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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Clinton News-Record, 1901-07-18, Page 3:evenge Is Bitter. 000o 0 a e> laajor ShlrleY was) a hard man and severe magistrate. He was eold, proud, bitter himself, and in court he knew no pity, Sometimes Ise was; harelY Just, and when ha sentenced Torst Miller 'to twelve months' ins- prisonment for an assault, most peo- Ple were indignant, for Tom had run straight all his life until then, and the assault liad been aggravated. Sueli casee were getting tOO COM" mon, maid the Major; men must /earn to taink, auci they must be neelt with lseverely. He therefore sentenced Toni Miller. to twelve, months" imprisonment. And that Tom's wife eainted in court mattered neethieg te • "I didn't mean it, sir," Tom aaseed. "It wee by s'prIse like e- lm,' temper was roused, and before Heaaen, sir, never do It again. You -Yam -never meaut twelve months, sir ?" No ote took any notice, A Ward- er touched him on the shoulder, end Tom looked round Wildly. Some- where et the back a little aroep 9f People were beet over his fainting Wife. Somewhere in the milling village that lay a couple of miles aviay twe children wafted for hint to collie home. 'He took an uasteady step forward. For a moment he was crushed end broken-hearted. The he loolced up at the Magistrate's bench and again his face grew hard and savage. "I'll be even with am," he mut- tered under his breath. Before Hee-. yen he shall pay for this 1 I'll re- member 1" He went'. deivn into the cells a, man as bard as the magistrate him- self. The unfairness of the sentence changed him as it wotild change any man. He had been .guilty of ,assault -he haa admitted that, He had been driving a, horse ap a hill to the coal -mine at which he worked' when, a eentleinan ead cOmelip arid accus- e& him of cruelty to it, That had led to words, and the words bad roused all Toin'e fiercest blood, • Cruelty to animals was a thing. he had never been guilty of,, and he hed raised his whip aud struck with all his might at the man who hed ad- cused heal of it. It was wrong, of course; it deserV- ed punishment, as Toirtimew - but twelve months 1 -A thief Might get• no more, It was unfair-unjUst it was cruel ! • He went to prison'Sa.vage.aud bit- ter, and at the end of his terna he came dut determined only. On one thing-revehge an the man who pad been so pejust to him, "I tell you, Mary," he said to ais wife, ."Pll make eim, sorry. I'll ae even with him. Some day I saint have my chance."* • She looked at him with a scared expression . in,her . eyes.' The .Tom •who had come back to her wee 'not the Tone who had gone away. "But, .Tem, you Won't do anye thing rash again,' for the ehildren's sake ?" she .cried-tervouslee What he meant to do he could. not ten. Something " wOuld tern •Up some day his enemy would bp hi his hands, and it would bp time.enough then to 'consider what form. his, yea, geance was to take. The opportunitY came sooner. than he thought -eat came almost Within' a week of his return to work in the coal,mine,. and it was. not quite what he expected, • • , He was waiting with his gang for the cage which was to take 'them doWn into the mine when one of the men nudged his elbow.: , "Here's Your old- friend," he, said, with laugh. " Tom looked amind, hie face groW- ing dark and sullen. Coining to - 7 wards thein wap the manager of the mine, with Major Shirley and a boy. Majar Shirley's voice was loud and penetrating. He was looking proud- ly at his son, and evidently arrang- ing for the manager to show, him over the mime. "Then 'I'll drive back for him in couple of hours' time," he was say- ing. "He will have Seen enough by them I shoidd think. So, gaod-bye, Frank, and • don't get lost down there." ' The cage caine' tip, the men stepped into it, and Tom heard to more; but as 'he was whirled dawn into the darkness; all the savagery in him was uppermost. • He spent a longer time than usual in the lanaa-roona elle when he caine out again he looked eound for the manager and Major Shirley's son. Tom stared at them sullenly. He hated the boy for the sake of his father. He heard the Manager explaining things to him, he heard them. ask foe lamps, and then he weht. away towards his own coreer, where be was hewing out coal in heaps on to the . black floor. . • It was perhaps half an hour later that he looked up to find the man- ager' and the boy Coming down the gallery towards him. When they 4•eached 'him they stopped. "Tom, I want, you to look after Major 'Shirley's son far a ralaute or two," the enanager said. "I've got to go back 'Lb the mouth, and he wants to stay here. There's no man knows elipaiine better than yoti do, so take Elm about a bit, will you ? Look after hint, for Ian responsible for him to Major Shirley, Teta" He turned end diectppeccred down the long, (lilt, coat -lined gallery, and the cage, dropping slowly' down to him, he. got into it, leaving behind ih the ugly derkness a man who hat- ed with Savage desperation the very name of Shirlea and a boy who was. wholly unconscious of it. Tone looked down into his faee the manager disappeared. it was a fresh, childish face, With bright, eager eyes. "I say, you'll take me all about, won't you S" he cried. "There's lots of places I want to .go and see that Mr. Smith watildn't let Me go pear. There'it that caete with' the pool in it -over there soraewhere. Coeldn't you take tie ?" Ile lookea up into TOra's hard, sul- len face. X4) one was about,. He and two other inen had been up there by themeelveeefor a day or two. The others Were away for something now* and he was there alone With the boy. "There are lets o' placee with pocils in 'em," said Torn, "and some on 'on I don't knoW myself, but we'll see." Ile" walked 'on slowly, and the boy marched beside him. They walked out Of the Main gallery into- others necerowar and sinaller. Some were blocked at the end:some opened into great caverns, all dark with the coal and all hollow and silent. There was something strange and unnerv- ing in the, silencci., and the boy caught Torrqs hand. "Let lite hold you," he said. "Ws so ereePY, and it's nice and comfortable to hold somebody, al- .wassis hold mother in the dark. She hasn't got anybody but me, you vicnow, and When I'm big / shall look afters her, of eourse," noir footsteps grated over the OM', sand every now and then the boy would etumble Mew fallen pieces, Tom