Terre Haute Weekly Gazette, Terre Haute, Vigo County, 13 March 1884 — Page 10

The House onthe Marsh?

By F. WARDEN.

CHAPTER III—CONCLCBKD.

"Oh! How long ago did this boy die?" asked he, in a curiously incredulous tone. "About five years ago, I think Mr. Rayner said." "Oh, then it was Mr. Rayner who told you?" "Yes." "And Mrs. Rayner has never got over it?"

No. It seems difficult to believe, doesn't it, that a brilliant woman who wrote books aad was much admired should like that into a kind of shadow? I wonder she doesn't write more books to divert her thoughts from brooding over the past." "Oh, she wrote books! Did she tell you so herself

No—Mr. Rayner." "Oh! Did Mr. Rayner tell you any more?" "The irony in his tone was now so unmistakable that I hesitated and looked np at inquiringly.

I am sure he must have told you that he is a very ill-used man and a very longsuffering husband, and asked you to pity him Didn't he, Miss Christie? Ah, I see he didl" he cried. "I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks but I was indignant at having to submit to this catechism. "Mr. Rayner never asks impertinent questions," I said severely.

The young man drew back, muttered I beg your pardon," and, turning to watch the rain, began to hum something without any tune to cover his discomfiture. I was sorry directly but my dignity forbade my palling him back to retract the snub. Yet I was dying to know the reason of his violent prejudice against Mr. Rayner. To my relief in a few minutes he came back to me of his own accord.

Miss Christie," he began nervously, I am afraid I have offended you. Won't you forgive me for being carried a little too far by my interest in a lady who herself confessed that she is away from her friends for the first time and not—very happy!

I could not resist such an appeal as that I looked up smiling, with tears in my eyes. "011,1am not at all offended! But I should like to know what reason you have for thinking so ill, as you seem to do, of Mr. Rayner." "Perhaps I am wrong. I really have no proof that he is anything but what he wishes every one to think him—a lighthearted, accomplished man, of idle life and pleasant temper. It is not his fault that, with all his cleverness, his ease of manner is not quite the ease of a gentlemen."

I was scarcely experienced enough to have found that out for myself. I considered for a moment, and then said rather timidly— "Won't you tell me anything niore? You can if you will, I think, and, alone in the world as I am, I want all the knowledge I can get of the people I live among, to guide me in my conduct."

He

seemed

to debate with himself for a

moment then he sat down beside me on the other shaft of the cart, and said very earnestly—

Seriously, then, Miss Christie, I would advise you to leave the Alders as soon as you possibly can, even before you have got another engagement. You are in the midst of more dangers that you can possibly know of, more probably than I know of myself, more certainly that I can warn you against."

His voice was very low as he finished, and, while we both sat silent, he with his eyes intently fixed on my face, mine staring out fearfully at the sky, a dark figure suddenly appeared before us, blocking out the light. It was Mr. Rayner. Mr. Reade and I started guiltily. The new-comer approached so quietly that we had not heard him had ha heard us)

CHAPTER IV.

Ih spite of the rain and the mud, Mr. Rayner was in the brightest of humors and his first words dispelled my fear that he might have overheard the warning Mr. Reade had just given me not to stay at the Alders. He caught sight of me first as he *ma under the roof of the dark shed. "At last, Miss Christie! It was a happy thought of mine to look for you here. But how in the world did you discover this place of refuge!" Then, turning, he saw my companion. "Hallo, Laurence! Ah, this explains the mystery! You have been playing knight-errant, I see, and I am too late in the field but I shall carry off the lady, after all. My wife noticed that you started without your ulster, Miss Christie, and, as soon as service was over, she sent me off with it to meet you."

He helped me on with it, and then I stood between them, silent and rather shy at receiving so much unaccustomed attention,

until the rain began to fall less beavlly, and we seized the opportunity to escape. When we got inside of the park, Mr. Reade wanted to take a short cut through it to the house but Mr. Rayner pointed out that there was no object to be gained by catching a bad cold wading through the long, wet grass, so we all went together as far as the park gates, where Mr. Reade left us. "Nice young fellow, that," said Mr. Rayner, as soon as the other was out of earshot. Just the kind of open frank lad I should have liked to have for a son in a few years' time. Handsome, too, and goodnatured. There's not a girl in all the country side who hasn't a smile and a blush for Laurence."

