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Exeter Times, 1898-3-31, Page 2HE EXETER TINEES he Best Matchmaker. . CH AFTER III. The vehiole covered the ground et a, jog -trot. 'The driver dozed ow tbe box and Ileetor, leaning back inside and (tree died, so to sey, by the morietemous mo- tions of the springs, gazed dreamily at the traiquil scenery of Touraine, quite unconseious eether he were traveling fast or slow. The landsompe was tact- uresquelY dtversifted. At , times the road skirted tbe brow a a wooded hill and overlooked the Loire, and at others it wound, with serpentine 'serves, down into some cool valley,, girt roundabout with sloping vineyards. At length the driver considerately tvoke tie, and turning Isis sltiony berses bate a side road, exclaimed; "We axe getting near, sir." Thera were iudeed ample signs of the proxiraity of some manorial dwelling - house. The hedges were well trimmed, the ditches properly beaked up, and the trees pruneso as to afford. shade with- out fostering dampness on the road. - way. Two farms hidden like nests ante Ong copses of young elms were passecl la turn, and further off above the tree tops the conloal roof of a pigeon -house eould be diseerned, Some mowers were at work in a neighboring meadow, and the air was balmy with the scent of new made hay. A little beyond, sever- al thoroughbreds were grazing in a carefully secured. inclosure, and by and by at the e,nd of a long, long avenue lof chestnut trees, M. Aubanele house ap- peared to view. It was net properly speaking a chateau, but one •of those unpretentious, though massive coun- try houses, formed. of a central build- ing with advanced wings, and whith seem to have "hospitality" written above their gates; an entire story be - Ing not unfrequently, solely devoted to guest. chambers. A servant stood at the iron gate, and shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand, watched the approaching :vehicle as if it con- veyed some expected visitor. "What a nuisances" thought Hector; "some one is evidentle expected„ and perhaps I shall be in the way." But as the fle dretv- nearer to the house he recognized the servant as the same who had accompanied his friend Ferdinand when the latter visited Bor- deaux. And the servant seemed to re- eognize him in turn, for he had al ready taken off his cap, and was tele- graphing incomprehensible signals. At length the vehicle dxew up in the court- yard, and the valet eagerly exclaim,ea: "Ah! sir., you've come at last. My , master was expecting you most imps, tieutle." Hector was about to express the won- der these words caused him when he felt himself caught by the arm, and on turning rounds found himself fac- ed by his friend in person. "Ah, thanks, thanks," exclaimed Fer- dinand Aubanel. "You are a true &tend. I knew you would come, and I see that on receiving my letter you must have started immediately." "Wily., my dear fellow, I left Bor- deaux two months ago, and I haven't received eny letter at all from you. Chance alone—" "Chance, eh? Well, let us bless itl And besides chence will be at my ord- ers in future. Ah, you don't know yet, but let me tell you -I am the happiest man on earth. Yee indeed, so happy, that I fear I shall go mad with joy. But come. come, I mustn't leave you standing hare. Came indoors. Alit I need your advice, Come, but first would you like to take some refresh- ment ?" And then in the same incoherent fashion, Ferdinand, whom Hector scar- cely fancied in his senses, summoned all his servants in turn, gave them twenty contre,dictory orders, and set the whole house in motion. But in the meanwhile, he never let go of Hector's arm. which he pressed against his own ss if he were afraid that his friend _slight escape hira. And. now dragging him ita-rmeethe hall: upetbaeqairs, and along the passages, he resumed, still tu the same singular. broken fashion: "If I wrote, it is because I want you to sign my contract. I want you to be me best man. I am going to be :married, my dear fellow; yes, marriedt A young girl -no, I mean an angel, so beautiful, so 'beautiful! You shall see her - 'W II love her -I orship her. And. the day after to -morrow she will be mine. At times I almost fancy it's a dream. Yes, the day aftee to-morravrt Ah, how long to wait And she loves me. yes, old chap; she has told me so, and she will repeat it to you, if you anly ask her. Her name is Herminie. By and by we'll climb to the Lift, and. you shall see where she lives. You shall see her, herself, this evening, but come. come--" "It's quite en epidemic," thought Hec- tor; "every one wants to get married. Well, I've done right to warn my fu- ture father-in-law. Perhaps there wouldn't have been a wife left for me, If T had waited. A.h, my dead father, how I admire your foresight." In the meanwhile Ferdinand had opened the d.00r of a room on the first floor. "Come in," said he; "this is my bach- elor's room, It won't long be tenant- ed! We are to have a room of our own - hard .by. The upholsterers are just putting the finishing touches. It will he perfect, quite a nest in lilacs satin