Exeter Advocate, 1901-4-4, Page 3A WICKED GIRL.
i 11n( MAY CI10'1L
est little meal in order; did the piiea,lt
to hiui, and theta it was ratter,�
lightly; "What is that murder every
"Ito, Miss Derry, 1 thought old Nat, 1„R IS0;.1Lit tti TOM)
grire fhd -Miss I'11a eei.c1 for you?
ono is talking of? \Vas, ie here'?r,
"In T1.as\ ton, ni td tints'?' Oh, done,
319,” tho man said, and nothin',-;
further, because he required time to
(coN'euNua'D.) recover ^the insult offered to 'Ellaww"-
the told nye she had begged you not ;"1E !'RIE D TO STEAL THE JEWELS
to come." FROM A DEAD DUCHESS.
"So she did, and I tried to do as,
>kze evi heel, but it �y s imi ossible,
E ow could I l, -now her to be in
trouble sand stay away? I tried for
a �vk\ole week, but I had to give lip
at last and come, Something,must
bo done, Sarah. This awful!murder
Must be found; out,,,
Ct's o, week since," :the woman ob-
served, with no change in her intent
ton,
would iu.iist on my no longer giving "Wheys, then?'" she askecl, tannin
sera lr litt here, where l huA'cly, der LI;the huge tel -pet, and bul�tncing it '
serge a little attention. I ratan to I as it to tell whether it held suh.ci-
tell Bila of your othertitude," j eiit to supply her wants,
"Ai itin, grandmother? You Have 'About four mites awa3',- just lie -
done" it eo often. "
'i he old woman turned sharply s
Sound to peer into her „landcl:i,ug•ht- lower, of wtach you have probably
cr's face. "Primrose'?' she queried,ho«.rd."
cis it uncertain who was beside her'And wlto was murdered?"
"'14 Itl1 13asset, the mister ,of
,' -)e vriug. At the
the gi'rl's only answer now vvas r. alines asse'; ie it
the Tower,"
'.
to silently stretch out• a guiding
hand,
"You startled ire, child," old ,Mrs.
Basset explained, crossly pushing the
hand aside. "What motive can you
have for upsetting my • nerves by
• '.Niel who murdered, hinny" `L'he
question was'asked in the senile tone,
but the man, for all'his metural
den.,ences, had seen a passionate
anxiety in the girl's eyes before 5lie
speaking in a voice so unlike your losvored thern--such curious eyes he
own that II thought T had some thought them; gay anti green and.
stranger Here'? If I were mercenary blue all at once, like the .,ea -water
1 should suspect you had some de- . sometimes was on a stnnuice's day
sign in :'habitually endeavoring to in a certain favorite nook of'his.
shatter my nerves, as well as leaving Curious, but very beautiful.
me so much alone. I'm not a' geniis "That's, of course, what nobody
nor an idiot, to• be content in soli- can say, madame," he answered,,.
t ido. for hours at a time, as you while these thoughts ran in his listed.
are. I'm human:; enough to require;
human companionship, and I will
have Miles nada aware how sel-
dom I get this from you who owe
me everything. • Now, go and tell
him I want to speak to him, Tell
him if he d.00s'not dome and have a
cup of tea and a "game' of cribbage fcr r t.•
with his ,neglected grandmother, I ' `It would be a satisfaction to the
shall' be positively ill." He hassurespolice to take somebody up'?" sug--
ly had' plenty of time to despatch.,gested the girl, absently, while ,`she
whatever business took him from sweetened her tee„ • •
' 'the dinner -table 'this evening, I. Bate "Yes, madame, it would be a great:
to go' into that. room. of 'his, with comfort to theme,
'`Naturally,'"'Tell, me about it."
"In the papers they say—
"Oh, 'I know 'what ,the papers
say." she. answered, leaning back,.
and seeming to forget the tea ' she
had prepared.' "You tell me in your
own way,?
