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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe East Huron Gazette, 1892-07-07, Page 3NEWS and now in an rn last year'* Eiffel I'ew .n petroleum boilers costa snana meal is anus of Pane - the greatest he world. Iper-smelting lana is pump - rough fifteen ng to spend Government :raking the cting ware. LS taken pos- ing works in indnee men ts irintend the are about to cements are Inds himself I in Bengal ersone. a the export -red in ten Persian ex - able service f Judge in aced seven - ding a slave e were ex - 5,592 pipea is reported to has been by Robert hop at the ettle is per. 'an be boiI- �nt " can be 'eight hours crease of oe destrnc- Bad wine of an opera It the Grand ago. The t is named s and six in high eL, having nished his ree weeks ,000 in his things two d ring for +d several way lines. a box for Philadel- e Spanish navigator •ntinue to e opening y heralds mpets and will be tie as the :val guns -t advanc- arfare is ed for use reference reign ord- ew water un 1,150 speed at nute. A er before ed. 1893 will and 280,- ety-eight = ction, of hed neat will be do boats ranee has s vaults ; tion. race are eColony, ely cul- :nd have vilization peculiar - ter, and en whom •can geo- ds that alays, or believes ential in =d meet ince Bis- ollowing gives me t honor +t parts rejoiced received ere, that in your rity olves an ted, and ball and gland. ong us, delight a, such - ed real he only he lower and you. eonn- d after ren to be case on named died in he had but a, moved his [n: broke 'S'it-' ] Ti't A Story of the great West. BY W. THOMPSON. We were camped on an affluent of Colora- a River, 7exas, about ninety-five miles -hwest-of Austin. Including the guide, Ferris, our hunting party consisted of seven persons,the others being=f;olonel Tom Eastlake, his fifteen-year-old.son Dick, Gus Howland, Jack Townley, Charlie Brooke and the writer. One evening we were returning from a hard day's hunt in the hills, where we had killed a fine jaguar and two black bears. Brooke and I happened to be riding side by side, and gradually fell behind the rest of the party. Charlie appeared in low spirits and was unusually taciturn, but attributing this to fatigue I did not force conversation upon him, and for several miles neither of us spoke. At last he roused himself, as if from a painful reverie, and said :— "That story which Ferris told us about the Apaches the other night has reminded me of the saddest period of my own life. I seldom refer to it, but somehow I feel like doing so this evening, and if you care to listen 1 will give you the story in a few words. " I eagerly assented and Charlie continu- ed :— " It was in the summer of 1876. I was then a very young man, but had been for the two preceding years running a cattle ranch on Gila River, Arizona, not far from the southeast corner of White Mountain Indian reservation. " Up to Christmas Day, 1875, there were three of ns in family—myself, my wife and her four-year-old orphaned brother Fred. Having no children of our own, we were perfectly wrapped up in this little fellow, and he was the delight of our lives. We were entirely happy and the future seemed full of promise—a promise never to be ful- filled. " My beautiful young wife had been ail- ing, slightly as we thought, for several weeks. I believed her to be convalescing, when pneumonia suddenly set in and she died on Christmas Day—almost her last words being a tender request that I would always care for Fred. " Of this terrible time I will not attempt to speak. No language can picture my desolation. The companionship of the boy alone gave me courage to live. But let that pass. " At the time my miserable story opens I had been for six months a. widower, and was making every exertion to close out my business in order to return to civilization with my precious charge when a frightful catastrophe occurred. " I had found it: impossible to secure a reputable white couple to look after my house and take care of the child, and hence had engaged a Mexican and his wife—de- cent, faithful people—to do so. " When the weather was fine I usually took Fred with me in my long rides over the range. The little fellow would sit - perched up in front of my saddle, proud as a king, and the cowboys never tired of pet- ting him. " One day early in July, however, I was called suddenly to a distant part of the run and had to leave the boy at home. I shall never forget how he looked; standing at the door, kissing his hand to me so prettily, and calling out as I rode away, 'txoodby, Charlie, goodby.' " The job we were engaged in proved a tedious one, and it was late in the after- noon when, accompanied by four of my herd- ers, I came to the brow of a rise overlook- ing the ranch buildings --no, not the build- ings, but their smoking ruins, for the accursed Apaches had been there and swept all away 1 " Dashing like madmen down the slope, we reached the smoldering pile, and there in front of where the house door had been; lay the scalped and mutilated bodies of the Mexican and