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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times, 1887-10-13, Page 3u00: Orurnpet TeJIs the Story. BY AMELI RIVES. Time —A bitter January reght in the 'near of ante° te09, Scene, -Sunaerk1ge Castle—The great monstroue fire binning in the big ereplace—eTurse Crumpet discovered seated on a settle—at her elher knee lean the little Lady Dorothy end her brothel', the eoung Earl of Suaderidge, lord Iltunphrey Deenox. . • Afterwhile ffile saith almost in a wh "But thon'needst not go ?" He said, "Darling, hove dost thou im And ahe evbiepered more low end $ai evill go with thee to the new oontine merrotv, and there we oan live the rest days in peace and love." And dhe broke out all at once wilder; than ever: "Ernie 1 ErOle ! take me! I will go with thee I Twill leave father, and mother, and home, and country, and friends, and King for thee I Only go not to wax'! go not to war, e said but two words back of his teeth : fI must I" and then again, "/ mug / " But when he looked at her for answer, lo! eh had swooned away. - He was to set forth in two days after the morrow; and °teethe morning of that day, leper, a cry exceeding sorrowful and bitter, 80 that my heart froze to heat it. eon?" " Woman 1 woman I was it for this d, "1 I gave thee my. fair name to cherieh ? nt to. Or was it for this that I put my name in - o'. our to t keeping? Oh, child, listen while there is yet titne ! Wilt thou with thy own hands take his manhood from thy husband to deag it through the mire? Patience, as I have shared thy childhood, as I have loved and cheriehed thy ,irlhood, as I have held thee in my arms as. ride and wife, give me back rey honor while there is yet time, Oh, my wife! my darling I" -And I heard hifn sobbing like a little lad. At that sound she put both hands over her ears, and tailed to her feet, looking, from right to left like a hunted thing anal behold . we could not believe our own for astonishment when we saw the Lad tience step quietly forth, composed and tle, though very pale. She saith goon row to every one; and after a while she elip her arm through her husband's arm saith She, "Come foe a walk Ernie ; I • much to Bay to thee," So they started for gether. Now fearful of many things tollow at a little distance. As they w she besought nhu again that he would her and set sail for the ne,v continent. 'when again he told he how than it c not be, she fell down upon her knees b him, and clasped him with her arms, she said t " If thou dost not love me me be the first to die by thy mold. nie, as I kneel, for the love I bear thee. He said: "Patience, Patience, thou break mine heart." And she, still kneeling, did cry out O wild voice : " Ihey lied who named tor in an ill hour was I born, and I not patience to support it! I thought thou did st love me, and lo ! thou lo the husband of another woman more tlaou lovest me 1" He bent to lift her up, groaning, but she would not; whereat he trembled from head to foot, and she shook with hi s trembling as the leaves of a tree when the shaft is • ,smitten by, lightning. And she cried out et 'again, and staid, "As there is a God in heaven, thou dost not love me, an t canst go to war and leave me to die o' gni Then, as though tlyeas torn from him, burst forth, " Now as there is a God, t • dost not love me, to torture me thus 1" And all at once she was quiet. So he stooped and lifted her, and called her his "bride," and his "wife," and his "darl- ing," and hie "heart's blood," and more wild, fond, foolish names than at this clay I can remember. 'Twee near sundown, and S that night he was to ride. Over against E the dark jags o' th' hills there ran a narrow on streak of light, like a golden ribbon. And the brown clouds above and below it were do likteloentne' hair made wanton by the wind, A whintiet, , as a fillet did seek to bind. But m they'\Vainnnalked ever on, till by-and-by at they neared that cave o' which I did tell aw ye. As they came in front o't my lady an turned, smiling piteously, "Ernie," saith she, "wilt thou go with me into the cave do arei kiss me there, that when thou art gone e go 1 may come hither and think o' thee ?' ra And he said, "Oh, my heart! what ea would 1 not for thee ?' And he kissed her tit again and again. he „Presently she said, "Do not think me ce foolish, but wilt thou enter first?