V
XT W. jrOKLIS.
This proitoHwl borrowing of the enemy's
transport in onier to reach the battlefield
wan a stroka of hnmor which I appred
aterl, but I could not, of .course, sanction
H. It waa not, however, until I had as
aured my mother that she ahould only
leave the bonne over my prostrate body
that ahe yielded, with a very bad grace,
saying: "So be it, then; but please to un
derstand, Henry, that I aee my duty
plainly marked out for me, and that I
ahall not be tlrtorml from doing it You
must bring this Mr, Beauchamp to call
upon me."
When my mother addresses me as
"Henry," It means that she la In no mood
to be trifled wit h. Accordingly 1 walked
up to Staines Court the next morning,
aked for rleaucbamp, told him what a
pleasure It was to meet him again (a
pleasure in which he did sot appear to
participate), and mentioned that my
mother, who lived hard by, waa most
anxious to make bis acquaintance. He
waa a polite yonng man, and, though
evidently much surprised by this sndden
development of friendliness on my part,
lie made no difficulty about returning
home with me.
My mother received him In that bright
little upstairs sitting room where so much
of her life has been spent, and about
which there always clings a faint, old
fashioned smell of potpourri. She is a
very beautiful, refilled looking old lady,
and it la my belief that she is perfectly
aware of the fact I noticed that she was
wearing a little of the treasured Mechlin
lace which belonged to her great grand
mother, and as soon aa she opened her
lips I perceived that she had put on her
very best manner, which, like the lace, la
only assumed upon occasions of impor
tance. i j
She made me place a chair for Beau
champ beside her sofa and smiled gra
aiously upon him over the top of a large
fan, which ahe swayed gently to and fro
while ahe spoke. "It is very good of you,
air," ahe began, "to visit a bed ridden
old woman whotte conversation can. have
few attractions for you.' Indeed, I should
sot have ventured to put you to so much
inconvenience, had I not had a special
motive for doing so." j- -
tsarjpine lleuuchamp had never beard
anything like this before in all fait days,
lie was quite unaccustomed to being
called "sir" aud conilescended to, and it
evidently flustered him,
Wi, but yra really, you know, Mrs.
, liayuard upon my word delighted, I'm
sure!" said he, with ail tin gracetul
eloquence of the age.
"You are so kind.!' resumed mymotber
suavely, "as to any so, but 1 must not
flatter myself that your present here is
due to any other cause than to courtesy, '
which, as I have, always understood, Js
natural to you." $()' i ' ' t
She went on in this strain for some lit
tle Mine, gradually working up to her
point, and anything funnier in its way
than the contract which she presented to
her bewildered Interlocutor I have seldom
witnessed. At leuirth she shot up her fan
wMi' snap, uelsiniiag, more hi sorrow
than in auger: .: t-- ; j '.
"And can what I bear be true, Mr.
Beauchamp? Can it be lliat you, a gentle
man and a man of honor, are not only
forcing your attentions upon a lady to
whom they nra distasteful, but tliat you
have actually, made her acceptance of
your hand the subject of a pecuniary bar
gain with her fatkert"? ' j , '
He assured her earnestly that it was not
true; she had been uiisiufonned. Noth
ing would induce biui to force his atten
tions upon anybody who who in short,
who didu't want thein. "Aud as for a
bargain, there never really was any bar
gain at all ut least, not in the way that
you mean there wasn't indeed! I'm sure
I shall be only too happy to oblige yon,
Mrs. Maynard, if you'll tell me what you
wish me to do, and If yon won't be ex
cuse me quite spttwfullypolite about.it."
Thus adjured, uiy mother consented to
unbend and make her meaning plain.
Without mentionlngjiiu's name, she gave
It to be understood that, I-ady Mildred'a
affections were engaged; after which, she
discreetly inslnnuted that although, un
der such circumstances, Mr. Beauchainp
must feel that it would bo out of the
question to take advantage of her filial
submiwivenesH, yet, in some ways, too
abrupt a withdrawal on his part was to be
deprecated. n r - 't mm .
