MttUj. ABMN8T WDHHJI.
BY MRS. M.
IH4PTF.II XIV.-l-oaflnaid.
The old woman's face darkened. She
booed the victim iia in ,.n,. i,
xriiilfwi unit r hut uttu r,,irrl.t V..... .. !i I
, . iiii lit iiBr nJCU
a small harvest on her own account.
'That will do." she answered: "I
will help you. Listen. It is growing
dusk, in another ho ir it will ho dark.
You are now in the All-v r iins I will
return to you by that time. I the
ni'-antime plait uti your iiair, take off
that white rob ', put on this drews-it
belongs to my da ghter: vour own
cloak will do. You will find water in
that ewer. He very r.uiet in your
movement. 1 will cive out that'you
are asleep you underhand.' Then we
will creep out together to the back of
the ruins, and you 1:1.1st vulk alone to
cither NesMey or the townon theother
eidfl of Moreton.''
Alice seized the old woman's hand
and pressed her hps to it.
"dod bless you'1' she said broken'-:
"I can never thank you enough. ( inly
let mo jjet away "from this horrible
p ace and I shall br a h once n ore."
The old woman drew away her hand,
and slouched aw ay chuckling.
Alice, left alone, fell on her knees
and uttered a brief prayer of thankful
ness. As yetshe scarcely real el the
full meaning o her position, but the
elimpsMof Count . I ura's face hid filled
her mind with h u-ror and dread tha
grew and grow until It became al mo4
a mania.
Her brain wan clearing now. She
recalled the night before the dinner,
ICoy's admiration and words, her su -cess,
the Count's vitlany, and then
Valerie's visit to her room.
After that, try as she would, she
could not recollect what hail hap
pened. "I must havo been carried away in
my tilocp, and yet I should have awak
ened during the journey. This is in
the Abbey ruins; it is a long distance.
Ah, I remember-her handkerchief
the strange overpowering smell. They
drugged me!"
She cowered down in horror and
shivered. Then she thought of Dame
Hurden, and her coming deliverance
roused her.
She hastily set al out her prepara
tions with lwatiug heart. She coiled
tip her mass of golden hair, plunged
ho- face into the refreshingcokl water,
and cist o!T her wrapper of white silk
for the dingy brown gow n.
Ah she did this she suddenly remem
bered Frank Meredith and tho twt
cards he hail given her.
Sho searched her iwekets, and her
heart fell - they were not there.
Who had taken them? What was
she to do once sho was free? To whom
cojld she go?
To return to the Clastic was impossi
ble, for sho felt with agony that dis
grace must havo touched her name.
Sho drew her cloak on, and pulled
tho hood ovor her head, then sat down
to think till tho old woman caino back.
As tho moments drew nearer to tho
hour of her escape, her excitement
and agony of fear banished all other
feelings.
What did it matter once sho was
free of these horrible vaults?
Would the woman keep her promise?
She grew pale with dread. If not,
tihe would try t creep out alone, or
else she would die of fright.
But even as sho was thinking this,
Ihima Hurden came Imck. She was
covered with a cloak, too, and held
cut her hand.
''Now dearie," she said In a hoarse
whisper, "I'm ready:the coast In clear."
'On, thank you -thank you. Why
are you so gooa to mo?" Alice mur
mured faintly.
"Because I've got a daughter my
self?" tho old woman replied hypocrit
ically. "Now, come on. Stay, here's
a Boverign, you have no money with
you, I know; hold It tight. There, you
needn't thank mo: I ain't done nothing
10 shout outabout."
"Nothing!" whispered tho girl, you
are saving me frmn worse than death!"
Sho slipped a thin white hand Into
the old woman's one, and glancing fear
fully around, was led out of tho va ilt
into the outer one.
All was still as death: to Alice the
whole place was terrible. Sho could
hear the beating of ber own heart; it
sounded strangely in her ears.
Dame Hurden fifted her hand to pull
aside tho curtains, and Alice saw for
the first time the glittering ring on
her thick brown linger; a feeling that
she recognized it came over her, even
in her fear, but she could not remem
ber rightly.
