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HomeMy WebLinkAboutExeter Times, 1901-8-8, Page 7eeehe. -:-:••:-.:.-:••:•,:-.;”:,:,••:-:,•:-:-:-.:•.:-;-:•+:14.-:...:••:-:-:-:,...:,-,:4•:-..1...:-.).:-:;-:-:-:-:-,1-:•...;-:.4.).. •:* e• 4:. t . 4, .7.• ••••• II IS ------"*"". •:* 4.:. *). The Untiniol 4? ..•:. . • .... ...*Endof ••• i ... .. .-. .6, Joseph BOVA% :I: \7T EAI4TI1. .;* SYNOPSIS OF PRECEDING- CHAPTERS.-SeeUritiee venish front the stroeg-roent of Candelent, Dandy oad Waldo, bankers. atr. Faske cif Scotland Yard is called in to solve • the mystery. There are two keys to the stroegeroom-one held by Mr. Waldo, partner, the cothOr by jr. Surtees chief Cashier. This latter has two ,children, Bob and Jos-" plow, He reproaches Bob, who is an extravagant subaltern with as- pirations to the bend of Iteleen Waldo, for having consumed Ids sise ter's dowry to pay Ids gambling debts. - • cuArmt TO understand more clearly the reproaches Mr. Stoves addressed to his son, we must go beelt a little to a date slightly antecedent to the lass at the bank. Field -sports and theatricals filled 110 so largo a portion ot his spare time that Robert Surtees bed a wide circle of acquaintances. even beyond his comrades in the reginieut and at Aldershot. Among others, Mr. Percy hieggita the assistant -cashier et the bank. Wes very fond of young Suttees. A word here as to the assistant-, eashier. Percy Meggitt had been brought Iola the bank by old Mr. Dandy. who, for ref,MCMS of his own. took a. great, interest in the young :clerk. It was through the seuior partner's good offlces that Meggitt rose rapidly in the bank, and became berme he was five -and -thirty. assist- ant.caselea the time we make his uequaintauce he already *hewed signs of degeneration. Ills yellow- ish retie hair. parted In tho udddle, was yew thin on the top of his head mi4 his figure had lost its symmetry. He was a little too fond of agood dinner and a good glass of wine. and was sintering thus prematurely from bi.scifeludulgence. eleggiet ivas not popular at the bale,: Since Ms advancement Ito had given blinself great airs. None of the other employees knew hint at all Intimately now. Vague rumors circulated at the bank. set In motion by Meggitt, himself. at the splendor of his chambers in the West End. of the entertainments he gave, and to which he was invited. How he could keep up such a show and lead such a lite on his modest salary was a mystery which no one seemed anx- ious to eolve. It wits. however sup. Posed that he possessed good private means, an idea. strengthened' by the estimation in which he was held by the heads of the firm. He was noted for hospitality of a florid kind, and the dinners he gave at las club, the Junior Belgrave, were the admiration of the rest of the club. It- was a club of the et. doubtful debatable kind,' hanging to the skirts of Club -land, but with no very atsured reputation. Its inem- bers were rather a mixed lot. They eyed each other suspiciously or with surprise, as though. mentally inquir- ing, "How on earth clid you get in here ?" Most of them. too, were cautious enough not to play bilil- nrds, or sit down at the card -tables, except with their own personal friends, whom they invited to the club. But things were done well at the Junior Belgrave. It was a smart. showy house, well mounted. full of gorgeous upholstery. and -at least upon the surface -well managed. There were plenty of servants, in and out of the livery, who did the service well except that their manners were a little too familiar; whilst the head servants patronised the mere - bees. and probably lent them money On la sly. Mr. Meggitt was a, prominent per- sonage at the junior Delgrave, and when he entertained his friends, the whole establishment was on the alert to give him satisfactien. One night, a felv weeks before the occurences related in the previous chapter, Mr. Meggitt gave•a Small dinner to a se- lect party. Our friend Bob Surtees was one; Captain Wingspur, Mrs. -Waldo's son by her first marriage, was another; and the fourth was a, distinguiehed foreigner on a 'visit to England, Who had brought. intro- ductions to Waldo's bank. Captain Wingspur was a person of considerable importance in his own, and indeed in many other persons' estimation- Heir -Presumptive to an peerage, with a- rich step -lath- e- er, who made him a handsome al- lowance; toadied and flattered by at least half the people he met; it was natural he should have a good