"Por myself. I thought thea papers
very satisfactory and correct," the
man observed rather pointedly `ias he
whisked', a crumb off the table -cloth,
"and there were columns . of ie,
whereas if you tell it, it.is all over
in a few' words. Mr, Basset was
writing alone in his' library that
evening --just a week to -day it was
—and- there he was found: -sitting,
dead, with one of his own foreign
"There's nobody even took to be
tried for it, The cro'rvner gave•what
he called open verdict."
"But surely. some one is suspect-
edr'
"Not a soul, T assure you. There'
isn't anybody the police can take up
the hideous idols' and weapons, so if
you are 'not too indolent'for that
trifling errand, go and. bring Miles
to my room."
"Grandmother, I will come. Let
me do all you want, I "will try
hard. I will come with you --any-.
where,"' the girl cried, throwing her
arms impulsively round the unre-
sponsive
nr�
sponsive form. "I will try to be to
you more than ever miles—"
She had inside a desperate_ effort,
but as the, nand was uttered she fell
Senseless to the ground.
CHAPTER II.
The midday down.express had pant-
ed out of the little,station of Thaw- daggers in his Heart. - People say it
ton, and one of the few. passengers'
it' had left behind it stood on the
hla:tforre looking round in an un-
urried sort of way, that had yet no
listlessness in It. She had it on her,
ieiirid to ask a question from any of-
ficial whop.' she'should encounter, but
seeing none she waited with the, pa-
tient alertness of an experienced :trav
eler, who knows' that no lady, with
a liberal hand need vainly look for
attention among railway porters.
As site stood, fragments reached her
of a donversation carried on. between
the station -master and two or` three
people whose arrival had engrossed
him to the exclusion of all'else, and
when she had, listened to a few .sen-
tences she walked rather hastily
as * y'"'into the boating -office. TTerc
two women sat close to a dusty fire,
talking, in. half whispers, .and, while
the girl crossed tthe room a few
words reached her distinctly.,, though
the heavy tones were lowered. She
turned back at once to the chilly
platform, and by that time a sleepy -
for
is said their presence is accounted
eyed poeter - (who appeared to 'pos-
sess any amount of staying power,
and none of going), had begun to
feel a 'dull curiosity in her.
"Your luggage, miss?he inquired,
pointing back tri the only box the
train had disgorged.'•
''Yes/' she answered, with an .in-
ciifference to which he had not been
n,ccustornod "where' passengers' lug-
gage was in question. "Is there any
conveyance here?"
The porter looked over his left
shoulder, and then over his right.
"Fly's gone,", he remarked then,
casually.... "Perhaps at 'the Railway
wr sn't 'right for ` it to lie on his
table to be used as a paper knife."
"Some thief came' in, I suppose.
The windows are'low,, perhaps."
"They are, both ` of them, and
there's ai, door out into the park, but
all were shut.',
"But, could be opened from out-
side, no doubt'?'".
''Yes, .madame. Neither was fast-
ened on the inside that evening,
strange 'to say.--' But nothing was
stolen."
"You mean nothing they are yet
aware ` of. ' Who else was in, the
Towei•'that evening?"
Only the old ladythe' widow of
Mr. Miles's grandfather --and his sis-
ter."
is-ter „
'Except, servants '. ,added ;the girl,
unconsciously dropping the levelness
of tone.
"Except servants, of course'," the
:roan allowed; "but they are old` serv-
ants and above suspicion. Besides,
UM -where do you want to go to?"
' "I will tell the driver," she re-
plied," with" gniet dignity, "Yon
mean that inn just outside the gates'?
Bring my .luggage there."
The tone meant a, shilling the man
was confident, and he took from Ilia
• lady the :bag she had been' holding
before he shouldered -her box. "
The Mass door of the tall ;'square
inn was closed, but a flat -faced cider-:
ly waiter, who stood peering hope-
, _fully out,. opened' it as the girl ap-
proached; then, as if he would rath-
er not
ath-er;not risk a question until she \vas
secure in his department, he led her,
without a word, through the hall
toward a door opposite them. At
the bar window as they passed, a'
email, red-faced men in pink stood.
talking to, the landlord, beating Inc
hunting -crop, against his boot with
almost -every zvoiad he said. The girl
heard a few sentences then mace
unsmiling gaze:
Yee, a whole week" --sadly. "Ars
T 11a begged me not to come, 1
thought I ought not -at first, but,
as :f say something latest be done,
and isn't it natural IElla's sister
should try to do it?"
