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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Herald, 1902-12-19, Page 6•. 49+++++++++++4++++++++++++4 +++++4444f4+++i++44+40+4+ ! T E "GREY DEQ , ELLE." 4.+ The Rornance of a Christmas Ghost. 44+4 t+++++44+4+44-+++4+444-4++++++4 EXPERIENCE L. kW. r 1T(he so ens of my next erperienee was Touraine, lovely Tourc.iue, "the `Garden of France." I wale spending Christnens in a ?beat tifel old chateau, the tempor- ary home of my old and charmiia;g ?friend, :Madame de Polinl:ere, who ''sb;ed rented it for at season, while herr "hotel," in the laveurs° des, Chaanps JElyeee was undergoing repairs. 'fihehe was only one other :guest !there for Christmas, Yvonne du Bois, a god -child of the Baronne, a bright, 'merry creature, who' kept us all alive with her chatter and her oharming voice. We all looked for- ;.w,ard to the evenings in the old red talon, where the host and his wife played picquet, and Yvoene trilled -the faseinatiag "Chansons" of Paul helmet, Chaminade, and other fav- orite composers. They suited the "timbre of her light flexible voice, 'true and birdlike, and exquisitely trained withal. One evening, when the iineeiic was over, we gathered ^round the tall, old-fashioned stove, 50 open fires in those parts; and 'began discussing ghosts, or rather the others did, while I listened sil- 1:wetly; airy one experience, toldelse- itv'itere, war too recent, and niy feeI- deg about It still too sad to discuss 'and when any mention was made of that spirit -world, between which rind ourselves there is such a thin yet lanpenetrable veil, I could only be silent, and . think, and wonder, and try 'to have faith in IIine who aisles both worlds, "theirs" and ours. fI4h zt day the Baron had gone over ren his automobile to a neighbor- i1ng chateau, an historic old place, in which lived the widow and daugn- tters of an old arinti 'friend of his. lhe, had not come across each tattier for many long years, in fact,' *he women -kind had never met. 1 "I heard a curious thing to -day," 'Veld the Baron. "I wonder how much +tr,uth there is in it. Madame Des- "bruerest and her daughters declare that Chateau Ia Rieine is haunted, that the servants ,as well as the /aunty have seen the fair ghost, •for it seenrs she is a lady and both Wang and lovely into the bargain." , Yvonne was wild with excitement. • "Tied are, everything you heard," she said; "quick! gpick ! What is the like? When does she appear ? Have other people seen her ?" "Well, yes; it seems that a man •3vho was there in September for pe shooting, had the pleasure of an ,intredaction, and he was so elo- !anent hi his admiration that he got :,dreadfully chaffed for his love at 'Sirst sight, and his impatience to again behold the lovely spook. He !was an Englishman, too, spending his "long vacation over here, the Des- bruereds ha+d come across him: at Monte Carlo and asked hire to come lto them some time. He continued to rave over the lovely transparent rand shadowy figure till the end of is visit. There is nothing alarm - ng about her, they all declare. r'iliey. are tiuite fond ref the `little grey Demoiselle,' as they call her, steer should miss her, if she should 'ever -take her departure." Yvonne grew more and more euri- •rad and excited, asked more ques- tionis in five minutes than her uncle mould answer in fifteen. To quiet her, iter Maraine suggested that she whould go to bed and dream of the "haunt," and 11! she were very good she sbould be taken to Chateau La Vale and find out some more about 13,er. Z think we were all somewhat scep- tical, thought madame and her ad us otrt, as he was disentangling my cloak, which was on the wheel, I caught a most curious expression sin his Fane, half alarm, half aston- sshment, he was staring fixedly at Yvonne, not with the admiration which would have been expected—she (was so pretty, in her dainty Para lelan attire, but with; real stupefac- tion and bewilderment. At the same moment, Yvonne, who had been gas- bag about her excitedly, exclaimed, with her eyes need on the old castle, 1"Why, Maraine, Miss Benborw, it's my earn Dream . House, I know every