"lord Staines," suld slie,' "is o old
mop and iu broken health. From what
the doctor tells me, 1 fear that he may not
be with n much longer, and we should
all wish to sjiare liiiu, if possible, the
shock of a sudden djsuppuintuvent."
"I see," broke in ' UeiUichawp, with a
knowing nod. "After whut yoa've told
me, I wouldn't for the world marry poor
little Mildred, lu Curt, to tell the truth,
I never was very keen about it. And
we'll manage to humbug the old boy as
long as he lives."
My mot her drew herself up and looked
'severe. "You surprise me, Air. licau--jcbnmp,1
she said. : "Surely you do not
rsuppose that I mil advising a course of
'deception!" '
Here 1 Judged it opportune to put in my
oar. "Noiwdy," ijuuiu I, irom the back-"
'ground, "could suppof anything so un
warrantable. You will nut .be called upoi
to use deception my dear Bcauohuiup,
only a little diplomacy, a little tact" '
"Harry," anld my mother, am quite
ashamed of being so troublesome, but
would you miiiit going down stairs and
seeing whether my knMiug it in the 11
broryf If it is nut there it may perhaps
be on one of theclmir in -the drawing
room. Or possibly it may tiuv become
entangled in HaruliV skirts, as ,U some
times does, and beeusVept down, into the
kitchen. At any rule, i feel Sure that it
must be somewhere, V . ;
If there is one thir.' ft, which I am
more remarkable thtin for my humility I
suppose it is my oliedleiice. I waa absent
for exactly Ave aud twenty minutes, and
When I come buck to say t hat the knitting
waa nowhere to be found. I was sot at all
surprised to flud my mother tranquilly
vocupied with it, nor was there any need
to inform me that the two conspirators
hud srrlveu at a perfect mutual under
standing, i ...
Vpnu tbe morality of tire compact thus
emmtl Into 1 made no comment at the
time, and forbear from making any now;
but I will say fur my mother that she had
the gnu to feel thorough!; rfhamed of
herself, as was shown by tin' Shortness of
her manner during the rest t. the day and
by the vindictive determinate,.', with whlchj
she insisted upon readinga li ;ig sermon to
me and the servants that evening after
prayer, although it was the middle of the
week.
CHAPTER XVII.
If I were asked to mention the man of
my acquaintance whom I consider the
least fitted, by nature and by habit, to
impose upon a child of average acuteness,
I should unhesitatingly name Jim Leigh.
Yet such is the power of love, and so prone
are the best of ns to listen to casuistical
arguments, that be embarked upon the
career of duplicity suggested to him by
his friends with a readiness, not to say a
Best, of which he ought certainly to have'
been incapable. That he and Lady Mil
dred and Beauchamp were actuated by
the best of good motives in behaving as
they did I don't deuy; bin, aa a more or
less impartial looker on,' I, felt my sympa
thies veering round, while I watched
them, to the side of the unsuspecting
old man who was so completely taken in
by their maneuvers. Lord Staines, I be
lleve, looked upon his daughter's engage
ment as being to all intents and purposes
an accomplished fact He saw that she
walked or rode every day with her sup
posed lover; he did sot know that as soon
as they were ont of sight of tbe bouBe they
were joined by Jim, and that Beauchamp
then promptly hurried away to smoke a
cigar with me, thereby Interfering con
siderably with my daily labors. He seemed
to be satisfied that all would now go well;
but in truth the apathy which had fallen
upon him after his grandson's death was
hardly to be stirred by any event, great or
artutU. - i
One event, for which he, and indeed all
London, mnst have been fully prepared,
took place at this time and created no lit
' tie. excitement in the neighborhood; for
we do not study the "society" journals
much in our parte, nor does the gossip of
tbe clubs reach us, I say that tbe finan
cial collapse of the Bracknell establish
ment can have surprised no one who hod
lived in or near the fashionable world
during tbe foregoing year or so; yet, if
her statement waa to be believed, it fell
with all the cruelty of an .unexpected
blow upon the person who, one would
hare thought, should have been best
aware of its imminence. Late one even
ing, Hilda, bringing with her a stupen
dous pile of baggage, arrived at Staines
Court to cast herself, somewhat dramati
cally, upon the protection of the head of
the house. 1 happened to be dining there
and witnessed ber entry upon the scene,
which was of a nature to meit the hardest
heartJ IS a voice broken by emotion she
told her lamentable tale. She had so she
aasured us uo longer a home; perhaps
even she had no longer a busliand tot to:
Bracknell's whereabouts she was unable
to obtain any clew. On her return to
Wilton place, after paying a round of
visits, she hud found the minions of the
luw.in possession, and her personal prop-,
erty seized. "They have. taken every-"
thing everything!" she cried, "Even
my Bible and Prayer Book are in their
hands!"
