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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1886-6-24, Page 6The Hn&ineer, faire a ,(itch at Ilene the through see ens riles lauutn souls — 011, on, through the gay eunehine , Thee at the throttle -bar, brown mad grim, R His deep eyed looking ahead. tutee engineer to hie oily clothes,. StOttnil firm and free trout dread,, The traok Is his own, ars meat give war, Yes! See at the town, on there 'the mornien freight on the aiding waits; All la right; uo call for care. Ah, Ood 1 an open switch ! One move .end ria bar it quick reversed; Then the air -brakes drag, Junrpl jump! or death, On your t oul will do his worst. The engine lurches upon the switch, i ust ahead there stands the freight ; fie can save hie train if he keeps his post; For himself 2 ah t well, ask tate. A frigntiulcrash ; the passengers saved, Witte their faces white with tweed ; But "moor his engine, crushed and torn, The brave engineer hes dead. Think. as youfly'mid the sunshine bright, Or throng h the storm and rain, By day and night, o'er plain and gorge, Of the engineer of the train. Think of the thou=aade of souls he holds In his grasp, without a fear ; Think of the strain on nerve and on brain, And pray for the engineer. MY NEW FRIEND. CONOLUSION. The day appointed for the meeting, as detailed in the last chapter, was evidently to be an important one in my little history ; for I was at length to see one of my em- ployers, and I hoped that he would be fa- vourably impressed with me. Perhaps I felt quite as mnoh anxiety about my being favourably impressed with him„ With his rooming, too, my first reoegnised transaction In the service would be completed ; for the representative of the Bstgian firm would appear also, and hand me the delivery -orders for these goods in return for cash. It was essential, as Scsta had pointed out to me, That 1 should manage all this, as my agency would be largely concerned in the Belgian trade, and it was well that these people should aee at the oatset that I was intrusted with the conduct of a big affdr, I was pleased at this, ef course, and Mc, Chelps ,waa no less delighted than myself. .When the morning arrived, Mr. Chelps novas in 'unusual spirits, hopping about with briskness quite remarkable tor him, and quite remarkable, too, in an elderly invalid. .He had already told me that he had sno- ceeded in obtaintng the money; he had re- • mimed this on the previoaa afternoon, but it ',even in the form of a ohegne; and foresaw some d ffi.nity in its acceptance by the Bel- gians, who would naturatly regard a cheque offered by him by very different eyes from what they would regard one from much a firm as Banner, Wregga, and Cerrowble. He had told Soate that this would probably be the case; and the latter, with his usual readiness, had promised that he would ar- range so as to prevent any obstacle cr in- convenience. So remarkably briak was Mr, Chelps, that, having obtained permission for our servant Lizzie to go on a rather long errand for him .he insisted upon opening the street door to all callers himself, to save Mire. Matley and myself the trouble. Not only did his buoy- ant spirits prompt him to do this and to sit all the morning or nearly so, in the office, to be in readiness, but he avowed hie inten- tion of baying' quite a lot of flowers,' as 'be said ; and so opened our front door at !meat half -a -dozen times to hail the passing ,genders ef roots, blossoms, or bulbs. Onoe or twine, I ce me up into the hall while he was haggling with these men; but each time he pfaytuliy insisted upon my going baok, as he did not intend Mrs, Matley to have the slightest idea of what he was going to bay. :It was to be a surprise for her, he said. So the morning wore en until punctual to Itis appointed time, Mr. State appeared ; and alnreet directly after him the Belgian r:epreeentatiee, This latter was a pertly, reepectable looking gentleman, who seemed rather surprised at the aspect of the house to which he had been summoned to transact each important business; Scate evidently caught the glance, and, ready sensual, said : c" All very new here, sir—we shall have it altered in a few days. It was a long way to fetch you from the City ; but Mr. Matley " —tide is Mr. Matley"—we bowed to each anther—" will have a great part of our Bel- gian and French connection business, and so we wish him and his branch -house to be individually known to our continental friends. However, I'm sure you'll not mind so long as the cash is here; and here it is." " No, sir," returned the gentleman, who did not seem very much impressed by the rather ready jocularity in which Mr. Scate ao much excelled. " As yon say, It is no tininess of mine," " You have the delivery notes, or war- rants, of oeurse?" said Scate, becoming terse in his turn. " I have'; here they are," returned the stranger ; ' and here is a receipt for sixteen hundred pounds cash." " Quite right," said Scate.