The Contrabandist;
.-TTiT-- " ' ' OR Z
ne Lite's Secret!
OIIAI'TIOIt XI. I
A itrniiKiT liruuitlit n until for Louis
soma hours nfliT tlm disappearance of
ltose. Hi milil nuino was Itnlinonde,
Olnl Hint liu tint been unit liy n person
wlio win ii friend Imlli tu himself uml In
(lift missing girl,
Tlio iiulw required Louis in Inut hliu
rlf absolutely In I ho lunula or tint im-n
scngcr. l-'iir a time liu hesitated, Tlii'li
Ills Bllllcty led him In olx-jr. Ho even
consented to ho lit 1 1 1 il folil i'1, fin (liv letter
IlKil I'lljullll'il,
Under circumstances of n If" urgent
mul etching miiiirr, I .on In might hare
llllllll)ll III lIICstllll tlm wisdom of lilt
eniirsu In wholly nml unreservedly en
trusting himself to tlu lunula uf mi ut
ter utrn njjer. Together they continued
tlirlr route. Kaluiondii paused, ssylugi
"Will nioniltMir atniiil here mi Instant?
I luilat Iihitp ii step forward, nml lilun
elciir mtiat l very rnreftil nut to re
move tlm limiilkrrclili'r Juat yet."
lie released lila linml mul Irft lilm.
I.011U. standing atlll, heard a hash, grat
ing aonnil at llttln distance before lilm,
nil a launil as of some' person lifting a
heavy body.
"('nine, nioualeur," said the voice of
Italniiuule; "tnko um step forwanl ami
here la my ha ml. I mil below you now.
Vim mint stoop, Put your linml on my
shoulder thus. Now, you know that you
stand on n rock, from which I havo
Jumped, You mint follow tne so; that la
It. More we are'"
Tho grntlng noise waa lirnnl again.
Then Louis wns conducted over what
seemed to hi) n amuiilh mul lerel path
of atone. Ho liml been admitted hy
ltalmuinle Ihroiigli tlm rear entrance of
the cavern, nml was passing now through
the long subterranean gallery In the rock.
At length they paused again: a nolso
of Imlta mul tiara withdrawn, ami n iloor
unclosed, throiiKh which Louis was led.
Then tlm handkerchief waa untlril, the
iloor closed Ih'IiIihI lilm, ami taking off
the hnnilnge from hi eyea, l.oula foun.l
himself In the cell of Jacques.
"Mnnaleiir!" ullereil Jacques, spring-
lug forward, "ao you are disguised, h?
I illil not knoir you at first.
"You here, my gooil frleml?" uttered
Louts, In astonishment, looking about
him. "What ilnr la tlila'f"
" ht not too luml, moiialeur. If you
please. I total you I waa a irlautier ilM
I not?"
"Yea; hut audi a prison na thla! Ainl
Unset tell mo where alio la."
"Mho la here nlao, monsieur-In n cell
like thla, ami cloao liy It."
"Jacques! an near me mul In ilnnger?
It me go Inatnntly ami deliver her!
11 waa nt the door, hut Jaeqiice
sprang In hla ahle.
"Tor plty'a aake, moiialeur, Ik careful,
or you will apoll nil! Come here, I en
treat you, mill llalrn to me. Ituac la aafo
at present, mul If you nru c-nlm enough to
hear wlmt I wlah to any, ami to act with
me, we mar reactie her In ten inluiitea,
whereaa aui-h Imprtuutia liaito n yours
would ruin tho scheme.
It waa id ii I II enough. The count auf'
fern) hlinaelf to he led tu n aeat nt the
oppoalle aide of the cell, mid llalrn to
the eiplnnntlon of hla companion, whllo
horning with rngerneaa to hasten to tho
reacuo of ltose. Jnritiea mado brief
work of It. He began hy relating the
atory of the nlnlurllon of Itnae, nnd tho
plot that led to It. l.oula wna lingered
and Indignant beyond meaaure, na he list
ened to the account of Oaspardo'a vil
lainy. "Who b he what la he, thla wretch.
(InapnrdeV" ho uttered, hotly.
"The chief of a horde of brlgnuda nnd
cimlrnhitnillala, moiialeur."
"la It poaalblel and yet, why not? Ono
cannot be aurprlaed nt hearing It of una
an baae na he. And Iloao la In hla pow
er J"
"Not eiactly, moiialeur. lie brought
her hither, na I have told you, to thla
place, which la a cavern In tho center
of the forcat, and nfter placing her In
the cell of which I have apoken, went
nwny with tho men upon an expedition,
from which they will not probably return
until midnight or to-morrow morning.
When tin cornea back, he will either ex
tort from her a promise to mnrry him, or
keep her confined In that cell, until aha
pi ilea to death; for ho la Juat to morel
leaa, lie never haa forgotten tho treat
ment he unci) received nt your hamla, uor
tho threats and rebukca of Hugh La
monte; nnd ho hna been watching ever
alnce for nn opportunity of rpvenge. It
la oura to deprive lilm of thnt rovengo."
