Loading...
The Brussels Post, 1902-3-6, Page 7CONFUSION lb: 4 O `:CA TE. Q© CITAPT1 Tt II. It was all like a new world •tO Letts ;Dawson, Tine quiet cottage elnbosomed in its trees, the pretty garden with its abundant flowers, the light, the apace, the ellenee, the sunshine, were all somany delights and woticler's to the girlwho Itad lived, till now cooped up in two or three small rooms of a crowded house -a narrow street and narrow- er yard her only daily outdoor sights, the noise of wheels and the shouts of street -criers almost the only sounds sbe heard from sunrise to sunset, To have lett all these be. - hind her, and to have come to this pure country air, and to ioely rest as this, seemed to the child, in her wondering, charmed gladness, al- most like exchanging earth for heev- en. She was one of those fragile, gentle girls, with little bodily strength, and except in the direction of loving, perhaps with little strength of .any •kind, who always seem so out of place as children of the poor. "Mr, Trelawney'e housekeeper has brought 0 niece, it seems, to live with her," Mrs. Penrose, the vicar's wife, said to her husband, one day, soon after Letty carne to Shepton. "A pretty, genteel enough 'looking girl, but no more At to bo a servant, I should say, than I am. I don't know what they mean to make of her. I thought at first that the plan would be . to send away Martha, but Mrs. Mark- ham says no, Martha is to be kept just the ' same as ever, and Miss. Lefty is to live, 1 suppose, like a lady.'' "If she is not fit to be a servant, perhaps her aunt means to make something else of her," the vicar replied. I saw her yesterday -a pretty slip of a thing. She came to the door to let me in, and I thought she was 08 neat a little maiden as I 'had seen this long tune." "0h, of course if Mr. Trelawney thinks it necessary tokeep a maid `simply to open the door, I daresay she will do for that," answered the lady sharply; "but for my own part I think it's a bac; briuging up for a working girl. If you 'give a girl of that age nothing to do, how can you expect that any good will cumc of her ?^ "Well, but perhaps Mrs. Markham does give her something to do, my dear•,- sa1c1 the vicar. And in truth the vicar was right, for Mr's. Markham was too sensible a woman by far to permither niece to pass her . days in idleness. T'or 'half the dayor more she was kept busy enough. With her nimble 'lingers she made Airs, Markham's caps for her 'more becomingly than the vil- lage milliner ; she made her own bonnets' and her own gowns, and be- . lure e-.lute the first winter had sot in Mrs. Markham bought calico and linen, and through the winter evenings .I.otty used to sit stitching for hours together at a sot of shirts for Mr. Trelawney. Ile used, as I have said. to speak. a few words to her sometimes, euci as time went' on these days on which he did this came to be red-letter days to Letty. In various trifling ways he was kind 1,o her. One day when - Mrs. Markham told him how fond the child was of treading, he promis- ed to lend some books to her, and often afterwards he kept his word. Her innocent untaught pleasure in what she read gave him, pas- sionate lover as he was of books, a certain instinctive feeling of interest in her. Ile became half curious to know how an uncultivated inind like hers was affected by the food that she devoured so eagerly. One day, when she had been reading the "Bride of Lammermoor," he -asked her what she thought of it, and the intense emotion with which she an- swered, or rather tried to answer. him, struck him with a curious sense of surprise. Bo had not supposed that the story, or any story in a book, would have taken such a hold of a girl who had had her ,trpbring- ing. "It is strange. 1 should not have thought it," he said to himself ; and he began more and. more to have a kindly feeling to Letty. She was only a child, with a child's almost blank mind, but the recipient power atleast was in her, and, when he withdrew his thoughts from other things, it became at times an amuse /rout and interest to Mr. Trelawney to take note of the kind of literature that gave her most delight, and to 'watch the effect it had upon her. 