Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 37, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1889 — Page 6

A FOX CAUGHT.

Mr. Junes Fox was the junior partner j B the firm of Piumley * Fox, the principal senators in the somewhat deadalive old cathedral town Slumborough. He was a smart, well-eet-up young man ol two or three and thirty, withcarefully tritnpaed black whiskers, a silken manner, apd'an unlimited flow of moke or less entertaining small talk. Hence it came to pass that-he was an exceedingly popular young man among the ladies of Slumborough. both old and young, and, had his views lain in j the direction of matrimony, he would have had small difficulty in. inducing any bashful damsel or frisky widow to ahate his lot. Bat the handsome solicitor was ambitious; his share in the bnsiness did not at present bring him in more than a moderate income, and he had long ago determined that when he married he most consider not only beauty bat more solid advantages. Heiresses, however,’were not plentiful in Slumborough, and so, although Mr. Fox!* attentions frequently flattered a virgin bosom, he was careful not to commit himself too far, and not even the local gossips could fairly say of him that he had compromised a repufjation or knowingly raised false hopes. There was, indeed, one young lady who had made a deep impression upon the solicitor’s heart, but she was the daughter of a county magnate with whom poor Mr. Fox was not even on visiting terms. He had met her at the Annual Hunt Ball. She had danced twice with him, for Mr. For was an excellent waltzer; but her mother had doubtless warned her against him, for when next thev .met, some weeks afterward, Miss Laquerton passed the unfortunate man without so much as a bow. Miss Laquerton, however, was lovely and rich, and Mr. Fox wa9 not a man to be easily discouraged. Heknew that if he could afford to eat the office and blossom into a lauded proprietor, he would have just as good a chance with her as anybody else; so he waited patiently in the hopes of one day discovering the road which leads to fortune and success 1 _ The firm of Piumley & box was, a highly respectable and old-fashioned concern, which avoided litigation and kept almost entirely in family business. Piumley was a fairly good lawyer, hut Fox’s legal knowledge was of the most limited character, and he was much too lazy to take the trouble to increase it. So it came to be understood between them that while Piumley did the office work Fox kept the clients in good hnmor by calling upon them apropos of nothing and amusing them his jokes and stories. The business was technically termed "keeping the connection together,” and it suited Mr. Fox very well, indeed. It was while he was thus keeping the connection together that Mr. Fox made the acquaintance of a certain rich old lady named Mrs. Johnson, and so well did he play his cards that before long Piumley & Fox became Mrs. Johnson’s family solicitous, land agents and confidential advisers. The firm made a pretty good thing out of Mrs. Johnson. T n accordance with the usual arrangement, Plumley transacted the business and Fox became a constant visitor at her house, and worked his way into her good graces by his wonderful powers of amusing conversation. There was yet another accomplishment which stood our solicitor in very good stead, and this was an accurate knowledge as chemistry and medicine, which he had picked up as a boy in the shop of his uncle, the chemist. The horrible smells young Fox had created in his experiments and She ugly stains he had made on his hands determined him to forsake medifine for the law, but he never entirely forgot his early experiences. He could talk fluently about every known drug and disease, and about a great many which had not yet been discovered; He diagnosed Mrs. Johnson’s symptoms at least as accurately as Mac Bolus, the Bcotch doctor, and would even have prescribed for her had not the stalwart Scot angriiy threatened to kick him if he did so. But he retained a very prominent place in the old lady’s affections, and it began to be whispered about that he had an excellent chance of succeeding to her very considerable property. The disposal of Mrs. Johnson’s money was a matter which bad long furnished speculation of unfailing interest to the town of Slnmborough, and filled many * yawning gap in conversation at afterternoon teas. Mrs. Johnson had but one relative in the world, Miss Lizzie Roberts, the daughter of her late sister. This vonng lady, however, it was agreed had not the slightest chance ot being mentioned in her aunt’s ■yvill. A handsome. well-bred girl, she was left at her parents’ death to make her own way in the world, inheriting nothing but the battle nT life and the dislike of Mrs. who had not seen the child sincejft quitted its baby clethes. This straDge Antipathy was traceable, as some people Skid, to times gone by, when Mr. Robertaj Llsxie’a father, then renowned for hip mgnly beauty, had been an aeeiduooii Visitor at the house of Mrs. Johnson's parents. She being the elder •daughter, and taking all his attention ior Jherttlf, had felt it keenly as 4 personal insult when her sister dared “to •natch him away;” and even later on, Sifter hiving made mbsh more ■ brilliant fnatchlienelf, she never eould forgive this early defeat. Death even had not

