1 v.;'-;::':
HQ EH DOTS.
nrw.a jrcmria
II fmrniod bust to answer him. "Mon
sieur do Vleuzuo mid ltonuchftmp liuvo
full out," I replied, "ami unfortunately
Wis difference lius ended In a clmllcnKO,
yon uud 1 lx'1 riK nominated an Hcauchnmp's
seconds. When yon came In I was trying
to point out that, oh you are heir presump
tiVD to Beauchamp's estates, you could not
kt him risk his lite lu snub a way."
"I should have ttonght," remarked
Sracknell, coolly, "that a man from whom
aue has expectation) would have been the
man uf all others whom one would like to
see risking his life."
"1 doubt," 1 replied, "whether yon
would liko It under the circumstances."
"Oh, the circumstances, eh f And pray
what are they f"
"It is necdlws to inwnk of them," cried
De Vleuzac, before 1 could answer. "Mr.
liaynai'd has convinced me that I have
boen in the wrong, and I shall hasten to
offer my excuses to Mr. Ueauchainp. I
have only to add that If you consider your
self iu any way aggrieved by me, my lord,
1 shall hold myself entirely at your dispo
sition." "You seem to be Binding for a fight,"
remarked Bracknell. "1 don't know thai
I have any grievance against you; but I'll
try my host to indulge you by discovering
one."
The Frenchman bowed, pirouetted round
on his heels, and left the room.
"Now, Harry," said llrackncll, "per
baps you'U explain yourself. Of course I
sun guess what those two idiots quarreled
about, but it seems to ine thut 'Infamous
wretch' is pretty strong language for a
autious fellow like you to use. hetweeu
jou and me, what (lid you mean by it r"
Perhaps I was hardly JustlUed iu telling
him, but at that ntonieut I really did not
see for whose sake 1 was bound to lie reti
ocnt To my mind there was nothing ex
traordinary lu snch a woman as Hilda
wishing to got Heauchaiup out of the way
and step into his shoes. It has always
seemed to me that murderers are only re
g tied with greater abhorrence and pun
ished more severely than other criminals
bocauHe wc all have such a strong dislike
to the Idea of lielng murdered, and thut
the man who slunders or cheats me is
morally Just about as culpable as the man
who knocks me un the bead. Therefore,
when I hud related the events of the day
to iiradkneU, 1 was a good deal astonished
t the effect prodnced npon hlra by tny
narrative. He strode up and dowu the
room, muttering furious imprecations and
working himself up into such a state of
blind rage thut 1 determined not to let him
out of my sight until he should hare be
some calmer. If Lady Lrackmll hud
nuule her appuarance just theu, 1 don't
know what catastrophe might have hap
pened. But the storm soon spent Itself. Pres
ently he came and sat down beside me,
saying quietly, "That Frenchman behaved
suthor well, 1 think."
"Well, yes," 1 agreed, "I think he did.
Ee ts a gentleman, uud he will hold his
tongue; but i suspect that you won't see
nirti st your house any more."
"Hardlyl For the mutter of that, I
tliu'u't have a house much longer. I'm
Btterly smashed, and I suppose every stick
m my possession will he sold up. Her
ladyship will be a pleasant sort of com
panion to face grludiug poverty with,
won't she f i expect she'll go hack to her
tather, though. After all that has hap
pened, I don't see that I am bound to go
u living with her. Well, what are you
making grimaces at r You think it's a
cose of the pit culling the kottle black,
perhaps r I'm black enough, goodness
knowsl hut you yourself said just now
thai yon didn't believe I had Buuk to her
depth of infamy. I allowed her to have
her own way with regard to Beauchamp,
which, if you like, was not pretty beha
vior; hut she represented to me that the
young tool was mad about her, that he
would never marry Mildred, and that, for
poor little Bunulug's sake, It would be a
thousand pities to let that huge fortune
slip between our fingers. She didn't put
It quite so coarsely as that; she can ex
press herself lu a very pleasant and con
vincing sort of wuy when she chooses, and
I dare say I wasn't unwilling to be con
vinced." Bracknell paused for a moment
and sighed. "You remember what I said
to you the day my pour little man died,"
be went on presently. "I haven't been
able to endure the sight of her since theu,
aud I haven't cared two straws how she
amused herself or what her plots or plans
might be. It wiu all one to me. But I
never 8uspecUid her uf anything so fiend
ish as compassing a friend's death In order
to got hold of his money. No, by Jove! I
never suspected her of anal. I .shall tell
Beauchnmp alsiut It." i. '
"I think you had better not," I said. "
"I shall, though, "1 returned; "it's tha
least I cau do. If that doesn't euro him,
sothlng Willi and I owe It to him to do
my beet to cure him. 1 shouldn't ho sur
prised If he weut off aud married Mildred,
itorall." - .,-
"It woidd bo a fitting conclusion to this
highly creditable business," I could not
help remarking. .. I'biiuu you urge l4iuy
Mildred to accept hlra povf" ., s ;
"No," answered BnicknoU snorttj,' "!
