Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1886-2-11, Page 6'whisteelenasinoetinnweassitieenissinesetesiteneenenenentaineaneainevaitnemerenetauselnivelener 1 Story of Love and Wild .Adventure, founded upon Startling Revela- ' tions in the C eer Arabi Pana ar of . y the 4Wher o/ " NINA, 'XIII NeitwIST," " THE REA SitinnB," " TIIE RU,SBIAN SPY,' ETD., ETC. CHAPTER XXVII. IS ESCAPE IMPOSSIBLE ?—.EAT CAPTURES AND DISM0UNUS A BATTERY. Pat Monaghan bad not exaggerated matters for the Bedouins really were already in pur- suit of them, on horeebaok, and mounted on fleet dromedaries. True, they were not yet clear of the oasis, whilst the fugitivea had .reached the bound- less desert sands and were skimming across them au yachts under full nail skim the sews ; but for all this their chancea in the life and death race that was aeenrodly about to en- sue would be small indeed against the long• legged camels and the swiftfeoted drome- daries of the wild sons of the desert front whom they were seeking to escape. " God save ail our people !" exola imed Captain Donnelly presently, with great fer- vor, as the remembrenoe suddenly occurred to him, "for Arabi Pasha counts upon sixty thousand of the Bedouin robbers and cut- throats to help him to red Egypt of its 'Christian population. I have heard so from the best authority," " I dare say they will be officered by those who will be able to keep them well ander control, for I do not even yet believe that the war minister is one-quarter so black as he is painted," replied Nellie, gravely. "You are welcome to think what you like of him, darling, since you cared for hint so little that you preferred risking the perils and hardships of the wilderness with me. I wish, though, that those infernal mountains were a little nearer, for I vow that desert nand is more deceptive to distance than even water. There come the Bedouiva out into the open desert at a trot, 'Twos even so ; there they were, humped upon their camels and dromedaries, or be- striding their horses like Centaurs, with their long beards and the loose ends of their scarlet kuffeeh or shawl head coverings) fluttering in the (airand the white moon- light glinting on their bright lance points, rifle barrels, drawn swords and the whole armory of lesser weapons that each man carried in his broad leather belt. One of the camels, too, was surmounted by a small piece of artillery palled a ginjaul capable of throwing a half pound ball to a great distance and with accurate aim as well, No sooner did the Bedouins discover the exact position of those of whom they were in search than they waved their tasseled spears and sent up a wild wheel) into the moonlit heavens that sounded not unlike a chorus of wolves over an unexpected feast. Nellie trembled and felt faint at the fierce and barbaric yell, and the young officer could not help exclaiming, "Would to hea- ven that we had hazarded the railway cars after all." But no sooner had the vain re- gret escaped his lips than Nellie rejoined, "You acted for the beat, Frank, and God can protect us here as perfectly as in the train. We shall have to endure, perhaps, a longer suspense, but that is all." As for Pat Monaghan, he replied to the Bedouin yells with a cheer that was almost as wild and quite as reckless, and as he Mee had a spear to wave he did it with a will. In fact, like the petrel, which is only live- ly and cheerful in atormy weather, Pat was in his element again, and felt as man are prone to feel after a bottle of champagne. When the Bedouins I.resently discharged their firearms and the bullets therefrom all fell short, making scores of little fountains of sand where they dropped, his joyous ex- citement reached its zenith and he excIam- ed " Be jabers and if there was but another five of the old corpe here to make up a nate half dozen, we'd soon rid yer honor and the young Teddy of them scarecrows," and at this point Pat Bent up an eldrich shout of defiance. "It's no use wishing for the Impossible, Pat, and we must take comfort from the old saw that he who fights and runs away will live to fight another day." This from his master ; but Monaghan was not so easily pacified. rind the ginjaul, and who hummed to be swifter thou tiny of them, even though every non And then he wee drawn sharp up to permit of that quaint but provoking piece of ordnance being discharged frena his back. The worst off it was that at each uhot the aim of the swarthyvtseged, red -turbaned cannoneer was evidently improving, that le to say, if he hadn't been,p1ayh g with thein all along as a cat does with a moue°. At last a ball hummed past so oloae to Pat's ear that ho involuntarily raised a hand thereto to still the ringing in It. Next he uttered a strange national inter- jection (in naming it after one of the nine parts of speech we are speaking mildly) and the next instant, to the infinite surprise of both his master and Nellie Trezarr, they beheld him turn round and spur furiously toward instead of away from the approach - Ing score of Bedouins, who were now, how- ever, stretched out over fully a quarter of a mile of desert, the gun camel and two dro- medaries bring well In advance of the others. "Lome bank, madman!" shouted Frank Donelly, at the top of his vcice, but Pat Monaghau wasn't as mad as his master deemed him, for though he rode straight at the camel and its rider and with fully as much ardor as that where with Don Quixote charged the windmill, yet he gained far more by the encounter than did the Knight of La Marche, fur though he made pretense to charge with his spear, yet no sooner did he get close by than quick as lightning he slung that, under the circumstances, useless weapon, and drawing his revolver gave the huge camel and the two dromedaries a cou- ple of charges apiece. To miss such bulky targets was almost lmposaible, end the camel immediately toppled over onto its nose dead, whilst one of the dromedaries sank on its side uttering the most plaintive bellows and its compan- ion, maddened with the pain of a less seri- ous wound, tore trumpeting across the plain, at right angles to the course that it had hitherto bean pursuing ; so having accompllshod all that he had desired or in- tended, Pat came galloping back wild with glee to hie companions, yelling at the top of his voice as he drew within earshot " Faith, an' I've silenced that battery ard dismounted it as well, an' sure, now that I've had a rale brush with the enemy I'll run away as fast as ever you like." " I shouldn't wonder if you had saved all our lives by your courage, and whatever happens we'll consider eurselves indebted to you and it to no small degree, my brave fellow," responded Captain Donelly, as the three once more sped across the level desert eide by side. And in truth Monaghan had rendered no small service, since the race was now al- most one of horse against horse, for the other camels that the Bedouins possessed seemed to be of no great account, two be- ing heavy with foal and the remaining three evidently old and stiff. Yet, though, thanks to Pat's valor, cir- cumstances had wonderfully improved with them, the three fugitives were far from being out of the wood, for not one of their human foes was much the worse for Monaghan's skilful diversion in their favor, and though .they were doubtless not a little disconcerted at the Foringhees being pos- sessed of weapons that could do such a maximum of damage in such a, minimum of time, their vastly superior numbers evidently gave them confidence that they must come offtriumphent in the end, and so they still kept up the pursuit with ardor and with an increase of savagery. But the race would now take a Ionger time in the running (both pursuers and pur- sued knew that), and the latter were cheer- ed by the very minute nearer and nearer looming of the mountains, those mountains from whose summits Cairo and Alexandria are alike visible, with the blue ocean lap- ping the latter town and marking the high- way to England. Another ten minutes and the ground be- gan to rise, five more and the desert sands were left behind and the bright blossoms of the prickly pear gleamed from between clefte in the bare and arid rocks, whilst higher up from between the natural columns of pillared basalt the wild fig and plum, the pomegranate, the date and the melon all bloomed together, amidst clustering masses of the pink and yellow wild rose. "Faith its running away widout any fighting at all, we are. Half a crust is bet- ter than no bread, so on the same principle one bite at a Bedouin would be more satis- fying than six snaps at the empty air, But thunder and turf, it may come to that yet, for those ugly bastes wid their corporations on their backs are making the running, and no mistake, and the chap wid the swivel gun on his shoulder is clewing round to fire." Frank Donelly gave utterance to an eja- culation that sounded like one of alarm, for on glancing round in turn he saw that the camel that carried the ginjaul headed the chase, and that it hadbeendrawn up mo- tionless to permit of the Tittle piece of artil- lery being fired. The match gleamed, and with a puff of white emoke a puff of red flame the ginjaul exploded with a shrill report, and the iron ball therefrom hammed over their heads and fell far in advance, It was a most unpleasant discovery that they were already well within range of thie novel kind of "bow -chaser," albeit that there was eome ground for congratulation in the first ball having missed them. Still, it was far from, likely that all the rest would follow suit, which was evidently also the opinion of the Bedouins, so frantic was their joy on perceiving it splash up the sand in front of the fugitives, " We must ride farther apart, aye, the length of an arm and sabre apart," said Frank Donelly, who rightly guessed that if the Bedouins were inclined to spare either of them it would be Nellie, and who there- fore wished to give her a chance of life. though it might be denied to himself and Monaghan, He thought she would