his wife ! " Sick with horror, and for the moment utterly unableto proceed, I sat hopelessly upon my saddle, but my men made a partial search and could find no trace of that which I so dreaded to see. Then I joined them in probing the hot ashes with long poles, but we found nothing and were forced to con- clude that my dear boy had either been carried of alive or his little body totally con- sumed. " No help was at hand, the nearest mili- tary post, Fort Thomas, being fifty miles away. Gila Mountains were, however, but fifteen miles distant, and for these the savages would certainly make. They had driven offeight-horses, kept in the home eorralaand as their own ponies as well as the other animals would, of course, be load- ed down with plunder, it was barely pos- sible that we might overtake at least the rear guard of the band. " Our rifles had been taken, and in the way of arms we had only our belt revolvers left. But our saddle beasts were compara- tively fresh and all were swift of foot. My cowboys, foaming with rage -and crazy for revenge, urged an instant pursuit, and in less than twenty minutes after our arrival we five men were spurring hotly on the trail of the murderers—out-numbering us, prob- ably, ten to one. " 1 need not give details of the chase, except to say that we did come up with the rear of the column, in which were niy horses, just an it was entering the mountain defile. Utterly regardless of our own lives, we charged upon the hostiles at once, and though we shot down four of them, stamped- ed the others and recovered the eight bron- cos, not one of us received a scratch. " One of the wounded bucks lived for a minute or two after being shot, but all ef- forts to make him give information as to the child's fate, or, indeed, to speak at all, proved unavailing, and he died while croon- ing his death song. " To have followed the main body of the enemy into the mountain passes would have° been sheer madness. So, partly to stay pursuit by leaving the savages most -of their plunder partly to facilitate- our own retreat 'we ca ickly cut away the broncos' loads, re- . , tai ling. only a few necessaries, and return- ed eturned sorroirfnlly to the ranch—the Didiaiis not daringto follow. "" Withthree days I sold out everything Ior what --1 aonlcdget and -delated one why =' yeantbrereaiter to an extended search for `imylittle Fred I. hired Indian runneri.j :white fronts aititl t►1d trappers, and pone= tra.ted the haunts of the hostiles, but not e,one atom o& -intelligence as to any eaptave- boy did they or I ever gain, though our combined efforts resulted in the rescue of two white women. "Failing trrreeivetidings=o# the ehild, notwithstandingthelargerewardoffered,and no calcined bones having ever been found in the ruins, it naw seemed certain tanit his tends& rm had lfiiieed been reducaA to in- distinguishable ashes. Finally colluding 8 ascii must be the fact, I gage up the. .leopielesee search, removed to Texas and en- gaged ba my present business. Six years bare smog pasted away, but the image of that lovely boy, as I last saw him, rises up beforeme to -night as vividly as ever." My friend sighed heavily as he of concluded - his sad story. I offered no idle words consolation. Indeed, the case seemed to admit of none. But after a while he bravely rallied and said : —" Well, it is all past and gone. The child is beyond the reach of sorrow, Let ns ride on and over- take the party.": mItt was nearly midnight. when we arrivede inn, anelall wereglad ire tuenble into bed without ceremony; tan the secon&day afterthis we arranged to look tip`a tniall'lierd ofhiiffaloes of which the guide had told us. , It consisted, he said, of two bulls and a dozen or so of cows and calves, located in the broken lands about fifteen miles away. Much to the boy Dick's disappointment, we decided not tokill any of the adult beasts, but merely capture a few young ones, if possible. As Eastlake, Brooke, Will Ferris and my- self were more or less skilled in the use of the lasso, the scheme appeared quite feasi- ble and was, I may at once say, successfully carried out—the hunt resulting in ,securing one male and three female calves. These young buffaloes proved to be quite as fleet as their elders, and the exciting chase led us many miles into a rough, wild country before the last one was lassoed. When we atlast got smatters fixed and were ready to return it was found impossible to lead the obstinate little brutes. We had to tie them together in pairs and drive them as best weacould It was past noon when, steering directly across the country byacompass, we started for camp—the- refac cry conduct of the youngsters making It exceedinglydoubtful whether we should reach:. it that night. Sometimes thelittle villains world go quiet• ly, straight ahead for awhile, then suddenly bolt to one side, or, perhaps lower their big heads, stick their stumpy tails in theair and charge with mimic `sa'vagery upon the near- est horseman. Quickly learning that they were not to be halt, they took a mean ad- vantage of the knowledge, and