HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1906-1-25, Page 6For Min's Sake
The prison fgatewayy stood open, the
warder moved aside and I steppes
Fury mastered me as X pictured ger T, gazed for brief second at ilio whets t.j+,;+•j«n.e,y.j>.E. >. ,nee-,n.a„;•gea-ae•i 3^'ri^,Tr
drys . o' slavery for few coppers, ger , robed figure sitting up on the bo,,,
patient suffering an' I swept the pile 'el' terrified face lit up by the moon -
o' match -box chips orf the toile with light, and, its 1 saw it, 1 started
a blow. A black rage set my rIngers back as if shot,
working at the thoughts o' Marks, Xleaysrns, I :elect, aarsvly, "Ma
the drunken agent, threateeta' ter —my wife,"
throw 'or into the streets. Berm As true as I'm here, Sam, die face
headed as 1 wus, X went an' 'anted in ev'ry feature was that of my deed
the district until I found 'Jur. 'L wife, just as she 'ad folded when the
saw the look At My face an' tried ter sound of the coppers on the stairs
run. 'ad sent 'er flying to my arms.
"Jake," 'o yelled, In mortal terror, Ewa as I stood, incapable of mom
"s'.elp ine, I wus consideratcl I've in' a limb, an old tidy with a lighted
out—a free man once agen. You bet, got tor bud the ready. Don't biomecandle in ger and showed in the
the sense o' freedom arftor the ole. Blame the noble lord who owns douh'w'y, are 'eddied behind 'er 1
stretch of 'std wes good, Sam. Ii these rookeries an' insists on 'fg' could see two frightened women ser -
wanted to shout, to laugh, to radio rents prompt,,, vents. It eves the kind -eyed lidy
'ands wiv ev'tybody. Wheer was 1 closed 'is mouth with any fist an'
Min an' the kid that they didn't run ,left 'fat for dead or the ground. Like
for greet me? They knave my time a maniac I fought the cops who rush-!
wus up that monde', W'y 'ado t ed up to lag ine—fought till they
they showed up? I dropped ole senseless.
It struck me at once that sommut i They sent no down agen, Sem)
must be wrong. Min wus queer in beet: to the prison cell. I put up no
the Iungs when I wus put awry, an detouco. TIio trial scented ter me just
wus 'ad bin since I knowed ger, but like a dream, Dazed nu' sick at
if she could ha' come I knew well sho 'east I stood in the dock while they
would, even if she'd 'ad ter Crawl i judged an' sentenced mo, an' like a
ev'ry yard 0' the •w y, I know 'cmchild I followed the slops out o' the
Sam; knew tbat 'er whole belle taus court into the van. Min wus gore.
wrapped up in my worthless self, The dull pain o' that know -
spite o' me beta' a convicted crook, ledge dcadeued ev'ry other Nellie.
an' a sense o' fear gripped me as l Nothing else inaete•ed now. my 'each For a spell I stood there,
stood theer by the prison gate. 7heer I gave 'em no trouble in the ue for
wus sommut wrong. g j � swaying oar a drunken mat. Twee,
g weeks. The dailytask Seemed child's • c sob, torethe jewels
with a 'oats o f 1 c
out o' my pocket nn' dashed 'ern on
to the table.
The woman put the gel into the
arms o' the servents an', shute in'
the door. tearlessly faced mc.
"Well, Jake," she said, with an at-
tempt at a smile, "whet beam you to
say?"
"Ow like she is!" I jerkelt out.
"'Ow like! lidy, I did not know. T
came out only this morning. Theor
wus motile' for me but the old life.
who 'ad been with vela at the larst.
I recngnlsect 'er at a glance,
ao' she knew me. The gel—my gel—
sprung out o' bed an run terwards
'or.
"Mother!" she sereatned. An' then.
agen, "Moth erl"
The look of astonishment licensed'
from '01' oyes as the woman twined
'or arm about the frightened gel,
an' I saw the glisten of tomes.
"There, there, my dear," sho said
quietly. "Ito will not herrn you. '
'Arm 'er! 'Urt my own child! It
seamed as if the walls • wus rushing
round me, an' I pressed my 'ands to
ir.f Fashionkr Hints.
ir
4.
tinit'^%'i)',f"int•i.i%'l"di••i"a'tr•;•444If4
THE SEPARATE BLOUSE
still claltns lite centre of the stage, and
I
upon it all the smart and clever ideas
that a horde of designers con conceive
are lavished. Of course, them are a Inc
leading features that are common to all
of them, and those are Ilhe supremacy of
the short sleeve., the closer fit at the
waistiiie and above it, the liking for the
so-called Duleb neck—by those who can
afford to wear it—end the fad for ex-
tremely high, close but transparent col-
lars where the Dutch neck is not mum
led. And all sorts of extravagances In
the handwork and trinmlings aro
lavished upon those blouses. Such are
the leading charaeleristics of the newest
and hest models.
While the lingerie blouse, of lingerie
materials, is high in favor, 11s suprem-
acy is by no means uncontested. The
lingerie blouse c' batiste, sheer linen, or
mull is, after all, only a washable blouse,
111 for mornnig or luncheon wear only.