'AI don't know that so much read- ing is good for her," Mr's. Markham would sometimes think to herself, with a little secret uneasiness and dissatisfaction. "To be sure; she ain't but read the books when Mr. Trelawney givesthem to her, but - Or gentility VCR Nobility of Soul, eo i1 bless my heart -••it 5eem5 a sinful Waste of time for it girl tlto,t has her living to get." And ante or twice she ventured to hint at wreathing 01 this feeling to her master, though with little satisfaetory result, "It's only, sir, that I'm afraid it muy put nations in her head," Mre. Markham once hesitatingly ventured; but on this Mr. Trelawney fairly laegbed, "Of eeurse it will put notions into her head -but the more notions she San get into her head the better,"' was all the answer he vouchsafed to give, to the housokeoper's dismay: "1 suppose I shall: haveto part with her some day," sheusedto think to berself ; but meanwhile 1Y1r Tretewney gave no sign of desiring that Letty should be parted with. She seems to find plenty to do, does she not ? You are able to make her useful 2" he inquired one day, during the first six months she was at Sliepton; and when Mrs. Mark- ham answered with eauLious praise, fearingto be thought too partial to her own flesh and blood, "Well, sir, she's very willing and very teach- able," he cordially professed bis sate isfee;ti on. But yet Mrs. Markham was a pru- dent woman, and always kept the possibility of future change, before her. "It's little likely that I should al- ways keep her tied, to my apron strings," she wt'Oid think ; "and if I was to die,or master was to die, or twenty things to happen, she'd have to make her own .way in the world, poor dear 1" She was a quiet little `maiden, with no taste except for quiet things.. On surnmcr evenings she loved no- thing so much as to sit with her sewing or her book In some sunny tomer of the W'al'den, reading or singing " to herself as she worked. Sometimes, seting her sitting so in the distance, Mr, Trelawney would turn aside from his own walk to take notice of her, and would talk to her for a few minutes about the volume sho had in her hand, rarely about anything else. Books were to himthe supreme thingsthat gave zest to life ; let any one love them in however small a degree, and be- tween such lover and himself Mr. Trelawney felt a point of union. About poor little Letty's life, apart from her taste for reading, his cu- riosity was small enough ; he hardly. ever asked her any questions that bora upon it; the years that she had lived before she came to Shepton were years that he unconsciously put aside, almost as indifferently as ono. might put aside a volume in which the pages are blank. But he would talk a little to her about the books he.gave her to read and the authors of them, and the quiet modest interest with which she used to listen to lrini gave him a certain pleasure. Sometimes, though rarely, she Would venture to ask a question of him, slushing with shy- ness as she did it, for in her simple sight, as was natural enough, her master was a kind of lord and king, exalted by his learning and his good- ness to her far above ordinary men. She hardly know for a long time after 5110 came to Shepton whether she loved or feared him most. The sentiment of reverence was strong in her, and the sentiment of grati- tude ratitude was stroug-too. She was a gentle, enthusiastic girl, with some of the instincts and tastes of a class above her own, and if, as time went on, she gradually came to transform Mr. Trelawney into a hero, and to fill her waking hours with dreams of him, she did no more than many an- other girl, placed as sho was, would do. As she .grow to be .a woman there was little Bangor (though Mrs. Mark- ham -did not know it) that the fas- cination of the young men in Shep- ton of her own rank should have any charms for Lefty. "You may trust Letty, sir," she said, earnestly, one day to Mr. Tre- lawney. "I don't- say she's clever, for she's not that, but, for a girl anxious to do her duty, and quiet and steady, and with no foolish non- sense (as so many of them have) in her head, I never knew one to beat her. I'd trust her anywhere, sir -in any company -that I would." "Well, that is high praise," Mr. Trelawney answered quietly. "And I can quite believe that she deserves it," he added. Letty had been fifteen when she first canto to Shepton: Ono day, after about a couple of years had passed, Mr. Trelawney rather •ab-. ruptly asked Mrs. Markham whether she had ever thought of training her niece to be something better than a servant. ''Por Mr. Penrose was speaking to are about her to -day," he said, "and he seemed to think SAD DAY, Mrs ek -pfl lel•,-•Toddy Is the anniversary of our weeding day. 00',�Gilnlnbler'-•t'Nell, you needn't remind ms of 1t if it 1e that, if you would like it, he could dad her employment presently in his school. I•lo has a very good opinion of Letty, and the school is growing larger, and they are likely to want an under -mistress, " he says. Of course, Letty is not fit to teach, any thing yet, but if she cared to study, and 'try to qualify herself, his pre- sent mistress, he tellsme, would take her as a pupil,and teach her her method, and all that was neces- sary. I' think you and Letty had better talk the matter