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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe East Huron Gazette, 1892-06-02, Page 6Ss rC Fy SZ 1I lb Dreams• (Philip Bourke Marston. I Come to me in a dream, 0 Loveof minethy -far-off Come to me, Sweetest, place - Come close, and lean above me thy fair face ! c, 'tthin my fingers let thy fingers twine, And kiss my eyelids, till they quiver Sleep's i shinee With passionate Joy. and all ways bright, Are lighted with the g t, pro itious rays That beam from Love's own moon-I:ove'sstars divine. CBend rth thy son across forr God's love, and love, the eary Love. way, And meet me. where through Sleep's vague Land I rove Seeking my buried treasure -ah, but stay Here in these arms till I have felt again The jubilant blood exult through every vein ! Iz Sometimes I find thee in my dreams ; I do not heer thy voice -nor do I see Thy face -but, sweet, I feel, all silently, Thy presence watch my sleep ; sometimes it seems I catch from far the shining of love's streams, Or hear from far his blithe, dear minstrelsy ; But when I would draw near those streams and thee, They mock my vision with elusive gleams - And then my spirit, baffled in desire. Possesses only the blind realm of sleep, And wakes to face the hours that wound and tire, pulses In which no more the happy p leap - To see the hostile years rise, steep on steep, While from no height shines forth love's an- swering fire. A BOYCOTTED BABY. CHAPTER IV. -Tun DAY OF WRATH, Lord Poloiiitis was, from his own point of mew, quite as interested in the marriage of his daughter to James Bulbous as thelatter's father. Matthew had shown himself very liberal upon the mattea of settlements; the sale of the family,este would be disguised by the assumption o the family name by his daughter's husband :aid the descent of the estate to her issue, and -the prospect of hav- ing two votes in tile' House of Commons and a wealthy family connection, involved in a matter the rehabilitation of a very di- lapidated nobleman. Matthew Bulbous was aware of all this, but regarded the whole matter as one of business in which there must be advantages on both sides, and he was satisfied with the bargain. Knowing the views of Lord Polonius, therefore, it was no matter of surprise to him to receive a letter from that nobleman the morning after the occurrences related in the last chapter, hinting that if Mr. James Bulbous returned to England now there would be no insuperable difficul- ties in the way of the early realization of their mutual wishes. The letter came at an opportune moment, when the only obstacle to the marriage had just been removed ; and Matthew Bulbous was able to regard the situation now with satisfaction. He shook off the disordered feeling which had kept him from his bed all night, and astonished his wife at break- fast by telling her that her son was com- ing home, and that his room must be aired and got ready for him. Her request that he would • unlock the door or leave the key, reminded him that the room was still locked up. Taking the key from.ra drawer in his study he went thoughtfully up the stairs, to see if by chance any memorial of the dead wife should be lying about the room. He found it just as he left it. The photograghs still lay on the table, covered with dust. One by one he picked them -up again, and wondered if any of them represented the deceased woman. He concluded it 'would be best to burn them ; and collecting them in his hands, he bore them down to the study and cast them on the fire. There was one which chanced to turn face upwards, and re- cognizing it, he snatched it away before the fire caught it. The expression of astonish- ment and relief which filled his face as he looked at it again was remarkable. He re- membered holding it in his hand the day he locked up the room, and it was marvel- lous to think that, after seeing it only once, the face should have so fixed itself uron his memory. The dark eyes and pretty face ! -here, in truth, was the phantom which had been haunting his disordered brain- the face be had recognized, without seeing it, in his sleeping vision on Christmas eve, and which he bad fancied beneath the heavy veil beside his son in the mourning car- riage. " There's no accounting for these tricks !" was his relieved teflection as he tossed the photograph contemptuously into the fire and watched it burn to ashes. T .s incident, connected with the effect of Lord Polonius's letter, put Matthew into high spirits as he proceeded to London. He looked upon his worries as practically over ; and as soon as his son returned to England, he would see that not a day's unnecessary delay interfered with the completion of the matrimonial project. " The engagement has lasted long enough," he said tohimself, :as he sat down in his office and wrote out the telegram re- calling his son- That was how he regarded it. The matter had not been mentioned to • James Bulbous yet ; but the idea of his will being opposed by any person in his family was foreign to Matthew's thoughts. He did not even think it necessary to mention the matter to his wife again. He was sufficient for himself. He expected a call from his brother, and decided that Joseph might as well emigrate at once, now his last duty was finished. Probably, however, he would not come over until after the interment