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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1898-4-14, Page 6TI14 EXETER TIMES The'.13:est 1.4te4nruiko...0. AP gocka le yetIng couple recover- ed therriselvee Ferdinand anxiously asked his erie if the thoaglat B.eeeor bad any thence o6aceees, "I ba,ve eood reiteons to thinle that Loulee want sae no," replied. Madame enhaael ; but 1 expeet that Madame d'Amblecay eel have serious •reasons f r re,siii bL requost.'1 nee wows still diecussiag the gees- , tio.a when Hector returned. In aceord- ance with orthodox French metope he had clothed himself La black from head to foot, like a Aviary or a waiter ; end be was juen forcing hie bands into a Pair of tight straw-colored kid gloves. Well, lee for the Chateau d'Atable- encl.'," lie seed In a reeolute voice. Both M. and Madame Auleinel tried their best to diessuaele him from, suoba pre- cipitate course, but their efforts were unavailing. ''1 wish to put an end, to ray uneertainty," he replied; "1 feel brave, the die is east, earl I must go on to the end. I ha,ve had the horses Pet to tbe carriage, so good-bye, and be sure and wisb me good luck," Ae soon as he was gone Maclaine Au- banel begged her eusband to bageu after the impudent fellow, wbo by this foolesh unprepared venture, might com- promise all his best chances. 13u1, Ferd- inand simply shrugged his shoulders, ''.Do you really think be will go as far as the ohateau ?" he asked, "For ray pert I'm sure he wont. There' i an hour's /neve from bere, so that he will have plenty oe time for ref tion, ani. be and by ne shall see him come back without havitig carried out his pen: gramme." CHAPTER. Vi La point of fact, as aoon as Hector vas alone in the carriage rolling to- ward the Baroness' chateau, he did be- ginto zelleet. "n hat madness was he intent upon.? Was he not perforce ex- posing himself to a, refusal by thus un- cereraoniously asking elademe d'Am- blecay for her daughter's hand? Why sbould he risk les a hole future on, one card/ Might he ant rather wait; win the esteera of Louse's mother, ana in- terest his friends on. his behalf? This as 'what he said to himself, and( yet he never told tbe coachman to turn back. It was not that he feared. Ferdinand's raillery, but he listened rather to an inner voice, which, like e kned of pre- sentiment, bade hina continue his jour- ney. in the courtyard of the Chateau deemblecay, a big clog came toward bine smelt him and: licked his hand. Hector stroked. his back end walked on, interpreting the dog's frieneshm as a happy omen. As he crossed the garden he thought he perceived a white dress scampering off behind the bushes, and he divined that she who wore it must be Louise. .At last he was usher- ed into the drawing -room and request- ed* to wait, while Madame d'Amblecay was apprised of his arrival. ln the in- terval he was able to recover e lLttle composure which he greatly needed. It now seemed to him that his venture was .oaadness itself, and he was really' thinking of rushing off like a thief, when the baroness entered the room. She looked somewhat surprised on perceiving Hector, but only for amo- went. On second reflection she no doubt thought he was leaving La Fres- ewes and had. called to make a farewell visit. With a graceful wave of the hand she motioned. him to an arm -chair and sat down herself on the so1a.,1Biec- tor was very pale, like a man who has imprudently ventured on a perilous enterprise, and perceives he can no longer retreat. He realized that he must make use of all his skill if he wished to win the victory, and so con- quering his anguish after a greet ef- fort, and. mentally deciding that it was best to go to the painat at anee, he spoke as follows in a tremulous, but distend voice: "Madame, I have not been able to see your daughter, IVIademoiselle Lou- ise, without loving her, and. if I were fortunate enough to be judged -worthy of her by you, my whole life would not suffice to pay my debit of gratitude." &merely had Hector spoken than Ma - Janie d'Amblecay rose abruptly, rais- ing her band to her forehead, Many incidents which had. escaped her, or which had appeared insignificant, now (seemingly returned, to mind and plain- ly enough she was mentally accusing herself of blindness or want of fore - 'How imprudent!" she murmured, " how impredent." " Excuse *me, madam," continued Hector, in a supplicating tone. "For- give me for taking fhb step, in sach a singular, unceremonious manner. I have obeyed a feeling I am unable to control. 