BALPH'S MISTAKE.
"What a pity ! " said Mrs. Dusen
"bury's musical voice , and a faint shrug
of the widow's graceful shoulders con
veyed the impression of an underlying
sneer.
"What's that ? " Ralph Entresol ask
ed , following his companion's glance to
ft little alcove on the opposite side of
the brilliant parlor , in which stood
some very handsome flowering plants
i n full blossom. A piquant girlish face
was bending over the central vase , a
, face sparkling with a tire and color
that rivaled its surroundings. Ralph
Entresol was not insensible to the al
lurement of the picture.
The * widow saw and shrugged her
shoulders again.
"Such a pity that Nora Payne should
have broken with Burt Vansanf. Ev
erybody thought that was going to
be a genuine love match , but I don't
suppos.0 there are such things nowa
days. "
" .No ? " questioned the wealthy law
yer , , in his non-committal fashion ,
and still watching Nora with interest
ed eyes.
"Vansant & Milligan failed last
week , you know. Miss Nora , doubt
less , thinks she can find a better mar
ket for her charms than a bankrupt
merchant. "
"Perhaps they were never engaged , "
Entresol remarked dreamily.
"Possibly. I don't see that it makes
much difference , however. They were
always together ; the most devoted
pair in the world , till recently. It
was not Vansant's fault if they were
not engaged , and the rupture now is
certainly her doing. See , Mr. Entre
sol. "
Mr. Entresol -did see ; he had never
once removed his admiring eyes from
Nora Payne's sparkling face. Burt Van
sant stood now at the entrance to the
alcove , and Nora was speaking with
him , apparently in reply to some re
monstrance or urging on the young
man's part , for she shook her graceful
little head emphatically and frowned
slightly. Burt turned away presently
and sauntered down the room , his
handsome face wearing an expression
of angry pain , while Nora looked after
him a moment , still frowning.
Her glance , on its way home again ,
encountered the lawyer's. She colored
vividly an instant , then laughed and
nodded.
"She baits her hook very prettily.
Go at once and be caught , " laughed
Mrs. Dusenbury , but she bit her car
mine lips with vexation , as the lawyer ,
nothing loath , smilingly excused him
self and crossed over to pretty Nora.
"She's an outrageous flirt , and that
is what she is , " muttered Mrs. Dusen
bury from time to time , as the evening
wore on without returning to the cir
cle of her charms Ralph Entresol.
"He's an idiot though , if he marries
her after what I told him. "
And still the lawyer lingered and
watched , in a sort of intoxication , the
changeful ripple of Nora Payne's
bright , expressive face , and bent his
grave thoughtful eyes to the study of
.those other da'rkly sparkling orbs
-which Nora flashed in shy mischievousness -
ousness at him.
"Come and see us , Mr. Entreaol , "
Nora's papa said , as he claimed his lit
tle girl from the lawyer's obsequious
arm later in the evening , when the
party was breaking up.
"Yes , do , and I'll show you my cac
tuses. They are altogether finer than
those w.e were looking at this evening , "
Nora echoed , letting a little velvet
palm-linger an instant longer than was
necessary in Ralph Entresol's hand at
parting.
"I suppose I am bewitched , " the law
yer mused that night , as he lounged in
an easy chair and slippers , and dream
ily watched the ruby blaze in his piled
' up grate , instead of retiring sleepily to
his couch. "At my time of life , too.
But I'd like to know if it isn't enough
to bewitch any man , the idea of bask
ing one's life time in the sparkle and
glow of such a pair of eyes as that.
-Beigho. "
And in due time he went to see Miss
Nora's cactuses.
There is no calculating the move
ments of single gentlemen of a certain ,
or rather uncertain , age. A man may
traverse the blooming ranks of young
womanhood unmoved half his lifetime ,
and as he turns the corner , go down
with a splash over head and ears in the
sea of matrimony.
