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CHUB. A Romance of West Virginia. BY DAVID LOWRY. CHAPTER VI? CoptlnoetL. TEE LAGGARD LOVEK. The gossips did not get much satisfaction out of Dae Bash. They did find much to enjoy in talking about the preparations for Chub Dawion's wedding. Tbe preparations wore on a scale never attempted in that part of the country, une invitations were so -Humorous that the people wondered where Hank Dawson would put them all?where they would find room to dauce. Neither Mr. Dawson nor Lis daughter explained to the curious. As for Dan Bash, he had nothing whatever to say concerning the arrangements. "I leave all that to the Dawsons," he - Mid when questioned. But he had planned it all. It was (the schoolmaster, not the blacksmith, who calculated the quantity of lumber it would be necessary to lay down for a dancing floor on the ground before Hank Dawson's door. It was Dan Bash who suggested the purchase of canned fruits and meats. Me knew everything?could sum up the cost?and was his estimate that Hank itowson copied when he wrote out, with Chub's assistance, the order for the things that were to be sent by express from the great city. When the wedding day arrived the country side knew all about it Bow Bank Dawson had been to the expense of putting down a dancing floor that a hundred poeple could occupy at ouce, or maybe more. Stories of the quantities of provisions JHank had brought from the town near at hand and the distant city were circulated the day before the wedding. "Wasn't the names on the boxes? didn't everybody see the dead loads of tuff?" And to crown all, there was to be real band music." The band music referred to was a small but fairly balanced organization employed on extraordinary pecasions in the town. The guests were invited to be present at 1 o'clock in the afternoon. The marriage ceremony would take place at 6, ben supper would be served. Dancing and all manner of diversions would preoede and follow the marriage ceremony. The guests were promptly on hand. They came from all quarters. Some were there who lived seventy miles distant They came in wagons, in buggies, on horseback and afoot It was the largest and merriest gathering ever witsiRHSfid in the conntv. Hank Dawson was In his glory? laughed and talked with everybody. Bis hearty laugh rang over the farm as be moved among his guests. Along about 4. o'clock the preacher came. The preacher was a famous wag. Ee was as welcome as any story-teller that ever entertained an appreciative crowd. But one man was absent That was , Dan Bash, and he was due at 5 o'clock, when he would join the merrymakers. Five o'clock came, but the bridegroom did "not appear. A quarter past five Dan Bash was considered a laggard in love by al: the men there. At half-past five his groomsman agreed with the bridesmaid tbat it would be serving him just right if Chub read him a lecture when he did get there. The woman and girls began to specifUtn. Tbey somehow managed to Ret into little groups and talked in low tones. Fifteen minutes to six, and no sign of Dan Bash. And yet, as everybody knew, he was only four miles away. A lover with any fire in him could walk the distance in three-quarters of an hour. At six the sports lagged ? nobody seemed to be interested in them. There was no bridegroom?no sign of a bridegroom. M Hank Dawson moved arcund cheerily among the hundreds there?he was as , bright, seemingly, as ever. ? At a quarter past six he stood at the Bide of the platform the dancers were lounging on, and said in loud, clear, level tones that all could hear: * <4- "JMy friends, Ihei e seems to be some mistake somewhere. I don't know, what ! it is. Daa Bash ought to be here?he ain't and that's all I know. If he comes, why, he can marry after supper Just as well as before, but I am not going to wait a minute longer. Supper will be served Immediately. We will sit down." There were whispers and wonderings, many winks and wise glances, but the guests promptly availed themselves of flank Dawson's cordial invitation to 'help themselves freely and make the most of everything." To the surprise of the women folks, Chub Dawson flitted about, directing the assistants how to serve the guests. She was, to all teeming, as seif-possessed as was her wont. The supper was prolonged. The great crowd ate and drank heartily. If the absence of the bridegroom was unaccountable, unexpected, something that overwhelmed everybody with surprise, it did not interfere with the guests' appetites. At the conclusion of the supper, Hank Dawson rose and asked his guests to give him their attention. Then he said, lowly and deliberately: "This is a strange thing, friends. I promised you a wedding. I've done my part The people here have done theirs. The only one to blame is Dan Bash." "Father, father," said Chub softly, at his elbow. But Hank Dawson's eyes kindled, and his voice rang out bold and clear: "I may as well say it as think it Dan Basil has failed lo come to time. Why be ain't here?what keens him,?I haven't any more idee than afiyone here has. But I'll try to find out?to-morrow. Now, then, you're a-goin' to proceed just the same as if It was all regular and they were married. I'm net goin' to !