HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1893-9-1, Page 2HIS INDIAN BRIDE.
A ROMANCE FF THE CANADIAN 1`1O1tTH-WEST
CHAPTER II.
A DIF.F1Ol'l.T 0I''CATIO",
When Mrs. 1"ramk Armour arrived at
Montreal she still wore her Indian costume
'of oleauwell-broidered buckskin, tno0000ius,
and laggings, all surmounted by a blanket.
It was not a distinguished costume, but ht
seamed seit0Ul0 to its wearer. Mr, Arm -
ear's agent was in a quandary. He had had
no instructions regarding her dress. He
felt, of mouse, that, as 31 re. Frank Armour,
She should put oty these garments and dress,
as far an possible, in accordance with her
new pm hien, But when he spoke about it
to lelo.okoneie, the elderly maid and com-
panion, be found that Mr. Armour had said
that pea wife was to arrive in England
dressed as sloe was, He saw something
ulterior is the matter, but it was not his
province to interfere. And so Mrs. Frank
Armour v,as a paseen,;er by the Aphrodite
in her buckskin garments,
What site thought of it all is not quite
easy I l sty. It is possible that at first
tilts oily eottablered that she was
the wife of a white utas,—a Citing to be
desire,!,—and that the elan she loved was
hers forever,—a matter of indefinable joy
to her. 'Chat he was senting her to England
did not fret tier, lel000se it was ilia will, and
be knew what w.ts best. lluey with her
comae t et i and yet semi -whet dazed thoughts
of hint,—site was too happy to be very active
mentally, sten if it lied been the eharaeter-
ietia of her race,—she was not at first aware
how mall notice she excited and !tow
strange a figure oho was In this staring city,
When it ,iii drew upon her she shrank a
little, Ion; et ,i was placid, preferring to sit
with ser bt:n.is folded in her lap, idly watch-
ing thing=, Sloe appeared oblivious that she
was the wife et a man of fancily and rank ;
she was only thinking that the elan washers, all hers. He had treated her kindly
enough in the days they were together, but
she ltd snot been a great deal with him,
because they travelled f rst, and his duties
were noisy, or he made then! so ; but the
latter po esibility dies not occur to her. When
he had hastily hidden her farewell at Port
Arthur he had kissed her and said, " Good-
by,my wife." She was not aente enough
yein the inlloctions of Sexan speech to
' catch the satire—almost involuntary -1n
the loot two words, tiho remembered ` o kind and comforting attitude, The wife
w 1 ords, however, and the kiss, an she had not the slightest Idea where was
quite satistied. To what she was going she gD�iu ,ash even when Mackenzie, she Mrs,
did not enough. He wax seeding her : Towuley's oft•repeatod request, explained
that was cnongh' very briefly- and unpietereequely, she only
Tee 1ven1angiven toher asmaid had beeu looked incredulous or nnconoerned. Yet
weltcitosen. Armour had donethis carefully. the ship, its curious passengers, the dining
She \vas 5: itch, wan reserved, had acertain saloon, the muiic, the sea, and all, had
anauat of shrewdness, would obey inetrnc- given her ettggestious of what was to come.
tions aur'- de her duty carefully. What see They had expected that at table she would
thoueet at: out the whole shatter she kept he ew-kward and ignorant to a degree.
duet of her race, being descended from a lip's
of Mien' and chieftainesses—broken only in
the case of her grandfather, 00 -we have said.
Her hands (tire two kindly inquisitors de.
aided! were almost her beet point. They
were perfectly made, slim yob plump, the
fingers tapering, the wrist supple. Mrs.
Townley then and there decided that the
girl had possibilitiae. But here she was, au
Indian, with few signs of civilization or
that breeding which seems to white people
the only breeding fit for earth or heaven.
Mrs. Townley did not need Lambert's
ettggeation that she should try and approach
the girl, make friends with iter, and prepare
her 111 00018 slight degree for the strange
oaree8 before her.
Mrs. Towuly had an infinite amount of
tact, She knew it was best to approach
the attendant first. This she did, and, to
the surprise of other ladypassenger0,
received no rebuff. Hor advance was not,
Bowater, rapid. Mackenzie had had her
THE BRUSSELS POST.
that elation had
dlberm reading
ka letter,
were aever poke of __. 4orten __ —_
s more serious in my life, Wheel
with a m g amusement, I meant comedy stere.