But so great is the Charm of this simple.
but expensive, mode, that all sorts ,f
sheer silken, and even woolen fairies
are brought into play, and fashioned ex-
actly after ihelr cotton or linen proto-
types.
Some, there are, who advocate a
boned and fitted lining—seemingly obli-
vious to the' fact ilia! there is, or should
be, a sort of impression of easy going
and comfort, about such [rocks or blouses.
Once that they are lightly strained and
stitched over a fitted linin:, half, it not.
Indeed, all of their charm is gone; and
they degenerate into a half and holt at-
fuh', something that is neither the one
tlhing•nor the other; and not at all de. -
Waldo train any point of view.
The best of such possessions boost
only of a double chiffon lining, a slip
of chiffon cloth as it Is termed this side
of the ocean. in rare cases Were may
be a slip of China silk to wear beneath
the sheer lingerie blouse, but what with
our heated houses, and the Immense
vogue of fur-Ilned coats Ibis winter,
there is hardly any necessity for this
later Plem,
As the certainty forced itself upon play. I worked in a sorter Money,
me I started 'ane at a run. People worked like madman ter try an'
in the busy streets turned an' glared deaden the ache in my 'eart, tired
at me as I threat 'em out o' my way myself out, so that sleep should aurae
an' tore blindly along. Pantie' an easier and banish the misery o• my
nearly done 1 reached the Rents tin' lonely wakeful 'ours.
stumbled up the stairs, From the An', presently, the bitterness e'
room came the mumble o' quiet talk, my first wild grief left me. As the
an' I stayed wiv my 'and on the weeks passed time seemed ter soften
doer, my cart thumpin', an' a sorter the pain. The memory o' the glad
chatty feeiin' in my throat. Then I d'ys come to me oftener. Tho
pushed it open an' staggered in, to thought that Min, 'ad she limit,
stop, like a man suddenly paralyzed, would alwus ha' been a sulTerer 79reer wus no body t —
as I took It all in. brought a measure o' consolition an' Sho stopped me with upraised 'an ..
Theer on a mattress in the corner somehow, it come ter one that p't'aps "Thera you are wrong, Jake," she
lay Latin, wiv a beautiful smile on sho wus better orf an' 'appier now said, "I care. And Min—your wi'o
'or thin white face, an' 'e1' eyes fixed than ever I could be,' made 'e'. —do you not think tbat sho woul-1
311 a glaassy stare. Sitting be the; t'r'aps it wus hotter as it wus than rare tool Do you not feel that
table wus a woman—a tidy, you ter see 'er surfer an' gradually grow she, and I, would rather—oh so
could tell at a glance=wiv my little weaker an' weaker, awhile 1—+,he much—see you an honest man—able
gel in 'er arms murmurin words n" marked crook—would be powerless to. to come to your daughter and not
comfort, an' by 'er stood the little, prevent it. What charncc mus there make her feel ashamed? It is never
parson who 'ad done 'is best 103' the for me, fresh from the prison gate? too late to mend, Jake. May I no
I could picture it all. The determtn- give you a helping hand?"
Sho 'cid out er and invitingly, the
tears stencil)? ;n 'er kind eyes,
"Iivaven bless you, ]icy," I erica],
clutching it in my own rough fingers.
"I wi 1 try—X will try Mrd—for the
salve of the gel—an' Mia."—Lond ..
Tit -lifts,
at the trial.
For a spell ev'rything swam in my
'ead, a blinding mist wus before my
eyes, an' I roused ter find 'is 'and on
my shoulder -
Heaven comfort you, Jake, my
ation to lies honest, the drys of
'eartbreakin' endeavor to get em-
ployment, the cruel disappointments
of repeated failures, the terror of
starvation, the despair an' despera-
poor fellow," I 'card rim saying, as if tion which would urge me to get
'from a distance. "She—your wife --I food at any cost, further crime, an'
almost certain further imprisonment,
les, Sam, it come to me like that,
an' it seemed to me that p'r'ops it
"Mint" I cried. "Min, speak ter wus better. Now, whatever 'append
mei" when I wus free agen didn't seem to
The kiddy scrambled outer the we- matter much. The kiddy's 'appy fu -
man s arms ate run terwards me, III ture wus assured. The memory of
Bobbin' ger little 'cart out. Stunned 'er dead mother would keep from 'er
wiv the blow I stared at Min's set the knowledge that ger father wus a
k workin' cr•oo n r n out 'i time in ail.
face, an' gradually the bitter truth I o o sj
took 'old of me. So month cotter month wns ticked
'".Pell me," I whispered, turnin' to
'Lhe parson.
"She died but an 'our since," he
arnswered, softly, "died with your
name on 'er lips. The doctor tried I warder chipped me as I stepped out,
'Is best Jake, but there wus little; I remember, wishin' me "Au revoir."
'ape, an' the disease galloped in its
Bitter stage. I 'aped she might live
till your return, but it wus not to
be,"
He pointed to the pile of match-
boxes on the table.