4 soCiety, .s,.rule, a relae tive presents the request wEleliel heve dared to make you, but unfortunately, I ana alone in the world, I bagel no re- latives. You scarcely know me, I am aware of it, but a whole city, when- ever it mightplettse you, would. rise to bear witness in favor of the honor of may family. For myself, madame, ask me. if it pleases you for years of trial." The baroness' frigid look abruptly brought Heetor to a standstell; and there came a short pause equally em- barrassing to both of them. " Believe me, sir," at length said Madame d'Arablecay, striving to over - acme her eneetio.a ant surprise. "Be- lieve me, I feel very honored by your epplicetion, and yet 1 think it would. have been better to heve warned rae cif it, for I should tben bane been able to spare you a direct refusal, and I must tell you that it is really impos- sible for me to grant your request." "Oh, madame !" exclaimed Hector. " Impossible, sir," rejoined the ber- m:lets, in a firm. voice. seercely had she spoken, than a settled sob seemed to some trorn the ;gentling room, " Liatea I" added Madame d'Amblecay sileacing any further appeal on Hec- tors pare by as imperious gesture, aria as she raised her hand, a dull eound, as of a eerson falling on a carpet, was distinctly heard, She sprang toward one of the doors of) the drawing -men, raised. the portierre, and then turning toward elector, who had followed her, exeleimed " Please. 'wait for rib." A. moment later the door elosed be - Iliad her, end the young eellow remain- ed alone, I Who end uttered that Alfieri soh? Who had fallen, an& no doubt, fainted ,etway It must reeve beea Louise d'Ata- e!ecaY, and if that were the as she mast have been lietening at the door. Meter nsked himeelf how he ought, to inter -Pint tan ifeeitieet. Dui t, not inn - ply thee Leuese laved bine but then waeld ber love ionleme the beroneee to alter her deeisioe? Fliugieg himself to ea arm -chair, he tried to refleet, but brau was 'whirling. The agony a altsPenee was to great. One word miglat coefiena his despair and once naore restore him to happiness. His • anguish was so mute tbet be neither heard the door open, nor notuted tee Presence of ;the ole priest, Louise's for- mer tutor, who in the meantime en- tered the draneegeroom. At last the abbe touched bib on the arm, and Hec- tor stained like a sleeper suddenly awakened from a bad dream. He stared, at the priest with such a strange ex - Pression that the old. ecelesiastie eould not help smiling. "Madame d'Amblecay," said be, "will soon rehire., and has sent me to keep you company in the meantime," * Hector bowed. " Ah, ah," thouget be, "I must try diplomacy to make this, worthy ebbe tell me everything that is going on." He peesumed too much on his owa powers, however, for, in spite of all his eftorts, the witty priest, albeit a ready talker. really told hixn nothing at all, so tent after more then an hour's con- versation, our downcast lover was no =Lore advanced than before. He had be- come quite disconcerted when the bar- oness appropriately returned to inter- rupt their tete-a-tete. Almost immedi- reatetilryeaa..fterward. the priest disereetly Madame d'Amblecay wore a very grieved expression, and plainly enough that she had been eryLug. -Before zenythieg else," said she, "I must beg you to give me your word, sire that, no matter what happens, you will .never say a word concerning what bas just ocettrred." "Ob, madame, I can readily promise you that" Hector's tone was so sincere that the baroness' anxiety *visibly -diminished., A little while ego," said she, "I told you what you asked me wa.s im- passible, but I had not then spoken to my daughter." She blushed. while utter- ing these last words, and. then with more assurance, continued: I have now come to tell you, with her consent, that I do not think it will ever be Pos- sible to grant you her hand.." Hector easily realized the difference be- tween the two replies, and yet this last aesiver still so oruelly belied his hopes that he eank back in despair. "My daughter's marriage," continued the baroness, "was decided on many years ago.,When M. d'Amblecay was on his deathebed he named the husband he had chosen for his dau.ghter. I swore to carry out his decision, and. a promise made by a dying man's bed- side is seared. If my heart were to break, if leatise's heart broke, we should still, both of us keep that saeredi pro - "Is there no hope. then ?" muttered Hector, in a gasping voice. e You shall judge yourself, sir. Lis- ten to me. At the epoch of the great' Revolution,- my husband's grandfath- er emigrated with his wife and his five children. All his property was seized by order of the Convention, and he and his family found. themselves in great distress. They sought refuge in Lon - den, and, lost, io to say, in, the great city, where they knew no one, they al- most perished of hunger, oold and. mis- ery. With the view of obtaining food ' for his children, old M. d'A.niblecay sought eraploynaeat, and obtained a sit- uation in the warehouse of a rich man- ufacturer, while his wife, by, birth a Ceng-Cygne, went out as a day serv- ant. However, their efforts were fruii- less. The wife fell dangerously ill, and an exacting landlord was on the point of turning the whole fatuity into the streets owing to delay in the payment of a quarter's rant, when a saviour providentially presented himself. 