>??.? nr u. cnnfl time cut short just because something's happened or gone wrong I ain't noways responsible for. You'll go right on dancin* till 12 o'clock?or as long as you've ^ mind to." A few of the men clapped their hands, "but the women whispered to each other. Suddenly Chub's voice was heard: "Father's right. Enjoy yourselves, but I want to say one tiling. It ain't Dan Bash's fault. If he isn't here, it's because something's happened to pre vent it- I won't say any more now?but If ho is not here to-morrow, I will tell you what I think is the matter. Now, do as father says." There was something in Chub's simple speech and manner that impressed all there. Wha* did she mean? But in the meintiine they would dance, for the music had struck up; a lively air caused the blood to cfrcuJ&te swifter in tho young people's veins, and soon they wore mingling in mazy figures, while the voice of the leader called them to their \ proper places in ringing tones. ; \ The merriment was at its height when / \? riderle3S horse tame ipto view. -- Tlie moment the horso galloped op to 'T] the fence. Chub Dawson screamed and till < ran toward it. Hank Dawson followed T1 her. son'i "It's Dan'6 horse, dad! Something's wou happened to him!" The crowd heard Chub's cry and her Chu exclamations of grief as she sprang to mou the horse, which neighea shrlllj, and fath stooc quite stin as sne stroked the H horse's neck. eag( "See, dad, see! There's a mark on the Ti sarldle." The Hank Dawson peered at the saddle, ever then said in a low tone: Set ( "It's?it's nothing much, I reckon." it cc But Chub was at his side now, and T1 she, too, looked closer at the spot midi "It's blood! It's Dan's blood!" tonj Chub turned to the wondering crowd ^ near her, and, pointing to the marks on yj0* the saddle, screamed, rather than said: ^ "I can tell you what I kept back for nr., to-morrow?he's been waylaid?they've f waylaid him and killed him." ,p. "Murdered!" said the preacher in awe- m struck tones. g Then silence fell upon the merrymakers. ^ When they separated later, to return to their homes, amazement found ex- p. pression in threats of vengeance upon encf the murderers of Dan Bash on his weddiug day. For all believed he had been wirV murdered. Daw CHAPTER TIL CI THE FRUITLESS SEARCH. QQti "This thing's got to be looked Into at w once," said Hank Dawson. peoj His face was stern. The men nearest him, and who lived near at hand, who ?i wore not compelled to accompany their BWei lady friends or relatives home, volunteered to assist him In clearing up what but, promised to be the greatest sensation in Un rtAnn+W j 447 UUU VWUUtJ. . A They stood looking at the horse, which moved his head back and forward In a seo restless manner. pr0^ "Dad, this horse ha9 been abused." It was Chub's voice. jt j "See?here are marks. You can sec you. them. And you can feel the lumps on aiiv< him. Some brute has kicked or beat him. 'Tain't likely as Dan Bash would too j ever do that." thin "No. I never seen a man who was w^a kinder with all a&lmals," said Hank, ?i quickly. "You're right, Chub. Here, 80m, gentlemen, you can see and feel for your-. i,can' selves." * awa The crowd examined the horse care- | rjag( fully. There was just enough light left to see the marks. "It's a dern shame," said Eli Potts, the pPOi; landlord of the tavern at the Corners, g, who was always on hand at a wedding or funeral, "cos they brought folks together." ? thiD; Eli's opinion was heartily indorsed by _jve the crowd. The horse was quivering with excite- js ment. He put his nose in Chub's hand eagerly. A human being craving sympathy couldn't have expressed himself Dlainer than Dan Bash's horse. And yet ne8S Dan had only had the animal two weeks.' To be sure, he had borrowed the loan of the beautiful gray; he knew its temper ? and disposition, but he had not Invested 10 8t in the gray until he was sure of the 12school. Then he purchased the horse as l*lk an investment He had said to the abo" hlarlrsmith