A NIGHT IN A SNAKE.
"Locating our camp on n sultnblo
epot on the Houth shore of tho Amn
ion, as nearly as that river enn bo
paid to liavo any shore, Murilla and
1 proceeded to mnkodnily excursions
into tho forest in all directions, usu
ally leaving two of tho boatmen in
chnrgo of tho camp, and taking tho
other two along to carry supplies.
Tho concession proved to bo a most
magnificent forest. Mahogany
trees woro thoro by tho thousand,
needing but tho woodman's nx
and transportation down tho river
tofotch 230 pounds apioco. Tho
tract was intersected by creeks in all
directions, along which timber might
readily bo floated on tho rivor.
It was somo ten dnys after our nr
rival at tho concession, when I took
Murilla with mo for n short expedi
tion into tho forest. It was a fenst
day witlrtlioJndianr jJ aw-wo-in-tended
to return boforo evening wo
Iclt them all four in camp, merely
providing ourselves with a round of
liard-tack opieco and somo cold veni
son for lunch. At noon, whero wo
eat down to oat our lunch, Murilla
discovered near by a clump of low
bushes bearing a yellowish borry.
This fruitho professed to recognizo us
a familiar varioty which he had often
cnten down toward tho coast, though
ho had never seen any beforo so far
in tho interior. After testing thorn
lio pronounced them delicious, but of
somowhnt different flavor to thoso
on tho east const.
Wo oat of tho berries libornlly with
out tho least suspicion of injurious
effects, I finding thorn, as Murilla de
clared, doliclous. Ton minutes
after eating tho first berry, however,
both of us benamo thrilled with a
strnngo exhilaration. Wo beenmo
almost deliciously happy, Murilla
bursting out into tho Fortugeso dog
gerel with a boistorous hilarity aB
though intoxicated with absinthe.
As for myself, my whole nervous sys
tem tingled with plotting excitement
to tho very finger-tips. I was fairly
intoxicated. 1 havo a vnguo recol
lection of making a ludicroua resolve
to check my own wild impulso to sing,
"by nodding my head in rythmic ap
proval of Murilla's vocal outburst
of seeing Murilla roll over on tho
ground, and immediately following
Jus example. Then all beenmo a
blank.
This happened about midday. Not
until ncariy sunsot on tho following
day did consciousness again slowly
commeneo so assort itsolf. I then
awoke if a foggy idea of trying to
cxtricnto one's self from a hideous
nightmnro can bo culled nn awaken
ing with a horriblo sensation of
helplessness. It scorned as though
tho lower half of my body was numbed
and paralyzed by heavy pressure
from all directions. , A vnguo impres
sion that my lower limbs wero dead
and nil tho blood forced out of them
into the upper pnit of my body, crept
over me. My eyes Boomed starting
from their sockets almost, a Binging
was in my ears; and my breath camo
in labored pants; my throat was hot
and dry with a raging thirst. I was
not yet Tally returned to my senses;
liko ono drugged with chloro
form, or a person freezing to
death, my natural inclination was
to lot things tuko their course.
It seemed useless to think of trying
to cxtricnto mysolf from tho viso-liko
embrace that appeared to clutch mo
08 in a rubber mould at terriblo ten
sion, from tho waist down. It was
only a nightmnro which would pass
away in a littlo while. And yet, it
couldn't bo a nightmnro, for I was
dimly conscious of boing awako after
nil, and not nsleep and dreaming.
Itcnlizing this, by a supremo effort
of tho will I aroused my well-nigh
dormant faculties to a sonso that
something terriblo was tho matter.
The numbness had not reached my
arms, and I tried to rniso myself up
I wnB lying faco downward. Ab I
strove to riso I was dragged back
ward Bovernl foot along tho ground.
Horrified and bowildcrod, 1 raised
mysolf up with a frantic effort, suf
ficient to look toward my helpless
extremity. My Godi I wns half en
gulfed IN Tim TlinOAT OP A MONSTER 110A.