4. Wealthy English baronet offered the A.mbleeay family the most generous hospitality, not for °days or months, but for years. The ...krablecays were sav- ed by this generous protector, and. at a later epoch, when the storm of the Revoultion had passed away, he assist- ed theta in returning to France, and regaining possession of a .portion of their former property. Our family has never forgotten this munificence, sir." "1 ca.n't understand it," ejaculated Hector, in e, feeble voice. "Well, sir, to -day we can acquit our- selves of oar debt. This generous Eng- lishman's family has known misfortune in its turn. His son vva,s virtually ruin- ed. On several occasions my husband. offered to place at his disposal every- thing we possessed, but he would nev- er accept the slightest help, He died, leaving in turn a son naturally as poor as himself. It is this young fellow who is to be Louise's husband." On hearing this, Hector could not restrain a ges- ture of anguish but the baroness firm- ly continued: "This marriage was de- cided between my husband and the yoube man's father. It, was the onJy way in which we could come to the assistance of tbis afflicted family which was too proud to accept the restitution of sums dispensed in charity. For the Ambleeeys, be it remembered, lived for years en their charity. The young laronet is acquainted with our inten- tions; he knows that' my daughter has been chosen to he his wife; the epoch fixed for their marriage is approach - and to tell rm. everything.' Hector's livid pallor positively fright- ened the baroness, and she hesitated expecting Tegaftetiton gtminoegemrtheeea,rnirgstyha taieani arrival against gvf say; berhlowet1oe:oirtofielrotieredge tveeectsnfi: la, en, ,10,,lorkerwdo.. mg to Louise, my words with her Inc:re- ined my ideas. Originally I ehould have her to finish her phrase. But at, last, dorm everything to hasten he e marriage I recalled my fuse words," replied " I hope eft God. Perlieps the s*Oling Englielatrian may forget ehe .etigage- , inauate your first refusal 1" with the young haronet, bee now I can " Ah, madame," exclaimed Hector, et least promise not to press matters." roent, Perhape Tete, eyIll pot . please the bironess, " because, although Twee " you are very- erueL Why did. you at - Then what do yoe hope for?" meet, , Hector. sadly shoo* Ilia heat . " , ' an e help, him to forget, tee eaelehee ee If 1: kik), sw Ta co! I fhu.iif 11111liiti °;thlJetlllles.; Tell if :4' deed, if yea so Meth en meat eh teughtee's name in his preeprice, you would have eneli fewer ehences In your fever than to -day." "But, 1 aM rieji, and if half Mei for t "011, if it were sinielY nellestiOn of namby it would, be already decided," eertly rejoined the baroness. " Ah I elber impruaent it is for Per - eats to decide their children's future beforehand,' baurmared Ileotor. " My ownthfeia(tlt.:401tr /ile:cl thatideI should neer- ryof his friends, anci that frtena ie precisely expeoting me just no:s7Lid YOU didn't mention it,?" ee- l:net-4d Medatee a'Aniblecay, reproach- tfhuewy lly, a"e.,,Vhy, than another obstacle in "Ole if that were the only one I" said Hector, carelessly; whereupon the bar - mess rejoined; "I will excuse you, sir, for I make allowaneee for your state of min& but as matters stand, even if the young English baronet did refuse to tearre Louise, I WPIlid. never grant you ber band so lohg as the young lady you are engaged to may remain umnan tied. But allow rae to retire, Trest to Providence., Fpr myself I have but one request to make you---" "I can divine it, meciabe. You may rely on me. This evening I shall have left La Fresnaie." Then, ta,kiag leave of the baron- ess, Hector witlalrew in despair, As he was crossing the courtyard toward ties carriage waiting for him, he was, to his great surprise, sudden- ly accosted by the wortby old priest who held a letter in his hand. "Prey, excuse me," said the abbe. "But if I recollect rightly, you- told. me, in the coarse of our ounneesation just now, that you were soon going to start for Paris." "I shall be there to -morrow," re- joined Heetor, with a sigh. "Indeed! Well, I should be great- ly obliged if you would kindly render tne a tittle service. Could you conven- iently hand this letter to Sir ,Tames Wellesley, the young Englishman to whom IVIaderaoiselle Louise is engaged? Ile is stopping at the Hotel dee Etrang- ers, in the Rue de Rivoli." Hector trembled with deligettand ea- gerly put the proffered missive into his pocket, whrst the -old priest re- pea.ting his thanks, escorted hint to the vehicle. "WItat can this mean?" thought our hero, as he was rolled along toward La Fresnaie. "Madame d'Amblecay lad not told me this confounded English- man's name. Can she have devised this means of bringing me into conta,et with him? It's scarcely probable. , Can Louise have had the idea.? No, that's impossible. So it must be that cun- ning old abbe. Well, I owe him my thanks. For now that -I know who this baronet is, a.nd where to find him, I shall Ito 'doubt hit upon some meane of thwarting his design." When Hector reached La Fresnaie he Md to give the Aube/leis an elabor- ate account of his mission. In exceed- a,nce with his promise to Madame d' Amblecay, he did not.raention the inci- dent which had interrunted their con- versation, but