d Doctor Seymour came." Some one here leaned tarward and whispered a few words to the Coroner, who nodded hie head once or twice and regarded Joe thoughtfully for a few momenta, the deceased regarded her kith the admire - "I believand you aspired tc marry Daily tine which beauty, whether posseared by A Jarvis, d she had refused your offer, strength, Dolly Jarvis a young and some- what fragile girl. She had, he underatood, considerable personal attractions—was, in fact, the acknowledged village belle. and it was quite possible—nay, very probable that Was this so ? " ho asked, after that brie; pause. Joe fidgeted uneasily, colouring to the roota of hie hair ; then he answered evasive- ly— "Her father, Adam Jarvis, thought it 'lad be a good match for us both." " Answer my question—did you at any time ask Dolly Jarvis to be your wife, and did abe refuse ? " "I—yes, air," admitted Joe reluctantly, mindful of the jeers such an avowal world expose him to from his companions. " And yon and the father had words about it, and Adam Jarvis knocked you down ?" pursued the Coroner relentlessly. "Weli, he did take me unawares ; and, if I'd done as I ought to a done, I'd have had him up for an assault," Joe said lamely. " That will do. Call the next witness." That was Doctor Seymour. He deposed briefly to being summoned on the night in question to attend Captain Braithwaite. It was Dolly Jarvis herself who came for hint, and she accompanied him to the spot where the young officer lay. She had appeared quite calm, and, in answer to his question as to how it had happened, she had replied' simply that it was an accident. There had not been much conversation, as they had walked very quickly, and, there being no high -road that ran anywhere near the scene of the so-called accident, he had been unable to drive over. A short examination had sufficed to convince him that Captain Braith- waite was dead—he had broken his neck, and of course his death had been instantane- ous, There was also a deep wound on the left temple, which might or might -not have been occasioned by the fall, By the Coroner : " Could a blow from a woman's hand have produced such a wound?" Doctor Seymour considered that .to be highly improbable ; the blow must have been inflicted with immense force. There was a general movement when the next name was called—Dolly Jarvis ; but, instead of the girl appearing, Adam Jarvis stepped forward. Yes, it was the black- smith ; but he looked strangely unlike the individual who had knocked Joe Smith down. • There were many whispered com- ments on his appearance ; his formerly erect figute was bent, his once jovial faoe was gloomy and worn—almost haggard. Its just broken his heart, any one can see that.". " He'll never got over the dis- grace." " She was the very light of his old eyes," observed some on the onlookers, sotto voce." " My daughter is lying dangerously i11," Adam affirmed, in answer to a question from the Coroner ; " she is not quite herself, and —and unable to give evidence to -day," " Who is attending her ?" " Doctor Seymour." " Adam is right," said that gentleman, when an appeal was made to him to confirm this statement. " Dolly Jarvis is suffering from brain -fever, and, when I saw her this morning, she was quite delirious. I think it would be uaelese to adjourn the inquest for her appearance, as, to judge from the present state of her health, it may lee many weeks before elle would„be able to give evi- dence.” Adam cast a. curious glance at the Dootor, and gave a sigh of relief, or something akin to it, as he heard this decision. Hie wand - hieh-born,dame or a simple coni try maiden, ever excites in the breast of man ; but to hint at there existing any further intrigue between them was a baso calumny to the dead and a still greater wrong to the living. Ho would venture to say that the theory of Dolly Jarvis having in some way oompassed the young officer's death had its birth in one crooked and distorted mind only. However, if the jury believed there was room for any reasonable doubt on the subject, they would return a verdict accordingly. There followed a short whispered confer- ence among the jurors, during which an ominous silence reigned in the room. Adam Jarvis etood,with folded arms, immovable, though a keen observer might have remark- ed that now and again he gave a curious in- tent glance around from beneath the shaggy brows ; and; when the foreman presently announced that they were all agreed, he drew along heavy breath and set his tenth firmly like s man In pain. " We find that Captain Henry Clifford Braithwaite died from a broken neck ; but how the injury was caused there is not suf- ficient evidence to show." That was the verdict returned by the twelve good men and true ; and Adam Jar - vas, as he heard it, turned and staggered out of the room like one who had been suddenly smitten blind. --- CHAPTER VIII, Five years had passed away since that memorable day when Captain Braithwaite's mysterious and audden death had caused so much excitement, pain, and wonder. The village smithy still stood; but it