Wm IT FATe : ---aBa j * tXa-aBaa > t > # alBaB * > aaBa'taBBt' | f ( I * mmm % 1'-- ' * % ta > a-wate i i imn i aaat | fin inm , X sMtfvfw j , mil , , | gjn , d > w. j | * ! • iot j ' ' p " * wbbb-.bV M Hmt 9k JP WpPT | ' _ . _ _ _ m aaBBBBBBBBBBBaBaal 'wft L AaaBBBBBa--a > • ! * • * * * * * * ? t AWf M MM Ur aBa * * . ' [ . ' I > , - _ - aBBataBBBaaB-k BBB- * ini SHmpii WHMHHL 4MB0 atafe 4HNB , 1 jP .ifltefB • aWNf' 4H 4I laMaA aflpattfaa * 4MMMMMHC9 • ' F afc * * * • Pl f 4MNP ff pMHC- * * # * * Nrftelw * U" rnnfiu % imi i iff jp * * * m < * * • * ' I 4RmmMIp * . law-tflftp i itfaiE " * * i < ' ' ' CapKM-MP WWbbbV HkvWK MHML A bbbbMMP att aWMal 4bWbb * " - J. ' < 4DI } J0b > A fMNMVMMtftlk AMtr gd | t JaVa A- * ' . . . . 5afeMaVl. flHE MBMHHHflflhh AlVflHI . bbbbbvbbbbbbbbbI aMhaBBB' f I ii Baaa aaaa aaat r STlMMk , ! > " ' < nKri raaa aaa > * 14 iHtjMt K -Ww MbbwMbIbMb * * * MptIbb * t M'W ffcg * a i aaiaai aa ; • mwWm * < M • apwPB aaWajBp Jp * * b b bbb JHHaV ffB aBB- tUta * ' • feSa- ' * bwb"Jbbb MMBMbbb" " * * * BflMBV (990 4H0MHPltfMBV i I Ttl Lt I HI I > < * * I III , • QKifMM gf ) Was ? iflHLJPHft'aMT ataM * . MBMHtoMMt' ] E a1HiM * > w a Ba BBlB. * * ' l B * > k aBBaaaakJftaaaaBBBBBaBBtfBBB 4fe kW 9" ia 111 t afXWMtMfc. afjl aBBaal. * • , " i I m > a * aaar ajBaaBBaBBBBV-- . aai A ; jMm * < m m in * . am i ' > H bbbbbTlw . A. j M tafei 4Sk M " 3Hfr f 9 I l dL J _ * | ; * - * - - * J" - - - - " - " * * * * * ' jii rtr- J # t ttifc * * ? < au' * * 1 mmrmol mmd . i iflfeivw | i hii TU.j i W me-wmmt d ! ; B aaaait I m ste lw * - ' * * - * * • " * " - ' 4MMBI * J * iMW - ' • 'vrwBi ' * * ' I 1 4Mb nf ak A < • * * * n T - - " * " ' rfc * * * , • " " rort * • ar ! I . " taw * qftiwt' - * s. & - * * * T fcw * * - • " • " * " " ' ' - - * . . - ! • • * : T > i > li B > ! * . WmM I m nrr lur * < M Tin- * * • ' ' " • * " * t- * ' * * ' B'm j t8lTLiL ! r BL t" fM' * flr " tt § " * * * TV kown wt r < H cj i njiirtinc B * * jr r ' < • * g ' * Mr. A * i i B" "W Ti vacAiMNawlMw atL K used -1 . V * . t fc * * * * * * * * * e Tefeaie. i ' fcra eeris * ot ; B "tI' -jgin- ' - wlwpliaaiiMirfno B * * • mi mi # Miiliiiiumn aaaliutttf B y8 . • . * • " Pf • aa l B y y . „ j a rf i > t l > uiw a > jr k ii * ; " " * * ' T - " * • * • - > - ' - ' B a If ir jiwifcr -ff B • fw * # * * * tfitrW. To do • > ( > with a < s * * f | i.l Mlfc iiiHMMiilTth ( rjr < ? aranddnir MftHM-aMMMMk fcu JU linrVmr ami minute mtpmm MmNl F < w h * pr life pDww this % • i * mt hm I wwiit. MMnrfore. rutsttmt my- 4f Ml otetf im4 jiwnr. oat nftrnmrilii cur * J mm * li < r > . ' -0IJ br cwrt < ii& infallible os tih 4 pmmm mm wmynn * • HU-hotrTp to show * m Aha jmm rwwfcl iNtit hn U > ra only nt u < > wwrirf kiU 4 jr atnl yeurandatno | K i > M fc N s ojto-rtainnl tKat both JMMMftNB4 ugt * * f t bora ia ' 51 , he in & * + > & . fat . Mc no. iNoiml him lf forintr- mwA winniiiii m a n * t f rotuimtatiotu * . iv- fcMHfr fc w Ms * t tim * to the book which kf ; w > fcj-fcyirlww. os > t * nntitn'H shincin j * * 4 • { : k eiTKjr for & momrnt or * it * % iik h Or.Uto.1 from hUtank , * md. > > ; • • * r a tiu k * > t of paprr. uf > * < w * * Mb Mfframi t t rtrralar nsures flIW * * * . rmMwnuniimil * .j-alx > U and naturruU , k mmmtrnxit * * r * * bi # tw * bari * l in thought. g < iWn % fc 9h4. itmti-rM w > * h autart : * Nmt f Itwur lwwiiti > | iiw , " ke at length imli > wntitn mn ; btrnwif to Armitn f , j imii in < r. < mt jHngwfcir nail ntartlin < l i * . 1"h # n ' * b ' < wfiiiaanl. tarnin to in , 'fmm mtktSo * > - > > iii to hf the contini 'li- - Hmmw Iti i fciMntjr to h * exjstrted i r ) 'Wi i-w m. yme 4mtt tn. exrt-pt vrhere it ! ( • % mtrtmml. M It W during tilt ) mm i < mv . lk - > rtMK h-wU of which I AdinAwNijr > " < JL walk ikat of jrour fnVnd. -T * rfcii wt iif i > A * taw , * * vent on Mr. Jr m \ wpMK mlibiiii w > c ArmitH t * . "that > M ww ( ait MaMt wolchjr fuuiiljr to * * > * < < rf wfcm tH + awl wwilth > ai mM i * - ! . nt Y m h v h. U.Iy , tall , dark , tamMMMl MMNM dr mmC * f Wnt jour own * mAh * > * MMVM * * I * Mr it ftiOH 1H | tia ! aM-BMWik A r taJUa-f yw r 4Ttr f. mm jrnii 4i < > • > • > aaar.Jan aviM tn r d. You will i-9Mi * PM r Tihwi * ifxi nl rttlauitj ol fMV kb Hi MM jiwKVuti wtit kill your • mwmI aa4 4krM > r t i k tivYit way you afta f 1 wrfl kJI Wr wkua r how love • nM 4mvV ifm w k. iWth wHl in 't + * mmA mit ? tk * mitin ran * * * ? You , ata4 ai m * wji hwmmii m mm < t wy art MB * • < h riw i pmnmimmty W r with the tt Hi liMfc i > I i kiii i > j - nrtnitStay ! The in * Ap MMMBpM > Mir Sll • • < * * UMrttlllT Me • # km. l i jr bmmW m ytHtra. I utuy be atawalUA. • • mmnHm w lt b * .at th strange ttummms * mn i by mmt • i > irtai T > and not waaWiMt * Mtta 11 > > ; fa ou my par ; , • twill , w-r w > h b. | J u ore our rbairs at Xr JwHpMMf mi r. Aratttit ; * * ix-atin him * Mm * * * MW MMJWw JMNl r * * # . | Btr th * old J't'tl - 0"ii'iw mah * mmmI. v3mV 1 dtil Hkt > t9f on WMk 1Wim - * fcw K * rk of a moment , • M • a * r l r c aty po > itiou I caht a • a > M-Br ma Mr Jk t0M-t' isn > -totirrd that * • ny. t , McMWIy ntpt expre-t > ion , • * < i • • bVjtuii' ' • * ! vAtNuM.t ujmu uhnt ! • . W-k * / iiib < a a Mrx traiKipurvnt n < i mi hjiiifcniL aJknmt ta ueand chajK-ol aw > - fc < hbc i ii lam , • < * a irlub of Mimn I nfc > , t MW& imhIwitthat iooketl like j > t. MMl MMff M * * i ii * < ifc * * > < i the table < ii- -aafi i " * < * rfM - A > fiwd'Mtit. . and dis * MM > i mi > fcwc fmt fc-jw. l're eutly W 4i gfttmMM ' if * W rait to taovein- mmM > a * at tryaajr at T a to speak , his * aMaaaaaac * * • niixtan tly at the aaawi atar • • at * traace. At lust he "IBar m4 > aaaax la * erys-tal. * * he aid , * aa > alaMaaa ; aata * . aa4 MjnmM be-in to aa > * istaaMtK-- iHK it. 1 w * aietared 1k * laar aa la-r • - • - > /a st-iury auuHue. Itis aaaaaaajat. T - • * * acv waria hlowly aaaaa ; vW aMaaaa ai rlmi roarers * ? . One is a * ajaMakacaa aa a mj noat. 11m * otkfr U a MaaiL tnaaari aa-aai iW fcmamJ with a aaaW upi i . aai aJfaax at aeotek n over fct ifc lifca , " * * ti aaMT * I aaail aaar Arthuray in th-j • • • aaaajait. TV * y man a-aaa aaar i-ar. Ma lafc-r * hoc hand. Xotrhe Na--a.aa * aahr aaprr.aadi-toopsdonn ft * ka > mm. % mw nW * rvit * meitri away. jaat eW in iwahai * at hjcded 6p-are scat- -alaianri aa 4at aa sa * * > . aad th nipt mmmmtmmmmimm > gmmii im4ttfikt the ery.ital. Faa aaaaaa a aaaaa * tai.'rt iiu aaVaee. whilt > I aaaaat wa V a-praitii * > i ntt * * # what would MaJaaaaat aa awaoMi. t > store aain. lie • aaaaalia * m n a iaiatc ia the ery tal. aaaaajl a aa > tw at hmtad * * bright and aaaaaaaaaM a pr. . OaaaW yao. " aai M < - . .L-sard ; "but are ajatft aW aaaaV taac atoajr * e-iwr ia and out aW aataaa * . mr aar tmrj T CKmhIm. foys. a f iai aa mmt aa tha r avore. Ah ! 1 see aaw * V * % aa af taxcarlr > aukii iH > n my awjML aW aaMw a kaaV at aw aaatl and is BMKjaar aa-aa. TaM-w • > trwaatr oa hU > Hind. Saw aut > acavr a-caam aa ar apoa the taaaarMaw at ta tiniaatrfat ywaac lady with aW ia * Sum * , aac awW w ars a truve- aasaaaa-k. aaa lar apaoars a portly old aaaaaaaaa * • * ! Vaalt yaiatu. I'ioa. ' ftear pray a i. aaaaat i iaaji > i w , aa-lawttly triaim l laaaw a-aaal aa4 waa km . Ite earrseohi - aaaanl ajaa . ha * * * • m upca aa l hen ears "mjt aa * - " ' I haard AraMtatre remark. waaVaa ax "taa * b * la J - * Tit U > a axoni * /ffWaBaBaaBMM'B r taward eueh oth- aa. ' raaaaaaUrn. AHdM-d ; "they meet , and aa * aWltaa af aVjaaagBtaa t * twried in aV M aMMt ' it artiani. The y * fc lady tails aaaaaV farvaati. Fag ; cawda the * cene 1 a-aavedat Ajgtataga. H ia ewasa study. H in r he waMuraiunt which everepreud it. waawiamiii fc eaaawmalan * . aad at any oth- af ii i wmbM. ha a a H rded maeh food for Sbaaaha * . haa taegniTky aad venerable ap- giiaanini miaar an rloetiiwr. together with aV * aiialy gaatma rharater of the rerela- ajaa-s jg-aafc taey w . waiehhewasmnktnpr , i a atit hatae pa'ehiifc'd aaythtay of the kind , riia if wiinania anort sy h ni not. Aaaaa. dtnai wan a arrjodof--ilenee. folio wed ap a Mtwakater b * > t > eak a. bvfore. -Ta * ? i in-t this Iwwha-jhftedlike mapc , " KaaiMr. AoaaJ. . "lae-iaterior of a church is aVafaai t h.awiw . m& > . There is bright s-un- am i , hna-hraavi-j-- l happy faces. Abridal aaaty m t mmMmg ac the ehaaeel , a bishop in faff inawiwiili i pwrfen-mias the ceremony. She aaiiiganiim. m the yoaar man at my atsjaf. aaai ta brale ir. a lady whom it would a * aar % > ry ut rail he atal in either face or iann. Ma * hacBituoa > r woadrously kind , • awl aaat ahai Tir. aauL she h H murrelously aaaaaaai. hni i eyan. U r left bhoulde : is aarJa % lawar aaa ta * njrht. " - * # " ' I aaatd haar.Vrmitaeremarkiir > tm aacaaaiLhul , 'waiatjr remarketlMr. As- aaai. Thaaebrt-da * * > neawakeniii frora amp aa-iaimlriwi at - . ay-tat owe , then at the aaanr. a ait-taieaemt hin hand. : . -A * * ! * ' ar aaaSy wud HJKns ; " 1 see. I aaaar hnaa wntfrg i * -lattont * etKinected with wiai haain wipni tartHtj-h the meilium of tho iianiiat. Ir taan ttatuo tbm * whenthinter - ' • at at fc.a a. taa iUfopB e ktmlty and there is aaaaaB < * * oaV arre to tvaerate the vision" , la ejjah aa > I aat stataly a paxdve medium ml awilatiuw aad coaaatMBti-ation for the ben- aamof adainTaa y > rta 9 of the crystal have h-aat hwaauii aVaa/a t * a * from the wisest aaaa ata n raat yo wochl call them taa > aj laaaaji' tiaiii i ; a ptvsaaat title , by ta * km , mt wairk ymc raoot learned profes- aav aak tt > tcasaa th * tra * aa < l all-important Tiriiaaar nff matfrttitiT that is to bay , if aiaaY il ka-torW truth tak > any prece < lence a * h < ar ayae * uTcr tiaw-hoaored tk-tion. The etrvHtaJ. wa ritar rabht thare. wat > a fdt't from mmm aa ka * v its Yahw oae to whom 1 owe aiata af taa toe. Ieaa bay. without undue aaaMMBBc * . I aaar om > * m. It is homogeneous aaat aawtaji lawaatiat | tialKiations for pu- aajr aa4 aarataiy of vMon. Bat.strnnge as at aaajr > * * m , mf th * viaioat * which I saw 1 now boot iaai an iwcathw-tioa. Thy were , of course. lappiBBwatary To , aad exptaaatory of the aurwwa wharh I aavtr jar-t cajt. 1 trust taay atay araao of beacftr. " baa word. Mr. A _ frd. . " said Armitape , frmwmty. "I hare ntBtH-sed thiags of so ex- ii maitaiTj aatarathix afternoon , and which yatarte topenaau m whom I im > - ss a peculiar iaorat-t. taaS ya att excti e meforputtiug twaa plaia , hiwat < | Bestto s to you regarding raeat. Baysa reaMy saean to tell me " heat Araitaip-pet on a most inquisitorial took , "thai 1 aB to place reliance in what has yamd : ia * e information drawn from y Nif aoroscop . nwi the visions you say that ya have seeaia that lump of crystal ? Or are you merely making game of jis , on tho nappositioa that xe are either too t ! nse , or too earelas * , to sift your premises or dispute tohxOBcJusions ? " " I was astonished at the stand taken by Ar- tkar. no contrary was it to the easy , good- natsred way in which he usually took things , aad mast confess that I waited with some cu- riooitv for the reply of Mr. Asgard not that I myself entertained the least doubt of tho purity and feincerity of that g-ntlernan a mo- beariug pointed to the t ea his whole aontrarr. but. before I bud time to complete mv * } IP-eonstituted argument , Mr. Asgard apoke. Gravely turning to Armitage , and without the leat t siirn of resentment at the re marks so curtly put , he said : - ' aja Mi , . J • il • " ij4 ! ' " ' " ' Wiil * * " - - f1" ; : • 'My dear young friend , I Iiavo Been too much of men and mannora to tako olfunso at the plainnetts and nincerity of youth. You must pardon mo for not going nt tills mo ment into fuller explanations these would bo fruitless in view of your present acquaintance with the matter in linntl. I have don my lKi t to servo you ; my art is nt j'our com mand" here Mr. Asgard bowed toward us in a courtly ami dignitled manner "hut. pniy do not impute to mo motives which would bo perfectly purposeless , even ifl cared to trouble myself with them. " This rebuke told upon Arthnr. 