Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 April 1896 — Page 5

CHAPTER XIV.

Meanwhile Willie Snow had been hanging awkwardly in the rear, not decided whether to return to Hampton or stay and *ee the affair out. He walked a few paces downhill, and all at once encountered Gracious Me. Willie felt as if some gigantic toad stood face to face with him. “She ain’t much, sir,” he said, indicating Vanity with his thumb. “Your good lady and me’s been instrumental in finding of her out.” There he stood, with his swollen face and yellow eyes and greasy attire, touching his cap for reward, and looking such a model of shambling infamy that Willie’s face turned crimson with shame. “Look here!” Willie cried furiously, “if you ever dare to speak to me again- -I'll —l’ll—d’ye bear?” Gracious Me made no reply, for, reading the wrath in Willie Snow’s countenance, he hastily concluded that his time was at haatd and disappeared round the corner with remarkable rapidity, looking more like a f®a*3 than ever. Now, for the first time, Willie observed that a stranger was loitering about with an air something like his own—as of a man undecided whether to go or stay. As this man eyed Willie curiously and seemed anxious to speak, Willie, who, above all things, wished to avoid Vanity, turned about to the stranger: “Do yon know anything «f this extraordinary affair?” “My firm has reason to know a good deal,” the man answered. “We have lost property to the value of five thousand three hundred pounds in connection with it.” “Five thousand three hundred!” Willie ochoed, aghast. “What a sum of money, to be sure! Tell me, how is this young—person connected with it? She is not the thief?” “There, sir,” the small man answered, speaking, it seemed, for the detective police force and the plundered firm, “you have us. Up to last week we knew very little. At this present moment we are practically in the dark. If it had.not been tfor a cat’s-eye we should have had no light on the subject at alii” Willie Snow was quite staggered at "this. “I see that cat’s eye,” continued the man, dropping his voice to an awful whisper, “see it in a shop window near College Green, Bristol, set in diamonds.” Light broke upon Willie. The cat’s-eye was a precious stone, but as we are not great people for jewelry near Hampton, he had never heard the -gem 'mentioned before. “Near College Green, Bristol, sir. I was looking in at the window, as you might be, thinking of nothing at all, and I saw a stone which I-seemed to recognize. I looked at it, and as sure as I am standing in my shoes that eye seemed to wink at me. I looked deeper; there was the identical flaw far down. Then, say I, 'Land at last.’ We followed it up, and here we are.” “But surely,” Willie said, wondering what the answer would be, “you do not connect the —the young lady with that?” “That is the mystery, sir. This young lady and her father have been for some time traveling about, or, rather, going from place to place. The father, so far as can be discovered, is a quiet, good old man—fond of his church, they say, when* he can get there; and he has been known to ask if such and such a ministry was improving. (Steady, respectable old gentleman. And his daughter seems fond of him, too.” “Well,” Willie said impatiently, “what next?” “Why, sir, Wherever these two go—at least, wherever they have gone up to this time —a man has been observed to be connected with them, coming to their house at night—never seen by day—but evidently upon most intimate terms. This man -has been at last identified as a burglar and worse than a burglar; and the police believe that they are an the eve of one of the most important discoveries that have been made for years. In fact, England ■will ring with it —at least so they say.” “Look here,” said Willie, seeing that the detective moved forward; “they are going into the farm. I must see this matter out.” And in a strange sort of way, much like a walking funeral, the party moved on toward Tumbledown Farm.

CHAPTER XV. It was now plain that the detectives had taken such precautions that the escape of any one from the farm was an impossibility. Another officer in plain clothes had joined my friend, and two men were to be seen approaching the farm, carelessly as it seemed, but they, too, were there on business. All this time Vanity showed no agitation. She led the way with her swift, fearless step, and the detective looked at her with an admiration he could not conceal. The more sure he was that his man lay- in the house, the more he admired the girl’s daring. More like a walking funeral than ever, the party stopped as they got up to the door. Somehow Willie Snow felt a sickening at heart as he saw how the officers had hemmed the place in, and how serious and determined they seemed, as if the business might be death to one or other of the party. “Andrew,” the stout man said to the companion at his side, “you and I walk in. Now, miss, Igo first; you second, if you please; and this gentleman third.” Easy he and easy she. If the pair had been footmen with Silk legs and powdered hair, and she my lady, Miss Vanity could not have treated them with a more haughty indifference. And so they walked into the parlor, Willie following, like e man in a dream. There sat the old gentleman, with a tumbler of water beside him, and a newspaper spread open on the table, and he groping out the words and pronouncing them to himself, as I have noticed deaf people sometimes do. lie looked up at the party with great curiosity, and he called out: “Who are these people?” Vanity went to his side, and replied, in that high-low voice in,which we speak to the deaf: “No one of consequence, father; it is only the landlord ” The old man scrutinized the party with a penetrating air. “He must be a good landlord, if he comes to see about repairs before he is asked to.” The detective passed out of the room, pad Andrew with him. . Now, for the first time, Vanity seemed