"Your plan your plnn, Jacques!"
"Tho man who accompanied you hither
la the guard left by (Inapnrile. Ho hna
procured for me nn Interview with you;
but ho never auapecta that It la for the
purpoao of liberating ltose and myaelf;
for wero wo to eacape, ho known that the
vengeance of the leader would full on
lilm. Now, wo timat clth'er manago to
gain III alienee by force or by n bribe.
If we bind lilm, and lenvo lilm hero when
wo lenvo tho place, why, Dnspnrde will
ahoot him when ho cornea back; but If a
tun of money wero offered lilm, I havo
nn Idea thnt ho would not only nuffcr
hit aprUonorn to escape, hut nlao take
leave himself, alnce ho hna growii weary
of tho cnptnln'a tyranny."
"Tho bribe, then tho bribe, by nil
mnmia!" aald Louis, enrneatly. "I Imp-
pen to hnvo a considerable turn with me;
f . I... n.lllli.110 "
Mil WO I1IUBV 1'W V,.."-.
"Yrs ycsl wo must bo cautious, ns you
-...I I.. ..nu.. I.,, lintilil rtifllin t)iA
aoy, mm i" -,u
money wo must bo prepared to spring
upon him. A cord for his hands and
feet and n gng that will do tho bualnraa.
Now, then, for tho work. I will cull him
In. Ho prepared," Aim no cnueu jiih
niondu!"
Tho guard appeared, Jncaucs glanced
rda tho count, nnd then anldi
nnuiriide. roil don't forget, I suppose.
tho conversation which we had nt dinner?
tho agreement which wo mndo ubout
..... " .. . I..... I.. ..,.llnl V"
bllllllng IIIIICU l" limiiaieiu iu infill""
Tho glltler of gold caught Hnlmondo'a
eye, from a heavy purse which tho count
hojd carelessly In his hand. IIU nvnrlco
wna aroused,
"1 remember It very well, Jucuues," ho
answered,
Tho count stopped forward.
'.'My friend, suppose you were to shut
.your eyes for tho spnee of half nn bour,
nnd uucloso them nt tho end of thnt tlmo
to find yourself richer by n thousand
francs, or two or thrco times that sum,
perhaps?"
"It would bo n very pleasant thing,
monsieur,"
"I offer you thnt num In return for n
cortuln favor which I shall ink at your
builds."
"Namo tho favor mul It is yours, uiun-
juid, .......
n which un -
sleur."
lock tie (loora of theso cells', and you
A
TRUE
STORY
OF
THE
SOUTH
OF
FRANCE
will show ma thnao lu which you hnva
prisoners conlluad."
It la n hargn ii. I'ollow inc. monsieur.
Ho this Is your business, comrade?" nml
lie smiled grimly at Jacques, "well, It
nil the aatiio to me, sluci) I ahnll myaelf
cacnpii from this place and bo able to
lire llko an honest man."
Ho saying, he led tint way from tho cell,
advanced a short distance along tho gal
lery, mid pausing beforo an arched door
In the wall, aald, as he unlocked uml
threw It open:
"The only other prisoner wo hnvo Is In
here, monsieur."
Ami Louis, leaving the others outside,
entered. Thla cell, like that of JaciUes,
was lighted by a hrareii lamp, auspeiided
from tho celling. Directly beneath this
lamp stood Itost, allghtly bending for
ward, with her hands clasped, and nil
eauer. Iniiulrluc einreaalon of couuto-
nance, aa alio beheld some ono entering,
mid heard the words of tho gnard. Hut
alio ahrank hack at flrat. with a low cry
as the dlsgulaed count met hr view. Hho
did not recognise him.
"Host, do not fear: It Is II" he said,
"You. I,ouls?-nb. Iiulsl I know yon
nowl" and weeping, amid her smiles, alio
sprang forward to tho arms outairetcncu
to receive bar.
The younc man trombled with emotion
with feelings that were unutterable, na
he held th light form of Hose In Ills cm
brace.
"Hose, I bare coma to make you free!"
he ssld, tenderly, supporting hsr to the
door. "Coma with me, dear child)
"To sot mo free? Let lis hasten, Ixiuls.
Hut where Is ho that wicked (Jos-
panto?"
"Oasparde Is absent, Iloao, and wo
must eacape ere his return. I will tell
you all when you are oneo In aafely."
Jaciiues stood at the door, unable to
suppress his delight oil seeing Hose
again, an durglng them to hasten. Hal
innnde aald, briefly)
"You had better use all the speed you
can, you can scarcely get away from
here too eoon."
"Thanks, my friend; and here la your
reward," returned Louis, at tbt same
tlmo Discing In the man a hand a welt
Riled purse. "And now, Jacques, let us
ho gone.
