THE BED CLOUD CJiriW. fifc . fev J p a s VP&-ZSW rih&W kLp a ii INTERNATIONAL CHAPTER XXX. -K'ovu.Nur.i... .Shu mm u little money uiiout her, small chock received from Miss lleth erlngton on the previous day; this would enable her to ward off starvu- ' Mon nt least for a time. In the mean- ltne she must peek work, and hy that means sustain herself and her hoy. j She collected together a few things which wero necessary for tholr com 'ort, and when her preparations were made, she knelt by the conch and woke tho child. The. little fellow M.'ired at her for a moment, ami then lie seemed to remember what had pass ed, and he clung to her In fear. "Where Is papa?" he asked. "Pupa Is gone, my darling!" He looked at her again for a mo ment, then his little arms stole round her neck, and he laid his cheek against lers. "Poor mamma!" he said. Marjorlo clasped him to her breast and sobbed convulsively. "Ah, Leon," she murmured, "you arc ill that Is left to me now: and yet por 'i.tps It would be better for you to die!" .She continued her preparations, and I when all was done, she still lingered In ( 'lie house, as If fearing to lace me world. At length she remembered Suther land, remembered tho pledge to him and alio resolved to keep It. Sho would go to him, toll him part, If not all her story, and ask his ad vice. She took little l.eon by the hand and left the house, passing hurriedly through the streets, until she came to Sutherland's lodgings. She Inquired for him, and found to her dlsmny that ho was already gone. Ho had left tho rooms on the previous night and returned to Scotland. When she first heard tho news, Mar jorlo felt us If her last hopo had gone Indeed, aud she niDved away trembling and almost In tears; but after a mo ment's reflection she acknowledged to herself that perhaps, after all, It was for tho best. What possible good could have re sulted from nn Interview with Suther land? She would in all probability have brought trouble upon him by telling hlui her own and she had work ed mischief enough already to all her kin. No; she would trouble them no more, but, with little Leon to comfort her, she would remain as one dead, burled In the great city where she had not .even one friend. ' CHAPTER XXXI. N K blue rly cold night early In the month of Novem ber, the gendarme whose duty It wns to patrol tho Hue Caumartln sudden ly espied a woman with n child In her arms crouching for shelter In a door way. He stopped, looked at her curiously, stooped down to look at her more closely, aud demanded her business there. The woman stirred, but did not rise, and the child, which she hold clasped closely to her, uttered a feeblo cry. Tho gendarme paused u moment, then he bout down, took her by the shoulder, and gave her a vigorous shake. This tlmo the woman rose, wearily and slowly, llko one In physical pain; and tho child clung to her skirts, and cried again. Sho lifted him In her arms, and passed with a slow, totter ing step down the strcot. . Sho was but poorly clad for such weather. Her garments were thread bare, and here and there they hung In rags about her, so she shivered and shrank before every touch of the frosty wind. Tho streets were dark and al mciot deserted, save for tho gendarmes who paced with their measured tread up and down the silent streets. They looked at her as she wont by, and thought of her no more, Sho passed uK t .until she came to the Champs Eyll )s; then she turned aside, and, hiding herself among tho trees, lay lown on one of the seats. A faint cry awakened tho woman in tho morning. She opened her eyes, and us she did so sho saw the pale, pinched face of her child turned toward her, and heard him feebly crying for bread. With a moan sho threw her hands into the air and cried: "Bread, my child; I havo no bread, and you uro sturvlng!" Tho ground was frozen and snow was falling; her hands and feet were benumbed and her fuco was pinched with hunger. Sho spoke to her little boy in French, and not one of those who had known her In earlier days would have recognized Marjorle An nan. Yet It was Marjorlo a starving woman looking at her starving child. Two months had passed slnco she hud left Caussldlero, and ever since that day her troubles had Increased, Until now there seemed