CRIPPS, THE CARRIER
B V
R. D. BLACKMORE
Aafhor of LORN A DOONB," "ALICE LORRAINE," ETC., ETC.
CHAPTER XX. (Continued.)
"Luke, I iKiwillvoty tremble at you,"
ho good woman answered ns hor eyes
ell under him. "How stern you cnu look
when you want to scare mo!"
"Miranda, I tell you the simple truth.
.Wo mum nil hnv heen In France within
twelve hours If well, never mind. Noth
iup venture nothing win. But. happily
we have won, I believe; though wo mufct
jiot be too sure, iih yet. Wo have Juh
tlco oji our Hide; but justice does not
always prevail against petty fftCts And
public oiinlon would net ngaiiiBt us with
rrcat ferocity, if wo failed If wo su
cccd, nil men will praise uh, iih soon iih
we begin to spend our money, nnd, exert
It nenr liome nt the iitfeb, Everything
doponds upon Hlieeess; ,of .coursei i, nl
waya.dQefv.In everything." '' .
"My dear, It Ih not fair of you to tnlk
Uko that," Mrs. Sharp niiswcrcd, with
tears In her eyes; "you inunt feel that I
would hold by you always, whatever all
the world might have the impudence to
any, dear,"
"You see now, Miranda," continued
Mr. Sharp, "that It was my duty to
iniako tho most of the knowledge thus
jprovldoni ially obtained. Wo hnd met
with bitter disappointment through the
tnont gross injustice, brought about, no
doubt, by craft, and wheedling, nnd
))nck falsehood. When old Fcrmitngo
Etood godfather to vur oidy child, every
ody looked upon Kit as certain to stand
!n his shoes in the course of time. You
enow how we always looked forwnrd to
t, not covetously or improperly, but sim
ply ns a matter of justice. And you re
member what ho said to me before lie
went to church witli Joan Oglander;
SHE SPREAD HICK LETTISH
'Quibbles, my boy, this shall make no
difference between you and me, mind.'
"I am a'uro that he meant it -when lit
iiiid it; but that artful woman bo led
aim ho made tho will ho did."
. "Well, as soon as ever 1 felt quite sure
?f my ground about tho codicil, I began
o cast nbout for the most effectual mode
of. working it. It was elenr hi a moment
that tho right course was to mnko a
Quitch botweon Grace, now the legal
heiress, and Kit, the legitimate heir. Of
course, I might hnve cut the matter
yhort by walking tho girl off, and allow
ing her no food until she consented to
parry Kit; and probably if I could only
jmyo foreseen my sad anxieties and heavy
Dutluy, I should huvo acted In thnt way.
But I havo n natural dislike to measures
that wear an appearance of harshness,
and I could not tell how Kit might tako
)t, or even you, Miranda dear. In this
sad puzzle, some good Inspiration brought
to my mind Xlununh Patch, then living
by herself la London. In n sort of n
mnnner alio la my sister, although she
bo many years my eldor."
Mrs. Slmrp nodded; she knew nil about
It.
"Very well, you are nwaro that Han
nab looked very coldly upon mo, until f
was enabled to marry you, my dear,
through your disinterested nffoction,
,Whlch Is my choicest treasure. Having
Von that, and another more lucrative
partnership, I wns Immediately allowed
i Mio nrlvilego of doing all her legal bual
ess gratis. You havo often grumbled
)it that, but I hud bouio knowledgo of
yiiat I was about, my dear, nnd I soon
hbtained that due Influence oyer her,
ich all women ought to hnve some
hrfm wield. Sotting usldo her present use,
' TTnnnah Patch has 2001. n year ot her
own, which might be much better In
vented, and shall be, as soon as it conies
to us; but It would not do to havo her
foo set up 'herself."
"Oil, Luke, what a large-minded denr
you are!" whispered Mrs, Sharp, with
much enthusiasm; "I do liollove nothing
escapes you, and nothing that gets into
your hands ever does get out again!"
"I allowed hor to perceive thnt if
things went on, without our interfer
ence, Grace Oglander would lie married,
and her enormous fortune sacriliced.
Hannah Patch also had a special grudge
against old Squire Oglander. He had no
iovo at all for the Patch c "etlon
the patch on the family, as he i lied it
and tho marriage of his Htep-i 'ier with
the Cnptnln's promising air i rds him
in a word, Miranda, he hated them
all.