"Ye., tt's natural,'' the 'woman
agreed,' the slow level tones, striking
dully on the ear after the girl':e
clear, heart -stirred voice, 'hut it will
be of no use. Everything bas been
tried. The kindness to Miss Elle,
would be to teach her to forget it."
"Them I will try to teach her to
forget it. But I must also try—^"
Amiss Derry," the woman's inter-
ruption was quick enough though
heavily uttered --'you will remem-
ber she is not strong like you, and
you will spare her any unnecessary
harass?'' •
IVho should spare her if not I?"
the girl asked, with simple,' frank -
astonishment,
• "You.: 'will remember how ` lately
she has had such, an awful shock?"
"You would not think me likely to
forget it if you knew how terrible.
this week has :been' to the while she;.
kept me from'; her." •
'But you understand why,' Miss
Derry? ,` She knew Mrs. Martie;
world make it disagreeable for you.
Miss'Elleethinks of 'you mere than of
herself: ` Did you expect to stay ' at
many at the Tower, at any titno.
It is very- sad" -- with a bland
sympathy --"for Mr., Basset' was en-
gaged to be married nextmonth.iVe
all feel' for poor Miss 'Ope—"
"Yes, I know he ivas,"- the, girl
quietly interrupted.
"We all," persisted the man, chaf-
ing under a 'sense of injurybecause
no lady (especially a young one) had
any right to shiver sitting so near a
fire of his compiling, "feel for the
young lady at the -Pines."
"I am going to the Pines,"
The words were so grave as to
sound like a rebuke, and were fol-
lowed 'by such a meaning glance into,
the hall that the man could not but
take the hint.'
When he returned,.. in ten 'minutes'
time, it was to say,; the fly was at
the door, and to find the visitor so.
lost in thought, that he had to re-
mind her of having ordered a,%vehicle
at all.
"No," the girl said, "hurriedly,,
when she saw her box being' hoisted
to the woof of the fly. "I must leave
that until I send for it—or return:"
Then having satisfied the man with
silver, in her composed accustomed
way, she took her seat and was
driven out of the sleepy little town
of Thawton.
After enjoying about three', miles
of roa;cl which rambled, with no di-
rectness of purpose, over the margin
of fiat .country ' lying between the
downs and sea, they passed through
such an impulsive movement forwardthe little village of Dewriiig (at
whosestation • this express train. had
that she almost' overtook the .waiter
not stopped), and instead of driving
before he had impressively thrown
northward up' the gradual ascent to
open the door of e room that had the tower, they went straight on for
very little in it besides a long table another mile, and then turned
-ready laid for any prom'iscuous.'meal. abruptly southward, until even 'on
But through its closed window there the i irl's unlistening' cars there fell
was a pretty peep of wintry garden the sound of the sea washing its
ground beyond. long stretch of pebbly shore. Break
"While you are waiting for the fly, ing a long wall on one "side this
madame, what, will you take?" in= road, carne a, little round lodge, like
quired the waiter, noticing that his' 'a swollen and moldy' toy, and at
visitor stood looking straight ) tached to it a yellow gate. Before
through the window' ill an itnbusi_ this the driver reined inhis horse,
with a hoot intended to arouse the
lodge -keeper, but which only startled
the girl sitting , behind' hint. He re-
peated it vainly again and again,.
yet all the time there was a.'ivomile'
sitting calmlyloolding .out -upon him
"No," looking gravely now bathe from one of the round windows of:
into the ` room, "A sandwich and the lodge.
a cup of tea, if not inconvenient.". When presently the girl' caught
''? of in the least inconVenient, sight of this n moan's face, she -cit
rnaclanre,'' he deprecated, lits smile ,once told the driver she would walk
addind that though, tip to then, be the rcet of the way, , and dismissed
had only thought she might be idi- 1?nt- She paid' hire in excess, in the
otic, he now wes aseurod of it. old' take -it -fol' -granted way, then
When he hada deptirted""rvith, Inc 'opened ,ihe gate for herself, arta
order, her ears follow -0d his eat evalked-up the .yard' of Braden path
'heavy tread, and presently he joined, to the door of the toy lodge, enter=
the two who' : were talking in the : ing without any preliminary' knock.
noes-likeway,- after she had,' be-
spoken the fly on its return,`just as
if she were listening foie some,thiii ;,
"Shell I ' c1ur
Y es ciiCferentl,y,
IV i ,rtrry'?"
the Pines?"
