1
BY SHAW E ULUJeK
U N N MARKET
wag over, its hurry
i and haggle. In cor-
ners and quiet
spots of the Dig
market-yard you
saw men and wom
en carefully count
ing their little
(tores of silver,
testing the coins
with rfcelr teeth, knotting them firmly
In red pocket handkerchiefs, finally
stowing them away in their long, wide
pockets cautiously as though every
sixpence was a diamond. Iu the streets
people were leisurely moving towards
the shops, where tills were rattling auJ
counters teeming, and trade for a few
hours, flourishing, after Its whole six
days of blissful stagnation.
A cart laden with butter, chiefly In
firkins, issued from the market-yard
gate, a man between the shafts, one at
either wheel, two pulkng behind, all
noisily endeavoring keep the cart
from running amuck down hill Into the
river. Close behind, like chief mourn
ers after a hearse, one might fancy,
came Tim Kerln and Nan, his wife a
battered, slow-footed couple, heavily
burdened with the big load of their
years, white-haired, both of them, and
lean as greyhounds. Heavily they
shuffled along In their clumsy loots;
the man with one arm across his back,
the other swinging limply; the woman
holding up her skirt with one hand
and gripping with the other the handle
of a big, empty basket; both looking
fixedly over the tail-board of the cart
at the few pounds of butter for which
tbey had slaved hard for weeks, ami
for which, after hours of haggling,
hey bad just received a few most pre
cious shillings. Fixedly they watched
It, and mournfully, almost, as though
they were bidding It a last farewell.
They passed through the gate, strag
gled across the footpath, and silently
watched the cart zigzag down the
street, run presently along the curb,
and, amid great shouting, discharge
jts contents into the packing house.
"Faith," said Tim across his shoul
der, "'twas cliverly done. 1 wonder,
some day, they don't break their
necks." He wagged his head dubious
ly; Nan tucked up her skirt; the two
turned their faces up hill and set out
to share their profits with the shops.
The butter was gone, and sorrow go
with it! 'twas a heartbreak.
, Tim Kerin's share of the profits was
a shining sixpence, reluctautly ten
dered to him by Nan, his wife, who now
walked a couple of steps behind hirn,
with eighteen-penee shut tight In her
hand the remainder of the butter mon
ey (only a shilling or two) tied fast In
a cotton bag and safely slowed away
In the neck of her linsey-woolsey dress.
Threepence of Tim's sixpence was to
buy tobacco, a penny might go In the
purchase of a weekly newspaper, a
penny would buy a pair of "whangs"
(leather laces) for bis boots; the penny
remaining, when all those luxuries had
been honestly paid for, would buy a
whole tumblerful of frothing porter. A
whole tumblerful! At sight of It, with
his mind's eye. Tim's lips dried and his
feet went quicker over the cobble
stones. .
Xan'f lips were tight, her brow wrin
kled. She was figuring. It would take
her to be powerful 'cute to fill her bas
ket with the value of elghteenpence.
Ocb! the lot of things she wanted; tea.
sugar, bacon, a herring for the Sun
day's dinner, a bit o' w hlte bread, and
and supposing there was a penny or
two over (with knowing bargaining
there might be), was it likely now that
Mr. Murphy, the draper, would let ber
have a cheap yard of narrow, soiled
lace to go around the lorder of her
' OCH, OCH, MRS. KERH.
night caps? Twopence might do, three
pence would be sure to- Aw, glory
be to goodness! did anybody ever bear
of snch romancia', such extravagance;
rare It was running wild her wlta were!
Threepence' for lace Indeed!
A file ml stepped from behind a cart
4 night Nan by the inn. What,
waa U pass a neighbor like that Mr.
Keria would do 7 Pass her onldett
friend, Mrs. Brady, aa if she was a
milestone, and nerer pact the time of
(.ay. or tell bow she sold her butter, or
Uiv ibe world waa using herself:
(if?;..- U)
rye:Vj
' f
"Och. och. Mrs. Kerin," moaned Mrs.