ra not going to urge anybody lo do any
thing; they rimy muddlo it out among
them. As for me, about the best thing I
timid do would lie to put a bullet, into my
head. I am sick of all this!" .
Thereupon he got up and strode awny,
leaving me not altogether diasuttsnod with
my evening's work, v "Thene will at least
be no duel now," thought 1 to myself.
"Hilda's machinations have ended in a
oomplcte (lasco; aud. unless I am very mu h
mistaken, alio Is about to pass through tne
most uncomfortable quarter of on hour of
bar ill spent life."
Murder, the proverb If Ua lift, wfU out;
and although, of cuunfe, we do cot know
bow many murders have remained undis
covered, appearances seem to lend support
to the theory- lu like mannec, J have al
ways observed that anything jrc'tbe shape
of a scandal In sure to become public
nrooertv. however much it may be to the
interest of those concerned In it to Ipep
their own counsel; and a very comforting
thonght this should lie to the numerous
porsons who love a choice hit of scandal
above everything. That De Vlcuzac and
Beauchamp hud bad a mortal quarrel j
that they had been within an nco of slit
ting one another's weasnnils in the good
oldtoBhloued style; that tl.rv had only
been piieificd by the joint nations of
Lord Bracknell and the roi; cr's humble
scrvunt; and that a scene of i .ie most dis
tressing anil drnmatio nature hud taken
place subsequently between Lady Brack
nell and her incensed husband these
things were known all over the house be
fore I left my bed room the next morning;
and when 1 made my appearance 1 found
my fellow guests npon the tiptoe of joyous
excitement and curiosity. If they gained
no further Information from me, it was
not for want of asking for it; nor, I
imagine, would the appeased rivals have
escaiKid cross-examination, hod not those
gentlemen wisely sought safety In flight.
They must have journeyed up to London
by the early express together; and I
should much have liked to hear what they
conversed about by the way, but had no
opportunity of making inquiries as to that
until the whole subject had ceused to in
terest me.
However, that I may not seem to exalt
myself unduly by affecting a superiority
to tho weaknesses of my neighbors, I will
confess that 1 was most anxious to obtain
some account of the lecture which Brack
nell had doubtless administered to his
wife; because 1 thought it likely that this
nua oeen exprcssea in nne, xorcioie r,ng-
lish, such as one is always glad to listen
to in these days of ronndalsrat phrases
and involved construction. My hostess,
looWug rather hard at me, inlormedmi
that the BracknellB leaving that
morning; thut I was obliged to bolt mT
breakfast in a terrible hurry. For, after I
all the trouble that I had taken in the I
matter, I ahould have been truly vexed
hud I Iwen denied the sutlsfuction of ftee
iiig her ladyship's face before ithe de
ported. As it fell out, I was privileged not only
to see her face but to hear her voice; and
I dou't know when I have enjoyed any
thing more than the interview of ten
minutes or so which Ehe was pleased to
accord to me In the conservatory, where I
discovered her, A deeply discomfited
woman was she that day, and bitter were
the reproaches with which she assailed
me.
"This has been your doing from first to
last!" she exclaimed. "AU the misery
and disgrace l hat may come of it will lie
at your door."
