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j^l ^1 ^ I ^ j lewis m. grist, proprietor. | %\\ Jwlppfiidcnt Jfamilij |lfu:spapcr: (dfor the promotion of the political, Social, llgcicultiiral and <$ommei<tial interests of % Jtouth. | TERMS?$2.00 A TEAR IN ADVANCE. VOt?. 38. YOEKYILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, MAY 35, 1893. NO. ' - - - -a J !iL - CHAPTER V. The arrangements hadbeen made with cas.-e and forethought?the sick man, from his bed in the New York hospital, having been "explicit and masterful," as the bride had laughingly declared. And the good, kind people with whom Phyllis had made her home had aided him to the best of their ability, meeting his wishes half way, and grudging no trouble to which they might be put in furthering them. Royal found, to his unspeakable comfort, that they were to be accompanied as far Q? Alexandria by a relative of the young lady who had been down in the mountains of Virginia / on a visit and had remained over for the wedding. She was introduced to Royal as his "cousin Mrs. Hart," and his liking went nnt tn her at once. There was a Largeness in her atmosphere, a sympathy in her fine, intelligent face and frank, cordial 'manner, to which his nature instantly responded, and he felt that her going with them would be like a crack of daylight along a dark horizon. Perhaps the tide would turn tt last and run for a while in poor John Royal's favor. For himself the arrangement would, at all events, bring divided responsibility. That Mrs. Hart was a widow he surmised from her mourning gown and a certain unattached air about her. His prepossession seemed fully justified by the treatment accorded her ou every hand; for young and old clustered around her and persistently ignored the diguily of her conjugal appellation. She seemed to be Nina" to everybody. "It will be a comfort being with Nina until you can get a suitable maid for Phyllis," Mrs. Brandon remarked in a motherly way. "The dear child needs a good deal of attention, you know, and some help in dressing. She would never consent to have her pretty hair cut, because she heard you say once that short haired women were your abomination. You wrote about her mammy, but that wouldn't do at alL The old woman is i hopelessly rheumatic, and would be miserable if taken away from home. You must have forgotten how old she is. Nina thinks it would be better to get Dr. Taaewell, the oculist, to recommend tt woman?somebody you could rely on." Royal crossed the room and folded back the sheet from the dead man's face. 'She is under treatment." Royal put hie query in the form of an assertion. "The very strictest. And she is so good and patient, so anxions for a care for your sake as well as for her own. She would not wear anything over her eyes in church this morning. I couldn't blame her, although I scolded her for her vanity, and made her promise to keep the lids closed, and doubled the lace so that one could scarcely distiu- j guish her features. A girl naturally! wants to look well on her wedding day [ ?particularly when her lover sees her for the flret time in six years. We wrapped her up well, both going and returning, so I don't think she can have taken harm." The squire, an energetic and impatient old gentleman, speeded the parting in a manner which Royal felt he could never sufficiently applau J. He had fresh horses put to th > rirrh-;.! as it stood before the doer, and bu6', '. ...l about and hurried the women with their preparations, laughing and joking with the utmost joviality. This was not farewell at all, h-: cheerily declared, only that French thing the pronunciation of which lu could never remember, and which meant just nothing worth mentioning. The schedule did not admit of extra kissing on the down grade, and the party would certainly be left unless a limit was pat to embraces. As for recommendation to take care of Phyllis and himself, ho would scorn to name the thing to a man who could defeat death and the doctors, and come hundreds of miles to be married twp months after he had been reported broken all to pieces. So the journey commenced amid inerriment and kindliness, and overwrought' as he was, even Royal lost sight for a moment or two of the grim fact that through him darkness and death had joined hands. When he had his charges safe in the car and felt the train in motion he drew a long breath; he was another step nearer the end, at all events. The struin on him was beginning to tell. Phyllis was in the gayest spirits, and laughed and chatted merrily. Her face was closely coveted, the heavy veil doubled across her eyes, for which Royal knew there must be reason, but fbrebore to inquire into it just yet. Hoj had gathered that the young lady's case was far from hopeless, and the knowledge that it was so brought more relief and thankfulness than his position toward ! her would seem to warrant. He could realize the intense importance which im-: mediate possession of the money must have had for John Royal?importance so great that he had been willing to risk his life to secure it. It might mean sight to the eyes as well us food and raiment for the body of the woman he loved. It made the conditions of the will more difficult of comprehension than ever, but he fbrebore to trouble his mind with that question. Other matters were more pressing than could be the solution of an apparently impracticable woman's vagaries. They would make better time on the down trip, the conductor luronnod mm; the grade would help instead of hindering them. Royal, cognizant of the inevitable puin to which each revolution of the wheels brought them more near, set himself to prepare the minds of the women, in a measure, as best he could. The' girl's cheerfulness smote on mm with a sense of discord, as though one should encounter mirth at a deathbed. And yet ?o sadden her seemed to him just then the hardest task he had ever been compelled to put his hand to. His pity i pulled him both ways?ho could not let the calamity fall on her like u thunderbolt from a clear sky, and still, even to i turn her mind in the direction of the coming disaster, to his overwrought nerves appeared like drawing a child ' into the already wavering shadow of u rock which would presently fall and i crush it. It took all the courage of which he was master to follow the lines laid down for himself. He was as adroit as it is in the nature of a straightforward man to be, and there had been nothing to arouse the suspicion of his companions or make them doubt his sincerity. To them he was the master of the situation, the i [JlES IWELYE i GJHELtftND. I * t by American Press Association.] grand male creature who had j ust proved : possession of manhood and puissance to ' an unprecedented degree. T^ey heark- J ened to him graciously, and treated him , with the subtle suggestion of trust and dependence which is spontaneous with | all womanly women. After a little the t talk, insensibly guided by Royal, drifted ' to serious things, and he told theui, an of a strange and pitiful happening, of his meeting on the train the day before i with a poor young fellow, ill unto death j and in sore trouble. He told how lie | (Royal; had noticed him fainting in his seat, and, being a physician, had gone to j him to do what he could, and then had discovered that the sick stranger liad a claim on his care, being a brother Mason. He fpoke of the interest which this dis- ; covery had aroused, and of how it had j deepened in view of the other's courage and patience, and of how he bad been j obliged to leave him at last in the j strange hotel, without frieud or kinsman ' near, fighting his battle with the grim destroyer alone. Ho made a little story of it, and gave it to them as simply as he could, hoping to arouse their interest and sympathy. And they usked questions in hushed voices, and were sorry in a sweet impersonal way, as women will be over tales of sorrow. "Did you find