Rensselaer Republican, Volume 24, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 August 1892 — Page 7

CAST UP BY THE SEA.

r CHAPTER XVI —Continued. Tra/Kit this into his native tongue and the king made a short remark. “ What dcss he say?” asked Ned. “He says, ‘Dat’s a lie!’ ” replied Tim. At this flat*denial of the'planetary system, Ned'felt the impossibility of an explanation: he accordingly requested Tim to ask the king for his regarding the sun. The question having been put, the king consulted the sorcerers around him, and, after an animate discussion, Tim interpreted his reply: “De king say, Massa Ned, dere no such ting as one sun got plenty sun, every morning one. new sun comes ud out of de ’arth same like a pumpkin; den he climb up de sky all day and die when de night come, and bury ’self in de ground.” 1 “And what does he think of the moon?” asked Ned.. _ . After considerable discussionbctween the sorcerers and the king, Tim replied. “De king say, de young moon come very thin and hungry up de sky; den she swaller a lot of stars ebery night and grow a little fatjden at last she swaller too many stars and swell ’self out and bust herself right off ’xactly. , “Tim,” said Ned, solemnly, “these people ar® stupid creatures,xbut tell them that there* shall be a sign in sijt days from this time that shall teach them the truth. Tell them that the Great Spirit who made all things shall darken the sun, and the moon shall pass across its face.” • “Massa Ned,’’replied Tim, thoughtfully, ‘ not tell ’em dat story; now de nigger b’lieveal Massa Ned’s talk, but tell ’em one lie, den upset de boat ’xactly!” . ' Ned wag highly amused at Tim’s honest but ignorant advice, and he had some trouble in explaining to him the natiire'of an eclipse; but when’at length he showed him the exact hour in the “Nautical Ahnprlac” at which the event would take place, Tim at once the importance of 4 the phenomenon, although half incredulous of the fact. He now interpreted Ned’s prophecy, that at the expiration of six days a sign should be seen that would prove the existence of the Great Creator, as the sun should be darkened at midday. * ‘ [ “.'A

At this announcement the entire crowd raised a shout of incredulity, and the king having applied to his sorcerers, who shook their heads in derision, turned angrily toward Ned and spoke for some minutes in great excitement. “Massa Ned,” ‘ ‘better not tell dat kind of talk; de king very angryjlook what he say! He say: ‘How de White \jnan dare trow dedust in.de king's eV®? Tell him ope big lie dat make him look like one big fool ’for his people!’ Den de sorcerers say: ‘Try nim! if he make de sun black, ail, right; if he not make de sun black, kill him, dat s de trick!” At this moment loud murmurs arose among the crowd, and the king rose and retired with his sorcerers without taking the slightest'notice Jof Ned. The, sorcerers had always been jealouS'oLNed’s supremacy,and they now seized the opportunity of prejudicing the king’s mind against 'him, Several gave advice that he should at once be put to death for having attempted to deceive by so gross a falsehood; but the king, having duly considered the matter, came to the conclusion that some great evil might befall the country should he take Ned’s life unjustly, therefore it would be wiser to await the time when the phenomenon was to take place. Should Ned's prophecy be correct, there could be no doubt that he was a wonderful sorcerer : but shouldiL-faitrlfh would be an impostor who should be justly jpunished. In the mean time Ned was regarded with great suspicion. I On the mgrning*of the promised day one-of the king’s cows had twin calves at sunrise ; and, upon the intelligence being received, he immediately arose in astonishment and beat his huge drum to summon the attendance of his sorcerers and councillors. They had hardly arrived and beard the news from the king’s own mouth, as he sat upon his leopard skins beneath the great sycamore, when a messenger rushed in haste to his presence and informed him that one of his wives had just presented him with twin boys., Loud murmurs of astonishment were raised by the assembled crowd, and the sorcerers immediately advised the king to beat the drum qnd summon the whole population to hear the wonderful news, that the favorite cow and the favorite wife had produced twins almost in the same hour. Upon this the king beat the > drum, and every head man of a town quarter replied upon his drum, which general summons was almost immediately followed by a crowd of people, who collected from all quarters and sat upon the ground, completely thronging the open space around the .sycamore. ; The king now addressed the multitude, and explained that he considered this unexpected blessing must be the result of magic';" that the white man had promised a wonderful sign upon this day when the moon should darken the face of the sun, which they all knew must be /impossible. If indeed tMs should take place, there Could be no doubt that he wm the greatest sorcerer that had ever lived , but if, on the other hand, the sun should remain bright, there could be little doubt that the birth of two sets of twins wa» a sign that must be followed by • »"■■■■'. '■ /. *’**, ' - *’*’ a ... » . X*. j ;.. X.. ’'.-J' . i '' ■ -j..- . .