opin- ion of himself. Small people are often ea.tea up with conceit, and Captain Wingspur was no exception to the • rule. He thought himself the beau ideal of a light cavalry officer, and no doubt hit shrivelled legs were admirably suited to look well in hoots and breeches; while his head, dispropor- tionately big for his 'inches,' took a Very . large-sized helmet, and gave .him a, particularly martial 'air- when at the head of his tenon. .His men- tal„ c6Prieity, however,was sonic - what limited; his mind; such as it was, concentrated :on the cut Of his 'clothes, 4,4d' IA had no peat conver "satiopal powers:. afr. 1Vinggitt's third guest was al- - together a different persona he .was introduced by the host as Marquis de Ojo Verde, a rich Cuban. The Metal -els was a reinarkable-looking , mae in his way, :witha face that impressed net too pleasently at the very first, glance.: , Two tints pee - dominated, black and red, both al- most startlingin their:- intensity. The black was .his smooth; shining hair and mon s tachi o s --as o • black that. they Might have been dyed; the rod, a °maple:akin so high -colored as to be suggestive. of .rouge. His eyes, defiant when they chose- to meet oth- er eyes; were large,- fierce, and dark; the - mouth heed, and habitually • close -shot under it heavy sable fringe; the taw broad and heavy, in- dicatiug lunch strength of purpose. en person he was considerably above the middle height and powerfully built. but etith a.saght stoop in his shoueders, while, as he walked, 4 close observer might have noticed the very faiutest hang or heap in the left. leg. Ue was well-dressed. but with NOMe pretension: 4 very open white waistcoat, a, broad stripe dome his trousers, an cum -mous solitaire stud of rubies round 4 black diamond, a big black tie, 4 velvet collar to his coat, and diamond buckles Oa his natty shoes. Ile only wanted e. star and ribbon -no doubt be had them both at home -to be a perfeet model of a foreign diplomatist, or ambessae dor from, some SOntit AMerican Court -altogether a thorough Mau t the world, at home everywhere, speaking many languages. lenglish amongthem, without straugo aecent or hesitation. The dinner was excellent. Clear turtle was followed by salmon and whitebait; next came a, supreme de volaille. with truffles and chaufl frola of foie gras, then quail in ol- ive -leaves, and plovers* eggs. -Thee' do You well," sale the Mar- quis, "right well, at your club, mon cher hteggitt. A most excellent club. I envy you." "Would you like me to put your IMMO down, Marquis "Enormously! How long does it take to get In ?" "Oh. not Very long." fklegffitt vaguely replied. He difi not like to confess time a personal interview with the secretary would probebly settle the bueiness out of hand. "Took me nine years to get into the Mg." said Captaiu Wingspur. "We're not so long -weeded at the Mars and Neptuae; about three's en- ough." reemalied taugat'eS, pleasant- ly. "Don't all the Mars a club." re- plied the ether; "not, a military elub. The Flag's the only decent military club in town." -rhe Marti 15 gooil enough for me," said Bob, good-humoredly. "You play too high at the Flag." "Ah. indeed!" The Marquis seem. ed interested. "What do yell play? Bacearat ?" "No; wbIste- "A. line game." fetid eleggita "for those who can piny. I can't; at least only badly at best." "I much prefer evai‘te." said Sur- ees. "It's aborter; there's more snap In it." "Played by only two pereons. I be- lieve?" said the Murquis de Ojo Verde, as though he bad never seen the game, "Do you know it?" asks Wingspur. "I thought everybody knew ecarte." "I shall be very happy to take a lesson from you in. it," replied. the Cuban, without a smile; "and I will teach you SOMO of tbe American games, if you like -poker,' 'euchre.' or 'Poor Joe,' Or 'Skin 'Om alive.. I've learnt them in their own homes." "You've been pretty well all over the world, Marquis," put In Meg- gitt, as though to change the con- versation. "it's my fate: I am a cosmopoli- tan. I belong to the whole world. The who1e. world claims me: now here, now there. Cuba, South .Ain - erica, the Sandwich Islands, Japan, then Europe or the Cape of Good Hope, for a change. My ancestors were travellers, and they left inc as a legacy their wandering spirit." "And their possessions ?" said Meggitt. spenking like a sycophant. "Alas ! yes; and more trouble, many of them than they are worth. Castles in Spain -literally, gentle- men, real, castles. I know