otherwise he made a clear 'breast of everything. On his mentioning the letter which tbe priest bud ha,nded to him, Madame Anbanel willingly opined that he undoubtedly baci the means of salvation in his pos- se.ssion; but et th.e same time she im- plored him to hi very circumspect. Mat same evening Ferdinand escort- ed his friend. to the nearest railway station, some three leagues distant, and on tee road Hector unfolded a sin- gular plan he had formed in hopes of preventing the young baronet from marrying Mademoiselle d'Amblecay. He intended to make friends with him, he said, place himself at his disposal, take him about. Paris, open his eyes to the seduetions of the capital, and so thoroughly corrupt and deprave him that he would speeclily forget all about his matrimonial engagements. "And moreover," continued Erector, carried away by his fantastic idea, "Ibis baronet. is poor already, and aft- er a little life on the boulevards he won't have a single Solt left. But sliall be there, and T'll lend him plenty of money, and pretend. to content my- self with his atteeptances. But one fine morning, when he is head over heels in debt, I shall simply go to a h,uissier, and have him looked up in tlae debtor's prison. We than then 808 if he won't come to terms." "Upon my word," exelaineed Ferdi- nand, "yea are an ingenious scoundrel, and no mistake !" "Oh! I won't be too hard upon hira," retorted Hector. 'eine soon as I am married to Mademoiselle d'Amblecay, I'll grant him a pension of twenty thousand francs a year : and he can do whatever he may like with it; but, eon- foune tbe man, I won't allow him to marry Louise." By this time the -two friends had reached the railway station. Hector took his tieket and had his luggage registered; and he was about to bid Ferdinand good -by, when the latter abruptly drew him into a corner. "Look here," said, be, mysteriously, "last summer a photographer came to La Fresnaie----" "Good Heavens!" ejaculated Hector, "what do you. mean ?" "Wait a bit. He wasn't Very skill- ful, but still, I allowed him. to take my intendecPs portrait. Mademoiselle (I' Arablecay was eh.ere at the time, and. she profited of the opportenity to heve hers taken as well. She gave tray wife a °trey, and this afternoon I stole it out of the album for your benefit. Here 11 is.' Ferdinand!" exelaimed. Hec- tor. "What a friend you are I Quick, give it to me!" "Here, put it in your poeket and make haste, for the train's coming in and only waits two minutes. Now, good -by; send. us your address, We'll write you word if anything fresh hap - With these words they parted, and Hector sprang into the train, simul- taneously blessing the old. priest. Fer- dinand and the old photographer. He wan sorry not to be able to find an empty compartment, hut he profited by the drowsiness of his fellow travel- lers to draw Louis' portrait very-4re- quently from his pocket, and tell it all manner of sweet mysterious things. (To be (lontinued.) A SCHOLAR'S DEOltADA.TION. A happily rare if not an uriptecedent- ed evetit le university history has jest taken, plaee at Durham, England, in the shape ef In.eeting Of cenvocietime In order to deprive a, graduate, Who hadi been, convicted of felony, of his degrees in arts, tnedieine, and eurgety. There was no discession whatever, the painfel proteedieg*s being purely fetal - fie and the sitting oce,epied less then eigtia,rtet of an hoer, A THRILLING NARRA.TIVE TOLD BY A DIVER WHO EXAMINED THE BATTLESHIP MAINE. 4 Minute Ilescriptten et the Awret sue, marine sights — new the , Fishes et �vana 7 oatrojezitt 01040e1.41 a Thouluot -'A Shark Driven Out Matto Etanfing Away s One of the most abecirbiugly interest- ine:, stories in connection with the aw- ful disaster to the °United States battleship Maine is that told by john Well, the Florida diver, who was one of the first sent te Cuba after the catastrophe in Hexane harbor. Wall is one of the beet known divers in the service, and his experience in exam- ining sunken wrecks would fill vol- umes, When he was taken to Havana to work upon the wreak of the Maine It Was agreed that he was to have three aesistants to work the pumps and ropes and that he was to re:nine $125 P55 day, to be divided up aneonlg all hands. A. diver's day consists of four beam. In speaking of this job Wall recently said: ' "Diving in Florida waters and in the Gulf of Havana is a different matter from Mississippi work. The Florida waters are, as clear as a bell, and a diver need not carry electric lights with him. He can see the shells weler hie feet, and behold objects a long way off. "I am a Florida. direr, and have al- ways worked in tropicel waters, except once, when I went to Lake Huron to recover valuables front a sunken steam- ship. "But the wreck of the raMeine. was e different matter. Never in my ex- pueohrielee had I been called upon to do s eRrnee,Ir PIECE OF WORK. Here at the bottom, of the sea, or sub- merged far below the surfaice, was e $4,000,000 cruiser, containing $50,000 in bank notes, silver and valuables. Be- sides these were the ship's instruments