BY SIR SAMUEL W. BAKER.

the’ death of tUa, white man. A loud cry of assent from some thousand voices followed the .©king's address, and a messenger waSmmmediately sent to summon the attendance of Ned and Tim. Upon their arrival the decision of the king was at once made known to them. ** Dis a very bad job. Massa Ned, ” said Tim ; “ a foolish business 'xactly; if de sun not turn black, dese black niggers kill Massa Ned. What can do to change dis bus’ness, Massa Ned ? ” “ Don't be afraid, Tim, ” replied Ned , “ the eclinse must take place between noon and one o’clock ; we shall triumph if you translate what I tell you without flinching. Tell the king, ” continued Ned, as he rose and fixed a lance perpendicularly in the ground,. “ that before the shadow shall reach this line (which he marked in dust with his foot) the sun will be darkened ; and, if my words are untrue, he may drive that lance through my body. ” With much reluctance Tim interpreted the ominous sentence, which was received by the king and the crowd in deep silence. .With much tact Ned then demanded of the king that twenty oxen should immediately be slaughtered and distributed to the multitude to celebrate the occasion. A loud, cheer burst from the crowd at this demand, and the king having assented, thektoxen were shortly brought to the spot and slaughtered; at the same time a huge tire was lighted, and long strips of flesh were thrown into the blaze and divided v'hen haltcooked among the thousands present. ’

This savage feasting consumed the interval, and twelve o'clock —arrived by the time that the remnants were cleared away and the feast was over. Ned now arose from the ground and drove the people from the spot in which he had placed the lance, while he deepened the line with burnt stick that was to mark the limit of the shadow. The king and his sorcerers now anxiously watched his proceedings, but none more eagerly than Tim, who dreaded the result of failure. At first the lance threw no shadow as the sun was vertical; but slowly the dark line began to lengthen toward the east. Many of the crowd now stood up in their excitement to watch the gradually increasing shadow, while some attempted to gaze on the glaring sun that shone in a spotless sky with a power that appeared unquenchable, The time passed oil and the shadow of the lance grew longer, and stretched nearer and near to the fatal limit. Tim’s heart beat quick, and he fixed his eyes upon Ned in despair, as at length the dark line extended within a few inches of the mark. The crowd began to murmur and the sorcerers whispered to the king and shook’their heads in derision of Ned’s presumption. The king’s features assumed an expression of angry discontent as he lent forward

to see whether the shadow had reached the defined limit, at the .same time he beckoned to a huge black whom Ned knew to be his principal executioner. This brutal looking fellow anvanced with a rope wound round his waist, with which he was accustomed to tie the arms of his victims, and he smiled grimly at Ned, as though he considered him already in his power. Ned began to fear that he had made some error in the calculation of the hour, as the shadow 6f the lance almost reached the line; when a sudden gloom, as though a passing cloud, caused the shadow to disappear. Ned sprang to the ground and raising his extended arm toward the heavens, he invoked the protection of the Almighty in a loud clear voice that produced a startling effect upon the king. The gloom increased, and, shortly a black shadow veiled a portion bf the sun, and a dark sphere crept slowly but surely over its disk. It was like the dim twilight of evening gradually tncreasihg toward darkness, and the round black object could now be seen Creeping across the sun, until merely a thin crescent of its light remained. With a loud cry, the king and all his people threw themselves upon the ground and hid their faces in their hands; Ned and Tim alone remained standing amidst the crowd of prostrate savages. “Cry out, Tim, in your loudest voice,” said Ned; “This is the work of the Great Spirit that the white mamserves! this is the hand of his God!” Tim repeated these words with great energy in the native tongue; the whole crowd groaned with terror. “Cry out again, Tim,” said Ned; “Rise up and the sud will regain its light!”