"If Ella asks me.
"But she wan't be allowed to. No,
I'm sure she won't,_ so I must see
about -something, • while you speak
with Miss Ella. ' Will you come up
to the house with me,- and I will
take you straight to her room?"
"As you like," said the girl, her lip'
curling more in amusement than con-
tempt, as she"turned out of the op-
pressive little room the wonian fol-
lowing her in silence.
"Sarah," she said, suddenly, when.
she had waited for her companion to
come up to her in the short straight
avenue of ` stunted elms, "I wonder
Mrs. Martin lets Ella keep you with
her, as you are fond of Ella, and
Mr. Martin is so intolerably jeal-
ous."
"But she doesn't know I'ni fond of
Miss Ella," the woman said, with
'the first sign of a smile. "I pretend
to be devoted only to her, and so
I'm allowed to stay. I know well
it's the only way.
"We were both- your nursling-,.
once," said the girl, with an.uncon-
scious 'pathos in her clear, musical
e'oice, 'but you were never fond of
me as you are of Ella."
"No, Miss Derry --if fond is tha
word = I had no need to be."
"I' never," the girl said; cheerfully
strangling a sigh, ''vas quite the•
mistress of my, temper, was 1, Sarah?' ( door in the floor that gave access to the
2,.�
They say red-haired peoples neer • vault: The. two vales were so closely,
are." • dovetailed into one another and fitted so
"Red-haired!" The woman's voice exactly' that he found the utmost dit$-
was filled with astonishment, yet cultyin getting a tool between them. He
lie''i`hounlit That All the Ornaments
'1`hntt Adorned the Corpse as It Lary
In 1 State Were Iluried Wilk the,
B3od Cat iht In u 'L`rnys•
Only t few weeks after her return from
Prusscic, -'here she hail seen her soli,
then te eel?•y crowned king of the Ilel-
ghnis, did the Duchess Augusta of ,Sach-
sen-Colemg die, in her seventy-sixth year,
Nov. 10, 1531,, Tile admiration and love,
this admirable princess had inspired
duets crowds to visit the body as it ,lay
in state in the residence at Coburg prior
to the funeral, which took place on the
19th before daybreak by the light of
torches... The funeral was attended by
men and women of all classes eager, to
express their attachment tothe deceased
and respect foe the family.
A grew" nidal was said and fabled con-
cerning this funeral. It was told and be-
lieved that the dowager duchess had been
laid in the fancily vault adorned with her
diamond rings and richest necklaces. She
was the mother of kings, and the vulgar
honeyed that every royal and princely
house with which she was allied had con-
tributed some jewel toward the decora-
tion of her body.
,','gong those who were present at the
funeral of the Ducliess Augusta was a
Bavarian named Andreas Stubenrauch,
an artisan then at Coburg. He was the
son of an armorer, followed his father's
profession and had settled at Coburg.
Stubeurauch had been one of the' crowd
that had passed by the bed on whieh -the
duchess lay in state and had cast covet-
ous eyes at the jewelry with which the
body was adorned.
He had also attended the funeral and
had corne to the conclusion that the duch-
ess was buried with all the precious arti-
cles he had noticed about her as exposed
to view before the burial and with a great
deal more which popular gossip asserted
to have been laid in.the coffin with her.
The thought of all this waste of wealth
clung to his rnind, and Stubenrauch
solved to enter the mausoleum and rob
the body.
