The Exeter Times, 1890-6-12, Page 6A STRANGE COURTSHIR
'AMER; .A.onetereetees.
Life at 'The Grand begins beanies in the
naonninn, for there are 'some who believe
thato few drops of reedy water from a, spa,
if taken before breakfast, will repair a shat-
tered conatitution, and even refit it for
*pother voyage upou the ocean of Excess;
very dirty, therefore, a drageling mews -
idea of shaky folks is seal issuing from the
bold portals, and betaking themselves to
the Temple of Hygeia, a damp well, with tt
con.pleof spigots in it, each of whieh is a
fouutain of health. The one on the right
something almost sublime about a, light-
house, where folks watch, while others
sleet), to warn their fellow-creetures of
peri
" Whet, OA pity it is," mused the Professor
thoughtfully, "that there axe no light -hous-
es for landsmen. end landswomen-no sleep-
less eye to NYarn them 0 shoal and rock -of
the Shallow and the Cruel !at, least save the
eye of God," added the Professorreverently:
"may that watch over you, young lady, and
guard you always from ell harm,"
There 'wasgravity in „Ikle Flint's manner
th
band le a sovereiga medidue for the liver; at on the left is equally efficacious for the which, while it convinced hlabel of the gen-
r
uineness of his regard, depressed her. Even edeem Among this woe -begone crowd raay
the best of us, when we are young, are
be observed t a few young people icted
. nosomewhat of Dame Quickly's opinion, that
indeed, to have been made solely
for his private pleasure and advantage. The
neisfortunes of others, as lorg as they do
not affect himself, failed to depressed him
distress his mixid; and he took the utmost
possible; care of his constitution; but still he
was not quite the men he had been, The
bald spot on the top of his bead affected his
spirits. He would have devastated a pro-
vince, if /ay SO tieing, he could have restored
that little bowlful of hair; not from vanity,
but because its loss perforce reminded aim
that he had passed the table -land of middle.
life, and was beginubeg that long descent,
every step of wifich is a bathos; the plea-
sures of life had begun to pall with him, and,
as usual, sarcasm bad taken the place of
youthfid spirit. He knew that this was ftsore
impediment in the wee' of ingratiating him-
self with a young girl like Mabel Denham;
but he had nee er yet failed iu an attempt
mother
to make himeelf Agreeable to the oer
witlitbsoitiers who find
ie affections,h
apa eonvenient spot for meeting with their there is lie need to speale.ot serapes matters sex, and he was surely not yet too old
?e
yet; and at was a positive relict to May to sueceed in this •ease. To fail would
beloved. objects. Glen in hand the bashful
1.1 e • brother-in-law appeared at the not only be a disappointment -it would
be a catastrophe, for it would con-
vince him of his own decline. It was
bitterness to him to have to swallow his bit-
ter words, and to affect sentiments he des-
pised ; but to have to acknowledge to him.
self that he was no longer yourig, would in-
deed beeeill and wormwood, Mr. Winthrop
hatedlaypocrisy, because it gave him trouble
and lying, because it was a strain -upon his
memory ;bother of all kinds was distasteful
to bine ; but having once set his mind upon
the attainment of any object, he was prepay -
ed for secrfices that would have been shrunk
from by many a less selfish inau.
(no oa CONTIN(sA.)
midden, glass in eye the enamoured swain,
wander about the undulating and alany. open window, drumming her to breakfast,
and denouncing her for flirting with Prefes-
eeederl "grounds," which the corporation of
ShiMgleton has laid out at a great expense, sor Flint histead of attending to the tea-
oatensibly for recrea,tiou, but in reality for Pot.
this very purpose. The undulations am They had a very merry meal, during evhioh
little knolls embowered in trees,
only,
and, like i the Celtic amulet dal not escape .h.frs
the seats, adapted for two persons
Pennaut's observant glane ,e and was the
;tee Seingleton-ou-Sea is one of the great cause of a great deal of raillery on the part
el nrimonial marts to which the fashionable 1 of her husband, who professed to see iu it
44 .h.Eititiexes repeir wheri London is a desert; i all the sifMitleatim et "au eug4ged Ting."
the Ilintatioos which have ferrnally received ! After the bre,alrfesz, an open carriage was
tne peternal or maternal consent are earried 1 ordered for the PartY, of the Previous even'
t,A here every afternoon to the soft, :tuskof ! lal; the rrefesser sitting "'side with the
the spa. bend . but those ill embryo, or , IA( lee, nutl Fretterie.k on the box. Me Win.
Rees with disfavour, are pursued in the i liorseletela He rode -close. to the vehicle, and
which are regar'ded by the dornedie author- threPi aeeoutPallied by his groom, was on
moraing only, under favour of Hygeia. alwaYe- as Mrs Marshall rernarketl to her -
say of o. that, she !self with int,ense eatisfaction at her own ea;
young lady at Shiugleton
takes the waters early, is to huittliet she has City -upon that side of it on which Miss
a, clandestine attachment; While in the ease "ham sat" It was all nenseuse that his
al a yeemg gentlemen, the simple phrase • , ,
el:et) aae aver,,, boa a eignificetion with driver to their oestination. He was an ex.
