The Exeter Times, 1888-6-21, Page 7NUTTIE'S FATHER,.
BY eneneeene M. YOUNG.
--
CHAPTER XXXIV.—(Coneanuen, )
A was only too true then, as he ha
said, Gregorio SaveIli had been the cure
of Ms life, havieg become one of th
Whips left by pleaeant vie, and the break
big of the yoke had beet not only at a ter
niblepriete but, to a man in hie half-blitu
i
and nvalin condition, the actual loss of th
person on whom he had depended was a pri
station. Dr. Brownlow'however, knew o
a good man -servant just see at liberty by
the' death of an invalid muter, and promised
toend him on trial. -
It was a day of agitations and disappoint
ments'a sample of many that were to to
low. There was not a emend of a bell that
• did not meke anxious hearts throb. And
oh!• how many were spent on vain reports,
on mere calls of sympathy by acquaintance
whom the father and sieter could not see,
and on notes of inquiry or condolenoe that
Nuttie had to answer.
Annaple came and was a great help and
support to her, Poor nurse, oblivious of
her bad foot, or perhaps, willing to wreak
vengeance on it as tke cause of all the
mischief, had initiated on continuing her
sear& in the morning under all the thorns
•and rhododendrons where she thought the
dear lamb might have hidden and oried hien-
•nelf to sleep, and at last had been brought
home in a oab quite worn out and despair-
ing. But the screaming baby proved to be
a mu& better comforter to her than any
'gaunt of reasonable argument. To soothe
r, to understand what ailed it, to find suit-
able food for it, was an occupation which
made the suspense less intolerable. The
very handling of an intent would have been
congenial; and a sickly, crying one was
only too interesting. Willie was too
near her darling's age to be a welcome
eight, but he was already a prime pet
with the servants at Springfield ; and
Annaple, aeoure that her children were in
mane and experienced hands, and overflowing
with motherly sympathy for the -grevioun
• Joss, was ready to devote herself to Nuttie,
whether by..talk, by letter writing, or by
seeing inquiring friends. She did not ex-
pect to be of any use to Mr. Egremont, who
had always held aloof from and disliked
"the giggling Scotch: girl," but who came
drearily wandering at an unexpected time
into the room where she was sitting with
his daughter, and presently was involved in
thein conversation. Whether it was the
nbsence of the poor familiar, or that Anna -
pie was no longer a giggling girl, but a
beene Siheerful wife and mother, it was cer-
tain that he found the same comfort and
Ampere in her presence as did Nuttie,
Winn fits of restless misery and despair
pressed hardest upon him, it was soon per.
ceived that AnnapIe's cheerful tact enabled
her to dell with him as no one else could d o
There was the restraint of courtesy towards
(hen, such as had worn out towards his
daughter, and besides her sanguine optimise
spirit never became SO depressed asdid
• poor Nuttie's. Mark went by day to
bis work but came back to dine at his
uncle's, hear the reports, and do what he
could for him; and meantime Annaple spent
the chief part of the day in aiding Nuttie
and Ur. Egremont, •while her baby really
• Plumed signs of improvement in nurse's
keeping. And so the days went on, while
every endeavour was made to trace the
&line but with no result but bitter disap
pointment Twice, strayed children, younger
than Alwyn—one even a girl—were brought
as the lost boy, and the advertisements bore
fruit in more than one harassing and heart-
less correspondence with wretches who pro.
famed to be ready to restore the child, on
promises of absolute secrecy, and sums of
money sennbeforehand, with all sorts of pre
cautions against interference from the police
The fine of these created great excitemenn
and the pilrsuit was eommitted to Mr. Dut-
ton. When it proved abortive, Mr. Egre-
mont's disappointment and anger were great,
and he could not be persuaded that all was
not the fault of Mr. Dutton's suepicion• and
• precaution in Melding back the money, nor
could any one persuade him that it Waft mere
imposture. When another ill.weinten mfg.
• maticel letter arrived, he insisted. that it
was from the same quarter, and made
Broadbent conduct the negotiations, with
the result that after considerable sums had
been paid in circuitous fashions' the butler
was directed to a railway archwhere the
• child . would be deposited, and where he
found a drab -colored brat of whom he dis• -
posed at the nearest police station, ,after
which he came home savagely disgusted.
Nuttie was not much less so at what she
felt as a slight to Mr. Datton as well as at
the failure. "When you are doing so much
for us. We deserve that you should do
nothing more," she mid with tears shining
in her eyes.
"Do not talk in thateway," he answered.
" You know my feeling for the dear little
fellow himeelf, and---'
"Oh yes," interrupted Nuttie, "1 do
trust to that Nobody—not the most in-
different person, but must long to save him.