your Eng- lish idiom, but I have one in Anda- lusia, near Moron; another not far from Cuenca, and a house in Mad- rid. Outgoings, all outgoings no- thing but expense to maintain." "You have property in Italy, the ?" went on Meggitt, trying to bring his foreign guest out, "Nothing much -a large tract whichincludes a half -dry lake. No value; only expense at present. Ahl if that were only drained and culti- vated, what wealth -what a fortune it would be worth! But it is like my island in the West Indies. Vie- ! gin soil lying fallow, waiting only to be planted; palm trees, canes, ca- cao, cotton -everything would grow" I "You want some of our English capital," said Bob Suttees. 1 The Marquis bowed gravely, but 'there wa a. fierce bawkAike gleam in his pyes as he said, "It's not so easy to get some of your English ca,pital. Yet I could pay back cent. per cent. and more on every farthing advanced. But there -enough !of my own affairs." After dinner came a magnum of Latour, then coffee, cigars, liqueurs; and the feast Was at an end. What next? The night was young. No one wanted to turn in yet. Where should they go? What should they do tokill the next feta. hours ? I ft, was Captain Wingspur Who peoa d a rubbev. of whist Bob Sue- ! tees seconueu the motion heartily: 1I -Ie was proud of hieplay; and was !not sorry to show oil before Wing - spur. -Our friend Bob' Wanted to prove that one of the 119th was quite as good a man asaany light dragoon. • So when Wingspur proposed pound pehits, with a fiver on the rub; say- ing,loftily, that he never played for less, Surtees for one promptly agreed. He could no more afford to play. for such pointsthan he could to drive a foer-in-hand and live in Grosvenor Square, but he was not to be beaten by Horace Wingspur in the game of brag. • The Marquis de Ojo Verde shrugg-ed his ehoulders_ when asned to play. He knew little of whist, but he, Would joia to make up the teble.- elegaita tgreed, but eclat:tautly,' and presently they were seated la the card -room, which, strarige. to say, they had to thetuseives. When they rose from the whistatable, Surtees heal lost. a couple of hundred pentacle to Captain Wiagepur. The Marquee now talked of going home, "How about yourlesson in ecar- terASKO Wingepur. Italf-a-dozeu games were played and ended. in the transfer of a. :few • - • a Sovereigns froniathe Miami:tie to the light dragoon, who thea roae, saye ing it was late. • "I'M net very strong, as you see," - replied ha antagonist; "but. it's a pretty game, and L should like to play more, just a little luore: What say you,. Mr. Surtees-ifaptain Wingspur /atust . go, will you take Yew ebanee fretrievIn your bad lack on me?" And as the Marquis held oat Owe pack his face might have been that of an innocent Sheep offering Itself to be altern, Swim devil tentpted Surtees to.4e, cent the offer. His losses had bit bbe. harder then he eared tei :Cava, Here, perhaps, was a eliance o set-, ting himself right. So he sat down, ana for •e, time it was all on his side. He Wen game. after garao, and sooa his account rtise l y hundred end fifty peueele. "Shall we stop maw?" asked the Marquispolitely. as ho leisurely' drank a glass of Red. Water, a, pro- posal which hieggitt warmly secoude ed. Bob. who had just fix:tithed his third brandy and soda, held was a little Rushed, no doubt wiU Ids tri- umph, would nothear of stopping. "-We'll Play all night. if YOU like." WWII Cards were cut, end the the luck changed. Surtees began to hold mieerable Cards; be played little too boldly. uot to say wildly, while the 'Marquis grew more and more cool. "You have been teaching me to sorne purpose. r. Surtees. cards, thank you 1 mark and play tbe king." Surtees could melee no headway at all. The other was completely In the vein; he held all the cards. His Play. which had always been sure. lecante more anti inore skUul. till it eaded-when Sleg,gitt insisted at last In putting an end to the play - in the Cuban rising a winner a seven. hundred pounds. "I will give you my 1 0 De" said Poor Bob. rather ruchilly.