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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1896-11-27, Page 2ASTBU R 'S., BARGAIN, CHAPTER IV. et was late when Dacon Wilted et Ce- der Cottage, sp late that even IIetty lead begun to despair of hie Coining, Her Mother bad delayed dinner for an lions on bis Amount, and was not pleas,. ed by the inevitable consec uonoe that the extra delicacies provided to tempt tilee jaded appetite of her future Bon- in -law were spoiled. After dinner, as was her custom, ween they were quite alone, she took what was eupbesnistl- cally termed" forty wines" in her easy- chair; as each wink occupied rather more than a minute and a -half, she had usually a good hour's nail. She Awak- ened under the pleasing delusion that she had only shut her eyes for about ten minutest, and was invigoratea by the repose, She was as eager ,as ever to learn the details of wbat.bad hap- pened in the City, and confident that "Tear Henry would never think of leaving there in suspense for a whole night." But as the hands of theclook pointed to eleven, she became decidedly impatient; and again when a vehicle stopped at the gate and the sound of footsteps ou tba gravel was heard, she immediately took credit to herself for never having had a moment's doubt of " Dear Henry's" oonsideration for the anxious state of their minds. " There I I told you he would come, My dears," she said, as if Betty and Daley had been doing their utmost to persuade her that he would not; "and euro enough, here he is!" Dotty ran to meet him, and was startled to see how weary and almost haggard he looked. "I was sure you would expect me some time to -night," he said; "and late as it is, I have come as soon as it was possible. We have bad a bad time in the City, as you can guess." "You seem to be quite worn out, poor dear," exclaimed Mrs. Silverton, sympathetically adding in a practical way: " Take a glass of wine; or will you have a little brandy 4—and have you dined ?" " A little of this, thank you," he re- plied, helping himself to brandy -and - water ; " bat I cannot eat. This has been the most horrible day I have ever known. The loss to the firm is very serious." And is it true that Gilbert Let - bury has run away?" asked the widow with a severity of tone indicative of her resolution to nave no pity for the young man who had so disgraced her sponsorship. He cannot be found," was the eva- sive answer. Daisy had been sitting in the shadow of a large screen, knitting; but she had been observing ail that had passed and paying attentive heed to every word. She looked up now and spoke in ter soft clear voice; Do you believe he has anything to do with these frauds?" l,iaeon was startled by this abrupt question from the hitherto unnoticed listener. 1 cannot say what he may have had to do with them. Miss For- ester." Daisy rose and looked at him steadily as she put the next question: "I want you to tell me, Mr. Dacon—do you be- lieve that he is guilty?" "I do not." The emphatic answer seemed to jump out of his mouth in- volunatrily: there was not the faint- est note of doubt or hesitation in its deliverance; and yet there was a mon- etary disturbed expression in his eyes, as if he had heard the words spoken by some one else. I should be glad if he could clear Himself of all blame," remarked Hetty with a sigh, "Impossible, or he would not have run away," insisted the widow, holding to her first judgment. ' Thank you, 1\&r. Dacon." observed Daisy earnestly. " I also feel sure of his innocence, and sure that it will some day be placed beyond a doubt." "1 nm pleased that you should share my, opinion, Miss Forester," said Dacon, quite recovered from that flash of con- fusion which Daisy alone had observed. "I am so satisfied on the subject, that I mean to do all in my power to help him." Mrs. Silverton was breathless with as- tonishment and relented having so has- tily declared her decision. She put on her glasses and gazed at him with un- bounded admiration. How good 1— how noble of you, Henry!" she ejacu- lated. I cannot find words suffi- ciently strong to express my wonder and delight at sueh magnanimity 1 You who, on account of your friendship for the young man, must, like poor me, bear some reflections for his misdeeds—you are the first to speak in his behalf I This is truly noble, and I wish 1 could think of him in such a Christian spirit. But I am only a woman, and cannot so quickly overcome the—irri- tation—the annoyance I feel after hav- ing presented him to all our friends.' Hetty's hand stole softly into his, and the gentle pressure of her fingers told him more eloquently than her mother's grandiose address what a paragon of manhood he sheared in her eyes. Ills band gave a slight convulsive