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Home My WebLink AboutThe Brussels Post, 1897-7-30, Page 22 HE BRUSSELS POST iti OTICS il.\''t) COi1!.11E.hTS There is not upon earth another torte ass strong• as Religion. It is supreme ores all other forams. It rules the soul of the world, It directs the life and the thought of the human race. I t is tbe transcendent energy of all the • ages. "High as heaven," said Zop) "what canse thou do? deeper than hall; not the good fortune to be situated on to this, that thus dreadful poky httl0 what cant thou know? The measure any of the vete, main lines of railoay; •,ole of a place is your home—the only I 1 L ou have A DEAD RECKONING. C1142P7J R XIII. ;a nuiuber of Lieln. In this out-Dt-the Cummerhays, In 0110 of the most 1j' ay valley , shaltmome the fells s and moors, If anyavLere, shelter end safety might :northerly of the northern counl.les of surely he found. England, rte of u s It l imp ere itself e lean, as .he (Tried her eyes and look- ed apiece of nu small unpartam e, has • ed round her, ' and has it really coma y 1 its if to U, thy•" dear, my dear,' cried �aadky is longer than the earth and br er than, the sea." It is because of this mystery of religion, concerning whack Zoplias the Naannathite spoke in tbo days of Sob, that it hes forever been, Rbled it to emerge from the state u and always will be so powerful. Taw semi -torpor in which it seemed des- extstence of an AimlgirtY Being is urs' tined to languish for ever. The brunch cernible in nature, but no living Plan line in question, of which Cummerhays 0831 look upon Him; He hides Ilimself, is the terminus, is about twenty lanes as Lt lyer's from mankind. \V`'learn in length, anti leaves the main line at Pram nature nothing of His essence, Lf flreeuhahu Station. About ball way be - if that word can be aced an speaking tween the two places, but about cacan- oe Him; we learn notbmg whatever of pie of miles distant from the line its consequently, to most people it has the lame :•a Of late years, however, it branch lana ed Gerald'with a smile. " t is a sub- ' es found it out, and has thereby' on- r rooms�iquite large enoughetor fafam- ilY without encumbrances. You don't know how snug and comfortable we are in it. Economy of space is 1101 half enough considered in a small world like 0088," 1 am glad you keep up your spir- its," retorted ber ladyship; " though how you contrive to do so under such circumstances is a mystery to me," " We bave really and truly been verY comfortable since we came here,' an- swered Clara. I have conceived quite an affection roe our' little house, and somehow, I hardly know why, 1 feel as if we were safer here than elsewher. Probably it is the !loneliness o1 the place that gives one this feeling of se- curity i and then the air' that blows down iron the moors Is so pure and invigorating that both Gerald and 1 feel as if we were growing young again," Oh. of course you try, to maks the best of. everything—it's just your ag- gravating way," returned Lady Fan. But if 1 were in your place, 1 should fret and fume and worry, and make myself and everybody about me as mis- erable as possible. That would be my way,,, T don't believe it," answered Ger- ald with a laugh. " You don't know how many unsuspected qualities you possess that go towards making a capital poor man's wife." Lady tan shrugged her shoulders. " And so you, Gerald Brooke, the own- er of Beechly 'Powers, are living here as a common railway signalman," she said; "finding your companious among a lot of engine -drivers and—sbunters, don't they call them (—and grimy people of that kind. What is the world coming to 1" ' My companions may be grimy, as you. say; but 1 can assure your ladyy'- ship that they axe a very bard -work- ing, good-hearted, decently behaved set of fel lows, and that among them is more than one of whose friendship any man might be proud. ,And I can further as- sure you, Lady Fanny, that I am quite satisfied with my mode of lite—for the present, and until brighter days return, if they ever will return. And that re- minds me that I have had no oppor- tunity of thanking Dwyer, for the trou- ble he must have been out to in pro- curing me my present situation. Is he here with you?" ' Oh, dear 510. His last letter was dated from Cairo ; where his next will be dated from, goodness only knows." "Well, I hope you won't forget to thank him tor me when next you write." It ih no a dr0adfnl ilttlo hole by au of being rami++hat out f