HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1899-7-21, Page 2Ts3,E BRUSSELS POST,
tTlIeee 21, 1890
Diamond Cut Diamond
OR,
THE ROUT OP THE ENEMY.
CHAP7Ett XXXVI.
Geoffrey 1t'as tatting the new hors
be bad bought for les wife in Lon
don for a gallop across the Downs; sh
intended to ride blot for the first tint
to -marrow, and he was taking advan-
tage of an orf -day to give hire a trial
of tweed,
Truth to say, he was not over well
pleased with his purchase, 'There was
something he did not altogether like
about The efoor, as the horse was nam-
ed; ho did not think, indeed, that bad
his mind not been so absorbed with
other things that Any in London, that
he would have bought him.
elle Moor wee undeniably a hand
some home, big boned, with good
shoulder's, and absolutely sound in
wind and lime, a horse up to weight
too, and yet he had bought hint at a
comparatively low figure. Sometime
this is only a stroke of gond luck, bu
sometimes again it points to an u
known and hidd.en defect, which the
owner las been clever enough to con
Deal, and which the buyer only finds
out afterwards to his cost.
The Moor might have been taken for
a black horse, but for a alight indica-
tion of tan about the muzzle, neverthe-
less there was not a single white hair
upon him from nose to tail. Now this
the knowing ones tell us, is a sure sign
of temper; and it was of temper that
Geoffrey suspected him, and yet he
could not actually find it out, nor, in-
deed, could' he lay his finger upon any
specific blemish. He had now given him
a pretty good trial, for upwards of an
hour upon the hills, The Moor swung
his head from aisle to side as he gallop-
ed, chunking it up occasionally in nn
uncomfortable fashion, but this might
only be a trick. Again, he pulled a
bit, but then he was very fresh -and be
also had that sidelong uncertain glance
out of the corner of his eye, which is
.reckoned as an untrustworthy sign
both in man and beast. More than that
Genffrey found it impossible to nevem
him of; he went with long easy swing-
ing strides, that carried bim while
over the ground; took a considerable
fence or two in cold blond and without
an instant's hesitation. and altogether
comported himself on the whole in a
satisfactory manner.
Nevertheless, Geoffrey had a vague
sensation of mistrust about the ani-
mal, and he wished that he might per-
suade Angel not to ride him to bounds
on the morrow; but ber little mare
being temporarily laid up with a thorn
in her fetlock, he feared he should be
uneble to convince ber of the necessity
of giving up a day's bunting for so
shadowy, a reason as his own intang-
ible and altogether groundless sensa-
tions of doubt.so
So absorbed Was vas he in the interest
of his mount. and so intently was he
on the look -out for the smallest sign
of any of those evil things which he
more than half expected to discover
10 his new purchase, that it was not
until he was close upon her that, look-
ing suddenly before him, he perceived
the solitary figure of a woman in
mourning garments, standing with a
startled face and hands grasper. con-
vulsively together, straight before him,
right in his very path•
The sight of her was a shriek to him,
The blood rushed tumultuously to bis
brain, he pulled up his animal with
a jerk that nearly sent him on to bis
haunches, and then stood stock-still,
looking at her.
It was Rose who name forward and
spoke to him.
Geoffrey 1" She spoke his name
softly, with a certain tremulous eag-
ernese which she was unable to hide,
and aim held out ber hand to bim. •
In an instant he had alighted from
his horse and was beside her, his hand
greening hers, but he could not speak.
" What in the name of fortune brings
you here ?" she asked with a smile,
What are you doing here? and how
do you come to be riding on the Downs?
Oh, I see, you must be staying at Coda
(Habana with your father ?"
"I am Living here," he answered, re-
gaining his self-control, and bis voice
at the sight of her quiet face and at ,
the sound of her tranquil and natur-1
al questions,
"You are living here?" she repeat-
ed, wonderingly.
"Yes, at Hidden House, Did you not
know it? My Uncle bought it, he wish-
ed me to live In the country, part of
the year; he has restored the house,
changed it completely."
"I had not heard it," she midi
quietly and somewhat gravely.
had known—."
If you had known," he interrupt.'
ed, rather harshly and bitterly, "'you'
would. not perhaps have come so near
me ?"
"Possibly not, Geoffrey, why do
you speak so bitterly 1 Of unarm, 1,
am sorry that we have met; such a
meeting can do no good, can it 1 It
would have been better not. But since
this accident has happened, at least
let us speak to each other as old friends
who say a few sad words ere they part
egain, probably for ever,"
He bowed hie heed, humbly, touched
by the gentle sadness of bar words,
' You are alvaye right, and I am
wrong l Forgive me. But, oh, Rose, it
to terrible to me to be with you 1"
There was a world of pain in his eyes,
she eiloid not bear to meet them,
" Let us walk," she said. briefly; she
felt that it would be safer tban to
. stand thus fats to filo in the solitude
of the hills. So they walked on slowly
side by side, back along the way she
had borne.