stopped abruptly at last. Hip ifeice Shook When he spoke. ' "There's a pool here," he said. „,"Ititlybe Ws the one yott mean." The boy loOked round eagerly, It. Was bewildering, Me stared at thel' erellese paseages and helloes's,' and Mileok his need. . "Don't knOvS," he said, "but I'd love to elm the pool. I hipect it's jolly dark, isn't it ?" «Tom grunted 'a reply and took a Step forward. At that inetaat soinething brought him. sharply to a standstill. lie caught his breath.' A /sudden report, loud and ugly, had echoed throug'h the mine. Ile stood rigid. Only once before had he heard a sound. like that, and then seventy men had lain for dap; crushed and mangled by the fallen veal. Small explOsione often meant nothing, but this was a big one, and the report, sharp and sudden, wee followed by a loud, rum- bling noise that.seemed to shake the whole pit. It came from the other side of the mine, as far as he could tell, and it would bp easy for them to reach the shaft from where they were. Even if a second explosion followed they would have time, He looked round quickly and then at the boy, and caught his breath. Here was hie revenge -here easily to his hand, IIe turned sharply and thrust a lantern into the boy's shak- ing. fingers. "Here," he ,ssed hoarsely, "hold that and stop there. Don't raove. I -I must see what that noise was." The bon clutched the lantern and looked up shivering Into Tom's face. "1 suppose you must go, musn't you ?" he asked. "I -don't like stopping here by znyself." Tom. made rio reply, He was burs rying along the gallery almost be- fore the boy's worde were out of his mouth, He rushed along round the bend, and thea lute the main cor- ridor and to the bend which brought him in sight of the shaft. There something suddenly stopped aim. To him at that moment it was almost like a human voice -as if he had overtaken en echa-as if he could feel again the toueli of the boy's fingers, • '"I always hold mother in the dark ! . She hasn't got any- body but me, you know, and when I'm big—" Tom stopped, his breath choking in his throat, and looked round at the clan passage through winch he had come, Scarcely a stone's throw away was.the cege which would. take him up to -the daylight. He could hear hurrying footsteps and voices. They were clearing the mine as fast as they could., He heard someone shout that the air was full of after - damp, and then he heard something elec. Someone seeing him beekoned him' quickly. . ' ."Corne alona, Tom," he cried. "'There'll be another explosion ' afore long, and Mr, Smith's been killed. Come along." Mr. Smith! The managera Ilis beart stood still. bne of the men ran up to him and "caught his arm. " Come along, man," ,he cried. "You've no time to • lose." . leu looked roend, dazed and .be- wildered. "Mr. 'Smith --dead ?" he cried. "Yes," said the man. "Re came down ten minutes ago and • someone called him. to• the. west section. The coal Yell there and he's dead,. and goodness knowe how ni0ner meee !" Toni stared with wild eyes. His forehead was damp, his• face gre.Y.• Smith dead Meant that no one would guess who lute last been with young Frank Shirley. Mid at home young Pratk Shirley's Mother was waiting for him! And' Frank Shir- ley's mother had only one child 1 Tom caught hie breath \vita . a gasp and snatched away hie arm. The revenge that he thought woirld be so sweet had prowa bitter. : "God help. us," he cried. "God forgive '2110 1" • " • • He turned and ran, leaving - the mans staring after him in bewilder- ment.. He did not stop to consider. that. He rushed back along the empty, coal-boand gallery,. calling at the top of his voice ;-- " "Master Frank! Master Frank I" It seemed hours, instead of •sec - ands, t� him befOre. a snivel answer- ing yoke echoed from the darkness, and it seemed an age before he caught the light of Pranle's lantern. 'Then be rushed up and seized. tae• boy In his arms. "Hold tight," he cried, "and don't be frightened. It's all right. Sit. tight." • • . Back 'along the passage he went - down it and round the bend like lighttinga-but he was not in time. As he rounded 'it another report, sharp and sudden like the first, but Closer, deadlier, louder, shoolc the ground beneath les leet and Made him throw .out his hands suddenly to save' himself from. fallina. Then came the loud, savage rush of fall- ing coal, and when ae reached ',the main corridor he found it already fialf blocked. He made 'art effort to pass, He was • • just struggling through and then sotnething struck hat -something pierced his back like a knife and he fell. All that he remenibered afterwards was that he aad threat the boy for- ward. "Run, boy, run," he cried, " and ask your mother to forgive me," * * * They recovered the bodies Very slotely, .and it was hours before they reached Tom, althoggh he was only a short distance from the shaft. '' At first they thought he was dead, but gradually., he came back to life, and afterwards, more gradually still, to healtle. • One of the first faces he saw when he opened his eyes was MajOr Shir- ley's. He shrank back, his heart growing cold as there came iu a• flash the memory of that afternoon in the pit. Ilis face greiv damp, as it had groWn damp before when be had struggled with his temptation, and he drew hia breath heavily. What would the Major -stern and cold and cruel -do now ?" hand on his shoulder. To his surprise the Tejor put his "God blesS you, my man," he said "/ owe everything to y•ott. If it hadn't been for yaur bravery should have lest my son 1" Voicc shook. -shook as Tom never supposed it aould shake, and hie face, Working painfully, Was cur- iously unlike the hard, proud, cold face that had 400ked down at him in court twelve months ago. . Tom looked at him with strained eyes. "I -I—" he began. "You muStn't talk," said tho Ma- jor quickly. "You must Ile stili, Everything possible shall be done for you, You've only got. to be still and get well, and by-and-by Prank and his Mother `will come and tell aou what I -what can't !" ITe turned awey hurriedly. Torn stretched out his hand. "But, sir -sir," he eried. "You don't understend. I can't lie easy if don't tell you, sir. 1--" , But the Major stopple'. him again. "There's nothing I wish to know," he said. "1 remeniber who you are, and I remember that you were im- prisoned, but, nothing matters now. Your bravery has wiped everything out -whatever you have done. 14ly poor man, don't Iet anything