—"Now, Mr, °helps, your cheque,—And here In good time is Mr, Wregga ; se you will have the security and see the principal at onoe as I ,Iiremiaed," As he spoke he ran and opened the door at which a load knock had jest Iseea given, and nehered in a dark, keen - looking man who ',truck me as being one of the most sinister looking individuate I had ever beheld ; an idea not weakened by hie • being loaded with much ponderous jewel. eery, This is Mr, Herdley, who represents Det- roit & Ce., sir.—And this la Mr. Matley our mew agent, sir, of whom spoke to yon.— .And this Is Mr, Chelps, a personal friend, who wishes, as I have told you air, to be allowed to join in your epeoulatione,' Mr, Wreggs acknowledged each introduo- tion with a short bow, accompanied in eaoh oase by a furtive glance whioh in a measure u'ominded me of my cnatomer Mr. Jerry '!Wilkins, " Will you see if those are right, sir ?" bald Seat° to the new arrival, handing him the papers from Mr. Herdley, as it aoemed the Belgian agent was called. " Yee ; they will do," said Wregga ; and after a little buetle In getting out hie locket. book, Soate gathered np the papers again and laid them to the desk, ' " Now, Mr. Chelps," he continued, " Mr, Wregga Las kindly promised to bring some More notes, as I know foreign homes are aometimee very reluctant to take the cheques of atrangera,—Have you brought them, air 2" " Yea," said Wregga briefly, drawing out in his turn a bulky pocketbook and hand- therefrom a packet to Scene. "Thank you, sir.—Then, if you will ,give me your ohcgne, Mr. °heirs," con- ,tinned the latter, "l: will hand over notes .sof equal value, and give you the Inman Mr, Chelps, who had been geeing, as it Aaeemed to mo, in a kind of rapt admiration 'from Mr, Wregga to the Belgian agent, and ,Track from the Belgian agentto Mr. Wregga, net this appeal produced a carefully folded Wainer -looking slip—the obeque. ".It'rs en the. Bank of England, you see, he Haid, as he handed it to Seate, "Your friend Mr. Wregga knows tell about tene estahllsb. went. He laughed as he said this. ; and the laugh was repeated by Soate and Wregga, but. Is very different tones. The former took the ohrque, and tbttist the heap of notes, increased by some from his own packet, to Mr. Herdley, saying : " You will find those right, I have no doubt, sir ;' then pushed the papers, or warrants, to Mr. Ohelps, adding ; "And there, k your asourity, sir." Mr, Chelps clutched them eagerly, crammed them into hie pooket, and then, to my surprise, thrust two ef his fingers into his mouth, and whistled loudly, We all started in amazement, and looked at him but before a eagle word could be spoken, the door of the room was thrown violently open, and then, to my greater amazement, four men melted in. In the momentary glance I oaught of them au they entered, I saw that two of them were oertaiuly fellows of whom I had seen Chelps buying fl,wers an hour before, while another was as certainly the stranger to whom I had spoken at the bar of the Three Bells. " What the'—began Spate, turning fiercely upon Chelpe ; but ere he could complete his sentence, the old man had sprang from his chair full upon him, twe of the strangers seizing Mr. Wregga at the same Instant, " Get off, you old fool!" shouted Spate, with a savage oath ; "leave go or it 11 be the worse for you," "On with the bracelet', B1111" cried °helps, in a tone utterly different from hie usual voice, and maintaining his grip with overpowering force, despite of the tromen dons struggles of Soate. The latter plunged and kicked desperately; but the stranger of the Those Bells assisted Mr. Chelpe in holding his man, while one of the meter mongers—actually one of the flower-men— pulled out a pair of handcuffs ; and in thirty seconds from the time the door was opened., Spate and Mr. Wregga were each handcuffed and each held in the grip of two men ; while Mr. Herdley and myself looked on in helpless eurpriee and in my case at anyrate, some little dread. When he released hie hold of Smite, Culp turned to me with a smile—a smile slight and (inlet in itself, but whioh yet seemed to mange him altogether, so that I should hardly have known the man. " Yon will apologise to Mrs. Matley, if you please, for our causing so much unpleasantness in her house," he said ; " but it was unavoid- able. We shall not require your assietanoe at present ; and I wish you particularly to assure your kind little wife that this will do you no harm—rather the ether way. I shall call again this evening, after attending the court with our frienda." Then turning to Mr. Herdley, he con- tinued : " We shall want you with nus, sir,—Now, Bill'—to one of the meter - monger -like men, as I had once thought them, but whom I new began to see were something different—" call a couple • of cabs and let ne be off," " Bat who—who and what are you ?" I said, although I felt that I could have answered the question myself ; " and what have these men been doing 1" "I am Sergeant Moley from Sootland Yard," replied nay lodger. " My name may be known to you. I will tell you all about these gentleman when I call around this evening." His name known to me 1 I should think it was indeed, as that ef the meat dreaded and successful detective offi;er of the day. " Oh, it's you, is it 