1 could seo thnthofeltashaincd of tho paltry insinuations he had just made , and tho real anxioty which had caused him to make these tcntativo re marks made itself thoroughly apparent in his next wards. "I'nrdon me , " ho said ouickly ; "I am mir- prisetl durafnunded at the minutencsh nnd uppoMtenc-s of yoiir knowledge. One would think you camo from Northampton , and knew alt the families in tho neighborhood. " ( Here Mr. Asgnrd gravely dignified dissent. ) "Your descriptions of my uncle , of Miss Hoot hbyand of my cousin , must either arguo intimate acquaintance , or . " "Or intimate knowletlgc of tho scienco of foiwasting human events , you would say , " interrupted Mr. Asgard , good-humorcdly ; "that is exactly what my life and energies have Ixth directed toward I think not with unfruitiul results. "Hut , " answered Armitogo impulsively , "whatatnlto think of all this ? You have as good as told me that I am destined to murder my uncle , and the lady whom whom I mean to marry when 1 do marry ; and then that I am eventual ly to marry my cousin , whom I love and admire as a sister , but nothing more. What am I to think of all this ? Docs it tit'iu reasonable ? How , I ask you as a plain man , could a girl love and marry the mur derer of her father ? "Why , tho wildest flight of fiction , where license is most allowable , would draw the line at that. " "My dear sir. " responded Mr. Asgnrd , quietly , "I am not responsible for tho work ings of destiny. I am simply their humble exponent , for the good , I trust , of those who chance to consult me. No one can bo more wise than destiny. You can rest assured that events will transpire just nB I havo said unless " 'Tnlos what ? " put in Arthur , eagerly. "Taless , " said Mr. Asgard , slowly , "the current ofevents chungetl by thoso who nro part and parcel of those events , for they alone can inovein tho matter. Yon nnd you alone , have the unalterablo nnd inalienable power to shape tho course of vour own life. if " "If what ? " again put in Arthur , eagerly , as Mr. Asgnrd paused as if Becking for an expression. "If , " returned our venerable friend , slowly , "we are absolutely sure of the conditions ol those events , and tako deliberate measures to insure the possibility of their happening. "Anil then ? ' . ' returned Mr. Asgard , mus- Kb * . "and then ay , and then what ? At our peril. 1 have sien much and foretold much , but I have yet to record a single in stance of the successful defeat of fate , even in cases where there was the most express and premeditated purpose of doing so. " "Then you sajcontinued Armitngo , with the evident intent of pushing our friend into a corner , "that it is practically impossible for me to escape doing what my horoscope has laid down for me that I must , in short , 1h guilty of those unnatural acts which you have stated. " Mr. Asgard paused and bowed his head upon his hand before he answered. When he did so ho spoke very deliberately and earnestly. "Yes , " said he , "I believe that , practically , there is no escape from tho conclusions drawn from the configurations of tho stars and the visions in the crystal. Still , theo retically there is , and there is no reason why you , of all men , should not use your best en deavors to defeat such a terrible and peculiai destiny as we have just foreseen. " "Hut how ? " asked Armitage , sharply and impulsively , for 1 could see that , somehow , he was getting every moment more and more deeply imbued with the plausibility of Mr. Asgard's argument. "There is but one practical course thnt I can see. " returned Mr. Asgnrd , "and that is to eliminate vour own personality from the chart. " And how is that to be done ? " inquired Arthur. "By making sure , " answered Mr. Asgard , "that you cannot , by any possibility , parti cipate in the events foretold , for the simple reason that yoti do not fulfill tho conditions of time and place. " "Ah ! " acquiesed Arthur ; "then will you please enlighten mo" and I could seethe skeptical twinkle in his eye as ho said so "regarding those very necessary essentials of time and place. "Where and when , for in stants , am 1 to kill my uncle , and and Miss Ethel iloothby , for your descriptions are cer tainly unanswerable , and how can I escape the parricidal doom which , it appears , is cut out for me by the planets , " and Arthur in dulged in the faint mockery of a laugh , a thing which I remember I was sorry for , as he said this : "CJive me the timu and place , ami 1 will put my resolution against destiny that what you have foretold never occurs. " Mr. Asgard said nothing , but again took the paper upon which the horoscopes were drawn m his hands and scrutinized them eIo ely , "The place , " he said presently , drawing a deep and sympathetic inspiration , "can not be precisely worked out from the data I havo got. Butthe time can. The planets in the sixth nnd seventh houses of the horoscopo point unmistakably to the