"That Is 'ow she 'as managed to,free or chained, The sense o' free -
exist all these months," 'e went on. dont now did not affect me. In or
"When the chest grew more trouble -j out, what did it matter? Slinking
some, the flght for bread an' roof be- orf like a cowed dog I made in the
came 'order an' 'ardor. For a longi direction of the rid place, because
time she refused all 'elp, s'yin' there; I wanted to learn about Min.
were others who needed it more. An' ! 'When I reached the room I found it
it was only in the larst artremity, 1 occupied by a miserable, 'aggarct-
w'hen the agent 'ad threatened to' faced woman with a tribe o' kids,
turn 'er out of thin miserable room I all of 'em oven to the youngest —a
because she could not find the rent,Ilittle gel of four—Slavin' like mad
that she would allow us to assist 1na1<llt up match -boxes. The woman
knew She wanted to be `ere, she told ne, but could tell me nothing-
we,
othingme, when you came out, to welcome except that the little parson 'ad seen
you." to ev'rything, an' '0 wits gore- aw'y
The kiddy put ger arms about nay' because 'is 'ealth 'ad broken downa
neck as I knelt, au , moanin , pressed Iu the street an old lag stopped
'01' little wet face agenst mine. I me an' took Inc somewhere for a
>v'rything wus dark. It seemed re quiet talk
if all the d ys of my life 'ad gain for
ever, an' there wus nothing before
me but black night.
The tidy wus speaking, Wot wns
it she wus s'yin'?
"The little girl. What do you pro-
pose to do with her?"
"The Lord knows, ma'am," I cried.
"Give her to me," she said. "I
will take care of her until you wept
her back."
I put the child down an' laughed --
laughed aloud in my bitterness. The
resolve to live clean, the determina-
tion to make Min an' the kid 'appy
an' proud o' me, the 'opeful theughts
which 'ad been wiv nee in the black
Sly's, seemed now a crdel mockery.
Ilfln .1505 gore -gore from me for
ever.
"Let the child go, Jake," said the
parson. "She will be well taken
Gare of. It will be for her benefit,"
The kiddy too taken from mcl I
clutched 'or frail little bony in my
aeons, "an', kissin' 'or agen an' agen,
shook my 'cad. My little Min, who
showed in ev'ry feature a resemblance
to 'er mother, torn from me! No; a
thousand times not An yet—wot 'ad
the parson said? "It, will be for Mr
benefit-" The contrast of 'er life
wiv nee, the marked crook in the
Moms, an' wot it might be with this
kind -eyed lidy surged in en one an'
I looked agen at the dead face. Wot
, would Min ''ave me do could she s'Y?
x wondered.
Something seemed to urge my arms Frenth winder, A few minutes' silent
forward. May with the tools, an' titrougih the
the ,
1 t• I shot bolts
'eta to the ass
ci• woman d
ori h 1 ma
I o an o v o g
' k reel t
"'1 0
a
1
carried.. 'ey', scrcamin`, down the an' r slipped inside.
P
The ai'san stood by the. \tastui no time, I made for the
'door, hall alt` crept noiselessly upstairs.
":'Take, I'll some an' talk with you There were four chore on the Itn3dbt',
" ' said, an',turning, loft an' judgin'•the Old lady's bedroom ter
presently," c s
t elead.' face, the front 0' the Dasa I made for
me alone ' v my
For 'Ours I that; 0113, nn`, +0ntly opening it, peer -
I couldn't cry,. Saari , r k
z wide-eyed, 351111e ed fuside, From the bed carne the
xtitrit tTteor, pale' t ey ,
' alt the d'ys since fust Min au' I Met murmur n' t tg'lar breathbn', an' the
y brain; met flashed through f n rain• the ivaonbeams shbiin' through the opera
•appy tine of our courtship an' the. laths of the blind Miele' lit the room
a
'0' arria e, the drys when alt' cut acrorss the wall immerlintel,o
the ]:idrly'
choly .d y5 .d demo rnter maie us both the above .e sleeper's 'earl.
as gore 'ome.-'
Guru 'erne! I threw orf 'is 'and
an' staggered eeriness the room,
orf, Sean, until ono d'y they told me
my time wus up, and onee agen 1
taus free ter parss through
the prison gateway. 'A friendly
L knew trot outside meant for such
as the likes o' me, an' guessed that
pretty soon I should be under 'is eye
agen.
Nobody wus there ter welcome tree
not a soul cared a jot whether I wns
"Watcher grin' ter do, Jake.?" 'e
;raked. "Goin- ter try an' pl'y the
straight until 'anger an' despair
drives yer ter break a winder ter get
food an' nodgin', or 'elp yersebf ter
wot yer want, like me?" 'E pulled
e 'andful 0' shiners from 'is pocket.
"One prette night's work, sully," 'e -
said, grinning. "Fee the next fortr,it
I'm lyln' low; but s'y the word an'
I can put you on to as easy a mark
as ever wus struck. A crib in tLa
country, a' 'armless old tidy an' two
or three Motile servants, with a case
o' sparks and pretties far the pickier'
up. A kid's job."
For a spell I sat mum, Sam, weigh.
in' it up. The life with. Min seemed
all of the parst now. I should never
see her agen. In or oat of gsod, wet
did it matter? I'd got to live my
life. I wus in that state 0' mind
that it wanted little persuasion ter
send me ono ev'e or the other, au'
before I left 'lm that night 'e 'ad
fitted me up for the job.