I But excuse me, wait -take care -I must find you emir." He bad some difficulty In doing so for this bachelor's room was in a gad a overwhelming conftesion; every- thing was encumbered -the bed, the drawers, the table and the Matra. Two huge cases. which had. just been opera. - ed, oc:oupied. most of the space usually left vacant, the remainder being litter- ed. with the hoards which had covered the oases eel the tools which had serve el to open. them. /leer the window stood a well-dressed man who held a yard tape in his hand., and who bowed most respectfully as the two friends entered, "My tailor," exelalmed Ferdinand, "he aas arrived from Paris wtth these two cases full a olob.go. Thering the last month he luta only been working for " "Wbati do you mean to try on all these Minus?" "Of coulee I do, and mind yam latent Yiette advice. Aren't you one of the kings of fashion?" While speaking, Ferdinand divested himself of kis coat and waistcoat and prepared for the ordeal. Ah, it was I a singular sight, M. Au.bauel was ever tamPtainling. Nothing seemed to suit Mea, and he did tett merely complain oe the clothes, but also of his own phy- sical inmerfeettons. He wished to look distinguished and in his overwbelming anxiety he fancied that he looked grot- esque. The taller, of oourse, was all satisfaotiou. He answered eaoh fresh cornpleint by deolaring that the dis- paraged garment fitted his customer to a T, and whenever Ferdinand quee- timed his own physique, he flattering- Procleimed that he had never before had the honour of dressing suoh an ad- mirably proportioned. gentleman as M. Aubanet. elector was of course appeal- ed. to by either side, but as he wished to get the business over, he almost in- variably decided in the tailor's favor. At last the latter was free to retire and then it became necessary for Hect- or to give his opinion on the marriage corbeille which stood. on the table in the grand drawingtroom. The cor- beille, so called by custom, was not in this case a basket, bet a superb rose- wood chest, adorned with incrustations U1 rare woods of the Indies, and having n richly wrought silver look and handles. Rectos:- greatly admired it, a,nd mentally deoided to buy soreethiug of the same kind for Mademoiselle Blandurecte, but *Ferdinand declared that he was not satisfied, for he found it a great deal too small. At first Hector started back in surprise, but on glencing round the room he realized the truth of his friend's statement. For on every side there was some marvel to admire -cashmere shawla and yards upon yards ot lace, silks and satins, jewels and jewel caskets, gloves and glove boxes, fans and opera glasses, ev- er, kind of knick-knack that a woman might take a fancy to, and the whole representing a very considerable emit of money indeed. "My aune and I spent a fortnight buying all these things," said Ferdin- end. "What s/he lent a hand in such pro- digality elate you become a king, thel sefui" or do you mean to ruin your - "Ruin myself 1 oh, that's impossible. Before I knew Herminie I tried to do so three times, but on extols occasion as soon as I began trifling with my capital, a relative died and left me a fresh fortune. The money I've spent on these presents cost me nothing; it came from one of my uncles. It's true I've spent the whole of what he left me. but that's not too much to repay one of Herminie's smiles. My only worry is that the corbeille will be too small. But after all, that's ray aunt's affair. She will be here early to -mor- row morning; for in the afternoon I must send it to Herminie. Now let's go to dinner." "I wasn't mistaken," thought Hect- or; "the poor fellow has fairly lost his head." Whether this was true or not. Ferdi- Eland's stomach certainly seemed to be in the right place. /fie ate enough for four men of decent appetites, and con- trived to talk the whole while. But scarcely had he ewe 'lowed his last mouthful than he precipitately arose from table and dragged Hector away. "I am gang to visit my intended," he said. "This will make my third vis- it to -day. You see I must introduce you -you are my best friend., and I've epoken of you so often that they are all anxiety to see you. It's only half a league off, and if you like we'll walk. To tell the truth, I feel I need fresh air and locomotion." As they followed the road which leads from La Fresnaie to Cormes-Ecluse, where Mademoiselle Herminie's family resided, Hector noticed that his friend's gayety gradually waned, and when at lase they entered the drawing -room he had become all anxiety and nervous- ness. 