troy the one in Miss Nelly’s favor. Then two day’s neglect on the part of Mr. Fox, and a constant supply of hot tea at the hands of Miss Nell, again reinstated this lady in Mrs. Johnson’s good graces. Mr. Fox, therefore, had good cause for anxiety as to what would be the exact state of affairs w hen the old lady was “ With such an old woman,” he said to himself, “who 1b ready to make a new will any day and to burn it the next, been suddenly summoned to draw, up a new will; so slight an annoyance as a cold cup of tea having caused her to deshuried the grudge, which not unnaturally passed from mother to child. How far this saying may have been true or not, one thing is certain; poor Lizzie had not the ghost of a chance of ever seeing a single penny from her aunt’s money-box;. her were clearly quite out of "the question. There remained, then, only Miss Nelly Brown, Mrs. Johnson’s lady companion, and Mr. James Fox. Mr. James Fox knew from his partner, who had cautioned him in a friendly way, that Mrs. Johnson was not going to divide her fortune,, out would leave the whole of it to her “truest friend,” though she had evidently not yet made her mind up as to who deserved that title. More than once had Mr. Piumley there is no dependence. One’s future hangs upon a whim; a remedy must be found. The safest thing would of course be to make love to Miss Nelly; she is rather ‘thirtyish,’ and not altogether attractive; still, if she were to get all the money, she would be anything but undesirable.”

• So Mr. James Fox set to work at once to make himself agreeable to Mias Brown, yet without going too far; for lie had by no means forgotten Miss Laquerton, but he felt it was bettor to have two strings to his bow. and therefore he determined to do bis best to keep Miss Nelly in good humor. This lady, however, was not eo easiiy satisfied as the solicitor expected, for now lie had once begun to pay her attentions, she wanted a decided offer of marriage, and not being able to.get_it,-shetook refuge in a stratagem. This consisted in suddenly making the discovery that Mrs. Johnson’s health was in absolute want of recreation. She was at once, therefore, taken by Miss Nellie to a German watering place.

Mr. Fox emboldened by - the happy result of his experiments, became at once the most tender and zealous correspondent any woman could wish for. His letteis, in fact, overflowed with promises of everlasting devotion. Miss Nellie beamed with joy, for she was now convinced how true and unselfish was the attachment of her admirer. Under such circumstances it was not surprising that the German waters speedily did Mrs. Johnson so much good that her careful nurse considered that the cure could be shortened, and accordingly the couple returned to England much earlier than had been expected. _ Whether, however, the waters had really disagreeed with the old lady, or something else had upset her, was never quite clear, but soon after their return to England her health and strength began seriously to tail. She complained bitterly that Miss Nelly had induced her to undertake an unnecessary and useless journey, and ever since she had neglected her altogether. The end of it was that one day, in the height of her anger, she hurntthe then existing will, and made Mr. James Fox sole heir to everything she possessed. This decision seeiqpd to have exhausted her remaining energy, for she died not many days after.

Mr. Fox, who had been apprised of the state affairs by his partner and friend, almost lost his senses with jo}; still his excitement did not prevent him investing some money in hatbands and crape, and looking as mournful as if the sorrow of the whole world rested upon his shoulders. Miss Nelly, too, almost melted away in tears, and could only be comforted by “her Jamie,” as she now called M»\ Fox. But the latter seemed to have turned quite dull with grief. He did not appear to understand her at all, and day by day she became more demonstrative and he grew less affectionate. The afternoon before- the funeral Miss Nelly was extremely broken-hearted, and amid her sobs remarked how comfortably and happy she had always been with ner late dear friend. To her astonishment Mr. Fox attempted to comfort her by saying, with cool civility: “I hope yon may soon meet again with such a happy home as you have had here till now.” On hearing this Miss Nelly’s tears suddenly dried up, and with eyes dilated with astonishment and anger, she cried: “It is you whom I expect to make in e this happy home!” Mr. F.ox, however; Birr. ply shrugged his shoulders, saying: “I do not deny that I may have once had such ideas; but of late I have grown wiser. Everything alters in this world; why, then, should our opinions not do the same? That is what we call progress.” Upon this he bowed and left Miss Nelly cry ing and fainting in an arm chair. He did not hear anything of her till a few days later, when a gentleman called upon him saying that he had been intrusted with Miss Nelly Brown’s affairs and suggested that perhaps Mr. Fox, before they went further, would prefer

making some private arrangement about his breach of promise of marriage with his client. “And what proof of that promise has Miss Brown except her saying 'so?” asked Mr. Fox. “Oh,” answered the young man, "I have seen a box -full of letters ffom TOO.” “Have you read them?” continued Mr. Fox sarcastically. ? “Not yet,” replied the other,, “but I have seen the box.” “Well, yon had better go* and rtaii them first before you take any further steps, and if yon can find a single line from me to Miss Brown, I am quite willing to let her have ample damages without their being awarded by a "court of law.”