A. short VaIlway journey, a imine
through a village an' along a coun-
try road, an' I marked the crib. The
'atlte stoat beck from the road, au':
wus approached by a drive. Conceal-
ed behind the trees which bordereu
by a drive. Concealed behind the
trees which bordered the grqunds I
waited until an 'our 'ad gore since
ev'ry grim wus doused; then, with
Weft socks over my boots, I crossed
the lawn an' got to work on tine
glad, the terrible rl'ysa of 'mrd luck
nn' etarvatl0th which 'ad; made me a
thief an' a jell -bird, It soetned ter
ole as if ov'rytltiug wus a penia' be-
fore toy eyes just as it'ad been, , art'
when .at larst the picture faded. an'
1ny 8elisee, awoke to the fact that
,there before ma site lay dean, With a
,groat cliokin cry I befit an''kissed
?or 111010 =ace an stumbled to my feat.
•
RIVERS OF WINE TO FLOW
WEDDING OF KING ALFONSO TO BE
MAGNIFICENT PAGEANT,
Elaborate Ceremony to Mark Conversion
of the Future Queen of
Spain.
The most scrupulous reserve is main-
tained in Spanish court circles concern-
ing the arrangements for the marriage
of King Alfonso and Princess Eno of
13attcflberg, but the following facts are
from an authentic source.
As 'at present arranged, the formal
announcement of the betrothal will be
made either just before or when King
Edward visits Madrid, and the weddnig
will probably take place during the tra-
ditional fetes of San Isidore.
The conversion of the princess to the
Boman Catholic faith will be a ceremony
of great solemnity, I1 will he held in
the San Francisco Cathedral at Madrid,
and will be presided over by
THE PRIMATE OF SPAIN,
the Cardinal Archbishop of Toledo. The
nitre er011bisbops and forty-sL' bishops
of the kingdom will be summoned to
attend, A rumor which was circulated
that the Pope slid nut view the alliance
with foyer is groundless.
During the wedding festivities Madrid
will be trunsfarmed into a gigantic gar-
den of flowers. Roses and pinks will hue
brought by hundreds of wagonloads
frotn Seville, Malaga, Valencia, Alicante
and Murcia.
Grand processions In (iometer will be
organized 1y the students and women
eigarmakers, and the charming national
dances will be performed by peasants
from the provinces.
Streams of white and red wine will
tow from the fountains of 'Madrid in
lieu of water on the day of the wedding,
One of the most popular celebrations
will be a monster bull fight, conducted
with all the magnificence and panopy of
ancient use.
MANY CIIANGES
ore being made at the palace to prepare
the apartments for the Ring and his
bride. At present the Queen -mother oc-
cupies the rooms she had during the
regency and the ]ting those he had dur-
ing his minority, and considerable re-
arrangements will, of course, be made.
The Premiss lona will have her private
apartments on the first floor of the
palace, where an army of workmen are
cngnged in ulalcing the necessary trans-
formation.
Don Carlos, the widower of the late
Prineees ref the Ausirtas, the elder sister
of the King, lives, with his baby Prince,
the hob'-pt'eeumplive, in the palace, and
will continue to do so until the King has
a descendant of his own.
A Madrid jeweler is manufacturing a
magnificent dinner service of solid silver
to be used at the wedding banquet,
ine:A Young Doctor (Lo second cite):
"Harlon, old man, what's the matter?
you're Ionldng very glum." "No won-
der," was the reply, "1m attending
that wealthy ?,tr. Golding, you know,
and I't•r' sena lriin the wrong inedicino."
"indeed; iii it a, serious blunder?"
"Veryserious. Tho medicine I've sent
hien ill ran'„ 111111 in ttwo days."
µ
"Paf.tirr " mid oninquiring youth
"whoa a hen nils nn an eggfor three
Like a flash T moored to tile, dress- Weeks, end it don't hatch, 15 the, e
table au' scooped 11p L:lle loaae !spoiled?" ! "As an ornate of diet, MY 5011,1
j
etvelloy,. 11005 'as11a,:in' W1100181" 115 henceforth a failure; but for politi-
cal purposes i6 Inas els uses,"
'$n your that love threw you over?
Do you think sire ever regretted it?"
"I'm beginning to think she dirt I mar-
ried Jmtnedta4ely, and alta Treem married
et alit"
to lift Iiie silver fittings which 1'y
epee it before intentigatl,i further
tvlen X caught the rued() o' disturbee
bedcloth151 -bellied me, an', on the tel-
tel-
tel-
ethonlid whirr of, nn electric 11e11
l'al,l; through the 'apse.
'Mouth' t0 make 0 dash for ft, I
—4;
THE CiHIFFON SLIP
is like the indispensable dress shield,
supposed to be a part of the blouse, to
accompany it to the laundry, and to re-
main 111 service just as long as does t10
blouse itself.
The yoke is once more restored to
favor; but it is very far indeed Iron
being the yoke that it once was. All
sorts of devices are in favor to cover up
the tact that it is a yoke, and sepiolite
motifs are appliqued;. tiny bias folds
(agreed together after all sorts of inlrl-
cale patterns, several varying laces in-
terwoven, and conjunctions of all three
devices are by no means uncommon in
later designs.