The position of the vault, far removed
and concealed from the palace, suited his
plans, and he made little account of locks
and bars, which were likely to prove
small hindrances to an accomplished
To carry his plan into execution he re-
solved on choosing the pight of Aug. 18-
19, 1832. On this evening he sat drink-
ing in a low tavern till 10 o'clock, when
he left, returned to hrs lodgings, where
he coleectecl the tools he believed he
would require, a candle and a flint and
steel, and then betook himself to the
mausoleum. The tomb was closed by an
iron gate formed of strong bars eight feet
high, radiating from a eienter in a sort
of semicircle `and armed with sharp
I-Ivfound it impossible .to open the
lock, and he 'WEIS therefore obliged to
climb over the gate, regardless of the
danger „of tearing himself on the barbs.
Here he found a double stout oaken
On, Derry'S entrance, a' pretty,
delicate -looking girl, of above twere-
ty, who "lay on a cooch 'beside the
fire, looked un from a bOok, then
sprung to her feet.
the merry answer, though the spea.,--
er's voice was stirred by some strong
emotion. "Kiss nie., Now again —
eg,ain.. Yes, egain. It is such ages
since I saw you. Lock your items
round my neck iny deer just as you
used to do in old times — those
very, very old timee before rich aunts
stole you away from me."
The younger sister --- for Ella was
the younger by almost two years --
answered only „ by a grave sweet
sirdle; but, after' a patiee, moved her
head back to g•o,ze ,into her sietcr's
"Tell me fingt, that you -care to see
you' know I am not mistress hei•e."
"No, am glad to say you are
not," returned Derry, stoutly, "Of
course I came to see you, but an-
other motive brought me too, Ella.
afraici you may not like to hear
'' \thy did you come?" gently and
sadly asked Ella again. •
"When I read that sortoes',ful letter
of yours, I felt I ought to be with
you, dear, though as you told me not
to conic, suloinittal. But after
.thinking, thinking, through six whole
,clays, I kr.cies- I must come even if
only for .that other purpose, Ella,
that mystery must be .solvecl.."
dWill you pleaee not speak of it?"
urged the younger girl, gently.
"Not speak' of ite Must not I? ()In
struck as the valve, grating, on its hinges,
was thrown back. Then, leaning, over
the opening, holding a pole in both hands,
he endeavored. to feel the depth of the
vault. In so doing he lost balance,
anti the weight of the pole dragged him
down, and he, fell between two coffins
some 12 feet below thafloor of the upper
chamber. There be lay for scene ,little
while unconsciohs, stunned by his fall.
When he came to himself, he sat up, felt
about with his hands to ascertain where
he was and conside.red what next should
be done.
Stubenraucli was,not „the man to feel
either respect for the dead or fear of
aught supernatural. *With both hands
be sustained the heavy lid of the coffin as
he peered in, and the necessity for using
both to support the weight prevented his
profane Land from being laid on the re-
mains of an aueust and pious princess.
Stubenraucli did indeed try more than
once to sustain the lid with one hand that
be might grope ivith the other for the
treasure he faecied must be concealed
there, but the moment he removed one
band the lid crashed down.
Disappointed in his expectations, Stu-
benrauch now replaced the cover and be-
gan to consider how he meght escape.
But now, and only uow, clid be discover
that it was not possiblci for him to get
out of the vault into which he had fallen.
The pole on which he had placed his
confidence was too sliest to reach the
epening above. Every effort made by
Stubenrnuch to scramble out failed: He
was caught in a trap—and what a trap!
Nemesis bad fallen on the ruffian at
once On the scene of his Clitile and con-
demned him le betray himself.
Morning broke. It was Sunday and a
special festival at Coburg, for it was the
twenty-fifth. anniversary of the accession
of the duke, so that the town wits in
lively commotion, and park and palace
were also in a stir Stubeni•auch sat up
and waited in hopcs of hearing some one
draw near who would release him. About
0 o'clock in "the morniog he heard steps
on the gravel and at once began to shout
for aesistance.
The person who had epproached ran
away in alerm, declaring that strange
and unearthly noises issuod from the
ducal ,rnausoleum. The guard wes ap-
prised, but would not at. first believe the
report. At 'length 0130 of the sentinels
wee dispatched to the spot, and he re-
turned speedily with the tidings that
there certainly wee a man in the vault.