jerk 58 she touched it; but this was no doubt attributable to his dislike of such open praise—although she thought the prates was not in the least bit exaggerated. I am only doing what I believe to be my duty to a true friend. Unfor- tenately, there is not much in my pow- er to do; for Mr. Ardwick, our solici- tor, has already made vp his mind about the case, and his opinion is not fav- ourable to Astbury. I made out, too, that his view was taken by the detec- tive who was present at the consulta- tion to-cley, although he did not express it so plainly." " The detective!" All colour faded from Daisy's cheeks as she repeated the ominous word, Yes; I am sorry to say," Dacon Pro- ceeded deprecatingly, as if apologising for himself, " the affair has passed into the hands of the police. My uncle would have put off that step for an- other day at anyrate, but ,Ardwick in- sisted that too much time had been already allowed to slip by before decis- ive measures were taken." ' And what will they do? asked the girl in a frightened whisper. , They must first find our frlend,and then everything will depend on the evi- dence they can bring, against him. As he had not been seen in the office since the forenoon, bis lodgings were search- ed; but nothing that could inorimin- ate him was dieeovered. Ills landlady stated that he had gene out in the morningg as usual, and she bad seen no elgne 0f' preparation for a journey. She expected biro back at his usual hour ; but be has not yet returned to the house."' ' Ile was ''here to -day."" sat Daisy, lookingat her cousin, and told nee that lis was going Way, and would probably never return." Eetty a cheeks were tingling with the re/nemoranee of the painful some she bad Passed through, She, had no th,ouglt of aoneealing the interview with Gilbert, although she had annune- ed her resolution not to see him again until tints dreadful bin/incase was dispos- ed of one way or another. 13ut she could not and would not tell her lover what winked 'things Gilbert had insinuated against 'him, and how fiercely see had been compelled to defend him, The re- colleetion'of these insinuations refloat- ed the more lustre on Dawn's conduct towards his would-be traducer. Yes," she said, looking down, "he toad me, too, time he was going away. 'I am glad you saw him," was :De - eon's ready apmment; " and I hope you contrived to say something obeering to him, for he has been in very low wa- ter lately. Since he has told you that he was going, be must have meant it; and I hope he will get clear away be yond tee reach of the Scotland Yard people." , Daley regarded him with an expres- sion of surprise, and spoke .somewhat reproachfully: I thought you said that you believed him Innocent l If you meant it, you should wish him to be here toprove his innocence." It is very difficult to know what one should wish under the circumstances," rejoined Dacon uncomfortably, for he was taken aback by her keen glance and sharp rebuke. 'But we will see what to -morrow brings forth. I will let you know everything that. goes on; and now I must say good -night." "You won't forget that I shall be dying for the earliest intelligence of anything that may happen," said Mrs. Silverton Impressively as she was ehak- ing hands with him ; "for, you know, everybody will come to me for infor- mation. I feel almost as if they would regard me as a sort of accomplice—it is so unfortunate that our names should be associated with—with such a'—site was going to say "criminal," but sub- stituted - u ed the i intoe milder but in some ations scarcely less offensive word— ' person." Daisy fancied that ha winced under the reiterated expression of her aunt's indignation with the supposed malefac- tor ; but be spoke composedly enough. "Do not disturb yourself at all on that snore, Mrs. Silverton. Everybody will be sorry that you wore unlucky enough to be acgaaanted with a man suspected of a —blunder like this -for it is more of: a blunder than a crime. But nobody whose opinion is worth a straw will dream of blaming you for the kindness you have shown him." "It is curious now he contradicts hSmsslf," reflected Daisy, "He says be believes Gilbert innocent, and now he speaks as if he thought him guilty.") "I am glad you should think so," re- joined the widow ; "but you are so gen- erous and considerate in your way of looking at things, that you are inca- pable of guessing what ordinary peo- ple will say and what scandals they can make out of .nothing." This eves said with a smile and an admiring shake of the head. ! am glad you saw poor Astbury to -day, Hetty," he said when they were alont together ire the little hall andhis arm was round her waist. "He pleaded so earnestly to see me that I was forced to yield," she ans- wered meekly, but quite determined not to explain that it was the threat of danger to him which had overcome her resolution. You did quite right. 