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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1903-3-12, Page 71.0 pram* mnOnovumfatakaamorrnsa '; w A Tale V Ifii v v.W C1rt and of the le A ke A Rolling Wave Arr CHAPTER VI. If there was any hidden meaning in the doctor's speech, the snowy -haired passenger showed no sign of sus- pecting it. Raising his hat lightly more especially to me, but so as to include the general company, he saki: "Emerson 0, Waldo, sir, is my name—General Waldo, Tato of tee United States Cavalry—on a Yurrup tour for the benefit of health and education. I reckon I've powerfully neglected both sir, in my time, hav- ing mostly spent my life in fighting Indians on tno plains." "Well, General," X said, "I hope that you will make up for lost time, and get all the arrears of enjoyment duo to you on tbo Queen of Night. It is not in the contract, but wo moan to give you fno weather, smooth seas, and when wo get down south, blue skles--if we can, We steel fair anyhow." I remained chatting a minute or two, and when I moved away, Za- vertal separated from the group and joined me in a promenade of the deck. "You have been so occupied sir, that I have got the start of you with tho passenger's.". he said. "I May as well take the opportunity of posting you in what 1 have picked up. They are an average lot." "Many invalids'?" I asked, with a vivid remembrance of the bo'sun's reference to "sea -funerals," though my question seemed abnost silly tumid that scone of gaiety and robust health. "A few, but not many serious cases. There, though you might not think it, is one of them," the doc- tor replied, pointing to a happy looking, chubby -faced boy of four- teen who was amusing some of tho elders by skylark:ng on the lower ratline. "That Is the young Earl or Darranmore, who, if he ever attains his majority, will possess a rent - roll of forty thousand a year. I fear tbat tho lad is doomed, though— heart complications." And Zavertal sighed sympathetically as we wheel- ed for another turn. "That is hard lines," I said. "Are there any others about whom you are anxious ?" "There's a man called Desmond Orlobar whom I doubt if we shall bring home again. Ile has gone the pace and got himself into a gener- ally played -out condition. There he is—sitting wrapped up on the other side of tho clerk, and indulging in his old games to the last, I see." Following the direction of his glance, I saw a thin, sallow -faced man of forty, wearing a thick plaid ulster and propped up with pillows on a portable bamboo lounge. A steward had just brought him a ma- hogany -colored brandy and soda, and RTr. Orlebar's efforts to take the glass from the tray into his shaking hands were painful to witness. There was no doubt about this passenger's Illness. "Poor beggar," I said. "And does that complete the, list of dangerous cases ?" "Of the really dangerous ones, yes," replied 'Zavortal. "There are ono or two other patients who came to me with bad Yeports from their relations or private medical attend- ants, but 1 see no reason to be ap- prehensive about any of them—ex- ;apt perhaps one." "Who is that ?" I asked, some,. what carelessly, I fear, as wo reached the limit of our promenade at the stern. Facing about, we both turned inwards to each other, to that, as Zavortal answered my ryuostion, his eyes for a moment Await on mine, Again they had that rtrange glint. "She is a'Mies Challenor," was the reply that so startled me, that It would have been affectation on his part to have pretended not to notice its palpable effect. He . has- tened to add : "I rather fancy Nathan, before ho went ashore, told me that you had met her." "Yes, in a way 1 may be said to have saved her life," I replied, and seeing no reason for further con- cealing 'a fact which was sure to get abroad in tho ship, X briefly narrat- ed the circumstances, only suppress- ing eny present relations with Aline. "But surely," I concluded, "there must bo some mistake about the state of Miss Chailenor's health, I had a few words with her yester- day, and she laughed at tho idea of there being anything wrong with her." We turned again, and again I met the doctor's gazo piercing me from out of a face that smiled with sad benevolence in every feature but the oyes. 