This hideous reptile, finding molying
at length on tho ground, stupefied,
had deliberately set about swallow
ing me.
Now, I wnB thoroughly aroused,
thosensntion was as though some
powerful suction-pump were employ
ed in dragging mo remorselessly
down, down, down, inch by inch, in
to tho slimy doptlm of my devourer's
stomach. I was suffering no phys
ical pain to sponk of; tiio dreadful
pressure on tho lower half of tho
body created only numbness thoro;
ubovo was a senso of oppressiveness,
but there was an utter nbsenco of
acute pain.
An inde&cribablo sickoning odor al
so emanated from tho monstrous
reptile that was leisurely working mo
down his tliroat. It was tho breath
irom the foul and slimy stomach
that already entombed my feet and
legs, and would ere long close over
my head. Maddened nt tho loath
some prospect, I gave a horrified
scream of agony,nnd clutchingfrnnt
Ically nx, tho ground I struggled
frantically to rolense myself from tho
deadly embrace of tho serpent's
throat.
As woll might somo modern Can
ute try to stay tho tidal wave's resist
less course, us I to strugglo for
freedom from thnt Jiving vise,
stretched liko rubber about every
hair-breadth of what itengulfed. As
I struggled I could feel tho hooked
fangs of my dovourer clutch tho
buckskin jacket I was wearing, and
holdsmolikon pnir of hungry nip
pers, whilo tho horriblo suction-pump
below sctmed to bo worked
with anxious energy. As soon as I
realized tho utter hopelessness of ac
complishing anything by struggling
a complete change camo over mo. I
became as calm and collected ns if
there was nothing to bo alarmed at
in irty position. Ho cool and philo
sophical did I begin to roviow tho
situation that I concluded I must
havo suddenly gono mad.
If thoro was tho slightest hope of
escape, I argued with myself, it7cIu
bo in keeping my prcsonco of mind
and remaining perfectly quiet. Every
strugglo I might mnko to get loose,
would lund mo an inch furtlior down
into tho depths of tho boa's slippery
tomb, by bringing into piny tho
hooked fangs, nnd arousing tho ac
tivity of that horriblo Buction forco
within.
From my Bchool-boy recollections
of natural history camo tho con
clusion that my devourer must havo
been a good twenty-four hours en
gulfing mo up to tho waist, and that
by offoringn merely pnsRivoreBistnnro
I might keep my head and shoulders
outBiuo as long us mo remained.
From tho timo I discovered myself to
bo in tho boa's lethiferous grip until
tho abovo Bonsiblo resolvo was ar
rived at could hardly havo been three
minutes.
For tho first timo sinco recovering
consciousness my thought nowfound
opportunity to wander from my
own sensations, nnd my first thought
wns of Murilla. What bocomo of
him? Wns ho, too, being devoured,
or was ho nlreudy destroyed? Aglcnm
of hopo shot through my brain at
tho query. Forhnps ho is unharmed,
and when ho rccovors from stupefy
ing effects of tho berries will bo able
to render mo nssistanco.
In my nnxioty to sco if Murilla
were anywhere around, I tried to
look about mo. Tho movement dis
turbed tho boa, and again ho dragged
mo backward two or three foot, and
ngain tho pressure from below exert
ed itself anew to try and drag mo in.
So long ns I remained perfectly quiot
tho boa scorned content to lot nature
tako its courso, and to romnin in a
Bomi-comntosocondition. Ho seemed
to realizo that ho hud undertaken a
tremendous job, und ono that re
quired a groat deal of patience. Tho
least movement on my part, howevor,
no would interpret at onco into nn
effort of his proy to escape, nnd
would rcciprocnto by trying to swal
low mo.
Hours, that tho horror of my posi
tion seem to lengthen into days,
passed by. I thought I should go
Btnrk, raving mad, as 1 felt tho fangs
of my mucous dovourer scraping
ngninst my buckskin jacket to try
and inch mo further down his tliroat.
