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The Exeter Times, 1886-12-16, Page 6I517.7 RIFT AN OR BAY, LOVE AND VENGEANCE AMONG '1 (SMUGGLERS, Tun Wail FaSCINATIN9 OCEAN Coo.rmt am) CHAPTER XV,—(Corinaro en. ) " Yon are a good sort of dear, you ere," said J oseph, in a eontemplative tone, as though retlecting aloud, " YOU will take care that Mrs, Wagner don't know that I ever go, Joseph, ; beeause, if you and Tom did not help me I could not do SO, you know," "All's right, Mise Grace—all's right. I only hopes that if I am ever laid up in or- dinary, like poor old Jabes Hutchius, miss, some good angel, as like you as possible, will look after me a bit." "1 will, Joseph." Lord bless you, miss 1 you will be a grown up lady by then, and be getting married." "Oh, no—no 1 I mean to stay with Gerald all my. life, Joseph." " Well, rams, that's as it may be ; but yon was a -going to tell me something." " Yes. I did not see Hutchins, but at thecloor of his hut a gentleman met me, and took the basket from no, and while I was talking to him I saw a green rocket and made sure the Rift was close in, so I ran off at once and Made Toni row back," - " Well, miss, it was all right enough about the rocket, and the Rift is coming in, but she is beating on and off a little, for some reason or another. That's all you see, my dear Miss Grace. Captain Dolan has a reason for all that, you may depend; but the Rift avill soon be in,I take it, and then you will see Gerald again, poor lad." "Yes, yes," sighed Grace. " I will hope that You do not think, Joseph, that there has really been a battle?" "1 don't know; but I will own that it looks like it." " But—but--" " What is it, miss ?" " Nobodya would think of hurting Ger- ald ?" Joseph shook his head. "Bu1lt and shot, my dear, don't mall mind who is in their way ; but there may be a good many shots fired at such a little scudding vessel' as our cutter, and not one hit her," • • " Yes ! Oh, YOB! And so she has es - Aped ?" " 1 hope so." Oh, dear 1 Oh, dear 1" "Now, what makes you sigh in that sort way, miss?" "I was thinking—" "About what ?" "That gentleman I saw at the door of Hutchins' cottage. And it was so strange, too, Joseph, that after Tom had rowed the punt quite round the rocks, I thought I heard some one call out my name." "What name, miss ?" "Grace ! Grace !" "Well, that's odd; but you see it couldn't be, so there ain't no sort of good in worrying about it. There we are—there we are." Another rocket at this moment came high into the air and, as the others had done, sent down its shower of green fire. "Now, miss, the Rift will soon be in and Captain Dolan will expect to find the cliff open." "Yes—yes," sighed Grace. "Oh, that gentleman, it seems as if I could lie upon -his breast and go to rest so sweetly and so safely. But I shall see Gerald now—my own dear brother, Gerald! Oh, Joseph, he must not be made go again on board the Rift." " Hush, hush ! I will speak to you about that another time, Miss Grace." "Oh, you will, will you ?" muttered a female voice from some dozen paces distant, down a rugged staircase in the body of the atilt "Dolan shall hear of this 1" The voice was the property .of Mrs. Wag- ner, a woman of half Dutch and. half Ger- man descent, and who had been the house- keeper) if the expression may be used in regard to the cavernous house of the smug- gler) to Dolan for the past five years, and who was deeply in his confidence. Mrs. Wagner now stepped forward, say- ingas she advanced: " Come, Grace, it is high time for you to retire 1" "No—no 1" "No! But I say yes !" "No, Mrs. Wagner ; I ventured to stay up to see my brother Gerald come back." "Your brother Gerald 1" sneered Mrs. Wagner. "A pretty brother, indeed, who had to be carried on board his own father's ship 1" "Gerald does not want to be a smuggler!" "Oh, dear, no That is too good for my gentleman; but perhaps he will have to be something worse if he does not get cut off in the prime of his days 1" "What do you mean, Mrs. Wagner?" "Just what I say, and neither more nor less; so come in at once, will you ?" "No?Mrs. Wagner 1" "Certainly not. I intend to stay here and see the Rift come in." "Then you won't 1" Mrs. Wagner made a movement to take Grace by the arm and force her away; but the young girl stepped up close to Joseph „asshe said; "Protect me; I will not go 1" Avast, there, Mrs. Wagner 1" said. Jo- seph. "Can't you let the young thing alone?' " You mind your own business or perhaps I can say a something to Captain Dolan that you won't like." "Well, then, Mrs. Wagner, since you say so much you can just go and say and do your worst, and 1 won't have the young thing interfered with. I don't