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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe East Huron Gazette, 1892-05-12, Page 6#Old Times, OId Friends, Old ,Love. Thane nee no days like the good old days— The &xis when we were youthful! WhenSht matdrind were pure of mind And speech and deeds were truthful; Before a love for sordid gold Became enn'srulingpassion, And before each dame and maid became Slave to the tyrant fashion ! There are no girls like the good old girls gtainst the world I'd stake 'em! t bnaoat and smart and clean of heart As the Lorca -knew how to make 'em ! They were rich in spirit and common sense, And piety all supportin' ; They could bake and; brew, and bad taught school, tab,- And ab,And they made the likeliest Courtin' ! There are no boys like the good old boys— When we were boys together! When the grass was sweet to the brown bare feet That ,' ., pled the laughing heather; When t . • pewee sang to the summer dawn eat the bee,in the billowy clover, .Or down by themill the whip -poor -will Echoed his night song over. There is no love like the good old love— Thelove that mother gave mil We are old, old men, yet we pine again For that precious grace—God save us! So we dream and dream of the good old times, And our hearts grow tenderer, fonder, As those dear old dreams bring soothing gleams Of 'leaven away off yonder. —)Eugene Field. A BOYCOTTED BABY. CHAP. L—THE MARRIAGE. Twenty-five years ago Matthew Bulbous had forsaken the plough in his native parish and come up to London to snake his fortune. His education consisted of a good know- ledge of the value of land, and of little more but the deficiency was supplied by a hard head and a determination to male all the money he could at the expense of others ; for he had no capital to start with beyond a couple of hundreds which he borrowed to open an office and advertise He made his fortune. When he commen- ced business as an estate agent, auctioneer, and valuer,' money was being made in the a nation at a rate almost unprecedented, and the ' new ' men ' wan ked country es- tates to give them position and social consequence. Hence there was great buying on the side of the rich, and selling on the side of the embarrassed ; and there was correspondingly great business on the part of the agents. To avail himself of this tide of business prosperity Matthew Bulbous worked hard, and his energy and determin- ationhad their reward. Then came a turn in the tide, when business grew depressed, andrents could no longer be paid as of old, and estates, old and new, came crashing into the market. Matthew Bulbous found this state of ruin as profitable as the tormer spell of prosperity. Estates had to be sold, instead of bought; and before they left his hands, Matthew Bulbous wrung from them the last guinea he could extras for surveys, valuations, reports, expenses, and commis- sions ; and many a hapless seller turned - pale when Bulbous and Bore's account was presented to -him, with the amount already deducted from the" deposit which it; ,Is customary for the agent to receive from the purchaser. As'for the partner, Bore, Matthew Bulbous had devoured him years ago. Matthew was a rich man now, and—in his spare hours—a man of great local stand- ing at Blackheath—churchwarden, chair- - man of meetings, a tower of eminence in the locality. He kept a fine house, had a wife and daughter, and a son who resided in chambers in London and was reading for the bar. This son was his great hope, and in him all his ambition was centred. He had been foolish enough once to take a 'louse in town for the "season," with the desire of -making' a position in society. In such a cane a man is made or marred by his wife. Matthew Bulbous did not spare money in this matter. But Mrs. Bulbous faded. She was not worthy of hi:n. She was shy and timid, incapable of rising to the position provided -for her. Her daughter was form- ed of the' same abject material. Mr. Bul- bous°thenceforth despised them both, and centred all his hopes in his son. Matthew Bulbous had a great deal to do with gentle- men in the way of business, and was a good judge of one.. Being uneducated himself, he strenuously held that a gentleman was not made by education but by"blood." When his son James left the University, Matthew perceived that he was undoubtedly a gentle- man as well as a scholar, and the fact fur- pished him with food for a good deal of thought. " If I have failed myself," was his fre- quent reflection. "through his mother's -in- capacity, Jem shall makeup for it. I will take care -that he marries blood !" Which meant that the son should not be matri- monially handicapped, as the father had been. Fortune—which, in the case of such men as Matthew -Bulbous, means the quick and resolute seizure of opportunities—favoured his aspirations. Whilst the young man was reading law, his father, all unknown to him, was arranging for him a matrimonial alliance with the- daughter and only child of an Earl. To be sure, from another point of view, the match might not be thought brilliant ; but an Earl's daughter is not to be had every day. Lord Polonius was a man of