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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1898-4-28, Page 6• 10rit itablit Ithe • anxi• eoettle ` lie 0 asug, alined 't['he te uall de xxif Orthy ta br :cleoneca lying soles pri G., -1,-A7, Great 1 inte ,dent in coutrat bions of truly a clyearce helpIee, eeld just Ting- coa terest ilL %nand, b statim the ce aga) twers of airships al e seven s Accordin ' the a eusaiad Yekon. ar. Thes ett the Ga.' araerassec se and feed ely to rea r. Since en one yr nger ofsta ere/mu:tent of the and their far below Yukon, b d seekers a miner , annual I try fee of fi every cla, sss there ken. The tie geld fle e Paytor help of an ses for the 1 & Marin. Lb e Postal waged ehrift nt iirtdret rted. The ow about $t ister estima ijkrnshortly, ice. The ave The most Itis all, per cent. r Ines the bus unlitY whit eposit in the investment. tat in favor of rtterest pa Of traders, its are se rat, es s activity, of, things to I et" eliort sig eatter. Tflje. ithdrawn fr, laced "Wher "Ood" beit pttblie *)da saved in t m the poot f the tnorte t the Govern tu England , me, paying Whae there n Canada r, , all amount lder" of Lot It? That is cuREs t •0 0. oi ao ar., Coue hais.•Nortva' y I ne, li The est flatchmaker CHAPTER V11.1. xt is t•tia tbet, conunercial life le not Precisely fitted to develop tile qualities of the Inert arice mind, and yet ell. lataudeeetin can boast a rare and Pre- onere tlebnt in Parisian Soriety, wheel enjoys throu.gbout laurope tbe tepee Ultima of beipe the wittieet, wept agreeable, anti yet meet exacitien Xt the world, In truth, bowevete axle can hardly say that it fatly tallies with • b'r araes elotte textile, whicli is ti this e aere e. destreptieu. i his cbaraeter, and invests him with .a, ea a, put et tee dey in pt•eparing foe 1 certein oeperiority over many tit 'hia the ordeal, and astamed bis ettfteat fellow -men— That vain old paevetae aen Inset disdainful aire-taat ale of • faeetie believer in what he esals eonsummate conceit which •partioul- ' aelo s to tile citizens a Great tee neliecess ef ootameroial pito ity . Thi e inlief dates from the tiale when he first started in basiness and 'when he• signed e great many promissory totes,and feithfrally paid them. on setti- ing days. Ile might easily have cou- tentea himself with that, but M, }elan- dureau was determined cot to be an otdinury trader. -When in emose of time his signature beoame as good as a, bank -note, be deeided to give hse word, the same value as his signature ; and thereafter com.pelled. hireeelf to keep hes vderl al promises quite as strict- ly as he fulfilled his written engage- ments. He declared that a. men wile did not consider hilneelf bound to fol- lies, suce a course steeply because "there was nothing written down" was after all only a vulgar scoundrel. Whoever did business with M. Blantle- lean: raigbt sleep at ease vben he had said. "T.hat's agreed." Those wortls from has lips were indeea equivaaern e. eontract dratvn up by two note - ries. Of course this practice 'had. more Oen °nee resulted to bis perste:tat case adva.ntage. At limes, after making a verbal bargain, he bad pereeived that he would. be a. loser, but far frooe re- calling his word, he had repeated it, preferring to make a sacrifice 'rather thee have lath promise questioned,. If, this conduct had altogether impover- ished bite, he would Jet doubt have been derided. but on the contrery, de. spite a few blunders. lie steadily grevs richer and. rieher, and so he was ad- mired. In Paris and in London, at Brussels, and at New York, mercbealts were in the habit of saying, "Blander- elle% word is worth its weight in gold" and as a matter of course lie felt very proad of the circumstance. Hexing retired from business, he still applied these principle,s to his private life, and. they became, as it were, his invariable rule and guide even in the most ordi- • nary circumstartoes, SD that, to say the truth, his "conamercia.1 probity" de- generatea into monomania. Any rine who missed. an leppenatment with him tell greatly in his esteem; but on the ether hand there was no fear of him breaking his word. If you. invited him to dinner, and he accepted, his pres- ence became a foregone conclusion. It might have rained., ha.ilea, snowed, or thundered, and yet he would have come. He wonld have come indeed had be been UL hed. he even been dying. And. he would ha.ve done due honor to the. repast, have eaten, drank, and elle, capital "ktta and fork," even Britain. Although he was not with - eat certain laward misgivings to ap- pear befere• a tribunal of French ladies he outwardly evinced the assur- ance and eelf-confideuce c,f a man weo knew his own •velem, and was flint' aware that if brit a. bair et bis head were tomehed, nerd Palmerston, then alive, would not have besita.ted te equip a. Itundred vessels and spend teeny millions of money to obtain fit and proper repeals:time When Hector had offered to introdace tbe young Englishman to the Blandureau funny, his object had been to cement tbetr frieudelliP at once, so as to allow Si,r dames no opportunity of escaping him. Ho had certainly never imagined that the baronet was likely to achieve any suocess. Lend yet suede ttroved to be, the case, ior Sir James Welleale.y ap- peered