—it is so An dark." - And she stood in the doorway, with illi her han onAthe door, while he entered. He '" There is nothing here, sweet- heartnteat'a monstrous damp odor." And she answered: "Nay, but go to the very end; there may be toads; and when thou art there halloo to me." So she wait- ed with her hand on the door. He called to her: "There is nothing, love. Wait until I return to thee." But, ere he had ceased speaking, she clapped nt the door with all her might, and did. push forward the great iron bolt, so that he was O prisoner in the cave; I being rooted to the ground with astonishment, as fast as was ever the oak -tree under which I stood. At first he thought %was but one o' her pretty 'trickeries, and I heard his gay laugh as he came to the shut door, and he called out, and said, "So, sweetheart, I am in truth a prisoner o' war; bit art thou not an un- merciful generalto confine the captured in so rheumatic a cavern ?" She at clown and leaned her head against the door, but said not a word. n And he spoue again, saying, "Darling, e pray thee waste not what little time doth yet remain to us." Still she answered not ; and again he snake, and his voice began in be sorrow - eyes could bear it no longer, but leaped forward y Pa- and fell on my knees before her, and grasped gen- • her kirtle with both hands. I could scarce -mor- doth and have th to- , did alked take And ould efore and let 'Slay speak for tears, but with all the strength that was in me did I plead vvith her to draw back the bolt, but she would not. Now to this day when I do think of tho fool that I was, not to run without her Icnowledge and bring the old, lord, thy grandfather, or bide my time and unbar the door when she had gone, it seems as though I must bate myself for evermore. But as I pleaded with her, all at once there was something cold against my throat, and I seemed to know that 'twee a dagger, and the steel cowed me, as it doth sometimes cow strong men, and I stirred not, neither spoke 1 a word more. Her face was over me, like a white flower in the purple dusk, but her eyes bright and terrible. And when she spoke, 'twee not with my little lady's voice, but rather ,the voice me, o' a fiend. And she said. have " Swear that thou sa,yest nothing of all that this to man, or to woman, or to child, else vest will I kill thee as thou kneelest." than And I knew that for the time she was mad, and would kill nee even as she had said, did I not swear. So I did take that fearful oath, coward as I was, and to this day am I a craven when 1 think on't. When I had sworn, she turned from me as though there were no such woman in all the earth, and went once more to the door o' ef." He answered straightway, and said "This hou th' cave, and called his name—" Ennle 1" he once will I speak to thee, but if thou dost hou not unbar the door o' th' instant. I will nev. r hold speech 'with thee again, nor touch as much as the hem of thy garments, by the living God 1" "She said; "I cannot 1 I cannot! But oh I say not such dreadful words. We will e happy. Tis for that I keep thee he peak to me ! Ernie! Ernle ! Ern rnle I Call Inc thy love once more! J ce ! just once 1" But she might as well have plead at or o' a tomb for all the answer she g gain and again she called him, but a d an speaks more than spoke her lord. A last she sprang to her feee, and rusl ay into the darkness toward the can d I after her. And when I was entered in by a or, and had changed my apparel a ne forth to inquire after her, lo ! she w ving as with fever, and all they, ther, and mother, and Mistrees Mari ought that he had ridden away and 1 r th' park, having said farewell to th e he and my lady did set forth to wa d they strove to comfort her.• The morrow was scarce dawned when s was up and dressed, and stealing through w the covert to the door o' th' cave. I f lowed her, for the heeded me no more, n that I had taken the oath, knowing that would be torn in pieces ere I \you betray my trust. When she was come the door, she kneeled down and leaned h head against it and called to him with voice so exquisite low, 'twas almost though one should hear the, spirit when speaks within, and she saith, "Etnle—m love—my love." And all was still as death. And she sai " Darling, feel with thy hands for the bre and wine. It is near thee on the right th' door as thou enterest in. Two bottl o' wine and some loaves o' bread." But he answered her neither by word sighing. And she said, " Woulclet th break my heart ?" Then, when she ea, that he would not answer ker, she cast he self face down along the ground, and to up the grass with her hands, and presse down her face into the damp earth. An after a while (for th' looks o't) she rose an went back to the castle, At nightfall there ode a man to the ra tie gate with paper, wherein my Lord Fal land did question wherefore Lord Radii had not answered the summons. And a they were atnazed and looked at one an other. The messenger said, moreover, " that it cannot be proven ere to-morro night that the Lord Radnor hath been th victim o' foul play, he will he branded as deserter throughout the land." Thy grandfather gave one cry. " Mut • dered 1" and the sound of it the lif in me that I fell down as one dead. An when I had once more come to the posses sion o' my wits, Joon did tell me as ho 'twee already whispered in the village flia the young lercl had deserted the cause, an had set sail in secret for the New World Upon this, I straightway swooned again a Pt bweels envl iesr n littl stood there like e figeie cut io rim/ye, for her kirtle was all of wbite seine, and her hair was as a Cloud fellen round about her, When she eaw my lady elle drew in ber beth with a sharp eound, and aet both hands against