shady reputation, who found him- self obliged to bring his burdened patrimony into the market. The estate was mortgag- ed for - more than it etas now worth, and little likely to attract a purchaser. After lying on his hands for some time, an idea gleamed upon Matthew Bulbous of buy- ing theestate himself and giving it to his son. Jem was a gentleman and would fit the position. The position, too, would give bim an added advantage. Now, in his own line,quite unsuspected by Matthew Bulbous, Earl Polonius was quite a match for that sharp man of business. He penetrated the man's ambition, and astutely turned it to his own advantage. To the last day of his life Matthew Bulbous will never be able to recollect clearly what it was that first sug- gested to him the idea of starting his son in life as the husband of Lady Jessalinda St. George, 'or how it was that he and Lord Polonius- first understood each other's views on the subject It was probably due to the superiority of the EarI's genius ; but this• does tot matter. Matthew Bulbous bought ahe estate of Kirby St. George, and :was obliged, under the special cir- cumstanees,, to give Lord Polonius ten thoneand'pounds over and above the amount ottleemortgagea. This transaction ratified the -agreement between them that, subject to the conctirrance of the parties, Lady J-essaliiidia and Mr. James Bulbous should -be •married—the latter assuming, by the generaus condescension of the Earl, the fam- iiy . Remo` and arms of St. George. =Matthew -Bulbous was a very proud man- onesineiniiela to find onhis breakfast table a jcinVe_ rot's; front' the Earl asking him to dineatEanover.square to be introduced to Lary .s.•aiiada ; .This meant that Lady. Jesealiuda had' given her consent, which Matthew had quite expected, of course, knowing Lady Jessalinda`s age and pros- pects: "lits going—ahem—to dine with Earl Polon usfand his daughter, Lady Jessalinda Sh 0,e97$7, -,this evening," he observed to his wife and daughter with a bad assumption of noti`ehalance: -Mrs. Bulbous, a gentle and very sweet- faced lady, and her daughter started with a faint "Oh ! " andlooked at the master in some anxious doubt as to what was expect- ed of then in the way of reply. "I just mentioned it," he said carelessly, " because I shall ask them to .dinner here one day next week, and I expect you to be prepared." "Shall there be any others, Matt ?" the wife timidly asked. "No, except dem. It will be quite a pri- vate family affair. You needn't be nervous aboutYt, because. ---But that's enough for the present." He left the room, but soon came back, which showed that the great matter was more in his mind than he desired them to suppose. - " Of course," he remarked, " you are not so familiar with the higher ranks as I am— meeting them every day in business, and all that so—that you 'must not be•fussy or nervous. Put on some dignity, and be at your ease, as if you were used to it. I'll bring home a book for you both to study up. I won't have them think," he added firmly, " that we are overwhelmed with the honour. I'll -l'11 have my eye upon both of you, re- member. Lord Poloniva and Lady Jessa- linda are getting the best of the bargain, as you shall see in good time. That's all," he said, turning to go away. " Except this, Mary : you are not to call me 'Matt' when they are here—it isn't the thing. ' Call me ' Mr. Bulbous,' or --or," he added, some- what doubtfully, " or ' Mr. Bulbous, my love,' if you like ; and I will do the same. Of course Agnes will not speak unless she is spoken to," Leaving the two ladies a little pink in the face, he went away to his business. It was mysterious to them, but they had to await his pleasure to explain what it meant. Bul- bous was cross and impatient when he came home In the evening to dress, because he was conscious of being nervous and of be- traying it. He had never before been an invited guest at a lord's house. He was to be the only guest, too, which to begin with, was not giving him what he considered a fair start. Matthew Bulbous was thinking less of Lord Polonius and Lady Jessalinda than of the terrible, silent, observant men- ials. When he returned at half -past eleven, it was plain to be seen that the dinnerhad gone off well; perhaps Matthew Bulbous had dis- covered hitherto unknown powers of rising to the occasion. He had dropped into a club on his way home, and casually men- tioned to seve-al men he knew that he bad been dining with Earl Polonius and Lady Jessalinda; he had even hinted at more. He was therefore in good humoe when he got home. "Mary," he said to his wife, as he flung himself in an easy -chair and stretched out his legs, "did you ever know me to fail in anything -that I undertook?". "No, Matt," was the gentle reply. "1 never yet," he continued reflectively, "got my eye on a property that was doom- ed for the market that I didn't in the end have the selling of it and all the busines the thing was worth—ay, though I waited for years, never losing sight of it for a day. That's the way to succeed: be patient, keep- ing steady on the track, and you'll run down your game in the end. Well, I have suc- ceeded again. "It's a