Harrison press-journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1899-1905, December 21, 1899, Image 3
AAA...... - - .. I ' ' A CHRISTMAS ADVENTURE. I, when both my parent were no' those rich young men leaving me with 250 a year, I Eveline would approve of. C . i .. . . riviu me nrst i was Intended to we a gooa marriage. And I take It that no girl can come In for a lot more tart and horrid than to start her so la life with the overpowering knowl af that she hag got to do well In a matrimonial way. Personally, I have always felt that I would rather think of my heart and risk the rest; but my aunt, with whom I had lived ever since I was 12 years old, held different opinions. She said It was my duty by my marriage to go back to the social position which both my grandfathers had enjoyed. To my mind, the fact that my fath er's father was the Earl of Dundrum, an that my mothers grandfather was the duke of AllandaJe, Is no proof that they enjoyed themselves in this life, or that the title were of the smallest use or oven gratification to them. well, COM, wsmt to live with Aunt Emmeline. It was, or course, very good of my Tunt Hmmellne to take charge of me. She was not much out of pocket, for she nasi tne use or my income for my edu ation and to provide for my clothes. wWch did not cost very much, for Aunt Emmeline dressed well herself, an4 her maid was a clever woman who transformed all my aunt's clothes for m. I had a French governess, a Parisian, who was lazy, rather dirty, and deceit ful to the very last degree; but she had road manners and a perfect accent, and shs was cheap. We had great times together, Mademoiselle and I. nee we nearly got caught. Aunt Fknmellne went away for a three days' visit, and Mademoiselle and I went to a music hail, where I espied a very great friend of Aunt Emmeiine's In a box. "I say, Mademoiselle," I whispered, "that is Colonel Broughton In that box to the right." "Mon Diet!" she ejaculated, "but what are we to do? We cannot get . past all these people without attract ing attention, and if we sit here we shall be undone." When we came fearfully out with the crowd we saw Colonel Broughton Just ahead of us with a lady. Fortunately we were carried in the crowd to one exit, and he and the lady were drifting toward the other, so we rushed along the street and Jumped into the first cab we could see. "Grosvenor street," said Mademoiselle, and we were safe. I never knew till that night that she had a latchkey. "Where did you get It?" I asked. "O, I have had it a long time. I find it very useful; and then Peters does not have to trouble to let me In when perhaps he wants to go some where on his own account." So Made moiselle was on terms with Peters Aunt Emmeiine's highly trusted and respectable butler. I did wonder what Aunt Ememllne would say if she knew A I fthm n v ma th. 1.11.. T i.l . Zrtttl , 7. " - " """ coninvea w leu me in the n . 2 ""1 J"- 11 . shart hour whlcn followed, and at the in u. (, n'r , . , , . ,.. L J na or 11 ne wa carried off to rehearse I uFu ran tT ' ' hMd' f"r "me theatricals that were to come f iitfSfL tiV-: , . . . ofr 'our days later. 7;Z' tw,;;"', " T. ." realy rehearsal tonight?" he , .. - - ft . ij'jj oniii' a8Ka. unw ntr v or I Bem to get no benefit. " don afternoon, who completely de- "Yes, Major o'Donoirhue it Is" Lilv "Let her come to us," said the Duch- """" lo. 1 8ten 10 ay laea 01 an Barton renlled. "I know thnt von ro ess. "I shall be charmed " gagement between us. bhe laid great word-norfor-t and tK v.... 4. T AIA . . I Itrcu n.n m. .H , , T . . ..io juoi UIU KU LU 1 Il I IIIPnAsfl O n n 1 tint I as, m uuttlll UUUII IUUJ I rufn nlnultlJ.a.1 1JI . " . . . ,, Jul" ln-l... -J . 1 , - I " - - - - ' " W iViirB I tl 1 Kill 1711 ivmmeiine went to Homburg. and from iim-iiiy iu unuw your well no, but that you would rather stay thence to Engadlne. Of couru ah lowa mla I am so perfectly convinced here and talk t w nt t i,aii Btayed a few days In Paris on her way know yur dr mind Just as her against you and put her on her home and then she came down to the wel1 48 1 kn?w mlne. that I am writing guard. So come along and do your caue ana put In a couple of days J" K,y sirajgnirorwaraiy mat, as J duty like a man and a soldier" there before we went on to (trine- nt nav never spoken of money matters to Th r.r wul,, ukuto my aunt was - , ' y"t ". so ne sunered h mself to be led very clever woman. "aYe "-100 Vr and have no debts, away. As for me I went un to mv .m ii you leei incnnea 10 wai room to see what Margaret was doing I". aTn" Jr." - " oy Wfly 01 arranging my things. It was during; that loner visit tr thr Lnt t .k.n .i,..i.. .m JJUcness of bt. Neotts, at Caversham perhaDS. not verv tkatientlv. dearest- Castle, that I first met Major O'Don- but, at all events, I will wait faithfully How I "! hate those theatricals dur. oghue. He was quartered at the neigh- and devotedly. Ingr