care about your Captain Dolan. What is he to me, or to any of us? We all row in the same boat. He's a smuggler and so are we, only the Rift happens to be his, so we go out with hum; but he has no more power or right to say to me or any of us Do this or ab that than we have to him." This is mutiny 1" Joseph laughed, "You stay here Miss Grace, and yon shall see the Rift come in, whether Wagner likes it or not." "1 will—I will 1 Oh! thank you, Jo- seph. 1" Very well," said Mrs. Wagner, jun tone of suppressed rage—" very well, you will settle that with Captain Dolan 1" "Ay, ay !" cried Joseph. "And there' the Rift !" Plainly now visible from thecliffs was the Rift, about half a mile from the shore, and apparently heaving to, while in the offing, and, so to speak, shutting the Rift up in the bay, was the Spray. This was the position which these two vessels held at the commeneeinent of our narrative,and which it has been our duty to follow theint!to, through the many adven- tures and hair breadth escapes of the snnig- gler and. pirate. We shall now see how it was that the RossA,alon Sine tie Ilavs QE l‘faatxarr, Rift so mysterionaly cliseppeered before the eyes of the astonished ollieers and crew of the Spray, E CAVEMN E 111,FT mar- Clia,APTus 0ELItmXVIIIL TH rEAN,Sfl suoau. To all el PP:a 4truaciegh t ' t lt oh l e Rift wns f Orisl°41113i drifthigt hr on to the cilia that rope so abruptly froni it. Abutting out into the bay some couple of hundred yards was a imp masa of cliff of Mr. Royle shook his head in evident in. about a quarter of a mile in total width, credulity on that point; and it was equally althoegh irregular in its surface and present- evident from the strange and anxious man- ing every possible variety of indentation and ner of Lieutenant Greeis that he did not feel jagged outline that a °ludic nines is auseepti- quite at Ids eaae on the subject. After a ble of. So far did the greater portion of further pause of acme few moments he said: this cliff extend into the bay that the low- "We have a boat left, I faney." est tide still left A good depth of water "Ay, ay, sir; but it is the small one." laving its base; and when the sea ran high, "Never mind; let her be launched and the wavt,s roared and lashed themselves to manned. , I will, go myself to see what I can fury up the stormbeaten natural battle. of this mystery. ' ment.Mr, Royle .;•ave the order and in a few The rains of a„,aes had dashed upon the moments the only remaining boat of the face of the cliff; and from above there had schooner—which was a small ono that would poured in long, devious rivulets, little rills not conveniently hold more than four rowers of water, bringing with them various dyes —was dancing on the waves by the side of from the scanty soil on the cliff -top, so that the Spray. the face of the rock next the sea presented Lieutenant Green leaped into his place not only amost disorganized mass in regard and took the tiller -ropes in his hand, as he to shape, but almost .every possible color in said: the way of paint -stains that could be found "Pull in, my men." in the earths above. With slow strokes, the four sailors pulled It was right on this chalky mass that the into the bay; and then one who had ' grown Rift seemed drifting to her own destrue- aeTay in the service, and who was always put tion. forward, as spokesman when anything had Apparently commencing at the surface of to be said to the'Officers, gave a 'mil to , the the see, but in reality going deep down into grizzled locks of hair that hung beneath his the chalk formation'there had beenvon open hat and said cavern—a sort of cleft in the cliff of abont "1 beg your honor's pardon:" fifty feet in height from the sea-lesfehat half- " Wi hat a it, Joe?" tide and souse fcirty or more feet in width. "May I be so bold, 'you'r hoior, as • to Into this eavern the waves had been in the make a hobseavation to your honor ?" habit of dashing with a wild fury that would . "Yes, yes; :wlsat is it ?" have appalled any persons who might have "Why, them your holier, itSlaalatokYs" been seized with a desire to penetrate its " What is not lucky ?" , depths; but vet, it wafa-evident, that there "To pull in after the craft as has ,gone had: been perscins adventurous enough for up into the air away yonder. Lor' bless the purpose, and but that there were some your honor, I've been to sea, man and boy, special circumstances that made that par- a matter o' forty-nine year, and I ought to ticular portion of the cliff avoided, no doubt know,by this here time, what's lucky and, i the cavern would have been much better what s not." known than it was. The other sailors looked at each other The