was not Adam's brawny arm that wielded the heavy hammer now. Tom Larkins had step- ped into hie shoes, and gave promise of be- coming as skilful in his craft and as pepnlar as his old master once was. He had just completed a job, and was pausing to rest, ere commencing a new one. Standing in ethe doorway, with one hand shading his eyes from the glare of the July sun, one could see that time had greatly improved him. From a somewhat slender youth he had developed into a sturdy man with a broad chest and a thick dark beard, and eyes that were honest and true looking as ever, though there was an expression in them now which was foreign to them in those old days—sad and watchful—one might almost say at times fearful ; yet Tom's prowess had been proved on more than one occasion. As he dropped his hand, he re- marked to a young man loitering in the road— s"That's one of the Braithwaites'oarriages, Sam, isn't it Y" He spoke carelessly, and nobody could have guessed at the tumult raised in his heart by the mention of that name. " Yea," replied Sam, after indulging in a prolonged stare at the approaching vehicle, " It belongs to the 'all right enuff, and Mr. Percy's driving ; and, yes, the gray is as lame as 't can be 1 You're in for a job," he ended enviously.. Tons made no rejoinder to title, but went inside ; and the next minute, sure enough, the gray was pulled up at the smithy en- trance, and a groom ran to the horse's head as a young man prepared to despend. " Don't be alarmed," he said'reaasuredly to the lady who sat on the high seat beside Frau Rueta, the wife of a Hamburg mer• client and mater of Sultan Sat/ Burgash, of Zanzibar, who for more than twenty years has been a reaidout of Germany, lately pro- ceeded with her chitdrentothenative oonutry on board the German man-of-war Ehreufele, in order to reelable the property wrongfully withold from her by the Sultan. It is said that Admiral Knorr bas been empowered to entort ' sher claim. THE BURNING PLANS. Thrilling Experiences of Dwellers on the Prairies. • In the Apple Creek district Henry Willits while going across' Iota to a neighbor's for help, found the prairie fire closing in on him, and made for the highway in the hope that he could escape them. Forced gradu- ally to leave the direct route, he soon be- came bewildered, and, not knowing which way to turn, he made for a tree and climbed it. From his position on an upper limb ho could see that he was surrounded and that it would not be long before the flames would be directly beneath him, Then he began to fear that the tree might take fire, WS it was dry and inflammable. Decending to the ground, he looked for a match, with the intention of burning off a piece of ground near him, but finding none in hie pockets, he made a torch of long grasses, and ran out to meet the fire. What he intended to do had to be done quickly. L'ghting the toreb, he made haste in his return to the tree, and got there with just fire enough to, fan the stubble into a blaze. From this he set other fires, assisting them with his breath until he soon had a patch burning near him and well under control. Having burned off everything near the tree, he re- mounted and awaited developments. The fires came slowly on all sides, making the air insufferably hot and smoky, and, burn- ing up tothe cleared place, went out, though raging in the distance as fiercely ae ever. The air was so full of smoke that he could see nothing at any distance, and as night was coming on he peroeived that unless he morning wanted to stay in the tree until myig h e would have to make an �tefior .to find the dItighway. lie tame to b , land, and groped, da around overthe him* wet -bak- d earth for a distance of perhaps 300 feet, and came directly von the highway which he had been looking for, If he had kept on in the first place he might have saved him- self a great deal of trouble. Farm animals seem to he endowed with human wisdom almost in auoh emergencies se this They cannot be driven away from the furrows, Chickens will roost on the housetops and. Horace and cattle that aro at large will gather in solenm ooncalves on un- burned pate hrs of ground aria newly plough- ed fields, as if waiting for the stone to blow over. A Newfoundland dog belonging to John Beater earned his weight in silver at least by giving warning of danger threaten- ing that gentleman'a farm the other day. Raster and all his men were at work on the west elide of their property, expecting rio trouble on the other tide, when the dog came up to them teasing hie head up and down, barking and whining in a most mys- terious way. He would run up first to one man and then the other, seize hila by the leg, and then dart oil, only to r000ver himself after having gone a few feet and return and go through the same operation. The men, who vera elmostatifiod with the heat and emoko and in no humor for fun, thought the dug wax playing, and tbey e wayseveral times. ra kirk hi out ofs. hieked m f At last it ccourred to Mr. liaaterthet the animal might moan something by his pe- culiar actions, and he told one of