the next two days. They were call- boring garrison town and came over I "i muni, r i.m, ni., i. ,n ine for Ma W (vnrniwiiiu aii d..t ir, on a Saturday-to-Monday visit. And he dearest heart, that 1,100 a year Is a until he repented of having promised to Ii t t e 8 ,n 10 e- wretched income for such a girl as you J01" in tnem. and I hoped he would turn out to be I tn mim tn hut it a.m m ikit it "You see mv riariino " h oqia mi one or uiose ncn young men that Aunt would be better to marry on ever bo ogetically, on the second morning after little than to be tied up to a lltUe cad my arrival, "l bad no idea that we VII. Of course he turned out not to be littA WfurTnnrlrot with IhroA tlmM na I Should meet hprA an.ri t Vice a Kcaatlv J. """" in nil". 1 miew lruin I many thousands. Do try and let me meatricais must be carried through. I the first that it WOUld nOt dO. but the I Vta.to tt.A tn lt I,nnn, SWm nV- tn trat a ln,.U ...1,1, Duchess kept asking him over to the what your decision is, and to put me you. Look here, after lunch today go t8. .'. 8he made 80 mucl ' h'm out of my misery. I cannot write as off to your room, and instead of going tnat it was no wonder I got to watch 1 feel. I was always an awful ass with out, go up to the tp floor and meet me ror nls comlnir. So time went on. and nn w,..,, a a thorn NnhnHv n.111 tkini, t H.n..j... i j """ "T""-... i TV" """-' J1""' 6"'ib , ii ujr ne 1UU.UC ouiiie excuse ior "DICK. up mere, and, if you dress for a walk coming, or the Duchess made some ex- T , ,, T UA , you will keep warm and disarm sus- - " . . I nL-lin ' Dot torn or tne page. 1 pressed it to my , . , lips and looked at Mademoiselle with . "1"- wnai is mere on tne eager inquiry in my eyes. a ? j- "Well," she said, "it is good news?" .TV., ;i "'"u ruums, very ausiy "n v vnn rtoor hin- th verv an0- dilapidated," he replied. "But for best of news. Tell me. how did you us they wl" be shelter. Upon my word, get It?" 1 never tnougnt 1 could be two days A great man came and asked for me i"" aa-'" u wun my sweeuieart cuse for asking him. until I was fairly done for. Just at first I used to wonder what Aunt Emmeline would say, and 1 did wish that that stupid old Lord Creech had never taken it Into his head to ask me to share his coronet But Major O'Donoghue never propos ed to me. He never said a single word that the most unsentimental iKiwn 1 , ...... uu. ana kiss ner so seldom." might not hav. 1 heard; he always spoke p,, ;dVat T wai to to Accordingly, after lunch I went to aLI rath bltterl5r "7 give It to you ail hi put it. private? W room, asked Margaret to give me devil,' who could never aspire to the KV,T ; ' ' K:. mv seaixkin mm mv m..rr ..h . no-- hand of any girl, and I used to feel in clined to break down and have a real good cry, and then I used to flirt all I knew to cover my real feelings. But Just two days before Aunt Em with all my heart. "I know my aunt will say no," I said, leanlg my head against his shoulder "She expects me to make a wonderful marriage, and she was awfully angry with me for not taking Lord Creech She will say that I am as great a fool as my mother was, and she will do ev erything she can to separate us." My foreboding proved true. The next day but one Aunt Emmeline arrived II. Well, in due course Mademoiselle left ns. Aunt aOmmellne recommended her to tha Duchess of St. Neott's. "Impos Bible to find a more conscientious crea ture, dear Duchess," she said. "She has been the making of Moyra. A per fect accent, exquisite manners, and knows precisely what to teach a girl of position. Kather expensive, but worth It.'" So eventually the duchess engaged Mademoiselle at 120 a year she had only 40 with us to complete the eilu cation of her only daughter. I have often wondered since whether she had ever taken Lady Constance to the Pa vlllon; but, on the rare occasions that I afterward saw her, I did not dare to ask. And then I came out. I know that 1 ought to have done my aunt credit anil have landed a duke or a baronet at leafit. But somehow all th dukes and other eligible men who came my way were so unattractlre I really never could bring myself to face the rest of my life with them. I shall never for get Aunt Emmeiine's tragic face when she found out that I had refused old Lord Creech. She almost had a fit; he quite cried, and when a woman as carefully preserved as Aunt Emmeline lets herself cry it Is a proof that the iron has entered deeply into her soul. "Such a match!" she moaned. "I . should have been the envy of every chaperon this season." "h, he is so old," I replied, perhaps a little lamely, for of course Lord Creech was a good match. My reply dried her tears InBtantly. "Old!" she screeched. "And what has that got to do with it? He Is as rich as a as a Jew. He has five country eats and the biggest rubies In world, and he would have settled thou ands a year on you. "And left me tied up so that I could not marry again, I put in. Poor Aun Hrumellne. I touched her on a sore place there, for she had in her day married an elderly peer. rom wnat have heard I have reason to think tha the marriage did not turn out to be a honey and rows. ' And when Lord Swindon died be left her three thou sand a year 011 condition that she did not marry a oecond time, j'oor Aun Bmmellne! 