to observe that Willie Snow was in the room, and she dealt him rather an imperious look, which made him very uncomfortable. “Why you come in here, I don’t know,” she said. “As you are here now, you must stay till these men have gone.” Willie stood feeling as he had never felt in his life before; but he could not utter a word, and Vanity returned to her father’s side. The Trampling of feet was heard overhead, as of men going from room to room, and two or three times there was a heavy sound of furniture being dragged over the floor. In a few minutes the heavy downward tread of the detectives was heard on the stairs, and the two men re-entered the rooifi, the chief looking puzzled aud disappointed. “I have made a mistake, miss,” he said to Vanity. “Fact is, I have been misinformed. I hope .you will admit that I have tried to make the job as pleasant as I could.” The detective, after one more moment of troubled irresolution, was about to leave, when his eyes were arrested by something which caused his whole face to light up. The room was papered, and right behind the chair in which the old Hardware sat was what seemed, at the first glance, to ! be a door, so neatly arranged amidst a flowery pattern that it was almost invisible. In an instant the detective guessed that there was a closet in the wall. Ho walked straight up to old Hardware. “Now, old gentleman, ‘found out’ is the word. Get up, if you please.” All the officer meant was that the old man should make way for him to examine the closet. But in this he made a fatal mistake. The closet, after all, existed only in his own imagination, and the clumsy wooden partition, which suggested the idea, was a partition, and nothing more. But he whom the officer addressed misunderstood the words, and in an instant the mystery was revealed indeed. Suddenly the aged, decrepit figure sprung up with the energy of a lion. He tore off his cap, and with that his spectacles and a wig and beard artfully made in one piece. There stood before the astounded group Vanity’s father, indeed, but not the tottering gray-beard that Vanity’s father was supposed to be. A man of forty-five or fifty, tali and handsome, of powerful build, whose face glared with rage and defiance, Such was the transformed figure which leaped out of the disguise. And Willie could seo even in this face, whose every feature was tense with defiance and animosity, a fierce outline of the irresistible beauty which, in the daughter, had taken a shape so entrancing. Father and daughter, they stood face to face, and the other figures for the moment seemed to sink into the background. Hardware concentrated all the rage of his expression upon his daughter, who seemed ready to swoon with terror. In her pallor he read the proof of his own furious conjecture, that his own daughter had betrayed hi™ Drawing a revolver from his breast, he pointed it at Vanity, and, with a terrible cry, discharged it into her side. The poor young woman stood erect one moment, gazing at him with a fixity almost as dreadful as his own; and he, as if he would answer the look, called out: “You have not deceived me with all your pretense! You sold me, you sold me! Take your reward!” And as she sunk down upon the ground, he leaped across her body, and dashed to the door which led upstairs.

CHAPTER XVI. What followed was dreadful Indeed. Hardware flung off the detectives with a fury which caused these two strong men to fall back like weakly boys. A narrow twisted flight of stairs led to the rooms above, and these stairs were shut off from the room by a wooden door. The fugitive opened this door, sprang through, and shut it upon himself with a crash; and they heard a bolt drawn. The chief ran outside, and shouted to the watchers that they must look after this windows, and then both set themselves to break open the staircase door. The big man hurled himself at it, and the old wood gave way with a crash, and through the splintered panels the way upstairs lay open. Above stood Hardware, holding in one hand a lighted candjp and a revolver, and in the other a hgge drinking glass. ‘‘Come down here!” the detective shouted. “If you were fifty men you can’t escape. Drop the pistol, and don’t put a rape round your neck for the sake of another quarter-hour by yourself in that room.” Hardware answered with a roar of laughter. “Come down!” he cried. “No, thank you; I am master here. Come up, you. The way is narrow, and you are broad enough. Still, if I take care, I may miss you; I may not make your wife a widow; come along and try.” The detective was meditating how he could break his way through, or whether he could coax his man down, when Hardware, having drained his tumbler, hurled it savagely at the offioer. Quick as the detective was, he saved himself only by a hair’s breadth as it shivered upon the floor. 'Tour health for forty years!” roared Hardware, with his diabolical laugh, “and after that your lifetime! Walk upstairs and have a chat with the old man!” In the moment while the officer drew back Hardware must have carried out his awful scheme, for when the detective looked up the stairs again all was raging flame. Hardware had deluged the place with paraffin, or some other inflammable liquid of the sort, and had set the whole on fire. At the top he stood as before, looking now like some gigantic fiend. “Come up to the madman’s room!” he yelled again. “Hot flame, cold lead! all ready! Up to the madman’s room!’* Another roar of laughter came from above, and then they heard another loud crash, the meaning of which was evident the next instant. Hardware must have thrown a great glass vessel down the stairs, filled with paraffin, for immediately after the crash a stream of liquid flame ran out into the room. Another crash followed, and another, and now the room began to swim in fire. Until this moment, no one thought of wounded Vanity; and there she lay on the ground. But now the flame, running across the floor, had just set fire to her dress, when the detective caught her up in his arms and dragged her out of the honor