out his name?" Mrs. Hart inquired. Royal replied in the affirmative. That ' was the reason he had troubled them j with the story, he explained, thinking ( they might help him, perhaps, since they j most spend the night iu the very hot;l where the sick man lay. Tho name wits i the same as theirs?Royal. He might be J a kinsman. Who should say? "Might?" repeated Mrs. Hart, her in- i terest all aflame. "Why. of course he is a kinsman; he must be. All the Royals are related, and Virginia is full of them. How very strange, your meeting him that way! I wonder to which branch of the family he can possibly belong." Phyllis also manifested interest an J concern about this "stranger cousiu," as she dubbed him. But her mind appeared to dwell most on Royal's own share in the business, and she whispered sweet words of commendation in a low voice which thrilled through Royal, who had not Bought to produce this effect, and made him more bitterly conscious than ever what a tangle the matter had become. Meanwhile Mrs. Hart appeared to b mustering all the Royals, dead und alive who had inhabited the commonwealth in the past or were inhabiting it in the present, in her efforts to satisfactorily place this new Royal. "Yon don't know his Christian name, I suppose?" she observed, and then saved him from a dilemma by answering herself, "No, of course you wouldn't think to inquire at a time like that, and iu such a hurry as you must have been, too. Still, I wish I knew it. A Christian name nearly always locates the branch. Ifs apt to give an intermarriage." Alter a moment 01 renecuon, uunug which she fastened this scion to every Virginia root of the Royal tree und plucked it away again, she continued meditatively: "There was a Royal who went west when I was a child. His name was Philip, which is a family name in both genders. He married Pauline Hart, a first cousin of my husband's, and a sister of that very John Hart to whom Anne Royal was engaged. I wonder if this young man could be Phil Royal's son! You must find out, John, because if he should be he is doubly related to you two, and also a close connection of my own. How strange and romantic it would be! Just think of it, Phyllis! The nephew of your aunt's old lover, and for John to liave met?nay, more, to have befriended?him on his way to be married to you on the fiftieth anniversary of that which was to have beon A? .1.1:?. ,1?.. IT... AI auiil'ouwu wcuuiu^ ua; ojjuu ixai v? j I never iu my life heard anything li ice it!" Ner had Royal. He had wonder>xl why such stress had been put on the 28th of December. He understood it now for a woman's sentiment about the day which was to have crowned her own love story with fruition. As much trouble as this sentiment hiul already caused him, and wus likely to cause him iu the future, he liad 110 impulse to mock at it. He was too real a man to bo devoid of reverence for romance. When they plied him still with ques- J tions he said that he did not believe that i the sick man came from the west; he | was convinced that he must be a native ! born Virginian. A whimsical thought I would obtrude itself relative to the 1 greatness of their bewilderment when I they should be confronted with the ne- J cessity for transposing his identity with that of the other John Royal, He him- , self was the son of Philip Royal mid Pauline Hart. When they reached their destination j Royal hurried them to the hotel, secured j rooms and established them comforta- j bly. Then he left them to see after his patient, he said, and to attend to other matters. Mrs. Hart followed him into | the corridor to say tliat if there should be any service for the Bick man which she could perform, ho must not fail to i let her know, and both ladies bade him send them news of the poor fellow's con- ; dition. Royal walked down the corridor with a step quickened by aniiety. He had hurried the ladies in, not daring to make inquiries in the office nor to interrogate the servant. The hotel people were aware that he had gone for the sick man's friends. He had himself informed j the proprietor of bis intention, explain- : ing the impossibility of immediate torn- j munication with them by telegraph. The ladies under his charge would be received as appertaining to John Royal. At the door of the sick room he paused to compose his countenance, und to shuke off, if possible, the weariness which oppressed him. Then he opened it anil en- j tered. The shutters had been closed and , there was no fire in the grate. The out- ' side air entered freely, but it could not \ ->i * a*-- - i -1 4kn UJBpCl VUU fcwTiUJ^U UUU13 111 LUU n.vmj, , about the place there was a look 01 neat- i nesa that was unmistakable; every chair I was in place, and the white covering of the bed hung straight and smooth over the sharp outlines of that which lay beneath. Royal crossed the room and folded ! back the sheet from the dead man's f;u:<*. It was very peaceful, with all the lines of care and pain smoothed out, and that strange reflection of a light that never was on land or sea touching and brightening the still features into a look of j youth, a look of hope. Royal replaced the covering with a pain at his heart which his brief acquaintance with the dead man would hardly justify. It was j as though a part of his own life had j been suddenly swept into the infinite. ; That silent form would lie a barrier forever separating his future from his past. lie touched the bell. It was answered almost immediately by a colored man, one of the hotel wuiters, whom ho in the nrgoncy of tho case hail installed as nurse that very morning. How long ago it seemed looking backward through tlw full hours? the hours so few in numlnjr, so plethoric with events, so pregnant with change I which would affect his whole life! It almost seemed its though an ordinary ; lifetime must have intervened since he I | had given his hurried directions to the | man now standing before him. He pointed toward the bed. "When did it happen?" he inquired. The man, a civil and intelligent fel- j low, stepi)cd to the bureau and brought the dead man's watch. " 'Twos mighty | easy an' i?eaceful atde las', sar," he said, ! as he handed it. "He suffered mightily j arter you lef, un' t'other doctor he look like he couldn't give him no res'. 'Twa'n't I in his limbs, sar?all feelin' had gone out'n dem; 'twas in his body an' back. Den do inside hemo'ages come on an' he sunk rapid, an' ut las' jus' drapp'd off like a chile gwine to sleep. Da doctor had got 'feared an' gone for 'nother doctor or somelxxly, so t'wa'nt nobody wid j him 'ceptin' me an' Lucy, the 'oornan what j waits on dis passage. I 'lowed you mout j be partic'lar 'bout de ti ne, bein' a doc- ! tor yo'se'f, an' my mein'ry ain't g<x>d like J it used to be, so I jus' stopped his watch arter breath had lef him good." Royal opeued the watch in his hand. It had been stopped at ten minutes to 12. Ho replaced it on the bureau, and signed to the negro to leave the room. Then he sat himself down beside the dead man and tried to think. CH^ ^ ^ Mrs. Hart's tears fell fast from very I'lty. But thought in his then physical condition was an impossibility. The more he endeavored to muster ideas into line, to pursue suggestions and to reach defi- J nite conclusions, the more elusivo did each and. all become. The affair was at a deadlock which his wearied brain refused even to strive to break, busying itself perversely instead with the require- ( ments of his wearied body. Nature liad been pushed to tho point of resistance and doggedly demanded her rights. Had the case been that of another man Royal would have recognized tho 1 futility of his effort at once, but for 1 himself he persisted fully half an hour in the totally useless experiment of try- j ' ing to force nerve and brain tissue to work of which for the time they were ! incapable, thereby proving that knowledge and experience admit of more ready application to general than