80 after that she did not Bay much more about old Lord Creech, but heard her one day telling the Duchess that It was quite true that I had re fused him. "Of course, if he had not himself told It to ever so many people we should never have mentioned It. I am very sorry for Lord Creech's disappoint ment, but Moyra Is too pretty to mar ry for mercenary motives." "Oh, I think marrying for money Is horrible," said the Duchess, who had herself married at 17 a duke of 22, and so could well afford to be generous, The result of this was that the Duchess took a great deal more notice of men that she would otherwise, and I went up specially In consequence. . For the Duchess of St Neot's was a woman of great power. Really It was almost a pity that Aunt Emmeline was not blessed with half a doxen daughters of her own. She was such a skillful general that her genius was thrown away upon me. When the season was over she set her wits to work to get me off her hands that she mlrht as usual go oil to Homburg by herself. "I don't like the atmosphere of Homburg for such a girl as Moyra," he said plaintively to the Duchess one day. I had always understood that the atmosphere of Homburg was one of IntenseBt propriety, but Aunt Em meline knew what she was doing, "Neither do I like any of those for eign free and easy places," said the Duchess. "Let her go down to the cas tie with us. I shall be delighted to have her, and we shall have a succes sion of house parties for two months, so that there Is not the smallest chance of her being dull." "It would be delightful for Moyra," aid Aunt Emmeline; "but I am afraid, dear Duchess, thst It would be rather addling her on you to let her go to yon for five or six weeka. I must have a fortnight In the Engudlne afterward you'" "He wanted to wait for one," Made- laln smart rea nat in which I fancied molselle answered, "but I told him myBii, ana tnus attired I went lelsure that I would post one; for he might 'y out a"d down the corridor, and when have to wait all night." " 1 'ot to the end of it I Just took the it . 1. 1 1 t ,, r 1 1 . v. t I turn UI) I n Ht , 1 1 nf rimvn Anri lftornllv I, . . . t . 1 1 I A WHS LUIIIKJIIK. 1 Bd U. Ill Iltjw 11 ' I " j i"?".' ""-"pecieu ai.ne casue.wnei letter nosted without Aunt "ew up the stairs. I found my dear i torn mm max my visit was neany ai - tnowln Ym, Mademol. D'ck waiting at the topmost landing, lT.r;.a lr,AW,l!;'aKi.nT: selle. Major O'Donoghue wants to mar- a"l. as I gained the top step, he jr,i. nun an. ne UIU uui lim u L - . caucht mp n ha rm a nA mimnd quite like that, for he said a great deal gllwytuci with k sses IS?"' h'? '?f ' lngl h "keia got to TSo wTat shVtells me tTl" I am "Come down to this end. dearest," he .,, awuv . Anrt r wan, tn writ. him lust said, drawing me away from the stair i ioia mm mat i reaiiy am care ior mm case t0 wnere a tai window let in the "You will write." she said, "and I Bht down the wide corridor. "There's will carry it to the post. It is not dim- a huge sofa covered with velvet, on cult" wnicn we can taiK as cosily as we "You are a dear thing!" I cried. "1 cnoose. never half valued you In the old days. won t mey near our voices.' I ask See, I will give you this brooch." ed. though I really did not then care She thanked me, and I sat down at very mucn wnemer mey aia or not. once and wrote to my dear Dick. iN0C mey," ne saia. easily, bo we 'My Darling Dick: Of course I will wem lowam me winuow ana i iouna wait years and years, if need be, tho' tne old couch just as he had described r j t... .1 It What u talk Mr. haHl Ouito on Hh roar-hod tho castle lust before din- 1 uim I nut wailing any ueuci umu -- . " r" ' 7""- " norT S. Jrir, lMn do. My aunt was not angry, only hour must have gone by before we ner time and was very sweet to rat ., .... , ot. ihimrtt nf anvthinu- hut nnraoivoa mlDl,nl, U- .1 TkiiViotia JUU1CIU.1 M.I1U JUHl U, IllUC U trVtN U I U 1 . iO 11 C " " "Tin me " i Lid lh?n uo had Quite gave me to understand, without "I wonder why they don't keep this roafhldho r hat-n' , ,, ,ln j saying anything, you know, that when Part of the house going," I said at last, fnrtor J.h iToV- you found I had nothing to expect from In an Idle sort of a way. for her, who Is here? i k. j fn n ih. "It's so verv ble without It." he re- 'Lord and Ildy Culllngham, I re. "! .""'.''