of costly make and rare design. he ship, and these were to su'v'Mer.ore teen all, there__ were bodies down in t be recovered, along -with-the gold and "-I shall never forget the morning, severe1 days later, when the weeek- ing schooner took me out to the great submerged 'vessel and lowered me down. The suit I wore on that occasion was worthy of note, for I had a brand- new one made. It was of heavy canvas cloth, waterproof and strong. Under- neath it, as the waters are chilly, 31 wore a heavy woolen sat. Over the canvas cliver's Bruit was a. j, which connected by bra..ss rods with a collar around my neck, to which were fasten- ed the tubes for raising and lowering me. and for supplying me with air. My boots bad iron soles weighted so heavily that I could not move around on land, and My helmet was one with five win- dows, so that I could see out of a win- dow whichever way I turned my bead "The helmet was fitted to the suit. It was large enough to permit my mov- ing my neck with freedom. It was of were gleosswe , with copper outside, in ',lch v WINDOWS OF IRON NETTING. "My suit, when I was ready to go down, weighed 400 pounds, and was so heavy that I could not support its weight unaided. My feet, each of which weighed '70 pounds, had to be lifted for me, a.nd on going down the ladder from the side of tbe wrecker one of my assistants took my feet off the rounds,. and leaped them below at each step. My hands were protected lightly with rubber gloves, which con- nected with my suit with broad elastics bands, making my sleeve.s water -tight. "I wanted to go down with my bare hands, feeling that I could work bet- ter and withmore delicacy of tou.ch In that way, but I knew from exPeri- enee how numerous the little fish are and bow they bite and sting the fing- ers. I knew also what formidable crea- tures tbe big fish are in these waters end how they would be attracted by the bodies that were within. They nip off a diver's bare fingers. "As I senk my attention wee at- tracted to a large 'number of small fish that seemed to fill the water as tlaougla in a school. They were of alli varieties, and f aetually could feel them beneath my feet as I sank. The water, instead of being thin and light, was thick, and 31 pushed my feet down- ward as through a denee mass. The fish, ns I quickly noted, were of the very small kind, which' make the life of A DIVER MISERABLE.. But this time they did not annoy me, for the.y. were after greater game be- yond. "Soni were beautiful, others. ugly. Hideous scalpels flashed around me, greening and leinking, Huge eels that looked eke big snakes -twined tibia - selves around my legs. Crain and lob- sters were there edso, clawing anont ray divern suit, and little fish came to•warci me:with. open mouths vocifer- °way. In' the lot were tiny sword fish- es with undeveloped swords, and there were queer looking creatures with hares arid wing -shaped fins. Othere bad beautiful flying tails, ane there was one big kind' that had. only one eye in tae centre of the hea.d. None of these were over three feet long, but many, having 'bright green and bright blue sales, looked larger. ' "Ls T sank a little deeper X saw what attracted these little fish, Float- ing about NvIole, as though waiting to become water fit, and bobbing ar- Mind this water like corksupon oink- en•evere loavee of sea bread, chunks of meat and cans of eater food,' Many of the earls had heret and woe' half fill- ed With water and half with feion They fermed . cages into -Which the fish swam, never to come out &gale uhtil seffoca,ted by a iresh amply, of fish, greedy to there the feast, . "I saw greet vegeta es, probable earried (eInerd, tate„Veine ebb day be- fore for nowt daels. dianer, still fresh and lerd—a tobeeneree -morsel for the "Aor eank Eh -tent -depth of the Maine • • I foned meeelf eudderily erreine e great hole, while enderneeth my fea were Weeds and theete of irop, as though lititioildoeddoutfltoierflo.otrii7aarbpoleaa ttah�ve tatIonudsietkos ull)e,rytel,eingya-- PiiXflate ed the ,seene before me. It was rl moPoyuirn:orisntoptiAioll:waKnale•ftWura,lItTletHetlitNl dbeelo,ecwtfruiei recess, "I knew fleet I mast avelic inside and teeow the light bere and there be- dfoervethIs.could know the seerets of the Isto‘ra‘tiebtaivtteshrsama3ilaYbeiiaf 1 a'as8.bSiAlowoun ausplIrs°a°27 "Did I say it was clerk ? Not quite. The sea flashed with Liget on every side, for the phosphcireseent crabs were there, and the sea fans made golden, green and pink hues. These gave out blue seiatillations. Other queer fish which I had not noticed before sent out a eget green glow. Every animal seem- ed to be a light giver, encrthe twinkle they shed as then floated in and out of the wreck' was so Weirdly sagges- tive that r could only think of min- ers groping in a clerk mine witb the lights eine their helmets. "Cutting into the wreck I threw my light ahead and examined eacb point. It was an aerfuil sight. I saw detached arms and begs and skulls ripped bare of hair,. I saw bodies that were drown, - ed by the water and bodies that were not drowned