And M sooner were thy In tfc* JTtTH garden, than Hardware .long open the window and glared out Bpoi the group with a face from which every expreonion except triumph, defiance and hatred had vanished. He held his revolver in his hand. “Fire chambers!” he shouted out, “and only one wanted within door. Which shall I have first?” He glared round wildly, and saw Gracious Me, and his face lit up with a diabolical recognition. “Ah, my friend! my little friend Peeping Tom! Why not begin «ith Peeping Tom? Let the ugliest in the company be helped first.” He pointed his revolver at wretched Gracious Me, who was too frightened to ran away, and fell on his knees pleading for life with fearful energy. Crack went the pistol, and down, without a sound, dropped little Gracious Me; and then, from the angle of the house, they heard a yell of rage from Hardware, for, in that instant, his other victims had got out of reach; and the smoke began to roll out in volumes, and in less time than it takes to pen these lines the whole of old Tumbledown Farm was in flames. Hardware’s plans were all laid long before. It was plain that the man was resolved never to be taken alive. Within the most profound silence prevailed. None was able to tell whether or not Hardware had fire’d another shot. He may have done so, but the last that was ever seen or known of him was when he discharged his revolver at Gracious Me. The detectives made some pretense of trying to enter the burning house, but they soon abandoned the attempt. Willie Snow dashed down the hill to Hampton for assistance, but what was assistance good for? Why, in ten minutes somebody whispered with ashen lips that the fire was going out! (To be continued.)

AN UNENVIABLE LOT.

The Life of a Missionary in China Far from Pleasant. The lot of the missionary in China, particularly the zealous minister of the gospel, who wanders away from the beaten paths and Into new territory, is far from pleasant. It is a most dangerous proceeding, for in the localities of the recent massacres the minds of the ignorant Chinese have been poisoned by the reports clrculatedby designing officials, aud a portion of the population is decidedly opposed to the presence of the Christians. All sorts of stories are told of the cruelties practiced by the missionaries and every little while this hatred, fanned to a flame, breaks out and several missionaries aud their families are persecuted. Sometimes they escape with tlieir lives and only their property is destroyed, but it not infrequently happens that there Is considerable loss of life, as in the recent cases. Then there is a great hue and cry and the United States government and other powers are denounced for not sending a fleet of warships to the scene, regardless of the fact that the scene of the disturbances are always hundreds of miles inland, far from the coast and navigable rivers. To send a land force would only mean the addition of so many more victims to the already long list. For the United States to send a force of men to- the locality where the last massacre occurred would be about as reasonable as It would have been for the King .of Italy to have ordered a force to march from New York to Colorado, where there were a number of Italians killed hy a mob a few months since. , The missionaries are themselves largely to blame for being in such an exposed position. The Chinese government lias repeatedly warned them to work only in partially civilized regions where they can be properly protected. But the progressive missionary does not want his field of labor limited in the East, and the consequences are that many of them have gone into a territory peopled largely by savages, who, although they are under the rule of the Emperor of China, pay him but slight allegiance. These savages are continually breaking out Into riotous proceedings and the life of the officials is made very wearisome, especially since It means that the viceroy is likely to be shorn of his raiment and also his head, should any missionaries be killed and the oountry from whence they came make a very great noise over the affair.

Impartial.