nothing left to her but to beg or stnrve. It was now broad daylight and troops of worklngmen wero passing along to their day's labor, women were passing ulong with heavy burdens, pretty seamstresses tripping ulong to the Bhops 'where they served all day; and In tho open road a stream of country cartH, laden with produco, was flowing In from tho town gate. No one noticed Marjorle, those who 4 JpftWAW. PRESS ASSOCIATION. did glance at her seeing nothing to ilttf tluguish her fiom the other waifs U) be found In all largo cities. Hut pres ently sho saw coming toward her a burly figure, carrying on Its shoulders a piece of wood, from which depended two heavy cans. It was tho llgure of a woman, though one of man-like strength, who, to complete the mascu line appearance sported a black mous tache aud a whisker-like down on elHi er cheek. The woman was singing In a deep man's voice. She was about to pass by when alio was attracted by little l.eon. "A thousand devils!" she muttered to herself; then, striding toward the bench, she demanded. "What's the mntter? Is the child 111?" Marjorlo looked up and met the gleam of two great black eyes, bold but kindly. She could not speak, but turning her head aside, sobbed again, "Poor little mother," growled the stranger to herself. "She Is almost a child herself. Look tin! Sneak to me! What are you doing here?" The tone was so gentle and sympn- t'letlc, though the voice and address were rough, that .Marjorle cried In de spair from tho bottom of her heart- "Oh, mndame, we have been here nil night, and my little boy Is starving!" "Starving the dovll!" cried the woman. "Do you mean It?" As she spoko sho stooped down, freed herself of her load, and rested her cans upon the ground; then, open ing one of them, she took out a tin vessel brimful of milk. "Sec hero It is milk of the cow! Let the. little ono drink." Eagerly and gratefully Marjorle took the vessel and held It with trembling hnud to the child's lips; he drank It thirstily, every drop. "Bravo!" cried the stranger, lining tho can again. "Encore! Another, lit tle man!" And llttlo Leon drank eagerly again. "God blchs you, madame!" said Mar jorle. "How good you nrct" "Good the devil! I nm Mother Jeanne, and I have had little ones of my own. Now, It Is your turn, little woman." Thus urged, Marjorle drank, too. Mother Jeanne watched her with grim compassion. "You are too frail to be out In this weather. Who are you? You are not. a Frenchwoman, by your tongue." ' "No, madame. I came from Scotland, but I hnve been In Paris n long time." "Where do you live, eh?" "I have no home, nnd no money." "And no friendB? The devil!" "Not one." "And what are you going to do?" "I do not know. It Is a long time slnco wo havo tnsted food. I" Marjorle sank back, and would have fallen had not the woman's strong arm supported her "Had, very bad!" growled Mother Jeanne. "See, here are two sous; It Is all I have, but It will buy something for the child. After that, I will toll you what to do. Out yonder, close to tho Mndelelno, they will distribute bread to tho poor of the arrondlsse ment at 10 o'clock. You will go there and take your place with tho rest; they must help you they cannot re fuse. Do you understand?" "Yes, mndame, I will go." "That's right," said Mother Jeanne, patting her on tho shoulder. "And af ter that, let me see yes, after that, if you aro English, you will go to tho Hrltish Embassy and ask them for as sistance." "Yes, madame," answered Marjorle, sadly. "Courage. The llttlo ono Is better already. Ho will bo all right by and by. Hut 1 cannot linger, llttlo woman. My customers are waltlug, nnd I have yet to prepare tho milk for tho mar ket. You will go to the distribution of bread, will you not? Any one will show you tho place." Marjorlo promised, clinging, ns she did so, to the- good creature nnd grate fully kissing her hard hands. Mother Jeanne was touched. She brushed nwny a tear with tho buck of her hand, and uttered another sympathetic Im precation. "And If all elso falls you," she cried, "como to me, Mother Jeanne, at the Dairy, Hue do Caporal. I am poor, look you, but I would not let you starve. Remember, Mother Jeanno 'Mother Mustacho they call mo some times 13 Rue do Caporal." And with a rough nod the