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Home My WebLink AboutThe Brussels Post, 1894-11-2, Page 2UNDR.• A • CLOUD • VIBITALINO TAW OF iitrMAM I, , CHAPTER IP. TIIE ii0LNW OF SUMO. "Poor old ohepl" acid Percy Clues., with alauglt., "Married" Leolrod as if he wae'' going to be banged. Wonder whether I shall be as aervoug and upset if -11--1 Might to nay. -When it comas off 1 No, not likely, Mesa her, Might be all in a ifdgee to got it over for fear of a slip, but I dont think I oho' id look like that," No wee approaoliingthe church as tilese Hem ran through hie head, and a glance at the clock !bowed him that he was half an hour too aeon, oonaequent upon being hurried ole hy his friend. "What (hall I do?" he thought, `' No time to go anywhere alae; i'll drop in and hang about in the church as if I did pot belong to the party." f;'aeier Raid than done. 'Al'ready there wag a little crowd oolleeting, attracted by the carpet laid up the steps—a little gash. erimg of the people who always do attend weddings -those who wait till the bride arrives and then hurry in to see the ser ver°, and those who,being incharge fPain, bulatora, keep entirely en l outside and block Up pavement and poreb. Then, too, there were the customary maiden ladies, the officials of the church, the bell ringer:, the woman ftomn the orossieg at the corner of the square in a clean apron, the butchers:, bakora', and fishmongers', boys, and the children—eapeoielly those in is top-heavy condition from carrying other children, nearly as big as themselves. Peroy Guest was nem:Mous of a whisper and a buzzing sound se he walked through the gates in what he intended tobe a nonchalant fashion but wbioh proved to be very conscious,; and then most oonsof- oue as a boy cried: " Ere he fa, Bill d" Fortunately the church door was Mose at hand, but before he.entered ho was aware that the turnoock had joined the throng with three bright instruments over hia shoulder, as if his (services were likely to, be wanted towards the end. Percy Guest breathed more freely as he stepped into the gloom of the silentchureh, but was again dieooncerted by the beadle fn his best gold -braided coat, holding open a green baize door and two pew openers stepping forward apparently bent upon showing him the way up to the chancel. "Thanks; I'1I just look round," he said =closely ; but the words .did not convey hia meaning, and as he walked slowly into one of the side aisles tostudy tablets and monuments, he could not read a word for thinking that the two pew openers had seen through him. " What a fool l am I" he muttered. "0f course they know. Even smell me. Wish I hadn't used that scent." An arobteologlat could not have taken more apparent interest than he in that tablet covered with lines of all lengths, setting forth the good dualities of Robert Smith, "late of this parish," but the study was accompanied by furtive glances at a watch duringthe longest quarter of an hour the young man ever remembered to have spent. But it ended at last. wore class to hie ear,attd the sharp widener thrilled him as if it had boon e rear. " Where's Stratton?" "I --he wae to moot me-1-4'll go and ?00." The words were stammered forth in a whiapor, and 00 Mut better than he folthcw tame and paltry they adttnded, while aa,hab in hand, he hurried down the alierimuuning the gauntlebof a couple of hundred eyes, it seemed as 11 they Meng him, diet the looks were More mocking than wondering, while, raging with annoyance, the few yacdo felt lengthened out into 1 mile, 'Ilirengh the balms' doors, and under the portico, but no sign of the brougham with the pole of grays titan was to bring the bridegroom. What to do; jump 11160 abaneon and bid the man gallop to Benchers' Ion? It would taleeebeab part Of an hour, and Stratton must be there directly. He would wait and see, even 1f everyone in the orowd was staring at him wonderingly, while the cold sweat stood out in big drops upon his face. " What is the meaning of this 1" said a °growled, "Tbinkleg et wn feolinge, and clot of you, my own 0 Then raging again, with hie coeakenano" purple, and the vvine Of hie temples eterb' ia� But yon 1: To insult you, my ehlld, and after that ether horribleattatr'. HMV aMalt wino professed to woreltip you --could nub - Jog; y outosuohanoutraga' 4o410infamy! tell you it is maddening. "Father i ones more ie a piteous tone. "No ; you shall not plead for hire,, My darling. You have behoved nobly, a true, self-respecting English lady. Net acting, no silly girlish fainting, but Inge my daughter, leen ukuat go on, though. This scoundrel meet bo shown that he oannot insult you with