otteTae of it, I have been here often rand often before, I can describe ev- ierything to you ; yes! everything. I Could net understand it at first, but slorw I know, why it ie all so famil- iar." "What an Imaginative child it is," Braid madame, as we went into the old hail, We found the ladies as charming and friendly as the Baron had de- scribed them. In a short time they enquired for Yvonne, whom they knew to be' staying with the De Poi- inieres. On hearing that she was in ;he carriage, Rene, the only daugh- ter at home, volunteered to go and bring her in to have coffee and, "syrop." From: where I was sitting I could see straight across the hall to the open door and portico. I noticed that Rene went hastily forward then paused midway, -and I distinctly caught a little startled exclamation, "Mon Dieu!" She then went on, and presently the two girls entered the tsalon, Bene pale and unnerved, lead- ing Yvonne to the hostess. The lat- ter held out both hands with a charming gesture of welcome ; then slaughters might be imaginative or subject to "migraine" ; the servants probably followed their mistresses' supernatural visions in sheep -Like Saehion. Tile sporting man's experi- ence ? Well 1 that was more of a peter certainly,"a touch of liver, per. haps, from a chill caught while shoot - Ing," was the Baron's unromantic so- lution of the problem. Next morning Yvonne began again, amd, to pacify her, Madame said we Would drive ever after dejeunor and pay our respects to the fami.Ile Des - brumes. It wale a lately afternoon, and as we turned into the rine old.park; with its well kept avenue and drove up to the chateau with its gloaming White facade and picturesque tur- reter, Its tere:Leos bathed in sunshine, amd fiowors everywhere, it did not • took at all the haunted have of ane's ims,gin'ettio,n. The lawn was still green, oven at this season, and an aviary at one of the windows was n. very concert hall, the birdiingts Serenading ne with all their little' 'hearts' and voices as We drove up to the door. Maclaine and I got•elft, but It was **tight best that, for the moment, Yvonne should wait in the carriage, ars two were enough to go in and, pay; a rivet tall. The old butler help - she hastily drew back, and looked startled ; with difficulty she regained sufficient composure to say how glad she was to see Yvonne. The girl, how- ever, liad noticed none of tills by- play, not even the enquiring glances exchanged between her godmother and myself. She was looking in a be- wildered, fascinated manner round the room. "You don't know me," she said, in her pretty, impulsive fashion, "why, of course you don't, because ,you've never seen me before, buti I know all about your lovely house. There is a door in that panel over there, and behind it is an old, old staircase go- ing up to some bed -rooms in the tur- rets. Wlty,+ I have often been up and' down those stairs. They are very dusty, you know, lots of cobwebs, and funny little twists and turns. Then, that door leads into an old lib- rary, hung with tapestry, one panel has a /iccs cut out of it, and it rather spoils the picture ; the stitehes look ragged, of course. There are wonderful books, too, old, old alaaealr;e, aiif unwonted 1in'pnrtance, ,for the time being+. The ball was lin furl swing, wlion a 'tail, clerk man entered the 'ball- room during a pease between the dances. He was a good specimen of Englishman, clean limbed, with spare, athletic agates, and hottest dant eyes. He lo+okec! a "good all-round" man, aaacl eo ha Was. tic* }owed in his col• lcihne boat, was good at cricket and "footer,'• and a emelt shoe;. There were manly Ipanentatbone at Christ Church because he was about to take his degree and go down Ile was looking about him now for a chance of partners, when his eyes were absolutely rive -tied on a girl who was standing by the door heal- ing into the illuminated quad. She was wonderfully pretty, slender and. graceful; with pretty foreige ges- tures, and •z bewitching 1 rene11 situ gown of satin and chiffon, 'bedecked with pearl embroideries, all white, ont a gesture of color, except in her her sunny chestnut hair and rose -loaf