not conjecture the reason of the change in formation, nor did she, beyond that it might bo in order that a ball should not slay more than one at a time as the aim gradually grew to be more scour, ate, and thie suppoeition caused the blood to run cold in her veins, for she felt that their peril must be great indeed, Vet all three still tore en for dear life, heading straight for the mountains that every minute seemed to become vaster and nearer in their front, and which, could they but reach in time, might afford them scene hiding place from their savage pursuers, though even that was but a bare hope on their parts, and on the other side of those hills they knew that there was another din sent a hundred times more vast and terrible than even the ono whioh they wore now traveraing. On, still on, but now the agile dromedarioe began to draw ahead of ail their other pier - Pure, of all at least gave the one that oar the part of a bowie would have launched both itself and rider into wee, to be oaught after many a gyration in 'nucleate- amongst the topmast Omahas whoee leaves were etirred;r,y the desert air hundredsof feet below. Oa one occasion on looking down they descried thelr puraners at least a hundred feet beneath them, on the 'same, winding path, cud ee situated that had they bad any loose rocks at their command they could have rolled thein over itind oruehed the 13edoulns, or have hurled them from their narrow perch into mld•atr, but their were no eufiloiantlyheavy masses of stone about, capable of being rendered sorvieeable in this manner with a less rffioient instrument than a lever or a crowbar, so that the flight had to bo continued without pause and with no knowledge of where and how it would end ; but anyhow, to attempt to arose the mountain, to descend on the other nide and then to renew their flight =rose a second desert ae vast and level and track- less as many a sea was not to be thought of. Frank Donelly was still racking his brains and encouraging Nellie by turns, whilst Pat Monaghan Drought up the rear whistling in rubdued tones one popular Irish song after another, when all at once the soft cadence of some reed instrument became clearly audible at a little distance in the front. The air was monotonous yet not unpleas- ing, but as much could not bo 'aid of the player, who at the next turn ba the recent was suddenly revealed to their view stand• ing in the centre of the narrow mountain track and intently regarding the steep messy banks on the right whilst he played. So intent wee he on what he was about that he neither heard nor saw those who wore approaching him as fast as ever the steepness and roughness of the road per- mitted. Then all at once he dropped his instru- ment and darted out his aim, and as it was withdrawn Captain Donelly perceived that it grasped a serpent whioh was writhing and twisting in a futile attempt to escape. Whilst thus engaged the utter and nn - redeeming hideousness of the man became apparent. He was clad in a mass of fluttering raga, and wherever his skin was bare (which it must have bean in a hundred planes at least) it was covered with coarse hair like a gorilla, His naked and emaciated arms and legs were in the same condition, whilst a curly iron gray beard and whiskers reaohed up- wards to his eyes and downwards to his waist, his long matted elf -looks streaming over his broad shoulders in the same filthy and unkempt condition. Te complete this appalling looking being's description his huge broad nose was al- most blood red, his leaden lipped mouth showed through a volume of ohamped-up foam ranges of jagged yellow teeth that would have done credit to the jaws of a wolf, his ears were tremendous and almost as red as his nose, and his oyes gleamed beneath joined bashy brows with a dull red luminous glow that told either of madness or some- thing more fearful still. twain the tail end dropping on the narrow path and the • deadly head (fortunately, perhaps, for hie how's legs) going over into the abyss that yawned on their left. Then, oro the somewhat asteunded canton could draw another serpent from his basket, which it seemed to be his intention to do, u'rauk:Donolly had him by the, beard, whioh, grasping firrnly, he firat of all gave hie beard a good shaking thereby and then said in stern tones : " You will either save us or pariah your- self, That you can save eta I know, and if you dont or won't, I swear to you that the most remarkable thing whioh these Bed- ouins shall find about ue when they over- eake us will bo your head severed from the body. Can you understand that ?" " Yee, yea," gasped the now frightened canton, ' let go my beard a nd I will serve yon truly, By Allah and the prophet, 1 will save you all." - " You oan walk beside my horse as well as in front of it, for whilst I hold yon in this way I'll be the better able to take off your head on the slightest show of luke- warmneas or troaohery. If you serve us well you shall be well paid—aye, paid be- yond your most greedy