Brady, "what have I done to ye, at
all, at all V
Nan stopped and put out her hand,
then volubly began explaining; sure,
sorrow the sight of Mrs. Brady she
had seen; sure, she never passed a
neighbor without spakiug; sure, 'twas
walkln' along romaneiu' she was, tigur
ln' In her head, seeing how far she could
make the few shillings go. "An' how
are you, ma'am? ' asked Nan, when full
pardon for her oversight had been
generously given and gratefully re
ceived. "How are you, an' all your
care?"
Swiftly the two heads bobls-d to
gether; ceaselessly their tongues began
to wag; freely the full tide of their
softly drawling speech flowed gurgling
round the little nothings of their little
world.
Meanwhile, Tim, his sixpence hot In
his palm, bad taken a turn through the
throng of the streets, had questioned
his neighbors about sales and prices
(Just as though he were a man of stom
ach and capital), had spelt out the time
iff Mjwmmh
"AW,
on the big market-house clock as he
stood by the town pump listening to
the hoarse drone of a ballad-singer;
and now, on the sidewalk of Main
street, stood dreamily looking through
a shop window at a pile of newspapers
wblcb stood precariously among an ar
ray of tobacco pipes and sweet bot
tles. If he bought a paper, Tim was
thinking, he would have a whole week's
diversion o nights; if he didn't buy it,
he would save the price of another tum
blerful o' A heavy band fell on his
shoulder.
"Hello! Tim," said his neighbor, Shan
Orogan; "bavin' & wee squint at the
sugarsticks, is it ye are?"
"Aw, ay," answered Tim, turning;
"aw, ay! I was Just lookln at the pa
per there, an' wonderin' what an ojus
lot o' news they give us nowadaya for
a penny. Enough to keep one gain' for
a week."
"Yls," said Shan, "it's a wonderrui
world. But alsy, Tim; ha' ye been to
the Post lately V
"Naw," said Tim.
"Well, look In there If you're pass
In, me son. The lassie that sella the
.tamos asked me to tell ye. Gwan
quick; mebbe she'll give yc news for
nothinV'
"Now, now," answered Tim; "I'm
obiiced to ye, Shan, I'm obliged to ye.
Now. now," he repeated to himself, as
he i hailed off along the pavement;
"now, now. Is 8 ban harin' a wee Joke
I wonder?" he Mid, and, coning to the
nostofflce. doubtfully tidied In.
"Me name la Kerln, miss," be Mid to
the clerk, rery nimbly aa to one of the
representatives of mighty government
Itself: 'Tiro, for Christian; an they
tell me ye'd mebbe be bavin' some
thin' for me?"
The girl handed him a letter bearing
the Chicago postmark, stamped In one
of Its bottom corners, and carrying Its
address thence right up to the top of
the envelope. Tim bore It tenderly to
the door and carefully Inspected it.
then took It back to the counter.
"Whose countersign might that be,
miss, If ye please?" be asked, and
placed bis thumb over the postmark.
Humbly he asked; curtly be was an
swered.
"Chicago?" said Tiro. "Ay, ay! I'm
obliged to ye, sates I'm obliged to ye.
May the Lord be good to ye an' send
ye a duke for a husband! Good day
to ya, miss," said be, then stepped out
Is. to the street with his band deep In Ms
pocks and tbs letter In his hand, snd
went off Ja searc! of Nan.
"It's from radeen." be kept thinking
to himself, as be walked Joyf illy along,
I CAN BEAD NO MOKE," SAID TIM, WITH A
his feet clattering loosely on the pave
ment, his old face turning here and
there, watching for bis wife; "It's from
Padeen. sure as ever was!" Aw! but lie
was glad. Aw! but Nan would be glad.
So long it was. ages and ages ago,
since they heard from him. 'T wasn't
1'adeeu's baud-write uaw! but sure
It might have altered; everything al
tered In the Iiig Country. Ay! 'twas
only poor ould Ireland that kept the
same never any worse, never any let
ter. But where was Nan? Sur. she
ought to le In the shops. He was dy
ing to find her. I'p ami down he
went; at last he found her, still Uib
biug heads at the top of Bridge street
with her friend Mrs. Brady.