big thing, but I have succeeded." "1 am sure you have, 'Matt, whatever it ie." But you don't dream what it is. What's the good of being rich if you can't stand high ? If it hadn't been for-- Well, there ; I won't talk about it vow," he said gener- ously, noticing the look of pain in his wife's face. That was a failure ; but if you are not capable yourself of succeeding, why shouldn't your children rise. Isn't Agnes there, with a bit of money, good enough for any swell in the Guards, I'd like to know, if she only had the ability to, work hetself up ? But she hasn't, and we'll have her wanting to mari`y an attorney or something of that sort, one fine day. That;s how they treat us." Mother and daughter exchanged a glance and inwardly trembled; for they had a dread secret between them relating to a curate, which it was terrible to think of Mr. Bulbous discovering. " What do you suppose, now, is going to happen ?" he said, after a pause. " Jem is going to marry Lacly Jessalinda St. George, Earl Polonius's only daughter and—and heiress," he thought it as well to add, to round off the description. " What do you think of that now ?" Matthew Bulbous had a very large and deep month, ordinarily concealed under- neath a heavy moustache. Now, as he lay back enjoying the effect of this announce- ment upon his wife and daughter, that fea- ture extended- itself in a smile which lent a startling expression to his face. "And there's another thing," he contin- ued at breakfast next morning, "only I don't want it talked about just yet. I never thought of doing such a thing before, but I'll do it now ; I'll do my part to act up to the new position. If I don't succeed in this thing," he added, with a confident smile, "it will be the first failure of my life." " You could not fail, Matt," said the meek wife deferentially. "I'll. hardly fail. I'm going in for Par- liaments then ; that's what it is. The mem- ber of this division is going to be made a judge. I mainly helped to carry his elec- tion ; and it will be odd if I can't tarry my own. I've promised Polonius," be said familiarly, "and he will get me the official support of the Party. Jem, of cour'el�goes in for bis county the first va- cancy. These matters being above the under- standing of the ladies, were put out of their thoughts the moment he left the house. The absorbing subject of Jem's marriage en- grossed them. " Lady—Jessalinda—St. George ! " said Agnes Bulbous, below her breath. Mrs. Bulbous saiddiothing, being engaged with her thoughts. Perhaps she would have better liked her son to find a wife lower down in rank ; perhaps she had a mother's misgivings as to the happiness likely to resnit from this kind of marriage, but of one thing she was certain : her -son Jem was worthy of a princess. Meanwhile Agnes. had brought in a Imp gilt book from her father's room, ani ealas turning eagerly over the pages. " Flere it is, mamma. ' Claudius Hector D'Erebus Henry Maximilian, fourth Earl and Baron' —let me see ; oh, yes—' married 13th March 1852 the Honourable Georgiana Lucia Louise Tremendus (who died August I854), and liy her had issue, Lady Jessa- linda Hesperia Gwendolen Alice Georgiana'- -good gracious, mamma !". Agnes looked pale. Leaving the ladies immersed in the in- teresting discovery that Lady Jessalinda had reached the mature age of thirty-five, let us follow Mr. Bulbous to London. When a man rises to a higher sphere, he owes to it the :duty -of -lopping off all connee- -tiona which are notcaicnlated to adorn that elevated plane, One such Mathew Bulbous ,had in l is mind this tnorn1ng to be rid of once. Tdpia cans a brpther, Whp44—. ever al ways had been useful to him in his busi- ness for a number of years ; but who, on his usefulness ceasing with the fuller growth of the house, had tale to - dissipation on an allowance made.:.to him for that ,purpose,,: Joseph Bulbous- proved of tough vitally , but Matthew would nov now have htrnabent London any "longer Matthew found this brother in=.a lodging in Chelsea, sitting over a fire after sa" breakfast. - ' I -don't think this life is doing well with you, Joe," he said, sitting down ` and . lQok- ing curiously at the d-issipated face of -;his brother. "You asked me, once, to send you to Canada. Perhaps I ought to have done soI hardly know." The colour rose for an instant to the other's forehead, and faded again. "If you had sent ire then," he replied, without looking up, "it might have been different. I don't think it matters now. I am hardly fit to make a new start ; though, if it comes to that," he added bitterly, " I have never made one." " No, you never have. It wasn't in you, Joe." " Wasn't in me?" answered Joe, with a flash. " Have I ever had the chance ? If you had left me at home on the farm, I might bave done well enough. But you wanted me for your own purposes ; and after making use of me all those years, and allow- ing me no chance of doing anything for my- self, you say—it wasn't in me ! No one knows better than you, Matt, whether I've ever had a chance or not. It didn't suit your interests to let me find one ; and like a fool, I did your work, until you used up the best part of my life.'