and nis affianced that he with would double bis money on the young fray. yo" "Don't cry, Chub," said her father, as 150 she suddenly gave way to her tears when the women were all Rone and she was hanging over Dan's horse. ?r? "I was Just thinking. He built so much "J on this horse, dad." "Yes, he did. And a mighty gooi u judge of horses Dan was." i'y b( "Don't say was, father, don't" i "I mean is. Who knows but he's all extrj right." Bash "Well, we must go and see," said Chub. "Who'll go to where he put up? We'd best divide?there's no tailing which way he come." "That's a fact" ???? roKlonflxorl TTolf nf tliA frirro I X uv UiCU nuio^oivu> aaui* V* vwv AV* w that voluntered to search lor the rider of the horse were in their saddles now. No te A man with forethought rare brought An< Chub's horse to her side, ready for her to mount. Another brought Hank Dawson's. "This is an ugly business, I'm afeared," said flank Dawson as he mounted hid big roan, a eood traveler. 0n( "Father, if the crowd will go to Dan's nicoh house, and if they don't find any word of the t him, divide and go round by the bottom died of the big road. I'll take a lot with me, 6well< and we'll scatter among the big pines. That's the way to cover the most ground in Jht at once. And whoever finds him will gn(10IJ take him to the nearest place?here, or ugfcte back to his stopping place." sume All agreed that Chub's suggestion was timely, the very best thing that could be done. Th< The crowd separated immediately, af- the ? ter providing themselves wI th_jnataria 1 9a^' to strike ITgTTts; an{T pfDisecute thfc Search gerai thoroughl?' In the forest. and li The search was conducted with vigor sate a and spirit. Fpur different parties pushed its J? in different directions toward the house where Dan Bash had made his home. | th^n They cried aloud at intervals, listen- i tj,e ft ing for the response that never came. ha9j;j They peered into undergrowth, fired | uppei pistols, crossed and recrossed rarely it us< traveled paths, but no sign did they dis- | a,so * cover of the missing bridegroom. j *Wfty An hour later a gloomy crowd assem- | bled at the house where Dan had made ^lie his home since he assumed charge of the jng( j, school. It is The men talked In low tones; each drunl had his own idea, but they did not speak of me out boldly. The first man to express himself clearly and boldly was Hank amj tel.* "Gentlemen, it looks like wastin' time ^Je o1 to look further. Of course, I'm goin' to are d look on the road home again. Anyone Ovi that wants to can go with me. I don't expect any one, tho'. Seems lost time." Half a dozen volunteered on the in- jt \ etsnt. Hous "Thanks, gentlemen. I'm obleeged t' ye. It's a powerful sight o' trouble? erect but one good turn deserves another. S900( You all know you can count on mo. Th< Chub. " exciii "Well, father?" qnet Iu was a remarkable thing?every ono En remarked it?that Chub never Mid ingtl 'father" save when she was in a very re^8 sober vein. "Dad" was her favorite ex- . . tion l pression. Btud( "I guess we'd best go home again." "No, father; I'm not going home until ..m0) I find Dan." them "Sho, Chub." In "I can't, father." "Why?" _ volu, "I tclj you I can't, rattier." tie's somewhero nigb." last "We don't know aothin' about that, thert Chub." "He has been followed or overpow- B(,ar^ ere*J, and I think I know who did it asyhi But I must find him. Dead or alive, 1 ^rea.must find him." "Well, well, well." AI "You can go 011 round the cliffs,father; for v some of u? will hunt through the big matt ~ ' ... - was ( woods, wherever we think he might inth be hid." tb,i 1 "It's all nonsense. Chub; l>ut it's Just Tb as you like. I'm going to do just as you Heve like now, I'll bunt till daylight?I'll hunt all week if you say sc." 'n "I do, I do, father." JJj"1 "Why, of course?why shouldn't I do anything you ask me to? Besides, maybe he may be lying somewheres. dejp Anyhow, here I am." Chic And there wire others, too, a dozen anni or more, who resolved to hunt the moun- coue tains until daylight men Hey scoured the mountain fastnesses iaybreak. ten they breakfasted at Hank Daws, aDd ten strong men said they c Id devote another day to the quest. 