fatality I have said. Mars and Saturn on the cusp of tho seventh , in plntic quadrature , to the sun in thefourth for , unlike Lilly and the astrolo gers of our-modern era , I use both natural and mundane aspects sines , co-sines and tangents signifies , of course , tho violent denth of the nearest relative to the significa- tor. But when ? Ah. when ? That , fortunate ly , we can limit by producing the secondary aspect , and by drawing rapt parallels to ward the meridian. This fatality must occur" and in these words Mr. Asgard be came more solemn and impressive than ever "must occur directly on tho point of tho sun's ingress into cancer. " "And when is that ? " asked Arthur , half in credulously , butwholly earnestly. "At twenty-two minutes past 3 on the morning of the 22d of Juno , next year , when Mars and Saturn will be in quadrature to tho sun , the one in aries , the other in libra , " re turned Mr. Asgard , referring to his figures. "Andifthiscausualityyou speak of does not occur I am safe ? " inquired Arthur , anx iously. "Precisely speaking.yes , ' " returned Mr. As gard , slowly ; "although , remember that I la bored underdisadvantages whencastingyour horoscope and as degrees and minutes are of the first and only value in estimating time.it is possible , in the present instance that the incidents I have foretold may occur either sooner or later by an hour or two than tho actual culmination of the aspect. " "In other words you draw out , " said Ar thur rising from his seat and buttoning up his coat to go ; "you arenot sure of anything. Thero is always a loop-hole to crawl out of , and excuse me. but 1 must go. " To say that I was surprised at this very strangw movement on the part of my friend Armitage. so utterly different from the tone and manner that I had known for years , is very weakly to express the sentiments than possessed me at tho time. Mr. Asgard bowed us out , like a courteous man of the world , and together we strolled silent and mood } * back to college. Arthur was not himself again tor more than a week after , for I could frequent ly see him grinding his teeth and muttering to himself in a manner wholly unlike him , und though 1 tried over aud over again to pull him out of the moral blougli into which he had evidently sunk , I made no headway , and eventually was fain to leave things to themselves. So the term wore on till commemoration when , of course , we went down into the coun try. I do not think either Arthur or myself gave tho visit to the astrologer more than a passing thought afterward I certainly did not. not.One One thing.however , recalled it very forcibly to xnymind before I had been aweekntBooth- by Court , which was tho first on tho list of places to which we. as eligible undergrad- ntes , had been invited and were morally com pelled to go. That was the episode on the terrace , and tho whole thing Btruck mo like a flash so vividly did it recall tho vision Mr. Asgard haa Been in the crystal. This , however , was fogotten as soon aB Bfca so prone is youth to repudiate what it does not like. Arthur Armitago and myself passed "greats" next May at tho end of tho long term , and together wo again took tho London and northwestern for home , as we had done many times before. I believe that our little university incident with tho astrologer was forgotten a month after it occurred. At all eventB it was never referred to and passed , in the busy whirl of existence that we were swept into like a vor tex , into the past. In tho following Spring Arthur concluded J- s ' • * - „ I ' I - f , - ijiaiiWiJi-- - * - - * * * * * * * - ' ' " 9 to make tho regulation tour of tho world , a year being alloted him for doing so. I would have gono with him myself if tho state of my finances had permitted. Ah it was , I had tho pleasure of seeing him off a pleas ure , by the way , which sometimes does not work both ways. For eight or nine months wo heard little or nothing of the wanderer ; a telegram from Urindisi , another from Alex andria , a slip of pupei from Aleppo. Ueyrout , Damascus and Teheran ; a big draft from a mervnntilo house in Bombay , another from Singapore , and a third from Hong Kong , served to keep his uncle reminded thnt ho was in the land of the living yet. The last letter I recollect being received was ono from our own city of Sun Francisco , stating that ho might be expected home in June. Early in May , feeling somewhat indisposed - I had been reading tor a fellowship 1 con cluded thnt a littlo fresh air would do me good , and thought that a blow on tho At lantic would be tho healthiest and most ex peditious way of taking it. AccorJingly , the middlo of tho month found me in a suite of rooms on the shady side of the Fifth Avenue Hotel , with Arthur Armitage occupying ono of the lounges , I the other. In June wo began to got tired of the hum-drum routine of New York existence and yearned for a glimpse of the green fields and stumn-willows of old England. State-rooms in tho Bothnia were engaged and our luggage transferred thither for passage to Liverpool. We steamed down tho harbor , I think it. was , the :20th of June , and tho same night were rocked in the cradlo of tho deep , looking upon nothing of any con sequence but stars and seas. Two days out found us in pretty much the same condition. On the third day out , while we were on tho banks , lounging over the tafirail for an after- dinner chat , Arthur , lazily paring his nails with a penknife , suddenly made the bantering remark : "I say. old fellow , recollect that old astrol oger at Oxford who told mo I was to murder my undo and Ethel on or about the sun's ingress into Cancer ? This i ? the 22d of Juno , and either they or I must hurry up if the thing has got to be done on time. " It was not three seconds after he spoke when the short snap of the bells "revcrso steam" sounded from the bridge right above us. Swiftly out of tho fog although it was pretty fair weather for the banks , still there was tho usual fog came bearing down on us the huge hulk of an ocean steamer. Seconds mean miles when ships an eighth of a mile long meet each other , both running at the rate of twenty miles an hour , and all the nd der in tho world will fail to deflect the long hulks out of their course , if only sighted a couple of miles away from each other , in tho forty-five seconds before they must inevit ably clash. It is now nearly twenty years ago , but there aro many people , both in America and Eng land , who leel sick-hearted when the collision of the Bothnia and thcAuranin , upon the Newfoundlands Bank , is brought to their recollection. Arthur and I , as I have said , wore leaning over the tnfiYail , Arthur paring his nails with his penknife , when tho collision occurred. There was no notice but the short snap of the bell upon the bridge and then 1 knew no more. I have since learned that I was knocked senseless by tho concussion. But the extraordinary fact remains , that on the deck of the Aurania , when the steamers struck , stood old Mr. Armitage and Ethel Boothby , who had meant to give Arthur a surprise by meeting him in New York nn < 7 sailing homo with him , as our lastletters had stated that we were in no hurry. The swiftness and violence of the shock threw old Mr. Armitage against Arthur's penknife , tho steamers coming to gether side by side , and the loose bodies on deck following the usual laws of gravity. At the same time sailors were thrown out of the rigging , and tho rivets on two of the boilers of the Bothnia were sprung. Miss Ethel Boothby was thrown violently forward , I have heard , and her head striking the deck , nearly at Arthur's foot , death was almost in stantaneous. There is little more to be said , except to consider the marvelous manner in which Mr. Asgard's predictions after nil came true , in a way which nobody could have dreamed of and nobody foreseen. Helen Armitage Arthur's quiet and kindly cousin was of tho party , but escaped uninjured , and she nursed him so well for Arthur , like myself and scores of others , was laid up for weeks after the disaster that ho fell in love with her and married her after all. I would Bay more , but I am afraid that if I do so I will get a wigging when I call on them at the Palace Hotel next. But still , even twenty years after , Arthur and myself look back with meditative silence upon the philosophy of Mr. Asgard , and tvonder , after all. wheth er there is not something in it. San Francis co Argonaut. Two at ji Shot. St. Louis Globe-Democrat. George Scovill of Chestnut Hill station , "Windham county , fancies that he is the only man living who has killed two snakes at a single rifle shot. George completed his planting a few days ago , and to celebrate the accomplishment took his new TVin- chester rifle and sallied into the pas tures to hunt woodehucks. His in tention was to sit down in the grass fifteen feet away from a burrow and read a novelette until the ground hog came out or appeared in front of his hole in returning from a preda tory excursion in distant clover fields , when Mr. Scovill would stealithly lift his head above the wind-swung dasies , sight his piece , and put a 32- caliber bullet directly under the woodchuck's chin , or into the little round proturberance between the ears at the back of its head. He had often performed thefeat at twenty rods and returned with three or four woodehucks after a single afternoon's sport ; but he Avas destined to do finer work on this occasion and on snakes. He had not gone far into the pasture before his attention was arrested by a rustling noise that sounded angry , and the next instant the irate head of an immense black snake was thrust out of the tangle of a neigh boring blackberry clump not ten feet away. The wicked black eyes of the serpent winked viciously at Mr. Sco vill , its head wagged to and fro , its red tongue shot out as swiftly as the flying needle of an actively worked sewing-machine , and for an instant the banter experienced the peculiar sensation of self-surrender that snakes aro able to excite in all other creatures. * But Mr. Scovill was not slow to recover hit ; self-possession. He instantly lifted his rifle , and , though the object lie sought to hit was a small one , was very steady for a moment : he trusted to the intui tion of natural marksmanship and pulled the trigger for a snap shot. The bullet wciiYu-ue , the snake ' s head suddenly went down , and the hunter heard the sound of a great thrashing amoung the bushes , lie made his way into the copse. The first extra ordinary thing that presented itself was two restless black tails that aim lessly twined aud untwined them selves about the black brier stems , and next he saw two snakes " heads , one completely severed from the body and the other hauging by only a small strip of black hide. Both heads bad been perforated by Mr. Scovill's Winchester bullet. The biggest snake was not less than six feet in length and the other was a few inches short er. Both were ugly-looking reptiles , and Mr. Scovill will not soon forget the deadly fascination they exerted when the dual head , which appeared to be that of erne serpent only , was thrust out at-uin. _ ? t • • • Married Couples Here and in England. An American lady writes as follows to a London paper : "An English