. .." .. .. i.. nlled "On wnndor that nonnlo rnnld utriu. AllCllUlir JVUI unm kuci ro i . . at a ...mric a n ,1 an uttof inv in have been such fools as to build a "The Culllnghams. D-ar, dowdy - " ""..""v-t . honso Br,hi- . j . . . . a. I lilt. IXIIMl It 11 aYI ilAltrillUiatfllG LflUUKUL U . . n tnings, was my auni s commenu 7 .. ., j , ., , "What is there flown tho riflBsao a i I?! a i l.. it i ti me uu to rviir: v . aim in yv a-i liuk - - . Air. anu lauy An gem r roLingiy, 11 - . . V ...,, A "f rlnn't know T'k m anri hap Vnu . i in y i eiiy . w iiiuii isiic nut yuoi iin'- - - - " - iwiuimuu, . V " i i u;,. ,.v, miiRt hp niiito VhillAri T Ifnnw T am " mw. i f-H.ii l n.tftri iiei na. l k iiiuii i - .a... lnniror heeause some one mieht come So then we went on a little tour of In, and if it happened to be Aunt Em- exploration and enjoyed ourselves tn mollne she would certainly auk me that way. And Just as we were going what I was writing, when Mademoiselle to turn back, Dick happened to put hi.s ..1,1 ...... i t- v I hanH nn thf urn II x o- wor lnnlf Intr at K " r,r alTr: ..nT. -your a huge and very p.cte that b? . tfD.rir xrarv hunnii am I U' t I watt an I liltMt? W tifl lilt? Ill IU UUilll LO IllUVt? Inmr'as vou likf. Your own MOYRA. and slide back out of slfiht. "P. S. It has lust occurred to me that Jove, no exciaimea, "Dut mis is lerhaps Aunt Emmeline did not tell queer! What a Joke to tell the others, you that I have a little money of my Lt us go in and see what other sur- own. It is only 250 a year, but, put to prifes we can light on." your 1.11)0. I think we could manage No sooner said that done. We cross- verv well on it. M." ed the threshold and found ourselves in a long, weii-iiST.iea passage. "What a strange place!" I cried. I turned to look back. "Oh, Dick! it's at last the dim winter daylight began io struggle mrougn the thick glass over us, and we were able to see each oth er's haggard faces, he set In right good earnest about the task of getting ui free from our prison. Hut It was no good. Thoee who had arranged that hiding place had gone on the principle of "Safe bind, safe find," and not a thing could we move and not a bond could we break. "Dick, it is a case of dying after all," I said. The tears were railing down my cheeks, and I was, oh, so hungry. "Dick, it's Christmas day," I sobbed. "I never cared a pin for Christmas day before. I can smell the dinner cooking." "I don't suppose they have begrun to cook it yet," he replied. "It's only nair past 9 o clock." Personal and Othercis:. VIII. "Dear, dear!" was her remark. "I rather wonder at the Durhess. Khe Is so very fust. And who else?" "Lord Newmarket," wald I. "Oh, really." .She said no more, but 1 clal sign of providence, and Lady Swin don, l'oor Aunt Emmeline! She went down to dinner all ready for the fray. In one of her smartest frucks and many diamonds. And Ixird Newmarket was so frightfully civil to her that she quite, in her mind's eye, saw me already Marchioness of New market. He paid me a certain amount of attention that evening and I did not dare to snub him, although I knew he was head over ears in love with Lady Ella Oore-Iesley. So, altogether, things did not turn out very luckily for me, and the next day when Major O'Donoghue rode over, oh, so well turned-out and smart, Aunt Emmeline would let me even see hlrn. VI. IV. I saw him ride away down the west avenue, and 1 knew my the way ne kept squaring his shoulders that he had had a facer. And Aunt Emmeline came up to my room with a reproach ful expression on her face. "I am astonished that you never told me a word, never gave me a hint of what has been going on, Moyra," said she. "Major Major " and then she looked at me vaguely. "His name does not matter. Aunt Emmeline," I said, as coolly as I knew how. "What you said Is all that you need trouble to remember." "You need) not be rude, Moyra," said my aunt. "I told Major yes, Major O'Donoghue, that I was shocked at the very Idea of a child like you even thinking of marrying. I think I con vinced Major O'Donoghue that it would be best for him to put any Idea of an engagement with you out of his mind. I dare say he Is very much In love, and he Is handsome enough to have turned your head a little, but you cannot live upon nothing, as he admitted." "Hut does he live upon nothing now?" I asked. "Certainly not. But what Is enough for a single man, even in a cavalry regiment, Is not enough for a married couple. Possibly he may have thought that as you live with me and Bland to me In the light of a daughter there might be expectations some day from me, but I explained the situation and he has gone away, so that now, my dear child, you must be brave and try to put him out of your head. It will be a wrench, dear, 1 know too well my self what a wrench a thing of that sort is, but It Is Inevitable." I said not a word. I hid my face in my hands and then Aunt Emmeline kissed me very kindly and left me alone with my misery. I fllrtod my hardest with Lord New market that night. I regularly car lied on with him, and Lady Ella looked as If she could have eaten me alive. Not that I cared. I was hard hit and I wanted to hide the wound. Lord Newmarket, though he was a little. horsey, ugly snip of a man, did as well for that as a better man would have. I never heard a single word more shutting up again, Dirk!" He sprang from Dick after this. I suppose he did forward, but he was too late to catch not care to write by post. The au- the ran(.i befrre lt had slid into place tumn months went in a succession of asaini closing the aperture entirely, gayety. Aunt Emmeline and I went ..By Jove! D)rkj .hut this is very from one country house to another. 