The Exeter Times, 1888-2-23, Page 2NuTTuougier, .dbe mismanaged it of mune,
3 8 FATHER thou, uotuai ly wrote down thar barber-
"' ens addrees, Miokle something; on. i card.
I believe be only, got as far se the Men in
-
CHAPTER 18.—(Coerrinuer)
stead of the masthr."
I wanted to ask fer Captain Hough -
It •
was all very well tor her mother to teght said Alice, glad to teed the conversa.
ean,BerWeeierdkeiheawpeople
r rtleuorpmurrevery
ex
ativciW°ndotsuie
g:7my ith tiea awaY from revelations of which she had
an instinctive dread,
deer." Nattie began to gaeee that her i" Gone, my dear 1 two years ago. Poor
ether and her namth
e were e rfeal reason, e low ! it was low fever, but quite as much
and her eyes were fnrther Opened later in want of luck, I shall always believe," she
the pring when Mr. Agreement, who had mid
recovered unusual health and vigour, took "'Oh I am sorry I He was so kind to
ladies.to Menton° to spend a dayor two me I" said Alice, isqueezing her hand, and
n the newer beauties there, Alice had her looking up with sweet tender commiseration.
nisgivings, but the visit was avowedly to
thew the place to her, and she could not "Thereethere, don't, you prettrereaturel"
esasonably objeot. He was in unusual good said Mrs. Houghton, putting her hand acrore
her eyes. "1 declare, you've almocit made
aumour, and even tolerated theer ecstasies eat
me cry—which I've not done—well, hardly,
the scenery and the flowers, dined at the
since I parted with you at Dieppe, thinking
abs cl'hola and found acquaintance, enjoyed
himself, and in the forenoon, while Nuttie you a sweet little flower plucked and
was out wondering and admiring, and going thrown away to die., though I had done my
as far as she could drag Martin, he express-
best to bind it to him. What care •I took
ed to his wife that she would he astonished at not to let Houghton disabuse him about
jersey
at the gardens and the music of Monte marriages 1'
Cowl°. There is a difference between hearing and
There, however, Alice made a stand. hearkening, and Alice Egremout's loving
"Thank you, it is very kind, hut iand unsuspecting heart was so entirely closed
f you
please, I should not like to take Ursula to against evil thoughts of her husband, and so
Monte Carlo
fully occupied with her old friend's condi-
said in a apolor to go there rayself," she ogetic tone. tion, that she never took in a e signification
He laughed. "What you are afraid
of all this, while Nuttie,being essentially
1 of
making the little one a confirmed gambler ?,, of a far more shrewd and less confiding na-
" You know I am not, b1 »ture, and already imbued with extreme dim
trust of her father, was takina in all these
"You.think the little prig will be con-
taminated, eh ?" revelations with an opemeyed, silent horror
" Well, I think it will be happier for her of conviction that her old impressions of the
If the never sees anything—of the kind." likeness to Marmion or Theseus had been
"ou little foolish Eddaas if er eyes
perfectly:correct. It was all under her hat,
Y, h
or ears need see anythingbut flowers and however, and the elder ladies never thought
music and good company.
- ,
of her, Alice bringing back the conversation
to Mrs. Houghton herself. " my aear,I
" I know that, but I had so much rather
not." It was a sweet face and caressing voice drag on as I can. I've got a fragment of our
that implored, and he still was good hu -
old income, and when that's run too low, I go
,enoured. up to Monte Carlo—I always had the lucky
"Well, well, I don't want to drag ,
hand, you know, and 'tis only restitution
you
!
'old lady, against your will, though I fancy after allI'm sick of it all though, and
you would be rather surprised at the real sometimes think I'll take my good sister
.aspect of the abode of iniquity your fancy Anne's offers and go home."
depicts." "Oh do, do !" cried Alice.
Oh, thank you, thank you so much 1" "Bub," went on the poor woman,
" What an absurd little woman it is ! I "humble pie goes against me and think
wonder if you would thank me as heartily what an amount would be before me—
.
supposing I cleared a round thousand and heigh, ho 1—after nearly five -and -twenty
gave you—say atcliamond necklace ?" years; yes, five -and -twenty years it is—
__ " I am sure I should not 1" since Houghton, poor fellow, told me I was
' ",NoIdon'tbelieve youevould.Thatrestless too bright and winsome for a little country
little conscience of yours would be up on end.
After all, I don't know that you are the worse
for it, when it looks so prettily out of your
brown eyes. I wonder what you expect to
see? The ruined gamester shooting him-
self on every path, eh ?"
"No, no I don't suppose I should see
anything no,
or even disagreeable. I
know it is all very beautiful; but then every
person who goes for the innocent pleasures
sake only helps to keep up the whole thing
—evil and all."