They reached tho front of tho care.
Htretched on a heap of aklns, by a glow
ing fire, lay the guard, smoking a short
stemmed pipe snd meditating.
"Michel, come with me," aald Hah
mniiitc, briefly.
The man rose. Indolently, and obeyed.
The coot, damp wind blew across their
facta aa they gained the entrance. An
Inioluntary eiclauiatlon of thankaglvlng
cacancd from the lips of Hose and Ioills.
"We are freo freel" uttered Hose,
with sweet and thrilling solemnity: and
pausing an Instant, she bowed her head
upon her clasped hands.
They parted, Jacqura Joining the count
and ltose, to accompany them to the cha
lean. I-ouls pushed on, still supporting
tenderly the young girl at bis side. A
few moments passed, and ther wero mak
lug good progress, when suddenly their
nttentlou was attractod by a sound of
voices at soma distance to tho right and
tho faintly discerned forms of persons
moving through the trees. Jacques paus
ed and 1 stened.
"l'ly, monsieur fly! tho men aro ro-
turning! whispered lie, suddenly.
"Hosa! ' murmured l.oul, In alarm,
must saro you. at least!"
"Hasten hasten on!" urged Jacques
"there Is a hollow tree Just beyond here
where Mademoiselle ltose cou conceal
herself.
They pressed forward silently, but they
were perceived.
"Yonder yonder! the third tree on the
right! whispered Jacques, frantically
"hide her. or she Is lost!'
There wero shouts behind; the brigands,
eliht or ten of them, sent back by us
parde, wero approaching; they discerned
tho fugltivea inmiy in me gainenug uur'
ness. and their ausplclons wero roused,
Ther commenced a pursuit. Hut they
pursued only the couut and Jacques; for
I,ouls had gently placed tho form of tho
half-fainting girl within tha hollow tree,
and Instantly took an opposite direction
to lead their pursuers away from the
spot. The ruse succeeded; tne uriganu
nassed tho treo,
With an Irrepressible cry of rlctorlou
lor. Louis hastened on, with Jacques
their ovldent desire to escapo Increased
the suspicions of tho approaching party,
who now Dressed closo upon them. Un
on. still, ther went: further and further,
nearer to the edge of the forest. Hut
tho brigands galued on them. Shots were
fired, too. but they missed their aim,
"Monsieur Louis, wo shall bo taken I'
uttered Jacques, aa ho made n last effort
for life.
And answering not a word, the couut,
turning, fired at one of the men, who bad
almost laid his band on tho shoulder of
Jucuues. Tho brigand fell, A about of
rengeance was raised by tho pursuers,
and they rushed forward with mad haste.
"My good fellow, flight Is no longer of
use. Wo must yield, nut suo is saioi
aald Louts.
Ho turned to deliver himself up; be
heard a cry of savage Joy, felt a heav
blow, and then lost all consciousness.
When tho roung count recovered hli
faculties ho touud himself lying on tho
stono Iloor of ono of tho cavern ecus,
which was fully lighted by the braien
lamp swinging from the roof. How long
he had been here bo was uuahlo to guess
but tho scenes through which he hnd
passed relative to the rescue of Hosa
Unshed so Instantly aud vividly upon
his recollection as to persuade him that
no very great portion of tlmo hnd elapsed
since their occurrence. Tho flight, tho
concealment of ltose. tho moment of cap
turenil these wero beforo him. Ho
wondered only that tho brigands, enraged
ns they wero at tho injury to tueir com
rade, hnd not torn him limb from limu.
His captors had taken enro to secure
him beyond the possibility of escape; for
they had lettered hlui, band and toot
nnd to these fetters was attached a beavi
chain, the other end of which was fast
ened to a huge ring lu tho wall. Ho was
in captivity, hut thut captivity was swee
alnco ho had, as bo hoped, ensured tho
safely of Itoso, let bo thought of be
with tho deepest anxiety, still. Ho oa
culated the chauces of tier finding tb
way from tho forest, or, perhaps, alio bai
fainted 111 that narrow ulaco of refugt
and remained Insensible amid tho nox
ious diunns of nlirht. and with slluip rep
tiles and poisonous Insects all about berl
Hut what would not bo prornramo to in
iiilson from which alio had escaped?
To Jncnuos bis thoughts turned. As
. lllt.livi w.." --
been brought back, and he, too must bo
1 in n cell, chained nlso. When would a
n matter or coursn no aiso must uui
chuueo of escapo come to cither of them
was a matter of Ignorant- to htm,
whether tlnspnldo had returned with the
men who had capturod him. He was In
tho power of murderers now, and there
was no reason for theiii to bo more leu-
lit to lilm than to any other who might
xcllo lu tin-in a thirst for vengeance.
Yet, with the probability of the escape of
ltose, ho aunt-rod nu apprehension tu ills-
ijulvt him.
flllAI'TUIt XII.