"Aw, It's here ye are. Nan?" he said,
coming up. "An me hunlln' the town
for ye. It's yourself Is well, Mrs. Brady,
I'm hopln'? That's right, that's right."
His voice came strangely broken and
shrill; his eyes dauced like a child's;
still his hand gripped the letter In his
pocket.
"What's the matter. Tim?" whis
pered Nan. "Ha' ye heard news?"
'Ay, ay," he said. "Come away till
I tell ye; come away.
He turned, and. with Nan at his
heels, set off almost at a run down-hill
toward the river. Aw, but his heart
was thumpln'. "Alsy, Tim," cried Nan
behind him; "alsy mau, or me breath
me breath "
Without answering or slarkenlng his
pace Tim went on, turned through the
butter market gate, crossed the empty
yard, came to the furthermost corner
of one of the long, low sheds, and there
halted, with his face to the wall. Aw,
but his heart was thumpln'. Present
ly Nan came to him, panting and flur
ried.
"What Is It, TlmT she asked; "what
Is Iff
Slowly Tim brought out his letter,
and holding It by both hands, let his
wife look at It
"It's It's from I'adeen!" cried she;
"it's from Fadeen!"
"i'ls," said Tim. "It's not his hanj
write, but It must be from him."
"Aw, glory be to God!" cried Nan.
"Glory to God! Sure, It's ages since
we heard from the boy, ages!"
She put down her basket, and., with
ber head between Tim's shoulder aud
the wall, looked fixedly at the envelope.
Aw! but she was glad to see It Such a
time It was since they had heard from
I'adeen! A whole two years It nm,
come Christmas, since the last letter
came, with that money-order In It, an
the beautiful picture of Padeen him
self, dressed out In his grand clothes,
with a gold chain across bis waistcoat,
and a gold ring on bis linger. A whole
two years almost. And now maybe
"Aw, Tim, open it quick," she pant
ed; "open it quick!"
"Mebbe," said Tim, "we'd better wait
till we get home. The light's bad,
an' ".
"No, no, Tim; no, no; it'd kill me to
wait."
"Ay," said Tim, then slowly drew
bis knife from his pocket snd tenderly
cut open the top of the envelope. His
Angers trembled greatly as be fumbled
with the Inclosure. Nail's bsnd went
quick to her heart.
"Aw. quick, Tim!" she cried. "Quick,
quick !"
"Dou't don't Booster me, woman,"
ssld Tim. "I can't can't " The
next moment his shaking old lingers
held a sheet of notepaper, aud a black
edged card on which glared out a long
silvern cross, snd beneath It, In large
letters, the words; Patrick Kerln.
Nan fell back a step; her Angers
clutched st ber dress over ber heart.
Tim's knife clattered upon the stones,
sod the envelop Buttered down. Hoi
a while they stood there silent, dread
stricken. At last Nan epoke.
"Bead, Tim," site Mid. "Read."
"I-I can t."
"Ye must, Tim; It's butter. Let ui
know the worst, for God's sake!"
"I I " Tim began; then quickly
oiM-ued the sheet. If It's too dark
here," he mumbled. "I I want me
specs."
"Head what ye can, Tim, an' quick,
for God's sake!"
So Tim, still with his face to the
wall, ralwd the letter to catch the light,
and began to read:
Chicago City. I". S. A.
"Dear dear Mister Kerin It is my
my sad duty to In form you that your
son Patrick diisi" ("Aw, Padeen, Iad
een!") "of Ty typhus here on the 2d of
this mouth at 12 o'cloc k a. m." ("God's
mercy!" cried Nan.") "As his oldest
friend, I was with him at the end. Hi
died In peace. He was buried, at bis
request. In Cemetery. I I send
you something to to keep. "
"Aw. I can read no more," said Tim.
with a groan; "it's too dark. I can reud
no more. Me poor ould I'adeen!"
Nan turned and looked vsenntly
across at the busy street, dry -eyed and
gray-faced. Ah! her joor I'adeen. dead
and burled away among the strangers,
dead ami buried, and never, never
would she see him again, never hear
bis voice, never grip his hand! Dead,
dead! ber big, handsome, noble son.