worry you now. Your afternoon's work has made me gratefal to you for.: ever." "But, sir, listen," cried Tom. I meant to kill your boy. a meant to leave him to his booth. Do you an. deretand, sir ? I hated you for. say- ing me such a hard Sentenee, and meant to be OVCII With you. Mr, Smith had eent me to take care of your boy until he came back, and ins' stead of that / meant to do harrn to him. I should have saved myself and left him %Were he was to die, only -only I couldn't, air at the last, But it, was there -the badriese WaS MO, sir, and you ought to know+ ft. I-1 ineant bad to your sore sir," The Major's face, grams, hard for a moment, changed again. "Tom, you're a brave man," he eried, "It has required courage to conlese that, and whatever bitter- ness there bas been, let us forget it. .1 admit may have been hard on you ; Oat th,anke to you, Day son is whole and sound of limb, and you Omit never say that I am unfair again. Shake hands, TAM." Tom held out very limp and shaking hand that had been bruised and discolored by the falling coal, and the Major took it in silence. It was that hand that had saved his son, and somehow lin had nothing to say. When Mrs. Shirley came, however, she fetid a, great deal. PerhaPs seid soMethina, too, to the Major, for they saY he has never been such a hard man since the day of the ex - Plosion in the mine. And to -day Toni. has no better friend than the man who one() passed an unjust sen- tence upon hint.-s-Lonsion OLOTRING FiON THE* SEL COMPLETE OUTPXTS' SUPPLIED BY PATHER NEPTUNE. , Would be Very Expensive but Comfortable and Durable. • A. man could fit himself out from the crown of his head to the soles ef his Met without using a single naa- terial growl/. On land. Such an out- fit would, not be very cheap, but it would be exceedingly warm and com- fortable, and would wear for a very long time. To begin with. his boots. What is commonly known irt the trede porpoise -hide would xnake as flee a pair of boots as any man could de- sire -soft, ilmcible, and, waterproof. This porpoise -aide is really white whale -skin, atd, as a single white whale gives a piece of leather 60 ft, long by 85 ft, wide, one hide will make many dozen pairs of boots, and then leave plenty of strips for cutting into laces. Socks, as well as all under-gar- inents, could be spilt from the lays - see, or tufte, of the pinna, a sort of shellfish, which supplies a bream, silky material, already much used in Sicily as a silk . substitute. -It 'can be dyed any color, and workee Up into a, eoit, warna fabric. For suit, the tai r 'who made it would find a wide • toiee. For summer wear, the ski of the burbot a fish found in Russi waters, is light, cool and unteara.ble,. and quite waterproof, It is largely worn in warm weather by the Tartan tribes. Salmon skin, which, when tanned, resembles delicate wash -leather, would be suitable for spring or au- tumn wear. The scale -marks give a very. neat pattern to salmon -skin leather. , FOR WINTER WEAR. and.for overcoats, sealskla cannot be beaten for warmth or beauty. For sewing, these garments to-• gether sinews of the walrus would afford a very strong thread, or, If preferred, thread could be spurn from the same shellfish:silk already' radn-' tioned. As for buttons, the ocean wardrobe affords an , immense and beautiful variety, Mother-of-pearl cut: from osister shells varies in color from white, through iridescent; to black. Lovely ivory butane can be made from • walrus tusks, and these could be dyed' purple with the same murex shellfish waicli provided the famous Tyrian purple, Transpaient tortoise -shell forms a third choice fer buttans or similar ornaments. An excellent imitation of a pal -- matte • straw ' hat Gould be woven from tee funori, a. sea -weed found on the coast of Japaa. For hat -band the byssus' silk would again be re- quisitioned, stiffened by a prepara- tion made from the scales of the captain -fish, a preduct of West Af- rican waters. • , Velskin,, properly tanned and pre- pared, IS already extensively used for making braces, aad would be used for this purpose by our. sea -dressed subject. Equally near home eould material for 'gloves be secured The common flatfish of British coasts cart be so dressed and prepared as to resemble the very finest 'kid. • A fac- tory for the manufacture of kid from halibut -skin has already begun oper- ations near Calais, in France. It would take all, the gold from. some 7000 tons of sea Water to make A GbLD WATCH, CASE, so recourse might be -had to the skin of the angeI-shark, out of which the Turks make most exquisite Cases, sew -green and semi -transparent. These leathers can be, and gome- times are, prepared with the oil al and adornahiznself With sea, jewels, but he could provide himself from the menhaden, ae American fish, and the latter oil Is also employed 'in Making delicate -Scented soaps. Not only could a man dress in gammas made from sea products, the sea, with many other articles of everyday use which are usually pro- duced on land. Walking -sticks of whale -bone are tough, and almost utbrealtable; while sticks made from the horn of the swordfish are very beautiful and val- uable. Combs and the handles of Penknives are made of tortoiseshell. Bandoline and other preparations for fixing the hair are manufactured from carrageen, or Irish moss, a spe- cies of seaweed. Few people have' the faintest edea how large a part seaweed plays In daily life. All that vegetable hair whieh upholsterers uSe so largely for stuffing sofas and chairs is seaweed; ' • DESERTED. She left it lying 'neath the hedge, Nor did she shed a tear, Then, fled away with frenzied step, As though consumed with fear. Silent and motionless it lay, A tiny thing, so white ; The roadside grass nigh covered it . From any wanderer's sight. How could she leave it far fro= home, • Alone, uncared-for, there ? Why had she fled so guiltily ? What secret could she bear ? chanced upon the tiny thing, As in the hedge it lay, And bore it off so tenderly That georgeous summer's- day. Yet why the hen had laid it there, Was more than eouId say. " The monthly pay. of seamen On steamers averages more than on sail- ing vessels. The population of Siberia is now eight millions, having doubled in the last tWertty years. Of the $45,000,000 dalnagee Which fire does eath year in the British Isles, London's share is $5,500,000. London has 1,800 acres of park, Dublin 1,760. Dublin has Jess