impunity," "Listen, father," Rho whispered after a doeperate effort to rostrdfis the hysterical buret of agony etriving for exit. "I will not. There is no excuse, Myra. A tolegrem—e. messenger—hia friend and beat man. Nothing done. The mantle— n0 ; he in no man. Jell—my lawyer shall— no ; 111 go myself, He alteli see that --•se Silence I Be firm, Don't move a muoclo. Take my arm when I hand yon out, and not a word till we are in the drawing room." Por the carriage had stopped, after a rapidconrae, at Sir Mark's Imam in Bourne Square, where they had to wait some min. tinea before, in response to several draeginga ab the bell, the door was opened by an elciedy housemaid. "Why was not this door answered? Where le Andrewe?°thundered the admiral as the footman tame in, looking etertled, and closed the door behind which the house- maid stood p a looking eeohlem at her mac. tar's unexpe0tod return. "Shall thecarriage wait, Sir Mark?" interposed the footman. "No! Stop; don't open that door, I seed, why was this door not answered?" "I'm very sorry, Sir Mark," faltered the woman, who was trembling visibly. "I wae upstairs cleaning myself." "Bah! Where is Andrews? Where are the other servants"?" " "They all went to thewedding, Sir Mark. "Father—upstairs—I can bear no more," Whispered Myra. Brought book to hie child's suffering, the admiral hurried her up to the drawing room and lot her sink back on a pouch. Then, burning to the bell, he wae about to ring for help, bat Myra rose. ' "No ; don't ring," she said in a hoarse whisper, "I'm hotter uow." At that moment !Wise Jerrold's carriage stopped at the door, and directly after 'Sir. Mark's sister appeared with Edie, who, looking white and scared, ran at once to her cousin and clung to her, uttering violent sobs. "Silence, Edie I" thundered the admiral, "Look at your cousin. You mint be a woman now. Ah, here you are, then 1' he continued fiercely as Percy Guest entered. "Yee; I came up for a moment before I go on there." "I'm glad you've Dome," Dried the old man furiously, and teeming at someone upon whom he could vent kis rage. etero 00100 at his elbow, and Guest turned to face the admiral, whose florid counten- ance t once. was mottled with v and A fewelle of ex lanatiou followed w p then: " Pll take a !lemon and gallop off to hia obambero." 370," said Sir Mark in a low, hoarse voice. " An insult to my AO 1 It is atrocious 1" The old man turned and strode back, while, hardly knowing what he did, Guest followed him between the two rows et curious faces to where Myra stood, perfect- ly firm and self-contained, while Edie was trembling, visibly, and clinging to Miss Jerrold'? acre. As Sir Mart: reached his daughter there was a loud whispering La the church, which wassepppreseed by several hushed as one otthe clergymen approached the wedding party, all present being eager to catch his words as the contretemps was now grasp- ed. ' Will you step into the vestry for a few minutes? Some trifling mishap, perhaps to the carriage or one of the horses. Per- haps an error about the time." "No, no," said the admiral sternly, "We will wait here, sir. No Myra, take my arm ; you shall not submit to this. She was deadly pale, but she made no movement to obey. Not yet," she said in a low voice. " We moat wait." "let is impossible, I tell you 1" oried the admiral loudly, for his rage and mortifioa tion would have their way. "My dear girls Hold up your head; the shame isnot yours. Guest, take my sinter and niece to the other carriage." Then snatching Myra's hand, he led her back to the door,his gray beard and mustache seeming to bristle at his eyes lbashedrage end defiance from aide to side, till they reached the porti00, where n man stepped forward. "T,he hells, sir ?" he whispered deferen- tially ; "The ringers are all Here?" That was tits last straw—a brazen one. ith an angry snort the admiral caught the man by the shoulder and swung him out of the way, signaling directly after for his carriage, which, as the coachman and footinam had not expected to be wanted for some time yet, stood right away; with the servants chatting at the horses' heads. Not above a minute before the carriage was drawn up, bat it was like an age to those who listened to the whispering end giggling going on For the words "No bridegroom l" had reached the little crowd outside as soon as the retiring wedding party ; and as Guest heard aremarkor two made, there was aaiug.' ingin hiseara and an insane desire to mull at some staring idiot and thrash him within an inch of his life. But he glanced at Myra as he preasod Edie'g hand against his side, and saw that the bride's tread was erect