her bosotn. And elle bead- ed forward front her loins and listened, but in none otherwise moved she. And my lady went op: " To.morrow 1 will ste the free—I do swear it. With the rising cn inorrew's sun thou shalt be free an air. ' Only speak to one now, Ortly speak to me now. fleet once, Ernie—just once." With one pring Mistrerre Marian was upon her, Ann had pinned her erms to her Bide. And the two women stood and gazed into each other' faces, with their throats stretched foewardt as merpents stretch their throats ere springing upon each other, Mistress Marian epake grat, ann her voice was as voice that 1 hed never heard, and she avid, "So tide is the truth, then ?" My lady creed no word, but her eyes were aflame. .And Metros Marian gazed on her for an instant more, then dashed her aside, and turned toward the cave. " Ernie' " she said, "take heart I I set the free—I, Marian." But ere hwill her hand did touch the bolt, trier lady was upon her lilcee, little tiger, and she wound her hands in Mistress 1VIarian's thick tresses, and dragged leer backward. And they rolled over and over on, the ground, even as do men when .they fight, saying no Word from first to last. The horror of it smote me that I fell down upon my knees and was dumb. Now my little lady was uppermost, now Mistress Marian. And had not my lady been strong with des- pair, Mietress Marian could amastered hot th' instant. But she fought like a she -wolf brought to bay, with teeth and talons too, and Was almost as though two of a size lied tought there. Howbeit, with a sudden rnave, Mistrese Marian flung my lady down, and set her knee upon her, and held her, and looked from side to side as though at a loss, and my lady's strength was fast failing. When I saw that, I could bide still no longer, but ran forward, crying to Mistress Marian to be gentle with her. She answered IMP, these words, ".Nurse, take off my girdle and bind thy lady's hands with it." And there was thi at n her voice I dared not disobey. So I bound my lady's hands, she saying never a word, and when the girdle was fast knotted, Mis- tress Marian helped her gently enough to rise, and bidding me have a oare o' her, turned and drew back the bolt from the door o' the cave. The last light o' the sun fell like a gold- en lance across the threshold, and across my lord as he lay there, face down, with his hands against the sill o' th' door. And she stooped down over him, say- ing, " He hath fainted for lack o' food," but I knew that there was both wine and bread i' th' cave. And she called his name, but he was silent. And she called him again and again. And at last he bade me come re- to her side, and when we had turned him le ! npou his side so that his face was toward ust us, behold, he was dead. " But Mistress Marian, earth again, " He hath swoone the away." And she put her hand upon h ot. brow, but no sooner did she touch it the ead she cried out at its coldness, and shook t nd aead man in her frenzy, crying, red "Ernie I Ernie 1 thou art free Wak tle, man I thou art free 1" I said : "Mistress, mistress, for love ide God 1 Dost thou not see that neither tho nd nor any other can wake him more ?" as Thereat she fell back upon her knee her leaning upon one arm. And she said, "Do an, thou mean—" e t I bowed clown mine head, for I could no em meet her eyes. And she fell upon his body lk. and stirred no more, so that when they cam to bear the poor young lord to the castle he they did bear her also. And for some hours e e thought her dead. on Now when my lady saw them how they p ow lay there, and the sunlight red upon them t I like to blood, she came and kneeled down le Id in front o' me, and lifted up her poor fetter- in to ed hands meekly, like a little child. And er she said, "Nurse, I pray you tell me what c O it doth mean, s waxing as foolish, like poor Marjory i' th' village it whose man fell from the cliff.' y I could not answer her for sobbing. And she said, "Do they sleep ?" ad d: o' es TOSSIL CONTINENT. Wile Continent on Austreeire ffaild to be SurvAvIng Fragutentor the • Wrimitive World, If an intelligent Australian colonist were enddellin to be trneslated backward from genius streee, Melbourne, into the flourieln bag woods of the secondary geological period --say about the „precise moment of time when the English ehalk Owns were slowly accurnnle,ting, speck, by speck, on the silent floor of some long-fergotten Mediterrahean —the intelligent coloniat would look around him with a emile of cheerful recognition, and few. to himself io some eurprise : Why, this is jut like Auetralie.' The animals, the trees the.plants, the nisects, would all more or fess renrind him of 'those he had left behind hirri in hie IlannY home of the qouthern seas, and the nineteenth cen- tury. The sten would hay e moved neck on the dial of ages for a few million summers ox. 0o, indefinitely (in geology we refuse to he bound by (lanes), and would lia.ve landed him at ken to his imineoee astonishment, pretty much at the exact point whence he - first started. In other