than 1 -20th of London's a/Vitiation, / British trade reached its ligh- est point in 1896, when it was 8/ per cent, of the tratie of the whole world. Brunswick is the only country whose laws retain execution by. axe, and Spain the only one that uses the garrotte. Prisori-iseeper-You ha.Ve to work here, Moriarty', but you may select any trade you wish, itrisoner -Well, ir it's all the same to 'You, sor, Ord like to be a sailor. Phrenologist ; My friend, find you have a most remarkable Mem- ory. Mr. Mulcahays Profissor, wud. yez moind puttite thot dowel an a av paper so's; Oi won't fergit it ? Mr. Ilieziness-Why dontt Yon Work --why do you, Waste your time beg- ging? Trainp-Did yon :ever Iseg? Mr. 131i,sineee---11/47o, of eourse not. TranipTheis Vets don't knOW tihat work is. it MD'S LITTLE TEES. POISONED BY ERIK -TIES, • e.seet THE ROMANCE OF SOME VERY STRANGE WOOINGS, 0..01 In an ArtiSt'a Stadia,-T0Q12 Paney to her Photograph -4m* perial Teentan's Cupid playe etrange Weise with Men, but surely none stranger than when he makes them fall violently in love with a eace seen on a canvas' or a photograph ; paesion which must often be fruitless and Weep - pointing. Not long ago a society Man .of .Middle age and large fortene, who had earned the reputationn of being a confirmed bacheler, fell in love at first sight with a pictured face in an artist's studio. The face haunted him day and night, until he was compelled to ask the artist for the name and Address of the model who had sat for the picture. Fortunetely the artist was. able to suPply the information, although it was more than a year place the Pia. ture had been' painted ; but, unfor- tunately, the model had meantime disappeared and had left no .trace behind her. It was only after soine months of patient searching and in- quiry that she was discovered at last, almost on the verge of starve - tion, as the result of a long illness. Oa acquaintance she proved to be quite As 011arnling in Gilaractor as iu face, and after a brief wooing the ar- istoctrat, led to the altar his bride thus straageey won. But these infatuations for a, Pia. tured face do not always end thus happily. In a recent diverce case the plaintiff confessed that he had never even seett his wife until Just before his marriage to her. He had seen her photograph in a friend's al- bum, when he was in Londou and she in Melbourne ; and had 'taken such a fancy to her" that he had sent. his photograph and a proposal with it by THE VERY NEXT MAIL. The lady liad responded te his ad-. vances with wbat ought to have seemed a suspicious alacrity; and as, for business reasons, he was unable to ga to Australia to woo or even wed. her, .0110 had consented to come to him. Unfortunately in this case the face was no reliable index to the character; for according to the evi- dence she Was verita,ble shrew, who had,antong other things, “made his home a pandemonium," and whom he was es anxious to get Xid of as he had originally been to mar- ry her. The story of a wen -tie -do business man in a yorkshire town intstrates a -Very strange phase of this. love for a , "pictured face." In early ma.n- heod edr. --- had seen the photo- graph of the .dea sister ,of a 'friend, one et those girls .who are as sweet in disposition as in face, and .whone e`the gods Jove" too well to anew them to, stay long •With us, He fell passionately in love with' her, card vowed' that unlese he could find her couuterpart en life he would never •marry. He bearowed the pho- tograph and .filled hes rooms ••with copies large -and small, photographs, oil paietings, , and water color sketches of it, and seemed never happy out of , their presence. ' For thirty years .he was passion- ately loyal eo thie departed lave, and when he .died; less than a year ago, he aequeathed all his ,estate "to the brother of one whose sweet face has. inspired. all that has been good in me for thirty years, and whom I long tonteet•face to face in the Beyond. ' . It is toga than two years since the papees described a strange wedding of a 'bride and bridegroom who at. the time were separated by 13,000' miles, and who had actually . • NEVER SEEN EACH. OTITEli,.. The photograph 'of the bride, a Dutch lady in South Africa,. had been sent to the bridegroom, a yeung merchant of Amsterdam, by ifis brother; with the result, that he had immediately fallen in love with thela'ce on it. ' The correspondence • which .ensued led to a proaosal; and as the eover was unable to travel so far to mar- ry his. fiancee, it was arranged that in Dutch fashion, they should be married before she .started oa her long journey to her new home. Thu* the first meeting at Amsterdam of this strangely -wed couple was in the character of straitgers to each other -a condition which, we may assume did not last long. . The sight of fair face on a pho- tograph has just culminated in hap- piness for one of the brave -English Imperial Yeomen invalided home , from the war in South Africa. It, was given to him by a wounded and dying comrade, who charged him with a farewell message to the sister whom he had loved more than any- thing on earth; a,n.d When he came home, Wounded and broken in health, to convey these messages to her in pergola the face that had aca companied him through many a hard day's• fighting and riding had won his heart, and ehortly after she be- came his wife. THE COlvtlstERCIAL SCOISED. Disagreeable Passenger (to com- mercial traveller sitting •by open windpw)-Excuse me, sir, but that open window is vexy annoying. C. T.. (pleasantly) -I'm sorry, but P.m afraid you'll have to grin and bear it. D.P.-I wish you would' close "it, C. T. -Would like to accommodate you but I can't. 11.,P, --Do you refuse to dose that window, sir? C.T.-I certainly do. D.P.--If you don't close it Will. C.T.-I'll bet you won't. D.P.-If / go over there I will, C.T.-I'll give you odds you won't, • D.P.-1'11 ask you once more, sir, will you close that window'? C.e.e-No, sir; I Will not. D.P. (getting oft his feeta--Then will, sir, C.T.