Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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MA PULASKI; j Jj^F ?OR ? ^The Victim of Circumstan- j Kl tial Evidence. ??#?? ^hStc;y of Nihilistic Piottings and Crimes. j WH BY LEON EDWARDS. jig CHAPTER XXYI.-rCoxTiNUED.] n Count Linwold handed back the . BBpaper, and said, with one of his unsuit ?ble and inevitable bows : ' "His Majesty has been pleased to in- ! dicate to me his purpose, as to the disposition to be made of the Pulaskis, ! 1 and of the other matters in this note. ; For the Pulaskis I naturally care noth- j ing. Men in my sphere cannot be an- j noyed by malcontents and adventurers; | but, General Paul, the happiness of ! my daughter is another matter, and I j * am here to receive from your own lips | your intention as to your pledge." "And my answer iB ready," said the : * General, with a manner that might be called fierce; it was certainly deter- j mined. > "Would you please give it me?" "To begin with, I am under no | pledge to your daughter. If I were, ! 1 should keep it though it would kill ' me, for I do not yearn for an alliance "with one of your house " "Sir!" "Hear me out. You came here for my answer, and, by the Eternal Father j of all! you shall have it without equiv- : ocation!" thundered the General. "All . St. Petersburg knows what you seem j f to be ignorant of " r"What is that?" "That Colonel Orloff, a libertine and ! a gambler,_is the accepted lover of the I Countess Jilvira .Liinwoia. is ay, ao i i not lay your hand upon your sword. 1 r I am no boy, and I have not retreated r from drawn blades in the bands of k fcrave men. I can prove what I say. Bear me out! "If I were offered the throne of the j Czar, on condition that I accepted your | , daughter's hand, I would scorn it as a I full man scorns common food. You have driven me to say this. Go from my presenco, sir; for, with Heaven's ( help, I can endure the affliction of j your cowardly malignity and His Maj- j esty's wruth. I have not feared death, j "Why should I fear either of you?'' No mere verbal description could | convey an idea of General Paul's in- ! dignation and wrath as he uttered these words, nor is it possible to ; 'describe the white anger of the cringing j tnoble who confronted him. "I did not come here to quarrel," ! -?aid the Count, now perfect master of himself. "I came for your answer " "And you have it." "Aye, I have it, and I must confess I not disappointed. Henceforth, our life piths lie in different directions. I Henceforth, this empire can be no thome to ycu. Henceforth, the name of General Paul shall cease to be ! (mentioned in the presence of my mas- ' ter. Youhavechosenyourowncour.se. 1 "Wh^n florjiin we sneak, vou will be -cringing on your knees before mel" Wifh this, delivered in icy tones, Count Linwold crossed the room, . .wheeled and went out through the ' L still open door. ' ^~~Nearly at the same instant Lola entered through an opposite door, and seeing the General, whitc-faced and panting, tottering into a chair, she ran to him with a quick heart cry on her "trembling lips, and said : ' "You are faint! It is your wound!" i I "Aye, the old wound, my darling," j iie said, affectionately Then, seeing j ithat she did not understand him, he iadded: "It all comes of my love for j you and my hatred of those who would wrong you." ' i "Alas! alas!" she cried. "I feared ! it would come to this, and so I tried to restrain vou." arm.- l ' J. LIU 1UVO mat/ mm ue icsnaiucu uj tfear is not worth the having." He took her little hand, and gazing lovingly into her beautiful, troubled eves he went on: "It has come to this, that you must leave Russia at once " wMy father and I," she said. "Yes; within forty eight hours you must be beyond the limits of the empire. But do not be alarmed; you go not alone. My mind is made up. Do not attempt to change me now," he jjaid, at the same time rising to liia feet, with a flush on his cheeks and the -old battle light in his eyes. CHAPTER XXYH. A FIENDISH PLOT. Tyranny is the mother of conspira- I cies. Nihilism could not exist in the United States, where there is perfect freedom of expression. It prospers V* with oppression and flies before freeA dom. Despite all the vigilance of the Czar's ; ^^countless spies, the spirit of discon- ! tent and revolt permeated every grade ! k -of society, from the splendid coteries ' of tVe palace to the ragged peasants i crouching in their cheerless homes. Ev?n the army, on which the infatuated Emperor depended to uphold his ever-tottering throne, had its secret societies, organized to overthrow the tvr- ; anny of which it was at once the tool j and the slave. Colonel Orloff, though an officer of ligh rank, was, as we have seen, a Nihilist. Into the ranks of that oath-bound | and bloody-minded organization thero poured not only tbe intelligent few ( who yearned for a higher liberty, but ' .also the criminal classes, who had ev- j fn or*jin and nnt.hinr* to loRft hv a state of anarchy. There was also a smaller, and per- j haps a more powerful class, who, like ! Colonel Orloflf, joined the Nihilists ! because of blasted ambition or a j [failure to receive consideration from ftheir masters in proportion to their own exaggerated standard of merit. Colonel Orloff was a disappointed man, and a destructionist of the most pronounced type. Ho believed that j the C7ar bad wronged him, in decid- j ing that certain estates belonged to ! his cousin, Count Orlofl', and so hi I ent< red into a conspiracy to put hi-i master and his kinsman out of the ; way. It was midnight, and in the hall de- I ?cribed in previous chapters, the : Nihilists, disguised as was their custom, but yet well known to each other, I ^g|gsembled to plot an assassination that j wotdd set the world aghast. The Czar had cruelly set at defiance | nil the edicts of Jehovah and all the 1 weii-recogwzea laws or Humanity 10 ! accomplish the ends of his boundless j ambition; the day had come when I men, driven to a maddening despera- I tion by the oppression of themselves [ and of those thev loved, were to retal- J iate with a barlanty that proved they counted their own lives as ncth- I intr. provided they could strike the 1 tyrant down. " 1 Colonel Orloff was the head of this society. He sat in the presiding officer's chair, masked as were the score3 of men and e.iually desperate women about him. (jeorge JNevski and tne men irom tiie Neva prison, Lance and Maux, were : there also. In only a few cases did the disguises actually conceal, for only a skilled actor can change form, voice, and man- ' Qt>r I Brothers and sisters,* began Colonel Crloff?he was known as "Number Five" to-night?"it pains me to tell you that one of out number, one in whom we have hitherto plactd the sublimest faith, has turned traitor to our cause " "Traitor!" gasped the people, and ' more than one hunil dropped to tho i belt where either knife or pistol (or both) was carried. "Aye, traitor!" he responded. "I demand his name," said George Nevski, the old costumer. "He is known to the world as Ivan I Berger," was the reply. "Ivan Berger!" came like the echo of , a death gasp from the excitea people. Aye, lvan merger.In an iustunt a number of men were on their feet, but above them all towered the giant form of Manx, late re- j corder of the Neva prison, and his j deep, bass voica rang out like a trum- i pet as he smote the table before him ; and Baid: "I know Ivan Berger to be true as steel, and assuming all responsibility for my words, I denounce as a liar and a slanderer the man, or the woman, for the matter of that, who dares to charge Ivan Berger with being a traitor!" These bold words met the approval i of many and the disapproval of a few. j There was danger of an encounter j between Maux and Colonel Orloff, but < the excitement was allayed by George Nevski, who sprang to his feet and with arms outstretched, said in soothing tones: "Peace, brothers, peace! "We have I foes enough outside! Let us deliberate; i let us hear why Number Five thinks j Ivan Berger a traitor." "Because I saw Ivan Berger not two i hours ago talking with uount .Lanwoiu; j I followed him and I saw him enter i General Paul's hotel, where the woman j we once called our queen now finds an j unenviable protection. True, Ivan Bergor was disguised, but I am satisfied that his identity is known to those he serves " "Appoint a committee to investigate Ivan Berger's case and the case of Lola Pulaski," said one, "and then let us on with the all important business that has brought us together." This suggestion was promptly adopted; a committee, "with power to act," was appointed, and then a painful hush fell upon the people. liThe time to strike at higher game j than has heretofore been our target has come," said Number Five, Colonel Orloff, breaking in on the silence; "within forty-eight hours, if we but do our duty, there will be a vacant throne in Russia " "May God curse it and ever keep it vacant," interrupted George Nevski. "The engines of death are prepared," continued the Nihilist leader, oo lio 1 r?irl ln'a handsnn n. nils of hombs that covered the table behind -which he stood. "Who shall work them?" "Wo are all ready to work them!" cried Manx. "Shall we draw by lot, or call volunteers ?" "Let us volunteer!" was the response. "Who will volunteer?" asked the leader. As if moved by one impulse, every man and woman present stood up, and a cry, all the more intense for its being suppressed, burst from their lips: UJ J? "J J" ?J !? "Too many will be worse than none. Will you let me sjlcet, if I promise to lead?" asked Colonel Orlofl'. "We will," was the response. The leader looked over the crowd, and called out the numbers. "Let Nineteen approach." Nineteen, who was Lance, late turnkey at Neva prison, went