'II never forget you folks," said b Dawson, smiling on them as they nted their horses in front of her ( er's house. er own horse was champing his bit, ;r to move. be party were well provided for. y bad abundance for lunch, and y man had his flask of liquor. They jut resolved to solve the mystery, If tuld be solved. how f<iTnt.nrt oil that, flav and until night, and then the volunteers sadly essed their, labors were fruitless^ as r. assembled once more, as by pre- , tS arrangement, at the house where had boarded. he people who made him welcome in r family were almost distracted, y had grown to like Dan Bash very h. Two grown sons regarded him i very superior being. They were >ng the most active searchers. hese men shed bitter tears. ; ot so Chub. lub had not shed a tear in the pres) of any one since the horse camo ring up to her at her father's fence, < i flying mane. t's all no use, boys," 6aid Hank rson, sadly. "You may go home." lub was silent. She remained silent j 1 the crowd separated. i hen the two were alone with the >le of the house, Chub said: I father, you know who has done this. * , suspect, Chub. I'm not ready to . wr It" am. I feel it I can't tell you how, ' father, 1 know it" , ' fcu're nervous?upset, Chub." ( om V>iif if ftinf that, " t fou can't know it, Chub, 'less yon | it, or hear eomething that you can ] 't. Have you?" ?o, I haven't. But I tell you I know uet as well as I know I'm talking to 1 Father?I'm just as sure Dan'e } 5 as I'm talking to you." I f he's alive?where is he? Don't go fast. How do we know what turn ge may take. It's best not td say t you think." know?I understand. You think 3 people may say that because we t find no sign of Dan Bash?he's run y?gone and backed out of the marb." ly God, Chnb, I didn't say that!" lut you can't help thinking what >le will think, father." mk Dawson was silent. He was so set he would not lie to her even then, know it. I've had plenty of time to k. That's why I'm not going to up." 'bat's all right, Chub. Of course II it'ral you won't give up looking." )ad." ' lere was something of her old brightas she uttered the term of endeart. Pell, Chub?out with it" nwwAOfl "Ail rr\irn Aiif fkflf wro'wj U^VOO JUU 51 IV UUt VU0U "V IV guiu op bere now till morning. It's after We can take a rest, and have a good with the Biffgers, and then, along it half-past 2 or 3, you'll start home me." ust as you like, Chub. Anything say." they talked to the Biggers as if would remain till the next day. ou've some little scheme, Chub,* her father in a whisper. 11 tell you by and by, dad." len they sat dowQ. tp &la.te sujjper? ie volunteer party had eaten heart:foro bidding each other good nightr? . ifter they ate began to talk over tho { ^ordinary disappearance of Dan <] t riO BE OONTIMJTO.l . .. . ==s 1 TEMPER A NTTR. ' 9 the "appetizer. v mperance homily would I indite. t i yet, from what I've seen, that man, roethinks, drinks to help along his appetite ? t helps along his appetite for drinks. 1 * ?John Ludlow. E alcohol's tebeible effects. c 3 illustration of the terrible effects oi y ol is the case of a drayman who went to lospital with heart disease. The man and the next day the body was so sd with gas that the doctors, to find the gas meant, punctured several holes ) skin and tested it. It was found to be m of hydrogen and so they lighted it thus had fifteen or sixteen small gas i. which burned antil the gas was conil the drink* d/.noer. 9 iutfuiUtti x-JUiiwer, mu umciui ur^uu \ji ritish Medical Temperance Association. s an association we proclaim the danad the damage of drink both to health ife, mind and morals. The common ,nd the widespread use of alcohol in all ixtures is a more potent cause of unand poverty, vice and crime, of disease leath than any other single cause and most other causes put together. It is ashion now to 6ay that intemperance reatly diminished, especially amongthe r classes. That it is not so universal as sd to be may be thankfully admitted, hat some gross customs have been done with, but habitual drunkenness is still illy prevalent in all classes, high and rich and poor, educated-and ignorant, hard drinking, 'free and careless' drinks so common as to be often unnoticed, a fact that, without being obvious iards, there are hundreds o! thousands in who are scarcely ever sober from one 3 end to another. They are not 'drunk ocapablefor the sake of their wives families and of the public, it would be r if they were. They are only too capa[ doing mischief. Their muddled brains ead to every good and holy impulse and are led captive by the devil at his will." TEMPERANCE NEWS AND XOTES. s stated that 172 member of the British e of Lords own 1539 liqupr shops, e W. C. T. U.. of Harriman, Tenn., has ed a Temperance Temple at a cost of ). e seniors or iJrown University votea to ide all intoxicants from their class banthis year. b ittleboro, Yt.. has no saloons, and dur- t he entire year of 3892 had but twelve iir- j for all causes. e British Medical Temperance Associa- , has now 418 members, :ind eighty-six 1 :nt associates. t vernment detectives in some of the jnshine" district? carry kodaks with t to secure evidence. Lockhurt's cocoa-rooms, of which there ixty-eight in London. 