good soul shouldered her cans and Btrodo along. Marjorlo watched her till sho faded out of night; then, refreshed and strengthened by tho healthful draught sho took little Leon by tho hand aud walked away toward tho crowded streets. CHAPTER XXXII. BOUT tho vory tlmo that Marjorlo was wandering homeless uno. hun gry In tho stroots of Paris two per sons wero journey ing toward tho city of London by the night mall. One was M I s s Hethcrlngton of the Castle; the other was John Sutherland, Tor full. .m hour neither of them had spoken; the old lady, looking full. twenty yctus older than when we last beheld her. lay back unions the rush' Ions of tho carriage, and llxed her eye? upon a letter which sho held In her hand. For about the tenth time that night she raised the paper, and read the woids which weie hastily scruwlod thereon: "Dear Mother 1 am In grent trouble. I nm In sore need. Will you help ms? I do not mind for myself, but to see my little child In want breaks my heart. "MAIUORIE." She read It through; then with a moan she let It fall again upon her lap. "Marjoile"' she cried, "my balm, my balm!" From his comer of tho carriage Sutherland watched In silence. Ho was utterly In the dark as to what It all meant, lie only knew thnt Uioy were traveling to Pails and to Mar jorlo. On this day before, as lie had been quietly working at his pictures at home, his father having partially recovered, Miss Hetherlngton, whom ho believed to be In Edinburgh, hnd suddenly ap peared like a f peeler before him, and without a wonl of explanation had com manded aim to leturn with her to Paris. On hastening with her to the Castle he found that a stonily scene had been enacted there; that Miss Hetherlngton, beside herself with rage, had actually stiuck her old attendant In the face and turned her from the door. What it wiih all about nobody seemed to know, and after one glance Into Miss lietlieitugtou's wild eyes Sutherland knew that he had bettor not Inquire. So lie quietly obejed her orders, and tho two htnrted together by the night mill', for the south. Hut although Suth erland had been silent he had been none the les curious; aud now, seeing that Miss Hetherlngtou's wild excite ment was putting away, he ventured to speak: "Miss Hetbeilugtou!" cried Johnnie Sutherland. 'Is that a letter from Mar Jorle?" "Ay, from Marjorle." She held forth her thin white hand, which now was trembling violently, and as Sutherland took the letter she uttered a low moan again, and for the first time that night her tears begnn to fall. Sutherland read the letter, then he looked nt the date, nnd exclaimed: "October! why, It's more than four weeks old!" "Ay, more than four weeks!" she monned; then suddenly sitting erect, nnd looking fixedly luto his face, she added: "Johnnie Sutherland, what has happened to her now?" "God knows; but mnybe after all w are in time; but how did It chance to he bo long, In coming to you?" "It went to the Castle, Johnnie, and Mysle kept It there. When I came homo from Edinburgh yesterday I found It lying on my desk waiting for me. It had been waiting for me for a month, you seo." Sutherland was sllont. Ho wns more troubled than he cared to say. A month! Ah! he thought, what might not happen In thnt time to a woman nnd child penniless and alone In the streets of Paris? Ho returned the letter with a sigh, nnd did all ho could to rouse and cheer his companion, who, now that her ex citement was over, suffered with n frightful reaction, and trembled and cried llko a child. (TO UK COSriNUKD.) MRS. OLIPHANT. Her Iiiilouiltiilili' CoiiriiBi. mill Siivliif Kruno tif Humor A I'rctly Woinnn. One day In the last week of her life Mrs. Ollphant said: "Many times I havo come to a corner which I could seo no wny around, but each time a way has been found for me." Tho way was often found by tho strengthening of her own ludomltnblo courage, which as long as her children were loft to her never seemed to ling; It wns tho coiirago of perfect love, says tho Fort nightly Review. Hut It Is certain that If olio had no moral qualities except courage sho could not have tolled on as sho did; a saving sense of humor, a grent capacity to enjoy what was really comic and everything that was beau tiful, ninde life easier for