up and stood beside the table. "Twenty-three." "I am here," replied Maux, as he strode forward. And so the numi ers were called, till fourteen men and two women stood about the table covered wiMi bombs. "Martyrs of liberty," said Orloff, impressively, as he looked over the ?roup about him; "ye are the angels of death! What ye deal' to him will also be dealt to you; but-what matters that so that the tyrant fall, and the cursed house of KomauotF is forced to lb e the weak tenure by which it holds the throne oi all the Pussias. When our meeting adjourns tha volunteers will remain back -with me." Within a very short time the meeting did adjourn, and the peoplo chosen to assassinate the Czar of ltussia remained back with their desperate leader. "Well, what do you think?" asked Dr. Mulek, of Peter the student, as thf two walked side by side along a che.-rless, deserted road. "I think Orlofi' will perfect the job,' said Peter; "but ho will take no direct part in it. He will not need to throw a bomb when there are such desperate men as Maux and Lance behind him.* "You believe, then, Peter, that the Czar's days are numbered ?" "I do, Doctor." "And do you not think it would be a big card for us to play if we could up set their plans ;"' "It would be death to us," said Peter, quickly. "No, let him die, and let anarchy come, if it will. Curse me, but I yearn for a change, and though I wouid sell every Nihilist in llussia for a thousand rubles, I shall not interfere here. The Czar has been warned enough." "And threatened enough." "Yes, Doctor, but this is 110 idle threat. Ha! the air feels as cold as if it came from the lips of that death that is so soon to send a thrill of horror through Russia. Come, hero is a wine bouse open; let us get something warm before going to bed." As Peter the student spoke, ho turned with his companion into one of those vault-like wine houses so peculiar to St. Petersburg, and which are as uninviting as a tomb to those not accustomed to them. They took a seat in a gloomy little recess separated from another semicircle recess by a dirty curtain. This curtain the Doctor pulled to one side for a second, and he saw a onearmed old soldier asleep, with his head on the table. CHArTER xxvm. OTOrPED. [ All unmindful of the old one-armed floraier, Dr. Mulefc ana irerer tne student discussed in awed whispers not only the fate of the Czar, but the whereabouts of Ivan Berger, and the disguise in which he was then appearing. Without seeming to be aware of their presence, and, although intensely interested in what he overheard, without seeming to be in the least aroused from his assumed drunken stupor, Ivan Berger waited till the two traitors and conspirators had finished their hot rum and left the wine vault. | "Merciful heaven!" he gasped, when sure there was no one within hearing, "is the world so utterly devoid of manliness and loyalty?" "Without attempting to answer ma own question, he left the place, his bill having been collected in advance. The streets of St. Petersburg are ever filled with police. The man or woman who hesitates as to the direction to ba pursued, at once becomes an object of suspicion to tlii# Argus-eyed force. Ivan knew this, so in his character of a superannuated soldier he hobbled to the rear of the tottering old house kepi by George Nevski, and gaining an entrance he was soon in the cresence o 1 his faithtul friends, .Lance and Maux, who, with the old costumer, had been to and returned from the Nihilist meeting without detection. "Ha!" exclaimed the rugged giant Maux, as he wrung Ivan's hand. "There were those at tho meeting to-night who dared to call you S traitor; but I gave them the lie in their teeth. Did I not do so, Brother Lance?" Tho AY-tiimlcev of the Neva orison. wlio had been sitting buried in thought, started up and said in a fierce whisper: "Aye, did you, and George Nevski and I were ready to back you if Colonel Orloff had continued his attack. But let all that go. The hour for action has come. Let us work." "The hour for action has come. Let ns work," said George Nevski, like a solemn echo. "The days of the tyrant aro numbered," added Maux, with thrilling deliberation. "The angel of death hovers with poised lance above the throne of the great White Czar. The few hours of power left him he may use as* he will; he should use them in invoking the mercy of heaven on his bloodstained soul. We who cut him off must go down to death with him; but what of that ? With him dead, the grave to us poor hunted wretches will be more welcome than a bridal couch. Join us, Ivan, and win immortality." Ivan concealed the shudder tnar ran through his frame. After a pause he replied: "I am not selected fortius work, but if I were I should still fe^l that it was my duty to oonsult our Queen before I took a step." "To consult Lola Pulaski?" asked Maux. "Yes." "But they say she has sold