complexion. Paul Lonsdale (did I tell you his name?) could not take his eyes off her, but his expression was not so i much one of admiration as of puzzled bewilderment, followed by excite- ment and surprise. Site was chat- ting unconsciously and brightly to a knot of undergraduates, and she cer- tainly made a pretty picture, leaning against the old docrway, the Japan- ese lanterns outside throwing 6, soft glow over her animated little figure and gleaning draperies. Paul quick- ly turned on his beet and 'With a muttered exclamation : ---m------ "She Was Wonderfully Pretty, Slender and Graceful•-" books with such funny pictures, all in old French, I expect, for I know I could, not read them." "Yvonne is a quaint mortal," said my old friend ; "forgive her for rat- tling on. I think in a former world she must have been a pixie, who came down the chimney to tease peo- ple. Well ! I don't know that she is so very different in her second life." "Will 'you come and see my glass- houses ?" said Madame Desbrueres in an agitated tone. "Rene, take Mlle. Yvonpe to the tennis -lawn ; perhaps she would like to have a game with you." "As soon as the two girls Left the salon, Madame exelaimed : "You said, when you came in, that the Baron had told you of our ghost; that is she i Your little Yvonne is the ghost, there is no mistake ; but what San be the meaning of the .mys- tery ?" , She went on to say that Yvonne's description of the unseen rooms (she had wandered on more volubly and at greater length than' I have told you) was accurate La every particcular ; in one case, she was wrong indeed, but a few years after the Desbru, eyes had come to the house an al- teration had been made, and the description. given was of the room ati its earlier date. • 1, It was all very curious, very im- pressive, but we agreed that Yvonne should never be enlightened for fear of making .her nervous. We confided in the Baron only, and swore him to secrecy. The strange part is that craving seen their little grey Demoi- selle in the flesh, she never again appeared to the family in spirit form. Soon afterwards my friends, with Yvonne returned to Paris and the ghost story was buried in oblivion as wo had arranged it should be for Yvonne's good. * + 6 H 1F iV Now comes the sequel,the happy sequel, for if you have thought my little story weird and fantastic, I think yon will approve of its good old-fasieloned ending, romantic, 'tis true. A year and a half after the ghost story epis'o'de, Yvonne was taken up to Oxford fOr commemoration by her "spoiling' godmother. They were the guests of a learned but genial (the two qualities etc not always go to- gether in the University) Don, pro- verbial for hie kindly way of opening his hospitable doors to strangers and pilgrims of all nationalities. • Yvonne an espeeial pet of his, had at very good time, her easy manner and bright nature made heir a great fa- verse. She was full of engagements of all setts and thoroughly enjoyed everything which came in her way, al- th:augh dancirg was perhaps to her the greatest pleasure of all. 'One of the first balls she Went to was at Christ °hurtle It was a ,beau - Welly arratiged beautifully.a;rranged affair, and everyone Was keen on getting an invitation to ill The lucky mob • of the "hoose" Who had tickets to give away re- ceived an untiantl amount of atten- tion, and felt themselves, in conse- " It is the grey demoiselle, I'll take my oath on that," marched straight up to one of the ball com- mittee, saying in an agitated voice : " Who is she—I mean that girl in white over there by the door ?" " Oh, she is a foreigner," was 'the reply ; "her name is Mademoiselle Du Bois. I believe she hails from Paris. Anyway, she is here with the M. M's., and a Mme. De Poliniere is chaperon- ing her, an aunt, I believe. Care for an introduction ? I expect, though, her card is full up by now." " Thank you, yes," answered Paul. " Ih luck's Way for once," ho thought, finding she hail two dances left, 'and that one was coming off immediately. Yvonne spoke English fairly well and Paul, French—a little, but never- theless the conversation was some- what commonplace; that is to say, Paul felt utterly at a loss as to how he should broach the subject which banished all others from his mind. Suddenly a. brilliant thought struck Mm. Yvonne had, mentioned her god- mother, in fact had pointed her out to Paul as she sat on a sort of dais with. 