cliff above was undercut to such a and nodded, as theugh they wouldintimate depth that a notion had taken possession of their opinion of the .nicontrovertible char - the country people and fishermen that it sober of the argument or hobservation just was dangerous and would come down in a made by old Joe. mass some day; and this being represented The lieutenant smiled. to the lord of the manor, whose jurisdiction "So, Joe, you really believe we have extended to the verge, he had put up a rail- come across the Flying Dutchman ?" ing and a warning—which, for a, consider- "No, your honor—no; because your able distance inland, kept people from ap- honor sees, as sve have all heard of him, and preaching the cliff's verge. • his was a square-rigged vessel, and not a All this helped Dolan and his crew, bit of a cutter like this, as we have been. It was many years before the time of bowling along after ever so long. It, isn't which we write that he had thoroughly ex- the Flying Dutchman, but it's one o' the plored the cavern and found out, no doubt, same sort." its great capabilities as a refuge for a small The rneu pulled so lazily at their oars smuggling vessel. But that was not suffi- while this httle dialogue was inprogress, cient. that it was evident they calculated upon Not only was the cavern to be adopted as some impression being made upon Lieuten- a refuge for so small a vessel as the cutter— I ant Green's mind, so as to induce him to if hard pressed by any pursuit in the Chan- I discontinue the expedition. nel—but some means must be adopted by I In that they were much mistaken. which the character of the refuge should " Well, Joe," he said, "is that all ?" be unsuspected entirely. This was a.ccom- "No, your honor, I rather thinks, if we plished ingeniously and successfully, goes on in this moonbeam, and gets to where Several old mainsails were procured by we last sawthe cutter, we shall come t� Dolan, which, when sewn together. were bad end." sufficiently large to cover up the whole en- "Very good, now: I rather think, if you trance to the sea -cavern. By strong eye- :don't all of you pull with a will, I shall re - bolts fastened deeply in the cliff, and some port every one of you as soon as I get back cordage, this canvas covering to the cavern to the Spray." could at any time be made secure or un- I This threat had its desired effect ; for if shipped at pleasure. It was well daubed it pointed to, nothing else, it certainly did with chalk, and the stains of the Winter to certain very uncomfortable stoppages of rains upon it assimilated it to the color of grog—which was not to be thought of with the cliff most exactly. It wrapped itself any degree of calmness. round the projections and fell into the hol- 1 So the boat from the Spray shot through lows; and at hall a mile distant, no one the water ; and although the men tried to couldpossibly—unless specially mfoimed keep it as clear of the ray of moonlight as that there was something to discover—have they could, Mr. Green most provokingly detected this canvas covering from solid would steer into it : and old Joe kept up a cliff. I perpetual shaking of his head, as a kind of It was by the firing of her guns at the continual protest at the foolhardy character Spray for some few minutes, and by the of the lieutenant's proceedings. smoke made by the Spray in answering that ) And so the boat made its way, until it firing, that the Rift got up sufficient obscur- was about a hundred and fifty yards from ity on the night in question to enable her the cliffs, and evidently as near as possible to slip into the cavern and have the canvas over the spot on which the Rift had been covering replaced again securely. , I last seen. All was darkness in this home in the I The lieutenant made a sign with his hand, solid cliff, with the one exception of agleam and the men rested on thew oars, only now of light in day -time that straggled down and then giving a light pull to keep the boat through a hidden opening about half way from drifting. up and toward which rude steps had been "This is where she was," Joe ?" " Ay, ay, sir." "Over with the grapple and pull slowly." A barbed hook was cast over and let drop peered and they saw nothing but son, and aston- ished. Captain Dolan, her commander and Hence it was that when the amoke disap- cliff they were both disappointed and eaten- " Mr, Royle," said Lieutenant Green, " ho has sunk his vessel," "I don't know, sir." "What else can have happend ?" " Well, Mr. Green, I never did till now give way to these ideas." " What ideas ?" ‘'sortAofig)thuilP things; ships, if it besir,popossible that tli thoseata phantoui ship show itself on the