I did not think this so great a recommendation as it seemed to Mr. Rayner, but I said nothing and he went on—

He is worth all the rest of his family put together. Father—self-important, nar-row-minded old simpleton mother—illdressed vegetable, kept alive by a sense of her own dignity as the penniless daughter of an earl sisters—plain, stuck-up nonentities younger brother—dunce at Eton. But they haven't been able to spoil Laurence. He may have a few of their prejudices, but he has* none of their narrowminded pig-headedness. You don't understand the rustic mind yet, Miss Christie. I assure you there are plenty of people in this parish who have condemned me to eternal punishment because I am fond of racing, and, worse than all, play the violin."

Do you play the violin? Oh, I am so fond of it." "Are you? Poor child, you had better not acknowledge the taste as long as you remain in this benighted spot they class it with the black art. I believe I am popularly supposed to have bewitched the Alders with my playing. Some of the rustics think tlfot the reeds round the nond ulav

all Dy tnemseives aDout miamgnt, it taey are accidentally touched." "Oh, Mr. Rayner, aren't you rather hard upon the rustics?" I said, laughing. "Not a bit, as you will find out soon enough. However, if you are not afraid of being bewitched too, you shall hear my violin some evening, and give me your opinion of it."

We were within the garden gates by this time, and, as we walked down the path, I saw a woman's figure among the trees on our right. The storm had left the evening sky so dark and she was so well hidden that, if I had not been very sharp-sighted, I should not have noticed her. As it was, I could not recognize her, and could only guess that it was Mrs. Rayner. The idea of those great weird eyes being upon me, watching me, just as they had been on the evening of my arrival, made me uncomfortable. I was glad Mr. Rayner did not look that way, but went on quietly chatting till we reached the house. He left me in the hall, and went straight into his study, while I, before going up stairs to take off my bonnet, went into our little schoolroom to put my church-service away. The French window had not been closed, and I walked up to it to see whether the rain had come in. The sky was still heavy with rain-clouds, so that it was quite dark indoors, and, while I could plainly see the woman I had noticed among the trees forcing her way through the wet branches, stepping over the flower-beds on to the lawn, and nnAing her way to the front of house, she could not see me. When she came near enongh for me to distinguish her figure, I saw that it was not Mrs. Rayner, but Sarah the housemaid. I stood, without acknowledging it to myself, rather in awe of this woman she was so tall and so thin, and had such big eager eyes and such a curiously constrained manner. She was only a few steps from the window where I stood completely hidden by the curtain, when Mr. Rayner passed quickly and caught her arm from behind. She did not turn or cry out, but only stopped short with a sort qjfeasp.

WSt were you doing in the shrubbery just now, Sarah?" he asked quietly. If you want to take fresh air in the garden, you must keep to the lawn and the paths. By forcing your way through the trees and walking over the beds you do damage to the flowers—and to yourself. If you cannot remember these simple rules, you will have to look out for another situation."

She turned round sharply. ]L

The whole scene had puzzled me a little. What did Sarah the housemaid want to stand like a spy in the shrubbery for? How had Mr. Rayner seen and recognized her without seeming to look in that direction? Was there any deeper meaning under the words that had passed between there*2 There was surpressed passion in the woman's manner which could hardly have been stirred by her master's order to keep to the garden paths and not to burn the toast and there was a hard decision in Mr. Rayner's which I had never noticed before, even when he was seriously displeased. I waited behind the curtain by the window until long after he had gone back toward the study, feeling guiltily that his sharp eyes must find me out, innocently as I had played the spy. If he were to speak to me in the tone that be had used to Sarah, I felt that I should run away or burst into tears, or do something else equally foolish and unbecoming in an instructress of youth. But no one molested me. When I crept away from the window and went softly up stairs to my room, there was no one about, and no sound to be heard in the house save a faint clatter of tea things in the servants' hall. At tea-time Mr. Rayner was as bright as usual, and laughingly declared that they should never trust me to go to church by myself again.