words, with a few needful quell- fientions, to be made hereefter, Austrelia is, so to spenk, a fossil continent,' a country still in its secondary age, a aurviving frag- ment of the prilnitive world of the clunk period or earlier ages. Isolated from all the remainder of the earth about the beginning of the tertiary epoch, long before the mam- moth end the mastodon had yet dreamed of appearing upon the stage of existence, tong before the first ehadowy ancestor of the hone had turned tail on nature's rough draft of the still undeveloped ancl unspecialized lion, long before the extinct dinotheriuma and gigantic Irish elks and colossal giraffes of late tertiary times had even begun to run their race on the broad plain of Europe and America, the Austrelien continent found itself at an early period of its development eut off entirely from all social intercourse with the remainder of our planet, and turned upon itself, like the German philosopher, to evolve its own plants and animals out of its own inner consciousness. The natural coruie- queue° was that progress in Australia has been absurdly slow, and that the country, as a whole, has fallen most woefully behind the times in all matters pertaining to the ex- istence of life upon its surface. Everybody knows that Australia, as a whole, is a very pecular and original continent; its peculari- ty, however, consists, at bottom, for the most part in the fact that it still remains at very nearly the same early point of develdp- ment which Europe had attained a couple of million years ago or thereabouts. "Ad- vance, Australia," says the national motto ; and, indeed, it is quite time nowadays that Australia, should advance; for so far, she has been left out of the running for some four mundane ages or so at a rough comput- ation. The Sultan of Turkey Abdul-Hamid-Khan,"Grand Sultan the Ottoman Empire," was born Septembe iS 21, 1842 (or, on the 15th of Shahan, 1258,ac O cording to the Mohammedan calendar) he His father, Abdul-Medjid, -was Sultan o Turkey from 1839 to 1861 ; his uncle, Abdul e Aziz, ruled from 1861 to May 30, 1876; the after his imbecile elder brother A/urea V of had reigned ninety-two days Abdul-Ha,mid n assumed the hea,d of the Government. II found the empire --which the Rostian czar sl Ilan well called "the sick man of Europe" -- a very dangerous condition. Servile and Montenegro, provinces of European Turkey were armed in revolt. Russia was aidin,ee , them secretly, encl. the news of Turkish e massacres in Bulgaria had staggered England , in her support of Turkey. In December 876 the Government proclaimed anew con- titution fox. the empire, bristling with remises of reform. The powers endeav-ored o hie/nee the sultan to garantee certain ghts and liberties to his Christian subjccee Europe, but he gave nothing but promisee. n April, 1877, Russia championed the ause of the Christians and declared war against Turkey. Te Russians fought their way almost to the walls of Constantinople, when England, fearing the consequences of their triumph, inteivened and saved Turkey. A conference of the Powers was held at o Berlin in 1878 to settle the difficulties in 1 Eur opeaeo Turkey. Bosnia and Herzegovina, e , were placed under the protection of Austria; 1, Servia, Roumania and Montenegro were e recognized independent States; Bulgaria and East Rournalia were made self -ruling though tributary ' to Turkey. Inwtddition to these kisses came the English occupation of Cyprus and- the French "protection" of !Tunis. The' Turkish Government was also bound to reform the government of Asia Miraor. None of the promised reforms have ever, been carried out. The bankruptcy of Eeypt, the chief trib- , utary State of Turkey, Inane it necessary for England to interfere to protect the property of British subjects. Under the British con- trol Egypt •has-losb her poseessions in the Soudan and is in no better financial condi- tion than before. Thus Abdul-Hamidnreign has seen the 'sick man of Erirepe shorn of great possesions in three continents. Yet the gotten himself is •reputed to be among , the wisest of living Allen. His apparent indifferenbe to the losees of bis counury is a part of his' pOliey. By making use of the jealousies of the Powers he hopes to save his , own country. It is even deelared that he t has dreamed of 'uniting the ALiheinmeciaes , of Africa and Aehe int one "pen-isltunic" , State like that of the caliph who - suceeeded the "prophea" Mohammed., -An ErtglIsh dtplome,t says of his personalny: "Ile excels all the monarchs of the day in, the urbanity and charm of his manners and in the gra- cious consideration of those who have.. the happiness to 'be admitted into his preeence. ' 1 nowriouvrunt. DIU flaSAN PLUM. The fats concerning the newly introduced race of Japan plume are gradually though slowly being brought to light. Of the eerie - ties, which we have grewing, (namely the Kelsey, Ogon and 13otem), all appear to le enormouelypreduetive, and, so long as it e: e are net more than three or four cereulio stings to each spot:ninon plum, abundantly able to take care of thexoselves practio, ally cureelio proof, perhaps even more so than the native varletien We suepect, how- ever, that isolated trees ot the Japan ;torts like those of many native Plums', on not al - way e be relied on for a full crop, at least at nthuemNb eorr North, rand tehiartt vaanrio:tpieosr tiutzr:ictlyesfeorcro"f e r ti lizeti on should be given, by planting a prox- imity, in order to inure fruitfulnese. -Ogon is of rich golden yellow color, quite attractive, of fair but by no means high qual- ity, and rather dry. The limbs were almost Imeaning down under the held of frutt. 