The shoulder must be broad. But on
the other hand there is not supposed ie
be that drooping line that characterized
the blouse of a season or two ago, when
girls who would normally wear a 85
size took to wearing 38 and even 40 hi
order to have the extreme droop to the
shoulder line Web the fashions of the
early Victorian period made so popular.
To -day, it is the broad and mannish out-
line that is the aim of the smart girl:
and the sleeve, while moderate enough
as to size, is expected to carry out this
broad line from the shoulder. Some of
the best malcers are putting little loops
of collar hone (just that Mama silk cover-
ed featherbone that one lacks into col-
lars and occasionally Into cuffs to sus-
tain the shape without slipping or crump-
ling), into the top of the sleeve. The two
ends are fastened into the shoulder
seam, or rather into the sleeve seam,
each end lacked an inch and a doll, or
two inches either side of the shoulder,
and the loop or -half loop so formed is
as flexible as could well be imagined
and yet sustain the sleeve to just exact-
ly the right angio. A simple device,
surely, but
NONE MORE EFFECTIVE.
And in all of the blouses, the cotton,
linen, slllc, or satin, it is the half sleeve
that is tho correct display. Of course,
for wear with a plain tailor-made 008.
lame, one intended for shopping end
walking purposes, the plain full sleeve
still maintains, with a more or less
fanciful 01111 at the wrist. But apart
from this the half sleeve practically has
the field to itself,
The three-piece costume Is the leading
fe ature of many of 100 fashionable
tatters and dressmekcrs. A coat and
skirt in cloth, velvet or velveteen will
have a little blouse in silk or chiffon ur
lace—or more often dainty end deft
combleatons of all three, thatching the
costume as to color, but totally different
in all else.
On those there are all sorts of trim-
mings and trimming schemes lavished;
shtrrings atter odd and original lines,
backings, slrapphlgs, insertions of many
characters. Ribbons are a perfect
treasure trove to the designer, and braids
are finding a thousand and one novel
uses daily. One does not often conner,
braids and chiffon; and yet one of the
most satisfactory models introduced
this winter makes lavish use of an aril -
tidal silk braid -upon a chiffon blouse
that is worn with a chiffon velvet coat
and skirt of the same shade. 11 is a
Made, however, that must be most
cleverly handled, else the result were
deplorable in the oxtt'enle,
TITE SIIII3T-WAIST SUIT
goes triumphantly upon its way, bow
rowing ideas front pretty nearly every-
thing under the sun. That there are
stilet -waist suits and shirt -waist suits
has been brought home vividly to the
girl who has ever attempted to shop fol'
them, One dainty gown in pale blue,
ruffled with what 6001115 trifles of yellow-
ish Valenciennes, yards and yards of
bias fagotod bands, and Wettings so fine
that they seem the work et fairy ftngaes,
is scheduled as a shirt -waist suit and 11e
modest price of 0250 demanded for the
privilege of possession. night next to
it in the salve show•roon is a dainty
little affair i� raspberry red henit'Ietta
wfl.h the same yellowish Valenciennes
and elcn'el touches of it Hole Jacqu ni
not red -velvet upon the Mouse tmlj',
For this jird half the sum is asked; and
Mr its neighbor, a MacGregor plaid
Ser e--0110;'af 411080 sol, and semen/hat
inden11 le plaids In dark .blues and greeds
with n thread of gold gleaming at far
intervals—still a further. reduction of 50.
per cent. is scheduled. But they are all
of them shirt -waist sults)
Already the best shops ore showing
the most exquisitely fine things 111 lin-
guile gowns and shirt liis4 slits for
Southern
wear; and although 4o the
great masses of women the price makes
them prohibitive, still Mete charm Is
potent, Pave years ago even tete
wealthiest among us would have thought
live ernes ere puying a couple of hun-
dred dollars for a lingerie blouse, and
twice that to" a morning frock; yet to-
day such prices are the rule rather than
the excenton. Extravagant indeed It
may seam end yet there aro Moro work-
ers in the shops than ever betels, the
wages pald are better, and there seems
to be a decided uplifting to the class .,f
work as well as to the class of workers.
MAN WITH IRON NERVES
PLACED I1IS LTG ON TRACK TO 115
CUP 01113 BY A 'MAIN.
Jury Decided That Ile lead Caused Dine
self to be Thus Horribly
Mutilated.
Seldom, even In courts of law, has •0
extraordinary a case been heard as that
wile has just ended at a Welsh nsslzes
01 a verdict against Edward Slay, It
colliery laborer, who claimed heavy
damages against a railway company
for the loss of his legs. Exceedingly
improbable ie a mild term to apply to
the defence put forth by the company.
The suggestion that a strong, 111011hy
man should, for the sake of what com-
pensation he could obtain, deliberately
place his two legs on the line for a train
to cut all imposes a severe strain en
credulity, But the jury found, after only
an hour's deliberation, that it was true.
One recalls in this connection the re-
frain of a once popular nautical song :
"For what's the odds If you lose your leg,
So long as you drub the foe?"