• and it was the redemption of this and the other gambling debt to Captain. Wingspur that hail elicited Mr. Sur tees' bitter repraitehes. CHAPTER III. The Waldos. the family of which Mr. Samuel Waldo, banker, was the nominal head, were by way of being very great people. They had a house In CalitoneGardens, and. made a great shoat: Mrs. Waldo aspired to be a leader of fashion, in which questionable ambition she was aided by three smart. "rather rapid" ilmighters, and the son, by a first marriage, Captain Wingspur. to whom we have already been intro- duced. They kept open house in Carlton Gardens during the sea- son, gave balls, dinners, and thea- trical enteetainments. When the summer was at its height eirs, Wal- do had her day at the Rookery, New, and her garden -parties were highly esteemed with a certain set. (To be continued). TATOOING A GIRL'S EYE. Remarkable Operation in a Lan- don Hospital. A most astonishing operation has lupe been 'performed at a certain London hospital. This is no less than the talooing of a. young wo- man's eye, which had lost its color by disease. but which has mainly through the operation of tatooing been brought back to its normal shade. The patient was nineteen years old and of good appearance, save that the left eye was colorless and was disfigured by a number of salmon patches on the cornea. After her ad- mission, diagnosis proved that she was suffering from. a cicatrix(a rort of scar) which had originated in the iris -the colored circle of the eye - and had almost wholly replaced the cornea. The patient was plucky enough to suggest the taking out of the eye a-nd the replacing of it with a glass one, but the doctors refused. The patches were cut, away and replaced with bits of cornea taken from the eye of a rabbit. a few days the transplanted pieces united, and the appearance of the • eye was much improved. But the operation was not yet quite complete. Very fine tatooing needles were specially made, channelled for the reception of a pure fluid, which WAS skilfully conveyed to places in the iris and in the cornea, with the result that both eyes now look very much alike. The Jeft eye before the operation was a •decided blemish. • 9.1 -IE BEST SERVED COIJ.NTRY; By feeling and training' the Japan- ese possess so strong a feeling .of loyalty that their officials possibly serve their country with less of soli-, seeking than any. others. The nur- sery catechism in japan inculcates. that . the Emperor is to • be loved . above fathee and mother, and that life itself must bnyielded at his bid- ding. The same sentiment permeate the nation. This alone docs not itt- St-e Conscientiousness in Japanese offlcials, but .it lays a sure founda- tion foe it, and it is.remarkable how assiduous Japanese officials sent to Europe on Government business aro to ,et full value for their principals; forming in this respect a' strong con- trast to officials of other • nations, who elipect to be bribed aa a Matter of • course., As a whole, Prieish offi- cials are perhaps better • than any, but/Personal ,aMbition; reel tapeism, and departmental traditions too of- ten interfere with good servine to the -State.. ' Tlit, KING'S CORON,ATION. lag of the colors on the Iterse Guards parade, and an occasional opening, of parliament by our late Queen, in semi -state, that they now It is very evident that, with the the old-time observances shall be ear- eeelet determined that every tittle of accession of Ring Edward VIL, those tied out to the letter, stately ceremonials which have mark- The very proclametion of the cora- •ed the eonimencement of the reigns nation. made by Kerrey Ring -at - of other English sovereigue. are not Arms at Temple Bar. drew a, large to be llowed to die out. So much concourse of spectators at that un - have Londoners for malty years been portant but still (albeit the gates content with an absence of almost have disappeared this quarter of a any public pageants except the mi- nuet. Lord Mayor's show. the troop. eare, century) somewhet narrow thorough- Norroy Eing-at-Arme Reading the Rroclamation at Temple Rar, PILECEPTS FOR BATEERS, inergency Maxims Useful Team at This Seasou. 1 )r.e..-t- .t.e,v-za 'VICTIMS. ••••••••••• to Tincture of Ipecac Said to Con- trol the Disease. To save the lives of receeess sum-Faxperiments designed to prove thet 0 , , mer bathers. the United States Vol- *nay i.ever*. and **rose colds" can wateer Life;be cured are being conducted by 11*'. York Corps of New , ei ,,, e„ York State has issued a circular leeethr" r"..'" Curtis. of New York. . .giving rules for the safety of people "e in ininwn that these and who $im." gor Ilar iafflictions are produced by the o out on in the water. Tlieir usefulness is the greater ASte41elieet uf the pollen of certain 'biaxial *tie sees that In cases a fatal acci- i"Pun the huani" system, in their n`3 - dents many of thew, liaw been more