That night I pondered Mr. Reade's warning to me to leave the Alders, but I soon decided that the suggestion was quite unpractical. For, putting aside the fact that I had no stronger grounds than other people's prejudice and suspicion for thinking it imprudent to stay, and that I could see no sign of the dangers Mr.'Reade had hinted at so vaguely, what reason could I offer either to my employers or to my mother for wishing to go? This sort of diffidence at inventing excuses is a strong barrier to action in young people. And, if I had overcome this diffidence sufficiently to offer a plausible motive for leaving the Alders, where was I to go?

My father was dead my mother, who had been left with very little to live upon, had been glad, at the time Vhen it was agreed that I should bqgin to earn my own living, to accept an offer to superintend the househould of a brother of hers who had not long lost his wife. My uncle would, I knew, give me a home while I looked out for another situation but I understood now hAw few people seemed to want the services of "a young lady, aged eighteen, who preferred children under twelve."

And what a bad recommendation it would be to have left my first situation within a month! And what could I say I did it for? If I said, Because the house was damp, people would think I was too particular. And, if I said I was afraid my pupil's mother was mad, they would want some better reason than the fact that she talked very little and moved very softly for believing me. And, if I said I had been told the place was dangerous, and so thought I had better go, they would think I was mad myself. And, besides these objections to my leaving, was there not, to a young mind, an unacknowledged attraction in the faint air of mystery that hung about the place, which would have made the ordinary British middle-class household seem rather uninteresting after it? So I decided to pay no atttention to vague warnings, but to stay where I was certainly, on the whole, well off.

The next morning, as I put on my dainty china-blue cotton frock that I had never worn before, I could not help noticing how much better I was looking than when I lived in London. Instead of being pale, I had now a pink color in my cheeks, and my eyes seemed to look larger and brighter than thev used to do. After

I laughed.

4

v.

"Another situation! Me!" Yes, you. Though I should be sorry to part with such an old servant, yet one may keep a servant too long." "Old! I wasn't always old!" she broke out passionately.- Cj

Therefore you were not always in' receipt of such good wages as you get now. Now go in and get tea ready. And take care the toast is not burnt again."

I could see that she glared at him with her great black eyes like a tigress at bay, but Bhe did not dare to answer again, but slunk away cowed into the house. I was not surprised, for the tone of cold command with which he spoke those last insignificant words inspired me with a sudden sense of fear of him, with a feeling that I was face to face with an irresistible will, such as I should have thought it impossible for light-hearted Mr. Rayner to inspire.

THE TBR&E HAUTE WEEKLY GAZETTE.

a minute's pieasea contemplation ot my altered appearance, I turned from the glass in shame. What would my' mother say if she could see how vain her daughter was growing? Without another look even to see whether I had put in my brooch Straight, I went down stairs. Mr. Rayner was already in the dining-room, but no one else was there yet.' He put down his newspaper and smiled at me.

Come into the garden for a few minutes until the rest of the family assembles," said he and I followed him through the French window on to the lawn.

The morning sun left this side of the house in shade. The birds were twittering in the ivy and stirring the heavy leaves as they flew out frightened at the noise of the opening window the dew was sparkling on the grass, and the scent of flowers was deliciously sweet. "Looks pretty, doesn't it?" said Mr. Rayner. "Pretty! It looks and smells like Paradise! I mean—" I stopped and blushed, afraid that he would think the speech profane.

But he only laughed very pleasantly. I was smelling a rose while I tiled to recover the staid demeanor I cultivated as most suitable to my profession. When I raised my eyes, he was looking at me still laughing.

You are fond of roses!"

tt

"Yes, very, Mr. Rayner." I might own so much without any derogation from my diguity.

But don't you think it was very silly of Beauty to choose only a rose, when her father asked what he should bring her? I have always thought that ostentation of humility spoilt an otherwise amiable character."

1

Poor girl, think how hard her punishment was! I dont think, if I had married the Prince, I could ever have forgotten that he had been a beast, and I should have always been in fear of his changing back again."

The true story is, you know, that he always remained a beast, but he gave her so many diamonds and beautiful things that she overlooked his ugliness. Like that the story happens every day."