over together, and see how you feel about it." There was not much talking over needed,' for to both Letty and Mrs; Meridiem the suggestion seemed too tempting a one to b0 rejected, and before many more days had passed Letty had begun her lessons with Miss Watson. She bad read a good deal by this time, but she was very ignorant still of almost every thing that children are taught at school. She could scarcely, when she began her labors with Miss Watson, have corrected the sums of Miss Watson's lowest class ; she did not know the capitals of half the countries of Eu- rope, and could noteven have told you the century, when William the Conqueror became Bing. She bad a great deal to learn before she could fit herself to become Miss Watson's assistant het very patiently and perseveringly, in her gentle way, she set herself to do her new work. "It would be very nice to be a. school -teacher, she would say some- times to her aunt, with a little sigh of satisfaction. "I wish I were cleverer, and could learn faster than I do -but if I should really get able to help Miss Watson after a time shan't you be glad 2" So, hopefully and gratefully, Letty learnt her lessons, and in her poor little way tried to educate herself to be something higher than a servant in the social scale ; and stole what time she could still to read the books that were dearer to her than lesson -books ; and through all else that she did, whether it were work or play, held steadily to a devotion thatno one- suspected, and bowed Herself when uo one knew it before the .shrine that she had set up in her simple heart. (To Be Oontinued). The fed Witch CHAPTER. XXXIV. "Andy! Andy! I say, Andy" No answer. "Bother that man; he is never to be found. An-dy!" She had run through the gardens, and now, just as she reached a lawn, on which .small haycocks lay, like so many shapes turned nut of moulds, a-fr•ownsy head roee from be- hind o-hind one of them, and Mr. Stronge stood revealed . Re Ivan a sight to behold. Every individual hair' stood on end, and each hair was adorned with an airy bit of hay. "You, Connie! Hey! What -what's the matter?" said he, making a la- mentable attempt at appearing wide awake. "You've been asleep!" said Con- stantia, marching down upon him. "Snoring asleep! And is this how you take care of Tho'Boy?" The capitals were enormous. She hadpeeper round t nh y ha cock first. 1the thing,. to find The Boy "snoring a- sleep" too, with his lovely fists doubled up under his lovely chin; but not for all that would she lot off her culprit. "Asleep!" cried Mr. Stronge, with extravagant astonishment and a deep reproach. ' "My darling, non- sense! I assure you—" "Stuff!" said Mrs. Stronge. She had subsided upon the haystack be- side hire, however, and sho looked at him with all the air of ono who has a state matter of European im- portance to declare.. 'You've come about' something," said he, not having studied her in vain for these past three happy w Kilo a rip em The Symptoms and Bangers of This Deadly Disease Which is Drdamg so Many to Beds of Sickness ---Effective Treatment by Dr. Chase's .F , ous Rerne les. min followed by fever, quick pulse, sovero.paihs in the eyes and forehead, and dull pains in the joints and • nsuscles, marl: the beginnings of la grippe. There is also hoarseness, inflamed air passages, and obstinate cough, furred tongue, distress in the stomach, and diarrhoea, The one unmistakable feature of la grippe is the depressed spirits and weakness and debility of the body, With the vary young .and very old and with persons of low vitality, the clangers of la grippe are very great. Pneumonia of a violent and fatal form is 0 frequent result. It is also claimed that very many cases of con- sumption can be directly traced to la grippe. The after effects of la grippe are most often felt in the nervous system. The extreme debility .in which this disease leaves its victims is more than most nervous systems can endure -paralysis or prostration follows.' Tho Most successful doctors advise their patients toavoid exposure to coldor over-exertion, and mama - Mend both general and local treatment, such as Dr.. Ohasn'e Nerve Food, to etrengthon and tone the system, and Dr. Chase's' Syrup of Linseed and Turpentine to loosen the cough and protect the bronchia tubes and lungs from threatened complications. Any honest and conscientious doctor will tell yon that this combined treatment recommended by Dr. Chase cannot be sui'pasiod'as a. means of relieving and curing la grippe, and restoring the weakened and debilitated body to its accustomed vigor. Dr. Chase's Syrup of Linseed and 'Turpentine is too Well known as a cure for 1roncllitis and severe chest colds to need comment. Dr, Chase's Nerve Food