1 romantic. I wonder if the Bartons went to endless balls and other enter- know about it? I almost fancy not, talnments and danced and flirted with for we were up nere the other day, Innumerable men, while my heart was Rn.i nni, of )hm Ka.,i a word. Well! crying out one little homely name afI we are here, we may as well see uick! iik'k: lick: aiiu ai iai, ii uicw what is to be seen. near Christmas time ana Aunt n.mme- There was plenty to be seen, for we line had to decide on three Invitations found a complete set of rooms opening wmrn sne nan receiveu. from either side of the passage, every "I don't really know which to accept, one of them llsrhted from the roof and Moyra, sue saia io me. we were men glazed with thick ground glass. staying at Alclerstone towers wun a ..It-g Ilke a priSOn," I said, with a distant cousin of ours, Lady Emily shudder. "Let us go back, Dick. It Townsend. "Mrs. Arthur Barton asKs ;ve9 me the horrors." us for ten days; a very gay time she He turned back at ence. promises. Lady Martingale writes to -n ls rather gloomy," he admitted; Know ir we win go io ner ior a lew tnen looked at me. "Why, little woman days. And Mrs. George Drummond l believe you are lightened." asks me for Christmas week, but she "Yes I am rather," I said. does not include you in the invitation. We got back to the door, but could Indeed, she wants me to telegraph my flnd no trace of a handle or anv means answer at once. of opening it "I believe we are fast," "ls Colonel Broughton going, too? ' I he said, in a tone of concern. asked. 1 knew irom ner tone mat ne He trlea an(j tried again, but there was. seemed to be no spring; none, at least, "Ye-es," she said In a doubtful way. that we could find, and at last I said "You would like best to go to Mrs. to him: "Knock hard on the door. They Drummond's," I said positively. "Well, rp .ro to hear us If vou onlv knock can't you do so?" loud enough." "But what am I to do with you? And Dick knocked. "Dearest," he "Couldn't I go to Mrs. Arthur Bar- Hotd. -this door Is oadded. I don't he- ton's? I know her well, and she has 1)eve a munA will pass. We must find two girls Of her own. You might SUg- .mr, ,,ther nv nf e-Ptttnu- nut." gest it to her and come on there after But there was no other way of get- Hours went by, but never a soul or a sound came near us except the shriek of a distant railway whistle. Dick made tour after tour of that hateful suite of room trying to find out some means of communicating with the house below, such as he said must ex 1st; but if such there was he did not succeed in unearthing it. The dismal day dragged on and dusk began to fall again. Another horrid night went by. I did not sleep much, and I tried to chew a bit of tobacco, but lt only made me feel sick. "By Jove!" Dick exclaimed on the second morning, when we were getting still more desperate l suppose they think we've bolted And1 so we have in more snses than one.' I couldn't help laughing in spite of my misery to think how angry Aunt Hmmellne would be and how her visit to the Drummonds would be spoiled. Poor Aunt Emmeline! Some day, thought, when they happen to flnd us and recognize us by our clothes and things, they will all know how they misjudged us. "Have you a pencil, Dick?" I asked. 'If you have I should like to write something to tell them when they flnd us. "Look here," he said, with a sudden accession of energy. "I must have an other try to get that beast of a door open. There must be a way out, if I can only find it. He Jumped up from the couch on which we were sitting and went toward the corridor where the door was. And as luck would have lt, no sooner did he get there than he chanced upon the spring and it slowly slid open. "It's all right," he called; "I've got It!" I Jumped up and ran toward him, but ere I could reach him my long misery proved too much for me, and every thing began to go round and round, and I knew nothing more. Aunt Emmeline always declared that was a planned thing, and that Dick knew perfectly well what he was do- ng when he took me to explore the secret suite at the manor house. Of course, there was no further question as to our engagement, and we were arrled Just six weeks after Christmas. Perhaps she ls not altogether sorry to be rid of the responsibility of chaper oning a girl who