" 4
. , rnLL,. VAN CLi. Vi;.
tr.TtAVT - - OREGON.
THE BUND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT.
BT TOED O. J1XB.
It ni six men of Indoatan
To learning muca Inclined,
-Who went to aee the Elephant
(Though all of the in were blind),
That each by obeerration
Jlight aatiafy hia mind.
The KrX approached the Elephant,
And, happening to tail ,.
Againt hi broad and aturdy aide,
At once began to bawl:
Hiod bteaa me ! bnt the Elephant
Is very like a wall ln
The Second, feeling of the tusk.
Cried : " Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp T
' To me tis mighty clear
Tnia wonder of an Elephant
la verv like a spear !
The Third approached the animal.
And, happening to take
The squirming trunk within bis hands,
Than boldly up and spake :
I see," quoth be, " the Elephant
la very like a snake J"
The Fourth reached out bis eager hand.
And felt about the knee :
What most thia wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain, quoth he ;
Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree."
The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said : " E'en the blindest man
Can tell what thia resembles moat;
Deny the fact who can,
Thia marvel of an Elephant
la very like a fan 1" . ,
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope.
Than, seizing on the swinging tall
That fell within his scope,
"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant ,
Is very like a rope !
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed load and long, .
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong.
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong I
MOKAL.
So, oft in theologie '
The disputants, I ween.
Bail on in utter ignorance)
Of what each other mean,
A nd prate about an Elephant
Sot ots ftf them hoe seen
THE DISINHERITED.
CHAPTER I.
""What, Dick," said my father, look
ing grimly at me across the fire-place;
then your bean s set on roving i
"Whv. was. father." I replied.
can't abide this dead-alive place; but I
shall not eo awav tall von re better.
The place was good enough for thy
grandfather and me," -went on my father
speaking in a resentful tone; "but
there's no brooking ye young folk.
Well, you'll see me under the sod any
how before you start on your travels
again."
Something sneering in my father's
voice struck me with a little apprehen
sion. I felt a sort of misgiving lest it
might prove that I had been too long
a-roving already, for I had been for two
years away from my father's roof-tree.
There was no great love or confidence
between my father and myself. He had
taken little, care of me in my boyhood,
and I should have grown up altogether
neglected and uneducated had it not
been for a brother of my mother's she
liad died in my infancy who had in
sisted upon my being sent to a good
grammar school. Here I had got on
well, and might have won a scholarship,
but my father withdrew me just before
the ezarninaton, and brought me home to
lire at Halton. .
It was a dull, dreary little township,
boasting of one long village street, situ
ated in a secluded valley among wild
Yorkshire moorlands. A beck or rivu
let ran through the valley, and that,
widened out into pools and reservoirs
below the village, supplied with water
two large factories. The main part of
the village consisted of low stone cot
tages, the residences of the factory op
eratives. Then there was my father's
large square house, also built of the gray
limestone of the district, with a court-
yard at one side, containing coach-house
and stable, and a large bare garden be
hind it. A public house at the top of
the street, and two or three houses of
moderate size, occupied by the upper
men of the factories, composed the rest
of the village. The church was seven
eight miles away. 'Xnere was no uoo
... .1.1 a Hlintnn. a ftmfl.Il market
tpwn some nine mues oisranc
S Soon after I came home from school
rdj father engaged a new servant, a
housekeeper. Her name was Hannah.
Sbie was a fine, buxom young woman,
ha gifted with a very violent temper.
Bh& soon began to domineer over me,
szxi bitter quarrels were the result. My
father took her part always, and my only
slly -Was a young maid, Sarah, who was
ahto one of her victims. -
-At' last I ran away, and took refuge at
the house of my uncle, who was a dis
senting minister at York. By his inter
vention an arrangement was come to.
My father consented to allow me. a hun
dred a year to live away from home, and
I went abroad with the son of a rich
merchant, one of my uncle's pupils.
Once neon mv travels, I had little
thought of coming back to gloomy Hal
ton. With a stick and a knapsack I
traversed the whole continent of Europe,
and was meditating a farther progress
into Asia Minor, when I was recalled
to England by the news of my father's
alarming illness. It was "thought that
he was dying. When I reached home,
however, he had rallied a little, and the
tend did not seem imminent.: He had
still strength enough to sit up part of
the day, and on one of these occasions it
was that he gave utterance' to the half
reproach with which I have commenced
my story.
We were sitting in the parlor ft dark,
gloomy chamber provocative of ennui
and despair. A threadbare, faded car
pet covered the floor, and it was fur
nished with dark, heavy mahogany chairs
. and tables, and a book-case to match,
lull of worm-eaten old tomes, of which
an odd volume of State trials was the
only one that afforded either instruction
or amusement. The fireplace, with the
huge coal fire, white hearthstone, and
high fender of perforated brass, was the
' only redeeming feature of the room. . '
,Ml father had the reputation of being
a wealthy man, although he was very
close about his affairs. He had once
been a part proprietor of one of the fac-
smwin th vfi ln.m Vm i 1 ;i a.- l
. wuv lit? U1U fCldJTCU
with a sufficient competence many years
ago. Not that our position commanded
much respect from the rough folks about
us. The f actory lasses in their bed
jrowisH, with handkerchiefs tied ' over
their heads, jeered and flouted at
"Lanky Dick," as they called me. The
l&da threw 65aes at me when I passed,
and of ten in my walks over the wild
xonczLma I wotd-I be accosted by a group
tS these ou,-;h fellows, who would ask
me if I didn't want to " feyt," and
womM tl; Kitten to "pause" or kick me
1 I dt&Lned the cfcfwenge. .
Involuntarily I repined and chafed at
my detention here. I had no affection
for this place, where I had always been
unhappy. The life I had led abroad had
suited me wonderfully well. I had in
herited a roving disposition, I think, from
my mother, who was a ship-captain's
daughter, and my father, in'his fixed and
gloomy steadfastness, had no sympathy
with me. A certain morbid melancholy
that laid hold of me at times of rest and
inaction was the only part of my father's
temperament that I shared.