"And what would the old women of all
sorts here and at Nice do without such a
choice temple of scandal to whet their teeth
upon? Well, I suppose you and your pre-
cious daughter can take care of yourselves.
There are the gardens, or you can tell Gre-
gorio to order you a carriage."
"Then you are going ?"
" Yes, I promised Grafton. Don't be
afraid, Mistress Edda, I'm not going to stake
Bridgefield and reduce you to beggary. I'm
an old hand, and was a cool one in my worst
days, and whatever I get I'l hand over to
appease you."
That was all she could obtain, and she
secretly hoped there would be no winnings
to perplex her, Thankful that she had not
made him angry by the resistance for which
shehad prepared herself with secret prayer
aver since the Mentone scheme had been
proposed, she placed herself at Nuttiws dis-
position for the rest of the day.
They had a charming donkey -ride, and
still unsatisfied with beauty, Ursula made
her mother come out again to wonder at the
trees in the public gardens. Rather tired,
they. were sitting on a shaded bench, when
a voice close to them exclaimed, "It is; yes,
it must be; 'tis the voice—yes, and the
face prettier than ever. Little Alice—ah 1
you don't know me. Time has been kinder
to you than to me."
" Oh ! I know you now I be your par-
don," cried Alice, recognizing in the thin
nutcracker parchment visage and shabbily.
dressed figure the remnant of the brilliant
aquiline countenance and gay attire of eigh-
teen years ago. "Mrs. Houghton ! I am so
glad to have met you, you were so kind to
me. And here she is."
"What ! is this the child? Bless me,
what a proof how time goes! Young lady,
you'll excuse my not knowing you. You
were a very inconvenient personage not
quite born when I last met your mother.
What a likeness I I could have known her
for Alwyn Egremont's daughter anyivhere 1"
"Yes, they all say she is a thorough Egre-
mont."
"Then it is all right. I saw Alwyn Eg-
remont, Esquire, and family among the ar-
rivals at Nice, but I hardly durst expect
that it was you. It seemed too good to be
true, though I took care the knot should be
tied faster than my gentleman suspected."
"Oh, please!" cried Alice deprecatingly,
at first not appehendiug the force of the
words, having never known the gulf from
which Mrs. Houghton had saved her, and
that lady, seeing that the girl was listening
with all her ears, thought of little pitchers
and restrained her reminiscences, asking
with real warm interest, "And how was it?
How did you meet him again ?"
"He came and found me out," said Alice,
with satisfaction in her voice.
" Indeed! Not at Dieppe ; for he was en
garcon when I nearly came across him ten
years ago at Florence."
Oh no ! He inquired at Dieppe, but
they had lost the address my aunt left."
"Indeed 1 I should not have thought it
of old Madame Leroux, she seemed so
thoroughly interested in /a pautwe petite.
What did you do? Your aunt wrote to me
when your troubles were safely over, and
she thought him loth in the poor Ninon, that
she meant to settle in a place with an awful-
ly long Yorkshire name.
" Micklethwayte ; yew'we lived there,
and got on very well. We had boarders,
and I had some dear little pupils; but last
year Mark Egremont—you remember dear
little Mark—was in the neighborhood, and
hearing my name, he told his uncle, who
had been seeking us ever since. And he
came, Mr. Egremont, and took us home, and
oh, the family have been so kind 1"
"What? The parson, and that awful old
he -lion of a grandmother, t whose very
name scared you out of your wits?"
She is dead, and so is dear good Lady
Adelaide, Canon Egremont is kindness it-
self, It was all the old lady's deing'and he
knew nothing about it. He was gone to
Madeira with Ledy Adelaide and got none
of our letters, and he never knew that his
brother was married to atm"
i" Treat Alwyn for that,' Mrs, Houghton
muttered. " Well, an well that ends well,
end I hope he feeldne gratitude to me for
doing him a good turn against his Will. /
tried *et get at Itini at Ielotenee to find out
What he had done With yeti, but Unlueltily I
lawyer's house in a poky street. What
would they think tf rue now ?" and she in spite of her, but always of her original
laughed with a sound that was painful to home, and especially of her sister. Alice
hear. "Well, Sycorax had done one good ventured to ask whether they often heard
deed, and when I look at you, queening it from one another.
there, I feel that so have I." "Gond soul, she always writes at Christ-
" You were very good to me, I know;
but oh, if you would go home to your
sister 1"
"My dear, you little know what you
ask 1 Anne 1 Why, she is the prime dis-
trict lady, or whatever you call it, of Dock -
forth. Think what it would be to her to
have this battered old vanrien thrown on
her hands, to be the stock subject for all the
righteous tongues. Besides," as she cough-
ed, "the English climate would make an
end of me outright. I'm in a bad way
enough here, where 1 can sit among the
lemon trees half the days in the winter, but
the English fireside in a stuffy parlor—"
and she shuddered.