Tho heavy odor of tho reptile's
breath was liko somo overpowering
drug, which if distilled and applied in
moderation, might oven bo tolerablo
to tho nostrils. Darkness camo and
added terror to tho situation. My
nerves wore now badly shattered,
und in tho darkness my plight was
pitiablo in tho extreme. How shall I
describo tho weirfl horrors of that
dreadful night? It scorned an eter
nity ovent amid nil thoblnckness nnd
tho mental tortures of hell itseiil
Morning dawned at Inst, although
I never thought it would come and
find mo in possession of my senses.
Why it didn't find mo a maniac or a
blubbering idiot seemed tho strangest
thing that had j'ofc happened.
My first thought wns to nscertain
whether tho guttnperohu-like open
ing in my living tomb hud gained on
mo during those awful hours of dark
ness or not, I was lying nil This
whilo faro downward, nnd although
by tins time weakened almost to a
Btnto of helplessness, l used my leu
hnnd to feel tho taut rim of tho boa
constrictor's jaws. They wore
THREE FULL. INCHES IIMIIEK.
up mj' body than yester eve. Tho
excitement of the night I had just
passed through had exhausted my
emotions, and I remomber thnt this
sinister discovery awakened in mono
senso of uneasiness.
I tried to form somo plnn of put
ting an end to my existence, but my
brain refused to mnko connection
between my dim, disjointed flights of
thought. It was no longer equal to
tho concentration of a definite idea.
I was now beyond nil nctivo emo
tions. Onco 1 fancied I heard tho cry
of some animal or human being near
by, but I was to far gono to pay any
attention.
At Inst nil Boomed to bo over with
me. It wns ns though tho darkness
of night had gradually closed over
mo again; a roaring noiso in my enrs
continued for a whilo inthodurknesB,
nnd then all Was silent. 1 had sank
into tho unconciousness of complcto
exhaustion
I remember nothing more until 1
camo to my senses again in our camp
on the river Dunk. A couple ot dnys
nursing by Mnrrilla brought me
round so that I could sit up nnd
listen to his nccount of my rescue.
Tho cry I fnncied 1 henrd just before
sinking into unconsciousness was
from Murilla. The effects of tho ber
ries hod kept him stupefied until the
dawn of the second day, the close of
thenightso full of horrible experiences
to me. Ho wns awakened, weak and
burning with thirst. Rising up, ho
beheld not a dozen yards away my
liend nnd shouldors protruding from
tho mouth of a monster boa, whose
scaly body lay in serpentino lenghts
among tho debris of decaying forest
fungus.
Taking it for granted that I wnB
dead, and chilled with terror, ho ut
tered tho horrified cry which, I had
dimly heard, and rushed away to
camp, Being nn expert woodmnn,
ho hnd no difllculty in finding his way.
The Indians had nboutgivon us up for
lost. They had searched for ub, but
had novor happened to visit the right
Iilaco. Two wero out searching when
10 reached tho enmp. Trembling
with weakness and terror, ho told
tho Indians tho fato that hud befallen
us.
Returning with nxes and crocodilo
spenrs tho party nttneked tho boa,
chopping him completely in two just
below tho bulgo in tho body caused
by my foot and legs boforo ho could
oscnpo. At tho first blow of tho axo
tho monster mndo spasmodic efforts
to disgorge in order to attack hisaB
Bnilants. Ho tried hard to escape,
but tho axes woro skillfully applied,
and ho wns rendered powcrleBs.
Tho severed head and neck had to
bo slit open beforo IcouldboroleaBod.
At first they thought I wns dead, but
were soon rejoiced at discovering a
Ungoring Bpnrk of life. Cnrrying mo
to tho enmp, resuscitativo remedies
wero applied, und I wns, ns you liavo
Beon, finally brought around.