Sas rude eompanions beyond its mere Palate- eellent homemau, end the steed he retie ex -
soled truth, , ?wool even Mr. Peunant's adadratien. His
The early visitors to the spa are, howev or, bat, °It was a slender bend of blaek,
but few in niunber compared with the rest coneeded his slight baldnese, the mile evil -
of the inmates of the hotel, who are for the "enee of age 'widen his appearance exhibited;
ituotit pert, late sitters and 15145 risers, The and he tooked scarce tive-audealirty. It
oshment ranges from nine ta eleven, and the father of the tall ewarthy ycutli who
eir
'»resenee was uecesstuythere to direct the
breakfast epoch for those "upon the estalo was difilmit to e"e'ive of idm that be w"
that meal, in the private sitting -rooms, is WZ1S loungiug on the hotel etepsas they took
soinetimee served at an even later hour, heeleparture, and to wham he hurridly
The Peoriente were uo sluggarda, yet inteoduced them as they etarted. He made
Mabel Denham, fresh from the country par. hienselfas agreeable as t he eireumetences per-
extuage, and accustomed to gaily hours, mitted, wbieh were certainly not favoreble
Sound, on her descending to their parlour, 4 for emi'ver"
'Mna Elluestrain exereisenever
olaambermaid sweeping the carpet, and not is, which is doubtless the reason why great
even the breakfast -cloth laid. It was but ' talkein seldom use it: the clatter of hoofs
matural, then, that in order to escape the and the eadd motion are incompetible
enterchange of intelligent dea!, i
and and the coming waiter, she should with the
come out into the balcony, where the and the wisest man, when he mounts his
sea -breeze was bloveing freshly, tossing horse, Wedges either cemmoriplace or
the boats, and creaming the waves and dnenti. This is especially the case when the
rider has to diseourse with others W110 are
on wheels what he hears is half rumble ;
he is blinded by the dust or emackedon the
theek by the mud of the road, which sticks
thorn and renders him ridiculous; he has
to break off in the middle of an eloquent
sentiment because the way grows narrow;
or he meets a wagon, and by the tine be
has resumed his plaee. and eoneludes his
sentence he finds his hear c rs have either
forgotten his existence'or are talking of
something else, or Imes taken advantage of
his temporary absence to turn his opinions
into ridicule. Finally, the horse, even if
it is "a clever borate is one of the stupid.
est ot created animals, and is almost certain,
if the chance is offered, to "berle" either ids
own leg or that of his rider against a wheeL
Mr. Wmthrop, for example, who is full
of social anecdote this morning, has a cap-
ital envy to tell the ladies about the clergy-
man of Shingleton. "The livingiryou know"
(bump, bump, and a twig of a tree in his
eye), is in the gift of Lord Muscat."
"Lord Muskrat?' says Mrs Marshall;
"what a fmauy name !"
A butcher's eart drives Mr Winthrop into
the rear before he can eet right this mistake,
which renders his story ridiculous at start-
ing, and spoils the point.
Lord nIuskrat belongs to the Shrew
family," remarks the Professor gravely.
" They possess the peculiarity of having
webbed feet."
gam% life to every object. How delight.
tui everything looked, and, was, thought
she, at Shingleton t How pleasant it
must be to be rich, and able to live at
sueh a. place as The Grand all one's life !
m Pennants were not rich, but during
nor honeymoon we can afford to be a
little extravagant, or we have no business to
marry at all.) How nice everybody was
shelled yet seen, and how anxious to please
lied Mrs Marshall, it is true, was rather
talk '
ative but then she was very good.
matured. That dear old Professor bad quite
won her heart; he was so kind and gentle,
motwithstauding all his learning.; and really
Mr Winthrop had been very thou,gh,
Frederiek had said last night, when his
topinion was asked about him, that he was'n.
beast.' Frederick was :Maiming, only his
expressions were a littlestrong when he was
Tut out; and he had been put out -upon her
account, dear fellow, not his own -by that
stupid man's interrupting her song. How
foolish of her it had been to stop and be eo
frightened: Why, as Mrs Marshall had said,
'the mulled only expressed his pleasure at
the performance, though in o vulgar wey;'
and it certainly would have been, "a much
enore disagreeable thingifhehadhissed."-
How beautiful that yacht' looked coming out
of the harbour, with its great sails sliming
like angel's wings! But how very much
an one side it was. She would have liked it
to keep straight and safe. And why were the
mails of the fishing -boats all red? Per-
haps to save washing. -How far the sea,
stretched! Limitless as Eternity itself. How
bright, and pure, and sparkling, as though
3Jfelt the smile of Heaven! -How easy it
most be to be good with such a sight always
before one! How eaxlypeople began croquet.