'With flushed cheeks and a wavering glance he just managed to stammer out an introduction, and Hector could not help muttering to himself, "The deucel it seems that it's serious." At the same time he glanced in the direction of Made- moiselle Herminie, who, atter turning as red as a peony, just rose from. her seat to make a timid little courtesy, and then pretended to devote all her attention to some embroidery she held in her hand. However, Hector noticed that her hands trembled. so acutely that she could scarcely direct her needle, and then although she hadhent her head over her work, he was able to surprise the glance she darted at Ferdinand. All ber soul bad passed in that soft, racist glance, full of in- nocent confessions and candid prom- ises. "She loves him," said Hector to him- self ; "well, so much tbe better, for he's a good fellow- and be deserves it." And then, whilst Ferdinand ap- proaohed bis lad y love, he engaged in conversation with. her father and moth- er, talking of all kinds of indifferent things, of Switzerland, which he had scarcely seen, and of Bordeaux, with which of course he was Well acquainted. At times when he paused in his talk he could hear the whispers of the lovers, seated., near the work table, so °lose to each other that at moments their hair mingled. The whole house was in motion. as an adjoining room *several seamstresses were completing the trousseau, and in the kitchen arid the pantry preparations „were being made for the great clbanert to be giv- en on the following day, prior to the signing of the contract. When Hector and. Ferdinand retun- ed. to La, Fresnaie that evening, the former was ushered into one of those lofty, spacious country bedrooms where a, men can breathe and move. After living for a. couple, of months in Un- comfortable hotels, he was naturally delighted with the change, and Dr - feed himself a, good night's rest; but he had not thought of Ferdinand. Seercely was he between the siseets than M. Aubanet appearitd itt bis dress- ing -gown, and unceretaoniously seated himself on the bed. Re had a thous- and Important things to tell his friend, at least so he pretended; thereupon I:tune/sing forth upon the most extravert 1 gant remarks, Which oaten made Hees tor laugh, though trope time to tirue he ventured to pletta be favor ot rest and sleep. But Verdi/tend had al- ways something mere to My, and. " was alrea,dY five ceolocit when., Senna - bag out of bed, Reciter was at last able to get rid of 'his friend by the erns plot/meat of a little personal violence it was, 'however, too late te thine of repose', for the rest of the house was already astir. lL& new carrieee-to be lased at the wedding for the first time -bad just arrived, and the stable men were running and shouting across the courtyard, In the passages there was a clattering of weoden shoes, the ordi- nary servant girls having been rein- forced for the occasion by all the avail- able peasant women living on the estate. Then the glacier and pastry cook arrived. from. Tours with his tiui and coPPer molds, pans and pails, and other sonorous utensils, wbich chug - ed and jingled like the 'tracked chimes of tee village ahurch. The cad stair - ease greened under the weight of an army of work -people; upb,olsterers were (hanging velvet-baoked beaches round an improvised ball -room, and, there was a din of hammering as they netted the hangings to the walls. Soon above the tumult Ferdinand% loud voice could be heard, calling everybody at orice, men and women alike, so that well nigh every name In the calendar in turn esoaped his lips. His aunt, old Mademoiselle A.ubanel, had just arrived, and Hatter now took an heroic resolution. He sprang oet of bed, hastily dressed, and went down stairs. Ferdinand was decidedly los- ing bis wits and sadly needed a sub- stitute, so that Hector offereci. to ad as Mademoiselle Aubanel's aide-de- camp, and under her orders prooeed- ed to control the undisciplined army of servants and work -people, As for M. Aubanel, his aunt suggested that he had better go and visit his intend- ed, and he did not aak her to repeat her advice. At length, under the joint control of the, old lady and Hec- tor, all the preparations were complet- ed, and, then it was necessary for them to hurry in their turn to Cormes-Ec- luse, where the "contract dinner" was waiting. It was one of those copious repasts for which Teraine is so famous. The table almost staggered under the weight of the dishes, bottles and glass- es. There were thirty-eight diners ranged round the board, and fully sixty dishes were served. Every one knew each other, and indeed every one was more or less nearly related. to his neighbor. Hector was indeed the only stranger, but then Ferdinand had sounded his praises so highly, their in- timacy was so apparent, and the old aunt darted her aide-de-camp such gratefut leeks, that he was at mice treated as one of the family. A.n old cousin parodied the Couat d'Artois' famous saying, and exclaimed, "There is only a relative the raore," where- upon everybody laughed. That even- ing, indeed, the least thing seemed to provoke merriment. Hector was witty, or at least he appeared so, which is the. more important point, and he contrived to keep every one in such good %tumor that Ferdinand at times turned iliS eyes away from his ina- morata to smile his thanks acress the table. At the end of the repast, two elderly gentleznen, solemnly attired in black, and with very stiff shirt collars, abruptly rose to their feet, and with- out a word passed into the drawing - Mem. "Those gentlemen are the notaries," said a