Yes, I know it was doing you a wicked in-
justice to fancy that you could take offence
in that way at, a father in such. trouble,
Please forgive me, Mr. Dutton." .
"As if I had anything to forint°. As if
there were anything on earth that could come
before the endeavour to recover him," said
Mr. Dutton, too much moved for his usual
.
precision of speech. cne.
he is her child," said Nuttie, with
• a trembling tearful smile.
"Her child 1 Yes, and oven if he were
not, he is vow brother," said Mr. Dutton;
then hastily gathering himself up, as if he
(had said too much, he rose to take leave,
I adding as their hands clasped, "Remember,
Lae long as I live, you may count upon me,"
"Oh, I know, I know ! There's nobody
like you, but I don't know what I say in
this awful suspense, If I had only seen him
lying white and eold and peaceful, it wean
have been far better than to think of him
pining and mieerable among wicked people,
who would try to bring him sip like them -
naives, Mother's own little boy 1"
"It will not be allowed, it will not be al-
lowed," cried Mr, Dutton. " God's Provid-
ence is still over him."
"And there are prayers, 1 know—at our
church and Mr, Gorlfrey'e —and all pure, but
oh 1 it takes a greet deal of faith to lean on
diem, I wonder if you would, Annaple, if
it were Willy?"
"'We will not ask Mrs, Egremont" said
Mr. Dutton, as Annanle Made a gestute of
something like doubt.
" It is almost as bad," she said, comieg up
and putting her arm round Nettie. " But
indeed M. Dutton, she does trust, only it in
' very, very eoro for hen—as it is for nsall."
", Yese are her groat eonsfort," said Mr,
Dutton As ho Shook hands with her.
"He could liatelly help thanking me," staid ihf
Antenna to her huebartd aftetWarde. "Mr. !
• Egremont WIT well call him an adopted her
unoln I should eV he Was a god deal of
meth, poor man," to
CHAPTER XXXV.
THE Hurx or TUE " ussux.A,"
Ten clap had passed, and Mark and An-
naple were thinking that they ought to re-
turn to ordbaary life, end leave the bereav-
ed one to eudeevour to construct their
life afresh under that dreadful strearieg un-
certainty of their darlingn fate. Still they
were detained by urgent entreaties from
father and daughter, who both dreaded their
departure as additional desolation, and as
closing the doer of hope. And certainly,
even the rest was good for Anneple ; and
her baby, for whom nurse had discovered a
better syetem, had really not cried more for
a whole day than 'obefitted a rational child,"
eaid the mother, as she walked back to
Springfield with her husband in the glummer
night, after dinner, on the day that Breed -
bent's uegotations has failed. •
Nurse will break her heart at parting
with her," mid Mark. "1 wieh we could
afford to have her."
"Afford,indeed I Ifni wages are about
a quarter of your salary, sir ! And after
all, 'tis not the nurse that guards the child,
as we have seen only too plainly."
"Do you think he is alive, Nan ?"
"1 begin to think not. He is not so
young but thin he could. make himself
known, and those advertisements are so
widely spread. I am sure poor Nuttie
would be more at rest if she could give us
hope."
"1 did not tell you before, Nan, but Dut-
ton was going to.day to look at a poor little
unclaimed child's body that had been found
in the Thames. He knew him better than
I, so he went."
"He would have come ' 11 —" maid
Annaple.
•" Assuredly. He meant- to fetch nurse
if he had any doubt, but afterwards he was
going to his court about his rents. He al-
ways does that on Saturday evenings."
Mr. Dutton himself opened his door to the
pair.
"Well," said Mark.
"Certainly not. The poor child was mi.
dently much younger, and had red hair.
Bue look here,' and he held but a battered
something, Islack with a white stripe.
Mark understood nothing, but Annaple ex-
claimed, " Is it his ship 2"
"Yes, I could swear to it, for see, and he
pointed to some grimed, almost effaced, but
still legible capitals, which, however, scarce-
ly any one but himself could have read as
Ursula. "I guided his hand to make those
the evening before he WiS lost," said Mr.
Dutton.
"Dear little man ! And where did you
find it ?" ,
"Where I never thought of doing so 1 On
the bed of a little crippled boy in the next
court to mine. He Is rather a friend of
mine,' and I turned in to take him some
strawberries. I found him hugging this."
"How did he get it?"
"Our,"Liz" brought it to him. • Onr
" IAz" is a very wild epecimen, who has
spent her life in eluding the school board
officer till she is too old for his clutches;
but she has a soft spot in her heart for her
little brother, and I believe another for
Gerard Godfrey. We must be very cautious,
and not excite any alarm, or we shall be
baffled altogether. I am not sure that I did
quite prudently in giving little Alf a fresh
boat in exchange for this; but I could not
help bringiug it home."