at all, but held down by great pieces of piling wood. "I reethed for the first man at band. He was a Japanese. HIS FEATURES WERE MUTILATED, But 1 could catch the race east. I laid the poor fellow's head tenderly on my shoulder and took him to the sue - face, then I went down again. "As I approached the wreck this time r saw something moving inside. As I came nearer, for the object was in taut inner room, I was startled to see that it was that most greedy of ocean monsters—a sbark! He had in Lis teeth a body and was swimming rapid- ly toward the door. I took up an ax and succeeded in reselling the corpse. "The rest of this horrible story you know. Of the bodies recovered, the curreney saved and the nittchinerY res- dou;hecer ebowakas otfbethree asvihgennaltsheoyf ftohuenud ntibite_ ed Stains Navy, and saw the valuable articles placed in the possession of the days steadily, and. only gene up be- cause was too tired to work any Cicoarpigtein, I workee. on the Maine 16 er.„ MEN THE CHEAPEST. Animal Ince in Russia Exceeds That 'Pala for 111111Man Luber. In Ftussia the wages of a horse are higher than those of e man, and hence, of course, very much higher -then the Wages of women. Teus, in the Nishni- Volga, 'section, we fina the average pay of man and 'terse to be about) 72 cents per .day; of man alone, 34 cents; that is, 38 cent"' for a horse, and al cents. for man. The wemen reeetve from 10 to 20 'cents. In the central agricultut- • al. region the average is a Horse, 23 Gents; man, 29 cents; woman, 13 cents. In the southern steppe; Horse, 36 cents; man, 25 cents; woman, 16 cents. This is an interesting commentary on the standard Of living of Russian agri- cultural laborers. Its Meaning is sim- ply that human beings are cheaper than draugbt animate. rn other words, it costs less to keep them alive. In the southern steppe feve women can be em- ployed more cheaply than two horses. Is it -difficult to imagine the condition of home life, the d.earth of refining in- fluences, the sodden, hopeless stagna- tion that eueh a state of affairs re- flects? Is it any wonder that the pro- ducts of such a wage status as this are individual degradation, social barren ness, meager education, political des- potism, reagious intolerance, and, gen- erally, a type of civilization scarcely above barbarianism? WI -SE —SAY-IN—Gf3.: Make your life a ministry of love and a.ngees will take an interest in your work. Music is the 'medicine of the break- ing heart, it is the child of prayer, and the companion of religion. In order to train up a child in the way he shoultego, you will have to go batwiay yourself while you are train- ing bm When you make a mistake don't look back at it Jong. Take the reason of the thing into your mind and then look for- ward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom, The past cannot be changed. The fu- ture is yet in your power. Here are a couple of guiaes to happi- ness t For a fit of passion take a walk in the open sir; you may then speak to the wind without hurting any person, or proclainatrig yourself to be a simple- ton. For a fit of idleness, count the ticking of a clock; do this for one hour, AN EVASIVE ANSWER. Pat, said an Irish clergymen to his factotum, 1 shell be very busy this af- ternoon, and if any one calls 31 do not wish to be disturbed. 4.11 right, sorr, wilb 1 tell them you- 're not in ? No, Pat, that would be a lie. An' pliett'll I say yer reverence. Oh, just put them off with an evasive answer. ' At supper time Pat wa,s.askedif any one had ealled. Fax, there did, he said. And wleit did you tell him/ asked the priest. Sure, an' I gave bim an evasive an- swer, How was that'? - mieried his rever- , ence. • ale tined me was your -honor in, an' sez to hen, se z I, Wateter grandmoth- er a hoot owl? REASON FOR ANGER, Clara --Well, aunt, bare your photo - grapes name from Mr, Snappeechotte's? Mies Itlayderal„ angrily—Yee, and they wt back, too, with 0 note ex - preening my opinien Oe Ins' impudence, Gxacioue I What, was iti Why, on the back df evety pietcare WerS these word: The origami of tbis is earefelly preeerved, PICTURESQUE GIBRALTAR. Irne Recess Pulled 'with soldier)* nue Lee* lush Girl, ARO Ors and SpiplIttik Realair. It would /teem the one object of those W140 control Gibraltar is not to let any one ferget tbet the place is a militery post; awl the English are the stars of the piece, writes the oorrespeadent of s., Chicago paper, There a consta.ht diepla,y of military eplendor on the streets and equads of eoldiers are marched back and forth, as if a siege was to be (kelt/red that afternoon. Of- hicercrusgohn thheorteoell/avncit-rLiudreiiiunpg azdthdozt. notenous regularity the salutes of the soldiers who stride briskly along the walks. Young English officers in rid- ing suits, others in 'pink hunting coats and, others. ciantering in from the polo grounds give a, social, tone to the con- glomerate throng of the street, ana young Englith girls on slender and spirited -looking horses or in dogcarts Ya dodelaciiivnaltel Y1 If Q0804eveofaitihteo itilhneg 81 ilSehetgatee* s