'a circle of select and learned Soule. Will yoa not introduce me to M'adam'e Poliniere ?" he asked. "You don't know- how fond I am of the French." Yvonne Was only too pleased to comply, and at the end of the dance they went over to the charmed circle. Another Partner immediately claimed Yvonne, and madame in her pretty, gracious faehion asked Paul to take her out to see the gardens, which were trnly like fairyland with their illu'm!natlone, When they were outside Paul could no longer conceal ]tis impatience, and dashed impetu- ously into the subject uppermost in his mind. "I have seen mademoiselle before," he cried, "that 18 I can't tell you where exactly, of course I know where it was, 'bn't I don't know how to tell you ; you would think rue a lunatic." Then he went on jerkily: "You live in France. Do ,you know Touren() at' all?" "Yes," madame answered, wonder- ingly, "I was there about eighteen months ago;" we took a chateau. there for three months, et YOU, you know the country ?" "Ah ! now we're ,getting to it," thought `Paul', "Why, I was there al month or two earlier," he exclaim- ed. X went to the Deebrucres for the shooting. Charming `people. Did you conte across them by chance ? Lovely. old chateau, you know," haunted, and all that sort of thing. lay the way, an awfully fanny thing happened to tae. I saw—I mean -- well ! 1 really hardly know how to tell von. "Thole," said madame, over whose face a light had been creeping, "per: - haps I can tell you 1" laying a slim white hated with a, caressing little gesture on •the young man's arm* "Did , ou not come across some One in a very unusual fashion, and does t s one here remind n o m •; 0 o ezyou of that other some one 2" Iter sympathetic expression invited oonfidence, and then it all Dame out. "Mslla. Do Bois,, was she the grey demoiselle ? Oh! what does it all mean ?" "Ah 1 that I cannot tell yea, mon- deur, it is too deep,. for a mere mor- tal to eai>lain away ;; but I will tail you all that happened after you left, and when we visited Chateau • La Itsi.ne, only—promise faithfully, sure- ly you will never mention `let demoi- relle' to my god -daughter. She Knows nothing of it." He readily agreed, and wlien he said good -plight to the French ladies he had secured an invitation to the houso of tite professor, their host. They mei: often during that festive commemoration week, and the end of it all was that Patti proposed, and was accepted. fie assured himself that he had really been in love with her for many long months, brat this he kept a secret in his own heart, When he went out to take up, his appoint- ment in the Indian Civil Service, ho took with him—not his little "grey demoiselle" but her far mare satis- factory human counterpart. MA1 MULLAEI SLAIN BY.SPEAR THRUST. Assassin gm While • e as in Act i f Prayer. News Brought to Aden by a Runner From Gerroro---Dead Man tied a Great Influence --Von Buelow on the German Tariff—Says Government Will Not Consent to Fixing Minimum Duties on Meats --•Greeted With Appiiiuse and Laughter by the Mouse. Aden, Arabia, de'peteh ; Rumor has reached here of ,the assassination of Jho Mad Mullah in Soanaliland, The report .hats .braugltt to the coast by make a statement regarding Ven- ezuela, and the House was filled. He' did not refer to international poli- tics. He dwelt on the tariff bill and said that if the reduction of duty on a native runner from, Garraro, via agricultural machinery and Jingle. reoretreaeasreeseeeeeeesseseeireseaareeesBerbera. The Aluilttit is °aid to have meats, as provided for in the Kar- dorif amendment, were adopted the been balled by gear thrust in the -tfederated governments woiiid tat ? ? IN ti pp stomach, inflicted :while he w,zs the changes into serious considera- j ; Bpi il praying. tion. They would not consent, how - o teeereaeaCeeeeetecteeeteereeeeeteeeell Hall Multammed A,bduilah, the Mad ever, to fixing minimum duties on linnet', so-called; belonged to the treats' The Government, in making CANADIAN. limb' the new eommadit'ea would tben iCabi Siiliesuan Ogaden tribe, of Sos guarantee to the demostie animal in- Tlie Arch,bi;:•hop of Toronto conciuct- ed the service of ,blessing the new Parkdalo Catholic Church. Wan. Priest, a Brandon bootblack, ita.s inherited a fortune of $1,000,000 by the death .of an uncle in Cali- fornia. 