theany /nouns dear Lady ,+anny,' answer- Has mode of being, if such a phre permissible; we learn nothing of the purp06e of His providence in. erection. We cannot grasp the thought of eter- nity or of the infinite. We are encom- passed with darkness in the presence al thio Almighty. The Scriptures cast no light upon these mysteries. The prophets and Apostles were not per- mitted to know of them, They lie be- yond the scope of what We call the reason ; and no clue to them is afford- ed: by the imagination. We are told that it was out of a cloud. that God spoke unto Moses 'chile Mount Sinai Quaked, It is a description that fills the spirit of man with awe. From the Bible we learn something of the Al- mighty's attributes and designs; but even there the mystery of his hypos- tatic existence is never revealed; it is ever veiled from sight. We are led to believe that it is inconceivable to mor- tals, and so it may be to the angels in heaven. There are other mysteries be religion besides the One mystery which is su- Preme among them all. Wherever we look in religion there is mystery; there is the incomprehensible. The ques- tion "Why?" is as unanswerable as are the questions "Whence?" and "Whi- ther?" In dognmti0 theology we con- front mysteries on all hands just as we confront them everywhere else. Whom ran fathom the mystery of creation the mystery of the world, the mystery of life, or of man or of has spirit, or of bis destiny? Only the Omnicient. To theChristian above every other mystery, is that of the: incarraigiconl instead of less- ening our view of religion as a force, mystery magnifies it. 'For through its mysterious character, itsconsistency withall other things, visible and in- visible is 'made manifest. The Divin- ity is it mystery to man, as is man to hinnself, or as are the phenomena of creation, or as is the relation between spirit and substance or as is religion. self, are certain important collieries. meet the requirements of which a sec- ondary branch has been constructed, which turns abruptly from the main brunch at a point dignified with the euphonious title of Cinder Pit Junc- tion. Here a signalman's box bas been fixed, a wooden erection, standing about six feet above the ground, witb an arrangement of leders inside it, for working the points and signals in con,- nectlon with the traffic to and from the collieries, At the time of which we write two men were stationed at the box in question, who came on duty turn and turn about, in each case a week of day -duty alternating witbone of night -duty. The cottage of one of the signalmen was about half a mile from the box, on tbe road leading to the collieries; while that of his "mate" was about a quarter of a mile down the road in an opposite direction. Into this second cottage, which stood by itself in a lane a little removed from the high road, and having 110 habitation near it, we will venture, Asmodeus-llke, to take a peep on a certain April even- ing. It Was already dusk in the val- leys, although a sort rosy light still made beautiful the tops of the distant fells. In half an hour James Maynard, the signalman, wotuld Ibe due at his box to take his " spell" of night -duty. His thick blue overcoat was hanging behind the door, ready to put on, his wife was washing up the crockery and Maynard himself was smoking a last after -tea pipe before leaving home. He was a well-built stalwart an, with a jet- black beard and moustache, and close- out hair of the same color, to which Religion may have many forms and manifestations, but the essential idea of evea'y rational or transcefndeintal form of it is the same; the existence of a Supreme Being , to whom worship and obedience are due. Tbis ides. ex- isted Ln Egypt before the time of Moses; it has existed always and everywhere. Some peoples in old times made unto themselves minor gods, but even in this religions of most oe such peoples there was One; there was Osiris, or Baal, or Zeus, or Allah, or other name. And tyeae was worship. ,And there WAS snored law accredited to the Di- vinity. Religion hos always been and Yet is the primal and. the final force in the. thought of mankind. The spirit of it lives forever, as one age and one generation follow another. Religion is the strongest, as it is the most abiding, of all the forces upon earth. No Gov- ernment can exterminate it. It can perish in our world only when human- ity perishes. his dark -blue eyes offered a somewhat striking contrast. He had been about three months