But Edward May has lost both his legs
and been drubbed by the railway com-
pany into the bargain. He has not ob-
tained so much as the price of the
several pounds of flesh that he has lost,
All that ho has gained by his horrible
mutilation is the sobriquet of The Man
with the Iron Nerves. Perhaps Mal may
enable 1101 Io earn a little money for ca
brief evhile as
A EXI-IIBITTON FREAK.
According to May's story, in February
last he was a passenger in a second-class
compartment of the Taff Vale Rahway
Company of which he was the sole oc-
cupant. Ile said that he always travel-
ed second-class on that line because the
third-class 'compartments were always
dirty. Just outside Cardiff, he declared,
Ms umbrella fell, and as he was picking
it up the train suddenly swerved, throw-
ing hint against the door, which swung
open and he was pitched onto the line.
He lost consciousness from the fat, he
said, and recovered his senses just in
time to see another train beating down
on him. Its wheels passed over Ifs legs
some distance above the ankles.
1Ie - shouted for help and a railway
porter cane 10 his assistance. He COMM
had taken a course of lessons in first aid
to the injured, and made two tourni-
quets, employing three handkerchiefs
whip ho had hi his pockets, and hien
directed the porter to twist it around tis
thighs to stop the bleeding.
1 would net have had my feet cut
off," he protested, "for the wealth of the
railway company and all its share-
holders. 1 um a m011 who could always
do a day's work, and if I could not ob-
tain work at one thing, I could always
turn my hands to another."
May was asked whether he had told
ids friends several days before the train
crippled him that he was going to Wheat
with an accident and that he would lose
his legs, below the knees..
"I dreamed," 110 said, "that I met with
a serious acident to my legs and t told
my landlady and some other people
about the dream. I believe it was n
foreshadow of what happened to tie..
My landlady's mother once dreamed of u
letolble disaster that cane true. All
sorts of things have been foretold m
dreams:'
Probably many members of the
Psychic Research Society would have
agreed with that last statement, but
none of thein was summoned Lo give his
views on premonitions and presenli-
nteels, and ihet defence made much of
the improbability of May's vision and Lhe
far greater likelihood that, having
CONCOCTED A PLAN
to get money out of the railway com-
pany, his expectations had led 11 lin to
mnko incautious statements. Thee Is
no doubt that I,lay's dream story weighed
against ilim with the jury,
The bulk of the defence consisted in
the cumulative evidence of snail im-
probabilities arrayed against the exceed-
ing improbability that a man would vol-
untarily place his legs on a railway
track to get his feet cut off by a train
for the snlce of what compensation he
might obtain. He weighed over 210.
pounds, The train from which he al-
leged that lee Lind fallen was going at the
rale of lwcnty miles an hoar. Yet the
only injury lie could show as proof that
he had really pitched headlong out of a
Main moving at that speed was a slight
scratch en the cheek. It was argued
that it was wall -nigh impossible that the
door of the compartment would have
given way, even had he been thrown
against it. Several witnesses swore
that there was no swerve of the train
such es would have 01108001 him to be
thrown against the door. 1t tuns Im-
probable that a mon occupying his posi-
tion would have travelled second-class,.
On the 01.110e hand, it was contended
it was natural he should have pretended
that he had ridden 111 a second-class car -
Heim, as he had alleged that ho tone in
a third-610es earriage he might have
been confronted with proof thet ail such
ent•lagee en t11nt pa'tMMiller- train had
several pneee11iter5. It was shown that
his tetra steel< of lsanclicurchiefs consist.
ad of only fo111' and 11, mils maintained
it eves improbable that lie would have
!cern three, of Thee with him urines iie
d 111 min.l ick dm9de rc-
snInrtcd 1a to 11)'0,1smnn0111st1h0 nmldlni!anns he prey
hog folic, (loth feet had been severer]
at the Baine dletuuice below the knees
•
and 11 was declared 1t was highly im-
probable that would have happened held
lie fallen upon the track
FROM A MOVING TRAIN.
1t was shown that May was a pone
d for a i ea'
ml un o Dot Man heavily to
m p 1 y
debt, lienee, it was ergued, he had
strong motives for seeking to raise mo-
ney , even at the cost of being crippled
for the rest of his life. Shortly before
Ms legs were cut off he had bought
several copies of weekly publications,
which Issue insnrence policies against
railway accidents, and this eves re -
rued to to strengthen 1103 railway com-
pany's Theory that the less of his legs
lend been cleliberately planned.
All things considered the. ease wns one
of the most puzzling which a jury has
ever been called upon to decide. 11 !s
small welder that the jury before wham
it was first brought disagreed. It is sur-
prising that another jury has egreal
upon a verdict., and 0110 whicl ❑may
people will continue to think is hardly
justified by the evidence. $elf-mulila-
tion is common enough. 'There tire tee
Ilgious fanatics who do it for the good
of their souls, and there are sane people
who do it—though never in such a
trighlfn] fashion as May is convicted of
defog—lo escape conscription. But that
a man—no matter of what Iron nerves
he may be composed—should decide '0
part with his legs to see what price they
would fetch from a railway company
and a few enterprising publishers, mist
tie set down as one of the strangest
Meeks to which the Thirst for gold has
ever yet compelled mortal man.