Tell me about yourself ?" she tisk.
ed, prelaently.
What is there to tell ?" he repli-
ed, wearily.
" I want to know how it 10 with you,
how are you making out your life? Are
you -are you happy 1" the last. worts
she ethicist whispered, as if half -fear-
ful of speaking it.
He answered her only with a groan.
These were things that he felt that
he could never speak about to her;
away from her he was able to force
his thoughts from the past, but in per
presenoe he only knew once more that
she was the lova of his life, who had
driven him from ber presence for ever,
and that in that outer darkness where
•alis was not there could be no peeve
for Witt for ever,
Perhaps she renal bis lbough.ts, in
the pathetic reproach of the sad. eyes
bent upon her, for she answered him
e not eceording to bis words, but ac-
- to that instinct of absolute
e comprehension which is the strongest
e and subtlest tie that: can bind a man
and a woman 10 eacb other.
Life seems very hard, Geoffrey. Do
I not know it, toot You have beard,
perhaps, of my trouble and my loss ?
Yet, for us both, if we only look for
it, there is enough left, is there not,
to bring to us a fresh spring of pur-
pose and of lupe? You have the love
of your young wife."
" I have not gm it," he said quiokly,
and a little brokenly. "She does not
1- love me,,"
".'hen teach her to love, You, Geof-
frey. It will not be a hard lesson,
, believe me, for her to learn," and she
smiled a little pale, wan smile up into
s his fare. " She is your wife, remem-
t ber 1 bound to you by the holiest ties,
n_ , ties that are strengthened by the snore
• interests and hopes and the same mu-
_ teal dependence. Believe ale, a hus-
band can always win a young wife's
heart if he chooses. 'Think how entire-
ly her life is in your hands, to spoil
or to render happy, just as you see
fit; teach her to love you, and love
her yourself."
" And you -you tell me ibis!" he
' said with n strange emotion. "You set
me this, task, Roast"
" Al, yes, dear friend. Is it not the
best counsel I can give you. the best
thing my love can still do for you 1"
He stood still suddenly and caught
both her hands in his, pressing them
with n passionate gesture against his
breast, and looking down into her
beautiful face with hungry eyes, and
pule lips, set into hard lines, that told
of his soul's keen suffering.
" You know," lie said, hoarsely, "that
whilst you are alive, I shall never love
another woman.'
Her eyes shrank away from his, she
could not bear to see the stricken
agony in the Lace she loved so dear-
ly. Vaguely, almost blindly, they wan-
dered out across the glorious breadth
of landscape beneath, across the great
sweep of the curving hills, across the
tender grey of the plains beyond, that
melted softly in the far distance into
the faint line of the sky. Just at the
first she saw it all indistinctly and
unsteadily, conscious of nothing, save
of the path at ber heart and of the
hot burning tears that welled up slow -
1y into her eyes, so that they blotted
out alt save the knowledge of her great
sorrow; but presently something else
awoke in her -a dull, dim comprehen-
sion of the why and the wherefore of
life's martyrdoms, a half -numbed sense
of the greatness of this beautiful world
land of the utter smallness and noth-
ingness of man's poor little hopes and
dreams; end as it dawned more and
more upon her soul, there came with
it, as well, a strange, mysterious pre-
science of something so infinitely
grander and greater than the pa•esent
passing moments, a something that
enveloped her in a sudden calm, still-
ness, as tbough she had been lifted up
above this mean material earth into
a world that was better and higher
than the passion -tensed whirlwind of
human suffering.
Then she spoke to him again, and
herr voice was sad, yet very sweet and
tender.
Geoffrey, I think you are right.
The best thing I could do now for you
1s t0 cense t0 live,"
" Al, Rose!" it was a ory of pain
wrung from his very soul.
She held up her hand with a gesture
of deprecation.
" Hush I bear me out. It• might be
that it would be tbe best thing, and
yet it es not always that we in our
ignorance can judge what is the best.
Yet, dear love, whom I have loved so
well, something tells me that never
in this world shall you and I stand[
thus face to face alone again togeth-
er. Never shall we speak heart to
heart es we are speaking now; so hear
me, dear one, and, in the days that are
to come, remember these Iast words
that it bas been given me to speak
to you."
He bent his head with a murmur of
submission to her will.