A remarkable instance of the impartial administration of justice is said to have occurred some years ago In a court of Texas, when a young Mexican, charged with having stolen a pistol, was arraigned. He proved beyond all doubt that the pistol was his own, and that it had been in bis possession long before the alleged theft occurred, The case went to the jury at 13 o’clock, the usual hour of adjournment, and the jury, who did not wish to be kept until the court opened again &1 3 o’clock, hurried to give in their verdict. The foreman, who had been reclining in a peaceful attitude suggestive of slumber during the hearing, turned to his companions, saying: “Well, boys, what do you think?" Hadn’t we better give him two years?" “All right,” responded a juryman, “Put him through, or the judge will adjourn.” “Go ahead,” said another. “We don’t want to stay here until 3 o’clock. Hurry up!” “But Is he guilty?’ queried a thoughtful old gentleman. “Well,” exclaimed the foreman, aftei a stare of astonishment at this view of the matter, “if you think he ain’t guilty, let’s clear him!” A verdict of “Not guilty!” was speedily rendered, and the jurymen cheerfully repaired to the noontide meal.

Men as Lovers.

“If only men would realize that the material side is what we girls care the least for,” writes Miss Lilian Bell in the Ladles’ Home Journal. “Pray don’t think, just because you have built us Colonial houses, and have our clothes made for us, and never allow butchers’ bills to annoy us, that you have done your whole duty by us. It uever occurs to most of us, who have these near American men for lovers and husbands, that we could ever really get cold or hungry. You would have a fit if you thought anybody belonging to you didn’t have all the clothes they wanted and the best the market affords. Bat you think It Is a huge joke when we say that we are mentally cold, and hungry a good deal of the time, and that yon are a storehouse with all that we need, right within your hearts and brains, only you won’t glva It to .is."

NOTES AND COMMENTS.

Free Cuba will be prosperous and progressive Cuba. Spanish Cuba Is never likely to be either prosperous or progressive, seuteutiously observes the New York World. A chorus of 4,000 voices is now in process of organization at Washington to form the leading musical feature of the National Christian Endeavor Convention there in July. This chorus is to be known as “The ’O6 Convention Chorus.” Newspaperdom is fairly well represented in the United States Congress—by those engaged in makng law as well by those whose duty it is to report the proceedings of the lawmakers. There are twenty-seven editors, nine who have been engaged in the profession at one time, and tour others who followed the printer’s calling in former days. As soon as it seemed likely that the newly discovered Rontgen rays might prove to be of value to the medical profession experiments were begun by many physic-inns and photographers with a view to determining the uses and limitations of the rays in surgery. The results in many cases have shown that the profession will reap great benefit from the X rays, especially in the direction of surgical diagnosis. The French Government's new budget shows that a step has been taken in the direction of State socialism. Six hundred thousand fraues have been voted to societies for the sick and aged, and 400,000 to societies for the relief of children. This foots up a million francs, the same sum voted to the missions that will represent France at the coronation of the Czar, as the previous vote of 975,000 francs has been increased. The followers of Mcnelek, King of Shoa, while not so large as the llereo Zulus are about the toughest wurriors in the world. They do not know physical fear. A New York Press writer has seen a man jab a burnt stick several inches in his flesh without wnclng. This apparent insensibility to pain Is accompanied with a religious frenzy In battle that renders the soldiers unconscious of bodily harm. They have no fear of death and their happiness Is to kill. A curious application of the Rontgen rays has been made in France by Professor Buguet, of Rouen, and the chemist, M. discard. They took true and false diamonds for the experiment, and obtained entirely different results. When tlte rays were applied to the false diamonds only indistinct images appeared on the photographic plates. The real diamonds, however, allowed the rays to pass, and as a result, much darker pictures were produced on the plates. Thus a certain method of discovering the quality of diamonds is assured. The attempt of the Italians to get possession of Abyssinia is not colonization at all, even if it succeeds, but conquest. It may not succeed. The population is only about three or four millions, but when a population of that size puts 100.000 fairly armed troops into, the field in tlieir own country, they’re hard to beat. The Abyssians live in the mountains and love liberty. The height of their land keeps it cool and healthy, even under the equatorial sun. They are racially mixed. Some of them are descended from the old Coptic kings and from the Phoenicians, who once ruled all the Mediterranean. Others are the ordinary Ethiopians. According to the New York Times, which prints a partial list of them, with tlic names of their owners, the number of their occupants and their street numbers, so far as they have any right to have such a number, there are about 2,500 rear tenements in New York city, occupied by over 50,000 people. These, snys City und State, are peculiar breeding places of disease aud crime. The law now forbids the building of any more of these rear or back lot houses, but the real problem is how to get rid of those now In existence. They are a terrible menace to the health and well-being, physical and moral, of the great city wherein they are found.

