The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, June 24, 1891, Image 2
}Sv*' ;
THE BAKKEE S CRIME;! ]
Diamond Cut Diamond, j;J
(f
BY NaTEAN -D. URXEB. i
- ; j
CHAITEK XXIV. j 1
THE FACE SN TEE FLASH.
f' " ^ EAT? "Where? I ?x
nothing!" said Hon- !
^/jjr court, as, in much nBjk^^tonishment,
his eyec I ,
f 18 *ke direction ~
5 IB of her pointing finger, i
?1 |9 "Stop Francois, sto$ |C
5] II tfee horses! Let as s?e i
WjM the cnuse of this." *
"Ah! yon were not ! T
^3 q c k enof^h, Al- ] phense?the
flash wai
J jj gone in an instant,
J^y distinct as it was," .
> ? said Adele, still re- ,
m&ining erect, and
with her hand point- 8
tug, as the landau suddenly came to a
top.
Then there came thwa or four more
flashes in swift succession.
t "There, there, now look!" she cried
again. "But no?it is gene?it has van. g
is bed as quicElv as it ccme!" she added, | d
inking back * into her 6eat, with | J
mghof relief. "Ub, u was too,100 uroau- i i
m- f3r
Boncourt had remarked nothing in i:
the flashes, except that 6fce was very pale, j
?nd was pressing her ha ex", to her heart, t
"Harry on Francois! Brulesle chemin, c
or we're in for a ducking!" ha cried; and,
as theconcbman again gave the horses t
their heads, he turned, with a laugh, to i:
his si6ter, sayinp, "I gave ycu credit for h
better nerve, Adcle. Of course, it was 1
bit an hallucination." b
"No. no! Speak not of it Alphonse.
Hon Dieu! that face in tbe flash?it glared s
out from the luridness upon me, like a e
i demon's from a nightmare! There was c
another face beside it, too?a ?&ce that I b
? recognized!" t
"Describe them." a
'No, no; not now; we will fee soon
heme; wait till we get there. Ciei! what ^
wind!" r
Foitunately, Jasmine Lodge was now ; e
close at hand, though but little rain was | t
to accompany the tempest. But by the s
time the shelter of the piazza was
reached a tremen lous gale was rsshing _
i-.'-S in from the sea, and the lashiug of the a
urf on the beach below the garden could ?
be distinguished above the screaming of B
the wind amid the trees. j,
"See that everything's under cover, jj
Francois," called out Boncourt in French, j
as both Adele and he were in the habit of ?
V Addressing the servants; ana then, as p
-they were passing through the hallway,
he asked his valet, Maurice, who had ad- B
K? axitted them, if every one was within
Ijyf j doors. B
i?i i. --i.j. _ J n.v ? I
All UUl 1U pt?Ub-gl UiiU UI\>1 WttD liiU 11
-valet's reply, grinningly applying a desig- ri
iy. -nation which the 6mall px-odigy from h
over the seaB had already earned for him- C
in below-etairs circles. t<
"What! out in this storm?" said the
master, giving Francois his hat and cane. C
R *Where the deuce can the boy beV" i]
Francois had not the least idea, but
Was hazarding a facetious suggestion p
that le petit-grand Dip might have been 1<
fclown away, or drowned in a rain-drop, ^
when Madame Eonceville, who had gone c
on upstairs, called to her brother that he ti
could follow her into her boudoir.
"When he entered it, a minute or two 8,
later, she had already partly undressed,
With the assistance of her maid, and was ^
\ ttclining in a fauteuil, with the signs of ^
her recent disturbance still in her face
py u
monnflr
"You can return to me presently, t]
*' Jfcnine," 6aid she, dismissing the maid 0
With a Resture; and then Boncourt seated ?
Idmself before her, with an cur of mock
j&f cariosity. u
y "Now for your disclosure, ma petite, c,
Mid he, smiling. "The face in the Hash? a
-Come, what was it like?" a
"Like a demon's?like a female fiend's!" ^
^: mid Adele, with a slight shudder. "But
L tf you don't become serious right off, B
Alphonse, I shall say nothing more." 0
Boncourt at once became gravely atten- f,
W. *? ?. y
"Oh, Alphonse, it was dreadful?ap? y,
palling!" she went on, hurriedly. "And
there were two faces?two figures?to- j{
gether, as I told you. The flash of light. gl
i ning revealed them to me crouched under -the
trees and rocks at the roadside?at j,
first in a listening attitude, as though but | tj
that moment attracted by some distant ! c
*nd ominous sounds?and then, though D
Almost at the same instant, they both j-,
lifted their faces, and their eyes encoun- j]
tered mine.
"Fleeting as was the flash, the linea- e:
jk..v saents of both were distinctly, 6toadily b
xevealed to me. One I rccogni/.ed; the
9tber?oh, Alphonee, it was terrible! p
Though Bheeted by the lightning's glare, G
tt^eemed illuminated also by an interior h
25ridness of its own?by a sort of leap- ; sj
fug inner balefnlness. that embodied ! Q
Tery evil passion, and seemed to fairly ! bi
5/. scorch me with its menacing hate and j
Tindictiveness
"But what was it like? ^
t? oTKr^ested something in my memory I fc
r- " * f,r-'""r "^t_and I
jet I could not. not Oah I now, identify ' -,
|t in my recollections. Imtigjnc ft ^ce> ft
- clrt. -osured, but
'nSt ^ith tim'fi; i&ftgillo it l;ghted up and u
distorted with every lawless hate and pas- li
i ' *ion?bitter, savage, vengeful, demoniac; I n
nd then iir>gine all this concentrated j b
upon me itf one threatening, blazing p
glance, that still seems to sear me totbe t]
oul! Ah, I shall never, never forget it." _
Boncourt moved a little uueasily in ft
hifl chair, a3 her -words recalled a face I d
?nd look, somewhat similar to those de- ii
cribed, which be bad himself encoun- a
tered not long before; but, for certain j b
reasons of his own, he decided not to i ti
mention the circumstances to his sister.