and that she stepped proudly into the carriage. Then tho Admiral took his seat by her aide and said firmly : "Romp 1" "To the Hotel, sir ?" said the footman. "Ilome I" roared Sir Mark. The footman sprang up to his seat, the carriageway driven o8; and with the crowd increasing Miss -.Jerrod'? took implants. "Quick, Mr. Guest," whispered the admiral's sister. "Sha is fainting." Ho had felt Edio'e hand • pressing more and more upon his arm, boo in his excite. ment this had not struck Min lee oxtre-ordin- ary ; but now, as hie attention was drawn to her, ahe dropped her bouquet, and in his effort to save her from sinking to the pave- ment the beautiful bunch of flowers was crushed under foot. Tho next minute he had lifted the poor aid into the carriage, and handed the ad- miral's stern looking eiator to her side. Darting a look of agony; a;t Edie's white face and the wreath and veil fallen aside, Guest drew back for the door to be closed, but Miss Jerrold made an imperious sign. "No, no ; come with us," she said hoarsely. " You must help me ; and ex- plain. I dare not face my brother alone." Guest spreng into the carriage, the door was ahut quickly, and the footman Leaped to bis plane as the bursae started forward with a land trampling of 'bode, but not quickly enough to mho them beyond the hearing of a derisive cheer. "He'll soon be here now," he said to himself as, carrying his new hat behind him, he made for another tablet nearer tho ohanoel, while divers whispers behind him told of pews being filled by those who wished to nave good placee, and so another five minutes passed, "Time he was here," thought the early arrival ; and sammonint his fcrti. tude ready for being stared at and commented upon, bewa,kedgoietlytoward the chancel, faced round, and waited, star. ingblankly at the three or four score of faces watching hien eagerly. "Pleasant 1" he said to himself. "Must be some of the friends here, but how con- foundedly awkward I do feel. I hate these quiet weddings. Company's good, even if you're going to be hanged. Why isn't Stratton Isere?" There were fresh arrivals every minute, and Guest gazed anxiously now toward the door, but the arrivals were all female ; and save that the clerk or verger was arranging cushions and books tip by the communion table, he was alone, and the center upon which all eyes were fixed. "I've done wrong," muttered Guest as he mastered a strong desire to look at bit watob, which he knew must now be within five minutes of the time. "I ought to have gone back and brought him on. 1t's too bad to leave me hero like this." If he could have taken out his haodker- chief'to have wiped the gathering drops away from his temples he would net have cared so much, for theyprodueed a terrible itching eeoeetion. But no ; he must seem cool and colleeted. IID was conscious now of tallying some- where behind him, in the vestry evidently, a deep utterance suggestive of intoning a service, and a harsh, sharp voice. The clergyman and just then the clerk came down, Tensed close by, looked at him, went and opened a pew door, and returned to approach him again with a depreoative cough, as if he were about to speak, but he passed on again, and went bank into the vestry. "Took me for the bridegroom;" muttered Guest to himself, "Stratton, you scoun- drel, why don't you come? 0111 I'll pay you out for this," At last I For a figure appeared at the other end of the ohuroh, No; it turned into a pew halfway down the center isle, and Geesebecame cold with apprehension as the organ bogie to peal forth its softest notes to a hushed, ahnddoringg bass, while Guest looked wild- ly down the church, where, to lits horror, there stood a figure in company with, a tall, sedate, gray-haired lady dressed ea gray and as these figures approached he for a few momentsforgot his agony in a long, rapt contemplation of the bridesmaid's face. Then he could bear it no longer, and he was about to rush out and go in search of Stratton wben he felt that it was too late, for already tbe admiralwas at the door With the bride, and Edict and Mise Jereold ware at his side, He gave Edie one quick 'glance full of agony, and then in &hurried whisper to the adtnirel's rester "Miss Jerrold, for goodness' sake ask Sir Mark to•otep into the vestry, Stratton has not come," To late—too late 1 The organ was still giving forth its introductory strain the two clergymen moved out of the veatrytend I rOVEMI1ER 2, 18 4 T II BOSEL angrily, "HMO der diet a' "I -=moult your t" nog, in the person of the loan I love,.