seeks out the weak spots In the System and builds then- up. It rekindles the vitality of persons weakened by disease, worry or over-exertion, and cannot possibly be egtiallod as a restorative and roconstr'uctant to hasten recovery from la grippe, and to prevent serious constitutional eonnylications. For silo by all dealer's, or ledmanson, Bates & Company, Toronto! years, "Get it off your shoulders without delay, and you'll be twice the woman you aro now, That's a telegram -eh?" pointing to a bit of clingy red paper she was squeezing up in her band, "What do you think. I've got A telegram from Carew O'Grady, tell- ing me of the birth of a little girl to him and Yolende." "No. I declare I aril more glad than I can tell you," said Strong?, sincerely. "It's the happiest thing for her, poor thing. And now that she's got O'Grady and the baby, I don't see wily the rest or her life at least shouldn't run smoothly." 'Garret' told me yesterday," she said gravely, "that that unfortunate Woman's case worse than ever. No signs of returning sanity." 'A most merciful thing, according to my judgment." "Yes -yes; I suppose so," "Let us talk of something else " said Strongo hastily, who had never quite overcome a certain sense of faintness attendant, upon any refer- ence to that past awful scene. "Did you hear," he said, "that Feather- ston has been defeated? Daly, the Nationalist, got in on an amazing. majority. "Why, yes." she said; "Norah was full of it this afternoon. It appears that old Lord Killeen. whose inter- est meant everything to him, found out some time ago that he was hardly," with a littIe smile, "so sin- cere a Blue ltibbonite as he had fondly believed him. The old man was furious when he found it out, Norah says. Garret told her. He tells her everything it seems; and I am sure will end by making her a confirmed gissip." "Or his wife." "Oh, nonsense! Such a baby as Norah! Well, never mind," she said; "let us go back to Yolande and her pretty baby, "D'yo mean to say O'Grady wired word of its beauty?" "Oh, no. No, of course not; but I feel sure it is a beauty. Most ba- bies are," said Mrs. Strongo with conviction. Strongo had a good deal to say on this point, but he caught his wife's eye as he opened his lips, and he quailed. "Isn't it delightful that it's a girl?" said she. "I don't know. I expect they would have thought more of it had ft been a boy." "Oh! that's not it." said she vaguely. "Do you mean to say you don't see the importance of its being a girl?" "No, I don't," said Strongo, who sometimes found courage to say what he meant. "Oil, Andyl Well, I wouldn't be as stupid as you for a good deal. You cal say that, with that darling boy asleep at your elbow." I can, certainly." "Now, list?n to, reason. do. Can't you really see why it is so de- lightful that Yolanda end Carew should have a girl?" ••No." "Why, because, when they both grow up, our boy will marry her girl! eb, old goose? Now have you grasped it? I quite madeup my mind to it ages ago." "Good heavens! You don't mean to tell me you arranged What the child's sex should bo before it wee born?" "Well, I arranged it eve minutes ago, at all events. It's just the same," said she airily. At this moment Master Strange thought proper to awake from his slumber. He rolled himself round, kicked out his right leg with an as- tonishing vigor and gave way to a lusty roar. "Bless his darling lungs!" said his moutotherof thproudlyetray., as she picked him The End, BRITISII CENTENAIR.IANS. The St. James's Gazette published an interesting list giving the names and ages of all persons in Groat I3ritale and Ireland who aro lutown to have reached one hundred years and upwards during the year or whose deaths at this great ago have been recorded. Being the census year the list is longer than usual, and in- eludes twenty men and thirty-three women. Again, the proportion of 'WO men to three women is noted as a curious fact. Mrs. Margaret Neve, of Guernsey, is, wonderful to relate, still 'living at the age of 109. She had but one recorded compeer in Mrs Elizabeth i3anbury, who died at this age in October last, runless we accept the statement that Mrs. Ellen 0' Mullane, who died in Oork, Was, as. alleged, 118 years old. From 1892 to 1901 just 402 centeiarinns have been traced -1.82 leen and 250 wo- men. She -"When you go to ash papa, the first thing lie will do will be to accuse you of seeking rey hand mere- ly to boeouno his eon -in-law," Ito- ' Yes? And then--" "And then you must agree with Trim. Tie's a lot prouder of himself than .he is of MO.". rosratentzmizal Ph. ON THE FARE rA qt oowAs000twoca 130108 AND MILL( PRODUCTION, Milk is a true food, it is said, If se, it must on analysts contain all the essential Constituents to