Willi ram booty, tho spoils of that
kill's work, the brigand chief, (las-
parde, returned, a little after midnight,
to the rare, lie was In an excellent
iinior with his multiplied success In ef'
feeling the capture of Hose nml gaining
fur more than he bad anticipated by the
robbery committed that night.
What, then, wns his rage nml illsnp-
ointment to lenni from the men whom
lind sent back three or four hours
arller that Itoae had made her eseapel
te raved llko a maniac: he rowed tho
illreat reiigeanco on tho faithless guard,
who had disappeared, aud on the spur of
the moment, would instantly have conn
tu assassinate their now prisoners, had
not some ipiarrel arising among the men
llverted his attention fur a tune, miring
this luterrnt ha had an opportunity to
become cool, mul afterwnrds repaired to
ho cells to ascertain whom It could Imi
hat tho mail had taken III company with
.Inclines, and who woro the dlsgulso of a
brigand. Ills mingled nstonlshment, rage
nnd i-xiiltntlnn may he easily Imagined on
discovering It to bo the Count d'Artols.
Oho, my line fellow I so you aro there,
are vouV" ho cried, snraaclr. "Well-
well, not a had exchange of prlsoncrsl
Won t I make you dance presently, mon
sieur! Just wait till daylight I"
You may do with me what you will,
answered I-ouls, calmly, "since she bas
escaped. I can suffer any torture now."
You talk bravely, monsieur: nut i
mean to get her back again do you hear
that? I will watch, day and night, till
ha time comes, as I haro watched slnco
tho time when I rowed revenge for all
that happened to lint at your bands. Bo
you helped her to escape, did you?
"Yes: and be assured that sho will be
kept now so far beyond your reach that
no scheme of yours will ever draw her
hither nirnln.
We n 111 see to that, monsieur we will
see to that! Now mark me! I will get
the girl back, and you shall starve bvrore
her eyes, dsy by day, hour by hour, till
you die In your chains!
II went out, and left his prisoner In
the deep silence of his lonely cell to tblnk
of those cruel words.
(To be continued.)
DADQERS FIND RICH GEMS.
llcpo.lt of I'recloua moots Unearthed
lr the Ilusr Animal.
The dlHt'ovcry of the ledge of pre
cious stouew on ioRo crevk, i-vrguH
County, Motitunn, wim nuule by tlio
niulltiK of true blue mipplilreH lu tlio
Mirth thrown out by the badgers lu Ulf
(ring their hole. The kilce pn trnceil
ncroiw the country for n distance of
sevcrnl iiiIIph by incaiw of these Imdgcr
liolea. TIipmi animal were numerous ,
lu Unit mi'tlon of tho country, and, na
the limestone mine very near the aur-'
fnco of the (.'round, the only placo
where the ImdeerH could dig holes deep
enough for their deim waa In the soft
yellow clay wlilcli Illleu mo hwu at tne
surface. The genm nro pronounced by
expert to be equal to tho true bluo
oriental sapphires, nnd command n
good If not better price from the lead
ing Jewelers' of Iiudon, I'arla nml New
York. The Htonen are found at the sur
face of the ledge lu soft, yellow cloy.
When depth Is nttnliictl on the ri-tn It Is
found to bo hard elny or slinle, tho re
sult of volcanic eruption and Identical
lu iippentiincu with the diamond de
posltB of Klmberley, lu South Africa.
True blue snpplilrea arc round in In
dia In the glncliil grnvels, but never be
fore havo they been found lu the origi
nal matrix lu which they were placed
by the volcano which creuteil them.
The new gem th-Ida aro located ubout
100 tulle northeast of Helena, on a
tributary of the Judith Itlvcr, lu 1-Vr-giis
Couuty. The geological survey
took note of the delioidtn In lt Into re
port The tlrst shipment of these irtones
was n cigar box full, wlilcu wna suip-
pcr to n Now York Jeweler, who bought
them for S3,730. lie pronounced them
equal lu every resiect to the true orien
tal sapphires. Jewelry concerns in
London have naked for all that can lie
obtained, offeriug price ranging from
W to as high na $100 tier carat.
There oro two companies mlnlug sap
phires. Om a London concern, has all
of Its stones cut lu I-omlon, while the
American company has a plant In Hel
ena, where the stones nre cut, rue
American cut stones, with the charac
teristic skill of Amerleuu workmen.
coiiunaiid n bitter price, because of the
superior tire and lustre due to the more
skillful cutting. The American com
pany haa In addition to Its claims lu
Fergus County acquired a largo amount
of ground on Hock Creek, In Missoula
County, from which there nre washed
every month several thousand caraU of
sapphires of all colors aud tluta, rang
ing from greenish blue, pluks, straw
colors nnd whiten,
Tho Hock creek Held nlso produces
among tlio Mipphlres n number of ru
blcH, some of them of the true pigeon
blood tint, which exceed many times
over the value of the finest diamonds.