- mY huabenrl Out far thfs terrible ml00lla00e. you do not mean ft; you aro toad with anger, het ycu will go With air, Gaeat at ou00," "Novor 1" }'oared the adfnirah "For my sake," site Dried ae elm flung her alma about hie neck end oluug to hhn. 'et give up- L will not attempt to go there myeelf—you are quite right ; bttt, she murmured new, go that }tor words were obligee 100udible to all but hire for whom they were intended, "I love him, dear, and he is in pain and ?uttering, Go to hen; I cannot bear it, Bring ham bo mo, or;X obeli die," The admiral biased herb:wetly', and oho clung by hien a moment or two longer as he drew a long, deep breetb, "11yown demrott father," she whiapeeod, and she wooly have sunk at his feet, bap he gently pla0od her in a lounge chair and turned to Guest. "Now, sir," he said, aa if be wore della- acing au order' from the quarter deck, "1 am at your (servico." Myra sprang from her °hair, and caught her :meths arm, leaking wildlyin her oyes; and the meaning of the look wan grasped: "Stop a mopient, Meek," she said. "My, carriage is waiting. You may want a wo- man there ; I'll come with you. "You ?" cried her brother. "Absurd 1" "Not at all," said the lady firmly. "Mr. Guest, take me down to my carriage; I shall mime." Sir Mark frowned bub said no more; he merely lanced book as Myra now gave up and Bank in her eremite's arms while, as Mee Jerrold went down, her lips tightened, and elle looked wonderfully like leer brother, as she said to herself: 'Thank goodness i No man ever wanted to marry pie." "Beacham' Inn," said Guest sharply as tee footman closed the oarriap,e door, and the trio'. eat in silence, each forming a mental picture of that which they were going to see. (TO lin COIl3INtED,) n iumilt me ;like "Now, then, explain, yen dog. What does that villain—that scoundrel—meanby insulting me—my . child, like this? Damn himl "Stop, Sir Mark!" cried Guest firmly. "You don't know what you are saying," "What 2" "And I will not stand here and havemy dear old friend and schoolfellow insulted by such words." "Insulted!" cried Sir Mark, with a harsh laugh; "insulted 2" "Yea, sir. Malcolm Stratton is the coal of honor -a gentleman who would have laid down his life sooner than cauao pain to the lady be loves with all his heart." CHAPTER V. A nrus.vt Dooturs11. "The hotel 1 The idiot 1 To went to take us back there tofoam the half .hiddoumockery and jokes of all them ,strangers. Oh, its maddening 1" Sir Mark leaned forward, lowered the front window, and shouted to the coachman to drive faster. " I saw them," he continued as he flung himself back in Mg seat, " the whole mob in the churchsniggliug with delight. Curse them I And that fellow, Stratton 1 If ever we stand facie to Ince again I',1-- Oh, I hope he will never have the audacity to come near me, for his own sake." Myra had been sitting perfectly upright,. looking au if suffering from some cataleptic seizure ; but at the mention of Stratton she turned and laid her hod upon her father's arm. "Oh, yes, of course l" he 'raged, with a mocking laugh. "Womanlike; a hundred (meanies ready for him: out himself in sham hinge—wedding teethes not home in time•-- apralned his ankle -a bed headache. '011, you Women. you Women I If ever there were a pach of fools -- took their places; Sir Mark and Myra wore "Father 1" close up, and the elork Demo forward and That one word only, but full of s0 mto11 si fined toGuasttostandin the bridegroom's agony that he turned and caught her to g pl a oe. het kerma Before he could think, the Cadmfralalips1„Brut° 1 Senseless brutal” ha literally "God 'bless you for :that, Mr. Guest 1" cried lleyra-catching the young man's hand as she spoke—in a broken voice which she fought hard to render calm. , "Bali I Heroics 1 Come away, Myra. 01 course he'll talk big for his friend. But where is he ? Why has he insulted us all like this ?" "Heaven only knows, sir," said Guest solemnly. "Forgive me for speaking as I do before you, Mrs. Barron, but at the cost of alarming you I must talte Malcolm's part. I saw him this morning at his chambers, ready almost to come on. He placed Mise Perrin's telegram' in my hands—about the bouquet—and begged me to see to it at once—to balte the flowery to the hotel, and meet him'at the church." "Yea—yes !" cried Myra eagerly, and her large, dark eyes were dilated strangely, "I did not pay any heed to it then, fort attributed it to anxiety geed nervous ex- citement." "What, Mr. Guest?" asked Myra pito- ously. '"Idis appearanoe, .Mrs. Barron. There was a peculiar wild look in his eyes, and his mamlor was strange rad excited. Some aeizere meet have been ooming on." " Yes, yes ; it is that, said Myra, hoarse- ly, and oarse-ly,and she hurriedly toreoff gloves, veil, and