instantly on Frank. Sho epoko qulekly, ly, not fun,—the thing that looks like arag-
almost sharply, "Marion, come here." edy and has a happy ending. That is whatRioI,ardhad risen. Mourne round thoteble 1 mons, mother, nothing more,
and, ea(Amgen obeyedhermother,tookthe Von 010 niwoys 00 'ery (loop, cdiord,"
letter from her fingers and hastily glaaod remarked Marion, ironically, "and euro so
over its, Mrs. Armour nine forward and very little how the rest of us fool about
took her daughter's arm, "Marion," she things. Yon have no family bride. If yon
sited, "there is something wrong—with had married a squaw, we shouldn't have
Frank. Whet is it?" been surprised. Yon could have vamped in
General Armour wile now looking up at the grounds with your wild woman, and
thein all, variously, questioningly, through never have been missed—by the world," site
hie gement, his paper laid clown, hie hands hastened to add, for elle saw a sadden poen
resting on the table, in his fano,
Merton could not answer, She was sick He turned from then al1 0 little wearily,
with regret, vesntion, and shame ; at the
and limped over to the window. He stood
first flush death—for b'rank—had been prof-Ilpoking ant into the limes where ho earl
rank ]lad pleyod when boys, He put his
arable to thio. She had a considerablefin er n les unhandsome fhb or, and (Aright
store of vanity; she was not very philosopher
finger p, g
away some moisture from his 0
ooh Besides, she was not married ; andoyes. He did
not dare to lot them sea his face, nor yet to
what Captain Vidal!, her devoted Admirer
sponit.
and possible husbaud, would think of Marton had out deeper than she
this heathenish alliance was nota cheerful know, and he would carry the wound for
o her, Sho choked down a sob, many a day before it !reeled.
thought to But his sister felt instantly how cruel sho
and waved her hand towards Richard to !tad boon, ae oho sew him 1!mp away, and
answer for her. He was pale too, but pool' caught
sig
ht of the bowed ehoulder8 and the
He understood the ease instantly • he made g g
up pts mind instantly also es to what ought prematnr°ly gray halt. Her heart smote
Iter, she ran over, and impulsively put her
to be—mast be—done,
said "it is about 1100(10 on his shoulder. ' Oh, Diuk," she
Well mother, 1 said, " forgive ate, Dick 1 1 didn't mean tt.
Frank. But he is all right ; that is, he is
instructions. 11'hen she found that hire, alive and well—in body, But he baa Loa
Townley knew French; Armour end his ranged a hateful little ombnrrassment for
people, sho thaweda little more and thea us. He is married."
vary hesitatingly, she introduced her to the "Married 1" 0chd his mother, faintly.
Indian wife. Mrs,TOWitley staled her bots•, r" 011, poor Lady Agnes 1"
—and there were many who ]anew low at- Marion sniffed a little viciously at this.
tractive she could be at 0uelc a moment. ,,Married ! Married 1" eaid his father.
There wait a slight pause, he whioh Lali c, Well, what about it? ell? what about
looked at her meditatively, carneetly, then it?"
those beautiful wild fingers glided out, and The mother wrung her panes. "Oh, I
caught her hand and held it, but she spoke know it is something dreadful—dreadful I
no word, :She only looked iu'iuiringly, tier- he Inas married some horrible wild person,
Musty at her new -foetid friend, and pre0ont• or something."
ly dropped the bleuket ower from her, and Richard, miserable as ho was, roma:nod
eat up hrmly as though elle bolt had
was calm, " \S -ell," said he, "I don't know'
not altogether an alien now, end about her being horrible ; Frank is silent
right to !cold horeelt hrna lly among white on that petit ; but she is wild enough,—a
people, as she did on net• own country with wild Indian, in foot !"
her [nen tribe, who bed greatly admired Indian Indian 1 Good Gad, a red
her. Certainly Mrs. Townley could find nigger1" cried General Armour, harshly,
fault with the woman as an Indian- She
starting to his feet,
had taste, carried her 8101108 well, and was "An Indian 1 a wild Indian 1" Mrs,
enperbly fresh iu e.ppa:trance, though her Armour whispered, faintly, as she dropped
hair still bore slight traces of the grease into a chair.
which even the most aristocratic Indians And she'll be here in two or spree
use. would not talk, blue. Townley days 1" fluttered Marion, hysterically.
Fut Lali n Meanwhile Richard had hastily picked up
was anxious that the girl should be dressed the Tf»ar». She is due bete the day setas
in European costume, and offered to laud to•morow," he stied, deliberntaip. Frank
and rearrange due".ses of her ow•n, bet she is as decisive as he is rash. Well, it is 0
carte in collision with Mr. Armour's in- melancholy tit•for•tat."
stractions. So elm had to assume a merely What do you mean by tit•for•tat?"
cried his father, angrily.
" Oh, I mean that—that we tried to
hasten Julia's marriage- with the other
fellow, and lie is giving us one in return ;
and yen will all agree that it's it pretty per.
merest one."
The old soldier recovered himself, and
was beside his wife roan instant. He took
her Band. " Don't fret about it wife," he
said ; " it's an ugly business, but we
must put up with it. The boy was out of
his head. We are old now, my dear, but
there wits a time when we should have re.
canted 0110h a thing as much as Frank,—
though not in the sauce fashion, perhaps,—
not in the sante fashion!" The old roan
pressed his lips hard to keep clown his
e `ati0n.
Oh, how could he 1 how could he 1"
said his mother t " we meant evelythiug
for the best."