"Geoffrey I bad God willed it other-
wise, we might perhaps bave been very
happy together; we thought it our-
selves once, did we not? shutting our
eyes with wilful blindness to the many
danger -signals that raised their warn-
ing arms in our path, Then, at
length, the flood of our destiny swept
remorselessly between us and divided
es for ever. Yet, if I were to live for
a century, I could never regret the
poor love that I gave you, for the
past sweetness was worth all the pres-
ent pain 1 And you, you will never
be sorry, will you? -that you once
loved nee? It can never do us any
harm that we have loved each other
truly. In this cruel world men's
hearts are so much oftener prone to
burn with hatred and anger, than with
the pure steady glow of the fire that
is, after all, of Divine origin,
"And then love is not all I thank God
it Is not all 1 It Is, after all, but a
small portion of that dreary road we
MI life, along which each of us must
wend his way. It blossoms like the
flowers by the roadside, but it is not
the road itself. We can, if we choose,
find out many other good things that
ars worth living for; duties to others,
kindness and charity to those about
us; end above all that solemn trust,
God's best and highest gift to the
creatures made after His image, the
brain and the intellect which He hoe
given us. Is this snrred.altarg5 to be
lung aside as nought, just because we
ere a little unhappy 1 Is this un-
speakably precious thing to be hid-
den -for ever, tied buried in a napkin in
the earth 1 Geoffrey, love may be to
men the greatest of earth's blessings;
if its highest dream is realised it be -
conies the most God -like thing in the
universe ; but if across Its pages the
sad word "Never" chance to be in-
scribed, then let us not waste the reel -
due of a life that is given us for bottar
(hinge itt tears and vain repiuings, oth-
erwlee it ruin but drag tie down, mad
its very memory become a curse,
Look 1" and like a propbetess, she
pointed sudden.' across the plain,
whilst her beautiful faro glowed and
ellono with an almost unearthly en-
thusiasm. "Look 1 how great and bow
wonderful is this World of ours ie
welch we, poor „pigmies, make aur
feeble moan. Will the unchanging
c'our'se of ratture, of wlntei and of sum-
mer, of day and of night, be altered,
do you think, forall our cries and
prayers? Will the grand sweep of
earth and sky, of hill and valley, be
(banged. for our foolish repinings, or
wilt tee Potter pay heed to the pots,
wbir•h in the grand scheme of universal
welfare are distined to be crushed In-
to powder 1 .:,earn Nature's highest
leseou from her teachings, Geoffrey!
also above your destiny, do not sink
and grovel beneath it; take your place
in the battle of the world and fight
the fight of life for the good of ctrl-
ors; not, for that small contemptible
thing that is called happiness and
pleasure, Work for others, and not
for yourself 1 Oh 1 that men would
but learn how much greater is sacri-
fiee than indulgence; how infinitely
nobler and more blessed it is to die
fur others than to live for sell l"
Her eyes, Heaven-inspil'ed, were
raised to the heavens above, and a fit-
ful gleam of winter sunshine breaking
suddenly through a rift en the clouds
illumined her beautiful face with tun
almost superhuman brightness. Till
the day of lis death, Geoffrey Dane
never forgot ber as she was at that
moment, with the glow of a glorious
enthusiasm in leer kindling eyes, with
the light of tee sun-god in a golden
1 flood upon her loveliness -the spirit
-within shining tbrough every fea-
ture, and the inspiration of her pure
soul reflecting itself in the grand
beauty that seemed to be above and
beyond that of the daughters of men,
It went through his mind at that
moment to marvel how such a one as
hu could have dared to love such a
woman as this, for surely the "cleans-
ing fires" of suffering bad purified
this great heart into the refiner's most
unsullied gold.
Passionately, brokenly, be spoke to
her, with the impetuosity of a deep and
fervent adoration, such as men have
felt. for the Holy Virgin; swat es they
rarely feel towards an earthly woman,
"You are the noblest woman on
eartb 1 Always your influence bus
been with ms for good, never for evil!
If, indeed, as you say, we are never to
see one another again, then to my dy-
ing day I will bless the good God for
having known and loved you, and for
the love you have given to me. All
thatis guod in me comes from you;
all tbe highest sources of my soul have
been fed and nourished by ydur beaut-
ful nature, and by your good and gra-
cious mind. 1 have obeyed you a1 -
ways, you have never misled me; T
will obey you, now, always, to the
death. As I swore to you long ago, .1
will be your 'true Knight,' and will
do that which you desire me to do. I
will try and make myself what you
wish. I will so live, that, in that other
world -where, perhaps, without sinwe
may meet and love again -you will
not be ashamed to own me and great
me."
And so they parted, all had been
spoken between them; just a clasp of
lingering hands; just a tear -laden
look into one another's eyes, and all
was over. The man flung himself on
to his horse and rode madly away. The
women turned her back and bent her
slight figure before the breeze, and
with bowed head and tear -blinded eyes
wet hurrying back across to the grassy
upland slopes.
And ever as she went,the same
words rang in her ear, over and over
again, with a terrible reiteration:
'Whilst you are alive, never 1 Whilst
you are alive, never, never 1"
"Ole God 1" she cried out aloud in her
anguisb, easting ng bar desolate face
to the heavens above her. "if God be
faithful indeed, and prayer indeed be
true, then grant me this, only this, -
that I may die, so that be may live to
forget me 1"
It was the last and greatest effort
of the human sacrifice of sept.