of the child ; and Matthew reflected with approval on the quiet and unobtrusive manner in which such rites were commonly performed at early hours of the morning. It was now eleven o'clock, and no doubt the child had been lodged in the cemetery hours ago. That was the usual way. He was just thinking that he would go Sound to Lord Polonius and arrange about fixing a date for the marriage, and was feel- ing altogether in an excellent frame of mind,- - when a telegram was brought to him. Care- less_ly tearing it open-fot telegrams were Ooming to the office every hour in the day -the first glance caused hint to start, and then he leaped to his feet. The:message was fromhiss- brother -he knew this well, though there was no name to it --and had been handed in, not at Chelsea, but, at • Gravesend. This was what it said " Look out for;yot rself. I am off." Matthew Bulbous was a man of very quick apprehension when there was sign -of danger; He knew the meaning of this ominous .message-ke knew, at least, that- he was:in,peril- in connection with the -deithOf the child. But what had happen - The child was dead. That was all he Yea -Joseph warned him to " look or himself .;" and had fled. There rtough=in tbAeto- warn him what had nca. =butte ignorance of the circum - most paralysed him. He -dared inure. etsehtiotin lligence be fancied,yet mi Fit tciw :sosie light= on his he earl editions of tine even- ly: ven- w ere. o t—he so lei ii voices in ti ear the dared not send any person from his office to procure one. He seized his hat, and pulling it as low as he could over his ashy face, proceeded to Charing Cross station, and buying a paper, carried it to the farth- est end of the platform, over the enbank- ment, before he opened it. The flaring headlines made him stagger the•moment he opened the sheet. They, announced an "Alleged Child Murder in Chelsea -Arrest of the Baby Farmer - Startling Diselosures_ expected." The au- thorities, it was stated, had had their eye npon'the woman Griffon for some time past, their suspicions having been aroused by the frequency of the infant casualties at her es- tablishment ; and she •would have been in the meshes of the law long ago but for the protection of medical certificates. It was hinted that several " names, well known in business, political, and social circles," were likely to be compromised in providing a sensation of no ordinary kind in the course of the inquiry into Mrs. Griffon's affairs. The significance of this ominous warning Matthew Bulbous, Low thoroughly terrified, took wholly to himself. His limbs shook with fear. It mattered nothing to him who the others might be ; he was himself cer- tainly one, and the one in the worst plight, for it was he who was responsible for the victim whose death caused all the trouble. Others might be exposed and disgraced ; but he, Matthew Bulbous, would to a cer- tainty fare worse. There were the conse- quential penalties, too, Often far heavier than the penalties of the law, and al. ays more certain. There was the ruin of all his schemes, of his business, of his position in the world, of his character. His son would despise and repudiate him, his friends would drop him, his clerks would laugh at him, his enemies -he was conscious of having a good many -would exult over him. There was not one who would regret him. Yes -there were two ; he knew it now, with a pang ; two despised and neglected women who would cling tohim all the more. But of all the world there was no person's attitude which would cut him to the quick like the cool and deadly Hauteur with which Lord Polonius would drop him, comforted by the possession of ten thousand pounds of his money. He had already felt the sting of being beaten by the wily old peer, but it was far worse now. Oh, how the misfor- tunes of Matthew Bulbous wouldhave been lightened had it been possible to associate Lord Polonius with the disgrace ; But the Earl had been too many for him. With an ashy face and a heart that quak- ed at the sight of every policeman, Matthew walked to the cab -rank and jumped into a hansom, giving the man an address. In the course of his business Matthew Bulbous came in contact with professional men of shady character and sharp wit, useful in certain lines of work, and one of these he now thought of as best qualified to help him. He found the lawyer. and with busi- ness -like directnes slaid the case before him. " It's ugly, Mr. Bulbous," said the law - 3 er, whose name was Mr. Clove-" it's un- deniably ugly. But isn't it just possible you may be exaggerating the danger ? " I am exaggerating nothing," replied Bulbous impatiently. "But we must be prepared to meet the worst. " If the worst does not come, so much the better ; but we must be ready. " Very welt - I'll do what I can. Firs of all, give me your brother's address." 