in his present situation, and among the drivers and guards who worked the traffic between the junction and the collieries he bad come to be known by tbo sobriquet of "Gentle- man Jim." It was not that he ever set himself up as being in anyway superior to or different from his mates; indeed, he was universally popular; but these gr'imy-foxedmen, who in their way are often keen observers of character, had an instinctive feeling, that although ne- cessity might have made bine one of them to outward seeming, he was not so in reality, and that at some anter- ior time his position in life must have been widely different from that which he now occupied. But genial and good- natured oodnatured though " Gentleman Jim" might be, lie was a man who brooked no questioning and no one thereabouts knew more about him than he chose to divulge of his own accord. Maynard and his wife had been chat- ting pleasantly together. Suddenly the latter laid a hand on her husband's arm to bespeak his attention. "What 1s it?" he asked. "I heard nothing." ' There was a noise of wheels a mo- ment ago, and now it has ceased. It sounded as if some vehicle had stopped suddenly at the end of the lane. Do you remain in the background, dear, while .1. go and ascertain whether any ono is there." She opened the doorand went out quickly. There was still light in the valley to see objects a considerable dis- tance away. One side of the lane in which the cottage was built was bound- ed by a high bank. Up this Mrs. lvl:ay- nerd now clambered, assisted by the branch of a tree; she knew that frau the top ot it she could see not only the lane, but a considerable stretch of high road on either hand. After gaz- ing far a moment or two, she leaped lightly, down and ran back to the cot- tage. ' :1 carriage with two horses is standing at the corner of the lane," she said to liar hustoand. A lady has got out of it and to coming toward the cottage, and --oh, my dear -lam nearly sure its Lady Fanny Dwyer." Lady Fan 1 Well, 1 shall be very glad to see her. No doubt she is visit- ing at Seaton Park ; and as she knows we are living in the neighbourhood, she must have made inquiries and discov- ered our whereabouts." "I hope she has not made ber in- quiries In such a way as to arouse any suspicion that we ago at all different from what we seem to be?" No assault avails against religion. We know that there were dowbters in old Egypt ; tbat there were plenty of seep - tics in ancient Greece and Rome; that there were letitudl,narians among the Jews, as there are 'en Mohammedan and atheists and intries ; and that there are atheists and infidels in Christendom. But no unbeliever has ever been able to affect the masses of the people, who are 10811uctivel7 religious, or to un- dermine religion. There bave been many cases in which a people gave up their old. religion; but it was only that they might; embrace another religion. ALL Europe was pagao before it turned to Cbristianity, as was that part of Anus which turned to Mosleanism. Re- ligion, then, is the greatest and the most muttering of like forces that exist among men. One cannot imagine the world without it. One cannot con- ceive of huunauity as destitute of it. One is tenable to tell how our race would get along, or society would hold to - gabbier, or morality would prevail, or lite wound be endured, if religion were done away with, or if the force that is inherent in it were destroyed. A world of atheists ; what kind of a world would that he? As a force, religion is at once spiritual and practical, touch- ing the soul and, the life. There is nothing else Like it. laad gone off to his duty at the signal - box, le:lying her alone in the 001- tage.Bet not long would she be left in solitude, Margery, who bad gone to 0vdu'barrow, a village about two miles away, to purchase some groeer- les would be back in a little while. But huff au hour passed atter her husband's departure without bringing Margery, and Clara began to grow eer- lously uneasy. Never Ind she been so late before. When the elook struck nine and still the girl bad not cane, Clam could contain herself no longer. Pete tang on her bonnet and shawl and loek- ing the door, she hurried down the bane, and turning into the high -road in a di- rection opposite that which led to the railway, she went quickly forward along the way by which she knew Mar- gery must come. The night -was dark and moonless, but the stars shone clear- ly, and by their faint light Clara could lust discern the bleak outlines of the hedge which bounded the road, and thereby keep ;herself to the line of narrow turf -bordered footway wh10h rah by its side. She had not gone more than a quarter of a mile wbeu her heart gave a throb of relief. She beard foot- steps advanoing towards her, and her fine ear recognized them as those of Margery, even while the latter was some distance away. ' Is that you, Margery'?" she called, so that the girl might not be startled by coining sud- denly upon her in the dark. A mo- ment later they had met. Margery had been hurrying home at such a rale as to be neaaly breathless. 