to the Bla.ndureau family like the Being incarnation of noble tradi- tions, and Madame Blandureau subse- quently confessed that when he en- tered her drawing-1'0,0in, igr the first time, she had felt as impressed as if ehe, had behead an e.mperor. So Hector found himself relegated to the back ground ; in fact, he was fairly eclipsed. Never bad Blandurean done the honor of his house with such gracious- ness and affability. He was all atten- tion and reepect fox. his new guest, and. when lie learned that Sir James wooed inherit, a peera,ge from. one al his uncles who set in the House of Lords, he became perfectly obsequious. Henceforth he persisted, despite Bal ex- postulations, in calling the baronet "my lord;" and in his delight at hav- ing authentio representetive of the Eetglish aristocracy at bis table, he only remembered Hector to congratu- late him au his connection, and to thank him. for baring brought this distinguished foreigner to Ville d' Avray, Mademoiselle Aurelie was, if Pos- sible, yet more delighted. than her father, and she was quite as unable to conceal ber impression. Sit James' meaningless _telance made her blush like a schoolgirl. arid for the firsttime in her life she felt embarrassed, and doubted her own powers. Strange to relate, she reelly felt. something- like a slight beating of the heart. • But then could one dreamer a more grand- ly, haughty, or of a more perfectly frigid aristocrat than Sir james? Was he not the beau ideal of etiquette and tsoeial solemnity? All young girls, <embus ere ectuaeienoe en the day When XETER, TIU -- 1 NOT FIT FOR, FIORTINE edpeation, the leash that holds be no conceaved the aboteteatle pate whieb bloodhounds, slipped at, will, and wae to enable lam te get rid of tae OFTEN SLIPPED TOO SOON. happy Mortal seleetect to marry Louise "So as I should be the last to deny d'Ambleaey, ale lied only lietened to SOIVIETHING ,ABOUT THE WRETCHED ARMY Oka SPAIN. tee bravery a the Spanish army ae his despair, the edviser of matt rests- . !Wens. But with calm and refleetion Whole, 1 et once assent. "'Yes, Lt the oeetiment of boner returned, and braveeaes ninety -Pine Per cent, of uni- formed itemies are brave—what then ? he reelized hew oalotte was the project Eitguesee Mutat". voile Says Neither 0M- o:re ear Privates enderistand the nude - meats er ever—elven. Peeseleelle lead. Commentieg epou a Spanish writer's reflectiots on the war in Cube, ire winch he had ilempted to show that want oe cavalry, together with the superior knowledge of the country possessed by the rebels, Noes the cause of the failure of the Spanish troope, an English military critic, in the Matted Service Maga,eine, taking ex- ception to the statements'and the con- clasiens, cleolarea that the xeal reason is einaply that the Spanish army, eav- elry. infantry, artillery, engineera— ell branches of the service alike—have had. no echooleng in their trade. Prom brigade general to private, not a man eas grasped, the radtments or require - meets sat war. For the troops, there is /to drill, no practtice in gunnery, or swordsmanship. or gymnastics or any brunch of railitery retinue. Even physically they are the wretchedest of beings, wiry enough but undevelop- ed., since nothing isdone to diet, STRENGTHEN 'OR IMPROVE THEM. Bravery and, e smell appetite are not he had. formed. Quite aorrified, he telr hi h enough to Irvin with pave, up ell idea. on prone -1.11.111g it, end yet. he saw no other Means of Salva- tion, What meta he do/ Wait. Tit wee all; and se he waited like a condemned Man whose sentence' is shortly. to be, earrtea late effeet. he still returned. to Ville ‘d'Avrtee it was because he did not wish to initiate the rupture. He telt convinced thee he would soon be fasored, with a Polite kiismieeed; and vortabely he did not at all evince the solieitade of the suit- or admitted to pay his court, for at the most he visited the Blandureaus once or twice a, week. After ell, he Ives not wanted. at Ville d'Avrey. The retired reerehant's etten- try seat claimed. another visitor—a most tieeitittous one, who fulfilled with marvelous exactitude all Efeetor's ne- glected duties. Like M. Mandureau, Sir James was a man who knew how to keep his word. He bad peomised to pay trequent visits to Ville d'Avray, and, in facts he went there 'every day. Yes, every elay, did this exemplary andaxieue baronet willingly undergo, the, ordeal of three and four hours' conversation witla tbe eetired. coma miseion merchant, who. was delighted to find. =oh an attentive listener in the nephew of an English peer. it is true that -Sir James lesuelly replied. in such e manner as to prove that he had not at all heard or understood what -was said to hira, but this was of no consequence to , M. Blandur( au, who, attributing the iticoberent cher- acter of. the baronet's answers to his sea.nty knowledge of French, rattled on again as fast as ever. The truth is that while to all ap- pearance patiently listening for M. Bland.areau, Sir James was really all eyes and. attention for afaaemoiseIle Aurelia. He had. fallen in love with her at first sight, and now he was absolutely entranced, enraptured. Unfortunately, he could not altogeth- er rid himself of his memory, and whenever he recollected his engage- ment with Mademoieelle d'Arul3leeay he suffered much as Hector had. suf- fered. on thinking of Mademoiselle Blunduream. Then it was that con- soience recalled him. tea sense of honor and duty. But what is duty conapared with love? And Sir Santee already realised that he raust, die it he failed to, win Aurelian heart and hand.. 