They passed through the curtains
into the stono passage; the dim light
vanished, they were in utter darkness;
save for the touch of the old woman's
hand, tho sound of her heavy breath
ing, Alice could have Imagined it was
Borne hideous dream.
, At last they stopnod, a guest of fresh
air greeted thorn from round a corner,
and as Dame Hurden moved on again,
Alice saw, to her intenso joy, the
branches of trees waving to and fro in
tho night-wind.
In another moment they had mounted
the steps, and Alice was free.
She spread out her arms as if to em
brace the sweet air of Heaven, and
heaved a great sigh of gladness.
"Now wait just one Instant, while 1
see if the coast is clear. Come, sit in
thin corner."
Alice followed obediently.
"I pray you may not sulTer for my
sake," sho whispered earnestly. "Is
Count will that man be angry with
you?"
Dame Hurden chuckled.
"I ain't afeard." she answered.
"Now just creep Into this shadow, and
don't move until I come to you."
Alice nodded; she moved softly be
hind the niece .'of ruin indicated", and
stood quiet, as the old woman stole
back.
Sho was not afraid, out In the sweet
fresh night air, her senses revived,
her courage returned, she was another
being.
She longed to be out on the deserted
country road, flying away from the den
which had just imprisoned her; and
yet. would she not be Hying from all
he loved?
Her thoughts wont back again to
Roy; the memory of his fair handsome
face, the glance of his eye, shot
through ber mind like pang of agony;
the die was cast, the llfeof gilded lone
liness in which she had so often pined,
and Irom which tha had so longed to
spe, was ended; alio was frea.
E. HOLMES.
Hoy, Ear! of Darrel, was free, and
yet, for one touch of his hand, one
glimpse of his face, one single glearu
of hop.) that he believed in her, she
would have gladly sunk down and died.
Hut this would never lie now; some
terrible strange dream had separated
her from the Castle; she felt tnat she
could never return: and Valerie - cruel,
gorgeous, handsome Valerie -would
be his w ife.
Her bead sank till it to iched her
hands: tears were burning in her eyes,
but she forced them hacic, and t'iien
thusojndof some one caused her to
ti.rn.
The tread was heavier than the old
woman's. A vague presentiment of
comin.' evil fell on ber; she clasped
her bands, and in another second stood
face to face with Count Jura.
The scream died on her lips, her
heart was suddenly frozen with fear
and hatred of this man.
"Do not shrink from me fair Counter-.,"
s .id Jura breaking the silence.
"1 w ill do you no harm.''
"Whit does it mean?" breathed
rather than spoke Alice, drawing back
wi h repulsion.
"What co you want with me?"
"No: lung ilUagreeub.e, 1 hojio. I
wish to Help you."
'i'o help me now? Was it not
through you I came here? Help me!
Have you not siM). ted enough. Count
Jura? What 1 have I done that you
should havo treated me so shame
fully.' '
"Vou use hard words, my Lady
Alice,' laughed Count Jura, quietly,
'but they cannot harm me. I'sod you
shamefully? Why, you insult our
home anil all its luxuries. Come, be
friends.''
"Do not dare approach me!" gasped
Alice, shrinking Irom bis outstretched
hand. "I loath, I detest you! Vou
are a coward to treat a woman as yon
are treating mo' Lot mo go tho very
sight of you is torture!"
"()- Whereto? Hack to tho cas
tle eh '" Count Jura opened a little
Isk. took out a match, and leisurely lit
a cigar. "That would lie fiMilish, ma
belle, vou would only exchange very
com ortable quarters for an iron cago
in other words, you would bo im
prisoned Immediately for robliery."
"1 Jobbery.' repeated the girl, blank
ly at tir.il, then the truth dawned on
her. "Ah, I see I understand! I
know all. That ring sxko plainly."
What ring?" demanded Count Jura
roughly.
".she wore on her linger. I knew it
well, yet my memory would not help
me. Hut now, now I see all w ith hide
ous clearness. Vou vou are a thief,
a "
"Hush!" The Count's hand closed
over her lips. "Another word," he
whispered savagely, "and you will re
pent this! Yes, trie Castle has been
robbed robbed of plate, of diamonds,
of Its Countess. Hoy Darrell w ill see
none of his treasures bark again. It is
best you should know how we stand.