She turned to Tim and caught him
by the sleeve.
"Come away, Tim," she said. "Come
away wi' me."
"Aw! Nan, Nan." he said, as the big
tears sprang to his eyes. "Nan, me
girl, but lt'B hard "
"Aw, yls," said she. and lifted her
GOAN, "IT'S TOO DA UK."
basket; "but come away. Tim. come
away. Home s the best place for us.
"Via," said Tim, wiping his eyes with
his hand. "Yls, Nan;" then. Nan lead
ing the way, and Tim shuffling after,
the two old people (mourners now In
real earnest) crossed the yard; and at
the gate Nan halted.
"I think," said she, as Tim came up,
I think we can manage this week
wi out the bits o groceries. ure,
they're only luxuries, anyway. I'll go
n' see If Mr. Murphy can find me a bit
oicrape for me bounet.
'Do," said Tim. "Do, Nan; an' when
you re about It tie. said, taking ins
six-pence from his pocket and handing
It to her, "ye may as well get me a bit
fea A
"AjtDsrxnrcA duke fob a rtsbasd.'
for me hat Ayl sure I can do wl'out
me tehaccy for one week. Aw, yls
Away quick, Nan; an' hurry back, me
girl."
So Nan turned up towards the mar
ket-honse; but Tim went down hill to
wards the bridge; and when, presently,
Nan came to blm, csrrying her little
packet of crape In her big basket, Tim's
bead was bowed over the pari pet, and
be was mumbling tearfully, "Aw, me
poor Padeen V
Nan plucked at his sleeve.
"Come away home, Tim," she said,
"come away." And at the word Tim
raised bis bead, dried his eyes, and set
off slowly after Mas up the long, dust
road that wearily led to s ards boms.
The Sketch.
t"TSMiel
TOPICS OF THET1ME8.
A CHOICE SELECTION OF" IHTIP
ETINQ ITEMS.
ate mm Crltlciaata Osmm
tbs Happcalai of the Day Bis
tarical mm Nawa Wot.
A new edition of Chaucer, published
In England, costs $10. The old En
glish bard was not much of a speller,
but his poetry is worth all that Is ask
ed when compared with the verse of
the present laureate.
The "splendid Isolation of England"
Is a favorite phrase of the day lu Brit
ish newpaHTM. All the same English
diplomatists are displaying iuteuse ac
tivity lu trying to escape from this
form of brilliant cousplculty.
A census of the entire world is pro
posed for the year Woo. The United
State had a population of 5,30K4N.'i in
the year IHoo, and will have not far
from sn.onti.ijtio lu l'jou. Those who
question the hiicivks of a republican
form of government should consider
these figures.
Europe st 111 poNm-sse considerable land
in America. England owns 3,(134,78'.;
square miles. France 48,040, Denmark
H;,14, aud Holland 4J.4'i.'S, with an ag
gregate population of over 7,000,000.
Spaiu also has some real estate left lu
the western world, but would lind it
difficult to give possession except tu the
Immediate vicinity of Havana.
A uuimImt of the lending physiologists
of Boston who has been Interviewed
on the electric Illumination of the In
terior of the human frame think that
the new form of photography will be
chiefly useful In the discovery of
tumors and the locution of foreign sub
stances In the body, if It assists in
keeping the vermiform appendix lu
subjection mankind will cheerfully ac
knowledge that the Koeutgeii light Is .1
boon.
While the now unknown quantity
photographing through solhls Is called
a light. It Is Invisible to the eye, and
Is known only by the record of Its
power to penetrate flesh, wood aud pn
per, and partially through bone and
metal. As a matter of fact, scientists
have discovered by accident a property
of light In connection with electricity,
the existence of which has never lecn
suspected, and so the world has a new
mystery to deal with by experiment,
and no choice except to wait patiently
for the Investigation.