'Un- fortunateey he was poor, and. he knew that the Blandurea,u family was im- mensely wealthy. This scorned to him an insurmountable obstacle, for al- though, despite his impoverished dr- ernoitences, he really had the greatest coetempt for money, would other peo- ple believe in his disinterestediaees? If he asked M. Blandureau for Mademoi- selle :A.u.relie's hand would not the step be looked upon as an attempt to obtain money to regila his escutcheon and. re- store the family mansion? Fortuna- tely, this distressing idea vanished at the first glance from the young lady herself, and. her eyes, it may be men- tioned, very ofteri met the baronet's, Despite Sir James' natural timidity and modesty, none the less real, al- though coricealed by an apparent air of* haughtiness, he could not help noticing in the long run that Mademoiselle Blandurean by no means avoided him, As goon RS he reached Ville d'Avray, she hastened into the drawing -room. if, indeed, she were net aaready there, waiting for bine; and in addition, more than ranee, after taking his leave, he heed noticed a muslin curtain drawn back as if a pair of adorable dark eyes were anxieus to follow him. on his way back to Paris. At first he doubt- ed the truth, ascribing what he no- tioeti to his own imagination, or else setting it down to claa.ec.e; but at lest one fine day, it so happened that he remained for five minutes alone with the fascinating A.uxelie. Perhaps, that was chance as well, bue it may base been in some degree prepared on the young ledy's side. Five minutes are no doubt but a very brief space of time', and yet it is astonisbing how many things may he said. while they elapse. especially when people don't waste their time in ward of mouth, and Sir James and Aurelie, be it doted, only resorted. to the language of their eyes. To tell the truth, the magnetic power of love quite revolutionized the young baronet's innate ideas of pro- priety, and. he was guilty of an at of audacity which he cannot explain to lemsell even to -day. He dared to take bold of Mademoiselle Aurelie' hand and raise it to his lips. Mademoiselle Auxelie by no meens withdraw her hand, in fact, it seemed as il a slight pressure of her fingers mutely answered Sir James' mute de- tearation. No donbt he would have stammered. out some burning phrase, vvhen, inappropriately, enougli, M. Blanduresu burst into the room. like a whirlwind. The retired merchant did not notice. either his daughter's blushes or the baronet's confusion. He held a newspaper in his hand, and wished his "lordship" to give hinted/1e explaeations concerning the conduce, of the English government in the effaie of the. San Jacinto. After a Memel:1- (1ms effort, Sir jamee sueeeeded izi Mastering his emotion. He woula have.givee anything to get rid of M. Blentittreau. knew now that he was really loved, and he wished. to en- joy his felidity ; but no, he must find some answer for this pestering old fetber, Nsthe obstinately kept on re - "What do you think of the arrest a the Southern Commiss' loners?" (To he Centinaed) at the risk of dying of indigestiora the whether they own it or not, picture to some night. themaelves in the recesses of their With Bach a. character it was evi- !hearts some improbable hero whom dent that 1/. 13Iandureau coati" not even thank of breaking off the, match vlilett he and. Hector's father had de- cided on. By his conversation during dinner and afterward, Hector, it is true had not quite pleased him, •but they are destined never to meet , but more fortunate than her fellow, -Mee dens.oiselle BIandureatt had found 'her hero; and the consequ.ences were sur- prising. Her haughty glance wax- ed alraost tender, her voice lose ita • he might Ilene displesesed him altogetb- imperious tone, her ettiroue and. mean- er, and yet M. Blandureau would never I ners became unusually modest. She lievebad the idea of modifying ta-hatlae forgot to play the part of a queen, considered 8, sacred agreement. Thus I • and contented herself with acting like Elector snade a great mistake when he a yteng gilt. Madame Blanaureau imagined that affairs were progressing was so surprised that she doubted her favorably in this direction. It was senses, hat the truth is that Aurelie simply because M. Blandureau had not had, met her tate. had leisure- for reflection thet he bad Sir jamea, on bis side, soon realized answered the query, "When shall we that he had conquered the household. i fix the marriage," n snob an evasive He forgot his assumed. stiffness and manner. Hector's conversation had frigidity, and 'seeded to allow suspi- caused him. great deception, and he had cious prudence to keep him eternally ntrt been able to master his disappoint - d on the qui vive. He had come to a went and bad humor. He had that "first imputee" which we all bave, and which we all ought to guard against. But scarcely had Hector left, then be began to -regret his answer, which he feared might awaken certain doubts in the, young