3C75 pledges were atarily taken last year. ^ er<! were forty-four countips in Kansas ^ wintor owning poorhouses, in which i ! was not a single inmate. s e New York Sun declares, after making n h into police, hospital and inebriate iiu records. that drinking habits are in- '' iing among women of station in this I io<;k Island llaiiroad engineer,arraigned n iolnting the rule of the company in the rj er 01 armmng, aeniea me t-uuij;.-. uui ronfronted with a photograph of himself 1 ? act of drinking a glass of beer, which 1 odak had caught. T e report of the Commissioner of Internal , nueforthe fiscal year ending June 30, , shows that the amount of beer produced e United States was fifteen gallons pet t :a in 1892 against three gallon* twenty- ^ years ago ; and whisky holds its own. c le number of arrests for drunkenness in x York City for 1890 were 31,584 : in Philahia, 24,661 ; in Boston. 1889, 24,000 ; in * ago. 31.164. Over 500,000 persons are t lally arrested for drunkenness in this ( itry is the estimate of the census depart- ^ "PEARL OF ASIA," HAM, THE LAND OF THE WHITE ELEPHANT. ts Ruler, People, Territory, Army und Navy Strength and General Conditions?Famous Buddhist Temples. flATVf, the land of the white elephant, the pearl of Asia, occupies an extensive territory of very irregular outline in southeastern Asia. Its area is about 250,000 square miles, its population about 10,000,000. In extreme length it extends from four degrees in the Malay peninsula Chiengsen, twenty degrees, twentytwo minutes north, on the river \Iekong, or a distance of nearly 1100 niles. Its greatest breadth is about f50 miles. It is bounded on the south Uwiii?>T-? "VrrtlftTT Q4-n^Art AAAimtrm/v J J bllCUllbiOU xumajr uiovco, ;he lower end of the Malay peninBula, he Gulf of Siam, French Cambrodia md Cochin China. On the west and lorth it is bounded by Burmah, except that lower Siam touches the Bay A Bengal, and on the east the boundary is Tonqnin and Annam, French possessions. It is in this quarter that the trouble irose -which threatened an East Indian var and, perhaps, the peace of Europe. \.nnam is a narrow strip of territory aiKK 1 Hgl| TEMPLE OF 1'HK EMERALD OOD IN )etween Siam aiid the Pacific Ocean. The boundary line between Siam and Lnnam, according to the maps, and as t actually existed until the French rat forth their present claims, was a ange of hills running parallel with he sea coast and forming the waterhed between the sea coast and the alley of the Mekong River. The exensive tracts of country between the iver and these hills, like much of Jiam, is largely jungle and waste, and ike all of Siam is without roads or aeans of traversing it. Siam's hold m this territory has always been peak, and France has long desired ! a M THE KING OP 81 AM TN STATE ATTIRE. ier Indo-Chinese possessions to exend to the east bank of the Mekong, t is this territory, then, 100 to 150 niles wide, between the Mekong and he coast range of hills, which has >een the casus belli. England is interested in the quesion because the disputed territory ouches her Burmese possessions on the linnnnup iif h<?r hprpditftrv ititrod of the French, and because of ier jealousy of territorial acquisition u the oust by any other Nation. Kusia, as the ally of France in Europe ,iui the rival of England in Asia, has , double motive for taking the part of Vance. Siam has figured largely in legend nd poetry. Marco Polo visited it. .'ales in which there is a strange blendng of the improbable and the true lave been told about it. It is only rithin comparatively recent times that iccurate information has been ol>a-inn/l pnnwrniiiir this fnv-flivav coun ry. Authentic Siamese history begins with 1350, when Ayuthia, now a luster of ruins seventy miles north of iangkok, was the capital. The period rom 1659 to 1688 was made illustrious >y the career of Constance Falcon, a Ireek of Cephalonia, who attained the lignity of Prime Minister. He in i dnced the .King to send an en^assy t Louie XIV. Ayuthia remained th capital until 1768, when, after a sieg of two years, it was taken and burnei by the Burmese. These in their turi were driven out by Phya Tak, the soi of a Chinese by a Siamese mother. H made Bangkok the capital and after word ascended the throne. The pree ent dynasty was founded in 1782. The present ruler ie KingChulalong korn I., of whom and of the form o whose Government Carter H. Harrisoi