The public are deeply Indebted to
Mr. Fltzslinmous for having put a
quietus on Mr. Maher by a well de
livered blow ou the chin. Tin-re could
not have been a more appropriate place
upon which to Inflict long deserved pun
ishment. If Mr. Fitzsimmons will n
ike excellent manner attend to that
particular part of the anatomy of Mr.
Corbett and the other pugilists, and In
so effective n manner that further talk
ing upon their part, by long distance
telephone or otherwise, will be Impos
sible, he will earn the everlasting grati
tude of a very weary public.
The reason Great Brltalu has occupied
the small, rocky island of Trluldad off
the coast of Brazil, and which for more
than a century has ls'eu regarded as
die property of Portugal, and, later of
Brazil, Is given In parliament by the
under secretary for foreign affairs.
Mr. Curzou says Great Britain occu
pled Trinidad In 1781, but abandoned
It In 17S'J on the representations of
Portugal. The secretary adds that his
government "reoccupled the Island be
cause It bad been abandoned for a cen
tury." Given a little more In detail the
case of Great Britain In regard to rtie
Island Is rliat she attempted U take it
115 years ago. but was prevented from
doing so by the claims set up by Portu
gal, which were admitted, aud she sur
rendered the Island to that country,
When Brazil became Independent of
Portugal this Island fell to the posses
sion of the new empire and has remain
ed so ever since. One hundred and
thirteen years after the surrender of
the Island Gn-at Britain again selzen
It because It had lieeu abandoned "for
a century, but whether it was because
Great Britain had abandoned It for a
century or whether Portugal aud Bra
zll had abandoned It for that period
does not appear from the s"crctary's
declaration. It must be the former,
because Brazil claims that it has never
given up or ceased to control the Isluud.
Great Brltalu abandoned that portion
of this continent south of the great
lakes about a century ago, and posst
bly she may, for that reason, desire
again to assume control of It, which
might constitute a good a claim to the
thirteen colonies as Great Britain now
has for the possession of Trluldad. She
gave up the colonies as she gave up the
Island because her tenure was rather
Insecure but that surrender, If It can
be' revoked as to the Island, may tcr-
haps be revoked as to the colonies.
The doctors of astronomy are not lu
complete arord ax to the possible con
sequences of a collision of our planet
with a comet Mr. Garrett P. Servlss,
of New York, Is of opinion that noth
Ing serious would hapien. He ob
server that so far as we know a comet
Is made up of minute particles snd Is
comparable to a dust clotjd. Our at
mosphere, he says. Is practically Im
pervious to such a body. Even at a
distance of seventy or eighty miles
alKve the earth the atmosphere, though
extremely rare, Is still dense euough to
disintegrate and destroy a body like
a comet "The particles would liecomo
Infinitely fine, no larger than the ulti
mate atoms of matter." He admits,
however, that If a comet were made of
solid chunks of matter the result would
be different A ton chunk, for Instance,
might burn a bole as big as the State
of New York. And that would be a
pretty serious matter. But be asserts
..r.MiicIlr. perhaps
somen nat '" " - - . . .
that there sre Urg, partlrW Intbe
make-up of a roH. VT "
baud, our own ressor H. Brb
1. n quite so em-ksure. He
doesn't think he would Ilk. to be st
the place of l.npa.t. "There might be
no danger, and there might How-
ever, he is willing to
He would like to see I'errine . com
strike the earth. "Vou say
professor, "we have no exact data on
such matters, and s-ieuie '-,,
t-eneflted by the collision." r-- It "".
if there should hapi-n to be ""J' -'n;
tlfic i-crson left after the eveuu
that, as the learned doctors are farced
to admit, after all. Is J"1 "
don't certainly kn..w. nawa
that cornets must be con..ed f-"-most
rrt of very attenuated and grost-
ly dlKTsed matter. ismB..-
they have made close approaches to
planets they have exerteo no
:, ..... .,.... latter, ilut it
Die lUUlieui-e
d..s not follow that there are no solid
masses about a comet, it Is au..m.