"You did.not see the girl 7"
" No.„,,,These girls wander long and late
on these hoe nights, and I eh not think- I
could have got anything out of her. I have
been to Gerard Godfrey, and the next step
Dunn be left to him."
"The next question is whether you will
tell those poor things at No. 5," said Mark.
Mr. Dutton hesitated. "1 should have
no doubt of giving' Miss Egremont the com-
fort of knowing that there was a possible
clue, but if her father insisted on setting on
the police, there would be very little more
hope of success. I am afraid it will be more
prudent to wait till we know wleat God-
frey says. He hopes to see the -girl to -mor-
row evening at his mission class but of
course she is a very uncertain attendant
there. No, I cannot trust myself."
Annaple was forced to brook withholding
the hope from the fainting hearts all the
ensuing Sunday, which was a specially try-
ing day, as Nuttie pined for her dear little
companion with the pictures, stories, and
hymns! that he had always enjoyed, and
made pretty childish remarks about, such
as she began to treasure as memorable.
As soon as he Maid early on Monday
morning; Mr. batten repaired to Gerard
Godfrey's lodgings, and found the young
clergyman had succeeded in seeing the
girl, and had examined her so as not to
put bhe wild creature on her guard, and
make her use the weapons of falsehood to.
wards one who had never been looked. upon
as an ally of the police. It appeared that
she had brought home the ship, or rather its
hull, from one of the lowest of lodging houses,
where she had entployment as something
between charwoman and errand girl. She
had found it on what passed for a bed in its
present condition, one morning, when going
to make the extremely slight arrangements
that the terrible lair, which served as a com-
mon bedroom, underwent, and had secreted
it as a prize for her little brother. •
At first she had been stolid, and affected
peter ignorance as to how it got there, Mit
Mr. Godfrey had entreated her as a friend
toe try to discover; and had with all his
heart made a pathetic description of the
girl (he durst not say lady) who had always
been a mother to her little brother, and now
had lost him, and was in terrible uncertain -
as to his fate. That came home to Liz,
giant feeling, and she let out what she had
seen or picked up in the way of gossip,—
that the ehip had been left behind by its
owner, whether boy or girl L'z was tomer-
tain, for it had long fair hair, wore a peai.
coat, and had been dosed with gin or some-
thing else when carried away. They said it
had made noise enough when brought there
by ninny Frank Mid They' Were
performing folk, who had come in after the
Derby 'day to have a spree, and to pick up
comelier kid to do fairma and such like, be-
cause the last they. had had. hurt his back
and had to be left it. the workhouse. Yes,
she had heard tell that they had got the
child from Mother Bat, of whom Gerard
had a vague idea as one of the horrible
hags, who not only beg themselves,
but provide outfits for beggars, in -
°tuning itfants, to excite compassion.
Either she or one of her crew had picked up
the child and disposed of his • clothes; and
then finding him too (ild. and intelligent to
be safely used for begging purposes, shehad
sold or hired him eut to these acrobatic per-
formers, who had gone off inn° that vague
and unknown region, the muntry, Liz had
no notion what was their real name, nor
where they would go, only that they attend.
ea raceri and fairs ; and as imon as the actual
pleader° of communicating information was
over, she • WAS seleed with a panic, 1in-
/tiered Mn Godfrey to make no use of her
quest ; and ItIr. Dutten held it wisest only to
write a note telling Mr. Egrenaone that he
had obtained evidence that the ohild wag
living and that he was going in pur-
suit, butt thought it safer to say no
more at • present. He gave the pote to.
Mark at his office. "1 cannot trust myself
to See your (muslin" he said- "I might be
tempted to say more than WAS consistent
with Godfrey's honour tewarda his inform.
ant." s
"1 think you are right," said Mark,
You had better leave me with ouly inde-
finite knowledge, I shall be hard pressed.
Do you_niot no home first ?"
"Yes, I go to pack up a few things and
fetch Monsieur, A run in the ceuntry will
do him good, and he may be a veluable
auxiliary. I shall find no one at Springfield
at this hour."
"What is your plan ?" ,
" shall venture so far as to apply to
police for the names of the usual attenda
at races and fairs, and for some idea
their ordinary rounds. I have no do
that these are known an the oh
offices. For the rest, I must use my ey
Bin tell your cousin that with God's ble
the
eta
of
ubt
ief oeal objects which the conjurer wished to
en have at his hand ready to appearaor to hide
es. them after he hen •pretended to make them
YOUNG POLKS d
fe erates. He determined to appear as 4
gentleman, on a :nage errangen le imitetion
of a parlor, with no obvious apparatus, and
ROBERT-HOUDIN, THE FRENCH he WAS resolved to descend to no low ware
AS YOU LIKE IT,
MAGICIAN. jokes or cheap personalities, but to be
bound etrictly by the rules of good taste.