lady, seated beside Hector, in answer to his inquiries. Every one at once followed the re- presentatives of the law. A number of chairs had already been disposed in a. chole round the reception -room, where on the central table stood a heavy silver gilt inkstand, flanked by several. immaculate quill -pens. The elder of the two notatries who had assumed his gold spectacles, remained standing holding the marriage contract in his hand. The silence was so pro- found that on listening attentively one might have heard the bridegroom's heart beating. At last when every one was seated the perusat of the contract began. In a monotonous voice the old notary enumerated the surnames and Christian names of the affianced pair,1 and the various clauses and conditions, slurring over the teohnieal terms, and; losing himself at times in the midst of ' the interminable phrases. The old cousin, who was of an a,popletic tem- perament, grambled between his teeth. Such an ordeal after a dinner necessi- tating a laborious digestion was hard to bear indeed. Hector on his side al- most dozed off to sleep, whilst Ferdin- and twitched and turned on his chair like Guatimozin on his gridiron. At last the perusal came to an end, the notary hue the contract on the table, and the interested parties rose to their feet, ready to sign it. Hector, w'ho was but ball awake, fol- loweti the general example. He was waiting for les turn, glancing care- lessly round the room, when all of a sudden his eyes lighted on the table, and he started with surprise, for the pen it that moment was held by suoh a beautiful, dainty, feminine hand that he thought he had never seen such a perfect one before. It was so admir- ably proportioned, this tiny white hand, with tapering fingers and rosy nails, and beneath the transparent skins of the finest texture, one could follow the course of the pale blue veins. Hector was so struck that he instinc- tively elbowed his way past the people La front of him so as to ascertain who it was that possessed this admirable hand. "Unfortunately," he muttered, "only a woman of thirty-five could lave suoh a one as that." But he was mistaken, for it belong- ed to a young girl, barely eighteen years old, and so poetically beautiful that even a prosy stook broker might have developed lyric faculties at mere sight of her. Her hair was of that warm, luminous, golden hue which the Titian had so marvelously rendered in his portraits of Venettan beauties. Un- pretentiously caught up, and warmly seseured at all by a simple tortoise- shell eomb, these wavy, golden locks were as flexible and so abundant, that at each moment it seemed as if they would free themselves, uncoil and spread like some gorgeous mantle over their possessor's shoulders -shoul- ders, the clamier curves of sthich could be, divined under a pretty "guimpe In vierge," finished tound the neck with a ruche of lace. "Why, where can I have had my eyes," muttered Vector, "not, to have noticed such a oherming girl as that?" And, last in ecstacy, IM did not Max the notary melting him to take the pen and sig a Mee contrad in his turn. As sou as this part of the cerenteny was over. the whole party started for the village naairie, only a few hundred yards distant. Meter °trued Isis arm to old Mademoiselle Animate', and, quite regardlesa a her age and WM-ta- ttles, drew her along almost at a run, for he wits so anxious to overtake tbe beatitlfel girl with the golden hair. When be and Ferdinand's aunt readi- ed the wairie she was already there, leaning on the old cousin's arm, let set easy, graceful manner, and evidently quite unconscious of her own fascinate Ing loveliness. The old °busies was talking, and she smiled as she listened to him, Innocent maliciousness sparkled in her big blue eyes, and at some remark more aronsing than the others, she burst out laughing, so that bier zosy lips parted arid disclosed tier glistening pearly teeth. That night, although Hector was not disturbed by Ferdinand, he had some difficulty in getting te sleep., for do what he would his mind was haunted by a celestial vision. "Ale" he murmured, "if Mademoi- selle A.urelie could only be like her." To Be Continued: LAW OF THE UMBRELLA. An Important Opinion That Vas llama A•wribed to lord Coleridge, The law as to umbrellas was settled once, for all by Lord Coleridge in a leading English case. His lordship held: "Umbrellas, properly considered, are a part of the atraospherie or meter°. logical °onetime and, as such, there can beim individual property right in them. In Sampson vs. Thompson de- fendant was charged with standing on plaintiff's front steps during a stone and thereby -Soaking up a large quan- tity of ruin to which plaintiff was en- titled. But the court held that the rain was any man's rain, no mat- ter where it fell. It follows, there- fore, that the umbrella is any man's umbrella. In all ages rain and um- brellas have gone together, and there is no reason why they should be sep- arated in law. An umbrella, may, un- der certain circumstances -the chief of which is possession -take on the attri- butes of