to particular cases, and alao the truth of the proposition that a man has usually one rule for his neighbor and another for himself. However, he gave it up at last, forced, like liis betters, to admit that so long as spirit shall be incorporate in matter it must submit to the limitations of mat- j ter. He made such temporary explana- ' tions to the ladies under his charge and such arrangements for their comfort as would relieve him of anxiety on their account for the hours necessary to secure ; needed rest for himself. When he awoke the light was strug- j | gling through the shutters with the gray I pallor peculiar to winter dawn. The | great hotel and the streets around it were as still as the heart of a desert. Royal dressed himself and went to the window. All along the street, in places, shadows lay, as sharply defined us silhouettes by the electric glare, which ; deals little in the soft shading and witch- i , ery of the moonlight which it simulates. It was too early even for the rattling of ' Tnlllf carts or the matutinal billingsgate of sparrows; but away in the distance, : beyond the voiceless thoroughfares and ! expressionless houses, the sky was faintly j ' coloring for joy in a coming good. Royal drew a chair to the window, j and grappled anew with the situation, j , taking it externally, and us apart from himself, after the manner of a man of j action whose intuitive position relative to circumstances is that of an extra- | neous, coercive force, rather than one ! which is inherent and, insensibly, regu- I lative. 1 It did not take him many moments to decide that a disclosure of the true state j ' of the cose was inevitable, and must bo : made as speedily as possible. In spite 1 ' of the intimate connection with the af- 1 fairs of the dead man which had been j { thrust upon him, he know next to noth- 1 j o i~:.. t :i.. ' lug ui uis jlquiiij icmuuun \jl uiwuui- , stances. Be might have brothers and ' sisters, even parents, living with whom it wonld be necessary to communicate ! at once by letter or telegram. There wonld be funeral arrangements to make, 1 and explanations of some sort to give to 1 the carious. A man dying amid a hotel 1 full of people cannot be carried to a cemetery, and incontinently buried 1 without further cognizance being taken of .the mattter than such as would bo ' ' involved in the settlement of hotel and j . undertaker's charges. None knew bet- . ter than Royal the impossibility of avoidance or escape from the omnipresence of human curiosity. The question in i>oint was, to whom should the story first Ikj told? Under ordinary circumstances it would have seemed to him most fitting that tin; jhtsou most nearly concerned in an affair should be the one earliest made intimate with its rumificutions; but the present circumstances were anything but ordinary, und the communication lie was called upon to make might easily bo reckoned unprecedented. Royal's instincts revolted from the straightforward method; it seemed to him rough , . and brutal. He still IiojkmI, in some as yet misty and mysterious manner, to bo able to spare Phyllis a little, or at least to soften things for her. Knowledge of her uffliction had aroused his interest in u way totally apart from, and yet strangely commingled with, the interest awakened by the peculiarity of his own position toward her. To this last, indeed, he gave little thought, for in his mind sin; was still too elnsi'lv associated with John Royal to admit of identification in any way with | himself, lie was simply conscious us u man of un infinite pity for her and as a physician of the fact that here was a case which would require delicate handling. llis thought hovered around Mrs. Hart with an ever increasing sense of relief and satisfaction. Here was a beacon amid the rough waters for them. He luul been brought too frequently into juxtaposition with the creature feminine under various and trying circumstances not to recognize a sensible and helpful woman whenever he beheld one. If there should be worse breakers ahead she would indicate their presence and also show him how to sha]K? his course so as to avoid more damage than would 1*> iuijierativo. Of his own unaided efforts in this matter ho had come to feel profound distrust. The event proved that lie had not reckoned without his host, for when the natural consternation and bewilderment incident to an upheaval of accepted conditions had passed away Mrs. Hart rallied to his assistance with all the gallantry of a large matured woman. Her acquaintance witli John Royal had been so slight that her regret for his death was without the poignaury of jtersonal bereavement, while her admiration, sympathy and comprehension of his motives und character rendered the process by which bho set him aport and exalted | him into a chevalier sans peur et sans reprucho a simple evolution of sentiment. I Her incut active and dominant thought j in the matter was for I'hyUis. After some moments given to meditation, during which Royal watched her, conscious of naught so much as the relief of divided responsibility, she turned a troubled face toward him. "It's positively awful, this happening , just now," she declared. "I luean it's ; more disastrous than if it should have j happened at any other time. You i haven't got at all the complications yet: but you're a doctor and a member of the | family, so I can speak quite freely, and j can depend on you, I'm sure, to help me 1 decide what will bo best for tliat poor : child in the other room. This calamity j ought to bo kept from her, and yet bow I we are going to contrive to keep it I J can't see. Perhaps you may be able to i suggest a way." In her anxiety she ignored the fact of j the marriage by proxy having really j taken place, or rather she unconsciously j allowed for it on a wrong premise. Dr. | Royal himself she accepted pretty much , as his namesake had accepted him, as a j man who inspired trust and might help j her out of a difficulty. The fact that so ! far he had proved himself more adroit at 1 complicating difficulties than at furnishing solutions for them somehow , failed of its proper impression. John ( Royal's death, ror tne time Deing, appeared to nullify all that had preceded it. : Royal now learned that for more than | a year the girl liad been under treat- j inent for the diflen.se which obscured her i vimon; that she had Hpent months at Mrs. Hart's house in Alexandria during ; the previous winter, in order to be near I the celebrated oculist who had cliargo of her cafle, and who divided his time between New York and Washington. The , case had progressed so favorably that the great man had appointed a day with- j in that month?indeed, within the next fortnight?for the final and ull important operation which would restore her sight or leave her hopeless forever. Meanwhile, the strictestflsaro had been enjoined to keep the patient bright and i hopeful, to surround her with cheerful influences and auguries of promise. Nature must bo iuduced to co-operate with science to effect a cure. Any sudden or overwhelming emotion, any violent change of conditions, either mental or physical, was to be specially guarded against. That was the reason why she had not been taken to the hospital to be married after the uccident. Royal had feared contact with his own pain for her. For J the same reason they had, with one consent, made light of the accident; for it I had been necessary to tell her of it guardedly, because of a word or two she j had overheard, and also to account for the fact of Royal's enforced delay. It had not seemed worth while to postpone the marriage. Immediate possession of the money had been a matter of grave importance, and both parties were fully aware that it could be a marriage only in form until the great question for Phyllis should be deciaeu. Alter tne accident, indeed, John Royal had been j more than ever insistent that the ur- ; rangements should