That shiver reminded all that it was get-
ting late, too late for Mrs. Houghton to be
out of doors, and near the time when Mr.
Egremont was to meet his ladies at the
hotel. Alice begged for Mrs. Houghton's
address, and it was given with a very
short, ironical laugh at her promise
to call again if possible. "Ay, if
possible, the poor woman repeated. "1 of soothing psalms andhymns in her memory.
understand! No, no," as Alice was about
to kiss ner. "1 won't have it done.
"There's no one in sight."
"As if that made a difference! Alice,
child, you are as innocent as the little dove
that flew aboard the Ninon. How ha.ve you
done it! Get along with you! No kisses "That's one of your charms, is it? Well,
to such as me ! I don't know whether it it would not be too much for me if my poor
breaks my heart, or binds 'le up to look at old memory would hold it. Say it 'again.'
the face of you. Anyway, I can't bear it." I Alice generally had about her a tiny
She hurried away, and made some steps prayer -book with "Hymns, Ancient and
from them. A terrible paroxysm of cough- modern," attached. It had been a gift from
ing came on and Mrs. Egremont hurried ' Mary Nugent, and she was fond of it, but
towards her, on,
she waved back all help, Ithe opportunity was not to be lost and she
shook her head, and insisted on going home. 'took it out, saying she would bring a larger
Alice kept her in sight, till she dived into a one and reclaim it. And, as she was finally
small side street. taking leave, she said with a throbbing
"Mother," said Nuttie. Then there was I heart, "Do you know that you have be-
e pause. "Mother, did you know all this ?" trayed your sister's address? I shall write
" Don't talk of it, Nuttie. It is not a
thing to be talked about to any one or by
any one. 1 wish you had not been there."
Alice pressed him no more them but she
contended to go the firat opportunity.
She telegraphed that she wee com-
ing, and found her friend more
touched. than she acme to allow at the
foot of her visit, declaring that she must
have wonderful power over Alwyn Egre
mont, if she knew how to use it; iudeed
the whole tone was of what Alice felt flea.
t,ery, intended to turn away anything more
serious. Poor woman, she was as careful of
doing no injury to her young friend's repu-
tation as Mr. Egremont could heave desired.
Alice had come resolved that she should
have one good meal, but she would not hear
of eating anywhere publio where either
could be recognized, and the food was
brought to a private room he the hotel. To
her lodgings she still would not take Alice,
nor wcoild she give her sister's address. Ex-
cept for a genuine shower of tears whet.
Alice insisted win kissing her there seemed
no ground gained.
J3ut Alice went again on her husbend's
next visit to Mentone. He was, to a cer-
tain degree, interested in her endeavors,
and really wished the poor woman to be
under the oharge of her relations, instead of
dying a miserable lonely death among
strangers.
This time Alice had to seek her friend in
tho dreary quatrieme of the tall house with
the dirty Buena stairs. It was a doleful,
empty rnom, where, with a mannish -looking
dressing -gown and a torn lace ocerf tied.
hood -fashion over her scanty hair, Mrs.
Houghton tiat over a pan of charcoal oppres-
dye to Alice's English lungs.
"Come again 1" she cried. " Well,
really shall begin to think that angels and
ministers of grace exist off the stage 1 You
pretty thing! Let me look at you. Where
did you get that delicious little bonnet ?"
"Why, it is perfectly plain 1"
"So it is 1 "Tis only the face that
is in it. Now if some folks put this
on—sister Anne, for example, what daw-
dles they would be. Poor old Anne, you
must know she had a turn for finery, only
she never knew how to gratify it. To see
the oortortions of her crinolines was the de-
light of all the grammar school. It was ea
regular comedy for them to see her get into
our pew edgeways, and once unconsciously
she carried off a gentleman's hat on ,her
train."
So she went on talking, coughing et inter-
vals, and generally using a half -mocking
tone, as if defying the tenderness that awoke
mas and on my birthday. I know as well
as poseible that I shall find a letter poste
rectonte wherever she heard of me last, and
that she hasn't done—Pm ashamed to say
for how long—really, think not since I let
her know that I couldn't stand Ivy Lodge,
Dockforth, at any price, when she wrote to
Monaoo on seeing poor Houghton's death in
the paper."
There was a good deal of rambling talk of
this kind, to which Alice listened tenderly
and compassionately, making no attempt at
persuasion, only doing what was possible
for the poor lady's comfort. She had :pro-
cured on her way some fruit and jelly, and
some good English tea, at:which Mrs. Hough-
ton laughed, saying, "Time was, I called it
cat -lap! Somehow it will seem the elixir of
life now, redolent, even milkless, of the
days when we were youne."