In n few dnyB my health wns re
stored sufficiently to start on our re
turn journoy down tho river; but my
own mother would have fniled to rec
ognize mo. My hair, which was a
dark brown when Murilla and I snt
down to eat our lunch of hardtack
and vcnsion, wus now ns white na tho
scant locks of an old man of 90 ns
whito as you see it now. My nervous
system hnd received a shock that loft
mo a victim of nightmares and ner
voub fenrs and tremors for years aft
erward. Hut a naturally iron con
stitution flnully overrode tho effects
of my terriblo experience, nnd left mo
in possession of my usually excellent
health. Boston Commercial Bulletin,
Is Knowledge Really Power?
Lord Armntronp- In Nineteenth Century.
Knowledgo is not an aid to power
in nil cases, seeing that useless
knowledgo, which is no uncommon nr
ticlo in our popular schools, has no
rolntion to power. Tho truo source
of power is tho originntivo notion of
mind which wo see exhibited in tho
dnily incidents of life, ns well us in
innttcrs of tho greatest importance.
Tho mun who is said to havo extri
cated a littlo dog from tho jaws of a
big ono by doxtcrously placing a
pinch of snuff on tho noso of tho
larger animnl execrcisod nn net of
powor by his mental resource, nided
only by his courage and dexferity.
,Hnd ho been a mere receptnelo of
knowledge ho would huvo been pow
erless to net; but when ho exclaimed
to tho udmiring spectators, "You
seo that 'knowledgo is power.' " I19
said what was neither truo nor ap
propriate. And hero I nm brought
uncle to tho keynote of a former nr
ticlo, which wns thnt "a mini's suc
cess in lifo depends incomparably
more upon his capacities for useful
action tlinn upon his acquirements
in knowledge, und tho education of
tho young should therefore bo direct
ed to the development of faculties
nnd valuable qualities rather than
to tho acquisition of knowledgo."
None of my critics liavo touched
upon this cardinal point, nnd I bus
pect they fear to do so, being aware
as everybody is,' that men of capaci
ty nnd possessing qunlities for useful
notion are at a premium all over the
world, while men of mere education
nre at a doplorablo discount. It it
melancholy to know, ns I do from
experience, how eagerly educational
attainments nre put forward by np-
filicants for employment, and how
ittlo weight such claims carry in thr
selection.
Pelts in a Lcgnl Tender.
It is not a generally known historl
cnl fact thnt from 1774 to 1784 tho
Territory now know as Tennessee
formed a part of North Carolina,
and thnt in 1785 tho Tcnnesbconus.be
coming dissatisfied with their Gov
eminent, organized a State Govern
ment under tho nnmo of "Franklin,"
which wns maintained for some
yenrs, ThoStntcafterwnrd disbanded
and Territorial Tennessee was again
annexed to North Carolina. The fol
lowing is nmongtho laws passed by
tho legislature of tho State oi
Franklin. Wo cony it as found in a
speech bv Daniel Webster on tho cur
rency of 18118:
Be it enncted by tho General As
sembly of tho State of Frunklin, nnd
it is hereby enacted by tho authority
of tho Bame that from tho flr.st day of
January, 1780, tho salaries of tho of
ficers of tho Commonwealth be as fol
lows: His Excellency tho Governor, per
nunum, 1,000 (leer skins.
His Honor tho Chief Justice, per
annum, 300 deer Bkins.
The Secretary to his excellency the
Governor, per annum, 400 rnccoon
skins.
Tho Trensury to tho State, 450
raccoon skins.
Each County Clerk, 300 beaver
Bkins.
ClorkofHoiiBo of Commons, 200
rnccoon skins.
Members of tho Assembly, per diem,
three rnccoon skins
Justices' fees for biguinga warrant,
one muskratskin.
To the Constable for serving a war
rant, one mink skin.
Enuctedinto tho law tho 18th day
of October, 1780, under the great
seal of the State,
The Legend of ilie Black
Mountain.