13otien is a few days later, and also exceed- ingly productive. We are highly impressed with its fine quality, it being juicy, rich and excellent. We regret to be unable to speak of the quality of Kelsey's Japan from personal ex- perience. The tree with us, and so far as tried, is perfectly hardy only on the Ameri- can wild plum stock, nut too tender for this climate on peach roots. The fruit appeare to be very late, probably too late cveu for this latitude. For the Southern States, how- ever, we consider this variety one of. the most valuable plums (if not the most valua- ble) ever introduced. Tmon Russate Anuicon. n The slower growth of the Russian apri- cot, its more slender and harder wood, which has little of the succulent nature of our common apricots, in connection with its record elsewhere, prove its hardiness to our entire satisfaction. But we want more than mere hardiness in a fruit, and in other respects the Russian apricot seedling is un- reliable and of very uncertain and question- able ya"lue. We would place our hopes with greater confidence in a peach seedling than in that of the Russian apricot. Th,ere are, however, a number of selected varieties, which are reported to be very good, and these alone should be planted; but at the present state of our knowledge we do not think we would want to plant them largely for market in any section of the Dominion. In the milder climate of the Southern states the standard varie- ties should be given the preference. Where plums cannot be grown successful- ly, ou account of the ravages of the curculio, all attempts to grow apricots, whether Rus- sian or standard, will prove futile, as no fruit is more subject to their attacks than this. A CURCOLIO-PROOF PLUM. This plum is large, crimson, round, the skin thin and delicate, and almost r bursting with its juice; remarkably sweet, entirely free from acridity. •This plum, like ; some others that are full of juice, is not af- fected by the curculio, tine° the egg, when ' laid, is drowned in the juice. VVe consider n it one of the best, if not the very best, of • its class, and like its class it is hardy and fruitful in the West. The originators say e the " Pottawattitmie " is a cross between the Chicasa and Swedish sloe. The orig- inal tree brought to the grounds at Shenan- doah, has fruited there twelve years in sue:, f cession, which certainly speaks well for its bearing quality, and four-year-old trees have borne crops of two bushels each. The proprietors state that in °arming, the skid "Ob, thy wife," he said, " censt thou jest at such a time? • At lastshe answered him, saying, " I jest not." His voice changed somewhat, and he said, What &est thou, then ?" She answered : “1 keep *hat is mine. Where my forefathers did hide their tree, - sure, there hide I mine. He said, in a loud , voice, "God will not suffer it." Then fell a silence between them. But by-and-by, he spoke again. "bailing," he saith, "surely thou dost not mean to do this -thing ?" And she saith, like a child when 'tis naughty, and knoweth well that it is, but likes not to say so, " What thing ?" He answered, "Thou citnst not truly ean to shut 'me here to bring dishonor me, who have loved thee better than man ver loved weiman" (for -so do all men saynand truly think). She said, "Thy life is more to me than thy honor. . And he groaned aloud, crying, 'Oh, God! that I have lived to hear thee say it!" and again there fell a silence, save 'for the whispering of the night in the trees above us and the creeping of small creatures through the dry grass. 'Twas almost cur- few -time, tend there was one star in the black front o' the night like the star on the forehead of a black stallion. . . • When spake agent his voice wee very fierce, and he saith, " ,Patience, I do com- mand thee to release Die." • But she spalce never a word. And again he said, "Better let me out to love thee, then to heep Ole here until I hate hee." She shivered leating Against the door, until the big bolt rattled in it braces. And he sein yet ngain "By the Lord God, an thondost keep me here to sully my good name, earn that of thy father and mo. I her, evho have been to me even as my own flesh card blood, will never live with thee • again 48 mati with wife, but vvill go forth into the New Woind to live and to die with thy hendmaid dishonor 1" And ah e eves silent. Again he spoke, and lifted up his voice id rAt And I nodded my head, for