I havo taken you: to my hand you are
tied; henceforth you are my slave, to
do as j will. No words, no screams, no
weakners. Liiten. I am Hying from
here this night, leaving tho whole gang
anil what for? For love - love of tun.
We shall start at once for that golden
land 1. sketched for you last night:
once there, all will bo well. Give me
vo .r hand. lie silent I say: my mind
la made up. I love you; I will not re
nounce you. Leave your pleadings to
another time; they will not avail.
Confound it, do not kneel to me! Wo
are delaying, and delaying is danger
ous: It means "
"Many awkward things," hissed a
low, clear voice from tho darkness.
A form stood behind tho Count, lie
loosened his hold on Alice, who stag
gered to her feet distraught with fear.
"M ra!" muttered the Count. "What
br!n ; you bore?"
i'ho fiend. perhaps.' answered Myra
defiantly. "Ah. you thought to play a
trick on mo, Master George: but you
should have known me better. Cow
aid! You thought to put mo into
Moses' keeping, while you broke your
word with mo and carried her of.
Give me your hand,'' she added abruptly
to Alice. "Vou have failed. George:
the game is mine. I have but to
whistle, and in an instant Sam and
Haul will le on you and find out your
treachery. Stand asido, man! Vou
will find me dilllcult to tackle to
night." The Count took no notice of her
threat, but seized Alice in his arms
tried to force Myra asido. With light
ning deftness she kept her right hand
free, searched in her bosom fora scarf,
which she had saturated with a drug,
and while no twisted her left wrist,
causing her acute agony, sho pressed
the scarf to his face.
Thero was a suffocating cry a sort
of sob. Alice felt his arms losen and
the next instant tho man fell heavily
to the ground at their feet.
Alice staggered back, as Count Jura
fell at her feet.
"Have you killed him?" she Haid In a
whisper of dread.
"killed him!'repeRtod Myra, gadng
at tho fallen man bitterly. "No; only
drugged him. See," sho held out the
scarf. "We are never without chloro
form: It is our own liest weapon."
Alice recognized tho faint odor.
"Ah, 1 toe now," sho murmured.
"She drugged tno with that."
"Kill him!" said Myra moodily: "why
do I not strike him dead? lie has
killod me. Coward -traitor -liar! Hut
come, we must go. You can trust Die,"
she a ided abruptly.
For answer Alice carried her hand
to her lips.
'Have you not saved mo?" sho mur
mured. "We must ho as swift as tho wind,"
continued Myra, drawing her cloak
close around her. "What Is this1'
She stopped. "The diamonds. Good; we
will take them with us."
"Hut," said Alice, shrinking back
with repugnance, "yon would not tako
them, they aro not ours; it would lie
stealing. No, no; I cannot bo a thlof."
Myra rose abruptly from hor knees.
"Wo need money," she said quickly,
"and must take them."
"Then I will not go."
The two girls gazed at one another
in silence. Something In the pure fair
truthfulness of Alice's eyes struck the
other to tho heart.
"Come, then." aho said almost
harshly; "we will leave them. Tread
softly. We shall find the curt waiting
round this corner. He had laid bis
plans well.
Alice shuddered.
"You ha.e saved me," she cried
softly. "I can nevcrthankyouenough."
"Wait till we are out of danger.
We have heaps of difficulties to face
you know nothing o'."
"I will pray for help," Alice mur
mured. Alyra made no answer.
Silently, with bated breath, the two
girls crept through the long grass.
Tiiey found the cart, as Myra had pre
dicted. With great dexterity she
hoisted Alice in, mounted tho seat,
and the next minute they were flying
swiftly aUng the deserted lane tc
Moreton. the opjosito direction tc
Nest ley, leaving Count Jur.i stretched
still s -useless on the ground, with the
Darrell Jewels liesldo him.
IIHTTHK XV.