"However, when Hannah was in trou
ble once or twice, and without a roof to
shelter hor, old Oglander had her down,
and wiih very good, and tried to like her.
He put ids child under her care to learn
'theology,' as she called it, and he paid
her well for tenching her tho psalms,
and tho other denunciations. They went
away together to soino very lonely place,
while the Sijuiro was a week or two
away from home. And now it occurred
to mo thnt this experience might be re
pented, and prolonged if needful. Og
iander had been nervous, as I knew, and
as his daughter also knew, about some
form of black fever or something, which
had been killing some gypsy people, nnd
was likely to como into tho villages. I
made use of this fact, with Hannah
Patch to help me, and quietly took my
young heiress off to a snug little home, In
the thick of the woods, where I should
be sorry to reside myself. She was un
der tho holy wing of Miss Patch; and
there she aiiides (o this present day; and
OPEN, AND BEGAN TO CRY.
feed them very well, I assure you
fhey cost mo four pounds ten a week;
for the e,vangelicnl Hannah believes It
to bo the clearest 'murk of the beast'
to cat meat Icsb than twice a day; nnd
Leviticus Oripps, who supplies all tho vic
tuals, is making a fortune out of me. No
bigger rogue over lived than that fellow
He la under my thumb so entirely that if
told him to roll lu the mud ho would
loll. And yet with all his awo of me
ho cannot forbear from cheating me. lie
ms found out si manner of dipping his
porK no mat ne turns it into neet ot.
mutton, according to tho orders from tho
cottugo; nnd he charges mo butcher'!
prlco for It, nnd cartage for six mlkl
and a half, and n penny a pound for
trimming off tho Hanks!"
"My dear!" said Mrs. Sharp, "it is Im
possible. Ho never could deceive a woni
an so, however devoted her mind might
oe. xne grain ot tho meat in ouite dif
ferent, and tho formation of tho bones
ure not at all alike; and directly It be
gan to roaBt "
Well, never mind, Miranda, thoro
they are, quito reconciled to tho situa
tlou; except that nannah Patch Is al
ways hankorlug after 'means of crace.
anu tuo young girl mooning about her
Hweot old parent nnd beloved Beckloy.
sometimes there nro very flue scenes bo
tween them; but upon the wholo they get
on well together, and appreciate one
another's virtues. And I heartily trust
that tho merits of our Kit havo made
their Impression on n sensitive young
henrt. Thoy took to one another quite
Kinuiy m uio romance or tho altuatlou.
when I brought their swcot innocence
Into contact by a yery simple Btratogom.
The dear youug creatures have believed
thomselve to be outwitting everybody:
tho yery thine I labored for thorn both to
do. All's well that ends well don't you
think, Miranda V
"i am so entirely lost l mean I am
so unnblo to think it nil out, without
moro time being glvon me, Mrs. Sharp
nnswered, "thnt really, Luke, for th
moment I enn only admire your audacity.
But I think, denr, thnt In n matter ol
tliis kind you might have done me tin
honor of consulting me."
"Miranda, it was not to be thought of,
Your health and well-being nro tho dear
est objects of my life. I will only ask.
could you have borno tho suspense, ami
the worry, and anxiety of the last rout
months; above all, tho necessity for si
lence V"
"Yes, Luke, I could have been very
silent; but I cannot abide anxiety. Would
you like to hoar my opinion, Luke, nnd
to answer me one or two questions t
"(k-rtalnly, Miranda."
"In tlio lirst place, how did you get
tlio girl away?"
"Most easily; under her fathers or
ders. Hannah enn write tho old gentle-
mnn's hand to any extent, and his stylo
as well."
"And how did you bring her to do such
shocking things'"
I promised her u.OOOI."
"Then you are quite certain to have
her light. I might trust you for every
precaution, Luke, lint how havo you
managed to keep them so quiet, wiillo
tlio neighborhood was allvo with It V And
in what corner of tlio world have you
got them? And who was the poor girl
thnt really did die?"
'One question nt a time, if you please.
Miranda, though they all hang pretty
much upon ono hook. I have kopt them
so quiot, because they are in u corner
of tho world where no ono coos: in a
lonely cottage at tho furthest extremity
of tho old Stow Wood, where their near
est roail Ih a timber tracic three-qunrtora
of a milo away. Thoy are waited upon
by a deaf old woman, who believes them
to bo Americans, which accounts to her
mind for any oiidness. Their washing is
done nt home, and all their food is pro
cured through Oripps the swineherd,
whoso forest farm lies well away, so
that none of His children go to tlicin.