These htouea lu Missoula Couuty nre
found In the gravel aud not lu tho
matrix llko tho ones In Fergus County,
They havo evidently been washed by
gluclul notion from some vein, tho lo
cality of which hns never beeu discov
ered. Theso off-colored sapphires aro
found lu nearly till of tho placer initios
lu Montana, but until tho Yogo fields
wero discovered In 1803 very few of the
truo blue sapphires were found. Mnny
of those off-colored stoties, us they aro
called, ore of great benuty, tho pinks
and straw colors being exceptionally
beautiful, and, while they hnvo not the
stamp of fashion tho liner ones nro pur
chased nt high prices by the lovers of
lino gems. Hotli of theso companies
nro preparing to inlno these stones on a
largo Bcule. Chicago Chronicle.
Short of Water.
Utnh proposes to avert pending ca
lamity to her agricultural section by
supplying the Client Salt Lake basin
with needed water. Irrigation lias cut
off tho supply '""I tho lnko Itself Is In
Imminent danger of drying up. Tho
usual supply of wntcr Is being with
held nnd evaporation Is rapidly lower
ing tlio level of the lako. Centuries
nso tho shores of tho great Inland salt
sea wero high on the mountains, where
tlio lino of the nnclcut brook Is visible
to-dny nnd tlio lake, which has mm I; to
Its present dimensions, promises to dis
appear far more rapidly than In the
nges past
AN ENGLISH
John Hull Joe, you make me laugh with your funny sayings. Cincin
nati Tost
WEAP0N8 OF THE CHINESt.
C.pt, Boral Inaeraoll's Vina Collec
tion Bom Curlone Implement.
Captain Roynl Ingersoll, United
Btataa navy, for some years one of the
distinguished professors In tho naval
academy, Annapolis, and from wblcb
Institution bo graduated with high
honors, aays the Ilaltlmore Hun, has
returned to hla former homo In La
Porte, Ind., from a tour In Chinese
waters. Ho la a fine officer, and ranks
very high aa a commander of admin
istrative ability.
The La Porte Herald gives the fol
lowing account of a collection of curl
loaUiea which Captain Ingersoll has
brought to hla borne. The Herald says:
"What Is believed to be tho finest
collection of Chinese war weapons and
Implements and Chinese curios In
America, If not In the world, was
brought to La Porte by Captain Itoyal
Ingersoll, United States nary, who, on
Bunaay, arnvca in mis cy direct rrom
Yokohama, where for the past two
years be had been In command of tne
United States cruiser New Orleans of
Admiral Evana' squadron. Tbo prtn
(clpal part of the collection consists of
smyuireu ouiutoj iuu jujjuunrc
weapona and Implements of war, of
which thlrty-alx are a complete set of
the official weapona of the viceroys of
China. It is ciaimea mat nownere in
the world outside of China la there
such a completo set, although In
number of the world's largest muse
ums and In the possession of promln
ent persons who haro traveled In
China are found Incomplete sets.
Each weapon In this set of thirty
six Is about ten feet long and consists
of a steel blade fitted on a teek handle.
the wood being extremely bard and
tough. The blades are all different.
there being no two exactly alike In the
set All arc more or less suggestive
of fishing and farming Implements, af
ter which they were evidently made
originally. Some of the weapona have
brase trimmings, with dragons' bends
thereon and other figures that remind
one of the Orient. Six of the weapons
nre extra flue and were carried by the
very highest officials In the Chinese
army. Including the Emperor. Two
have dragons on the blades and were
UBed more for display than actual war
fare, while the others were used In the
days when the Chinese army was not
equipped with modern rifles, as at
present. One weaimn Is like a seven
star knife, another lias a blade like A
Malay creese; still others are shaped
like harpoons, some have prongs, one !s
a steel club, some have single and dou
ble moon blades, another Is like n
spear or pike pole, one blade Is like nn
Inverted half-moon and some are like
forks. Tho blades are of extra tine
steel, almost as sharp as razors. The
weapons weigh from five to twelve
pounds each and some of them came
from the residences of Cbtneso man
darlns.
Deoelvtng tho Spirit.
Tho custom of boy wearing ear
rings In China Is thus popularly ex
plained by the Chinese: The Doy is
. . .
T I " - - .
Kverv little wnuo somcuouy sDruiKs up uuu uui iiuui,..K"(
. .7. "-..: ,. .....
rausB thv do not see so many out
uymg us,, uuu
Some people still rldo bicycles, because they find the wheel a real neces
sity, but tho faddists, who rode because It was the fashion, have long since
consigned their machines to oblivion, and aro now reveling In tho Innocuous
pleasures of ping-pong. ... ...
It wns much tho same with photography. "You press the button," etc..
advertisements started tbe mob Into the photographic shops, and in a com
paratively short time a person who did not own a camera was looked upon
as an eccentric, unworthy of a place In a progressive commuutty.