% " Well, I am going to give you a chance now," replied Matthew, not in the least moved.. You are of no use .to yourself;or apyliody'else in England. I will -send you ' to one of the colonies." "Itis not from any interest in me that you propose doing so," said the other, who knewhis-brother well. '" Suppose I refuse. togo?" " Then you may starve. I daresay they would pitch you out of here in a week," ob- served Matthew quietly. He knew his power over the broken-down man, and so did the latter. Joseph Bulbous turned pale, and gave his brother a look which indicated more hate than fear. He made one or two efforts to speak, but evidently the quiet masterful presence of his brother was terrible to him. Then he turned quickly to a cupboard where there was brandy, and with shaking hand swallowed a draught of the liquor. Matthew smiled under his heavy mous- tache ; he saw how beaten the poor creature was. " If I swallowed half of that stuff in the morning, Joe," he observed good-humoured- ly, " I should be fit fop nothing all day. Joe, what an inside you must have ! " "Never mind," said Joei grown calmer. "I don't mind saying I am quite ready to go. But why? At any rate, I have never betrayed your confidence." There was no particular reason why Mat- thew Bulbous should make known to his brother the great family matter. But it gratified him to unbend a little, contrasting his own splendid success with the broken brother's abject failure. " I am giving Kirby S. George to Jem. He is going to marry Lady Jessalinda St. Georgo, and to assume the family name and arms. I am going into Parliament myself, and Jem will be in the first time there's a vacancy in his county. What will they think of all that, no w, down in Bullworth?" Bullworth was their native place. Mat- thew smiled widely as he spoke. Joseph ran his fingers through his thin unbrushed hair and for a minute looked dazed. He saw now why Matthew wanted to be rid of him. He was an undesirable connection. Yet he was naturally a cleverer man than his brother, and felt very bitterly that he had helped largely—in ways Matthew could not follow—to make that fortune, of which this was his share. Now, as Joseph Bulbous realised the posi- tion, a gleam of quick intelligence shot from his rheumy eyes. Whilst Matthew was gazing at the ceiling, full of ambitious thoughts, his brother quietly flung --a bomb- shell at his feet which blew the strong man in pieces through the roof. "Matt," he said, "Jem is already married !" Matthew Bulbous was blown very high indeed—into the very clouds—and it took him a considerable time to collect himself and return to the scene of the explosion. Then it struck him that the whole thing must have been merely a half -tipsy joke. It was the brandy, I suppose," he remark- ed, wiping his forehead, " that suggested that to you, Joseph. But it wasn't a very nice trick. Don't do it again. I'll let it pass for once ; but you know I'm not a man to appreciate practical jokes." Joseph Bulbous knew of old how easy it was to frighten the tyrant of the family, though it was a dangerous thing to do. But at present he was on strong ground James Bulbous was married—had been six months married—as the father would have learned had he deemed it necessary to con- sult the son regarding the new matrimonial arrangement His face darkened. He rose and reached his brother with a stride, and grasping him by the collar, jerked him to his feet and shook him fiercely. "Hands off!" cried Joseph Bulbous quick- ly, in a suppressed voice which sounded dan- gerous. Matthew at once dropped his hands by his side. "Go and ask him." "Married—Jem married!" the elder bro- ther exclaimed. He paused, for time to re- alize the possibility of so daring an. act. - He walked to the end of the room and back again, and then asked, in an ominously col= lected voice: "Where does she live?" "They have a small house— No; +I don't think I'll tell you just at present," he answered. attentively regarding the other's eye. "Go and see Jem, and let him give you the address, if he likes." Matthew Bulbous laughed. " You ass ! do you fancy that I would attempt her life?" Whatever he thought, he gave no direct reply to this ; but after thinking a minute, observed with a grin : " I think you had better, Matt, for your own sake, not seek to see Mrs. Jem. She's a terror:"- - " A—what ?" - " A terror; Matt," was the grave reply, "especially when she is under certain in- fluences. She'd tear you. Poor Jem ; it is always the bent sort of fellows they catch ; but she was (and is still) . g_ ood-looking— there's no denying that. No, the ; take my advice, andgive Mrs. Jem a=wide berth."" Matthew Hulboug asked no more infor- mation. Joseph stood at the winnow watch - ng thissicab with a Smile of t a`l eious satis actiotl-ai hisbrother drove away. "That's' one for'you, Matt," he remarked. "I hope t will do you good." - The revelation of his son being married, Which he did not for a moment doubt,: was a tremendous bloweto -Matthew Bulbous. l Such defianceof his authority he had never thought of as possible. He was not a man to look for gratitude : but in return for" all he