0, mum, he's here! I've seen ham, and heard him speak," were the girl's first incoherent words. Who is it that you have seen and heard 1" Muster Crofton, mum—Master Ger- cousin, him as the Frenchy tied up in his chair." George Crofton here!" murmured Clara, her heart seeming to turn to ice as elle spoke. ' Surely, surely, D'Lar- gory, you must be mistaken." I only wish I was, mistress," re- sponded the glirl, fervently; "but he only need speak for me to pick him out of a thousand men in the dark. Be- sides, I saw his face with tbe cut in his lip and his teeth showing through." For a little while Clara was so daz- ed and overcome that she could neith- er speak nor act. In that first shook ber mind bad room for one thought and one only:' George Crofton was on the track of her husband I No other purpose could have brought him to this out -of -the -world place. Gerald must be warned and at once; but first shemusi hear all that the girl bad to tell. She bad turned mechanically, and was now retracing her way to the cottage. " I suppose, Mr. Crofton, saw you at the same moment you saw him?" she said anxiously. "I saw him, but he never set eyes On me." "How could that happen?" "I'll tell you all about it, mum, I bad got any groceries and had left the village, and was coming along pretty fast, cos I wvas a bit late, wham just as I was getting near the end of a lane I hears two men coming along it talk- ing to one anotner. I was not a bit a - feared; hut still I thought I might as well keep out of their sight; so just before they turned out of the lane, I slipped into the dry ditch that runs along the ledge -bottom and crouched dawn. They paged me without seeing ma, still talking. and then I knowed at once that one of 'em was Muster Crof- ton. "We are before our time," says ho to the other one; "we shall have nearly an hour to wait." Then says the other: "Better be afore our time than after it" Miter going a bit up the road, they crossed it, and passing through a stile, got into the fields, I making bold to skulk after 'em, first taking off my shoes so as they wouldn't hear me. On they went. I following, till they came to a hollow where there's a lot of trees, and in the middle of the trees a little house 'that seems, as well as I could make out, as if somebody had pulled it hall to bits and then lett off. When they were 'well inside. !fol- lowed on tiptoe; and then I heard one of 'em strike a match, and then I saw a light through the broken shutter of a little window. Going up to the win- dow,1 peeped in. Two lanterns had been lighted, and by the light of ono 01 'em I could see Muster Crofton's face quite plain. I couldn't make out much of what they talked about, only that they were waiting for somebody, and once the other man said: " We shall be quite time enough if we leave hare by half - past ten." Then Muster Crofton, he aware, and said that he never could a- liens waiting,' Did you hear them mention your master's name ?" asked Clara anxiously. Nb, mum, not once." Clara was puzzled. TO her wifely fears it seemed impossible that Crof- ton's presence should not bode danger bo her husband. It was almost incred- ible that he should be there unless he were on the track of Gerald. Yet, on the other band, what could be the na- ture of the business which took him at that late hour to a ruined cottage buried among trees 1 It almost looked as if he were concerned in some dark and nefarious scheme of his own. Sud- denly a fresh thought struck her, and as it did. so she came to an abrupt halt. Margery," she said, " you shall show me the way back to the cottage among the trees. I will go and endeav- our to find out for myself what It is that bas brought Mr. Crofton so far away from home. Come." b mistress 1"' said Margery with a gasp. 11 was her only protest; with her to bear was to obey. To be Continued. PAYING INVENTIONS. inventor --I have here a new 1118 -say- ing o plianoe, which needs only capi- LaC ' Caplm busted. Haven't cent;leftft.st r a . Going to poor -house next week. Good da-- 108ent0r---Let tee chow you one more thing, also my invention --a new patent self-feeding rotary 08011011, warranted 000 meg a eases d. to kcal 10, Whittaker 1'1 give Capi(.aii ollar a mullagn dallard fdr a hal[ interest! being luta into contact with too groat DY METRES CRAZE HOW SOME PEOPLE ACT W'41,'EN'T1hE'3 ' BECOME SUDDENLY RICH Lellery.19nl.lehed lemons. 