"But you were furnished a clue to its c!
identity," said he. " Whose was the other p
? face that you recognized?" '
"It wa6*tbat of iliss Winford, the old v
banker's housekeeper." t
fcTLe deuce! Are you pure?" B
"Positively. lier face is likewise dis- j
figured, as you know, and not likely to bo
mistaken for another, even in a lightning j
flash. But, pitted and ugly as it i*, it j;
B?emed angelic in contrast with the ter- c
xible countenance that glared upon me. * j,
"Think no more of all this, Adele, or j
treat it as a fanciful *?Dt>arition "
"But what could have brought the staid, c
goody-goody Miss "Winford into such an r
associationr Some discreet questions put
to her might clear up the mystery." *
"Leave them unasked?no good can a
eome of it! Myc?ery be hanged! Only a t
face in a Hash?perhaps some wandering g
maniac's wild face raised to yours by the p
merest 'hance?and the rest, the eignificance
of it, and all that, supplied by your f
axcited imagination! It is yet early, but p
go to sleep at once, ina belle, and forget
*11 about it!" ?
on oi>nnipRpticfl nnd
pUU U1U1UU4VU ??U
touched a bell-rope for the recall of her i
maid, as she received the good-night kiss ?
that her brother 6eldom forgot to bestow.
tba latter was thoughtfully redeacending
tlie Btairs, the lad Dip entered
by ie front door, dripping with raiu and J
somewhat disheveled by the wind, but
otherwiRe with no abatement of his comical
pelf-profession.
"Wnere have you been, yon rascal?' f
I growled his masur. j
E "Hunting spie^ out of the palatial j
I grounds, mv lit-.e," was thes'jae ;king re- t
L sponge, Accomp inied by the triumphant y
A production of ft revolver from underneath f
bis jacket. 'Bud lack, though?two pat- \
V est cartridges burned up, ani nary a spy 1
W bagged!"
S Don't trifle. What do you mean?" r
H "Half an hour after you went out to e
drive, 6ir, I detected two men lurking f
among the laburnums?one of 'em, I'm (
?
sure, w.ri'he cuss I mentioned^'Iieving
ran rut at the p'int of the pistoloace beisre."
"He! tfco lawyer's clerk?"
"Yes, sir. I've been chasing, xtiniing,
*nd dodging of 'em ever since, bui all foi
lothing, I'm sorry to say, after iiriagstwo
>hots,-Eir,.!>
"J heawl no shots."
*J*lesc; j>na, sirl I hardly itesrA '?m
nvHt'ir, lor tne rumpus the storm was
licking up at the time?a reg'lar cyclone?"
"Go to bed, yon rascal! nnd let this be
;he instiiof your pistol practice in these
rounds." said Bonconrt, restraining a
uiile. "English customs are widely different
from those of the Pacific Slope of
S'orth America, you'll tind."
But as tbo iad was moving awc^-iiie rewiled
him.
"Wait! Did you chance to see nay.one
;lsein the vicinity o: the house iero to?:ght?two
women, for instacae, not
roung, f>nd neitherof them well-fiworcd?"
"Nary a petticoat, my lord, good, bad,
>r indiil'erent, old or young, beaming or
isflv, fat or-scrawny! Why, really,: my
ord, clandestine rondyvoozes could/hordy
be expected on a night like tfihis,
nd *
"ILhat will dc.iDip."
CHAPTER XXT.
AUNT JAX3'S HOUSEHOLD.
It ibecomes aecossary at this pekrtrJo
:o baoJ; brielly to. tie moment that Gwealoline
had beentieft standing at Auoi
oftn'sirate, after the landau contaixiru!
ioncourt bad been driven away.
It hadiiardly disappeared in the growing
du6k before the young lady was reoined
by her fatner, and at the same tim?
he widow came out.flpain to the gate, acompanied
by her twc 6ons.
Mr. Alwovth acquitted himself better
hau his daughter had/hoped for in makughis
acknowledgment for Aunt Joan's
lospitable iindness, and then Gwendoine
asked him whom it was that he had
topped to s^ieak to on the road.
"It was Mr. Croak?aye, Mr. Croak himelf!"
6aid Mr. A1 worth, not without some
ngerness "ii, Gwenny, he seems really
ontrite for s?hat has occurred?wants
lis proposition to remain open?is willing
o forgive and lorget, when&ver you shall
ee fit to reconsider "
"Gwendoline bnrst Into & laugh, the
tetter to abstaic fiom an acgri&r interuption,
and was thankful that tne thick
ning twilight was doubtless concealing
be blush of morti?cation that she felt
aantling her cheeks.
"Kever another word upon that subject,
ou dear, good, tiresome paoa, or you
nd I must quarrel furiously,'1 she cried.
And how would such a state of affairs
nit Aunt Joan, who is to be our landady
hereafter, or either Peter and Paul
ere, who are to be our fellow boarders?
Lun into the cottage now, and I will give
ou a piece of good news?a fragrant
iece of news, that 6hall give you all
he beautiful flowers you can pluck or
mell, for, perhapB, many days to come!"
"Yes, come right in, for there is a
torm in the air," said Aunt Joan, openlg
the gate. "You will find your
aoms ready for you. Paul and Peter
ave stowed away all your effects, and
'hristie thoroughly aired the rooms yessrday."
But there was another interruption, as
Gwendoline and the others were passing
ito the garden.