for the first hour proved well nigh unmanageable. After that we began to make fair progress, the seven hunters riding in a semi -circle, with the captive bisons in the hollow of the crescent. Our odd looking cavalcade was toiling up a long hill in a particularly wild district, when Ferris, riding in the lead, exclaimed : —" What in thunder is that half breed girl doing up there with her signalling?" We looked in the direction pointed out by Will, and saw a tall young woman standing on the rock at the turn of the hill and rapidly gesticulating. Her back was toward us, and she seemed to be engaged in warning of our approach some one or some- thing in the valley beyond. " There's some deviltry going on, sure," said the guide. "Watch the critter ! she makes just seven moves of her hand, then stops and starts again. There's something down in the bottom we're not to see, and the girl daren't go-ahead for fear of lead- ing us onto it." We soon came up to the young woman— a wild looking, unkempt creature, but with an extremely handsome face and magnifi- cent eyes. Ferris tried her with English, Spanish, Mexican patois, and half a dozen Indian dialects in turn, but she would not answer, and stood t' rirling her thumbs with an assumed air -of idiocy. Half alarmed and wholly amazed at the strange being's conduct, we looked appre- hensively down into the valley. Nothing anusual..was-to be seen there except a light wreath of smoke rising lazily from out a thick grove of pecon trees. " What do you think Ferris? Is there not something here that ought to be looked into?" inquired Colonel Eastlake. " I reckon there is, Colonel. Moonshine whiskey, maybe. Let's tie the buffaloes up and go-.prospectiug. "- . Taki3ig the -old guide's advice, we secured the calves to a couple of saplings and rode cautiously down the further side of the slope—the girl sullenly following. Seeing that we made straight for the smoke, she suddenly started past us, and, running like a deer, disappeared in the grove. We reached it a moment afterward, bat found it impervious to horses. Hastily dismounting, we pushed through a tangled mass of trees and creepers and presently camenp on a cleared -space less than one half of an acre in area. In the midst of this stood a big log cabin, and before its open dor r the self same girl, looking now quite bright and fearless. " The trick's done, whatever it was. The critter ain't a mite scared any more," ob- served Will. Determined to fathom the mystery, we gently put the young woman aside and en- tered the cabin_ The interior seemed to consist of a single room only, which, how- ever, was much smaller than outside ap- pearances had led us to expect. The only visible occupants where an old Mexican greaser and a withered, hag -like Apache squaw, both of whom sat curled up in the chimney eorner-overathe° .embers of an ex- piring -fire: • We accost althein,civilly, but they appeared to be deaf and dumb and did not even look at us. The guide then spoke to the girl again. asking her in Spanish, to explain the mean- ing of her strange signals. To our utter astonishment she answered in English :— " Why, stranger, I didn't mean nothin' in perticler. The old folks is mighty scared of white men an'. I just wanted` to let 'em know you was cumin'so's they wouldn't be took by surprise. That's all. " But why are they afraid of white peo- ple ?" asked Howland " Oh, main she used to live out West, and she's seen lots of injuns killed by sol- diers. I s'pose that's -the reason. She's git- tin' kind of foolish, anyhow." " And is this ail the family=; have you no brothers or sisters ?" t. "Nary one. There's just the old folks an' me," jauntily replied the girl. "Bat how do you live ? I see no fields for crops:"y , _. " Well, jest by Jiuntin' $n' farmin'. We've got some clearin's 'tether side cf the bush; an' all fo-(she caught her breath) all three of as works -into theii'. -Dad and uiam's a good deal abler nor they looks." • A gleam of datelligence flashed from one teethe othet'of-•stir= party " Four folks, " is there,' muttered Will Ferris. " It's sly whiskey, plain enough." Colonel.Lastlake nod4ed, `Tow tell me, esternlp this.is the - only room the house?? - ;> Ti " Cam you see that fo> oneself," she pertly reyoiiled. But the spasm a curious lhekerl _thek eytee:*hiaa confirmed our suspicions ofsome guilty secret. Presently, JackeTownley backed quietly against the inside of the front wall and thence walked carelessly across the floor.. There was nothing in this to attract atten- tion, but we saw in a moment that he was really measuring the width of the room. With some pas, - remarkgo* the horses, he then strolled out of doors In a few seconds he ret'irned and said :- " Boys, there's a "secret chamber in "the shanty somewhere..The inside of this:roam butthe outer wallis close upon twenty-four feet"! Allowing for. the space occupied by the front and back walls and one partition there must be , a blind room six feet wide reaching clear across the rear end of the house.' As Jack spoke the girl's swarthy face paled to a