'Vile old story," he said sym- pathetically. "Every one concedes the danger but this patient herself. I have not bean called on to ex- amine her yet, but her guardian wrote that It was an almost hope- lose opo-lose case of pulmonary phthisis. I presume her friends thought it un- necessary to frighten the poor girl by lotting her know tho nature and extent of her malady. however, as you take a very natural interest in her, I will observe closely and let you know in a day or two. Excuse me, but I think I am wanted—and, Captain, if you will allow me to advise, you will turn in for a spell. Your night -watch has taken it out of you, and • you look as if you needed rest." Needed rest 1 As he left my side to go to some ono who was beckon- ing to him, the sun seemed to bo blotted out, and the voices and laughter • around made a horrid blur in lay ears like the "racing" of mee chinery when the enain-shaft breaks. To think that Aline—my sweet Aline in the heyday of hor youth and beauty, and in the height of our new-found happiness—was dying of consumption. Then gradually the weight of sudden oppression was lifted, and, reaction setting in, I would not, could not, believe that the trouble existed at all. I recalled what Aline had said about the "wish being father to the thought" with Sir Simon, and began to sus- pect that ho had imagined what, probably from interested motives, he desired to become a reality. It was the first inkling of the truth, but how far short of it the events to be related must show. The wind was light ane steady from the cast, and the glass high, Wo were clanking down Channel at an easy sixteen knots, with the massive front of the Majnbench cliffs glistening white in the sunlight five miles away on the starboard beam. There was nothing to keep me on deck, and having se lisfactorily ex- plained away the cause of my anxiety, I decided 20 take Zavortal's advice and turn in till dinner -time, leaving hint to do the honors at the luncheon -table, In going to my room I had to pass the spot whore Ice. Orlebar's lowigo was placed, and just as I was approaching it X met Aline's chaperon, as yet unknown to mo comm alongthedeck g ec alone from the opposite ilh•ection. The sick man caught sight of her while I was within two feet of him, and the effect of her appearance upon Slim was as inexplicable as it was sudden. His shaking fingers dropped the now empty glass with a crash upon the deck, and X distinctly heard hire mvrmur— "My God 1 It's Ella.," The recognition, if such it was to prove, diel not appear to be mutual. Ars. 3311n1cworth's attention was of cow/se attracted by the falling glass, flush and a fleeting expression of and she looked at the occupant of the lounge, but beyond a slight disgust, which might very naturally have been called up by Orlebar's re- pulsive, drink -sodden features, no sign of knowing him escaped her. She passed on, stately and unmoved to the after -part of the deck, where X had no doubt that Aline was wait- ing for her, I had seen too •many chance meet- ings on shipboard for the incident ey Tr 112 L .a s _ c,; d�!^�, nom. 18 thirty 'itemo of Backache and Rheumatism—Winter Season is Especially Severe—Attributes rtes Cure to DR. eilASE9S KIDNEY -LIVER PILLS. This season of the year is especial- ily trying on the older people. The pains and aches grow more severe an the cold and changeable weather, Otho kidneys get out of order, rheu- matism and lumbago torture their victims, thorn aro aching backs and i ba stomah derangements, cuts urin- II eary and bowel disorders and serious, ijlainful, and fatal maladies; j Dr, Chase's Ifidney-liiver Pills are !particularly stilted to the needs of }persons of advanced age, They re- igulato and invigorate the liver, .lefd- ecys, and bowels and prove effectual :when ordinary medicines fail, This letter from Mr, Robert. ,Tackaon W.iVee tomo idea of whet this tr e at- tnent is accompliehing every day, ' ice Cobert Jackson, Ship carpen- ;ter, Port Robinson, Ont„ states :— ;"I was afflicted with kidney trouble and lumbago for about thirty years, The winters were always very severe on me, and X was many times In- eapaoitatecl with, Sill the serious eytnptoms of both troubles. 1 had 'backache, biliousness, rltetiinatism, headache, and constipation, and was wracked physically. I used all sorts of medicines, and have been treated by the medical profession to no im- pose. "In the spring of 19.02 I began using Dr. Chase's Kidney -Liver Pills, and from tho start mewed great benefit. X continued the treat- ment until X fully recovered good health and vigor, my old trouble being a thing of the past. I am seventy -flee years old, and if, at my advanced age, I have received such grand results from the use of Dr. Chase's Kidney -Liver Pills after years of nnneeessaty suffering, there can bo no doubt of thele efficacy in the treatmont of younger persona. X roo matenil thein td tva"y one. I have tried to think of wortle to ex- press my gratitude, but