his men to follow him. As Noon as the farm had started elf the dog jumped clean over hie head, and then, in hie efforts to lick his face, threw the man down, all the time running in the opposite direction. The man followed the dog about threrequertere of a nri's to the southeast, and found that the fire had worked around in A wheat field there and was gradually approaching the barna. Summoning help, anew furrow was ao on run, and the property was aimed There is a patiaut in fieeteh ictlrmary aullerleg from a painful disease in which every person who uses a cane fs interested. It is a sore of the hand, brought on by pres- sure of a round -knobbed atick against the palm ; and in this care It has effected the muec'eo from the lingers to above the wrist, A speedy care is not probable. The surge- ons say that a stick with a handle Inatead of a knob on which the palm must prase is the thing to carry, When in Norway Mr. Gladatone was much interested in the licensing system is vogue et Bergen, and requested the British vice-oonaul there to send him an account of ate working. Tho publio-houses of that town belong to a oompany, which, after deducting a percentage for the use of its capital, hands over the surplus profits to the municipality in aid of local improvements. A more eaay way of paying for the latter could scarcely he devised. Pat's View of It. It is no less important that a boy under- stand what application to make of the les- son taught him than that he comprehend the lesson itself. The greatly admired pow- er of knowledge consists not so much in knowing things, as in the ability to turn one's information to account. An unthink- ing acceptance of what is told one often leads to amusing results, as in the instance below : In Ireland regulations for fasting are dif- ferently arranged in different parishes ; in some, eggs are forbidden to beused, or even milk or cream in tea, os etatod days. In a parish in the county of Kildare eggs were prohibited, and in confession, Paddy Blake, the little son of a celebrated cock -fighter, de- posed to having infringed the order. Upon being told by the priest that the eggs might have contained chickens, Paddy replied,— " Och, no, yer riverence !Sure, they were biled." " No matter," replied the priest ; " they might have had chickens all the same." The priest, however, considered the of- fender's age, and pardoned him. A short time after the priest, wishing for some of the fine fowl bred by Paddy's father, asked the boy for a clutch of his last eggs. The eggs were placed under a careful hen, and at the end of three weeks inspection was made, but not a single egg was found chip- ped. A month passed, and still no chickens. At length, after five weeks, the priest's pa- tience was exhausted, and curiosity led him to break one of the eggs, when, to his aston- ishment, it was found to have been boiled, and was as hard as a bullet. He went through the ceremony of breaking the whole clutch, and having discovered that they were all alike, he sent for Paddy and thus accosted him : " You little rascal ! the eggs you brought me were boiled." " Och, yea, yer riverence 1 I was afraid l'd smash them if I brought them raw ; and sure, yer riverence told me there might be chickens in them just the same !" A paper an aounoes that "men make big and sudden jumps in the United States.' Yes, and if they happen to have about their clothes a few hundred thousand dollars be- longing to some one else, their jump usually 'brings them down on the Canadian gide of the boundary. Dr. Livingeton, in the Zambesi, doeoribes one of the most remarkable operations on re- cord. A native woman had an arrow -head eight inchda long in her back, tainting through the left lung towards the heart. She had been shot from behind while stoop- ing. Bir was coming out through the wound, and it was not deemed advisable to attempt an operation. Ono of her relatives, however, cut out the arrow and part of the lung, and she not only became well, but stout. Fleld Marshal Moltke, who spends his vacation at hie country -sent, Creisau, de- votes his time there to agriculture. He takes especial pride in his magnificent park, whose beauties he is fond. of pointing out to visitors. He walks regulary every day to the Kapeilenberg, a neighboring hill, where his wife and sister are buried, and where he too is to find his last resting pace. A mar- ble slab already nooks the spot. The burial plot is surrounded by trees planted by him- self. There is now at Millwall, on the Thames, England, a small yacht, which will be pro- pelled by electrical power. The boat is 36 feet in length by 7 feet in breadth. It is constructed of galvanized steel, lined inside with wood and lead. The accumulators are placed below the floor of the boat, so that, with the exception of a small compartment aft for the dynamos, the whole of the apace is available for passengers. Two masts and a suit of sails are also fitted for use when re- quired. In the course of a few days itis in- tended to take the yacht on a trial from Dover to Calais. N. 4•41116-44t: ifl( iii the