There was something so diabolical about Mr. F<ax.ihat the young defender of innocence found it best to retire far present, leaving his opponent to rub'his hands triumphantly and build castles in the air aboui the country seat and the horses and carriages he was going to buy in order to dazzle Miss Laquerton, whom he felt justified in seriously thinking about now. Miss Nelly had meanwhile been informed of the conversation at Mr. Fox’s office, and, with an indignant exclamation about “such incredible untruths,” she went to fetch her letter box. There, sure enough, were the letters, all in little packets, neatly tied up with blue and pink ribbons; but, strange to say, she could not see an address; and, oh, heavens! when she undid the packets they contained nothing but paper—all -white paper, without a single word on it. The wily lawyer had evidently deceived her by somsT deuionTacat trick!

_ The shock was so great to the poor lovesick lady that she had scarcely the courage to show herself when the will was to be read; but she rallied at last, hoping against hepei that it might.still. be in her favor, when she could treat with scorn and contempt her faithless lover and his paltry damage. Mr. Fox, although he considered himself already master of the nouse and everthing in it, felt considerably excited on the morning of the day appointed for the reading of the will, and when Mr. Piumley, as chief executor, sat down and slowly got his spectacles out, his junior partner came over so faint and his heart fluttered to such an extent, that he fancied all hjs hopes and beautiful castles in the air were crumbling away as in a dream. Why did not his old friend at once read the document? Why did he make the suspense so unbearably long? Why did he continue to stare first at the paper in his hand, then at. those around him, and then once more at the paper without uttering a single word; and then at last, when he did speak, why did he stammer, “I —I do not know; I see nothing—in fact, it is the same paper, but—j-?” Could it be? Yes, sure enough there was the paper on whieh the will had been made out, but there was nothing upon it bow; it was merely a blank, a white sheet! “Good heavens! With what Ink did

you write out that will?” burst out at ast Mr. Fox. “With what ink?” repeated ‘he old gentleman, indignantly, “with your ink. As I found the ink stand upstairs dry, and the old lady was in such a deadly hurry, I rushed down myself to get some, and seeing yoqr bag in the hall, I took;from it the little inkstand whieh you atwsya carry about.” —Mr. Fox turned deadly pale, and without saying another word vanished, like his ink, before anybody had found time to ask for an explanation. When the rest of the company had composed themselves again, Mr. Piumley said: “I know that the testatrix has destroyed all former wills, so that there is noueatallin existence, and, by law, therefore the property will go to the next of kin. I know, also, that Mrs, Jonson had no relatives whatever except Miss Lizzie Roberts. She is consequently sole heiress.”

She Looks Out for Mean Men.

Chicago Journal. I lunched with a friend to day at an establishment which enjoys a very heavy patronage every noon hour. I handed the young lady cashier a silver dollar in payment of my bill! Before giving me my change she looked at the ’‘dollar very critically, snd finally cast it into the money-drawer with apparent reluctance. I endured the ordeal without com plaint, .but told my friend afterward that I hated to be mistaken for a counterfeiter, and asked why that girl should look with suspicion on coins that I gave her, as I distinctly remembered her doing several times of late. His reply was prompt and to the point, “ Because, my boy,” said he, “ihat girl has to make up out of her own pocket the. losses of all kinds that she may sustain, either bv accepting bad coins or otherwise. You, in your innocence, may not believe it, but there are lotsof men mean enough to try and pass off .on that girl, who, as you saw, was rushed to death, any ‘queer’ dollars and half dollars that come into their possession. She is in a position where she has to give out change for coins sixty times to the minute, so that unless she is exceptionally sharp she is good game for snch mean men to experiment upon. Let her examine yonr good dollars as long as she likes but see that you don’t give her any bad ones.” I promised to do so, inwardly forgave the maid and went my way.

THE OLD SETTLER.