1 should have been more sorry than you can imagine if you had remained stubborn in your determination not to speak to him. Poor chap, he is in a bad fix, I did not like to tell you the worst before your ano- ther and cousin. But every raihvay station is being watched; telegrams were sent late to -night to the police at every port in the kingdom to have him looked fer and his movements watched. To -morrow morning, a warrant will be issued for his apprehension," Should he be caught—what will hap- pen 1 0 Henry, I feel so sorry for him, because"— She hesitated; and a jea- lous pang shot through the man's breast, extinguishing his better feel- ings. "Because what?" be asked with a gentleness the display of which re- quired an effort. "I do not know that I should tell von; but there should not and need not tie any secrets between us." "Certainly not." "Then it is because I think—no, I am sure—that Daisy is as fond of him as—as I am of you." He drew breath and experienced a twinge of pain at the meanness of his momentary suspicion that he was her accepted suitor only because he was the heir of Gilbert ws the mans heEllicott loved. t He was glad, relieved, yet tortured by the con- sciousness of his own falsehood; but he was palliating it with good resolutions to fulfil the terms of (Gilberts bargain in the fullest measure. He would make Hetty's whole life one of unmixed joy 80 far as devotion and money could ob- tain that result. His voice was a lit- tle husky when, after a pause, he spoke. "That is another mason why 1 must do everything a can to shield Astbury. At the same time it is a pity, for I see no chance of his coming back ex- cept as a prisoner." Daisy would .sut ffer semhorrible, w would in her place." Sbe elung to him fondly whilst speaking; and he felt that ahs was shiveringat the bare idea of him being in suca position. Do you think there is no hope of Gilbert being able to prove his innocence?" The question stung him, and he an- swered with a curious note of pain in his voice, although the sound was scarcely above a. whisper; I de not know, Men bane been before now in as bad a fix as he is, and have come out of it all right, or at anyrate not much the worse for getting scorched in the fire. S mean to stand by him whatever turns up, and you can tell Daisy to be certain of that," This assurance was comforting to Hetty, and would have. increased her love for him if there hail been any space for its increase. On returning to the dining -room she was flushed, and there was a happy light on her face.' "We need have no fear about Gilbert," she acid, speaking directly to Daisy, for Henry says he will protect him, no matter what happens." "8 am sure he will, and I have ,just been saying so to Daisy," observed Mrs. Silverton, who had been busy all the time extolling Dacon's virtues with the biggest adjectives she could think of. Hetty was surprised that Daisy was not so enthusiastic as herself in ex- pression', of gratitude, when ebo re- peated Dacon'e assurance of fidelity to his friend. More, she considered her reception of ft ungraeziously cold. Daisy was certainly grateful for his TH li SRI:780E1LS POST.. empeatic declaration of faith in Oils Pere and yet oho was puzzled by wan, lois ecaentrieities ee tone and look, j aregon ofn n sed wee, tot se an oaQ preseivs vulgarism, "eleuffiin wetllan uneasy eonsononce, So, wens; the oth- ers were loud—and she amid not deny, ,ueti loud—in their 'mule/none of tee (Wined, friend, she was somewhat s1 loot, wondering what it meld, be that us made her sit-see/Loma Co ious_not only of his genez'osiuy bet of els truth. Sha racked her brim all tee nigght for some explauationof her daubtthat should e natural and oonsisteet with the .aberaoters and position of the two men. She was glad when morning came, and it was praetipable to leave se. room and go out without bxoit- leg too much astonishment in theminds of the domesties. She took a brisk walk Iet the keen morning air, throu�,,gglz the meadows round by ilio Berne ;dill road, with the fresh 8oliage of its aen cent trees sparkling with many deli- cate shades of green in the sunlight. Then down the steep of Champion Hill, through the meadows again bank 'to the Cottage, A telegram .from Dacop °arrived at luncheon -time; "Nothing known yet, except that he has got away." Later came a message with' a note for Hetty, She was disappointed and 'distressed, but not alarmed by its contents. This was what she read to her mother and cousin: It will be impossible for me to call this evening. My uncle has had a serious attack of apopolexy—so ser- ious that the dootor fears the worst, and I must remain by his side."