Indiana State Sentinel, Indianapolis, Marion County, 28 August 1889 — Page 3

THE INDIANA STATE SENTINEL. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 28, 18S&

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THECURSEOFVASARTAS Belgrayia Magtiine " WLd is keeping Mr. Blake ?" was the . question uppermost in my mind as, after dinner, I stepped out on the veranda of the sitting-room I shared with him at the hotel des Fyraimdep, Grand Cairo. lie had gone out in the mornins to explore among Borne rocks and ruins ahout a couple of miles down the river, but he had told me he would come back in time for table d'hoto dinner at 7 o'clock ; no that now. as the clock struck 9 and he had not put in aa appearance, I began to feel & little uneasy. Fcrhaps ho had mot with some accident or had fallen among a marauding band of Arabs, or had tramped by mistake on a crocodile lyinjj bleeping by the river's edge. The nicht was dark, for the new moon was a mere half-hooped line of silver, and, as far as I knew Mr. Flake had not taken a lantern with him. I had come to the end of my cigar, and was revolving the question as to whether it would be any use of my going in the direction of the ruins in caso any msAiance had befallen him, when I heard his voice, from within the window behind me, exclaim excitedly: "Montague, Montague, I have found " Then he stopped suddenly as he remembered there might be other listeners besides my?elf. "Any of those Arab devils about?" ho whimpered. "No no one," I replied, after taking a turn up and down the veranda to satisfy myseli "Come in and shut the window; it's safer," he said; and he himself closed the door, first making: sure there was no one in the passage outside to overhear his communication. Then he came close to me, and, lowering his voice, said, "I have found a tomb." I was so much taken aback at the nature of the communication that I did not at first understand the full significance of the reai ark. "I have found a tomb a royal tomb," he repeated ; then he sank down on a chair as if there was no more to be said. I became interested, for I knew that Mr. Blake's dearest wish was to discover scrcethin:? belonging "to the hidden past, something of the far-away glory of Egypt lost for goodness knows how many centuries. Mr. Blake was an arehaeo!ozist, but, unlike most "olocists," he was not taken up wholly and solely with his "fad," to the exclusion of every other interest in life. He was the most agreeable companion I had ever met, and a man whom-to know was to love. He was a gentleman and a real eood fellow in the true sense of the word. It had been my cood fortune to fall in with him on board the F. and O. steamer Kgyptain on the voyacre out to Alexandria, for which place we were both bound I for pleasure or sigh t-seeei u or enlarging my knowledge of men and thincrs, and he en route for the interior, where he was to superintend some excavations. Why we became lriends I know not, seeing that we had not many points in common. To begin with, Mr. Blake was a widower of fifty, with a daughter at a boardingschool in London. I was twenty years younger gay, careless, without any" particular object in life save that of making the best of it. Mr. Blake was learned in the lore of the ancients, whereas my accomplishments were distinctly modern. I cou'd p'ay the banjo fairly, sing a comic eong and "tie an evening "tie at the first trial. Whether it is th;U on board phip people fraternize more than under any other conditions of life I cannot say; anyhow, before the Egyptian was out' of the English channel, "Mr. Blake and I had joined the hands of friendship. To Mr. Biake Egypt was as familiar as the land of his birth, so when he oii'ered to become my guide and philosopher until the time came for him to start on bis expedition, I felt that the pleasure of my trip was assured. I agree with Tom Moore that the beauty of a place doesn't depend so much on the brightness of its waters and the green of its verdure, as on the presence of friends the beloved of one's bosom. Of course I went straight to work (for it is work, and hard work, too,) to '"do" the lions the pyramids and the Sphinx and Memphis and all that and at the end of a week I had seen all that was to be seen "the least interesting part," as Mr. Blake remarked. "How?" I asked, not quite understanding. "What about all the ancient splendor?" he replied. "Where is it? Not lost. Where is all the wealth of the Egyptian kings? It was not taken out of the country, or we should Lave traced it. It is buried, and, for all we know, we may bo at this moment standing on a perfect mine of wealth." Involuntarily I glanced down as he Epoke, but I saw nothing save yeilow sand. When I had "done"' the place, I began to take matters more easily. After all said and done, lifo is pretty much the same everywhere we eat, we drink, we smoke and we sleep only in hot climates variety is given to sleep by the gambols of the mosquitoes. Mr. Blake's expedition was not to start for some weeks, owing to inundations, so he spent his time pottering about among ruin3 in the neighborhood of Cairo ; spent it profitably, too, 6ince the result was the finding of a royal tomb. When, after telling me of his great good fortune, he had recovered somewhat his composure and had swallowed some breakfast, for he had eaten nothing since rrcrning, he proceeded to relate the manner of the discovery of the tomb. He had come upon it quite by chance, by what, indeed, might have proved an unhappy chance for him. In descending a wall of rock, he had slipped and fallen heaviiy to the ground beneath. All he wasconsciousof at the moment was a slight clinking noise, as though one stone knocked against another. For some time he had lain senseless, stunned by the force of the fall ; thn, in the cool evening breeze, he recovered, and, aa he rose to his feet and tried to recall the circumstances of his accident, he remembered the slight, clinking noise, and marveled that a fall in the sand should Lave been so heavv. The particular snot

wnere ne ieii was a nonow, caused, bv the wind having blown away id, and, as he glanced down, h glimpse of a little Lit ot d hich the sand lay spar t he was on his kne v slab of in one a dragonyal house, ed, he had i Yiew once 1, and had until dusk, ie on his i tomb?" I answered, asked him h. It all day II should m Rraba should V, and when ?Iishmen .to be a ir or will ice 17