Ingest forme no relief has been found honored in the breach than oh ;for there exeept removal to localities in where the pollen is not found. observance. Here are. some of the more pertinent maxims: Dr. Curtis tells in the Medical Re. Impress upon parents the necessary x curd or a line enfluirY widni/ duty of lia.ving their children taught, - hell" eleentuallY afford relief to to swim. sufferers from "bay fever." He says Go 011z," lianrgemnopinleAssuiorensuboaittboltotf ; wthhaot he was llso ada sTau 0 being assured that there are Wee:cut" not pas'i a duri.4.9 with- out having sharp attack. He sec - saving buoys or cuellions aboard sufficient to float all on board In ceeded In rendering ber immune by case. of upset or collision. ,giving her Infusions of the various With a ert b sure • plants by which she was affected, STORY OF A STRAY LETTER WE N IS A LOST THING A LOST THING? Dr. LeycPs Wonderful Strong ROOM -Tragic End of an nai- l.= Banker. The tontention that aothiug. is ever lost is upheld by the postai au- thoritiee. Excluding stolen letters, they declare that the agency for the collecting and distribution of let - THE IRONY Oil fleTITIALSA Pareats Should Se Careful Ite Naming The: Chleareo. When parents are cxertiArig thele ing-enuity in. choosing names forl their hopeful offspring it rerely ea. cure to the ne to melte sure thee the tioo for which their children. W initials do rat forn1 scene combiet: scarcely "dee up and call thena Voste'cri'nsiztlarilactee,r fir le.oy 1010 WO given the not unpleasant nanle Arthur Staoley- Smith. and the girt ters 80 perfect that to lose a let- who signs her name Ida Marie Pat- ter altogether is an impossibility. ereoll will scarcely be proud of their Tynemsoupapgoortilinegfotliltioswinthgeycucriiteo:s raTee, TIe.srlfe.ctl'iTe S. and A gentleman of London betrothed Some of the combinations which: to a. young lady living in Sheffield have come under the writer's obser- had, in conformity with an arrange7 Vation are, to say the least, amuse meet previously arriVed at, secured frig. There is, for instance, a cote lodging At Great Yarmouth for his Ws well-known teraperanee igen>, lady love and her parents. Ife was 'Fate whose initials are R. at the station when the train lie ex- but who very wisely drops the sec- pected them. to travel by an'ived, ona letter and Is content. with one and -they were not there. Christian initial; while a man who qnstttt1Y appearing in the Am.-. the estsapteinota tallnedwwhioil.de nttwtichee deal ta-ot. note whether they had left Sheffield or ihnelangstrdornugideer atithelan foaurguhttse Receiving no replyanhieysttoarnt net name is Titus Exeter Alexander. day for Sheflield, reaching the house that they had gone to Blaelxpool. - After he had cooled down he went to Blachpool. where he received hearty welcome from the lady's fame il,y, who were greatly astonished on learning that he heel never received the letter in width thee. announced their ehange of plans, with an in - closure from the lady begging her lover to lea.ve Great Yarmouth with, out a moment's delay. YEARS E.LA.PSED before this mining letter -which might have led to the separa.tion ot two loving hearts -turned up. As the Post Office put it: "Although the letter temporarily disa.ppeared, it was not lost." Fifteen years at- .. gentleman who not long ago fig- ured. as defendant in, a breath et promise case bad the singularly am. ProPriate of W. 0. 04 while the plaintiff's name was Susan. and she bad, with unconscious prevision, been addressed by her lever in scores of amorous letters as "my ilarliug In another breach of promise case the defendant's Initials were swain ominous of the issue of the action,: for bis moue was Percy Alfred Y—e and he signed the tuitiele ",P. A. Yet TIIE DIVORCE CRT records •are full of similar strange coincidences, some of which are ao remarkable as to seem scarcely' cred- ible. The iuitials of one lady res- ter her marriage the letter was de- pendent were P. A. L. ; and et livered. It had somehow got into a, another P. R. A. L. ; one good lady, niche in a, Mall eart aud remained' whose conduct scarcely seemed to. there till the vehicle. haviug got have justified the deseriptton bad the past service. was. condemred to be tuitials P. R. U. D.; and the peti- broken up. • tioner in a case -which attracted con - Dr. Leyds. although not a Boer by , eidereble attention a. few years ago birth, has spent so many years of was Stephen Oliver Lionel Ti—, Ids life 'with these Wargo peoples whose initials. 