ornaments. "He was quite well last night," said the admiral scornfully. "It was a trick to get rid of you. I'll never believe but what it is all some deeply laid plan." "You do not know what you are saying, Cir Mark, or I would recent your words, Mrs. Barron, I will come back dirootly I obtain tidings of my poor friend. You know him better than to think ill of him." "Yes, yes," oried Myra, speaking firmly now but in a low, hurried murmur: "But atop, Mr. Guest; stop 1" He turned sharply, for he was already at the door. ELECTRICITY ON THE' FARM. TDB PRODUCTION OF WHEAT, Tho Pali. to /Nuns Hue to the ItonntY e1' Rug ore IIIaIIter 'thou: to cite Iinlerprise of A4nt, We have referred to the great over. production of wheat 111 recent years ar the immediate °arae of the tremendous fall in price? ; but le remains to explain how the glut has been produced, That it ire due to the bounty of nature rather than to the enterprise of man is eboar from the feet that it is mainly attributable to 'meting. tion in the United States, where the. wheat area has decreased during the 1aet ten years, while the population has been aug- mented by about 19;} millirem, In 1884. there wore nearly S9i million acres under wheat in that country,while the average area during the three years ending with 1893 was under S7} million mores, and this year itis estimated by the Department of Agriculture at only 33' million aeroe. But the yield wao'phenomenal in 1891, ,extra- ordinary in 1892, and well up' to the aver. age in 1898 and 1594. It is oprtuln that the °rope of 1801 and the two following.. years were greatly undereatimated by the Department of Agriculture. What . has been learned of the distribution of these crops appears to show conclusively that 'they averaged at least 15,000,000 quartees ore l production average annual m than rho ave of the three preoaediug years. 7.hia season's crop, again, according to all com- mercial estimates, ie quite up to an average in c,uantity, and much greater, than the figures of the Department of Agriculture intimate: To this superabundance in America there is to be added a new Oise en the Argentine Republic, whence over two million quarters of wheat were exported in 1892, and over four and a half millions in 1898, while thio year's total is expooted to resell seven million quarters. Previous to 1890 that It is Expected to Matte Country Life Less laborious. Part or the growing ,difficulties occasion- ed by the desertion of the country and the crowding of the cities will be remedied, perhaps by six years lienee—in that, won- derful year 1900, which electricians setas a, mile post of human progress -by the crowning of steams rival. Machinery is rapidly taking the deadening drudgery out of farm work, is making it more profitable. when conducted scientifically and oe large scale, and is ceasing it to attract the attention of city people: who long for the healthful fields. Only the bodily discom- forts of farm work have prevented an exodue from the cities to the couutry. Already electrioity is turning its attention to the long neglected farm work, and has discover- ed profitable reaults to be had by subjecting crops to currents of electricity.' le is begin- ning to simplify the ponderous" farm maehinery,and as soon as the storage battery has received its finishing touches and can be applied to lightening the farmer's toil end increasing his proflte the farmer will be looked upon with envy bythe prisoners of el by abr8000 and oountiug.house walls. These' particular effects of electricity upon farm machinery and farm life are, however,visible chiefly in the imagination at present, ,and are not likely to be realized in six 'years ; but one great change may be looked for in this direction in the immediate future, and that is the improvement of the farmer's condition by means of good roads and the rapid transit which electricity is' almost ready to bring, thus greatly enlarging his market and bringing him higher prices for fresher products, and also bringing him closer to the life and pleasure and. etimu toting effect of the city. There is to bo a wonderful change in farm life in the more thiokly settled parts of the country in to very few years, and rapid transitwill be largely responsible for it. The cheap transutission of electrical power must bring aeon many changes that will be felt in the city household, and per- haps the cadet of them will be the abolition of the cook stove, as it known at present. The spial( electric heater has already begun to take its place, and it is almost,oertain that even in six years goal will be banished from a majority ofthe.. kitchens