'He has cleared out.' Mr. Clove's face lengthened. " That is unfortunate," he observed. " It would have been better in every way for you if he had stood his ground. I may spend money, I suppose, in case it should be necessary ?" " As much as you want. -I will only add," said Matthew Bulbous as he took his hat, " that if you manage this business successfully, Mr. Clove, it will be the best piece of work for yourself that you ever have done." Mr. Clove looked gratified when his client left him, not on account of the professional emolument which the case promised to yield -though this was no small matter to him -but from the more disinterested satis- faction atisfaction which one rogue naturally derives from the embarrassments of another and more successful one. Matthew Bulbous passed a bad afternoon. He was afraid to return to his offices, dread- ing what might have taken place there dur- ing his absence. He spent the time going from place to place on pretence of one busi- ness or another. He wanted the office to be closed before he returned, then he would steal in and sleep there ; for he was deter- mined not togo home again, and that his arrest should take plebe in London and not in his own house at Blackheath. He felt weak and sick when he got back. There were two or three rooms -furnished on the first floor, and it was his habit some- times to stay there for the night when any- thing kept him late in town. So he went up -stairs, and lay on his bask on a sofa, with the light turned down,_ try to think. He found thinking a painful and use- less effort under the burden of sus- pense `that oppressed his mind. He bitterly regretted having despatched that telegram to his son, and for- gotten to cancel or recall it. Jem would be home next day, or the day after -and Matthew Bulbous was afraid to meet him. Did- they know anything about the baby yet, those two innocent and submissive wo- men at Blackheath, from whose compassion and undeserved affection he shrank most of all? Had the police been there -and if so, what must his wife -and daughter be think- ing of him ? The housekeeper set forth on the table such dinner as she could manage on so short a notice. He tried to eat, but failed ; then he mixed some spirits and water in a tumb- bler and left it untested. So he lay down on the sofa again, with his face turned up -to the ceiling, until presently a ring at the bell below made him leap to his feet. he listened, with quaking heart. After some delay he heard the housekeeper coming up the stairs, closely followed by a heavier foot -step. Matthew Bulbous, went over to the hearthrug and, resting his elbow on the mantel -piece, waited witk rigid face and steady eyes fixed on the door. A desperate calmness cametohim now, that he : felt the dreaded moment had arrived. His heart told him that the step coming up the stairs was that of a police officer. But It proved to be Mr. Clove. - " Oh, it's yon, Mr. Clove ?'' he observe d with perfect command over his countenance, and pointing to h. chair. " I can't offer you much to eat,' he added, " or I would ask you "A thousand thanks ; Mrs. Clove- is 'ex- pecting me ta,dinner. I was driving past when I noticed the light, and thought you might be here." �.,I sometimes_stay here for the night when I am pressed with business," said Mr. Bulbous ; and then he sat down and. looked at the -solicitor. "I have been to Chelsea. The doctor has been arrested. You had no relations or correspondence with him, I auderstand ?" "Nor" said Matthew, wincing, " I know nothing about the man: "I m very glad of that. Itis one danger Well ? ninquiredit lbous, after a pause. His face, stiffening in rigid, desperate lines, was that of a man who felt himself being driven to the wall. " The inquest will be opened to -morrow " " What inquest?" " The inquest on the child -the body." " Oh, of course ; I forgot." " It will only be opened, and then ad- journedthep for est -mortem. It seems such a despicable little thing to make so much fuss about ; however, there it is.'' " I know it is, Mr. (love," said Bulbous ; " but will you please come to the point. Is. there any possibility -say, that money can eonunand-of my keeping out, of the accurs- ed case ?" " There is none, Mr. Bulbous. We must proceed on that certainty, and meet it as best we can. I want you to have a very clear recrlection of your transactions with that woman. There was no witness, and no -written agreement -so far so good. You paid her the guarantee of fifty pounds" - Mr. Bulbous made a grimace-" in advance. In what form did'you give her the money ?" " Cash - gold." " Very good. There is, then, no evidence cf that transaction. And the assistant kept by Mrs Griffon -good heavens ! what a place it is -is an idiot : she can give no evidence. Finally, you had no communication with the doctor." " I had 1" said Bulbous, with a sudden stop which the lawyer understood as a silent malediction. " The fellow sent me a certifi- cate yesterday, and he had a cheque for it." Mc. Clove started, and after a moment rose and walked twice the length of the room. His looks showed what he thought of this part of the case. " Then the police have possession of your check, as surely as the sun shines at noonday. The doctor had not yet left his bed, after a debauch the night before, when they arrested him. That cheque, I fear, will put them on your track." Matthew Bulbous, with silent curses, thought also of the two telegrams from his brother. He told Clove about them, and Clove was ready to curse likewise. -" Do you know," Matthew asked, with dread, " whether the police are -are look- ing for me ?" " Why, no. If they were, of course they would quickly find you. The warrant will not be issued before to -morrow ; very likely when the coroner has received some evi- dence -that is, in all probability," said Mr. Clove. - "Will they want me at the inquest ?" " I think