7" hinted Spate, " If ever I get olear again, I'll pat a bullet into you, if you are above ground." "Ah l' said Chelps—er Moley—coolly, " that's what you are going to do when you are free. Yon are not free now, and my advice to you is to wait until you are, before you talk of your plans," In another minute the Dabs arrived, and the whole of the strange party took their departure ; Moley again leaving an amine ing message for my wife, while the stranger of the Three Belle paused in the doorway to give me a most expressive wink. I need not say how startled Snean was by my account of the long expected interview ; indeed, bat for the message left by Mr, Chelps, in whom the still had great con- fidence, although he turned out to be a dis- guised dotectrve—but for this, I am aura abe would have utterly broken down. It wet a great change, to be sure. All my bright visions, all my hope of returning prosperity, gond at a blow 1 and "'e were now as badly off, or even worse than when the hateful bills announcing the sale of my furniture were affixed to the house. The day wore slowly and miserably away, until we had almost given up the hope ef seeing our late lodger, when a knock was heard, and Lizzie after answer. ing it, came to the breakfast -room door, and with her eyes opened to their utmoat power of staring, and a face expreeaive of the most intents° astonishment, said : " Mr. Chelps, ma'am, has called, and wants to see you." " Ask Mr. Chelps down," said my wife ; and the next instant there was heard a quick firm step on the stairs, and then a dark, close -cropped, clean -shaved man, with keen email eyes, ef square and power. ful build, presented himself. He held out his hand, exclaiming : " What 1 don't you know your old lodger? ' We asked him to sit down, whioh he did ; and atter a few apologetic remarks to my wife, he said, in answer to our inquiries, thar°,the would make a Olean breast of it, and tell us all about the mystery. And, as you know I am fond of a pipe," he continued, " I will take the liberty, ma'am, of having a whiff during my story. I al. ways think a man gets on better if he smokes. We of course made no objection ; and Mr, Chelps—to give him once more his old familiar name—after a moment's delay in preparationlighted his pipe, took two or three kindling " whiffs " at it, and then proceeded with his narration, thus : " You know already that I am in the police, Mr. Matley—and yon, ma'am—so I need not stay to explain anything about that. 177011, in the oouree of business, dur- ing the last year or two, we have been put en the traok of a very dangerous and artful gang of swindlers, who were up to all sorts of dodges. Sometimes they would buy goods, and pay for them with bilis that were never met. Sometimes they paid for them in forged notes, which then , got Into general oiroulatiou. Sometimes they bought stolen goods and goods from fraudu- lent debtors ; in fact there's no telling all the earnest they were up to ; and yet we could never quite get hold of them. More than once we have caught the men who actually appeared in the work ; but they were at the beet subordinates ; more often indeed, they were dupes themselves. At last it was pretty clear that one Jddward Phillips, alias Soatc, alias Nottingham Ned —by whioh last name he was generally known in flash oiroles--was deep in the business; and we were erdered to keep Mm in Wove. " We got come information soon after this ,paper from his poekot, and took thence a • whioh proved of ileo, We were told that hie Orme--ae you knew he calla it—were about to try their games on with some Belgian peopio, and that he woo going to. open a new reoelvfng.house by the aid of a man who knew' nothing of the firm or its pl+►ns, This man Wes yqu, Mr, Matley but as we did not wish to be sinner catoh- ing: the dupe, who wits, as innocent u the parsons who bpd been cheated tbemeelvea, L hit upon aplan byhigh I hoed t a little fartherItp o pene- trate.1 no the mystery. I made 'equities aliogt you, sir ; and found what didiionitios you were is cod oharaoteryou bare,o 'and what ' d rs I could prate nearly tell what line Soate would take with you, and when he would begin,. " bit it, you must own/ fairly well, I came to ask about your lodg(nge ; and, to my delight, when I was asked into this very room, there sat the man I ws n10118 in- terested in. Ho did not want you to leave this 'melee for a bit, so he early edvieed you to take suck an easygoing, purblind, thick. beaded old fellow as me for a lodger. 01 course I bad expected. to take furnished apartments ; but when I found how things were, I said I would prefer bringing my own,' And so you did Mr.