Then she revealed something of her long,
suffering, almost ghastly nights, and Alice
gently told how her old friend, Mrs. Nugent,
suffered from sleeplessness, and kept a store
There was a little laugh. " That's for you
good folk. I haven't such a thing about
me! Come, Par exemple 1" and Alice re-
peated the first thing she could remember,
the verse beginning "God, who madeat earth
and heaven."
to her now.
If you do—!" cried Mrs. Houghton,
in a tone like threatening deprecation, but
"But, mother, this once 1 Did you with a little of her strange banter in it be -
know ?" sides. Alice's mind had been made up to
".1 knew that I knew not what I did do the thing, and she had not felt it honest
when 1 went on board that yacht, but that not to give due warning of her intentions.
God's kind providence was over ire in a Even now she was not certain of the lady's
way that I little deserved. That is all I surname, but she trusted to her husband's
care th know, and, Ursula, I will not have knowledge of Mrs. Houghton's previous
another word about it. No, I will not hear , history; and not in vain. Mr. Egremont
amused himself with a little ridicule at his
"1 was only going to ask whether you 'wife's quixotry, and demanded whether
would tell my father."
"Certainly ; but not before you. IF1they Houghton was a promising convert;
but confessed himself very glad that the
The tone of decision was unwonted, eaul poor thing should be off their hands, dealer-
Nuttie knew she must abide by it, but the ing that it was quite time her own people
last shreds of filial respect towards Mr. looked after her, and happily he recollected
Egremont were torn away by what her maiden name. So the letter was writ -
Mrs. Houghton had implied, and the girl ten, after numerous attempts at expreesing
dashed up and down her bedroom mutter- it suitably, explaining Mrs. Houghton's 111.
ing to herself, "Oh, why have I such a nese and the yearnings she was too proud
father? And she, she will not see it, she is and ashamed to express to ner sister, and
wilfully blind 1 Why not break with him was answered at once by a few short words
and go home to dear Aunt Ursel and Ger- of earnest Gratitude, and an assurance that
ard and Mr. Dutton at once instead of this Miss Reade was preparing to start at ence.
horrid, horrid grandeur? Oh, if I could , Could Mrs. Egremont meet her and prepare
fling all these fine things in his face, and her sister?
have done with him for ever. Some amyl To Alice's disappointment this could not
I will, when I am of age, and Gerard has be. Mr. Egremont had invited some friends
won his way.' to the villa, and would not spare her. She
Meantime Alice in same trepidation, but could only send a note, assuring Miss Reade
with revelation at bottom, had told her that she believed that preparation would do
husband of the meeting with Mrs. Hough- more harm than good, and she vvaited and
ton, of her widowhood, sickness, and pover- watched anxiously. A card came by the
ty. post in Mrs. Houghton's scrawled writing.
He did not like the intelligence of their. "Naughty little wretch 1" was all it said,
meeting, and hoped no one had seen it; but thence she gathered hope.
then, when reassured on this score, he I The spring was advancing, and Mr. Ego -
hummed a little, and exclaimed, "Poor mont was in haste to be gone, but Alice ob-
old Flossy Houghton 1 I don't wonder ! tained one more run to Menton°, and once
They went the pace I Well, what do you more climbed up the dark and dirty stairs
want? Twenty pounds for her! Why, to the room, where the welll-known voice
'twill all be at Monte Carlo in three days' answered her tap, Come in I Ah, there
sheis, the wicked little angel ?"
time."
"It is very, good of yon, but I want more "A substantial little roly-poly business.
than that. She hi so ill and wretched, you like little woman hurried forward with tear -
know." fal eyes and outstretched hands. "Oh
" I can't have you visiting her, if that's Ines, Egremont can I ever thank you
what you mean. Why, after all the pains enough ?'
I've been at to get you on your proper level " You can't, Anne, so don't try. It will
at home, here's my Lady Louisa and all her be a relief to all pieties,' interposed let a.
crew, in their confounded insolence, fight- Houghton. "Sentiment is not permitted
ing shy of you, an you can't give them a bet. here."
ter colour for lb than hy runniog. niter a Yeoman Nevertheless she hugged Alice almost con.
like that—divorced to begin with, and vulsively, She was sitting in a comfortable
known at every gambling table in Europe." armethair, one about Which Mre, Egromont
"1 know that, Alwyn, dear Alwyn" at knew something, and the whole aimed of
was very seldom that she called him so, the room had changed indeecribably for the
and she pile her clasped hands on his better, a.s much indeed as Mrs. Houghton's
shoulder) ; " but ate sure she is dying, even personal [smog which had no longer the
and she was so good to me,/ can't bear desolate neglected look of old.
doing nothing for her." 1 A little stool was cloth to her chair, as if
"Well, there's twenty—fifty, if you like." the two sisters could nob beer to be far apart,
'Thank you, thank you, but you know and the look of love and content in their
/ never meant tse Visit her—like—like Rides eves as they turned th one another WAR
any doubt that Anne Reade, who had
found the wanderer yet a great way off,
would yet bring her hack to the home,
spiritnallyaif nob outwardly.