-I would like to see you do It. D.P. (pracitig his hands on the ob- jectionable windove)-111 show you whether I will or not, sir. C.T. (as disagreeable passenger tugs at windoue-Why don't you close it? D.P. (getting red In the face)--It- appears-to be stuck. couree Wis. 1 tried tO close it before you came in. And then the disagieeable Paesela ger felt foolish, and the other pas- sengers chuckled audibly. intoGuEss OP CREMATION. Believers in cremation win derive eucourageinent from the report just issued by the Council of the Crema- tion ,Society of England, whieh shows' continued prbgress of the movement.in that country. During the year under review 801 crema- tions have been carried out by the society at Woking, as against 240 during 1809, being an inCrease of 25 per cent. This brings the total riums ber of cremations' leerformed at, Wo- king tip to 1,824. During 1000 eighty-eight bodies Were cremated at Manchester, sixteen at ellaageSe, end forty at Liverpool. This brings the total at them pieces to 475, and 102 respeeti'vely, The recently -formed London ()remotion. Company ham been forturiate in securing an extens sive eite•which wilt enable them make provision for the disposal of the ashes) of- an immense population for a number of years, arid at the Name 'time to"treate a beautiful place Which" Will remain an open spaCe.' CLOTHES THAT PIAVE LAID VILLAGES LOW. 1•11.0.• Various Articles of Olothifig Have Been the Cause of Epidemics. Xt. was. only last year rgat the lit- tle hospital at Crayford, in Dorset, England, Was overcrowded for three Weeks by people Whose clothes had poisoned them, When certain kinds of dye, or of badly -treated wool, are used irt the snaking of clothes, they can set up a very nasty form of poisoning', and for a short time the countryside Was clevaStated from thiS MISC. Says London Answers. A cennnercial traveller had brought down and "boomed"- a lergo quan- tity ,of eheap vests, which were main- ly Austrian trade, and to Appear- ances very good and inexpensive. Taey were patronized strongly, but within a week of the sale of thein the population was largely stricken down by' a strange illness, whieli atizzled the local doctors. It was soon traced to the new wets', which were found to be bardened with some fluid conteining ct strong pro- portion ef cheap arsenic and sul- phate, Still strangel. was a clothes epl- deraic which ravaged the Scotch dis- trict: of =lick Spey, in Perthshire, year earlier, The cause here was a "line" iu so-called hcaneepen awe- ets of natural wool. These jackets are °het .worn next the skin, rough as they are, by the hardy shepherds of the hills, and soon after the sale of a big batch of these jackets the wearers were TAKEN SERIOUSLY ILL by an irietant fever that could . not be traced. Several. cases were tak- en to Edinburgh, and it was event- ually discovered that the jaakets were spun of imported Steppes wool, froM Russia, which had been cora deemed by the Russian inspectors. The sheep of the Russian Steppes are very lieble to an affection of the fleece, which makes the 'wool brittle,• and causes it to split into micro- scopic filaments. These filaments, if brought into contact with the skin, work their way into it, aed set up an irritant fever, which is very hard to deal with and may become dangerous to life. Gloves ha.ve often been responsible fin. widespread mishaps of this kited, and Birkenhead, England, was the last place to suffer 'from a et of ''glove-paisoning." You have prob- calla noticed that some kinds of gloves are.apt to fret the hands, and impart an aching, learning feeling to the tender skin between the fingers. Thie la due to a bad Mal cheap pow- der being used to dust the insides with, and euch aloves. should never be worn. Birkenhead was flooded with a, etock ef "Cape" and kid gloves, aed soon a aery serious epi- demic of poisoned hands set in, in many. • cases spreading through the Whelk systeei, and even causing death. The. powder in these gloves contained guite a large propoetion of copper eelphate, which gave pre- servative ctuadities to the leather, but had terrible effect on wearers of. the gloves if they riad delicate skins. • Boots are among the very woiet offendere in this way, and they haVe given rise to quite a crop of epi- .demice. Cardiff, iwo years ago, re- ceived a large 'stack of boots, • — MOSTLY AMERICAN. which seemed nicely shaPed; and of e. very reasonable price. •They were very Much .patroaized • but a week after the hulk of them 'had been sold the .' purchasers found themselves practically crippled eor tho elm° be- ing: The leather had been treetede with ittrong acids, and all people who hed -tender skin' or wore thin, stockings were attacked by violent cramps in• the feet, 'and the piercing eaies .the toe -joints that usually arise from this sort' of thing.. • Neckcloths of the cheaper kinds are sometimes dyed with mineral dyes, and when the more _danger/Ms of these are bleached they form a, very severe poison indeed. The °North country -especially Yorkehire -Where colored mufflers aro 'worn a areat deal, 'has euffered most from. this eattee, and not long .ago New- castle, ancle also Huddersfield, had a -very bad attack of necktie-pc/Moe. ing. Severe, pains in the head, with hoarseness, and' swellen glands, maaked the continued wearing of a large, cheap "lino" of" Clow' maniere, especially when the purchasers wore heated while 'wearing than,' and a great many pitmen, hardy as tliey are, were incapaciated from work through arsenic -dye poisening. IVIAICING OFPXOER. What a Course of Sandhurst Costs a Parent. R you want to. to 04i, son to take part In the work of officering the British Army you can only do it at a very considerable cost. The son of a civilian pays at Sandhurst $750 a year, The year is divided In- to two terme, alai at the beginning of each the parente pay $8'75 in ad- vance. „ Hithcato the course of instruction has oceupied three 'teems, and 'there- fore costs parents $11`25, In future the course will wily occupy two for which $750 will be paid, sci 'that payment will be exaetly in the same proportion to the time spent in the Military Academy. in addition to the $375 paid ie, advance the newly - joined cadet pays $1.50 as Well. With this he is supplied with uni- form, books, instrumente, barrack - room furniture to the exteut of bed, cheSt• of drawers, washstand, bath, • chair, and what is saheduled sometvhat misleadingly as "an °fa- cer's horse." Carpet and any ether chairs and comforts he must provide for himself, and generally does so by hiring in Camberley. Expenses do nets end here, as no af- ternoon tea: is provided for the gen- tleman cadets, who are growing lads arid much too hungry to veciit from one o'elock lunch to eight o'eloelc Luneh Pomewhat monoto- nous, ea five days out of seven it consists a cold meat, and tne