.Especially did the incubus of this dull
melancholy hover over me as I sat by the
fire talking in monosyllables to my father..
Hannah was away for a day's holiday for
refreshment after her labors in nursing
my poor father, and we were waited upon
by a girl named Bridget, the successor of
barab. .My father was irritable and im
patient. The gruel was burnt, he com
plained, and nothing went right.
In the midst of his querulous grum
blings I heard a hesitating single knock
at the door, and as the maid was busy in
the kitchen I got up and went out Into
tne stone-paved hall and opened it.
"Eh, Master Dick," said a female
voice, familiar but strange, "what, don't
you Know me v
Why, you're Sarah." I said, after n.
long look at her, and taking her by the
shoulders I gave her a hearty salute on
Sarah blushed and adjusted her bon
net.
"What, you're still the same, Master
Dick?" she cried. "But I'm married
now to one of the overlookers at the
factory."
"That's a pity, "I said; "why couldn't
you have waited for me."
"Nay, Master Dick, you never axed
me to, said Sarah slyly. "But I've got
a good comfortable home and a good
nard-worKing Jinsband; and what more
can a lass want ?
" What, indeed," I replied, " except a
aozen Daoies.
"Ay, and we've made a start at that
too, Master Dick," replied Sarah, laugh
ing.
Here I heard my father's voice in com
plaint of the street door being left open.
" Come in, Sarah," I cried, " and talk to
the old gentleman."
But Sarah shook her head. "Nay,
she said, " I've naught to say to him ;
but come out into the street. Master
Dick, and let me talk to thee a bit."
I went out and shut the street door
after me, and walked with her a few
paces toward the village.
"Have you .heard of the goings-on
nere r whispered oar an.
" No, nothing particular."
" Well, I hope thee mayn't, I hope
they havn't hurt thee, my lad. But
there's been bad work going on here, I
can tell thee. Jlannah and that lawyer
from Slapton, they've been leading the
old man a fine dance. Thee keep an eye
on 'em, that's all."
"What, do you mean Polkhorn f" I
said.
"Eh, no; not him. He's an honest
chap yon, and your father and he
couldn't get on a bit. Bruff is the man
now, , and he and Hannah do as they like
with the old chap. Thee keep an eye on
'em. I was like to come and give thee a
bit of a hint ; and now good-by, I
mustn't talk any longer with thee. She's
over there with him yonder this very
day. Thee look out."
' And with these warning -words she
quitted me.
My father was cross enough at my ab
sence, and began to bewail bis fate, and
cry peevishly for TTnnnn.li to put him to
bed. I offered my services insitead, as
Hannah had not returned, and after
awhile, as he felt very weak and feeble,
he consented to allow me to act as nurse.
When he was settled comfortably in, bed,
he seemed quite pleased at my handiness,
and looked at me almost with affection.
"Dick," he whispered to me, "if
aught happen to me, my will's in the
strong box under the bed, and the keys
the keys . Ay, what was I saying?"
" About the keys of the strong box,
father."
" Ay, they're safe enough," said my
father, a cunning expression crossing his
face. " Good-night, Dick."
I kissed his rough grizzled cheek, and
went down stairs. The parlor looked so
lonely and ghostly in the twilight that I
didn t care to sit down in it, but went
out into the passage and opened the
front door, feeling that the lights in the
village and the sounds of life about it
would be a little company for me. I
hadn't stood there long, when I heard
the clatter of hoofs and wheels approach
ing along the Slapton road. Our house
. stood just by the cross roads, and you
could see a good way down the Slapton
road from our front door. But now
everything was hidden in a gray mist,
and it was not until the vehicle was close
upon me that I was able to distinguish
that it was a dog-cart drawn by a power
ful black horse. I could see that a mil
stout man was driving, and that a woman
sat beside him, who turned her head as
they passed, but it was too dark toj
recognize any one.
The night was cold and damp, a driz
zling rain falling, and I shut the door
feeling quite chilled, and went back to
the fire, stirring it up into a cheerful
blaze. Presently the door opened and
Ffnrb came in, quiet and demure,
dressed in a dark-cloth cloak and white
straw bonnet with black ribbons. She
came into the parlor to ask how her
master had been during the day, and
seemed much relieved when I told her
that he was no worse. - She volunteered
the intelligence that she had been to
Slapton, and that on her return home
she had been overtaken by Mr. Bruff,
who had given her alift homewards.
Mr. Bruff himself called next morning.
His appearance and address were rather
pleasing. He was a tall, florid, whisker
less ' man. A pleasant smile always
hovered about bis hps. After sitting for
half an hour with my father he asked
me to accompany him back to his inn.