: At this an unfeeling member of her
small audience hod the bod manners to
laugh; but she treated this interruption
with the contempt that it deserved, and
went on to' enlarge upon the- pitiable
plight in which she found herself. She
had nothing kit but the clothes she stood
up in those and a few others which she
had taken with her to the country. Not
a .word of warning, not a single direc
tion or suggestion hud been vouchsafed to
her. a After being neglected for years, she
was finally abandoned! "And now," she
concluded, in a tragic tone, "what am I
to dor
"1 should think," ' answered Lord
Stoiues, ratlter peevishly, "that you had
better go and wash your hands and face,
aud then have soniediuuer.' !
The advice was more practical than
sympathetic, but such as ft was she acted
upon it. She may have had some fear
that- .her father-in-law would recommend
her to go straight to the rectory (which
was certainly what ( should have done in
his place), and no doubt she preferred re
maining "where she was. to Keeking that
refuge. . .
Staines Court is a lurge house, but one
of its 'temporary Inmates deckled Without
delay that il was not large enough to con
tain him and Ijuly Bracknell at the same
time. "I shall be off the first thing to
morrow morning," Beauchamp informed
me in confidence, Hirer he bad beat a pre
cipitate retreat from the drawing room,
taking me wlih Win. "Called away on
urgent business, don't you Snow. That
Woman hue brass enough for anything,
hut I'll be bunged if 1 can tjust myself to
peak to ber." ' . .i
Beauchamp, who, ns I have already
toeutiaued, hud latterly favored me with
a good deal of his company, had, in the
course of our conversations, taken occa
sion to express hid opinion tjt Iuly Brack
nell in the riibst unequivocal terms.
There is no iconoclast wirntbless as an ex
devotee; aud. indeed, it must lie very un
pleasant to discover tliftt a woman whom
you have been disposed to worship has
not only made a fool of you, but done her
best to rob and murder you into the bar
gain, i ,'
So Beauchainp took wing; and whether
Lady Bracknell was annoyed cr relieved
by his thVht I cuutiot venture to say. She
was in some ropects so sharp and in
others so oddly )UspHlble that, for aught
1 kqovr, she may still have flattered her
self that she might e able to lure him
back into her net. pn that as it may, It
-was hardly to lie expected that her lady
ship's humer sbould'be of the best at such
jft time.' and from tbe assiduity of her at
tentions to Ver father-in-law, as well as
from the extreme amiability which the
displayed toward Lady Mildred, I felt
pretty sure that her heart woe full of
cursing aud bitterness. Also, although
upon the whole site was civil enough to me,
she favored me with. look every sow and
then, which I understood to mean, "Wait
a little longer, my friend. I haven't for
gotten your fussy interference w'ih my
schemes, inul 1 mean to be eveu Kith you
yet."
Now, so far as I myself was concerned,
I accepted these silent and smiling threats
with a good deal of equanimity, for I
really did not see how it was in her power
to do mo any harm; but of courae It was
open to her to inflict vicarious trouble
niHin me, while at the same, time, serving
Lady Mildred,' whom she hated, n 111
turn, and the stone which she ultimately
nicked uo. wherewith to slay this brace of
birds, was one which lay, so to speak, it ,
her feet It would have been very uume
her to overlook it; nor was I at all sur
prised when Jim sought me one day, and
Informed me, with a very long face, that
his mnchiuntlous had been denounced to
Lord Staines. j
"It was Ijuiy Bracknell's doing," lie
said, j "It seems that she went to the old
man and told him that she could not ber
to see him hoodwinked, that she felt 'it
her duty to open his eyee and all that
and kbi opened his' eyes. But J, don't
thinA (added Ujm' .deusively' .Jboking
dowrfMflife gwimd'and theW glancing
quickly up at me for a moment "I don't
think that her sense of duty had much to
say to the matter."