not. I am afraid your atten- dance will be required in -ahem : in an- other place, Mr. Bullous, in a different capacity," said Mr. Clove, with professional delicacy. "Your best course, meantime, will be to say nothing to anybody. We must simply wait and watch events, and take advantage of every point that presents itself in our favour. Silence at present is our only strength. After the lawyer ,left him, Mr. Bulbous lay down again on the sofa, face upwards. The woman came by-and-by and removed the things from the table, leaving the whisky and the water, and placing a box of cigars beside them. Later on she came again with coffee, glancing nervously at the still and silent object on the sofa. The coffee became cold, the clock on the mantel -piece struck hour after hour, and he did not move. At ten she carne again, and left his chamber candlestick, asking timidly if he should want anything more. There was no answer ; and the "woman, half -frightened, quickly retreated to the basement. About two hours later she heard him des- cend the stairs and go out. He was too miserable to stay there alone with bis thoughts. A greasy mist was falling. With a fur cap, which he found somewhere in the rooms, drawn over his eyes, Matthew Bul- bous strode rapidly across the park, and up to the King's Road in Chelsea. The streets were deserted, for the public -houses had been closed some time. He halted at the ton of the street in which his brother had logged and ground his teeth. On the ap- proach of a policeman he went on towards the Embankment. This is as dreary a place as London provides for the homeless and troubled at night. Once or twice he sat on one of the seats for a time, looking at the long lines of lamps, and sometimes he hung over the wall. Then he wandered on aimlessly keeping by the water. At Westminister Bridge where he even- tually found himself, he halted un - decidedly, with the manner of one who knew not which way to turn for rest. He looked up at the dark sky, and the greasy drizzle poured down on his face. Then he went on the bridge, leaning on the parapet, and gazing down the river towards his home. He had never before thought of his home with such feelings as filled him now. When. he thought -as, in hia misery, he was forced to think -of the despised and neglected fidel- ity which existed for him there, the iron of remorse pierced the thick resisting crag that encased his heart. Inless than three minutes he turned about quickly and crossed to the other side. • Resting his elbows upon the parapet, and looking down at the dark water, the beaten man was thinking, with a low heart, of the sensation his fall would cause amongst all who knew him. In that remote country parish, where his rise in the world was a perennial -wonder ; in London, where his character stood so high as a successful man ; ib Blackheath, where he towered head and shoulders above his neighbours ; .in his own house, down the river behind him ; in his office, among the forty clerks who trembled at his glance. Excepting the wife and daughter, whom he had despised, there was not one of all who would pity him or regret him. Pity !-in that thought lay the bitter- est sting ; let all the world exult over his ruin, if it would, rather than .one living creature pity him. A homeless woman shivering and wet, was gliding past like a shadow, when she suddenly halted and glanced at him with a manner of mingled curiosity and eompas- sion. For he looked likea man lately brought down to the level of those wlio haunt the bridges at midnight. He resent- ed the woman's observation, and as he turn- ed his back to her she passed on. A battle of all his forces of brain and character against this miserable result of his own folly had been silently raging for hours. At last he gave in -acknowledged himself beaten. But the spirit which had worked his success in the world and built' his character revolted against submitting to the impending disgrace He wished that, like the Hebrew giant, he +Could pull down'. all his enerniesend rival a?tongst the ruins of his owns Career. At leant he could -de- prive them of the spectacle of his fall. The 'Mee he stared down at, from "the bridge, ritshing to its eiid swift and dark anddeiiled,rwais fit emblem of his life, his. ruined career: They were so like; the two -the river and the life -why should they not go down together ? There was a sudden Sound in the midnight air which gave him a start. "Big Ben " was chiming the hour from the high flower of Westminster Palace. Matthew Bulbous listened under a hypnotic spell. What was -it that he heard - The self -same message e distance. , leu be the leas." spirit from the bells on Christmas eve ; only it sounded like a knell now, with ominous mockery in its funereal vibrations. "Jew's -wife -is -dead 1" Four times it boomed down from the lofty and invisible tower, as from the depths of the sky. Then there was a long pause of suspense -such as may still the world's trembling heart be- tween the last echo of the . crack of doom and the blast of the archangel's trumpet -and then a single mighty stroke !scorned from the tower and rolled in deep reverbera- tions over the Silent city. Matthew Bulbous was roughly roused from a dangerous mood by a passing policeman. " Move on, my man. This is no place for you -move on." Fancy Matthew Bulbous having to slink