men s mind, and are niter all, absolutely requisite. He lead him to imagine that he, Blandur- wan indeed espeeially anxious to avoid eau, wished to temporise, and 15 the being laughed. at on account ot bis bad. meanwhile find. sorne pretext to get French' But new he sa.tv tha.t no one rid of hira politely. If it had not been .. thought of making fun of hbiria, and so I te- Mr. Blandureau would certainhe, ventured to speak—and, indeed, he stranger's .hause, and now, after an latrurn stay, he felt as if he were among Mends. On starting frota Peels with He,ctar, be had sworn not to open his mouth, save to partake of refresbments or to articulate such monosyllables 'as ly bane hastened after his chosen son- in-law, but he did not even knew Rec- tor's address in Paris, so be returned Indoors mentally resolving to make a Lull apology on the. following day. "This maxxia,ge doesret quite please Me," he said to himself, "but I must heeten to have it carried out; for I have given my word and must keep it." °Eta almost said as reach to his daugh- ter when she candidly told bins that idle should never love the lusbaed be had chresen for her. "I can't help it, my poor child." 155 answered; "we have enga.ged in an un- fortunate, speculation, but we must enbmit to the consequences. Tn keep- ing one's promises, the great merit is, to do so, when the result may prove disadvantageous, and so we'll keep ours. Blandureau"S -word, you know, is worth its weight in gold." And as Mademoiselle Aurelia pouted signifi- cantly, he added "Don't distress yourself, my dear. After all T'Ve. only promised M. Malestrat your hand. So you. must marry him, But fortun- ately, 1 have not promised that yon would love biro., so if your opittion does- n't cbange after the marriage, why we, can apply for a eagel separation, or you can part amicably it he will agree to it." This way of looking at anatrimon made Mademoiselle Aurelia smile, an she tlia not insist. She knew that no- thing she coned tell her father would lie of guy nee, and so she resigned her - to the idea. of marrying Hector. Ile - aisles her geiet at baying to do act was n et so particularly aeute, for no ant e lse had as yet touched her heart. How - seer, ehe revolved in her mind a pretty tittle plan by which she hoped to gain cm:Origin supremacy on the very trier - via ef her inarriage. On this oceasiort Madame 131aedureaa's opiition was not asked for, and 'ter a very simple rea- steri—tb,e worthy lady habitually vever bas any opiniort of her own. And yet strange ea it may sewn, she had term- ed something very liee one in refereece to Hector. "Dear Yoling Men," ehe thought, "thank Ilea.veb you woh't have tittle study my daughter's rbaracter, Yee'll merry her within t torteight, and thus aseure My peace in roy Old Ow. T co•uld bless you a tbelternd times overt" Sash was the moral eituation of the Illaertereau family Whet elector Te - tux lied to Ville d'Avrey—tbis time fie - &an panted hy hie new eeletitly ir Santee Wellesley, 'Thee wee the yatteg Ler- on the board. of militery mitten, much lees, let Met calm supplant the sold- ier's sehooling. Courage we all have, if we are put to tight, courage under aspects slightly diteerent but still eourege; and it is for went of our eeeming base minutiae of war, the nearksmanship that hits, the steps that energy., and. maven., end aavance and retire; the arts that help to win a bat- tle,, as seamanship helps to propel: a vessel, that one of all brave natiens Is falling swiftly fro,m 0. high estate. "The lesson of three centurtes ago is not the lesson of to -day. It is no use to pose upon, a crumbling pedestal and scoff a Time, who takes as by tbe fore- lock, rather than we, hina; with him we must go, his word we must obey, or by his rattan vengeance we shall tease to learn ana prematurely to live." The people, so fatally conservative be the colour of tradition do not ap- preciate that since the devil-mayaoare ceeepaigns of the Netherlands, war has been reduced to rule. If there be oce melon wheat shetr dash, unbacked by calculation, comes in, they may be magnificent. A Spaniard is romantic to the core, a gift not altogether ad - rarebit% in these days. The very taP of the drum sets all his martial blood afire, and in pictu.ring an ancestor storming a breaoh "with the Spanisk flag in one hand and ea sword in the other, he forgets how disraally modern . and prosaic the,kum of that unseen enemy, a rtfie hu.let, sighted, aimed and. fired five hundred yards away. The writer adds that be bas talked with Spaniards of all grades and pro- vinces, and two qualities alone bane the.y advanced in favor of tbe Span- ish soldier --his ability to go without food for a long time, and his bravery. A gentleman, speaking to me at table lifts a' -scrap of salad on his fork and. saes, "This is why our army is better, in one respect at least, than yours or the German. Your men require to be spoke a• great deaL It is true that be was scarcely understood, but then be was listened to witb all tbe greater attention. That evening finally destroyed 'Elec- tor's prestige iti Mademoiselhe Aare - lie's mind. Whilst pretending to lis- ten to a long speech which Sir James delivered in trying to explain to M. Blarelurean tbe difference between Whig end Tory—which