personal property, just as. if a man set a tub and catch, a quantay of rain water, that rain water will be considered as his personal belonging' tvelle it is in his tub. But if the sun evaporate the water and. it is rained down again, or if the tub is upset and the water spilled, then the attribute of personal ownership instantly disap- pears. So if a man hold his umbrella in his hand it may be considered a per- sonal belonging, but the moment it leaves his nand it returns to the great, general, indivisible, common stock of umbrellas, whither the law will not attempt to pursue it." So far as we know there has never been a successful appeal from this de- cision. • PRINCE AND OFFICER. flow a Fautone.Gervanta Getaeral Was Cared or Gambling. In Austria and Germany the • army laws against gaming were, and still are, very stria. When the Duchy of Baden was occupied by Prussian troops after their suppressing the insurrec- tion of 1849 the officers quartered at • Rastadt were warned against playing at Baden Baden. One summer evening Xing, then prince, 'Wilhelm, strolled into the gaming rooms and noticed an officer in civilian's clothes sitting at ! play. He had won twice on the red, and was about to pick up his money, when be caught sight of the prince watching bim, Terror-stricken, he sat quiet, not daring to reaoh out for I his winnings. The red turned up a! third and then a fourth time. As the ' maximum was quickly reached the prince touebed the 'officer on the shoulder and said, gently: "Take up your money and • go, lest one of your chiefs should find you here." Of course, the soldier did not require • to be told, twice. He got out immedi- ately. Two days later there was a review ! at Rastadt, during which Prince Wil- helm. sighted the culprit, and sent for! hira. "Lieutenant —" he said, "after , you went away the recl turned up four , times more. I prevented you from I winning four times the maximum, which you would certainly have staked.: You will draw on nae, for that amount. ' But take m.y advice, do not gamble again." The memoirs of an old Ger- man general who lived to see his last victory at Sedan have stated as follows: .71 was the kindness of the lesson that oured mb e gaming. For me it was better than a years imprisonment." A KING HOTEL -KEEPER. PM! Turned Illbt Paine litato a lloiel to Receive Peter the Great. According to Le ,Thernal des Debats of Paris, the most prosperous hotel - keeper in the world is the Xing of Wurteraberg. He runs two/large hos- telries in Stuttgart. These hotels are visited by the best of the merchant class in Germany, and enrich the Ring's private purse to the tune of 4002,500 a year. Hotel -keeping has been foltowed for nearly 200 years by the rulers of Wurtembergt It is recorded. that at tbe beginning of the eighteenth century Peter the Greet paid a visit to the reigning Duke of Stuttgart, and, to avoid the pomp and ceremony of the court, he sent word to the Duke that he Would: put up at an inn. The Duke, wishing to gratify the Russian's uthint, anl at the same time do him royal hozors, promptly turned his pal- ace tato a hotel, and'sent a secret tries- . sage to Peter's postilions lo bring the Emperor there without betraying the identity of the house. To make the de- ception complete, he stunk up a sign- board. over the grand entrance and received Peter with many lows in the cap and apron of a nittitre d'hotel of the period. The 'We smbergers were so pleasel with al, • t riment teat they tate etelanet:, n I he eusiness ever ranee. ABOUT 0U13 ANO SPAIN. wan A RETURNED TRAVELLER SAYS ABOUT THEM. :ittfitthOellI:104:31:7ESpllillarda AlICient—Cube theartialed by iTer—llom 1:K ....ht. Ur. Alexander Patterson, who for eighteen, years has been appraiser at the Toronto Custoat House, returned the other day after can extensive trip through Florida, and Cuba. "Havana, is a wonderful oity in mane respeots-some of them, of an unenvi- able nature," said he in an inter- vietv. "The 'arohiteeture of the place, the habits of the people . and their modes of living differ 'entirely from the oustoms of the Canadian and Amerioan people. The city itself is a very ancient one arid Spanish through- out. The wealthier families instead of on nvitre tont, ttsikrbiaatns otfestihdeenctiietsy,, ar se,soiduer so vdeor the down tOwn stores. Their buildings are large and massive and the arohlt tecture very'. ornamental; the doors are generally double the size of ourte and the :windows are correspondingly large. The climate is tropical, no glass is placed in their windows; which are never closed; instead iron bare, which are fitted and locked at evening, give their barge buildiege a gruesome ap- pearance, and the city after nightfall looks like a huge collection of prison house,s. In the hotels men do the cham- lsabone Idj: a' ot,work..hToh8Ttehhsaettirr culinary habits differ , radically from ours; ahnost every dish prepared there is mixed with garlic wheneetsa ite.erl e very taln aigtheyi Os f the storekeepers are I meet overhead. The pavements are all !stone and waggon traffic makes a deriofepneirnsgonnsnocisae. The