—1o; it was only a young man knocking
timbals about withhis foot. -Good gracious!
-what was she to do? He had actually taken
off his hat to her! Ought she to bow? -for
elm saw it was Mr. Winthrop's son -or to go
in -doors at once? She did neither, but only
blushed exceedingly, and stared out to sea -
mot to see him. He had a verylsold disagree-
able look, which she did not wish to meet
again. She hoped he was not to accompany
1.3aem in their expedition that day, for Fred-
erick had taken even &greater dislike to him
Shan to his father. He was still looking at
her, with his hat off, and it made her very
lot and uncomfortable. But she would not
be driven in by his rudeness, nor notice it in
any way..
A silver sixpence for your thoughts,
Miss Mabel," saicl a, voice so sudden and so
close beside her, that gentle as it was, it
-"made her jump." But she was delighted to
•frad the Professor at her elbow, in such try-
ing circumstances, and welcomed him with
grateful eyes.
"I was looking at the light -house on that
_ far promontory," said she, "and thinking
how nice it must be to live there all alone."
"That was a very cruel thought, my dear
-young lady," said Mr. Flint, unconscious of
the fib; "but still, here's the sixpence."
"But that is not a sixpence, nor a silver
;coin at all: it is a gold one."
"Yes, because you cannot hang a sixpence
sa to your chatelain, where I wish you to
larg this. It is a Celtic ornament, and may,
for all we know, have been some mmden's
amulet more than a thousand years ago. If
my good -will could endow it with magic
.eharin, caxe should never furrow that happy
brow of yours. Will you wear it for my
sake'?
"Indeed I will, Mr Flint. But the coin is
so pretty -and doubtless rare -that I hardly
like to rob you of it."
"It is very old, said the Professorgravely,
arid therefore the more fit to remind you of
the giver," There was a short pause, during
which Mabel caught once more the noise of
the croquet balls and blushed. Mr. Flint
also heard it, and looking down, recognized
She younger Winthrop. • '
A frown passed over the Professor's face,
followed by a look of ineffable eadness. • He
had lived so wholly among men,. and heard
SO much of their lying talk of women, that
for a moment he half believed that this
bright innocent creature was in the balcony
by design, because Horn Winthrop was on
-thelawn. . •
"The light -house you were thinking of is
farther than it Mona Miss Denham; but it
isnot ter from the spot for which we are
bound this morning. When you are tired
?of bur antiquarian researches -which doubt -
lame you soon will be -we will visit it,"
"I should enjoy that of all things," said
Mabel. "There has always seemed to nee
Beauties of the Garden.
There is a certain faSeinaliOn about A little
plot of ground all one's ewn. It becomes in-
vested with dignity; it isa. freehold -e
iature world to people rand govern as one
wills. Just a bare, sofa brown squere o
friable earth -but with what possibilities!
Across it there may move in succession
splendid pageants of color and terra; purple
plumes may wave, golden chalices be upheld
to the sun, azure caumauulae ring out the
hour; grim monkshood may look solemn,
"ardent marigolds" flatlet their gaudy robes,
says Goad aoneekeeping. There will be
silver, ruby and amethystine tints, and ten-
derest greens; there will be floods of per-
fume, swiftly ?darting humming birds, hole.
ding butterflies and mysterious night moths,
To evolve these possibilities, it es best to
follow the advice of Horace; 'Begin; get
ting out of doors is the greatest part of the
journey." Undoubtedly this as true, for
once lealuo, pluriged our hands in the most,
warm ea:U. a Fort of magnetic current is
established between us and our rugged lint
mother, and we watch with intense interest
the orowth of Oni tiny seedling and its de-
velopment into the fair, perfect flower.
It is wise not to undertake too much at
first. The beds .prepereffi, there are the
" eollections" winch the seedsrnen thought.
fully arrange for the benefit of the amateur,
and as they are accompanied by explieit
directions, with just a little painstaking the
most satisfactory results are seen to follow.
Once suecessful with the hardy sorts, the
more delicath may be esenyetl, and then the
field is the world.
Among the roses, the beauty of the garden
the past, year was a bush of Poly•anthe rose,
of the variety Mlle. Cecile Druziner. In
color it is of an exquisite salmon pink,
deeper in the centre; and while the half -
open rose is lovely, nothing can compare
with the dainty little buds, which are ideal
for oatton-leole bouquets, Little White
Pet, Perle d'Or and Mignonette are also
desirable, while this year we have George
Pernet, in color buff rose, delicately shaded
with lemon and fawn ; antl Blanche Rebatel,
which, as it is bright carmine shaded with
rose, will be something new in this class.
These Japan roses are free bloomers, per.
feetly healthy and hardy, deliciously frag-
rant, admirable for decorative purposes.