e mile off, They are blonde, and home- ly, with the inevitable moss of hair called the "bun" jutting far out un- der the lee of a., little straw hat and with the fresh glow all health in their faces that comes from lots of outdoor exercise. They walk with a swinging stride and their shoes are as heavy as a man's. they all seemed to be wear - hag a bluish -gray sort of dress, which must be the proper thing now with young English la,dies, a, little straw hat, and, as a general thing, they were accompanied, when walking, by fox ter- riers. One girl carried e stick, and nobody seemed to show any alarming amount of wonder at it. Old officers gorgeous in lace, in white helmets, or else in simple turno with flapping ribbons across tbeir breasts, and pillbox caps, ride briskly through the town, jostling the little donkeys and rubbing against the yel- low one-laorse hacks that rattle over the clean cobblestones. Moors in flow- ing and" voluminous garb and in vari- ous conditions of cleanliness and re- spectability straggle along in bareleg- ged dignity, causing wonder among the tourists fresh from the West. Sailors from the different men-of-war in the harbor, having a day's liberty on shore, lurch along with the approved. awing of a sad seadog, in their best blue clothes and. with the names of strange ships worked in their caps, Pretty Spanish girls look down from under this green shutters that swing out frour the windows, and these dam- sels generally are so attractive that 000 13 in great danger of running in- to somebody or else being run over by o donkey Geri or a yellow hack. Touri- ists with Norfolk jackets and guide books and field glasses hung over their thoulclers huddle, around the tourist agency, reading letters from home or waiting for other members of their party who at that moment are buying photographs at a bazar up thestreet •or watching soldiers drilling down on the parade grounds NEW FLOORING MATERIAL. A Splendid Thing for Hospitals and School Rooms. Under the name of "papyrolith," new flooring material has been put on the naarket. Pszyrolitn, or paper stone is a description of papier maths, hard- ened and tonglened for its special ap- plication. It is a chemical combination of vegetable fiber, paper pulp and minerals, from welch are produced a very tough naaterial, which has the advantages of the hardest wood and of stoneewithent the drawbacks of shrink- age of the one, and extreme coldness and inelasticity of the other. It is a non-conductor, and impervious to 'wat- er. It will not swell or dry up, and neither shrinks nor twists, as other substances of the same class will, It is laid in a liquid state, and is like a thick paste or cement, so that on a sloping floor it will take the. incline required, and present a sm,00th face without joint or creek. For this rea- son it is well adapted for hospitals and school rooms, as it provides no room in wbich hurtful bacteria germs can find lodgment. It will take any color, or anyr combination of colors de- sired. It is claimed to be fire -proof, and from its elastinty has an agreeable feels to the tread, and deadens sound considerably. Being unaffected by vi- bration, it ,is suitable for factories or work rooms where engine power is need. It is manufactured as a powder, and after being brought into the semi-liquid state by the addition of water is laid, like cetnent on a solid foundation of brick, concrete or wood. A coarse and a fine layer ere -used, the first being allowed to lie about twen- ty-four hours before the top dressing inch thick when thoroughly beaten down.nisit.ad and smoothed off with a trow- el, The two applications are about half SELF-MADE MEN OF OTHER DAYS. The self-un,ad.e men is by no means solely the product of modern times, COlutabua was a efee.ver, Franklin was a journeymen printer, Pope Sixtus V. was empOoyed in his young days in keeping swine, Robert Burns was a ploughmen, Aesop was a slain, Heiner was a beggar, Daniel Defoe was an- tnenticed to a hosier, Demosthenes Was the son of a cutler, while Virgil was a baker's son. ten Jonson was a brick- layer, Cervantes was a common sol- dier, Ca,nova's father was a stonecut- ter, Capt. Cook ecenine,nced elite as 0 cabin boy, Haydn, the Musician, was thee:ten of a poor wheelwright, Pizarro, instead of going to sehool, \ vas sent •to`leeiga hogs, Kirlfe White's father WitS liAtOlier, end Keats's father kept a liyeree 'stable. • • MUST BE LINGUISTS, leritish officers serving in-lndian ro- gimnots are now required to learn the dialect of their Men, in addition to Hindustani, Puebtee, Poneee, Khaskera, Tamil and Valaratti are am- ong the, lengnagen they must are were, OUR CANADIAN RAILWAYS, THE PROGRESS WHICH HAS BEEN MADE IN A YEkri, What the Alallaal Report of the "awe ter of' RailWaYs and Canals Show—inereasolu tike Number or *nos covered. Aceording to the annual report et the Cenadlan Minister of Reilways and. Canals for the past year eame jitter, esting figures regarding the eitillways of the country ere geese. The unti- ber of railways in aetnal operation in the Dominion, including