'Ir. James Maitlan5, aged 01. years, died at Belleville from injuries re- ceived by being run over by a lady cyclist. It is reported at Ottawa that Lord 'Milner, Governor of the Transvaal, Canada. will be the next Governor-Uenerai of William iicbnen, of Woodstock, was fined $1.0 and costs for shooting within the corpor;etion. ills g -un be destroyed. A nem -aerial to the late Walter Massey has ,been presented by Mrs. Massey to the Central Methodist C,huith, Toronto. The Canadian Freight .'bents' As- sociation is expected to raise the rate on Ontario flour from interior points! to the seaboard, 2a cents per 100 pounds. Edward Murphy and William Bur- ton, accused of attempting to per- sonate voters at Siingston, were fined $50 and costs each or six months in jail. A plan has 'been proposed .to the Minister of Education for a School of Forestry in connection with the University at Toronto and the On- tario Agricultural College. During ten months of the current fiscal year 64,035 immigrants have registered at Win;iipe.g, and, accord- ing to repeats. issued by the Domin- ion Immigration tureen, the.gopula- i tion of the Weal; will ;be increased l see about 3.00,000 daring the year. The Afanitaba Department of Agri- culture has issued e, report on the Agri - total. yield of geain for the crop year of 3.902. The itatal yield in Manitoba of all grains is put at ,100,0.52,34:; bushels, 53,077,67 of this amount being ,wheal, against 50,502,085 hush - els for the 'previous ,•oar. Mho Department of Crown Lands has made an estimate that 884,500,- 000 feet of pine sawings and square timber will bo cut on licensed terri- tory this year. , Carroll and Wenig, charged with impersonation at Landon, are said to have jumped their ball. It is said that they have left for their alleged homes in Buffalo. Pour hotelmen went bait of $400 each. At Sintaluta, Assn.., C. P. R. Agent Benoit was convicted of a charge of discriminating against a farmer in the distribution of ears and was tined $50 and coats. An appeal will be taken to the Supreme Court. The C. P. R, new pension fund, it is announced, will go into force on Jan. 1. The trustees of the fund, Sir Thos. Shaughnessy and Mr. D. McNicoll, will issue a circular this week notifying the employees of the rules and regn- la;tion{f. A Vancouver deepatcli to a Winni- peg paper says. -"',Phe rumor is ours rent -in the city that Premier Prier intends to request the Lieut. -Gover- nor to grant •'van a dissolution and an appeal to the country on party limes." Wa,nden .Duselieneau, of St. Vincent De Paul Penitentiary, is about to ask for superannuation. He was ap- pointed by the Mackenzie Government in 1875, bet dismissed in 1881 for political reasons. He was reappoint- ed in 1898, bat lately was given leave of absence on amount of ill -health. Archibald Cockburn, aged 50 years. son of Mr. George Cockburn, far- mer, London township, while en- gaged chopping wood in the bush, was struck by a falling tree and pinned to the ground. He was re- loaeed? as quirkly as possible, but the young man was quite dead. Dearth' had boon instantaneous.. BRiTISH AND FOREIGN. The new Spanish Cabinet was sworn in. Mr. John Dillon, the Irish leader, who was taken ill at Chicago, has fully recovered. For the month of November Brit- ish exports increased $9,074,000, and imports decreased $8,14.6,500. The Assouan dam, on the Nile,. completed at a cost Of nearly £-95,- 000,000, will be formally opened by the Duke of Connaught to -day. Titanl:uis Nast, the noted .cortoonist, who in May last was appointed Con- sul -General at Guayaquil, has died there. It is understood that Premier Bal- four will appoint a royal eotninist sign to inquire into the subject of municipal