"Bless my soul, Mr Flint, you don't say
so 1" cries Mrs Marshall. "Now, that's very
curious. The Winthrops themselves, as I
was telling Mrs Pennant last night, have al-
so something very peculiar aboat them.
Their fingers are not exactly webbed, but
— But here he comes again."
"Lord :Modals the patron of theliving,"
explains Mr Winthrop, flushed with exertion
and out of humour with his horse, who is
worried by flies; and when it fell vacant
the other clay, he gave it to the present
rector, under the following circumstances."
The cireturistances immediately following
was a mail cart, coming up at twelve miles
an hour, which drove Mr. Winthrop forward
at a canter, and postponed the narration
for full a minnte. In the meantime the
conversation was turned upon letter-
carria,ge in the present day, the speed o
which the Professor is contrastineo with that
in vogue duriog his boyhood, and the com-
pany are just getting interested in an illus.
tration of slow delivery, when Mr.Winthrop
strikes in again, with: "It was in a church
at Bethnal Green -you have heard of the
Beggar of pethnal Green, Miss Denham -
that Muscat heard him preach. He was
doing somebody else's duty there, being
what I believe is called a hack parson. Hold
up, will you, you stupid beast !" (this
through his teeth to his horse, who had
nearly come downupon his nose)-"andlelu -
cat was delighted with him -liked his ser-
mon inunensely because it onlylasted five or
six minutes, and after service thus address-
ed him: "I am Lord Muscat; the living of
Shingleton, which belongs to me, is vacant.
In all probability, I shall give it to you;
but I live there myself, so you must let me
see your wife.'"
Here the road narrowed, and Mr. Win-
throp had to retire again, leaving everybody
.very uncomfortable. •
"I hope he is not going to tell us a gentle-
man's story," .whispered Mrs. Marshall to
Mrs. Pennant.
Nobody else spoke; all remained in a
state of tension and embarrassment until Mr
Winthrop once more appeaxed. "I think it
was,so nice of his lordship," said he, "to find
out first, before giving the man the living,
whether his wife was a lady or not; it shew-
ed such consideration for society,"
"I don't think it shewed much consider-
ation for the clergyman's feelings," observed
Mrs. Pennant.
"One pockets one's feelings when one
pockets twelve hundred a year," answered
Mr Winthrop; "that is," added he hastily,
perceiving Mabel's look of displeasure, it
is only too usual to do so."
There are few things more difficult than
for a cynical man of the world th ingratiate
himself with an honest young girl who has
a Sense of justice, the caustic speech which
long use has rendered natural .50 him is not
only unapprociated, but unwelcome to her,
and he needs all his intelligence to repair
the errors of his own wit. Mr. Winthrop
was a cynic to the back -bone; he had been
all round the world, and found it "a
very small aff air" -not too large
A Man of Pew 'W ords.
.A young man, some years ago, arrived at
a certain um and, after alighting from his
trap, went into the commercial room, where
he walked backwards mut forwards for some
minutes displaying the utmost self-impor-
tance. At length he rang the bell, and up-
on the waiter's appearance gave him an
order nearly as follows :
"Waiter f"
"Yes, sir !"
"I ani a man of few words, and don't like
to be continually ringing the bell and dis-
turbing the house ; I'll thank you to pay at-
tention to what I say."
. "Yes, sir 1"
"In the first place, bring me in a glass:of
brandy and water, cold, with a little sugar
and also a teaspoon ; wipe down this table,
throw some coals on the fire and sweep up
the aearth ; bring me a couple of candles,
pen, ink and paper, some wafers, a little
sealing -wax, and let me know what time the
post goes out.
"Tell the hostler to take charge of my
horse, dress him well, and let me know when
lie's ready to feed. Order the chambermaid
to prepare me a good bed, take care that the
sheets are well aired and that there is a
glass of water in the room.
"Ask your mistress what I can have for
supper. Tell her I should like a roast cluck,
or someehing of that sort. Desire your
master to step in, I want to ask him a few
questions about the drapers of the town."
The waiter answered, "Yes, sir," and
then went to the landlord and told him a
gentleman in the commercial room wantea
a great many things, and amongst the rest
he wanted him, and that was all he could
recollect.
A Paradise for Mothers -in -Law,
It is a custom mum% me Apaches for a
man not to marry again until his wife has
been dead a year and a half, though bad men,
we were told, would marry before that time.
Their domestic arrangements are very pechl.
iar, with a' little background of poetic in-
stinct, Shat' shows through all the hard,
prootical facts of the case the same old hu-
man nature that has gradually evolved the
love which is stronger than death. To begin
with, when a man marries he is supposed
to belong oo longer to himself, but to his
wife's parents. He is not permitted to speak
much in their presence, and dares not -look
on his mother-in-law's face, shielding his
eyes from it, as from the sun. The gift they
have bestowed upon him in their daughter is
supposed to be so valuable that he not only
pays for it liberally at the outset, but, any
service they may ask of him he is obliged to
render, so long as their child remoins his
wife; when she dies he cannot marry again
without their consent.