I could say n word. She said: "Pray you, do not wak them. An they sleep till the morrove, al will be well." Suddenly her wits cam or back upon her with a rush, as cloth` a wind ou that seemed to be gone for aye. And she w snapped the girdle on her wrists like as it r- nad been a thread o' silk, and ran and laid ` hold on him with her hands, and dragged d him forth upon the &mass. And she saith : d "Ernie ! Ernie! Ernie! What wilt d thou not answer me, now that thou art free? See! thou mayest ride to war. It is s- not yet too late. What there, nurse, 1 My k- lord's charger! Run I run 1" Then leaped or she to her feet with that methouht 11 would 'a crackled the welkin in twain above - our heads. If "Dead! Oh God in heaven!" w So for an instant she stood, with her arms e rea.led high a,bove her heal, and her e.:). es a upon him as he lay at her feet, even as a flame doth poise for a breath ere sinking '- again upon the coals. But anon she drop e ped down beside him, and beat her forehead d with the loWer patine o' her hands, and she saith : " Well theist thornsign me with thy w blood well d'd t th g thy 1. blood 1" Then all at once did she peep up d, at me over her shoulder with one o' her win- . some ways, and fell a -laughing softly. , •th she ''hath Ice not fni And when I was recovered enough to sten upon my feet and go lentil from my chamber behold 1 there wAe a silence over all th house, as in a house where the best belevec has died in the night. ' 'Men scoured the country far and hear, i 'searco o' th' murdered body o' th' young lord. And .'twas •now the` evening o' th' third day. But my lady meant not to open the door until the morrovv, for if she opened it ere then, she knew not but what matters Might be righted, and her lord rido to the wars in spite o' :When 11, was nigh to sunset she did creep forth and kneel at the door o' th' cave, and call to him in that beautiful, gentle voice, "Ernie ! Ernie ! love !my darling I". when re did no a swer her, she ceased not, as on the clay before, but wont on : " Tonnorrow I will set thee free. As I live, thou shall be free tomorrow. An thou wilt nut let me be ,near thee like thy dog, I„ will esk to mare. Neither will I fret the with my sprrow. Oh, love, I do lieseech thee spealt to me, whose only sin was in loving thee too dearly. Lot the kisses that ae a bride I have set opon thy •lips plead with them that they spealreto me, Oh, rey heart 1 Oh, my husband, have 'ay 1 If thou wilt never Spoik to ine again, spook to me now. Shy but mg name, my silly, illibestowed name, Patience,' Nay, curse me, sceI but hear thy voice. Call me What names tnne. wilt. In God's' name, Plink In the name o' ber who was Once thy Wife 1" And as she knelt and pleaded as a woman with her GO& behold 1 there stepped forth from the coppice lelistreee Marian. Sne 111 ctty way to punish me? He feigns it I---by'r lalein--doth he not, nurse?" lid she rocked to and fro, as she knelt de him, laughing softly to her,self, and ancl,again she would reach forth one e hand, all 'scarred in her struggle with tress Alarian, and would. touch a stray lock into place, and once sheebent over and kissed him, laughing softly, audniodding to , herself Very wisely. And she would "sit , that way, and rock herself to and fro, and smile upon the ground, and laurth sonny, until the very day thiet she did die. And the last words that she aid ever say were, "Just once, Ernie --just once." I(Nurse Crumpet rises and stirs the fire, amid a dead silence, broken only by the little Lady Dorothy's sob e and the /telling of the wind outside the geeat hall.) LnItil END.' Unfounded reare• • rricml, (to youngetutlior)—How is your tow book going, Cheeky ? Young Aidther (thibiously)n-It's going pretty fast. I've already given away five hundren eepies. • I iend - Five hundred. copies. 1 cengrat- t ulete ou, Old boy 1 Was aftaid you ,wouldn't be able to give away more than half that number. Raw oniono ctioppcclfiao and mixed with • feed twice) a week, says a faheier, is better theft a &Alen cures for chicken cholera, ,IngenTous French Swindlers Annanusing story is thld of a couple of in- genious swindlers whose career yaw nipped , in the bud by a matter-of.fact policeman, who must be painfully devoid of the sense of t. humor. One of this pair of rascals jumped into the Seine and pretended to be drowning; ` tlee Other took a header after him and trought linn to shore in safety. A oympathetic crowd gathered around the would-be suicide, and, moved by hinpiteous story, hie savior emptied his dripping pockets of then- silver. 