has no eye to the main hance; at all events she did not think worth while to quarrel with us, and generally comes down for the best balls In any quarters that we happen to be in. As for the Bartons, they were at first incredulous about the secret suite, but on the inquiry, found that a tradition was still extant that a former master of the manor had been a dangerous lunatlol of homicidal tendency, anri they then found that the family, who never entered the apartments, had not thought it necessary to speak of them. The next time that we stayed there they took us upstairs and showed us a light dopr of iron bars which had been fixed about a yard from the old portrait. "Because," Charlotte Barton explained, "we have been quite near enough to a mistletoe bough tragedy. and we don't want to go any nearer." John Strange Winter in Post-Dispatch, Franklin Syndicate Miller has too much money to stay caught Despite the rudeness of the Boers, Ladysmlth dances quite lively at those midnight balls. Jones of Ohio has won fame. Nearly i month after election they are till talking about him. i Political opponents of Joe Chamber-' lain assert that his monocle does not affect his eye for the main chanoe. The appearance of fogs in New York and Boston is interpreted In both lo calities as a cheering sign of the Anglo-Saxon alliance. The removal of the Bell Telephone company's headquarters from Boston to New York was a delicate way of ringing off state regulation by som-mlssion. Chicago ls obliged to admit that suc cessful national conventions may be held in other cities. Now Philadelphia and New York are competing for tha honor. President McKlnley gives official as surance that Uncle Sam's foreign re lations are quite well. A decrease In foreign money orders at this season may be looked for. Washington correspondents aay that Senator Depew encountered a mild frost at the opening of the session. Doubtless his stock of storied antiques had not been unpacked. Details of a foul crime at Scabsdala give the impression that Scabsdaie li a town in the Philippines. Scabsdaie is a sore spot In the Empire state. Questions of state, yellow crimes and mysterious disappearance are shelved) for the moment In New York Ctty, while the Knickerbockers wrestle with the problem, "Can a woman who use powder be a lady?" Chicago ls enjoying itself haugely. notwithstanding the failure of the grand opera season. Two minstrel shows are doing a corking business and an "Uncle Tom's Cabin" show is look ing for room to boost artistic temper ament by the lakeside. Attorney General Kemley of Iowa ha contracted a lawsuit for failing to paste a 50-cent stamp on his official bond. He insists that his bond is a government document and cannot be taxed by the government. Here is" a legal point capable of being stretched to equal Iowa's celebrated calf case. One of Boston's intellectual glaats. elevated to the dignity of alderman. turned loose this picturesque gem at a recent sitting: "I bet you that a dosen of those long-haired men who write editorials in the papers, all put togeth er, know no more about this proposi tion than a hog does about Sunday. New Jersey has achieved much fame and revenue by reason of wonderful laws, yet there are several loopholes In the code. A man on trial for allowing his aged mother to lie on the floor three days till she died, without help or medical attention, though suffering from a broken hip, was acquitted on the ground that the state had no law compelling a man to be humane to his mother. Jersey mothers should form a trust. Out of the Ordinary. QUAINT FEATURES OF LIFE. V. I was Just going to bed when there was a tap on the door, and Made moiselle came In. I have already said that Aunt Emmeline had recommended her to the Duchess. I did not see much of her, for the Duchess was keeping her daughter out of sight, but Bhe often came to my room for a little chat. Oh, Is that you, Mademoiselle?" I snld, as she entered and shut the door. Yes, ma rherle. Are you alone?" "Quite alone," I replied, and I sighed nvoluntarlly, for I was alone In more senses than one. "I have something for you," he said. mysteriously, putting her hand in her pocket. "What would you give for a letter, for Instance?" I almost shrieked aloud, "Oh, Made moiselle, It Is from him. Olve It to me. Oh, you dear thing, thank you, thank your time at Mrs. Drummond's Is up. That s a good Idea, Moyra," cried my aunt, Jubilantly. "I will write to Mrs. Barton. Of course Mrs. Barton wrote and laid that she was sorry Aunt Emirellne had engaged herself, but that she would be charmed to have me. She added that she would take seerjal care of me, and that If 1 did not take a maid her girl's maid could do anything I wanted. ''So considerate of her," said Aunt Emme- Ine. "But, all the same, I think you had tetter take Margaret with you." So, several days before Christmas, I went off, attended by Margaret, and