Mrs. Houghton spoke of better rooms
when the winter visitors had fled, Anne
spoke of her beiug able to return to Dock,
forth. Whether that would ever be, seem.
ed entirely doubtful to Alice's eyes, especi-
ally as the patient's inclinetion WAS eyidents
ly otherwise. There NVILS nothing to be done
but to leave the sisters together, obtaining
Miss Reade's ready promise to write, and
putting into her health a sum of money
which could sincerely be called "only a debt
of/gratitude from my husband. and me," and
which would emooth the way either to
remaining or returning to England.
Nor was there any return, Ere many
weeks had passed Mrs. Egremont heard
from Miss Reade how a fresh oold haid maie
it impossible to move, and summer heat had
brought on low fever, which load destroyed
the feeble strength, but not till " childhoodet
star" had again arisen, and a deeply and
truly repentant woman had passed away,
saved, as it seemed, through that ono effcrt
on behalf of the young girl whose innocence
she had protected.
(TO Int ooNTOnao.)
From Central Africa.
The Portuguese explorer, Major Carvalyo,
has returned to the West Coastfrom Lunde,
the kingdom of the Muata Yamvo, in inner
Africa, where he has spent three years.
His expedition was fitted out at great cost
for the purpose of exploring the largest na-
tive kiugdom in equatorial Aft ica, of estab-
tithing a chain of stations, if possible, from
the Portuguese settlements far into Lundap
and of opereing the way for European trade
in the dominions of the powerful deepot who
rules a country as large as Germany, and to
whom three hundred chiefs owe allegiance.
The Berlin Conference thought it wise for
the ne w Congo State to let the Musts. Yam-
vo severely alone and the care taken to ex-
clude every pare of his dominion frehn the
sphere of King Leopold's enterprise accounts
for the strange irregularity in the southern
boundary. of the nes'State.
The brief announcement of Major Carval-
yo's return says that his mission inet with
great success. With the permission of the
Muata Yamvo established ten stations and
brought back with him fifteen natives of
Lunde, including the son of the ruler, who
have assured the Portuguese that the Muata
Yamvo desires traders in his -country, that
the roads will be kept open, and commerce
facilitated.
The rulers of Lunde were known by their
title of Muata Yamvo long before inner
Africa was visited by modern travellers and
there are mealy speculations as to the 'loca-
tion and extent of the country. After many
long journeys had been made into the in-
terior, Lunda was still a eealed book. Liv-
ingston, Catrieron,i and other travellers de-
rived from native sources much information
about the country and its people, and both
Drs. Pegge and Buchner succeeded a few
years ago in reaching the capital of the
Muato Yamvo at Mussumba. Neither of
these noted travellers, however,we w per-
mitted to is
through the country.
There is little doubt that the story of
Major Carvalyo's travel for three years in
this region, which has so long excited the
curiosity of geographers, will be one of the
most unique and important of recent contri-
butions to African exploration.
The Great Financial Strengl h of the United
States Treasury,
and the great extent of the Government's
fiscal operations, than can be obtained from
a statement of mere figures, has given us
this ingenious illustration. If the gold held
by the treasury were placed on scales it
would be found to weigh 519 tons, and if
paoked into ordinary carts, one ton th each
cart, it would make a procession two miles
long, allowing twenty feet of space for the
movement of each* horse and cart. 'Meas.
ured as the gold was, the silver would
weigh 7,396 tons, and the services of 7,396
horses and carts would be required th trans-
port it. The procession would cover twenty-
one miles in length. Extending these cal-
culations and comparisons to the interest-
beraing debt, equally interesting results
were obtained. The publio debt reached
the highest point in August, 1865, when it
was 82,381,530,295. The vastness of this
sum is better realized when, as before, it is
reduced to tons. In this instance it weuld
represent 70,156 thns of silver, which would
make a procession of carts extending from
Richmond, Va. to a point twelve miles
north of Philadelphia, the distance being
266 miles. The interest-bearing debt has
now—twenty-two years later—been more
than one-half paid. In other words the
Government has reduced its bonded debt at
the astonishingly rapid rate of $2,007 for
every second, or for every swing of the pen-
dulum for the entire period from August
31, 1865, to July 31, 1887. The world's
history furnishes no such parallel of the re-
cuperation and material progress on the
part of a country, and of integrity on the
part of a Government and people.
A Curious Collection.