Valerie l'oss gazed with moody brow
after the retreating horsemen. she
had played a dangerous game, and was
not yet out o the maze.
What if Hoy should meet Count
Jura' Or if Alice should see Hoy and
scream?
She grew pale and then laughed.
It was absurd; she was growing a
coward.
Had not Jura sworn ho would start al
once for Italy? And was she not free
forever of a sight of the beautiful
girlish face of her rival and the dark
sinister one of her brother?
Shu mounted the staircase and n ade
her w ay to Lady Darrell 's room. Here,
she feit. she hud one secure friend
an I ally. l'ride wnull trample all
other feelings under foot.
La y Darrell received her quietly,
vet a ectionatelv. She whs prostrated
by tho blew that had fallen on Darrell
Castle, though she made no sign to
Valerie, by the knowloJge of the grief
her son was su:Tering. I niike Valerie
had anticipated, she did not judge
Alice harshly, but even thought. of her
kindly, and could not di-pel a vaguo
feeling that the poor young wife was
in danger somewhere.
Meanwhile, Hoy and Frank Meredith
rodo on quickly; lioth wero Bilent.
HoK) was glowing in Hoy's breast; tho
news that Alice bai evidently carried
away tho cards with Frank's address
on them was a ray of light in the grim
darkness. They seemed to reach the
ruins on wings, so swiftly did they
ride.
"You know the place well," Roy re
marked with hall a smile, as Frank
eagerly push "d his horse on in the
nearest path; ' tho igh 1 havo lived at
the Castle all my life, I never visited
the ruin till the other day."
"Thm' have a Strang'" fascination 'or
me," Frank answered with a laugh.
"Does no rme ever come here?"
Ho, shook his head.
"No: the villagers shun tho Abbey,
they say it is ha.nted. F.ven the owner
never comes, but I fancy it is not fear
of gho-ts. but specters of sorrow that
keeps him away."
"Well, it is gloomy eno"gh for nny-
thing, l-rank exclaimed as they reined
in their horses. and gazed at tho wre -k
of what had once been a noble pile of
masonry. "I must confess I think
Geol'rey has fallen on tho wrong track
this time, for- even burglars wnuldshun
it; and supposing they did think of it
as a hiding-place, what part could they
chooses it is all so exposed."
I'ov ga.cd round with a strange
thriii at his hea-t: tho vision of Alice's
sweet, (air face, with tho wondrous
eyes and tromb'lng lips, rose before
him, and seemed to plead for help.
Frank Meredith must be right: she
had not wronged him, her husband.
Sho was wronged herself, porhaiis in
danger.
Ho turned hurriedly to Frank, with
his face white to tho lips.
"Something tolls me here," he said
in a low voice, "that you aro in the
right. I have a vague presentment
t hat sho is in danger. What shall we
do? It is terrible to think of."
"Ixit us ride around to the other
side," Frank said, soothingly.
They moved on over the thick grass
and weeds, and glanced from side to
side, but nothing met their gaze save
desolation and decay.
Suddenly, with an exclamation,
Frank slipped from his horse, und
picked up something that lay on tho j
g i iins.
"What is it?" exclaimed Hoy, alert
at once.
'A sovereign!" Frank held it up.
"That proves conclusively that some
one has been hero. Of course it may
be a stray visitor, and not tho men we
chased: yet you say no per.-on ever
comes hero?"
'So tho tradition runs," answered
Hoy, taking tho gold coin, a llesh
mounting to his cheek. -'This looks
like a clue, Mr. Meredith."
TO UK CONTIM.-KL).
Old In Kxperelnoe.
It Is a grave little woman who
brings liorno your washing every
week. She wears hor hair In a child
llsh pigtail, to 1 e sure, and her skirts
do not hung much lelow her knees,
but her face Is that of quite an
elderly person. You often wonder
what age she is and also what ago
she considers herself. One morning
you tlnd out. he looks a little
graver than usual, and conies with
out your laund y. She delivers her
self of this explanation without any
pause.