ghastly yellow, and the old wo- man shuffled uneasily in her seat. But no move was made until Gus Howland said :— " Let's take up the back part of the floor. There inay be a trap door under:" Then in the twinkling of an eye the whole scene changed. The apparently decrepit pair, each one grasping a pistol, sprang to their feet. The girl, drawing a similar weapon from her bosom, ranged herself; beside them, her glorious eyes flashing ominously. " Quick, men, quick !" shouted Eastlake, and before any one of the three dared to fire all were overpowered, disarmed and bound, while a torrent of blood curdling curses poured from the lips of the old Mexican. "Guess it's something worse than whis- key. Coining bogus dollars, maybe," coolly observed the guide. This seemed a probable supposition, but yet wasfar from the truth. Strewn about the floor lay a number of undressed dear, bear and wolf skins. We kicked to one side several of those.nearest the back wall but saw nothing suspicious. Evidently the planks had never been dis- turbed since first laid down. Townly and I then stepped outside and went quite around the cabin, and found no trace of an opening other than those in legitimate use. " It's mighty queer," said Jack, as we entered the front door again. "There's an underground p.aasage somewhere, and we're bound to find it." He stood while speaking upon a big corn - shuck mat, spread just within the doorway, and I noticed the girl watched him nar- rowly. " Lift up the mat, Jack," said I. "Sho ! there's no use in that. The mys- tery's at the other end of the room," he replied " Let's take a look, anyhow," I rejoined Townley moved off the mat, put his foot under its edge and flopped it over. "By George, we've got it!!" he yelled, for there, where the thing had lain, was an unmistakable trap door about., two feet square. Our comrades gathered around, the boards were pried up and disclosed a subterranean tunnel, three feet wide and six feet deep, leading directly to the rear. On seeing our discovery the two women fairly screamed with fury, and tore frantic- -,at their .bonds, while Gus Howland snhed up a piece of tallow candle, light- ed it and dropped down into the tunnel. One by one we followed, passing along under the floor, and, climbing four rude steps at the further end, pushed up an- other trap and came into a long, narrow chamber. At first glance the place seemed empty, but as the faint candle light pierced the darkness we saw in one corner a pile of buf- falo robes, and upon this couch, gagged and bound, lay an Indian boy. The mystery was deepening. Only a half inch of candle was left. With- out ithout staying even to loose the prisoner we carried him through the passage toward the front room. Young Eastlake, wild with excitement, was the first to spring out of the tunnel. Then he drew the captive up after him, and prepared to unbuckle the straps confining his legs and arms. He had, however, scarcely knelt for this purpose when he shouted :—" Oh, father ! it's a white boy ! it's a white boy !" An instant later we all stood by Dick's side. The straps and gag were quickly re- moved and the prisoner set upon his feet. For one brief moment he looked around, as if bewildered, then fixed his eyes upon Brooke and cried out :—" Oh, Charlie! Charlie!" The scene which followed beggars all de- scription. Charlie Brooke at.frrst staggered back in sheer amazement, pale as death and trem- bling as from the sight of a spirit. Then he rushed forward with -a cry of rapture, caught his recovered treasure to his breast, laughed and wept over him by turns, hugged and kissed him in a delirium of joy, and shower- ed upon him every endearment which a mother. might bestow upon her first born child received back from the grave, while over and over again he murmured, " Oh, Fred ! my darling Fred ! Thank God tor this day ! " To the astounded party—all except my- self in the dark—he then told the story of his bereavement. "But, Fred," he con- cluded, "wbo could have supposed that you would, know me after these six long_ years? You were only four when we parted?" " Why, Charlie, I knew ycu in a minute," said the happy boy. "I remember that morning when you rode away from the door just as plainascan be." Now that we could see him clearly we found Fred to be a handsome, well grown little fellow. His face, hands and arms had been stained dark as those of an Indian, but every other part of his skin was fair and white as ever, "And have these people abused you Fred?" asked Brooke, looking threateningly at the glowering family. "No, they've been real good to me; but they always shut me up when there's white hunters anywhere around here. W ah-ga- na-tali—that's the girl's Indian name, but I call her Waggee-gets track of them some- how, and then she goes to the top of the hill and watches. The old woman—I have to call her 'Mam'—stands at the edge of the bash, and alien Waggee makes signs that white folks is comin' she hides me right off and fixes me so I can't speak nor move. They don't ever let me go anywhere by my- self." While