"I will venture," I remarked, "to go
along with you as far as that; I don't
think her sense of duty had much to say
to it But perhaps this is of no great con
sequence. What has been the result of
this timely Intervention of hers"
"Oh," answered Jim, with a slight
shrug of his shoulders, "the result has
lieen that I have been turned out of the
house. I couldn't expect anything else,
conld If What annoys me is to think
that I have deserved it Lord Staines
really behaved uncommonly well. Ho
sent for me at once and told me that I
hod been accused by Lady Bracknell of
systematically deceiving ' both him and
Beauchamp. He aia he thought I ought
to know what she asserted, though he
himself didn't believe her, and was sure
that neither Mildred nor I would take ad
vantage of Beatichamp's absence in the
way she described, i Well, of course, she
hadn't got it quite' 'tight; still, when he
put It in that way,' I had to tell him the
truth. I never Ml 4 email In my life,
and I couldn't get him to understand why
Beauchamp should have assumed a false
charncter. The end of it was that he sent
for Mildred. It was very bard upon her,
poor dear; but she came out of It splen
didly. 1 must say that Mildred Is"
"Oh, yes; I know an angel," I inter
rupted, rather rudely. "1 don't doubt it;
only, if I were in your place, I think I
should prefer her being a woman. Filial
affection is all very fine, but it seems to
me that, having made np her mind to
marry you, she ought to say so."
"But, my dear fellow, that's exactly
what she did," returned Jim. "There
Was no persuading poor old Staines that
Beauchamp wasn't in earnest, and he
wanted her to promise that she would give
me up. That she refused to do, so then
he said he was very sorry, but that, under
the circumstances, he must forbid me his
house. I couldn't complain of that I
said I was very sorry, too, which was true
enough. I sboiddn't have minded so much
if he hod flown' into a rage; but he was
ouite auiet all the time, and I'm afraid he
Was a gvotfdeal hurt, poor old chap! Mil? I
dred says be Is getting fidgety about
Brackuell. too. They haven't a word from
him, and the lawyers wrote the other day
to say that he had put his affairs into their
ban is, and that he spoke of leaving Eng.'
land. I voirl"r where he is and what he
Is going to dot" , .
! Hardly were the words out of his mouth'
when the door of my studft' where we,
Were sitting, was flung ojien, end la
walked Bracknell himself. He marched
straight up to Jim, laid a hand on each of i
his shoulders, and said: "Well, you deurt:i
solemn eld Jim, so you're going to have j
your own way at last, are youf About .
time, too. I saw Beauchamp in town,
yesterday, and he told me that it was all :
right between you and . Mildred. I'm I
heartily gbid of It": . K ; . ,
; it was the voice of the Bracknell of our I
school days tliat spoktand indeed when !
I looked at him it seemed to me that his i
eyes, too, bad recovered something' of
their old Iwyish. light, -'.'Give me a cigar, j
Maynard, ".sold lie, seating himself astride)
upon achair,'"aud we'll have jolly hour'
together, we three; it's quite'on the cards I
that we may never spend another hour to-'
gether; for I'm oir to the; Soudan to fight
those black beggars, who seem able to
give a pretty good account of themselves.
We haven't always been quite as good
friends as we once were, but that has been
my fault, and as I'm. going away now,
perhaps' you'll forgive and forget, eh,
iJitrif" - .