Having at lest perfected his programme,
he opened a tiny little theett-e—now torn
down --in one of the galleries of the Pedant
Royal. This was in 1845. He was instent.
y success , and for seven years he coa-
t/med. to give his Sores Fantastiques, as he
called them. The little theatre which he
founded, although no' longer in thte same
place, exista to this day, and still bears the
The Career et a eiDajeVer.
In Mr. Henry Hetton's amusing Recollec.
lions°, Conjurer he describes the ausurd (toe.
tume worn ins Professoe Anderson h
vv o
called himself the " feud of tbe lerorth."
Teds Scotch copjurer, so Mn. /fatten tells us,
clonned " fl.owing velvet robe which reaohen
to the ground." A (teatime not unlike this
was wern by many of the corijuters who per-
formed in Europe during the earlier years of
this century, They clad theineelene in an
ample robe, set off with the signs of the 2D.
diac in gold embroidery, and they affected
an austere demeanor, likely to influence an
ignorant audience, and to give it a higher
opinion of their powers. In reality this Cann-
brous robe was adopted chiefly because its
abundant folds could be made useful to con.
ing, I hope to bring him back to her.'
"e will," said Ursula, when Mark gave
her the melting°, and from that moment ahe
was calmer. She did not fret Mark with
questions even as much as Annaple did, she
tried to prevent her father from raging
the scant information, and she even end
voured to employ herself with Some of h
ordinary occupations, though all the ti
she kept up the ceaseless watch. "
Datton would not bave said that witho
good, hope," she averred, " and I trust
him."
Yet when four, five, six, eight days h
• passed with no tidings the heart sickne
grew almost more th'an she could boa
though she still answeeed with spirit wh
her father again took to abusing the u
braille fellow for choosing to keep all in h
own hands.
Even Annaple could not help saying
her husband that a precise, prim, old bitch
lor was the very last person forge hunt
slums and the like. The very sight of hi
would put the people on their guard. "An
think of his fine words," she added. "
wisl. I could go! If I started. vvith a shit
over my head, yoked to a barrel -organ,
should have a far better chance than he wil
I declare Mark, if he does not suceed we'
do it. niee'll hire an organ, whereon yo
shall play. Ah ! you shake your head.
musical education is not required, and
know I shall do something desperate soo
if that dear little boy is not found."
(To BE CONTINVED.)
Dependent Upon Age.
Miss Ethel—Bun • surely, Clara, you
wouldn'fmarry a man for his money?
Miss Clara—Certainly not, en—that is,
unless he was a very old man.
The solemn magician 1,171111 stalked before
the audience in the attire of a Chaldean
priest filled his stage with glittering appara.
tus of highly polished• brass piled high to.
en ward the ceiling, and. illuminated by dozens
of oandlen while the -tables on his stage were
covered with clinging draperies which fell to
the floor, most convenient for the conceal-
ment of a boy beneath them. Other confed-
erates were scattered through the audience,
ready to give the performer articles which
were already agreed upon, and for which he
was quite prepared. Under oonditions like
these conjuring was mere child's play. In-
deed, there is hardly a trick performed by
the chief conjurers of the end of the last
century vvhich an American or an English
boy may not buy now at the nearest toy -
store for a few cents.
er
nee
Ir.
ut
to
ad
SS
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en
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in
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11
A
n,
• A Great Similarity,
"Ali, Miss Ella, there is a great similar-
ity between you and the ocean."
How so, Mr. Noodle 2"
" When you are -pleased you naake me
think of a placid summer sea, but when you
get -provoked there is a reminder of the
water's pout, don't you see ?"
• "Oh, yes, quite like ; and don't you know,
Mr. Noodle that makes me think Of..the
similarity between you and the sea breeze."
"Really! And'why so, Miss Ella 2" .
"Because sometiraes it is rather free, and
too fresh to be pleasant."
His Will Was Made.
Worthless Nephew—" Have you made
your will, Uncle ?"
(ma Unale—" I have made my will. Made
it last week." •
"Ahem Have you—or—have you re-
membered me in it, Uncle 2"
"Oh, yes, I've leftlyen'quite a little sum.",
" Well, I am a thousand times obliged to
you."
"Don't mention it Knowing how readi
ly you spend money, I have left you a
thousand dollars, payable immediately after
your death."
" Af ter my death 2"
"Yes, it is payable immediately after
your death. I want you to have a slats:sup
funeral."