Bare and unattractive in its outward
aspect, the inn at Halton was comfortable
enough within. There was a good sitting
room for guests, the windows of which
commanded a view of the village street.
Here Mr. Bruff had established himself
with deeds and papers he explained to
me that he was settling the title of a
neighboring estate before ft fine roaring
fire, and here he entertained me, order
ing a bottle of wine and producing some
very goodcigars. : S ; v';r.;',r:i',-:....ii -
He seemed a little preoccupied and
anxious, I thought, and he had a habit
when he talked of fixing his eyes en some
distant object beyond ; but - he was
cordial and warm in his manner, and so
far from appearing to side with Hannah,
he gave me some very broad hints that
he thought she had ft great deal too much
influence with my father, and told me
that I ought to assert my own authority
in she house, and bring my influence to
bear upon him. .
. Some message called him out of wis
room, and for the moment I took his
seat a the farther end of the fire-place,
to avail myself of the light to read the
local -paper during his absenee. Xook
ixtgup I was surprised to see what a
good view of the village was to be had
from this seat, and that above the roofs ,
of the cottages the gable end of my fath
er's house was visible, and ft top window,
the window of Hannah's room in fact,
I observed, too. that a brass birdcao-n
hung in the window, and I was a little
surprised at that, for I had never given
Hannah credit for any4ondness for birds,
and didn't know that she kept one. Mr.
Bruff returned in a few moments, and I
went back to my former: seat. We sat
and smoked till darkness came on, and
then I took my leave. The weather had
cleared and it was a frosty night; the
stars were twinkling brightly, and the
smoke from the village rose upwards in
alight ethereal column. ; The factories
below were lighted up, their long rows
of windows shining as brightly as the
halls of an enchanted palace; a deep
mysterious humming vibrated in the air
as if some huge kettle was boiling down
below. A lonely star was whining over
the cottage roofs, and yet j it was not a
star, it was below the horizon; a light en
the hill beyond no, it was not that
either, it was oxdy a candle burning in
Hannah's bedroom window.!
As I
watched this light it went out,
shone
again, went out: once more it
shone, and then finally disappeared.
When I reached home Hannah opened'
the door for me. She seemed rather
flurried in her manner. She informed
me that my father hadn't felt so well after
I left and had gone to bed. I mustn't
go up-stairs, as he had just gone to sleep.
So I seated myself in the parlor. The
wine I had drunk had made me heavy
with sleep, and I went off into a sound
slumber sitting in my father's angular
arm-chair. I roused up once, and
thought for a moment that I heard foot
steps in the house, and listened for
awhile. The boards creaked overhead
in my father's room, and I heard some
thing dragged across the floor. It was
Hannah, no doubt, putting the room
tidy. Sleep overpowered me again.
I was aroused by the violent ringing
of a bell, and started to my feet. It was
a bell from one of the upper rooms, and
I ran quickly up stairs with a quick
throb of fear. I hear loud -outcries from
my father's room, and rushed in. A
glance at my father's livid face and half-
closed
eyes
was sufficient.
He was no
more.
From the moment of my father's death
Hannah's manner to me changed entirely.
She became deferential and subdued,
and asked my authority for everything
she did. I was .the master now, she
told me.
Before I went to bed that night the
woman who came to do the last offices
for the dead brought me a bunch of keys.
"They were clenched up in his fingers,"
she told me. The strong box that was
in my father's room I permitted to re
main there; but locked the room and
put the key in my pocket. (Despite my
anxiety to know how his property had
been disposed of, I was determined to
act with due form and deliberation.
Mr. Bruff came next morning with
two tall bony gentlemen in black dress
suits. Mr. Bruff informed me that he
had a copy of my father's will, under
which these gentlemen were appointed
executors. They were cousins of mine,
and honest, straightforward 'men, and I
made no objection to their taking the
management .of affairs, being glad indeed
to be relieved of all responsibility. I
handed to them my father's keys, and
told them what he had said as to the will.
Theyfound an envelope endorsed "My
last Will and Testament" in my father's
handwriting, and took it away with them,
not intending to disclose its contents till
after the funeral. No alteration was
made in the household, except that
Bridget, the housemaid, was sent off by
Mrs. Hannah, her services being no
longer required. j
The day of the funeral was' cold and
snowy, and the drive to the distant
churchyard dismal in the extreme. My
uncle was there, the dissenting minister
from York, and three more tall, bony
Yorkshire cousins as well as the two ex
ecutors. The will was read after we came
back. It bore date about a year pre
viously. All my father's property was
left to trustees, the five bony men, in
trust, to pay an annuity of 800 for the
term of her natural life to Hannah Brook
bank, the housekeeper, provided that
should she marry after the testator's
death the legacy should be null and void,
and merge in. the residue of the estate.
Hannah was to have the house, too, for
life, on the same conditions, j Further,
to pay to his son, Richard Hargrove, an
annuity of 100, with a proviso, that
should the said Richard at any time sleep
for three consecutive nights at any place
distant more than six miles from Halton
Cross, or more than seven nights in all
during any one year, the annuity should
cease and determine, and go toi increase
the annuity of Hannah Brookbank. The
residue was to accumulate during, the
lives of Hannah Brookbank and Richard
Har grave, or till the determination of
both their interests, and was then to be
divided among testator's next of kin.