. Ralph Entresol had known Nora
Payne half her pretty lifetime , at
least , without a tender thought in her
connection till that evening , when ,
with Mrs. Dusenbury's sneers at the
girl in his care , he looked across at
her , standing among the geraniums
and cactus buds , herself fresher and
more blooming than any of them. Cu
pid transfixed the lawyer's heart in
that moment , and , rash as your cau
tious people are upon occasions , he
asked Nora that evening to marry him
as they were looking at her flowers.
And Nora stammered and blushed ,
and pretended to be very much aston
ished , as doubtless she was , and then
said :
"Yes. "
"It was a surprise , p.ipa , " Nora
said , inresponse to her father's curi
ously triumphant congratulations.
"I hoped for something of the sort
when I asked him here. But it has
come sooner than I looked for , " said
Mr. Payne with a long , sighing breath ,
that made Nora look at him wonder-
in "ly. "At least you are provided for
no'w" he added.
"Why , papa ? "
"It don't matter now , " Mr. Payne
said , drearily ; "ifc was you I cared for ,
my poor , " motherless darling. I was
lieavily involved in the failure of Van
sant & Milligan. I shall not be able
to keep my head above water much
longer. "
"More trouble of Burt Vansant's
makinoI am glad that I refused him
CousinMaud's address , " Nora said , as
she stole a caressing arm about her
father's neck.
' - "Payne on the eve of failure ? "
Ralph Entresol had just- happenec
upon the vague rumor , and somehow
Mrs. Dusenbury's sneering words
came back to him in the same breath.
"And that is why she said yes , so read-
ilv " he thought , with a sharp twinge
in the region of the heart , 'and T was
fool enough to think that girl , might
love me as I do her. " *
However , he called upon Payne at
his counting room that evening and
offered to lend him enough to stave off
ruin , if any reasonable sum would do.
Payne almost shed tears as he accepted
the offer.
"Don't tell Nora , " Entresol stipu
lated.
"Ralph Entresol deserves you , .dear , "
Mr. Payne said , as he gravely kissed
his daughter that evening. "I hope
you love him , Nora ? "
"Mr. Entresol did not ask me to love
him ; he asked me to marry him , " No
ra said chillily. "I suppose he thought
his money would supply all deficien
cies of any kind soever.
"Entresol deserves to bo married
for himself , " Mr. Payne repeated , but
Nora made no reply.
The engagement was a short one , by
Entresol's own desire ; but , considera
bly to Nora's astonishment , he upon
two distinct occasions offered her the
privilege of receding from her-promise
if she hesitated any about fulfilling it.
Each time she looked straight at him
with clear , honest eyes , and asked :
"Do you wish the engagement bro
ken , Mr. Entresol ? "
"Certainlv not ; but I don't want an
unwilling wife. "
"I shall not be a unwilling wife. "
And so the matter had ended.
The engagement days were oddly
formal. Ralph Entresol , though un
doubtedly very much in love , and
reasonably prosperous in his wooing ,
did no seem happy , but quite the con
trary.
Mr. Payne looked on and thought :
"It is his way , " and Nora shut her red
lips very tightly and said to herself :
"He don't deserve that any woman
should love him. "
And so the wedding day came , and a
lovelier bride never wore tulle and
orange blossoms , or made the heart
of bridegroom thrill with solemn hap
piness. t
"She looks happy , " thought Ralph
Entresol , as the little hand fluttered
into his , and the sweet , arch face lifted
itself brightly toward him , an instant
before entering the waiting carriage.
"Is it impossible for a woman to find
happiness in marrying so selfishly ?
I must teach her to love me. I must
try to teach her to love me , she is
such a child yet , " and he suppressed a
sigh.The
The wealthy lawyer had prepared a
home befitting the lovely young wife he
was bringing to it.
"If she marries me for my money she
shall have her price , " he had said to
himself gloomily , as he superintended
the costly decorations and carefully at
tended to the perfecting of every inte
rior arrangement.
Nora's rapture , as he conducted her
over it upon their return from the wed
ding tour , would have been sweet to
the ears of most bridegrooms ; but
Ralph Entresol listened with a
gloomy countenance , an unsmiling ,
stern face.
Nora was Mot unmindful , and pres
ently , when they had seen all , she stop
ped beside her husband , grave as he.