her, and "the great Joy of kindnesses" wns one never absent from her. So thnt whatever suffering might bo lying In wait to seize upon hor solitary hours there was almost ulways a pleasant welcome and talk of the very best to bo found In hor modest drawing room. If the visitors wero congenial her charm of niannor awoke, her simple fitness of speech clothed every subject with Ufo and grace, her beautiful eyes shone (they nover sparkled), and tho spell of her exquisite womanliness mndo a charm ed circle around hor. She was nover a beautiful woman at any tlmo of her life, though for many years sho was a very pretty one, but she had, as a fam ily Inheritance, lovely hands, which were constantly busy, In what she called her Idle tl'ue, with soma dainty sewing or knlttl. & she had those won derful eyos whluu kept their beauty to tho last minute of her life, and she had a most cxqulslto daintiness In all her ways and In the very atmosphere about hor which was "pure womanly." "I don't know what I would hare done If It hadn't been for you!" ox claimed tho discharged prisoner. "Well, you probably would havo dono time," said tho proud lawyer.- Yonkera Statesman. A Chicago paper tells of a bicycle crank who reads all tho coal strike dls patches that havo a Wheeling date line to them. SUHPMSKD N ATI VMS.! A HAIR OF DLOOMEH GIRLS IN A HOLLAND VILLAGE. Tropin Npti'r Sum it lllctiti- llcfou- -H.lliol it Itur ti, It I.I I it l- I'm, Aoicil ran (llrlt tilti, it IIUplii) of Their Al.llllr- OLLENDAM. Hol land, Is one of the few places In the w o r 1 d that have never known u bl cjcle, or, at least, It never had until lately. VollemUm Is a little llshlug lllage. The peo ple who live theie a re t h e odd est, most old-fashioned folks Imaginable. Tho men wear magenta waistcoats aud remarkable trousers, buttoned with huge silver buttons that are heirlooms. In Vollendam a man never loses his trouser button, but If he happens to do so; n search Is ordered nil through tho village and no one rests until the button has been found and returned. Vollemlam Is the quaintest village, visitors say, they ever saw. There are funny little peak-ioofed. red tiled houses, with the walls painted bright yellow and covered with old Delft ware that the people will not Belt. The women wear aprons of bright blue, with n piece at the top of the bright est possible plaid. The bodices aro of tlowered chintz of bright yellow, em broidered In different colors, and even tho sabots are grass green or yellow. Tho llttlo girls dress exactly like their mothers, and so do the little boys, In skirls and all, until they are 7. when they aro put In bloomers; and the only way they can be told Is by a little dlhu tho size of o dollar embroidered on tho back of their tight little baby caps. The people of Vollendam never take up new things. Hut a few days ago thero was a sensation iu Vollendain. and It was caused by the arrival of two American girls. They were blcomer girls, who came over from Paris to see Holland. One of them was from Chi cago and th other from a soiitlnin city. They had heard that there were strange places In Holland, and the,' set out to 11 ii tl one of them. When these girls arrived In Vollen dam they went to the hotel, and there prepared to go forth, but when they camo out they found a crowd of Vol- lendcrB around the door. Asking s)iuo ono what was the matter, they received the reply: "It Is your bicycles." Vollendam never saw a bicycle bo fore. When they learned that Vollendam bad never beforo seen a wheel, they were astonished. After a little per- TWO AMERICAN GIRLS SURPRISE suasion they kindly consented to give exhibtlons of so mo simple feats. Their Bitiall tricks, that uro known to every 1 American girl who rides a wheel, filled tho Volleuders with wonder, nnd ono of them, more vonturesomo than tho rest, asked to bo allowed to sit on the saddle. Of course, sho had to bo held. When asked It they would llko to havo bicycles Introduced In Vollendam, they looked wistful, but shook tholr heads and glanced furtively at the men, as much as to Bay, "They would never allow It." I One of the llttlo boys of Vollendam cHed when tho American girls started away, so tho Chicago girl good-nalureB-ly brought back her wheel and put tho llttlo