My uncle cried that the will was a most
iniquitous one, and that it must be upset;
but the five bony cousins shook their
heads and said " law was law, and must
be stood by." These five cousins, it may
be said, were to receive each of them five
guineas a year for managing the estate.
They or their desoendents would be the
next of kin also who would finally inherit
the property unless I married and had
children.' Thus there was no danger of
the provisions of the will falling into
abeyance. Hannah was interested in
keeping a watch upon me; the trustees
were also interested in looking after us
both.
To me the situation was extremely
cruel. I was confined for all my life it
seemed, on a wretched pittance, to the
dull precincts of this most hateful place.
True, I could renounce the bequest, but
what was I to turn to I I was beyond the
age at which youths are put to any busi
ness. I had no means of my own ; no
chance of making a livelihood in any one
way. ; - :" ; : j '
Even my uncle, after his first heat; was
over, confessed that he thought I ought
to take up my annuity and comply with
its conditions. There was a livelihood
for me here ; elsewhere I should prob
ably starve. So he said as he took leave
of me, for he was obliged to start at once
in order to reach home that night. ' I H
The five bony men departed, having
drunk five gallons of strong ale and
emptied five bottles of funeral port.
They had also consumed a round of cold
beef and a huge York ham. Each one
shook hands with me solemnly as he
went out. "Ye mun abide byt, Dick,"
the first one had said as he departed, and
the four others repeated the same for
mula. . Yea, I must abide by it, there
was no doubt of that ; but what a lot to
look forward to !
The lawyer remained behind.' He
came to me as I sat by the fire gloomily
brooding over past and future, and put
his head cheerily upon my shoulder.
"You mustn't despond, my dear sir,"
he said.' "It seems hard, this dispo
sition of the property, but you must re
member elderly people are like children
in their affection for those about them
and their speedy forgetfulness of the ab
sent. - - Take my advice, and keep on
good terms with Hannah. She is a good i
creature at heart. She will be very glad,
she tells me, that you. should m remain
here at present.
It was hard enough to have to listen to
this to be told that I might remain on
sufferance in a house that had' been my
father's and ought to have been mine.
"I shall leave here to-night," I re
plied, trying to assume an indifferent
tone. " I can sleep at the inn, and I
won't intrude upon Mrs. Brookbank's
griefs." Saying thus, I went out, slam
ming the door heavily behind, me, and
took my way through the village street,
intending to have ft long walk over the
moors, that I might be entirely alone to
wrestle with my own thoughts, and to
try to strike out some way of life that
should save me from dull, brooding
despair.
I couldn't help thinking very bitterly
of my father, who had done me this cruel
injury, who had so cunningly planned to
tie me down to a way of life I detested.
There was a crafty malignity about the
disposition of his wealth that struck me
with astonishment. " What an evil man
he must have been !" I could not help
saying so myself. And yet perhaps in
disposition he was so different from my
self. This lonely seclusion had soured
his blood. Just such another morbid,
wretched creature should I become in
this accursed prison-house.
As I was passing one of the cottages
an arm stretched itself forth from the
door and plucked me by the sleeve. I
turned and saw that it was Sarah, who
was beckoning me to come in.
"Well, lad," she. pried eagerly, as I
stepped inside, " what's been done with
the property ?"
"Oh," I said bitterly, "Hannah gets
everything ; I only a pitiful hundred a
year."
"My goodness!" she cried; "the
brutes, have they treated you like that?
And what'llyou do ? You'll have the law
of them YouH take 'em to York,
Master Dick.
" How can I take the law of them ?
I've no money for that, even if it were
any good. What's more, I mustn't be
away from here more than three nights
at once."
"Eh, it's shameful!" cried Sarah.
" But never mind, my lad, they sha'n't
have it all their own way. We'll fettle
'em yet."
But what Sarah could do, or how in
any possible way my enemies were to be
fettled, I could not conceive.
CHAPTER n.
It was growing quite dark when I
reached my home I was going to say
but I mean the house of Hannah Brook
bank. I made my way up-stairs at once
to my own room to pack up my things.
This chamber had been mine from child
hood, and contained many mementoes of
myjearly life. A tattered kite, with a
great roll of twine wound upon a stick ;
cricket bats and stups ; my wooden school
box, battered and , inkstained, full of
school books hastily thrust in, just as I
had left them when I took leave of the
grammar school. Bound abowt the walls
hung samples of my youthful essays in
drawing heads in chalk, sepia land
scapes, stiff and conventional enough ;
besides these, a few pen and ink carica
tures that called a smile into my dolorous
face. There was Hannah, as she appeared
when she first came to us ; a tall buxom
lass, with a pail in her hand and a scrub
bing brush. The same after a little ex
perience of her, temper with features
twisted and demoniac, riding on a broom
stick to a witch Sabbath on Ingleborough.
There was Sarah, too, in the guise of a
distressed damsel about to be assailed by
& sea-monster, Hannah again ; whilst
Perseus, in likeness of myself, much
idealized, was about to smite the monster
hipand thigh.
The light was gone entirely now, and
a thick haze was blotting out the land
scape. The steam-whistles of the fac
tories boomed heavily through the fog,
and the clang of bells sounded on my
ear, and presently the clatter of wooden
clogs upon the stone causeway. The mill
nn.nn were coming home from work.