" It is always dangerous business mad•
filing with lovers' affairs," rejoined Rich.
ard. "Lovers tape themselves very seri•
ously indeed, end—well, Here the thing is 1
Now, who will go and fetch her from Liver-
pool?—I should say that both my father
and another ought t0 go." Thus Richard
took it for granted that they would receive
Frank's Indian 1vif0 into their hone. He
intended that, so far as he was conoerned,
there should be no doubt upon the question
from the beginning.
"Never 1 she shall never come hero 1" said
Marion, with flashing eyes ; "a common
squaw, with greasy hair, and blankets, and
big mouth, and black teeth, who eats with
her finge a and grants 1 If she does, if she
is brought to flreyhopo, I will never show
my face in the wocld again. Frank married
the animal : why does he ship her home to
us? Why didn't he 00000 wall her ? Why
does he not take her to a home of his own,
and not send her here to turn our house into
a menagerie ?"
Marion drew iter skirt back, as if the
common squaw, with her blaakets and
grease, was at that moment near.
" \S'ell, you see," continued Richard,
" that is just it. As I said, Frank arranged
this tittle complication with a trifling
amoent of malice. No doubt he didn't
Come with her, because he wished to test
the family loyalty and hospitality ; but a
postoript to this letter says that his solid.
tore has instructions to meet his wife at
Liverpool and bring her on here in ease we
fail to show her proper courtesy,"
General Armour here spoke. " He has
carried the war of retaliation very far in.
deed, but men do mad things when their
blood'is up, as I nave seen often. That
doesn't alter our clear duty in the matter,
If the woman were bad, or shameful, it
would be a different thing ; 11—"
Marion interrupted: "She has ridden
bareback across the continent litre a jockey,
—and she weave a blanket, and she doesn't
know it word of English, and she will sit on
the floor 1"
"Well," said her father, "all these
things are not sins, and she must be taught
better."
"Joseph, how can yet I" said elm, Ar -
moue, indignantly. " She cannot, she
shall not come here. Think of Marion 1
think of our position 1" She hid her trona!•
ed tear•ataiued faeo behind her handker-
chief. At the same time she grasped her
husband's baud. She knew that he was
right. She honored him in her heart for
the po ,ition he had taken, but she could
toot resist the natural impulse of a w0111010,
where her taste and convention were 0hoclr.
ed.
The old mat was very pale, but there
was no mistaking his determination.
Ise had been more indignant than any of
them at first, but he had an unusual sense
of juetioe when ha got face to face with it,
as Richard had hero helped him to do,
"We do not know that the woman has done
any wrong," he said. "As for our name
and position, they, thank God I are where
a mad marriage cannot unseat them. We
have had much prosperity in the world,
my wife; we have had neither death nor
dishonor; evs---
"Ii this isn't dishonor, father, what le?"
Marion flashed out,
Ire answered eahnly, " My claug;lt,tor, it.
is a greet misfortune, it will probeellyy be a
life•loug trial, but it m not necessarily dia.
henor."
"You never wan matte a scandal less by
trying Lobate it," cold Becloud, backing up
hie father. "Itis all pretty awkward, but.
I dare may We shall 50100111e ann0ement out
of it in the encl."lhehi hest masts of sidling vessels are
"Richard,' said his mother through her from eOQ to 180 foot high, and spread from
tears, "'ou aro fl3 ant nod nnkimd !"
"`Indeed, mother," was his reply, r" I 69r000 to 100,001 square teat of canvas,
to himself ; even the eelicitor at Montreal
meld net find out. She had her Menem -
dons clear tit her mini ; she was detuo
ed to marry them out to the letter,—fur
which she was alree."y well paid, and was
like to bs better paid ; because Armour
had arranged drat she should continuo to
be with los wife after they got to England.
She undo teed well the language of Leli'e
tribe, and because Leli's English was limit-
ed she would be indispensable in England.
Mackenie, therefore, had responsibility,
and, if she was not elated over it, she still
knew the importance of her position, and
had enough practical vanity to slake her an
031101eut servau t and companion. She already
felt that she bad got her poeitiou in life,
fton which she was to go out no more for-
ever, he had been brought up in the
shadow of Alnwick Castle, and site knew'
what was dote to her charge—by other poo•
ple ; herself only should have liberty with
her. Site was taking Lali to the home of
e„enorel Armour, and that must be Rept
Ooustentybefore her mind. Therefore,front
the day they set foot on the Aphrodite, she
kept her piece beside Mrs, Armour, sitting
with her,—they walked very little,—and
scarcely ever speaking, either to her or to
the curious passengers. Presently the pas.
oengers became more inquisitive, and made
many attempts at being friendly ; but these
received little encourages cut, It had be-
come known who the Indian girl was, and
many wild tales went about as to her mar•
riage with Francis Annettr. Now it was
maintained she had saved his life at an
outbreak of her tribe ; again, that she had
found him dying is the woods and had
nursed him liaclr to life and health ; yet
again, that she was a chieftainess, a 01oce00'
fel claimant against the Hudson's Bay Com-
pany—and so on.