1 The crowd sighed and 'wept to see sneh good- neas, and.whee the hat was sent round quite a nice little stun was gathered. Unfortunate- ly for thernaelves, the two men were follow- ed by an official of the law, who found that, it was a "pet up job" and ran them in. ` The trick is very ingenious, but it has not the, merit of novelty. Every ono in the sporting world remembers how a similar "plant" was turrang,ed by tine lamous swInn mers—the:Johnson brothers, -one of tehom foil of London Bridge, to be rescued by hia lame brother, who' chnneed to be on a pass- ing steamer, in the guise of a parson of the Church Of England. Their trick was done far a lank --and lux advertistenent whicli they got rain thormighly deserved for their pains and pluck, LION TAMING, rezeij.k.0101111114eattlrond: NWolttlicotolirecieBni.g trfitts--, \ Pezon who has just retired frewn Jusiness, was, with one exception, the ereate est bon tamer to the world. The exceptiort- hisisMui.aircideltuweheobilstrtilell ce°V1rintuire toPriID:Le:hart the woods. 'The moat interesting fact in M.Bezon'a career is that he never used ee whip, His method WAS, in thee political slitug of the day, concilietion, and non coercion. He adopted persuasive methoeln, and his aRecesS with lions 'Was:extraordinary, Tigers, he candidly confessed, that he could. not manage ,BO well. Kindness, it seems, does not appeal to the tiger,whether of the human or the feline species, and cruelty Ine. Pezon would not use. If he bad, he wotild probably heve ,The experience of ell e persons who have taken part in the training of animals is in this respectpretty much the the same. They may be BEATEN' INTO STUPIDITE but they cannot be kicked into cleverness. Theinthe sight of nicks well performed by any eorb of beast, from the dancing dog nit Which Dr. Johnson ungallantly compared oratoricel women, to AL Crocker's hideously named 1, Eqnirationals," may be evjoetent evitheet scruple by the most humane aonil scrupulous spectator. They cannot have lei - volved any real suffering on the part ofhei performers, and they have ,probably given, them a good deal of pleasure in the process of acquisition. Opinions will, of course,„ differ as to the 'value of lions when they have been tamed. Thereare those who do notenra for the society of anything living which in not all so human, Some, againahave for carnivorous quadrupeds a dislilte which they cannot shake off, even at the dicte.teit of morality or religion. Others, who have 710, objection to the eating of flesh, provided it is not their own, agree with Bottom, that "there is not A MOM FEARFUL 'WILD FONN.L. than your lion living,' and give the creature a wide berth. When Cuvier was inter- rupted in the course of his learned labors. by the apparition of the devil, he was at: first somewhat startled. But a moment's - examination reassured him. "Cloven hoof 2. Granainivorous," he observed, and went on writing serenely. M. Pezon cares no more', fdr a lion tha.mOuvier cared for a cow. Indeed, M. Pezon had a pet lion which accompanied him on his walks at Versailles, greatly to the terror of the inhabitants. M. Pezon despises this unworthy panic, for which he can see no reason. His lion in quite harmkss, and he expects tne pinnen to know that as well as himself. In one of the most charming pictures ever painter Carpaccio has portrayed the grotesque Marna of the monks twhen St. Jerome eiaters the garden of the monastery followed by a very, demure and decorous lion. The premisee, are dotted with cowled figures, but it is evident that in half n minute the coast wire be clear and St. Jerome left alone witb his friend. St. Jerome not only founded, if we may believe Bishop Thirlwall, thee broad church schoo/, but he also made the: - discovery that a lion is only a cat, after all. Freed called his brother members in The House "just Eton boys grown heavy,"and a similar relation appears to subsist between the feline and the leonine nature. The cat grown heavy is a cat still, and cats, al!, all their friends are agreed, may be coaxed mete anything. If it be objected that tigers are cats also, we' can only reply that there are different kinds of eats, and that the polecat, or example, is not 'A GENTLE OR AGREEABLE BEAST. Why Frenchmen should get on. especially on -being scalded peels from the pulp like v well with lions is a problem which many lie that of a tomato. It adheres very firmly to the tree, by a long, slender, thre.t.-like g stem, which does not fasten on to the plum, F but goes into the plum and fastens onto d the pit. The sting of the cureulio does not I make the fruit drop, nor does it affect nu re b than to leave the mark of the puncture L every plum ripening evenly ancl perfectly. rn We consider it a most decided acquisition h to the hardy and most excellent of Western c plume, and altogether superior to the well f known " Wild Gone,. " ariously solved. •The fact seems to be see The grea,test lion tamer that ever lived, renter than M. Bidel or M. Pezon, -wan rench. Victor Hugo would have had XICO ifficulty in answering the question. - He - would bay,- said: " The lion is the king off easts. The Frenchman is the king of. men.. et the nations tremble when the ire- easurab1e republic speaks," &c. M. rezone ower, though he dislikes tigers, does not onfine his attentions to lions. He puts: orth his influence over the elephant, and it ollows him and harkens to his word. It is like our human conceit to call the elephant sagacious. If he were really sagacious, and not merely amenable