"1 'lease, ma'am, mamma didn't
send your wash 'cause baby's been
took with the measles and she didn't
know but what you're afraid of the
measles. The I aby ain't even In the
room where she washes and the
Hoard of Health It has sent around a
list of things to put In the water you
boils your clothes In so's you can't
catch no disease but still mamma
did'nt know whether you'd want 'em
or not."
rhe pauses for a reply, When you
have given your order about your Ill
fated clothing, you ask the litt'e
woman If she has ever had the
measles.
"Oh, ycs'ni, when I was a child 1
had 'em," alio answers.
"How old aro you now, Gret
chen ?"
"Ten," replies Grctchen.
The little girl who wrote on her
examination papers "The Interior of
Africa Is principally uned for purpose
of exploration," waa wiser than the
thought.
IN THE SHADDER.
I'm a sattln, in the haddar,
l)ou in the milder la.u.
An' my ban a foeitu ruA lor
El i II ihi to tu i rain
Or tl bolerliuk. a t'ngiu'
I Jka hla beart wa fall ot gle,
Wbil meruory la a allugln'
Ma, Jilt like a bumhlarea.
Iwg ye rs ga we aot ber a.
My Mury an an uc,
An' a finer. m-r i okiu' pair
You'd a eel y ever m ;
We d meet era Id tde eveuia'
Nxt Mbc we d eome again,
ut now i 'hi Bore
jvii' all fer &iaxy !aue
TYiut hei'&tibe she iliM an3 left me,
h) e didn t go tbat wuy.
Fer if d klb b.id bt-refi me.
1 d uot bev uiueh to ay.
Tut he left me in bn winter
W b.o the ny bi gm to ili.f
Iben she writ uie t.Le ago n' ter
bit married in Ibe upriu.
So I m a Benin' in the tha'lder,
Ov tbe niu)ile in tb lane.
An' tiiy benn's a leiiu -odder
rer she never cHUie Mga n.
An' irtnTer'H clinked tbe atiiiitner
Mnre'u twenty times ewsv,
hiliee -inry Jane, 1 ft lue
On tlmt itrk 1 'ecember dny.
G. W. i,leftonjU Cincinnati Tribune.
MY STJIANGE PATIENT
About two years aio thf re came to
me a tall, handsome fellow, who
Kave the na ue O; George ri tliihs.
Jle, had a (carles') eye a cheerful,
even genial expression, an exception
ally weil modeled, a-ulliue rm-e. and
a spletid d mustache, trimmed and
tended, evidently, with scrupulous
care, 'I here is no obvious reason,
teit.i nly, why he should require my
sei vices: there was no possibility of
making h m better looking
'I hear that you are a specialist
in dermatology," he began, alter I
had greeted him w in the usual form
ality. I admitted the soft impeachment
"Well," he we a on, "I want vou
to perform a surgical feat on me. I
want my nose altered "
i expressed tuy surprise, and as
aured him that, In my humble
opinion, tils nuse was best let alone,
liut he disputed this proposition, ana
insisted that he had reasons for being
weary of the aquiline arid for crav
ing a proi oscis as unlike as poss ble
to that with which nature h;id en
dowed him. !-eclrig my curios ty,
and Kissibly not wishing to be deemed
a in-ill man. ne proceeded to explain
them to uie.
"After several years roughing it in
Texas," lie said, "I have come back
rich, arid there Is nothing to prevent '
m.v en oving myself but the pestering (
attentions of relatives whom 1 had
hoped to have dorm with forever i
when I went, abroad. Hut I cannot j
escape them or their importunities, j
and so, however eccentric you may j
think me, 1 must enlist your services. ;
1 presume there is no danger in the
operation,"
No danger, I replied accepting
his explanation a9 that of un eccen
tric man. whose affairs, alter all,
were no business of mine, "and very
little p.iin --practically none, In fact,
but you must keep In doors for a few
days after It is over. When and
where shall I call upon you?"
' Could you not operate hero, and
now?" he asked.
"Impossible. Your Journey home
would not be without great risk."
' Hut could I not stay here?"
Could you not accommodate me lor
the .-hurt time necessary? Ixictur, 1
could and would pay you liberally for
the service. Consider, if I go home,
my identity would be again repealed
to those from whom 1 desire to con
ceal it."