desires ; and you must know well enough, you old fool, that if you delivered uo over to the Berke/ins, they would only throw you a few parse for your pains." AU the while he was preaching to him in this manner, Frank Donelly was drag- ging him along likewise, for they were in no position to waste even a minute. By the time that he had finished speak- ing, however, the santon seemed to see the force of his remarks and to fall in with his reasoning as well, for he said in more de- cided tones, " 1 will save you," and pres- ently added, "Behold, the door that leads to safety is at hand." (TO BE CONTINUED,) To add, if it were possible, to the horror of this seeming ghoul's appearance, he carried a big but somewhat dilapidated basket on his back, through every fissure in whioh a serpent's hand was thrust forth, whilst over his shoulders, across his brawny breast and in and out through the filth of his hair and beard orawleda perfect colony of huge scorpions, their scales rattling and their death -dealing tails sometimes lashing the air. Captain Donelly had by this time recog- nized in the strange and repulsive looking being who stood directly in their upward path one of thorn scorpion eaters and snake wizards that are so common in the a€tlec of Egypt at certain seasons of the ye :r, though at other times they are never seen, and who reap a rich harvest by charming bouses from being entered by serpents or anathematizing away those who have already made a home therein ; who also head sundry of the relig- ious processions and pretend to be imbued with the spirit of prophesy, on which occa- sion they become so excited that they not only foam at the mouth, but scatter it all about them as they rave, when it is eagerly collected bytheir credulous dupes who fancy it will secure them certain admission to Paradise when they die, no matter what may be the number and weight of their sins. But in half the time we have taken to de- scribe this ghoul -like being Captain Frank Donelly had determined what he should do with him. Doubtless he thought the mountain was his home and he -was acquainted with its every oavern, in which case he would be able to show them many a secret hiding - place, from whose snug seclusion they would bo able to laugh their foes to scorn ; where- fore willing or unwilling, he should guide them thereunto. CHAPTER XXVIII. THE DEFIANCE OF THE SCORPION EATER, Whilst asaend ng the mountain side Cap tain Donelly began vaguely to wonder what was to be done next. During their flight towards these hills his only thought had been of reaching them as the only possible place of safety, but now that they were reached, the question arose, wherein was their safety ? True, he had both read and been told that at a certain height they were perfectly riddled with caverns, which had been bored into their sides to form sepulchres so long ago that the race who had -made them were forgotten even in those ancient days when Pharaoh reigned in Egypt and Joseph was hie Vekil. But then, suppose that they could not find those caves, or worse still, that their pursuers saw them enter one of them, or even tracked them thither by the hoof priuta of their horses, for in either of these caries would it not in all probability form a perfect death trap for them, no mat- ter whether their foes had the temerity to rush in and dispatch them at once or take the more prudent course of blockading the entrance and as starving them to death ? These were disturbing thoughts enough, and almost, indeed, too much for one man to bearfor the young officer could perceive that his faithful attendant, Pat Monaghan, placed the meat perfect trust in his ingenu- ity for getting them all out of the serape and that Nellie 1rezarr reposed an equal degree of confidence in him. How he wished that he could only believe that he deserved it, but he neither could nor -Tared so believe. He was quite alive, however, to the vital importance of now or never getting well ahead of their punnets, so that whatever ruse they endeavored to put in practice should be at all events unseen by them, So in half a dozen words he expressed hie views to his companions, and all three urged their horses up the now steep incline with what speed they were Able, though never' could they get beyond sound of the hoof- etrokas of their purineere, Roueh and rugged every now and then was the zigzag ascent, iwhilst sometimes the fu tivoa would have to, 't g ride in Indian fio. along the edge of a precipice of dizzy depth and where a dingle false obep or stumble on ITEMS OF INTEREST French flats are becoming very popular in Boston. The largest American; cannon throws a 1,080 -pound ball. It is estimated that there are 1,000,000 cattle in Montana. The census of 1850 places the number of Mormons at 110,377. The English " setting up" drill, which produces the ideal wooden soldier, is said to be a fertile cause of lung and heart disease. The oldest newly -franchised laborer in England voted in the village of Reston. He was 93 and