Tic had peered through the grating at the
entrance and had seen the door broken
open aria a crowbar and other articles
lying about. The gate was now opened
1.all, an'i she kry-lw lie waited thero, "1 eaw you, Sarah," she said, to , . . eenno ;ma Steneereuen removed le tee midst
i1101701 spealtitii, Until he the woman who stood at ber en -
nay. ' 1 g,re,,(,,.0 ,,s711,1 no suit " patient and resigned and gentle like nanyed speetators. Ile was removed -to
With a Captious VIelitor.
01p one of our western citice emu()
-eerie-) ago," said it Inansas City mein 'al
frieed of mine was employed as It report-
er 0r10 of the local papera ileNt
Man above Linn was comstantly takieg
!fire to task for alleged derelictions in
duty and eepecially for mistelses in gyam-
nine, etnictuation end similar thanes, Tho
editor who was forever quarreling with
ray friend, while a man of force and able
to write la a virile manner, was never-
Iheless deficient iu education, and hid
eraminar seas occasionally as bad ad
some of that of Charles Diekene. Ono
day he bed been particularly vieious in
hie criticisms of my friend. The follow-.
me clothing there appertred an editorial
from his pen, in Ivhich the following sen-
tence ocemred:
" 'To be a true American one should
visit the Rocky mountains and contem-
plate its beauty and graudeur.'
"Here was the chance my friend had
been waiting for, and so be cut the quota-
tion out and sent it to the owner of the
papea to whom both men were responsi-
tele, with the following comments:
"The first thought suggested by this
strange statement is that its author
should eisit a school of grammar and
contemplate its beauty and grandette.
This originality in the use of a singular
rnight be used to advantage in a reversion
of the style, like the following, for exam -
visit the ed:tor of The Blank and con-
template their lreauty and grandeur.'
Aside from the offense to English in this
admonition to the American people, will
the sentiment itself stand analysis? 11
the dictum be true that to be a true
American one should visit the Rocky
mountains and YontemPlate its beauty and
grandeur, what is to become of the toll
" 'The man who cannot afford tO in•
dulge in this visit and contemplation?
" 'The busy man who cannot find time
to go on a mountain gazing, tour?
"'The many good , citizens who aro
blind?'
"The attention of the owner was ale
rested, and he made inquiries which re-
sulted in his straightening out matters
between the tNvo men. While this drastic
criticism perhaps did not improve the ed-
itor's grammar, it certainly did. Improve
my friend's position while on the paper."
•
of en assembled .crowd• of angry. and dis-
' :WELS 'CrlICIIY surninoned to carry 'in ' trance, eels eeee .1.1.a.,, ' - ' d ' ., Yon i/iiist fcCee,dve rue, I. can not be
s, i i ee la se o. n ier merle conic Airs, •etartin's lodge -keeper?" ' •
„ , . (go -LE CONT TM%) . Willi hard laboe.--13arieg-teottld s Ills-
ON WHOM WAS THE LAUGH?
Artist's A.tteinpt to Have Hun
With a Picture Dealer.
The following good joke on a party of
artists (or was it on the picture dealer?)
was told by George Bogert, who was one
of the party, as an actual occurrence:
"One day," said Mr. Bogert, "Fred-
erick Kest, Carleton Wiggins and my-
self were down town and for a 'lark
stopped in one of those cheap picture
shops where :they sell'oil paintings toe
about'$1.22. After looking about a bit
Nest selected one, supposed to represent
a deer. Said he to•the dealer:
" 'I3eg pardon, sir, but I am green at
this business. Will you mind explaining
this eicture? The deer appears to have
a melancholy, hungry look on his face.
" 'Quite correct,' replilid the dealer,
'Step over here. This is better.'
" 'You se.e, it's this way,' continued
Kost confidentially: 'My 'wife and I aro
in the city for a few days to buy some
paintings foe our new house in Indiana,
I have' to get a- few hundred dollars'
worth, and I reckon I had as well get
them all right here.'