This speech, one would have
thought, would have aroused my
suspi Ions, Inn it did not. The man's
frank and o, en expression disarmed
nie entirely, and I could but look
upon him as 1 had done previously,
simply as an eccentric individual. It
so happ.-ned that I had a spare room.
I could not regard the queseion of
remuneration with Indifference, and
so, to cut a long story short, 1 con
sented. For the purpose of more conveni
ently operating 1 suggested, some
what timidly, the sacrillce of his
beautiful mustache. To my surprise,
ho assented eagerly, and was for tho
application of the scissors arid razor
forthwith. You would scarcely
credit the difference the removal of
this artistic hlrsuite appendage
"the crop of many years," as he jok
ingly described It made to my pa
tient It displayed what had been
concealed before, his mouth, and the
slnster expression of this was such as
to effectually nullify the honest geni
ality of his upper face. In fact,
the removal of his moustache consti
tuted, as L promptly told him, suffi
cient disguise to bailie any number
of inquisitive relatives. hut he in
sisted on the nasal operation never
theless. His motto was evidently
' Thorough "
Well, I performed It, and when,
six days later, George Griffiths lcrt
my house with nothing but a rapidly
healing and almost Invisible scar to
blemish the straight nose which now
adorned his face I would have
wagered my case of instruments to a
iwu-peuuy peiiKiiiio mat tne uiosii
observant of his previous acquaint-!
auces would never have recognized j
him. I
About a week after "my eccentric
patient's departure the particulars,
so far as they were known, of a re
markably brutal" murder were made
tiiibllc, The body of a lady named
Hates, evidently stibbed to death,
had been discovered In a house In a
London supurb, where she had re
sided w th her husband, who had
now disappeared and whose portrait
and description were now freely clr
cu ated by the police. A brief
amount of attention to these pub
lished details was sufficient to con
vince me that tuy patient, George
rl t th, was the criminal.
1 lost no time In communicating
what 1 knew to the authorities, by
whom, It must be said, my story was
received with some Incredulity. You
ec, ui special branch of aurgerj U
but little known to the public, and
it was tbe opinion of tbe police that
tbe murderer had left the country
some time before Mr. Griffiths had
quitted my he use.
Hut a few months ao. happening
to lie on a visit to 1 resden, whither
I had gone on a brief summer holi
sav and bating In a way largely
succeeded in dismissing from my
mind the events above related i was
startled to Bee, seated at a table in
the Gower! ehaus in that city, en.'oy
in,' the stra ns of the talented or
chestra, my no longer mysterious,
but now dreadful . acquaintance,
George t.rlmths!
My duty, I decided arter a mo
ment's reflection, was plain to de
nounce and deliver him to the au
thorit ies.
u; i;iy. therefore, least he should
leave t.eioie 1 could have him ar
rested. I explained myself as well as
I was able to the neatest official. He
looked and was unbelieving. So, too,
were the others whom he summoned
to hear my story. That part of it
which referred to the operation was
received with a smile; and the u -shoto.'
it was that so far from effect
ing m ex-patient's capture, I was
mself ngbtly ridiculed as a mad hn
glisbman. Hut 1 could not allow myself to be
ba ed in what I considered my clear
duty, viz., to deliver a foul murderer
up to ustice. 1 determined there
fore, to renew my acquaintance with
him ther-: and then, to trive him no
inkling of my knowledge of the
truth, and to communicate once
more with the Fn.lish police, while
continuing to keep him under my
own surveillance in the Saxon cap
tal. When, witn a polite bow, I a"
proached and spoke to him, he re og
niz.ed me at once; I could see that,
thougb at first he pretended not to
know me. We had a elassof beer to
gether, and spoke of many matters
of general interest I flattering my
self that nothing in my conversation
or bearing gave him the slightest
ground to suspect me.
That, same night 1 wrote a long
letter lo the London i ol ce, auain
stat rig my certain knowledge that
this man, changed though he was,
was the murderer of Mrs Hates, and
suggesting that they should forth
with send over to Dresden an official
armed with Information as to other
distinguishing marks on Mr. Hates'
person I esldes his aquiline nose and
heavy mustache.