sidewalks, like- wise stone paved are so narrth ow at h SCARCELY WALK A,BREAST. and on others there is only room for the one person, °bleed street General Weyler street and O'Reilly street, the tprincipal co:ay. ercial thoroughfares of the city, are of this nature, and. were laid out after the oustom of the seven - "The Ingleterre and the. Pizaccee ars the principal hotels of the place. They are massive buildings, picturesquely located opposite Central Park, where the volunteers and Spanish soldiers drill every morning, not excepting Sunday. Havana has a, population of 250,000 people, but it covers no more space than one-quarter of the extent of 'Toronto. The people are alt huddled together. The poorer classes towards the outskirts, you might, say, sleep with their cattle, for there the cow- shed is located where our summer kitchens are placed." "What are their traveling facili- ties?" 'Railroads are almost unknown in Cuba. There is not a street car in Havana, but there are thousands of carriages and you can go to any part of the city for a peseta-awhich really equals fifteen cents in our money." "Is there much home life iunong the eeople?" "Hardly any. In the evenings, ev- erybody proineeades or drives. Thous- ands of women drive around in the cheap carriages. They wear no hats, and only a dark veil covers their heeds. The people in the theatres are never aneoyed by bonnets there." "Are the law courts pure?" "Everything is rotten. if a men once gets into jail his innocence is a secondary matter, and he 'will rarely get out again.- The Spaniards are anx- ious now to imprisott foreigners, and look upon thent with suspicion. It was only my British passport that protected me. The Government officials are cor- rupt, to a nan, and the customs of- ficials exnbezzle all the money they can seoure. Cuba, as a result of long years of misrule, is in a pitiable state. For poverty, degradation, vice and disease, lietvana surpasses description. Men, women and children, cripples and wounded soldiers, with starved C01111- temances and so wretchedly poor that they have not sufficient rags to cover - their nakedness, daily display their misery in the streets of the city, yet nothing is ever done for them. Yellasv fever, sm.allpox and leprosy are preval- ent. All this exists in one of the fair- est climates in the world, The soil is prolific., the island saduLD BE A GARDEN. Tamarinds. 'limes, arrowroot, ginger, rice and sugar were produced abund- ant ly, but all is wasted 1)y the war." "How do they keep Sundayl" "Sunday afternoon is kept as a holi- day, and it is given over to bull fight- ing and cook -mains. The cocks in many instances are carried by devout wor- shippers to mass, and afterwards the fights begin. I SMV a bull fight there on a Sunday afternoon at the Hippo- drome. WIttratanza, one of their great bull fighters, had, three horses killed' under him -gored by the bull -before he despatched the furious animal by a skilful spear thrust through the upper part of the neck to the heart. When these bull 'fighters miss their mina, the mistake generally costs them their lives. On this occasion thee horses hitched to ropes attached to the horns of the slain animal dragged its carcase away, and the entertainment was ov- er.' "How about the Maine?" "I was there when tbe explosion oos cured, It was terrific and shook the city to its centre. A. great panic en- sued, and the people thought the city was being bonabarded. Nearly everys nifty rerataned up throughout the night" - "Did it occur through treachery 9" "The Spaniards passionately deny it, but I never met an American who did not believe ittwas prearranged. There ire diagreras of the harbour sheaving It's inines, and underneath the identical spot where the Maine was anehored, one was located." "War is inevitable, The . Spaniards are reedy for fight and even rtaxiens for it, :When 1 was there they sent to Spain for another 211,000 men. Pre- sident Melainley will do everything possible to avoid, collision, but, it ts afl mmossibility. All throeghout the Sthatetes a resolute determination thet TIME FOR VENGEANCE has almost arrived, is visible every- where. I meet, that war will result wheu the. Board of Inquiry letve given their verdict, whioli is expected in sev- en days. Even if an indemnity is de- manded Spain cannot payit, for she has sunk her treasai re n the oostly revolution. I formed. aoquaintanee- shie with the reraduing offioers of the Maine. Two officers only lost their ctu? et, strange to say they occupied statereom thirteen in the ill-fated ves- sel." "How about the filibustering expe- ditions "Vessels are oontinually escaping the patrol a th.e Spanish oruisers •and. landing cargoes of powder and ball for the Cubans. When I was in Jack- :or:I:av. v. l eeh ecib , the ores 9, t there alter mnoney successfully making the dangerous sm.u,es'eli,e,y, derive large stuns from their sympathizers in America..Down in Key West entertainments are held nightly and the proceeds devoted to their "How are the revolutionists faring?" "They fight a guerilla warfare ex - elusively, and