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we watched that hollow in the sand all through the heat of the day; or how, as the shadows of evening deepened and the tall palms grew dim and indistinct, and only here and there a black glimmer showed where the Nile pursued its course between fields of rice and maize, a little band of English workmen, bearing ropes and lanterns, crossed the black waters in a track-loat, and crossed back a train ere two hours had passed, carrying in their midst a long and very heavy object the stone sarcophagus found in the tomb. The next day, in the presence of several centlemen interested in antiquarian research, the sarcophagus was opened.' It contained the embalmed body of a woman in perfect preservation. .She was apparently in the prime of life, and her thick, dark hair, drawn down on either side and confined at the ends with cold bands engraved with dragon Hies, emblematic of her royal lineage, reached almost to her feet. 'Her heavy gold necklace, from which depended various precious stones, was similarly engraved, and on the forefinger of the left hand she wore a gold ring, on which was engraved the name "Vasartas." wrought in strips of agate beaten into the metal. The same name appeared also cut in the stone inside the lid of the sarcophagus. The linen wrapped around the mummy, although almost brown, was still quite good. About the left ankle there was rolled a strip of parchment, confined by a gold torque, which, however, was not so tight but that the parchment might bo unrolled. Not doubting but that by this parchment the identification, so to speak, of the mummy could be eilected, Mr. Blake removed it carefully, but found, to his surprise, that the writing it contained was in a language totally unknown to him. A native professor, learned in Arabic and other eastern tongues, was likewise unable to decipher it. "Jt is in a peculiar dialect," he said, "and I doubt if any man can translate it save one."' "And who is that one?" asked Mr. Blake. "Ahmed Ben Anen, the seer, but he lies niu'h unto death at this moment" Mr. Blake showed thi3 parchment to all the professors and experts in the neighborhood, but they all failed to understand the hieroglyphics. Unless Ahmed Ben Ancn recovered, therefore, there was no chance. Meantime, what was to be done with the mummy? It was an awkward kind of possession, and hotel-keepers objected to it as bein? liable to attract robbers. Besides, Mr. Blake daily expected to bo sent on his expedition, so he determined to dispatch Vasartas to the British museum at once, and so get id of his responsibility. As the period of my stay was at an end, I undertook to look alter the ladv on the homeward journey, though, truth to tell it, I didn't half like the idea; but, as fate would have it. luckily from the mummy escort point of view, unluckily from every other, two days before my departure 1 was stricken down with fever. Of course there wa no knowing how long it mi'ht be until I should recover, or if ever I should recover at all, so it was decided that Vasartas should not wait for me, but go by herself, protected in some measure by heavy insurance. Mr. Blake set himself to nurse me back to health and strength, anil a more t nier nurse never smoothed a sick man's pillow, or helped by his presence to lessen the tedium of weary hours. Fortunately, my illness was not serious, and I had turned the corner before Mr. Blake got his orders to proceed up country, and, when the day of hi? departure came, I was strong enough to accompany him a few miles on his way. In a little prove of palm trees we parted, and our parting was none the less manly that there were tears in the eyes of one of us tor Mr. Blake had been "like a father to me. This parting, too, meant more than clasping bands and that sad, sad word "Farewell," for, if behind us lav the shadows of oeace and friendship, and the memory of happy days spent together, in the vista of the future lay what? We knew not any more than we knew what lay a thousand miles beyond in that yellow sand stretching away before us out of sight. As I turned my face again toward Cairo I felt the sense of having lost something lost it past all finding; and when I traversed once more the narrow streets of the town I thought I had never been in so dreary a place. I resolved to leave England by the next steamer. II. On the eve of departure, three days after I had taken leave of Mr. Blake, what was my astonishment when I received a letter from him, brought by a messenger who had ridden all night and all day in order to reach me that evening. Still more was I surprised at the contents of the letter, which ran thus:

"My Dear Harry," (he had taken to calling me Harry when I was ill): "You once ' 411.4 Iknt'il v . - - ...... ..U I win mi: iuai 11 cici vuu IUUIU Per5 Uli? in any way you would do so gladly. Little did I think that the time was at hand when 1 should ask your service, not for myself alone, but" for my child. Flora. For her sake, then, I pray of you to return to England at once (this may reach you it. time for the next steamer,) and bring back Vasartas. This favor I ask of you is a great one, but I ask it under a terrible necessity. Go and 6ee my Flora, and you will the more readily believe how fearful is the thought

to me that she may be in danger, and alas! through me. At all costs bring baclc Vasartas, ere it may be too late, for we cannot know how fate will reckon time, or whether we may live a day or a year. Brine back Vesartas, and if I am not" (here a word was erased) "in Alexandria to meet you I will leave instructions for you, which I beg of you. in the name of a father's love, to carry out. I have written to my bankers to place 5,000 to your credit to defray expenses connected with the recovery of Vesartas. "To save Llora's life, bring back Vasartas I implore you, and you will earn the heartfelt gratitude of your true friend. "John Bi.akk. "P. S. Flora is a boarder at Miss liussel's, Devonshire house, Bower Norwood. Please see her and make sure that she is well. J. B." I read this letter over and over again, and each time I read it I becamo but the more perplexed as to its meaning. With what earnestness it besought me to bring back Vasartas ! Four times the request was repeated, and always the safety of Flora was pleaded. In what way could tho w hereabouts of the mummy affect Llora's well-being, nay, her life? It was a hopeless enigma. Unce it 6truck me that perhaps Mr. Blake was overcomo by some strange hallucination. At length I recollected that he had taken with him the mysterious strip of parchment, as Ahmed Ben Anen, who was said to le recovering, lived but a few miles off the track of his route. I inquired of the messenger who had brought me the letter, if Mr. Blake had visited the seer, and found that such indeed was the case. This letter then must, I argued, bo due to "something" Ahmed Anen. had told him. I made vain conjectures a to what that "something" might be. All that was clear to me tu that for some reason or other Vasartas must be brought back. A fortnight afterward I was back in England, and a letter awaited me from Mr. Blake's bankers staling that 5,000 had been placed to my credit. I rather wondered why he had deemed eo large a sum necessary. At one I made application to the authorities for tho return of Mr. Blake' pift, much to their horror and astonishment. A mummy was even more precious then than it would be now, for Kamcsea II and