Cripps is indebted to me, and I hold a
mortgage of every rod of his land, and
a bill of sale of his furniture and stock.
Ho dare not play traitor and claim thi
reward, or I should throw him into pris
on for forgery, upon a little transaction
of some tune back. Moreover, he hns
no motive; for I have promised him tha
same sum, and his bill of sale cancelled,
when the wending is happily celebrated."
'And now tell me nil about my darl
ing Kit."
"My denr, I fear that your Kit is un
worthy of your sighs. He has lost his
young heart beyond redemption, without
having tho manners to tell his mother!"
They all do it, Luke, of course they
do. It is no good to find fault with them.
I hnve been expecting that sort of thing
so long. And when he went to Spiers for
the niclainoehaitotrophe, with the yellow
stopper to It, I know as well as possible
what ho was about. I knew that his pre
cious young heart must be gone; for it
cost hint seven and sixpence."
les, my dear; and it wont the right
way, in tho very line I had lam tor it.
I will, tell you another time how I man-
m.r.,1 41i.i, iifllli TTiim.iili I.,.nl, f ,.m,iciA
MtSUll Ultll, Itlbil lldillllll 1 tll.il, 111. LUUtDl.
to help inc. -...e poor boy wns conquered
at first sight. Kit went shooting, and
got shot, according to my arrangement.
Ever since that, the great job has been
to temper and guide bis rampant oner
gics."
"And, of course, ho knows nothing
oh, no, ho would be so very unworthy,
if he did! Oh, do sny that he knows
nothing, Lukel"
My denr, I can give you that pleasing
assurance; although it 1b a puzzling ono
to me. Christopher Fermitage Shorn
knows not Groco Oglander from tho
young woman In the moon. He believes
hor to bnvo sailed front a now and better
world. Undoubtedly he is my son, Mi
randa; yet where did he get his thick
bended ness?
"Mr. Slmrp!"
iUirnnua, mnuo allowance for me.
Such things nro truly puzzling. How
ever, you perceive tho situation. Here Is
a very fine young fellow, desperately
smitten with a girl unknown, and roman
ticnlly situnted In a wood. There is
renson to bellcvo that this young lady is
not insensible to his merits; lie looks
very nice In his sporting costume, ho
lias no ono to compete with him, ho is
her only bit of life for tho day, ho leaves
her now nnd then a romnntlc rabbit, and
ho rescues her from n rufflan. But here
the true dllllculty begins. Wo cannot
well unite them in tho holy bonds with
out a clear knowledge on the part of
either of the true patronymic, of tho oth
er. The heroine knows that tho hero re
joices in tho good and useful nanio of
Sharp; but ho knows not that his lady
love is ono Grace Oglander of Bcckley
Barton.
"nere, ngain, you perceive a fine
stroke of Justice. If Squlro Oglander
hnd only extended his hospitalities to us,
Christopher must have known Graco
quite well, uud I could not have brought
them together so. At present he be
lieves hor to bo a Miss Holland, from
tho United States of America; and as
she has promised Miss Patch not to speak
of her own affairs to anybody (according
to her father s wish, In one of the let
ters), that idea of his might still con
tinue: although she has begun to bbU
him questions, which nro not all con
venlent. But things must bo brought to
a point ns soon ns possible. Having the
advantage of directing tho Inquiries, or at
any rato being consulted about them, I
see no groat element of danger yet; nnd
of courso I launched all tho first expedl
tlons In every direction but tho right
one'
(To bo continued.)
Now Thojr Don't Speak.
Nell By tho way, do you happen to
know Mr. Do Smytho?
Bess No. I think not Who ia th
party aforesaid?
Nell Why, he's a fentloman that
er raves about me.
Bos Poor follow! What InnatSt
asylum 1b he confined In?
4"I-2'4"i! 4 t,"t-,!'t4,,!4,4Ml 44444
I GOOD I
j Short Qtofies
-1 .
44"H44'M444"
Enlmul'H future king, Prince Ed
ward of Wales, now 11 years old, pos
sesses a chlld'B liublt of saying the
iimoxpoctod thing. When visiting King
Edwnrd tlio other dav the kintr nsked
V f 1. A. 1. - .1 -J . 1 it...
niiu wnax iie wmh suuiying, anu uic
little- prlnco suld: "All about Perkln
Wnrbeck." Asked who Warbcck was,
tho prince replied: "Ho pretended he
was the son of n king, hut ho wasn't;
ho wits tlio son of respectable par
ents."