1). L. he must that be may be said to have assilso 114Ve Strangely described his expert- ilated Minch of their suspiciousness. awes of matrimony. One of his most cherished posseee A very Modest, liard-working mina stone is a. cage -hardened fire -proof ister of the Gospel. goes through steel strong room Wadi ean only be life branded with the curiously inv. opened by himself. The safe was ore propriate initials of F. O. P. ; an- Iginally Made for an italiau banker other. whose eloquence is perha.ps a. Who. to effectually safeguard the in- little florid and vaporish, boasts the terest et his clients from the predee .not unsuitable letters G. A. S., ini- • before you tear!, tile shore-partieue.in a drug Another patient who Wu9 employed. tory instincts of banditti and secret 'tials borne by the late Ur. Sala. A! societies, nivented three Mats which third clergyman is ltrion•n by the lid- ` ProPerly and satisfaetorily Feateil, larly so with girls on board. Let .store. told Dr. Curtis that - she alwat had asthma unless she *n *,de it IMPOsSible, even if a' thief 'tials S. I. N.; anti a fourth goes e. too! tinetur 1 i t , , , , obtainee access i , f ., ..t 1 t • t i the room. to get step farther. and when he signs his no one ritteznpt to exchange seats b i '3 le Pentact " irl'en"" out again. l' Olt 2111 ials, which lie rarely does, mkt -stream. • days e ore s le Well o wor e ,. a ' • Two of the dials deal with tbe in- one may be sure, writes himselt *Curtis said he found that not only Where the waters heeelee rough could attune cd hay fever be pre - from a sudden squall or passing vented by taking an infusion before - steamers. never rise in the boat, but hand al the plant which caused the settle down as close to the bottom as possible. and keep cool until the att-hick, had that even after the at - tacit haa oegun it could be modified danger is past. 'and often controlled by similar treat - her extended arms. while she uses A WOM011'S skirts, if held out by , merit. Attacks caused by the pollen I of the golden rod, lily of the valley her feet as if elimbing a stairs, with and ragweed he found could be con - often bold her up in the water ivhile trolled in this new. a boat may pull out from the &lore! and save her. Hay fever resulting from the pollen of ragweed appears between August In. rescuing drowning persons, seize 12 and August °O. and lasts until them by the collar, back of the frost. neck; do not Iet them throw their arms around your neck or arms. i "If my theory be correhch," says :Dr. Curtis. "that this *rhinitis vase - If the person is unconscious, d -e :motoria periodica* or 'corastlima not wait a. moment for a. doctor or fartibroattte. may be prevented by giv- en aMbulanCe, but begin at once ; ing front two to ten drops of the first get the tongue out and hold it tincture or fluid extract of ambrosia by a handkerchief or stocking to let artenestaefolia t. 1. d. in water dur- the water out; get a buoy, box or ,Ing the two weeks preceeding the barrel under the stomach, or hold paroxysm, h shall consider that I the person over your knee, head ---- i have nerraded what I believe to be a down, and jolt the water out of him, a great discovery with becoming then. turn him over side to side four modesty. If, on the other hand, the or five turns. then on his back, aud results I have obtained are not von - with a pump movement 'keep itis lied by others. I may only say that arms going from pit to stomach ov- greater men and more scientific ob- erhead to a straight out and back servers have been misled by initial fourteen to uixteen times a minute, results that time did not substanti- until signs of returning life aro ate. shown. A bellows movement on the "Last year's work has demonstrat- stomach at the same time is a great ed. that a preparation of ragweed is aid. in a majority of cases an adjunct of Let some one at once remove shoes very great value in the treatment of and stockings, and at the same time hay fever, and it seems reasonable rub the lower limbs with an upward to suppose that perhaps a tincture of movement from foe' • - knee. occee golden rod or some other plant may sionally slapping -the soles of the be found efficacious in those cases in feet with the open hand. Working which ragweed seems to have no ap- preciable effect. Exactly how great a palliative this treatment will prove will of necessity take two or three years' investigation to determine." on these lines our volunteer life- savers lia.ve been successful after two hours of incessant manipulation but generally succeed inside of thirty minutes. 