But, after a while, tho mob discovered that photography required an
effort, nnd It was chagrined: so tho cntuera was put away on the top shelf,
and art breathed again. riioto-Bcacon.
Spots arc often caused by not lnovlng prints enough In the toning bath.
By leaving the prluts piled up tho bnth Is not evenly distributed over the
surfaces and consequently some spots tone more rapidly than others. Prints
should bo constantly moved, especially In n strong toning bath, and only a
few prints should be toned nt a time, except by thoso who have such experi
ence as to warrant otherwise, Camera f.nd Dark Boom,
JOKE.
the greatest blessing that heaven can
send. Tbe spirits like boy babies. It
Is natural that they should; everybody
like tbem. Very often. If the boy ba
bies are not watched closely, tho spir
its who are constantly around grab up
the unwatcbed boy babe and carry
him off to tbelr home. Girl babies
aro not such blessings, and tbe spirit
caro nothing for them. The earring
Is a feminine ornament and the spir
its know that; so tbe Chinese mothers
have tbe ears of their boy babes
pierced and put In huge earrings.
When the spirit are around looking
for boys they will see the earrings
and be fooled Into thinking the boys
are girls, and will pass on and not
trouble them.
Tims to Hedge Ills Wager.
Several turfmen were discussing tbe
sharp methods of a certain bookmaker
who adds to his Income by money-lend
ing, lie was conceded to be a bard
man to deal with.
"Hut I'll bet ?X0 that I can borrow
tfl.OCO from him on my personal recog
nizance, said cne.
'Doner' answered the crowd slmul
taneou&ly, and as be could only stake
one bet they pooled against him.
Thinking he bad a sure thing, he went
off with an accompanying committee
of two to sec tbe money lender.
"Mr. CaBh" (that wasn't hi name),
ho said, "these gentlemen have bzl me
Y500 that I cannot borrow fl.OOO fr.m
you. I don t need tbe money, but you
let me have It for a day and I'll divide
tbe bet with you."
Tbe committee gasped, but the effect
of the cool proposition waa unlooked
f.r. Instead of Jumping at the chance
Mr. Cash buttonholed his Interlocutor
and said:
"Did you make that bet?"
"I did."
"You bet ?500 Uiat you could borrow
money from me?"
"That's what I did."
Then" In a whisper "go and
hedge." New York Press.
A Slur on Kllta.
Worthy Scots are reported a having
no Inclination for lamenting tbe death
of Max O'llcll. The reason Is con
tained In one remark of a Highland
waiter, who had refused to serve the
Frenchman at table.
'It's no' to be expected," said he,
"that a self-respecting Scotsman could
serve him with ceeveellty. Did be no
say we took to tho kilt because our
feet were too large to get through
trousers?"
Little or No Hope.
She Hasn't sho given you the least
hope?
He I believe she has; the least she
ever gave to any fellow. Philadelphia
Ledger.
Freight Haul In Amerloa.
rr... . MMl.a.,a nt Ilia TTnlA.1 tttam
haul 1,000 tons of freight a year for
oner, emnlove.
Often the explanation has nothing to
do with tlio case.
matmr
... i,. ...hv
. i.oii i,rt. .ml .. It mint lu, o. be-
with cameras now as they used to,
--- , -' f :
BUTTONS GROW ON DU8HE8.
Nil ta Furnish llnur of These Needful
Article for Wenrlna; Apparel,
No, tho Ivory buttons yon wear do
not represent the dentil of an elephant
In the wilds of Afrlcn; your pearl but
ton were probably never nearer than
oil took them to tho shell of n Id
ol ve liiollusk, nml the probabilities
nre that no rubber treo was ever tap
ped to produce tbe hard rubber but
ton that adorn your overcoat, say
Popular Mechanics. Down In Centrnl
America there Is a fruit-producing
pnlm that ha quite metamorphosed
the button business nml formed the
nuclei for one of tho most Importnnt
Industrie In the United State. The
seed of this fruit contain a milk that
I awcet to the tasto and relished by
the native. The milk when allowed
to remain In the nut long enough bo
come Indurnted and turns Into n sub
stance a brittle ami hard a tlio ivory
plant. Most of tbe button now
used In America, whether termed
Ivory, pcnrl, rubber, born or bone,
come from this Ivory plant Thus the
probabilities arc that your button aro
made from a vegetable milk and they
grow on bushes.
The Ivor- plant 1 one of the mar
vels of the age and Is rewarding tbe
growers with vast fortunes. Tho nuts
nre brought to tbe United States by
the ship load nnd hauled across tho
continent to tbe big button factories,
from which they Issue forth In every
conceivable design, color, grade and
classification of button.
The Ivory plant baa recently been
discovered In California, but the nut
It produces In It wild state Is of In
ferior quality and will not mako good
button. It 1 believed, though, that
with tbe proper cultivation the fruit
would bo a valuable as tbe Central
American. If so, the growing of but
ton In America would become an In
dustry of Importance second only to
the growing of corn, wheat and cot
ton, for everybody wear button.