it is beyond expression, for the have done more for mo then an h could I co 11d Ilr, Chase's Kidney—Liver Pills, ono pill a, too, 115 scuts a boar, At all dealrnte, ef' I dmalteen, Betas auel Coo ''llol'Ontd, to make any impression on me, and X should have tllemissod it altogether from my mind it one of the parties to it had notm a boon so intimately connected with Aline, As it was, I merely noted it mentally for future inquiry, 1n the event of anything tending to show that Orlobar'e pre- sence on the ship would cause an- noyance to a lady who had already won mydear :Irl's regard. ]liter a goad sloop 1 awoke refresh- ed, and comforted with tho reflec- tion that, after all, beyond specify- ing the nature of her imaginary illness, Zavortal ,had really said no- thing more than Aline herself to confirm 01r Simon Craw/Maya: esti- mato of her health. The doctor had not examined bor chest, and his statement was based on nothing more substantial than a second-hand opinion which was probably all maanshino, I dressed, therefore, with every anticipation of a pleas- ant evening, and after a short visit to the bridge to eeo that all was right, I went down and mingled with the passengers, eventually making may way to whore Aline was sitting with Mrs, Brinkworth, I have tho instinct, common to most people, of knowing a friend from an enemy at first sight, and something told mo from that mo- ment that the quiet, sad -faced wo- man was Aline's friend and there- fore mine. I think she had already guessed our secret, but, If not, she had every opportunity of doing so in the cheery half-hour we three spent together before the first gong sounded for dinner. We lovers wore too confident in the future and in the freedom which Aline's majority would bring her in a few months to affect more reserve than etiquette de- manded in public. The shy and sen- timental stage of courtship had been got over in the old Dahlia, and there was a veryfrank understanding be- tween us. When I sat down presently to -pre- side, for the first time, in the saloon I found that I had General Waldo for my left-hand neighbor, and on the other side an ancient dowager— Lady Carberry—who took the place of honor by right of her title. Aline and Mrs. Brinkworth wore seated at my table, but some way down, and too far off for sustained conversa- tion with thole. Parallel with mine was another table, at the head of which Doctor Zavortal presided, with the little Earl of Darranmore and the latter's tutor on one hand, and a financial magnate and his wife on the other.- Mr. Desmond Orlebar Was also placed at the doctor's table, but some half dozen seats away. The "Captain's table" of course accommodated those who wero or considered themselves the elite of the ship, and it was not till I found myself at tho head of tho brilliant assemblage, and the most deferred -to personage in it, that I appreciated Nathan's compliment in selecting me for tho job. Dinner proceeded gaily, and I work- ed hard to make up for lost time in cultivating friendly relations with the passengers. General Waldo kept our end of the table in a constant roar of laughter with comic descrip- tions of Western life, at which even the starchy old lady on my right had to unbend, and by the time des- sert was reached I concluded that tho social part of my duty was easier than I had expected. Things were going equally smoothly at the other table, where, with his quips and cranks, tho young Earl was evidently establishing himself a gen- eral favorite. The interest in the merryyoungster Y g even en spread to our table, his boyish laughter al Za- rertal's good humored sallies caus- ing many heads to bo turned to look at him. General Waldo, who could see him en ho sat, seemed to watch him unceasingly with the sym- pathetic: attention due to a kindred spirit, Suddenly, as the ladies were be- ginning to leave tbo saloon, Waldo plucked are by the sleeve and ex - "Thunder, Captain h• The swell of the ocean ought to be kinder to the swell on the ocean. What's up with our young aristocrat yonder ?" I thought at first that the veteran was merely cracking one of his copious, wheezes, but I looked round to the lead of the other table, and sure enough there was the Earl of Darranmore leaning back in his chair and gone deathly white, while Zavortal had risen and was deftly unbuttoning the boy's collar with one hand and feeling his pulse with the other. The night was dead calm and, save for the slight tremor causocl by the pulsing of tho engines, the ship was as steady as a church. Waldo's suggestion of sea -sickness seemed, therefore, wide of tho mark, and I recollected