he walked a long way to vote, of course, King Solomon, in Arab literature, as well as in the writings of the nations they rub• dued, appears as the greatest magician the world has ever seen. The Paris municipality are about to hold a lottery, from which they expect to make a million and a half francs for the relief of dlatrcased workingmen. At the island of Innisbof&n. Ireland, the whole population, about 5,000, are verging on actual starvation. At least 500 are sub- sisting solely on seaweed. For 82,481 there was recently sold in Bos- ton a single ticket from that city to Denver, good for aparty of nine, in a special car, with privilege of loitering on the read. A German geographer and statistician, Dr. A. Fisher, estimates that an annual slaughter of 40,000 elephants is necessary to supply the ivory exported from Africa. In Lincoln county, N. M., near the Pattos Mountain, can be traced what were once walls of a large city. Inside the walls are growing monster cedar trees, said to be thousands of years old. A baboon on Staten Leland in a confirmed beer drinker, and often gets hilarious on it —makes a man of himself, as it were—but will not tolerate the music of a band in his vicinity if he can prevent it. A recent oase in the Glasgow Sheriff Court brought out the fact that there are large numbers of girls from fifteen to eight- een years old working for half a dollar (two shillings) a week of fifty hours. Washington supports between 12,000 and 17,000 dogs, of which not half are licensed. Yet the poundmaker never knew of a oase of hydrophobia in the District and the only mad dog he ever saw was one in Germany in 1862, It is a Yankee who suggests that the way to determine whether or not your room is properly ventilated is to keep a goblet of water on the table, and when you see it filling up with gobular particles open the window. He had no doubt that the man knew some- thing of Englisb, from the number of times he had doubtless performed before English- speaking people in Cairo, Alexandria and other places, and therefore at once tackled him in the language he best understood him self. " My good fellow," said he, " we are pur- sued by Bedouirs who would rob us of all that we'possesr and then murder us. Save us from such a fate and it shall be the best paid night's work that you have ever per- formed in your life," The scorpion eater evidently understood what waa'said-to him very well, but the pro- mise of good pay altogether failed to win bis services. " Accursed Kafiirs," he yelled, " an is it to me that ye would appeal for your mlo- erabie live ? To mo who have quaffed of the blessed Zemzem well and kissed the black stone of Mecca? To me who have rubbed my brow agabiat the sacred camel and flung stones at the devil i Ts me, who, by the leave of Allah and the friendship of the prophet, can handle the deadliest reptiles with impunity? By'the'hundred and four- teen Chapters of the El lehoran, if ye ex- pect aid or resistance from Abou Seif the Banton, ye aro fools and the sons of fools." The air of exultation with whioh he Paid all this sufficiently revealed the hatred which he bore to the entire European ra;e, end as he concluded he planted hin'self right in the centre of the narrow pathway, with his right arm dt'retohed toward them, and in, the hand pertaining .thereto, as though it had been a lethal weapon, the seipont he hadjust churned forth from its not in the battik, and„which was a horrid looking reptile of at least five feet in length, and a flesh color reclining to retie, with ie flat triangular abap ed head, scintillating, rainbow -hued oyes, andan open mouth that displayed enormous poison fangs, The snake looked an though at the oherm- era bidding it was•proparod to leap from his hand upon who ever approached hire, but so much more serious to Frank Donelly's notion was the danger feet coming up be- hind than the one which barred their pas - liege in front that with a cheery word to Nellie not to be afraid, for that he wee only "an old fool and humbug," he urged his horse forward, and as the huge serpent ac- tually did spring toward him at the charm- er's bidding, with one hissing swoep of his sabre, whichor oma little t tib w l hile he had f s diDgE 11(M SE] WLa Tnseots on House i.'iants. The green fly ie the most destructive of all if left to itself. It awoke the jufoo so as to destroy the plant in a short time. The insects of this kind (aphis) increase with such rapidity that in five generations one aphis may be the progenitor of 6,000,000, and there can he ten generations in • year. A weak solution of tobacco, applied with a syringe or eprintiled with a brush, affords an effective way to kill this peat. To deter- mine whether the solution is too strong, a leaf eliould be placed in the solution for a short time, If the leaf is browned or burn- ed, or turns so when taken out, the solution is too strong and water must be added. The plants must be cleaned off with clean water after the tobacco has been applied, The operation,ahould