stand. They had > yielded to him and had kept Phyllis bright and interested about her plana, ' and so prevented her from thinking too much or gro wing anxious. She had wonderful self control, poor child, and knew the paramount iinpor- ; tance of absence of pronounced emotion; I but what woman's self control would bo equal to the straih which knowledge of her lover's death must put on hers? Then, too, she had been sustained in her efforts by consciousness that happiness for John, as well as for herself, was involved in her preservation of equanimity. And what will not u woman do und endure to make herself worthy in the eyes of the man who loves her? If this incentive and restraint should be removed, who could tell what disastrous consequences might ensue? Mrs. Hart well nigh wrung her hands in her sympathetic appreciation of the difficulty of the situation. To be so near the goal and then have hojKJ balked of e??I A m.1 ...... , LIUlbiUIJt A11U UUW VTMCli C11U IV/oo Vi vuu | money would make the recovery of J right moro than ever a priceless boon! \ What could a blind woman without : money be save a dependant all her days? I A.nd what a fato was that to contemplate from the standpoint of two-andtwenty! If only John Royal could hav j j accomplished his purpose? If only the i broken frame could have obeyed the he- j roic will! Mrs. Hart's tears fell fast ' from very pity and a swift realization j 3f human impotence. Royal's words surprised her: "Was sho much attached to her cous \ in?" IIo put the question in alow voice, j For attachment in the sense of lovers ; Mrs. Hart could not answer, but thought j it improbable that that sort of ardor j could now bo a factor in the engage- \ merit. The pair had been separated for j rix years, und during that time it was reasonable to suppose that the youthful | emotion which had drawn them together should have evajiorated. That there ex- j isted, however, strong love between the j cousins their conduct toward each other i had proved. John Royul had been a j quiet man, sho had always heard, ab- J sorbed in his profession and ambitious of j distinction therein; not a man of much worldly wisdom, nor much addicted to 1 society. Phyllis had doubtless nursed her romance us much through force of circumstances us aught else; sho had been brought up in the knowledge and belief that her cousin would he her matrimonial destiny, and during her most impressible years sho had been held apart from forming any other attachment by the blight which had slowly and insidiously crept over her. "It was that which prevented Miss Royal from summoning John home boforo," Mrs. Hart explained. "Sho was so anxious that Phyllis' sight should bo restored before ho should see her, and j the disease was obliged to run its course. I Anno liked to arrange tiiu procession for her people down to tin; most minute details. Sho kept full knowledge of the child's condition from him, and I Is?- j * * 1 1? _ . 1 1.. .4 III novo It was only JUHl ueioro ner nisi hi- j ness, when the possibility of euro was at j hand, tliat sho took him into true eon- i fidence. And, as ill luck would have it, that letter did not reach John for months ! after it was written." "Why did sho make that iniquitous I will?" demanded Itoyal, who felt that I hero ho also had cause of complaint. "God knows! 1 think, however, that it was made just before John sailed for Europe, and while the engagement \v;is fresh with them all, and the young jieo- ; pie very much in love. Perhaps her idea | was to keep John true by making his cousin's future dejiendent on his constancy. When a copy of the will was sent him, after his aunt's death, and some indignation was expressed, John wroto us that ho had been aware of its ' contents for years. None of the other friends was. They might have coaxed some reason and justice into Anno Royal if they had been. Like a great many I women, sho never talked about wills; j sho seemed to have a feeling that to j make or even mention such a thing would bo to prop tlio door open for i death." No ono more than Hart Royal could appreciate tlio importance of satisfactory adjustments between physical and men- ! tal relations in cases like the present. IIo talked tlio matter over with Mrs. Hart, and, out of pity for the girl and an unconscious adaptation of their thought to tlio lines indicated by John Royal's conduct in regard to her, they decided that they would continue to shield her from knowledge of her lie- ! reavement until tlio operation should ' havo been performed. It would be but for a short time, they thought, and no living being would l>o injured. Of tlio property there would bo no occasion to think for three months yet, as that timo must clapso ero the executor ! would render his account. And of Royal's kindred there was none, accessible, | nearer than Phyllis. His parents had J entered into rest many years before, j and of his two sisters one had died in childhood, and tho other hod married a missionary and gone away with liim to some impossible place, whero u letter j would be months in reaching her. They removed Phyllis to another ho- j tel, where there would "be no chance of j her accidentally acquiring more knowledge than they desired for her. She had ) been told of the death of the stranger, and also that he was really a kinsman and alone in the world, which sufficiently explainod the fact that John and Nina ' should dec ide to remain in Matoacca until after the funeral. t. They followed him alone, those two, , well knowing that if the still heart and quiet brain could respond to sentient thought or emotion John Royal's de- i tision would be that it were better the \ guerdon of tears should be withheld from his memory forever than that the j falling of the drops should dim one chance of light for the eyes of his beloved. CHAPTER TO Royal liad about completed his arrangements for leaving the hotel in ; which so much of import had occurred, when a chance remark caused his own position in this affair onamesake to 1 assume proportions and a complexity which well nigh overwhelmed him. Ho was standing in the hotel office, | ai j?i. 1..? I ear me ciera ? uran, uu nuii/u iaj wo open register. The young doctor stood , at his elbow, tho same to whoso fledgling i care John Royal had been committed, j They had been speaking of the case and \ of its untoward ending, and had gone ; into details of interest and importance i to no mortal soul save members of the i profession. Suddenly the young fellow ' put a question: j "The young lady In kin couttln and next j of hln. Site In my wife." "Were you brothers? Excuse me for : asking, but the name is the same for both on tho register," laying his hand on the book. "They've put the same initials, too. But that's a mistake, I reckon." No, Royal explained, there was no j mistake. The names were the same 1 and they were kinsmen, but not brothers. He cast his eye on tho register, as he spoke, and read lxmeath the name of | Mrs. Walter Hart that of Mrs. John ' Hart Itoyal. it surprised mm, ior no : had no recollection whatever of having placed it there. Then ho remembered that in the excitement and hurry of the arrival ho h?d neglected to register the ladies at all. It was probable that the clerk had supplied the omission from information obtained at the fountain head. "His wife, I suppose," the young physician hazarded. In the second which elapsed before he replied Hurt Royal's mind seemed to work over the whole case, from start to finish, like an electric flush. He appeared suddenly confronted by u point of view the instantaneous absorption of which by his consciousness made it seem something which ho had known all along, only failed to give it due prominence. The pause ere he spoke was so slight that it passed unheeded by the bystanders, but during it Royal's whole mental position, and a good part of his external circumstances, had been shifted. "No," ho made answer quietly. "The