CHAPTER XXXVIL
Itteanwbile, in the drawing -room at
Hidden House, Duleie Halliday sat
crouched upon the ground at ber sis-
ter's side, bolding both her hands in
hers and listening to the story of her
mistakes end misadventures.
"Orr, my poor, foolish Angell" she
was saying. "What could make you
believe that I loved Horace Lessiter?
Had you no ayes to see that. indeed, I
almost grew to hate bine 'for paving
won. your heart, and that the offer of
marriage he made me before be went
away only annoyed and distressed me
unspeakably'
"If I had known it 1" sighed Angel,
miserably.
"You mean, that you would not have
married Geoffrey ? Well, Angel, then
I am glad that you did not know it,
and that things are as they are. Geof-
frey, at least, is a good man -Captain
Lassiter is nothing but a weathercock,
and an evilly inclined weathercock,
too 1"
Then Angel began to cry softly,
"Ol, Delete I think of the shame and
horror of it, that a man who bas pass-
e girl by, as long as she was free and
cared for him, should insult her by an
offer of love, as soon as she is the wife
of another man and beyond his reach!"
Delete smiled grimly.
"That, my dear, Is no uncommon
thing in mon. It seems to me, that
'thou shalt not covet' should have been
addressed to the male sex only. They
always want what they haven't got,
and despise that vvhith is their own
property."
Angel, who was used to ber sister's
cynical remarks, and was never very
quick at a repartee, took no notice of
this axiom, but sat nursing her knees,
with the tears running down her
cheeks, a very picture of wretchedness.
Duleie flung her arms about her, all
the old maternal instinct Awaking
again within her.
"Oh, my darling! what is it that
troubles you? Surely you can af-
ford to forget this wretch, this vile
commonplace creature -he will never
trouble you again. Did you not say
he had gone away 7 -ins it not all over
now ?-t11en why not tell Geoffrey and
get it off your mind?"
"Tell Geoffrey 1 Oh, Duleie, I dare
not I" end then she fell to weeping
again, "If Geoffrey loved me, it
would be different, hat he does not
love me, there is that other woman
-This own sister told me so -that mar-
ried women 3m he, always loved!
What (hence have I?"
Ilut Delete Only laughed. ,
(To Be Continued.)
T is '-- •~�
t 11 remarkable feat that eyed
furs retain their color longer than
titins Which have not been dyed,
fry- -neeeoteetentellelleeen
Ott the Farm.
EFFECT OF E3.E13CIS11 ON COWS.
ialteteettelietyneven-
The German fernier is compelled to
practise all possible cconenties, and
often works his cows In harness. Con -
/Piquantly tee effect of work on milk
production is a vital question, and, has
been studied somewhat. Tee results of
one experiment are reported in the
" Milch Zeitung." Two (tows were used
in the exporltent.
Thcre were 11 periods of two weeks
each, alternating work and idleness.
The work weal a quiet walk in a sweep -
power, and the power exerted was cal-
eulated to correspond during the first
period to half a horse -power for one
hour, the second to half a horse -Prower
for two hours, the third to one horse -
Power, one hour, and the last two to
one horse -power for two hours. The
result may be summarized as follows:
1. Tee milk yield was reduced 1.4
lb. per day ; the milk wee condensed.
2. The percentage of fat was in-
ersalted on an average bf 10,7 per cent,
above that in the milk from the sows
when not working.
8. The percentages of solids not fat
roes somewhat, but not to same pro-
portion as the fat.
4. The total quantity of fat pro-
duced was tOmewhat increased,
5, The total quantity of solids not
fat produced was reduced, milk sugar
the most, and mineral matter the least.
6. Within the above limits therewae
no difference in the effect of more or
less work.
7. The effect of work showed only
a very small reduction in the live
weight of the cows.
8. The teaming or milch cows for
moderate and especially not too bong
work may be considered an advantage.
The above suggests the query wheth-
er eve must not -at least on high-priced
land-oammenoe the small economies
which enable European farmers to live,
end if this gives a hint worth consider-
ing to those who have only 10 or 20
aeree, and to whom the saving -of keep
of a horse would be quite an item.
For every Lour cows trained for work,
the labor of ono horse would be saved.
This experiment leads a correspond-
ent to query whether some of the al-
leged differences in milk with differ-
ent taints are not due to different ex-
ercise. r
When the COWS have been tied up for
200 days, having no other exercise
than chewing their cud and getting up
to eat or drink, are suddenly let out
into fresh air, they bellow and kick up
their heels like frisky calves at the
smell of the fresh pastures. If the
quality of the milk is changed for a
few days who shall say whether it is
exercise or feed? That the percentage
of fat when changed is soon reduced
to the normal is easily explained by the
cows' getting accastomewsi to the new
conditions.