bad done for .his, son, he did claim:unquestioning submission to his will and pleasure in all things. It was his - an-, f i leteelright,_be. argmed ;-ahlk-Ranseq ly he had looked for his son's acquiescence in the marriage scheme as a matter of course. " Where should he benow,"said: Matthew to himself; -"if it-vasu't der me? Why at the tail of a Btilliv©ttli plough !" -' de-And:AO thisnianisseetyounemate. who by Tights eight to lie ptonghing thefields, de- fying his lather :biymarrying a music -hall actress, and thereby frustrating hie father's -design of making ihim a country gentleman and -the hushand_'.of an Earl's, daughter—it was too much to bear thinking of. Yet when he reached, hisi son's;:chatiibers bet ooked cool and quiet. There was not a, sign of disturbance in his large steady eyes. Jem was a handsome young man, very like his mother and sister, and rose quickly when his father entered the room. The latter, however, did not sit down or remove his hat. "I bave just heard something that has surprised me," he said very quietly. "Is it a fact that you are married?" James Bulbous started, changed colour, and dropped his eyes for a moment. Then he looked frankly in -his father's face. "I ought to have told you father. I am ashamed both before Gertrude and you not to have done so. Yes, sir: I am married." Matthew examined the pattern of the carpet for a few seconds. "Have your mother and sister been aware of this?" - "No, sir." "Very well. " You: have taken your course. You have no further claim upon me. That was all. The young man reddened and inclined his head. Matthew Bulbous walked from the room, pausing to inspect an engraving on the wall, and drove away to his office. = It was over, as far as the son was conet re- ed. +But"the blow struck Matthew Bulbous harder in another quarter. Lord Polonius would have to be informed of the downfall of the marriage project. His lordship would doubtless be; disappointed ;` but Matthew reaJjed with bitterness -of heart the polite equanimity with which Polonius would bear it. He had ten thousand pounds of Matt- hew's money to console him, and the ten thousand maledictions now accompanying the money would disturb his lordship very little. This was the keenest agony of it; the wily old Earl had beaten him. Jem was married. The curses, deep and silent, breathed ..by Matthew Bulbous- on their wedded life, were tempered only by the vindictive satisfaction with which he reflected on what the woman was. The more reason the son had daily to repent et the marriage the greater would be the father's gratification. Matthew knew the kind of creature she was—knew the life she would lead her husband now that the liberal money supplies were cut off. He laughed aloud, thinking of it. It was his only com- fort. TO BE CONTINUED. THE CONGO ARMY. Drilled and Uniformed Cannibals that Are Excellent Soldiers. In 1883 Stanley took ICO Zanzibar and Haussa soldiers on the Congo. In . the ser- vice of the Congo Free State to -day are 3,200 soldiers, a le,rge number of whom are recruited from the villages along the great river and its tributaries. 'ihe head of the little army is the Governor General, but the active control of the milil;`ary force is in the hands of the Commander of the Public Force, who at present is Commander Four - din. His headquarters are at Boma. The army is divided into companies, with eleven Captains, ten Lieutenants, thirty-nine sub - Lieutenants, and sixty Sergeants. Moat of the officers are Belgians. The little army is spread over the twelve districts into which the Congo State is divid- ed. It is kept -busy policing the Govern- ment stations, giving to the Governor of each district the assistance he needs for the exploration of his territory and consolidat- ing the political influence of the State. The largest and strongest posts are those on the Mobangi and the Aruwimi rivers and in Katanga, where strong forces are kept in order to suppress slave raids.. In 18S6 the Government decided to create its army out of native elements. It found that the Bangala cannibals on the Upper Congo developed into excellent soldiers, and that it was much cheaper to enlist and drill them than to bring soldiers many hundreds of miles from Zanzibar and the northwest coast. . The enlisted men are between four- teen and thirty years of age, andtheir term of service is five years. Camps of instruc- tion are at Leopoldville and Equator Sta- tion. That use of the natives has had an excel- lent effect on the country, for the soldiers, under strict discipline, become in a large degree civilized, and are effective friends of the State after their term of service=has ex- pired. Most of the military stations are commanded by Europeans, although some of the posts around the main stations are under the' charge of black sergeants. A number of the stations have been establish- ed at the request of native chiefs who like a erotection, and in return for the advantages they derive from the presence of the sol- diery they agree tofnrnish the men with rations. The Congo.State now has thirty-' eight`garrisoned posts. Five of the posts -- Leopoldville, Boma, Bangala, Basoko, and