trading. Hon. Artbar Eliot, M. P., states that ,so far as he is aware there is na fotinclation for tate `report in Or - culla tion in Loudon that his brother. Lord 11Ltltto, ]s about to re- ,sign the Governor Generalship of Canada., r me Bland. He was in the prime of life dustry protection enough to ensure and only repent:1y ,became a dominant Tactor in the military anid. political situation of the protectorate of Somaliland, by Sapping the neighbor- ing ,tribes into allegiance. Von fuelow on the Tarriii. Berlin despatch : Chancellor Von its prosperous development, and would accept no provisions in trea- ties which would render it impossible to adopt the necessary veterinary measures to preveut animal disease coming into Germany from abroad. The Chancellor's statement was P,uelow's presence in the Reichstag greeted with applause from the ( caused expectation that he would from members o lith e1loftvo laughter party. SETTEO RIE AFIIUMET Deputy Sheriff in Chicago Used His Revolver. THE WOUNDED MAN MAY DIE. Chicago, despatch: Deputy eheriff Samuel O'Neill, wife already had "killed Ins man," emphasized a 'poli- tical". argument yesterday afternoon by shooting and probably fatally wounding Charles Water, a Criminal Court bailiff. The "debate" took place in the vestibule of Ai. J. Quirk's saloon; 120 Clark street, half a block from the county Court -house. Before O'Neill became a deputy sheriff he had been a detective sergeant at the Central station. ills earlier escapade, for which he escaped punishment, was the killing of M:clrael McNamara alt Jefferson and Torquer streets in 1802. At that tube he was exonerat- ed by a Coroner's jury, on the plea that he thought McNamara was rob- bing a man at the time he shot hits. ;slater and O'Neill, with Joseph Cof- fey, a Clerk in the county building, and Charles Ahearn, another bailiff, had been in the saloon for some time. The conversation turned 'to the re- cent instalment of Sheriff Barret, and the probable dieehar ge of a num- ber of the deputies now in that office who bac' served under ex -Sheriff 3Iagerstadt. "You people won't last as long as the snow," laughed Slater. O'Neill insisted that he would be in his positoin long after all the bailiffs were gone. One word followed an; other, until both the men became angry. They were separated, how- ever, and O'Neill was forced out into the alley at the side entrance. Slater was led to the front vestibule and seated behind the cigar case. In a minute O'Neill appeared at the front entrance. kle burst through the door, and, leaning over the showcase, pressed the revolver against Slater's body and pulled the trigger. Slater fell unconscious. .The report of the shot attracted the attention of the crowd in the ssaloon, While many men rushed in from the street. As they thronged through the door O'Neill took advan- tage of the excitement and escaped. When the crossing patrolmen at Washington and Clark streets reach- ed the saloon the fugitive had disap- peared. Both O'Neill and Slater are mem, ber° of the Nineteenth Ward Repub, Dean organization. It was through this club that O'Neill secured the backing that landed hi.m in the Sher- iff's office. He is a powerful man, six feet telt. Slater is much, smaller and abont the same age, 42. O'Neill drinks heavily at times. RUMOR WAS FALSE, No Case of Toot and Mouth Disease in the Dominion. An Ottawa de_patch says : Lord Stratheone cabled to the Department of Agriculture, stating that a des- patch from Boston said that a case. or foot and mouth disease had been discovercid near Toronto, It being parried, there ;by ,an empty ear tram the affected distriet. Bon. Sydney I+'isber was in Toronto when the despatch was received, and the in- formation was donvoyed to hini there. The Minister o1' Agriculture had the matter inquired into, and Sound there ,was no ease of disease in Toronto or anywhere else in Canada., The story arose over a telegram. from Dr. Salmon, the head of the Veterinary Department in the United States, who 'was at Boston, to %lie department here, asking that a0 empty car, which had escaped the notice of his men, which had con- tained stock, had found Its