At lUttt muuitui ? uinu liyoivnviu^ij ui/>
roached, crossing tbe road from the
jose foot-stones of the opposite cliff, in
hich he might have been lurking unpereived
and on the watch for some little
me.
Will yon make allowances, sir, for a
tranger?a stranger at least for many
ears, though once familiar with this
eighborhood?who has thought that he
new your faco?" said the mau, addressig
himself to Mr. Alwcrth with deep
aspect. "Do I err, sir, in supposing
lat you are Sir. Thomas Alworth,
nee of the firm of Alworth, Marlowe Jb
!o.V"
The old gentleman looked at his injrlocutor
a little snspiciously, but
oald only make out in the twilight
n inoffensive-looking, rather veedily
ressed man, who carried a Btout walkas-stick.
"Ah, yes, sir; you are correct in your
npposition. Bir," he replied, with a sort
f poor stiffness of manner that he was
and of assuming occasionally. since
ou appear to know my name, sir, perhaps
ou will favor me with yours?"
"There would be no favor in divulging
i at present, and it might be of little conequenco
to you,"said the stranger, sadly.
I was rather mournfully attracted to you
ist now, sir, by perceiving the change
Bat seems to have taken place in your
ircunntances. When I ras last in these
arts, many years ago, I remember that
ou resided in yonder elegant villa, up
aere in the clifi's, and now "
"Ha! and now there is a change npparnt,
to be sure, but what i6 that to you,
ir?" snapped out Mr. Alworth, peevishly.
"Fathor, I am sure you mistake this
erson's motive in addressing you," said
fwendoline, quieting her father's bad
umor by her customary gesture, as she
tepced forward. "His words and maner
are not sucn as would imply a wish to
9 disagreeable."
"Indeed they are not, miss, and no
ich desire could animate me," 6aid the
ian, with some emotion. "If misfortune
as come upon your worthy father, who
**Q Avar /lnvArvinrr r\f otifnom nn/1 nrnc_
^1,*.: v. ?- '?? * r
bruy, no-e can uu^ie ??. more iuttu - j
"My father has been the reverse of fortna'e
for iu?*.Ey years, sir," said Gwemlone,
simply. "He was compelled to retove
from* Jasmine Lodge when I was
nt an infant. Since then we have occuied
garret rooms in Mr. Marlowe's until
li:s evening, when we were dispossessed
-Mr. Marlowe having dismissed my
ither from his employment two or three
ays before- and are row gladly avail>g
ourselves of the hospitable shelter
Horded us so opportunely by the nobleearted
proprietress of this pretty cotige."
(jrlT'Ul IiCU>OI13: ttu tun uo out ealaimed
tbe stranger, stepping bach a
ace or two, and evidently much agitated.
Mies Alwortli ? Mr. Alwortli? youl
rongs shall be righted, your misforanes
shall have an end, and th.tt right
needily! I can b .y no more now.
leaven have you both in its keeping!"
And, with these words falling from his
ips, he hurried away into tbe dusk, tiding
the load leading up through the
li?fs, and muttering hall'-frautically to
iimself?for the reader will already have
livined that this was Jasper Marlowe?
My fault?my fault! Heavens! how the
onBequences or my sinful weakness via
ecoiling upon my head!"
"I hope you are satisfied, Gwenny,"
ra3 Mr. Alworth's querulous complaint,
.8 he accompanied tbe rest into the cotage.
"I couldn't see the necessity of
living that inquisitive fellow all those
larticulars."
"Xor was there any hnrm, I am sure,
ather, since he seeued so kindly distosed."
w as Gwendoline's cheerful reply.
They were then conducted up.stairs by
ne good vmow, wno muQuawu mem,
nth a good deal of housewifely pride,
ntc the rooms t-he had provided for their
Lccommodtttion. They proved to be coniccted
with each other, were extremely
idy, with the window of oue looking out
ver the road, and that of tho other upon
ho ocean, whose gray sands crept up to
> * rear of tLe l.ttlo kitchcn (jarilen, but
f ;\\ pcees i! iiom the l.cu>e.
Gwondoiii e expressed Ler grateful
atisfsctiou for everything, and kissed
lunt Joan with a simplicity of thRukful
ut-feb iu&i who u.uic ciuijui'ui uuyhing
el>e could pay; wh lo even Mr. Alvorth
was not bo self-engrossed or ab;ent-niim2ed
aB not to Depreciate what
vas being done for bim, and to testify
:ib seuso of it, after bis own way.
"Now, my dears, you are to say no more
ibout thanks, or I shall grow angry,"
;a d the good o)d dame, whose lan;uage
was marked by but little of the
Cornish peculiarities of dialect, her jear
Jil?? flawing oeen somewhat snosrior to hei
scmrrndinge.
"Tke.nks, indeed! and frcrr yon, Mr
ThonwiB Alwortb? As if I?iaould hav<
forgctien what was done for me ant
mine by yon, in the old days! No, nr
dearies?not so long as the* water rum
in tkc-sea, and there b lish ic it for th(
eeine-hauling! Say no moreof'that, if yoi
plea6o; and Miss Gwendoline shall jus
take her tiuie in looking for ..genteel em
plojurent to her taste."
She was presently interrupted by he
eldest-.zon'e stentorian voicc -calling u]
from l?low, and demanding ii there wai
to be any reading that eveniup.
"Yet, yes; to be sure," callcd out thi
widow, in response; and then, turning t<
her eufcstP. sho added, with JMi a littli
pride: reads a chapter ever
night ks'e hcirio (excepting Sunday, ol
course') from a great book, 'The Navi
gators of All Nations,'and he'ean uncom.
inon talent for amerefishermac. It wnnti
an hour of bed-time, and youill be glad t(
listen."