"The dealer nearly dropped in his
tracks, buCwas equal to the emergency.
" 'Yes, sir,' he said briskly, 'you have
co -me to the best place in town, but be-
fore we begin business, gentlemen, come
over to the Astor House and have lunch
'"Thanks,' replied Kost vvithout the
ghost of a smile, 'we had a late break-
fast at the Waldorf-Astoria and really
don't care for anything just yet. By the
way, have you any pictures by a man
named Carleton Wiggins?'
" 'No; we had one by Wiggins, but
couldn't sell it. We don't handle his pie,.
tures.'
" 'Anything by a felloNv named Bogert?'
" 'No. Never expect to either. His
are not worth having.'
'` `Ahem! Have you any works of the
celebrnted artist Frederick Kest?'
" `I.KOst?' said the dealer. scratching
his head meditatively. `Liost? I don't
think I ever heard of
"We were nearly choking with laugh.
ter before, but this last was too much,
and the laugh we gave Kest put the deal.
er on, as the saying is. Without a word
he put on his hat and, leaving his assiet,
ant in charg,e, marched out of the store,
wearing a very pained expressiou on his
flneer New Year klaperstitionS.
"Don't take light out oC the house
before 01710 has been brought in," is the
solemn injunction on New Year's night
ef the peasaptry of Lincolnshire, Eng -
laud. Death is certain to result if this
advice is net followed.
To permit a woman to enter the house
first on New Year's deg is said to be
sure forerunner of eviL The same re.
sults are said to follow the throwing ouf
of dirty water, ashes or any kind of ref.
In sweeping the hou.s.e the dust must
be swept from the door to the hearth oi'
death will be the consequence. A custom
largely observed at present is after
hag the fire in the morning to spread the
fishes over the threshold. If in the
mornine there is an impression of a foof
leading from the house, a• death la that:
family is so firmly believed in that prep,
arations are made for it, but if the foot,
mark leads toward the house a birth
during the year is sure, and prepare,
lions are made accordingly.
Bright Stars Not the Largest.
The amount of light we receive front
any ster depends upon its distance,
size and the brilliancy of its surfece,
faint star far away may therefore he
much larger than °tie which nppear:.
blighter to us because it is` nearer, an
as a 'natter of fact it is known that sone.)
faint eters have a much larger mass—the"-
is, \retell more—than Siritle, the bidet('
est star the heavens, elthough, this lat-
ter star is three timed heavier^ taan
which lang-aagQ8 01111 d 1"." eed triotliee e'en ern tile en doesn t,
si)e'ken- ie 2,000 miles in length feed
boars am its carrouts there iyou arle. Iluti if git,i1 likes, yeti
aehed tite bright Yesterday.
you eves. lietened to bei. 'go,' so distinctly,
enunciated, and her 'oe,' so nicely round-
ed, and sat speechless and tongue tied
before her evhile she used the words you
had alwaYs \\elated to vise, but could
never think of at the 'dein momeet?
"She is the most infuriating type 01
W0111,111 in the world to rim. There is no
other that so thoroughly paralYzes my
faculties aed that manes ace appear at
ellen a disadvantage, In the presenee ot
the witty NV01111111 I can at least laugh and
appear aninaated to that exteete with a
beauty mound I can still be agreeable,
but no sooner do I hear the cool, well
naoduluted voice of the perfectly Self
possessed member of my sex than I feel
v,daerever that may be.
"Once for my sins I had such a person
for a neighbor. When I first knew her, I
felt an extravagant admiration for her
conversational dexterity, so when I gave
see. the hoetess-slaip calmly taken out of
my hands.
" 'My neighbor' directed the connerse-
tion, patronizingly letting me into it every,
now and then. `111y neighbor' told Iittlet
stories, charming little stories, eloevly'andl
with detail, bringing the point out clearly
and joinieg her delightful laugh to the
chorus that greeted the denouement.
"Occasionally I would have ,something
really good to tell, but 'my neighbor' so
transfixed rne with her glittering eyes
and her eyebrows were se expeessive of
concern at my temerity that I would
'hasten the recital, jumble the eVents andE
forget the point.