111 Frnnve 111.0 Ald io I4 Ifennally ,Ynl4,04 by ilia, Sadda1'a lige III T114u1 ClvennlebMil. OK, Lotteries loony a fascination fors' 1 reniolumen, and thlausitnds are just now wondering whether they will have' the good luck, to draw any of the big prizes in the great Exposition, lot - tory, the details of which Lave just been arranged., Hundreds of letters are pouring into the oCfictels by each mail from all purls of France, some cone taining money for tickets and many containing curious requests for advice. 1141(1 assistant's. M. Avenel seems to receive the. bulk " By the way, how did you eucceed in, finding us out?" asked Clara, To tell you the truth, my dear, one of my chief objects in accepting au in- vitation to Seaton Park was the hope of seeing you and your good-for-noth- ing signalman. I knew you were living close by, but not exactly where. I al- so knew that you were passing under the name of Dlaynard. Accordingly,.I set m� maid to work to make certain inquiries, telling her a white 1ib'an or- der to stifle any curiosity she might feel in the matter; in fact, my dear Clara, 1 gave her to understand that before your marriage you had been tri my service, and that I was desirous of ascertaining how you were getting on in life. 7:t was the most likely tale I could think of, and I've no doubt it an- swered its purpose; anyhow, this morn- ing Simpkins brought me your address, and here I am." How it brings back the memory of old times to see you and hear your voice I" said Clara. It seems years since I left the Towar8, although it is only a few short months ago. 1 am of- ten back there Ln my dreams." Lady Fan squeezed 1108 friend's band in silent sympathy. Then she said: ' By -the -by, what has become of dar- ling, quaint Miss Primby? I hope she is quite well?" "She has gone to stay for a time tvith some friends in Devon. This place was too bleak for her during the win- ter months ; but now the spring is here, she will be back with us again, before long." You talk as if you were likely to remain here for ever and a day," an- swered Lady Fun. And that reminds me that I have done today' as 0118 sex are said to do habitually with their postscripts—(.bat is, I have left men- tioning till the last the most impor- tant of the reasons which brought m0 here. Algy, in the last letter I had from him, charged me to either see or communicate with you as early as pos- sible, and tell you from him that his banker is at your service for any am- ount you choose to draw upon him. Ibe has a lot of money lying idle, and would only be too glad 111 you would favour hlin by making use of at." ' Dwyer is a noble -hearted fellow, 1: know, but—" " But m0 110 buts," broke in ber im- petuous ladyship. " There is no reason why you should not end this mean and sordid way of life at once. Thera are plenty of charming nooks on the Con- tinent where you (Incl Clara might live with everything nine about you while waiting for better Gaye; and really you would be doing Algy a great kind- ness at the same time." But this was a point on which Ger- ald was not to be moved. Ile combated Lady Fanny in about the same terms that be had combated Karovsky when the Russian had made him an almost identical offer. He would never leave England, he said -,an that he was de- termined—till the mystery that en- shrouded 'Von Itosenberg's death should be cleared up end his own Lau• fame vin- dicated before the world. There was within him a hidden faith that, like an altar flame, sometimes burnt high and anon died down to a mese shark, but was never altogether' extingwshed,that one day his long walling would be re- warded. Lady Pam fumed and lost her tem- per, and then recovered it 11(sin with equal facility, but in nowise shook Ger- ald from his purpose. The striking of the hour startled them both, Eight o'clock and Sir Williams' horses Waiting for ire all thus time I" exclaim- ed Lady Fan. "And I'm a quarter, of an hour late,"said Gerald to his wife. Lucas will begin to