Big Luck.
Smith (lifting the cover of his basket "and
displaying -If fell of fish)—" Nice mess, eh,
for one day's sport ? "
Brown— Yes ; did you catch , 'em all
yourself? "•-
Smith—" Certainly, of course.'
Bsown—" Where did you catch 'em ?"
' Smith (slyly)—" Oh, in a little fitream in
Muskoka. But I can't give the snap away,
you know, old boy."
Brown (earoastically)—"No, indeed. If
I knew where I could catch Spanish mack-
erel in a Muskoka stream I wouldn't.. give
the snap away either."
She Put Him. to thelTest.
Yes, darling," he said, in tones of deep
tenderness, "1 would do anything to ehow
my love for you." • .
"Ah 1" sighed the gentle maiden, "that's
what all men say when they are d•riving th
win a woman's heart." .•
•" Pat me to tbe proof," he exclaimed in
rassionate tones "put me to the
proof, test me, and see 111 I fail. Set 2130 any
task within the bounds of possibility and it
shall be eierform ed."
• "Ah 1" she niarmured, "11 I could only
believe you,'' '
"Put me to the test. Say to me to do
this on do that, and it shall be done."
"Then I will put. yot to the test."
"Ah I" he exclaimed exultingly, "You
shall :behold the height, the depth, the
length, the breadth, the chnumference of
my love I" What is the teat 2"
The maiden dropped her snowy lids until
the silken lashes rested on the peach bloom
of her cheek, a slight singe pimpled the
corners of her mouth, and j bending over the
yeuth who knelt at her feet, she whispered:
"Marry some other girl 1"
To Relieve Her Eyes.
Conceited Young Man—" I wonder Why
that beautiful young lady over there looks at
me so much. 1 geese She is trying to make
an impreneion."
Saecastic Young"Lady---" That is not the
reason. She has Weak eyes, aud the doctor
has told her to relletre them by looking at
Bomething greets.
•She Knew Better,
Maud—" I am astonished. at you, Irene,
for saying that Henry is awkward and
bashfal." Ireno--" I ought to know, I
• think. I'm hie own sister. He hates to go
°mantel, and es:plaited that the people out into society. He never knows vinnee to
the house 'wets quite capable of killing do with his hand."Ma d " You are1
if they stispected her 01 betraying ply • mistaken, Irene, In'ths,t respect he is She u
their tritheactionn It Was itimeenble of the Meet aceomplished young Men I neer et
I..ring any authorities to boar on the went with,'
Very different is the performance. of one
of the best of modern conjurers. His stage
ie furnished like an ordinary parlor; the
tables are light and they have no covens;
there is no gaudy apparatus to distract the
eye; and the lights on the stage are no more
than they would be in any other "set scene."
The performer comes on smiling affably ; his
manner s easy and his talk is often witty;
he is clothed in the ordinary evening dress
of a gentleman; he has no confederates
among the audience; he uses little or no
apparatus, preferring to borrow such articles
MS he may is eed from one or another of the
spectators. There is no suggestion of the
supernatural, and the audience knows that
t is there to see the pleasant entertainment
of a clever man.
The change from the old end gloomy con-
jurer to the bright and lively magician of
more modern times took place aboub half a
century agn under the influence chiefly of a
Frenchman, Robert -Houdin, Who was the
most ingenious, inventive, and skillful con-
jurer that ever lived. •
Jean Eugene Robert was born at Blois, in
France, in 1805: His father was a watch-
maker, and the soil inherited a gift for me-
chanical construction which grew *ith his
years. At school he made elaborate wooden
works set in motion -by a captive Muse.
Later, when he was placed in the offiee of a
notary, he took posseasion of a hugh bird-
cage there, and, so arranged it that all the
birds had to work for their living, pulling
up buckets from a. well when they wanted to
drink, hauling up little wagons of seed when
they were,hungry, and opening and closing
smaller interior cages as they hopped from
one carefully balanced perch to another, At
home he arose before his father every morn-
ing for nearly six months to work secretly
at the watch -maker's benck in a successiul
effort to reproduce a mechanical snuff box
which his father had mice to repair.. BY dint
of hard labor, the boy at last finished the
mechanism. On the top of this snuff-box there
was a picture of a wood ; when a spring was
touolaed, a tinynittle rabbit ran on and began
• to nibble by the way -side, thenn man and
a dog appeared ; the man raised his min and
fired at the rabbit which fled followed by
the nog.