She Didn't Say Anything.
De Gillie-"Bobby, didyour mothermake
any derogatory remarks about my einging
after I was gone the other night ?"
Bobby -"Na -n -no, she didn't make any
derogatory remarks." •
De Gilliee-"I'm glad to hear fiat."
Bobby -"But she nearly laughing."
SOMETHING ABOUT COMETS,
And tb.e Wonders of a Celestial Tourney.
rite Destruction or the Comet, and Ita
IntinsformatIon Into a Neteorte Swarm
---conisioos or voicsuat ilodtes-The
worta's rrogress whrough $pacc,.
Recent? researches on periodical comets
have brought? alto stronger light the rela-
tions of the solar system with the contents
of surrounding space. A cornet hat not only
come to be regarded as simply a compara-
tively compact mass of meteors, which,
through the effects of solar and planetary
attraction, is gradually saetterea along iM
orbit; but the latest investigations lead
'back to Laplace's conclusiori that comets are
visitors from interstellar space, and that it
is only tlarough the interfering attraction of
the larger planets, that they are turned into
permanent members of the surt's
For those that thus fall meld the donfirnon
of the sun is reserved the fate of gradual
disbategratioo into swarms of meteors. The
sparks that everybody has seen darting
through the shy anuually in August and
November are but the seattmed relies of
great collide that may once have affrighted
the world. Within fifty years man bas ae.
Malty beheld the destruction of a comet and
the proem of its treusforroation into a
meteoric SWAM We refer to Bielen comet,
which was Orst split hi two in 1846, and
afterward entirely broken up, so that it
ha$
AISAITII.VRED AS A COMET,
although regulerly recurring meteor showers
at the orcosing pomt of its orbit mul that of
prodigy , with a, nine days' festival, which
lished remedy for a fall of stones." Ancient atestFromEuro
one commentator assures as was "the estate,
history contains many references to sucli ,
events, but it remained far the present cen-
—
tury to demonstrate that stones actuelly Emperor William Out Apin-Discoutent
come tumbling out of the sky upon the 1 London Policemen -General Mate
earth. They are simply part of the forage 1 :Emperor William is to bane a earriag
of space that the emth gathers as it rushes
drive toenorrow for the first time since '
along with the sun, They bring us strange
things; iron in a condition which we cannot accident. It is said that during his tedio
produce upon the earth, nickel, and more confinement indoors he has shown unexpec
than twenty other known substances, in- d atience, wed has whiled away the tau
leelaneati,ngapepaearrWan'inwthhie4eotnonoef milliiintanuteee'dat, by Lading instructive literatere instead
moods. .;n. 1 French novels and the like. On the 15 h !
Bait is the sun that is the leader in this will be present with his eutire family at ti
exploration of the universe, and the sun gets 1 eoneecration of the maoeoleura of um kg
most ef the spoils. It is the sun, not the
earth, that captures the comets and the 1 Emperor Frederick, which is to be a ver
meteor swarms, and SO prepares strange solemn and imposing ceremony., On the 265
he and the Empress will start on the bawd
ial yacht for Copenhagen, and proceed tte0 ,
spectacles to brighten the long nights of Ins
imending voyage.
The looger the way the greater the spoil,
for the realms of space appear to be Mex.
haustible. Is there any peril involved in
the adventures of this great solar fleet of
ours ?
Tun rossirOLITY or COLLISION
exists, 'but it is so remote that it may be en-
tirely, disregarded. As to what the effect of
a collision between the sun and anotber
body of equal mass and moving with equal or
greater veloeity weak] be there can be little
doubt, In the withering heat developed by
suck eollision we should be shrivelled up
like fliea in at furnece, Still ether possible
perils have been theuglit of, Spice is sprink-
led with nebulte. The Oa idea. Was that
tlieSe nebulae are enormous masses of gas,
but Mr. Lookyer's new theory that they are
tele, eerth abow that. the euaatence of the swarms of meteorites is finding wide accept.
mice. ?Suppose Om earth or the sun
should
comet hes not been destroyed, bue simply
disperse& A piece of this cornet that Xell
in Mexico a few years ago is one ef the most
precious possessems of estronomers.