ehe two Gov- ernment railways, is 141. Of the -se, e' howeveneome are leased, and the total number of controlling reilway Qom - allies is onLY eighty-one. The n ber of miles of completed railway la year wae, 16,686 miles, or an inee se of 300 miles, besides 2,218 miles of sitt- ings. There are 10,550 tulles in opera- tion'. Tete paid-up canna is given et n21,0358,282, en inenease of over $22,- 000,000. The gross earniegs last year amounted to $52 653,226, an increase of $1,807,707, and the working expenses agregatell 435,168,665 leaving the e. net earnings e17,184,611. There were ilfn carried on the railways of Canada last year 16,171,338 passengers and the freight traffic amounted to 25,300,3e1 tons aie increase of over 1,000,000 tons. THE ACCIDENT LIST Shows that seven passengers on rail- ways were killed during tbe year. The Government of Canada, has ex- pended On railways since and before Confederation, $122,944,518, ineluding $25,000,000 on Me Canadian Pacifie Railway. Other railway suleiches am- ounted to the sum, of e16,390,889, male. tug a tatel expenditure of $138,335,- 1 405, In addition there has been an ex- 11 Penditure of $69 522,382 for worker/ expenses on Government railways. 0 this all but $13,881,46e MA expended during the last thirty years. r.rhe re- venue derived from. the- Government railways during the same period eine - punts to $61,196,803. The Canadian Pacific Railway has now under traffic in Canada 6,314 miles of railway, including leesed lines.. Its gross earnings were e21,242,638, and its.. working expenses were $12,576,800, mak- ing the net earnings 48,E65,839, an ie - crease of 4317,600 over the previous year. These figures are taken Prone the sworn sta,teraents of the company' famished to the department. THE GROSS EARNINGS Of the Government railwa,ys for the past Hanel year amounted to 074. Tees is a deerease from the earn, hags of ~the previous year of Melee: The gross working expenses were ea,o 177,269, of a decrease of e77,173. The net loss on the operation this year was 117,205. Tiler° was an addition to the expenditure on capital account on the entereoloniaa railway of $11ee132, The totel expenditure on original e construetion and enlargement of tie ca.nal system of the country up to t 30th of June last was 469,289,53h A! further sum of 514,500,3e4'evas expend- ed on repairs, maintenance anl1 oper- ation of these works, making a total expenditure of $83,789,875. The total revenue derived, ineluding all tolls and rentals of land and water powers was $11,302,577. The total expenditure for the past fiscaj year was as follows: On con- struotion and enlargement a total of 42,348,636, and a further sum of $603,- 276 for repairs, renewals and oper- ation, making a total for the year of C:4981,913. The total revenue for the fiscal year was §384,870, a.n increaee over the net revenue of the previous year of $43,- 277. The net canal tolls amounted to $3,21,02,7, an increase of $52,788, and the rents received amounted to $44,599, a decrease from last year of $e914. CHINA WILL TAKE A CENSUS. Throurat El Clung the air.; Efforts lbe People of the Emptre Will be Counted. Early this year 'the first complete census of the Chinese empire is to he taken. The approaching enumeration has been ordered only after numer- ous conferences between Earl le Hung Chung, the empress Dowager and the emperor. Tt came about in this way: At last year's meeting of the Inter- national Statistical Institu,te, held in Berne, a committee, appointed to con- sider ways and means for, taking a "world eeneru.s," decided that the aid of Li Hung Chang must be enlisted. line TheyatuminB e prommise. ohfhistiajinas uerineeaantPe(3edkcuinr. Oh his return to China Earl ti broached the subject to the empress dowager. He expla,ined tee ohject, and need of a cense% and that the tote) ° number of people in the world could not be arrived at unless China did' her, share. The European counteles, he eald, wanted to know, and besides he could not go back on les promise once made, beeause, mecording to e Chinese bilhas onarctokevebraibtiii'kNNe,':onvrh,de,,f7o, utrh°1.1 esalrePeeeri°craaninoatiluIi Her, majesty gave him a line to the emperer. At first his majesty Was ' disposed to resent tee interferenCe02,r a committee, of unknown Europeanebut Li explained (tat in other countries a census Was customary, and that, le China was to be on a level with othereee countries elle must take a census. Thew eraperor finally gave his consent, and provided Li with an amtograph 01.0,er to son that the wiehee of the Swiss eooe, rented was carried out. The next step was to transmit the imaterial ordeee to the governors gen- erel of the provinees. The governors ;have sent the order out to the district, megistrates, and on the next official day they mill Summon ell the local core istanies and explain that tele time theta ie to be a fall and fair eotatt, AN OPPORTUNE MOMEe.IT, I'm aeharned, to "ask you; , but if yoti ego I Don't asec me for enythitig, I've, jest lied to put upmy watele Exactly, There -why T thoilp;ht yOn'd be f I use.