FERTILIZATION.
Apple and other fruit trees make a
heavy draft upon the toil, and the or-
chard needs applications of plant -food
usually phosphoric aoid and potash. If
the wood growth is poor, barn -yard
manure is needed, it being rich in nitro-
gen, whioh makers wood. If the growth
of wood is sufficient, then the fertil-
izer needed is usually phosphoric acid
and potash, which make fruit. The
muriate is a desirable form of potash
for an orchard, and is a cheap form,
Acidulated rock furnishes cheap phos-
phoric acid. Hardwood ashes are a
valuable source of potash in an effec-
tive form, and adding a little phos-
phoric acid and lime as well. Tee or-
chard that does make an abundance
of new wood each season should not be
in sod, as the grass in a robber of fer-
tility and moisture. The trees must
have plant -food just like other plants.
FEEDING CAL WHS.
Never put any grain in the milk for
calves• The starch of corn has to be
changed to grape sugar before it is
digestible; This change only takes
place in the presence of an alkali, and
]e done ch]efly by the saliva of the
mouth. When corn is gulped down
with the milk the sterols is not noted
upon by the acids of the stomach but
remains unchanged until it comes in
contact with the alkaline secretion of
the intestines. With bogs the stomach
is small and the intestines long. This
allows starchy matter to be digested.
in the inteatines, The opposite is true
with the calf, the stomach being large
and the inleatenes short. Unleee the
starchy matter is largely digested by
the saliva of the mouth complete digee-
tion will not take place in the intes-
tines and the calf scours.
SMALL .FRUIT GARDENS AFTER
BEARING.
With some the interest in the fruit
garden ceases at the close of the fruit-
ing period. This is why such persons
fail with small fruits, As soon as the
picking season is over, the alrawber-
ry, raspberry, blackberry, gooseberry
and currant pttohee should be treat-
ed to a thorough course of cultivation.
If the ground has been tramped bard,
the first work should be the use of a
one-horse turning plow run just deep
enough to turn the eon. nicely, throw-
ing the furrow from the plants, Next
use some kind of a barrow that 31111
work between the rows, Level and
pulverize the Boit completely, after
which any email -toothed cultivator
may be used, giving shallow cultiva-
tion. Use the hoe and spade to olean
out and loosen the ground in the row.
If humus is lacking, it may now be
applied to the land and well mixed in-
tas the ground. Well -rotted compost, or
leaf mold, 'which is clear of weed or
grass scea, ip the beet, Pinel out the
texminel bud. of ,the new stocks of the
blackberry and raspberry, black or red,
when 20 inches or two feet high. This
will cause laterals 10 nota ant on the
stalk, forming diminutive trees, giv-
ing more (rutting wood. to the stalk.
Continue the cuitieatlan until the
middle of August, with all small Trutt.
If this rule is followed snob 5055031
after tee fruiting there will be no
complaints to enter against the smell
fruit gerden. The old stance of bleak -
berry and raspberry should be cut out,
and the bills thinned to three, four or
five good canes, any time in October,
Gather all rubbish and burn it, as by
this means ninny insects will be de-
stroyed. If oats are sowed before the
last cultivation and plowed under they
will make quite a strong growth, thus
keeping naive weeds and grass. When
the oats are killed by severe freezing,
they will make a good mulch and pro-
tect the plants during winter. Goose-
berries and (torrents should have some
stable manure about the hills alter-
nate seasons put on as soon as 001(1
weather comes, and worked into the
ground next spring as early as the
grouted eau be cultivated.
rL)aSH AND FAME.
some Alen wee Are lbetghty ❑a Clore
senses: Than 4Aut.
It is a remarkable fact that while
many of the great men of the earth
are short and slight, even to physical
insignificance, the number of "fat
men" wlto are known to fame, or even
who occupy high positions, is very
small, says London Tit -faits.
In politics the chief prizes fall very
largely to men who are distinctly
sliigbt In build -the Balfours, Ceara-
berinins, Asquiths and Merteys. In
the present Cabinet there are only
three men who can be classed among
the heavy -weights, and in their case
the weight is rather due to large
frames than to excess of "adipose
tissue."
Lord Salisbury could qualify for
membership al the "Cent Kilos" Club,
will more than 2st. to spare, for he
turns the scale at 18 at., while Sir
Matthew Whit -.Ridley and Mr, Chap -
lie might equally be members of the
"Fat Men's Club ;" but all three states-
men are {men of bone, hel.ght and mus-
cle, and can not fairly be classed under
the description of "fat men."