Lusambo—are.well supplied with cannon. The soldiers are neatly unifomed in blue with red trimmings, and they are armed with Chassepot and Winchester guns. Bruin in Winter. Bruin does not retire from the open air till he is compelled to do so by frost and snow He lives through the summer on ber- ries, buds, insects of every kind, grass, mice or any small animal that he can get. I may say, for the benefit of the gentlemen that publish so many terrifying bear stories in the daily newspapers, that bruin is as harm- less as a cow duffing the summer, and will take to his heels in fright on sight of a hu- man being. It is only when he leaves his lair too early in the spring and he is not able to find anything to eat that he will at- tack man ; but he prefers a calf or sheep, and the farmer's tale is often short at sun- down. But, as I have said, when winter over- takes him he sets about to find a winter home. He has verylikely, during the sum- mer, when poking his nose into hollow trees looking for the honey of wild bees, seen some place that will suit him, andtothis he goes stiaiightway. The tree;niust b :ala'rge one, and he wilt net select it unless there is a space with plenty o °roomwhere the: Flow oriram -mit not reach him. This secuted he bundiea hiniself together, leis lea +� his pews, closes hiseeye -. an m am '' ' ;� �, closes a _ s�+,„ - � .�� ±his posture, till '" those bind" motions of the spring tel:hat "the year has turned." Then he drags himself out and begins his struggle for an existence. Sometimes, however, when lying in this 'stupor, loud isounde startle him, and his tree castle shakes ; this is when the lumber- men have found him and are assailing the tree with their axes. He seldom escapes, and if he does he will surely die in the snowy forest unless he can find another home.—[Oar Animal Friends. Aline. The breath comes slow the pulse is faint, the voice is no more heard, Mortality is floating by on waters faintly stirred, A life hangs in the balance of ceaseless, sway- ing Time, Eternity approaches with step and mein sub- lime. A world of joys and sorrows is slowly passing by, Hands held in farewell pressure, await the word good -by, A fount of tears runs over, where brooding silence reigns, A mortal life is ending its earthly joys and pains. Arustle light of drapery, a hastily drawn sigh, A life on earth is ended—a soul goes floating by, Out on a sea that opens upon a world unknown, To which the journey thither must ever be— alone. Telegraphing Handwriting—St artling Pro phecy. The following is from the London letter o the Liverpool Mercury:—Electrical miracle is, if I am correctly informed, likely to have a new addition to its list in the course of the next few months. Many efforts have been made to telegraph handwriting. . The thing has actiuslly been done in an imper- fect way. The writer has been able occa- sionally to reproduce his "fist " at some dis- tance by the communication of a telegraph - wire. But now a much more delicate in- strument is said to be on the eve of being patented at Washington. You write a let- ter, and it is at once reproduced at any dis- tance. The current which carries the mes- sage does not take longer—so I have been told—than is occupied in the transmission of one word by the Morse system. You may take a whole page of the Times, and it will be reproduced at the other end. The vibrations of the human voice have already been conveyed. The new invention regis- ters the vibrations of light. It is so perfect that a cheque may be, save in respect of colour, reproduced a hundred miles away in such a fashion that the authenticity of the signature might be recognized by a bank clerk. The thing sounds incredible, but it is not nearly so incredible as were th:i stories of the telephone before Dr. Graham Bell came to England with an invention which is now alternately the convenience and the plague of business men. Of course, details are wanting as to the methods em- ployed. The patent is not yet secure. But one may be almost certain that before the century is out it will be as possible to trans- mit at least a short sentence in facsimile as it is now to speak under the Straits of Dov- er between London and Paris. Incidents of a Bank Bun. f Sydney (New South Wales) evening paper, relating some of the incidents of the- panic during the recent run on the savings bank, says : Four ladies got their bank pass -books turned into some £150 or £160 in sovereigns at the bank soon after ten o'clock. Having got the money, they sat down in the bantr to consider what to do with it. It took them upwards of an hour to decide, but finally the fear of pickpockets outside, and " the enterprising burglar" a hen they got acme, induced them to deposit their money in the very bank which they had just drawn it out of —minus a month's interest for the fun of the thing. Another depositor, also of the tender sex, drove up in a cab to the savings bank. She had her best frock on. She wrestled for her deposit for two hours, and got it. The dress, which was very'nearly. new, and cost the best part of £20, is now about fit for good raga. The same paper says that at the