In tho south of tho city ot Cork,
and forming tho boundary of tho
Catholic parishes ofBallygarvanand
Ballymnrtlo lies Duiblto Shliabh (An
glico, tho Blnck mountnin) which is
said to be, sinco tho annihilation of
tho Finnn Eirionn nt Gnblira (now
Gnrristown, county Dublin,) by tho
Ard High Cnirbro Mac Art; tho resi
dence of the celebrated Dannoninn
Frincess Dcirdre, who was up to that
period tho trusted femalo messenger
of Fionn Mnc-Cumhall. After his
death bIio fled far from tho sccno of
his fall to this mountain, where she
must stay (according to populnr
boliof, until Erin regains onco more
tho prestige which she onco hold
among the nations of tho curth. Or
as tho Bard would say
"Through nil error and confusion
Till she act tho clear conclusion
Standing liko n queen nlone,
All things ad verso overthrown."
There is scarcely a firesido from
South Gnto Bridgo to Clonnkilty, thnt
has not witnessed eager groups list
ening somo time or other to tho
many generous nets which Dcirdre
has bestowed on her midnight vo
taries, Binco tho yenr 284 A. I)., when
bIio first took up her nbodo in tho
mountnin up to tho present. A few
of tho tales told on such occasions
may not bo uninteresting to tho gen
erality of my readers.
On a certain July night in the yenr
1420, John Do Bnrra accompanied
by his only bou Patrick left Kinsnlo
with somo swine, which they intended
to sell nt Cork on tho morrow. Tho
market was thea at FathanaCroithe,
und not at G oil an Spurra, where it
lies at present,
However, when they camo as far as
Drochad ui Xnoi, tho father bado the
boh to return homo, ns ho could him
self drive the swine for tho remainder
of tho journoy. According they
parted as tho morning was beginning
to dawn on tho rim of tho distant
horizon. The young mnn, instead of
going back tho road ho had come,
took a shortor route across the Black
Mountain. Scarcely hud ho reached
the summit, ere ho saw approaching
him a maid of the lovliest aspect, on
whoso head was placed a ciown of
tho rarest emeralds. Entranced ho
stood gazing on tho lovely form,
when she presently exclaimed in a
mild nngclic voico:
"Young man, thy name is Patrick
Do Bnrra thou hast como from Kin
snlo with thy fathor, who has jour
neyed on to Cork', with seventeen fat
swine. 1 say, immediately follownft
er him, for ho will sadly need thee.
Tako this staff in thy hand, and keep
it nB a memento of me. While thou
hnst it thou wilt bo tho most power
ful mnn throughout lovely Erin. But
do not further delay, thv fathorneed-
oth theo. Fnrowoll ! I nm Deirdro of
the Blnck Mountnin."
Immediately that bIio spoko tho
concluding words, she disappeared
ns if by magic; and sorely bewildered,
Patrick Do Barra retraced his foot
steps and followed his father to Cork.
Whon ho 1 cached the market at Fatha
na Croitho, ho found his father well
nigh dead from tho effect of a beat
ing given him by a few drunken indi
viduals, with whom hohnd quarreled,
relntivo to tho prico ofswine. Seeing
his father in such n plight, ho charged
with tho staff of Dcirdre, all in the
mnrkot, nnd succeeded in utterly
routing nnd dispersing them the in
nocent ns well ns tho guilty.
After somo difllculty ho succeeded
in gathering together his father's
swine nnd sold them at a good rea
sonable price, to a friend of liis, who
lived at Barrack street. Then after
procuring 11 drink of nut brown nlc
for his worthy parent, that individu
al recovered from tho effects of his
drubbing, nnd soon after both took
their departure for Kinsnle. In the
journoy nomo, tho youngmnn related
to his astonished und delighted pa
rent tho boon conferred on him by
tho mysterious womnn.whom ho had
met that morning on tho snmmit of
tho Blnck Mountain.
From thenco forward he was tho
strongest mnn found in Erin; nnd
tradition informs us, thathosucceed
ed on more occasions than one, in
ndministcring chastisement on tho
haughty Norman Do Courceys of
Kinsnlo, who vainly endeavored dur
ing his lifotimo to gnin by foul means,
possession of his vast estates.