—(The lamentations of the lover for the joy he had to forego were judiciously omit- ted by the reader.)—"No trace of Ast- bury has been discovered; but it is painful in• fulls to ebto le write that the bank to prove that he re- ceived the cash for most of the forged bills. The cashier who paid the money knew him well, and there can be no question as to his identity. I am truly sorry for this ; but still hope that there may be some mistake, although every- thing is against the probability of [t." A heavy cloud shadowed Daisy's face as she listened to these last sentences, Mrs. Silverton scarcely heard them. for at the announcement of the dangerous illness of Mr, Ellicott, ber interest in Gilbert's fate was for the time extin- guished by the more important con- astbyya n T bargain. . g sideration of the change which the uncle's death would"Dear make in Henry's" circumstances. Hewouldcome into a vast fortune. immediately ; and —of course after a decent interval—rho would see her daughter united to the chief of the great firm of Ellicptt & Co. 1 But whilst thus cogitating,she was not unmindful of the conventional expression of regret for the old gen- tleman's affliction and imminent dan- ger. It is very dreadful; my dears, to think of tba poor. old man being sud- denly stricken. Tbe last time I saw him he looked as if he would long outlive my time. Still, we must not forget that in the course of nature we have all to be prepared for the end; and Mr. Ellicott has passed the allotted. span.' She breathed a sweet sigh of resigna- tion, leaned back in her comfortable chair, and devoted herself to pleasing speculation as to how many thousands a year leer future son-in-law would in- herit, "Ah, here is sometbing written in- side the envelope," ejaculated Betty, as she stopped in the act of replacing the letter. He says: 'I have just •irned that Astbury was seen at Charing Cross railway station last night taking a ticket for Marseilles. A detective has followed.' —0 Daisy, I hope be will escape 1" The expression was full of deepest pity for her afflict- ed cousin, Daisy got up, looking very cold and bewildered as she moved towards the door. She stopped on the threshold, and turning her face to Hetty, said strangely: I hope he will not escape; I hope they will overtake him andbring him back.—There ; do not mind what :[ say; I am out of sorts." Hetty did not follow, for sh'e under- stood her sorrow, and knew that soli- tude would be most welcome at pre- sent. But she was utterly at a loss to guess why Daisy should wish Gil- bert to be captured by the police. She would have done all that a woman could do to hide the man she loved and shield him from such a fate. She did not divine hbw thoroughly convinc- ed Daisy was of big perfect innocence; and how oompletely she was imbued uvith the Idea that his only, crime was in failing to come forward to assert it. The next day, Daisy had recovered her habitually quiet demeanour. She was a little paler than usual, but, as she rarely had much colour in her cheeks, the fact did not attract at-. tention. She had not confided ber sor- row to Hetty, who had half expected she would, and was prepared to give her every help and comfort that s[n- cere sympathy and affection could give. The forenoon post brought the news for which they had been prepared by Dacon's letter. Mr. Ellicott bad died without once recovering consciousness or the power of speech. As the de- ceased gentleman bad not been an in- timate friend of tho inhabitants of Cedar Cottage—although Mrs. Sil- verton did ber best to make him out to be so on the strength of his one visit, when he simply sent be his card by the footman—the ladies were only affected by his loss in so far as itcon- cerned Henry Dacon. The widow was delighted to learn in the course of a few days that Dacon was, as she had anticipated, left at the head of the house in Fenchurch Street; although se was chagrined et the large amount of money of which he was deprived by the legacies to various relatives and charitable institutions, she was quite satisfied that the future life of her daughter eves to bo one of, ease and splendour, as far as money couldtions of purchexistaseence. these desirable condi- In the City there was a profound feelingof aston[shment and regret; for Jhn Ellicott had been regarded as one of the most prominent of citi- zens and business men: a steady sup- porter of all City rights and privileges, and a true philanthropist, giving help freely wherever help was really need- ed. .Moreover, it was very plainly saki that his death was in some mysterious way associated with the discovery of those enormous frauds on his house. Ie bad 'been seen on 'Change, and bad transacted