—Ch—Moley 1" exolaimed my wite; " beautiful new fur- niture, which your married daughter, who had gone to Australia, had recently bought for you." " Ah 1 yes, to be sure, my married. daughter 1 her furniture 1" returned our friend, with a broad grin. " Why, bless your heart, ma'am, I went straight from here that night and hired it. I haven't got any married, daughters ! haven't got any daughters at all. I'm an old beohelor,' " Good gracious 1' excl%imed my wife again; " but yon were gaits overcome when you spoke of the loss of Mrs, Chelps, Do you mean to say "— " I do indeed, ma'am," interrupted Mr, Moley, " We are obliged to do those things in the detective work. I could see von did not really like Soate ; nor did Mr. Matley." " I did not," I said ; "I took a dislike to him from the first." " But to go on with my story. Oaoe in the hoose and fleeing him, and hearing what ho had told yon, my work began to be as plain as ABC. It was quite clear he meant you to run your head into the trap, and buy the stolen goods ; be the responsible agent ; give the forged bilis ; gat rid of the fiaph noses, and ao ore Bac the thing wanted was to get him to play all hie nerds at once, so as to smash the whole concern ; because you Bee, ma'am, I wasn't quite satisfied even with the uhanca ef getting him, while there were ethers behind. So I talked aboutmy ready money which I wish- ed to have employed ; and he jumped at the bait more readily than I expected. " His plana were soon altered. Instead of going on gradually with you, he meant to have a big haul over this Belgian affair, and then ,beer off. He meant, it was very clear, to sell the goods directly he got hold et them, He or his preoloue partner Wregga, had already sounded some people about buying them, and found they could get very nearly full value on the dock warrants. Then there was my money— eleven hundred pounds, you know—the two things together making such a pull as he did not often got. "The first transaction you had was with Mr. Jerry Wilkins. His name is ne more Wilkins than mine is ; but that don't mat- ter, Well, what you bought was plate, sir, the proceeds of some burglaries at the West End.—Don't be alarmed ma'am ; nothing can touch your husband, who had ne know- ledge of what he was doing. Well, I wanted to be sure of this ; se I took care to listen, and to loiter in the front garden so that I could aee Mr, Jerry when he oailed—" "Then I suppose," said I, interrupting him, " that I really did see you looking over the banisters, and hiding at the back of the hall on both nights ?" "Yon did so, air," replied Mr. Moley; " and on the evening he came I planted one of our people at the Three Bells, who sent a boy to your plane with a message, and so got you out of the way, while I examined the parcel you had bought. But when you said you had had a "turn" through not be. ing able to find the package, which was on a different ohalr from where you thought you had laid it, you gave me a " tarn too ; for while you spoke, I remembered I had left it en the wrong chair. However, It name all right ; and State no doubt thought it was all right having succeeded in making you buy stolen goads. Yet if this Belgian affair could be brought off, he would not want yen at all; that was plain enough. " Well, sir, to out this short, as you knew most of it. I waa aware that these men were desperate ruffians of the worst class, You would hardly think it, ma'am, but I am morally sure, though I can't bring it home to him, that this Spate has been in some of the cruelest things ever ,committed, So I got seine of our men to call this morning, some dreaaed np as oostermongera, one to ask a queation, and so on, and I slipped them in without any ene seeing them, and stowed them away in my room, When I whistled they were to rush down at once. " All went beautifully. The partner Mr, Wregga—a worse scoundrel, if possible, than the other—turned up jest as I wished; while Mr. Soate having got hold of my cheque, paid the Belgian party in bank -notes every one of whioh was forged. He had given me the chance to examine them be- forehand, He was a little too clever. He had prepared false dook-notes too ; and when he was pretending to let his partner examine the originals and so forth he chang- ed the Bete, Bo that he held the true ones, while he gave me the forgeries. When this was all done, I thought he had gone far enough, so I jast gave my whistle, and Well you caw the rest." "I did tee the rest 1" I ejaonlated; "and thoroughly astonished I waa to me it, Bat the strange gentleman—the Belgian Agent —was he also of the gang ?'' " Oh no 1" exclaimed Moley ; " he cer- tainly was not; and there domes in ma'am the beat part of my story. ' (He always addressed my wife when he had anything 'specially interesting to nay.) "If I hadn't got such a;finiah to toll, I don't think I should have troubled you by Doming round tonight, Mr. Herdley was aware there was something euspioious in the busineee, although he did not know exactly what it was ; and at first he thought, naturally enough, it was you Mr. Montag, who was at the bottom of it all, Bat I took pare to put all that right ; and shall always be glad I hit upon the idea of coming here to lodge if only for being able, through doing so, to clear away any aaspioion of that kind, Well Mr; Herdley and Mr, Crobson the head of your late firm, having married two deters, are of oourao very friendly; and owing to what Mr. Herdley has been able to say of you this day, your late firm have taken a great interest in you; so mnoh so, ma'am, that old Mr, Richards the head