in his book, "A Race With the Sun,1 thuB speaks: "The King owns everything and, ii a certain sense, everybody. -He is lor of all he surveys, and yet is himsel the veriest slave of the groveling su perstitions and vile custome of hi people?superstitions and custom whioh must be a source of intense die gust to so intelligent a man as Kin] Chulalongkorn evidently is, yet whici he could not escape, except at the risl of losing his throne. "Absolute monrfrch, his will a law t every man in the realm, his proclama tions gainsaid by no one, yet he him I sen is atjBoiuwiiy govtiiicu uj tuonji. and the opinions of his nobles, even t the daily routine of his life. Wit! tastes aud aspirations natural to a ma: of culture, and ambitions growing ou of his royal position and his eviden desire for his country's prosperity, h is utterly powerless to do the half h would for his people, because he i locked up in his palace and can see th people's needs only through the eye of others and can hear only the voic of flattery, or, what is. yet worse, th voice of self-seeking and too often dif honest ambition." The King ascended the throne whei he was fifteen years'old and is noi forty. He has a multitude of wivet according to the custom of $he coun 1 A n ^ jy&fea r. ' vy.'rL. ?&^w-t=| iri o LiLJaa ^ Um#* V*: * pM THE PALACE GROUNDS AT BANGKOK. try, and upward of thirty children Though he has so many wives onb one ranks as Queen. The population of Siam is a ver; mixed one. Only about a third of i consists of pure Siamese. There ar about. 1,000,000 Chinese, most o whom, strange as it may seem, ar subjects of Holland. The remainde nf fhfl nnrmlatinn is made nt) of mixe< races?Burmese, Indians, Malays, am Cambodians. The Siamese are essentially peacefu and indolent. They are social, vain and fond of bright dresses and jew elry, and are inveterate gamblers The dress, both for men and women, i a cloth called "panoong," about tw< feet wide, wrapped around the waist with one corner drawn up and caugh in a girdle at the waist. This makes i sort of flowing trouser falling to thi knees. Well-to-do-people wear, in addition a white jacket, shoes, and stockings The women are distinguished %by i gaudy scarf thrown across the body Bangkok, the capital and largesl city, has a population variously esti mated from 300,000 to 700,000. S< peaceably disposed are the peopl< that Colonel David B. Sickles, foj many years United States Consul there, says the murders did not average on< a year. Bangkok is situated on bott banks of the Menam Biver. Asid< from the pagodas, temples and Govern ment buildingB nearly all structure! ore of bamboo, with thatched roofs Many of these float on pontoons oi bundles of bamboo in the river, ot ii tho Ranald whifth form an intricatf network of waterway s about the city, The religion of the people - ii Buddhism. Nearly all men of th< upper classes enter the priesthood foi a short time, and by custom no one can ascend the throne who hau noi been a mendicant priest. The temples are very striking ob jects seen from afar, and some of then are beautifnl, but generally, as is th< case with most things Oriental, dis tance lends enchantment to the view. Upon near inspection it is found tha' there is a great deal of tinsel aboul them, and their gaudy, cheap orna mentation does not favorably impresi the American. They are not neatl\ . l-Ant and the visitor nicks his wa> through rubbish heaps to the tempi* entrances. Here come the people 11 swarms to pray and to listen to th< monotonous chants of crowds of lazj priests. The lower part of the edifict contains the images of Buddha, anc all around the pagoda are building! devoted to the service of the priest hood. The most famous temple in al Sium ie the Wat Cheng, opposite the J royal palace. It lifts its sacrcd spin | 200 i'eet from the ground, and evert I inch of its irregular surface is covered with glazed and colored ornamenta ' tion, while little bells hang from ever} possible projection, uud every zephy; sets them tinkling. Another famous temple contains th( mammoth sleeping Buddha. The re dining statue is eighty-seven feetlong. The most interesting temple in Bang kok is the temple of the Emerald Got within the roval enclosure, devoted tc I the use of the King's family. It is ' most ornate, is tilled with the raresi [ specimens of Oriental and Europeai j art, and, crowning all, is the little I emerald Buddha, only a foot high, i 1 solid mass of diamonds, sapphires anc other gome. Several far loftier templei ? 