And when I replied that I accepted the
whole responsibility and gloried in it, she
fairly lost her teuier a thing that was
not usual with her decluriug that that
only showed what an empty headed, con
ceited idiot I was. "You think yourself
so wise thut you must needs have a finger
iu every one's business. I should very
much like to know whom you fiat ter your
self that you have benefited this timet
Not your friend, Jim Leigh, at all events;
for, murk my words, Mr. Beauchamp will
go straight off and propose to Mildred
now. 1 need not tell you that she will
accept him. For nil her demure airs, she
know a the value of a large income as well
as anybody. As for me, you have cer
tainly done me an ill turn, if that H any
satisfaction to you--which I supjKjse it ia.
For the iat five or six years I huv shown
yon every possible civility; I 1vuve had
yon to dinnwr aain and again when yon
Lured me to UmUit .-md I have introduced
you into lots uf good houses which yon
know very well that you would never
have entered but for me. Naturally,
therefore, yon hate me. Why you should
hut Bracknell 1 don't kuow; but you have
very effectually ruined him. Alfred Bean
champ's marriage menus bankruptcy to
him neither mure nor less thun that."
8he munt have been very angry to use
micu cundor. "You admit theu, dear
Lady Bracknell," I observed, "that your
purpose was to improve the family pros
pects by getting Alfred Beauchump killed
out of the way,"
"X admit no such thing," she returned,
'and I defy yon to produce one atom of
poof that I wanted him to tight M. de
Vieuzac. I will admit that I tlirted with
him. if thut shocks you, you are welcome
to be shocked. It don't shock Bracknell,
who knew quite well what 1 was doing
and why 1 did it. That much he couldn't
deny last night, lu spite of all hie raving
and storming,"
'"Did he ruve and storm f" I inquired,
with interest,
' "Yes, he did. Tie aaid such abominable
things to me that I have very great doubts
as to whether I will continue to live with
him." -
"You will wait, I. presume," aald I,
"unt il you see whether there is any chance
of his having anything to live upon,"
Why this remark should have exasper
ated her I cannot tell; posstbly because' it
expressed nothing more than the simple
truth. At all events,, she turned upon me
quite furiously.: "Yon think It is safe to
insult me, do yohr" she cried. "You will
find yourself mistaken. I have a very
good memory, and am not likely to for
get what I owe your vJThje -day will come
whim you will be aorry for having med
dled with me."
'Tnat.daymaycpme; but it has nut come
yet.iiod I am still unrepentant, I believe
I am one of the very few people who cau
boast of haviug put Lady Bracknell into
a pinion.
, fclie uud her husband drove down to the
station together, but, as I understood,
parted there, her ladyship maTcingloj; an
other country house, to which she had
boen invited, while Bracknell went up to
London. Thither I also betook myself on
the following duy; and there, shortly after
ward, I reueivod a letter from my mother,
In which was begged to run down aud
see heri v . , v,;, '
; --''I am feeling ftneasy about our friends
at Sfciines Court, "she wrote, "aud should
be very glad to have a little talk with you,
IHte young man Beauehamp has arrived.
I fear, but am not sur;, that he has come
lor the purpose of redwing bis most un
welcome attention. '
"How this .bad belmvtor of the young
man Beauchamp was to to checked by my
advent upon the scuio4kl not appear; but
of course I hoatenedHo obey my mother's
sum mom, uid ou reaching my Journey's
end whom should I find waiting for me
upon the platform but Jim Leigh. He
said he had heard that I was expected by
! that train, and had thought be would
eomo down and moot mo, which was
highly Haltering.
"I've got tho dog cart here," ho added,
"so that 1 can drop you at tho house if
you like; hut don't you think a walk
would do you good, nf Ict being shut up in
that utility railway carringof The cart
can tako youe traps on for yon."
it was nntexocuy pienHinii. weiiMier mr i
I,.: l 1 .1 .1 '
wiitKiiiK, uic rmuis uuu iiiuun lAiitiif uuvtji
in mud, and a gusty wind having been
blowing nil day from tho northwest, with
occasional Blwwers of cold rain, which
seemed likely to be succeeded by snow;
but as it was evident that Jim had a great
deal to say to me, I would not balk htm
of hit purpose.