married woman in your upper classes , as a rule , cate chises and cross-questions her luck less husband when he comes home , worn out , from tho house of com mons , or from a race-course , or from the city , and sooner or later ho has recourse to evasions , of subterfuges , from very weariness or her vexatious interrogatories. The happiness of. English marriages has been wrecked by the husband insisting upon know ing every thing that the wife has done or said , or thought since they last met , and by the wife being equally exacting. The fault of your husbands is that , when rich , they have not enough to do , and hang about then- homes until their wives .me tired to death of their very presence and com panionship. No home can , in my opinion , be happy unless the hus band is away from it every day for man } * hours. In tho United States we have no idle men. Our wives , on the other hand , havo time without end to dispose of , and their husbands think it the most natural thing in tho world that these vacant hours should be filled up and spent as the wives please. In England tho reins are rarely left untightened on a wife's neck , and she is often tempted to slip her muzzle. Jn America wives have no reins and no muzzles , and never seek to fix either on their hus bands. Until Englishmen of the higher classes conform in this respect to our easy-going American ways there will be no surcease of divorces and matrimonial scandals among you. " Qa - C * .a A Pair of Fools. George I ) . Prentice in tho subject of a little story from the lips of Col. John A. Joyce , which I have not seen published before.'You know , maybe , " says Col. Joyce , "that in my early days , when I was 10 years of age , I used to write poetry for George D. Prentice , when he was edi tor of the Lousville Journal. Ono day I went to the city , and , as the editor had been good enough to print my poetry , I called to see him. I climbed a rickety stairway and found a negro man at the door of the sanctum , who demanded my card. I had none , but tore off a scrap of paper from a bundle in the hall , wrote my name , and sent it in. I was admitted. Prentice was tit work. He never looked up. His chin was almost on his desk. A pilo of ex changes stood on a high stool near by. Seeing that Prentice did not rec ognize me , I knocked the exchanges from the stool. He looked up. " ' " ' "Who are vou. "Tma fool ' I 'Who , said. are you ? ' 'Tin another ; shake , ' he replied. " Louisville Post. hi 31 Ti ' C i Domestic Manners in Host on. From tho Boston Courier. There was a good deal of wisdom , and withal a deal of unconscious satire upon the domestic habits of many heads of families in a remark which tipeditor overheard tho other day. "Yes , " one lady observed to another , "he is a real good man in his family. I've often been there to breakfast , so I know. " The men who at breakfast are raging tyrants , give a point to the remark which makes it note worthy. Somebody has recorded as the touching epi taph wherein a bereaved husband summed up the virtues of his lost wife : "She always gave me the heart of the celery. " As a companion in scription , there might be engraved upon the tombstone- any msiu who was worthy to-be so remembered : "He was always good-natured at breakfast. " ' It is doubtful if the epi taph , truthftlly used , would be in any special danger of being hackney ed. HIT ) ' ll < C ' " "Was He Pions or Lazy- Deacon Emerson was very strict about keeping the sabbath. Ono Sunday morni ng as he was riding to- church , Mr. Emerson being on a pil lion behind ho saw a fox chasing a rabbit , which dodged under a large log. "Deacon ! " exclaimed Mrs. Em erson , her sympathies being touched , "don't let that fox kill the rabbit ! Get off and scare him away ! " "Wifpy " replied tho deacon with a long-drawn sigh , "it would be breaking the sab bath to interfereand ho rode on leaving poor bunny to its fate. "Tho deacon is a very particular man , " said his wife , in relating the story : but for tho life of me I couldn 't say then whether he was to lazy or too pious ! " History of Weare. X. H. . s > -o-e " The Molehills and Mountains of Life. From the Philadelphia Itecord. Mrs. De Dash "Oh , yes my plan ol managing a man is to let him have his own way in small things , and then he is more impressed when you oppose him in great things. It is simple enough and very easy. " Fair young bride'But what do you call small things ? ' ' " "Ob , smoking in the back libraiy , sitting with his legs crossed , neglect ing to properly adjust his necktie , and so on. There ' s no use fighting about such things. But when a man begins criticising milliners' bills it is time for a woman to sissert herself. " A Millionaire's Will. The will of the late Christopher Meyerof New Brunswick.N. J..leavea to his daughter Margaretta § 200- 000 , to his son Howard , for his maintenance during life , a sum not to exceed § 7,000 per year , and to Howard's daughter Helen Rosvena. the sum of § 100,000 , with interest until she attains her majority. The balance of the estate is divided equal ly anions * other heirs. The estate will schedule between 811,000,000 and § 12,000.000. r " - / . J wkHSmKS/HSmMmWBfiks S The Outcast. Uno dark , cold winter's night , when I was ti bo } * , my mother and 1 sat together by the kitchen fire. Mother was engaged with her needle work , and relating in her quiet way some simple stories of her childhood. The rest of the family had retired , nnd it was growing near midnight. At length she pub away the work- basket and was moving to the street- door to assure herself of its security , when a low groan sounded on tho