' And yet it struck me that there was a
greater number of people coming this
way than I had ever recollected before ;
and, still more strange, I lost the sound
of feet as the people reached the house ;
there were footsteps constantly coming
toward me, but I heard none going
away. A confused murmur, too, was in
the air, a humrof multitudinous voices.
I sprang to the window, and beheld a
great crowd gathered about the house.
As my face appeared at the window the
smothered hum rose into a loud strident
yell, so powerful and confusing that I
shrank back abashed, as if I had felt the
blast of a tempest in my faoe. -
What could be the cause of this gath
ering ? I had always from a boy been at
enmity with these factory hands, but it
was a mere class prejudice that was not
likely to have come to such a head as
this. The cries, shouts, shrill whistles,
and catcalls gave place by degrees to a
regular definite howL "Bruff, Bruff!
TTannah, Hannah, Hannah!" was shout
ed from hundreds of throats in hoarse,
unmistakable accents.
A momentary feeling of exultation
took possession of me. My wrongs had
met with immediate popular sympathy;
I felt for the instant as if I were the
favorite of the people. But a little re
flection convinced me that I was wrong.
What mattered it to these people how my
father's ' property was distributed ? On
the other hand, although it would be
idle to say that there was any high stand
ard of morality among them, yet there
were certain forms of immorality that
sometime3ari)usedpopular indignation.
It was very possible that this populace,
ubiquitous and. full of shrewdness, had
detected a relationship between Bruff
and Hannah that I had not even sus
pected. Then I heard a voice outside calling
to me; it was Hannah's; and I opened
the door and went out to her. She was
standing in the passage, livid in face and
trembling all over,
"Oh, what will become of me!" she
cried, twisting her hands to and fro till
the knuckles cracked. " What shall I
do ? They are calling for me. Oh, they
wmkillmel"
" Get out at the back, and away over
the fields!" I cried.
"They're all round the house; they've
climbed over the garden wall back door
and front; they're everywhere."
" Are the doors all locked?"
"Yes, they're all fastened; but they'll
break them in. Oh, speak to them, Mr.
Richard; speak to them, and tell them
it's not my fault I" ' " --a-; -3 .r-v
- . " You'd bejtter get Mr. Bruff to speak
to them," I said coldly. s
- They're worse against him than me.
Oh, they'll kill us both!"
A tremendous hoot or roar, and a thun
dering noise against the back and front
doors, a shower of pebbles aerainst the
windows.. Hannah flung herself on her
knees and wrung her hands.
"Ill speak to them," I said, after a
moment's thought, and went up-stairs,
and opening one of the first floor win
dows put my head oat and shouted
"Halloo!"
. It was not so dark outside as within
the house. There was a full moon, and
though the moon itself was not visible it
shed a strange diffused light over the
scene. A man who seemed to be a ring
leader among them held up his hands
when he saw my head at the open win
dow, as a signal for silence; a silence
that was pretty well kept by the men,
although the voices of the women still
ran on in a shrill treble.
"What do you want," I shouted, "at
tacking a quiet house like this ?"
"Are you Master Hargrave?" said the
speaker.
"Yes, lam."
. We don't mean any harm to ye. We
want Bruff and the woman Hannah."
" Why do you want them ?"
v " To put 'em int' horse pond."
There was a general chorus of appro
bation at this announcement.
"Look here," I cried, as soon as the
roar had died away.
"Well, master?"
" You may do what you like with the
man, but you shan't have the woman."
The man turned round as if to take
the opinion of the crowd. The women's
voices were raised in loud and shrill dis
sent. "Bring her out!" they cried;
" bring her out I" And I heard a voice,
too, above them all a determined female
voice "We'll settle her."
" You hear, master?" said the spokes
man. We mun have 'em both."
I shook my head, shut the window,
and returned to where Hannah was still
kneeling, crying and shivering.
You hear what they say. What
more can I do, Hannah?"
" Oh, save me, Bichard ! save me 1"
she cried; " they will kill me."
I don't think they'll harm you much;
they'll give yon a ducking, and there'll
be an end of it." -
" Oh, but it isn't fit for me; it will
kill me indeed, Master Bichard;" and she
whispered something into my ear.
" Thedeuce !" I said.under my breath;
" well, I must do what I can. Where's
Bruff?"
" Hiding in the 'cellar the mean
scoundrel?"
"Is there anybody else in the house ?"
"No one."
"The horse is in the stable, BrufTs
horse and trap ?"
"Yes, sir, and the lad's there, too."
The stable and coach-house .and a
paved yard in front were inclosed by
high walls with chevaux-de-frise on the
top of them, and wide folding-gates
opened into the street. A side door led
from the house into the steble-yard, from
which there was no exit save by the
eates. These eates were guarded by
the crowd, but they had not possessed
themselves of the stable-yard, which in
deed was sufficiently defended by its
walls and the chevaux-de-frise.
I walked out into the stable, roused
the lad, who was quietly sleeping in the
straw through all this turmoil, and bade
him put the horse into the dog-cart. It
was a fine spirited animal a black horse
the property of Mr. Bruff. Too good
a horse, you would have said, for a small
country lawyer ; but Bruff did a little
horse-dealing as well as will-making, and
always kept a good one.