The Lord Chancellor has a tendency
to stoutness, and is among the men
whose waist has outstripped the chest,
but itis weight is little over 13at. The
remaining members of the Cabinet
range in weight from 101-2st. to 12
1-2 st., while the average weight of all.
our Ministers of State is well under
13 st,
It was the same in the last Liberal
ministry, Lords i tosebery and Her-
schell, Mr. Asquith, Mr. Morley and
Mr. Shaw-Lefevre are all among the
light -weights. Sir W'illlem Har-
court was the heavy man of the Cabi-
net, but his 16 stone is so diluted by
his great height that he can not be
counted among -fat men ; while Sir
Henry Campbell -Bannerman and t'ir
H. H. Fowler are rather mon of sub-
stance than really stout men.
THE JUDGES.
There is not a single judge on the
bench at present who can fairly be
considered a "fat man." The near-
est approach to this description in re-
cent years was Mr, Justice Cave., whose
17 stone was rather due to his happy
temperament than to any indulgence
in the good things of the table. As a
matter of fact he was 0 most abstem-
thous man, and his luncheon rarely ex-
ceeded a single egg, which he boiled
himself, or a sandwich,
;art Jamas L']tzjames Stephens was a
man of weight, but he was also a man
of 0 feet, and would more properly be
described as portly than as fat, There
are several men of substatme among
our judges of to -day, but none who
be any stretch of fancy or mal'evo]euce
can be called fat.
Perhaps the weightiest man on the a
bench is Sir Jamas Mathew, who can
not be less lhauz 15 stone, and he is 1
closely followed by Lord Justice Smith .0
and Lord Justice North, each of whom
turns tbe settle at over 14 stone. The
majority of our judges, however, are
distinctly "lean" men many of
whom fall short of the average weight.
Justh'ea Wille, Grantham, Wright and
Darling are meta avhose 'average weight
can not much exceed 11 atone.
Among fantoua counsels the same
rule 1lotds good. 'l'he weightiest of
teem all is Mr, Sam Pope, who would
be the f[rst to pieced guilty to the
charge of being fat. Mr. Pope's
weight is not fax off 20 stones, his
brother, by .the way, wits equally
Mout, and it is on record that et least
owe his weight broke through the
floor of a four-wheel cab, and he 0
makes bis pilgrimagoa from court to 1
court in a bath choir, while he is al- s
lowed to address the court from his i
seat. Mr. Murphy, Q. 0„ was a man of
many china, and a great corporation;
but the courts know ]rim no more,
Of our leading musirlans, artists,
evri.tsrs, sailors, and soldiers, there is
seemly a single matt who is of undue
weightt end dimensions. AIr, Val
Prinsop is perhaps the heaviest of our
well-known airtime, and Mr. Cr0ekelt
is 1110 giant among men of letters. leer
every net, man who is in any degree
famous in England, 11130nt0 can pro-
duce at least a dozen, past and pree-
mie.
-a°' e -p •^®
Young Folks. 1
IA-4— ,--q^O—'F-
A 5111,L'S SCISSO11S.
More than 200 years ago 0 little girl
Was bora in .I1.meterdate, Holland,
whose name was Joanne Koertren. See
was a peculiar child in that she oared
noteiug whatever for play and sport,
but found her greatest delight in melt-
ing copies of things about iter, imltat-
ing in wax every kind of fruit, and
making on silk, with colored floss, ex -
net copies of paintings which were
thought wonderful.
But after ate had become very ce-
complislled in music, spinnng and em-
broidery she abandoned all 111050 for
a still more extraordinary art -that of
cutting. She executed landscapes,
marine views, flowers, animate and Por-
traits of people of such striking re-
somblanee that she was for a time
quite the wonder of Europe. She used
while paper for ber cuttings, placing
them over a black surface so that
many minute openings mode by her
sciseors made the " light and shade."
The czar, 'Peter the Great, and oth-
ers of high Tank paid her honor. One
man high in office vainly offered her
a thousand florins for three small cut-
tings. The empress of Germany paid
her 4,000 florins for a trophy she had
cut, bearing the arms of Bmperor Leo-
pold, frowned with eagles, and sur-
rounded with a garland of flowers, She
also cut the Emperor's portrait, which
can now bo seen in the Royal Art Gal-
lery in Vienna. A great many people
went to see her, and she kept a book
ithn ichnotpes.rinces and princesses wrote
eirwh
After site died, which was when see
bad lived sixty-five years, her hus-
band, Adrian Block, erected a mono -
meet to her memory, and had design-
ed upon it her portraits of these tilled
visitors. Her cuttings were so correct
in effect and so tasteful as to give
both dignity and value to her work
and constitute her an artist whose
exquisite skill with the scissors has
never before or since been equaled.
THOUGHTS—ABOUT CATS.
Thorn are a few things in [his world
that the average boy does not know.
It may be only a few, and in all
probability he himself does not know
just what they are, but they
are there for all that. an
are to be found among the very
things that be Is most accustomed to
in the daily routine of his life.