At these words the king arose trembling; together with’tgome of his people, but the greater number still remained prostrate upon the earth. Ned then approached the king and directed his attention to the sun, which slowly resumed its brilliant proportions as the eclipse passed away. " Turning to his chief executioner the king gave some directions, and before Ned could interfere, the sorcerers who had advised his death were seized and strangled upbn the spot, and their bodies were dragged outside the town to be devoured by the hyenas that prowled around the entrance during the night. The king and all bis people were now convinced that the birth $f the double twins was the work of Ned’s magic, and he was

looked upon as the most wonderful sorcerer that had ever been known; thus from that day he had the highest position in the state, and he was hourly tormented by applicants of both sexes for charms and talismans against every imaginable evil. With all this evil be had been unable to inculcate the true idea of religion into the savage minds. Some few, indeed professed to believe in the Great Spirit that had darkened the sun; but thedeSth of a gbat or a cow was in all cases sufficient to dispel their belief in a god who allowed their cattie to die. Prisoners in this land of heathens,: and apparently cut off from the rest of the world forever, and from his loved home and Edith; wem us t leave Ned and return to other scenes.

CHAPTER XVII. Five years had passed away since the memorable day when the body of the brave Dick Stone had been committed to the waves and the dismasted Polly had been towed into Falmouth by the British cruiser.. The gallant defense of the lugger against a superior force, and the dexterous escape of the crew from a French prison through the intervention of Leontine, had made a great sensation at a time when hardly a week passed in England without some deed of daring that claimed the admiration of the world. ALeontine, upon her arrival at Falmouth, had found herself in the position of a heroine father than a prisoner, and upon her devotion and brave conduct being made known to the authorities she was Rewarded by the freedom of her brother Victor, who was in the Falmouth jail. It was a happy day for Leon tine when the order for his release arrived and she was permitted to visit the prison and throw herself inSher brother’s arms as his unexpected deliverer. She had been kindly received by the mayoress of the town, who had supplied her with clothes, and after a few week’s delay both she and her brother,, with other French prisoners, were forwarded to France in exchange for the British sailors who had been captured in merchant vessels. In the meantime, while Leontine had been rendered happy, a cloud of misery had shrouded the cottage on the cliff at Sandy Cove. The few men who had remained ’ among the Polly’s crew after the fatal engagement returned to the Cove from Falmouth, and the wailing of women in the little village for husbands and sons lostTn the action was the first sound that had struck upon Polly Grey’s ears a few minutes before Joe Smart arrived and gently broke the dreadful intelligence. Paul Grey had been seen to fall in the heat of the fight, and there could be no doubt of his death. Polly was stunned bv th# shock of this overwhelming affliction; her heart was withered by the blow, as all the fond 'hopes'with which she had comforted herself in her husband’s absence were thus crushed forever. It was long before she could weep, and for days she sat upon the terrace wall and gazed at the barren sea as though she still hoped that the well known sail would reappear, and that she might once more clasp her arms around Paul’s neck. She would then retire to her cottage and open the drawers and look at the clothes in which she had so often seen him; everything that he had worn had become dear to and all that had been his was how sacred; there was the red Woolen comforter that she had knitted for him, and this she took in her hands, and letting it fall upon the ground, she fell upon her knees, and buryingher face upon the bed she sobbed “O God! I am a widow, and my boy Ned is also gone!” she cried, as she appealed in the agony of her grief to Him soi 1 comfort. In this hour of, deep affliction she was not alone; she had a devoted friend and comforter in Edith, who loved her fondly, and who strove with affectionate care to soothe her distress. Mr. Jones, who had gone through a similar bitter trial, showed her the greatest kindness, and it was resolved that the cottage at Sandy Cove should be sold, as»4he scene of the old home only served to awaken painful recollections. When a few weeks had passed and the first burst of grief was over, Polly mournfully turned her thoughts to her late husband’s affairs. She was in debt to Captain Smart, as he had advanced considerable sums to liquidate various claims. She therefore proposed that all the effects, together with the cottage, be sold, and that the Polly should be put up at auction at Falmouth, as it would be useless to enter upon the expense of the necessary repairs. It went to Polly’s heart to part with .Paul's old lugger; but as Joe Smart was hey counselor, and he declared it to.be positively necessary she at length decided, and it was sold at Falmouth for £160.' ,

The cottage remained;and this, together with, the furniture and the nets, etc., was shortly advertised for auction, and upon the appointed day the people assembled at the sale. Joe Smart was not only the active manager of the whole affair, but he had determined to become the purchaser of the cottage, which would thus relieve him from the unpleasantness es receiving* money from the widow of his friend Paul for sums that he advanced. He therefore outbid the highest offer, and therefore became the ptpprietor, not only of the cottage, but of the principal articles of When all the little was realized, through the care and industry of Joe Smart. Polly found herself possessed of knout £3OO. Although the interest of small

sum was only £ls a year, /t was Sufficient for hey, simple wants, as she resided with Mrs. Jones and Edith at the rectory as one of their family, while Captain Smart called twice a 'week to arrange the accounts of the estate. (to be continued.)