think something bas happened to me." Lady )fanny's last words to her friend were: 'Te -day is 'Tuesday. I'll eom0 again en Thursday, when we will have w good long talk together, by which time I hope that obstinate and wrong- headed husband of ,yours will have some to his senses." Gerald Brooke had kissed his Wire and "I think you may trust Lady Fan for that. She generally knows pretty well what she is about. But bad you not better go and meet her?" Clara hurried to the door; but as sbe opened it, Lady Fan appeared on the threshold. She looked a little white and scared, adventures with a spice of risk or romance in them, not being in her usual line. Making a step forward and grasping Clara's hand, she said in a whisper: Is it safe to speo.k cloud? Is there any one but yourselves to hear me?" Reassured On this point Lady , Fan threw herself into her friends arms and buret into tears, holding out a hand to Gerald, as she dad 00. "I can't talk to either of You till I have had my0ry," she said between her sobs. hat a wicked, wicked world this is!" 't a Here it may be remarked thatr was through the influence of Lady Fan's husband that Gerald Brooke had oar tained his present situation as signal- man at Cinder Pit Junction. The mode of life was of his own choosing. He wanted something to do that would take him olut of hamself �es ranch as possible, and while not entirely ieolat- i ng hint trona his fellow -men, would not Jur 3Q; T897 YOUNG FOLKS. Title Iti1\\'MID OleleleWNESee, "Hurry up, Daleorwe'll lose our brain." The speaker w110 a little. girl about tea pullet old; the personwllom she addressed, about lura years older than. herself, was her brother. '1'h0in 0 81110 100re Dick and Dora C•arrnicliuel. Their father was a duoior with a fairly large Practice. They bad mien invited• to a party given in honor of their tousle's birthday, and were just now on. their way to the trails, They had just gone a little farther when an old woman. carne out or seine bushes that grow by the wayside, When sho saw the chil- dren, she beeknned lo them, and un (.help apprn(u-h1ng her, said !u a slu'i' of Correspoenldene0 on such 000881wis, their, "Maya you anus enough to (10 IIo presided over the "Lote lee dos and get some water from yonder well Arts Decratifs," and iris mail bag was d Ll always full, Some of Iris correspondents begged him to give them a chance to 'win the first prize. Others said they would be content with 50,000f. or 100,0001. A11, however, let him know the exact amount which they needed. A tradesman of Pithiviers sent him two cakes, with a note, saying, "Do let my son win 41 prize, if it's only 10,000f." A woman sent word (.bat she had no money and wanted a dowry for her two daughters. By a strange stroke of luck she won two prizes, aggregating 50,0001. .HOW 1T AFFECTED THESE. At the same time M. Vincent Re - genii; won a prize ot 100,0001, It was noted at the time as a ouriaus co- incidence that be lived in Rue Doree, which was literally is his case a golden street. Some time before that a work- ing man won 500.0001. in the Panama lottery. lie took the matter very coolly, and went on working as if no- thing had happened. He even refused to tell his wife the good news until a favourable opportunity arose on the ground (.bat she was very sensitive and might: become excited. The win- ner of the first prize in the Pana:m,a lottery was a tailor named Sherault. He at once turned over his business to his cousin and removed to a new flat, where he now lives as a gentle- man of leisure. Recently a young baker, named Chumbaslin, mon 500,0001. in the Panama lottery on a single ticket. Ria, too, quickly doffed his baker's clothes and started un to enjoy life, A. M. Chardat also won 500,0001. in the same lottery, and strange to say, he did not learn of his good fortune until six months afterward. He was delighted, because it gave him an op- portunity to carry out Ins great de- sire, namely to visit Algiers and take photographs of that country. The win- ner of the first prize of the Exposition lottery o1 1878 lived ea a gloomy little street near the Church Sainte Gene- vieve, and he was glad to get the THE DOOR SPRING. for a poor old soul?" She handed him. fora poor old soul?" She Mande them a pull, and Dirk, seizing hold oC 1t,.dart- ed oft to ,etch the water, Dpra follow- ing close at has heels.. They reached the welt and got the water, which they immediately carried to the old woman, They found her sit- ting dawn on the stump of a