Tneeenier Robert was at last convinced by
this and other like traits that his son hake,
bent for mechanical work which it was use-
less to resist, and young Robert was allowed
to devote himself to his dont trade. In
this he rapidly perfected himself. He went
to Paris in 1830, where he met and married
Mademoiselle Houdin, whose name he added
to his own as is not unusual in France. At
the Exhibition of 1839 M. Robert -Houdin
was awarded a silver medal for his mechani-
cal ingenuity. He devised the figure -of a
man seated at a table, and capable of writ-
ing the answer to any question ; ,and in his
delightful autobiogramhy he gives a pleasant
aceount of his exhibition of this figure to the
King Louis Philippe.
A true automaion is a figure which mdves
of its own accord After having been wound
• Such are the mechanical dolls we see,
m toy.stores—the dolls which . walk or
swim, or beat a drum. Robert-lioudin's
figures were not true automata, as the deli-
cate 'mechanism he had devised needed to
be guided by a seoret signal from him. His
automaton writer could write the answer to
any question'so it was asserted, and the
spectator could the the letters of the reply
as they were formed by the pen the figure
held in his hand. But it was, Hebert- Hon
din who made the mental selection of -
the given answer out of a variety of pos
Bible replies, any one of which the machine
had been constreated to write. He had
prepared answers which woulcl fit any ques.
tion—like the responses of the Delphic
oracle—and • after receiving a question he
secretly set the machinery to work on the
answer he thought moat appropriate.
Not unlike this was another so-called
automaton of Robert•Houdin's, representing
a bakery, ieside which several pastry -cooks
were to lee eeen at work, one of whom dame
out of the door, as though to take orders,
and then went in again, returning inamedia.
tely with the cake of the hind which the
epeotator had asked for, In some respects
this was the prettiest of all RobernHoud Ian
automata; certainly it was the one wlieth
"took the cake."
While he was devising and making theee
mechanical figures, Robert.Houdin was
steadily perfecting himmelf in the practice
of conjuritig, and he was inventing al:while-
ly new feats as ingenious as any of his auto -
meta, He had thoroughly trutetered the
repertory of every conjurer then before the
public. He knew the secret of every start,
ling trick which had been shown, up to that
time He lead, acqu'ned a dexterity at least
equal to tlaat of the finest performers of the
nay, most of 'whom were oontont to borrow
from each other, and to repeat again and'
agent the Weights and effeete handed clown
from their predecessors.
Robert -Houdin determined to appear with
a complete progranatne of absolittely new
tricks, and to perferm them in a muner
mute as novel. Ile gave up the glittering
apparatus with its double.bottomed boxes,
He gene sip the tables with falling clothe,
seder which 00 aneeltaiit Might be done:sal-
I,Ele gaYe up the fantastic robe of the
trologer. He gats up the use of con,
PAVIA,
name of Reberletioudiu as its highest re-
commendation to the attention of those
seeking entertainment. But Robert -Hou-
din did not confine hie exertions to his own
theatre; he travelled throughout France,
and during nee troablous time following
1818 he crossed the Channel and performed
in Loudon and in the chief towns of Eng-
land, appearing before Queen Victoria, as
he had earlier appeared before King Louis
Philippe,
It is not too much to say that most of the
best tricks now performed by the conjurers
of to -day were invented by Robert -Houdin,
Among these were the crystal clock and
bell, which marked And etruck the hour any
speatistor might call for; the feat of produo.
mg hem a silk handkerahlet several bowls
of water with goldfish swimming about in
them ;.the aerial suspension of a child by a
single cane restiug on a footstool; the inex-
haustible bottle, from whit.% any wine or li-
quor asked for was poured out immediately;
the shower of money, which the performer
caught in the air, and with which he 'half
filled a hat; the crystal casket, a glass box
swinging in the air, into which marked coins
were most mysteriously passed ; and above
all, and most marvellous of all,the strange
and inexplicable feat which is called se-
cond -sigh t.
So successial were Robert-Houtliths per-
formaness that he was able- to retire early,
and to devote himself thereafter to experi-
ments in mechanicand in electricity. His
later inventions were almost as useful as his
earlier had been amusing. In 1856 the
French government, desiroue of proving to
the Arabs of Algeria that the wizards of
Africa, were hopelessly inferior to the magi-
cians of France, [begged Robert -Houdin to
• go over and show, the Algerians what he:could
do. Onhis return to France he wrote hisauto.
• biography, of whichthere is an English trans-
lation. Then he composed two books on
the art of modern magic, which owed more
to him then to any one else; these have
been admirably Englished ny Professor
Hoffman. In 1871, when he was sixty-five
years old, he died at his house near Blois,
which he had fitted up with the most extra-
ordinary variety of electrical devices
•
The Last Mexican Bandit,
Ever since the death of Eraolio Bernal
the Mexican newspapers bane been full of
anecdotes of Utah celebrated bandit. it ap.
pears that Bernal was a prey to melancholy
for some tineepreviousto his death, and that
he felt a strong presentiment that his career
was soon to be cut short.. His melancholy
was intensified by a fatal. quarrel over a
woman named Louisa Garen., in which he
killed a former friend and comrade.