He Spina a Fhh Story that ia Prob. ably True. v ; .r : ;r . Ed. Mott ia N. Y. Sun. But mentionin’catfish, I kin tell ye th’t they’m poqty durn smart, too, hht tbeirflifiSifilSSl often shoves 'em inter trouble th’t'they hain't smart enough to wiggle out of. Th’ usetv be some ’stouAdin’ big catfish in the Sugar Swamp millpond, an’tpany a one hev I inveigled to the frvip’ pan. One day I were Cabin 1 ud at the inlet, w’en all of asudd? ut a catfish with a mouth iike the openin’ in the leg of a No. 12 gum boot sprung clean 5 onten the water and grabbed my line jist above whar the cork floated on the water, an’, cuttin’ it off as if he’d done it with a pair o! shears, down he went ag’in with line, cork, an’ all. The thing were so snddent th’t it skeert me at fust, an’ havin’ no more hooks, I turned to go hnm. Then I seen a break in the water, an’ lookin’ back, thar were the catfish with his head an’ half his body stickin’ ’bove the water. The cork were in the catti h’s mouth, an’ ez 1 turned an’ see him he kinder winked one o’ his eyes, give a gulp, an’ down inter his maw wc-i.t iny cork. Then he winked t’other eye an’ duv down to the bottom ag’n. “I’d often heerd my pop say th’t catfish were the consarndest things th’ was for jokin’ a feller w’en they took it into their head, .but this were the fust time I’d ever see it.* I got mad. I hur-ried-hum, got eome more hooks an’ two or three big corks an’ some nice fat pork fer bait, an’ trotted back to the pond with my mind made up to fish for

that off catty tllTlre got tirecf o’ Jbkin’, settled down to serious business, an’ got the hook in his jaw. Wull, sir, ’Squire, I hadn’t scarcely chucked in ’fore that durh catfish snapped the line jist as he had afore, an* went through ihs monkey trick o’swallowin’ the cork. I didn’t say a word, but put on another hook, baite« it, an’ tlirow’d in ag’n. Snap! went the line, and guipy-te-gulp went the cork down the catty’s gullet ag’in, an’ by: this time he actu’ly looked tome ’zifhe were splittin’ his sides a. larfin’ at me. But I kep’ calm ez new butterwilk, an’ baited another hook, put on another cork, and give Mr. Catfish another chance. Jist the same ez afore, an’ then I could see th’t the catty thort he were havin’ fun enough with me to akake all the wa'er outen the pond. “That last dip took all my corks, but I wa’n’t agointer to give it up so, an’ I mosied over hum fer sum more. On my way an idee hit me, an’ I busted right out a larfin’. “ ‘You’ye ben havin’- a heap o’ fun with me, Mr. Catty,’ I says, ‘an* how we’ll see how ye’ll like my havin’ some fun with you, b’gosli!’ “I went hum an’ didn’t say a word to nobody. 1 filled a two-quart pail with big corks an’ jogged back to the pond. J “ ‘Now,’ I says, ‘ye like corks so dnrn well,’ I says, ‘l’ll jis’ set an’ feed ye a few.’ I Bays.

“I sot down an’tossed a cork in the water. The catfish snapped it an’ had his Same ol’ fun with me aswa'lerin’ of it. I ken’ on toastin' corks and he kep’ on gulpin’ of ’em, tili I’d chucked qttart to~BmT I begun to git oneasy, but were kinder braced up ag’in w’en I see th’t thq catfish wa’n’t larfin’ quite as much ez he had ben. Suddently, jist arter gulpin’ down an’ uncommon big un, an’ goin’ back to the bottom, he kim a raisin’ to the top ez if he’d ben a blow’d up pig’s bladder. The minute I see him try to dive, an’ ’stid o’ diviu’ he stood oh his head a secon’ an’ then popped up oaten the water, an tumbiltt an’ floated on the pond ez light sz any feather, I know’d my leetle game had worked. The corks he had swallered had made him so light th’t he couldn’t do anything but jist lay on top o’ the water an’ float an’ wiggle. He laid fer a minute a lookin’ at me kinder mournful like, an’ then turned over on his back an’ floated in to shore fer me to git him, ez much ez to say: “ ‘Yer too many fer me, an* I weaken. I’m your meat!’ “An’ yit folks say, ’Squire, th’t th’ hain’t no fish no more ’cept trout!”

Sim ulating Death.