fellow on It, allowing him to rest his big wooden shoes on tho pedals. This so delighted hi in thnt ho stood up and lost his balance and fell over the handle bars. He pointed to his wooden shoes and laughed, us much ns to cay that they wero the reason why wheels wero not known In Vollendam. Hotter Uimitlil. Patorfumlllns (to unexpected guest) 'Why didn't you send us .word you wero coming? Pot luck, you know, my boy I Hope you havo mauuged to mako out a dinner?" Unexpected Guest (po litely) "Bless you, old limn! I hopo I may nover have a worse one." Har lem Life. Z 1 HATS OF GREAT MBN. iluiurlliliis . ImiiiI III,. Mn of lhrlr Until.. At a recent niicilng of the Kildaro Archaeological Society a hat woin by Daniel OVonnell was exhibited. There wu no mistake about the article, for Ot'otiuell, mindful of the company he occasionally frequented, had written his name Inside. That seems to have been u Miperogutory piecautlon, for the hat was so large it would havo been useful to but few of O'ConneH's con temporaries. The chairman putting It on paitlally dlsappcated from view of the alarmed audience, the rim of the hat coming down to IiIh chin, It Is stated Hint "the width of the hut was eight and u half Inches; Its longer di ameter ten Inches." 1 have garueied some particulars of the sl.en of the bends of eminent men, but have come upon nothing so big as this, writes II. W. Luey, In the Strand Magu.lue. Mr. Gladstone requires a hut of the sle of ", exuctly Lord Muc aula.v's measuieuieut. Lord Ueacons tleld wore u hat of 7 Inches, nn unde signed but characterlHtlcully courtly Imitation of the Prince of Wales, whose hat Is of the same size. Charles Dick ens, the late Lord Selhorno and Mr. John Bright wore hats 7'fc size. The late Eat I Russell wanted uu eighth more. Charles Dickens' hat would have been too small for Thackeray by half an Inch. Lou'.s Plillllppe and, strange conjunction, M. Julleii, wore hats of 7. An Illustrious man of re cent times who took the smallest hat on my list was Dean Stanley, for whom r.i siitllced. For his friend Dr. Thomp son, Archbishop of Voik, a hat of full eight Inches diameter was necessary. "PIGEON DROPPERS" IN LAW. 'I hf MruiiliiK "f '''I'1' Term liwt IUii cliliiK'il III Kiiium. in the trial of a cuse In a police court at Lawrence the other day the lawyers were puzzled to discover in an old city ordinance the words "pigeon dropper," which were evidently used to demon strate u certain class of criminal, says the KaiiFiis City Journal. No one. how ever, knew anything about the class or their methods, nnd a discussion was started which lasted for several days and brought out nil sorts of explana tions. Finally F. W. Reed solved the riddle, lie paid that forty years ago, when he was In business In New York city, the term was a common one iu po lice court circles. About that time n new conlldenco game was started which required a brace of confederates to successfully operate II. They would pick up a muji on the streets who look ed "easy," when ono of the confederates would go ahead and drop what appear ed to be u big roll of bills. The sec ond confederate, keeping pace with the victim, so as to arrive at the spot a little In advance of him, would pick up the roll. Turning then to the victim A COMMUNITY IN WHICH BICYCLES WERE NEVER BEFORE SEEN ho would explain that he hud to hurry out of town; thnt the roll contained nt least 1,000; that the loss would surely ho advertised nnd a rewnrd otnt least $100 bo offered; wouldn't tho gentleman advauco ns much us tho reward wns suro to bo nnd tako tho roll? Tho gen tlemnn usually hastened to accommo date the finder, only to discover Inter that the $1,000 roll was simply a wad of paper with a $10 bill wrapped around It. This, says Reed, wns known as "pigeon dropping" nnd tho opera tors us "pigeon droppers." 