in uitiee adjacent to water power from which elec- tricity is generated. When heat ie wanted for cooking purposes it will be had at a moment's notice by the pressing of a button. "Wait for tree -only afew minutes. Elie —quick; help." Eger Oo0Ofn flew to her side. "Myra I" pried the admiral fiercely; "what are you going to do 2" "Change my dress," oho said with un- natural calmness. (eo to him," "What ?" "Where should I be but at his side 2" "Impoesible, girl ! You eha11 not de. grade yourself like this 1' cried theadmiral; mud Miss Jerrold caught her niece's hands. "There would ho no 'degradation, Sir hark," said Guest firmly; "but, Mrs, Barron, you cannot go. Icor yearn Mal- oolm has heon like my brother. Ho had no secrets from me, and I can toll you from my heart that thereis but one rea,on for Ms absence -a sudden seizere. Dou`tlkeop 010, though, .pray:, rStay here and wait my return. Uulees —he added quickly, with a deprecating glance at Sir Mark. "What l I—go with you to hunt up the manand beg him to Donne? ?show 1 "Marh, it 10 your duty 10 go, said hie Mater sternly, "I dont believe Mr. Strat- ton would itm,tlt us like this." "Then for once in mylifo, madam,' will not do my duty 1"urled the admiral furiously. "it is not the only occasion upon which a man has gained the confidence of hie friends. It is not the lime mime I have bean ao aroeily deceived, I pati See it plainly. Either, like a pusillanimous coward, he turned tail, or there is some disgraaofui entanglement which beide hitn hacglr Y' '"leather, it is not true 1" cried Myra 1101111E11, 118, DA- ITE 84 THE OLDEST WOMAN IN CANADA AND HER BABTINTE1VIEWED, The Centennrlttu Cleats Abeut,liyenta of it Ilnitdrod: Wears Ago in Sinvery 0?Is's-+• Hos Resided to Toronto 'pop Nearly • 'Minn, Moore ;I/c;ura-Stilli:ulnys n ripe orrebacco. Ina cottage in Markham street, Toronto, lives Mon; b7oborali BroWe3,jwho;waa born 'fn the State of Maryland id the lOtliday of August, 1778, and le now,l! thereforo, 118 years of L1SOAl'l1D nom SLAv111311. Mrs. Brown's maiden name was Gloves. She was ;born in slavery,eand jwas owned by a family named C011ina.-" When 26 years of age elle married a slave nomad Isaac Dorney, and lived happily with him fon 17 years, and he Was then sold. After waning 'for ten' years andjnover,hearing from him during that time site concluded he inhst be dead, and she ,harried again to another slave, Perry Brown. Mr. Brown wae TO ardent Chrletian andavery fond o his'w fe. 1'840, 12 y'eaeesaftereher second marriage, Mrs, Brown was laid up for four months' with rheamaeio fever, and on eta'ereach- in ' a .o mu eh t f convalescence was m ch grieved to Bear that Mr. Collide contem- plated gelling her husband to a neighbor- ing planter. She, therefore, decided to run away and, as aha expresses herself, to take her husband with her,. COMES TO OANADA. A`young' oolprpd, Man, ',Joe Glan, who worked on the next plantation had charge of a fast trotting horse, and one night Mrs. 10toivh arranged' with him to have the trot- ter at a speoified place at 12 o'clock. Her husbtind procured a rig belonging to the ;preacher and the three people, Mr. and Mrs. Brown and Joo, Glom, drove that night to Dovor, a;dietanbieof 6.0 miles.'Froih Dover they went by rail to'Philadelphia and, from thereat, New Yorke ' °Thinking that • they could not retain. their freedom if they stay- ed in the United Statue they decided to come to Canada, so took the boot to Albany. They then came by rail to Toronto and rented a cottage in Icing street went, Free- dom, however, had its many drawbacks and it was with much reluctance that Mrs. Brown paid the weekly bills for groceries, rent, wood, eta ALANDIIARK OF FOX'S CORNEAS, country had only in one year exported ale much as a million quarters, and the rapid increase of her surplus, coming on top of; the extra reports from the United' States, good crops in Europe singe 1891, and great crops in India since 1802, has materially helped to bring prices down. In Argentina we have the only instance of a country in which the growth of wheat has greatly extended in recent years. Argentine stat. lades are little better than rough guesses : but so far as they are to be relied on they show that the wheat area, which was only 490,000 acres in 1880, had expanded to 6,000,000 mores fn 18911. In spite of the low prices ruling since the crop of thelater year came into the market, a great increase in wheat growing is . reported for the present year, The explanation ofthisaurprising advance in wheat production given by Argentine authorities and the British representative se Buenos Ayres, is that it is due partly to the