W. S. Gilbert was lately requested
by an Australian amateur composer to
furnish the libretto of an opera. His
ncore, tlio amateur remarked, was per
fectly certain to bo satisfactory, for
"he wis a born musician, though he
had boon educated aa a chemist," Mr.
Gilbert, in answering to express his
regret at not being able to comply,
said ho "should have preferred a born
chemist, who hnd been educated ns a
musician."
Captain Alfred Rice, a noted owner
of fishing craft on the Delnwnre Itlvcr,
is veinarkable for neatness of personal
nttirc, and liked to see his men as
natty as possible. One of his employes
always seemed to wear a dirty shirt
thnt onco had been white. Captain
Bice stood tho man's slovenliness for
a while, but one day ho hurst out:
"Look here, Sam; who the deuce is it
that you always get to wear your
hlrts tlio first week for you?"
While PCtor Dalley, who is noted
for his late hours, was rehearsing ono
of his plays that hnd plenty of chorus
girls in it, he astonlsnod tho company
by calling a rehenrsnl for 10 o'clock
In tlio morning. He usually called
them for 2 in the afternoon. "Mercy,"
exclaimed ono of tlio chorus girls,
"what's tlio use of going to the theater
at 10 o'clock in tho morning? Mr.
Iiniley won't be there." "Oh, yes, he
will," retorted another member of the
chorus; "he'll stop In on his way
home."
Judge Sylvester Dana, of the Con
cord, N. H., police court, onco had a
case before him in which tho charge
was lor a technical assault, ana it
came out in tlio course of tho evidence
that tho parties were neighbors, and
had been on tlio best of terms for
some years, "if is a great pity," saici
the judge, "that old friends, ns you
Boein to have been, should appear be
fore mo in such a way. Surely this
is a case which might be settled out of
ourt?" "It can't be done, Judge,"
answered the plaintiff, moodily; "I
' -1v i. 4-1 m i mYrnnK1 huf flirk nice
won't light."
Little Helen was a firm believer in
prayer, anu was taugut always to in
tend family devotions. During a sea
son of drought, ono morning her father
snid to her, "Do not let mo forget to
havo a special prayer for rain to-night,
as the want of it is causing muoh suf
fering and many deaths among aul
hniV hnnllv loft, tho
house when little Helen, thinking she
would do much good by anticipating
'her father's prayer for rain, ran up
stairs and, falling on her knees,
prayed for the much-needed rain. That
afternoon tho town in which she lived
was visited by a severo electric
shower- barns woro unroofed and
much damn go done. Helen, with tlio
ready faith of childhood, thinking it
was all in answer to her prayer, again
fell on hor knees, cxclnhnlng: "Lord,
what have I done?"
TRICKS OF WEAK ANIMALS.
TiiHttnct of Self-PrcBorvutlon Causes
Them to Ubo Deceit.
There are a surprising number of
quaker anlm'nls animnls whoso regu
lar method of self-protection Is to offer
no resistance to their enemies.
The 'possum's trick of "shamming
dead" Is an old story. A writer In the
London Spectator cites several other
cases of combined cunning and meek
ness. The hedgehog, the porcupine,
tho Australian echidnas and some of
the armadillos refuse to fight, but they
are protected by sharp spires or armor,
Some of tho armadillos are great dig
'gers and take refuge In holes, while
porcupines often hide in hollow logs or
trees.
I Among marine animals Is a starfish
fatten called the ' urlttle star," which is
kho despnlr of collectors. It seems to
'make it a point of prldo that none of
its family shall bo shown in a bottle
or on a museum shelf. When taken
from the water tills starfish throws off
Its logs and also Its stomachs. Tho
story is told of ono collector who
thought thnt ho hnd succeeded in coax
lug n specimen into a pall only to
seo It dismember Itself at tho last mo
mcnt.
W. H. Hudson describes tlio death
feigning habits of a smnll South Af
rican fox common on tlio pampas. If
caught in a trap or overtaken, it col
Inpsos as if dead, and to all appear
anccs Is dead. 'Tho deception is so
well carried out thnt dogs are con
atantly taken In by it. When ome with
draws a llttlo way from a feigning fox
and watches him very attentively a
slight opening of the eyo may bo de
tected. Finally, when loft to himself, ,
he docs not recover and start up llko
an animal thnt has been stunned, but
slowly and cautiously raises his head
first and only gets up when his foes
are at a distance.