AN ARCTIC MISSIONARY
CiEI(GYMAN iIACK iN ENGLAND FROM
NORTHERN STATION,
Dependent Altogether on Stores From
England — Fest Church of
Sealskin.
The Rev, E. J. Peck, who bas return-
ed to England fromt rr rrarfr Irfrslucilu
eel to England after conducting mis-
ssionory work in the Arctic regions ter
10 year's, gives a vivid account of life
among the Eslcimos.
His mission station Is one of the most
lonely and inaccessible in the world.
The headquarters are on the south shore
of Cumberland Sound, at Blacklead Is-
land, a little spot two miles long and
700 wards broad, round which it is pos-
sible to walls in n couple of hours.
There are no trees and vegetation,
except moss and very light grass, and
no fuel," iter, Peck says. "It seems like
THE LAST PLACE ON EARTH.
"There is no food fn the country ex-
cept sea], and for all our stores we have
to be dependent upon what we take out
from England. Our only comrnunica-
Uon with the outside world is by means
of a trading ship, which, especially char-
tered, visits us once a yam..
"Our little settlement consists i,f a
church, a hospital and two dwelling
houses—one for the Iwo traders and one
for ley colleague and myself. Them
are, of course, all of the rudest, descrip-
tion, being fashioned out of materials
shipped from honkie.
"Our eeriest church was made of seal-
slcins, but had to replaced by a wooden
structure, as it was devoured by the
dogs. The scene from Blacklead is the
most desolate one imaginable, nothing
hub sooty and ice being visible in any
direction,
'The most trying time tv0 have known
was last winter, when the usual relief
ship
FAILED TO REACiH US.
14 came to within 15 miles of our ela-
tion. and was within range of our ginos-
es, sod yet it was not until len months
afterward that she reached illaelclead.
"For 14 days we watched her strug-
gling amid the ice -harriers, and, despite
the most gallant attempts to afford 118
Me needed relief, she was eventually
driven bark.
"We suffered considerably from cold,
85 our new supply of coal was onboard
the missing vessel, and we had to bury
our houses in snow to lceep out 110
cold.
"Tim Eskimos were 1101 the only suffer-
ers from want of fond, for one night hl
Jahnnry a pack of hungry wolves sur-
rounded our house and :Meeker] tine
dogs, eventually escaping into the dark-
ness. Afterhvard they devoured one an-
other."
a
ENGLISi11IAN HELD AS SPY.
Was Arrested Dy Russians and Flogged
Every Morning.
Joseph Ernest. Geddes, a British mer-
chant at !-long Kong, arrived at Grims-
by from Idamburg, and went to London
to petition the Foretgn 011ee relative to
his arrest by the Russians as an alleged
spy in Manchuria, charged with selling
plans of Port Arthur to the Japanese.
He states that having obtained por-
misslon to trade in ]vanchuria, ho left
T ten-'1'sin in December„ `1004, and upon
reaching Mukden he was arrested, al-
though Port Arthur was a place he nee,
et' visited. Itis papers were torn up,
and itis clothing was cut up in search
for any lncrim]natng documents, the
only reply of its remonstrances being,
"Oh, you British lire till the same, You
wohJapanese,
Lightlyuldelpp clad,the 1e was p100ed in a shall
room, preparatory to being shot the
next morning. Ten doyse passed, and
each day he was tt,id that the next
would be his last. He managed to write
several letters to Gen. Kuropatkhn, ask-
ing for an explanation, but no reply
Har -
came,
At the end nI ten days he wns plat. tin -
bin,
escort to the military prison at Har-
1ih, There he remained for six months.
Then Me, Geddes was placed anon{ a
gang of forty erlminels, the lot being
hustled into the prison wagon, with
three soldiers 1Vatchin g enelh mon, 'Thele'
dosUnaton, he ]earno , wns h7<uisio, In
Sa, Fro(h
tithiberie he reacmhed Wat aperiodrsaw theup hI0orrible1Jt0
journey amid the snow included hea-
th Ag
aathie 011 fifteen (01'150118 011 route.,
At Wa•srnv, 13100511 801filing from
0x50,8000, 0 w p a 13 a 5ma11
ronin devoid 01 fnrniim•ei end 151110411
sllfi]caenL warmth. Erich loaning an
olllclnl Cane fn, nncl giving him hall a
dai0n Matins with his belt, said:—"Con-
fess you erre 0 any." Ile refused, and
thewhipping eventually ceased,
Ultimately, kir. Geddes was set Tree,
but no apology was offered hint.
WORKSHOP TO CABINET
CAREER Ole JOIIN RUTINS, OF 11AT-
TERSis'A,LONDON.
Ile 'Walked London Streets in Search
of Work for Seven
Weeks.
Whether the Liberal i-linistry has a-
long life 00 a short one, l4 will be nota-
ble for the inclusion in it of John Burns,
of Battersea—the first woritingmnh to no
blven Uma seat and a portfolio in e Bri-
tish Cabinet, says the London Daily
Mali,
John Burns has been before the public
since the year 1878, when he spent a
night in Ilre pollee cells for the crime of
public speaking on Clapham Common.