THE ARIZONA KICKER.

The Editor’s Criticisms Caused Trouhle and the Departure of the Horse Reporter. k -i' N. Y. Sun. A Surprise Party.—Last week Major Cowan, the owner of Sunset Ranch, over in Chinch Valley, invited us over to eat Sunday dinner with him aud look over his grounds and buildings. As editor of the Kicker we have been very frank in our criticisms of the Clinch Valley cowboys. As Mayor of this town we have wounded three of them and kept the crowd on their good behavior when they have come into the’City. It was, therefore, with a feeling pf hesitancy that we saddled our mule last Sunday morning and set out for the Major’s. We had proceeded as far as Turkey Bend, and were communing with the spirit of nature and loading our guns for business when about thirty cowboys;4ed by Bill Wheeler, who has a standing offer of SIOO for either of our ears, suddenly broke cover from the scrub a mile away. We were not looking for subscriptions among that crowd, neither did we care to go into any extended argument on the political situation on the Lord’s day. We decided to return to town by the shortest route. For about a mile the crowd was within shooting range. We counted seventy-six bullets which passed within speaking distance of us. We finally begap to gain, and a mile out of town wejwere a mile ahead of the gang. All stopped at the city limits,, while we came into town on a gentle center, and attended church service as usual. We haven’t the slightest complaint to make against the action of the cowboys. It is their business to kill us off if they can, and on the other hand we shall pepper every one who shows his head in town. It was rather a surprise on us, but we think we did the right thing in the right place.

A Disappointment.—The Kicker no longer has a horse reporter. When the young man who has been sporting that title came along here four months ago, fresh from the femine East, he assured us that he felt himself equal to any emergencyWe could offer him only $7 a week, but he did not hesitate a moment. All he wanted was a chance to work up. We have always been rather doubtful of him. — He didn't have the genuine Western motion to his right arm in reaching Jback for his gun. He practiced two hours a day for weeks and weeks, but while he visibly improved on the motion there was always a certain stiffness about the shoulder muscles. Ho was'an agreeable 4ellow, however, and his department was interesting to all readers, and we kept him along and hoped that he might somehow get through. ' On Tuesday morning what we had feared came’to pass. Our horse reporter started forgone Tree to look at some fancy stock. On the way over he met half breed Joe Briff, whom J we once flung through the alley window of this rightly looked upon him as our representative and stopped him on the highway. We should have perforated Joseph’s carcass six times before he had uttered two whoops, but our representative hadn’t got his hand back before he was covered. He was then made to dismount, and that leather-faced ’half-breed, who hasn’t got two inches of spinal colrubbed sand in and made him sing and dance until he fell exhausted. He graciously permitted our representative to town at the end of an hour, but we did not know him when he walked into the office. As spon as he had told his story, we mounted our mule and flew out to hoping to find the half breed lingering about. We beat up the country for two miles around, but he was not to be found. As stated above, we have no horse reporter now. Upon returning to the office we told the young man he' must go. He seemed to fully.realize -the Situation himself and was already packing up. He was badly broken up and we felt sorry for him, and We hereby wish to recommend him to any paper east of Kansas or Nebraska whienhas a situation open. He is a capital writer, but t6o slow on the draw for this section. In a community where the horse reporter defends himself with a club or brass knuckles he’d be invaluable. We shall wipe out the stain as far as possible by shooting the half breed at the first opportunity.

The underground railroad in Glasgow, begun three years ago, is now almost completed. The total length of the road, which extends into the suburbs,is seven and a quarter miles, but not all of this is underground. The greatest distance below the surface is lOO.feet, the average distance beings twenty feet. There are a great many grades, some quite steep, and some sharp curves. The contract price of the road was something over $5,000,000.

Few relics of antiquity are so curiously interesting as the chart em ployed by ancient mariaars, which nave port raved upon them ever so many extraordinary monsters, horrible dragons and terrific gianU scattered hare and there.

USEFUL SUFFERING.