"It is all very beautiful , " she said ,
"and I dare say I am a very unreason
able woman to find any lack amid such
perfectness , but I do. "
Ralph Entresol stood with averted
face , but he turned swiftly as she spoke ,
struck more by the tone than the
words.
"Yes , Ralph , to my mind it all lacks
one thing. If I cannot have that , it is
all , beautiful as you have made it , val
ueless in my eyes. "
"And what is that , Nora , " he'asked ,
in a low voice.
"Ifc is the love and confidence of my
husband. "
"Nora ! " with a start and a quiver ,
"you have always had .that. "
"Your love , possibly , but only in such
stinted fashion as your entire failure of
confidence prescribed. There is some-
something between us , Ralph. What
is it ? "
"Oh , Nora. "
"Tell me , my husband , " and Nora
drooped toward him as a blossom to
ward the sun , and lifted eyes deAry and
dark with emotion to his.
"Do you love me , Nora ? "
The sweet , tremulous lips quivered
into tender smiling.
"If you had ever asked me before I
should have told you as I tell you now.
'Yes , Ralph , ' " and Nora hid her face
in her husband's arms , and the tears
which would come now he kissed away ,
while he pleaded , not in vaie , for for
giveness for the long doubt.
Man or Woman ?
Whitehall Hevie.r.
One of the most remarkable histor
ical mysteries on record , rivalling that
of the'identity of the man with the iron
mask , is that of the sex of the Cheva
lier d'Eon , who was French envoy to
England in 1761. He acted as private
agent to Louis XV , and lived in Lon
don for fourteen years. He was a hand
some man of a rather effeminate ap
pearance , and was noticed to be very
shy of the ladies , and to avoid general
society. While he was there the story
got about that he was a woman , and
the scandal thus aroused caused King
Louis to recall his ambassador and or
der him to assume his proper dress ,
that of a woman. ' This she did , and
was always afterward known a Mine.
d'Eon. A life of this remarkable per
sonage stated that she assumed the
dress of : t youth in order to secure
higher educational opportunities , and
thus entered the college Mazarin at
Paris , and afterwards became doctor
of laws , was the author of several
learned volumes , and was introduced
by Prince de Conti to the king. It was
said that the king knew the secret of
her sex , but for her remarkable talents
selected her to undertake a secret mis
sion to Russia , which was so well per
formed that she was afterwards sent to
London. During the French revolu
tion Mme. d'Eon again went to Eng
land , where she died in 1810. After
her death it was asserted that the char
acter of a woman was a disguise , and
that Mme. d'Eon was a man after all.
But the facts in the case are not re
garded as proven either way. This
curious personage , it might be re
marked , never contracted a marriage
in the character of either sex.
ODD PACTS AND FANCIES.
Comely girls of marriageable ago are
sold in Yokohama for $16 each.
Berlin ladies carry waterproof cloaks
with them when they go in bathing.
An insane woman in Castle Garden
Sunday mounted a box and tried to
auction off her baby.
The London courts have decided
that a man is not at liberty to keep in
his back yard a dog that barks and
howls.
The latest novelty in the show busi
ness is an exhibition of noses , which
has recently been held in Austria.
Eighty persons competed for the prize.
Boston Old North church , in which
Robert Newman displayed the two
lights to Paul Revere , showing that
the British came by sea , is going to be
restored.
A San Francisco lawyer has written
and copyrighted a sensational comic
drama founded on the incidents of the
Sharon divorce trial. Its liL'e ' is ;
"Wife or Mistress , or , Althea's
Dream. "
England is shipping to Egypt the
rolling stock of an eigh teen-inch guage
railway. The line will be laid from
the Red Sea to Berber , and the road
will be used for the shipment of sol
diers and military stores.
A famous veterinary surgeon was
summoned by telegram to Scotland a
few days ago by a well known lady , to
meet the local adviser in consultation
on the case of her favorite pug. He
had to travel nearly 500 miles to reach
his destination.
A new dish with which epicures
tempt fate and give an impetous to
stomach anod\nes is composed of
sliced oranges , sliced pineapples , sliced
bananas , sliced hard-boiled eggs , sliced
cucumbers , vinegar and sugar. It. is
called a fruit salad.