blue water I slionld say that was one with whom we had a running fight for the last six hours," '''' PItl'Is°—allP\i°1" very well to say ' pho—pho,' air. but where is she ?" "At the bottom of the bay." made. This served for ventilatioitto the cavern. It was on the little plateau on the face of the °Mat the top of these steps that Joseph about twenty feet mto the sea, and then and Grace had stood during the progress,of the boat was slowly pulled over the spot twice. "11 the cutter had been sunk surely that grapple would have touched her." "No," said Lieutenant Green, half aloud, "11 she has sunk she must lie very much the canvas covering; and when the green over." rocket was reported as having been seen in Old Joe shook his head. the offing, it was the understood signal that The lieutenant now looked to the right the Rift was coming for shelter. and to the left, but there was nothing but And so, amid the smother of the smoke the tall cliff visible—not an opening of any from her own guns and from those of the sort through whieh the nutter could. have Spray, the Rift disappearecl bodily frombe- gipped and found shelter. fore the astonished eyes of the officers and The mystery was complete. crew of the government vessel. "1 cannot make it out," said the lieu, Slowly did the last remnants of the smoke tenant, curl up over the brow of the cliff, and sweetly " In course not," whispered Joe to the now did the moon look down upon the man next to him waters of the little bay. "Pull back my men." With slackened sails and beating, off and on with a heaving, restless motion, the Spray slowly drifted into the bay. Surprise, not umningled with a super- stitious feeling, sat upon the ceuritenances of the erew of the Spray. There was, indeed, a look of no small con- sternation on the weather-beaten counten- ance of Mr. Boyle, and it was some few mo- ments before he spoke to the lieutenant, Mr. Green, who was by his side, and who had only by strong swimming saved himself when the Spray's boat was swamped. by the anvil Ben Bowline had flung into it from the deck of the Rift. "Have I lost my eyesight, sir?" he sad; "or is it true and real that the chase is gone?" "Gone, indeed," said Mr. Green, with a strangely puzzled look, "But she was there." "She was—yes, she was there I" The crew of the Spray had gathered to the port how, which lay toward the ehere, and in silence gazed into the waters of the bay, which sparkled now in the moonbeams, and looked calm mia placid—land-locked as from the lieutenaut and firing it into the they were to so considerable an extent. sea. It appeared to them as if shelled run into Joe was not one moment to soon with this the bay, not with the object of avoiding cap- movement, for scarcely had the object ture—for that was too absurd—but th land touched the surface of the water than it her crew, and the fixed opinion of every sea. exploded with a loud report, man on board the Spray was that they would The fragments Of it flew over the Meth just have to take possession of the Rift, but no one was hurt with the exception of which would be abandoned, and theta shore Lieutenant Green himself, who gobis slight hunt would haYe to be made for the crew graze upoe one temple. the talk they had together, and it was upon these rude steps that Mrs. Wagner had come to order Grace to retire for the night. A couple of the crew of the Rift were al- ways kept at home in the cavern to manage This the men set to work upon with a right good will, and despite of the tide 'which set into the bay they would have got the schooner's boat out of the little land- locked place with much greater speed than they brought it in had not a circumstance happened which induced the lieutenant to pause in his proaress. Just as the boat of the Spray crossed the beams of the moon again, something appear- ed to be floating in the water which looked like a smell keg. --such as a man might sling around his waist or across his shoulders if taking a journey whererefreshinent would be scarce, or impossible to get. ' • What is that? in with it !" cried Lieu- tenant Green. "'That will do." The boat wa.s backed a stroke or two and one of the men, leaning over, caught the little keg and dragged it into the stern at the 1feet of Mr. Green. "What is it?" " A keg, sir." "It is metal, surely." "Hold, sir—hold hard, ahoy 1" shouted Joe, as lie suddenly snatehed the little keg The contusion which this little incident excited was aeon o'er ; but the small atilt kept the boat in the manse position, This is ,cliabolieal, ea.id, Lieutenant Green, as he eteunehed the blood frernhj forehead With his handkerchief. "Are you, much hurt, sir ?" " Oh, no. A mere