I only shook my head gently I could not contradict Mr. Rayner, but I would not believe him.

Now, if you were Beauty, what would you ask papa to bring you I laughed shyly. "A prince?" I blushed and shook my head. "No, not yet," I said, smiling rather mischievously. "A ring, a bracelet, a brooch?" *011, no!"

A Murray's Grammar, a pair of globes, a black-board?" No, Mr. Rayner. I should say a rose like Beauty—a beautiful Marshal Niel rose. I couldn't think of anything lovelier than that."

That is a large pale yellow rose, isn't it? I can't get it -to grow here. What a pity we are not in a fairy-tale, MissChristie, and then the soil wouldn't matter! We would hare Marshal Niel roses growing up to the chimney-pots."

We had sauntered back to the diningroom window, and there, staring out upon us in a strange fixed way, was Mrs. Rayner. She continued to look at us, and especially at me, as if fascinated, until we were close to the window, when she turned with a start and when we entered the room the intent expression had faded from her lusterless eyes, and she was her usual lifeless self again.

At dinner-time Mr. Rayner did not appear I was too shy to ask Mrs. Rayner the reason, and I could only guess, when teatime came and again there was no place laid for him, that he had gone away somewhere. I was sure of it when he hmi not reappeared the next morning, and then I became conscious of a slow but sure change, a kind of gradual lightening in Mrs. Rayner's manner. She did not become talkative or animated like any other woman hut it was as if a statue of stone had become a statue of flesh, feelihg the life in its own veins and grown conscious of the life around it. This change brought one strange symptom she had grown nervous. Instead of wearing always an unruffled stolidity, she started at any unexpected sound, and a faint tinge of color would mount to her white face at the opening of a distant door or at a step in the passage. This change must certainly, I thought, be due to her husband's departure but it was hard to tell whether his absence made her glad or sorry, or whether any such vivid feeling as gladness or grief caused the alteration in her manner.

On the second day of Mr. Rayner's absence Sarah came to the schoolroom, saying that a gentleman wished to speak to me. In the drawing-room I found Mr. Laurence Reade.

I have come on business with Mr. Rayner but, as they told me he was out, I ventured to trouble you with a commission for him, Miss Christie."

I don't know anything about business, especially Mr. Rayner's," I began doubtfully. Perhaps. Mrs. Rayner

Oh, I couldn't trouble her with such a small matter! I know she is an invalid. It is only that two of the village boys want to open an accouut with the penny bank. So I offered to bring the money."

He felt in his pockets and produced one penny. "I must have lost the other," he said gravely. Can you give me change for a threepenny-piece!

I left him and returned with two halfpennies. He had forgotten the names

rof

the boys, and it was some time before remembered them. Then I made .a formal note of their names and the amounts, ana Mr. Reade examined it, and made me write it out again in a more business-like manner. Then he put the date, and he wrote one of the names, again, because I had misspelt it, and then smoothed the paper with the blotting-paper and folded it, making, I thought, an unnecessarily long performance of the whole matter. "It seems a great deal of fuss to make about twopence, doesn't it?" I asked innocently.

And Mr. Reade, who was bending over the writing-table, suddenly began to laugh, then checked himself and said— "One cannot be too particular, even about trifles, where other people's money is concerned."

And I said, "Oh, no! I see," with an uncomfortable feeling that he was making fun of my ignorance of business matters. He talked a little about Sunday, and hoped I had not caught cold and then he went away. And I found, by the amount of hamming Haidee had got through when I went back to the schoolroom, that he had staid quite along time.