Tho upshot of what he had to say was
that he had been nnable to refrain from
avowing his love to Lady Mildred, and
that, to his unutterable Joy, he had dis
covered that his love was relumed. She
had, however, declared most positively
that she considered herself bound in honor
to carry out her father's wishes, shonld it
be in her power to do so, and I gathered
that the only thing which had hitherto
kept this luckless pair from breaking
their hearts was a comfortable conviction
that, after all, this wonld not be in her
power. Even Lord Staines who, in ac
cordance with the intention that he had
expressed to me, had remonstrated firmly
but kindly with his daughter had ac
knowledged that there Is no known
method of marrying a man who won't ask
you to marry him. "And I really be
lieve," added Jim, "that it Beauchamp
, , ',. ,, . , ,
lU,lu U"V,. J TT.T.-ta.Z'
j lMll ,t, bnve nad objec-
,n, "!e' , u jw.
"ln otJer w"rd,s' Ue f!
jw. lie wUl too "J"
Put UP with a of that Bum" 1 ob"
"JjS's, 1f ,
1 , i
001118 V .r:
t only a question of ln-
the debt that I have told
you about, However, Beauchamp has
come forward at last, and I confess to
you frankly, Harry, that I'm at my wit's
end. I don't see my way at all."
"Has Beauchamp proposedP" I inquired.
"Not yet ; but he may do it any day. In
fact, it. is quite certain that he has come
here in order to do it. He wrote to Lady
Mildred, offering himself for a week,
which he would hardly have done unless
he had meant business. From what he
has let fall, 1 suspect he has had a quarrel
with Lady Brncknell, and has decided to
cut himself off fnra her. Old Staines is
as pleased as Punch; he looks upon the
thing as settled. Harry, what the deuce
am 1 to do!"
"Don't you think," I suggested, "that,
under all circumstances, Lady Mildred
might be your best adviser!1"
But he shook his head despondently.
' 'She has made up her mind, ' ' he answered;
"she has no doubt at all as to what her
duty is; she is ready to sacrifice herself
for the sake of her family. But am I to
stand quietly looking on while this sacri
fice is carried out? That's the question."
'Obviously," I said at length, "either
the family or Lady Mildred must be sacri
ficed, und, all things considered, I think
the family ought to go the wall" -
"But she won't consent to that," an
swered Jim ruefully.
"Kxacflyso; and therefore I don't see
what course is open to you, except to
stand and look on. Have ywhought of
any alternative plan?" " '
, "None," he replied disconsolately."1'!
was In hopes that you, who' are so much
'sharper than i am, might able to sug
gest something."
1 was gratified by the complimeut, but
conscious of my inability to show myself
worthy of it. Certainly I could have de
vised several excellent schemes, but in
.order to work them it would have been
essential to nbtuia Lady Mildred s acqui
escence. W lint was to be done, so long as
tiie victim obstinately refused to raise her
head from the block? However, not to
discourage my unfortunate friend more
than was necessary, I promised him I
would think t4ie dilemma over very care
fully; and, either because drowning men
will clutch at slruws or because he had
really imsplucedoonlidenceiu uiy abilities,
this assurance seemed,, to eomf': him
great deal ' ' '
At my own gate, where he found his
dog cart waiting, he bade me good by.
"1 shall look you up to-morrow afternoon,
old chap," said lie- "By that time, I'll
be bound to say, youU have hit upon
some idea." lu which oversangulne an
ticipation he drove away.
And now it was that my dear mother
showed the siii-ited stuff of which she is
made. Not a word would she listen to of
my Bober representations as to the danger
of intermeddling with our neighbors' af
fairs, and when I was shabby enough to
quote her agtiinst herself, reminding her
that these things were ordered for us aud
that all was doubtless for the best, though
we, with our limited intelligence, might
not be able to see it, she became quite
angry.
"Another time' said she, "1 will show
you the folly amVViekedness of such talk.
For the present, it is enough to say that I
will not have my poor Mildred marked to
a man whom she dietests in puyiii&it of
auybddy' debts.1 ? "
."I don't think she detesta.' him," I an
swered, "but let that pass, ;Iiow are vou
gomg to prevent he' from behig hamled
Over to him F1.'