There were several on board who knew
the Armours well by name, and two knew
them personally, One was Mr. Edward
Lambert, a barrister of the Middle Temple,
and the other was Mrs, Townley, a widow,
a member of a well-known Hertfordshire
family, who, on a pleasant journey in Soot-
Iand, had suet, conquered, and married a
wealthy young American, and had been left
alone in the world, by no means portionless,
eighteen months before. Lambert knew
Richard Annear well, and when, from
Francis Armour's solicitor, whom he knew,
he heard, just before they started, who the
Indian girl was, he was greatly shocked and
sorry. He guessed at once the motive, the
madness, of thie marriage. But he kept his
information and hie opinions mostly to him-
self, except in so far as i1 seemed only due
to friendship to contradict the numberless
idle stories going about. After the first
clay at sea he came to 1tn0w Mrs, Townley,
and when he discovered that they had many
mutual friends and that she knew the
Armours, he spoke a little more freely to
her regarding the Indian wife and told her
what he believed was the cause 01 the
marriage.
Mrs. Townley was a woman—a girl—of
uncommon gentlene8s of disposition, and,en
spite of her troubles, inclined to view life
with a sunny eye. She had known of
Frank Armor's engagement with Miss
,Iuliat(herwood, but ohs load never heard
the sequel. I this was the sequel—well,
it bad to be faced. 13ut she was al.
most tremulous with sympathy when she
remembered Mrs, Armour, and Frank's
gay, fashionable stator, Marion, and onn-
tomplated the arrival of this Indian girl
at Greyhope. She had always liked Frank
Armour, but this made iter angry with him;
for, on soeow'thoughts, she wee nob mora
sorry for Ititn and for his people than far
Leli, the wife. She had the true fn0tinot
of womanhood, and she snpponed that a
heathen lute this oon.d have footings to be
hurt and alife to be wounded as herself or
another, At least she saw what was
possible in the future when this Indian girl
came to understand her position,—only to
be accomplished by contact with the new
Life, so different from her past. Both she
and Leenbortdecided that site was very fine.
loolttng, notwithstanding her entum0. She
Was slim and w built,
But ehe had at times eaten at the trader's
table nt Fort Charles, and had learned how
to ;o e a knife and fork. She haul also been
a favorite with the trader's wife, who had
taught her very many civilize.! things. Her
Englleh, though far fromabundant,was good
Those, therefore, who were curious and node
enough to stare at her were probably disap•
pointed to find that she ate like " any
Christian ratan."
" How do you think the Armours will
receive her 1" said Lambert to Mrs. Town-
ley, 0f whose judgment o1 short acquaiut-
anco he had come to entertain a high
opinion.
Mrs. Townley bad a pretty way of put-
ting her head to one side and speakingvery
piquantly. She had had it as a girl ; sloe
had not lost it as a woman,—any morn than
sho had lost a soft little spontaneous langh
which was one of her unusual charms,—for
few women can laugh audibly with effect,
She laughed very softly now, sad, her
sense of humor supervening for the monent
ale sairi, "Really, you have asked me a
conundrum. I fancy I see llrs. Armour's
face when she gets the news,—at the break•
fast -table, of course,—and gives a little
shriek, and says, "General, oh, general 1"
But itis very shocking, you know," she add•
ed, in alower voice. "81111, I think they will
receive her and do the best they can for her;
because, yon see, there she is married hard
and fast. She bears the Armour name, and
is likely to make them all very unhappy if
she determines to retaliate upon them for
any neglect."
Fes? But how to retaliate, Mrs. Town.
1ey ?" Lambert had not a suggestive mind.
" Kell for instance, suppose they sent
her away Into seclusion,—with Frank's eon-
seut, another serious question,—and she
should take the notion to iiy her retirement,
and appear inopportunely et some social
function, clothed as she is now 1 I faacl
Iter blanket would be a wet blanketin suoh
a oase—if you will pardon the little joke,"
Lambert sighed. " Poor Frank' 1 poor
devil 1" he said almost under his breath.
" And wherefore poor Frank ? Do you
think he or the Armours of Greyhopo are
the only ones at stake in this? W hat about
this poor girl ? Just think why hemarried
!tor,—if our suspicions are right,—and tloenn
imagine her feelings lvhen she wakes to the
truth over there, as somnetime she is sure to
do 1"
Then Lambert begat to see the matter in
a didferent light, and his sympathy for
Francis Armour grew less as his pity for the
girl increased, In fact, the day before they
got to Southampton he swore at Arnoour
more that once, arld wag en genie c1neernhng
the reception of the heathen wife by her
white relatives.