Pittsburg Dispatch. Dr. Tanner, who some years ago created a sensation by his forty days’ fast, now asserts that the ontward signs of death, as accepted and depended upon by physicians, are all deceptive, save one—and that alone is infallible. He says; “I have so disciplined my mind and body that I can take upon myself, at volition, a trance state, and while condition I propose to be buried, iustaa a dead person is ordinarily buried, in a secure, regularly made coffin, placed in a grave 5 feet deep, which will be filled np and the earth compactly put in and mounded over. I shall remain there four weeks, theu be disinterred, resuscitated and fully restored to the fail vigor and strength of my normal condition. This is not impossible; it is no new thing.” Dr. Tanner expects to have all his arrangements perfected by May IS, which is the day he mentions for the carrying out of his stated intention. It is wMT known that the fakirs of India have the power of suspending animation, and the Journal de Medicine, Paris, of February T, 1839, gives a very interesting account of i]be p reparations which the (akin make before “hiber-

nating,” and it proceeds to describe causes so well authenticated as to be beyond question where fakirs have been buried for periods varying from six weeks to four months. Similar cases have been reported from time to time, and it is impossible to doubt their genniner cases, we can find a host of analogous facts in the lower animal life, as, for infstance, the hibernation of dormice and other apimals, the revivification of fish and frogs after a winter passed in ice; the vital resistance of toads and other living beings inelosed without nourishment for many years in small, hollow places, etc.

THE RUSSIAN POLICE.

If You Want to Do Anything Over There Yon Must First Get Permission. From George Kennan’s article in the April Centnry we quote the following: “There is probably no country in the world where the public power occupies a wider field, plays a more important part, or touches the private personal life of the citizen at more points than it does in Russia. In a country like England or the United States, where the People are the governing power, the fnifttiona of the police are simple and clearly defined, and are limited, for the most part, to the prevention and detection of crime, and the maintenance of orderin public places. In Russia, however, where the people are not the governing (>ower t but hold to that power the relation of an infant ward to a guardian, the police occupy a yi ijy different. ittnLmxuxb- mere- important position. ‘.‘The theory upon which the government of Russia proceeds is, that the citizen not only is incapable of taking part in the management of the affairs of his country, his provine*, or his district but is incompetent to manage even the affairs of his own household; and that, from the time he leaves his cradle and begins the struggle of life down to the time when his weary gray head is finally guided, directed, instructed, restrained, repressed, regulated, fenced in, fenced out, braced up, kept down, and made to do generally what somebody else thinks is best for him. The natural outcome of this paternal theory of government is the concentration of all administrative authority in the hands of a few high officials and the enoimous extension of the police power. Matters that in other countries are left to the discretion of the individual citizen, or to the judgment of a small group of citizens, are regulated in Russia by the Minister jjf the Interior through the imperial police, "TFyott are a. Russian, and wjsh to establish a newspaper, you must ask the permission of the Minister of the Interior. If you wish to ornm Sunday sehool, or any othersqrLof school, whether in a neglecttfcfßlum of St. Petersburg or in a native village in Kamchatka, you must ask the permission of the Minister of Public Instruction. If you wish to give a concert or to get np tableaux for the benefit of an orphan asylum, you must ask permission of the nearest representative of the Minister of the Interior.then submit your programme of exercises to a censor fpr approval or revision, and finally hand over the proceeds of the entertainment to the police to be embezzled or given to the orphan asylum as it may happen. Ts you wish to sell newspapers on the street, you must get permission, be registered in the books of the police,and wear a numbered brass plate as big as a saucer around your neck. If you wish to open a drug store, a printing office, a photograph gallery, or a book store, you must get permission. If you are a photographer and desire to change the location of your place of business, you must get permission. Tfvou are a student and go to a public library to consult Lyell’s “Principle’s of Geology,” or Spencer’s “Social Statics,” you will find that you can not look at such dangerous and incendiary volumes without special permission. If you are a physician, you must get permission before you can practice, and then, if you do not wish to respond to calls in the night, you must have permission to refuse to go; furthermore, if you wish to prescribe what are known in Russia as “powerfully acting” medicines,you must have special permission, or the druggist will not dare to fillyout prescriptions. If you are a peasant and wish to build a bath house on yonr premises, you must get permission. If you are a foreign traveler you must get permission to come into the Empire, permission to go out of it, permission to stay in it longer than six months, and must notify the police every time you change your boarding place. Ia Bhort you can not live, move, or have your being in the Russian Empire without permission.

Luncheon Cars.