Seti, and several other gentlemen now on view in the British museum, had not been discovered. IJeeides Vasartas was quite attractive-looking in her own way. and mummies are generally hideous. Barneses and Seti certainly are. The charms of Vasartas had not yet been displayed; so I argued that to give her up would not be depriving the British public of its possessions, whereat the authorities hemmed and hawed, and said they would consider tho matter. Meantime I had another mission to see Mr. Blake's daughter, over whom hung, apparently, some mysterious doom. So I betook myself to Miss Bussell's high-class establishment for young ladies, and expected to make acquaintance with tho usual type of unlledged hobbledehoy with which one generally associates the idea of a school-girl. I was ushered into Miss Ilussell's own sitting-room, and I smiled at the idea of myself, a young fellow of thirty, coming to pay a sort of fatherlv or brotherly visit to a girl at a boardingschool. Miss Russell herself a prim lady of some three-score summers, in a black silk dress and a little white shawl and a violet beribboned cap, between which and her face on each nide were three gray curls, kept in place by little combs Miss Bussell herself inspected me before she allowed me to see tho object of my vihit. Was I a relative of Miss Blake? No. An acquaintance, perhaps? Had I any particular message to deliver, as she did not care for the younc ladies of her establishment to be upset by visitors? I mentally remarked that the equilibrium preserved by the said young ladies must be uncertain, as it was so easily upset, but I didn't dare to say so. That cap with the violet ribbons and those three curls on either side of the lady's face had produced something akin to aw e in me. She asked several other questions, and finally told me in so many words that she didn't believe I had come from Mr. Blake that I was an impostor in fact a wolf sneaking into her fold. Then I hit on a bold plan, and tried what a bit ot real imposition would do. It's astonishing how people mistake the real for the counterfeit and the counterfeit for tho real just to suit their inclinations. "By the way," I said, "will you be so very kind as to let me have a prospectus of this splendid establishment. My aunt, Iidy Belgrave, has three daughters who" That was enough to have gained an audience with all the girls in the school, had I wished it. A change came over the ppirit of Miss Kussell; ehe became affable to me directly, and enlarged upon the advantages which would be reaped by my aunt's three daughters if under her charge. The aunt and daughters were fictitious, of course, but they gained my point. Flora Blake was summoned. Flora Blake! How shall I describe her? 1 can not, and yet that first sight of her remains an imperishable image of beauty on the negative of my memory. She was petite, but exquisitely graceful, and a certain hauteur about the carriage of her pretty head impressed one with the idea that she was tall. Her iace was perfectly oval, with small but delicately chiseled" features and finely penciled brows, and her eyes to what shall I compare them ? I know not. Once I plucked a violet on which a drop of dew had fallen, because somehow it reminded me of Flora's eyes; yet the dew on the violet was fathomable, anil her eyes were deeper than the sea. Her red gold hair gave the idea of sun's rays that were tangible. When my eyes first met hers she was pale, but the next instant a 6oft rosy hue had suffused all her face and throat. I have taken & good many words to tell what, perhaps, any moderately far-seeing individual could sum up, and rightly, too, iu three words "I loved her." There, the truth is out! and the knowledge of that truth came to me pretty quickly, as quickly as the soft pink rushed to Llora's cheeks, and I do believe if Miss Busseil had not remained in the room I should have imparted my knowledge to Llora herself then and there. As it was, we talked commonplaces, Miss Kussell doing the largest share, and not forgetting to remind me every moment that my aunt had three daughters. When I returned to town I found a reply from the authorities of the British

museum stating that on no account could they return Vasartas to the giver ; that now they had her they meant to keep her. I thought of Llora, for whose sake I would have made an effort to transport St. Paul's or Westminster abbev to Egypt had it been necessary, and I determined to see if money w ould be of any avail. "What a fool I had been not to otfer it at the very first! Of course Mr. Blake must have remembered that in these days money will accomplish anything, especially in Enjrlnnd, and that was why he had placed ,Cö,(MK) to my credit. I do'beheve that if anylody oii'ered the British public enough for it, they'd sell the throne itself, for all their professions of lovaltv. I therefore offered .Mr. Blake's ö,(00 for what he had given freely. They haggled over it, whereupon I tried the effect of another thousand, and the business was done. Vasartas was no ionger in possestdon of the British public. Of course I decided to start at once, but I first went to see Llora once more, on the plea that she might wish to send a message to her father. I saw Miss Itussell, but alas! not Flora. She had caught a bad cold and was feverish. The doctor was not alarmed, though he could not sav for certain if it was only a mere cold. My memory reverted to those words in the postscript of Mr. Blake's letter, "Please see her and be sure that she s well." Had Mr. BUake any reason for saying this? No, assuredly not. How could he know that his daughter would catch cold nearly a month alter he wrote? It was a mere coincidence, and yet he had said plainly enough that Llora's life was in danger, because Vasartas was in England. The construction I had put upon this was, that perhaps some Arab, Ahmed Ben Anan himself, in all probability, had vowed vengeance if the ' mummy was not returned to its rightful possessors. Llora's cold could not have any connection with the matter. Neverthles3,"l plied Miss Kussell with my fictitious aunts and cousins, and extracted from her a promise to write me tidings of Llora to Gibraltar or Alexandria. Next day I left England with Vasartas for Llora's sake, though for Llora's sake I w ould fain have remained in England. At Gibraltar I was terribly disappointed to find no news awaiting mo from Miss Itussell, though I flattered myself into tho belief that no news was good news. We all of us, even pessimists, in spite of themselves, believe what pleases us most; without these self-deceptions, indeed, lifo would be unbearable. Pandora's box is the common inheritance of everybody. I told myself there was no need of anxiety on Llora's account; besides, if the presence of Vasartas had really any baneful influence on her, that influence was now at an end. Then I fell wondering what Mr. Blake meant to do with Vasartas now that I had brought her backt o him. When the mails were brought on board off Alexandria a telegram was handed to me. Hastily I tore it open and read the fatal words: "No hope of Llora." I sank down on a deck chair, and all power of thought or action seemed to leave me. I was like a man in a dream. Pcop'e with whom I had been on friendly terms during the voyage went to and fro and addressed me, but I heard not what they wtid. Tho hurry and bustle of getting into the boats passed m by unheeded. How long I miüht have remained thus, with senses dullei to everything save the reality of Llora's danger, I can