Gwendoline Smilingly assented, toi
i both her father and herself, and thei
forthwith sought out the socirfy of tin
two stalicp.rt brothers below, who wer<
already 86;:ted in the great apartxceni
that answered for kitchen, dining, anc
| living roout in one, raui wnn.a tangie oi
fishing-tackle in liis lap, which he vaf
gravely putting into shape, au& Pete]
with his voiume spread in readiness upoi
.a table betes him, with a reading lamp
,at his elbow.
The reading, hotrover, was really onl^j
attractive to ciho widow, her 6cce, and
.Christie.
Notwithstanding that Peter read sut in
I ifiifferentlv.in thabroadoet of const idioms
jand with" a loud voico that emulated i
| Sog-horn both-.in e ipacity and punctua1
taon, Mr. Alworfch was soon dozing.peacei
fully under its influence, while ,even
j Gwendoline found some difficulty ii
keeping up an appearance of interact ii
the "particular navigator under consitieralion.
She wai, *on?eqaontly, not unwilling
to have the reading curtailed by the arrival
.of a lisr.tor, no it was before dix
ch-'ptor had been ficished.
The .visitor *raa iiiss Winford.
CHAl'TEE XXVI.
AN UNEXPECTED VISIT.
Gwendoline had always liked Mis*
Winford, (though she iiad been accus?
tomed to regard her ae something of a
mystery, a&d shu now felt touched and
grateful, for the banker'*; worthy housekeeper
at once grasped her hand, after
exchanging greetings with Aunt Joan
and the rest, and her first words were
meant to convey most delicately her regret
and indignation at her master's conduct.
"I chanced to be absent from the house
when you were subjected to that mean
and summary treatment, Miss Gwendoline,"
said she, with unatfected warmth,
"or I should not have hesitated to tell
Mr. Marlowe what I thought of it and
him. As it is, I have just spoken my
mind to tim in a way that he won't forget
in a huriv, an0 I don't care if ho gives
me my walking papers for it, as he has
threatened to do!"
"Oh, dear me! if you should get into
trouble on our ncrount, my dear Miss
f Winford, I shall feel far more distressed
I tVioTi T Vinvn Vippti " ciohf'd (Tffpndnlinfl. to
- "wv ~ ~ ~ , O?
whom the housekeeper's unwonted spiritedness
of manner was a matter of surprise.
"Oh, l>nt yon can save yoirself from
being distressed on my account?I can
take care of myself!" continued Misa
Winford, in the same strain. "It was a
mean, dastardly, cruel piece of business
on Mr. Gilbert Marlowe's part?a dirty
piece of time-serving in the interest of
*ir. LroaK?ana 1 toia mm as mucni tie
Wouldn't have dared?shame would have
deterred him from such meanness, tyrant
as he is, had Noel been at home!"
"Do, proy, say do more of it, dear Miss
Winford!" entreated Gwendoline, whose
face had Blowly crimsoned. "I suppose
we have no claim on Mr. Marlowe; he
has, doubtless, the right to choose his
own tenants."
But a fit of indignation seemed to have
seized Miss "NVinford, from which Bhe
found it difficult to abstain, perhaps by
very reason of its unusualnes*. She
continued to talk in the same strain, and
much of her cruel homeliness of visage
disappeared beneath the momentary color
that her excitement summoned into her
habitually pallid face.
Then Mr. Alworth roused himself out
of his nap. to bask m_soine of .the ready
sympathy that sje uiHuseO, anil now ontl
then heave in a few complaints on his
own account; Aunt Joan was not behindhand
in the geuer.il condemnation to
which tbe miserable banker was being
devoted behind bis back, any more than
was Christie; and at la*t. even the stalwart
joint owners of the tempest-flouting
Gadfly caught the spirit of the occasion
?Paul to tbe extent of hopelessly entangling
liis flshing-tack'e afresh, and
Peter, so far as altogether forgetting all
o limit flio fnrtnnot rtf pvorv KOl'f of niivi.
gator for the time-bein
.but, at lact, mncn co uwen<io:me's secret
relief, Ibe visitor ro?e to go.
"Good- by and good luck, my dear Miss
Gwendoline!" said Miss Winford, extending
her baud for the Inst time to the young
girl, as they all accompanied hertotho
door. "But, bv the way, there is aLother
thing I came 16 i?at. Yc? know I have
a pretty good acquaintance with desirable
families iu red about Highcombe, by this
time, and. if you -ire thinking of
a situation a? goVeiLess, j"6u must feel
that my services are at your disposal."
Gwendoline thanked her warmly, and
was going on to say that she would probably
have occasion, sooner or later, to
avail herself of tbe jroffcrel assistance,
when she was interrupted by Miss Winford
saying, with sudden dryness:
"But, after all. my dear cb Id, are you
ture that you will ever need my help?
tbat something may not arise to obviate
I lie necessity 01 juur suuujj ao a ^uiojuess
nt all?"
"I can't imagine what you mean," said
Gwendoline, with a puzzled expression.
"Are not my father and I poor enough
alie.dy, in a'l conscience? And are not
poor people to eitler work or starve in
this queer work-a-day world?"
"I suppose so, utiles they suddenly
cease to be joor," wag the enigmatical
response, accompanied by a mysterious
look, whi-h Gwendoline found whol y
unaccountable. "Odder things than youi
becoming decently well-to-do, if ncl
brilliantly rich, have often takeu place
heietofore, and may occur again."
And with the-e words she again said
good-night for all, and hurried oul
through the garden.
"Wait, Jliss Winford, wait!" Aun)
Joan called nfter her. "It is dark, and
there will be a storm. One of my bovi
will see you home.-'
"Xo, tLnnka, Aunt Joan!" came bach
Miss \V in ford's voice in reply, her form
having already vanished out of the gate
into the darkness. "I am used to being
out alone, and I know every foot of the
way up thiough the cliffs."