banks which voluntarily participated in the supposed dangers of the run, by offering to cash savings bank deposits, people who were sick of the crush at the Savings Bank came to their counters, and after drawing their money, redeposited half of it with them. Others actually asked for notes instead of gold. How to Test Your Diamonds. Here is an easy means of determining whether a supposed diamond is genuine o r not: Pierce a hole in a card with a needle and then look at the hole through the stone. If false you will see two holes, but if you have a real diamond only a single hole will appear. You may also make the test in another way. Put your finger be- hind the stone and look at it through the diamond as through a magnifying glass. If the stone is genuine you will be unable to distinguish the grain of the skin, but with a false stone this will be plainly visible. Furthermore, looking through a real dia- mond the setting is never visible, whereas it is with a false stone. Extravagance of Women in Old Times. Speaking of the extravagance of women in our -day, Marie de Medicis had a gown sown with 32,000spearls and 3,000 diamonds, and her example was followed by lesser person- ages, who cheerfully expended more than their incomes 011 gowns so laden with pre ci us o stones o es that their wearers could scarce arca ly move about in them. Mme. de Monten span, the beauty who reigned at the court of Louis XIV., wore at one great festival "a gown of gold 011 gold, and over that gold frieze stitched with a certain gold which makes the most divine stuff that has ever -been imagined," according to the panegyrics writted by the pen ot Mme. de Sevigne. - - Wonders of the Human Heart. A canoes calculation has been made by Dr. Richardson, giving the work of the heart in --mileage. Presuining that the blood was thrown out of the heart at each pulsa- tion in the proportion of sixty-nine strokes per minute and at the assumed force of nine feet, the mileage of the blood through th e body might be taken at 207 yards par min - ute, seven miles per hour, 163 miles per day , 61,320 miles per year, or 5,150,880 miles in a lifetime ot 84 years. The number of beats in the heart in the game long life wou ld reach the grand total of 2,869,776,000. The American Girl in London. amara (upon the announcement of her friend's engagement to the Duke of Dead- broke)--" Did he first tell you that he lov- ed yon, dear, and then speak about the passionate yearning in his heart, and all that?" - - Maud- "Vyhy, no." Clara—"Didn't he say something about tile's stormy ocean and about his strong protecting -arms that would always shield you, and 1iow,. ever since he beheld you he had been haunted by your pleading eyes, and his love had gone out to you in a great passionate outburst ? Didn't he say that life without you would be a dreary waste ?" Maud--" No; certainly not." Clara(impatieiitly)—" Then I should like to know what the fellow did say." Maud_" He didn't say a word. I did the talking."—Lzfe. - Wm or No -Shirt is the name o the new chief o1 the Umatillas. Football was a favourite game among the Greeks and Romans. fr Every person invited th a wedding is sup- posed to make the bride seiteaseente The United States boasts of two negro women lawyers. - On* citizens who can read and write are allowed to vote in Bolivia. A turnip seed increases its own v:sight fifteen times in a minute when growing. A French soldier can earn five shillings a month pocket money. The Japanese Emnress always dresses after Europa n costumes. The cocoa -tree of the Maldive Islands every month produces a cluster of nuts. A law is to be passed in Costa Rica mak ing the sale to foreigners of Indian antiqui ties collected in the republic a crime punish able with severe penalties. A similar law is to be passed in Ecuador. On the let of January of the present year there were 25,518 animals in the British army, which is the largest total since the year 1880. People in Japan are called by the family name first, the individual, or what we should call the Christian name, next, and then the honorific—thus, " Smith Peter Mr." Seals when basking, place one of their number on guard to give the alarm in case of danger. The signal is a quick clap of the flippers on a rock. Rabbits signal with their forepaws, and have regular signals and calls. Wedding anniversaries are :—First anni- versary, iron ; fifth, wooden ; tenth, tin ; fifteenth, crystal; twentieth, china; twenty fifth, silver ; thirtieth, cotton ; thirty-fifth, linen ; fortieth, woolen ; forty-fifth, silk ; fiftieth, gold ; seventy-fifth, diamond, The Government of Switzerland is the most economically managed in Europe. The president of the Swiss Republic is paid £600 a year. A hippometer, to record the number of a horse's paces, and the distance he has travelled, has been invented by an officer in the French army. • The longest animal known to exist at tht present time is the rorqual, which av rages 100 feet in length. The smallest is the monad, which is only 1-12,000th of an inch in length. In the towns and cities of Chili all the shopping of any consequence is done in the evening. Iu Santiago the