herself, body and soul, to General Paul." "Then I must tell you, Maux, that they, whoever they are, lie," said Ivau angrily. "General Paid has been deposed, because of hie fidelity to our people and his defiance of the orders of *"* ^ T ? i ii r 4.1 the vjzar. JLet me ien you luriuer mm he is aware of my identity, and that ere this he could have handed me over to the authorities had not his heart been favorable. As to Lola Pulaski, the Czar has ordered that she and her father leave Russia within forty-eight hours, or go to Sibeiia. Nearly half the time has expired " "And they are still here?" interrupted Maui. "They are still here, Maux." "Why have they not left?" "It may be death for them to remain," said Ivan, "but it is ccrtain death for them to leave at this time." "Why so?" "Because General Pulaski is a sick man "Hia brought on a brain fever, a::d to attempt to move him any distance in such weather as this would be like taking him to aD execution." "Oh, God!" groaned George Ncvski, "why dost Thou permit one of Thv creatures to oppress others who should be equally dear to Thee?" "God helps those who help themselves !w exclaimed Maux. "Gen ral Pulaski may die by order of the Czar, but the Czar himself shall die byordei of that Nemesis that henceforth shall be nearer to him than his own shadow at high noon!" "I shall see Lola at once," said Ivan rising. "It is due to her to explaii what is afloat. Her counsel has alwavi been wise; there is no reason why sin should change." "Have a caro, have a care, Ivan Ber ger. Your love for the beautiful Loll ~~ >< waii infn frmililo " JLiitbY j VIA xuiv W "I have relinquished all hopes of thai love," Baicl Ivan. "Still its n:emon } is in my heart, one of the few thingr worth treasuring in a li:'e of sorrow Farewell till I see you again." Ivan shook hands with his three friends, and after adjusting liisdisguis* descended to the street. "With a speed not at all in keeping with his dress and assumed wounds he made his way along the narrow Streets, which, as it was now after midnight, were deserted. At length he emerged 'on the wide and well-lit plaza before General Paul's hotel. This he entered without opposition, as the guards had re* ceived orders to let him pass and re* pass without interruption. Although called a "hotel," after the FronnVi fnaliinn this SUmutUOUS and commodious building -was Genera] Paul's palace, devoted exclusively to bis own use. Ivan entered the great ante-cbambei or waiting ro;im, ami sat clown. He bad been bere but a few miimtes wben a door at the further end of the apartment opened, and General Paul and Count Orloff came out. They walked to the other end, as the Count was evidently about to leave, and they were so absorbed in their conversation that neiiher noticed Ivan; but so nerve-strained were their tones that he could not help overhearing them. "I tell you, my dear General," said the Count, "that the Czar is determined. xou nm>t eitlier wed the Countess Linwold or your estates will be confiscated, and I fear you will be sent into exile." "If that is the alternative," said the General, with decision, "I shall hail exile as a blessing. The woman does not wont me any more than I want her. All St. Petersburg knows that your cousin and enemy, Count Orlofl', is her lover. I can see why they want me out of the way, indeed. I can see now that it was through the instrumentality of one of these people that my life was attempted " "You amaze me." {,I tell you the truth." "How did you learn it?" "Through a letter intrusted by the fair Elvira to an old soldier in whom : - * ^ ^ I we are both interested. Tins soldier i shrewdly opened and copied the letter." "He must be an intellectual soldier." "So he is, and yon know him." "I know him ?" echoed the Count. "Yes; and you know his sister better," said General Paul, a smile lightI ing up his sad, handsome face. "Who is his sister?" mti.. i ? JLA1U I'OUiUtliUi iJii^auouu? "And the old soldier is Ivan Berger!" exclaimed Count Orloff. "Aye! Is it treason for me to protect the brother of the woman you J love?" "It is treason to the Czar, but it is a mercy to me. But there is a price on Ivan Berger's head. Should you see him again give him money and tell him to fly from reach of the Czar, as he would fly from the plague. Oh, heaven 1 has it come to this, that the most loyal men in the service of his Majesty must be false to him in order to be true to their friends?" "It is even so, my dear Orloflf, and only heaven knows how it will end. Now, good-night, or rather good-morning, and srccess attend you." Count Orloii' went out, and General Paul, as he walked back, suddenly found himself face to face with the dis guiaed Ivan Berger. [to be contesued.] TEMPERANCE, j \VITAT DOES IT COST. How many of God's gifts and mercies Are changed from blessings into curses! We make of all the food that grows A part, the cause of human