be repeated until the pests are destroyed. The thrip is an exceedingly aotive little Inseot, one-tenth of an inch in length. It lives on the leaves, in the bode, and even in the tiny crevices of the bark. Its color varies from a whitish yellow to a dark brown, It attacks the extremities of young shoots and new leaves, which become yellow and withered, and will crumble to dust when rubbed together, To destroy this in- sect use the same remedy as for the green fly. he red spider (acorns tellarius) is a very tronbleaome little oreature, and, if allowed to go unchecked, will bring ruin upon every- thing, although no doubt made for some good purpose. Whenever the red spider makes his appearance the atmosph ere is too dry. If it is in the living -room the atmos- phere is too dry for the health of the 000u• pants. The first indication of the spider is the turning yellow of aome of the leaves, after whioh their webs will cover the leaves. Water is fatal to the red spider, and in a room with the atmosphere of proper humidi- ty the Insect will never flouristggbo do any injury. But When they take hold to do any mischief they may be destroyed by the use of strong soapsuds. The cocoa or scale insect is a common pest on some kinds of plants; orange, myrtle, camelia, oleander, and other hard -wood plants, will especially be infested by them. !hey appear upon the under side of the leaf. When removing them they adhere so closely that a stiff brush is required to get them off, and sometimes they have to be scraped off with the thumb -nail. Wash the plants well in soapsuds. It is the faahion to place gold paper hearts and dried rosebuds wrapped is mag- nolia leaves on the tomb of Juliet de Ve- rona. Juliet's tears aro aolcl in Verona ; but they are confectionery, a sort of Verona brandy ball. It is the testimony of a Boston physician that infanta frequently die of starvation in that city as the result of their being fed pre- pared food, He says furthermore that this practice, resulting from ignorance, is most extensive among the wealthy classes, where ignorance of other things as well as this is most to be found, Tales of the Sea. At noon on O et. 24, when ten miles south- east of Kaneiang Ieland in the Flores Sea, the steamship Hampshire sighted the track of a large whale, and shortly afterward a number of men: were ;observed about, four miles away off the port bow. _ The ship's course was immediately altered, and we ran down to the men, ten in number, who were clinging to some bamboos whioh had floated from the wrecked vessel, A boat was low- ered and sent off in;charge of the second offi cer with four men. The men were picked up and brought on board the steamer much exhausted. The men, on being questioned by Capt. Carpenter, said that they .were three days out from Labra'Hadji, in Alias Straits, bound to Maoassar with a cargo of rice, and about 8 a, m, that day they were under full sail, when, without the slightest warning they were thrown into the water by a whale striking them from underneath and smashing their veaseI into splinters. The men, on reaching the water, swam to some bamboos whioh were -close by, and had been in that position some four hours before be- ing sighted by the Hampshire: As the Perrifio Mail Steamship Company's tugboat Restless was on her y;ay down to '1 agami, on Nov, 30 a onrious2 incident oc- curred, She was travelling at the rate of about eight knots when, without any per- ceptible reason the speed suddenly deoreas- ed, although the indioator showed the same pressure of steam, and the engines were work; hag smoothly. One of the crow went for- ward, and, on looking over the bow, dis- oorned a large fish, which had been struck by the vessel clean in the centre, and was hent back slightly on eaoh vide. A boat- hook wan brought, and the fish securely caught under the gill, but it was so heavy that it took rix of the crew to haul it on deck. It provedto be a fine apooimenof the sunfish, and tneanured three feet four inchce held bare in his hand he cleft it right in by two feet six inches, B, RSQII4L. Signor 13aldi of Gdnoa boasts the posses. cion of the fetter once worn by Christopher Columbus. Sir Leonard Tilley received a New Year's turkey from a friend in Quebec that turned the scales at twent-y-eight pounds. Musurus Pasha, who will spend most of his time in Englaud, has reoeived the privi- lege of " the entree " at court for life, George Bancroft, the historian, now 86, and George id. Calvert, $3, are the only Americana living who ever saw the great Goethe, A. E. Poe, who olelaas to be a cousin of Edgar A, Poe, in employed in the unpoetioal and exoeedingly practical work of teaching in a public school at Glenwood Springs, Col, Mr. John W. Mackay's grandson, called the "young Prince Colonna," is to be chris- tened in grand style ata cost of $600, which, says the Now Yorkeiforld, is said to be more than the ohiit3, o lather receives in ayear for serving as an effioer in the Ital- ian ai my. Mr. William Edgar Marshall, the