'Use no spirits internally until el - ter breathing and circulation are re- stored, then a moderate use of stim- ulants or hot teas. and a. warm blanket or bed is of the first import- ance. oral 150 TO -DAY 1" The Duration of Life is Inereasing Slowly. Scieatists tell.us that the duration of life is increasing slowly, but not very slowly if we stop -to take thought of it a couple of hundred years ago. When a man or woman had reached the age of fifty they were considered old people. Tho traditions of our forefathers hang around us to some extent, but the world and society are to -day full, of people sixty and sixty- five years of • age, many of them seventy, who .are just as bright, just, as agreeable, and just as important members of the commuuity the younger -ones; indeed, the item of ago in: social life has deased to be con- sidered. And a great deal of this is • due to improved methods of living. It is very often only at fifty-flve or thereabouts that a man and his wife become sufficiently free from business and household cares to be young to- gether. • To lite a second youth together, in maturity, ts 'Very delightful, and what every couple should aim at do- ing,' This is one of the advantages of catty Marriage, where there is enough earned to l'CLIZ a fa.naly. At fifty the parents, still young enoughto enjoy life, have got rid of their brood, and are ready to set out together On O; new eareer withenjoy- went for their aim. DANGER OF CHESS -PLAYING. Does the Fascinating Game Drive Men Insane r Many people are now asking them- selves why the .game of chess should drive men insane. Only a few days ago a former chess champion, who had gone out of his mind, commit- ted suicide by throwing himself in front of a train. Last August Stein- itz, the greatest chess-playee then •living, died insane. A few years ago Paul Morphy, the most brilliant chess -player who ever lived, died of a mental disease. These were the kings of. -chess. Many other men in the lower ranks of chess have lost their minds. I In.Londoa to -clay there are many men whci have c.hess onthe brain. Some of them 'sacrifice everything - home, health ,and material prospects -tri indulge their passion for this fascihating game. It is like the mor- phine habit or the .drinking of ab- sinthe. • The. curious thing about this forth Of dissipation (for it is a dissipation of olio's powers) is that, it is a men- tal indulgence: It is not a grathica tion of any of the' physical senses, but a wild, intellectual riot. Only a men with a naturally mathematical mind, capable oi almost infinite eata street reasoning and abtruse specu- lation, can bee:mile a, great: chest player. The vigor of his ecniceptions marks his tuperiority over the or- • dinary man, and the elertiness of his mental visi.ein when Over -developed by• praCtice, is thought to dramn. strength atm the other, intellectual factaties. 'Indulged: iii itt mOderatien. chess is delightful, but receat events have shown the danger pf allowing •the passion to grow upon.one. • gress. and each dial has two hands, which have to be placed opposite down S. A. T. N. One of the earliest of this cep. - the correct numbers before the door Wry's brides thanged her initials, opens. The third dial will re.hpen V. E. N. tlip‘rFo.p1r4'ittleelan )..aisiglie;lai guwiarlleY the door when the occupant wishes i happy aidri to leave, provided the hands are set .a well-known society young lady.: opposite the same figures as the cor- who was married two years ago, be- reeponding dcame, in her new character of wife,ial outside. . One day the banker omitted, wherl 'M. A. 1.I)rel.liefirsisl,a a.ladynontesnintrin guar- the hands of the third dial. As his sweetness of disposition, has the late memory foiled to retain the figures tials S. II. It. E. W.; while, su.ch is employed on his last visit. the door the irony of initials, a woman .who refused to open, and as thewails was charged at it Scotch police- . were too thick to allow of his cries court a few weeks ago with a brutal being heard, he was either stilled -or STARVED TO DEATH. The family of the unfortunate man believing that he had been made prisoner by the local banditti, offer- ed large sums for his restoration. When repeated rewards failed to re- store him the banker was given up as lost. As the strong room con- tained