often a.nabuscade the Spaniards. Away back among the hills they never can be beaten. When the Spa.niards pursue them, ten of their soldiers die in battle to one slain among the Cubans. If left atone, it would be a hercalean undertaking to subdue ttn,iaonn...dSeeten will never do it,nmyopinion." "Is Havana well fortified?" "Fort Murro guards Me harbor en- trance. Whent was there three Span-. ish men-of-war rode al enclaor. The city was overrun with thousands of soldiers. Every hotel has from twenty- five to fifty officers. The regulars spend their time in smoking, eating, drinking. carousing anil lounging, and drill but little. On every block there are eight or ten policemen, who Carry rifles, 'pistols and bayonets. In ease of war with the States the Spanish fleet might harass the -coast towns, but America would soon drive the Spaniards out of Cuba, when the dawning of a new and better order of things would breek over that unfor- tunate island. so desolated now by mis- government and war." THE FASHIONABLE SHADE. A very important question in the mind of the average woman just at present is the new spring shade. Will it be becoming or otherwise? To the woman who is fashion's slave, the an- swer to this question is a vital one; to the woman sensible enough to get as near as possible to the fashionable color and yet have it becoming it is not of so much importance, -while to the woman who wears the color which suits her best, irrespeotive of the reign- ing mode, it is a, matter of indiffer- ence. As the majority of women do adhere to the fashion of the moment, it is plea - ant to be able to relieve their minds of the strain of uncertainty. Up to the present moment it has been diffi- cult to state with any degree of cer- tainty just what co/or would be the proper thing this spring, but it is learned that first in preference stands blue. The old saying that "There is noth- ing new under the sun" is certainly verified as one looka over and examines the different shades of the new spring pcheur, and of the fifty-six Mades of - water blue, that ranks as second fav- orite, was immensely popular about twelve years ago under the name of pecheur, and. ofthe fifty-six shades of, feriae to us from which we take our choice only eight are new, and six of these are blue; so it can easily be in- ferred from this that blue is going to be the prime favorite. Though decidedly a rehash of 1898 and 1897 the colors shown for the spring certainly are, either taken sep- arately or izi combination, very artis- tic in their coneption, Tbe Mattes of yellotiv promise to be very popular this year, varying all the way front the shade known as petite, through the dif- ferent tones which were presented to us last fall, only under different names the deepest being a burnt orange tint, styled cog de roche. It is probable that deep orange tints will be used in plaid and stripe effects for the new spring silks and ribbons. The others have something of a green- ish cast, though by no means on the turquoise order, bearing rather more toward sea, blue. These are proposed to form a combination with the fash- lornable yellows, and as they are very becoming to women they proraise to be very popular. Geranium reds are the shades in this color, starting with coral and geran- ium ,and next comes an exquisite dark shade known as pourpre. 'Watermelon pink and rose pink are also quite prom- inent, as well as a couple of rich pur- plish reds and three or Lour cherry tints, Reine and jacqueminot being probably the two best shades for com- bining with great and black. Purple effects are prominently shown in shades of pansy and dahlia„ the for- mer knowa as clematite and iris and the latter as orobidee, an out and out tiaenve, end oplielia and dahlia. The grays known as argent, alum- inum, and pla,Cin.e are shown still, but as gray is an unusually trying color, their popalarity is not likely to be very considerable. LONDON CLUBS, A study of clubs brIngs to light SOnin curious fads. There are now over 145 clubs ea London, of which only tbtrty existed half a century ago, while sev- enty-five have been founded during the past twentyyears, dividing between tltent no less than 100,000 members, At the bee/ening of the century there were probably not more than 1,200 men who had scoured election to a London club, anti now there are m.ore than g00,- 000. Of entree no distinetion now at- taches to being a "dab man," bet it is attrious to observe that the reVolu- tion, as regards clubs in London, only oommeaced else twenty years ago, and has raged with una,bated energy ever VALUE OF TUE SW BAER GREAT BRITAIN HOLDS THE ithr OF THE EA= 0.....f. Importance et the Chalked -Item Its Cies. Ing wined Meet Other Nattens - laturs Strong PositiOn. It is not a difficult feat to imagine the circumstances under which Eng- land le:mid deem it expedient to adopt tb,e extreme course of °losing tbe Sues Canal, the great "abort out" to the .. Bast, says the London Daily Mall. Certainly it would be under mull- • tions of extraordinary pressure that we • should do thie, but, however vi. . mote may be the contingency,. the 0 calern be no doubt regarding thee • - pediency of smote an ect In the Ont. k ‘1 enee, of danger to our Asiatic passes,. sions. 