what the doctor had said of the lad's weak heart in the morning. At Zavertal's bidding a couple of assistant -stewards lifted the young Earl's limp form and born it away to his state -room, the doctor him - soli following', but pausing as be passed out to say to me— "It is only a faint. No will bo all right t0 -marrow, but I fear this confirms tho report X had of him— poor little chap," And Zavortal hurried away, tapping' his broad' waistcoat in the region of the heart, and repeating again—"Poor little chap.,, 'I'lie tables were already pretty well thinned, and in a couple of minutes tiro incident was forgotten by such as remained, Waldo resuming the thread of a yarn, in which he had been interrupted, about a Texan horse -thief, scoring all his points, bringing the story to a close, and thoroughly enjoying the applause that' greeted the climax. For a mo- molt or two ho sat 05 though medi- tating' a fresh narrative, then sud- denly jumped up and exclaimed— "Pineapple, by Jove 1 1 guess T'n1 o. Whale on pineapple," and be- fore X Could toll him that the stew- ard should bring him sowo he had crossed over to the now vacant table wbore Lord Darrarunor•o had been sitting, and had seized a dish of the fruit that W08 there, eeutin11 bads With it to hip 'own plate, As ho resumed hie seat he looked at rr1r, NI' the fraction of a second all the babbling fun in his face changed to stern scrutiny, y, and in that brief steadfast gazo remem- brance came to me of some ono quite different whom I had seen before—of Kennard, the American visitor to Nathan's office, who had forfeited 1118 passage, Tl likeness 1a 1 mess was 0110t x o expression resslon only, and was gone like aflash, as with one of his jokes Waldo set to upon the pineapple with a relish that justified his eagerness to so - cure it, (To Bo Continued.) DOCTOR PARKER'S KINDNESS. Interesting Incidents in the Life of the Great Preacher. Tho vein of rugged humor which appeared so frequently in the pulpit utterances of the late liov, Dr, Joseph Parker of London, continual- ly cropped out in the every -day cleri- cal affairs of his life. Ne was once approached in the City Temple by a country clergyman, whose church was in an embarrassed financial con- dition, and asked to preach there on any day, at any hour, that might suit his convenience. "It is impossible," replied Doctor Parker. "I have already more en- gagements than I can fill." Mrs. Parker, who was present, saw the minister's look of disappoint- ment, "My dear," ,she said to her husband, "you must go. This gen- tleman has cone a long distance to see you, and you must hake it pos- slble," "1Ve11," said he, looking into the face of his rural brothor, "you sco 1 must go, Fix your day, and I will be there at twelve o'clock." Tho village pastor returned his thanks, and Went his way with a radiant countenance, The day came, the church was crowded. Doctor Parker preached in his usual telling Meaner, and pleaded for a generous offering as ho alone could plead, At the conclusion of the service the pas- tor came into the vestry, and ex- pressed his indebtedness to Doctor Parker, and the gratitude of the church for his valuable services, ask- ing at the end; •'Itow much, doctor, are we in your debt?" "Forty-nine pounds, nine shillings and sixpence," promptly returned Doctor Parker. This staggered the minister, who managed to stanuner out, "It will take a little time to pay it all." "Well, I will not take less," said Doctor Parker. "And meantime, as you have been out of pock- et through coaling up to sec me in London, take this"—plac- ing his"plae-ing two sovereigns in the minister's hand—"to cover your outlay. Mind, not a halfpenny less to me than the sum named=but you can take eter- nity to pay it." Doctor• Parker would accept noth- ing but third-class fares when he vis- ited poor parishes, but woe to the church that had a reputation for meanness in money matters. Ile visited one such, where, after service, the deacon said, "Well, Doctor Park- er, as to your fee?" "It is fifty pounds." The deacon demurred; Doctor Park- er insisted. Finally the o111cials of the church got together and paid over the fifty pounds, Then Doctor Parker said: Now, this is not for myself. Some time ago you had So -and -So" — mentioning a somewhat obscure min- ister — "to preach here. You know that his church is a struggling one, and that he is a poor man with a largo family. You refused to pay him more tban his baro railway fares. To redeem this iniquity on your part I have charged you fifty pounds, and I shall seed it on to trim as his fee for the sermons he preached hero,': "JOHN