only the deceased's private papers no attempt was made to en- ter -the room. Some ten years later the manager determined to make use of the safe, and after considerable difficulty hunted up the workmen who had made the dials. The bank- er's widow insisted, when the room gave up its ghastly secret, on' the strong room being either destroyed or sold. The proprietor of a foreign res- taurant in London owning a vine- yard in. Italy, related the story of this safe in the hearing of a rich diamond merchant hailing from Hat- ton Garden, who ultimately purchas- ed it. It seems, however, that he' so distrusted his rIONNT acquisition that he looked about for o. purchaser, and found one in Amsterdam, who, suc- cumbing in his turn to the distrust inspired by dial No. 3, sold it to Dr. Leyds. Mr. gruger's factotum must have strong nerves, for it is said he frequently enters this death trap as many as a dozen times daily. Should the wires flash the news across one day ".Disappearance of Dr. Leyds," it will not be difficult to the fate that has befallen b POINTED PARAGRAPHS. . The spider has no wings, yet he of- ten takes a fly. Some- juries lose a lot of time in trying to find a verdict. The men who succeed are shose arrive promptly on time. The honest blacksmith is seldom inclined to give up his vise. Ambition has Prevented many a man ftom Making a succeps of small The tree that :bears the Most fault to :Market is :said to be the axle -tree: it's an easy matter for a. married Man to get next to the latest word .The use of the mosquito is to show us that troubles are . not alWays in proportion to their sae, Some men in performing a duty look as if they were hired to do it and Were doubtful of being paid.: : 11 orie man tells a woman She is b.ea,utiful all the rest of the world can't Convince her that she ishome- A man May not • object to being called e bull or a bette, but call him a calf .or a cub and lie is apt toede- ,Clare war. • • The woMan, wept bitterly. Once, she protested,' you talked of burning with love!. And now. sneered the 11111;11, I am not permitted to smoke, even in the house, assault on an invalid husband, boasted the letters P. E. T. A clever tutor 111 the North of England is Mr. J. A. Cass; and a London official, who is very far from answering to the deseriptiong has to write himself down a H. At S. S." .,••1111.•••••••••• EYELESS AND COLORLESS Enormous Spiders Found in the Cornish Nines. A Cornish man may be supersti- tious, but he is as plucky a man as breathes. One creature, however, most of the thanien shy a.t the sight of. This is the great, bloated, wbito spider, which rustles along the walls of the shaft, aud disappears in some cleft. in the rock. Naturalists for 4 long time would not believe that these spiders were really cave -dwell- ers. They declared that they were merely ordinary spiders that had fallen or crept into the mines. But at last one was brought to a fam- ous member of the Entomological Seciet.Y, and found by him to be ab- solutely- without eyes. This proved beyond doubt that for centuries the creatures' ancestors had lived be- yond the reach of sunlight. A spider, even if he does . litrein the depths of the earth, must eat, and more recently his prey ha,s been. discovered. It 'is a sort of small beetle. Abother scorpion -like in- sect, called the blothrus, also Lakes Itis blind away over the rocks, and stalks .by sound and touch the sante prey. It is a wonderful thing to watch one of these creatures hunting a beetle, and almost impossible to realize its absolute blindness when ones sees how perfectly its move- ments correspoad with those of its intended victim. Often in the caves of the Peak of Derbyshire explorers May come across toads crawling s1oW13.7. along innong the moist Stones. But they must not imagine that there' iS any in the storiesof live toads bcin found in the heart of rocks or of coal. A toad, though it c:a4,',ffst, for some menths t a time, '..,t:Anuct. exist without, food or air turies. NOT HIS BUSINESS TO INQUIRF,, Guv'nor, said -the dusty traveller, how far is it. to Toronto? 'Bout it mile and hall, replied the, farmer. Can I ride with yeti? Certainl-y. Climb in. At the end of three-quarters of an hour the traveller began to be un- easy. Guy'rror, he asked, thow far are, NVO from Toronto now? 'Bout four mile and it half. Great haystacks! Why didn't you , tell me you were going away feom Toronteia. • • . Why didn't you tell me you .wanted to go there?