Nothing happened after that until Saturday, which was the day on which I generally wrote to my mother. After tea, I took my desk upstairs to my own room it was pleasanter there than in the schoolroom: I liked the view ef the marsh b» ,t

tween the trees, ana the signing at tne wind among the poplars, had net written many lines before another sound overpowered the rustle of the leaves the faint tones of a violin. At first I could distinguish only a few notes of the melody, then there was a pause and a sound as of an opening window after that, Schubert's beautiful "Aufonthalt" rang out clearly and held me as enchanted. It must be Mr. Rayner come back. I had not thought when he said he played the violin that he could play like that. I must hear better. When the last long sighing note of the "Aufenthalt" had died away, I shut up my half-finished letter hastily in my desk and slipped down stairs with it. The music had begun again. This time it was ijhe "Stanchen." I stole softly throughjthe hall, meaning to finish my letter in the schoolroom where with the door ajar, I could hear the violin quite well. But as I passed the drawing-room door, Mr. Rayner, without pausing in his playing, cried

Come!" I was startled by this, for I had made no noise but I put my desk down on the hall table and went in. Mrs. Rayner and Haidee were there, the former with a handsome shawl, brought by her husband, on a chair boside her, and my pupil holding a big wax doll, which she was not looking at—the child never cared for her dolls. Mr. Rayner, looking handsomer than ever, sunburnt, with his chestnut hair in disorder, smiled at me and said, without stopping the music— "I have not forgotten you. There is a souvenir of your dear London for you," and nodded toward a rough wooden box, nailed down.

I opened it without much difficulty it was from CoV3nt Gardeh, and in it, lying among ferns and moss and cotton-wool, were a dozen heavy beautiful Marshal Niel roses. I sat playing with them in an ectasy of pleasure, intoxicated with music and flowers, until Mr. Rayner put away his violin and I rose to say good night. "Lucky Beauty!" he said, laughing, as he opened the door for me. There is no beast for you to sacrifice yourself to in return for the roses."

I laughed back and left the room, and, putting my desk under my flowers, went toward the staircase. Sarah was standing near the foot of it, wearing a very forbidden expression.

So you're bewitched too!" die said,with a short laugh, and turned sharply toward the servants' hall.

And I wondered what she meant, and why Mr. and Mrs. Rayner kept in their service such a very rude and disagreeable person.

CHAPTER V.

The next day was Sunday, to which I had already begun to look forward eagerly, as one does in the country, as a break in the monotonous rounds of days. Old Mr. Reade was not at church, and Us son sat in his place with his back to me. Instead of putting his elbows on his knees through the prayers as he had done on the Sunday before, he would turn right round and kneel in front of his seat, facing mo— which was a little disconcerting, for as he knelt with his chin on his hands and his head back, he seemed to be saying all the responses to me, arid I could not raise my eyes for a minute from my book without having my attention distracted in spite of myself.

After service, as we stood about la the churchyard, I heard Mr. Rayner telling the doctor and two of the fanners about the races he had been to the week before, and of his having won fifteen pounds on a horse the name of which I forget and he took out of his pocket a torn race-card, seeming surprised to find it there, and said it must have been that which had caused his thoughts to wander during the sermon. He asked Mrs. Reade whether her husband was ill, and did not seem at all affected by the cool manner in which she answered his inquiries.

I had the pleasure of lunching with a relative of yours, Mr. Reade, on the course at Newmarket last week—Lord Bramley. He is a cousin of yours, is he not?"

Hardly a cousin but he is connected with my family, Mr. Rayner, she answered," more graciously. "He thinks more of the connection than you seem to do, for he asked me particularly how you were, and whether you. thought of going up to town this autumn. I told him I could net give him any information as to your intended movements, but that you had never looked better than when I saw you last."

And Mrs. Reade was still to Mr. Rayner, with more affability in her haughtiness, when Haidee and I started on our walk home.

At dinner Mr. Rayner gave us part of their conversation, with an excellent parody of the lady's manner and a funny exaggeration of the humility of his own. He was always particularly bright on Sunday at dinner, tho contact with duller wits in the morning seeming to give edge to his own.

On that afternoon I was scarcely outside the gate on my way to church when he joined me.

No, no, Miss Christie we are not going to trust you to go to church by yourself again."

I blushed, feeling a little annoyed, though I scarcely knew why. But surely I could take care of myself, and did not want surveillance, especially Mr. Rayner's.

Don't be angry I spoke only in fun. I want to see Boggett about some fencing, and I know I shall catch him at church. But, if you object to my company "Oh, no, Mr. Rayner, of course not!" mid I, overwhelmed with terror at tiie thought of such impertinence being attributed to me.