There has been some discussion as to
whether a lady should recognize a gen
tleman while he is having "his shoes
blacked on the street corner. Genlle-
men have taken off their hats under
such circumstances and have received
the cut direct.
The a' orage power of Niagara Falls
is estimated at seven million horse
power , and the cost of a plant neces
sary to utilize this power , transform it
into electricity , and transmit ifc any
where within a radius of 500 miles , at
$5,000,000,000.
If you want to have a letter to the
pope surely reach its destination , in-
closp it in three envelopes , all three
sealed and each one bearing this super
scription :
To His Holiness Pope Leo III. ,
Prefect of the Congregation of the Holy
Office at the Vatican ,
( Personal )
The prelate in charge opens the first
envelope , then the second , but at the
third he is obliged under penalty of
excommunication , not to open it and
iand it to the holy father.
The amount of absinthe drinking
which takes place at Marseilles , where
ihe cholera still lingers , is abnormal.
The great street is the Rue Canha-
aiere , which is the boulevard Mont-
martre of Paris , raised in intensity.
The shady side is an almost unbioken
series of cafes , and from early morn
All late at night usually the tables in
front are occupied by Marseillaise , with
a little decanter full of syrup of gum
and two or three bottles containing
absinthe , from which they help them
selves. Since the advent of the chol
era these tables have been wholly de
serted.
m *
Value of Manners.
We have heard it saii that you can
do everything , however unpleasant it
may be to those around you , if you only
do it in the right way ; and the instance
Sfiven to prove this assertion is taken
from humble life. A cat walks daintily
into a room on a cold winter's day , and
with a benign glance at the company
and a melodious purring sound she
walks leisurely around , selects for her
self the warmest place in the room , per
haps the only warm place , right in front
of the grate , curls herself up and goes
serenely to sleep , secure that no one
will be so unreasonable as to question
lier right to sleep wherever inclination
prompts her. No one calls her selfish ,
no one is annoyed , because she has
done it so prettily , so gracefully. In
deed , every one experiences an excess
of warmth and comfort in themselves
from beholding pussy's blissful repose.
Now , imagine the same thing done in a
different way and by a less self-posses
sed individual if it were done hurried
ly , or noisily , or diffidently even , or in
any way obtrusively , what a storm of
indignation it would excite in the bo
som of all beholders ! How thoufht-
less , how inconsiderate , how selfish !
Np , it must be- done as the cat does it ,
without a sound or gesture to provoke
criticism , or it must not be done at all.
A Bussian Wedding Feast.
The banquet is ordered at some fash
ionable confectioner's. Nothinois
wanting silver , crystal , flowers ° and
lusters laden with candles of the purest
wax. The young married pair occupy
seats about the middle of the table , the
parents supporting them on both sides ,
the rest of the company take seats ac
cording to the degree of relationship or
rank. If they want a grand dinner
they order a "general's" dinner , which
costs $30 more than an ordinary one.
At this dinner , so ordered , the master
of ceremonies invites a real old pen
sioned off general , who is received with
all the reverence due to his rank , and
seated in the place of honor. He is the
first to drink to the health of the young
couple , and is always helped before any
one else. He never speaks unless it is
absolutely necessary. He is there only
for show , and he does his best in re
turn for the $20 paid him. He never
refuses a single dish of all the thirty or
more served on such occasions. As the
last roast disappears from the table the
champagne corks fly , the glasses are
filled to the brim , the music strikes up ,
and huzzas resound from all parts. But
here comes the bride's father with glass
in hand , going up to her bowing and
making a most wpful face , saying that
his wine was so bitter that he could not
drink it until she had sweetened it. Af-
tor a great deal of pressing she rises
and gives her husband a kiss ; her fath
er still pretends that his wine is bitter ,
and it remains so until she has given
lier husband three kisses ; each kiss not
only sweetens his wine , but is accom
panied with roars of laughter and
bursts of applause. After the dinner
comes the ball and "the general's
walk. " They lead him through all the
rooms once every half hour ; everybody
salutes him as he passas along , and he
graciously replies by an inclination of
the head. At last , at 3 o'clock in the
morning , all the young girls and those
who dressed the bride take her away to
undress her and put her to rest ; the
men * do the same by the husband. The
next morning the house of the newly-
married couple is again filled with the
crowds of the evening before. The
young wife is seated in a drawing-room
on a sofa with a splendid tea service
before her. One after the other approaches
preaches her and salutes her. She then
offers tea , coffee or chocolate , accord
ing to the taste of the visitor. She is
throned for the iirst time in all splen
dor as the mistress of the house. The
most intimate friends remain to spend
the day with the young pair.