away, with the constable slowly following, and the constable's eye watching his every movement, until he disappeared up Parlia- ment Street. The mental paroxysm -which had nearly closed on a tragedy -bad passed, and the outer forces were at work again as he strode fiercely towards Charing Cross. It was well for Joseph Bulbous that he war out of his brothor's way that night. (TO BE CONTINUED.) SWALLOWED WHOLE. An Elephant Disappears in the Quick -sands of India -Sagacity of the Doomed Brute. " Did' I ever see an elephant die ?" said the keeper, repeating a reporter's question. " Well, I did and I didn't." " How was that !" asked the reporter, feeling for his note -book. " I did not see him actually die," replied the keeper , without the vestige of a smile. " He was living when I lost sight of him. He was swallowed alive." " This is going to be a pretty stiff yarn, keeper," remarked the reporter,as a shade of disappointment crossed his face. " I guess I won't need the note -book. You saw him swallowed alive, eh ? I always thought you were an antiquity. I never suspected you to be an antediluvian, What did it, a megalosaurus?" " Never heard of such a thing," said the keener gruffly. " This was a quicksand." t Oh, a •quicksand ! Go on, old man," responded the reporter, delighted, as he pulled out a pencil or two. " Tell us .0,11 about it." " It was in India," said the old keeper, "where I learned a good deal about ele- phants, never thinking that it would come useful to me in a menagerie in after years. Elephants are common beasts of burden there, and on this day a heavily laden one was crossing a shallow but broad steam by wading. The sagacious brute had refused to step on the badly constructed bridge which the natives had erected ; but his instinct did not warn him of a dangerous quicksand which the water concealed near the farther bank. " 1 was attracted to the scene by the shouts of his owners, five Indian merchants, whose wares he carried from one bazar to another.. They did not know of the quick- sand, and could not understand why their elephant did not come out of the stream, which he had almost crossed. When they learned the predicament he was in their howls of grief and despair were ear splitting. I suggested that bundles of turf and bram- bles be thrown to the elephant, and this was done. This old- fellow, seemingly aware of his danger, took each bundle with his trunk and thrust it under water. Then with a mighty effort, dragging up one foot out of the sucking sand, he would put it on the bundle of fagots and press it down. He got a lot of them under him in this way with more skill and precision than you would think possible ; but the soft sand took them all in, and still • let him down farther into its depths. " His master procured a small boat and poled it out to him. Then they took all his load of goods off,put them in the boat, and brought them ashore. This lessened kis weight a good deal, but the sand was by that time up above his shoulders and his entire back was covered by the water. Only his head showed now, and still the old fellow was the only calm and collected individual in the crowd. I cannot help thinking of an elephant as a person ; no one can who has been with them and witnessed their intelli- gence as much as I have. "Collecting some floating boards which had been thrown out to him, he made asort of raft of them with his trunk and rented his big head on them. It was no use, how- ever. He was doomed and we knew it. Before long the water covered his mouth. Then he lifted his long trunk and -curled it back over his forehead. The water filled his ears and he flapped them vigorously for a time. Soon it reached his eyelashes, and then his big burning eyes just at the water's edge took on a pitiable expression. They seemed to beseech aid and succour from those he had served so long and faithfully,' and his masters fairly grovelled in the dust as they yelled to their gods and frothed at the mouth in their frantic Indian way of expressing sorrow. The tearscame to my own eyes as I looked at the fellow and knew there was no help for him. "As the water covered his eyes .his cour- age gave way at last, and. he uttered a piercing scream of fright through the trunk, and repeated it several times. It made my blood curdle, I tell you Have you heard horses scream in a burning building? It is almost human. So was the old fellow's death cry. The end was close at hand. His long trunk still ,Waved wildly above the water, but nothing else of him was visible. Its length grew less and less, and finally the water poured over the top of it. One more bubbling, choked; gasping scream threw the water out again into a high jet, but that effort was the last. The stream quickly fill- ed up his only channel to the air above, and the old elephant was buried before he was dead. I could have watched a dozen natives swallowed up in the same way without feel- ing half as had about it." A VIOTIt Ji NIHILISTS. Gen. Gres'er Dies of Poison -Efforts to Find the Murderer: HIS PREMONITION. A True Story of a Weird Event on a Home Station Cruise. It was a sweltering night early in Sep- tember in Florida. The usual night breeze had not set in and all nature was panting for breath. I was sitting at the table in the starboard steerage of the ship T—, writ- ing the last letter to my sweetheart far to theort