During the next few days I became
very intimate with tnv ex-;at.cnt,
and in tirsuan e ot a scheme I had
form-d incited him more than once
to bathe with me from one of the
floating baths. This he cheerfully
did, being an admirable swimmer.
On the fifth day from my writ ng tc
London an answer arrived in tht
person of a stalwart detective from
Scotland ard. who informed me
that tho real Mr. Bates had, as I sus
pected, the distinguishing marks
which could be verified; among them
an auchor tattooed on the left fore
arm, which I had myself, of course
noticed while we were bathing to
gether. To satisfy himself before
acting on the warrant he had brought
with him, the detective, Mr. Han
way, it was agreed, should join our
bathing party on the morrow a sim
ple and not disagreeable preliminary
to the contemplated arrest
Hut alas! for the schemes of mice
and men! We called together at Mr.
Griffith's alias Hates rooms In the
morning and found him with some
correspondeDce. "If you will wait
for me half an hour or so on the ter
nce," he said "which your friend
will Und vbry pleasant, I'll join you
for our swim In alxmt half an hour."
(Suspecting nothing, we took our
leave, and waited for him, as he had
directed.
Hut we waited In vain. "Whether
the features of my Irlend, Mr. Han
way, were known to him, or
whether there had, in spite of my
care, been anything In my manner to
excite his suspicion, 1 cannot say.
.Suffice It that we remained a full
hour on the terrace, and then re
turned to llnd him gone.
Whither, we could never trace.and
I have never seen him since. From
that day to this he has baffled the
skill of the police of two countries,
and it. Is my belief that if he is still
alive he has again persuaded some
guileless surgeon to operate on him
and once moro alter the outlines of
his features beyond recognition.
London Million.
What Causes Thunder?
"The generally-accepted theory of
the cause of thunder never satisfied
me," said a well-known physh ian.
"It seems to me that, instead of be
ing caused by the vacuum produ ed
by the electr c bolt going through
tho atmosphere, it would be more
plans ble to attribute It to the re
verse of contraction to expansion.
1 mean that the facts attending the
phenomenon of thunder are such as
to warrant my putting forth the the
ory that the cause of it is the ex
plosion of the oxygen produced by tho
acton or the. electricity upon the air.
One of the arguments in favorof this
theory is the great amount of ozone
to be found in the atmosphere after a
thunder storm. Then, if It was con
cussion of tbe air rushing into the
vacuum that caused tho noise, heat
would tie produced, whereas after
every peal of thunder you will notice
a sheet of rain falls, showing that in
stead of beat being produ ed the at
mosphere must act colder to produce
the great condensat on. 1 can not
conce.ve how electricity asslng
through tne atmosphere could create
a vacuum great enought to make a
noise like thunder. This theory came
to me many years ago, before elec
tricity was so generally used. Now,
tbe fact of being able to transmit
electricity though a solid Iron with
out even heating it seems p justify
uiy theory regarding tbe formation of
a Taouum." Pittsburg Dispatch.
LITTLE TRAVEL ON FRIDAY.
How fopaUr SupersMttoa aferU Raitr i
and gtoaunahlp Bnalnrao.
Much ridicule has been poured upoD
.Thirteen clubs, Friday clubi and
other associations termed for the pur
I pose of dealing in a practical and
; pleasant way with some current su
! perstitions. Ceneril Wolseley, who
in a recent pretentious military criti
cism included Dessaix. the hero of
Merengo among the General who
accompanied Napoleon to Kussia, has
written a flipr ant letter to a Thirteen
club in I ondon to sav that he loves
to cherish the pretty tuperst t ons of
his childhood. Against this false
sentiment it must be said that some
oi the current popular I eliefs are
positively mischievous iu many re
specia ota transatlantic stoaai-ih'p com
pany h:is Friday among the days of
deiarture and until quite recently
none of the coastwise steamship 1 ncs
had put the unlucky day on its list
It would be highly desirable for the
ocean mail service that some of the
steamships should leave Atlantic
ports on Friday: but while the own
ers are doubtless exempt from any
superstition on the suuiect thev are
obi ged to defer to an absurd popular
notion. Flso they would be apt to
find a very small pas-erier list and
possibly experience some diili ulty in
obtaining a crew. i.ailroad statis
tics show that there is less travel Fri
day than on any other secular day of
the week, l.xperieuc d travelers are
so well aware of this that they some
times do not take the trouble to se
cure a I'ullman ticket Friday, as they
are pretty sure to tlnd an empty
berth. Lhiladelphia Kecord.