Making a Mash.
Yonkera Gazette.
"Henrico ! "
"Andromeda ! "
"The gods forf end , but this , though
form and speech attest it , is surely
not the classic face whereunto me
lips do sometimes move with am'rous
purpose ! "
"Nay , but it is , sweet houri , and
though there may be here and there a
lineament disarranged , or features
missing from its wonted place , yet do I
swear thee 'tis the oldj the oft-kissed
countenance. "
"Now , be me sire's crest , thou'rt
dazing me. Why this , thy dial's front ,
belikes the pattern of some crazy quilt ,
or Semblance the focns of some blasted
sweetmeat mine where jellies multiple
had met in mixed carouse. "
"I like thy smiles , fair maid , exceed
ing well. They dove-tail nicely with
results that do attest me mild indul
gence in that fistic realm whose patron
was the Duke of Huckleberry. 'Twas
but a friendly joust ; a match whereat
at- "
"Aye , surely 'twere a match ! The
lurid lightning of thy frontispiece doth
that proclaim. "
" 'Tush thee , thou prattler ! 'Twere
a match , I say , whereat both friend
ly rivalry and manly culture did meet
"That somethings met , thy counten
ance gives ample proof , and that they
met as meet two toppling towers , e'en
so it testifies. "
"Why. girl , soft as thy downy pillow
were the gloves we wore "
"And softer yet this wreck of facial
pulp wherewith thou greetest me.
Had'st thou been bathing in an abba-
toir thou couldst not glimmer with
such bright veneer. "
"And yet me every feature answers
to the roll. But , had'st thou seen me
rival , gentle one , ah ! there were ruin
worth thy studious gaze. One ear hung
pendant by a filmy thread , his dental
parts macadamized his throat , on either
cheek his nasal wings flapped i' the
gory air , and through the other facial
rim peered bones that did of dexterous
fracture hint. Ah ! 'twere a dainty pic
ture , dame , and breathed sweet tribute
to the 'manly art. ' "
i
Borne in the Last Century.
National Review.
It was a labyrinth of winding streets ,
unlighted , unnamed and unnumbered.
Every trade kept to its special locality ,
and , in lack of shop fronts , advertised
its wares by painted signs and em
blems. Cattle were herded in the col
iseum and forum , and the arch of Constantine -
stantine was half buried in the earth.
Justice was administered with circum
stances of barbaric ferocity. It was a
common sight to see unlucky coach
men publicly tortured in the Corso for
no worse guilt than that of driving
through the streets during the hours
reserved for carnival frolics ; and the
erection of the gallows on tbe Piazza
del Popolo , the first Saturday in carni-
nal , was , in fact , the signal of the open
ing of the season for public sports. ' .
And , the condemned criminals dis
patched , the hangman's assistants
would presently join the gay crowd in
the Corso disguised as clowns and pan
taloons. Down to the first year of the
present century malefactors were quar
tered and burned on the Campo del
Fiori , and for many years later the pil
lory and the wooden horse remained
familiar objects in other parts of Rome ,
although both were temporarily abolished
ished during the Napoleonic rule.
What a Good Bank Is.