I told Hannah to put her cloak and
bonnet on, and then went to the cellar
stairs and called to Bruff, but he bad
hidden hiaiself, and would not answer a
word. There was no time to be lost, as
the factory lads had scrambled up to the
upper windows, had found one unfast
ened, and were dropping in one by one.
I drew Hannah into the yard where the
horse and dog-cart were standing, the
horse rearing and plunging, and half
mad with excitement and eagerness.
I pushed Hannah into the dog-cart,
jumped at the other side, seized the
reins, and bade the boy throw open wide
the gates.
bthWe were greeted with a roar of aston
ishment and defiance from the crowd,
and the horse, frightened by the unac
customed sight and sound, turned away
from the gate, and bade fair to wreck
the dog-cart against the stable wall. But
I gave him a couple of lashes across his
flanks that Bent him maldly forward ;
the crowdshrank away, and involuntarily
opened a path for us to pass. Some one
a woman made a wild snatch at the
horse's head, but she fell, and the
wheels passed over her. In another mo
ment we were speeding along the Slap
ton road.
I was obliged to trust to the instinct
of the horse, for I could not see a yard
before me, and feared every moment that
we might dash against some obstacle in
our career, and be left helpless on the
road, at the mercy of the pursuing mob,
who were howling fiercely in our rear.
We dashed on, however, without acci
dent, and presently the cries of the pop
ulace sounded faint and fainter in the
distance.
I drove on without saying a word,
mile after mile, till the lamps of Slapton
appeared, twinkling in the distance.
" You'll go to BrufTs, I suppose ?" I
said, looking down at my traveling com
panion. She nodded acquiescence, and
I said no more to her until we stopped
at BrufTs house, a long, low building
with offices at one end, the entrance to
which latter was by an outside stair.
TTn.nrtfl.Vi got out at the door, and I drove
the horse into the stable yard. There
was no one there to receive the horse ;
and I took it out of the ahaftand put it
into the stable. There was a light in the
office, and I thought that I had better
tell BrufTs clerk to look after the horse.
Perhaps I ought to have given the
alarm about the riot to the police at
Slapton ; but I thought that it was no
business of mine. They might wreck
the house and duck Mr. Bruff as much
as they pie Bed neither would affect
me. I felt that I had been robbed and
cajoled by the fellow, and the thought of
his possible misfortunes was pleasant
tome. 1
I had wrapped myself up as we came
along in a great blue cloak that I found
in the dog-cart, and, as the night was
cold, and J had a cough upon me, I
gathered its folds closely about my
throat as I went up stairs. An elderly
clerk in spectacles was sitting in the
outer office, busily writing, bis nose
close to the paper. To my surprise, as
I entered the door he sprang to his feet
and went to open an inner door that led
into another office. , Here he briskly
stirred the fire into a blaze,-lit the gas,
E laced a chair at the writing table, and
eld the door of the room whilst I en
tered, smiling a bland, unmeaning smile.
Evidently the man was purblind, and
took me for his master, j r
At once the impulse seized me to take
advantage of his mistake. I walked
into the inner office, and seated myself at
the writing table. If there was any hid
den conspiracy to defraud me ; of my
father's property, ' here was; my one
chance of detecting it. Dismissing all
scruples of consciousness, I set reso
lutely to work to search all the drawers
and receptacles that were unlocked. All
without result. There were no papers
m'V. tlio T,amA nt TTs.rBTfl.vft on thnm.
Indeed, it was hardly likely that Bruff
would nave text any wnneu. eviueiioe 01
his guilt, if guilty he were. There was
this one chance, however. Brail was
not a methodical man clearly in the mat
ter of letters. Evidently he carried them
about in his pockets, and when his pockets
were full he emptied them upon the
mantle-shelf; for that was crammed with
letters creased and soiled and worn at
the edges, and huddled up into all sorts
Of folds. :r-
Rapidly I examined these letters one
by . one. At last I was rewarded; here
was a letter in my father's handwriting
a letter' dated about a year ago, and
with reference to a will then preparing.
But, alas ! it contained only instructions
in complete accordance with the will pro
duced at the funeral, and it was written
in terms so clear and vigorous that there
coule be no doubt that he was in full
possession of his faculties. "I desire,"
he said at the conclusion, " that my son
should suffer for his neglect and inso
lence to the very end of his days." ;
I turned away with a groan of weari
ness and disappointment. To complete
my confusion, I beheld Mr. Bruff there
watching me, his face purple and men
acing. "What!" he cried; "I have come
back just in time to stop thee. Here.
Mr. Inspector, come in here; here's the
ringleader of them all, robbing my
office."
To explain Mr. BrufTs appearance, it
is necessary to revert to the. scene of the
riot at Halton. It seemed that after I
had driven away, the crowd, believing
that those of whom they were in search
had escaped, suddenly dispersed, leav
ing one of their number- a woman,- who
had been most active in the riot lying
on the ground with a broken leg.
The local police, who now ventured to
appear, had taken , possession of this
woman, and Mr. Bruft had put himself
under their protection. With a view to
the safe custody of the riotous female,
as well as to place Mr. Bruff in safety, a
vehicle had been driven over to Slapton,
containing the police inspector, Bruff
himself, and the woman, who was no
other than my old friend Sarah, whom I
had unwittingly injured by driving over
herl
"There's no doubt," said Mr. In
spector, looking savagely at me and
shaking his head, " that it's a very sus
picious case. You were seen in confer
ence with this woman, sir; the riot
seems to, have been got up in your
interests; you take advantage of it to
get away and ransack Mr. BrufTs office.