not tell, had not a hand been laid on my shoulder and a voice said: "Mr. Montague." I looked up. The man who addressed me was Mr. Frampton, who carried on business as a solicitor and general legal adviser to the English residents in Cairo and Alexandria. ' "Mr. Montague," he repeated, "I had instructions to deliver this into your hands as soon as you landed, and as I was afraid I might miss you ci? tho quay, I came on board." ' "Mr. Blake is ' not here?" I queried, but I did not notice that silence was his only answer. ' "Thank God!" I exclaimed, "I shall not have to tell him yet." "Mr. Blake is dead," said Mr. Frampton. quietly. "Mr. Blake dead? Impossible! and Llora dying!" "He met his death in a sad way," continued Mr. Frampton. "On the march inland with the expedition the partystopped to shoot some elephants. Mr. Blake was a good shot ; I've been out with him. But however it was, he fired at a great bull elephant from the open and missed, or at any rate, the ehot only grazed tho beast's ear. "He fired again and missed, and before he had time to get to shelter the infuriated animal was on him, and he was literally trampled to death. They buried him on the spot, poor fellow, and one of the party came back to Cairo with the sad news." The horror of the thing took from mo all power of expression, and the lawyer went on: "About three days after the expedition started, a messenger returned and brought

me this package lrom Mr. Blake. I think the same messenger had a letter to you also. Mr. Blake sent instructions that I was to deliver this in your hand immediately on your return from England, in case, through delay or accident, he might not be in Alexandria to meet you himself. How little he thought when he wrote to me that death would prevent the meeting!" I took the packet and opened it mechanically. First I came on a letter to myself in Blake's handwriting. Trembling, 1 tore it open and read: "My Dear Harry As I may not hay returned from the expedition "when you arrive with Vasartas, I must tell you the terrible secret which has been revealed to me by Ahmed Ben Anen, the seer. Had it concerned only myself it would be of small account, as all men must die. and I have lived into middle life, and I thank God my life has been a happy one, therefore it is not for me to murmur at what must be. But it concerns also my Llora, whom by this time you have seen. She is beautiful, she is young too young to die and for her sake I implore you to carry out this trust if aught Ehould occur to prevent my meeting you when you come with Vasartas. You will see in the translation of the parchment, which, with the original I send you, that the curse on my children only lasts until Vasartas is laid nee more in the tomb. This I implore you to do, first replacing the original parchment where I found it. Then Khali the curse pass from Flora, and I alone shall sutler for w hat I did, heaven knows unwittingly. "If it should be that I may not see you or L'ora again, tell her that I thought of her always, but keep secret from her tho storv of Vasartas. In after years watch kindly over that young life which I ask you now to save. Wo may meet again, but I cannot tell, for life now seems a thing of the past to your true friend. "John Bi ake." Hastily I withdrew tha paper inclosing the parchment, ttachd to which was the translation in Mr. Blake's writing. At the top of the sheet on which it was written I read: Then came the terrible words: "Vhmed 1!en axkn's translation-." " v'apartaa of ten kings of the royal house of Namoth. "Cursed be the man that shall disturb the tomb of me, Vaaartus. To him shall death come with violence, and his bones shall be scattered with tho winds. Also his children shall be cut otf from life until I, Vasartas, be laid to rest and no more seen. "I, Vesartas, of mighty kings have spoken." The curse had fallen on Blake. And Llora? Was there yet time to save her, or was she by this cut off from life? The telegram stated that she was dying. While there is life there is hope, so I explained to Mr. Frampton the necessity for haste, and he undertook to assist in the re-burial of Vasartas. It was night wjien we reached the site of the tomb underneath the wall of rock from which Blake had removed the sarcophagus in such triumph only a few weeks before. Unfortunately, a great pile of sand had collected where the hollow had been, and it took a dozen men about an hour to dig down to the stone slab which closed the opening to the subterranean cavern. Once more we removed it and let the sarcophagus down by means of ropes. Scarcely hail we got it into position when one of our party called out : "Here's a stand-storm coming up. Quick! Get to the other side of this wall or you're nil dead men !" Helter-skelter we clambered out of tho vault, not even waiting to replace the stone, and took refuge behind theold wall that had withstood the storms of thousands of years ; and not a minute too soon were we, for the great blinding sand-cloud was on us. At one 'moment we thought that even with the protection of the wall we were done for, as over the top of it came a great avalanche of sand, burying ßotneof us up to our waists. Then, as tho air cleared, vie saw tho dark moving mass in front of us, rolling away out of sight, and we knew that the danger w as past. We helped each other to scramble out of the loose sand, and having Bhakenout our clothing as best we could, w e went round to the other side of the wall. But there was no wall to be seen for there was a great bank of sand right up to the top of it. The tomb of Vasartas was well hidden, and, as it was open when we lied round the wall, the sand must have completely filled the cavern. The next day I started up country with the messenger who had brought the news of poor Blake's death, as guide; for I wished to remove the body from its desert resting place and have it buried in tho English cemetery at Cairo. After a six days' march we reached the sad spot, but there was no trace of tho grave, although my guide told me they had raised a mound over it some six or eight feet in hight, and marked it with a wooden cross. In the neighboring village I learned tho cause of the strange disappearance. A terrific hurricane had swept over the place, and thus the curse of Vasartas was filled to the letter. When I returned to Cairo news of Llora awaited me good news, too. Sbo was recovering, and her recovery, strangely enough, dated from the night we laid Vasartas once moro in her tomb. "When I came to England I became a pretty constant visitor at Miss Russell's hijh-rlaFS establishment for young; ladies, and 6he countenanced my visits on account of my aunt and three cousins. At length, however, I was obliged to confess that these four personages were myths, and that Instead of bringing pupils to her I was going to rob her of one. She forgave the deception, for ehe was a woman; besides, a marriage from her school was really a roaznificent advertisement. The fame of the school spread among mothers, and ehe haa twenty additional boarders tho terra after Llora and I were married.