Ilad he been present at a certain scene
at Grayhope a clay or two before, he would
have been still snore anxious, It was the
custom, at breakfast, for airs. Armee to
open her husband's letters and read them
while he was engaged with his newspaper',
enc! Ilan' to him afterwards those that were
important. This iaorning Marion noticed a
letter from Frank among the pile, and,
without a word, pounced upon it. Sho w'as
Ourlcus—toe any women would be --to see
how he took hiss Sherwoorl's acticn, Her
father woe deep in his paper at the time.
Her mother 1vas reading other letters,
Clarion read the first few lines with a feel-
ing of almost painful wonder, the words
worn so curious, cynical, and cold.
Richard sat opposite her, He also was
engaged with his paper, but ohanobtg to
glanoeup, ho waw bloat she was becoming
vary pale, end that tho letter trembled in
her fingers, Being a little ehort•sighted
he was not near enough to see the hand•
writing. lie did not spealr yet. Ile watch-
ed. Presently, seeing her grew more exact-
od, he touched her foot under' the table.
She locked up, and caught his eye, Sho
gasped slightly. She gave him a warning
look and turt"rrl away fron iter mother.
Then she +went on reading to the hitter end.
Presently a little cry escaped her against
her will. At that iter t :outer looked up,
but she only saw her daughter's back as eho
I wits angry and foolish and hateful." He
took ono of her !lands as it rested on his
shoulder, she standing partly behind slim,
and raised it to his lips, but he did not turn
to leer ; he could not.
" It is all right, it es ell right," he said ;
".t doesn't make any difference, Let us
think of Frank and what we have got to dol
Let us stand together Marion; that ie best.
But her tears were dropping on his
shoulder, as her foreheedresteclonherhand,
He knew now that, lyhetevor• Fra k's wife
was, she would not have au aboolote enemy
here; for when ltdaron Dried !tor heart was
soft. She was clay in the Bands of tate pot.
ter whom we call t\Meroy,—store oftou a
stranger to the hearts of women than of
then. At the other side of the room also
the fatter and mother, tearless now, w•atoh-
ed these two; and the mother saw her duty
better, and with lose rebolliolsuose. She
bad felt it from the first, but sho could not
bring her mind to do it, They held each
other's hands in silence, Presently General
Armour said, "'etcherd, your mother purl I
will go to Liverpool tc moot our eon's wife.'
i\larion shuddered 0 little, enol her hand
closed on Richard's shoulder, but ale sat
nothing.
(TO na 10888121 t -Eh,)
Ii r' ell with modest eye0 gest rose hurriedly from the table, saying that
land shapely foot and ankles, eb t ey e I she wotoht return in eminent, inent, Glum. Arm -
t rgo, me ingulohed, i to wa a g her fen,- our,however, bac! been stat tlsd, She knew
tnrasd[stingnishod, Showasagoonlypro• "
THE WORLD'S GROWTH -
SOME QTJ'EER TRADES,
How Some Feople Make a Livjhry.
trohnewn hal Thtgring lluslnesses in
puferoni farts emir World—tleths ng
'Wasted In Parisi.
There exist marry odd traces concerning
which the most absolute ignorance prevails
on the part of the public, writes Cherlee
Robineve in Lippilcoet s Magazine, Some
of them have been carried on for generations
in obscure corners aid only canto to light
by ehanoe,while others are of recent origin,
roeolting from the pressure of the straggle
for oxistenoe. Dickens had rt peculiar
faenity for disuevering these °urines wall•
ings, and loved to erowd them into his
hooks, but when in "0 1r Mutual Friend"
he described 11r. Venus as an "articulator
of Hunan home" there were 001110 who said
loo had carried the thing too far, believing
that 110 such business could exist, But, as
a matter of feet, their lives in Ph1101101'
phis an old Frenchman who has followed
this sane trade for over a quarter of a 0011•
eery. The signboard over his door bears
the simple legend " M. de Blabgtie, Par,
ftunerio, ' He rose this little shop princi-
pally as a decoy, for he hos round 11 neces-
sary to ply his queer trade " on the quiet,"
In a rear room the walls are decorated with
skeletons in all sorts of grotesque positions.
Pour hideous skulls grin from the posts of
the bad, and ahem by stands a skoleton
with arms outstrotehed, doing duty as a
clothes -reek, the room being lit by a tamp
made of skull which is suspended from the
ceilings with thongs of tanned human hide.
Progress or the Race to 3'rovannz for
IM Material ('smears.
Envelopes were first made in 1889, . and
sold for 10c to 23o apiece. They are now
sold at from two to five for a cent.
Dye -woods were first brought to England
in 1050. Last year the htetories of England
alone used 510,000,000 worth.
Tea was fret brought into Europe from
the East in 10 i0. In 1891 Europe and
America noncasted 450,000,000 pounds.
Lightning rods first surmounted dwellings
in 1712. Now every hoose is proteoted,eaoln
commonly having three or four.
The first iron ship was launched in 1830 ;
now the carrying power of the world's iron
shippin5 exceeds 30,000,000 tons.