But if a cornet drawn into tile ImIar Vs' would simply be the production of an tiocom-
tem from. outer space approaches the suu monly re eteorie display. But if we
near enough, it may suffer disaster from the were approaching a nebula we should know
encounter, even though it should eseaPa it, unless it had not sufileient density to be
capture and ily oft agoiu into unknown visible, and in that case it coula uot
plunge into nebula, what then? If it was
a large and time ;iamb., the results might
be disastrous ; but if its constituent mete.
orities were widely twattered, the effect
dePtila? The great eotalet °1184, was cause arg disadrous effects through col -
for a few days so bright that it coula be fisiou, n the other bend, it may be
eeen at noonday, &kin -oiling close to the sun . asked, enkehemot, the introduction
likeo. white bird, was 'tThorn asunder he ito of foreign matter into our atmoephere, even
uc
perihelion peseage, ere is no eerttunty ; in comparatively smaw quantities, prod
that this is a Peruldleal comet; and 1115 is deleterious if uot fatal eifecta 1 It is Not
not, 15 15 uow tailing through space in a. dis-
bevelled condition, as a result ef its meet- roeible to reply positively to *hist -motion.
fact, epidemic diseases and strange con-
ing with the eolor giant that guides the (Miens of the atmosphere have several, times
destinies of our planetary system. been ascribed to such a cause. When the
Tim more one considers these eelestial celebrated red sunsets made their appear.?
counters, the stranger seem the adventures lane() a half a dozen years ago, many doves??
of the sun and his attendant worlds in their cd they might be due to an encounter be.
stupendous voyage tIlmugll Wee' II' 18 tween the earth and a cloud of meteoric
hardly necessary to remind our readers that dust; Later investigatiOnS, however, seem
this voyage is an actual one ; that, the sim is to have demonstnited that they were calmed
really carrying 14E5 with him toward the
northern quarter of the firmament at least t hie' the enormous quantity of volcanic dust
wown into the upper air by
two hundred million miles every year. A
x or;;:ut
railroad train does not more certainly whirl Tueeertors Ererion•
us to our destination than by this woo of Krakatoa in 1883. The great dry fog of
1783, which cOVered Europe for two or three
'solar migration we are swept on
months and waaeccompamed by diseases of
THROUGH TIM AIMS OFTHE REAVENT4 u the respiratory. otgans, has been ascribed to
a meteoritic origin, The annually recurring
toward the constellation of Hercules. Only , cold enell in May whieffi we experienceii
in the one ease the rate of speed is more again this year, bas been minima to the
curately ascertained than in the other. The „ satisfaction of some people by the theory of
wildest imeginiegs of the Eastern story. the interposition of a cloud of meteoritic
tellers, with their magic carpets eaulenehant. matter between the earth and the sun, the
ed horses, apaear spiritless in comparison !cloud being, of course, a permanent member
with what Immo tells of the wonderful of the solar system now, although it might
flight in which the inhabitante of the earth have been picked Op originally by the am
all unsconeelously are engaged. A celestial ; in the couree of its travels.
eye that closed, in the slumber of the gods But leaving out of account mere posaibili-
while beholding Affiun enjoying the delights ties, the established facts of our poingrinne
of Eden, if suddenly opened now, would , tion in the universe appear diffidently as.
in vain for the pleasant fields mid • tonishing. Who would not wish to view
woods of Paradise. They would have with an all -seeing eye this caravan of worlds
disarpeared with their unfortunate ine I on its way? Always gathering new material
habitant: and eveu the earth that ! from the realms of spacm addiug comets and
bore them would be gone, vanished, leaving meteor mm
ais to its dominion, the sun
only the emptiness of spew where that vis-
ion of happiness had been. The blazing orb
that shone upon Eden would likewise have
departed; and the sleeper awakened. 'would
find himself plunged in eternal night aud the
awful cold of sunless space. During his
sleep the whole system would have passed
on, leaving him behind millions of millions
of miles like an abandoned traveller in the
desert. If there were no intervention of
Divine knowledge, the sudden sounding of
the judgment trumpwould produce a most
i
strange spectacle n the universe, when
troops of departed souls thronged in the
wake of tbe flying earth searching for the
bodies that they had left when the globe
eves in far distant regions of space.
But, as we have said, the greatest attrac-
tion of this story of astronomy for the mind
lies in the certainty that it is absolutely true.
We are actuallygoing on this celestial jour.
ney in a vast spiral track, the direction of
which is governed by the combined. influence
of the sun's attraction and that amazing im-
pulse, whatever its origin may be, which
keeps the sun itself ever flying northward.