sal:anis. It was A sort of shell, sir." "But what made you know it or suspect it Joe?" • "1 heard it make an odd noise, sir, and all of a sudden recollected I had seen such is thing in the Spanish Main, sir, when the pirates came into is town called Guyaquille, or something like that, sir." "There is something more in all this than I can make out," added the lieutenant. "Pull back at once." " ay, sir !" The men soon traversed the distance now to the Spray and Lieutenant Green at once dived into the captain's cabin, to report what had occurred to the Honorable Charles Minto Grey, who was lolling as usual upon is et& and smoking, "Sir, I would report to you." Oh, well, sit down. Take a weed." "Thank you, sir. The Rift has slipped through our fingers." "'Very geed." Good, sir?" "Alt, yes! suppose now we can make sail to Itycle, or Cowes, or some of the yacht squadrons' places; for I never was so tired mat in all-rny life of this den they °all a state cabin. My man, too,says that all the Moselle is gone." "Well, but, Sir, it's the most singular circumstance," it"So say; for, by Jove, I haven't drank ." "But I mean about the Rift." " Oh ! ah—well ?" " Perhaps you did not pay :much "a'atten- tion." " Oh 1 by Joiro,' I did, though, for I fully expected another shot into the 'cabin. Why can't they take better nim. They nmst know where the captain's cabins 'is; ; and, What is the use of plaguing ,him ? Upon my word it Is too bad' 1 What is the use of having a - great uncle in the admiralty, I should. lake to know?, • What is the use of everything and everybody? , l'nybored to death 1" After giving utterance with unusual eller, gy to those patriotic sentiments, Captain the Honorable Charles Minto Grey lifted his feet on tothe sofa and madetwo or three plunging kicks, to signify how disgusted he was with society in general. "It is provoking, sir." " Oh ! by Jove ! yes." "But still, sir, the best paid the shortest way out of it is to capture the Rift," (Go and do it' them You have my free leave., As long as I can have zny weed' and' my Moselle, or sitting in peace, I don't care what you de." "1 will report to you then, sir, what hap- pened. We chased the Rift into the bay and thought we had her quite secure, when she disappeared in a wreath of smoke." " "She disappearedin a wreath of smoke." The Honorable Charles Minto Grey puffed out a volume of tobacco smoke, and as it curledup to the ceiling he said: "Like that ?" "Something like that, sir." "What then ?" "Why sir, here we are and the Rift has gone 1" "Very good. Pass the bottle—help your- self." " Thank you, sir. I would, therefore, re- spectfully ask what you would wish done ?" "Well, I tell you what I will do." "Yes, sir." "1 will play you at cribbage for a half guinea a game for one hoar, the winner to consent to play again for one hour whenever the loser likes." "But about the Rift, sir?" "Well, didn't you say it was gone ?" "Yes, sir." . "Then enter in the log that the Rift is settled and had gone off in its own sm.oke— I don't know what the admirality require further—and then make for Portsmouth." "Were not the orders, sir, to report to Sir. Thomas Clifford, the port admiral, at Falmouth." " Oh ! by Jove, yes! Well, make for Falmouth." "'Yes, sir." "And let them be smart -about it. I shouldn't a bit wonder if old Clifford don't keep a good cellar. Those old muffs often do. Make for Falmouth at once." "And give up the chase sir ?" "Why, good gracious, Where is the chase? Have you not just told me she has gone off in a puff of smoke or something of that sort? Foundered, of course. Foundered at sea. You can enter in the log that after an en- gagement, lasting six hours, the Rift was hulled no end of times and at last hit be- tween wind and water and down she went with all hands. That will do, I take it." "Very good, sir." Lieutenant Green went slowly upon deck. There was sufficient of the sailor about him to make him feel intensely dissatisfied with the whole affair; and as he could not satis- factorily account to Isis own mind for the disappearance of the Rift, it was with great reluctance that he gave the order to steer for Falmouth. "Can you make out anything, Mr.' Royle ?" he said, as the sailing master took his glass from his eye, with which he had been taking a long observation of the coast and the bay. "No, sir. Only some people on the top of the cliff." "Oh, that's nothing." "It ain't much, sir—only the odd thing is that they seemed to come this way over the edge of it, and they get oat of sight somehow that I can't make out." Let me look." Lieutenant Green took a long look and he SEIM' the same phenomenon that had surpris- ed rl‘fr., Royle. • Along the top