"1 was onco riding with n gaucho
when wo saw on tho open level ground
in front of us a fox not yet full grown,
stnndlng still nnd watching our ap
proach. All at onco it dropped, and
when we came up to the spot it was ly
ing stretched out, with eyes closed and
apparently dead. Before passing on,
my companion, who said It was not thtv,
first time he had seen such a thftjg
lashed it vigorously with his whip fotr "
some moments without producing tho
slightest effect."
Dogs show much tho sumo tendency
when they Ho down meekly, with their
bends down and tails ttucked in, and.
invite a beating. Puppies are Just aa
good at this as hardened veterans.
Some kinds of beetles, many of th
woolly caterpillars Avhlch have poison
ous hairs on their backs and numerous
piders adopt similar tactics. Even,
the weedlouse has the same trick, nnd
oils itself into a ball.
In the whole anlmnl kingdom, if any
thing runs away, thoro is always found
something to run after It. Tho badger,
which defends Itself wickedly when at
tacked, is often used for baiting.
Perhaps tho commonest instauco o
passive -resistance Is the land tortoise,
which draws up Its front piece and
pulls in Its head and legs and defies
ts foes by locking them out.
THE FRESH AIR CURE.
A consumptive who has gone to tho
Southwest for his health tells, in tho
usual cheerful humor of his kind, tho
story of an adventure of un Arizona
udge. Stevenson, himself a "lunger,"
taught the world to get fun even out
of disease, and he would hnve ap
proved the spirit if not tho dictjon of
tho story. A tramp, covered Avith dust
so that ho looked like a live specimen
of tho Rio Grande valley, taken at ran
dom, crept from beneath the baggage
car and attracted the judge's attention.
Ho was getting out to limber up on tho
off side of the train. Tho judge, who
had just eaten a square meal amid
luxurious surroundings, pitied tho
ramp. He climbed into the dining car
again and directed ono of the waiters
to tako a bag of food with his card
and his compliments to tho "hobo." In
few minutes tho waiter returned
with the food and said:
"Dnt gemmnn up dnr, sah, umjf-
turns j'ou compliments, and he snjio
berry spy-y, but ho f nevah eat no
breakfas befo' ten o'clock in the maw-
nin sah."
The judge paid for tho breakfast,
told the porter to eat it or throw It
away, and then let fly a few sparks
that would have made a lively compo
sition on ingratitude. The Judge deter
mined to see the fellow kicked off tho
truck, nnd hailed tho conductor.
"Did you unow you wero carrying a;
tramp?"
"No. Where?"
"Under tho baggage-car. no is tho
meanest tramp in tho business. I'd Ilka
to seo him kicked clear into Mexico."
"I'll fix him," and so saying, tho
conductor, Bill Sanderson, pulled tlio
cord, and the train jerked up as If ho
had roped and thrown tho engine. But
tho tramp hung oh.
The conductor and tho judge went
forward, alongside tho train.
"Como from under there, you bumr
shouted the conductor. "You get a lonff
wait for this at El Paso." A brakeman
grabbed the tramp.
"What do you mean by riding undo
there?" asked Sanderson.
Tho tramp put his hand down intu
his trousers pocket and pulled out a;
first-class ticket for Nogalcs.
"I'm a 'lunger,' " said he, calmly
"and I need all tho fresh air I can
get"
This Woman a RnllroatI Builder.
The contractor In charge of tho grad
ing of tho Old Dominion railroad, Mrs.
Theodosla Beacham, Is snid to be the
only woman in America ongnged in
such work. Mrs. Beacham, whoso,
home is in Michigan, though she Is a
nativo of Massachusetts, took up tho
work when her husband became an in
valid. With her two sons she lives
nenr the work sho Is engaged upon, and
her force of fifty men camp near by
with their mules and equipment. Mrs.
Beacham has done some of the hardest;
work on ono of tho costliest old
road beds ever constructed red roc1
cut and filling. She superintends the?,
work personally, and Is held In high
esteem by officials of tho various rail
roads with which she has had deal-(
lngs. Pilgrim.
Totally Unfoundod.
Ilubbc?: Is that story of your build-,
Ing a house true?
Cumbnck No, both the rumor and
tho houso aro utterly without founda
tion. Only a born diplomat c&x be franJ
and popular at the same tha.