"Run afler her, l'eter, run!" said Annl
Joan. "The I'cor tliiug! Mark how the
lightning Hashes!"
l'eter hid already put ou his hat on<;
jo'.ket, vitn the intention of accompany,
in.; Miss intor<l in case of being asked,
though too bashful to make the proposition
of his own volition, ami he now
dashed out of the garden and tip the
romi in the direction sho. hid taken.
lie returned, however, after the storm
ha;l burst, :in 1 re-entoie I the cottage it
a surly humor, to repoit that he had beer
unuble to overtake or see anything of th<
object of his pursuit.
Aunt Joan expressed a fear les' Miif
Winfnril mil/lit. be unable to obtain shel
tcr from the storm, but be quieted bei
apprehensions by reminding her thai
there were three or four small cottages
besides Jasm ne Lodge, between the
beach and the top of the road, and little
iqqis was thought of it.
r Bbctuei -afcKi:rcrry:meet Lord Sqvandert
again."
But it ielo be noted, in pasehig, th
3 both she and her father -were wide of t
] mark, a? to the i real significants of t
I housekeeper^ parting words.
3 I'eter had not overtaken or-.djscover
j Mise Winfcrd for > two reasons. In t
! ?ret p]aoe, eho had proceeded up the h
t much faster than ho, upon becomi
. aware of the rapidity with >.which t
tempest wte gathering; and in the n?
r place, upon entering:the rocky gap in t
j road, which -hao been described, the ti
) rifyiug flashes.of' the lightning had ii
"When Gwendoline was bidding b
3 father good-night in the rooms up alo\
) a littie later, ier father said:
i "What did you,think, Gwenny, of Mi
f AVinford'e etranye words at.going, abo
! the possibility c6cur-some time being ri
again V
"I did not liao;v what tc think
I them," ehe replied.
) "Neither did I just then, bnt< I begin
understand them now," said the, old ge
f tleman, with a quiok .return to his coi
I plaining tone. "S&e meant?she referr
t in cnmsrnvt/i finnanderdll's off(
i But 6ho was oat. siiowas out! Such lu
t never oilers itself again, after being on
I madly set aside. Kev?r, ne^er!"
t And, thus sighing and groaning, !
I disappeared into the room thathad be
f allotted to him.
1 "I suppose that mtwt have been wh
' she meant, though it did notocccr to i
at the time," sadly thought Gwendolir
J as she sought her own repose. "Poor, de
1 papa! but for him ther? would be.no pu
ficitv at all; and I only hope I shall n
' feel too mortified and shame-faced, ii
J peiiea ner to snrmk Tor saTety undei
slightly projecting 6helf, which hi
canned him to go as far as the topof tl
road and return, without seeing her.
J A few moments afterward there was
! particularly vivid flash, and she perceivi
that she was not alone in her rocky she
ter.
r "Why, Mrs. Beane, it is you!" she .e
claimed, as another flash followed,
t "Yes, it is me, Miss Winford," neplii
the person thus suddenly rereale
"Hark! Just before you came, I thoug
I heard some shouts."
"I henr nothing now but the apprcai
of carnage wheels," said Miss Winfcrd
[TO BE CONTINUED.]
Bnrdette's Sermon on Life.
Man born of woman is of few da;
jtnd no teeth, and .indeed it would 1
i money in his pocket sometimes if I
had less of either. As for his teeth 1
had convulsions when he cut them, ar
as ihe last one comes through, lo! tl
deniist is twisting the first one on
and the last end of that man's jaw
worse than the first, being full of po
celain and a roof-plate built to ho!
blackberry seeds. Stone-bruises lii
his pathway to manhood; his fatlii
boxes his ears at home, the big bo;
cuff him in the playground and ti
teacher whips him in the sclioolroor
He Imyeth Northwestern at 110, whe
he hath sold short at 9#?, and his neigl
bors unloadetli upon Iiim Iron Moun
ain at C3?, and it straightway breakel
down to 52$. He riseth early and si
teth up late that he may fill his ban
and storehouses, audio! his children
lawyers divide the spoils among ther
selves and say: "Ha! ha!" Hegrowlel
and is sore distressed because it rainet]
and he beateth upon liis breast ar
sayeth "My crop is lost!" because
raineth not. The late rains blight h
wheat and the frost biteth his peac]
aa Tf it. li? cn flint, flip sun sliiriAtl
| even among the nineties, lie sayetl
"Woe is me, for I perish!" and if tl
northwest wind sigheth down to fort;
two below, he crieth, "Would I wei
dead!" If he wears sackcloth and bli
jean, men say "He is a tramp" and
he goeth forth shaven and clad in pu
pie and fine linen, all the people cr
"Shoot the dude!" He carryeth insu
ance for twenty-five years, until he hi
paid thrice over for all bis goods, ar
then he letteth his policy lapse 01
day, and that same night fir? destro;
eth his store. He buildeth him a boui
in Jersey, and his firstborn is devourt
by mosquitoes; liepitcheth his tents :
New York, and tramps devour his sul
stance. He moveth to Kansas, and
cyclone carryetli his house awav ov<
into Missouri, while a prairie fire ar
10,000.000 acres of grasshoppers fig]
for his crop. He settleth himself i
Kentucky, and is shot the next by
gentleman, a Colonel and a statesmai
"because, sail, ho resembles, sah,
man, sah, he did not like, sah." Veril;
there is no vest for the sole of his fee
and if ho had to do it over a .gain 1
would not be born at all. for "the df
of death is better than the day of one
birth."?Philadelphia Time
Carrying Ten 'Possums by One Tai
A man came down from Cochranto
yesterday afternoon with a queer cxarupl
J of natural history in his possession. ]
J was a mother oppo3sum and ten littl
i ones. The man carried the mother sus
pended by her tail and the little one
completely covered the old ones, haagiu
on by their feet and tails to any part c
the mother's anatomy that would ador
a hold. The man stated that he ha
carried the whole family from the woo;
where they were captured to Cochrantoi
over two miles, and not one of the babi<
loosened their grip in the whole journe
?Oil City (Penn.) Derrick.