young lady is his cousin and next of kin. She is my wife." CHAPTER VIIL "Oh! it'n trcnuiulously funny, I dart j any!" he growled. "Poor child! Poor Phyllis!" Mrs. Hurt's face worn a com passionate I expression, and her voice had tender, j ' < i*l 1 1 I... 1 commiserating inneocions. rmo mmju uy : the window, looking out into the street i with eyes which conveyed to her mind no imago of that on which they rested. Royal paused in his restless walk and silently gazed at her. Her tone made him wince like the touch of a nettle, j lie was too much oppressed by the re- ' suit of his own precipitation not to be j sore and irritable. Involuntarily he re- I Bented the implied depreciation. "I am not a bad man, as men go," lie remonstrated. "A blundering fool, if you will, but 110 villain. Your tone implies that I have been both." Mrs. Hunt turned toward him. As slio did so she caught an expression 011 the young man's face which reminded her curiously of her husband. Her eyes j softened and a smile came to her lips. 1 Sho had seen the look lieforo during the days that they had been together, and always with mute, wistful acknowledgment of the tie between them. After all, he was Phil Royal's son and of their j own people?which fact, in the lady's mind, considerably ameliorated the situation. What would have been her attitude toward Royal if, instead of being a memlier of the family with blood right of interference, ho hail turned, out siin- j ply a blundering stranger, whoso tender nature had ruled his reason to such dis- | astrous effect, it is difficult to imagine, j Fortunately lor Royal sho was not p ut ! to the test. A kinsman, like the shnj>o of a nose, can bo accepted and endured with the pleasing consciousness that, ex- i ternally, the worst is known of him, j while the introduction of a stranger into one's life may be attended with as grave fisks as those incident to the French notary's experiment. Mrs. Ilart loved romance with a , southern woman's love, and moreover j she was gifted with a subtle sense of humor. Interwoven with the tragic and ! pathetic elements of the affair there was ! comedy as well, for those sufficiently disengaged to appreciate it. And, for the lifo of her, Mrs. Hart could not forbear imaginative pictures of the self complacent soul of her kinswoman, assertively comporting itself in the infinite, suddenly confronted with a view of the situation as it now stood. Even a disembodied spirit, in such caso, could not | escape recognition of limitations <i.nd acknowledgment of the futility of all arrangements for pulling stroke in the lifelsKit of other people after this mortal shall have put on immortality. The pithy old Scotch proverb recurred again J and again to Mrs. Hart's secretly divert- i ed mind with a relishing sense of its applicability. "What did the lawyers say:" she (pies- J tinned, coming toward him, and tacitly I ignoring her own discourteous exchuna- j tion and his impatient reception of it. Royal pushed a chair toward her, but | declined one for himself. In his nervoasly excited condition it pleased him bettor to tramp about the room. They ! had been in jriexandria a week, coming ; directly home with Mrs. Hart after John Floyal's funeral, and during that time , the dead man s substitute had devoted j himself to discovering what might \w his legal status in the affair. Of his case in equity he had no shadow of doubt. "There hasn't been time enough for anything like research yet, and a lawyer is nothing without precedent," he an- i swered. "I've seen a couple of fellows j here, and stated tho case hypothetically, ' and I've talked to a man or two in Washington besides. Of course I've only gotten horseback opinions as yet. Nobody I've seen has ever gone into a thing like this. One fellow told mo plainly that he didn't believe such a case had ever ! even been imagined before." "But the general impression was? i what?" Royal paused beside her chair, and stood looking thoughtfully down at her: "As far as John Royal is concerned j l;he case has but one point of view. They all agree on that. The proxy marriage was no marriage. Under the circumstances ft couldn't be. A man in articuTo mortis, as John Royal was at the time of the ceremony, cannot enter into a contract; the law wouldn't recognize iimch an act as conscious and voluntary. Even if ho had lived it is doubtful j whether the proxy marriage would have ! Btood. It would have given us what vo i wanted, though?a fighting chance fin the money. Marriages by proxy are > unusual that the law don't provide for differentiations of them." "Then the marriago with John is null and void?" "It's non-existent." "And with you?" Mrs. Hart; looked searchiugly up at him: she put out her hand to prevent him from resuming his restless pacing backward and forward. "The marriage with mo was genuine. Listen and I'll try to make it clear to you." With allowance made for inaccuracies j of understanding and statement due to ; lack of legal knowledge and a, perforce. . prima facie reading of the case, the gist i of that which Royal had gathered was ; this. Marriage was the special charge j of the law, and by it regarded as the I prime pillar of civilization, therefore j every possible facility hiul been afforded j people for entering the matrimonial | state: the notion beintr. unnarentlv. that the more marriages the more props? 1 ergo, the more civilization. In the present case the names of the . two men being identical and age and ap- I pearanco sufficiently similar to cause the ' license to fit either indifferently, and the ! woman having consented to marry the man she was with, the marriage ceremony, it was declared, had constituted them man and wife, and nothing short of a divorce could change the relation. The woman had designed and intended to marry her cousin John Hart Royal, and she had married her cousin John Hart Royal, and the fact that the man she had espoused was not the man to whom she had engaged herself could not 1 militate against the stronger fact that she had considered the man with whom she had gone through the ceremony as the contracting party. This nosubse quent declarations would change. That Hart Royal by suppression of tho fact that he was acting as proxy should have invested himself with entire responsibility as principal appeared to follow as a logical sequence. And any ex post facto effort to free himself from the consequences of his blundering inighc justly be considered as treacherous evasion, and would certainly be accredited to a discovery on his part that his impersonation of tho dead man would be barren of linancial results?would place him, in short, in the position of a baffled and malignant iinpxistor. "You see how it is," the px>or fellow fumed. "I'm caught in the trap by both legs. If .'[ hold to ray marriage, I'll be foisting on a woman a husband she don't love and don't want, and that, too, when she think3 she's married to somebody else. And if I get a divorce in order to free her, the rnuy think, and tho world will say, that I do it because I can't get hold of the money. Nobody had a hint of the proxy business at the time, and nobody is going to believe in it now. I wouldn't myself if I were outside of it all. Peojilo will swear tho whole thing was a plaat from beginning to end, and that I'm shaking tho bag because I've got found out. There never was such a confounded mess Bince tho world began!" Ho actually stamped on the floor in his impotence and bewilderment. Mrs. I Hurt's face was turned from him, but u j suspicious gurgle and movement of her j shoulders uttructed his attention and | changed tho current of his thought. "Oh, it's tremendously funny, I dare say!" ho growled. "I don't seo the joke j myself, but to airoutsider I suppose it's j exquisito. 