B. B. ComcgTS In Barkers' Convention.
A bank may be said to be in good
condition when it has an adequate cap
ital ( not too large ) ; a contingent fund
at least half as large ( and no suspended
debt or overdue paper ) ; when its de
posits are free of interest and three or
four times the amount of its capital ;
when its dealers supply it with busi
ness paper to the extent of its needs ;
when liberal salaries are paid to its
officers and clerks ; when there is a
trained man in reserve for every posi
tion that may become vacant ; when
there is a pension fund adequate to the
comfortable support of its worn-out
clerks ; when it has a board of direc
tors who are not content to be mere
figure-heads , but who understand their
business and remember their qualifica
tion oaths directors who count the
cash frequently and without notice to
anybody ; who insist that everybody
employed in the bank shall take a va
cation of at least two weeks every year ,
at which time another shall do his work ;
and who believe in this dogma , that
"nothing is seed enough that can be
made better. "
Grasshoppers in Mexico.
Late advices irom Vera Cruz say that my
riads of lucusts have appeared in that state ,
and notwithstanding that immense quantities
of them have been killed , great destruction to
crops has resulted in Yucatan and South Mexico
ice ; a hundred square miles of country are
covered with the pests , and corn , grass and
other crops are utterly destroyed. It is said
that thousands of families , dependent upon
small crops , will have to be supported by the
government during the next six months.
THE NEW TOWN SLEEPEB.
Strange Life and Death of a Connecticut
Farmer's lioy.
A Newtown ( Ct. ) dispatch : One of
the strangest of the many strange char
acters which this "land of steady hab
its" has given to the world was a resi
dent of this delightful little town , in
Fail-field county. His name was Sher
man W. Platt , and ho was known
throughout the state as "the Newtown
Sleeper. " He was a somnambulist of
somnambulists , and the peculiar form
which his malady took made him an
object of general curiosity , as well as
one of special interest to the medical
experts of the county. Young Platt
lived with his father , a well-to-do far
mer , in the little hamlet of Dodgin-
town , in the southwestern part of this
town. He was never a particularly
brilliant child , but he was by no means
a dullard , averaging in intelligence
about with the ordinary farmer's Doy.
The strange somnolent states which
brought to him so unenviable notoriety
were first noticeable soon after he pass
ed into his "teens , " and they contin
ued nearly up to the time of his sudden
and as yet unexplained death. When
the disease for it is generally consid
ered among physicians that he was the
victim of some strange and hitherto
unknown intermittent malady attack
ed Platt , he would go to bed and be at
once wrapped in the soundest of slum
bers. Efforts to thoroughly arouse him
by shaking , dousing with baths of cold
water , the application of electricity ,
and treatment of a similar nature , were
always unavailing. He would remain
in his trancelike condition sometimes
for only a few days , but oftener the
sleep would lengthen out into weeks ,
and sometimes even inlo months , his
"best record" in any one of these
ti-ices , according to a generally ac
cepted report here , being within a few
days of five months. During this long
period he seemed to have lost all power
of intellectual effort , and when he re
covered from such an attack the
period of his sleep was all a blank
to him. Instinctively , it seemed to
those who watched him , he would rise
from his couch at irregular intervals
and partake of the food or drink that
was constantly kept in his rcom to
supply his wants. When hunger and
thirst were abated he would at once
return to his bed and continue his
slumbers. When he arose at such
times he would speak to no one , would
answer no questions , pay no attention
to any interference , and was seemingly
oblivious of the fact that anyone was
near him. A singular fact in connec
tion with the case was that he did not
seem to lose either health or strength
during these prolonged slumbers ,
which it was naturally expected would
wear out his vitality. Physicians who
were called in from Bridgeport first ,
then from New Haven , and finally
from New York , could give no expla
nation of the strange disease , nor
could they suggest any remedy that
was sufficient to effect a pure , though
many tried their skill.
About a year ago , Platt having be
gun to frighten his parents by taking
short walks out of doors while in his
somnambulistic state , his father ap
plied to the prooate court of this dis
trict , and Platt was sent to the asylum
for the insane at Middletown. Appli
cation and commitment were on the
theory that his peculiar malady was
some form of insanity. He remained
in that institution , where there were a
few but short recurrences of his somno
lency , until the 20th of last month ,
when he was discharged and returned
to his homo here. He seemed much
depressed in spirits , and his mind
seemed to wander at times. On the
Monday following his return he wan
dered away fr m his father's house ,
and no trace of him could be had un
til the succeeding Satiuuay. On that
day his body was found by one of a
party of searchers in Sandford's pond.