The shock of this made conversation dif« Bcult to me, and I listened while Mr. Rayner talked, with even less of "Yes" and "No" and simple comment than usual. When we passed the park, I saw Mr. Laurence Reade, dressed for church, a small prayer-book—mesk never burden themselves with the big chnrch-service we women carry—and flniahing cigar, with his back against a tree, I think he must have seen us for some time before I caught sight of him, for I was looking at an oakleaf in my hand while Mr. Rayner explained its structure to me. I had never seen Mr. Reade look cross before, and I thought it a pity that he should spoil his nice kind face by suoh a frown and I wondered whether he was ill-tempered, if not, what had annoyed him.

When one sees people playing with pray-er-books and dressed for church, one can not help expecting them to see them there and I had an unreasonable and absurd feeling almost like disappointment as the little organ droned oat a dismal voluntary and the service began, and still Mr. Laurence Reade did not appear and I caught myself looking up whenever the doer) creaked and a late worshipper in, and glancing toward the pew he had occupied an the Sunday before, which I suddenly' remembered was verr unbecoming in ma

bus ne aici not came. The heat and Otis absurd little trifle, and my penitence for it, so distracted my attention that I scarcely heard a word of the sermon. But then it was the curate who preached on that afternoon, and his discourses were never of the exciting kind. 1 just heard him say that it was his intention to give a course of fix sermons, of which this was to be the firsts and after that I listened only now and then and presently I noticed that Mr. Rayner, who always looked more devout than anybody else in the church, was. really asleep all the time. It was a heavily built little Norma? church, very old and jdark, and he was sitting in a corner in such an attentive attitude that I thought at first I must be mistaken but I looked at him twice, and then I was quite sure.

When service was over, he stayed behind to talk to Boggett, while I went on alone. He overtook me in. a few minutes but when he said the sermon was good of its kind, I had to turn away my head that he might not see me smiling. But I was not quick enough for Mr. Rayner.

I didnt say of what kind. Miss Christie. I may have meant it was good as a lullaby. One must be on one's guard with you demure people I have never£yet been to afternoon service without going to sleep, and I have never before been discovered. Now the spell is broken, and I shall feel that the eyes of the whole congregation are upon me. Are you shocked, Miss Christie?"

Oh, no, Mr. Ray per!" You wouldn't take such a liberty as to be shocked at anything I might do would vou. Miss Christift.' [The comiDUHtien of this ttory c*b bfound in the Saturday ard Wotk editions of ilie GawiTte. It will ri' hiy repay perusal. If you are in the city and wish to leave be/ore o'clock, ii tn txhad together with all news up to th hour in the 2 o'clock edition ot'oamrday daily.]

8I0K FOR THE SHOW.

••w Street tissiiss Impose an the •, Charitable Pablie. [Chicago News.] "I say, 'Limpy,' me an' 'Specky' here's a-going to ther show." "Yes, ye be. Didn' yes both haf ter get me to give yes the sivin sints to git yer papers wid? Go. long wid yes. I reckon ye'll know it when yes git ther. That's a thress suit yer wearin' now, eh? Will yes both be in the same box—an' whir's yer flowers? Paper! All about Paddy Hi, Mikey." "Limpy," a gamin of the. levee, sprang off across the street, his game limb dangling behind as he disappeared from the view among the passing vehicles. The other two boys, ("Specky," a 5-year-old, and his companion) sat down in the snnshine on the stone steps of the custom-house. "They.'s lots o' good ole dudes a com'n' out o' here an' lets make 'em give us ther money," said "Specky," as he poked his dirty hands deeper into the pockets of his ragged trousers that were concealed to 'the knees by a splittail coat that had been shortsoed to his size Iqr the use of an ax, or other unprofessional tooL HelOokedat his older companion with an air of mystery. Til play sick on 'em an' yon answer ther quistions they stick at me." "Specky" smiled Joining his hands behind him, he gave his noat tail an aristocratic flip with the ends of his Augers and said: "I'se in." moment lateradleheeestl ViuUng urchin lay an the top stene at the steps bselde the entrance to the poetofioa. He were a red cap that came low over his face and concealed liis eyea big brown ooat lay looeely about him, and expoeeda thin, worn shirt. He had but one boot on. Beside him weeaamaller boy, who was ragged, aad looked distressed from grief and hunger. An elderly man came bustling out of the postofflce, with an ebony cane under his arm. He caught sight of the boys, and as he adjusted a pair of goldrimmed glasses, he approached them. "What's the matter with you, little feUowf he inquired tenderly.