• The party whiih attacked Bernal on the
morning of his death was Knell and might
have been easily repulsed. But Bernal's
men were dispirited by the melancholy of
their chief. Be himself was one of- thefirst
to fall, being struck in quick suoession by
three bullets, all from the pistol of the cap-
tain of the little band of recruits, who were
eager to win the 10,000 dollars offered. for
Bernans capture or death. The first bullet
was probably fatal; but the second, which
crushed through the outlaw's brain, did the
work of all three.
• Bernal planned hisaesaults with great care
and skill. His attacks were always deliv-
ered in the early morning, as he had found
by experience than he encountered 1es resis.
tance at that hourethan at any other. He
was occasionally overtaken by fibs ofremorse
and at such times he would repair to one
of the numberless chapels which rear their
spires in the heart of the sierra, and remain
for hours in prayer before an -image. On
leaving the oratory hewould dron a 20 -dollar
gold piece in to the poor -box. His amend.
ment never lasted long. A few days gen-
rally brought tidings of some new and dar-
ing exploit.
Bernal will probably be the last of Mex
ican bandits. Isolated cases of assault will,
no doubt, °near as they do even in the
United States. But never again will an
organised bane of desperadoes be allowed to
terrorise a whole • State. A number of
legends have already begun to cluster roand
the -name of Etreclio Bernal, and in future
ages his story may become as famons in
traditions of the sierra as that tt Robin Hood
in 'England. His life has alreany been
dramatised and represented with success
at one of the theatres in this city.
• A Good Excuse.
When the French troops were in Mexioo
during the days of Maximillian, a private
• soldier was brpught before General Genin-
gros, who was in command at lefonteery.
are charged with having stolen the
golden slipper from the font of bhe Virgin in
the Cathedral," said the General, sternly.
"I didn't steal it," replied the soldier.
"Bat the slipper was found in your
knapsack."
"1 know it was, but I didn't steal it."
"How, then, did it come into your p08-
80881011 ?"
The Virgin gave it to me."
"Row so?"
"You know, General, how she sits there
with one foot over the othersticking out a
little 2" ..
"She didn'tell"tell me to take the slipper,
but she held her foot out as if She was say-
ing, "Take the slipper a you want it," so
1 took it, more as a meteor of :incommode -
tion than anything else,"
"Humph," said the General, smiling,
"that's about as good an excuse ese I ever
heard. You can go this time, but ,if the
Virgin offers you anything else mid you ac-
cept it I'll have you shot.'
Dieeteireenan to the Teacher.
A young and euthusiafitic kindergertet
teacher, Vvho believes that Much repetition,
Will fix ideas firmly in youthful. minds, usu-
ally begins her lessons on the ideas of form
by holding up a rubber ball, and asking
"Now, children what is this?" "A globe"
Is the reply, piped out in childish treble.
The other clay she began, 88 MAIM, with the
ball. "Now, children, what do 1 hold in
toy hand ?" " Oherstatit 1" yelled a prompt
and eheelty smell boy from a back seat.
That's the sort td thing, the tetteher 80378,
then diemeragen
Sir Muncie Knollyte naane for his howl
There is no chence, de8tiny no fate
Can circuit/vent, or hinder, or control
The firm resolve of a determined seal.
Gifts count fel- nothing ; will alone is great;
All thiege give way before it soon or late.
What obstacle can stay the mighty forao
Of the sea -seeking river in its course,
Or cause the ascendteg orb of day to wait?
Each well.born soul must win what it
deserves.
Let the fool prate of hick. The fortunate
Is he whose earnest purpose never
svverves,
Whoee slightest action or inaction
• serves
The one great aim.
Why, c4 en death stands still,
And waits au hour nemetimes for such a
will.
—ELLA WHEELER WILCOX.
The senior admiral of the British navy,
Sir Provo Wallis, is 100 years old.
A record of 341 divorce cases in ono day
entitles Boston to a smile of recognition
from Chicago.
Our grand business is not to see what
lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies
clearly at hand.
Life is valuable in proportion:to its fruits.
rf it be wholly barren there is nothing to
prove that it is entitled to any credit.
The soul of seinen is audible, not visible.
A sound alone betrays the flowing of the
eternal fountain, invisible to roam—Long-
fellow •
Advice should be like a gentle fall of
snow, and not like a driving storm of hail.