business requiring the clear- est intellect on the forenoon of the da of his fatal attack. Even the deepest impressions, how- ever, are speedily oicatrised by the whir[ of City life;; and so, as when the king ,lies. the ory of 'Long live the king I" is immediately heard, Henry Da- mn found himself recognized as the chief et one of the wealthiest firms tivithin the sound of Bow Bells. He bore his honours modestly, end thereby en- hanced the golden opinions he had al- ready won from City magnates whilst he had held a subordinate position. The great fraud on Isis house W85 soon shelved for more recent wonders oe the same. character, It dropped into the category of those varying commercial legends digoussed by junior clerks at luncheon bars in and about Cheapside. In this case the• legend was, that the confidential clerk had got clear away with his booty le Spite of all the effer'ta of the pollee; and, the amount ofilisplunder was estimated according to the imagination of the individual at train eighty thousand to two hundred thousand, An action we brought aleph-tee the bank to reeoyez;stnzt it wee compromised without going into court, and the firm bore the loss, wI [oli was stated to be very much snorer than tied been at first supposed. Mr. Ard- wick, the lawyer, declared that suck a result would never have happened if Mr. ERioott had been alive, He at- tributed the failure of the case entire - 1 • to the halt-beartod spirit In which tbe new chief of the house went into the proceedings, whvltst he cleared out of them in direct opposition to the best legal advice. Henry Dacon was, how- ever, content to let the affair drop, and Was ,glad when it was disposed of, al- though he was so mush the poorer byy the arrangement, He was sijll a rich man; his wedding day was approaching and it was natural that he should nidi to be relieved from the euspense inev- itably entailed by en tendeozided law- suit, however certain the remit may an- pear to be. "Thank heaven it is ale' settled, Hetty," he said, on the even- ing of the clay on which the compromise was agreed to, "We can start clear of worries, and know what we are about. Ardwick is wild with me for not going on; but I have had enough of it, and am easy in my mind go long as you say it is all right. And of caurse Hetty said it was ale right, expressing at the same time her happiness in the feeling that an their marriage day he would not be harassed by the phantom's of law's delay, costs and losses. She was quite sure that the lawyers only wanted to parry en the case for their own benefit. There. was, however, one person in Cedar Cottage who agreed with Mr. Ardwick. That was Daisy; and for weeks she had been seeking an oppor- tunity to speak to Dacon alone. He was instinctively aware of her desire, and contrived to avoid a tete-a-tete by one excuse and another. On the very eve of to wedding day.,Daisy found her op- portunity, Bas. Sbverton was isusy in the drawing -room arranging and rear- ranging the marriage presents; and on an imperative summons from her moth- er to settle something about the dis- position of the gifts, Batty left her lov- er and cousin in the dining -room. As soon as the door incised, Daisy spoke hur- riedly but resolutely: I am glad of this opportinity, Mr. Dacon to ask you where is Gilbert Astbury 1" • "Astbury 1—Well, really"— She lifted her hand impatiently, to signify that be was not to proceed if he intended to repudiate his know- ledge of the fugitive's whereabouts. "You do know where he is;" she con- tinued, "and I want his address, It is now more than a year since he went aivay; and if you have not known it all along, you have known for sometime where he might be found.—Please, do not waste time in denying it, for I wish to spare Betty any unpleasant recollec- tions, and she will return presently. I believe you have been aoti.ng• as his friend, although acting under a mis- taken idea as to what was the coarse a true friend should take. I mean to set him right before the world, and you must help me." She had made a bold Hazard of a guess at the truth, a:nd•she had struck the mark. In the meanwhile he bad recovered from the first surprise at the vehemence of her attack, and answered quietly, even with the equanimity of ane conscious of having done a good turn to his neig8sibor Have you for- gotten Bliss Forester, that I promised to do all in my power to serve him? I have kept my word; and you are right -I know where be is." "Where ?" • "In South America, where he is safe, prosperous, and, I believe, as happy as a man can be under the circumstances. At anyrate, he has made up his mind not to return to Engiland." els he aware of all that has been go- ing on here? Is he aware that he bears the brand of a crime, although he