arrived at the great, old-fashioned ma nor house where the Bartons lived. It was not an ancestral place, but had been taken on a long lease after Mr, Barton came Into his enormous fortune. H was s everal miles from a station, in the heart of Yorkshire, and one of the largest houses cf England. I had been there once before, when Mrs. Barton had said to me that I must be very careful not to lose myself, but to blnze my way from my bedroom to the hall. I got to the manor about 6 o'clock to flnd afternoon tea in full swing, and the first person I saw when I followed Mrs. Barton into the hall was Major O'Donoghue. How my heart thumped at the sight of him. He was as cool an a cucumber, and came quietly forward, saying: "How do you do, Miss Grafton? What 0 long time slrce we met! "Oh, you have met Miss Grafton be fore!" cried Mrs. Barton in polite surprise. "Yes, we met nt Danford Castle," he replied. I shook hands with the rest cf the people and then I sat down on a set tee, very high and wllh a great deal of carving about It, and Dick waited upon me as If It had been the most us ual thing In the world. Ar.d then he sat down beside me, and nil the others went talking on, attending to their own concerns, I can hardly lell you how ting out. We were fairly Imprisoned and the worst of It was that nobody knew where we were. We tried to reach the wlndaws, but they were far too high for him to touch, even though he stood six foot one tn his socks. We found that every single piece of furni ture was fast screwed to the floor and that there was not a single thing with with he could attract attention to our position. "It's no use worrying about lt," he said at last. "They are sure to start a searcn ror us when we are missed. But so far as any apparent search was made for us, they could never have missed us. The afternoon wore slowly away and the dusk began to gatner. "How cold and horrid it Is!" I said, half crying, for I was most miserable and began to conjure up visions of our dying by Inches In the living tomb , "it is. it won t be long now." he said, reassuringly. Hut lt was. The evening went dis mally by, and though Dick shouted until he was hoarse, nobody came to our aid. 1 was now both cold and hun gry and very sleepy. "I begin to feel desperate." I cried "Do you think we Bhall die here, Dick? well, ir we do, we shall at least he together," he replied. "Dick," I said, In a small, nlteous voire, "I am very fond of you, but it won't be any comfort to me to die with you. I won't pretend It." Dick burst out laughing. "And quite right, you are. uBt It won't be a case ot dying. I can do nothing tonight, because I can't see; but as soon as it is light I'll get out of this somehow or other." They were brave words, but getting out of that prison was not as easy as Dick thought It. We got through the night ,and thankful I was that I had happened to wear my sealskin coat ifor my appointment, for the cold was pelrl rying, neuner more nor less. And wh Mrs. Ottillie Homeyer, wife of Long Island farmer now suing for a le gal separation from her husband, al leges in her complaint that during the nine years she has been married he hai never taken a bath. Nobody will ac cuse the woman of undue haste In bringing action. Bernard Bennett of Jamaica, L. I who has been confined to his bed for four years with paralysis- so complete that he Is unable to move about. Is nevertheless able to walk in his sleep This ability has JusUieen discovered by the man's wife, who found him go ing downstairs. When he was awak ened after being led to his bed he was again unable to move. W. L. Lutz, who had been in Jail foi some time at Wilkesbarre, Pa., for wlfebeating, has grown so fat that he has been released by the Judge who sentenced him, who says: "I signed the order for his release because his wife needed his support and because he was living too high at the expense of the county. Look at the records and you will find men who make lt a point to be sent up for the winter. They will not work and prefer living on the taxpayers." A barn In Aroostook, Me., has lone gone unshlngled because the farmer who owned it was too Infirm to climb to the roof, while one of his sons had gone to the war in the Philippines and the other to the Klondike. The other day, however, the farmer's only daugh ter came home from the normal school and shingled the barn as well as any man could have done and she didn't once pound her fingers with the ham mer, either. The Toronto Star tells a story of h Toronto tenant, whose name ls with held, who painted and otherwise Im proved the exterior of the house in which he was living, at his own ex pense. He was quite well pleased with his Job, forgetting that he held a lease only from month to month. That fact was brought home to him when his landlord arrived for the rent. Looking the place over, the landlord seemed pleasantly surprised and the tenant