It should descend softly and not be -uttered
hastily.
Mr. Vanderbilt's income is about a million
dollars a month. When Mn. Vanderbilt
Wants to buy a quart of peanuts he never
has to stop to think,
A vessel sailed from Boston this week
carrying 1,400 packages of New England.
rum, which is the largest ca no of the kind
ever shipped from that port for the African
coast. There were no missionaries on board
A very satisfactory state of affairs was
reported at the recent meeting of the trus-
tees of Shakespeare's birthplace an Strat-
ford -on -Avon. It appears that the amount
derived from visitors' fees was abliut $1,000
a year, and that the p.resent surplus is near-
ly $15,000, invested in Consols and other
aeourities. During the last year 16,500
persons visited the birthplace, of whom 5,-
LQ0 were Americenseand thirtymine nation -
:tables were represented.
Putting a Parson to Practical Use.
A wealthy. farmer in Mecklenburg, Ger-
many, on being asked how he managed to
get his slaughtered pigs tested for trithiere
at the nearest market town, gave the follow-
ing cheracterisitc reply :
"1 don't see the use of taking all that
trouble -when I can get it done quite com-
fortably in our village.»
" And where, pray ?"
"Yon see, our pastor has a hearty appe-
tite, and is fond of sornething tasty, and so
whenever I kill a pig I always send him the
• first sausage. I am perfectly sure that he
will eat it at once. A couple of days after
I call on hbn and inquire in an off -hand sort
of way how his reverence feels; if I find that
he is quite well and heatiy and there is
nothing amiss with him, I go home quite
easy in my mind, and then, and not betore,
I let our folke eat of that pig and taste a bit
myself, for now I am positive that the pig
was healthy and hadn't a trac3 of trichinm
about it. That's mytest. What's the good
of sending all the way to town?"
The Place to Trade.
Stranger (to tailor)—You've got a nice
stock of goods here.
• Tailor (rubbing his his hands)—There's
nothing like it this aide of the Atlantio
Ocean, sir.
Stranger—I've been told that your prices
are about right, too. ,
Tailor—Yes, sir; the price I put on a
suit of clothes is a great injustice to my
wife and family. Now, there is a line of
spring and summer goads of my own impore•••—
tation, and I paid cabin passage rates to get
'em here. That diagonal, the manufacturer
assures nie, was made exclasively for the
Prince of Wales, and only got into my lot
by mistake. He offered me big money to
get the goods back for fear of international
complications.
Stranger --You don't say so I
• Tailor—Yes, sir. • Bat I laughed at him.
When I get hold of a good thing it gone to
O customer every time if I lose money on it.
I npose you will want a nice, stylish spring
suit, and then something for warrn weather?
Stranger—N-no. I guess not this morn-
ing. I was trying to get out of the way of
a milk wagon too suddenly a few moments
ago, and I want to get a suspender button
sewed on.
A Georgia Preacher's Observation.
A new Georgia revivalist, the Rev. J. 13.
Culpepper, is credited with observing in the
course of a sermon :--" I vvould rather be a
negro with red eyes, kinky wool, boneless
nose and a hollow of the foot that makes a
hole in the ground, than play poker till one
o'clock in the morning and go home ancl de-
ceive my wife about it."
No Adverse Criticism,
Amateur Actor (to friend)—" I say,
Charley, what was the general opinion of
my acting last night."
Friend—" I didn't hear any opinion ex-
pressed."
Egyptian Exploration.
One of the moat interesting epectaclee of
this day is the tent villages of the Egyptian
Exploration Fund, whoee eiplorers pitch
their habitations near ancient mounds here
and there, and set their hundreds of fellaheee
at work digging out freeli materials for the
history of the oldest of civilizations. These
explorers have lust brought to light a nettle
of King Haien, who is supposed to be the
•Pheraoh that exalted Joseph. te a high place
in the State. Though the Egyptian Explo-
ration Fund has found many priceless sta.uest its purpose is met the discovery of own
ositiet3, the eluoidetion of ancient and espe-
cially of old Testarnetthistory, and the mintage
sensational emcees it has achieved in. the
past three years justifies the hope that its
troops of men and woinen carriers will long
be kept delving for the monuments that the
maternal have buried.
It is Leap Year.
Just a worcl with you, young man, be-
fore you go. You have been cultivating tho
acquaintance of tny daughter for nearly fout
menthe, and think it is abetit time to ask
intentioa4»
'christened daughter is "Louvima," as a J "Thatust What I've been thinking -
complimentary combination representing but Mabol doesn't :Seem t� be aloie to nniater
too of the Prinee %yak
tooio, Victoria and Maud, the three datigh. tip courage to aSk me, or else she has forgot,