Really, sir, if Mr. Bruff insists "
1 . do insist 1 snouted mx. urns.
" Take him into custody, Mr. Inspector."
" You insist !" cried ft high-pitched
female voice, and Hannah appeared in
the doorway, pale with suppressed pas
sion. ' You cowardly rascal ! you'd
leave me to be torn to pieces. Yes,
glad enough you'd have beenafter
insuring my life, you wretch I and that
young nussey down stairs I Un, you
villain!"
Hannah made a desperate dart at her
husband for such he was who clung
to the inspector for protection.
Baffled of her spring. Hannah turned
to me. "Ah, Master Dick," she cried,
" you're worth a dozen of such scoun
drels. IH right you, though, my boy.
Here," she said, drawing a paper from
her pocket " here's the true will your
father made just before he died, written
with his own hands, and testified by me
and Bruff."
Bruff made a snatch at the paper,
but I was too quick for him, and al
ready had the document in my posses
sion. Bruff gnashed his teeth in rage and
terror.
" Well, you fiend," he cried, address-
mg Hannah, "it was you who tempted me
to do it ; you who turned the old nan's
mind against his son with your false
tales ; you who got him to make his
will; you who brought me over when
the young man had come back, and his
father's heart had softened to him,
and set me to watch for his death, that
we might steal the new will from the
box."
Here the police inspector put an end
to further confidences. " It seems to me
that there's a pair of you," he cried ;
" but it isn't my place to listen to you.
I sha'n't take youi charge against this
young gent ; but if he asks me to take
you into custody for purloining his fath
er's will, I'll do it"
At this Bruff bioke down at once ; he
threw himself on his knees before me and
begged of me to forgive him, promising
that he would make amends in every
way, but I refused to listen to his
prayers, and he was remoTd in custody.
Indeed, I knew that if he had been left
alone with Hannah there would have
been murder done that night.
Then I made my way with the pre
cious paper to the house of Polkhorn,
the other lawyer, my father's old friend.
To him I quickly explained the circum
stances and showed the paper Harm ah
had given me. It was a short will, dated
on the day before Hannah had come to
Slapton to fetch Mr. Bruff. It revoked
all former wills and left all his property
unreservedly to me, his son.
" It's as right as ninepenoe," said Mr.
Polkhorn, grasping me by the hand ;
" and even if there were any informality
in the will and it's a dangerous prac
tice to make wills without a lawyer
but if it were informal the revocation is
complete. It nullified all former wills,
and as you're the heir you're right any
way." .. -.- - '
Mr. Bruff was prosecuted and con
victed for stealing my father's will, the
circumstantial evidence being too strong
to break down, although we were pre
cluded from ' calling Hannah, a wife's
evidence being invalid. It appears that
Mr. Bruff and Hannah had obtained
complete ascendancy over my father, and
had persuaded him to make the will that
had been propounded after his death.
The clause which my father had insisted
upon, making void the bequest in case
of Hannah marrying after his decease,
they had eluded by a secret marriage
during his life. Mr. Bruff had succeed
ed also in insuring the life of his wife
for 5,000 to secure his interest in her
annuity. My return and reconciliation
with my father had npset all their plans,
and the making of the new will had
driven them to desperation. My father
was too much afraid of his housekeeper
to openly defy her, and he had written
his will with his own hands, and had
called TTtnn.h and Bridget (the house
maid) to witness his signature , without
telling her of the real nature of the
document. - But Hannah had detected
his purpose, and had determined to de
feat it. He had not ventured to de
stroy the old will, but had placed the
new one above it iu the strong box, and
retained the keys in his own possession.
Hannah, knowing that he could not live
many days, had brought Mr. Bruff over
to Halton to help her. He was to keep
watch till my father died. ' The signal
of his death was conveyed from Han
nah's bedroom window. The brass bird
cage hanging in the window by day, and
a light burning there at night, were sig
nals that my father was still alive. The
moment when I had seen the light disap
pear had been the moment of aay father's
death, which Hannah then concealed
from me till their arrangements 'were
completed. . Thus Bruff wast let in at
the back door, possessed himself of the
keys, opened the strong box, purloined
the new will, and handed it) over to
Hannah to burn. Some misgiving or
failing of heart had led Hannah, instead,
of destroying it, to keep it carefajly.
It was strange that a man so bold and",
determined in his schemes should have
been physically a coward; but so it was
and that was the cause of his undoing.
Mrs. BrufTs unexpected visit to her
husband's establishment revealed some
cause of jealousy, which, added to the
ill-feeling engendered by her husband's
Eusillanimity, caused the explosion which
rought out the truth.
Mr. Bruff served three years M prison,,
and when released emigrated to America,
with the cause of the conjugal difficulty.
Hannah subsists on a, small annuity
which I granted her in consideration of
past services. She has one little boy,
who takes a good deal after his father.
Poor Sarah, who had suffered, much
for her zeal in my behalf, watf compen
sated by a gift of a couple of hundred
pounds from some unknown benefactor.