of the cliff he saw anlan comein somewhat of a crouch. in position; 'and when he got to the ex- treme verge, he seemed to disappear over . it, or into it, in some way. I For the moment the lieutenant • thought that he must have fallen over, and he shift- ed the glass down to the sea, expecting to see the' splash of his fall ; but such was not the case. "1 can't make that out," he said. " Nor I„ sir." "It strikes me, Mr. Royle, that there is soinething more about all those cliffs and rocks than we know of." " Sure of it, sir," ' "And now we shall see no more." (TO BE CONTINI7B1).) Ah McI • "Can you tell me, my dear"— Then he snuggled lip near To expedite verbalization— "Why this trim little waist Where my Mill is'now placed Is like to a post•trader's station?" 'Ain't you ivwful l'' she said, Tho' she hc'er Set her head To fathoni his wit's shallow soundings, But he, to her Bide Drawing nearer, replied. It's because of HS ann•yr surroundings " YOUNG FOLK§, BOT8 WRO BEGAIO, EAMITS, Dr DAVID Ian, 'rae anariNEERS. One clear, bright morning, in the latter part of the seventeenth century, all Moscow —which was the capital of Ruseia at that time—was in an uproar such as it had never seeo singe ita foundation by Priece Michael Tverskoi three hundred years before, At first sight one might have thought that it had just been etormed by is hostile army, for the whole interior of its famous citadel, the Kremlin, was one whirl of savage faces aud wild figures, armed with spears, swords, and muskets. The fact was that the Strelitz Guard of Moscow had broken out in open revolt, as they did almost every month now that there was no one in Russia strong euouglA .to keep them in cheek ; for the Czar himself was a mere child, and among all his minis- ters there was ,not (me who was not as weak as he was worthless. The mutiueers came pouring into the Kremlin by hundreds, loudly threatening to burn the palace and kill the Czar unless they got what they wanted ; and to1ea4 they really wanted neith- er they nor any one else seemed to know. Upon the great staircase of the palaee, looking down on the howling rabble below, stood is few scared -looking ehamberlains and. officers of the court, who were grouped around two richly dressed boys, the one barely twelve years old, and the other even younger. No one would easily have guessed frona the dull heavy face and vacant look of the elder lad—who was so short-sighted as to be almost blind, and so weak-rninded as to be little better than an idiot—that this was really the Czar himself. He certainly did not behave in a very kingly way, for lie was actually cowering behind his younger broth- er instead of . encouraging and, protecting But the younger boy looked like one who would need little protection from anybody. His muscular frame, extraordinarily tall end strong for his years, had a dignity Which WaS wholly wanting to his brother's slouching figure; ancl even in that • deadly peril thete waino sign of fear inhis dark,, firm Mee, aahich wore upon its boyish fea- tures the stern calmness of mature age. "'Don't be frightened, Vania," (Johnny), saidto his trembling brother, as the rioters came rushing and roaring to the foot of •the stair; "they daren't hurt us." • " Daren't we V' ',roared a fierce soldier, springing tip the steps, and actuallytouch- ing,-the brave lad's breast with his spear point. "What do you say now ?". "1 say," answered the boyawith a gleam in his large black eyes which Russia's en- emies knew to their cost in, after days, "that you daren't touch either of us." For an instant the grim spearman stood hesitating, half cowed and half enraged by the boy's defiant c.00lness. One moment more, and a single blow would have changed the whOle history of Russia, when another Guardsman caught his comrade's arm, shout- ing: "Don't waste time on.him, Stepka [Ste- phen]. See, those fellows have broken into the palace already. Come' along, and let's get our share of the plunder before it's all gone.' In fact, the other doors had already been forced open, and instantly the fierce Guards. men swarmed through the whole palitee, tearing down the rich hangings, carrying off gold and silver ornaments, breaking the fur- niture ancl statues, thrusting their spears through the splendid paintings on the walls, while the vaulted chambers echoed with their savage yells and hoarse bellowing laughter. Every moment the uproar and confusion grew more and more terrific, till the few anxious watchers on the stairs be- gan to fear that the rioters would end their Plundering with the massucre of every living thing iu the palace. But all of a sudden the maddening din melted into a clonal silence, while