outside. I screamed from fright and caught hold of my mother's skirt. I looked into her face and noticed how pale she was. "Be quiet , my child , " said she. "Wo listened for a moment , my heart throbbing quicker , and again Lhe same mournful wail , as if borno on the storm , reached our ears , plainly , distinctly , above all. Mother moved me behind her , nnd turning the bolt hastily , pulled the door ajar. A gust of wind swept through the room , scattering in every direction tho decaying embers on tho hearth. At that moment a female figure , wrapped from head Lo foot in tin old , torn cotton gown , tottered into tho room. The hood fell from around her face , and , heav ens ! What a face ! The remem brance of it haunts me to this day. Mother locked the door , and , turn ing around stood motionless , gazing at the wretched figure. "Do not , oh , do not , in God's name , put me out in tonights storm ! My very heart is cold ! " ' said the poor rreature , in the same tremulous voice. "You may remain till morning , " said mother , going to the heart hand rekindling tho almost extinct sparks. "God bless you ! " said the wander er , with a sigh of relief. "I'll stand here till the heavy wet drips irom un clothes. " "Madam , " said she , at length , "I know you will not go to bed while I am standing here , and if you sit down and listen for a while , and tell your boy to give his attention , I will tell you a story from which ho and you may learn something ho espe cially , who has the journey of life be- ' lorehim. " "When she saw mother prepared to ' ' listen she began thus : "Notwithstanding that I am to- night the poorest of the poor I have J boon brought up in the midst of pride ' and flattery. My father was a wealthy | gentleman. He was kind and gener- [ ous to all around him , especially the poor. My mother , on the other hand , was proud and overbearing toward all. I being an only " child , the took ' particular pains that my mind and ' manner should be fashioned after her 1 own. This , I may say , was no difficult ] task. To preserve peace at home - father always endeavored to conceal 1 his acts of charity from her. ' "One day father was riding out to "J tho hop fields when his horse took - fright at a pack of hounds and , dash ing ofthrew him to the ground , breaking his neck. On a hillside on * ' tho estate , within view of tho draw- [ ing-room window , stood a neat littlo - whitewashed cottage , not unlike - . For mother s your own. many years had tried hard to induce father to ' dispossess its occupants and level it \ tt > the ground , and [ believe " twas ! the only point on which he openly ' " disputed her wish. The tenants of - the old and J cottage were an woman her little grandchild. "The day after fathers interment i a party of men , under control of our e biiliff , set out to demolish tho little home. - " "Never , even through all my weary * sufferings since then , can I forget * : the wild dispair of old Mary Eckford , c when they flung her out upon the < | highway and began to demolish the - little home in which she had lived j1 for over forty years. For a moment . she stood with her hands clasped ( above her head , then uttering a wild I shriek , the sufferer turned her eyes j- : toward us , then raised them toward * ; God , and said in a voice that to- * ; night rings in my ears : : " ' A curse onou and yoursr ! - • "She spoke not another word and - ' they soon had her from our sight , " : but for fully two miles we could hear the heart-broken wailings of her lit- ? ; tie granddaughter. That very night J ! the curse began to fall : the mansion1 caught fire and was burned to the j s ; ground. We-moved to an old house j • ' on a distant part of the estate and | ] commenced to fit it up for a tern- ' poravy residence till the mansion * would be rebuilt. Owing to father ' s * great liberality wo werenot possessed P of sufficient fundsto restore the man- j1 sion to its former grandeur , and as - ' nothing less would do mother sheobv' tained a mortgag. * on the estate. " But instead of making the mortgage for the requisite amount the lawyer \ made it fur just ten times tho sum.s at the same time giving us only the * | needful amount , applying the enor- " mous balance to his own use. "We knew nothing of this till the mortgage came due. The entire val ue of the estate Avas no more than adequate to this debt. Mother ' s a want of economy jiad entailed onus b many other debts. We were poweri i * less. The lawyer fled the country , o The brewer seized tiie estate , and. in w one month after , mother beat out IJ ) her brains against the wall of her ceil n in a lunatic asylum. At once I found w myself without a home. fri--nds. or money. What little cash I obtained s ; for mother ' s wardrobe-and my own was stolen from me in a London d lodginghou e. Helpless to do anyn thing for myself. 