0 in BangkOkrcost $100",000 apiece,, bu e the private temple of the King, stir e passing them all in magnificence, cos 1 $1,000,000. Q v A " sm *7if*ffCt*~ 0 ^ THE MOST FAMOUS TEMPLE IN SUM. jj* Buddha priests in yellow garbs ar t seen everywhere in Bangkok. The; arenot permitted to worK, ana man; e young fellows enter the priesthooi rimply because they are thus sure o e an easy, pampered existence. On th ground beside this old fellow you se e the bowl with which he saunters on e in the morning to collect his dail; bread, or rather rice, and leanin] against the tre>3 is his large umbrella j When a woman ladles a tew spoonful v of rice into hie bowl he hides his fyc ! behind a fan, for fear the lady's charm ' may interrupt his contemplation o _ holy things. Bangkok is lighted by electricity am haa a system of electric street railways Great strides in education have bee; made in the last few years. The Gov ernment is a monarchy, the reigning monarch having the right to nominai -his successor from among his sons Legislative power is vested in the Kinj in conjunction with a council of minis ters, most of whom are his half broth ers. Siam's military force consists of i standing army of 12,000 men, and th< people generally are liable to be calle( out as required, out mere is no armet militia. Every male inhabitant ove: twenty-one years old is obliged to serv< three months a yea*. There are, how ever, a good many exemptions Iron this rule. These include members o the priesthood, the Chinese settlen who pay a commutation tar, slaves public lunctionaries, the fathers o three sons liable to service, and thorn who purchase exemption by a fine o from $3 to $4 a month or by furnish ing a slave or some other person no' subject to conscription as a substitute The Government possesses upward o 80,000 stand of arms, beside a consid erable stock of cannon. The army ji largely officered by Europeans and haj been very largely increased of lat< years, both in efficiency and equip ment. The naval equipment consists of tw< * screw steamers of 2000 tons and eigh' ^ guns each, several gunboats, officerec chiefly by Englishmen and Danes, anc ^ some sea-going yachts. One cruise] of 2500 tons is being built. There ar< e. forts with heavy guns at the mouth o the Bangkok River. There is a bar a e the mouth of the river, however,ywhicl - effectuallv prevents the entrance o , vessels drawing more than thirteen feet of water. . The National revenues amount tc about $10,000,000 a year, of which th< ' land tax produces $1,435,000; tax 01 spirits, $500,000; tax on fruit treeq, $325,000; opium, $600,000; gambling 8 $500,000; customs, $715,000; til 3 mines, $350,000; edible bird's nests ' $135,000, and fisheries, $135,000. A1 the taxes, with the exception of th< 1 customs duties, are farmed. There ii e no public debt, and power has onlj lately been given to the Hong Konj * and Shanghai bank's local branch t< issue a limited amount of paper money, 1 There is comparatively little industry in the country, mainly due to the ntat< ^ of serfdom in which the population ii ' kept by the local governors. ThroughJ out the whole country the natives ar< 3 liable to forced labor for from one tc r three months each year. The conse > quence is that the land, rich in manj 3 parts, is badly cultivated. Not mor< 1 than one-twentieth of the available i land in the delta of the Menam is culti " vated. The dense forests of uppei 3 Siam make teak cutting an important industry. Gold exists in some of th< r rivers, and for the working of it con 1 cessions have been granted to Britisl ! and French companies. Gem mining is carried on in varioxis districts .or * the western side of the Malay peninsula, J where tin and coal are also known "tc exist. 5 Domestic slavery is in gradual abo< ^ lition. Such elavery as exists is entirely debt slavery. The present King, by an edict, decreed that no person i born after his accession to the throne ; can be held as a slave beyond the age of twenty-one. Chinese coolies dc most of both the skilled and unskilled t labor in the south, especially in the t mills and mines. In the north forest - work is confined almost entirely to a "Rnrmesp. Karens and Ehamus. r Nearly the whole of the trade is in r the hands of foreigners. In late yeare ; many Chinese, not subject, like the nai tives, to forced labor, have settled in ; the country. The foreign trade cen: ters in Bangkok. In 1891 the exports ; from Bangkok amounted to about 88,1 000,000, the imports to about $7,000,5 000. Teak wood and rice comprise a - large part of the exports. Machinery, 1 iron, hardware and cotton goods comj j prise a large part of the imports. ; Railway building began seven or eight years