high goldpremium which has prevailed for several years, and partly to the settle• mane of the country by a large number of Italian immigrants, who are content to labor from sunrtae to sunset, and evenby moonlight, for a bore living. They spend hardly anything, it is said, upon imported merchandise, which the gold premium makes dear, while they sell their wheat at gold prices and pay nearly all their ex- penses in the depreciated paper!aurroncy,• which is said to go almost as far as•ever in' payments which they have to make. 11 this is to be taken as the main explon- ation of Argeitine farmers being .im R' position to extend their wheat industry when prices are unretnunerative to growers in nearly all other countries, their enter - Erise is built on` a very insecure foundation. nglish farmers, at any rate, cannot grow wheat at 20a. a quarter. A thrifty Scotch fanner in Essex a few years ago astonished the readers of an agricultural paper by giving Beeves to show that he could grow wheat at a profit to sell at 30s. a quarter ; but he disposed of the straw as well ea the grain, and he still 'holds to SOB. as his minimum It is incredible that the world can long be supplied with wheat atpresent prices, unless a series of "lean years' wore to cause a recovery in valve, it will, in all probablity, be brought by a considerable reduction of the wheat area. Charitable Institutions in London. FRUIT AND FOREST TREES. Successful IStlicrinni0uty •11re Utility, clad int the 3tertlr+'tyeat read BrItlOh(tohnn- Ola With Praia and Forest. Trees. Prof, Saunders, director of the Central Experimental Farm, has returned to Ottawa from British Columbia: At the Indian. Head farm he says there are over 120,000 forest trees now growing. Small fruits are doing remarkably well. A variety of Si- berian oral) grows satisfactorily there, and experiments were begun this year by cream ing to raise hardier varieties of large fruits. At Agassiz, 13. 0„.there aro over ,1,200 reit trees planted, including apples, plums, peaches, cherries and other venetian. The maces of the fruit trees- which have been expel itnonted with on the bench hinds have been rerprieingly satisfactory: From the auonesa it( these experiment& 111. daundera lecke forward to the utilization of patches of land ole the hill sides, now unfit for agri culture, for growing fruit trees with good results, specially wben the advantage of early fruiting is taken into account. Ile addition to fruit trees, there are ` 10,000 forest trees growing at the Apatite, farm on the mountaigan sides, and it is expected to put in about 6,000 of those trees a year, the department of the Interior having trans. faired 800 aore0 of mountain lend.. to the farm for thatpurposo. One very important work which 1g being carried en at the ex. perimental farms is •tko cross fertilization of grains with a view to raising timely ma- turing varieties. In the past nix years 700 varieties of grain have boon raised by hybridizing, and 400 of the most suitable are now under test. In, the West. ,Easterner*” How long have, you lived io the west?" Westerner-•" Twenty years," 13oaterner---" lsn't it dangerous out there ?" Westerner...." Well, I reckon if some of them I've bad to do with was linin' now they might say it was." One Sunday she took her husband for a walk to Seaton Village, which was then "r known as Fox's Corners,' and thinking it would be a deeirable locality in which to live they purchased a lot on the following day,and the three fugitives built a cotter with lumber that carted from Queens wharf, That 10 the cottage that Mrs. Brower now occupies, and it isone: of the old landmarks: of Toronto, as it Was the first cottage built in thatlocality. Young Glen worked in several Toronto hotels, but went back to the States several yeare;ago. Mrs. Brown has been in Toronto 64 years, and is one of the oldest . residents of, the city. She is a prominent member of of Bathurst street Methodist church, and as she explained, excepting when suffering from her!'rheumatiz," ahe never misses tt service on Stmday or any other day. She is an active worker in the Young People's Association and the Ep north League. Her neighbors regard her as a pet, and she is verypopular with everyone who lives in her vicinity, especially with the youngsters. The inoome of merely the principal char table institutions having their headquarters in London amounts to over .