cadets; inostly supplement it with jam which they buy at the canteen. Prom the canteen also they get their note paper (at their oWn ex- pensej, and at their 'own expense al- so the little silver -headed cherry - wood swagger ettne, the carrying of which is de rigueur, and might Well be expeoted to be Provided out of the $150, No lad can manage at all at Sand- hurst without $10 a month pocket money -indeed, very few atteMpt it undeb $15, and many boys have n.s much as $100 and $150, although in the regulations- the sum put dOwn as actually neeessary. is $7.50. In ad- dition to the $750 paid by the par, ents there is a Government allowance of '75c a, day for each cadet. . This ie not paid to Jam, but goer) Itthe ewoauridl ts, his messing and contingent Prom all *tide it will be neen that the cost of educating' ones son for the army 15 almost s prohibitive, as allowanee lutist be made as Well for mufti clothing and holidaye, which oceitpy about three =lithe of the year.4 After this; it is impoesible for a young man to live In the thetipeaslt line regiment with ,Iets than $500 year of private allowtootee. % n 04.4.09.4 1 f .4. .6 i "...s.% \ . •if .0, ,,,,, 0. 1 leat'aVAVYtirfii_...1"u4 i it.,11.....,..,...-.• . .--,.....,_,_ ,..--- N:-...,.:-.—,minvz./..L , ... ,...,,,,-",.,<:- .,. a ‘""e-"Tale...e.a t.11.41.1 Will..,4 V Viv•vti • , ,t . ,, i . . ta'i,:::1: adossarror LANOE IN NAVAL WAIMARE.. fast steamship with cat explosive -tips pee lance, and let her run up and stick the luckless submarine boat be- fore its navigators can make it dive again. In the carrying out of this plan England. Intends to fit one of these incerine lances to the destroyer Star- fieh. Probably there will be one of these boom -like lances on each side of the ship. They willprotrude be- fore. the bow just as a lance is ex- tended before tim rider who carries It. Each lance will be tipped With poWerful -explosives., • To be Applied to the Destruction of Submarine, Torpedo Boats, England, 'baying ascertained the feet that France is equipping her- self with largo fleet of sub -marine torpedo boats, and having always in mind the fact that only twenty -ono miles of sea: separates France frora England, has been meeting about for some means of clefencliug herself from sub -marine boats in general, and those of Fratce in particular. In the English army the lance has always been popular as a weapon of war, though it has been, invariablY ditiliked. by the people confronted by it, The lance principle is noW to be applied to the destruction, of sab- marine toepedo boats, and it is en- tirely likely another iniernational cry of protest will arise. The advantages of the lance, from the British standpoint, are these : A cavalryman, armed with a sword, is virtually powerless In a charge it his adversary lies flat on the earth, but if he ig armed with a Mao he can spit the prostrate one. The lance, too, is quick, light and quiet. pne of these alleged advantages • Submarine boats, are' necessarily rather sloW. They can neither cora() to the surface nor dive below it as quickly. as a fish. .As a matter of fact, evben a sebmarine torpedo boat comes to the surfaceaeither to take an observatiOn or for fresh air, ' it takes Winn minutes to submerge the boat again. Those few minutes are. to be taken advantage of. by the dee etreyer; which travels at a very alga semi. . • . Whorl the submarine boat comes te the surface it will be seen by tba de- stroyer. Before it can sink again, the fast lance -carrying boat will Ita,ve daehed up to it and speared it with one of the explosive booms el' are to be used in Itaglaad s new phut of dealing with the wily sub_ lances. The submarine torpedo boat is then expected te, retire from busi- marine torpedo boat. Roughly ness, sPeaking, the idea is to arm a very TEE LAND OF TEE ROSE. 'NEWS PROWL THE HEART. OF '. THE DRITISH EXPIRE. • . • Paragraphs that 'will Interest• the Sons of Old England .Can-• ada. sitTe.h.e fun. d or:he 1.1.ational ra. al to 'Queen Victoria now exceeds £103,000, ' . • • In certain' London hetels 'wine left on the tables is the evaiters' perqui- The net profit'. bn the Leeds cor- Aeration trams duriegthe past year aniaunts to £31,008. . On an average 606,000 260,- 000. Scotch, and 400,000 foreigners. reside in England'and Weles. • The lawns at Buckingham palace are sufficiently large. to allow. of the manoeuvring. o'f .2,000. men. • . A man hap given a Reading mason. a.pderny for findieg a lost. atirse ebbe tinning 300 notes and. gold, • • There are 836 .places Of public ea- tertainment in London; with a•com- bined seating capacity for 400,000 People in the west end 'of.' London are Spending Mach. money:this Year oLiiiielerxtheorunstiels". floral decorations for In the paet forteryears Great Brit - Ain liaa.prochiced forty millioxi. toms of steel; Car abeut oneethird ef the world's total product.. . The Earl 'of. Seafield holds- Great lieltaln's record aes'a tree planter, having. platted 60,000,trees ' on '40,- 000 acres in Invernesshire. The Manchester School' 13oard has 47,000 scholarP on.the booke and 1,- 577 teacliers.. There are 10,s99 pu- 'spcihrsooainsde 066 teac!ierae.at.• th: evening. London, to. all .appeartinceS, was never more .prosperdus then mew.' The theatres, music halls arid ,coiie cert rooms' are crowded, Every ho- tel. is hill oe aisitors. , . The value of fish landed in 'Great Britain and Irelancl la.st year wee fully. nine millions and ' a half stele. ling; -as • compared with less than seven millions in 1802. • The value of baddock landed . on English coasts is usually £800,000 greater than that of herrings, and constitutes one-third of the value of all the fish aunually taken, extreraely pretty "daffodil" wedding took' place an Devohshire the other day. All the bridesmaids were in daffodil China. silk Empire dresses, with toquess to match, anS carried . crooks surmounted by beach of the Spring. flowers. • At the wedding breakfast, which. was a geed old-fashioned sitting down one, no flowers were esed but daffocille. The royal monogram which is to be placed' upon the King's liveries. Is of the neatest possible style,, and consiste of the lettees.E. with' VII. beneath them. The somewhat flairibuoyant manner fal which the royal cypher appeared. upon the liv- ery and harness of the previous scar- ereign now gives place to a severer taste, end this applies not only to the full State trappings, but also to ttihoen-ASCot