n hward the candles, oonlyur light, burned languidly for lack of air, anI was in light costume. A hand was laid upon my shoulder and the kindly voice of a dear messmate re- quested me to put aside my writing and come far a walk. "The moon is just getting up and I want to talk to you." The speaker was one of the finest speci. mens of a man that I have ever known - tall, broad and fair -haired -well beloved for his unfailing good -nature and his merry mods, our most popular man. 1 protested that I must finish my letter, and that it was too utterly hot to walk, and I begged to be excused. But there was something so earnest in the man's appeal, repeated very gravely, that it fixed my attention. Come, I want to talk to you about something very particularly ; I must talk to you, and at once." So I, rather impatiently, put the closing words to my letter and hurriedly getting into some clothes joined him on deck, and we left the ship. There was a long avenue lined with yucca trees leading to the village and we were soon walking under these in the moonlight, " I suppose you think it rather strange that I should insist upon your coming out to -night, but I must talk to you." " Well, what is this most important busi- ness ?" I inquired. " I want you to listen to me with close attention," said Bob. " I am not going to have any argument with you as to the sense of what 1 am going to tell you. I want you to promise me to take charge of my effects and forward them to this address," handing me a paper. " Why what do you mean ? What has got into your head ? Going to desert the ship ?" I asked jokingly. " Nothing at all of that ; we must be ser- ious. I want to tell you, my best friend, that I have had my warning, and I shall be dead in three days from this time." " Nonsense !" I exclaimed ; what fool- ery is this ?" "Tis not nonsense, and you roust not try to ridicule my belief. I repeat to you that in three days from this hour I shall be buried in the Gulf of Mexico." "Stuff 1" I said. " What has possessed you to get into this morbid state ?" -` Now listen -the members of my family have always been warned, I have had my warning. What is the use of trying to per- suade me as to -my folly of it ? The main point, and the only one, is : Will you accept the responsibility that I impose on you?" " Why, certainly,"I said, holding his arm closer, for we always walked arm in arm, but tell me ; here man, with machinery deranged, without coal, without orders from the department to go to sea ; how could the ship be ready for sea in three days, much less be in the Gulf then ?" A despatch from ST. PETERSBURG, says : -Gen. Gresser, the Prefect of Police of this city, who is supposed to have been poisoned by Nihilists, died to -day. The authorities ar`e marking most earnest efforts to ascertain how his death was caused. The General's cook has been subjected to a rigid examinee tion, involving, it is said, torture, ,for the purpose of extracting &eonfessr.¢n but, itis said, that the police arealmosteconyinced of his innocence, andtthab tite)oison was con- veyed fro as some other quertem 4 Gresser suffered great agony in his last biahrs, "a;id it is reportedthat•he amazed his attendants by expressing regret for his:, course as au agent of despotism. The police are making frequent descents to -day upon suspected houses, and have made a number of arrests. Judge Clancy -" What sort of a man was it you saw commit the assault ?" Policeman -" Sure, your honor, he was an insigni6.- cant cratur about your own size, your that he had :listened to with exultation of . honor ! " Facts ODDS ARD and Figures on Various Bnbje from Many euwz•"...tra. In Japan the women co-ed the vessels. Canary birds have been known to live twenty-cne years. A monkey at the Pa; -is circus has been trained to play agoniang m on the violin. A railway in the Argentine ttepublic has one stretch of 211 nines without a curve or bridge. There are almost 20,000 varieties of post- age -stamps in use by the different nations of the world. For every foot of stature weigh twenty-six pounds. The Shah of Persia is the owner of a Shet- land pony, which is but 1212 inches high. This pet of royalty wears gold shoes. Eagles measuring from 7 to 12ft. from tip to tip are common in the neighborhood of Albany, Oregon, U. S. A. Saki drinking is one of the great curses of Japan. In 1879 the amount of rice con- verted into saki amounted to 15,000,000 bushels. Electricity, in its various forms of appli- cation, is said to give employment to five million persons. Twelve out of the twenty-three Presi dents of the United States have had military training and experience. The new German army tent is devisible into two portions, each of which can be con- verted into an overcoat in case of rain. Most of the men in the islands of South- western Japan lead lives of idleness, and are cheerfully supported by the women. There are about 700,000 houses in London which on cold days consume 40,000 tons of coal, emitting 480 tons of sulphur. The glass-makers of Thebes, forty cen- turies ago, possessed the art of staining glass, and they produced the commodity in the utmost profusion. Mrs. Kendal, the well-known actress, is the inventor and patentee of a lamp and candle ,shade, from the sales of which she derives a handsome profit. The fishhook of thirty centuries back was precisely