way into Canada. Tho c'ar was at oneetraced, located and disinfected. This is the only justification for the Boston eitory. The clepartinont bas assured your correspondent t,bart no ease of any 'kind oe disease has ;been reported in .this country. ,It Le understood Ottawa is to be created a rnttita,ry ;d.i,strict, with Lieut. -Col. Hodgins as Dc 'O. C. With a viercvl to this step, straps of the dis- trict for fifty miles around Ottawa aro being prepared in order that the • Officers of the Ottawa 4listriet may Abe ,made 01rouglily acquainted (with th,e •surrounding country, LUMBER CUT OF SEASON. Nearly Nine Hundred Million Peet to be Taken Out. The Department of Crown Lands has made an estimate of the pro- bable cut of pine sawlogs and square timber during the present season on territory held under 'timber license front the Crown. The quantities which aro based upon the reports of the respective agencies are as fol- lows, in feat, board measure: Sudbury 1214000,000 Parry Sound ... 171,000,000 Bisootasing 40,000,000 Whitney 50,500,000 Webbwood ... ... ... 150,000,000 Sault Ste. Marie ... 13f)t000,000 Port Arthur ......... ... 13,000,000 Arnprior 40!,000, Pembroke ... 100000,000000 Petorboro' ......... ... .._44,000,000 Rat Portage ............ 25,000,000 Tldtalf ..... 8841500,000 In addition to this quantity, there will be a large number of railways ties, probably 1,500,000 taken out, as 'well as telegraph poles and fence ports, hardwood, tete., and a, consid- °.. erabbe curt Of hemlock and hard woods, the Last mentioned for fuel and charcoal purposes, as well as for use in furniture making, etc. The quantity of pine cut during the winter of 1000-01 under author- ity of timber license was 658,000a 000 feet, and during fast ;winter 850;000,000 feet. From the reports of the timber agents in Is apparent that the chief difficulty the lumbering firms are experiencing is scarcity of labor, men being Bard to get and wages high. Provisions and other supplies are also dear, and the expenses of operating are correspondingly great- er. The cut during the present win- ter will be a heavy one, as the de - Mend for timber is good and prices rude high. The only thing that will tend to keep down, the oat is the dif- ficulty in obtaining labor. THE ASSOOAN DAM OPENED in the Presence of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught, A GREAT WORK FOR EGYPT, Cairo, Des. 16.—The great Acsouas loam was opened to -day in the pres- ence of the Duke and Duchess of Con- naught, t e Iilledive, Earl Cromer. the Beiffsh :agent in Egypt, and Coun- tess Cromer, and varione Consuls -Gen- eral. The Khedive turned the key, which by an ingenious. contrivance set in motion the electric machinery. Several sluice gates gradually op- ceedt ant: a volume of Water rushed out. On the invitation of the Khedive. the Duchess of Connaught laid a stone commemorative of the event. As to -day was 1.haniadam, the great annual Mohammedan feast, the cere- mony clIS not take place until fours o'clock in the afternoon, consequently the proceedings were somewhat cur- tailed. t This great work,' which has coat b tttvoeei r.20.00::1,000 anal' £2.5,000; (100, wf1J eysteamatize irrigation, 1111 - Iraq st.curity to crops, and stability to harvests, and widen the area of the Nile lands under cultivation. The annual floods with the ferti1:zed silt and soil, has already passed, and the liuJoee oe the llssoua,rl dam are 310WP closed for the storage of water until March 1. The sluices will then be op- ened gradually, and for four menthe there will be a. good head of waters :in the irrigating canal, for the use of cultivators. The scarcity of water' caneedr by alow Nile 'will be avoided and a great inere se in the agreed - 'Luxe] resources of Fgypt will be bxoujrhh about. Princess Chbney :Robbed.. P:arle, Dec. L6.,—The Princess Chis may, Who obtained considerable no- toriety four years ago by eloping with a gypsy musician named, ranee Vigo, has been robbed of $2,000 worth of jewelry. The thief Is r,.igo's Hindoo servant Aisnky, wha Hod, taking the jewelry with hint, ':title theft includes a diamond chain with ornaments of u;sb)es and peanut,