on ir..n nuiHs welgtiliig a ton trav
eling, like Perriue's cornet, at the rate
of l,7is, miles a day, or over 1.1.VJ
miles a minute, would kuock '
the earth-or. rather, burn a ho e-at
big aa the State of New lorK. i'ui
mass of a thoiitmnd tons wouiu u--
swerve such a plauet as Jupiter very
far from Its course, while such a mass,
. ....... .trlk n;
or a thousand suen nm- . -
the earth at such a high velocity wouiu
make things very hot. In
,i..i, ior msnv astronomer to
enrich themselves with scientific knowl-
edge after the collision. As Profess r
Burubam says, the comet might hurt
or It might not. But as he doesn't say,
the most of us would prefer not to lake
c We can worn-along with
out exact scientific knowledge ou this
subject and we would not Invite col
lision even with an extremely light
traveler Jogging along at the rate of
nearly miles a minute. It affords
us some satisfaction to know time tho
chances are a good many millions to
one against a collision. It Is not much
iiwa-i. rational to bother our head
alsiiit the potwlblc conseU.'tiiis than
It would be to enter Us.n a serious con
sideration of the probability that nil
the angry war bluster with whlcu we
have been regaled during the last few
months has teen caused by the ap
proach of Perri lie's comet
PROGRESS IN GERMANY, TOO.
Provtalon for the Higher Education ol
Women Will lie Made Soon,
The semi-official Hamburglsche Cor
repondenz today rails attention to
the Increasing Intercut tthowrj In Ger
many lu the question of the rights of
women. It says:
"The woman's rights agitation, now
vigorously going on In England, is
being watched with the keenest Inter
est In Germany, where also the ques
tion Is a burning one. As regards the
establishment of a German university
for women, the well-known Berlin pro
fessor of law. Dr. Dernburg, holds
that women who have the requisite ca
pacity for academic study have also
a right to it, but that It Is quite an
other question whether It would be wis
to admit Isith sexes Indiscriminately
to the German universities. He thinks
It would be better to reserve one of
the universities mainly for women
GR'ssen, for Instance, which Is beau
tifully situated In the middle of tbs
empire."
I may mention that Frau Emllle
Kempiu, doctor juris and private lec
turer (prlvat docent) on English snd
Americau law In Zurich University,
was admitted as an expert at the bar of
one of the Berlin law courts at the be
ginning of the present year. The grand
duchy of Hesse-Darmntadt will prob
ably be the first of thp German states
to try the experiment of female fac
tory Inspectors. The Prussian govern
ment last session also promised to try
It. admitting the necessity of such
officials, considering me large number
of women and girls employed In fac
tories. Hitherto, however, It Is only
a project
Many women all over Germany are
drawing up strenuous protests against
the attempt made In the new German
civil code (In contrast to the criminal
code) to assign to women a position
different from that of men, aud espe
cially to burden them with all the du
ties of responsible persons without
granting them the rights of such. The
protest is aimed chiefly against the
laws regarding property proposed In
the new code, which are stltrmatlzed as
" a positive nstrogresslon," and points
to the English "married women's prop
erty act" of 1NH2 In proof of the rs
proach. Ixnidoii Standard.
lie I'atlent-Walt
The bishop of Manchester, England,
In mi address to young men, advised
them to team the hardest lesson In the
world, the art of being patient He
said:
Do your duty, and leave success to
take care of itself, and then you will
see the wisdom of the proverb, "Ev
erything comes to the man that can
wait" You know, for Instance, how
hard It Is to learn a difficult subject
All flie Ideas are unfamiliar, all the
words are unfamiliar. We go ou labor
ing, and seem to make no wsy.
Now that disheartens nine students
out of ten-the nine out of ten that will
always be obscure people but the
tenth man goes on.
He works harder and harder, be Ms
his mind plsy around the subject, be
lets the Ideas of that subject soak Into
his brain, he Is determined that noth-J
Ing can possibly resist persistent effort,
and one One day a great flood of light
comes In; he suddenly aeea all about It;
bis work Is easy, bis work Is delight
ful. Everybody says of blm: "What an
amaiing amount of ability that young
man has!" No, It wss not ability, It
wss pallent perseverance. The maa
bad learned to labor and to wJt