this conversation was going on the Mexican and his wife aeemed in deadly ter. rot. They were, doubtless, most agreeably surprised when we unbound and set them and their daughter free. • On being assured of perfect immunity for all past offences, the old woman, who spoke tolerable English, told the story of Fred's abduction. I reduce her tedious narrative to a few words of necessary explanation. WhenBrooke's ranch buildings were burn- ed and : hisservants murdered .this woman's husband had long been an Indian by adop- tion, and it was, the squaw said, solely ow- ing to his =influence that the boy was not killed with the others. The o upl having only one child, . and that one a gi 1, were allowed tokeep himon conuit•r-n o making an Apache warrior of him. e 1 oth they and their daughter - quickly bee me much at- tached to the little - white , tra 1 ter, but when the search for him"grewitoo hot they found that, to avoid danger to himself and his band, the sub -chief had determined to kill him. - So only ten days later after his abduction, the whole faniily stole away =from -their tribe, ;made off til the East, and, after nearly a year of fearful hardships and . wandering, finally settled down in the secluded: spot where we had so ,1strangely y .the measures only fifteen feet. from front to rear, fouiwl: thein—b chance, does reader think ? ; Ah, no ! I3at even, then, though so iii-iny hundreds of miies_reinoved from their former haunts, they lived, the old creature said, in a state of constant, terror lest :their adopted son should be taken from them, and in all those six years he had never been for one hour beyond their controL It is a curious, perhaps a creditable, com- mentary upon human nature that notwith- standing the great wrong he had suffered at the hands of these people, Charlie Brooke was so deeply moved by the frantic grief of the girl and the genuine sorrow of her par- ents on parting with Fred that he actually headed a liberal subscription, to which we all contributed, and left with them a larger sum in hard cash than they had ever before seen. " Poor creatures," he compassionately said : " they acted according to their lights. The money will somewhat console them, and is a small thank offering indeed for us to make." The Mortgage. He bought in 1865 a farm of stumps and stones. His name was God -Be Glorified, his surname it was Jones, He put a mortgage on the farm and then in conscious. prido, "In twenty years I'll pay it up," said God -Be Glorified. The mortgage had ahungrymawthat swallow ed corn and wheat ; He toiled with patience night and day tc let the monster eat, He slowly worked himself to death, and on the calm hillside They laid beyond the monster's reach, good God -Be Glorified. And the farm with all its encumbrances of mortgages, stumps and stones, It fell to young Melchizedec Paut Adoniram Jones ; Melchizedec was a likely youth, a holy, godly man, And ho vowed to raise that mor tgage like noble Puritan. And he went forth every morning to the rug- ged mountain side. An he dug, as dug before him poor old God -Be Glorified. He raised pumpkins and potatoes down the monster's throat to pour: He gulped them down and smacked his jaws, and calmly asked for more. He worked until his back was bent, until his hair was gray ; On the hillside through asnowdrift they dug his grave ono day ? His first born son, Eliphalet, had no time to weep and brood. For the monster by his doorstep growled for- ever for his food. He fed him on his garden truck, he stuffed hi ribs with hay, And he fed him eggs and butter, but he would not go away ; And Eliphalet he staggered with the burden, andthen died, And slept with old Melchizedec and God -Be Glorified. Then the farm it fell to Thomas and from Thomas fell to John, Then from John to Eleazur, but the mortgage still lived on. Then it fell to Ralph and Peter, Eli, Absalom and Paul ; Down through all the generations, but the mortgage killed them all! About a score of years ago the farm comedown to Jim, . And Jim called in the mortgages and gave the farm to him, There's no human heart so empty that it has no ray of hope, So Jim gave up the ancient farm and went to making soap. He grew a fifty -millionaire, a bloated, pamper- ed nature ; He owned ten railroads, twenty mines and the whole State Legislature ; * thousands did his gruff commands and lived upon his bounty ; he came home, bought back the farm and the entire county. And And S. W. Foss. N ever Say " Die ! " When misfortune attends you let this be your cry : Never say " Die !" Never say " Die ! " Nothing ccmes without energy, patience, and pluck,— Do not stay in the mud and you'll . never get stuck,— Trusting more to yourself than to chance or good luck : Never say "Die!" Never say " Die! " Don't say "Wait a minute! " but at once say "I'lltry!" Never say Die! " Never say "Die!! " Put your hands to the plough -shafts and do not look back, Better wear oat than rust though you earn not a pack, They will yet call you " Mr." who now dub you "Jack! " Never say "Die!"Never say "Die 1" Don't imagine