figures loaded with booty were seen retreating hurriedly across the court -yard. The loyal troops quartered outside the town had taken the alarm, and were hastening to the rescue; and at their approach the mob of mutineers, unofficered and almost unarmed (for many of them had flung away their weapons in order to plunder snore easily), thought it best to retire with their booty as quickly as possible. The palace was soon cleared of the rioters, and the General in command of the loyal forces made his way up to the staircase, on which the two young Princes were still standing. "Do not be afraid," said he, cheerily ; "it's all over now." "Afraid 1" echoed the younger boy, dis- dainfully. "It is not for a Romanoff to be afraid of a rabble of mutinous ruffians ; and if ever I come to be Czar I will teach these brawlers who is their master." Hew that boy kept his word in after -years may now be read in any history of Russia; and the traveller who visits Moscow to -day sees along the Kremlin wall a row of small red turrets, and is told by his Russian friends that for every one of those turrets a mutin- ous Guardsman ' was beheaded in front of that wall by Peter the Great. Why Ned went to Bed so Early. 'Mamma, was reading down stairs in the parlor. Suddenly she jampecl up and said, "I wonder what Ned and Tot are doing ?" She went to the back door and called, but no answer. Then to the front deer, but she could see nothing of them. Then she went up stairs: It was so very quiet she was sure of mis- chief. ' She met Ned at the bedroom door, with a very dirty face and a strange look in his eyes. But where was Tot? Mamma began to be a little frightened. "Tot, where are you ?" called mamma,. "Here I are,,answered a little voice sounding far away. Mamma rushed across the room, almost upsetting the huge clothes -hamper that stood in the centre of the room, when a lit- tle " Oh 1" made her lift the cover, and there in the bottom of the hamper tat two- year-old. Tot with a large fruit cake mamma had mado the day before in his lap. And such a cake ! Little fingers had tak- elia,(131ithe.efruit out, leaving holes all over tlio "1 put him there arid gave him the cake. It was the splenclidest cake I over had, mamma," said Ned. And that is why Ned weet to bed so early without any supper that afternoom •-• A Kant, Pa., Sportsman invited art Erie greenhorn to go woodcock shooting. The Erie man had eever seen a woodcock, and did not know one frem is stump. They got into the woods, the Erie man saw something moving in the brush, yelled "1 soe him," let drive both harrels and screeched' " I've hit him," So he had, but the Kane man alicl he wouldn't have taken it thotteand dol. las fox' that dog. • MURDERED EIGHT PE1SO:111 The Pee !Fawns SnaPose41 to Ilatyg. nem aimed by The*' Neighbors, It Isas been ascertained that the Poo family of eight persons, supposed to have been ac- cidentally burned to death in Knox Q011/Itylt Tf;a1a., a month ago, were murdered. Their throats were firat cut from ear to ear, The fand'y had two neighbors—John Worm and his paramour—who, on account of their reputation, were Ala peralittea to enter Mr. Poe's house. These neighbors had an ille• gitimate child, a boy about 10 years old. They lived melne thirty yards from Poe's house, and, becoming enraged because they were not socially recognized, they formed the design of murdering the entire family. mTleileboy;iti.rolusuhaiseVng eputin eicidgathesze,vneoriev etiemusatitt whole story. H . He saya lirs mother was talking about the matter several days, and that it culminated li ) during a night when a. Poe was absent from hones. When his fa flier and mother left home for Poe's Isms they forbade his ping with them, but hpped along with- out their knowledge and saw them enter the house. The family, all of whom were felonies, were asleep in one room. The boy's father with a razor cut the throat of each victim, while his mother pick'ed the bodies up, placed them in the middle of the floor, piled the contents of two bests on them and then set fire to them and the house, 11Irs. Poe's lit- tle baby screamed until tho smoke smothered it, The boy told his story in such a straight- forward manner as to lead to an investiga- tion. The man and woman were at once arrested. A sewing machine, beds, and several other articles recognized as belonging to the mur- dered family were found beneath the house of the accused persons. They were at once placed in jail at Barbourfsille. No doubt of their guilt is entertained. The excite• ' ment is terrible, and it is likely the prisoners will be lynched, Bulgarian. Affairs. , At the close of the last war between Rus- sia end Turkey, the Turkish