olerk having resigned, they will write to -morrow, offer. ing your husband the post." Susan and myself each uttered a cry of surprise here, "It'd quite right ma'am, you may rely," continued Mr. Moley" evidently delighted at the improdaion ho had made; ",you will , have the letter to -morrow for certain, And who ao fie • me you, Mr, Matley, a men who knows the buelnees, and who has always done hie duty by the firm." 1 cannot stay to repeat all we said, or how wo thanked the kindly deceptive, or how he pretended to ridicule my wife for Drying at what had ought to make her ,mile, while I could actually see a sympathetic glisten- ing in his own eyes: He stayed with long enough to smoke several pipers, When he rose to loaves he said : "No joking apart, ma'am,, jest the sober trot you know—don't you think I wai prat well of u as an old man 7—pretty anama$u,youknw!" pret well. f "It was wonderful," said nay wife "I never was more deceived in my life. I never saw anything on the stage to compare with THis prophesy was borne out to the letter. D y old employers wrote to Inc the next day; and on the following Monday I took my seat as head of the oountin tames in which I had worked so long al a clerk. Nor did Dir. Moley himself fare badly. The arrest of Spate and Wreggs led to other captures, and finally to the breaking up of the beat oreanlzrd and most dangerous gang of awindlere in London; a resuit whioh brought Mr. Moley promotion, a handsome present trom some merohants, and repeated eulo• glume is the press ; the fatter testimonials giving him, perhaps, the greatest pleasure of the whole ; for with all his shrewdness ani determination, he was rather 6/ vain manFo, nude r many years, an, indeed, he retired to hie native county en a pineion, Moley name once in each half year to dine with us; always on a Sunday, and always with presents for our children, who regarded him as a sort of extra unole, and were always up• reariously glad to see him. Reversing an Ox Team. Ienole Pete Dugan it one of the oldest engineers on the Erle 'asailroad, He has folio Nod boating and railroading from boy. hood and is as i g norapt of the countryand its ways as If he had never been outsie of a olty street. During the past week buelueas has been dull on the road and Uncle Pete has been enjoying a short vacation with his 09 t family. Tommy has a very fine yoke of w oxen, and is as expert in driving them as h' hie father la in managing a locomotive, Qa nethe day after his father's arrival Tammy eeoked up his oxen for the purpose of draw- er ing a load of wood, Uncle Pete was anxious to go with him and learn the process of " running the bullgines. " The wo ids were about had a anile from the house, and up a steep hill. The up trip passed very plea. r nely and Uncle tote preload Tommy very highly on his skill se's driver: When they Wore ready to return Tommy fixed a seoure emit for hie father on the load, where' he could hold on to one of the binding chains and a stake to steady bimaelf, As aeon as they ware fairly headed for home, Tem gave the oxen a sharp out with the whip, and sent them scrambling down the road at a lively gait. "Easy, Tem, easy," said the old man, hugging closer to the load, " Git up, Bright, git up Buck 1" shouted Tom, giving them another out. " Easy, Toni. Drop 'em In easy, I tell you, or you'll ditoh us as sure as thunder." But Tom kept en plying the whip until they were daahing down the hill at a fall punter. "Slack up 1 sleek np 1" cried the old man, pulling at the binding chain as if giv- ing the signal for down brakes. " Can't slack 'em," shouted Tom, " Hang hard and you're all right " They were now within a few rode of the woodshed, and the old man, aooustomed to the guidancecf the iron rails, saw no escape from mashing into the budding. Tom was still swingirg the whip and shouting at the top of his vote a. trade Pate became frantic, Catching Tom by the arm he cried out : " Tom, you break -neck villain, throw 'em over ; for Heaven's sake reverse 'em or we're gone to smash," Tom brought up at the door of the wood- shed with the oxen panting and blowing like volcanoes. The old man clambered down from his perilous seat, walked around the oxen, eyed them suepiotously, and then ccnfrouting his son, said : " Tom, these machines may be all right for light grades and short runs, but if you have got the plunk to ride 'em over such roads as these without reverse or brake, you beat the old man, that's all." THROUGH TEE ROOKIES. Condition of the Canadian l'acitic Line in the Mountains. Mr. H. Abbott, general superintendent of the C. P R„ has arrived from a tour of in- spection through the Rooky Mountains. He left Donald, B C., Friday the 14th of May, and the train came west within two and one- half miles of the summit of the Salkirk range, where a hand -oar was taken to the summit. From six to eight feat of snow was on the level on the summit for about half a mile, where a elide had occurred. West of the summit there was a depth of from two to three feet of snow for three miles, whioh gradually diminished until it entirely disap• peered about five miles from the