anct Goodwood liveries, both of which. are .41150 in prepare- . . Sir Redvers Buller, speaking at Huddersfield, said the general who was lucky enough to cornmand Brit- ish troops had very little' trouble in doing what he wanted, He would not make comparisons where all were good, but no general ever had the honor of ,leading a more devoted gal:ant or self-sacrificing men, than he had in Natal. A.Ithough ha believed even yet that their full difficulties were not appreciated, it Was a fact that they did overcome theta. The new throne for the tige .of Queen Alennaidra. is an almost exact replica of the old one. Its design Is mainly aleidor-elothic, the seat being embroidered in gold and silver after the` Gothic pattern of the one used by gegen Victoria, the back consist- ing of it very handsome embroidered lloyat Standard, which is surmount- ed by a beautiful gilt sevolt centre- piece on which are inscribed the let- ters "V. R." It was the leineee seeciat command that, "V. It," shduld nOt be replaced by "E. R." SCOTLAND ND IRELAND. The' folloWing table shows the growth of the population. in Scot, - land and the decline in Ireland dur- ing tlue Mat hsaelfolloonaltduicy:- 1851 , , • ,062,204 ' 1801 1811... 8,860,018 .„,„ 1 785,578 1881 1801 - .. - ...... 4,025,047 1001... ' 4411,057 /reload. a 1851 0,552,885 1861ea . 5,108,00"7 • 1871a ....... ....ea m5,418,1377 188f ...so.. "*...5,274,886 , 1891 4,704,750 - 1001 1 ' 4,456,540 Thus Scotland itaa now a larger pope III/talon -than Ireland. * "NEVER .110W' HE His I3EN REPAID FOR ugx,rmG OTHER " NATIONS. France's itethrt f or Britain's Good Offices -Belgium, also, , Shows Ingratitueie. • The orchesteet of vituperation which is now hi full .blast in ;the Contineetal Press lias neerly• drowhe ed •the notes of friendship for Eng- land, whiali have been, poeaded . by two•natiens alone -Italy atcl Greece.. These peoples. can never forget what Great Britain has done for teem in days gone by; but nearly .everY othei country has almest equal obliga- tions' to the knight-errant of. nations whica they now choose to, foaget.... .Take France,, for instaa.ce, which anaeieed opilathyoss ifiriaat the .afore - In the ;terrible year of 1871, :when she .was apparently. gaspieg but her. life' in the iron. grip of her iiimlac- able -foe, 'Germany, it was ••Britain who,- poured into the country thou, sands upon thousands of poundet worth di sto•res 'for' the suffering peoplea-not • to Mention ambulances, medical comforts, cihd a. large and competent staff of surgeens. • The story of how the .celoseal in- demnity. • demanded .from 'prostrate France the. end 'of -the conflict was reduced by no less a sum. than a milliard Of francs, has been recent- ly toid. Britain here' again etepped. in, and through the• exertions Of Lord Granville . • POOR : UNHAPPY FRANCE Was relieved of a' part,- at least, of ehe burden sought to be impoeed na- afi her, . Belgium ought to 'know a geed deal bettea than to afford' asyluili to the notorieui ,Leytia"and his Re- fectory', It is owing to Britain that the little. kingdom is. not: wiped off the map. 'The outbreak of the Frara co -German: War might easily have heralded its extinction as_ both com- batants .had been- castirig hengry. eyeaon the tiny seate emne time At a Cabala meeting on July 30, 1870, Mr, Glacietohe's Government re -salved. that a• treaty should be. pro- posed. tie the following effect That if the army of either belligerent vio- lated the neutrality elf Belgium, Great Britain woeld co-operate with the other in its defence, but wethout engaging to take part in the gonere al operations of the War. The treaty was to hold .good until a year. after the conclasioit .of hostilities. ' In :opening the Chambers on Auge est, 8th, the King of the Belgianp al- luded to the guarantee, end remarke, ed. that "fore her part, Belgium, le the position which international law had made for her will not misappre- hend either what she owes to other statee or what elle owes to herself." 'Unprejudiced people aro saying at present that Belgium, since the war began, appears to have pretty con- siderable/ ralsa,ppeeherided, what is due to the natinn which in those dark days preserved her very, exist- ence. By harboring Leycle and cheer- ing the murder Lothaire, she has shoWn • ' STRANGE GRATITUDE. What one Of the, dying nations, namely, Spain, owes to Britain la notorious. Think of the niillions of money and ehe thousands of lives that were spent by Gieat Britain in the early part of the nineteenth cen- tury to drive Napoleon out, of Spain, Perhaps the Dons think that this lit- tle account has been settled by the attitude of 13.ritain during the war with the United States. Certainly the Spanish exultation over the Brit- ish cheeks in South Aileen has been exuberant ; and the Minims ironic telegram to Mr. Chamberlain, after one repulse -of our forces, saying "The dying nations salute you," is another sign ofe the feellege enter-. tained towards us io the Peninsula. Portugal owes ,soinething to Brit - nit& fOr Settling the internal disor- ders which were racking it in 1846.. SOlte kingdom was enjoying one of its periodical insurrections. The Brit- ish troops defeated' the iesurgents ae Evora on tlie 81st of October, and. on the same day' a nritish squadron under Admiral Parker, arrived In the Tagus. The insurrection Was Won over, the leading spirit, Ln. de 13an- deinta, making Ins Submission early in the following year. . These are only a few of the in- Stances- in which Britain haa acted the mut of Don Quixote in redress- ing the wrongs and binding up the wounds of C.tontinental nations. Hove Oho repaid itt. the present time ie noto.rioes. A young man Wass walking up the platform of ona of our railway Sta- tions looking' for a carriage. \no op-' tee teildtdariteill1.11;:d Oh, this meet be a baby sehooll Vegy' replied the indignant mother ; the nionkea carriage is lower dawn. IIIRAOLE AND lrlYSTEBT "NIViTEB:04:0C1.19141:DISPIri4COAD.' BUT 0.......igtixe.t. Mystery of Li Rays -Power Of . EleetrleitY-Osr a by Mottle X., It is SiX years since ProfesSor tRirreorkutgir evPoaaocis,edpahpisernitenWdlieSt11, Tilyds ietr le nr,stAelleixix.o0f rel:nal,111:utsit:tepe:.ec: torpe- tlXatiolli-iQrai etalsyl,i0Yesa.ws Itdell3irtlYldni 0°Qs 11 rwt411'eQi1114:411081uv, tt°0twuzh, pi liereidedresol:clesositl e.c.4a1 lone4vy03. connecting medium but the ate and does at a distance of two 0.114 a ball nd a6eeuxsbpslaordenne