: Thereupon, to my utter amajment, she
Coolly informeft'me t-Un$ shf mended to
go up to Staiiies Court and boaroj.the new
Agamemnon ia his iton -As sho hud not
bet outside tha liimts of our owta garden
for a matuy of twenty years, and as tho
only cmweyuDcS Ihiit we possess is a two
wheeled pony cut it may be jmugined
how this proposition took ray breath away.
"Lord Staines, " she went on, -with a
smile, "Is too feeble to leave, the 'house.
The mountain will not come to Moham
med, so Mohammed must go to the mouu
tain. I shall write and ask him to send a
carriage for me, and you must hoist me
into it somehow."- '
0 Bl OOVTBVDVDj -r
Tbe Southern States produced boots
and shoes and kindered products valued
at $30,W2,600 laat year. ;
Stent have bten taken In tha New Jar
say Benata to regulate tha telephone
ehargas.
THE VaOCITY OF LIGHT.
0MMid That I Too rat for tlto Avatar
Ml ml lo Fully Comprehend.
If you could take all tho people In the
world t'nd set them out in space a mile
apart, like mi In posts aloug a railroad, aud
then at the fartluTpiid use all the dogs and
cats to extend the line of mile posts, you
would run fur short of material to mark
the distance nut to the earth's bnither
planet, Neptune. Again, if you cot. Id use
nil this materUl of men, women, children,
dogs and cats, and put them out so that
they would bean far from one another as
Boston is from San Francisco, your line
wouldn't be half long enough to reach to
the nearest star.
On a clear night tbe average eye will
readily see stars as tow as tbe sixth magni
tude. Such a shining beauty as Siriiis
winks st yon so an-hly that it seems al
most impossible that years are consumed
in the passage of its rays to the earth,
when we remember that light travels more
than 180.0UU miles in a second. Yes, if the
nearest of the beautiful twinklers should
be blotted out at this moment we should
still see It without the slightest change in
appearance two or three years after Chi
cago cleans up the debris of the World's
fair.
But even a star so far away as that seems
nearly within touching distance whea we
find that other stars, visible with the tele
scope, are so far away that, for all we
know, they may have been blotted out bo
fore Cain and Abel were born. That is to
say, if one of those far distant orbs hod
been utterly annihilated, as you would
snuff out a candle, when Adam and Eve
were enjoying themselves in the Garden of
Eden, the rays then starting toward the
earth, notwithstanding the awful speed of
light, could not get here in time to meet
the closing of the Nineteenth century.
How do we know that light travels at
such wonderful speed? Up to about two
hundred and twenty-live years ago it was
supposed that rays of lijjht from all the
celestial orbs passed instantly to the ob
server's eye. The old astronomers, in fact,
never took thought of the matter at all
They simply saw the sun aud the stars,
but they never dreamed that the rays from
them had to journey millions, billions and
trillions uf miles in getting to mundane
eyes. It was the great fortune of a Danish
astronomer to make the discovery that
light, as well as sound or a railway train,
requires a given time to travel a given dis
tance, Koemer, the famous Dane alluded to,
was led to hie discovery by observations of
the ecliphes of Jupiter's moons. He found
that there was a difference of several min
utes iu these eclipses, that they occurred
earlier when the eart h was on tbe side of
the sun nearest to Jupiter and later when
farthest away. With this data as a start
ing point he soon found that the differ
ence of apparent time resulted from the
time required for light to travel across the
diameter of the earth's orbit, about one
hundred and eighty-two million miles.
This time proved to be about sixteen min
utes, and as half that would he the time
f n mi the earth to the sun the mystery was
solved.
The accuracy of this calculation has since
been verified by other methods, and all
authorities now agree that the velocity of
light is not far from IttO.UUO miles a second.
It is difficult fur the mind to grasp and
comprehend such wpeed. The swiftest ani
mated thing is undoubtedly the pigeon,
which has been known to travel hundreds
of miles at the rate of fifty miles an hour.