bee not been convicted except by his own folly [n leaving the country?" "Being conscious of his innocence, I suppose he is indifferent to lull that. He says nothing about it in his letter to me." "Ahl he has written to youf" "Yes, and forgets none of his friends in asking for news of home." He put a delioate emphasis' on the word "none," to imply that hers had been prominent amongst the names mentioned. Does he know what is to take place to -morrow?" She puts the question un- der the influence of a degree of anxi- ety nxiety which seemed to be stifling her. You mean our marriage 1-05, yes, and he sends up his kindest wishes for our future happiness. "Wild you give me his address 1" He hesitated, and then said thought- fully: 1f you will consider for a mom- ent, you will agree with me that Imust first ask his permission." She bowed her head in acquiescence, and the conversation was stopped by the return of Betty. (To, be Contented.) INVENTOR OF MATCHES. 55118 poo *aisle, the Frenchman, or Walker, the Englishman.0 France, says the Landon Chronicle, is about to honor with a statue the man who did not invent Inciter matches. In 1830, it mane, M. Micalet, professor of chemistry" at Dole, in the Jura, was illustrating before his class the explo- sive properties of chlorate et potash, when it struck one of his pupils, Charles Sauria, by name, that a combination of phosphorus with the detonating chemical might furnish a far more sat- isfactory means of kindling a fire than the old flint and steel. He set. to work upon the problem, and bis ex- periments and those of his friends were attended with success. A year or two afterwards 51. elicolet visited Austria, and gave the discovery away to Ger- man manufacturers, Without wishing to rob M. Sauria of the posthumous glory which appears to be the only re- ward of his ingenuity, patriotism com- pels us to claim the merit of being the real inventor for one of our own na- tion, Mr. Walker, of Stockton, by the use of chlorate of potash and sulphide ce antimony, was making friction matches as early as 1820. Young Son - rice very likely never heard of his pro- cess, but the Germans certainly did, and it was from his original. [dna that their trade sprang, up and fructified until the composition of cheaper wood and labor and of improved machinery drove theen out of the market, QUITE A LAND OWNER. The Cear of Russia owns in fee simple 1,000,000 square miles of cultivated land, and has an income of more than £2,000,000 a year, although, as he is a despot, he can command the resources of the whole nation. •A PAASTRIO 100I'iOI)IIS'i', • t Boston lflutlslar 'Who Uvea en 11? 1.5 Henle a indict? If all man were like Rev. Miles Grant, of Boston, the question of am/minim would lee quickly solved, for lie knows ho win live et 871-20. a week. Rev, Grant snakes one of these peculiar 00m- innations of foot and theory that are rarely found. Ile invariably praotioea what lie preaches, le practice he is a vegetarian; in theory, he is ono of that interoatng soot known as Adventists:, Tho question of diet has been docile - ea by him after profound study. The oor•r'eot idea he believes to bo based on four principles. They are as follows; 1, Eat healthy food; 2, consume a healthy quantity of food; 3, eat In e healthy manner; 4, eat at healthy times, Of ecurse the first question that arises le how to correctly interpret these Prin- ciples. Healthy food, according to Mr.. Great, is included in the following list of eatables: Unleavened bread, made of Graham meal; porridge, made of (me - mo at maeans, and ilia arjk ofefruitl,bs, includingpeas, figs andvdateouss; Enindsg- lisle walnuts; mild new cheese;;raiv eggs milk. The braid is made by stirring Graham meal and cold water, all the combination is about thick enough for GRIDDLE CATHS, and is then baked in cast-iron gem pans. These articles are never permitted to pass Mr. Grant's lips: Flesh, fish and fowl, pies, cakes, tea, e��ffee, eugas, salt, ginger, mustard, pepper; and ie spices. In short this diotarian uses no season- ing in any food, unless a little milk can be considered to come within that cat- egory. The unleavened bread is placed at the front of all healthful food, on which, the .Doctor declares he lives well at a cost of 87 1 -lo. a week. There are sno other two things, he alleges, which enable one to accomplish so much work, either mental or physical, as will this t • bread and oatmeal porridge, he latter made after the fashion of hasty pud- ding. Just how much can we eat on an 87 1-2c. a week basis?, Dr. Grant says we can get allwe need, all that we ought to i consume, f we wish to maintain our health at the proper standard. He tells exaotly what to do in these words: In relation to the 'healthy quan- tity' of