; Jim silently stretched out his big brown
hand, which the other took; and. fhnj
produced my best cigars and rang for
brandy and soda. But Bracknell declined
that refreshment. , , ? )
"No drink, thanks," said he, "with a
laugh. "I've given up drink; and eurds
and everything else that ought to be giv
en BP, and I'm going to be a good bfjy for
tire-future." ; ... ' : ' I -:
Jle was in wonderfully high spirits.' He
told ds how he hud discharged all his debts
of honor (which may have had something
to: do with Ills Inability to discharge ' the
others); how, by working his interest in
high quarters, lie had managed to get ap
pointed to some queer corps whetlier Jt
was the mounted infantry or the dis
mounted cavalry or the camel marines.1
can't recollect: and how he was looking
forward to a noble fight; "which, aiier
all, when you come to think of it, is the
very best use that a hulking brute like me
can put himself to." But ubout his wife
he said never a word; nor did either Jim
or I cure to bring forward her name, the
former merely mentioning that he ,hod
been forbidien to show himself ut Staines
Court, without specifying the origin of
this decree of banishment, f ; . v ,
"Oh, that'll be all right," Bracknell
said airily; "the governor will come round
if yon give him time. Now that the pea
lias gone through Beauchauip'a nuuf,
there's nothing but you in the race thai I
can aee?
. n
Mohimmed lniveda, Governor of the
city of Morocco, .' persecuting ths Jewi
of thAl fiftc in mon wDtrotu man
ner,
CO'MM-r CKEATUEES.
SHETLAND PONIES ARE RAISED IN
THIS COUNTRY TO SOME EXTENT.
Captain Turnitr'f Bunch of Lilliputian
Hnris ut Mtu-letta. Ho,, Ii Curio
tty Iuterentlng Fact About the tittle
Fellow DI Their Home. '
St. Imto comity toys claim to the only
brd of Shetland ponies in this part of the
Country. The owner of the herd Is Cap
tain ThoniHH T. Turner, and the Lilliputian
horses are a familiar sitflit to the many St,
Louhutns who have Visited the Turner
homeBtfiod at Marietta, near Normandy.
The breeding of the Shetland pony in the
United States has been brought about only
within recent years, and, though , it pays
well, the breeders are not numerous, and a
collection of the animaU anywhere ontside
a circus ia stilt a curiosity, Mares are yery
scarce, and buyers from the United. States
come in competition with the eager search
of horsemen from Scotland, Germany,
South America and even Australia.
The entire annual pony product of the
Shetland islands is estimated at about COO
head, and this scarcely supplies the de
mand. However, the business in the
United States has assumed such propor
tions as justify an association of breed
ers, and Captain Turner is on the list of
local vice presidents of the American Shet
land Pony club.
The ponies at Marietta live in clover
figuratively. That is, they live on blue
grass, and blue grass ia to the stomach of
the snaggy Shetlander what lark's tongues
were to Lucullus, On his native heath
unless he happens to be on terms of an
cestral equality with tbe Marquis of Lon
donderry's herd-rthe Shetlander has a
hard time of it. Like his hardy broncho
cousin of the American prairies, he must
"rustle" in winter, and under greater dis
advantages. - The barren Shetland islands
afford scant sustenance, and when snow
covers the heather on the hillsides the
native pony will not turn up his nose at
seaweed. ' '' '" 1
The Marietta herd was started in 1875,
when Captain Turner paid more attention
to farming than he does now. In that
year his first importationten mares and
astallion-were obtaihtkl through a Cana
dian, and later he purchased twenty-three
mora on board ship at New York. The
stallion that accompanied this second draft'
of mares was from Lord Londonderry's
Island herd and cost t&)0. Though 8 years
of age and full grown, he measured but
thirty-four inches. About two years ago
Captain Turner, having less time than for-,
merly to devote to the raising of blooded
live stock,' put up at auction on the St.
Louis market forty-two head of Shetland
ponies.
This sale attracted many people, who
were on the lookout for bargains, and who
expected to get' at auction for about
twenty-five dollars each ponies that
bad either commanded several times
that sum or were,, not. or. sale
at all.' U'hese bargain huun-r? were disap
pointed, and the owner himself was much
surprised at the result. Buyers had come
from a distance, and the average price paid
for each pony under the auctioneer's ham
mer was eSiw.OU, une spotted mare named
Queenette fetched S07, and the cheapest of
tbe lot was a, blemished colt that sold for
50. . . . ' .