'Tisn't often one has tho ) chance of rejoicing over a man wrig- I gling in a dilemma like a worm in a woodpecker's beak. I'd laugh outright, though, if I wero you. It's more decent than sniggering in corners." A handsomo face, in which amusement struggled with contrition, was turned toward him, and two hands were cordially extended: "Forgive me, John, and don't be cross! I'm going to help you, I am indeed, with wits and will both. Only I couldn't forbear a quiet chuckle. You looked so preternaturally concerned and solemn j and?and caught." Royal was mollified. Few people could I resist the charm of Mrs. Hart's manner; it was invigorating and comforting, like sunshine. Catching her eye he experienced a sudden and delicious revulsion of feeling, like that produced by a bit of commonplace in un abstruse volume, llo bit his lip to keep from smiling. "Nina," lio rebuked, "the way you are taking this affair is positively subversive of morals, instead of howling at mo i with indignation, and hounding on tho populace with tar and feathers, you are acting as though tho situation wasn't past mending. And I lieliove in your soul you are enjoying?yes, actually enjoying it with tho flippancy of a gamin, j What do you snpi>oso is going to become of you in tho other country if you don't fetch his folly homo to tho fool in this?" Ilis words were light, but they overlay considerable! emotion. Ho was grateful to her witli a gratitude lieyond or- , pression for her sympathetic comprehension. "Something moro satisfactory than endless psalmody or aerial progression, I hope," sho smiled. "Mocking at those ia sore straits and grievously tormented I hold to ho my mission. Seriously, though, I am sorry f??r you?truly sorry, llut after all, John, it isn't you that m.:.- ! tors so much. The situation is and w 'l ho much harder on Phyllis. You did ' *, you know. When tliero is a smash m;; the man who holds t'.io reins and does tho breaking gets tho most comfort out of tho affair." 'm ?! " I-i- -m.\i ii. inn I in: jjinuum iu mo i.uiuwi .1 ciittsw] ltoyal's face to soften, and he let tho blood relation frankness of his comI(anion's sjieerh jkiss. J lis intercourse with Phyllis, restricted ius it had neces- | sjirily been, had awakened within him a tender, chivalrous devotion, touched and materialized by admiration and a sense of iM-rsonal possession. Her acceptance of and absolute trust in him, her sweetness, patience and courage, won on him day by day. I lis professional instinct prevented him from feeling any of that intangible, egotistic shrinking from afdiction inherent in so many men, and the hojM'fulness of her ease caused it ta present no bar to her uttractiveness. Then, too, it is probable that the consciousness that she was his wife?no matter how sin; had become so stirred and influenced his emotions more deeply than lie was himself aware. lie was very considerate and gentle; with her, having always in mind that ' time of disclosure which must surely | come. He had taken no advantage of the situation, and lie intended to take i none. Probably his unconscious inanli- I ness explained the readiness with which Mrs. Hart had constituted herself his j ally. Her own instincts in regard to her sex were tender and protective. "What are you going to do?" She had risen, for from the room across the hall there came to her ear the sound ! of soft music. The blind girl had found | her way to the piano, and was cheering her darkness in the manner she loved best. They had left her long enough alone. Royal squared himself. "It would make a pretty castf," he observed impersonally. "The lawyers told me so. That ten minutes to 12? time of the death and the ceremonywould admit of considerable argument. The 'shake-bag' fellows would flock to it like hogs to the call of corn. But I'm going to give them the go-by, divorce courts and all. I shall stand to my marriage." "And the money?" Royal's thought consigned the money to the halls of Eblis with emphasis and dispatch; his speech was more circumspect: "The .moneyJjas done harm enough*. It has been the active agent ra the fin-*' broglio. We'll let that part of the business mellow for a while. John Royal's legacy is of vastly more importance than his aunt's." The expression of Mrs. Hart's face as she quitted the room was like spring weather, a conflict between sunshine and shower. She managed, however, to cast a jest back at him over her shoulder: "In the division there'll perhaps be enough to buy a ring for Phyllis?by putting two parts together. My own share shall be devoted to defraying the expenses for making my will according to the Royal prerogative." [TO I5K CONTINUED NEXT WEEK.] gltsrtHanrous grading. IN HIS NEW HOME. Rev. G. 8. Itobinson Writes Interestingly of the Virginias. Correspondence of tlie Yorkvllle Enquirer. The Yokkville Enquirer is a welcome visitor in this fur off land. Its weekly uppearance is no less appreciated than when a citi/en of the county, and thinking that possibly some of your readers would like to hear from this section, I have concluded to jot down.a few notes. Tlie time necessary to reach this place from Yorkville is about 34 hours, including a long stay at Kock Hill. There are two routes of travel, both via Charlotte, N. C., and the K. & I), railroad to Lynchburg, Vu., where they diverge to come together again at Hurper's Ferry, on the West Virginia side of the Potomac river and at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers. From Lynchburg, one route follows up the James river and its tributaries to Lexington, where is located the Washington and Lee university, in the chupcl of which is the Lee mausoleum. It is a life-size figure of General It. E. Lee, cut out of pure white marble, and represents the general in a recumbent position, as he was accustomed to take his rest during the day. In the cemetery near by, may also be seen the bronze statute of General "Stonewall" Jackson, mounted on a high pedestal and facing the west. Both of these figures are well executed, and at once suggest many sorrowful recollections of the war cloud which so fearfully devastated this country from 'CI to 'Go. From Lexington to Harper's Ferry, the route is down the beautiful Shenandoah valley, whose beautiful scenery, old camp grounds and hard fought battle-fields are doubtless familiar to to many of your older readers. This is indeed a beautiful and lovely valley. The people are noted for their kindness umi hospitality. The lands are - !- 11-. tine tor tunning purposes, especially for the production of grain. It is also fine for raising fruit and stock. Hut as there is less changing of cars and a faster schedule, we chose the other route via Washington, D. C. We spent several hours in the capital city, but the day was inauspicious for sightseeing, as there was a continuous downpour of rain all the time. It was a great disappointment, as we hoped to visit a number of places of interest. From Washington we travel directly to Harper's Ferry, on the main line of the It. it (). railroad, where we entered West Virginiu. Thence by Martinsburg to Cherry Hun, where we ngain strike the Potomac and travel up its limpid waters for many, many miles. The railroad is double tracked and runs very near the river's edge. On either side of the river, and extending almost to the water's edge, the lofty mountains rear their majestic peaks high up towards the clouds. In many places there is not sufficient room for a railroad track between the river and the mountain, but the difliculty is overcome by digging down the mountain side, and where this cannot be accomplished, they then resort to tunnels, of which there are quite a number on this road. One near Tunnelton, in Preston county, West Virginia, is seven-eighths of a mile in i ugth. For many miles up the Potomac the mountain scenery is grand neyond description. It must be seen to be appreciated. The course of the river reminds us very much of a succession of S's. At Patterson's creek we cross the river again and go over into Maryland, going by Cumberland, and traveling many miles in that State. While in Maryland