cdtp., glwVal;ogirrihtisgo Witt, aattlsietse;o.ad;rnatct as they do. In despair,. some scientists fell back upon the old theory of lights But as this idea is WW1 11,srays are a greatasergmreiraatclaes etvleianr, have added. to aswteart at, yei gr b. :al Ilheine en :de, de as rex d.etal ;et: ,i0.4Aittlic tnyodwtrhtwherorei : tei nwo, iril ete:00; , hundredbzzyea; 13:caara 'ell:ye' cas sd: er da g er e s t 1 1 t a whiee. faoc,Tr wo:ua ii .1: ,. du distance the Y -rays' beam is two wipinnuhveeliet:otsIndellorbhlteoeahadse.tylisilotilb4mra o r e t h an hi nes elf , ei.. u, curve or more the leolisb.ecscqiue,nrtelistraCyusi,re ..slviii.tat man stile substance called radium, which be has discovered, has been racule to act as a sort of mineral gloYeavorm,• It kept in pitch darkness for Ave years, will store up sunlight, and, even a bun% feo,und to gleam .with, the same soft rakliance at the ' end. aorfethneott flesh, but bone. They offer a sure test for distinguishing between true Becquerel rays pierce not only anlikdelyfatisoa bedliaarragaenlydau'sebdatfor such a purpose, as radiura coets $25,000 AN' OUNCE TO PREPARE: One more .mystery of light. By • simPlY sPinning a lump of loa:f-sugar on a lathe; and tapping it raaidly With a small hammer, a constant play of light can be produced ; " and here, again, is • an effect witleout knewn cause. • When M.. Tesla. went over to Eng- land some yeare ago, he horrified -an assemblage of scientists by traahanite ting -War/nigh his own hand and body a current of electriscity a huateeel tithes greater tacit* id generally use to *ill a criminal. ale stood there perfectly unharmed, while a 'merit& crackling blaze at the end "of the conductor which he held showed 'the appalling power of the forces lut handled eco calmly. A.sked whY he was not instantaneously burnt t� •a.. crisp; he replied that it. was perfect- , ly safe te handle ci. ourrentalf v7as alternating electricity. He even ofe fers .to transmit through hM owa .• body the Whole energa of the forty, thousand horse -power obtained frota the Falls of Niagara,. • The currents. he has .actually handled have been side:dent .to melt tack irons like wax. His experiment .is'' about •as tenet' a miracle as anything eyer seen. By' means of' an' instrumeat .• ine.de of glass prisms, and. caned the spec- tkoscope, acientists have discoweeed that the sun and moon aad all, the stars we cen see ie. the' skiee are made un of °simnel' materialp to th.ose of which • :THIS EARTH, COMPOSED.. Iron, gold, each differett elements,. produce• .different dark lines acroes the rainbow -like play oi colors into whiph the prism divides White eight. We know by experiment where the lines of each ,different eubstance will be found in the spectrum; and we know that these lines are producea. by ihterference of rasis. But wily the verious substancee shcaild, producellee • siich rays is another mystery. As hi so many other matters, a result has . been idachea without the cause being understood; . • . Even so seemingly simple a con- teivance asethe conipass is' really miracle.' We have discovered that a magnetised etrip of steel swung upon • ' 0 pivot will point in a certain di- rectiona but why it does se is not . known for certain, and. aerhaps :neva er will bo. We are aware that the magnetie pole is not always. in the .: &erne place, but slowly and conStant- • ly shifts, We know also" that. there are. parts of ehe world Where the compass will not act -at. all. • At a place called Kotahetowka, in Russia, . Profesgor Leyst, of Moscow; found taat • the clipping neectle• pointed downwards, just as it does at the magnetic poles. And yet. there. Is to iron within 600 feet of the selectee of 'the earth. . The whole subject of magnetisle and. electricity' is full of miracles and mysteries. Man can make young .plante-geow at nearly double. their riatural rate by passing a mild cur- rent' through the soil they are plant- ed in. He cere in a similar fashion, double the size of cucumbers and cabbages ; bet lie cannot tell why such results ale obtainable.. Even more wonderful and iftysterie ous are the results obtained by doe- ' tors with electric light. By using • rays 'of a certain king, the most hor- rible cages of lupus, or caneer of tee a face, are being cured in London, and other . big. cities. The wounns are healed', fresh, •clean skin grows over the shocking sores, and after six Months" treatment the patient is cured. But no doctor, nor anyone else, has the faintest. idea. how these splendid cures are effected. • . Neither can the man of medicine say why it is that keeping a patient sufferihg from Smallpox or measles in a, room hung with rod has such. a wondeaul effect in allaying the erup- tion, anci 'In preventing the former . disease froM lea,ving ite mark tlpora THE FACE OP THE SIMPERER. The main reason why fresh milk is so expensivn as -it is, is that it sours so extremely rapidly as to make its carriage to any distance very trou- blesome. Quite recently it has been discovered that, by putting the .milk into hollow steel cylinders, and ap-- plying great hydraulie pressure, . it may be kept perfectly sweet for days. A pressure of seveh tone to the square inch for an hour. wee found to delay souring for seven days ; while other samples, kept under a pressure of fifteen tons to the inch; were sweet and fresh at the end of a. fortnight. Hero Is another miracle to be ponder/el //vete for how Mere pressure can keeti substanee from fermenting is not easily' understood. 1 A MISSING ,pITY, •There are some twenty thousand persons of all classes and. ages miss sing in London every year, said a Scotland Yard official'. We are gen- erally able to account, for three thousand by referring to the bodies unknowa found hi the ,Thantes and other place's, and takieg for granted that the rest have left Lone don fort, various reasons. ' We have. the majority of the latter on oUr re- corda tts wanted. Still, aeon then eeventeen thoueend are left. The greater number of theee are probably living in London • under assumed names and disguisee, and fit different welke of life. They are cut, off 'front all intercouree With. their relations Mid former 'Mends, and have as eitis eena eintriged their personalities. In fact, there is a town of Musty thoues and inhabitante in the, heart of Lon- don, which in, to all intents; and pure poses, miening to the rest .of the World, and if Wanted enneot be found,