The best Ivory nut for commercial
purposes Is found on tbe banks or
tbe ltiver Magdalenn, in tho United
States of Colombia, where by some It
Is called tbe Tagua palm. The fruit
forms a globular head about twice tbe
size of a man's bead and weighs from
twenty to twenty-clgbt pounds. The
head Is a kind of cluster of bulbs and
In all contains from fifty to sixty
seed. Tbe seed are allowed to dry
and are harvested several time a year
by tbe natives.
Tbe Apparel Gazette, tbe great deal
ers' authority on everything that peo
ple wear, says: "The Ivory nut I
used almost solely In the manufac
ture of buttons, though some factories
also make poker chips from them. Tbe
nut however, has superseded the ar
chaic mud. rubber and bone buttons in
vogue formerly. It admits of wider
nnd more varied treatment for this
purpose than nny other known sub
stance and Is easily worked. The
United State consumes mora than
one-half of the world's product of
Ivory nut and nine-tenths of the vege
table Ivory 1 manufactured Into but
ton.
"When the nut reaches the button
factory It Is cut Into three slabs. In
the process of cutting out the button
Is partially shaped. Afterward tbe
thread bole aro drilled and counter
sunk. Tho button Is then sent to the
polisher, who uses tbe shavings and
powder made In drilling to polish
them In their white state. Afterward
they are sent to the designer, who
traces on the buttons in indelible dyes
the designs needed to make them
natch the various weaves, coloring
and textures of fabrics. After receiv
ing theso outlines. If the buttons are
to remain smooth and receive another
coat of coloring, they are put Into
dyes. If they nre to be stamped with
a segregated pattern they are put Into
a pressing machine fitted with dies
of the pattern desired."
STORY OF A GOLD PIECE
found In the Stomach of a Cod
and
Claimed by a Man tn Kansas.
Some few weeks ago A. E. Levy, of
C20 Broadway, New York City, went
fishing down at the Fishing Banks. HI
luck was not exceptionally good, but
when he reached borne and the catch
bad been cleaned he found that be had
broken the record. In the stomacn of
a cod was fouskl a $10 gold piece, with
two diamonds set on one side and the
Initials "P. C. E." on the other. Mr.
Levy wns so amazed that be sent tbe
storr to tbe papers, and It was copieu
throuchout the country. This he
thought would be tbe end of It, and
tbe matter slipped from his mlud and
was forgotten. But Tuesday of this
week he received a letter from Patrick
liTans, riuiuiuB m
10. Evans, residing In Kansas, wno
I claims the $10 piece as hi own, and
Mr . Levy w.l 1 surre nder K to b m. Mr
Evans In his letter tells the following
story:
I "I some days ago saw In a St Louis
oaDer on Item about your catching a
I codfish which when you opened It gave
up a $10 gold piece, on one side of
which was a couple of diamonds and
! on the other the letters 'P. 0. E.' The
' ln la mr nroDcrtv. Mr. Lew. The coin
' is valuable to me, for the following rea
'son: I was fool enough about Ave
l-mui-i nun tn en Into a 'wildcat' cold
mining scheme In Colorado. I paid tho
Dlper to the tune of $4,000 beforo
found out what J was up against Tbe
only thing I got out of the enterprise
was this same $10 piece, wnicu i uor
rowed from tbe president of the com
naiiy. a man named Harris Colby, at
Leadvllle, Col., having only a check lu
my pocket at the time and being shy
. t I . ,1 T .11.1
or reaay money, m ii uinru, i mu
i . , lt ., , ,, 4,,.
." cuauuc , "n
mlno busted up. So I said I would keep
tbe coin ns a warning to me not to
be played as n sucker by any man or
men who owned gold mines, Frank H.
Wells, a Jeweler, of Denver, Col., put
two diamonds In the piece, and also
put my Initials on the date side, charg
Ing me $30 for the Job, and I guess the
transaction Is still on his books If you
wish to verify my statement.
"1 wore tho coin some years, and It
mado good whenever I was tempted to
go Into some scheme tbat promised a
bunch of money for next to nothing
Invested. I was In New York on May
4, and remained over for some time
with friends. We wont blackflshlug
In tho lower bay, and I was hauling
In a fish, when somehow or other tha
chain to which the coin was fastened
got caught In the rigging of our stoop,
which Just then rolled, the chain snap
ped, nnd nwny went the coin. You can
t rove the truth of this It you will write
me, when I will write nnd send you
the addresses of wltiipftc of tho nccN
dent. 1 will nlso glvo you reference
of good men hero and lu Now York,
who will vouch for my buslnem nnd
moral character. 1 am Interested In
the nilt Industry of this town, nml
havo also mining and ranch Interests.
HIS NERVE WON.