A Xetnesis of Two Centuries Ago,
About forty miles above Buenos
Ayres there is a large green island in
the La Plata, which in colonial days
was the horse ranch of some wealthy
nabob. The animais anally became
so numerous ttiat tnere was not,
gra'-s enough to feed them prooerly,
and as there was no demand for their
export the owner determined to re
duce their number in a most barbar
ous way vi.: Hy setting the grass
on tire during the dry season. The
result of this method of reducing
stock was a little more complete than
he anticipated, and every horse on
the Island was burned to death, ex
cept the few that ran into the
mighty river which hemmed them
in, and were drowned. Afterward
the stench was so unbearable that for
many weeks navigation on the La
I'lata was almost entirely suspended.
Altera while, when the grass grew
up again, the owner bought new
horses and attempted to start afresh.
Hut they all died soon of a strange
disease never heaid of before. He
tried it a 4 a i ti and again, always with
the same res ilt for, s nulariy
enough, every horse that has been
placed on that Island since that
wicked conllagration has died from
the same mysterious disease. To this
day, nearly two centuries later, not
a colt has ever ieeu foalded there,
and although various breeds of stock
have been tried, in a few weeks not
one of them is left a ive. Then a
superstitious terror seized the people
a sort of nightmare, maybe and
for sixty years or so nobody set foot
upon the accursed island. Nowadays
it Is used as a cattie farm, for horned
cattle are not sub ect to the mysteri
ous malady; hut there are no horses
there. Fannie H. Ward.
The Way to Get Old.
Take, again, bodily ailments. To
the i anaie and eternal question,
"How are you?" the wise old man
a'lows himself but one answer. "1
am very well." He knows perfe.tly
well that his innocent deception, if
deception it be, decci es no one. Per
haps it is well that he does not re
alize, for of self-consciousness we
have enough and to spare, that the
remembrance of his fortitude, p;geon
holed and forgotten perhaps lor long
years in the mind of the listener,
may come. forth one day to hearten
that same listener along the cruel
way when it shall be his turn to tread
it
For so are accounts carried forward,
and not always to the wrung side ot
the page: an I, if t is t ue that the
sins or tbe parents are visited on the
children, it is equally true that the
lustre of their virtues shines on long
after the darkness has covered them.
Is he of those who desire pity for
their failing power? The surest way
of getting it is to keep s.lence.
Almost as Important and almost as
much neglected is the care for per
sonal appearance. After sixty, van
ity of the person should be carefully
cultivated. After sixty, coxcombry
In a man and coquetry In a woman
become cardinal virtues, t an H be
said that the old as a rule so con
sider them? The Contemporary lie
view. Iianftball Tor (he Girls.
After the handball contests the
clrls turned their attention to the
unique game of langball. There are
two teams. The team that are out
are stationed around tho floor where
bases are located.
The batter hangs by the hands
from Hying rings. A football is
pitched in at a distance of about five
paces. The batter kicks it and then
starts to run around tho bases. The
girls bunt with their feet very scien
tifically. "Sot all of them can bunt,
but none want the bunt abolished,
liecently the Academics won by 9
to 0, MIssHrooksof the victorious
team made a home run, and Miss
Houghton stole second in great shape
Miss Flagler, the agile and efficient
assistant to Dr. Pcttlt, made a three
base hit, but was put out on the way
home by being hit by the ball the
way a put-out Is effected Brooklyn
Standard Union.
Tim meaner a man la, tha easier ha
U Insulted.