WHAT MAKES THE GULF STREAM?

TlicorUa Ot An Observer Who Pays the Moon Controls It Cnrreat. I Philadelphia Inquirer. "I wa3 anchored for three months over the true source of the gulf stream, and what 1 learned of the nature of that mysterious and erratic current during that time knocks all the accepted theories as to its origin in the head." Thus spoke W. S. Howard, late of the U. S. coast survey steamer Blake, yesterday, as he reclined" upon one of the chairs in the Girard hotel lobby. "I was attached to" the Blake for three years," continued Mr. Howard, "and during that time we definitely fixed the source of the gulf stream. We spent two years in tracing up the gulf stream and studying its peculiarities, and, while we are still in the dark as to the primary cause of this great ocean river, we have definitely fixed upon the spot where it originates. Formerly it was believed that the gulf stream was simply the continuation of the Mississippi river, the immense volume of water flow ing out of which cleaved itsthrough way old ocean, and, preserving its own distinctive characteristics as to temperature and color, finally was lost and assimilated by the waters of the frozen northern seas. Others held to the opinion that the gulf stream was formed and controlled by the trade winds. "Our observations and investigations furnished us with conclusive proof that neither of these elements hz anything to do with it. One curious fact was established, how ever. We found that the moon affected the gulf stream, and that the current was controlled absolutely and arbitrarily by that.body. "The true 6ourco or beginning of the gulf stream, established by careful scientific observation extending over a period ot two years, is at a point between Fowey Bocks, Fla., and the Gun Cay, on the coast of tho Bahamas. At this place, in MS fathoms of water, we anchored, and for months devoted ourselves to a careful study of the great ocean river. "Ix-t me tell you something about the peculiarities that we noticed. To begin w ith, the current oi the gulf stream at the point where we were anchored, and which we unanimously agreed upon as its true source, varies daily in velocity. Tho difference in the (low was at times as much as two and a half knots per hour. The greatest velocity noted was generally about nine hours before the upper transit of the moon. Tho variations were most excessive on the eastern side of the straits, and least on the western side. The average daily currents vary during the month, the strongest current coming a day or two after the greatest declination of the moon. "The axis or true point of beginning of the gulf stream (determined by fixing the position of the strongest surface How) is eleven and a half miles east of the Fowey Bocks lighthouse. The strongest surface current found here was five and a quarter knots per hour, the least one and threequarter knots, and the average three and six-tenths knots. We used two meters in our observations, one for the surface current and one for the sub-surface stream. The wind has no effect upon the velocity of the stream and does not change the axis of the current. The surface current, it was noticed, has a much higher velocity than the sub-surface. During our obser vations we occupied twenty-six different stations, being anchored at each for several days at a time. "We took 1,557 cur rent observations with the meter and J, S07 current observations with the pole during this time." "And what deductions did you make?" These onlv: that neither the Missis sippi river nor the trade winds were in any way responsible for the gulf stream; that it was affected by the changes of the moon, and that this particular point, eleven and one-half miles east of Fowey Bocks light-house, was its truo axis or source. "What theories have you in reference to the probable first cause of the stream?" "Hundreds. It is a preat field for specu lation. Just imagine, if you can, what would have been the result if we could have donned submarine armor, and dived to the bottom in 40.8 fathoms of water. We made soundings, but they revealed to us nothing, the bottom was a sandy coral foundation ; hen and other subma rine creatures lived and disported them selves in the depths, and all the time that surging, resistless current boiled above us. delving inquiry aa to its true origin. "It might be, for aught anv one could say to the contrary, the mouth of a great river, with its sourco deep down in the bowels of the earth, among those everlast ing fires that scientists tell us are continu ally burning there. Tho superheated water gushing to the surface of the ocean at that depth with a power that can not be estimated would he apt to displace the chilled and heavier water of the ocean. and, with an initial velocity ot nearly six miles an hour, would certainly clear for itself a pathway through the ocean until chilled and rendered inert bv the frozen waters of the Arctic seas. "Again, it may be that we were anchored over an immense and ever-active volcano, which in no way crippled by the constant inriux of the cold ocean water into its yawning crater continually, with a power that human thought can not measure, hurls hack the heated waves. and this repulsion, going on day after day and year after year for a period of time that has not yet been fixed by obser vation or deduction, has increased the volume of the at first puny geyser until now it has become a fixed and well founded current, differing in color and tempcraturo from the water that sur rounds it, and w ith a sweep and stretch that extend over thousands of miles. You can theorize all day over the matter and perhaps be as far from the truth as ever. The observations made by the Blake settled several disputed points: "1. That the winds and the Mississippi river have nothing to do with the forma tion of the gulf 6tream. "2. That a point eleven and a half miles east of Fowev Bocks lighthouse. Florida, in the Carribean sea, is its true axis or sourco. ".. That the velocity of the current is controlled by the declination of the moon. A Ptr of Thorn, .Scottish Leader. The Scottish preacher who considerately began his prnyer with the word "Paradoxical nn it mar seem to Thee, O Lord I" has (nays the limti of India) an unexpected rival in the shape of one of the high court judges of Calcutta. The other day this judge had to sentence a sailor to be banned for the murder of boy, and in concluding his address to the unhappy roan said, with truly Caledonian caution. "I beseech you to make usn of the short time that remains to you on the earth in pcekiug forgiyeness at the hands of Ilim who only, as far as I know, ran give forgiveness for the wrong that you nave done." Waste vs. Wlt. Terr Ilsut Expre. "Laura," said the yountr lady's mother not unkindly, "it seemi to roe that you had the gasturned rather low lat erenmcr. ' "It was solely lor economy, mamma," an swered the maiden. "There is no use trying to beat the cas com rsny. my daughter. I hye noticed that ths shutting of) of the kos is always followed by a corresponding increase of prejsure. "Well, that lessens the waist, doesn't it, mamma dr?" replied tb artistic girl. And her fond parent could nod no more to say. Compensation. Harper's Bazar. Mrs. Cobwicger "My hoiband, I ata lorry to a&y. is a man ot very litt) taste." Cora "That must b real nice for Tn, for I heard xua say your cookirg wu d rcadful.

