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