“A good many of the ignorant country people in Spain,” says The Boston Transcript, “are very much more courteous to Americans than to English people, for the curious reason that they consider them subject also to the crown of Spain. It lias been found in out-of-the-way villages near Gibraltar especally, where the English occupation of that fort is still looked upon as a temporary and offensive intrusion of foreigners on Spanish soil, that the whole .tone of the people will change when it is found that a tourist Is not English but American. ‘Ah, I have a brother in Havana,’ a grim-browed villager will say, with an inflection that implies that his American interlocutor must of necessity be from Cuba too.” Never let y-our passions get the better of your judgment. The following story will explain the propriety of this advice; A German farmer took a load of potatoes to the city to sell them. The Jobbers offered him seven cents a busheL That made him mad. So he drove down to the river front, backed his wagon into the water, pulled out the back board and dumped the whole load Into the stream. Now, while this relieved the farmer of his wrath, likewise his team of their load, and made it unnecessary to haul the potatoes back many miles to his farm, the act of depositing vegetable matter in the river was in violation of a city ordinance. The farmer was arrested and fined sls and costs, and wont home a wiser man. Dr. W. 11. Dali, a member of the party of scientific men recently sent to Alaska to investigate the mineral resources of the country, has prepared a report on the subject, which will soon be published by the Geological Survey. Dr. Dali says that many valuable and extensive seams of coal exist about the harbors in Cook’s inlet and elsewhere, so that it is easy to mine enough to run a steamer In a few minutes. The Alaskan coal is what is known as the brown variety. Its color is not brown, but when scratched it exhibits a brown streak. The finer qualities of tbls coal are much like anthra-

cite and the broken edges are brilliant. The difference between the brown coal and the anthracite is that the former has a larger per cent, of volatile matter. Dr. Dali says that there Is a great Held for a mining company, for the cost of transportation from the mines to the steamers would be very small on account of the nearness of the mines to the coast. The seventy-two races inhabiting the world communicate with each other in 3.004 different tongues, and confess to about 1,000 religions. The number of men and women is very nearly equal, the average longevity of both sexes being only thirty-eight years, nlxiut ouetlilrd of the population dying before the age of seventeen. Moreover, according to the most careful computation, only one person in 100.000 of both sexes attains the age of one hundred years, and only 6t07 in 100 the age of sixty. The total population of the earth is estimated at about 1,200,000,000 souls, or whom 32,214.000 die annually—l. e., an average of 98.848 a day, 4,020 an hour, and 07 a minute. The annual number of births, on the other hand, is estimated at 30,792,000—1. e., an average of 100,S00 a day, 4,200 an hour, and 70 a minute. Generally, taking the entire world, married people live longer than single, and those who have to work hard for their living longer than those who do uot, while also the average rate of longevity is higher among civilized than uucivilzed races. Further, people of large physique live longer than those of small, but those of middle size beat both. The amount of money handled by the Post Office Department in its money order business last year amouuted to nearly $325,000,000. The Government allowed postmasters fees aggregating $450,<X)0 on domestic and $3,000 on international business, and their incidental expenses were $148,000. The Government lost $14,000 through lost remittances and burglaries and SIB,OOO through bad debts. And still the money order business paid a uel profit of $812,000. Twenty-two million people bought domestic money orders, and nearly a million people bought Internationa* money orders. The people of New York State shipped $13,000,000 through the Post Office department the people of Pennsylvania, $10,000,000; the people of Illinois, nearly $11,000,000. The people of the United States shipped more than $4,500,000 to England through the Post Office department; and more than $2,500,000 to Germany. Altogether the people of this country sent nearly $13,000,000 abroad by postal order, and received less than $0,000,000 through the same channel. But It Is worthy of note that we sent nearly a million dollars less abroad last year than we did tne year before.

PIRACY STILL EXISTS.