A New and Peculiar lusect.
The currant bushes in the vicmit (
Bloomingtou, III., are infected by a ne<
an 1 peculiar insect, which covers alruo.'
completely the fjreen fruit, and who*
poisonous qualities have occasionc
much excitement. A child of Ed. Mc
' of IJloomiugton died,the doctors declar
from eating the parasite-infected gre<
currants. The child died in the mo
; intense agony, suffering as if affcct<
i with rabies. T?vo other children a
, low from the same cause. Many peop
1 are ridding their gardeus of all curra:
bushes.? Washington Star.
1 " .
i Savs an old seal fisherman: "Than
to the high latitudes which it inhab
: the polar bear is not likely to be kill
, off. The polar bear is an enormo
; animal, weighing about as much as
> fair-sized ox, but it is not at all fier<
t and will always ruu away, so that it
j not hard to kilL I onoe saw an Ale
woman dispose of one in a very :
markable manner. She found
asleep on the ice, and approached
I with great caution from the leewa
j side, having previously improviaei
i weapon by fastening tne Knne sue c;
ried to a stick "with lacings of b<
1 leather which terved to hold togetl
[ he^ garment. Having got close to t
) unconscious boast, she thrust t]
spear deep into the body behind t
> left foreleg. It died almost without
struggle. It is a curious fact that t
^ liver of the polar bear is actual
, poisonous, though the meat is ve
> wholesome and toothsome as well,;
' tembling beef ?omewh?t."
RENOWNED PALOS.
at
he ?
h? THE PORT WHENCE COLUMRU8
SAILED FOR A NEW WORLD.
ed
b#
ill Its Old importance Gone?Visits to
nB the Ancient Monastery ol LaKabik?
da?Baptismal Records -oi
jje Columbus's Craw.
Br
31iei
Probably few Araerieane have ever
re visited the little Spanish village of Paloa,
the at one time important seaport of
iss Spain from which Columbus set sail on
n* his wonderful voyage of disco very. The
Palos of 1492 and the Palos of to-day
are vastly different. It was in that day
a thriving town and important seaport.
t0 but to-day the baoks ot the Rio Tiato at
n- Palos are wholly devoid of all signs of
n- docks, piers, warehouses or buildings of
ed any kind; nothing but a wide morass
that is overflowed at high water, beyond
?0 which are the vine-cultured hills, and
still farther back, about a half mile from
he the river, the little village of Palos, all
en vestige of old docks or shipping having
disappeared, not even a suck or nmoer
at being left to mark the spot.
110 We took a small sailboat at Huelva, an
l0? important seaport of to-day, over to
Palos, which is situated about three miles
0t distant up the Rio Tinto on the east bank,
I T says A. W. Wheeler in the Chicago Post.
a It takes from half to three-quarters of an
hour in fair weather to make the
k? trip. On the way we passed the
a noted ancient monastery, La liabida,
0(j where Columbus and his son Diego were
si- taken in and cared for by the good old
prior, Juau Perz de Marchena, during the
r- long and weary waiting for the Catholic
king and queeu, Ferdinand and Isabella,
ed to make up their minds to foster Colura
bus in his enterprise. The white -wall?
of La Rabidaare plainly visible for miles
eh distant, being situated on a high bluff
near the harbor and commanding a fine
view of the surrounding country.
As T/e approached Palos we were impressed
with the barren outlook, there
being no visible signs of port or villages.
Only the white walls of an old ruin of an
hacienda, or farm house, are to be seen,
ie in which the soldiers have built a small
hnrrnolro thr?\r hnvinnr ViPPn ftf.ftt.innpd
id there to watch for any possible smugle
glcrs.
<s The little village of Pilos, of about
is five hundred inhabitants, which is berj
yond the hill, is, with the exception of
" r . ,
er
'-a
10
a.
\
y.K RAT5IDA.
1(1
it the tops of a few houses, invisible from
is -where we landed. Our landing from
h- the sailboat was a novelty such as I had
never before experienced. "We could get
I1, no nearer than about one hundred feet to
10 dry land, so our accommodating boatman
Y~ carried us ashoie on his back. Being a
re sure footed and muscular fellow, wo got
l.? safely over. That is the way tourists of
" to-day are obliged to land at Palos.
it is auncuit 10 imagine max, to navs
'' been Columbus's point of embarkation.
^ The river at this point is about six touni(j
dred feet wide and navigable for boats
of considerable tonnage. After landing
we walked about half a mile over the
j0 hill?or, rather, around it?on the same
i(j old road that Columbus had many times
;n traveled back and forth while superintending
the fitting out of his little fleet
a ?-the Santa Maria, Piutu and Nina?and
;r getting ready to embark on his voyage to
id the "New World." The narrow road
at leading into the village is covered with
in rough cobble stones, with no sidewalks,
a and only passable for pedestrians or burq,
ros, the latter of which are used as the
a sole means of transportation. We saw
J", no vehicle of any kind in Palos. The
t, buildings nre all one-story high, built
10 mostly of brick covered with stucco, and
every one of them whitewashed.