Dr. Talmage Speaks of the Uses of Adversity. . Why “It Behoved Christ to Suffer”—There Has Never Been Such an Example of Enduring Patience a» We .Find on the Cross. Rev. Dr. Talmage’s- European preaching tour is drawing to a close; During the week he has preached three or four times in different cities, following out the programme already announced, and everywhere meeting large and enthusiastic audiences.’ This week he speaks at Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield and Derby. The subject chosen for Sunday was “Useful Sufferings.” Text Luke xxiv, 46, “It behoved Christ to suffer.” , ) There ha\ e been scholars whomafve ventured theassertioiLthatthepains Of uur Lord were unnecessary. Indeed it was a -sehocking—waste-ief-tearsand blood and agony, unless some great end were to be reached. If men can prove that no good result comes of it, then the character of God is impeached and the universe must stand abhorrent and denunciatory at the fact that the Father allowed the butchery of his begotten. Son. . In the first place, I remark that Christ’s lacerations were necessary because man’s rescue was an impossibility except by the payment of some great sacrifice. Oujtraged law had thundered against iniquity. Man must die unless a substitute can intercept that death. Let Gabriel step forth. He refuses. Let Michael the archangel step forth. He refuses. No Roman citizen, no Athenian, no Corinthian, no reformer, no angel volunteered. Christ then bared his heart to the pang. He paid for our redemption in tears and blood and wounded feet and scourged shoulders and torn brow. “It is done.” Heaven and earth heard the snap of the prison bar. Sinai ceased to quake with wrath the moment that Calvary began to rock in crucifixion. Christ had suffered. But I remark again, the sufferings of Christ were necessary in order that the world’s sympathies might be aroused. Men are won to tho right and good through theif sympathies. The world must feel aright before it can act aright. So the cross was allowed to be lifted that the world’s sympathies might be aroused. Men who have been obdurated by the cruelties they have enacted, by the massacres they have inflicted, by the horrors of which they have been guilty have become little children in the presence of this dying Savior.. What the sword could not do, what Juggernauts could not subdue, the wounded hand of Christ has accomplished. There ariHhis moment millions of people held under the spell of that one sacrifice. The hammers that struck the spikes into the cross have broken the rocky heart of the world. Nothing but the agonies of a Saviour’s death throe could rouse the world’s sympathies.— . I remark again, “It behoved Christ to sufler” that the strength and persistance of the divine love might be demonstrated. Was it the applause of the wosd that induced''Christ on that crusade- from heaven? Why, all the universe was feet. Could the conquest of this insignificant planet have paid iiim ' for his career of pain if it had been ,'a mere matter of applause? All the honors of heaven surging at his feet. Would your cjueen give up her throne that she might rule a miserable tribe in Africa? Would the Lord Jesus Christ, on the throne of the universe come down to our planet if it were a mere matter of applause and acclamation? Nor was it an expedition undertaken for the accumulation of vast wealth. What could all the harvests Emd all the diamonds of our little world do for him whose are the glories of infinitude and eternity? Nor was it an experiment—an attempt to show what he could do with the hard hearted race. He who wheels the stars in their courses and holds the pillars of the universe on the tips of his fingers needed to make no experiment to find what he could do. Oh, I will tell you, my friends, what it was. It was the undisguised, unlimited all conquering, all consuming, infinite, eternal, omnipotent love that opened the gate, that started the star in the east, with the finger of light pointing down to the manger; that arrayed the Christmas choir at Bethleham; that opened the stable door where Christ was born; that lifted him on the cross. Love thirsty at the well. Love at the sick man’s couch. Love at the cripple’s crutch. Love sweating in the garden. Love dving on the cross. Love wrapped in the grave. You cannot mistake it. The blindest eye must see it The hardest heart must feel it. The deafest ear must hear it. Parable and miracle, wayside talk and seaside interview, all the scenes es his life, all the sufferings of his death, proving beyond controversy th*t for our ingrate earth God has yearned with stupendous and inextinguishable love. ” But I remarx again, “It behoved Christ to suffer ’ th't the nature of human guilt might be demonstrated. There is hot a common sense man in the house to-day that will not admit that the machinery of society is out of gear, that the human mind and the human heart are disorganized, that something ought tobedone-and done right away for its repair and readjustment. But the height and depth and length and breadth and hate and recklessness and the infer-

nal energy of the human heart for sin would not have been demonstrated if against the holy and innocent one of the cross it had-not been hurled in one bolt of fire. What evil had he done? Whose eyesight had he put out? None; but he had given vision to the blind. Whose child had he slain? None: but be restored the dead damsel to her mother. What Iw bad he broken? None, but he has inculcated obedience to government. What foul plot had he enacted happiness of the race? None; he had come to save a world. The only cruelty he ever enacted was to heal the sick. The only ostentation he ever displayed was to sit with publicans and sinners and swash the disciples'feet.