Among the effects of Daniel Thomas Doh-
erty, the American who was sentenced to
penal servitude last month for shooting a
companion in a dispute over a gambling
debt, were found the elaborate apparatus of
a professional card -sharper. The articles
include a boots roll of notes; a miniature
mirror the size of sixpeece, to eneble the
player to see the value of any cards he
deals; and half a dozen packs of marked
cards in a handsome wooden case. The
case contains a screw which presses the
peeks so closely together that any two
cards which are slightly roughed with sand-
paper will adhere th one another. But the
gem of the collection is a piece of mechanism
deeigned to hold a card concealed in the
player's sleeve, and to discharge it under
cover of his hand on his pressing a spring,
which he does by leaning his elbow on the
table. This is supplemented by another in-
genious appliance for a similar purpose, to
be worn concealed in the waistcoat. There
whfch while.apparently rendering it a phy-
is also a metal case, need for dealing at faro,
sical impossibility to deal two cards at
once, enables the dealer to accomplish this
at pleasure by touching a secret spring.
The thing is beautifully made, and the
American maker shows his satisfaction
with it by attaohing his name and address.
An Excuse for Papa.
Harold is getting old enough to astonish
his parents occasionally with otiginal re-
mark. The other evening his mother seed
something tO his father, who was reading.
He didn't hear it. She repeated it, but the
readingto notioe thaethe was beingaddressed.
Bi mold had watehed operatione, and after
hie mother had spoken the second, time, ob-
served " Mamma, think you'll have to
ticuse papa. I glION his eats has gene out
'Wag ill, and had to send through poor ty ; only to go sOrnetimes privately.° perfecit joy to Alice, She had no longer, to walk atound the block tor a few =lutes,"
onco ,anumaerm.
From London to leaneinever and eeeetc
Four Minutes.
The great telegraphic feat performed the
other day, when Mr. fienry Norman, the
special commissioner of the Pall Nall Paz,
ette, oarried On a conversation between Van-
couver, B.C., and London, has °stated the
wender and amazement of a world.
At one end of the wire was Mr. Hearst,
of the iercandizer, San Francisco, and at the
other end Mr. Stead, of the Pall Mall Gaz-
ette, London. There was an unbroken tele-
graph circuit extending frona San Francisco
00 New York, 4600 mites, the distence from
New York to London, via Canso, N.S., be-
ing 3500 miles, or 8100 in all. The tele.
graph lines making up this circuit ran from
San Framable° to New York, via. Vancouver,
B.C., and Montreal, connecting at New
York with the Mackay,Bennett cable. The
telegraens exchanged between San Premise°
and London were, therefore, only repeated
at New York, Canso and Bristol, Euglend,
thc latter place being the landing placmof
the Mackay -Bennett cable. The object of
this experiment was to demonstrate the
fact that London and Vancouver were preen
ticelly within speaking distance of each
other, whioh woutd, in case of war complica-
tions in the East, be of the greatest import-
ance to the British Empire. This
UNBROKEN LINE OF TELEGRAPII
also demonstrated the fact that the Cana-
dian Pacific compeny's system of telegraphs
could be suthessiully maintained during the
most rigorous season of the year. That the
railroad could also be kept open, Mr. Nor-
man had just had the very best evidences,
as he left Winnipeg at the time the Ameri-
can transcontinental roads were suffering
from the recent blizzard, and arrived here
with but few hours' detention en route. At
1.12 p. m. Vancouver time, but 9.12 Lon-
don time, Mr. Norman asked Mr. Stead a
question, receiving a reply in five minutes.
Then Mr. Stead asked. "How far off are
you from London ?" In four minutes the re-
ply flashed. back. "Six thoueand nine hun-
dred miles, which, with 1200 to San Fran-
cisco added, makes a grand total of 8100
miles, the longest circuit ever worked and
the greatest feat yet accomplished in tele-
graphy." The conversation was kept up
for a couple of hours, Mr. Norman relating
some of his many experiences. Among
other things he said: "This is something
more than an exhibition of telegraphic prow-
ess. The tip has been such a revelation of
the reality of the empire that I greatly de-
sired to do something to exhibit this in
A STRIKING, CONCRETE FORM,
and the very kind permission and assistance
of the managers of the magnificent telegraph
system of the Canadian Pacific railway and
of Air. Ward, manager of the Connnercial
Cable company, of which all the world
knows. enables me to do this. I have sailed
in an English ship, the "Polynesian," 3000
miles across the Atlantic, with an English
cable below, travelled by an English railway,
3000 miles through primeval forests, by the
greatest lakes in the world, across splendid
prairie wheat fields of the empire, over four
colossal mountain ranges to here, where I
can see tho Pacific as 1 write and in a few
days shall start for a 4000 miles' voyage in
another English ship, the " Parthia," over
another ocean, and yet I am able here to
report myself to you and talk as quick and
as easily as if we were speaking through a
tube in Northumberland street. The 'trip
is transcontinental and the Saxon yet spok-
en' as an American poet wrote. Indeed,
11,000 miles nearly half round the globe,
and still the Union Jack will be overhead,
and time and space are annihilated for 7000
of them. Another year and another cable
will annihilate the rest. Is not the wire
which unites us the most striking symbol of
our imperial unity and an unfailing foretell-
er of the federation 'which will one day
girdle the globe, and is not the click of this
key, heard in two benaispheres, more elo-
quent than all the arguments of the empire's I
enemies ever penned ?"