1 < The occupation of most of the people
seems to be that of farming the neighboring
country and fishing. Being quite
1. anxious to see the little old church (the
_ 1 -
a
|j| FltOJt IltrEI.VA TO PAT-O?.
e> only one in the village) of St. George),
-a that has stood there for the past six hunst
dred years, having l>eca erected in the
thirteenth century, aod at which Colnmre
bus worshiped, we made inquiries of
? the crowd 3f boys who were following
apparently wondering wiia'j brought
us to town, and they guide I us to it. It
is a small, plain little church, with whitewashed
walls, like the rest of the build.
itigs, tile roof and small bell tower at
l'fl the side. We found it closed, but oue
e<l of the boys kindly offered to go after the
ua cura, Don Jose Murciano Marsal, who
a eoou appeared. After showing hitu my
:e, letter of introduction, which was a gen
; is eral letter to all the Spanish clergy from
tut the rector of the American College at
re. Home, he opeaed up the church lor our
it inspection.
it
rd There was the same altar, with its
1 a gilded image of the Virgin Mary, the
ir. same round pulpit, with its iron-railed
;il] winding stair.vay lcadiug to it, before
which Columbus had worshiped. It is
he a vcr^ P'a'n> "Id-fashioned church, with
no paintings or ornamentation of :inv
j*! I kind. The cura invited us to dine with
him at his home where he could show U9
' 0 the archieves of the church. We gladly
he accepted his invitation. When we aiIty
rived he U3hered us into his studio where
in was the little wooden ,larchivo" with its
re- treasures of historical value. He brought
out and showed us the baptismal record
? -
book, over 450 years old, ia which were
the baptismal records of a number of the
crew of Columbua, including among
others, that of Etodrigo de Triana, tho
Bailor who first sighted land from the
Pinta. This sailor was cheated out of
the reward offered by the king. According
to Ferdinand's promise the one who
Urst sighted land should receive a large
reward. JBat when liodrigo applied for
it, it was refused, at which he was 'so enraged
that he left Spain and went to
Morocco and renounced both his religion
and country. This old book of records
is worth more than its weight in gold.
The curd also had a complete list of
the oiEcere and crew of Columbus. He
made a copy of the list and gave it to
me. The total number of officers and
crew was 120.
After our dinner, which, by the way,
was a very good one, he having served us
among other things some of the finest
x
CHURCH OF ST. GEORGE.
chocolate I had ever tasted, we thanked
our kind host, saying we were obliged
X. 11.1. T _ It.L'J. - J*.i *
w witiK to ija iiaoiua, a instance 01 tnree
miles, to meet our boat, for we could
not get aboard at Palos, as it was low
tide. Spaniards are as a rule, priests as
well as others, very hospitable, courteous
and kind; and, as an illustration, our
good cura friend kindly offered to accompany
us the whole distance to La
Rabida, and we glady accepted Ins
company.
This walk was the most interesting
part of our trip, for :iloag this same road
Columbus had walked more than a hundred
times while going from L i Rabida
to Palos, often acsompanied by the Prior
Marchrtna. The various parts of interest
that in any way related to Columbus the
the cura pointed out to us. Arriving at
the landing we found our boatmen waiting
for us, and, bidding farewell to our
friend, we set sail and after a half hour's
pleasant ride across the bay arrived at
Huelva and took the 4 p. m. train back
to Scvilla.
Ttio nirioct. T.tviniy Twiner
The oldest twins now living in the
United States are Mrs. Lovica Matteson
and Mrs. Sally Clark,
born at Rutland, Vt., *
in 1802, and conse- 13
quently eighty-nine
years of age at the wr" 1 ^ /
present time. Their
parents, named Fisk, /
had twelve children?
five boys and seven
girls?several of whom v
died, but none below Mrs, matteson.
the age of eighty, whjie 0ne lived to. bs
ninety-seven. The father died at ninety5ve
and Mrs. Fisk at ninety-two. Mrs.
Matteson has attended to the sick for
afty years and still ministers to the
itflicted. She had five children and
lives with one of the surviving three at
Angola, N. T. Her
memory is remarkable
and she has a wonder8toc^
of reminismr?|
^ y cences.Mre. Clark lives
\Lvjfeli / **er children at
Hamburg, N. Y., and
tshe is hearty and vig
orous* giving but
twenty miles apart
the sisters are often
mrs. clark. together and they
never fail to meat on their birthday,
which is pleasantly celebrated every year.
The next oldest living twius in this
country were born in Germany in 180i
and now reside in St. Cloud, Miau.?
C/iiccujo Herald.
lie Was Not in It.
Algic?"You seem rather fond 'of
puppies, Miss Smith."
Miss Smith?"Yc3?but only of fourAnne
"
*"obv%"
Gold on the Top of a Mountain.
A curious discovery has becu made on
Cedros Island, Mexico, iu the form of a
bed of white sand, extending along the
top of the mountain. It is believed to
be the remains of an ancient quartz ledge,
pulverized by intense heat, and is said
lo be as fine as though it had beeu run
through a battery of stamps. It varies
from three to eight feet in thickness,
aud is asserted to be rich in gold.?
Picayune.
Length of Soldier's Steps.
Among the Continental armies the
German soldiers have the longest legs,
judging by the length of step, which it
eighty centimeters. The step of the
French, Austrian, Belgium and Swedish
soldiery averages seventv-fivo centimeters,
while that of the Russian soldier*
rarely exceeds sixty-nine.?St. Louis liepublic.
Brave Fellow.
She?"Ob.Charlie, here comes a bull!
I What shall I do?."
He?"I will save you. Stay here
while Iruo for help!"?Weekly.
MUM
CUBIOUS FACTS.