summit. He walked two and one half miles aoroas the " loop,'' the track wending at this p;,int into two long loops, increasing the two and one half miles distance in a straight line to five tortuous miles. Thia is the only portion of the road that was not gone ever, an earth slide at the lower end of the loop. preventing connection through from Donald to Farwell. The elide is probably removed by this time. At the end of the loop an en- gine was in waiting to oonvey Mr. Abbott to Farwell. Where snow elides have occurred they have filled the cuts with snow. This has caused in part the delay in running trains through 0 wing to there being no men em- ployed in repairing the track through the winter and spring months, the freshets from the hills have in many places washed out small portions of the roadbed, but en the whole Mr, Abbott states that the damage sustained is trifling, and a short time only will be occupied in making the track ready for the running of trains. For a mile and a half west of Farwell, where the bed was built of bad material, the track has been rendered impassable. This is the only sec- tion, Mr. Abbott says, that was not fit for traffic when he visited it. When railway work suspended last November no atatien buildings or tank houses had been construct. ed, but a large force of carpenters are now at work erecting these. About 1200 men are employed in the mountains, and 700 more are on the way. Mr. Abbott is con- fiaent that regular trains can be run, unless some unforeseen event in the meantime oc- curs to prevent, on or before the 1st of July, The contract has been awarded to the California Bridge Co., tor the erection of a steamship wharf in front ef the property recently placed on the market at Victoria by the C. P. R. This will be 1000 feet in length, constructed of weed. Work on the wharf will be commenced on the let of June. The offioea are now being erected, They will he of wood. The maohine shops, round houses, etc., whioh will be of brick, will be placed en the English bay side of False creek, where it is wen known that the company have 5,000 acres of land. The site is now being cleared for these, and Mr. Abbott is anxious to imm- inence their ereotien at once and complete them before the rainy season sets in. They will be the principal workshops of the com- pany west of Winnipeg, and will employ a large number of men. The hotel ground, en the most prominent part of the old Granville reserve, is about clear, and the contract for excavation was let the other day. The foundation and brick work will be proceeded with as noon as the material can be procured, brinks now being manufactured far the purpose. Besides the terminal buildings, M. Abbott is also clear- ing two villa lots for the purpose of placing a handsome residence thereon. This will be a bluff commanding a fine view of the bay and inlet, A 0. P. R. steamship will run from the terminna to Victoria, Hold Cheap on AAocount of a Misfit. " Yon say the coat is four dellare?'' " Four tollnr, mine frien," " And you warrant it all wool 7" " All vool except the pnttons and putton holes." " How the dickens otn you afford to sell a wool coat for four dollare 2" " Mine frien, I don't yonder yen van sum briaed. Vy de vool in dot goat vas vorth more as four toiler, so helup me Moses." " Then yon meet lose money on it 2" "Py shimmy gracious! you makes me tired. But mine dere frien, I told you von little segrot and don't gif it away. De fleeces on de packs of dose cheeps vet grew dot veal vac misfits and haf to be Bold at great reductions 1" Sympathy. Small Boy—"I say, Jimmy, mx'a jest got a new Churn, one dem bens two -minute ohorae what brings de batter in no time." Jimmy—" Is it painted blue 2' Small Boy—" Yep." Jimmy—" Cog wheels on the outside, an a orank 7" Small Boy—" That'd it." Jimmy Did the feller wet sold it to yet ma have warts on hie neok 7" Small Boy—" Yep." Jimmy—" Stands up high, like, with four lege 2 Small Boy—ii Yep," J immy.—['Earnestly]—t"Scotty, I feels sor- ry for yer, Me got one jest like it last week. D'ye know why I wfisn't awimmin' all day Se.urday Y Smell Boy—" No," Jimmy---" I was a ohurnin'," 1-.1.1104111. Onr Agricultural Display at the Colonial. Everyone one pretends to any knowledge of Canada, and especially its newer regions, has read Maooun's "Manitoba and the Great North-West." For while evens maroh with almost unparalleled repndity in these western countries, yet Bo complete is this work, that it still remains a standard authority. The writer, Professor John Ma- coun, is now in London in connection with the botanloal and natural history section of Canada's display. He has travelled, as but very few others have done, from Nova Scotia's extremest limit to the very western shores of Vancouver Island, and one may therefore go to him with ne little confidence to learn something of Canada's recent de- velopment in matters agricultural. " Well, Mr. Maceun, ' remarked our re- presentative en meetirg the professor In the agricultural court, "what do you think of Canada's agricultural display ? ' " It is unquestionably the display from the Dominion. The