There was no answer. "What's the matter with your friend, my little fellow!" he repeated with a fatherly air, placing his band on "Specky's" head. "Nuffin, only he's sick. 'LimpyV gone for ther Italyun's cart, an'thin we's goin' to take him home."

The sick boy groaned. "Specky's" look changed to one of despair, and the man dropping a quarter passed on. Two other men •ame out. The scene was repeated. "Sivinty-flfesints'Specky'"—— "H-u-e-h, here comes another'n," was "Specky's" reply.

A long, slim man was reaching into his pocket when the air was jarred by a shrill whistle and a yell "Hoi, that's yer game, is it! Git out o' ther way I'm a-«omin' afthar yes." As the last words were spoken a dirty orange rind whistled thsough the air and struck the sick boy squartly- between the eyea The one who threw it wheeled and, with a game limb flying behind in his course, sped off toward the levee, dodging, as he ran, an old boot that had been drawn from beneath the siak boy's coat. "Specky" trotted along behind, carrying 75 cents and a dilapidated vest which had fallen oat of the leg whan the boot was first thrown.

A half-square below the gamins sat down on the curb-stone, and talked about the •how, while the boot and vest were re-ad-justed to the form of the sick boy from which'they had been taken when he lay down to wait "for the Italian's cart."

••T Why She Was So Bravo. [Texas Sittings.] A stout, able-bodied lady was aroused the other night by a noise in the hallway, and on going down stairs she discovered a man fumbling around in the dork. The lady immediately assailed him with the ferocity of a tigress and ejscted him from the bouse in quite a number of seconds lees than no ti«na at all, and slammed the door after him. As the man tumbled down the stops on to the sidewalk he was gobbled by a polioeman promptly marched off to the cooler. The next morning several of her friends called and congratulated her upon the heroism displayed in throwing a full-grown burglar out of the house. "Gracious!" exclaimed the lady, growing pale and agitated "was that a burglar?" "Why, certainly didnt you know itf "Enow it! Heavens, not I thought it was only my husband home again, late from the lodge, or I wouldn't have done what I did for the world." 1 mpreve* eth*4 mt «risdlsfi [Exchange.]

For grinding circular saws, M. Dugotujoa, of Paris, replaces grindstones by disks cast with a groove on the periphery filled in with lead. Pulverised flints or quartsose sand and water are allowed to drop 'during the operation of grinding, which is thus accomplished more speedily and consequently mom economically than the usual preosas with grindstonea..........

iBLONDIN'S RIDEft

The Story of One of the Moet Feata of During on Record.

[St. Louis Post-Dispatch.]