Such is one specimen of Deirdro's
generosity. Tho following nlso ex
hibits her good nnture, but in a dif
ferent innnnor.
On a cold December night in tho
1G99, Patrick MucGcnralt was tak
ing n short cut towards homo through
the Black Mountains; but he acci
dentally lost his way in tho darkness
of night. Ho kept wandering about
for a lew hours vninly endeavoring
to regain tho path from which ho had
parted, but his efforts were of no
avail, until eventually ho beheld a
magnificent cnstlo a short distance
from him tho walls of which reUected
the different hues of tho rainbow. Ho
advanced boldly up to it, whero it
wns met by a watchman of a very
diminutive size; being scarcely two
feet in height; who wore n red breeches,
yellow waistcoat, green jacket, and a
enp in which wero blonded tho three
colors, with remarkable distinctness.
Thev both kindly saluted each other,
after which tho littlo gentlemun ush
ered Patrick into tho presence of the
owner of tho castle a young womnn
of rare beauty. Hho bado him bo
seated and rest till morning, ns tho
night wns cold nnd bitter without.
With her request ho instnntly com
plied, being more thnn glnd to do so,
ns ho wns nearly benumbed with
cold nnd fatigue. Supper was then
laid before him und his littlo friend
whoso acquaintnnco ho hnd mado at
tho gate; and when ho hnd eaten his
sufficient, ho was supplied this timo
by tho hostess witli a measure of
pure sparkling wine, which made him
BOtnowlint hilarious.
Being nnturnlly of a poetic tem
perament, ho launched forth into a
flood of melodyj in prniso of tho gen
erosity of his fuir hostess, nnd nlso
of her various charms, and asked
wns she Deirdro of Ulster, that
caused such commotion on account
of her matchless beauty. '
In the same noble strain did alio
reply, that she was not Deirdro of
Ulster, but Dcirdre, of tho Blnck
Mountnin, who nt a remote period
hnd been tho trusted messenger of
tho bravo and powerful Fionn Mac
Cumhall who hnd lost his lifo through
treachery, nt the snnguinnry bnt
tloof Gabbra. "After his death,"
said bIio, "I came to livo in this
mountain, whero I nn to stny until
"Erin shall bo free, from the center to thosen.
In the years thnt .vet fihnll be."
"That is until tho legislators ofour
country shnll sit after their liberties
have been taken from them by fraud,
and ultimately won back bj' thorn
under a brave and trusted lender to
make laws for the government of
their dear country. When that glad
time comes, then I must speed away
to Gnrvach a mountain by tho Leo
where I must stay forever after."
After this, the littlo gateinon, who
had beon an attentive listner to nil
that wns spoken between Pn trick and
his fair hostess, showed the former
where ho should pnss tho night. Ac
cordingly ho retired to rest, and fell
into a sound and penceful slumber;
but when he nwoko on tho morrow ho
found himself not in a bed of down in
n beautiful castle, but stretched on
tho heather, on tho summit of the
Black Mountuin.
3 .-0-.CS-
A Queen's Household.
Queen Victoria's household, says
Good Housekeeping, lias ncariy a
thousnnd officers, subordinates and
nttendnnts. Tho Lord Stewnrd isnt
tho bond of all with a salary of 10,
000 a year. All officers and ser
vunts, except thoso connected with
tho Queen's chamber, stable
chapel, are subject to hiBoiders
nnd
The
nctivo duties of this officer are per
formed by tho Mnster of the House
hold, who get3 5,790 a year. Tho
Lord Treasurer ranks next to tho
L,ord otowurd and ucts lor inm in
cnBe he is absent, whilo to nssi.st him
lie bus tho Comptroller of the House
holder, who likewise does nothing.