There are now about thirty ponies roam
ing the wooded lawn at Marietta. Tbe
farm of some 70 acres is all pasture land,
but the Bbetia lids' stamping ground is
chiefly the seventy acres of shaded grass
surrounding the house. No lawn mower
or scythe is required to keep this lawn In
order. The ponies attend to that. They
eat close to the ground, much in the man
ner of sheep, and their constant nibbling
keeps tlie grans well trimmed. Concerning
their care there is not much tto relate.
Practically they take care of themselves.
In summer their only:foo4 ts the blue
grass. In winter they are allowed some
hay, which they munch at the stocks on a
bill that overlooks the Mississippi and Mis
souri rivers, and is the highest point in St.
Louis county. ' t ' ' 1
! Under these , conditions 'the Shetland
pony yields his owner a reasonable income
without any especial outlay beyOnd the
original investment. These ponies are not
aillicted with the diseases that make sheep
raising a nuisance, nordo ihey, like sheep,
fall a prey to.-savge dogs. The mares
rarely.; lail toj, foat, anil ihejfF offspring
when yuurliogs and f venie merit an
Tvorth from 75 to tlOO, while the spotted
mares und horses command 'twice these
prices. .'" : .i-U
The ponies in Captain. Turner's herd.,
though of fine extraction, We not conven
tional in appearance. ,Theifl, -manes and
tails are imt of that prodigious growth
which one sees, pictured in ! the qircus post
ers, but when groomed ,auti in working
condition for saddle and harness their as
pee&'uuUcrgoeH a Cuaiigo. Hounded up for
Iheitnspe.ctiqti of visitors, they are interest
ing In variety of color and size. Conspicu
ous in the "bunch is the lord of the herd
an albino stallion, regiuded as something
of a freak by reason of his unusual hue.
He was bred by JJitu Swigert, of Spring
Station, Ky., and only the brown tlpof one
ear mam the prevailing pink tint, The
coloring of the Shetland ponies varies
greatly from a very light fawn to brown
and black, aud the cream and piebald coat
are by some persons attributed to a sup
posed Arabian cross. '
When the Shetland pony was even more
valuable and scarce titan he is today there
was a con f uk) on of facts concerning bin
Identity in the mind of the public, aud
many fanciful thing found their way into
print about his origin, habits, cost and
disposition, lint the sturdy little fellow
Is better known now, and several herds In
Iowa already numbering from 60 to 150
head, will no doubt cheapen the pries of
this precious pet. As yet his rearing is
still looked upon hy some men of means as
a proiltable pastime.- McjKee liankin, t))e
actor, has a herd on an bland in New York
state, and Stilson Jlutchins, the editor, is
Stocking an, island- iu one of .the great
lake.t. umis Kepubllc, ' , 4
No Novelty for Him.
Triend Doctor, id youeverjlght adaelf
' Doctor A dueif No, indeed What bovk
alty would a be for me to kill a manh-Teias
$.fung&
TO THE IONIC ; PRIESTESS.
Ah. prlestMHof an unknown flhriue,
By what sutl proui'ss. ;
Host thou In Home Iihik bygone time ,
Lost thy iiroUwcis? . j -
' V WastlM'rebfinpaththattfrave.sweetbrow .
A month (or kinjsiiiK? , ' ;,,
A In el we cannot know, for now , ,:.. J:
Thy lips are mituiing. , r - (
I And yet a subtle, nameless grace
' Around thee linicenjf - f
, As there thou stand's, with tranquil face. ;
- Sans nose, Dps, HuKera.
The outline of thy matchless form, ;
Thy (trace revealing,
i Thy flowing draperies adorn ; .
Without concealing.
' Ab, could he look upon thy fate
: Whose hand once wrought thee!
j I And see to wliat a sad eBtate
The years have brought thee-' . ; S
1 For him would live again that hour
' I Of inspiration,
' I ' When burned his soul with newborn
power .
For thy creation; . r,
: And he would see thee now-as then
J , In thy perfection; ; i
Time's accident could not again
i ; , Mar recollection.
i MJrit.sh Museum.
1 i.l. : .Th Cm of' Cream.'