1'oPtry After I'olitiu. One of the most pathetic epitaphs ever erected Is that placed over the spot where Mr. Carew lies burled nt Yokohama. It was prepared by his wife, who Is now in prison, convicted of having poisoned him: In loving memory of my husband, who died October, IS'JO. Aged 43 yours. Twilight and evening star, And ono clenr call for me; And may thero bo no moaulng nt tho bar When I put out to sea. A llttlo trust that whon wo die Wo renp our sowing, and so "Good bye." No name. Simply u veiled tragedy. Some sorrow, regrot, yenrnlng resig nation, pcnltenco, let us hopo, are all mingled In this last distich. Japan Gazette. A KENTUCKY MULE. C'liriirriirUrr Ciifiillrr Toll of it Willi AiiIiiiiiI of III Nullt,. Hittr. The well-tn-dt. fanner of republican proclivities was In Washington looking for pie for the net three years nnd a half, not ko iiiui h for ilccsert as for a sternly diet ilitilng that period, and while ho was looking around he found tlmo now and again to talk a bit on other subjects. naH the Washington Star. Ono evening It was mules, "I'll be doggoned," he ju-.lil, "tf I haven't got a niiilo out home that ought to have the championship belt for kicking. Why, by zueks, one morning 1 tiled to make that deru mulo haul a cartload of rocks from a creek about hulf a mile to thu stable nnd he Just wouldn't stir a leg. All he would do when I tried to make him go forwanl wns to move the other way, so to bent Mr. Mule ut his little game I took hint out of the shufts nnd turned him head on to the cart ami started li 1 nt up. Then ho wouldn't move either way, but Just stood still nnd begun to kick. Not n one-legged kick, cither, but the real thing with both feet, and, gee whllllkens, how ho did launch them out Into tho nttnos phere. I was sure I never would get him now, for I couldn't get near him; but alt of a sudden I noticed that every time lie kicked he kicked so hard that he eoiildu't hold on to the ground with his foie feet, and so dragged himself about a foot or two, according to the ground he was on. That gave tue an Idea, niul I Just stood hy and when he showed a disposition to quit I nagged him a little and he went to kicking again; and I'll be blamed If he didn't get thnt cartload of rocks to the place I wanted It nt mighty near as soon aa tf lie had just hauled It there In the frst place and made no fuss about It." Out or two men coughed a short cough, hut when tho Keiitueklun looked around they seemed to have recovered from their pulmonary attack. "Isn't that scar on your forehead where ho kicked you once?" luqiilrec" one of them. "Not exnctlly." "I understood some one to say so, said the party with the cough. "Somebody's mistaken, Hint's all How It happened was that one day 1 was coming into the front gate and the mulo wan about 100 yards away, up nt the other cud of tho big yard In front on the house. My hound niado n break for him, aud as tho mulo whirled to run nwny ho let one leg fly nt tho dog, nnd the force of tho kick, missing tin dog, wns such thnt the shoo flew of! ami whizzing through the air took me a clip over the eye ns I stood at' the gate watching the two animals, nnd camo mighty near settling my earthly accounts right then nnd there. You see, a mule's shoe Is hardly.as light ai a lady's slipper and when It Is hurled 100 yards through the air It Is Just the kind of a thing you ought to staui tl II aside for nnd let it have as much room as It wants." Kama for llrli. I used to know an Englishman who hnd a funcy for short names, mado up chiefly of vowels. He lived in Portu gal, and gave to his six children tin names of Ava, Eva, Iva, Ova, Uvn and Ulvn. Poor Ova used to bo fearfully teased by somo Etonlnn cousins, and hnd her name declined in all sorts ol dreadful ways to her great mortifica tion. She was a "bad egg" whon the wero displeased with hor, or an "addled egg" when sho blundered, nnd some, times n "freckled egg." Her futhei nover suffered her to call herself by her second nnmo of Maria. Londor Truth. TurrliiK una Kratlierlug. Ill n German Journal tho origin ol tho English and American practice ol tarring and feathering Is traced to the boisterous bishop of Halberstadt, who, being at war with the elector Palatine in 1023, caused all tho nuns and frlara of two monasteries to bo turned Into a large hall naked, their bodies being oiled nnd pttcnod; nnd In this situation they were obliged to tumble promiscu ously among u vast quantity of fcuth ers from beds stripped for the purpose, and thus decorated were turned out foi the amusement of the multitude, Bir mingham (Eng.) Weekly Mercury. ?! , :! fr j'.l t A fWai fi"Wptim.wnfiVwimi1Wnj'iH i jWEnnu WipaijWwHinyf .WWiWj