Mr. Hosxner, manager of the C. P. R.
telegraphs, received the following cable
frotn Mr. Stead at the close of the conversa-
tion :—" Thanks for this unique converse -
thin at seven thousand miles distance, the
longest range as which anyone has ever
been interviewed siuce the morning stars
sang together." The correspondent wired
from Vancouver, "1 don't know how th
thank you. It has been done with the ease
and accuracy of a miracle. It is marvel-
lous in my eyes. I will burn a Joss stick
to you at Foie Chow 1"
The Pioneer's Lot in the Western States.
The area covered by the great storm has
been unprecedented. Though Dakota has
been the centre where its worst ravages have
been experienced, news of its effects comes
from almost the entire territory lying be-
tween the Mississippi river and the Rooky
mounteins. Dakota, Iowa and Miseouri
have been the principal sufferers, but Min-
nesota, Nebraska, Montana., Menses and
Wyoming have helped to swell the list of
dead and injured. Farther to the east Illi-
nois, WVissonsin, and Michigan have had a
slight touch of its diminishing force, while
to the south it has sent the thermometer to
8 0 below zero in Arkansas, covered the
ground with snow in Mississippi, frozen up
the northern section of Mississippi, and even
hurled its sleet and ice upon Galveston,
Tex., and given its people the novel specta-
cle of snow-covered streete.
When it is remembered that this same
area wheth the, blizzard has traversed is li-
able to be swept over at any time mid
spring or summer by equally destructive
tornadoes, adding materially to human and
animal losses, the energy, hope and courage
with which the pioneers in this new country
keep their footing and struggle on against
some of the most terrible forces of nature
become sublime.
An Explanation,
" Onr readers will kindly overlook the
small amount of editorial matter we present
this week," says a Dakota paper. "The
reason of this is that we decided at the last
moment hot to publish a column-and-D.1mM
article which we had written with great care
on the Stability and Permanent Character
of otniCity's Growth," owing to the fact that
just as we finished it the largo dry goods
store building of Gopher & Hole fell with a
crash while a fire broke b and consurnod
the raelroad depot building, and the high
wind carried away Col. Dodger's fine resi-
dence, blew the gable end off the courthouse,
and Capa Jumper hitched a yoke of oxen
on to the luud end of the potitoffiee building
and hauled it out two miles on to his claim,
where he still live in ib dile winter. We
trust our readers will see the embarassing
pthition We were placed in and excuse us.
Truth snail ever be weil up tower& the head
of the list of things eve take into considera-
tion on all occasione."
head of tee family was too intent on his
"Poor fellow, he dida in poverty," said
a man of anemia lately deteatied. "That
isn't anything," exchimed a seedy bystahd-
er, "Dying ixi poverty le no hardship ;
it's living in poverty that puts the thumb. I
screws on a follow,”
WhAt are Bhooting Stan ?
What do we know as certain tacts with
I regard to shooting stars? 1. They are yaab-
y more numeroue than any One has an idea
of who has not watohed them continuously
for many nights. Astronomers who have
kept mi record for many years assure us thet
the average number seen by one observer at
one place on a clear moonless night is 14 per
hour, which is shown by calculation to ho
equivAleut to 20,000,000 daily for the whole
earth. 2. They are not terrestrial pheno-
moue moving in the lower atmosphere, but
celestial bodies moving iu °thins and with
velocities conmerable to those of planets and
emote. Their velocities are seldom under
10 miles a second or over 50, and aVerage
about 30, the velocity of the earth in its
orbit round the sun eing 18. 3. They are
of variouscomposit comprising both a
large majority of er patticles which
are iiet on fire by the m istance of the earth's
atmosphere and entirely burned up and res
solved into vapor lone before they reach ite
surface, and e. few larger ones, known ea
meteors, which are only partly fused or
glazed by heat, and reach the earth in the
torm of stony masses. 4. They are not uni-
formly distributed through apace, but col-
lect in meteoric swarms or streams, two at
least of which revolve around the bun in
closed rings which are intersected by the
earth's orbit, causing the magnificent dis-
plays of shooting stars which are seen in
August and November. 5. They are con-
nected with cornets, it having been demon-
strated by Schia,parellt that the orbit of the
comet of 1066 is identioal with the August
swarm of meteer:3 known as the Perseids,
and connections between comets and meteor
streams have been found in at least three
otber cases. The fact is generally believed
that comets are nothing but a condensation
of meteorites rendered incandescent by the
heat generated by their mutual collision
when brough t into close proximity. 6. Their
composition as inferred from the larger me-
teors which reach the earth, is identical or
nearly so, with that of matter brought up
from great depths by volcanic eruptions.