similar in every respect to the fishhooks of to -day, save only in the metal employed, which then was bronze -now is steel. Some of the South American tribes actually eat tobacco, cut into small pieces' All the chickens in the western part of French . Guinea are perfectly white. It is impossible to find one with a colored feather. In a cave in Pantheon the guide, by strik- ing the flaps of his coat, makes a noise equal to that produced by firing a 12 -pound cannon. Grasshoppers attain their greatest size in South America, where they grow to a length of five inches and their wings spread out ten inches. "Nevertheless," he replied, " we will be there and I shall be buried three nights from this time in the Gulf of Mexico." There was no use of further protest, I knew him well, and I knew from his man- ner that further talk would be of no avail,. so I tried another tack. "At any rate, you're in good shape so far ; so let's go on to F—'s and get a glass or two of grog, and smoke a cigar and have no more, of this to -night. And assuming a gaiety 1 did not feel -I hummed : "On such a night as this, oh love long lost !" He tried to enter into the spirit of my proposal, and we went to the little club I may almost call it, where the good woman, the wife of the pilot, allowed us to keep a private bottle or two and a box of cigars ; and I talked gaily to her and to the others there and we rallied " Bob" about some of his little foibles. He took to it all quite pleasantly, and I had hoped he had forgotten the talk of a little while before. We left the house about 9 o'clock, and sauntered along toward the ship. He suddenly turned to me and said : " It has got me now." " What ?" I cried, for he had thoroughly alarmed me. " The fever. ' Well I stopped, held his hands and felt his pulse ; he was as hot and as dry as a " lime -burner's wig," and taking him by the hand I said : "Now let us walk fast and break this fever, right off." We did so ; I was soon as wet as if I had been in a drenching shower; but he never turned a hair. Hot and flushed, I got him to the ship, turned him into his bunk and summoned the doctor. Before 11 o'clock he was delirious, and his disease was yellow fever. The next day came orders to hurry to sea. Everbody-busy, a cgaling ship putting engines in order, taking provisions, etc., and the following day we left the yard and so it happened that, on the third day after our talk, he died. And we stood about the deck in the falling rain -a sad, sad group while the Captain read by the light of the deck lanterns the service of the dead, and his inessmates raised the gangplank and saw all that remained of noble old Bob committed to the deep. His prediction came true ; it was three days exactly when he left us, and I have never seen so many tearful men together as I did that rainy September night on the Gulf of Mexico. He and His Wife. Wife -"i need a little more money." Husband `It is only two days since —" Wife-" Now, see here ! I want you to understand that I wouldn't ask for money if I didn't need it, and I don't intend to be reminded that it's only two days since you gave me some. I am not a child, nor a menial, nor a slave, to be treated like an irresponsible being, and I just want you to know that I won't stand it either, so there now !. I've got just as much right to your money as you have, so there now, you Husband-" My 'dear, I was merely go- ing t rema' at it is only two days since I drew my Salary, and you could have all yon wanted." a man should Got No Invitation. Tramp : "Please, mum, me feet's on the ground, an' if ye could spare me an ole pair of shoes, I'd-" Mrs. Spinks "There's a wedding going on in that big house across the street. Just you go over there and wait. When the couple comes out, the family will throw a lot of the bride's old shoes after her." " But, mum, they'd be too small." "Uh-1 Wait till you see her feet." TArenty words per minute is the average rate_at winch long hand is written. Paris University with 9,215 students, and Vienna with 6,220, are the largest Uni- versities in the world. Berlin comes third. A Russian scientist attributes all our maladies to the fact that we wear clothes. He suggests a return to Iran's primitive state. It is strange, though true, that in Asia and Africa, where grass will not grow, the most beautiful flowers and shrubs floui ish to perfection. The teacups used by tea merchants in tasting tea are made especially for the pur- pose of the finest French china, and have no handles or saucers. Th* teas are carefully weighed out and placed In the cups, when boiling water is poured on them. Tea tasters nowadays depend more upon the odour than the taste of teas, and some of the most expert do not taste them at all but rely entirely upon smelling. Medical authorities declare that fat peo. ple are less able to resist the attacks of disease or the shock of injuries and opera. tions then the moderately thin. Their re- spiratory muscles cannot so easily act ; their heart is often handicapped by the deposit on it,and the least exertion throws them into a perspiration. A very fat person is in the position of a man carrying a heavy burden and too warmly clothed. In Denmark women are distinguishing themselves in literature and medicine. At the University of Copenhagen several wo- men students have honourable places in the classes. According