food, I became satisfied that most people ate too much, When I camp to decide on the quantity that my system needed, I first let my appetite decide; but it soon occurred t omy mind that my appetite had neither reason nor judgment, and, therefore, was not com- petent to direct in the matter. The Late Dr. Dio Lewis, at Boston, gave me a valuable rule on this subject, which was to decide on the quantity before a mouthful is taken- After weigbing and measuring my food, and noting the effect upon my stomach, I arrived at the quantity and quality of food adapt- ed to a healthy system. I found that when I followed that my stomach made NO MORE COMPLAINT about its work then did my eyes when seeing, ears when hearing, or heart or lungs when breathing. I have not bad the sick headache once in forty-five years. "Concerning the manner of eating, I soon found that fast eating was acom- mon bad. habit of the American people, and one special cause of indigestion, I had been in the habit of eating a meal in five or ton minutes. Instead of moistening my food with saliva, Iwash- sd it clown with tea and coffee. My rule is not to eat a meal in less than half an hour, but. I am usually much longer. All the food should be con- verted into a complete pulp in the mouth before it enters the stomach.. I drink nothing when eating. "As to the times of eating: In my early life I ate whenever I felt an ap- petite for food,. which might be a dozen times a day. 1 became satisfied that this habit would lead to the ruin of health. For thirty-five years I have eaten but two meals a day, and noth- ing between meals. I take breakfast at 8 o'clock and dinner about 3 o'clock!, I have no desire for food except at these hours." As I grow older, I feel younger. I can preach every evening and three times en Sunday, and feel as fresh at the close of the day as in the morning." HE BOUGHT THE HAY. Bow an ❑aehrialod 1'enn5rlTun to 1nrine ltcsleil 11,11 Aneli01o'Cr. The man who goes to an auction sober is often tempted to purchase things he does not want and cannot; aftord to buy. But such temptation is much stronger when it comes to one who has been im- bibing over freely, particularly it he is of a speculative nature. Yet there are a few who have sufficient wit to get them out of difficulties of this char- acter, even when their brains are more or less befuddled. Au amusing oc- currence took place at an auction in one of the rural towms in Pennsyl- vania, where a house, barn and farm were offered for sale, rarmers came from ale the surrounding country with a view of making a day of it and some of them imbibed too much corn juice in honor of the occasion. In the barn were stored between 2,- 600 and 3,000 we ght' of hay—prime tim- othy'—on which the bidding started at tour cents and gradually rose a quar- ter of a cent at, a tuna, until it neared the market value of 71-2 or 8 cents per pound The auctioneer was annoyed by the reckless bidding of a typical old hayq- seed who was so drunk that he oculd hardly stand. He was determined to buy that bay, regardless of its cost, and when thelast sober bidder freely cried "8 cents" he shouted "ten 1" Of course nobody would go higher than that and the farmer chuckled to think how their neighbor was to be taken in. Do you mean to pay cash for this hay ?" asked the auctioneer, who be fan to believe he had a good thing. Well, i reckon," replied the inebriat- ed baysoed. And how many hundred- weight are you going to take?" Dun- ne as I later .bout takin' a hundred Weight," said the punrchaser' "you might gjmmo 'bout one pound." What tha auctioneer said will long Ise re- membered by the farmers of Montgom- ery county. It is estimated that 050,000,000 Leet of lumbar were cut in the Ottawa district We year. , , , Nov, 27, 1890 PRACTICAL, FARMING, RAILROADS AND AGRICUI,;L'31LtE. Every fawner ought to be interested b; experiments welch have been Made during the past year by the Great East: ern railroad company of England to bring the farmaz's and market garden- ers lute direct aommunicati.on witlll the consumer, "ilio system brought into operation by the Groat Eastern railway enabled the farmers along its route to send Produce by passenger train into Lan- don and suburban towns at the reduce ed rate of eour'penae for twenty pounds, and one penny additional for every five pounds or part thereof up to sixty. ,. 