tree. lack handed her the paid, but, seeing she was unable to carry it, took it from heir saying, "11.1 carry it home for you." She gave him a look of thankfulness, and then, going before Dick, led lilei to her house. There Dirk set down the bail with the water, and then. Went away without welting for the. old wo- man's thanks. They found when they arrived at the station that they were too lute for the train; so, as there was not another train from that station for two, hours, Dick proposed that they should. walk into a town oho= three miles off, where they could get a fast train in about an hour and a quarter. They did this, and arrived et their cousin's a little late, to be sure, but quite safe. The next day, news of a terrible ace cident reached the town in which the C'armichaels lived. The train in whicb Dick and Dora ought to have trn.velled had collided with another, and most of the passenger's were either kilted or seriously injured. link and .Dora bad been saved from injury, perhaps from death, by .performing a kind action to an old woman. FOR THE GIRLS, The girls who give parties will be ghtd to know. at some pretty land novel dance programmes which they may manufacture themselves. One form calls for pretty gilt key - rings, which may be made of paper cov- ered with gilt, and are to be attached to the belt by a pin and a fine gilt chain. These are for the ladies. To the gentlemen are given fanciful keys cut out of cardboard of various colors. On the bar of every key a white space is left on which a name can be written. The man who wants a danoo writes his name on a key, and asks the young lady with wham he wishes to dance to wear it on her ring. Different shaped keys are cut for the. different dances, as waltzes, polkas, etc. Another fancy, not so new, is apap- er fan art eight or twelve folds with a space for writing a name and the num- ber of the dance an e.'a(sh fold. The fans are spangled or splashed with gilt, and the edge fringed. Another mode requires a tissue pap- er reticule for each girl, suspended by satin ribbons from her arm. in it aro paper rose -petals ou some of 'wlnioh the dances are written. A roan is permit- ted to put Ids hand in the reticula and draw a petal; if he gets a blank he doesn't dance—nott_ with that girl all least money, because it enabled him to live ball more pleasant part of Paris. Winners of lottery prizes, however, are not all level-headed. Some, when the good news reaches them, seem utterly bereft of reason. Whitt are they to do with all that money?: How can they hide it from thieves? This thought torments them day and. night, and drives some of them crazy. A woman who w'011 100,0001., exclaimed, "My little room is too small to hold all that money!" and spite of what friends and neighbours could say, she persisted is her fcolish motion, and eventually had to be confined in a lunatic, asylum. DRIVES THEM CRAZY. Another woman, Mlle. Fortunes Par- adis—a lucky name that is -was more ecnsate, Sim was a wok in a trades- man a family., and was aettinZ dinner readicevhei a friend told her that she bmd won a prize. the exact amount of wbiahh sim did not know. The two rush e lett to the lottery office, and there the cook learned that she had won 100,- 0001. She was dumbfounded, and drop- ped to the ground in a dead faint. Physisiens were summoned, and atter several hours she reeanned conscious- ness. Since then she has been entirely sane. and is living in the seventh heav- an on the interest at her 100,000f. More sad is the story of tbe 'wu king - marl who wool a prize of 550,0001., and who chromed the money into twenty - franc pieces. with whish ha built houses in 'Ida room. A11 his time he spent in this novel axebiteetural work, never daring to suit the room for fear thieves would rob lain of his treasure. As he had no servant and trusted no one, be soon began to need tbe necessaries of lite, and one night his reason gave way mad he was taken off to an asylum. No ueoole in Europe toile a more A LUDICROUS MISTAKE.puasiouate interest in lotteries than the Italians. In that country the State lottery is very like the game of loco. There are ninety numbers on which wagers are made. In one case the lucky player receives twenty times the amount of his wager, in anotber case four th0ueerod times and in another ease one thousand tames. Lotteries of this kind are held. every Saturday of each week at Naples, Rome, Florence, Venice. Turin. Milan. Palermo and Berl, and nae thoroughly popular