In the Chinese Seas the Old Trade Has Many Followers. In the Malay Peninsula piracy has decreased considerably since the ex pc, ditlon of twenty years ago, but Perak, Sanlangore and Uamliow still distinguish themselves now and again by a little undisguised business of this kind. In China the two great hot Ikmls of buccaneers are the places which have been celebrated In this direction for centuries—Amoy and Canton. The Amoy i>eopie proper, who speak the Amoy dialed; and live in the walled city, are very’ quiet, peaceable and orderly and have a pronounced antli*atliy for lighting, whether on sea or shore. But back of Amoy is the mounts nous district of Tongan. It Is connected with the ocean by many arms of the sea. Its soil is sterile and Its resources are very few; its people, like nil mountniners, arc thin, muscular, brave and resolute. Even to-day they preserve ti semi-indopendemoe of a military nature. Tbsse are the gentlemen who make' their living by piracy. They and the men of Canton have learned wisdom by experience. They wo longer cruise the wide seas, attacking any craft that may come along. There are too many gunboats patrolling the coast—too many rifled guns and too many yard arms. Daw and order, in the past halfeentury, have shot, hanged, drowned, blown up or burned at least 100,000 followers of the “black flag.” To-day the work Is done u]K>n a smaller, but a far shrewder and safer, basis. They keep spies at various places in their ueighlK>rbood,who report to headquarters whenever some junk 1b about to leave that lias a rich cargo or carries a large amount of money. Along with this goes the Information of who commands the bout, how large a crew it carries and how it is armed. The pirates then plan to Intercept the craft in some river or arm of the sea, or else in some shoal water near the coast, where there is no chance of meeting a gun!>oat, and where, after the robbery, they will have a safe means of escape. Their calculations are carefully made hut come out right only once iu four or five times. It nmy be that a foreign or Chinese gunboat suddenly appears upon the scene. It may lie that the Junk they are after goes past their rendezvous with a European steamer or a river launch, or mayhap the prospective victim Is delayed by adverse winds and tides, and so does not appear at the time and place figured upon. When they do make a capture they are not so brutal and cruel as in the old years. For the rest, any one who knows China and the Chinese will not need ttt be told that the booty is easily disposed of without risks or questions asked.— Pall Mall Gazette.

A Marked Penny Turns Up.

In 1858 C. I’. Bateman, then living in Minerva, Ky„ cut his initials on a 25cent piece ,an<l carried it for a pocketpiece for a year or two. Then he parted with it. Last week Capt. Monroe Bateman, of Columbia, Mo., a brother of C. P. Bateman, received the 25-cent piece in change from a neighbor living in that place. He is sure it is his brother’s old pocket piece, because he remembers when the letters were cut in the coin, atjd various peculiarities about their form and position.- "

She Saw Napoleon.

A Polish woman, 104 years old, who saw the march of Napoleon and his army into Russia in 1812, and the terrible retreat of the survivors, is living at Shaiiaokin, Penn. She is very feeble, and came near being burned to death last week, when her bouse caught lira.

ISLAM’S HOLY COAT.

Relic Which is Exhibited to the Faithful Once Every Century. The Holy Coat of Mohamet, which ia exhibited for the adoration of the faithful once every hundred years, according to the tradition was presented by the Prophet to a Yemen dervish. Wiis-ol-Karani, as a token of gratitude for his services In discovering the use aml preparation of coffee, is a kind of “chukva.” or robe, with flowing sleeves somewhat similar to Western dressing gowns, which is worn iu the Levant liy those whom foreigners are aeeustomiMl to designate ns Turks of the old school. It is needless to add that its color is green—the hue altove all others sacred to the Prophet. The extent to which the garment is venerated by all true believers may be estimated by the fact that the principal and most cherished title of the Kultan is that of “Hndum-ul-Haremeen,” or Guardian of the Holy Relie.” The latter was brought to Constntlnople by Sultan Selim I, along with the keys of the holy cities of Mecca nml Medina, from Cairo, where they had been preserved Until tlint time in the keeping of the Caliphs. The shrine In which it was placed by the Kultnu Selim, and where it lias remained ever since until tills day, is within tlie precincts of the Imperial Treasury at Gulehane. It was thither that the present Sultan of Turkey betook himself in state recently. lie was seated alone on the back seat of his carriage, and facing him was old Osman Gliazl I’aca, the hero of Plevna. Alighting at the Bub-ul-Snida, *>r Sublime Porte, he, with his own bauds, unlocked, by means of a massive golden key, the silver grating or cage which protects the Holy of Holies from Intrusion by the profane. With another key of the same precious metal, he proceeded to open a huge cupboard or box compost'd of the purest ami most massive gold, and to extract therefrom a bundle, which he placed on a silver table of great beauty. One by one tin* Sultan removed the forty outer cloths lu which the Holy Coat was wrapped up, until the lust but one was reached. That latter consisted of some thin, transparent kiml of gauze, and is left Intact; for no mortal eye may Im>hold or human lips touch the snored relic unshrouded. Reverently, and with every token of the utmost veneration, the Sultan bent and kissed the dingy looking bundle, his example being followed by tlie Shlek-ul-lslam, the Grand Vizier and the various chief dignitaries of the realm, according to their rank, (luring which time the verses of the Koran were chanted by thcplemn. Subsequently all the men withdrew, and under the guidance of Ids Highness, Ynver Aga, the grand eunuch of the Imperial seraglio, the Valide Sultana, or mother Empress, along with the various wives of tlu* monarch and princesses of the family, appeared upon the scene and likewise paid their respects to the Holy Goal. As soon as they had closed their devotions and departed, the Sultan carefully wrapped up the bundle again In the niue-uml-tldrty wrappers which he lmd removed, after which he replaced It In Its golden cupboard, locked It. as well as Its silver cage or grating, and returned to Ids palace at Ytldlx Kiosk between a double line of troops, who kept a path open through the vast-multitude of people for the imperial procession. In the eveulng the Sultan sent to all those who had Is'cn present at this ceremony small white cambric handkerchiefs with the verses of the Koran embroidered on them, which had been specially consecrated at Mecca for the purpose. Resides this, splendid presents were made by the Padishah *to the Shlef-ul-Islum, the primate of the • Turkish Church, nnd iilho to Yavor Aga, a coal black and gigantic negro, who Is addressed as “Your Highness" and ranks with the Grand Vizier and bears the title of “I)ar ill Sadr Aghassl,” which, rendered in English, menus, “he whose post is behind the door of the sunctuary of bl'iss." The Grand Vizier and the Ministers also received tokens of Imperial good will in the slini>e of Jewelry nnd decorations.—New York Tribune.