difference the ex-oomirdssion merchant never • suc- eeeded 15 understanding—she mentally compared the teo yotmg men with each other—and the comparison did not at all result in Heetor's favor. How trivial and. common he, seemed to he! Ete,was gee, witty, and caustic; when he spoke be gesticuleted like all men from the south; he laughed, • and, worst of al), the others laughed while liet,ening td hire. What a difference there was between these two young fellows. The Englishman so reserved, and, the Frenchman so expansive. Abl at first sight one could easily tell that the former was a peer's nephew, and. the latter but 11, Bordeaux merchant 1 For, after ell, M. Malatrat was but a trader, pr at least his father had been one. Mademoiselle Atireile fel1 very sad while, she allowed ber thoughts to follaw this course, "Ah 1" she rritirmuzed, "must I really merry the man I hate?" Such a prospect almost made her weep, e,ria for the first time in her We she mentally reproaelme her fath- er for havbag chosen her s husband, withoet consulting her, She hed never felt se truly unhappy before. Jentes did not seem to mitice the flight of time, and it wsas only when the clock strtiele midnight that he at length epeke of retiring. eillairst conduntirig his guests to tbe gate, M. Blandtireau made "Lord" Welleeley promise, that he wattle speedily re- turn to Ville d'Avra,y, begging hita Indeed to some as often es possible. Sir James readily gave his Word, ond then, when he arid Elector was again elone together, he exeleauted: ceett find words to tell you wbet an impression thet yoents lady bas Made ma me. I really find her most eberming end loveable." Hector Was opening his motith to re- ply "She is to be my wife," when ai strange improbable presentiment ap- propruetey prompted him to told hi toetege. THE JOLLY AMBER. Stedurrahnem, or atgilaneseem, le 0180 a).1 ihe "lost originei isdr Living itnierse The most interesting ruler in the wo,r1c1 at present is probably, Abdue- rah/Pate of Afghanistan. A alee old-erueted autocrat in Abilue- ralonan, enpeble of waking up his doe tor to ask ie it would hurt buS to east a peppermint lozenge, and also shutting tie a thief ie an iron cage to starve to death. Once a beggar in Kabul asked alms of tbe "Bid you ever work for a Heinz ?" ',peeked the`ruler. "Never, 0 Zhan," tbe rn n replied; "I aan a beggar," "Then," said Abdarrhaman, "we can doewithout you,' and forthwith direct - INDIAN MAGIC. it Is o r ten Beyond the' rower or the 'Wisest • to Explain One need not go to the realms of space, ow time, or figures, to meet with the incomprehensible. Despite naedern scierace and ingenuity, this word still remainis stele only applicable epithet for some of the achievements of Indian con- jurers. We can smile at the luminous appearaame of the beautifulface before which as the reveletion of Osiris, the old Egyptians prostrated themselves in awe—for the marvels of the magic lan- tern are farailiar to us; the early ex- istence of gunpowder glees an easy ex- planation of the oracle's lightning and thunder; the weird harmony of Mem- non was naerely the result of an ingen- ious raechanical contrivance. Bue sprayed tearvelers, of later date, whose veraoity is beyond. dispute tell of much more inexplicable things than tett edoledly, and oiten oars will last and. fight FOR DAYS ON THIS." "But if our troops require more fool than the Spanish, our commis- sariat is proportionately equipped to meet the additional demand, our pre- supuestos are proportionately heav- ier. Our xegiraent ismore liberal, costs more, and. We can afford to pay more, otherwise 1 should adruit a value in the argument.' It makes one sad, continu.es the Eng- lish writer, to see the quality of the expeditions packed oft in heartless shoals to Cuba,—boys, to look at, who have never seen or beard a rifle till this raomont and noware almost ignor- ant at winch end it fires. And if the troops are inefficient the officers are worse. In tbe first place, the mili- tary profession does not stand high which is in itse,lf, a, bar to efficiency. I3y semetbing more than a coincidence the best officers are these who are socially thought most of by their coma- trynaen, as in England, Gerreany and Austria. In Spain, the army ap- proaches being held in social contetapt. which is in no way counterbalanced by the reitetation, before every (Ali- c,er's narae. of "Bizarro," and other fatueuS epithets of the press. The army and the-churcie in fact, are the two proleseions no man chooses if lie has the moneyor the brains to choose anything else, anda girl who threat- ens to become an old ntaid, is told in jest that she will have to marry an officer, whieh illuetrates dm national bias. The. Spanish officers cheapen the,mselves. They are never mite, of uniform. tvith a. sword tinkling at tbeir side. They carry a sword. and spu.r.s about with them everywhere, to chu.rcb included. Their assumption transcends belief., yet it is admitted throughout the Peninsula tnat their preparations and qualifications MAMMA Ilecto•sthad givet anti 1 t these. One of the best known writers on occultism aacolliot„ has left an ace count of certain things he saw during his official sojourn in India, which, as the seem to defy explanation, may fairly be classed among things