W ra; rarious The Largest Land gniorld. Since the death of Ju state- ments have been published as to the exact stature of thet giant elephant, Tho figures range from elt von feet to eleven feet and a half, but whether the height given is that at the shoulder does not appear. If Jumbo was eleven feet six Inaher high at the shoulder there is reason to b41,leve that he was the largest lard animel.lh the world. The size of elephants is commonly over- estimated. Their stature le almost always exagg• rated in those countries where they are sound wild, Even European travellers of scientific training have made notable mis- takes in this reapect. African elephants whioh Major Denham, one of the early ex- plorers, supposed to be sixteen feet high proved to be less than ten feet when killed. In Ceylon the native elephant, which was formerly thought to be larger than the Afri- can animal, is rarely taller than nine feet ; and Sir Emerson Tennent in his celebrated work on the natural history of that island says that in the district where the hunters agree that the largest specimens are to be found, "the tallest of ordinary herds do not average more than eight feet." In India the same tendency to exaggera- tion prevails. Dr, Falconer was authority for the statement by Prof, Anatod, more than a quarter of a century ago, that "oat of eleven hundred elephants from which the talleatwere selected and measured with care, on one occasion in India, there was not ono whose height equalled eleven feet" At the present day probably no one is better quali- fied to speak with reference to the size of Indian elephants than Mr. G. P. Sanderson, the officer in charge of the elpehant•catch- ing establishment maintained by the British Government at Mysore. He does not be- lieve that•there is an elephant in India ten feet high at the shoulder. He has measured a great many, and the tallest was nine feet and ten inches. " The next largest are two tuskors belonging to his Highness the Maharajah of Mysore, each nine feet eight inches, captured in Mysore some forty years ago and still alive." Mr. Sanderson, in his very entertaining work on the wild beasts of India, says that twice round an ele- phant's foot is his height, within one or two inches. Generally this measurement will give the exact stature, but Aen persona unfamiliar with elepkants are asked to guess how many times the circumference of the foot must be multiplied to ascertain how tall the animal le, they say from ten to fifteen times. Not only may we reasonably conclude that Jumbo was 'the largest land animal in the world, or, at all events, without any superior in size, but it is safe to say that a. much larger walking. beast could not be made out of flesh and bones, This is me- chanically demonstrable. In order to sup- port a' heavier creature, the size of the legs, even with practically solid bones, would have to be ao increased as to render pro- gression impossible. These considerations indicate that we shall never see a larger land animal than Jumbo. After a visit to some of the Alaska glaeciera, Mr. Thomas Meehan states that beneath the Muir glacier, said to be four hundred miles long, flows a rapid torrent, which he estimates to be one hundred feet wide and four feet in average depth, and which runs summer and winter without in- terruption. At its termination the glacier hangs over the sea and gives off icebergs. Mr. Meehan remarks that the great ice sheets have their lakes, rapids, waterfalls, hills, valleys; that their waterways change their courses at times through the melting, and that melting proceeds freely in the sun's ray, but not in the shade, Herr Wenstrom, a Swedish engineer, has invented a machine for separating iron ore, apparently one of great utility as an ad- junct to the appliances of iron furnaces and one for which use can be found at rolling mills and engineering works. A hollow cylinder is caused to rotate horizontally by means of cogwheels at its ends. In the cen- tre of the oylinder is a kind of drum of iron bars which is made highly magnetic by an electrical apparatus. Iron ores are fed over the cylinder as it rotates, and the fragments adhere to it so long as the magnetic action of the iron drum suffices Saos offer the neoees- ary action, but fall off Dinh° reverse side in three distinct heaps, according to their richness. The feeding must be done very carefully and the ores must first be crashed, The power required' is very small, Many forms of toothache may be prompt ly and pleasantly relieved by chewing cinna- mon bark. And cotton, soaked in two parts chloral, ten parts of oil of almonds and six- teen parts of glycerine, often allays earaohe, Grand temples are built of small stones and great lives are made up of trifling events. A man applied for a vacant situation as footman, oto. "Let us hear what you can do," said the lady of the house ; "can you wait at table ? Do you know how to carve .a fowl?" "As to carving," was the reply "the senora will be satisfied on that point when I tell her for two years I melded in the dissecting -room of the hospital,"