province of Bulgaria, the sufferings of whose Christian inhabitentS under their Mohammedan rulers had brought on the Conflict, was made a, self-governing state, not vahollyindependent of Turkey, but bound to her by slender ties. This was the work of England, Austria-Hun- gary, and the other Powers prompted by a desire to prevent Russia from again interfer- ing in Bulgarian affairs, and so advancing toward the •coveted city of Constantinople. Inasmuch as 13ulgarin could not be trusted to maintain unaided her position against the Rtissiana„ it was agreed by the Berlin Treaty that all the European Powers should be, in a, manner, proteotorsof the little state. Rus- sia, however, has spared no means to secure the friendship of the Bulgarians, with but little success. The German—Alexander— who was chosen to rule this much -protected principality, won the affections of the peo- ple for himself, and. so became distasteful to the czar, who is strongly suspected of being the cause of his downfalllas t August. How- .....ri ever that may be, Alexandm left the couutry amid the tears of his act pted subjects, and the agents of Russia, set, about canvassing for the new election. The Berlin Treaty ordered that the Prince of Bulgaria shall be freely elected by the population and confirmed by the Sublime Porte (the Turkish imperial government), with the consent of the Powers. No mem- ber of any of the reigning houses of the great European Powers maybe electedPrince of Bulgaria. It was thi e ntention of the signers of the treaty to remove the govern- ment as far as possible from the influence of any single Power, Itch as Russia, Eng- land, or Austria-Hungapaassa The prince is chosen, not by the pee directly, but by the Sobranje, a representative body. This body met at Tirnova, and after a week spent in discussion unanimously elected Prince Waldemar to fill the vacancy caused by Al- exander's abdication. There was no out- spoken oppositionto this candidate, although it seemed to be regretfully understood that Waldemar would represent in some degree the unpopular Russian influence. Prince Waldemar is the youngest child of King Christian IX. of Denmark. His sister,' . Alexandra, is thewife of the Prince OfWales, and his sister Maria is the wife of the Rus- sian czar. It may be that it is to these re- lationships, together with the fact that his brother George is King of Greece, that Wal- demar owed his election. His father, the Danish king, has advised the prince tO de- cline the proffered honor, and Bulgaria has yet to look for a ruler. Russia does not admit that the Sobranje was legally chosen, and it is hardly probable that any one will accept the throne while Russia opposes the election. The Word "Ballot. It is more than probable that nine out of ten readers, if suddenly called upon to give an account of the word " ballot," would put it down as the creation of American dem- ocracy, though nothing could be farther from the mark. A reference to Dr. Murray's English Dictionary shows that we are m- debted for the word that at this moment is on every lip to the Venetian oligarchy. It was borrowed directly from the Italian, ancl makes its first appearance in English, both as noun and verb, so early as 1549, in William Thomas's Historic of Italy. The ballot was of course in the first place simply the actual ball dropped into the box in vot- ing so that possibly there was sound ety- mology as well as wit in the late Mr. Bernal Osborne's identification—the scene was laid in Ireland—of "vote by ballot" and "vote by bullet:" He Couldn't WI t. A. New York judge who was trying a man for robbing a woman of her gold watch as she was stepping on a horse -ear did it neat piece of cross-examination. The man 'claimed that the watch was his and the WO - man was mistaken in identifying it as hers. Suddenly the judge asked, Where's the key ?" The prisoner fumbled in his pockets and said be must have left it at home. The jedge asked him if he had wound the Watch frequently with the key, and he said "yes." Then a key was procured, -mach and key were 116nded the prisoner, and he wa.s told to wind the watch. He opened the case but 'could not find any place to use the key, because the watch was a stemwinder, The sentence was five years and a half. A Gteat Max. "Does your wife ever pay you any com- pliments? asked IPredersek Jimson of his friend Benderly. "Novel," replied Bertclerly. " WelL mine does. She flatters inc." " Often ?" "Oh, yes, freqUently ; particularly in Winter," replied Vrecleriek. " 1Thy does she taffy you so lunch in Winter ?" " Whenever the coal fire needs teplenisli- ing she points to the fireplace and says, rreclemels, the grate. '