ineorn- prebensible. The performer whom he accidentally met, and who required some persuasion before he would exhib; eel tbat the beggar shad be aualeed. He is, however, suseeptiele to flatte, y. and can sometimes be cajoled. A man whom he hied sentenced to have his ears cut eief Ler some sindiscre- tien happened VD be a friend at bis chief seeretrery, who averted the muti- lation by offering to perform the task himself, peevidee it might be done in the Ameeres pseeentie, To this he assented, whereupon the seeretary explained that he. had never execatted this fosat ef punishment be- fore, arca would His Highness show hint hew muola was to be rerneven The Anteer passed. his bends over both, ears a the tiremblin•g wretch, whereupon the secretary reminded ben 31 pessage in the Koran saying that anything towhee by the representative of the Almighty beetune sacred, So the ears were saved. 'Afghanistan is ,anything but back- ward, as Asiatic couteries go, 'There is a modern factory in Kabuli run by steam and employing 5,500 Workmen, whicb teens out daily 10,000 Martini- 13,enry ear tridgea and 10,000 Snider car- teidges, finished and complete; twen- ty Martini -Henry and twenty Snider rifles; 50,000 coins; two field guns, very- ing from 5 -pounders to 12 -pounders; twelve Maxims, eighteen Gardners, wi th coneia.ges ana full equipment, per annum, as well as a large number of swords and mechanical centeivanees. Tbe Ameer takes 'great pride in the faetory awl makes his khans and all his 'visitors go and see it. One day IThara Mum, Who tame 4lrar0 a •distonoe, celled on Sir Salters Fyne and said: "How do you make guns?" "It is quite easy," replied. Pyne. "You make a bole first,:and then wrap sonae iron extend. its" vAh," tie said, soeeowfully, "there is lots of air fax the hole in my country; only,. no one theee knows how to wrap the Iron around itt." ' THE BEAM FUMES it feats which, he continually a xis , were the work of other intelligences. On some sticks fixed upeigthe in flow- er pots- were plaeted some learves from a tree, with boles in each suificiently FORM OF POISON THAT IS ATTRAO ING ATTENTION. emelt eotatbs From et in One Wed( In Novt 'fora — 'What It IS and novo D lay b lateitee, What is ptomaine poisoning? Stripped of all teohnieal itioS maine is the poison res niteag from eay in food stiletto:lees, It is for by bacteria, and is seereted with venous repidity under favorable cations 01 warpath and moistare. is very deedly and also very donee An ordinary article of fend is e Oath larke in it, and the vial in great agony. Se <lied Arno in New York last vveek, An several others. , -• The, only way to guard against thin subtle, enemy of --life is to take the greatest care to have tat meats fish flesh and far eeme-ved teem the first stages of decay. The great precaution should be to them thoroughly cooked. IVIettte, fish and raille seem to favorite breeding medium' for manes. It may occur even und mast carefully regulated cowl Bu.t its development is greatly enea by artificial methods of se- curing and preserving meats and Deaths from ptomaine poison al inveriably increase with the adve spring and summer cede year. cold. weather lasts the myst chemical aetion which prodnces poison in foods is eetaraea. At the New York Health merit, Dr. Max Meyer is eaves ing the ratiture of the poison w bee KILLED SEVEN PEOPLE in a. week. His investigations a practically in the nature a origin research, for not half a dozen Men, the city know a ptoanaixie from a sa red. ibex. Ptomaine poison is well named, Th word in Greek m.eans cadaver, or death It ie a putrefactive alkaloid, and is large to make them fall to the level of the mold. Standing at a considerable distance the fakir made a gesture with his hands. A slight breeze seemed to pervade tbe room, then the leaves quivered and gradually worked up- ward on the sticks. jaoolliot placed hirraself between the flower pots and the operator, placed the sticks in the flooring,' and adopted every means he could imagine to frustrate ally trick- ery, but nothing he did roadaany dif- ference to the movement of tbe leaves. •The more familiar feat of the seem- ingly supernatural growth of flowers was utterly eclipsed. by another bast - mace voucbed for by the sarae narrat- or. His own servant brought 'him. a store or so oeseeds, from which be sel- ected and. marked one. -Taie fakir plan•ted it in a pot of earth muttered some words 077R4T it, 811:4 fell iyato a sort •of trance, which lasted. about thirty minutes. then awoke, uncovered the pet and discovered a seedling two or thi•ee incites Ingle jatollion exam- ined it and found it tad sprung from the seed Which he had marked. With a touch of a. peacook's feather the fakir deprassed bala,nce of a common weighing Imachine in daily um in the houeehold, thbugb in the other was a weight a twelve stone, and with a distant motion of his band be made sthavings of wood. to sink oe rciove in water. Still more marvelous is the de- scription of the manner in welch this veritable eastern eviiard was able to set at defienee the la,w ot gravity. On this ()wagon when leaving the room, le paused. on the threshold, folded his aerate and by a simple act of volition, raised hileself from the floor and re- mained poised in air fear some minute's. ARS