It was. perfectly nude , and this added
to the misery of his death. The theory
was adv.nced that he had been
drowned while bathing , and this was
very generally accepted at first as the
solution to the way in which he met
his death , as there were no marks of
violence on his person. Search was
made all along the banks of the pond
for his clothing , but it could not be
found , as it was argued it certainly
would have been had ne been bathing
in the pond. It is possible that the
clothes had been found and appropria
ted by tramps , who sometimes fre
quent the shores of the pond. It is
thought now that he committed sui
cide , becoming despondent because of
the incurable malady with which he
was afllicted. This theory is borne
out by the fact that some of the people
living near the pond remember having
seen a man acting somewhat strangely
near there the day after his disap
pearance.
A Novel Duel.
Boston Times.
That was a memorable encounter
between the poet , Tom Moore , and the
critic , essayist and jurist , Francis Jeff
rey. Both of them were of keen and
polished wit ; both warm-hearted , gen
erous , impulsive and more t > r less ca
pricious. In 1806 Jeflrey attacked
Moore's "Odes and "
Epistles" in the
Edinburgh Review , denouncing them
on account of their immorality. This
was too much for the ssnsitive poet.
He felt thai blood alone could wash
away the stain of that abominable crit
icism. Accordingly he challenged the
traducer to mortal combat.
Jeffrey , though small of stature , was
great in'cotirage , and he straightway
accepted the challenge and named pis
tols as the weapons. Seconds were se
lected and preliminaries arranged ,
when Moore bethought him that it
would be necessary that he should
provide himself with pistols , and fur
ther , as the challenging party , it
would be proper for him to furnish
weapons for botii.
Now , deadly weapons of any kind
Moore had never been partial to , and
pistols he never owned at any rate ,
proper dueling pistols but he knew
that his dear friend. Sir Robert Wil
liam Spencer ; owned beautiful pistols ,
and to him he applied , being obliged ,
of course , to tell what he wanted them
ipr. Sir William cheerfully lent his
pistols , and then as soon as the mes
senger was gone from his sight he hur-
ried away to the Bow street office and
encao-ed two oflfcers of his acquaintance -
ance ° o hold themselves in readiness to 7
prevent the two little peppery men
from risking mortal damage to one
another. , .
The duel was to be fought at t > &al
farm early in the morning. Dr. Joseph
Hume was Moore's second , while .bran
ds Homer , of the Edinburgh Review ,
was second for Jefirev , but others were
on the ground , though not in sight , for
both men had many friends who were , .
deeplv anxious. And there , on that f
ground chosen for deadly strife , Thom
as Moore and Francis Jeflrey met , face
to face , for the first time. They did
offer to shake hands , but Jeffrey ( ho
and his antagonist were now alone to
gether , the others of the party being
engaged in the solemn duty of loading
the pistols ) said : "What a beautiful
morning it is ! "
To this Moore answered : "Yes ,
and then added , with a smile , "a morn
ing made for better purposes. "
Jeffreys response to this was a sigh.
They passed each other and turned ,
and when they met again Moore re
lated to his antagonist a comical story
about an Irish barrister , Billy Egan ,
who had gone out on a bright morning ,
as they were out then , for the purpose
of fighting a duel. Jeffreys was still
smiling at this story when the seconds
came out from an adjoining thicket and
announced "all ready. "
The men were placed twelve paces *
apart and the pistols given into their
hands.
"Now , " said Hume , "remember the
word. Raise your pistols at the word
'ready. ' Then one two and at three
you will fire. "
"Ready ! " Nobody can say where \
Moore's heart was , b'ut his pistol was
raised , and so was JefiVey's. They
waited for the fatal signal.
That signal , however , was not given.
Instead thereof two Bow street officers
emerged from the thicket , one of whom
advanced o Jeffrey and s'ruck his pistol
tel down with his staff , while his com
panion went up and collared Moore. | <
The belligerents were marched off to I
their respective carriages and conveyed , |
to Bow street , where , as no blood had '
been spilled , they were let of lightly. \ , .