Now, for example, what does lie real-
ly know about the eat, except that it
is a cat, and teat it occasionally af-
fords him all kinds 01 roguish fun?
After learning, however, what an old
fellow the feline is, and how much re-
verenced by many people, this same
boy will treat this pretty house pet
with more tenderness.
tYby, think Of it, boys, over two thou-
sand years ago the people that lived
in the old countries oorved out stories
and histories of cats in stone and in a
language known as Sanskrit. To those
people and to the Egyptians the cat
was a sacred animal, and was suppos-
ed Lo represent tee god Isis, or the
moon, and was, after death, embalmed
after the same manner that human
beings were. These mummies of cats
are found to -day in the old Egyptian
tombs,
,Even in these early times the eat
was a domestic animal, although there
were olid. cats, Met as there are naw.
elm wild species of the cat family is to
be found all over the world, and is
larger than tet domestic animal. Tbese
wild cats are not so v1OI0as as is gen-
erally supposed, for they will not at -
teak any human being unless Limy are
first molested, when Lbey will spring
at the offender with all their hair
standing out straight in rage, just the
same as tabby will do if snappy little
Fido bothers her when she is lapping
her milk.
A strange thing about the house cat
2's that if allowed to run wild in the
ountry and get its food by killing
'abbite, chickens and such live things,
t will gradually but surely lake the
olor and stripes of the regular wild -
oat and aft and live litre one. Cats
do not have the affection for their'
masters that dogs have, but they love
them homes far more.
It is well known tbat when a cat
has become accustomed to a certain
house or locality she 'slatted to get rid
of, if that be desired. Cover up her
eyes and carry her off in a basket: to
a great distance and she will alwegs
come back, no matter how far it may
be. This is probably the most pecul-
iar of the traits of 1;lt0 cat, and is one
which has puzzled all the great men
who make the study of animals their
profession•
THE PUSSY CAT
The Pussy tat, with eyes so green,
In nearly every house is seen,
Hfur le very soft and smooth,
But sharp is every claw and tooth.
Most all the day she's near tee stove,
MI nice warm places Pussies lova,
But when the night comes, out elle gem
And on the roof -top sings her woef,
Some people then get very Dross,
A11 sorts of things, at her they toss,
And try. to burt poor Pussy Cat;
But yo and I would not Flo that.
But if you're kind and; stroke her fun purr
The right way, she begins to {
Porhnps some wheels go round inside,
To find that out I've often tried.
Our Pussy Cat is vary clean,
No speck of dust is on her seen;
And mother says, we all should Cara
To take such pains with every bathe
..THREE GOOD HABITS,
.Be orderly. A disorderly, careless
woman will 118502' bave a comfortable
home. It le just as easy to return to
the shelf the book you bave been reade
bag as to bay it down in a chair.
lee punctual, Some girls, and some
women, too, are never at the eeginninse
ad anything. A little late at breakfast'
a little late at church; a little late ev-
erywhere, Ito not spend your life in
trying to cutch up.
Be cheerful, A bright, smiling face
makes every one happy, and a sullen,
fretful expression is just as likely to.
make others cross. Even velum it mine
out of doors let there be sunshine
within.
LILLI LEHMANN AND VIVISEC-
TION
Mme. Lilt{ Lehmann is not only a
groat singer -she is also one of the
most tender hearted of women, Few,,
people are more iutereeted in the pre„
vention of cruelty to birds and animals
than she, For this reason, amougi
others, she became a vegetarian, anal
she says itt is pleasant to: take a meal
without being reminded that an ansa
mal bus been killed in order to provide
part of it.
Naturally, Mme. Lehmann feels -
strongly on the subject of vivisection,
2'1 just before she sailed far Europa re-
cently sea addressed a strong protese
against this practice, "1, Lilli Leh-
mann," she writes, "herewith (tali up-
on all who are interested in the rights
al animate end iu their protection to
fully inform themselves regardiug the
horrors of vivisection. Most people do
not know what m it is. Ignoranoo, how-
ever, is nu 0xeuse against the re-
proach of cruelty. I urge theto ob•
thin clear information on this horrible
practice.
"Under the ()leak of science the moat
e:.oruciatiug experiments are made
upon animate, which, like ourselves,
are God's creatures. Most terrible re-
ports in medical works teach us how,:
large a number of beings fall a satire.
lice to the cruel exportments of these
fanatic soiontisus.