to buns, he would lift; DE SOTO AND MINER PLUMS. In the DeSoto we have an improved form n • of the Prunus Americana, an' abundant bloomer and regular bearer, and one of the few varieties of this type, which have- the .11 pollen ripen and the stigmas in a receptive u condition at the same time, thus insuring a. 1 self-fertilization. As a producer and. die- ti penser of pollen DeSot is almost without c a rival, and can nn justly recommended for m p his horn, or rather his paw, and we trine-- rable mortals should flee before him. If; 1. Pezon takes his tame lion into private fe with him, he will avoid the danger of eing botord which besets all ex:celebrities„ nd will not follow example of the re - red tallow chandler, who felt himself ompelfed to revisit scenes of past delight oil elting days. I top -working into, or planting with, trees of the Chicksaw varieties, in order to make them bear fruit as well as blossoms. I The Miner is also a free bloomer but an exceedingly shy bearee wheu no opportune- ty for eines fertilization is offering. It comes next to the DeSoto in value as a pol- len producer. A tree of each of these two planted in a cluster or clump of native plum trees, or a single graft of each, worked into the top -branches, will tend to increase the yield of some varieties, and to „make bttrren native sortsfruitful. A PRETTY HOUSE PLANT. The Libonia is a very pretty little plant for either the greenhouse or the sitting - room, In a moderate temperature it will kocp on bl ' g froin min?winter' Spring. There are two kinds in cultivation, L floribunda and L. Penrhosiensis, the lat- ter and more recent introduction being the better of the two. The flowers are brighter colored, the foliage better and more persist- ent, and the bloom more abundant. The plant should be watered freely, especially when in 'ileum or it will drop its leaves. It is somewhat subject to the scale insect, (which, however, is easily removen ), ar.d ocectsiohally a mealy bug may be found on it. :\Ve grow plants of it as standards, with a stem twelve to fifteen itches high, and in this form it makes a beautiftil round:headed trce. It is easily grown in any good garden soil. A Bad Temper,. ,• . "There's a girl lives neXt door to us, ie. narked Brown, " who mest have a bad tem- per." ' " What leads you'to stippoee so ?" asked "Well, she bangs her hair, and 1 frequent - y hear her banging the plate," One of the 'contemporary poets Iasi s Where are the bright girls of the past 1" Our own ebeeevatim is that mune of them re achninisteneg eautiotts docs ef pare - erre to the bright girls of the future. Peas, reed beans should be left on the vine e until the pods are well wrinkled when, they should be picked and spripad until they aredry. Snalt - ' be jhelled by neatenlarge crops are threehea with refit -ill, Keep them in, a dry place, • The • Stable Cure. A Boston letter says :-1 wan not a Mile startled yesterday at meeting on the streets an the best of health apparently an old ac- quaintance whom I had supposed to be fill- ing a consuiriptive's grave long ere thin - The last time that I hoard of him was about a year ago, and then be had been given op by the dootors as a hopeless case. : congt atte- lated him on his recovery, but r must confees filet my liveliest emotion in regard to hhin, was one of curiosity. In answer to my in- quiries he told me that when the medical men had exhausted their resourcehe deter- mined to put in practiee a plan c f hia own - Accordingly he journeyed by easy stages tes - the Blue IVIountain regs on of Virginia, where he established himself in a farmhouse and bought a herse. He spent the whole clay in the open air, taking eare of the steed himaelf, and riding him about the neighborhood. At ,first, he told me, his weAness was such that lie could not stay in the saddle more than /5 or 20 minutes at 0 tirno, and he had te , poll rip very soon if the horse brolec into a trent - Every day, hewever, he became a litde stronger, and in a couple of months he teas able to ride 10 or 20 macs on a stretch with very little fatigue. tle attributed his'recov- ery in part to the fact that he not only rode but groomed his horse anti nusien himself an hour or two in the Etable every day. In this opinion he confirmed what: I reit-teener ' hearing an old physician say years and yearn ago namely, that a "horse barn" as he can- ed 11, i8 one of the healthiest places hi the world. For those who love liereee the stable cure would be suc1i a pleaeant one that a physician who prescribes it might be sUri. that his directions would be followed to the letter. He Did Not Get Away. • " IrOU heVer drink or Smoke, do Yeas George, dear '2" she said. " You 'know could never marry a mao. who nrinits smokes." Gcorge, in a broken hearted tone of voice, admitted that he did smoke and drink A tle, and turned to go. But a pair of white, twenty-seveneyeae- omlednt. arms WerO around hnett is neck in a - "Never Mind, George," said the girl, " Perhaps My wifely infinenee will led/nese you to give them Op." 1 9 •