And from that office Tom Moore and , '
Francis Jeflrey went forth friends , and *
their friendship grew and strengthened j < <
while they lived. *
t
WaJk'ig Abound a Point. " | .
Wall S.rc3t News. ' \1 \ [
About .the first of July a Chicago
fruit buyer went over to St. Joseph , on | (
the Michigan shore , to view the peach f '
crop prospects , and he found one orchard - *
ard owner who was feeling so very blue
that he said to him : "Now , then , I'll
give you a check for a thousand dollars
for your fruit as it stands. " "No , I
couldn't do it , " replied the grower , af
ter some hesitation , "it would seem to
be doubting he Lord. "
Two weeks after that , when the pros
pects were still poorer , he appeared in
Chicago , and said he guessed he would
take the thousand dollars. "But it will
be doubting the Lord , " observed the
buyer. "Yes , it probably will ; but I've x
concluded to doubt Him on peaches ,
and make up for it by hanging on to
taters and cabbage. " *
A Story of a Wildcat Down in
Georgia.
Jas par Times. i
Buck Bohanan and John Jordan were '
out dipping turpentine the other day
and saw a wildcat and gave ifc chase.
When they found they were out of caps
and had treed the "critter , " Buck told
John if he would watch he would run
home and get caps. So he ran a mile
and , finding neither caps nor matches ,
he got an old flint , ran'back and telling
John to hold a dead aim on the cat , he
struck his tinder over the tube of the
gun , when bang ! went the fuse and off.
jumped the eat , whipped a dog and ran
about fifty yards before it fell dead.
Only one shot struck it and that went
through the heart.
The British Grain Trade.
The Mark Lane Express , In Its -weekly re
view of the corn trade , says : Intense dry
tropical heat has prevailed since August 1.
Harvest work proceeded rapid ly. Gra. a ma
tured in exceptionally good form. All the
earliest wheat is now in perfect milling con
dition. Barley and oats vary. In some dL-
tricts they are excellent and in others poor.
Beans appear to be an absolute failure. The
potato crop is unlikely to prove large , but
will be freer from disease than for many
years. Throughout the past week new whe it
baa made its appearance in various marten
in a condition described as somewhat phe
nomenal. _
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We are giving away to each subscriber oi
the SATURDAY SAYDJGS an elegant litho
graphic picture , size 24x38 inches , at either
of the candidates for President , to eaca
party sending us 25 csnta for the paper unta
after the November election. The SATDJ G3
tells tee facts that Intelligent voters want to
Know. It 13 the great newspaper success
abont which so much has been said. Ad
dress all orders to -
THE SATEJGS COMPANY ,
513 Elm street ,
St. Louis , Mo.
- Perlcfi Ift C. : p.
Lincoln ( HI ) dispatch : The last chapter in
the Zora Burns case is at hand. Yesterday
Orrin A. Carpenter packed his traps and ship
ped them to Chicago. His destination is Blunt ,
D. T. , but to conceal It he has billed his goods
to Ch'cao , where he M ' 11 mpke tbe transfer
AiKK.empt was made to interview "uJm as a
last tend-off .but Itwas without avail. Axriend
asked h-m if he did not th'nk "Dakota -
r-as a
rflr-T.11 * 0 * ? .CurPenter immediately
- .
eJ
repl :
I.iavebeenina
; of a hot one for
the
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THE SAYINGS COMPANY ,
613 Elm Street ,
_ St. Louis , Mo ,
Suicide at Bastings. [
Captain J.E. Wicks , a prominent citizen and , " | J
business man of Hastings , committed suicide ? 1
by shootinghfrnself in the head. The ball
entered thelefttemple.goingentirelythrough
Jhe bead and frightfully
mangling It and
killing him instantK He has sufferU I
much A- *
from consumption lately , the effect which
was wearing out his '
constitution He leaves
a wTe and vwo children. He was blhh ?
r
"
spocjcd. and well thought of fn the com-