Bet His Whiskers.

William Sells has deserted the circus business to go Into the theatrical business. He now manages a New York theater, but he likes to tell of the old show dnys. lie lmd In those days a partner known familiarly as "Jim" Hamilton. Hamilton had a black, bushy beard—hair that would have driven Paderewski Into seclusion—anil a general Intellectual air. One night some one suggested that Hamilton would look better If he would shave off Ills whiskers. Hells, who knew of Hamilton’s fondness for Ids whiskers, offered to bet $25 that Hamilton wouldn’t shave! Hamilton, who was present, replied, “I will t:>k» that bet." He did, and a barber was sent for. Hamilton submitted quietly to the operation. Then he asked gently If Hells would bet SSO he wouldn’t have his hair cut. Sells said he would. Hamilton took it, and then lmd his hair trimmed until he looked like a convict. When lie got all through lie said, musingly: “I have been intending to shave and clip my hair but this makes it easier.” Sells did not hear until later that it was all a put-up job, and that Hamilton had a habit of letting his hair aud beard grow to such proportions Just to get some one to bet him that he wouldn’t shave.—New York Tribune.

Fed by Hawks.

A group of men in a Washington hotel the other night were talking about lazy people, when one told an anecdote that broke up the meeting. The relator, observes the Star, said that a family of ills acquaintance living in southern Indiana subsist upon tish entirely. A stream runs through the little farm upon which they reside, and tish hawks are plentiful. The boys of the household keep close watch for fishhawk nests, and catch the birds before they are able to fly. Then these chicks are raised in a happy-go-lucky sort of way until the older birds of the flock train them how'to tish. The hawks are let loose and the boys lay in the grass by the side of the stream watching them. When a hawk catches a tish, the prey is taken from the bird, which, however, is allowed to eat all it wants when the day’s fishing is over. They have enough howks to keep fish on hand sufficient to supply them with food, and to sell a few, by which their scant clothing can be replenished. Not one of the family ever attempts work of any kind, and they are supported entirely by the bawks.

FLORIDA’S COCOANUT CROVES.