make a beleneod ration of all vertebrate ani mals from man down, The great Pro- portion of these constituents are gaseoue, and to the soll-tiller leave not such significance fie the min- eral constituents which must attract his attention. .One thousand pounds of milk will .contain two and ono- quarter pounds of phosphate (bone- forming substances). An average man weighing 181) pounds contains in his body about eight and one-quar- ter pounds of phosphate, the greater part of which was consumed from childhood to boyhood. Tliese two related' facts show why all 011101018 thrive so well when fed on pure milk, But to the milk -producing animal itself, it seems that the presence of this phosphate or bone -forming sub- stance in the soil, and in a condi- tion readily assimilated by the plant is the 'Miele principle upon which both plant and animal must depend in organizing and assimilating the other and essential organic com- pounds, flesh and fat -forming sub- stances. In all concentrated food stuffs in their natural condition the chemist finds a high PROPORTION OF PROTEIN. and fat matter in proportion to the percentage' of phosphate present. This is particularly noticeable in seeds. The straw, relatively deficient in phosphate, is also deficient in fat and flesh -forming (protein) matter. The average milk yield per annum from average cows, 1f assumed as low as 8,000 pounds or 750 gallons,: would consume from the; earth the equivalent of 88 pounds of .dry bone, or 40 pounds of common bone meal. This must come from the soil. It is but a conservative estimate to allow ono ton of bone removed annually from the soil for every 50 head of stock, In the light of these figures it is easy to- Understand why pasture lands run down, become moss -grown, unbalanced and weedy. The aPPlica- tion of bone -meal under such circum- stances seems to'bo the only natural remedy. In the milk and cheese dis- tricts of Europe, and particularly in Cheshire, England, made famous by its Cheshire cheese, it is a well-es- tablished custom to top dress the grass and pasture lands with bone meal. Two years ago the Canadian Commissioner of dairying, Prof. Ro- bertson, published the results of his English investigations and reported that land treated with phosphate supported twice the nllnnber of stock and each animal made double the gain in weight in comparative pas- ture field tests. Stockmen should give the improvement of pastures some study in the interests of their stock and more largely for themselv- es. ICP AND ICE HOUSES. This is the season of the year when the farmer should give some atten- tion to storing ice for next sum- mer's use. But how few fanners make any attempt to do so. And yet how valuable a little ice is dur- ing the hot summer months, and es- pecially so to the dairyman and the grower of small fruits. An ice -]rouse should be built of wood, and white is the least objec- tionable of all colors. The frame should b0 filled up en the inside at least a foot from the outside, and the space filled with sawdust. Saw- dust should not be put betweon the outside and the ice as it will be- come damp and rot the frame and in a year or two the building will be of no use. A roof that will shed rain and keep out the sun's rays is en- ough. The air above the ice should be dry and to be so must be kept in circulation. Twn small win- dows indows on shady sides will accomplish this. A GROUND FLOOR is the best floor for an ice -House, pro- vided it has a natural elevation or is filled in enough to keep surface water away from the sides and to ®S. Aa We CHASE'S ejg CATARRH CURE Va ... 1s sent direct to dba diseased parts by the Improved Blower, Reals the ulcers, clears ststhe air throet Band stops srmannaantly inthe ures Catarrh and Flay Bevan. Blower free. All dealers, or Dr, A. W. Chas* Medicine Co., Toronto and Suffala prevent water from rising to the ice from beneath tho surface. A thin coating of oat chaff or sawdust on the floor 18 all that is necessary. In idling an ice-houso the first lay- er should receive a good deal of at- tention. The ice should be cut true and packed level and close. Till in six oreight inches between the ice and the sides, packing firmly, so the cakes Cannot 111070, and t11oa level off the surface with all ado filling all erack5. Sprinkle en 2A1Ater and AV*, all solid It pays to handle lee in quite cold weather, a5 it is dry to hgndie and can be peeked better. If ail' Wee aro left the air will, es It, gets cold, settle to the 10ttonl and wanner air will follpw, There should be no nureelnent of ale', a perfect ox - pulsion of all air, and the mem one comes to it the less will be the loss by melting. The 5eeo11d layer should be packed smooth side down and the long side