we get up on tin* top of the mountain range, where the scenery is grand. Deer Park, Mountain Lake and Oakland, are beautiful towns, nicely laid out on the top of the mountain. The houses are designed after the modern style of architecture and present quite an imposing appearance. The ground ' ?? with beautiful irreen J ' - ; grass. It seems to he one solid turf. We enter West Virginia at Terra Alia, in ITcston county?tin; highest point on tlie road in this locality, 2,7<)i) i'eet ahove tide water?thence across Taylor county to Clarksburg, the county seat of Harrison. Clarksburg is an old town, situated on the main line of the II. it (). railroad, .'W:{ miles from Baltimore, and SI from I'arkersburg on the Ohio river. In the incorporation there are II,001) inhabitants and a number of contiguous hamlets, some of which are simply an extension of the town, though outside of the corporate limits. The educational facilities arc good. In addition to a large graded school, Broadus college, under the auspices of the Baptist church, is located here, together with a number of private schools. Also the West Virginia Business college has recently been estah- I lished here, and is now training about lot) or more young men and ladies to battle with the great business problems of life. There arc three banks, all in successful operation, and a number of machine shops, foundries, roller flouring mills, carriage factory, organ factory, woolen mills and a number of other manufacturing industries. Railroads arc also well represented. In addition to tlic B. *Sc < >., the Moiiongabcla River road, and the Barkersburg and West Virginia both centre here, giving us about thirteen trains and nine mails per day exclusive of freigh trains. The town is well watered, having the west fork of the Moiioiigahcla river on the western boundary, and a large creek running through and span ned with quite a number of fine iron ! bridges. The health is said to be very fine. ' To a Houth Carolinian the town seems to be surrounded by mountains; but the people here say they are only hills. At any rate some of them are very steep, and lift their heads far up to- 1 wards the heavens. At this season they are very beautiful. Everywhere the green grass abounds, even to the very summit. We have an excellent system of ter-works, and the town is well lighted with gas and electricity. The spiritual welfare of the people is well provided for. There are seven white and two colored churches, and all the white churches have pastors; but I am sorry to say that these privileges are not appreciated as they should be, for quite a large number of the people never go to church. It is, indeed, missionary ground, and much - * A l A of tne iana is yet u> oe pu8?es?eu. The people here are very kind and pleasant, much like the South Carolinians. When we arrived at the parsonage, the pantry was well filled, and quite a number of nice things, and valuable, haVfe been sent in since, and still the ladies) have a peculiar brogtie, together with a rapidity of enunciation which renders conversation a little difficult, and sometimes painful. I was a little surprised to meet here such familiar names as Brown, James, Davis, Robinson, Thompson, Harris, Phillips, Owens, Martin, Campbell, Wilson, Peck, Reed, Osborne, Morrison, Ferguson, Jackson, Miller, and of course Smith. In fact this is said to be the home of the original "John Smith." An instance of longevity deserves a passing notice. There is a colored woman who is said to be 101 years old. She remembers the war of 1812, and says she saddled her master's horse for him to go to that war, and was grown at the time. General "Stonewall" Jackson, of war fume, was born here. The house of his birth stood just across the street from the site of the elegant court house. The propriety of c-2cting a statue to his memory in the court house yard is now being agitated. As in South Carolina, so here, there is a good deal of politics in the air. Each party is rallying its forces around their respective standards. Thepoliticial complexion of this town and coun- ! ty resemble the old lady's children. When questioned by the minister as to their sex, she replied, "They are fairly mixed?but mostly boys and gals." 80 this people are "fairly mixed," but are mostly Democrats and Republicans. Recently, a branch of the Bedel gold cure institute has been established j here for the cure of drunkenness, the opium and whisky habits. There are four practitioners in the institute and " .1 I- !~1 | they guarantee a cure ionneir wiiihk.^ and opium but not for tobacco. They claim to succeed with some tobacco patients, but not all. The land in this section is said to be very fertile. On the edge of town, and just in rear of our manse, is a pasture in which is a very high hill. I was told that hill would yield 70 bushels of corn per acre without any fertilizing. I do not vouch for the truth of this statement, but from the number of the cornstalks which I saw on a given area, and the size of the stalks, it is evidently very productive. Underneath the soil is a layer of coal nine feet thick, which is mined and ~ ? " * * ? a. 1 f? delivered in me coai nouses ior *i.iz per ton. G. 8. Robinson. Clarksburg, W. Va., May, 1892. MILLIONAIRES WHO CAN^O SOMETHING. George, the son of Jay Gould, is an expert telegraph operator, and capable of making twenty-five dollars a week when he cares to secure employment as an ordinary telegraphist. He can sit down to a fast press wire and receive newspaper copy for hours without a break. His acquisition renders him a valuble companion to his father in the long trips that the latter is accustomed to take ucross the continent every summer. On one occasion, the Goulds' special train ran off the track to a desolate Dakota priarie. George Gould, fortunately, had a telegraph instrument with him. He scrambled up a pole, and cutting the wire, connected his instrument with the circuit. He signalled a station fifteen miles away, where his calls were quickly responded to, and soon afterwards a wrecking train arrived with men and provisions. On another occasion he cut a wire 011 a prairie, and being without an instrument, received an important mes- i sage tor bis father by putting one end of the wire to his tongue. The letters of the Morse alphabet were reproduced in the pulsations upon his tongue, and the result was as satisfae- j tory as if lie had an ordinary receiver with him. George Vanderbilt, a young man I who has spent a million sterling in j building a castle in the wilds of North ! Carolina, is an expert typewriter and stenographer. Voting Jack Astor, who married last summer, and who is destined to become one of the wealthiest men of America, is a professional florist, and a connoisseur on the subject of orchids. Young Cyrus Field, the son of the I man who laid the first Atlantic cable, j is a practical electrician, and has invented several clever electrical appliances which are in commercial use. In Cask of Alvjdknt.?Professor Wilder, of Cornell university, gives the following short rules for action in ease | of accident, which it will be found useful to preserve ami remember : For dust in the eyes, avoid rubbing; j dash water in them; remove cinders, j etc., with the round point of a lead pencil. Remove matter from the ear with tepid water ; never put a hard instrument into the ear. ir .... /?,( <>nmtirr>Kg nhnvc 11 illl ill in J in %% *.) llie wound ; if a vein is cut compress below. If choked, get upon nil fours and cough. For slight hums dip the part in eold water; if the skin is destroyed cover with varnish. Smother lire with carpets, etc., water will often spread burning oil and increase danger. Before passing through smoke take a full breath, and then stoop low; hut if carbonic acid gas is suspected walk erect. Suck poisoned wounds unless your mouth is sore ; enlarge the wound, or, better, cut out the part without delay ; hold the wounded