woes. The grain with which He crowned the field, The vineyards and the orchards yield If used for food to hearts make glad, Instead of drink to drive men mad. Then could the hungry all be fed And not a soul need want for bread. Oh! did you ever pause to think How much this nation pays for drink, In money, lands, in fruits and grains, In lives and souls, in hearts and brains, An<l no return for all this cost But crime and grief? Its worse than lost. ?Edward Car swell. A PLEDGE FOR FIVE YEARS. Last Monday afternoon, in the city of Brooklyn, an effort was made by some of the temperance men and women of that city to inaugurate a pledge-signing movement. One of the features suggested was a five-years' pledge, which we heartily endorse. The supposition is, that if you can get a man or a woman to abstain from intoxicants for five years, the probability is that by that time the habit or total abstinence will have been formed and will last the balance of the signer's life The new organization proposes to ha nnn-nolitical and non-sectarian. One of the chief advocates of this movement is Mr. Albert Griffin, formerly of Kansas, but at present residing in the city of Brooklyn. The Pioneer favors every effort to try and sober up the people, and therefore wishes the new organization success.?New York I*ioneer. " ETTEIt THAN" THE SALOON." The crimson flush of twilight quivered over Puget Sound, and the crown of Mt. Ramier lighted up for the last time in the after-glow of the dying day. There was the sound of a drum in the streets, a rattle and jingle of tambourines, and a red flag sweeping by, followed by a procession of decently dressed men nnd women singing a lively tuno. The musical company wheeled on to a plateau near the Hotel Belleview, planted their flag, and knelt down in a circle. "The Salvation Army, I declare!" said a red-faced spectator. "They are a disgrace to Seattle," and he put on his hat and left the veranda to enter a saloon. I It was Saturday night, after one of the great days of emigration,and the streets were filled with people, many of whom were taking their first view of wonderful Mt. Ramier and the blue Puget Sound. There was a trcmp of feet everywhere on tho miles of wooden pavements. Saloon:' blazed; it was a harvest night for all those places that ruin the souls of men, which spring ap so quickly in a new city. I passed from the hotel to the plateau. It was nearly nine o'clock, but still light, and the great tent of Mt. Rainier still glistened in tho night air. I expected to hear sonic minstrel songs, some comical and excited talking, and to witness sundry sensalioual performances such as I had witnessed under similar circumstances in the East. The army was kneeling ill a great circle in the open lot. under the northern twilight with its glimmering of stars. Orderly men and women were gathering around them, and the circle widened and widened until a great concourse of people was gathered, all I rai./.i.?.nt o,?l ilnr-rmf. n< in n flmroll There were prayers, songs, and then came "testimonies." The nleasure-seeking critic from the East might have sueerod at the scone. But brave men were here; men who had faced the cannon in the old campaigns; men who had beaten down the wilderness and opened the highways of progress; and better yet, men who had overcome their own passions, the saloon, and all the ruinous excitements incident to pioneer life. Two of the "testimonies," as the speaking was called, still linger in my mind. I will ^ive them here: ' I am all alone in the world. Jeesus Christ is my friend, and He is the only friend I have <>n earth." ' My friends, I am a new man. God by His Holy Spirit has implanted within me a new life. All things are new." Indians were there; men who had been intemperate, and both men and women with whom passions had been stronger than conscience and will. One spirit animated a)i: I lie UeSire IU UU li cc II UUI due cu^uaiumuuvvi sin. It was ten o'clock when the great concourse dispersed. Puget Sound was a shadow, and Mt. Ranier a ghost. The moon was shining. "That was better than the saloon," said an observer to me. '"Say what you may, the Salvation Army is a good influence in a new town, or in a mining camp, or whore the influence of the church is lost." Yes, that was better ttian the saloon, and a largo heart and a broad mind will not criticise any influence that tends to good in this tempted world.?Youth's Companion. TEMPERANCE NKWS AND NOTES. One man in six in the British Navy is a total abstainer. The largest saloon in Dubuque, Iowa, has been closed, and also the principal brewery. In Wichita, Kansas, it cost ?i saloon-keeper fGOO in one week for the glorious privilege of selling intoxicating drinks. General Von Moltke says that "beer is a far more dangerous enemy to Germany than all the armies of France." A woman in East London, who has been committed over '?il) times for drunkenness, lias just (lied in a police ceil. >v no is responsible for this? Our Consul-Ger""*".! at Berlin reports to the Secretary of State that certain brewers af Germany "are exporting to the United States weiss beer adulterated with salicylic acid." The Nashville Issue claims that the money ;hat Tennessee pays annually to the whisky shops ($15,000,0(X))"would meet all the regular expenses of the State for ten years. Isash.