of the cake out, so as to Marco as few cracks at the side as possible. Adz off the back sides and fill cracks with fine cold dry powdery snow that will run down and 5TT.T, Allt SPACES. Pour an water and freeze solid; keep on till full. Sawdust is the best mor torial for peeking, and the drier the. bettor,' but do not make the mis- take of throwing away the old, un-' less rotten, for new. Tho new is li- altle'to ferment and heat some,while the old has the Are all taken out of it and is the best for several years. The bottom must be absolutely air tight and have no drains or air pas- sages under it. A covering six in- ches deep of sawdust on the bottom and sides, with the layers solidly frozen, makes all air tight and there will be no melting. The covering on the top should be two feet thick, and kept dry at the surface. In the warming days of spring the surface should bo trampled over and all air - holes filled to keep all air -tight. REASONS FOR ROTATION, The reasons for rotating crops are as follows: All plants do not draw to an equal extent upon the ;Amur - lel ingredients of the soil. They send their roots to different depths and have a different solvent action upon the constituents they reach. By rotating crops insect enemies are more apt to be dispersed. Fungus diseases may also be materially re- duced. Wends are more readily elim- inated, the 'soil is maintained in good tilt;-, the Minus compounds of the soil Increased, and the work of the farm more easily distributed. Any scheme of rotation should have the growing of at least one legumin- ous crop In its plan. By this means large gains of nitrogen may be made from the air. Potash and phosphor - must be supplied by commercial fer- io acid, unless already in the soil, tflizers._,n the case of very poor soil it is not advisable to remove the crops unless the manure is re- turned until a Sail. state of utility Inas been reached. Stock -raising, dairying and poultry -raising are pro- fitable lines of agriculture to carry on -111 a scheme for improving the fertilityy of poor soils. THANKING ENGLAND. Curious Reason of a Russian for Showing His Gratitude. Mr. Milhoff, by birth a Russian, by naturalization an Englishman, by oc- cupation a tobacconist, has a grate- ful mind, says the London Daily ¥ail. Ile appeared at Clerkenwell Ses- sions recently as prosecutor in a :charge against a prisoner of breaking into his warehouse in Commercial Street, and took a most singular at- titude with regard to the case. The prisoner's counsel said he was instructed by the prosecutor to ask for mercy on the following singular grounds. Air. AillholT was a Russian by birth, and thirty years ago he came to England, prospering very greatly in business. He was so impressed with the ben- efits which had been conferred upon him by becoming a naturalized Eng- lishman, and by the freedom of thought and action which he had en- joyed in this country compared with what he enjoyed, in his eerlier days in Russia, that he wanted to show in some tangible form his gratitude to this nation-. As the prisoner was the first Eng- lishman who had ever gone so fax as even to attempt to roh him, he ,de- sired the court to deal leniently with the man. The prisoner, who. had been pre- viously convicted, was sent to prison for six months. ENGLISH COINAGE. There is a proposition under con- sideration to stamp the new half - worm with its monetary value on the reverse. The half-crown has been issued, stopped, and reissued several times. At various periods coins of unusual values have been issued, such as the "moble" of Edward lifts reign, which was the origin of the still -existing "lawyer's fee" of 6s 8d. Nearly 400 .years later quarter guineas were coined, and in 1797 gold pieces Worth 78 were authoriz- ed. No matter if a woman has but three lines to write on a sheet of notepaper, sho can't resist the temp tation to write two of them on the side margin, auel then sign her name upside clown over the date. 8011D TEAG#'J41 JOIJIINEY8 THP LAST RENO' Pr MANY V4ITB'UL SgItVA) TS, Death of a London. 8i,re "PXorse--i The Sadden lrrd el J7xigino 2'o. 97 - Clang. 