Again, “It behooved Christ to suffer,” that pur affections might be excited heavenward. Why, sirs, the.._ behavior of our Lord has stirred the affections of all those who ever heard of it. It has hung in the art galleries of the world with such pictures as Ghirlahdajo’s ‘’Worship of tho Magi,’’Giotto's“BaptismofChrist,” Holman Hunt's “Christ in the Temple,” Tintoret’s “Agony in the Garden,” Angelo’s “Crucifixion,” and it has called out Handel’s “Messiah,” and rung sweet chimes in Young’s “Night Thoughts,” and filled the psalmody of the world with the penitential notes of sorrow and the hosannasof Christian triumph. —— Show me any other king who has so many subjects. What is the most potent name to-day in the United States,jMn France, in England, in Scotland, in Ireland ? Jesus. Other kings have had many subjects, but where is the king who had so many admiring subjects as Christ ? Show me a regiment of a in their army, and I will show you a battailion of ten thousand men in Christ’s Show me in history where one man has given his propertv and his life for any one else, and I will show you in history hundreds and thousands of men who have cheerfully died that Christ might reign. ' Oh, yes I the Lord Jesus has won the affections of many of us. There are some of us who can say this morning, “Lord Jesus, my light and my song, my hope for time, my expectation for eternity." Altogether lovely thou art. My soul is ravished with the vision. Thou art mine. Come, let me clasp thee. Come life, come death, come scorn and pain, come whirlwind and darkness. Lord Jesus, I can not give thee up. I have heard thy voice. I have seen thy bleeding side. Lord Jesus, if I had some garland plucked from heavenly gardens I would wreathe it for thy brow. If I had some gem worthy of the place, I would set it in thy crown. It I had seraphic harp I would stride it in thy praise. But I come, lost and ruined and undope, to throw myself at thy feet. Thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee. But I remark again, “It behoved Christ to suffer” that the world might learn-how to suffer. Sometimes people suffer because they caifnot help themselves, but Christ had in his hands all the weapons to punish his enemies, and yet in quiescence he endured all outrage. He might have hurled the rocks of Golgotha upon his pursuers; he might have cleft the earth until it swallowed up his assailants; be might have called in re-enforcement or taken any thunderbolt, from the armory of God Omnipotent and hurled it seething and fiery among his foes, but he answered not again. Oh, my hearer! has there eve been in the history of the world such an example bf enduring patience as we find in the cross? Some of you suffer physical distresses, some of you have lifelong ailments, and they make you fretful. Sometimes you see the world laughing and romping cn tho highways of life, and you look put of the window while seated in invalid’s chair. I want to show you one this morning who had worse pains in the head than you have ever had, whose back was scourged, who was wounded in the hands and wounded in the feet and suffered all over, and I want that example to make you more enduring in your suffering and’to make you say, “Father, hot my will, but thine, be done.” You never have had any bodily, pain, and you never-s will have any bodily pain that can equal Christ’s tort pre. “It behooved Christ to suffer” that he might show you how physically to suffer. ’ Some of you are bereft. It is no random remark, because there is~ hardly a family here that has not passed under thb shadow. You have < been bereft.- Your house is a different place from what it used to be. The same furniture, the sarifc books, the same pictures, but there has been a voice hushed there. The face that used to light up the whole duelling has vanished. The pattering of the other feet does not break up the loneliness. The wave has gone over your soul, and you have sometimes thought what you would tell him when he comes back, but then the thought has flashed tipon you, be will never ccme back, * Ah ! my brother, my sister, Christ has sounded all that depth. Jesus of the bereft soul is here to-dav. Behold him ! He knows what it is to weep at the tomb. It seemr to me as if all the storms of the world’s sorrows were compressed into one sob and that son were uttersd in two words, “Jesus wept” Queen Victoria has, like other women, her pet superstitions one of which is the belief that anything made by a blind person brings luck. Accordingly the cradle with all its furnishings* for the latest Battenberg baby has been prepared entirely by the blind.