cadet engraver of New York city, is engaged upon a portrait of Confederate General Lee from a negative taken in Richmond during the war and declared to be, by General G. W. Curtis Leo, the only profile negative of his distingnished father in existence. Mr, George Augustus Sala makes Eng- lish readers of his letters from Melbourne uncomfortable by deolaring that laboring men in Australia earn eight shillings for a days' work of eight houra, eat meat three times a day and have no State church to support or State drones to feed, Lily Macalister Laughton, regent of Mount Vernon Association is olaimel to have " the smallest and most perfect form- ed foot in America." She alae has her sec- ond husband, and it is related that just be- fore her marriage she gave one of her slip- pers to a charitable fair, when it was raffled fon The lucky number was obtained by Bishop Potter's son, Frank Potter, who used his prize as a watch case. N. Floquet, who wants to be President of the French Republio, has for hie wife one of tho most charming women in all Europe. She is a women of affairs, too, and is known in the crowded corners of Paris as a good wife. " Wherever she shows herself," writes an admirer, "she is greeted with a hum of admiration, I never saw a finer quality of long, smooth, jet black hair than hers, and her clear olive complexion, smooth skin, black expressive eyes, rosy lips, and smiling eyes speak of perfect health." There died in England a few weeks ago, aged 89, a wealthy old harridan in high life, in the person of Lady Rollo, who, in effron- tery and imperiousness, out-Kewed Lady Kew. Although she exercised most auto- cratic sway as a hostess, she was on one oo- oaaion, at least, completely outwitted, Among her guests was the daughter of as Irish Earl, a very frisky damsel. The men in the house were not to her taste as part- nere, yet she felt like dancing. Sha whis- pered her wishes to ©on other young lady guests, and found thuite of her mind. Presently the sound c •, a waltz drew Lady Rolle to the room, when, to her rage and amazement, she beheld Lady H. whirling round in the embrace of a stalwart and handsome powdered footman, while her friends followed her in the arms of similar gallants. Two Englishmen went to Boston, the home of American culture, to get some in- tellectual inspiration. This is their story : —" When we arrived in Boston we hired a cab, and told the driver to show us the prin- cipal sights. He ju asd up on his box with alacrity." I']fke you first," he said, a to see J. L. Sullivn d house, rWho is ha ?" we inquired. "Never heard of J. L 1" responded cabby. " Why, where do you hail from ?" " From England," was the re- ply. " Never heard of him there ? why, he's our great fighting man," "Rubbish 1" said my friend impatiently ; " we Dome to see Boston, a great intellectual centre, and the first thing you propose to show us is the house of a brutal prize fighter," Cabby muttered that the house in question was a fine one, and then suggested driving us to the market," Apropos of Lord Cameroon's rumored re- turn in England to the Secretaryship of State for the Colonies, the Herald remarks : It was this office in Lerd Beaconsfield's Cab- inet that he resigned on a question arising out of the Russo-Turkish war. He was a successful minister on the whole, though he failed in his attempt to confederate the South African Colonies after the example of Canada. He will be remembered in Canada as having been the Secretary of State for the Colonies when the act confederating the British North American Colonies was passed, and as the umpire in the dispute be- tween the Dominion and the Province of British Columbia, although the so-called Carnaryon terms were the suggestions of the Canadian Government and not the Col- onial Secretary's. Lord Carnarvon is still in the primo of a statesman's life, having been born in -1831, The office that Colonel Stanley,• the present Colonial Secretary, is to take is not mentioned, Cooking Receipts. SWEET MILK GEMS,—Beat one egg well, add a pint of new milk, a little salt and graham flour until it will drop off the spoon nicely. Have ready your gem pane, well greased and heated. Bake in a quick oven and send to table hot. SCOTCH SWEET BREAD,—Half a pound of butter and a quarter of a pound of sugar mixed to a cream ; add one pound of sifted flour, knead and roll it half an inch thick, Bike slowly. If the Dake is preferred very sweet nee six ounces of sugar. WHEAT MUFFINS.—Mix One pint of milk, two eggs, three tablespoons yeast, a little salt, with flour enough to make a stiff bat- ter; let it rise four or five hours and bake in muffin rings in a hot oven about ten min- utes. Rica CAKES are a dainty. Half a cup of cold boiled rice, the same of corn meal, one egg, a bit of butter, salt and auger ; milk to make a rather thin batter. Grease the pan well, as these are apt to stick. SEED JUMBLES,—A quarter of a pound of Iard, six ounces of sugar, two eggs, a quar- ter of a pint of milk, hell an ounce of seeds, either caraway or pounded coriander, and nearly a pound of flour. MUSH WAFFLES,—Otte quart of flour, one pint of corn meal mush, two eggs, one tablespoonful butter. Salt to tho taste; milk to make a thin batter ; mix and cook like rice waffles. INDIAN DROP CAKES,—One cup of sour milk, one egg, one small teaspoonful of sal- eratus and salt. Make a stiff batter, using two-thirds Indian meal and one third flour. Fry like rye pan cakes, CITY CREAM CAKES.