A little arithmetical exercise will snow
that it would take a pigeon more than iJOt
years to cover the distance to the sun at
fifty miles an hour without a stop, and to
go as far as Neptune it would take the
bird nearly a thousand years.
When we want an illustration of speed
we often use the expression "Bwift as a
cau u on hall." But if you could fire a can
non ball to the suu when you are a college
freshman your hair would be sprinkled
with gray when the hail stopped, for you
would be seventeen years older than when
you fired the shot. Philadelphia Times.
Clergymen aud Humor.
1 asked a college professor this question,
"What are the element that maku Pres
ident a great college president?" This
blank I filled in with a uamedistingtiished
in academic annals. "The first element is
his humor," was the reply. "But humor,"
continued the professor, "is a pretty shad
owy thing to constitute a great college
president, isn't it? At first view humor is
a pretty slight foundation for a great repu
tation as a profouud scholar aud efficient
executive. But at second view humor is a
not unfitting foundation. Humor implies
sympathy with men, bigness of heart, ab
sence of intellectual and moral hysteria,
and a freedom or meaus of escape from
many of life's fretting cures and annoying
anxieties. If in my own work i should
prefer certain qualities to be superior to
humor I yet should regret to be devoid of
this sense. I wish that each of us minis
ters hud a large possession of this gracious
faculty. Our pastorates would be larger,
more pleasant to the church and to our
selves, and our nights would be less in
fested with cares and more filled with
music." Chicago Advance, j . ' t k
A Mew York fctory.
At a table crowded with journalistic
lights and "literary fellers" I saw a dark
eyed man, Ins face ornamented with very
black whisker who some one bohind me
told some one else wsa Washington Na
than, "Vou all remember the famous Na
than murder, over which there was bo
much -excitement and such a long trial
good many yers ago," this somebody ex
plaitiediuadiscreetly lowuredtoue. "Well,
sir, Washiugton Nathan Hthe sob ojf that
rich old man who was killed in his bed.
There were ugly insinuations cast about at
the time of the trial, but no tiling was
proved, aud when the great Twenty-third
street family mansion had boen shut up
sttificient length of time the heirs tried to
rent iu
The house wore a placard for a number
of years, but even the toughest skinned
man or woman hud a crawly feeling when
they went into it ami as it lay a dead weight
on the owners' hands tiiey put it up for
sale. A big express company bought It,
tore down the old house and built its up
town depot on tbe first floor aud turned
the upper stories into business omces.
where the ghost of mysteriously murdered
aid Nathan dare not penetrate.'"
TAMING WILD BIRDS,
JPflatlir(l Crattir'n Iro us flnncffptlbi
to KIikIiichs un I1, it man linlng-a.
When young I raised muny wild birds.
and us the time Ik cuning for their matins; -and
busy season for building aud rearing
their young it may give some young folks
pleasure to explain the method by watch I
was perfectly, suones-Hful.
I watched the nest of such as 1 desired to
gut until the young birds were old enough :
to feud and not old enough to fly or get
scared, 1 then loosened the nest carefully.
placed it in a tight cage near the bars,
with a ledge outside from which it might
be convenient for the parent bird to feed
them, The cage shuuld be hung in some
convenient place near where the nest had
been located, u a tree or hush, out of tbe
reach of cats.
At first the old birds are shy, and mam-
test their disapprobation by rapid darting
arouud aud scoluing in loud voices, yet I
never found them to desert their offspring,
but feeding them regularly. 1 would then
begin to feed them, too, with a liltieswee
biscuit, berries, seeds and worms or some
greenstuff. The old birds attended them
for a time, finally leaving them to my cam.
There is a current idea alloat that after
they find their young prisoners tbe old
birds poison them. It is not so, as 1 have
tested It thoroughly. After removing tlte
cage to the houso, the old birds having
ceased their care, I fed them in the usual
way, paying the same attention to clean h-
. and carefully giving them fresh war
ter for frequent bathiug.
I once raised a pet yellow bird, a lively
little feathered creature, about the size of
a canary and almost similar in color. Tbe
plumage of the male was of a bright yel
low color; wings, tail and crown black.