"Viviseetiun, with its incidentals, is
a dlagreee to our century, end must
be suppressed. It Leads to the great-
est errors, as hundreds of physicians of,
the highest rank themselves acknow-
ledge verbally and in writing. It
hardens the hoard, and leacbt ter other
crueltiesof which only agree can
foram an idea who have looked' into this
subjuot. Every one should regard it ns
a duty to help . in the great Work of
suppressing Ibis horrible practlao,
.The, day will come when this dis-
grace will uo lunger rest upon 01311130-
11011, But all must help, oven the
pbyoioi.tns lh.•mselves, who already,
now are beginning to weaken in their,
belief of its possible benefit to science;
Th .y mu. t, however, acquire more
than their belief, They must be eon
v:nced of its uselessness, and they must
have the oeurage to pronounce against
it, That would bring them more bon-
er !bee the enternal holdia,fs back of
their' 05101ons; and their feat of their,,
colleagues,
"Therefore, I cell upon all -people nee
to consider it too small a mutter to
strive to obtain for the animal
the rights which God granted
it. I eoesicler no ane too smelt in in -
[theme, too poor in favor; every one,
has the right to stand up for the dui,
tea of humauiiy,"
WORLD'S CONSUMPTION OF BEER,
An official doetiment recently issued
sets forth some.,remarkable figures re-
garding the quantity of beer consum-
ers throughout the world: The annual
quentity consumed, it is stated, am-
ounts to 17,700,000,000 litres or quarts,
Of this amqu111 5,000,000,000 quarts are
made in Germany ; in Great Bri NI in and
Ireland, 4,700,1100,000; in the United
States, 3,200,010,0 ,0 ; and Australia, con-
sumes yearly 1,050 00,0;;0 quarts of beer;
?trance, 840,000,000; and all the Rus-
sians only 400,000,000 quarts.
PRINCESS OF WALES' CROSS. G
The Priece-es of Wales possesses a
erase which is supposed to always bring
good luck to its owner. It was for-
merly the property of the Iling o.f
Denmark having been discovered years
ago io rho grave of , the beautiful
Queen Dagmar,
The only explanation that those men
f science make is that at such times
ha- cat's acute sense o[ smell is the
ante to LL as eyesight is to man, and
t remembers a scone as well as a boy
remembers his way to school, which,
by the way, ha sometimes very wrong-
ly forgets.
Now, it may bo well to remember in
connection 'with this little study of
pussy that (.bora are several distinct
kinds of cats wbiob are all different
in their size and color and markings.
The hest known of all are the tabby,
the tortoise shell, so called because it
leaks like momma's tortoise shell hair
comb, i:be Chartreuse or gray colored
cat and the beautiful Angora, There
is also a less known type of Chinese
cat and a few other's hardly ever
heard of.
One of pussy's most useful habits is
to catch mine and rats, and it is upon
this trait that a little problem, which
is of the easiest kind, presents itself.
The Pedant little animal wilt sit by
that polis which tent's into Mr.-Ral.'e
hOaso and watch 001 2) he shall poke
his nose out, and then, quick as a
1101(11, the annoying little rat is a phi-
sonar, Kilby is a good rat catcher,
and If given enough 1.1 IS wi11 play
havoc with the whole rat family,
Now supposing there ere en unllmil.-
ed number of rats end say that three
ants can catch three rate in three
utes--which is not hard to suppose,
for they tan world quite as fast ns that
-how many cats would it minim to
catch one hundred rate in 0110 hun-
dred m]t1111051 Think it out for your-
self, and if yon solve, it have a liitle
fun web your 11050(fmtes at 0013011, It
is a nice. little profiletn end may be
worked out by erithmetfo,
7111.3 SLEEP OF PLANTS, '
Planta sleep as truly as animals, says
Mr, Grant Allen, in the Strand Maga-
zine, but they do .not snore. Like the
dormouse and bear they sleep through
the wintee; and many of them -lilies,
orolids, tulips and daffodils and mores
of bulbous plants, retire underground
for a winter's snooze as truly as snails,
beetles, wasps and grubs. Even the,
evergreens sleep, but not quite so
Plainly. There are other plants that
sleep at night. The sensitive, plant
folds its leaves and dozes off partly 14
escape cold as mice and snakes cuddle
ups for warmth. Plants rebuild them-.
selves during rest just as truly as the
animals, The wood sorrel Is another,
Plant whose flowers and leaves are
wide open while awake, and shut when
asleep. Tee. -loaves of all plants sleep
at night, but ills only in the very sen-
sitive ones that the process can be ob'
served by ordinary iespoot[on. lc'lowerr
take casual nape, in the day time as
well as at night. The purple crocus,
will open its blossom in the sunshine
and iraetly to protect its pollen close
it even when a cloud passes over, The
wild geranium converts its flower's In-
Lo umbrellas during a rain or at night
for the same purpose. There are some.
plants that catch moths and night ]n•
soots and sleep in the day ti1n0 and
wake at evening twilight. Them nigb0 .
plants have scant instend of colors to
attract their victims which they des
your. Science las already done mucic
to show that the lute supposed to di-
vide human hind from other animate ie
oaten faint and un0ertain, It begins to
10011 as tbough ties wore true of the
division betweeti plants end animals,
1