Fano that moment he has progressed
slowly, steadily, not always with the
goodwill of the majority, but always
will the goodwill of those who knew
hitt for whet he is—honest, strong, sela
reliant, unswerving in his adherence l0
what he believes to be right.
Born forty-seven years ago in Wands-
worth, the son of a Lowland father and
an Aberdeen mother, John Burns started_
life with more vitality and more bruins
than pence, and more bull -dog, hold-
fast courage than the average.
FOUGHT I31S WAY.
Always ready to fight his own battles,
Burns went to work 1n Prlee's candle
factory In Wandsworth, at the age of
1013,
As a rivet -boy at iron -works at Vaux-
hall he soon found occupation betl.er
suited to nils physique, and a Chance, ut
fourteen, to apprentice himself to a
Millbank engineer.
in 1877, being out of his apprenticeship
and ready for any adventure, Burns went
as foreman engineer to the West Const
of Africa. For twelve months he stood
the heat and braved the perils of the
delta of the Niger.
Still bubbling over will vitality,
which no African sun could exhaust,
Burns returned to Battersea in 1878 and
made Ills first acquaintance with the
pollee on Clapham Coleman. Burns
married Miss Charlotte We, the Prete
daughter of a Battersea shipwright, who
Stood in 1110 crowd, and atter a short
honeymoon made the grand tour of the
continent ill search of the material upon
which be was to baso his theory and
practice of political life.
READER Ole MANY BOOKS.
From leis boyhood's days Burns rend
and assinl,laled and adapted to his own
circumstances 110 leaching of Robert
Owen, John Steele MI, Carlyle, Ruskin,
and all the men who were reckoned in-
telectually among the giants of the nine-
teenth century.
Ta -day his library in the lIMlle house
on Lavender tilt (Ills the walls of two
rooms, and there Is not n $Lapid or use-
less hook in it. Oa these walls you may
read the story of ,ibhn Burns' life, and
the evidence of that remarkable faculty.
for acquiring and using knowledge
which has all along been one of the
mainstays of his political career.
AT HOME IN BATTERSEA. -
Battersea Ihas been the home, political-
ly as well as socially, of Burns. In nls
park 13ut'ns became a power, wonting
his brain, lits body, and his lungs to
persuade his fellow -workmen to take in
Band the regeneration of themselves and
their class. Then he suddenly made a
mark on the world outside. Speaking
at the Industrial llemuneralion Confer-
ence in 1834, he electrified an audience
which. included Mr. A. J. Balfour, by the
vigor, picturesqueness, and 00rnm0n
sense of his views. "Moralize capital!"
said Burns. "You might as well try to
moralize a boa -constrictor or tame a
tiger." As the direct consequence of
leaving his wort: to attend this confer-
ence, John Burns lost his job as an en-
gineer. He was at that time 20 years
old.
T}IE BLOODY SUNDAY.
Suspended between e. sense of what
he ought to do for himself and what ho
ought to do for his class, Burns feed
himself out of employment in the critical
clays of 1880. hien were shy of employ -
mg cm engineer who lad at this time
fought unsuccessfully for a seat In Paw
llament as the Social Democratic nomi-
nee for West Nottingham. For seven
weeks he tramped from "shop" to
"shop" looking for work, sympathizing at
every step 110 took with the thnnsanda 01
less capable men in ]lice plight with him-
self. Then came Trafalgar Square. A
meeting convened for the purpose of ad -
vacating fair trade, captured by the
Socialists for the purpose of expounding
their gospel, Wns turned into a riot. For
his share In the meeting Burns was ar-
rested, and a speech saved hurt—the
speech which he delivered from the dock
(01101' 10 his noquilial.
Out 01this prelinuliary scuffle arose
the events of "Bloody Sunday," Novem-
ber 5, 1386. Burns held to the right of
the people to meet in Trafalgar Square.
The police denied 11, and prepared 10 de-
fend the square. It became a bath be-
tween half -armed and unarmed men.
Two man were killed, many injured, and
Burns and Cunninglhame - Grahame
forced their way to lite base of the Nel-
son
THREE MONTHS IN JAiL.
Column.
Tried at the 01d Bailey, ,lohn Burns
made another great speech, and went to
Penlonville to meditate over it for three
months. Keeping his head and hie sav-
ing grace of humor he came out of gaol
more popular with his own people than
ever, and in two years was elected to a
seat In the first London County Collect'.
Hisfirst year's work at Spring Gardens
was broken by the great deck strike nt
1880. Towne 13111 became his rostrum,
and the suffering wives slid children of
the dock -laborers his most powerful
weapons of at tete 11 was a humans
fight. When a elan preaches honesty,
sobriety, self-sacrifice as tho essential
Weapons of a fight, it Is Mull, 10 ace
Buse him of desiring to promote 'menu -
Lion and disorder.. So 11e dock strike
passed without bloodshed, and Duna
as its leader justified his ololm to the
possession of that quality of moderation
which goes to the making of a slatee-
man.
TO CURE EARACHE.
Take 5:lemon end cut )t 111 halt, balce
out the seeds place the half agrees?, the
oor, and Never 11 tbl000ugghly with h0i
flannels when going to bed. Ttepent toll
two or three trlghts.
.41
no See
1t.,
4+.t
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