1 clang 1 sounded the 40114 of the fire alarm, and in 111(0011 rain' tithe the Hulot stable tees alive with moving men and sliding lnar'tlessf Ten more, and, with a rattle and roar, the shining engine was whirled out into the street. Jerry and ,Bine my, the two big bays, knew their work, and checked instinctively at each crowded crowing, while on tht more open stretches tlley pounded along at full fifteen miles en ;tour, Their driver headed them straight eastwards towards the city, whore, against the altornoon sky; a great column of dull -brown smoke stood up, says London 'Answers. At the y0110 of the engine crew the traffic parted like water, and people on foot scurried to the pavementst A line of Vans and 'BUSES WAS BLOCKED on the west side of the last crossing where tho police had already.dr'awr( a barrier across the street. But between them and the pavement room lied been left for the passage of a single vehicle. Along this the two Ane horses were whirling the heavy engine as if it had been a toy, when from one end of the 'buses 4 boy jumped down right ,,.in thete path. There was no time to stop, With a sharp pull on the neer rein the driver swung jris flying team to the left. Jerry sprang upon the pavement, the wheel lifted safely. and . all would have been well, but for a lamp -post which barred the way, Full on his forehead came the shock ; the Ane old hero of a hum. The boy was safe, but Jerry hatired Ares crashed to the ground, and over him came the grinding wheels. d, heard the fire -bell for the last time. 'Lilco Jerry, madiesny anin oldhand trusted servant arness, Such was the end of the guard of one of the best known coaches which run from London to Hampton Court,, It was Sunday evening, and, with a full load behind them, the four horses came spinning through the streets towards their destination - the Hotel Metropole, The guard. stood up and blew THREE RESOUNDING BLASTS in cheery anticipation of the endof one more journey. Then he fell back- wards, Someone caught him, but he was quite dead. Weak heart was the verdict. Engine 97 of one of the Northern railways had done good service fon fourteen years, and held the proud record of never once having killed a man Or come to serious grief. At last, one day in winter six years ago, she was run into and badly crippled. She was taken in tow by another locomotive, and hauled off towards the company's shops. .Iiow it happened no ono ever knew but as she was being tugged up one of the long inclines across the York- shire wolds she broke loose, and started flying backwards down the steep grade. Happily, there was np thing close behind her, and the only fear of the driver of the engine was that she might cutch herself. The night was inky black,' but as he followed the driver could plainly distinguish the rattle of the rails under the flying wheels of the run- away. Down the long slope she flew at ever-increasing speed, and soon was half a mile ahead of her pursuer. Suddenly there was A TERRIBLE EXPLOSION, The driver of the engine in chase threw on his brakes, and stopped just short of a mangled wreck of steel -all that was left of No. 97. Never was a man more mystified.. No. 27 had had no fireunder her boiler. How, then, could she have exploded 2 It was not till later that an explanation of the mystery was offered, It seemed that the pistons in her cylinders must have begun to act as air -compressors during her rush downhill. Her throttle must have Tarred open, and, as the speed increased with, every revolution of her driving -wheels, her boiler filled with compressed air. The flying pis- tons worked up the pressure faster than the air could escape by the safety valve, and at last something had to go. Yet even in her death No. 97 had hurt no livingthing. g. The summer of 1890 will long be remembered by captains and crews of North Atlantic shipping as the worst for ice in the last quarter of a century. Great bergs came floating far to the southward, veiling the ocean with fog, and driving the lin- ers out of thele usual tracks: One of these ice -bergs came very near to proving the end of the schooner "Pretty Blake," but her holm Ma thrown over just in time, and she skirted the foot of the GREAT WHITE MOUNTAIN. Twenty feet shove the waves, and fast fixed on a spar of the ice, the amazed crew of the "Pretty 'Blake" saw a brig of some three hundred tons. The captain lay to, and or- dered 'a boat out to investigate, With great difficulty they landedy and climbed aboard the derelict. She wee an old whaler, and mouldy pa- pers in her cabin proved her to he the "Tobin," of New Bedford, which had sailed to the Arctic in 1845. There she must have been nipped in the ice, and deserted, and for nearly half a century she had lain in her frozen tomb. Some groat gale had at last sot free the Roo which held her, and sent her on a last journey southwards. Just as the "Pretty Blake" ono more got under way the end cane. Tho big berg, whose baso had been thawed away by the warm sena into which she had floated, lost her bal- ance and heeled slowly over,'.A great roller creamed up, and berg, whaler, and all disappeared from view, to bo violated by it mere bob- bing fli'ld of broken ice. )-Thur"I would marry that girl but, for out thing." Chester - "Aimed to pop the question 2" Ar- thur-"No. r-tllur-"No. !rr.'nid to question the poPer