PRACTICALLY NIL. - A proposal has oven been approved that the bachelors in arts shall be ad- mitted, without further examination, gecond lieutenants. To this letter rank are marinated hosts ot ser- geant.s, a. practice ultimately subver- sive apt discipline it carried, where, to excess. But eheer want of instruc- tion, bookwork; backed. up by range - firing tont tee, military surveytng, map . . . drawing % sham fight and so forth, is the glartrtg and. primary defect, and, during the Cuban 'rebellion three gen- erals have taller" 'into trouble, not frovilaelc eourage, but from lack of knowledge. Precisely the setae in-, competence pravalls in the navy. Thus, in a word., neither officers nor men pos'sees tbe elements! ot technical war - fere., and all is left to ,ceurage: "Spaniards or Italia.ns are given to imegitte that the. fine frenzy of a des- perate exploit 18 limited to tbeir warm-blooded selves. They underrate ou.r derment capelailities of passion. They Neve not beertt of the Scotcbmat st Majuba, who, with hell his face blown away, gropea for a rifle te have tree more ehot at the victorious Boers. Theyecould iiever bting themselves to assoctate otu• reputedly frigid temper with the filming heroism of Chard, and the ola :Btotilans who fell et Laing's Nek. 'Yea it ardor is braeery, not only Italy, or Spell!, or Greece, bdt we bave it, ti.ria every natien exeent, pessibly the Chinese. What was Nel- son's feverish delight at Copeeliagen ? —the love of fi ghtiog elose retiarters to the inspiring masio oe a hundred - gun battery, With whet noble ecstacy did Charles of Sweaett burrow list° Beside:is vitals With a few calm squad.- rone -of uoyieeding horeeneet ? "ft is cowardice et pea/nese. that are exeeptiors in tee tereby, arid t.be Sive and. Ba,vagery a onset, Whet they mat - take for coldness ie edetherners le the fine reetreiet of preview military WOMEN OP SUMATRA. If the waive women of Sunsatra, have their knees Properly covered the rest dose not ma.eter. The natives of some isla.nde off the west of Guinea wear clothes only when they are going on a journey. Some Indians of Venezuela are aslhanied. to wear clothes before strangers as it, seems indecent to them to appear unpainted. BISMARCK'S SINS. Of tbe teuealgic peals in his face, ishieb were eo severe teat he sernetinies lied to prese ,the pointe of his fingers on his cheek bonee fat aeveral initintes to etenMe a little relief, Bietnatek was repotted as Stayleg; " Tble is quite rietutaL I have Hinned in my life the meet with my rabeth,111 ers i keg, drinking end telkieg." PARIS EXPOSITION. tIneer Notions ;What Have neva Slade Disown to Olio Cootontkol000rs. . . 'The Expositio,n of 1900 is already well under way. 11 will be arranged wite exquisite Inge, but this will not be the fault of the eranks. Some of the queerest, notions that, ever emanated front cracked brains bare been Made known to the commie- sioners. One of these, appropriately enough, comes from t,he .Cogna.tt district, with Whose spirit. the senclere would seem ire have been imbued. It tells for the erection in Paris of a colossus bestriding the Seine, as the C,olossus of Rhodes bestrode the nerrova entrence bo that ancient harbor. The interior' a the colossus might be used to house the leavens who vvial attetid the Exposition doctors -in nhe legs, chem- ists in tee stomaels, metanbysieitine in the bead. dnd so on. A Another project dendands the erection of a, Garden of ,Eden on a lo,rge stale, with! Adam, Eve, the make and the ap- ple tree all complete. It might be urg- ed on the ether side that the snake is always sufficiently in evidenee in Paris. In- the serious work on the building,s there is good ptrogress. Tele eountry will be well representen and. only the GerManerprobably4 because a their an- cient rival,ry witta the Freneh and. their dieappointrftent at the failure of the Berlin show are .holding aloof. formed by baoterie. It appears in al- most countle,ss forms and varies in dangerous qua,li.ties according to how it has been generated. But in the main itm.ay be said. that all ptomain result trona micro-organisms. T ptomaine has leen developed. in. lar quantities the simple proeees of coo ing will not in all cases ',deader thi. food s‘afe to eat, bat in such, eases to .unpalatable nature usually so pronounced es to render the . SHARK CHARMERS. e--- Cotelatts litat l'orstalO Calf Divers nave to CstIch In the Persian quaf the divea's bave a, curious way of opening tha season. They depend' iraplieitl3r upon the shank ooze, juners, Etna will not descend without their presence. To meet this difficulty the Government, is obliged, to hire the tharniers to divert the atterition of tire sharks from the fleet,. As the season approacbes vast numbers of natives go.