surmised a reduction In the month's rent of a sum to offset the actual ex pense to which he had gone. Instead, his landlord raised the rent (2 a month. The landlord knew his business better than the tenant. Kinsey Feathers Is the name of the tollgate keeper on the Frederick turn pike, one mile below Elllcott City, Md He has been there sixteen years, every day at his post of duty except Fourth of July and Christmas In each year. Ana it is asRertea ne lias never slept In bed in all that time, but manasred to catch naps sitting in a chair, ready to come at a moment's notice to collect his toll and let the traveler pass thro". A poor widow who was arrested In Wilkesbarre, Pa,, charged with as saulting a constable, won much sym pathy In the courtroom when she snlrt that the officer, In levying on her household goods on a landlord's war rant, tried to remove her baby from Its cradle and take the cradle. The Jury found her not guilty and placed the costs on the constable and Justice of the peace who had issued the warrant. The court struck off Iho latter clause. In a suit to recover the price of a bicycle sold on the installment plan an Albany court decided that a bicycle is not a necessity to a girl under age working out as a domestic. At Johannesburg the telephone sys tem is operated by the Dutch, and one has to pay a year's subscription in advance about $75 a montli and no service 19 furnished after 5 p. m. Under government control the sale of intoxicating liquors in Russia then has been a noticeable diminution in drunkenness and in those crimes and misdemeanors which are caused by in toxication. The present consumption of water in New York City is 265,000,000 gallons a day. In Brooklyn it is 95,000,000, in Queens 3,500,000, and in Richmond, ac cording to sundry estimates, 1,500,000, a total of 365,000,000 gallons for the whole territory. A recent police order in Chicago pro hibits freak advertising on the streets. To one man arrested, dressed as an Irish knight of olden times and bearing a tin shield with an advertisement on it, a police captain said: "Why, that rig would make an automobile balk. It shall not be permitted." Pugilist Jeffries has a cousin of th same name, who lives on a farm neat Celina, O. He, oo, ls a man of vast strength. He is now 38 years old, and weighs about ISO pounds and recently, while his father was visiting him, hav ing occasion to move a cow from on Btall to another, picked her up and lift ed her over the dividing partition. Shs weighed over 1,000 pounds. In Milwaukee recently nineteen as pirants for the position of keeper of a I'ity natatorium were required to plunge into the tank in their street tiothing and swln. It was part of the Dlvit service examination. James S. Galloway, a millionaire lum ber merchant of Hillsdale, Mich., has purchased the whole of Morgan county In that state for the white pine timber there. He could not cut 100,000,000 feet, but intends to hold most of it awaiting levelopments. The collection of books, antiques and ubjects of art which belonged to Au pustin Daly and which are to be sold n this country early next year, are thought to represent an expenditure of 1,500,0000, but It is not hoped that that nmount of half of it will be realized rom the sale, though many of the ob- lects have Increased in value since :heir purchase. The folio Shapespeare, for which Mr. Daly paid $8,500, is now ald to be worth at least $2,000 more, rhere are about 10,000 lots in the col- ectlon, equally divided between books nd other articles. What makes some of the Switzerland hotels so bad is probably an unsolv ible mystery. What makes them so numerous Is partially explained by Consul Kldgely's report from Geneva that for this year only and up to Octo ber 31 no less than 2,500,000 tourists visited the country, leaving there a total of $38,000,000. The population of Switzerland is only 2,933,300, so that every citizen had almost one entire tourist to himself, while the percaplta wealth of the country, heretofore esti mated at $14, Is brought up by this outside money to $29.45. The group of thirteen elms, planted In New York over a century ago by Alexander Hamilton, are about to be felled and soon a row of modern houses will stand on the ground once occupied by the grove in front of the old Hamil ton grange, of which the thirteen elms are the sole remaining vestige. Tha trees, which now stand in Convent ave nue, near One Hundred and Forty-first street, were planted by Hamilton In commemoration of the union of tha thirteen colonies. In spile of ils 78 years. General Dan lei E. Slrklei, In his day soldier, dip lomat and slutesmnn, Is looking in fine trim. In response to a suggestion that he might yet be called upon to repre sent a constituency In Washington, th general shook his head and observed: "No, I've acted In the legislative rola for the last time." ir .4 .1 V ,i' - 'J- V -A . : mi (js .'. ' '.