*illesaloon receipts alone would carry on the jJovernment. Gus Kidder, of Fort Dodge, Iowa, has been ined #1000 for violating the prohibitory law. H\ H. Colby, a prominent business man,'was ilso fined $1*000 for allowing liquor to be sold n a liui'ding owned by him, after an iujunc;ion was granted. Tho Washington Stnr says: "After a painful illness and in the prime of life ex-Senator Riddleberger died at his Virginia home. The M?ry of his career, with its neglected opportunities,^* a practical temperance* lecture. Ho was ms own worst enemy." The political strength of the S000 liquor dealers in New York city is estimated by one of their own leaders to be not loss than 40,000 votes. The same authority say#: "In almost every- county of the State there is now a | liquor dealers' association, and wo are all pledged to vote together." The Chicago Temperance Educational Society has figured out that the average yearly consumption of malt liquors in tho United States for each inhabitant was. for the year 1840, 1.30gallons; for 1850, 1.5S gallons; for 1800, 3.22 gallons; for 1870, 0.61 gallons; for 1880, y.5l gallons; for 1885,11.51 gallons; for 1888, 12.48 gallons. j . v - . v'r'T.'.vi^ * y V ? TURKEY'S CAPITAL SOJIE PICTURESQUE FEATURES OF CONSTANTINOPLE. A Turkish Lady at Home?Oriental Domestic Life?Dress of the Poorer Classes?Odd Street Scenes, There has heen a trreafc chancre for the ? o O - better in Constantinople, says a correspondent of the Chicago News. Not many years ago the streets were the worst of any ancient city in the world. It was exceedingly difficult to navigate a carriage through their tortuous windings and among the army of impudent sidewalk venders, who claimed the right to blockade traffic pretty much as they pleased. With a donkey and a good guide you might possibly have got through with some delay; but on horseback, or afoot unattended, such a thing was out of the question. Even the pashas had their footmen to run ahead and clear the way for them through the fezzed and turbaned population. And then there were many curiou3 and purely Oriental sights to be seen that are rare now. On the street you would run across a cobbler mending the shoes of the pilgrims while the latter waited humbly by; while over yonder might be seen aproccssion of long-robed, ' 1 c^Tl'KKrSH STREET COSTUME, white-fezzed and bearded priests, or perhaps. if it were the days of the Bairara festival, a jolly company of Mussulmans in gaudy robes enjoying their holiday. Perhaps the most picturesque and attractive feature in the Ottoman capital to a stranger, because the most exclusive, is the women. The western European gazes with curious eyes on the cloaked and hooded figures he sees on the streets, and wonders how they would look if garbed like the wives and maidens of the Giaours. Some of the women otie sees are dressed with rare neatness, and their fine, lustrous, vari-colored silks shimmer in the sun as they move by. Thcv are *1,,. r.1/1 nil their vanity is apparent in both dress and walk, and it would also seem that the seclusion attendant on the domestic life of the Turkish ladies does not suppress the natural tendency of the sex to coquetry. The pairs of eyes that flash out from over the top of the transparent yashmak are well drilled and very eloquent. In the household the Turkish woman is a charming, simple creature. She is I not unlike the natives of Louisiana and Florida. I observed the same dark, rich complexion, regular features, and deep, I luminous eyes one finds in the Southern States of America, with the finest of penciled eyebrows and long, sweeping lashes. It is a nature of surprise to tho visitor to some Turkish homes to find the mistress and her daughters so fairskinned. Their complexions are of that rich, transparent type one sees in southern Europe, all the way from Madrid to . Florence. During our visit to the house of lien ; Ali Bei, situated near the margin of the i blue Bosphorus, we were introduced to ' Fatma, the principal wife of the oflicial. A TURKISH HOUSE COSTUME. She came into the salon and stood before J us unveiled and brilliantly attired in the j dress of a Turkish lady of rank. Instead I of the customary fez, she wore a Greek cap, and in her small ears were enormous ornaments that might have served for old-fashioned brooches. The scarlet jacket was a magnificent affair, covered with lace in which the heavy gold thread was prominent, and the sleeves were em| broidered