to the latest return, made up to the 1st of November, 15P1, the maximum authorized strength of the British Volun- teer force was 261,214. Not less than 222,- 046 have been enrolled, of whom only 7,849 are returned as non -efficient. On the 1st of December, 1870, the maximum establish- ment was a fraction under 245,000; the total enrolled was 193,893, of whom 23,000 were non -efficient. Twenty years ago the per- centage of efficients to enrolled was 88.2. It is now 96.47. Where is Noah's Ark. Periodically, and with the sameregularity that has been noticed in the revival of the sea -serpent myth, the story is started that the ark of Noah, or fragments thereof, have been found on Mount Ararat. The Kurds and the Armenians, the people who inhabit the country in the immediate vicinity of the sacred mountain, believe and circulate all manner of stories concerning the ark and the three altars which they say Noah built as soon as the waters subsided. More than one traveler has had pointed out to him what were said to be the remains of these altars, as well as great hewn logs which, it was declared, were once a part and parcel of the vessel that saved the Noah tamily from the great deluge. In 1885 a story re- markably well authenticated came to civil- ized Europe, which declared that a monster ship had been found on Ararat. According to the story, it was lodged between two immense rocks in an almost inaccessible part of the mountain. Dr. Bryce, of the Royal Institute, London, was then explor- ing in the Black Sea region, and was soon ordered to Ararat to make an investigation of the strange rumors. He had to make the ascent of the mountain alone, on account of a prevailing superstition among the Cossacks and Kurds that those who invade its sacred precincts never return. How- ever, after a futile search of two days the nervy doctor returned thoroughly disgusted but still willing to give any desired infor- mation to those who wish to go on an ark - hunting expedition to the summit of " Sac- red Ararat." My wife wasno ce my autocrat, But now, alas ! I've two, And all my pride has fallen flat At what I'm bade to do. For years she ever had her way - With some releollion, maybe - But now just lists i to her say, " Come, hubbF, mind the baby !" Kid gloves were mentioned in the Bible. In the 16th verse of the 276 a ha,ptar of Genesis, Isaac's wife is accessed of Fitting on the hands of her 8 f' Etateob `*ere skim -_of the kids of the goon,' Rous: gouse�Ol9 e31v- of th to gleam' The shining got Within the g Batfor the silt' I must not stn They come—th The whitew deh., what a m T sweet sp Thv fairest day We call "ho With more It Than in all h Loud sing with The choir of But not for me Or blooming Ths sound of c Borne in on And I must br And ply the And strew, ag With benzin This jubilee of The sweet sp Why is it that Alas! ! " hops A Little The baby of t needle to sew, an. chair, work indust Far many minutes, years of age, can, ne taught to wear a and make a garme. those that is comp running up the ming around the around the neck a. completes the dres dresses for big d neatly made, ail t. larger scale on a f to the machine, w. aprons can be so q within the range The .Domestic Mont ing must be beguil: some sugary rewar the first lessons i. that seven years is begin this part of Should not be com some old stocking rather a pair with ing itself seen ; the fore the mother ca ings are mended, play," and with a drop or caramel as itig unpleasant be stockings, and it be mostly regarde' a hateful task. darning, teach t. stockings as soon white patches, th fashionable, for s some to fill up as heel or knee. The sewing on something that s daughter's care a. thould be taught t is a mark of great ►less, and it is mor rings can be darne and other repairs Saturday morning Zc ith the hours for Fight after breakf. lefore noon there • bf children in the one another, and " What can I do tittle time has be Dation, many thin or the hours of r- • UpS- The bureau sho tible, that the lig. from the side. Well -dried, clea food, wholesome . 'Wool or hair. Bu and for pillows. For removing prom underwear, lution of soda a. with clear, clean When you me. fill the sides of th paris and press th off any plaster of before it dries. Don't try to k For it's too hard w as the shelves mos Is cheap, looks we tabor saving mate The condition import nt than t rooms dirt is co dark places it is a wood, no vegetabl should be allowed if there are no surplus stock of d ing cloths, etc., readiness, get a w make a comfortab urges, pad the to lue denim, and t for holding the to It is very conve foment to mend though no cemen which will succes yet a piece of ch Ilecor•ative use, a the kitchen, wh Washed, will be snce mended. A peck or more 'pen keg will abs stoisture, which tiould on the ilangerous to the k house than a occasionally live and escape the d succumb to it fin Expect it. Few things are With holes in the Silents are likely heavy furniture, in wrong places =apses. Such p • Lice with plaster paste with water. Tittle at a time becomes too her• inents. Apply it the blade of a k with a piece of pattern on the the spot will nev. Coo HAVANA SOUP. Simmer it in one hour. (Veal s • two pounds of v - cold water unt strained.) Stra' ocoanut, and a cream. Ilea* ag one heaping table` *monthly with oil iseasen with salt 4,03o sd two • .