'When we bought our shares we aoquired the power of control, In naore senses than one. Needless to say, the object would be attained by teinporary obstruction ot a character readily moue ble on the conotrusion of peare, and oare would 'be taken to avoid absolute destruction eke, so valuable a property. rt would be ' sufficient were a vessel sunk athwart the narrow Manuel; the slight cur- rent which sets through the • canal, would wedge the craft's bows and stern in a few niinutes, as any commander who has had the, misfortune to see hie ship in that plight knows only too well, A passage might be forced by an ex. plosive, but at the sacrifice of the banks, and the permanent STOPPAGE OF ALL TRAFFIC Afterwards until repairs could be eta' ' fected. Assuming that the passage has been closeceithe principal sufferer in a stra- tegical sense is Russia. She can no longer send. the vessels of her volunteer fleet direct front Odessa. to the Italia carrying troops and munitions of war, but they must ineur the risk of a pas- sage by Gibraltar and the Cape of Good Hopeet voyage of &rules the dur- ation, to say nothing of halting tctrun the gauntlet of British cruisers in the Straits. A moment's ratite:sten will show it to be a. praeticat impossibili- ty for turner reinforcements to tease to Siberian ports by this roete, and tbis is effect No. 1. Tile presence of an adversary in the Baltic effectually closes Russia's oth- er outlet by see, and. her fleet in the extreme Orient must depeed upon, It- self for success against the forces which are there opposed to it. Effect No. 2 is that France cannot send her Toulon fleet out of the Medi- terranean save by rtmning the gaunt- let likewise of aux fortress of Gibrate tar. She may send off reinforcements from Cberaourg, but Toulon becomes • useless as a depot for fitting out cruis- ers,and this Eulone constitutes a heavy blow to France's maritime strength. Italy Is affected in the same degree. But there are eircurmstances which make it desirable that we should give Italian ships a free OUTLET TO THE ATLANTIC. Effect No. 3 is that German ships of war have to make their way to the east around the cape of Good Hope, just its the Ruitsians have to do, and, 1.1 the Germans are our foes,they have to meet our cbannel fleet before they pass Dover. Their alternative course is to the north of Cape Wrath. Still, Germany is not absolutely out of though her communications are sera- ously menaced. ts . The completion of the Trans -Met - ion railway will alter' the relative position in three yule' time, as fax as Bessie, and her allies axle conoerne ed, but only ill re.seect of land forces. Russia will be in no need of the volun- teer fleet for the transport of triages and war stores, bet she will not bit able to increase her naval strength in A,siatio waters. Roughly speaking,' were war to break out to -morrow, and it should become necessary for Britain to take Agee. ens action in the east, our forces there are a match for all those. of the othen European powers combined, and by closing tbe St= Canal we should pre- vent any ex -cession of strength. passing from. Russian ports to that re.gion.and Meted delay for two months, or there- tat abottts, any reinforcements reaching ea' the fleets of France or Germany. ' s,e - • BUT WITHIN TWO MONTHS te we should have, met and destroyed thee. squadrons of our foes, or sbould haveas been crumpled up. ourselves in As, alsterapt. 4 Tb.e mana.gement of the Suns Canal' is a task of considerable difficulty.' At the head offices 'a large setae plan of the channel is used to show the actual positions of the vesse:s in the various seotions, and. dummy ships eras moved along in rotation from "gareta , to "gate" in aecord with the real rnove.4, ; ments of the vessels passing thrmeela cs Thiv3 at any moment the supervisor sees at a glance the whereaboule at. S each, and as he is kept well posteca '. by telegraph from Suez,anct from. earti station during the entire day mut night, he is in 'a positioe to - laak4l such dispositions as may be 'mesa:try foy the proper condwd, of the traffic, For example, when awaeship is leas 's graphed from finin as waiting; it' ees e ocuties it question weere and elvish ot a the merchantmen then in the tenet si are to be moored to the bank rot:veer ,,e to pass. - HISTOatICAL AND CLERICAL. The London Journal of Educate:at publishes the fallowing schoolboy are , SVI'nXil, Which are warrantedgeznd nu To the question, "Wlittt do you know ,• of Lord Wolseley ?" • the answer wee 1, given, "He was a Minister at Henry • who exclaimed, 'If had serve etre God, as I have served my Xing, Should not haat: bean beheaded " confusion between .Wolseley ani sey. is perhapsnotream-eke/tie, b posternortem speech of this kind serves notice. A better story; bewev Is of a definition of " tithes," st- s will be of speefal Lettere:it to the chit and stage guild--.' 'things -worn by dies ttt circuses and pantomitneri."