And as we go what adventures we are hav-
ing! Out of the profundity?' of surrounding
space as we plough through it, come comets
rushing sunward, and then rushing back
starward,
TRAILING THE ILLECTItICJ setoximets
of their trains across the sky. In past ages
they affrighted the nations; now the astrono-
mers with mathematical precision predict
their motions, and when they have disap-
peared tell us whether they have escaped
for good, or if not, in how many pars they
will be back again. The increase in the
power of telescopes and in the number of
observers has resulted in the discovery that
a very large number of comets have been
captured by the sun, and are now accom-
panying him in regular orbits like his
planets. Another incident of this wondrous voyage
is the approach of the meteors. Now and
again the world is
STARTLED BY A FIERY SHOWER
filling the heavens as the globe plunges
through the debris of some old disintegrat-
ed comet ; but encounterswith More scatter-
al:meteoric matter are taking place all the
time. Millions of these little bodies, large
enough to make a streak of fire at night as
they clart ieto otr atmosphere, fall to the
earth eyery twenty-four hours. And vastly
more numerous are the still smaller parti-
cles that sift continually down' through the
air. Prof. Winchell has put the fact very
picturesquely:
"Out from the depths of space, beyond
She clouds, beyond the atmosphere' from
a granary of material germs whichstock.
the empire of the blue Sky, comes teperpetu-
al brit invisible rein of material atoms-likei
She evening dew, emerging from the trans--
parency of space into a state of growing
visibileitffiYe
In0ome respects the most interesting of
all the incide,nts of this. vat journey are the
fells of Meteorites. 11 is one of the most
singular fads in scientific history that, while
stones have fallen to the earth in every age
and country, yet it is only within the past
hundred years that men of science have con-
vinced themselves that such a thing is real-
ly .possible. We have all read the story in
Livy, how it rained stones in Picenum the
first winter that Hannibal was in Italy, and
how the superstitious Romans expiated the
sweeps on, aud the obedient planets follow
in wide circling orbits; but whither we are
going and how it will alb end even the as-
tronomers cannot tell.
The Seaside Chapel.
It has Stood for years by the breaking waves,
At the edge of the sea town quaint and.old,
With its gray walls flanked by the Scattered
graves,
With its tower half lost in the ivy's fold;
And memory still, when iny restless mind
A. sense of quiet and stillness craves,
Slips slowly back, like a weary wind,
1.o the chapel hard by the beating waves.
I remember the Sabbath mornings fair,
When its bell's voice, blent with the seabird's
cry,
The good folks summoned to early prayer,
And its spire grew out of the mist clouds
high
Like a solemn finger that .points aloft
From doubt and fear to repose and peace;
And the roar of the organ. which mingled oft
After nights of storm with the roaring seas.
I remember the bridals and christenings,
The smiling faces and white attire,
And still to my ears fond memory -brings
Tho music sung by the village choir.
I remember tho sweet church festivals,
That wore love feasts truly in every way,
And, alas! the sorrowful funerals
That darken the chancel gray.
And ever around it, thouglikaves of time
And change and distance between as roll,
Spreads a solenin air, as of ancient rhyme,
That speaks of rest to the fevered soul;
That whispers of quiet and trust and love
From the world and ite troubles remote and
free,
Like a billow that dies in a sheltered cove
Near the chapel old by the sounding sea.
And if life's sharp cares would allow, my feet
Would ne'erjoin with fashion's by cliff and
shore
So long as pointed from yon retreat
The linger -like spire mid the ocean's roar.
Though its ivies now o'er a ruin twine,
And its bell is hushed, and its organ cold,
My kindred worshipped within its shrine,
And their dust is laid in its churchyard old.
NATHAN D. MINER.
Baby's Got a Beau.
She ain't nuthin' but a baby I
'Twarn't but yistiday-I slow
It don't seem so -since them blue eyes,
Jos' ez blue es they be now
Fust looked up in her old dad's here,
From her mother's bosom! She!
Visn't trew, now -taint in natur'-
That our baby's got a beau!
Why, we've alluz called her "Baby,"
Me and mother. Teenty tot,
Land alive! Site is the baby
Uv the big an' 'bloomin' let I
T'others they'd growed up an' mostly
Lighted out,when one cla,y, lo!,
Thar she was in their old cradle -
An' now Baby's got a beau!
Why, 'tain't no time since I see her .
Lay a-playin with her toes.
Gels will grow up inter whnmen-
Mine's like all the rest, I s'pose ;
Mighty queer, tho', when I hear her -
Or still think I hear her -crow
From her cradle at my comin',
To think that Baby's got a beau;
gle 817:rhteordlg'11211ffesrecle,
.1es' the cutest little critter,
Teasin"papa" for a "ride ,;"
I kin see her gittin' bigger -
Can't help seein' Baby grow- .
But I can't see how it's come ter
This -that Baby's got a beau!
Course I wouldn't keep her single
When she really is growed up ;
Mother'n me hey been too happy
Not to want the BEI 1 ne sweet cup
Uv good married lov,; to sweeten
Her life,:too-but it's a blow -
An' thar ain't no giti,n' round it -
To think Baby's go.. a beau!
to Fredensborg, to spend the day withe
King and Queen of Demnark, On theh
the whole party will stet' . e yador
Christiania, to visit the Ile nil Qin of
Sweden. Thence the -Sneeress will pled
to Ems and the Emperor will start on.