1 was cast on the cold charity of the world , down to p the lowest level of those I had been tl taught so well to abominate. " Ii "You shall not go forth tonight , " g said mother ; "revenge belongs to ei God alone. " New York News. f ; : - b in j n r i A cowardly attack was made at the high V ! trestle station on the Minneapolis & St. e Louis railwayoppositeShakope , Minn. , by a Tom Haas , formerly residing at Shakopee , \ but iccently of Canada upon Henry I'ois , the C mailcnrrier between the city and thestaticsn. a After tho assault Hans jumped upon the Q > train aad decamped for parts unknown. His victim is badly injured and was unceu : ioue vhan brought to ta\-n. [ 0 - • a * . - - - -BBBBBBBaBB A Hot Fight With Hears. A correspondent of tho St. Louii Globe-Democrat , writing from Green Pond , Khi. , gives tin interesting nc * , ' count of a light three women had 4 with three bears : \ At Bat Simpson's son's place , some i i three miles from here , and about nZm\ \ \ ' half mile from the river swamp , the women folks had an exciting contest with bears a few days ago. Mr. Simp- , . , j son takes great pride in his hogs.f and has some very fine ones. The pen is near the house , nnd tho fence which surrounds it is very strong , ' being built of heavy rails strongly braced , and seven or eight feet high. j He has had visits from bears before , • but thought that such a fenco would \ bother them not a little. I - * The men folks were off about a hall mile front the house , at work , and the females , Mrs. Simpson and her two grown-up daughters , were washing at a small stream that runs near the house. About 10 o'clock they heard a gretit uproar at the pig pen , whore at that time they had some ten por kers fattening. The hogs wore ; squealing in wild alarm , while above all could be heard the deep grunts that too plainly told who tho intru ders were. The plucky women , how- ( ever , didn't intend to let their prize porkers go without a struggle. Mrs. • Simpson ran up to the house , and j seizing the tin horn blew aloud whistle which she knew would bring up the men in a hurrv. The two girls and their mother then seized big brands ! of pine knot sfrom under their wash boilers and ran out back of the barn where the pigs were.not counting theii own danger at all. As they rushed around the corner of the barn ' tho loud whiffs and growls of the . bears gave thorn an idea ol what was before them. Climbing up ' the fence into the pen were two big , gaunt , black follows , while a younger one was sitting down outside as if on the watch. The girls were not daunted by the savage growling , and made for the young one ' , waving their fire-brands and shouting . loudly. The bear stood his ground till they got so close that ' tho flames flashed in his face , when he turned suddenly and ran off with a savage growl. He stopped alter • ho had gone a dozen rods and licked his wounds , snarling savagely all tho time. ' Running up to the other two bears ' on tho fence , they thrust their torches close to the animals'haun ches , resulting in their flesh being burned. With roars of rage and pain the two scram1 .led forward , and not taking pains ; o secure a safe footing , both fell' In ullong into the pen. As the bears landed in their quarters , the hogs all fled in the wildest alarm , going through a small hole that led under the barn. The imprisoned animals just then ' began to get mad. Th--y rushed ' . around the inclosure , and then rlashod up the inside of th-pen , climb- ' . ing with a rapidity that showed they meant business. While ? fi-s. Simp son ran to the house for an ax , tin- two girls Kin up to the fence , and as Mie animals got their heads over the fop rail , flashed their torches in their faces , burning and scorching them terribly. They couldn 't Ma ad this md fell backward with savage roars. The young cub now became brave I ill at once , and advanced upon the < 2irls growlinir and snarling as he | • ame. One of the .sisters ran toward I lim , and at the sametime the two -rapped bears made a desperate at- / " j empt to regain their liberty. With . | me of the guards absent it seemed is if one of them would surely escape. . Fhe girl met one of them as his sav- tge face appeared over the rail with ler effective torch , and he again Iropped backwardHis plucky op ponent then saw to her dismay that he other onewas apt to get out , as 10 was nearly ovt-r , and , being on he opposite sideof the pen , she , ' ould not get around there in time. , Jut to her relief her mother at thi.s j noment camo running around the \ ornerwith an uplifted ax in hand. > ' raking in the situation at a glance he rushed up in front of the escap- ng bruin and delivered a blow at his mid paw. cutting it off. Mrs. Simp- on uplifted her ax. took deliberate dm and brought down tho sharp > lade square on tiie bear ' s head. iVith a snarl of pain lie fell back into he pen. Tho young cub , in themean- ime , retreated before the blazing line knot , though the roar of its nates had incited its anger to the lighest point. While one of tho * omen kept it at bay. the other two runrded imprisoned animals. . Finally the men arrivedind , hasti- v * securing their Winchesters , made j hort work of the bears. The women re all gra tely praised for their plucky , ight. j Relations of a Married Conplo A matronly looking German worn- M n , a rosy-cheeked lass of 1 fi and a 9 ilue-eyed German youth formed an M lteresting group in tbimarriage - -ja fiice recently. The youth blushed < * hen he gave the nameof Joseph m urr and said he wanted a license ta M uirrv the buxom Tass , . whose name M as Catherine Duyr. 'm "How ' s that you're both the- H ame name ? " a > ked Clerk Nichols. "Oh , " said the matron : "tliis is my H aughter. I was a widow when I < fl tarried this younir man ' s father. " 9 Clerk Nichols gave the necessary * 9 apers. but sighed as he figured out he numerous family complications fl iableto ensue from the nmriife. . Tho 9 room ' s stepmother will be his moth- 9 rin-lawaud his father will bo hisstep- " * 9 ither-in-law. He will be the bus- 9 land of his stepsister , whose mother 9 rill be her stepmother-in-hnv. The 9 ouple will be the stepuncle and step- 9 tint of their own children and the 9 hildren will bo not only brothers 9 md sisters , but stepcousins to each 9 ther. The bride will be her own 9 topsister-in-Iaw and the groom his 9 iwn stepbrother-iiv-lavu 9 'jaal ' :9 :