£ 7,000,000 per annum, or 535,000,000. That represents a ium equal to half the whole capitol invested in the Bank of England. It exceeds the total revenues of all the British colonies together in 1884, and it is as much as the. present total annual revenues of all the British colonies, excluding New South Wales Victoria and Canada. If there 10 addsd to this stun the income of the smaller charities the total benevolence paid volun- tarily in the metropolis does not fall far Short of £10,000,000,or 550 IMO 000. Memorized the Bible. Thera leave been several instances of mon with such marvelous memories that they knew not only by heart the Now but also the Old Testament, and in one case, at least, the whole Apocrypha' as well. An old beggar at Stirling, Scotland, known over sixty ,oars ago as Blind Aliok, knew the whole' of the Bible by heart, insomuch that if a soutane° woo read to him he Doubt name book, chapter aid verse ; or, 1f the book, chapter and Berge were named ho could give the exact words. A man tested him by "repeating a verse add purposely Malting one verbal inacouraoy. Aliok hest bated, oamee the place where tete passage was to be found, and at the same Limo pointed not the verbal. error. The same man asked him to repeat the ninetieth verse of the second chapter of the book of Numbers. Aliok almost in. atently replied : "There is no suoh vette ; thatchapter has only nighty -nine :vera-. es," A monk who. resided at aloscow in the fifteenth century could repeat, the whole of the New Teatamant; Daniel iMoiartney was a complete concordance of the New testament and of most of the 01d, Testament. Prof. Hoyt (of Hebrew) re• cited a large number of peerages from the Scripburos, as asked fel, and satisfied his audience thee he knew where every passage wee.' Lord Carteret knew all the Greek Tostameet by heart Pram the first chapter of Matthew to the last ohentor of tete Apocalypse and could melte it verge by verse as if ho had the book aotually be fore him, The American S treat Railway Atsoaim tio n will bold a eenvontion fo Montroml on Oo• tobor 15th of next year. + - 'MRS. nnOWN'S :DAIIOI1Tnit. Mrs. Elizabeth.Breoks, who lives in the city, is•Mra. Brown's only surviving abild. She will be 84 years of age next February. Before Mrs. Browne escape from slavery her daughter had been sold, and it was not until after emancipation.that Mrs. Brooks Dame to Toronto, being sent for by her mother. hers. Brown has 12 great grand. children, all living in the oily. Their name is Garrison ; they reside on Teraulay street. The oldeatie 18 years of ago. blr. Brown died in 1867, being at the time of hie death 90 years of age. Ile was well known in Seaton Village as a devout and earnest Christian worker. The "old lady enjoys very fair health, with the exception of ooeastonal attacks of rheumatism. She is supported by the Bathurst street 'Methodist church, her neighbors and sometimes the House of Industry. The old lady enjoys a pipeful , of good tobacco, and at any time when it is not forthcoming the neighbors are soon made aware of the foot. Lifting a Dead Tiger. When one comes to lifting a dead tiger one becomes fully aware of its weight; so does one arrive at due _appreciation of fns elrength after once feeling the forearm, which is one splendid mass of steel -like muscle, says a writer. Then one under- stands how the tiger in its primo canthrow a bullock over its shoulder_ and canter away with it. Then, too, one may well Dome to pooh-pooh the claim of the lion to he styled the king of boasts. Bub however interesting may bo the study of the tiger In this perttonlarphase once or eo, it palls after a time; lifting it la peculiarly hard and hot work, and it is dirty work also and is sometimes -made particularly exas- perating by the laolies of the elephant seleoted for the carriage of the tiger. For that intellectual beast le required to kneel to receive its freight, and to kneel long enough to meow that freight to be hoisted on to the pad and fastened on; and, as often se not,: it will rise ab the oritioal moment just when the tiger hits been raised to the edge of the pod, and tumble the tiger and some of its lifters on to the ground, and so bring about tete status quo ante. Tho elephant has wondoefel intelligence in some utberlyuseless directions, It will, for example, pink up a pin with its trunk, and, I dare say, with sullioienb encourage. met would swallow that, and convert its interior .econolny'into a pin.ousijion;'bet I hive neves kndwn ono to direct toe talents to the simplification of tiger.padding, ,al though I have seen litany devote their rnindsaud bodies to the unnecessary duty of adding to the difiioultfos of that operation. W i ltttg to Aeeominodate. Tramp.--," Can you let tno have a pair of old shoes V 1 Lady of the Monne—'t No; but waititill 1 call my husband. I think ho can let yblt have a new boot." '