Norwegian cruise, whieh will occupy bira aix
least a fortnight,
The discontented London policemen have
been holding meetings and there km been
wild talk of a strike. The movement ia
not serious, however, and ia wailed to
young nem who have not been long on the
force. Grievances undeniably exist, lent*
they are of a diameter that cal be remedied
without revolutionary methods, and Com-
missioner Mouro enjoys the corifidence of au
overwhelming majority of the 14,000 men
under Ws command. Cablegrams have been
published there th the died than the New
York policemen are preparing to support.
their Loudon brethren in the comino struao-
o.
gle. The facts of the can have evidently
readied this country isa. gamely exaggerated
form, and it is hoped by friends of the police-
ineo that the prospeet of Americau dol.
lare will not encourage the men to run
their beads against a Mich 'wall.
A case more worthy at sympathy is that
of several thousand workmen employed by
the London ales Light and ('eke Company,
the gigantic inonopoly whose operations em-
brace nearly the whole of the metropolitan
arca north of the Themes. Encomoged by
the success bast winter of 4 much smaller
company in south Loudon, the big company
has apparently made upits mind to crush
the men's trade union. The men have been
called upon to sign an agreement by which
they must give a month's notice of quitting
work, but the company may dimples the men
at a moment's notice and may actually con-
fiscate all wages owing to any ;neat SO dis-
charged. It is not surprising to learn that
the men refuse to accept suck outrageous
proposals, and tbat public sympathy is with ' el'
them. The company is enormously wealthy
and could easily opera a million dollars in
fighting the union, but money ;done will not,
enalde it to win a struggle in which public
opinion wnuld be at the back of the work -
Men.
Capt. tlerakl Langley, who will pot ,es
naval attache to the Bridelrobesey is
it
Washington, has a rovin houilission,
being authorized to report up?. lewd mat-
ters generally in North and Oouth America.
Capt. Pyeshkoff, the young Cossaek officer
who bas ridden one horse from eastern Si-
beria, arrived at St. Petersburg on adholnene
day, homing covered 6,000 miles. He has
received a great ovation in the Russian capi-
tal from all classes of people and is already a
social lion. The animal th rried him is
a little shaggy pony.
_ 11nome...•
Skunks Eat Bees,
Skunks are quite frequent visitom ta bee -
dives that are low down, and they quickly
hepopulate a colony. Like many other
wood animals, they have an insatiable thirst
for honey, and in order to satisfy their
craving they will run the risk of losing
their lives. In the woods they will fre-
quently scent out a nest of bees in the hol-
low trunks of trees, and make a raid upon
it. But it is impossible for them to get
into a good stout beehive, and they adopt
other means of satisfying their hunger. In
the night time they will scratch on the out-
side of the hive until the bees are .a.ttracited
by the noise, and emerge from the small
doorway. The skunks will catch them een
tbey come out, and eat them. Tus never;
touch the drones or the bees that do not have, a
honey in their sacs. Their object is to get la
the honey, and they eat the bees as the only,
way of securing coveted sweets. These aree;
disagreeable visitors M the Spring and Sum7C.
mer of the year, and colonies will be coma "
pletely demoralized or depopulated 15 a few,
nights if the animals are not kept away. If
the hives are placed high up from the ground
no danger may be expected from skunks;
but if they are situated close down to the; e.
earth it will be neceseary to set traps forll
the animals.' Nothing is better fore Odd! ,
than the common steel trap. These trape
should be set on the first sign of skunks in
the neighborhood, for a great deal of worry
and damage might be saved thereby.
Pacts About Flags.
1. To " strike the flag" is to lower the na
tional colours in token of submission. '2
Flags are used as the symbol of rank and com-
mand, the officers using them being called
flag officers. Some flags are square, to dis-
tinguish them from other banners. 3. A
"flag:of truce" is a, white flag displayed to
an enemy to indicate a desire for e parley or
t)l
consultation. 4. The white flag i a sign of ig
peace. After a battle parties - both
sides go out to the field to rescue , und-
ed or bury the dead, under theprotection of
a white flag. 5. The red flag is a sign of
defiance, a.nd is often used by revolutionists.
In some countries it is a mark of danger and
showsa vetted to be receiving or discharging °
her powder. 6. The black flag is a sign of ..
piracy. 7. The yellow shwas a vessel to be ;1
in quarantine, or is a sign of a contagious
disease. 8. A flag at half-mast means mourn-
ing. Fishing and other vessels return With
a flag at half-mast to announce the loss or ,
death of some of them. 9. Dipping . the flag '
Is lowering it slightly and then hoisting it
again to salute a vessel or fort.
The World We Live In.
The honest man approving conscience bless -
.And yet we all from grim expedeeee
know
Fle's bound to meet 'too oft with what dis-
tresses,
While he's sojourning in this vale of woe.
Alas ! for what he hath, each rogue con-
, tendeth, _
He of his substance is by knaves bereft -
And, as the touch of time on him descend
eth,
He's lucky if he has his conscience left.
o.e1 aien,