In each case they consist of two classes—
one composed mainly of native iron alloyed
with nickel, the other of stony matter, con-
sisting mainly of compounds of silicon and
magnesium. Most meteorites consist of
compounds of two classes, in which the
stony parts seem to have broken into frag-
ments by violent collision and become inked-
ded in iron which has been fused by heat
into a plastic or pasty condition.
Wearing Black.
The custom of wearing black after the
loss of busband, wife or friend has always
struck me as being very ridiculous. Grief
whioh can find expression in this way ap-
pears to be a grief of "outward seeing"
only. Possibly, and very probably, there
is many an aching heart beneenel the sable
garments imposed by conventeen, but it is a
well.known attribute of deep eorrow that it
hates notice and inclines to solitude and ex-
clusion. 11 12 not in human nature to con-
tinually grieve ; we are so happily constitut-
ed that the deepest bereavement Gannet ut-
terly break us down. One of the many mote
toes which Dame Nature is alweeh preach-
ing by example and precept ite that of
Resurgent. It is one of the essential quail-
tiee of main's hearb to extend itself in some
direction, and one loss, however keenly felt,
but makes room for other, and sometimes
larger sympathies.
1 see that Mrs. Henry Ward Beecher, an
all the world knows, a loving. devoted wife,
has refused to conform to che custom oke,
wearing the Recalled "mourning" for her
husband, and though the "probationary
twelve month of sorrow" has not yet pas-
sed, she does not oonsider it at all "bad
taste" to endeavor to preserve as much
gaiety as possible. On New Year's day sho
received about two hundred callers in her
pleasant apartments on Columbia Heights,
and entertained them, not a.s atmi mourning
feast, but witn cheery wishes for the years
stretching before them. This is the proper
spirit in which to take the dispensations of
Providence. One is taken, the other is left,
bub the little intervening space between
their bright reunion ts too insignificant a
matter to make such a doleful story of.
When this last remnant of a heathenith
mode of showing grief has become obsolete,
and people wake up to the fact that our
present system of disposing of the dead is
unsanitary, and based purely on prejudice
and sentiment, if I live to see the changes, I
shall begin to believe that I am realty !dying
in the enlightened 19th century.
The Parole System.
During the past three years a parole sys-
tem, somewhat similar to the English ticket-
of.leave system, has been on trial in the
Ohio State peuetentiary. Under it first
grade prisoners, sentenced for the first time
for crimes ranking below murder in the first
or the second degree, are allowed to go out
on parole at the expiration of the minimum
time provided by law for the punishment of
their crime. The prisoner must give evi-
dence that he has an agreement for useful
and honorable employment with some per-
son who will assist him in complying with
the terms of his parole. These terms are
that he will proceed at once to his employ-
ment and if practicable remain at it at teeth
six months; that he will notify the prison
authorities of any change of residence or
employment; and there he will livehonestly,
avoid evil aesornations, abstain from intox-
iciating liquors and make a monthly report of
lats condition. He may be returned to pri-
son at any time at the discretion of the au-
thorities. Duting the three years the Ohio
penetentiary has paroled 302 prisorers,
eighty-six per cent, of whom have justified
the unidom of the system. Only thirtenfour
violated the conditions of their parole, and
of these fifteen abeconded and nineteen corn-
mitted offenses which caused their retuen to
prison. Of these latter only five were gu ty
of serious offences. These facts seem to
warrant the belief that the system is tagood
eoffneect.and worthy of a more extended trial.
Its greatest recommendation is its reforming
Cigars for a Royal Baby'.
The baby King of Spain received as a
New Year's gift from Havanna, Cuba, a
large cheat filled with the fineet cigar&
!nest were thought to be of ohm:30104i ea
they should have been for so small a speci-
men of royalty, bet they were found to be
real substantial rolls of weed of the most
exquisitekind, The letter from the donor
said :—" These cigars are made from weeds
such as will grow not more than °nee every
twenty years. Let them he preserved,
the] afore, for the time When Xing Alfonso
XIII. will Make his first abterapb at smok-
ing, which ought not to be made more un-
pleasant to hien by having to smoke an in-
ferior sort of tobacco."
A spertsnian is a man who spoil& all day
away from laux business $2 for powder and
shot, and domes honie at night tired, hungry
and ugly, dte.gging a fourteendient rabbit
by the ear,—