when sick that you'll certainly dio Never say "Die! " Never say "Die! " Take arest and be still, it will do you more good, Than dosing your stomach with physic and food, Nature's laws are the best and should beunder- stood, Never say "Die!"Never say "Die! " Should love e'er beguile you don't give way to a sigh, Never say " Die ! " Never say "Die ! " Just appear to be careless and let well alone ! " She may mourn in your absence when chances seem gone, And the next time you ask her all shyness be flown, Never say " Die ! " Never say " Die! " If yourl.ifebe well spent you'll be ready to die,- Ready to die ! ready to die ! It will come just as easy as going to sleep. Those who trust in the Lord He has promised to keep, As you live—as you sow—you sh ell certainly reap. Rewards will be paid when you die ! Toronto, Can. Joux IaIRIE, No Smoking Allowed. A miserable, rickety old shed serves as a station for a certain railway, and at one end of the wall, amidst a multiplicity of railway announcements, stands out in flaming char- acters the notice: "No smoking allowed." At the time of which we speak, an Irish- man who had just come in out of a cold, drizzling rani, sat with his feet crouched np against the stove, with short a pipe inserted between his teeth, enjoying a smoke, when the station -master, coming in, politely re- quested him to cast a casual glance at the notice on the opposite side of the room. The Emerald' Islander did so, but still continued to smoke. The master, seeing the object to be attained still in the dis- tance, repeated the request a little more emphatically, and with the same result. Everyone in the station could see that the temper of the railway man was getting the better of him, when he shouted so that you could hear him for half a mile: "Man, can't you read ?" "No, sorr," replied the Irishman, with a little less energy_ "Well, then, sir," said the master, a lit- tle softened, "I'll read that sign for you. It says: "No smoking allowed. "' -. "Then held your tongue, you dirty—spa- peen, you," replied the Incensed Paddy. "I'm not smoking aloud. It's narry a whist of noise do I make when I smoke:" . The official walked away crestfallen. Six of the crew of the British ship Crof- ton Hall,have died at Calcutta of cholera. Lord and The Hurdy-Qrurdy ' A nation possessing a nobility and aris- tocracy is bound to have e Incidents of person- al erraticism which in countries where all people are born equal 'would excite little more than passing notice after serving as seven-day wonders. In England it seems to be next to impossible to have the public cease talking about Lord So-and-so's 'indis- cretions, or Lady Somebody's errors. As death loves a shining mark, so does the public dote on a bit of gossip affecting a person of high degree. The lordling who an- nexes a consort from the ballet stage be- comes as well known as a prime minister, and - living down the notoriety of such a match, or the divorce -court proceedings which usually follow, is impossible. The " performance" of a scion of a noble house which never will be forgotten in Eng- land, is that of Viscount Hinton, who some two years ago set out on a campaign as uni- que as it -was mortifying to his family. Not possessing the talent or the means to ac- quire " fame" through the ordinary me- diums,he gave expression to such musical in- stinct as he possessed, not by becoming_ an operatic tenor, or a player in the orches- tra,nor even a performer on the yellow clar- ionet in a German band, but supplied himself with the vulgar hand -organ of com- merce and embarked on the career of a strolling street -musician. The shock to the pride and feelings of the peer of the. realm, Earl Poulett, his father, must have been very great ; but the noble eari kept his grief to himself, and the public is left to conjecture his chagrin or attitude on the subject, beyond the indefin- ite understanding that the viscount has been disowned. True, the will 'and say-so of the old earl cannot overturn England's law of primogeniture, and the musical -in- clined sonremains as much the heir as the day he was born, and nothing can rob the young man of his right, if he survives, at some time to wear the coronet of the earl- dom and take his seat in the House of Lords. Viscount Hinton's queer freak was at first believed to be but a drastic measure for forcing the earl to terms in some mat- ter, but as he persists in his fantastic course and the old gentleman preserves outward imperturbability, organ -grinding may now be regarded as his more or less permanent employment. Wherever the proud earl roes, whether to Hinton St. George at Crewkerne, or to his more favourite seat at Bishop's Walt- ham in Hampshire, or to his town club in Pall Mall, he is never beyond the possible reach of the --to him exasperating—strains of the family hand -organ. Let there be a house -party or a gathering of country pee- ple, Viscount Hinton is more than likely to turn up in the neighborhood with the latest thing in machine -made melody. I saw the young man a few months ago at