A NORTH CAROLINA FROLIC

A Litt! Compulsion Forced tb Plain at the Kissing Bee. Washington Tost J Back in the North Carolina mountains the student of customs may stiil find material for research. The most unique are the kissine pames, which cling to the soil. A lot ef biedimbed, powerful young men and apple-cheeked, buxom girls pather and select one of their number as master of ceremonies. He takes his station in tho center of the rcom, while the reft pair olF and parade around him. Suddenly one young woman will throw up her hands and say: I m a-pinin . The master of ceremonies takes it up. and the following dialogue and interlocution takes place: Miss Arabella .lane Apthrop say she s a-pmin . Iiat is Miss Arabella Jane Apthrop a-pinin fur ' 1 m a-pinin fur a sweet kiss. "Miss Arabella Jane Apthrop gav she's a-pinin' fur a sweet kiss. Who is Miss Arabella Jane Apthrop a-pinin fur a sweet kiss f rum?" "I'm a-pinin' fur a sweet kiss frura Mr. Hugh Waddle." (Blushes, convulsive giggles and confusion on the part of Miss Arabella Jane Apthrop at this forced con fession.) Mr. Huzh Waddle walks up manfully and relieves the fair Arabella pinin' by a smack which sounds like a three-yeär-old steer drawing his hoof cut of the mud. Then a youner man will be taken with a sudden and unaccountable pinin', which, after the usual exchange of questions and volunteered information, reveals the name of the maiden who causes the gnawin' and pinin'. Sho coyly retreats outdoors, only to be chased, overtaken, captured and forcibly compelled to relieve her captor's distress. At one of these entertainments which it was the narrator's fortune; to attend there was a remarkably beautiful young woman, who had teen maried about a month. Her husband was present, a hu?e beetle-browed, black-eyed young mountaineer, with a fist like a ham. The boys fought 6hy of the bride for fear of incurring the anger of her hulking spouse. The game went on for some time, when symptoms of irritation developed in the giant. Striding into the middle of the room he said : "My wife is ez pooty, 'n' ez nice, 'n' sweet ez any gyurl hyah. You uns has known her all "her life. This game hez been a-goin' on half an hour an' nobody has pined fur her onct. Ef some one doesn't pine fur her pooty soon thar will be trouble." She was the telle of the ball after that. Everybody pined for her. AN AMUSING INCIDENT. Leonard Swell's Little Doctor and the Man Who Knew It All. fChicago Journal. In Fusk's "Fighty Years of Illinois Tolitics and Politicians" are found many incidents and anecdotes of the most pleasing character, and from that sourco wo extract the following: FJ. F. Finder was one of tho great lawyers of Illinois who m as contemporaneous with Abraham Lincoln, and was never so happy as when he had a crowd around hiui listening to his jokes, but sometimes the joke returned to plague him. About 1SÖ6 he was sitting one sumnicr evening outside the door of a hotel in Terre Ilaute, Ind., telline a company of interested listeners of th exploits of Leonard Swett, one of Illinois noted lawyers. "This mm Swett," s;:ld he, "is the sharpest lawyer in Illinois, He clears his man every "time, especially if charged with murder." "How does he do it. Linder?" ventured one of his hearers to inquire. "Do it!" replied Linder, "he proves thev are all insane every cursed man oi them." "Well, how does he do that ?' "I'll tell you, sir. He carries with him a little doctor who knows all about insanity, and swears 'cm all crazy as loons. The jury conies in with a verdict of insanity every time." Then he recited several cases which had occurred where the parties had been thus acquitted, when they were really "just as sane as I am, 6ir just as you are," 6aid Linder. At that moment a gentleman who had been sitting inside, but had been an amused listener, walked outide, and offerinc: his hand to Finder, said: "(iood evening, Mr. Linder, I have the honor to be the little doctor you are talking about you tell it very well." "What might your name be?" said Linder, though he knew very well. "My name is Boe," said the gentleman. "Not Dr. Boe of Bloomington. "Yes, sir, Dr. Boe of Bloominpton the man vou call Swett's little doctor." "Vhv, I know, sir of course I know you. Dr. Boe," said Linder. "My God, sir 1 are you the man ? 1 beg your pardon, Dr. Boe. I did not know that you were Swett's witness. I beg your pardon a thousand times. What a blunder I made indeed, I did not know the man was Dr. Boe of Blooomington. Doctor, I can do nothing else but beg your pardon and I would not do less if I could. Cientlemen, if this man ever swears I am insane, I will believe him myself." Jokinc Dublin Auilicocea. Scottish Leader. Innumerable are the stories of the rousli but biting humour of Dublin audiences. Mr. Sims Beeves says that foreicn performers did not understand anil could not like it The Dublin eallery did as it liked with their names. Paulieri was addressed as Paddy Leary, and once, when playing Edcardo, some one called out, ' Is that Mr. Leary sinjfinp, or is it the jns iwnpin'?" To Paclieri succeeded Pnrucke. The audience called him Donkey. "You bavn't t;ot the kay, Mr. Donkey," resounded from all parts, and Damcke had to retire. It is fair to say that a Dublin audience is not rude to foreigners only. There is scarcely any native performer of any eminence who has not been the victim of some humiliating joke. Grains of fennd Collected Ily "Life." Mrs. Pittie (strolling on the beach) ".So you ara an orphan, little boy?" Little Boy (turning up stones with his toes after shedder crabs for bait) "Yeesum; pa died last week." Mrs. Pittie "What did he die of?" Little Boy (puttinK a crab in his pocket) "Ammonia." , Mrs. Pittie "You mean pneumonia.' Little Hoy "No. I don't; I mean am-monia. Guess I know; I seed him drink it." The Vfe.MIn Prelude. X. V. Weekly. Little Boy "Say, ma says you ore going to take sister ofl." Fneaecd Youth (soon to be married) " i es, in a few weeks she's troinc to my home, and my ma and pa will be her ma and pa. See!" "I see. Then she'll be your sictcr, same as she was mine. Say, don't you do anything she doesn't like, for if you do she'll bane you aronnd awful when your ma and pa ain't lookinc." Interested In His Journey. London Tit-T.!ts. "So, Mr. ITankinson, you are fcolnc on tour of the world?" "Yes. MSm Whitesmith." "And will yon promise to write to m from every country you may visit?" "Promise? Ah, you know not how I will value the privilege. And you will really care to hear from me?" Yes. I am collecting postage stamps of all countries." Admitted to Cltlsenahip. . (Detroit Free Press. "Mary," wld the rolstreM cf a CflM-are. rei dence to her cook the other morning, "isn't tbat new besa of yonrs a German?" Mlle was, ma'am, until last nijhh" "What happened last nif ht?" "Why, he declared his intentions, ma'am, and we are to be married in the falh"