A New Industry Spreading in ths Land ot of Flowers. Residents on Biscayne Bay realize more fully every year the immense value of the cocoanut tree, not oulv as an ornament, but as being of practical value as well, consequently numbers of trees have been planted within the last year all along ibe bay front, from Lemon City to south of Cocoanut Grove, which place takes its name from the suggestive growth that beautifies its water front- The trees at Miami, along the river mouth and bay shore, are said to be the oldest in the State, ami are by far the handsomest, their slender, worn boles and leathery tops showing to advantage above and among smaller, less distinctive growth. On most of the new places along the shores these trees have been planted, and in a few years will greatly augment the beauty of this part of Florida. Hundreds of acres of land suitable sot cocoanut culture are to be found in South Dade County, contiguous to Biscayne, owned by the canal company, the railroad, the Boston Land Company, or by individuals. In addition to these is the great Perrine grant of 25,000 acres, now being taken up by squatters, who will soon have a chance to make homestead entry of their claims. Cocoanut plantations started now would within the next six years begin to pay handsomely, requiring less time than oranges, but little more than lemons, pineapples or bans#as. While they are growing and coming into bearing, tho owner can temporarily operate a small truck farm, or else conduct a business in town, or a fish plant at some convenient point, in the certainty that within a specified length of time he will have an ample income from his cocoauuts, which lie can either manufacture into oil on his own plant or else ship the nuts in hulk to the butter, oil, cream, candle or soap manufacturers. The industry is so far very small, but from laike Worth down the entire coast, including the keys, ample opportunity may be found for successful experiment. The age limit of a cocoanut has never been discovered. They have been known to hear for 200 years, lu this climate, where they have never been hurt by cold, where everything is conducive to growth and bearing and where choice lands are to he had at reasonable rates, the industry should thrive and pay. In addition to the citrus fruits, pineapples, guavas, truck and sponges, the Biscayne Bay region may yet become the great cocoanut-producing centre of the world, wresting from Ceylon its long-time championship. The cocoanut tree, witli its nuts, “cloth” fibre, leaves and vegetable oil, is claimed by many as the “most useful tree to man,” and an enumeration of its useful products almost substantiates the claim. The fibre is manufactured into malting, ropes or cloth, unit the hull of the nut is made into cellulose. A peculiar “doth,” or husk, grows around the trunk of the young tree, someWhut resembling burlaps, of which useful and ornamental articles are made—mats and fancy toilet and traveling articles, that are painted or combined witli ribbons, silks aud laces. Tito fresh nut is used in bread and cakes instead of lard and butter, the same quantity of grated nut being used as of these ingredients, and cocoanut butter ns an article of commerce is already well-known —used for the same purposes as glycerine. An edible of the same name is also prepared. A finer chicken food can hardly he found. The nuts, old or young, are cut open, and the chicks feed from them. The long leaves makegood fuel, and leave a valuable ash. The husks, or shells, make a hotter fire than oak or hickory, and the bud of the tree equals that of the cabbage palm, a good substitute for cabbage. The cloth is also used for mattresses.

The Power of Guns.

One might be accused of romancing were lie to assert that a gun is of several million horse power, uud yet nothing Is more exact, as we shall demonstrate. The Italian one-hundred, ton gun (model of 18711), with a 550. pound charge of powder, throws a projectile, weighing 2020 pounds at an Initial velocity of 1715 feet per second It communicates to it, therefore, a 11 v« power of kinetic force of 1)2,507,000 foot pounds. The thrust exerted by the gases due to the Ignition of the powdei lasts less than n hundredth of a second The result Is that during the active period of the work of the powder Isgreater than eighty-seven million foot pounds jH*r hundredths of a second, say, 8,700,000,000 foot pounds per second. This represents a power oi twelve million kilowatts, or seventeen million horse power. There is, unfortunately, another side to this picture. Although large guns are extraordinarily powerful, their active life is essentially ephemeral, since, after a hundred shots, they are generally out ot service. They have then worked actively one second. The same calculation applied to modern guns that throw 2200-pound projectiles, and communicate thereto an initial velocity of 1970 feet, a second, demonstrates further,, that such guns, during less than a hundredth of a second each time, develop a formidable power of 13,050,000,000 foot pounds per second, say 24,-000,000-horse power.

The Pig Family in Court.

Hon. C, B. Moore, ex-Attorney General of Arkansas, vouches for the truth of the following Incident, which took place while he was present in the court room at the Crawford County Circuit Court last November. A man named Driver was prosecuted for stealing hogs from a man named Pig. A wit news named Shoat testified that the accused re-marked, that is, changed the marks on the hogs, and then mortgaged them to a man named Ham. This combination of names induced a member of the bar to hand up to Justice Evans, who was presiding, a slip of paper on which he had written something like this: “This is a remarkaide case; here is a hog driver acccused of stealing pig's hogs. He ought to meat this allegation without difficulty, since pig says his bogs were simpiy mortgaged to a ham, and tills can only he proved by a shoat. This is not larceny; it is nothing but Bacon’s abridgement.”

The Pillow Habit.

Tlie Queen of Servia, while indulge ing in all of the luxuries due to her rank, eschews a soft bed and the teruptiug down pillow. She sleeps on a narrow divan with a hard and unyielding mattress, and without the vestige of a head rest; the conseqence is that her figure is perfect, and the carriage of her head stately and natural. The royal family of Servia had never been permitted as children to indulge In the pillow habit; consequently the absence of it is no deprlv*tlon to the beautiful queen.