Southsea, the residential quarter of Portsmouth, where he was playing his call- ing ,to reap the harvest of coins from the hotels and villas thronged with the fashion- able world drawn to the Solent to witness a grand naval pageant in which royalties were playing a prominent part. In front of a hotel, just as the dinner hour was over and daylight was giving way to darkness, "his lordship" trundled his piano -organ in- side the gates and started grinding out the repertoire of the instrument. The waiters said it was Lord Hinton, and the state- ment was substantiated by a neatly -framed placard appended to the organ which read : I AM THE VISCOUNT HINTON, Son of the Earl of Poulett and heir to the Title and Dignities. (Vide Burke and Debrett.) Through no fault ofmy own I am reduced to earning a livelihood in this manner. The music was rather better than that of the average street organ. Technique and execution being governed mechanically, there was, of course, small chance for a dis- play of ability, but he manages to impart taste and sentiment in the modulations of the movement of the crank. He was dress- ed with obvious propriety for the occupa- tion. The coat of velvet—not velveteen — betokened the artist, and was accentuated by a cravat knotted in the mode affected by the flaneur of musical Paris. The current melodies of the music hall, with a sprinkling of Offenbach, and one or two airs that al- ways strike the patriotic chord in British hearts, having been duly filtered through the machine, the viscount, with a grace worthy of a court ball, turned the crank over to the young woman who was sharing his fortunes as viscountess. While she ground out " Here comes the bogie man,' or some such tune, Viscount Hinton, with much elegance of demeanor and unruffled cheerfulness, ran lightly up the steps to the hotel entrance to look after the business feature of his enterprise. Each. person pres- ent was given the opportunity to drop any stray coin he or she might possess into the artistic little metal cup politely extended by his lordship. The "I thank you kindly" was uttered with unvarying precision as each dole was contributed to the exchequer of this noble representative of the higher cult of musical mendicancy. The result must have been satisfying, for the takings easily amounted to nearly two pounds. No one felt the poorer for giving liberally to one who. whatever his failings, certainly had the courage of his convictions. It was a good-natured and coneiderate audience, preserving an attitude of kindly amusement, and with no thought of jeering or chaffing. There were present, perhaps, men born to the same rank to whom fortune and circumstances had been more propitious than to this confrere whose name was never seen in the society column of the Morning Post or in the lists of grandees attending a court function. Lord Hinton plies his calling in no per- functory way, but with dignity and direct- ness. Even if inspired at the outset by malicious motives, he has persevered in his career long enough to win a . certain ad- miration for his "pluck." He goes wherever he can find a holiday or gala gathering, and at times plays on the steamers crossing the channel. Museum and side-show "engagements" have been offered him by the score, but he chooses to maintain the integrity of the pursuit be has adopted by declining_ with thanks all such proposals. He finds there is money in his business, and who can say he does not earn it? Easy Enough. Miss Bagley. "Yes ; but now you must forgive and forget." Miss Faraway. " Oh, I can forgive but it's not so easy to forget." Miss Bagley. " Nonsense 1 I can tell yon a hundred things I've forgotten." He—" Are you happy n ,w that you are married?" She—" Coma a ratively." He —"Compared with whom? " She—" Com- pared with my husband." kaPTilt delta A femaleparachWls£ fell 500 feet frons a balloon at Berlin Ole Tuesday and was ine,. stantly killed. - The Berlin Tageblatt confirms the re- cent rumours of the death of Emin Pasha; in the interior of Africa. - Eighty houses have been destroe'al by fire in the town of Dabez, near Briancon, department of Hautes Alps, France. The Brazilian insurgents inMatte&rosso are fleeing from the province. The rebel gunboats have surrendered. Newspapers in Germany expreae disap- pointment at the re -nomination of Presi- dent Harrison. They consider it a bad omen for European interests in America. There were terrific thunderstorms in vari- ous parts of Spain on Sunday. At Melias, in the Province of Orenz, the parish church was struck by lightening, and ten of the worshippers were instantly killed and many seriously injured. The authorities have decided that the writings of the murderer Deeming, includ- ing his letter to the press, shall be destroy- ed. In Canada, Birchail's scribblings were used for sensational purposes. The house at Youghal, Ireland, formerly occupied by Sir Walter Raleigh, the great adventurer, was offered for sale at auction. The highest bid was £1250 and the ownert bought in the property. At Blaye, twenty-four miles east of Bore