The blast furnace was devised in 1142. In
1890 the United States alone made 0,000,000
tons of iron and 4,277,000 of steel.
The first osteo 00w came to this eentin•
cut in 1499. Now, in the United States,
there are 16,019,501, valued at $346,300,000.
Accordions were invented in 1820 by Mr.
Damian, of Vienna, and a single. German
firm row manufactures over 17,000 a year.
Watts' patent for a steam engine was is.
sued in 1769. The steam engines of the
world today exercise 50,000,000 horse -pow -
Matches were first invented in 1839, and
it 1 estimated that 73,000,000 a day are
burned by the people of the United States.
Electric railroads are not ten years old ;
now there are 385 lines, with 3080 miles of
track, and with a capital stook of $155,000,-
000.
The Bank of England, the first on the
modern plan, was instituted in 1695 ; 110w
the banking capital of the word is :17,197,•
000,000.
Blackleg for boots was invented in 1836,
and now the manufacturers in this country
std. England sell over $4,000,000 worth a
year.
The first horse was brought to this conti-
nent in 1518. Now there are, in the United
States alone, 14,056, 750, valued at $941,•
000,000.
Pianos were invented in 1711. Compet-
ent authorities now declare that 300 are
made during the hours of every working,
day in the year.
Potatoes first appear in history in 1503.
In 1892 the United States raised 201,000,-
000 bushels. In 1884 tloe world raised 79,-
000,000 tone.
The first horse railroad was made in 1829,
Now every country town has its street car
line and even Constantinople and Jerusalem
have such facilities.
Lithographing was first made practical
1801. It is at present so cheap that wall
posters of almost any size can be executed
at a trivial price.
Twoutyflvo years ego electricity as a me -
c hanieal power was unknown. Now $000,-
000,1100 arehnveatedin various kinds of aloe•
trio•'. machinery,
Th.; first steamship crossed the Atlantic
in 181.8. 'There are now se1,entylinesofmail
steamers. In 1538 there were 107,137 steam
vessels 0n the high seas.
The first praotioal sewingg.maohino was
invented in 1841. In 1858 utero were 600,•
000 made in the United States, able to do
the work of 7,200,000 woman,
Quinine, the active principle of Peruvian
bark, was discovered in 1520. In 1888
there were prodnoed 12,000,000 pounds of
baric and 860,000 pounds of quinine.
Tho first lifeboat was launched 111 1802.
Tho Unttad States now has 242 life-saving
station, and since 1171 the lifeboats on our
mast have saved 01001ives,
Whom the Knights of 1'ythiao were organ-
ized sante years ago, Ole demand for skate. , about
round, provide l witha not0•bo012 in
tons increased, as they were used to a great regI whielt are ()Mere,' the Hamas ofhis oustorn-
extent in the lodge roosts, De Mamma! emend the hours at whish they desire to be
prospered as 0 consequence. The price of beetled, and docs not pan en till convinced
skeletons varies according to their dome ; that ho has performed his task, for which
of hardneos and whiteness. The geu0me he thhreceives performed
a head a day.
importedto 1 hi.y l costs ol anywhere he 1 A mama and comparatively unknown
thirty to thfrtyllar dollars, and the do- but thriving business is that of the rat -
lost 10 this country, because they can sot: watchers is Adolph Innen, who recently
ftp a skeleton so much :beeper in France. distinguished himself by bagging ninety
There aro old•teeth dealers who sell the • ! swan rate fn one night in the 3tteats-Zeit-
rRouCOT or au.ttr1' A1.11 1:•:11 JAWS, Building, He was "born into the louse
to these articulators for as much as a dol. nese," and for the last thirtyfive years has
lux a quart. They have often to buy more !rept a quaint little place in Fulton Street,
that this' to get a tooth to suit, for a slrele-' New York. Surrounded by his ferrets, the
ton with a full not of teeth is worth half old man ie full of interesting reminiscences,
again its melee otherwise. ; and is always happy when he can tell some
Jennie Wren, the dolls' dressmaker, an. ` of his experiences m the rat•oatching trade,
other of Dickcn's creations, has many lie- , which has talren him all over the country
ing representatives, but their wages are front const to coast, lit London there are
disgracefully mean. One large firth I have many professional rat-catchers. While
in nund pays but twenty-five cents for the slumming in the East End during a repent
gluing of it hundred dolls' acme, the glue' visit to London, I chanrod to meet ono of
being provided by the worker, who thus them who had followed this strange walling
barely clears fifteen cents. For filling those for over forty years. He was ,just tebont to
arms with sawdust, which has also to be alert on a hunt and was attired accordingly.
provided by the workers, the girls, get,He wore a close -fitting peelelees skullcap
seveutyfnve cents a hundred dozen, Thoseand an old lnud•slained short skirted coat,
who glue on the dolls' heads, stuff the, his 080081x0 being turned over the knee,
figures, aud sew of the clothes are paid five while his feet were protected with ordinary
cents per dozen, so that even the most sot• laced boots. There was a thick worsted
ive cannot easily manage to earn twenty- ! gauntlet on his right hand, in which he held
fiveconta a day at this occupation. Therese an old lidless iron 0001001)01, on the inside
a German of my acquaintance living in a of which were flxe.1 two abort candles. IIe
Bleeeker streetbeeement whose speciality is also carried a small sack, thrnegh the neck
making wicker arm-ohaire for dolls, He of which apiece of circular wire, was pushed,
sells them to the wholesalers, teed the bulkthus forming a ready
.
of the product reaches the public during ItF;;•CFT.Vft,E 8011 l'.l i'TI'RED 11.180.