"When I finished, my Cheeks would be;
burning, arid my 'self possessed neighbor,
would observe evenly: 'Never mind, deatai
I'm quite sure every one understood just
what you were trying to
"I have felt as young in that woman'es,
presence as 1S months. I have felt as,
awkward as a turtle. I have forgotten'
hotiv to pronounce the simplest words,i,
and I have said `it is him' an innumerable
number of tinies. Shehelongs to a class.
It's a large class, with more members in
the north than in the south, but I tell you
this—when I hear the voice of the ap-
pallingly self possessed woman in the hall
of a new hotel or boarding house^wliere
I have planned to stay for a time, I pack'
my trunk and instantly flee.
"I have no desire to meet the owner of
the voice. I know that as soon as I de
I'll lose my nerve and my intellect and
become a gibbering lunatic.'
A. Itude Prince.
It has not always been wise to look ta
a royal court for the etiquette of polite
society. Witness this quotation frOlal the
Princess Czartoryska, an incident of tho
court life of Joseph II at Berlin.
One day, at the end of dinner, she ree
fated that she had known Prince Kan-
nitz, who ,had a varied reputation, and
incidentally one for impudeuce. Having
fine teeth, ho attended to them without,
the slightest yegard for his guests. As,
soda as the table was cleared his valet!,
put a mirror, a basin and brushes befora
him; and there and there the prince be-,
,gan his morning toilet over again, just as
if he -were alone' in his dressing room,
while 'every one was waiting foe bimetal_
finish to get up from the table.
"I could not suppress my astonisha.
ed the princess if slae, too, had waited.
out of countenance that I only recovered
niy senses at the foot of the stairs, but
later on it was different. I conaplained
of the heat and left the table at des-
sert.' "
A Boer :Marksman.
The Boer officer who was observed by
others that day picking out our officers
was for some time within a few yards of
Fraser. Fraser saw no less than five
officers fall to his unerring aim, and so
long as they showed the slightest signs
of life he continued to fire at them. In
the intervals the Boer marksmae welked
perfectly leisurely about, pipe in mouth,'
then stopped again, knocked out the,
ashes of his pipe, picked"out another vie-:
tim and aimed long and deliberately at
hill]. With the rank and file he did not'
concern himself at all; he only shot at
our officers. He seemed to feel no fear,
at all. A dyddite shell fell jtist a little
way behind him and 'burst. He turned
his head and calmly watched it, then
moved 071 with a contemptuous shrug of
his shoulders. Fraser thought he must'
be a German. He was smartly dressed
in long boots and breeches, his coat was
off, and he wore a silk- shirt with' dia-
monds gleaming in his sleeve links.—Bag-
hot's "Shadows of the War."
Tiny Anvils.
The anvil that rings' to the sturdy
blacksmith's sledge may weigh 200, 300,
400 pounds, but there are anvils whose
weight is counted in ounces. These are
used by jewelers, silversmiths and vari-
ous othe.e workers. I
Counting shapes, sizes, styles of finish,
and so on, these little anvils are made in'
scores of varieties, ranging in weight
from 15 ounces up to a number of
pounds smell. Some of these little anvils,'
perhaps two pounds, are shaped
precisely lilte the big anvils. Others have
shapes adapted to their special uses.
'All the little :cavils /Ire of the iMest
steel. They are all trimly finished, cam).
nickel plated, and those surfeces that
aro brought into use are finished with
what is called a mirror polish, the sur-
face beine made as smooth as glass
These little anvils are made up to five
pounds and some of them up to ten
pounds in weight. They are made some
in the Ueited States and SOLU0 in Gorilla -
Chinese Dead Rests.
There are no II Cl '• lode
They have instead holloW square frames
of rattan 'or hatnboo or blocks' of wood.
fashioned so that tho.y tit the ampe
the neck and support the head whoa ly-
ing 011 the side. People who have used
these sUbetitutes for pillows say they are
much 'fuer° comfortable than softs hot
' feather or hair pillows, especially' in
warn' weather,
Hole of tile Minortty.
"De you believe minority rit e au
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