- tber tteeng the shoe% and ereet huts and eente end bazaars. .A1 the oppow- tune inoment--usualla at midnight, so es to reach the oyster bake at sunrise —the fleet to the number of 80 or 300 'Owen, putts out to sea. Earl of these boate carries two divers, a steersman and a shark caterinelt and is manned. by eight or. ten towers. Other conjer- ers•remain &here, tivieting their bod- ies and rpumbling indentations to div- ert the sharks. In ease a mon-eeter is perverse enough to dieregara the therm and attack a. divot an alairm is givere teed no other diver will, deseend on that day. The pewee a the coejutrer is Iselieved to be hereditary, and ate efficacy of his Weaned:diens to be Wholly independent of his religious faith, 1 dist,astiefue. Bacteria may be Lille( by cooking but, such ptomainne, as ate ready exist are not necesserilet desi't ed. Or, on the Otber hind, there 4 be bed results from eating food[ wbich there are no ptama.ines at time. But the bturteria. may be wial devdioped that the poison se - produced after the food ha' taken into the eyetem. The prouainent characteristic fibsit first is a sense of fulnees as if a son hard over eaten. Teen c, nausea, vomiting, gripings agony, pere.piration. A deathly pallor co over the patient. Fatally be ell cumbs, fells into a coteetose state a niay die in an ii.our ex two therearte Treetment for ptomaine poison eita be effective if begun in time, end the poison has not been too virulet or taken' in too large quantiti s. Eta t. ties are the first, thistee to be sedat istered, followed by trtuek ea the tics expel the toxin from the system. If it has already permeated the . gestive :system. and begun to. work ul on the nervous system: hypodermic ie jectimas of morphine may be reee ' to. By calling in skilled thesa / as quickly as possible, a course of Mating treatment may . be given cording to the paysical conditiort, the patient, area the life saved. Bi e-herever ptomaine hoseenterea t.'" system in q,utualities f /311111Sli PENSIONS. LarSe Suns5 AVM lite Saved 'When the Present Itetiptents Die. England is relieved of the payment $15„00O a year in pensions by the reeent deaths of Sir Henry Havelock - Allan and. osf Viscount Combermeret third in succession to the first Vis- count, who was six Stapleton Cotton, and reettived the pension for services in the Peninsulas war. When the Duke of Wellington dies a yearly pension of S90„000 will end,. while $05,000 a year, will be saved by nhe nation at the death of the present holders of these titles: Viscount Ilexclinge, for ser- vices in Tridiae Baron Seaton, Colitorne, SALT SUPERSTITION. Superstitions concerning salt are widely ocattered over tleeworld. When the Chineee obeerve tbe last festivel of the year, literally called round - fug the yeat," a portion of the cere- eteny consists in buildieg a bonfire a pine weed before the encestral tableta et the Tjpen the Haines silts is thrOwn and the titaekling which it teicariione regarded as an Omen def good leek for the follbeving yeer, for Waterloo, Baron ieeane and. ViS- eeunt Gough, for services in India, Heron Raglan fax Waterloo and the °llama; and Ballot Napier of IVItigdarla, fax Abyseinia. Perisions of $5,000 le the heirs of 'tbe Duke of Scborabeeg, William CITts General, of e10,000 to t,he saccessors of Lots' Rodney, and 025,000 to all to whom the title of fferl Nelson seali descend will continue to be paid ittdefititely, `When Viscount Wolseley anit th,e, late ltord Alcester Sir Frederiek 13, Seymour, received and. xeceived the penston foe Services in 1885 it was undetstood that the sys- tem of iong-coritinthing pensions would lte encled. Trip; CI -LANCES ABE DESPERAlf ,D and. the most expett treatment is le an uncertabi struggle with death,' ' Profersional teen in leew York the followi.ng to sey of ptomait Some ere very poisonous; others I less. There are namberlese lila in the body. They are absorbed the oxygen, or expellee by tbe ttet of the. bowels, liver and lungsIf LI are not they strike the ner. cen ol ca siokness resarts. People 'e ese day from ptomaine poisonsieds and reel cause is anknown, .1 Ptornenies are the poison tef dee pose,d animal tissue. They aftpeare in substances easily petrified., stieb clem,s, oysters, fish, mirk, sauestgee che,e.se. 'What they are is only teal ly known. One of -the constituent' musearieus wbich is the same poi ' 'feund. in •the toadstool. The presence of the ptomaine, meat indicates thee the meat has gurrto putrify, though 110 Otle., ca11 by iaspeeting such meat beforeh 'whether er not ptomenies axe pees The meat nee, In fresh toil app aneee, but still contain ' tome There, is no 'known 'entidol .foea incline poisoning. Of cou se and purgtetives should be' the poison is saspected, tan iS all that physicians keow na Ptootaines ere teallyr (*eel. s duets Loof athe proceee ,' tine ate the teraparaee for which the matter passer It from the aotivit,y ot beete dead, inorganic matter. There are certain 'tittle that are particularly tt them is tyrotoxicori, - creena ; another, raytitoxi mes.sele. , THIII,D READINGS. The following trills were read a third time and, passe,d to-niglit:- 31espentiing the Colombia ana Wat- ern Railway Company—ear. Beetesk, To confiein an agreement betiveer. the St, Stephet and Ittilltown BiLilWay CoMpany and. the C. P. Mae - Pherson, Respec,tieg the teritieli. Colturibia, Southern littilWast Coirtpany—Mr. Mor- rison, Ilespeetirg the Ilemit,lon end take Etie Power Cattopeely—Mr. MacPher- son. , Pox the relief 01 Robert Aegustue taldwie Hart, --Me. Lendericiri p0Ti3tiL DIJEL A duel heti zecent Perils between t,ado Captains a tivio. te Plied on the field du 'iv of tt genie. Ifalitee Mose, which are inocieoead received severe awe ttrme and 0111,140e:a eta eel Olt $ 1114 4. =editor% b %Woes al eataree) etittleV !It°