"I first met Blondin," said Signor Natalie, the man who rode on Blondin's back across Niagara faiis, "in the Ravell troupe, of which i?e wen both members, way back in the fifties. He was, I think, about my age, an.l was, not quite so tall as I, although very powerful. I think he was about five feet seven inches high. We traveled all over the county with the troupe, and I remember we played here, at what I think waa called the old Batee theatre. Blondin's specialty was tight-rope dancing, and he was a wonderful performer. I guess there are people here who remember his performance. His most dangerous feat was to walk up a tight rope from the stage to the gallery of the theatre, the incline being very steep. Well, while we were in New York state he thought what a big thing it would be to cross over Niagara on .a tight rope, so he left the troupe and made an arrangement with the railroad companiee leading to the. falls by which he was to give a performance there, and was to receive a .certain ampunt on every ticket sold by the railroads. That was in the summer of 186t. A tremendous crowd of people gathered that day at the fails, and it was a nice day for our purpose. I was no performer, but I acted, you know, in the capacity of manager. In this particular event, however, Blondin had to carry something over on his back, and as nobody else had enough interest in the affair to be willing to risk his life, or enough faith in Blondin's strength and skill to take such deeperate chanoee, I had to do the riding." "So that, if there had been an accident, the whole troupe, manager and all, would have disappeared." "Yes, of course. Blondin wore tights, the same as rope-walkers usually do, except that he bad on a sort of harnet-s, so that I could reach around his neck and get a good grip without choking him, and so that I could stick my legs through a pair of things like rings, and cross them in front of him, without interfering with his arms or legjk "The rope was stretched across the river about whtt. the new suspension bridge now stands—much closer to the falls than the old bridge, blondin was very confident aad firm, but of course we both knew it waa a desperate chance to take. He walked at first slowly and regularly, but soon, feeling more settled, he made an occasional stop, stood on one leg, -kissed his band to the crowd, and did a few other such things as you have seen other rope-walkers do. I could see the water way down under us, and the crowd on either side, everybody watching us with faces that looked as if they were suffering. There was no cheering or applause while we were out over the water, and the roar of the falls, which seemed only a few yards away, would have prevented us from hearing very plainly, even if there had been. It was a terrible few moments to me more so to me than to Blondin, becaused he was used to that kind of danger and I was not. I did not move a muscle for fear of tripping him, and, I can assure you, 1 felt mighty good when we reached solid ground again and the people began to yell and shriek and wave their handkerchiefs. You can form some idea how big the crowd was when I tell you Blondin received $2,000 for the performance. "That gave us a big start, and not long afterward we went to London. Just before we started a young man we had hired as our treasurer ran off with $2,000 of our money, and left us little except our tickets to travel on. We had hardly reached London before we were offered £150 each for twelve per* formances at the Crystal palace. Our first performance there drew 80,000 people, and one of the members of the present Abbey troupe was in the crowd, and remembers it well. We did a good deal of the same kind of work. Blondin carried me on the rope several times, wheeled a barrow across while blindfolded, took a cook-etove across, stopping on the way, and things like that. We visited all the countries of Europe, and in Spain I was more lionised than Blondin himself, which was natural. In a oouple of years he had made nearly f100,000, when I left him after six years of business he was a very wealthy man. He suffered once in a bankruptcy affair caused by a corner in wines, but he still has a fine future and livea in splendid style. I dined with Mm when ia England last."

The Driver ef the Knoelan ilelik [New York Cor. Atlanta Constitution.] In Central park, the other day, I

saw

striking span of fast horses drawing a Russian sleigh swiftly over the snow. Nothing about the sleek beasts or the vehicle with its black plumee and plenteous fur was so curious as the driver. He mt bolt upright, but without the stiffness of the imitation Englisn coachman now prevalent in this city. Ha was of a medium height, and his seat was somewhat elevated above that of the girl who sat beside him. He was slender, slightly undulous,'f and neat in his shapeliness. He was enveloped down to the point where the lap-robe hid his costume, ia a wot of sealskin, and over his head- was atop pointed hood of the same fur. He waa a figure right out of a frigid zone picture. At this point in my "bbeervation, as the equipage drew past me, I made a discovery which renders it necessary to stop writing of the driver as he, for the face which became visible under the hood was that of young Mrs. Vanderbilt The costume was her latest achievement.

As soon as Mrs. Vanderbilt sees her quaint fur garment duplicated, as it is bound to be without delay, she will discard it The swell aim in New York is tado what others don't and, if possible, what they eant.

w..i

auttMMs iisrif' [Exchange.]

Tb» Australian ootalies are gradually forming a navy. 11M Protector, a powerful cruiser, carrying sixteen formidable guns, has just been launched for South Anstrali*. Melbourne has torpedo and gun-boats, and New Zealand has similarly provided herself.

A HaaOjr Cabinet.

A neosssity in every household is a little closet or cabinet hung out of reach of children, where the mother can keep the bottlse eonteining remedies for burns, bruisee, sprains, etc. Much sufferiiqr, if not life itself, ie mved by knowing where to go at snoe for some simple medicine,

1

linns Cempreeaien.

A Rochester physician examined a latter carrier and found that one of his shohlden was three inches lower than the other One, and that one lung was esmpresmd. This waa due to the cmshieg weight of the delivery pouch bearing ctT tfce en* WIT for