institu- tions. There. are 10w Italians who do not cccasi0na11y dream of winning one of the great prizes. lis Inter iMvelopme„1- Told Vs Widely 018' leaded l'se. "In no one single little thing,” said the muddle -aged man, "has there been a greater advance since I was a hoy than en the introduction of the door spring into comparatively common use. l suppose. there must be now hondreds of patents on door springs. Some of the springs are well nigh pertoet. It is difficult to see in what respect they could be improved, But the mean tact is the door spring Itself and its common use, In buildings of a more or less pub- lic character, and In many others as welt, "We don't shwa' doors now nearly as much as We, 1150(1 to; we don't stop to shut them. We are spared that trou- ble end we save time, We open the door and push on through and leave the door to take (sane of itself. In the time that it would have taken 315 to close it wo are six, eight, ten feet oft; but the door is not neglected; it shuts it- self, calmly, quietly, and with certain- ty (Is the meta marclios away. There is less slamming o0 doors now than ever, and, fewer doors are 1011• open ; and the saving oC time effected by the 1180 of of the seltelosing door is 111 the aggro - gate tremendous.. Truly in no minor feature is the pro- gress of dvIlrzattan morn apparent than in the present common use of the loaf sprang. AMUSING EGG TRICK. Here is a triol' thou will amuse you. Puneturs the shell of a raw egg with al pili, and through the hole thus made extract the contents. When the shell has become dry 1.30u0 line sand through' the, pin-hole until the egg is about one fourth filled. Then sent up the hole with white, wax, and your imitation egg will be ,as natural in appearance as a real one. Then tell your compan- ions that you can alto an egg obey your slightest wish—standing on the edge of a knife, the ram of a glass, or whatever you, will, Of course, no one will believe yoa, but you can prove you, 0.88 right. The only secret Is to tap the egg gently every time you change its position, so that the sand will settle at, the bottom, u.nd keep the egg upright in just the position you wash. DISEASE THROUGH IMAGINATION. The peculiar ease of a man thinking hianselt to death toile under the no- tice of a coron0r's jury in London 31e- 0ont17. A Dr. leiehardsan sustained in- juries by a fall from bis bicycle a short time ago ,but none. of a serious nature so far as cowed be determined. Under the care df breather phyeioian he tee Dare of it brother physician ho was progressing favorably and seemed on Ube 'way to a seedy xecovery. But a fortnight: ago Sunday he sadd to the doctor: I know T am going to die of betaine next Sunday,' just a week after. As there was no indication of tart disease there was no attempt to disabuse his mind of the idea, but he in- sisted on being treated with antitoxin. On the following Phuesday tetanus had developed, and on Sunday last, Dr, Richardson died from the effects of this terrible disease. 1rolnably, Bays a oerreepnndent, there never Was a Ingo lover ornimaginat onithan thi tia- Ka wQ Rianarava•e0 Which Falied — The Ad- miral was 111 r'rarye0R affil 111ee111aed 110 Mb*. despatch. A despatch. from London says:—The whole programme oC naval manoe70- es cams to a ludicrous fiasco owing to a mi8understaludung of the orders of the Admiralty. The fleet was divid- ed into two parts, One commanded by Admiral Fellows. He had test e:alone to abeam out of Blaoksod Bay, Ireland, le await a declaration oC war, and t'ben emdeavour to return into the bey. without being tntercepeed by the other; division. ,Wh,on still sixty miles from the rendezvous a eruiser overtook Ad- miral Fellows anrd told 'him that war bad been deolared; whereupon he turn- ed about, and, meeting no enemy, en- tered the bay and telegraphed to the Admiralty, :Celewar is oyes. After several hours' silence the Admiralty sent him, a curt order to go to a rend- ezvous 200 miles west, This he did, and then turned about again. As he approached Blaalrsod Bay last 'Sunday tmprning the enemy appeared and cleated for action. The flagship Ma- iestic opened fire, but Admiral Fel- lows did not respond. On the contr- ary, La signalled that he had already, captuxed 11015.nd, that Church services where being 'bleld in the various chi his divisiote and, that he must de - loping to fig hit.TJh , e Admiralty was fur- rous, and 11 wall he e long timebe/Ore Ws last is hoard of this Gast* in nay al orales. , . , - i ' l t