Christmas week. tie receives thirty-six
dollars 0 gross for these chairs, and is able When rats are scarce these rat•catcltere
to make anent three (been a day. When I devote their energy to raking over the var.
asked him why lie didn't make things for toes collections of rubbish under the drains.
live grown folks, ho referred me to a big Those raining under jewellers', watch -case -
factory whore he once was employed, say makers', and gold•refiners' establishments
fig that in big things the mauufeeturersaro the choicest collections of the " fur -
could undersell hint. vinare, as they aro termed, but at best it ie
So, main, I know of a Frenchman and , a very hard crust that falls to the lot of
his wife who came over to Now York not : these delvers, who risk their lives to obtain
long ego and began the manufacture of those' a scanty livelihood.
chenille monkeys that ono sees intoystores, I This garbage•rakiur' forms the basis of a
Tho 10011 was a _genius in his way.regular industry in Now York, and the
With half a yard of chenille, a needle and I men w•ho follow it are known as " scow•
thread, and a few black beads for eyes, hetrimmers." They pay the city thousands
would turn obit in ten minutes a monkey I of dollars monthly ror the privilege of rale•
so 1110.1ilro that it would deceive a reel one. I ing over the contents of the ash•earts before
These ho peddled e,bont town at prices the garbage is borne out to sea, Tho sten
ranging from five cents to a qutrter, and who first undertook to perform this work
apparently did a good business. H0 was for the privilege of keepmg anything vale -
originally a ohiffonnier, or rag-picker.I able they fount! in the garbage got a good
8011,1t urlrrOx�tRFis TRADE, of sympathy from the public for being
forced to work at so disgusting a job, but
is one of to most curious in Paris, and one I by degrees the profitable nature of the.
of the most charanteristia. The industry undertaking dawned open the city pollti-
has suffered considerably from the intro- 1 ohm, and he bid for tie contract himself,
duction of ash -barrels, which are regularly I subletting the job to Italians, who do the
emptied every morning, but withal a good actual work. There are about three hue -
dotal of rubbish is still thrown into the
streets, and the ahiffonnier may be seen at
late hours of the night lantern inhand, with
his basket on his back, and the long honk
with which he turns over the refuse. He
will turn any refuse to account and make
something DUG of it. Thus, all the rags of
good quality aro kept for the English mar-
ket, the French retaining only the inferior.
The woollen rags, unravelled and carded,
are made into °heap goods ; the red trousers
SEPTUM= 1) 1893
gatherers of "m'tgots," as those dumps are
called, however, are not so fortunate as
this one ; as a rule, their earnings do not
exceed fifty cents a day,
Others, again, protvl the streets hunting
for old shoe•soles, from which they extract
the mails. Those, after being polished, are
sold to toy.makere, who use them for the
eyes of animals, while the leather is moewer-
ated and worked tato "leather paper,"
which is need for anorativopepsin. So,
again the thousands of oardune-boxes that
are thrown away 101 Paris every month.
form the basis for an industry which has
reached vast proportions. Those refuse
Cans are etanped by machinery into tin
soldiers, which aro sold se elemply that the
poorest children can p0eseae them; yet,
withal, the mrutufneterer stakes it far prof-
it, which he could not do if he used new-
material.
ewmaterial,
Indeed, some of the queerest professions
iu the world aro to be found flourishing on
the banks of the Seine. Who, for instance,
wrnlld imagine that there is a regular guild
of "exaniners of eggs," who earn their
livelihood by giving 010111 10110 as to whether
eggs ere good or bol?
There is atlas a 8praal
11101,11Isf0S no-• $A000'r•111tk1tnERS,
Thio trade is quite remunerative, 0tn00 all
fisherman apply to its members for bait.
So, again, there are merchants who breed
teethe which they rent to florists, who em-
ploy their services for destroying and eider-
nun0ting snails, eings, and otter vermin.