The Board of Green Cloth, composed
of tho four abovo named officials,
adjudicates on offences committed
in certain parts of tho palace, and
has clerks nnd becretaiy. Tho clerk
of tho kitchen nnd his clerks keep
accounts, check goods and give or
ders to tradespeople.
There is a chicl nnd mnnv cooks a
heard of tho confectionary depart
ment, of tho "ewer" or linen depart
ment, a chief butler, table deckers,
men in chnrgo of tho plate, pantry
nnd of tho conl, und lump lighters
nnd dispensers ofnlms. Tho Lord
Stewnrd is judgo of the Court of
Mnibhalren, with power to dispenso
justice ninong the Queen's domestic
servants, and tho court bus a Knight
.Marshal. The Lord Chamberlain gets
$10,000 a year and, with tho Vico
Chumberlnin, superintend all tho
officers and servants of the Queen's
chambers, except tho bed elm in hers,
these being under tho Groom of tho
State, ns woll ns tho officers of tho
wardrobe. Tho keeper of Her Ma
jesty's Privy Purso is her finnncinl
secretary at a salary of 10,000.
There are tho Mistress of tho Robes;
Ladies of the Bod Chnmbors, Maids
of Honor, bed chamber women, Lords
in Waiting, Grooms in Waiting; Gen
tlemen Ushers of tho Privy Chnmber,
Daily Wniters, Quarterly Waiters,
Grooms of tho Privy Chnmbors,
Grooms tho Great Chnmborund Gen
tleman of tho Privy Chamber. Tho
.Marshal of Ceremonies must havo an
nbsoluto knowledgo of Court
etiquette.
Tho official places many of them
call for no performnnco of duty, be
cause with the clinngo of customs the
duties have become obsolete. Tho
Mnster of Iho Tennis Court does
nothing. There urea Master of tho
Hoiiho, burgomaster, keeper of tho
swans, nnd hundreds of assistants to
tho officers mentioned. All this looks
like keeping house under difficulties,
and Queen Victoria ought to bo well
pnid for it.
11 1 1 1 1 1 (T
Her Lock of Hnlr.
From Brownsburg, Intl., conies
the story that a young lndy sent a
note to a discarded lover requesting
the return of n lock of huir which,
during his courtship, ho hnd clipped
lrom her dainty tresses, His reply
wus brief and to tho point. Rum
maging his trunk he collected n
a number of tresses culled from vari
ous "bebt girls" during his love
making career, nnd forwarded them
in a bundle to tho girl, inclosing n
noto to tho effect that bo had really
forgotten which wns hers, but she
might select it from thoso forwarded
and return tho rest nt her conven
iance. They don't speak now as they
pnss by.
Ton Always know Them.,
xno nuention 01 people traveling v I
on rnUroad trains is often called to a
happy-looking couple who beem to
bo utterly oblivious to nil thnt is
going on, nnd who do nnd sny what
shows that they care little for tho
criticisms o' their fellow travelers.
This is noticed more especially at
country stutions and on interior rail
roads but in n less nggrnvated way on
tho through trains and expresses. Tho
general nppenrance of a bridal couph
on the latter is just as mnrked ns 011
tho former, but thoy ore less demon
strative, nnd it must be ndded thnt
Bometimcs even so slightly as to til
most escnpo detection.
Whnt a colored Pullmun porter
ai d to a Nowark Call man on this
nmtiBing topic recently seems to con
tain tho subject very cleverly, and it
shows how carefully would bo honey
mooners should watch themselves
unless fhoy do enro whether their nc
tunl presence is known or not.
"Hardly 11 week goes by." said the
porter, "that I don't see n bridnl
couple just stnrting out on their hon
eymoon. I don't exactly know how
I can tell them, but they are ns plain
ly mnrked to my 03-03 ns if they had
tho words 'Bride' nnd 'Groom
stamped in big letters on their fore
heads. There is something nbout
them thnt gives the whole situation
away, a kind of cling-right-next-to-mc-dnrling
uir that never deceives a
fellow. Of course, 1 have mndo a.
mistake now nnd then, but it is very
seldom I do, nnd I've often found out
after clinnging my mind two orthreo
times thub 1 was right after all,
though certain appearances wero
against it. We generally have a
test which never Tails and when a
doubtful party comes along wespring
it on them just to bo sure, vou know.