ago. There is one comI ' pleted railroad from Bangkok to Pak nam, fourteen miles, and another one , in construction from Bangkok to Ban ! vr-i ? IL. ??W7 : -Utti, uu but; xatucn j.uv?, uun other one from Bangkok to Korat, 165 ; miles through a very rich undeveloped riee growing plateau. Another railroad has been surveyed across the - mountains connecting Bangkok with I the Burmese cities. Telegraph line* > aggregating 1780 miles are in operant tion. There is a postal service in t Bangkok, and in 1885 Siam joined the i International Postal Union. i Along the entire southern and easti ern frontier of Siam is territory either I absolutely annexed to France, acknowl3 edging a French protectorate, or in 1 ===== 1 t ?whioh French influence predominates. ? . - French intervention in the affairs of 7 t Annam began in 1787, and was terminated by a treaty in 1884, establishing - a French protectorate. Annam maintains an army of 23,230 soldiers, of whom abont half are natives. Cambodia recognized the French protectorate in 1863. France has 300 soldiers here. In Cochin China France has 1830 French soldiers and requires, a contribution of5,000,000 francs to ward the military expenditures of Annua and Tonquin. Tonquin, with a population of 8,000,000, of whom 400,000 are Boman Catholics, was annexed, to France in 1884. In 1889 there were 11,475 French troops here, besides 6500 native soldiers. . * ? A A Queer Dwelling. 3* Arizona is literally covered with the ruins of strange habitations. Most of them are constructed of concrete, or adobe, and the mystery about them is- ' the identity of the people who designed them. How they could be built is not a matter of conjecture, as the materials are close at hand. But there is ' one ruiD, although still in a good state of preservation, that is a mystery, no . " matter in what light it is considered. e In is in the Huachncha Mountains, Y not far from the military reservation, Y in a northeasterly direction. Nothing, 3 is known of its origin, and the won- * f derful part is the - material of which it e is constructed. e It is abont two hundred miles from t the ocean, and surrounded on all sides y by hills of sand and rocks covered S with cacti There is no water for . miles, except the excuses for riven s that run during the rainy season, e There is not even *the suggestions of I A HOUSE BCTXiT OF SBBBjLS. a water, and yet the house is built of sea . shells laid in a sort of cement. i Where the shells were obtained is a * f mystery that may never be solved. It 9 does not seem possible that the'build-. , er of the house would carry the maf terial over hundreds of miles of desert 3 when there were plenty of rocks near ' f by. that would answer the purpose jost ' ,}J$ - aswell even though they were not so t unique. The house is built in the shape of f the straw huts of the Papago Indians ; . and is about the same size. There is j room inside for five or six persons, but s at present nobody occupies it, except, i perhaps, some prospector ? who uses it . for temporary shelter in cold weather. There arq,a dozen varieties of ehcl]? v ) to be found in the walls, and one over t the door is of extraordinary size. I Arvo rtf TimMlTlff Will TlATAf * X I be knows, bat there is little doubt r that it is as old as the oldest in the j Territory.?San Francisco Call. t A Costume oi Gingham or Taffeta. 1 This design is simple enough to be ' carried out by the clever home;woman, says the New York Recorder. > i /fflSffiMil NwwfflwMsWlWiI 3 r(YMm ^ /WavIAXXXXX^ r The sleeves are ahort, but may be t made long, if so desired, as would doubtless be the ease if the material > employed i?-gingham. The. waist is a blouse belted, and the cape flares to . allow for the flaring shoulder trim. ming. To make a gown of this description ! the following goods would be required i and expenses incurred: s Ten yards of gingham, at 23 cants <2.50 ( Dressmaker two days, at $2.50 5.0C 1 Total tl.M In case it were made of taffeta silk the expenses would be as follows: Twelve yards or taffeta, at 1? 412.50 T.ininff* Mn * 2.5t Dressmaker, three duyj, at $2.50 7.60 Total f22.(X The Woes ol a Widow. <, 1 "Why wecpest thon, dear mamma?" "Ala*, my son! in this alligaior * "> *? 1 1 xL. XL s valise, Jen nere oy me muuyuneoa i tourist, I have discovered the last relic i of your lamented father."?Judge. ? i English farmers who have any grass i to sell are masters of the situation. At a recent grass sale in Flintshire, one meadow of fourteen acrcs brought $400; another of eleven acres 8365; several six-acre fields $245 each, and i others from $20 to $25 each.