Another odd calling that affords employ -
meet to a number of men is that of the pro-
fessional awakener who performs the duties
of en ambulant alarm -clock. He starts at
Girl Reamed by a Dog -
The other clay. a little girl fell into the
Tiber from the \Margarita Bridge, and was
carried away by the stream, the spectators
looking on helplessly froth the banks. All
at once a dog leaped into the river, reach-
eel the child, dragged her to shore, and
than gave vent to its joy in ,jumps and loud
harking. Tho child had been aooustomod
sometimes to caress and give pioeee of
bread to the dog, which belonged to a
neighbour, They had met by accident, for
the Bret tltn0 after two months, a few mo.
meets before the girl fell into the river
while carelessly leaning over the parapete,
dyed of these laborers, whose daily wages
average one dollar each,—making a total
of over ninety thousand dollars a year.
This and much more the contractor gets
bank from the rubbish, but to look at the
the things the " trimmers" save from the
scow you wonder they don't let them go
with the other dirt. It is estimated that no
fewer than fifteen thousand people derive
a living out of what the people of New York
throw away. The sweepings of the streets
of the French army, for instance, are thus alone support at least 've hundred pee -
turned into cape, which are sold by the p10.
thousand in Asia Minor. Silk rags treater! Probably the most perilous and certainly,
in the same manner, arra used for the pad- the most unsavory of all these queer Fu-
rling of various articles. Bottles of all kinds, fesslons is that of the " sewer -searchers."
and china pots are highly appreoiated, being There is one man in New York who excels
bought from,the eh(lfouniers by those who all others in this partioular line of business;
deal in druggists' supplies to be used for so that whenever any accident coeurs (ouch
fraudulent imitations. Old play -hills or as that which took place recently when a
advertisements aro pounded up for paste- manai° jumped into an open sewer in the
board. Scraps of paper are sold to paper• street), hie services are immediately called
makers and are made into pulp and again in by the oily.
presented to the public in the clean white
sheets, while the bones that aro thrown The "Treaole Town
daily into the street, after being Mimed and This is Macclesfield, in Cheshire, whioh
pulverized, aro used for enriching the issue•
d to have received this curious desig•
nation owing to the accidental overthrow In
one of it0 principal streets of a cask of
tt•eaolo wbio i bad beeu left ou tsirlo a gr o oer'e
sloop. The mishap occurred one morning les
the workpeople were on their way to the
mills, and the treacle flowing down the
street was too much for them, They flock-
ed to the spot to dip their breakfast bread
in the sticky stream, until at last it seemed
as if the greater part of the population wore
walking about the town eating bread and
treacle. LOiacelesfiold is a tnanufacturing
town with a population of 36;009 in 1891,
the silk manufacture being the staple indus-
try, It p00000se0 nine charters, the first by
Prune Edward, Earl of Chester, in 3201.
I3ristol has also been called Tremolo town,
from the large quantity of treadle supplied
by the numerous sugar refiners in and ab out
the ahty.
soil of market -gardens. Old tins are very
valuable ; often the ahiffonnier fills them
with earth and uses them like brioko to
build a wall supporting a hut mottle of every
imaginable refuse, as meat bo soon by those
who have the curiosity to visit the 'cites
des chiffoniers," where they congregate,
encamped like savages. The ingenuity
with which the French make something
useful out of the most hopeless rubbish is
remarkable. They molt old cans, hoop -
skirts, and outer fruit of the tllst-cart, and
mould them into window•woights. Even
bits of broken glass are useful, The fray,•.
menta of various colors are mixed together,
after having been broken to a suitable 0iee,
and aro then planed in moulds and fired. A
coherent mess is produced which ran be
dressed and out into blocks, which are
USED A8 A1r8IOIn0AL 281100110.
While the rag•pioker is a well•known
character to all who hove traversed the
streets of the French capital at night, he
has a "eolle0gue eonoeraing whono little is
said or know",—the "old work" collootor,
Old oorke, after they have been cleaned and
pared, sell for ten cents per hundred. This
"pro1000ien " is only sufficiently lucrative
to maiotaln a few members, and the average
daily gain to each 10 hardly fifty cents,
There aro several other distinct classes of
ehiffonniore, Some make a speoiality of
picking up cigar stumps on t he floors of
nen. Ole 0f those follows, who died re.
oontly, loft a fo•tnn0 of three hundred
thousand francs. He had discovered'' a
means of reducing 1110 stumps to ashes,drank nearly a quart of brandy and hanged
Which ho sold at a high rate to a chemist, !himself. In the empty brandy floglr he plawod
who, after perfuming the ashes, found a carefully written letter givingtho publio
ready sale of them as toothpowder. All his reason for committing snioile,
One Rundred and Sweet Sixteen.
Though Shakespeare ioformo tte that men
have diad and worms hew' eaten them, but
not for love, the contradiotory ioforneation
comes from Russia of a centenarian soldier
who committed suicide recently beeanso of
a hopeless pardon for the young slaughter
of a neighbor—a girl of 16, Tho aged eflicor,
a veteran of '.Leipzig and 13eresine, would
peon have been 100 Flare old. Ilte was bald
and hearty, and his townspeople were got -
tint; ready a pabile oolebrution of the event,
but, unmindful of the honor in store for
him, whoa ho found that the laxly would
net 110tol to his protestation of love, lie