—A pint of cream and a pint of mIik, four ogga, salt, soda and cream of tartar as usual ; flour to make a nice batter. These are a luxury. RISEN GRIDDLE Canes receive the s d- dition of yeast, and should be mixed over night. In the morning the butter or lard ehould bo dissolved and stirred in. ST, LOUIS BUTTER TAFFY.—One cup of sugar, one-half cup of water, one teaspoon- ful of molasses, two teaspoonfuls of vinegar, butter the size of an egg. SPONGE, CAKE.—Whites of four eggs, one- half teaspoonful of cream tartar, one•half min of sugar, same of flour, one teaspoonful of lemon, Ready to Oblige. In former times, when the mails were car- ried leas frequently than they are now, and when the rates of postege were so high as to be a heavy tax upon correepondenoe, it was much the custom for travellers to take par- cels and messages from place to place, ae a friendly or neighborly office. Here is an old-time anecdote relating to this custom : "My dear fellow," says one who is about to start on a j as he takes leave off a friend, " I'm off to -morrow, Can 1 take any lettere for you?" " You're very kind," anawerod the friend, ":But where are you going?" "0b, as to that, I haven't made up my mind yet 1" This same obliging spirit used to be shar- ed by the stage drivers, who carried the mails before railroads were built. They did a general passenger and express business for the people who lived along the route on whioh they drove. In Warren's hfotery of Waterford, Maine, there is a characteristic story told of a man who used to drive from Portland up into Oxford County, It was in the spring, and the roads were at their worst from the front leaving the ground. All the passenger°, who could walk were picking their way alongside the road, occasionally helping the horses up a long, tiresome hill by lifting at the wheels. Near the top of the hill was a woman waiting by the roadside, to hail the driver as he came up, She explained that a heavy loom which was piled nearby WAS.borro d of a neighbors living further up the road, and she wished to return it that afternoon. " Would the driver be so good as to load It on hie coach, end take it along to its des- tination ?'' " I'm sorry, ma'am, I'm really vorysorry," said the driver, deprecatingly, " but I'ni afraid T shall have to disappoint you this time. There's a saw -mill at the foot of the hill over the other side, which I've engaged to take on this trip, and I couldn't carry both ; I'rn sure I couldn't." On the door -plate et a Brooklyn renidenoe may be read : "Mrs. Gibbs, eloouttoniet, pootee', washer and ironer," The washer and Ironer probable support the elocutionist and poetess. How Royal Beds Were Made. A curious story of the way in which royal beds were made some hundreds of years ago has just been published. Whenever the bed of Henry VIT. was made at the Palaoe of Sheen, it bad to be done in the following fashion : " First of all the curtains were to be drawn, and a gentleman usher held them together. Then twd Squires of the Body stood at the bed's+had, two yeomen of the Crown at the bed's fes. nd all the clothes were laid on the oarpe until the contents of the pa Tierra were rat made After this ex- ercise the yeomen had to leap upon the bed and ' reel him up and down' to array the litter. Following this the servitors had to ' lay down the canvas again, then the feath- er -bed, and boat it well, and make it even and smooth.' The two yeomen afterwards took the'fuatian and oast it upon the bed without any wrinkles, and the sheet in the same fashion, Finally the yeomen had to beat the pillows and throw them up to the squires to lay them on the bed -head, as might please the King's grace, pie bed- , clothes were at this point to be brought pretty well up to the pillows and turned down the space of an ell. , In the end, the graoiola chronicler cryo, when all was done, 'the immoral functionaries engaged withdrew behind the curtain that divided the room, and had to drink all round,' " It has been observed that water is fatten. Ing, that those who drink large quantities of water have a tendency to fullness and rotundity, That there is considerable truth in this observation the Medical and Surgical Reporter fully substantiates. Though ex- ceosive imbibition of very oold (teed) water, especially when one is very warm, is not to bo commended, yet we have reason to be- lieve that the unlimited use of pure spring water, at its natural temperature, is net only very cotduoive to health, but has an actual tendency to favor a fullness and roundness of the body,