Orange pie is something new. \j ^
Blonde hair is the finest and red th$
coarsest. - i
i 9
P. T. Barnum's family motto was
"Love God and be Merry." .
A big ocean steamer consumes about i
300 tons of coal in twenty-four hours. j
The majority of scientists say that the
top of a wheel moves faster than the
bottom.
The force required to open an oyste^
appears to be 1319?- times the weight o?
the shelless creature.
It has been calculated that there are^
about 200,000 families livio;r in Londoni
on about $5 a week. j
The thickness of the human hair variesfrom
the two-hundred-and-fiftieth to the'six-hundredth
part of an inch.
The smallest known insect, the Pter-j
atomus Putnamii, a parasite of the ichiDeumon,
is but one-ninetieth of an inchlin
length.
The Prince of Wales is a direct descendant
of King Alfred, being the;
thirty-third great-grandson; thus theEnglish
throne has remained in the same?
family for over one thousand years.
In each respiration an adult inhales.1
one pint of air; a healthy man respires;
sixty to twenty times a minute;: while,
standing the adult respiration is twenty^
two times per minute; while lying doknf
thirteen.
When the postal officials sent to Ad-;
rian, Mich., the pay due a young man
who was killed in the recent Lake Short;
accident near Cleveland, they deducted
twenty-five cents for the unfinished part*
of the run.
Mrs. Louise Burbank, of Leominster,
Mass., Is almost 104 years of age. In
her early years she walked from Quebeq
to Boston, carrying her babe upon her!
back, the family finances compelling
them to make the journey in that way.)
A local journal of Fulda, Minn., notes;
that a woman recently brought to the
office a hen's egg, which measures 7-Jinches
in circumference the smallest!
war. and nine inr.Vifis thft lsrc/ftflt. Ttwaft
boiled, and upon opening it a smaller,'
perfectly-formed egg, with a very thick'
shell, was found, surrounded by the1
white of the larger egg. J
A naturalist says a fish has no maturity,
there is nothing to prevent it from
living indefinitely, and growing continually.
He citcd, in proof, a pike in Rus-1
sia whose age is known to date back to
the fifteenth century. In the Royal , >
Aquarium at Petersburg there are hundreds
of fish that were put in over 150
years ago. (t
The most extensive salt mine is in
Wieliezka, riear Cracow, Austro-Hungary.
For six hundred years it has
been constantly worked, and from it
55,000 tons o 1 salt are annually taken.'
The mass of salt in it is estimated to bo
five hundred miles long, twent/ mileg
broad and 1200 feet in depth. Its coP
lective galleries are fully thirty miles in,
length, and its lower levels contain
streets and houses, making it a complete
underground village.
i r
Prince of Wales's Courtship. ]
Albert Edward chanced to be whiting
away part of a long summer afternoon!
with two or three congenial SDirits.vounsr
men of rank and position new eaougE
to his own to make even discussions on?
domestic questions possible, and th4
matrimonial outlook for one of the paitj!
was brought up. Colonel drew from
his pocket tfye photograph, as he sup-1
posed, of his fiancee, to show ft proudly
to his companions. i
But instead of Lady 's likeness,1
there appeared a rather poorly taken
carte de visite of the most charmiog girl
the Prince's eyes had ever rested upon?"
a girl wearing a simple little whitei
gown and loose white jacket, with a
black velvet ribbon circling her throat,'
and her hair smoothed back from her
brow, leaving the beautiful young face
to be admired for itself alone.
The eyes and lips seemed to be smik
ins at the Prince, who gazed at th(i
picture, demanding to know who in theworld
this lovely "country girl" mighl
be. "The daughter of the Prince bi
Denmark," was the answer, and, natu?
rally enough,the carte de visite changed
owners. From that moment Albert Edward
was in love with the lady who sood<
became his wife. /.
When the ship bearing the Princess to
London, drew near Gravesend, sixty
young ladies, attired in th? red and white
colors of Denmark, assembled at the
wharves to strew flowers beneath the
feet of the Prince's bride. The moment
the yacht came in view bearing its precious
freight the air was rent with cheers^
at which, so relates a lady in the party,'
Alexandra turned pale with excitement
and clung to her mother, hardly knowing
what to do or say in answer to the
wild tumult of the people.
Those upon the shore saw a pretty
sight?a timid, girlish figure, dressed
entirely in white, who appeared on th^
deck at her mother's side; then, return.
cabin was seen first at one
"o ?
window, then at another, the bewitching
face framed in a little white bonnet,
the work of her own hands.
The Prince's yacht approached that of
his bride, the gangway was thrown
down, and immediately he was seen by
all those thousands to rush across it, and
waiting for no formal word of greeting,
and to the delight of the onlookers,
caught the Princess in his arms and
kissed her.?Commercial Adcerluer.
Why Solid Iron Floats 0:1 Jlolteu Iron.
When a piece of solid iron is thrown
into a pot of molten iron or steel the
solid metal at first sinks, which shows
that its volume is less than the melted
metal. But soon tlie solia piece oecomes
heated, which causes it to expand, its
volume is increased, aud it rises and
floats on the surface of the molten mass.
The action is the same both with iron
aud steel. Mr. Wrightson said
"The experiment was frequently
made by throwiug a piece of iron into
melted steel. They could see it go down,
and might think that it was on account
of the impetus which the iron had attained
in falling that height, but as a
matter of fact if the iron wore put upon
a fork and lowered, it would go down;
but in the course of a few seconds it came
up again, and kept oa expanding until
the piece of iion was a considerable dis
tance above the surface of tlic metal.
Then it decreased in volume, and of
course became of the same volume as the
molten metal which it joined. Any one
could sec by the distance that the piece
of iron went above the surface that it
wao of considerable less density thaa tlio
molten metal."?Scientific American, t