part as long as can he home to a hot coal or end of a cigar. In case of poisoning excite vomiting i by tickling the throat or by warm waj tor and mustard. j If iu water, Moat on the hack, with | the nose and mouth projecting. For apoplexy raise the head and 1 body; for fainting lay the person flat. Mad a Bit.i.iocs Fkki.inij.?In a restaurant down at McReanshoro the other night, says the Mount Carinel (III.) Register, a party of young fellows i were sitting and standing around the ! stove waiting for the midnight RouisI vilh'it Nashville train to come in. One | of the gang had been out the night bej fore with his best girl and was exceed1 ingly sleeply. Stretching himself in ! a chair he was soon in the land of Nod, ; the upper half of his head unhinged | and thrown hack and his mouth so | wide open that it resembled the cn| trance to the I'atton tunnel. The hoys gazed on him a few moments; then I one of them slipped out to a drug store, from whicn lie soon reiurneu who u small pill of asafcetida, which he deftly placed upon the sleeper's tongue. The warmth of the mouth dissolved the drug in a few seconds and the snorer awoke, stretching, gaping and yawning like a Cherry grove darkey with a premonition of a Patoka creek chill. "Boys," said the victim, "darned if I ain't as billious as a goat 1 I never in my whole life had such an all-fired mean taste in my mouth." And the shout that went up drowned the whistle of the approaching train. THE DEVIL'S REAL ESTATE. There is hilt one spot on the earth's surface, as far as "Ye Curious Man" knows, that has been really and truly willed, deeded and bequeathed to bis Santanic Majesty. This sometime-tobe sulphurous spot lies four and a half miles south of Helsingfors, Finland. A few years ago, Lars Huolarineif died in the little town of Pielisjarvi, in the above named country, leaving ooqsiderable property in the shape of real estate. How he had come into posses-' sion of so much land no one seemed to know, but as be was a very bad citizen it was generally admitted that he dcvfi)- ftpo that they u&d fisu uNiuy buisiness deals with each other. This somewhat startling opinion was varied when old Huolarinen died, for, upon opening bis will, the Magistrate found a certificated warranty deed inclosed therein which deeded to the devil all of his (Huolarinen's) earthly possessions. The will was to the same effect. The family have tried repeatedly to break the will, but so far have been unsuccessful; thus the records plainly show that his Sulphuric Mfyesty has a legal right and title to some excellent grounds in the near vicinity of both Helsingfors and Prielisjarvi. The simple people of the neighborhood havechanged the course of a road which formerly skirted the Huolarinen homestead, and declared that they would nnt pntpr nnon the nossessions of Sa tan & Co. for all the money that three such estates would bring. Although no living person has passed the threshold since the old man died, the mansion is said to l>e brilliantly lighted ' every night, and many curious stories are told of unearthly frolics the devils have 011 this their only known earthly possessions. Uncle Sam's Daily.?The Congressional Record for the Fifty-second congress lately made its appearance. Some interesting facts are connected with this official gazetteer of the proceedings of congress, says the Cincinnati Commercial-Gazette. Altogether, the publication makes more typesetting and presswork than half a dozen ordinary papers in the United .States. It Koa fenm 1 to 1n<i<rea of DUUiCVUUM7 uuo nvu4 ?vv |?O? solid matter, which would make an octavo book of 400 to 500 pages. It requires an enormous amount of type to get oujt the Record. A new dress is produped at the beginning of about every Other congress?every four years, and sometimes every two years. Anew dress means over 100 tons of type? many times more than there is in a dozen of the largest printing offices, including type of all grades. About 12,000 copies are published. Eaclf member of the house gets about 27 and each senator about 40 copies daily. These they have mailed daily from the government printing office to those that wish to have them. Some of them are preserved and bound at the end of the session, all free of cost. A new dress of type for The Record costs in round figures $73,000. It costs probably $3,000 to $5,000 to give a first-class daily newspaper a new dress. The type came from tile foundry in Chicago and filled 383 boxes, averaging a weight of 115 pounds. The old type is sold at the best prices the public printer can get. It is usually about half worn when sold and ordinarily commands about five cents a pound more than the metal is worth. Many newspapers in the country have been given a new dress from the old dresses of the Congressional Record. A two-year-old dress of the Record is ordinarily not worn more than that used for twelve months in a country office, as there is so much in use here, and then everything is stereotyped. Care of the Face.?It is said that good soap is a great beautificr and a great preventitivo of the uncomely looking "blackheads"' which are such a disfigurment and are so hard to get rid of. The real cause of these unpleasant little specks is not, as a rule, anything more serious than this. Some people have much larger skin pores than others, and the dust collects, settles and finally forms a hard, black, little substance which probably would never have a chance of development if the skin was thoroughly washed with soap twice a day and rubbed vigorously with a coarse towel. I)o not be afraid of a red nose, the redness will soon fade away and leave no trace. We will add that the face should be greased well after the soap washing has been gone through with. A good plan to follow is: At bedtime wash the face with hot water and soap, rinse thoroughly; then "work in" by rubbing slowly and firmly the grease?cold cream preferable. This loosens the blackheads which are so snugly imbedded, and in the morning the soup and water will do better service upon a softened pliable skin. Persons with rough skins will be amply paid for their trouble. It is tedious to be sure?weeks and months it may be needful to persist in the greasing. Veils are undoubtedly a contributory source of blackheads. The meshes become saturated with dust and exhalations most injurious to a delicate skill. By constant friction they are rubbed in and settle in the pores and i are sealed there by a black speck. j Street dust is unavoidable, but it is I much less harmful taken straight to I the skin than through a veil. Birds Did His Work.?An almond grower of this locality hit upon a neat device for gathering his crop last fall. His trees bore largely, and this early became known to the yellowhammers, a species of the woodpecker tribe of birds, and they had regularly stored away large quanities of ripe nuts,taken from the orchard, in the limb of an oak tree near oy. The astute orehardist watched operations and at last hit upon a novel nut i and labor saving plan, and he lost no time in putting it into execution, j The limb was sawed from the tree and replaced by a square-shaped funnel long enough to nearly reach the ground ; a bucket was then set underneath. A genuine robbing game then went mcrily on. The birds gathered the nuts, which they dropped into the funnel and down into the bucket below, and as regularly as night came the almond-grower would in turn empty it of its contents and set it back for a new supply. This was kept up until the entire crop had been gathered, and the ycllowhammcrs departed broken-hearted at the heartless deception practiced upon them.?Sutter City (Cal.) Knter! prise. tyrit" The oflicers and sailors of the navy get $7,500,000 and the oflicers and soldiers of the army .*10,000,000. , I'nelc Sam spends $ 150,000 for horses j for his cavalry and artillery, and pays ! bis retired army oflicers a million and j a half of good round dollars.