trophy here ie a marvel to visitors, and well it may be, for after all there le nothing of whioh Canada oan justly be so proud as the progress of its agriculture. The grasses and grains are exoellent. You will see here some first-rate samples of the hard wheats of the North-west, And peo- ple should know why they are hard. It is not due to the variety but entirely to clim- atic influences. If yeu sow a soft variety of wheat in the North-West, you will find it - turn a flinty grain, for the absence of mois- ture and general dryness of the autumn ne• ceaearily make it so. You will notice also in the North Weet samplee as many as three and four grains to the fan:dole, and if we had samples from as far north-west as lati. tutes 56 to 59 you would find five and six to the fascicle. In Ontario samples yon will find but two, Hence in the North-West the wheat yield of a fair field rises to so high an average, Ontario, Nova Sootia, Eastern Canada generally, and British Columbia, have also a good collection of their wheats on exhibit. Some of the Q ebeo eamples— enpecially those from Little Metis—you will find wonderfully like the wheat growth of Manitoba ; indeed I find that the wheat grown in Nova Scotia and Northern Qaebeo much more largely partakes of North-West• ern oharaoteristioa than the growth of On• tario. Then we have good winter wheat from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario, but not from the N orth. West for practically none is grown there." Butchery in Ashantee. A telegram from Cape Coast Castle says : "Captain Flrminger has returned to the river Prah from Becquah and Adana', where he has been engaged in investigating the pensee of the recent disturbances. He has, however, been unable to effect an im- provement in the state of things, The Adansie were friendly, but the Beoquahe, numbering about 10,000 strong, refused to allow any interference, They informed Captain Firmtnger that they intended to retake the four towns captured from them in the war of 1874, and given by herd Won Haley to Adanais. An Important engagement was expected to be fought on the 21st inet. A party of forty-five Garman traders, sur- prised by the Becquahs, have been put to death, after being horribly tortured. Prison- ers were tortured on beth sides. Both the Becquaha and the Adansis expressed great dissatisfaction at the refusal of the governor to intervene, The governor was asked to mediate some months ago, when both sides were willing to accept his good ofiioea ; and had his excellency then consented' it is thought that the present trouble might have been averted. It is expected that the Adanaia, being the weaker party, will be driven aorosa the Prah. The present state of affairs is most seriously iodizing the com- merce of the oonntry, tradebeiag completely stopped, and all the roads being closed. Part of a detachment of the West India regiment waa landed here from the troop- ship Tyne en the 19th May." He was a wheelman, He had called at a farmhouse for a glass of water, but the farm- er's pretty daughter had offered him a glane of milk instead. " Won't you have another glans 7" she naked, as he drained the tumbler with a sigh and appeared to be taking en mythical' with both eyes, " You ate very good," he replied, " but I am afraid I shall rob you " " Oh, no," with emphases. " We have domuch more than the family can use that we're feeding it to the calves all the time!" BELLE ETARR, THE OUTL EIW. The dela ntures of a Female, *Ober In the Northwest. ' One of the ettraotions of Fort Smith, Ark., last week was Belle Starrwho was in the town to answer two indictments In the Federal Ceert; first for being implicated in the stealing of a tine mare, the one rid- den by too notorious John Middleton when he was drowned in the 1'otean river, twen- ty-five miler above that oity, in May, 1885 ; and eeoond, on a charge of robbery, in. whioh It 1s claimed that Belle, dressed in mate attire, led a party of throe men who robbed an old man named Ferrell and his Ohre') sone, some forty miles north of Fort Smith, in the Choctaw Nation, The cape was adjourned to August next, and after the examination, Belle swung her Winobeeter to the saddle, buokled her re• waver around her, and, mounting her horse set out for her home on the Canadian river, Before leaving she pnrchaned atm pair ef 45•oalibre revolvers, latest pat ' , with black rubber handles and short reel for whiohshe a paid $20, She chews d em wih t the remark : "Next to a fine horse I admire. a fine pistol. Don't yeu • think these are beauties?" Belle says she anticipates no trouble In es. tablishing her innooenoo in the oaeos against her, but thinks it is terribly annoying to have to spend her time and money coming down hero to court five and six times a year. Belle attraota oanalderable attention wherever she goes, being a dashing horse. woman and exoeedirgly graoeful in the sad- dle. She dreasee plainly, and wears a broad -brimmed white man's hat, surmount- ed by a wide blaok plush band with loath - era and ornaments, whioh is very becoming to her. She is of medium size, web formed, a dark brunette, with