BULL'S" HEIGHT. Below will be found the statistics of tho average height of 10,000 Eng- lish boys and men, At the ago of sevtinteen these averaged 5 feet 8 inches in height; at the ago of 22, 5 feet 9 inches. At seventeen they weighed 142 lbs.; at 22, 158 lbs. No nation is increasing in height and weight so rapidly as the British. In 50. years the average has gone up for the whole nation from 5 feet 7} inches to 5 feet 8; inches. Tho av- erage height of the British upper classes at 80 years old is 5 foot 8} incites; of the farm laborer, 5 feet 7 8-5 inches. Tho criminal class brings down the." average, as their height is but 5 feet 5 4-6 inches, il— LAKE COVERED WITII SALT, Probably the most remarkable lake to the world is one with a coating 0f salt that completely conceals the water. It may bo seen at any .time during the year, fully exposed, being seen at its best when the sure is shining upon it. This wonderful body is one of tho saltiest o1 the salt lakes, and is situated near Ob- clorsk, Siberia. The lake.is nine miles wide and seventeen long. Tho salt coat increases six inches every year. The many islands with which the lake is studded aro seed to act as braces and to help to keep the arched salt crust in position. Mrs, Nextdoor—"I suppose your daughter iS happily married ?" Mrs, Naggs ee---"Tneteed she is. Why, her husband's actually afraid to open his mouath in her presence." DR. Aa L coASE`S CAT AIIRN Cf�RE C4 le sena diroot to rho dlooased parts bT thhe fmprovod Mower. F toll the ulcers,' deers the air potAagos, stops droppings In the throat and ennenantly aeras Cetieeh hod 1i:wes:etr..Blower free, Alf deal4fs, or 00, K, ttl, Chose Idadiclea Co., Toronto and lruffota Mrs, Homer ,How do you man - ago to got your carp°ts so dean?" Do you hire a peofesidonral earpot boatr? ' ]Aire. Neighbor -- "No; my husband beats thorn, and .I al- wtt's do aomethhng to ]sake him rtt1- gry Just before 110 begins the job," THEFARMI LLT THE ' s I BRAIN HELP. . 7 Thera are farmers who rise by three or four o'clock In the morn- ing, and who invariably eat their suppers by artificial light. Thoy are too tired evenings to read papers, so they do not take any; and for tbo same reason they only answer their wives in drowsy monosylle- b1es. Almost before tho supper dishes are cleared away they are off to bed, and aro up again as soon as seine occult intimation demon- strates that daylight is not so very far away. They do not oil their harnesses, or look after their farm tools, or prune their apple trees or do any of the little hundred and one things that are the real profit of the farni, because they have no time, Work is always crowding them, and they are too tired to make plans be- tween o-tween one day's labor and another. And so this work goes on, year af- ter year, and they are scarce able to hold their own. They would put in a few more hour's if they could, but already they are robbing both ends of the night, and it is impossible for them to pilfer more. They aro too busy and too tired to reason the thing out dispassionately, so they become morose and discontented and disheartened. They have neighbors who are prosperous and successful, and whose children have time to at- tend school and social gatherings, and they wonder rebelliously, for the neighbors do not work as hard as they. These farmers are doing their best, in their way, to got on in the world; and they aro working just as earnestly and lovingly for the wel- fare of their children as aro their prosperous neighbors. But they have never been brought to under- stand the value of brain and hands WOIthZNO TOGETHER; that labor well planned is half done. 'they seek prosperity with blind dili- gence, and failing to grasp it strug- gle more persistently, more stub- bornly, perhaps, more hopelessly than ever. It is hard to reach them, for they and their wives and their children are toiling as only hard-working farmers toil. and they have no faith or time or patience for new ideas. They may work on for years—for a lifetime—in the vicinity of progressive neighaors, and never realize that it is.they who are in the fault, and not blind luck. It is in- comprehensible to them that their twenty -acre fields of once -hoed corn are less profitable than the five -acre lots of their neighbors, who are cars- ful in the selection of seed and whose crops are hoed again as of- ten as the grotmd becomes baked. And as it is with corn, so it is with everything- else. Their orchards yield only a tithe of those that aro pruned and well cared for, and their berry vines and plants soon become choked with weeds and cease to bear. Thoy aro