"What's tho test? Well, I'll tell
you. Not many weeks ago n couple
got into my enr nnd sat down very
quietly in their nrm ehnirs as if they
had been used to it all their lives.
Theso didn't seem to have the brido
nnd groom nir about thtm nt nil
nnd from external appearances they
might linvc been brother nnd sister
or married for ye'tar. The gentle
man took a smoke in i.iesmoker and
left tho lndy alone for half nn hour
or so, nnd sho didn't seem to mind
it at all while he was gone, but read
a paper as natural nslife. There wero
lots of other littlo things which would
lend ono to believe thnt they had
seen mnrried lifo for a hundred years,
perhaps, but still there wns a some
thing there thnt mndo me suspicious,
so when I saw them together I went
to the news company's boy nnd 1
says:
"Bill, here s a doubtful party here;
get out iho sample copies.'
"So Bill got his tests and started
through the car. Ho handed hooka
to everybody, and when lie came to
the suspected party he took out ot
his pile two little books ami said so
nearly everybody could hear him:
" 'Very useful books, sir; hints on
housekeeping nnd hints to newly
mnrried people. Only twenty-fivc-eenta.'
"That did it. The girl got as red
as a rose and the man blushed and
said a weak sort of 'X-n-n-no.' Then
thoy looked at each other and sort
of snickered nnd I caught him full in
tho eye nnd smiled a bweet smile, giv
ing him a respectful wink at thosanio
timo. It was all bottled in a minuto
and there wnsno doubt nbout it. Well,
ho took it very good nnturedly and
usked mo niterwurds how in tho
world he had given himself away, ho
couldn't imagine. I made believe wo
could nlwuystcll and talked ho nico
ly ho gave mo a dollur when 1 got
through with him.
"There nre plenty of other givea
ways by which I enn spot a bride and
a groom, and they uro us .safo gener
ally ns tho first. One day a couple
cuino in tho enr which, by the way,
wnsjumfull and the moment thoy
entered it was as plain ns day that
thoy wore newly wedded. I passed
bv them onco or t ice nnd then went
111 iiiv closet and trot the dustnnn -'
and brush. I walked right up to
where tho bride was citting nnd
dusted a panful of ricp that lay on
the floor around her in n complete
circle. We'll if tho people in thnt
car didn't laugh I'm another. Tho
two young people wore nbout us
broken up ns anybody could possi
ble be, und I don't think they snid
a word all tho time they wero riding
on tho car.
"The custom of throwing rice after
a bridal couple nlwnys makes it un
pleasant for tho party, ns lots ofrlco
ulmost is sure to stick to their clothes,
lints nnd in tlioir hnir. About the
funniest rice thin": I over saw was
that which hopponed in my car just
two or three wcoks ugo. A couple
came in, nnd tho te.-t revealed to mo
that thoy were bride and groom.
They didn't seem to tnko kindly to
it, howover and wo couldn't get 11113
satisfaction out of tliem nt all. By
and i3 tho man snid to his w ife:
-w.inu t ntn tliw iimlivnlln lun'h.
rolled up veiy niccl3.'
"Then he carefully unrolled it nnd,.
bezingl out came three or four pock
etsful of rico nil over the seats ond
floor. Their friends hnd rolled up a.
lot inside tho flolds of the umbrella,
and next to tho 3'oung mnn I heard
toll about who when ho went to sign liis
nnmein tho hotel register dropped n.
lot of rico on the book whon lie took
off his lint, it wns tho most binding
thing I ever knew.
"I can giv iiowl3'-mnrricd people
some pointers ns to how to travel; yes,
sir. But I guess I won't."
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