bright and intelligent black eyes, Being asked for a brief aleetoh of her oar• eer, she said in substance that she was born at Carthage, Mo., and was 32 years old last February. In 1863 her father, being a Confederate, removed with his family to Tr xis where he continued to reside after the close of the war. After the surrender Quantrell's men name to the locality, and were at all times welcome guests at her father's home. When less than 15 years of age she fell in love with one of the dashing guerrillas, whosename she aatd it was not necessary for her to give. Her father objected to her marriage and she ran away with her lover, being married on horseback in the pre- sence ef about twenty of her husband's com- panions. John Fisher, one of the meet not- ed outlaws in the State of Texas, held her horse while the ceremony was being per. formed, her wedding attire being a black velvet riding habit. About three weeks after the marriage her hnaband was forced to flee from the conn - try, and he went to Miramar!, leaving her in Texan, Her father learned of his hasty de- parture, and in order to iadnoe her to re- turn home, sent her a message that her mother was dangerously ill and her presence WWI required in Mete. She immediately went home, but found that she had been duped, as her mother was not sir at all, and it was then she experienced her first captivity, for the old gentleman looked her up and kept her in confinement for about two weeks, after which he gave her choice of going to school in San Antonio or to a amalier plaoe In Parker county, She was Raced in school at the latter plane and re• matned there for some time, but she was not allowed to communicate with any one outside of her family. While there her husband again came to Texas, and after considerable trouble learn- ed where she was and Dame after her. By this time her admiration fed' him had become somewhat impaired, an a rat she refined to go with him, but, after consider• able persuasion borruweci a horse from a young fellow who was attending the name school, oatenalbly to take a short ride, and, meeting her husband after dark, they struck out for MIseouri, where her husband pur- chased a farm and made an effort to settle down and lead an upright life. He was harrassed by enemies to such an extent that he could not Iive in peace, and finally they killed his brother, and in return he killed two of them, after whioh they again fled to Texas, and from there went to Loa Angeles, Col., and remained in that State for some time. From there they again went to Tex- as, and her husband was killed. Having followed the fortunes of an outlaw thus far, she has since been true to his friends and comrades, and she has continued to associate with men of. hie calling, having lived among the Indiana nearly ever since, with the ex. oeptien of two yearn spent in Nebraska, She has spent some of the time with the wild tribes. When at home, her companions are her daughter, Pearl (whom she Delle the "Can- adian Lily "), her horse and her two trusty revolvers, which she calls.her"bablea." The horse she rides she has owned for nearly five years, and no one ever feeds or handles him but herself, and it wonld be risky bud. nese for anyone else to attempt to ride him, She says she has been offered $300 for him time and again, but that $500 would not get him, He is a small sorrel horse, and when in good condition is a beautiful animal, Belle is a crack shot, and handles her pistol with as much dexterity as any frontiers- man. No man enters Younger's Bend with. out first giving a thorough account of him- self before he gets out. In winding up the interview she said : "You can just say that I am a friend to any brave and gallant outlaw, but have no use for that sneaking, oowardolaes of thieves who oan ba found in any locality, and who would betray a friend or, comrade for the sake of his own gain, There are teer four jolly good fellnwe on the dodge n* w In my section, and when they come o my house they are welcome, for they aro my friends, and would lay down their liven in my defence at any time the occasion de - mended it, and go their full strength to serve me in any way." The Lion Throne. Few of our contemporaries made any special reference to the throne upon whioh her Mejaaty was seated at the opening of the, Coionial exhibition, As a matter of fact, it was none ether than the royal seat of the Lion of Penjaub, Ruejeet Singh bimaelf, the chief of the trophies sent home from Lahore after the glorious oampafgn on the Five Rivers. That some of the morn- ing papers epoke of It as a chair may be due to the foot that a onehloned lining, specially molded upon one of the toyed chairs at Buokingham Palace, had been fittedinto the famous throne, It was a ourioue coincidence that at almost the same moment the eo.oalled " heir " to the Sikh sovereignty should have been eolioiting the, sympathy of his compatriots in the Pun. I'nub, while here in London the Empress of ndia should have been seated upon the veritable lioned throne of that once potent nation. ' A local wag definer; nothing a being as bung hole without a barrel. 8