Very few housekeepers cfin realize the
nutritive value of cream, and under
stand its superiority to any ' other solid
fats in permitting the gastric juice to
mix with it in the most perfect manner,
and in this way aiding and hastening
digestion.' It is invaluable in the case of :
invalids, for itserrea as nutriment in a
very available form, .it is superior to
batter because it contains more volatile
oil than butter made from it It is fre
quently ordered .by physicians for per
sons consumptively inclined, . for thofie
with feeble digestions, for. aged persons,
and for those who suffer from impaired
circulation, cold feet, and who feel chilly
fomi want of nutriment..- um' ':' tv
j No other; article of food jgivesi snoh .
satisfactory results. It js, however, ex
pensive in. large : cities, and difficult to
get, fresh and sweet. pn a farm, how
ever, it can be had in its sweetness, and
it can be freely: used. ' Whipped, it can
be. served in dozens of ways, with fresh
or stewed fruits, as an accompaniment
tp cake, puddings, and. the like, while
Cream can be drunk nearly as freely as
milk. For; use in whipping it should be
thick and sweet, while for; drinking it
dan be used after the milk has stood, at :
the moBt, but a few hours over night.
Jjenneps Miller's Magazine. ,
j , An Unexpected "Water (scene. "
i The .installment . Heights; Amateur
Dramatic society recently introduced af
striking bit of realism into their.skiH- ,
ful rendition of "Engaged and Jilted.' ''''
! It will be remembered that when the1 ;
heroine faints and falls gracefully upon :
the stage the awkward comic servant is
required to seize a large pitcher from a
small table standing near R, 8 & and
boldly invert it over the prostrate lady,
exclaiming as she does so: "Oh, heav
ens! There's not a drop avwather in the
placer -r'-r '", '
This is a highly humorous effect in its .
way, bnt its side splitting features were
greatly in ten si tied the other evening
when, through some oversight, the
pitcher was half full of water when it
was placed on the table. " : -j '
I The proper cne was iven. The comic
servant grabbed the pitcher and fairly
deluged the unexpectant heroine. , -She
sputtered aud gasped for breath, and
waved her arms wildly in tbe air, and
utterly forgot to wait for the. hero's ar
rival before recovering from her "faint,"
; "Geewilliky! Kin she Bwim' called
out a small boy in the gallery, and theu
the applause was 'euiply. deafening.
tondon Tit-Bits. r; . FH
j ; ; , Great Britain's Slaves,
The English peop'le have always had a '
great deul to feuy alxmt $heir aversion to 11
slavery, but no worse system ever ex-
isted in the world than that which pre- ,
vails in some of the British colonies:
where cboly labor ia employed;- The ;'
CooM aw indentured in India or China
i that is, they are praoticjally sold to.the, , .
agent, yho sells them again to planters, i':
For a term- of years, usually ten. they j
become the slaves.'of the planters; for
petty offenses they are fined' until '"they 3
become hopelessly indebted to their l
owners: they are noti allowed to leave
the plantation ' without. a passbr if thoy )
do they are liable to arrest its runaways.. .
During the last fevy years parliamentary,
investigations have greatly reduced the'
hardships of the unfortunate Hindoos,
most of whom were drawn away from :
their native fund by inisrepresentatidnS, t
bdt much stilt remains to be done, espe- 4
daily-in;Hie mines of fionth Africa, be- u
fore the stigma of slavery can be erased
from the British ( empire. St.1 Louis !'
Globe-Democrat..1 . : y . . .
" Curloetitles About Language,.. r :j
Almost a third of the total population
of the globea round 4jtJ,UU0,UOO human
beings speak nothing but the Chinese :
and allied languages. One hundred mil-
lion mure speuli Hindoo only, and US,
000,000 speak EngUsh.'l The, Russian J
language is fourth on the list, being the
mother tongue of 80,000,000 people. The'
German is a good fifth 'and is Used by
07,000,000 tonguesv France coming sixth;
on the lint iu i which it was once first,
Spanish is used hy 48,000,000 people in'
Europe anu te three, Amencas.Hit.
bouts Itepubtyc. , ; , V V '
!"Tbe, father1 of Zwingli. th great
Swiss reformer, was a poor peasant, and
tne earliest occupation" :of- the future
theologian was the gathering of iUks .
in the forest for the family fuel, '