R. R. RJ

ItADWAY'S READY RELIEF. Tho Cheapest and Dest Medicine for Family Use in tho World. In frcn one to twenty tnlnntes, never fail to relieve PAIS with one thomazh spp! ration. No matter bW vioiprt or oicmoul nc the pain. th rheumatic Byl. ridden, InSrm, r:ppl-a. ervou Netirairic, orprm. trwte t witn il mTu"e, KADWlV's KbifiK ki-LlLF M ill Lord ii.unl rt .ici THE TRUE RELIEF. RAntrS TinDT r.ELIKFlstbe only nefl-il reut is voRue that w.U instantly stop piia. lataotly relieves and soon cures RHEUMATISM! NEURALGIA! Sciatica. Healache, Toothache, Intlammationa, Congestions, Asthma, laHuec-tt, Nre Throat, Difficult Ireathii2. Summer Oomplalnts, DYSENTERY, DIARRHEA. Cholera Morbus. It wf'l in a fr w minute, when taken aerordiaf t-dirt-ctions, enre (ramps, ipasm, So'jt Stomach, HeartMim. Nun, Vom. tin;, NerrononeM, PleTw Irwnf, C'hoicr Morbus sict Hod-b. öCMME COMPLAINT. DiarrhiM, Pvnenlery, Colic, Wind 1 th llowel, and all int?mi pains It in ulshlv iin:nrtnt thl evrv family keep s supply of KAUWaV'S READY RELIEF alwaya In the bouse. Its u.se w 11 prove bnüci&l on ail occasions of pa:n or siefcness Thfre is nothing in the vorli. that will stop pa'Ti or srrrht the progress of diaeaae es quirklT&s K. K. iw Where epidemic 3iws prevail, air-h as Feyers. rvMnttry cholera. Influenza, Pipbtbe-ia, Pcri" Fever ami ethr malignant diseases RADWAVS r.KADY KELILF will, i! taken as direci-d, prote the svFtem against artarks, and If seized wita aicKSMS juicily cure the paUenU MALARIA IN ITS VARIOUS FORMS. FEVER ASJ) AGUE, s Mill a iiia t-y t iv s a w ft READY RELIEF. Kot only enrf t be pat'ent setrfl with ma1 aria, bflt if peopl' ipowii to it will, every morn!n; on (retlinr out o. ed. Uke twenty or thirty drops oi the KtADT Rki 1KI" in a Rius ot" water, and drink, and eat cracker, tbey will escape attacks Practicing With R.R.R. MoNTAorr, Tea. Pr. Palway & Co.: Ihara hee uk ne yonr du d i-ines "vr the Lvt twenty years, aad in allcasesof Chilis and Fever I b.ve never !ai!e4tcore. I never us anything but KKADY RKLIEF and hl LL9. THOS. J. JOXE5FRCiTLAxn. Iowa. Dear f:r: We are nfinf yowy med c:nes :or Typhoid und Malarial Fever witb tfcs) irroatot benefit.' V.'Lat IC R. K. and Udwavt PiU have done no one etn teil. JuIIN sCHL'LTZ. VALUABLE TESTIMONY! Crotov I.ANPiNn. K. Y., Jnne 2J, Mear. Raoway & Co. tienti men : Last eeas-on I employe! atOiit i j0 men, and uurinj the (ewn they bonirht of me 'Tten ilozon bottles of Rsdwsy's Rr &1v Ee-lief, a larce number o1' boxes of Pills and aome kesolrent. , Th y use the Keady llief in their drinking water, 1 to 1 drop in a cla-s o! witrr, to prevent cramps anS ' keen o;l U vcr and a? ie; tbty also use it (externally) ' for bru ses, nor han is, rheumaiie pa ns sore throat, etc. If or any chance we run out o;' yonr medicines we have no peace until our Hock is replaced. I, my etlf, take iL IL iL be ore poin? oat in tne yard early in the niominif, and am never troubled with fever sa4 seuc. Ttrs year I was tttacked with rhenmstism, and your Pili did me more cod than any other medw clne "i took. Yours truly. signed) S. HAMILTON. JR. Mr. Jolin Morton, of Verplsnek ToinL N Y., yr. prietoroi" the Hudson River Brick Manufacturlcr Company, says that be prevent and cr.rea attacka or chills and lever in bis lamüy and anions; the rnesi in his employ by the use o Radway's Ready Relif I'lLLS. Also the men in Mr. Frost's brickyard at tb same place reiy entirely on IbeK.R. IL iur täte cure and prevention ol malaria. 