But she has never quite forgiven me for
putting it out of ner power to " fettle
Jirs. Hannah. "':
My five bony cousins were a good deal .
exercised in mind at . the loss of their
yearly five guineas. .They threatened
five several lawsuits, but as they went to
Polkhorn to give instructions be man
aged to talk them into acquiescence;
But they have none of them spoken to
me since. '
As for myself, when I found that I was.
no longer bound to reside at Halton, I
lost much of my dislike to live there. I
am building a nice house 6n a hillside,
part of my property, and am looking out
for a being of the other sex who is not of
a roving disposition.
The European War-Clond.
The Paris correspondent , of , the Eon
don Timet telegraphs (May 6) that un
easiness prevails in well-informed circles,
in Paris. The most serious minds be
lieve that danger is impending. Poli
ticians from abroad, as well , as those
claiming to be well informed at home,
assert that peace or war depends on the
appro aching meeting of the Czar and
German Emperor. No one denies that a
powerful party in Germany, comprising
the entire military element, feels that
the late treaty was too lenient ; that the
indemnity paid has already returned to.
French coffers ; that the possession of
Belfort by France is dangerous to Ger
many ; that France is reorganizing rap-
idly, and will soon be able to furnish a
formidable army for alliance with other
nations ; that Germany is no richer than
before the war, and her finances and
special organization cannot long support
the expense of the present armament,
and she cannot disarm in the face of
France. The military party in Germany -are
convinced that never was there a
moment more propitious than the prec
ent to secure for the country a long era
of prosperity and peace. War ought to
be promptly undertaken. ft is
necessary to march on Paris and
take up a position where a new
peace can be signed, which takes Bel
fort from France, limits her active
army, and extract ten milliards in twenty
years. Paris could be attacked if France
refused to sign. All the powers have
confined themselves to timid, friendly
representations with regard to the Bel
gian notes, which only shows that to 'fin
ish with France now is a duty to Ger
many and humanity. Europe will never
be tranquil while the blunder of a treaty
which leaves France ready to revive and
re-enter the struggle is unrectified. What
may be promptly executed at insignifi
cant sacrifice would, two years hence,
cost oceans of blood. Russia must be- -convinced
of this necessity.
The Times correspondent adds: " It.
would be untrue to say these arrange
ments are accepted in Germany, outside
of a particular party. It would be equally
untrue that these menaces are destined
to be realized. The diplomatic world,
even in Germany, declare she cannot,
fight against an enemy who declares for
peace. Honest Germans scout the sup
position. The Emperor has scruples,
but the party of immediate action, urge
it as a duty to sink all considerations in
order to save the country. They insist
that France be made to accept a reassur
ing treaty if she will not fight, Ger
many, in order to have the right to re
proach France as the cause of uneasiness,
must solemnly disclaim the above theo
ries." Mormon MarriagesStrange Ceremony
I have been given an account"' ''of '"the
"celestial marriage," which I send you
for what it is worth. I am loath to be
lieve that the ceremonies are so revolting
as they are pictured by my informant,
and indeed I place little reliance on the
story. Still it is valuable as allowing -how
the people here look upon the pe
culiar institution.
After being properly bathed which
typically washes away the sins of (he -world
-the victims are anointed from
head to foot with olive oil, which the
bride and groom must furnish. Thia
oil is poured over them from a small
horn, called the horn of ple&ty. , ?. They
then don their endowment clothes and
ascension robes, and are led into a typi
cal garden of Eden, in the center of
which is a schrubbery tree about three
feet high, from the green boughs of"
which is suspended bunches of grapes;;
no apples are in Bight. - Bjeclining at.
thefoot of this tree is his satanio maj
esty, or the serpent, as the case may be,
clad in black cloth tights. This charac- - s
ter is generally assumed by Councilor
Wells, because of his peculiar fitness f or -that
role possessing a redish and sharp
face and large, hooked nose, resembling
the "make-up" of Zamiel in the "Black
Crook.' This character-serpent , imme- -diately
commences a flirtation conversa
tion with Eve. At first, she slowlv shakes.
her head; finally she hesitates, and then, ,
of course, she is, lost typically. The-
: n..' 1 w -
Mviur xkngnam xoungj appears, and a.
"scene" occurs. Several have happened,
in families since. Their robes are taken
off : by a servant in waiting (an extra,
character rung in) and aprons of genu
ine fig-leaves are given them, which
they put on, and are driven from the
garden by the Savoir (Brig am Young)-
into an ante-room, where they are mar
ried. They are then united for time and
eternity death is only a temporary sep
aration. Salt Lake Letter. ; ,
Marriages of Reiatives. The
French Academy has - lately - collected .
some interesting statistics connected with :.
the marriage of blood relations, which fe
very frequent in Franoe. The number
of deaf mutes born to parents related by
consanguinity is 25 to 30 per cent greater- -than
the ordinary average, and the liabil
ity to such offspring increases with the
nearness of the relationship; ;This law
also applies to idiocy. The statistics .
further demonstrate that, in case of mar
riage between deaf mutes, the parental
congenital defect is not transmitted when
the children are brought up among peo- -plo
who can hear and talk
Two ounces of common tobacco boiled .
in a gallon of water is used by the -Chatham
street dealers for renovating
old clothes. The stuff is rubbed on with
a stiff brush. The goods are nicely
cleaned, and, strange to add, no tobacco .
smell remains.