stores -are open till midnight, and during hot afternoons they are locked ap. Large heads do not always indicate in- tellect. Professor Virchow, the German scientist, points out that the Greeks, one of the most intellectual of nations, are also one of the smallest headed of races. An ancient copper mine, which was first worked 1183 years ago, is about to be re- opened in Musashi, Japan. Old Japanese manuscripts of undoubted authenticity mention this mine. Its galleries and levels are in some cases just as they were 700 years ago. The difference between colour-blind people and others is simply that owing probably to some difference of tint in the constituent portions of the eye; the rays of light by which colours are recognized reach the retina in different individuals in a different con- dition. The United Kingdom Band of Hope Union reports that 17,449 juvenile societies, with an estimated membership of 2,112,079, are now at work ; 1,676 meetings were attended by the Union's agents in London alone dur- ing the past year. During seven months of last year more than two hundred buildings were struck by lightning in England, including 21 churches and chapels, 114 residences, farmhouses and ricks, and nine hotels and public -houses. During the same time 18 men and women were killed by this cause, besides 93 cattle, 35 horses, and 153 sheep. The Emperor of Japan, to whose sagacity the rapid progress made by the Land of the Rising Sun is largely due, is thirty-nine years of age. Born in 1852, Mutsu Hito succeeded his father in 1867, and was crown- ed in 1868 ; a year later he maifried the Princess Harnko. The Emperor is the 121st of his race who has ruled the country. He is a great believer in Western civilization, and in 1889, he freely granted-a.constitution to the people, whose representatives met for the first time in the autumn of 189C. Both the Mikado and his consort are popu- lar, and European travellers to Japan in- variably speak in the highest terms of them. Amine manager in Nevada claims to have invented a gun of remarkably rapid firing capacity, the implement having a Winchester barrel and stock, with a 15 -re- peating magazine in the stock. It istrifle g g a tr fle heavier than the ordinary Winchester, hut its great feature, as claimed, is that the whole fifteen shots may be fired in one second, a statement which has been fully ly realised in practice. The shells are thrown out, and at the end of the firing the gun is as clean as though only a single cartridge had been exploded. A case of extraordinary longevity is re- ported by a Vienna correspondent, who writes : " At Dreznica, in the district of Mostar,lives apeasant named AntonJuritch, who, if his docu vents are to be credited, is at present 130 years old. He still works in his vineyard, and goes to church every Sun- day, although the church is two miles dis- tant from his home. His eyes are still good, and enable him to see at a distance. His eyebrows meet over the nose and grow so thickly that they have to be cut that they may not obscure his sight. He likes to talk ot old times, and tells interesting stories. His mother died aged 1`2), but his father died young. Freezing Dead Frenchmen. It is affirmed, and no doubt with reason, that the Morgue of Paris is a nuisance and a danger to the health of a densely -popula- ted locality ; and therefore, it has been re- solved to resort to refrigeration as a means of obviating the risk. It is proposed hence- forth to freeze the corpses that may be taken to the institution, in much the same way as the carcases ot New Zealand sheep are frozen. The bodies on their arrival will first be exposed to a temperature of 15 or '20 degrees below zero, and will subae- qu ly be preserved in a chamber in which the temperature is about 4 degrees below zero. This however, seems to be replacing one danger by another. The intense cold will, we daresay, keep the bodies sweet, and so purify the air of the district. But what will be its eflee, upon those who sud- denly enter the cold room during weather such as we are now heeling. The London Aldermen have decreed that " henceforth the voyages and feasts ee board the city state barge Maria Wood .hall be paid for by those who enjoy than.' evei;,eifi with th wi Filling Wood ai an Such a FR Und] t i And th br Speaks liravo.r l.et to Till the And th Leafy so Un bout al Fender e, life an aver n ?7ature fe Rill an Ouch - 17 Hope o All the very )eath Sing 0 w and rt. from t Life, a The ;ourse si hu lore h r Bator oroke fly to from the ve to hi oerso wring angr Be, W iyran !al, s tad s Wo They When the r what Delp; near conte tradic own t see th the tr volve with smok out think when woul His books denin flowe adept make Nasm large The unfor pears int( rf inana sines wha and wher them comni she o alter bids 1 it stai She whoa they l are in spot, selves quite inan. he is and ti tweer� law o woml tyre annoi Be? are o% ever at th� the tem disk of th SeII sees mot exer deme activ the t she love cape Ty circa, youn ery than' with is ha aria styli infer ' is as ti© fa jack plea sat- -righ. from yet Ad rib s «' has . tiny s bold tekir whiel the small fectlj hie;