The plumage of the female was more of a
brownish yellow. They build their nest
in bushes of lichens cemented and filter
woven together, and lined inside with some
soft substance. They were very thick
around the house, as they generally are
where mustard seeds are plenty.
I learned to have commence in giving
them their liberty by accident. One har
vest day mother came out to the field ans
excitedly told me that my pet bird had es
caped from the cage., which 1 bad Bet in tha
window of an upper room. I came to the
house feeling mux, as a cluld would, and
found my bird perched in the topmost
branch of a high pear tree, gleefully enjoy
ing its freedom. Procuring a biscuit from
tbe house I called to It, and received its
chirping answer as it turned its head and
recognized its once master. ;
To my surprise it new down, perohea
npon my Bhoulder, fed upon the biscuit,
and allowed me to put it in the cage again.
After that I gave it liberty. Nothing de
lighted it so much as to hop out of the cage
on to my finger, fly to my shoulder and
manifest its great delight by stooping,
ruffling its feathers, spreading its wings in
quivering pleasure, and sticking out its
little bill to be kissed like a pouting chtta.
I had it in the shop one day, hopping
around, when it suddenly fell over as in a
fit, but recovered only to relapse into
another while on my shoulder "and died in .
my hands. I buried it lovingly back ef
the barn, with a . post for a head tone.
Nature's Healm.
, Talleyrand Meets Bonapart.
I had never seen him. As already meat-
tioned, he bad written to meon the oc
casion of my appointment as minister of
foreign affairs a long, carefully composed
letter, in which ho evidently intended f
should discover a different man from the
one he hail hitherto shown himself on tbe
stage of public affairs. On the very even
ing of his arrival in fans he sent mean
aid-de-camp to inquire at what time be
could see me. I replied that I wasrat his
disposal; he sent me word that he would
call on me at 11 o'clock the next morning.
Of this I informed Mine, de Stael, who the
following day at 10 o'clock was iu my
drawing room. There were also present
several other persons brought by curiosity. '
I recollect that Hon gam vine was among
them. The general being announced! went
to meet him. As we crossed the drawing
room I introduced Mnie. de Staei to him.
but he hardly paid any attention to ner;
he noticed only Hotigainville, to whom he
addressed some pleasant words.
At first sight he struck measacharnung .
figure: the laurels of twenty victories are
so becoming to youth, a handsome eye, a
pale complexion and a certain tired look.
We went to my study. This first conversa
tion was, on his side, without reserve. He
referred with much courtesy to my ap
pointment to the ministry, and laid em
phasis on the pleasure he had felt in oar
responding in France with a person of a
different stamp from the directors, :
Then, with scarcely any transition, he
said to 'me, "You are a nephew of the
archbishop of Reims, who is with Louis
XV11I," I noticed that on this occasion
he did not say "with the Count of Lille.")
"I, too," he added, "have au nncle who is
an archdeacon lu Corsica, It is he who
brought me up. In Corsica, yon know,
being an archdeacon is tbe same as being a
bishop in France." -. n,
T soon returned to the drawing room,
which was' now full, and he said aloud:
"Citizens, I feel deeply the greeting you
accord me.- I have done my best when
carrying on the watvniy best when making
peace, it is for the directory to know bow
to turn ray efforts to profit for the happi
ness and prosperity of the republic" ' 4 ;
Whereupon we repaired together to tba
directory, Talleyrand Memoirs in Geu
ury. . , . ; ? . 5 ..
. , '. I' t :
Siberia Not a Desert r J
It is a mistake to suppose that Btharia ts
a desert, or a glacier, or a mountain faai
ness, or incapable of being made habitable.
The valleys are level plains, and said to be
as fertile as the western portion of tha
United States, and it is not unlike tha
west in the variety of its resources in
minerals, timber aud in agricultural fa
cilities. It is a marvelous treasure trove
of stored up opportunities. Its wealth ts
practically unlimited. With the advan
tages of .railroad communication and tele
graph Hots a vast country is added to tha
world of civilization. The cultivation of
the land and the introduction of all tha
elaborate maehiuery of enlightened Ufa
will, as scientists depict, modify the rigors
of the climate, although in southern Sibe
ria even this obstacle does not exist.
i
Hartford Clobe.