deaux, the British steamer Petrolea, with t cargo of crude oil, was fired by lightning and blew up. Twenty of her crew were burned to death or drowned, and several vessels in the harbor were set on fire and destroyed. Mr. Beale, U. S. minister to Persia, some time ago sent to the agricultural departments at Washington 12 Astrachan sheep. The animals have arrived at New }. ork in good condition and the number increased on the voyage to :16. It is thought they can be bred in America. CoL Volney V. Ashford, a native of Port Hope, Ont., has been arrested with 19 others in Honolulu, - charged with treason. Col. Ashford was educated at Trinity Col- lege, Toronto, and was a member of the Queen's Own Rifles. Grand Duke Constantine of Russia passed through Nancy on Monday and visited Pre- sident Carnot. The Grand Dake was given a demonstration by the students, who shouted " Vive la Bassi !" and sang the Russian national anthem. The visit has greatly tickled the Paris press, which see in it an offset so the Czar's formal exchange of courtesies with Emperor William at Kiel which took place the same day. A peculiar insurance company has got into operation in Denmark. Young girls may enroll themselves, and by paying a small sum periodically become entitled to a regular weekly- allowance from the com- pany if they remain unmarried at and after the age of 40. The fact that marriage forfeits all claims is expected toassure the success of the scheme, not to speak of the tardiness with which many of the members will announce their arrival at the age of 40. RATS ON A STEAMSHIP. They are In Possession and WS11 Not be Dislodged. Probably no ship that enters the harbor of Philadelphia is more dreaded by the sailor man than the Earn Line steamship Unionist, owing to the fact that she is near- ly alive with rats. Thousands of these ani- mals enjoy all the luxury of sea life and every effort to rid the ship of the plague has proven futile. Those on board the Unionist dread to sleep, as frequently they are awakened by the pricking sensation of a number of rats running over any portion of the body that may be exposed, and thus the handsome ship is rendered a pest hole by the intrusion of the rodents. Pilot Kelly, who came up in charge of the Unionist, says he was very tired after walking the bridge all day on the lookout while she was coming up the river, and when she was safely anchored he turned in for a good night's sleep. About midnight he was awakened by the blowing of a ship's steam whistle, and on rising in bed he was horrified to find himself covered and sur- rounded by rats, every one as large as a cat. Many had nibbled large holes in the quilt, while others jumped around on the floor, gnawing at a large piece of bread they had some way got from the pantry. Kelly was frightened, and walked the deck the rest of the night. Capt. Neate, the commander of the Union- ist, is at his wits' end to know what remedy to adopt. He always carries his wife, and the conditions were -such that he had erect- ed on deck a wooden house, in which they both live nearly all the time. Not long ago he adopted a plan to smother the rats by means of closing up all the hatches and burning sulphur throughout the entire ship. By this he succeeded in getting rid of a few thousand of them, but a few weeks later the ship was as thoroughly infested as ever. The rats on board the Unionist are of a peculiar kind. Some are actually as large as fair-sized cats, and have weighed as much as fors pounds. They are of a rare species, never seen in this country, and Capt. Neate thinks they are the pare East Indian rat. The Unionist, for some years previous to being chartered by the Earn Line Steam- ship Company, was engaged in the India trade, principally between Pondicherry, the French settlement of the Indies, and Marseilles, carrying peanuts, and it was in this way that the rats first got on board at Pondicherry, they being very fond of pea- nuts. After this the Unionist went from England to all parts of the world, but the rats in the hold bad some cargo to gnaw at until now, and confined themselves to that portion of the ship, never entering either the cabin or forecastle. Since January the Unionist has been carrying coal to Cuba and reloading with iron ore, and the rats being unable to sub- sist on either commodity, have forsaken the holds and invaded the cabins. The sailors have alt got news of this and it is next to impossible to &et a crew to go in her, as the rat, above all things, is what Jack is most afraid of. 4.10 . Her Sacrifice. He. " Darling, if I give you such an ex, pensive engagement ring we can't get mar- ried so soon." She. " Never mind, dear. For your sake I can wait." Never mind me," said Mrs. Jones before she was married, and that is exactly what her husband did after the honeymoon was over. In order to keep sea porgies through the Summer, the fishermen of Rhode Island have nets so arranged that the passing schools are led np into salt-weefeer ponds and the channels core acting ek ta, the oeean are closed neaten a e e -ea ... ��a