ambitious of big ;imide and big farms and many cul- tivated acres, and they work as only willing mon can work to keep them tilled. But the farms aro too largo and the fields too broad and the acres too many, and in spite of the hours they rob from sleep their work falls behind as the season ad- vances, and in the fall, when their crops aro gathered in, they wonder why their one hundred or two hun- red d acres yield less than the fift Y or seventy-five of their neighbors. And so they go on, working without planning, and only coming to realize by chance, perhaps, that groping hands cannot reach success without the intelligent guidance of brain. DUAL PURPOSE COWS. Strange theories aro being pro- pounded in those latter days by one and another as to how those dual purpose cows shall be bred, writes Prof, Thomas Shaw. One of the hest recent of those theories is the wretched one that in order to get dual purpose cattle, an extreme type of a beef bull should be mated with an extreme type of a dairy cow. The' theory claims that if the pro- geny is a male it will make a good meat producer, and if it is a female it will make a good mills producer. This fallacy assumes, first, that the features of external form take chief- ly after the male, and the features of internal function take chiefly af- ter the female, whereas the truth is, that tie whole organism, external and internal, inherits in the greatest degree the properties and the qual- ities of the parent that is most pre - potent, that is to say, the parent that is most purely bred. This would mean that mating such a sire, if purely bred, regardless of inheritance in dairy power from the more recent of his dams, with a good dairy cow of mixed breeding, would give all her progeny a bias in favor of moat production. This theory also ignores the further fact that if two highly bred animals were plated thus, in the absence of affinity in the dominant blood eloments, there Would be a tendency to rover- sion. There would in those in- stances be no saying what the pro- geny would be. The unfortunate thing about this absolutely ulttena- able theory is that some well -mean- ing men aro holding it up to the gaze of the multitude, many of whom do not know any better. Wherever it is so held up, it ought to be ridiculed through and through with the shot and shell of condem- nation. Others claim that the dual cow, howsoever bred, is a sport. This would involve the assumption that 91 Red Poll 00258 in the he'd of Gar- rott Taylor, Whitlinglnm, England, which in 1898 gave alt average of 5,118 pounds of milk, were all sports. In feet, it would involve the assumption that'nearly all the fenutles of the nod Poll and Brown Swiss breeds wer0 sports, '.Pic true idea is that dual purpose cattle aro to be bird an alt other settle nip bred, that is t0 say, by using Hares Sind dams of dual 01j)00 typos. And the 11ooner breeders settle down to this thought the sooner will the country be filled with this most ral- uabl a o clime of cattle. X have often wondered during re - cont years at the patience and 200011'. 11088, and shall I add apparent want of spirit, shown by those who avow- edly breed dual purpose cattle. They have meekly allowed the mon ails, havehad i the unblushingcheek 1 k to stigmatize their animals as a myth, a delusion and a snare, to unfurl hoar banners andr t cr aspen oyer the land without oven throwing down to thein a challenge, PRUNING OLD APVLE TREES. Look over your creel and note whether there is much new wood or not, If there is, the pruning may be quite vigorous, with care to leave enough of this new wood to form fruit spurs. Remove all limbs that are misshappen, crooked or broken. Take out all that have vertical forks, that is, with one branch di- rectly above the other, for these will split with a heavy crop of fruit. Cut out as much from the center of the tree as from the outside, so as to allow light and sun to enter. Al- ways keep in mind that you want your tree to have a well -shaped top and that cultivation must bo done under these trees. Avoid the very common mistake of cutting down too many large limbs, thinking they will suffice for many smaller ones. The opposite is the right practice. Out several small limbs farther out rather than re- move a large one, except in case there are two large branches close together. A good rule is not to ro- move a limb larger than 1 to 14 inches in diameter. In cutting otf limbs, make the cut as square as possible, and near the larger limb from which the ono to be removed is growing. There aro some precautions to be observed in pruning, for the novice is 'liable to go