1 here is not a rem ejy apent In tlie world that wilt eure Fever and Ague und d pfher Malarious Bilious and other Fevers .a'ded br RADVaY'S PILLS) juicklv f. K D WAY' READY' RELIEF. Rad a 's Ready Relief is a cure lor every peia, Tooth&ciie, Headache, Seistica, Lumbazo. Nenra'uria, Khenmat sm, h wcilin? o;' the Joints Sprains, Bmis Pains in the Rack, Ch-t or Lims. The application of the Ready Relief to the parte Tarts where the difficulty exists will afiord instant ait and coni.orL FIFTY CENTS PER BOTTLE. Sold by Druggists. ADWAY'S Ü Sarsaparillian 35Eo Resolvent. The Great Blood Purifier. pure Moo.1 makes sound flrb, stronr bone and elrar skin. If you would have yocr CeM firm, yon bones sound and "nr co-rTilex'nn 'h t, use RAD WAY'S S A RS .PARTLLA RESOLVENT. It nowrs won 'er ul piwer in cirln? a'l fbrms of PcTofulons and Ernntive Discuses Syphiloid. C leers Tumors Sort , Fnlarcivl Olaids, etc., rapid' snd pen. mancnilv. Pr. Randojnh Mclntyreo' rL Hyacinth, Can . sevs: "I complete! and marv"iou!y cured victim of Scro nla in its last Mae hy fnllowlc? yoit advice riven n vonr little treaties on that disea-o." J. F. Trunnel.'Sonth St. Lotus, Mo.. "wa- cure! of had re of Scro.nl a.ler having bes gives op M ircuraole," Sold hj all Protist. ONE DOLLAR PER BOTTLE. DR. RADWAVS REGULATING PILLS. THE GREAT LIVER ANO STOMACH RESCEDY. Terfert rureatives, fvtothincr Aperients, Aetl Without Tain, .Alwavs Keliabla and Natural in their Operation. Perfectly tasteless, elegantly coated with rrpst f nrn purge, rec.uli.te, cleanse and strengthen, RA I) WAY'S PILLS, tor the core of all disorders the Stomach, Liver, Rowels. Kidneys, Fladder, J"err oua I'iseases, Loss o' Appetite, Hcadacbe. Constipation, Cost iveness. IndiKetii,n, Dyspepsia, ISiltousnese, Fever, Inllamm.it ;on ol the Rowels. Piles and all rt ranementa ol the Internal Viscera, Purely vegetable containing no mercury, minerals or deleterious druga. What Physician Says of Raday's Plüs. t am selling rour R. R. Relief and your RecnlsWn Pills and have recomrn nd-d thorn above all pills aoi sell a great many o. thvm. and have them on band alwavs, and use them iu my practice and in n-.y ww, Uiuily, and expect to. in pre erene of all pills. Y curs reMeet ullv, DR. A. C. MIPDLEliKouK, DoravlUe, Oa DYSPEPSIA. Pr. Radway's TSHs are enre for this eomplatnt. Thev restore strencth to the stomach and enahle It w I er:;rm its function. Tho symptoms o' Dyspepsia disappear snd with them lbs liability of tbs syU.a t contract diaeaee. RADWAY'S PILLS ANO DYSPEPSIA. ?CywyoRTt Ky. Mersr. Tr. Radway & Co flentet I have been troubled with Dyspepsia for aboet four months. I tried two dülerciit doctor withont any permanent benefit I saw yo-tr ad. snd two weeks M" hongbt a box o' root Reculator and fel a treat deal tx tu r. Y'oar Pif is have done me more Food thaa all tbe Doctor's Medicine that 1 have taken, .lo. I am, yours wpect nlly, KOBLKT A. PAGE. Dyspepsl ot Lortf Standing CurL rr. Radwav I have for many yenrs ree aiBle4 with Dvspeps a and Liver Com plant, and tovud bi I'tlie rel.eiuntil I rot your Pii.s and ReaolTeat, aol thev made a per ect cur. They are ths beat BMiioia 1 ever had In mvlnc Your fr end forever, Ülanchard, Miel.. WILLIAM KUOXAN. Sold by Drugjjista. Price 3o pep 66. Rdway C o-. No. 33 Warreo-aU, 'w York. To tt Iutlio. P ware and ask for Radway's and that thus warns) RADWi-!" Hon what you boy.