'Mende. This includes fres delivery to tbs consumer: if within three miles of `. the station. A correspondent writes to the " London 'Times," that the ;result ' has exceeded all expectations and that the 'average number of boxes sent 1511 - der thesethe apodem dalnd. rates is about five thousand per enontle which 'felled to ppY a Tlhs aompany compiled a digt of the farmers and market gardeners in their district wile were ready to forward produce` direct hm list was to freel eireulatedteconsuamoner.g LonThis don consumers, who corresponded with the farmer chosen, and received pro- duce fresh from the farm delivered at the door tinme- man. The railwithoutroad aompanyeaidof alson middlads, 1 suggestions whereby extra labor and expense might be avoided by packing produce in suitable boxes winch the company supplied at lowest Dost. More- over the Company circulated twenty., five thousand copies of a pamphlet on ' the treatment of poultry when t they andproduce far that the exceeded thdemand' foer th of supply. e It is not possible that the railroads will take such an advanced step in this country without the aid of some outside influence. The farmers would do well to undertake to push the experi- ment along one or two lines of rail- road for a test case. The transaction should be direct with the railroad com- panies i1 with no added cost of an extra officered company web would be like- ly, to take the lions share of the pro- srj fits. The express companies do much of the delivery now required by such trade, but their charges are too high. The rails d do it much and company,' soul cheaper and more direct and aatisfao' tor. No doubt the farmers are much N, to blame and many changes need to be inaugurated on lines other than tran- sportation, as when market gardeners pass with wagon loads of fresh pro- duce thwouglz consuming districts and then offer their material in a locality •+? where the ordinary 'consumer hardly cares to go and bear the discomfort of selection with the added cost of deliv- ery. APPLES FOR. COWS. I do not think there is any better food for milch cows than ripe, sound apples says a correspondent of the " Rural Noor Yorker." I am aware that the prevalent opinion is that apples have a tendency to make cows sick and dry them up. As conf[rmatory of this, .' T have hoard of numerous instances where cows have broken into orchards and eaten their fill of apples, and have been made sick, in a few instances have died as the result. I also knew a case where a man ate an unreasonable quantity of baked beans, and it killed him. Now theme case no more proves that ripe apples are not good cow food than that baked beans are not good human food. The proper way to feed apples to cows is to have them ripe and sound; green or rotten apples are not good food for anything. The cows should never be given a full feed of them at first, or given them on an empty stomach. At the first, the cow should have no more than two or three quarts once a day. LIMBURGER CHEESE. The curd is made by the aid of ren- net in the usual way, then cut up and placed to drain in a perforate:, box lined with a linen cloth. When the whey has drained off, salt, parsley, tar- ragon and small onions mashed into pulp are added, and well mixed with the curd. It is then put into moulds and left to drain for thirty-six to for- ty-eight hours; then the cheese is tak- en out of the mould and placed in a well -aired room, at a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees F. on an osier hurdle covered with, wheat straw, where it re- mains for six or eight days. It is then salted and placed in a cellar upon shelves covered with fresh straw. The salting is repeated after two or three days, after which the cheeses aremore- ly turned from time to time. Once a month the cheese is brushed over to remove the mold, and in three months the cheese is ripe. RENOVATING PASTURES. Prof. C. S. Phelps says that some of the cheaper forms of fertilizing mater- ials may be economically used on pas- ture lands: Air -slaked lime •has a chemical and physical effect not repre- sented in its direct value as plant food. It will destroy an acid condition of the soil, check, the growth of moss, and en- courage the activity of baoteria.which convert organic nitrogen into the avail- able nitrates. Wood 'ashes, bone and coarse manures rusty often be used to good advantage. After a season of droughts, which frequently kill out the better kinds of .forage, grass seed, and clover should be sown very, early in the spring. If the land is smooth enough, the seed may be partly covered by Harrowing. Even where this is not practicable, much of the seed will ger- urinate, owing to the naturally moist condition of the ground at this season,. of the year. GOLD IN NEWFOUNDLAND. It is stated that an export' will short., ly examine the gold -bearing quartz, reef discovered at Cape Brayle. Licenses have already been taken out covering the country for an area of 84 square miles around the reef. A recent analy sis is said to have shown that the be rock under the quartz yields 8dw' l2gr. of, gold per ton, while the qua itself. yields 3 oz. pen tan. •1 ri.