with the same rich material. ! Iler sash was of vari-colored silk aud hung in a large bow behind. The national costume was completed by the bifurcated trousers, which were simply appalling to western eyes in their gorgeousuess and dimensions. Gathered at the ankles, they disclosed an exceedingly neat pair of shoes of a white and silver material that looked like burnished kid, and which were decorated with red silk rosettes. The whole costume was highly picturesque and added not a little to the brilliant effect of the vivid colors in the salon, the furniture -in which was beautifully carved in dark wools, somewhat like rosewood or old mahogany. After our greeting coffee was served in cups little bigger than walnuts. They were the tinniest vessels ever placed to my lips. Still, their contents?dark, strong and odorous, with a thick sediment?were most refreshing. Then w< drew up to the marble basin in the middle of the room, and each took a whiff oj two of the narghileh; for the Turk nevei considers you his guest till you have smoked a pipe under his roof. Aftei that you are his sacred charge. Such if the hospitality imposed by the Koraa Then candies were handed around on curiously wrought trajs of silver, and w< all fall to chatting again. The ladies oi the household were not so shy at first. One beautiful girl?Zalve, the daughtei of our host?sat in a graceful attitude on the divan and chatted in an amused waj with my companion, who acted as interureter. casting occasional glances of curi i I Q # o osity at the visitors?two Americans aud a German?and was evidently interested in the dress of our little party. This Turkish demoiselle was robed in a long, flowing house-gown of silk that reached below her knees. A jaunty, tasseled fez of crimson plush sat on hci dark hair, and in her left hand she held the unfailing narghileh, or water-pipe, which she had been smoking as we entered. All the talk was of the festivities attending the visit of Emperor Wilhelm, in which the ladies evidently took quite as much interest as the men. The girl was about fifteen, although she was as well developed as an American miss of eighteen. On the street the Ottoman dame is less distinctly Oriental in appearance than at home amid her servants, and were it not for the ever-present yashmak and the nany-hued ribbons and trimmings, she anight pass in a crowd of Europeans without attracting much attention. Indeed, the higher class of Turkish ladies iress quite a la Parisienne. French shoes, a handsome Parisian parasol and a long silk cloak gathered about the shoul der and reaching to the feet, entirely concealing the dress beneath, complete the costume. The white veil swathes the face and neck and serves the double purpose of a modest concealment and a cool neckerchiet. It is only fair to say, however, that the yashmak is gradually becoming more and more transparent, and that every lineament can easily be traced through its gossamer folds. So light a face covering does not impose any re* straint on conversation or breathing, and in the dusty and unwholesome streets of Constantinople is a positive benefit, keeping the dirt from the lungs. Among the wives of the poorer class of Turkish citizens the yashmak is even more of a make-believe. It become simply a meager square of muslin or some gauzy stuff, generally white or grayish, and is the merest shadow of its predecessor, which was a formidable affair of many folds, entirely obscuring the whole face, with the exception of the eyes. The head-dress is usually white,and covers the A BASHI-BA7.0UK. hair altogether, leaving ouly the eyes free. While among the ladies of wealth the black cloak has been superseded by the more fashionable dolman or pelisse, among the middle-class women and the poor the somber garment still holds its own. One meets baggy-looking creatures hidden in its folds from head to foot, and uot a feature visible except possibly a single eye that shiues out from the black hood like a dusky lamp. It will be many years before the ungainly cloak retires before the more fashionable garments of western Europe, for all the Turks, except save the official class, are very poor, and the big cloak hides a multitude of shortcomings. Diaphanous veils, high-heeled shoes and slippers, fine dresses and European styles 4- ft ft A??rn/iHfl r\f ?nlnnnp onrl TTil 1 no UUIUliy IU LUi; uwiiui^ui uuvi riiuK)^ whose mistresses never leave home unattended, and whose Nubian girls trotting behind remind the American visitor of the custom of the Southern States in antebellum days. A picturesque feature in the streets of Constantinople and Pcra is the wandering musician. He is generally a bashi-bazouk ?a Moslem from the Caucasus. Groups of these odd-looking fellows, in their queer, outlandish dresses, may be seen on the street-corners and near the public squares waiting to be hired to play for the delectation