How Yomijr Man 8ucceeil.il In Gala
ina I'npn'a Conasnt
As the young man entered, the old
man looked up nnd scowled.
"Well," said the old ninn, shortly.
"Your daughter" began the young
man, but th old man cut him off ab
ruptly. "I've noticed that you've been hang
ing around here a good deal," be said,
"I suppose that you've come to tell
mo that you love lur and want to mar
ry her?"
"No," replied the young man, calmly,
I've come to tell you that she loves
me ami want to marry me."
"What?" roared the old man.
"Sho says so herself," persisted the
young man.
"I never beard of such an exhibition
of egotistical Impertinence," nld the
old man.
"Then you misunderstand me," ex
plained the young man. "My asaertlon
Is dictated by policy and not by Imper
tinence. You see. It's Just this way:
What I want Is nothing to youj now,
Is It?"
"Why ct not exactly."
"I might want a thousand dollar,
but that wouldn't matter to you,
would It?"
Certainly not."
You're under no obligation to sup
ply me with what I want, are you?"
"Hardly."
"Then, what a foolish proposition It
would be for me to come to you and
ay, 'Mr. Parkinson, I have been very
favorably Impressed with your house
and furniture,' or 'I think I'd like your
daughter,' or anything else In that line.
But when your daughter want any.
thing If different. Now, Isn't It differ
ent?" It certainly 1 different," admitted
tbe old man, cautiously.
"Precisely," said the young man.
"She nnd I figured that all out very
carefully last night You see, I have
no particular prospect, and we could
both sea that tiere wasn't one cbanco
In a hundred thnt you would give her
to me. Ther she suggested that you
had never yet refused anything that
she wanted, no matter what the cost
might be, and that perhaps It would be
a good plan to change the usual order
somewhat. We sort of felt that tt
wouldn't be right to ask you to do any
thing for me, but lt' different la her
case, as" I remarked before. So I'm
here merely as her agent, to say that
she wants me, and that she wants mo
very much, and to ask you to please
see that she gets me. She never has
wanted anything no much as she wants
me, and I am so favorably disposed to
ward her, that, It you care to make the
investment, I shall be quite willing to
leave the terms entirely to you and
her."
Naturally, she got him. No wide
awake man Is going to overlook a
chance to get such a fine sample of
nerve In the family.
Bllraouloiu Vault In Dublin.
The most interesting placo of pil
grimage In Dublin Is St MIcban'a
Church, where the organ Is still to bo
seen upon which Handel Is said to
have composed his "Messiah." In the
graveyard is the last resting place of
Robert Emmet and tbe. vault of St
Mlchan's provides a more grewsome
thrill than the morgue. Tbe sexton
lifts an iron door and descends a few
rude steps carrying a light without
which the place would bo pitch dark.
You follow and find yourself in a nar
row passage, from which cell-like re
cesses belonging to different families
branch off. Whether it Is owing to
the extreme dryness of tbe surround
ing or to some mysterious property
of the place, the process of decay has
been arrested, and tho features of per
sons dead for two centuries may be
recogulzed from authentic portraits.
Here He the brothers Shearcs, who
were executed for tbelr share In the
United IrlBh conspiracy, Bide by side
almost with tbe Earl of Leltrlm, who
was murdered about thirty years ago.
Tbe Earl's ancestors for hundreds of
years back rest In the same vault
Perhaps the strangest thing about the
vault Is tho fact tbat, apart from the
weird sensation, there Is nothing of
fensive in the surroundings. London
Tattler.
Tbe Octopus.
The following pen-portrait of this
strange creature bas been given by a
recent writer? "Sometimes you will
see one crawling over tbe congewol,
changing from one pool to another In
search of proy; Us greeny-gray eyes re
gard you with defiant malevolence.
Strike It heavily with a stick or thrust
It open with a spear, and In an Instant
its color, which a moment before wa
either a dark mottled brown or a min
gled reddish black, changes to a ghast
ly, horrible marbled gray; tho horrid
tentacles writhe - and cling to tbe
weapon or spread out and adhere to
the surrounding points of rock; a black
Inky fluid is ejected' from tbe soft,
pulpy, aud shiny body, and then, nfter
raining blow after blow upon It, It
lies unable to crawl nwny, but still
twisting and turning nnd showing Its
red and white suckers a thing of hor
ror Indeed, tho embodiment of all tbat
Is hateful, wicked, and malignant In
nature."
Only One I'laoo Ibr Iltin.
Darklelgh Brown Br-r-, but It's cold.
I'm just dying to get to some placo
where It'll be really worm.
Letter Green Well, I can't think of
any quicker way to get there. New
York Sua.
A Change,
ller headgear now la strangely great;
It tilta snd veers In mad delight
She queries, "Is my bat on straight?
For If it Is It Isn't right."
Washington Star. I
Sometimes a bank cashier saves up
enough to pay his running expenses.
God will not glvo you power until
you havo somo purpose to hitch It to.