to excess in some things. Do not prune too much. Two moderate prunings will do more good than one severe one. In some cases one-half to two-thirds of the top may be cut out, depending upon the thickness of the top. Do not prune when the limbs are frozen, The earlier in the spring the better, but it is fatal to cut a tree when it is frozen. Begin to prune as soon as the season of heavy freezing is past and no danger may be reared from frosts. Finally, do not expect the pruning alone to make your trees to bear a good crop of fruit. MONKEYS IN INDIA.. Lady Barker's First Dinner Party at Simla. Monkeys are frequent 'visitors to the houses in Simla. They come in troops, scamper about over the tall trees, swinging themselves from branch to branch, and leaping about after the manner of their kind. The tree tops about ninny of the bunga- lows are on a level with the bal- conies. They thus afford excellent cover far the monkeys, should it please them to enter and help them- selves to food or anything else. An amusing story is told of Lady Bark- er's first dinner party at Simla. Desirious of having a pretty table, Lady Marker had herself expended much care in decorating it. She had just received from Europe certain dainty china figures and ornamental dishes, and had arranged a tempt- ing show of sweet meats, flowers and fruit. When dressing time came Lady Barker chargedler scryanis to be on the watch and take care of every- thing; but something of interest oc- curred outside, and every servant left the room, quite forgetting to close an open window. Before this window was a big tree on which sat several monkeys, which had watched the preparations for dinner with much interest. A half hour later the hostess ap- peared, ready to receive her guests. Just to be sure that everything was right, she gave a glance into the dining room. There she beheld •.'a busy company of monkeys, hard at work, grinning and jabbering, their cheeks and arms crammed with ex- pensive sweetmeats, while the table presented a scene of frightful devas- tation—broken glass and china, lair linen soiled, everything tossed about in hopeless confusion. Irrom this wreck she had to turn aside and welcome her guests with as much ease of manner as possible, and dinner had to bo deferred until order could be restored. There were no decorations on the table that day, but when the circumstances be- came known, that dinner party was one of the most noted that Sinha over had. ALFONSO'S OIIA1IMi7D LITE. Tho young King of Spain ilas 110 fear of anarchists. The astrologers have told hien that he bears a charmed life and will live to a good old ago. Ono hotoscope, made in 1898, foretells attempts upon his life, but Says that he will receive nothing worse than a possible sear cu his face from a bullet or knife. He is to marry a dark woman older than himself, very rich in money and lands, and the couple will live long and happily together. Spain is to begin to bo exceedingly pros- perous under his reign when he ar- rives at the age of 22, Ho will be viotorlous in many battles. 11111 SUCOIIIIDIIbD. A man arrested for murder bribed an Irishman the n on jury with X20 to hang out for a verdict of .man- slaughtcr, The jury were out a long time, and finally came in with a verdict of manslaughter, The man rushed up to the Irish juror and saki: "I'm obliged to you, my friend, 01(1 you have a hard tittle?" "Yes, said the Irishmen; "an owlet time, The other cloven want- ed to tecquitpot, 110 — "What lovely (lowers! Do you know, they remind me of you," She - - "Wiry, they are artificial," Tic --"Yes, 1 know; but It requires a Close 'examination to detect r++ t��R1a1F,rr,i PERSON1i.Z, POINTERS. Notes of Interest About Some, Prominent Peo plo. M, Loubot, President of the Trench Republic, has been a keen musician all his life, 1Vlien ai boy he was a member 01 a village hood. Sarah Miss s ra r 01 i@aha1 mo tho olg- est resident 111 Radcliffe, Lanc n - land, has lived for ninety yeare, sin the same house, She Is now boNer- ing on her ninety-fifth year, When asked what he would be if he Were not a ruler, the King of the Belgians invariably replies—a sailor. llut his friends tell him that he would have made one of the best commercial travellers of the day, As a business man King Leopold has few superiors, his pushfulness and enterprise being quite remarkable, Itis Majesty's interests are almost entirely bound up with trade, A man with many eccentricities has passed away by the death o! hfr, harry de Spencer Eingdon, of Will- hayne, Devon, England, who was for- merly known to fame as a breeder and exhibitor of mastiff dogs, In his ]louse were found the embalmed remains of his mother, who died forty years ago, and of his wife, who predeceased him by fifteen years. He many times expressed a wish fog his mother and Wife to be buried with him, and this has been ob. served. Aur. II. C. Carton—or, to give hint his proper name, Mr. R. C. Critehett —is a son of the great oculist to whom opbthalmic surgery owes so much, Before he became a play - Wright Mr. Carton was an actor% but the success of "The Great Pink Pearl" induced him to devote him- self to playwriting, and his success has been an ample justification of that decision. TIe is a very delicate man and lives a retired life, esidom leaving his Home in the country, where ho has to spend his time in a religious observance of his doctor's orders. Among the many beautiful sets of tea services in the possession of the King and Queen is a silver -gilt one which was given to them on the oc- casion of their silver wedding, in 1888, by the icing and Queen of Denmark, and which is both for tea and coffee. Prince Waldemar of Den- mark gave at the same time a case of antique spoons which are also frequently in use. The Zing is quite a connoisseur in coffee, and has his own coffee -maker from Turkey, al- ways preferring to drink the bever- age in the real Turkish way, To the instances of men who have made a brave struggle against phy- sical disabilities must be added that of an Austrian author who bas just died. Heinrich Laudesmann ..was a sickly child ; at fifteen he lost his hearing ; then his sight failed, until he became quite blind. Yet he not only lived to an old age—he was 8.2 when he died the other day—but ho had written largely in many differ- ent ways, and with a considerable amount of success. Novels and es- says, poems and plays have come from him during these many years of darkness and silence. Mrs. George B. Wilson, of Phila- delphia, has one of the finest collec- tions of orchids in the world. One of her plants—you could slip pot; plant, and all into a man's waist. coat pocket—is stated to be worth 510,000. This orchid is a cross between C t on a attleya aures and a Cattleya labiate, It was two years old, and it would be five ygars wore before it would begin to bloom, But it was the only orchid in the world with .leaves half green and half white, and therefore an English col- lector, seeing it in November said, "I will give you 510,000 for it," But Mrs. WiIson's gardener replied, "We buy all we can, but we never sell." An interesting story is told of the minuet which is perhaps the most popular of all Paderwaki's composi- tions. Padcrwski, while a professor at the Coneervatoirc of Warsaw, was one evening at the house of the Pol- ish poet Swieztochowski, who ex- pressed tho ,tSpin.ion that iia living composer could compare with Mozart in beauty and simplicity. At the moment Paderewslei merely shrugged his shoulders ; but the following evening be appeared and asked per- mission to play his host a little thing of Mozart's, which perhaps he did not know. I3e played tho minuet, Swieztochowski was enrap- tured, and cried triumphantly, "Now you must aoknowledge that a piece like that could not have been writ- ten in our time." "Well," said Paderowski, quietly, "that happens to bo a minuet composed by me." Lord Iveagh, who, by his purchase of Lord Kensington's estate, becomes' one of the groat London landlords, is better known as an Irish landlord and an Ie'{ 1i manufacturer of a commodity which is welcomed all the world over as Guiness. I1 is not unique, but it is very unusual, for two peerages to be bestowed upon members of the same family within a few years, That fortune has fallen to the proprietors of the famous Dublin brewery. Lord Ardilaan in - horned a baronetcy from his father and was raised to the peerage in 1880, Tho third son of Sir llcnjamih was ereetcd a baronet in 1885 and became Lord' Iveagh six years later. Sir Henry Irving has won a great reputation as an after-dinner speak- er, but according to XXem•y Furniss speeches r carefully ' tris s se os a e 1 prepared and printed in very largo bleak type, easily road at a distance, /Benin lies the triumph of the actor. These slips aro artfully placed on the table, out of sight of the audience, end While ono of the speaker's 1 s w i e s rands rests artistically 011 iris hip the other toys With n. fruit knife and with it pages of the-8peecl' aro tern - out tete ae they aro read. So per - featly is this acted, 00 gracefully does the body sway, and so wall timed aro the pauses in the ' spoech that only those sate= . in close' roxinlity to Sir Tionry tee aware hn is reading his spec