London is to have “luncheon cars.” Each car is to carry about with it a cook, together with a cooking apparatus and a good supply of the necessary raw materials, and to prevent the charge of obstruction or anything of the kind the public will be invited te enter tne vehicles and take their cheap luncheon en route, soto speak. A silver bell has been hung in a tower in the village of Borki, where a railroad accident to the Czar’s train«happened, and it will be tolled ev#ry day at the hoar of the accident.

A HORSE DISEASE DECREASING.

Fewer Animal* With HeaTes Nowadays than There Used to BA / Middletown, N. Y. special. “Have you noticed how few horses qjttTied a well known Orange conntr breeder, of a circle gathered round. “Formerly every stable of five had one or more suffering from the disease; now it israre to meet a j heaving horse; in fact X haven’t seen five in a year past.’’ “Hqw do you account for the change?” was asVed. “In two ways. Heaves is a disease of the -respiratory organs, sometimes inherited, sometimes brought on by feeding dusty and mouldy hay or grain. Owners are growing more careful in giving only clean and wholesome feeds. Whea l was a boy it was a common thing for a farmer to tie a colt, no matter Low promising, alongside a mow of rusty, musty hay, and let him feed himself there for weeks together. It is no wonder that the colt contracted the heaves under such circumstances. Then, again, breeders are growing more careful in selecting sires and dams that are free from inheritable diseases or defects. No intelligent breeder will undertake to raise a colt from heavy stock.

“Crib biters are also getting scarcer. Cribbing is another inheritable disease or vicious trick that breeders have learned to shun. Some of yon remember a Btallion once kept by Silas Corwin of this town. I’ve forgotten his name, but he was a son of G*lderoy. That Staition had the cribbing trick, and most of his colts inherited it. lam inclined to think, too, that the cribbing ailment is contagious. I had a valuable mare once which got it, and was ruined, simply by standing for an hour or so alongside of a cribbing horse in a stable. “My observation is that the horses raised in this region nowadays are not only of better blood and breed, but are freer from diseases and defects than horses were formerly. Much of this improvement is dne to more careful and intelligent breeding; something is also due to the superior knowledge of veterinary surgeons.

The British Naval Failure.

Now York Sun. We published the other day a report concerning some recent manoeuvres of British men-of-war which must excite attention among the people of both hemispheres. It seems that in these manoeuvres half a dozen vessels, all known as of the Archer type, took part, and that in a moderate sea they pitched and rolled so as to make any military use /df their cannon quite impracticable; gnd the conclusion of the experts was that the heavy guns which they no# carry must be replaced by others much lighter. In other words, the ships are a gross failure, and the money expended in them is in a great degree, if not entirely, so much money wasted. Our readers will also remember that eight or ten months ago a great demonstration wks made around the British islands and especially along the coast of Ireland, by the entire array of England’s immense fleet of ironclads. Forty-five of these modern monsters were engaged with twenty odd torpedo boats to attend them, and, although the weather was not severe, the experiment showed that out of the whole qqtnber there were not more than one or two whipa in_ the fleet that could go to-sea in a breeze and fight in even moderately water.

Tn other words, it is substantially demonstrated that for sea going and sea fighting these great armor-clad machines are useless. They are like Ericsson’B monitors, available for nothing but harbor defence, that is to say, for fighting in smooth water, and mainly at anchor. How much money Great Britain has invested in unavailable machines of this sort it would be difficult to determine. We have heard the sum estimated by a British public man, not unfamiliar with the subject, at over a thousand millions of dollars! Such a case of national extravagance, blindness, and delusion has never before been [known in history.

Help for Ireland.

Posttnaater General reports lhatHast year 391,882 persons in this country Sent money Jay postal Order to relatives iq/Great Britain and Ireland , the total Bum amounting to about 15,250,000, while 78,340 persons in Canada sent over 51,009,000 in the same way, and the total sum sent in that way from Australia, the United States, and South Africa in the year was over $9,000,000, or an average of over $30,000 a day, coming from 635,258 persons. A writer thinks that this shows what filial regard the British race has for the parents left behind.

A Difference of Qualification.

Chicago Tribune. Sunday school Teacher—Ohildrua, what lesson do we learn from this verse: “Verily, I say unto yon that a rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven?” Thoughtful Boy—We learn that it’s going to be » good deal harder to get into heaven than it is to get into the United States Senate. The finest olive oil in the world now comes from California, and is so highly appreciated that the crop Is bought two yearn ahead.