of some official's household. Carrying as many weapons as musical instruments, it is puzzling to a stranger to decide whether they mean to play or fight, for they look equally ready to do either. They come from Asia Minor, and belong to a race that was at one time the terror and scourge of the whole Ottoman Empire, but they are subjected now. A Persian head-dress, a Turkish jacket, immense 1? ?t fV-vMc plntli. in U1 uiauj IVI'W VJ w.v* V? v.Vp..; which are stuck daggers and yataghans and pistols. Leggins like tliose worn by Swiss mountaineers anil coarse cowhide shoes complete the uucouth garb of these wild-looking men. Their music is as wierd as their appearance and can only he endured by the Turks themselves. It reminded me of the discordant strains I once heard in a Chinese theatre in San Francisco, or of a war song among the Apache Indians. Among other odd characters to be met here are the candy seller, the Armenian porter and the street scribe. The first is an institution especially favored by the ladies, for the average Turkish miss, and even the matrons, cat candy continually. They are fonder of sweetmeats than the gum-chewing and bonbon-loviug American girls. The result of this is that, what with fig paste, surgared almonds and plums, the teeth of the fair subjects of the Sultan arc in a very bad way. Not live per cent, among the Turkish women have souud teeth at twenty, and they paint them black with henna to disguise the disfiguration. The street scribe is a person of importance. You can find him on cverj other comcr, writing to the dictation ol some official, or, it may be, some veiled and hooded female who wishes to send a message to her lover. Very few of the population are able to either read 01 write, and this ignorance exists even - Ck -r among the official class to a surprising extent. A lady goes shopping, and shd takes the opportunity to send a note to some acquaintance while she is out, or to add another link to some lovers' intrigue ; a man wishes to tell his friend that he cannot meet him as arranged, and he does it through the same channel. The scribe is both secretary and messenger, for he has to deliver the note, and read it to the person to whom it is addressed. He is a man of secrets, and being an Armenian, he keeps them well, for it is characteristic of the Armenians that they are to be trusted above all others. The street porters are all Armenians, and very lioness ieilows tney are, too,. One who carried ray baggage nearly four. squares on his back made the very modest charge of one lire for the service. "We can send them anywhere with gold or valuables," explains an official, "and they never go amiss, j.i a Daniter wwnes to send a bag of money across the straits he hands it with the address to the porter and Yusef will deliver it sacredly, without the loss of a coin." The most detested, yet not the least serviceable, persons are the eunuchs. "A eunuch more or less makes no difference," they told me. "You might kill one without any fuss being made about _1* j _ , I AX ARMENIAN PORTER. it, but you may not even touch a dog." And it is true. There are still quarters both here and in Pera where a stranger may not venture lest he be eaten alive by the thousands of evil-looking curs whose lives are held sacred. The dogs are protected by the koran. Some parts of the city is fairly given over to them. Between dogs and dirt and begging dervishes, who spring at you from hidden corners, and who may be seen performing in a fanatical and frenzied way whenever a crowd can be attracted, there is little to attract & visitor to the thickly populated sections of the town. They are not quite so bad at Pera, but here they are a nuisance. I A Remarkable Potato. We have been called upon of late to notice some big potato stories, vouched for by American growers, and now we have an English contribution to swell the list. '*V A CURIOUS POTATO. The remarkable sample, a genuine one, that cannot be matched, and shown iu the cut here presented, was dug by an j English gardener and originally photo graphed by the Mark Lane Jixpress. i ms is unlike most potatoes in that it is a perfect likeness of a man's head. In most potatoes the eyes are well represented? too much so for the thrifty housekeeper; but in this we have the nose, mouth and chin (double). The illustration is a correct reproduction of this sample of the genus solanum tuberosum, reduced about one-third in size. " i ? He Tripped Lightly Down Stairs. ?Harper's Bazar. Not Well Acquainted. The Camel?"Here! keep your tail oat oi my iouuer: The Elephant?"Well, you needn't get your back up!"?Puck. She?"What do jou think about tho world's fair?" He?' ! think they ar? adorable, and you are one of the fairest of them, and I wish you to be mine."? Boston Courier. The Bank of France has at the present $250,000,000 in gold in iUs cellars, j '.J- - ?>V', rf-iija'.