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A Deal lid Lands OB, THE RlMfortteMttsseMUlioji BY LEON LEWIS. % CHAPTER T. VBRY 8TRAKGKLT BB7BXE1TDED. f How the shadow lifted from Elfie's face at her encounter with her uncle'f sx-cashler! "On, Mr. Wynans!* 6he oried, after a single Instant of wild incredulity. "How glad I am to see you! Where did you eome from so suddenly?" i "I followed you, Elfie, from your uncle's store," replied Perry, shaking hands warmly- "Accept my arm, please, and we'll take a little walk. I've something to say to you." ! Elfie complied without hesitation, as ,*1thout question, her sweet, glowing tace attesting her joy at meeting him, and they sauntered away together. How sudden it seemed to her, his re? appearance in her life, and at such a moment! And how suddenly, too, with bis arrival, had the whole aspect of the world Itself changed for her! f "Why, I didn't see you in the store!* she mnrmnred, archly, radiant with her tew gladness, which she did not seek to ifconceal. c "I none the less saw you there,* responded Perry. "My desk was close beStfde your uncle's office, so that I saw yon when you came In and when you 'Went oat" "Did you heard all uncle said to me?" | "Not all?no, but enough to give me a Just Idea of what he was saying and do tag" "Then you heard him tell me * . "Yes, the heartless monster! Need I ?*y how deeply I was grieved and shocked by his conduct?" < Elfle locked up with the gratitude these declarations were so well calculated to awaken, as also with the keen relief the new situation of affairs had given fcer. "You are very kind, Mr. Wynans," were the simple words which escaped her, bat with what tender Joyousness were they uttered 1 U "Yon can never know how impatiently I have waited to see you again, " continued Perry. "Since I first went to Jngleheim, almost three years ago, to talk with your father about his lands on the Musselshell, I have had the extreme happiness of being acquainted with you, but our meetings have been alike too Jew and too brief, you were away bo much?at school, at your bookseller's, and elsewhere." How snyly and sweetly Elfle looked up Again into his face. "I am glad you comprehend why I * ~? ? "AM n tlVlfl HAYB HOfc aeeu Uiuic ui ;uu, ?<?? irith delightful frankness. "I can never tell you how much I hare prized |yonr acquaintance." i "Many thanks for the assurance, Elfie. I became quite intimate with your parents very soon after my first visit to Ingleheim, and I cannot err in saving .that they valued and esteemed me as highly as I did them." "How often they have said as much." exclaimed Elfie. "I shall never forget how warmly mamma spoke of you the day before she died, and how grateful she was for your last vi3it For myself, how can I ever forget what a consolation it was to me to see you at the furneral? Your kindness and sympathy on that occasion went to my heart" . "I am glad of that, Elfie," returned iperry, "for it was from my heart that [they came. As to what has since taken place, our mutual friend, Mr. Bush, the house agent, has kept me posted. He wrote me yesterday that you would call .upon your uncle to day, or I should lmve come to Inglebeim to see you." I Elfie bowed gratefully, her eyes shining like stars through a mist of tears. WI hope you realize, Elfie, how often I jiave been in Ingloheim and how much I ihave strolled around its hills and valleys with your father, and especially how much I admired and loved him. As ?n outcome of that friendship, I have now some very important and surprising facts to communicate to you. If you .will step into Jackson's, a popular restaurant for ladies and gentlemen in the next block, we'll call for a few refreshments and I'll tell you a numbm* of ihings I want you to know." i "Certainly," returned Elfie. ' Little more was said until they had seated themselves in the restaurant In question and given their orders, and then Perry resumed: ' "About ten years ago your Uncle Hiram visited your parents at Ingle beim, and it was on mat occasion tuai your father and nncle sent ten thousand dollars to Montana, to your uncle Jerry, In consequence of the latter's representations, to invest in wild lands on the Musselshell River." ttI remember the transaction," returned El fie. "I also remember that {Uncle Jerry's investment turned out a , very poor one." ! M8o he reported, Elfie," pursued WyB&ns, "but I at length became suspicious that he was not acting in good faith. This suspicion eventually became so strong that 1 availed myself of a summer vacation to pay a secret visit to the Musselshell about three years ago, and with the most astonishing results. Not to keep you in suspense, 1 hasten to say that 'Uncle Jerry' hail been lying from the very date of the purchase. The lands were well worth all they cost, if only as a range for cattle. But gold had been found on them in paying quantities, and certain old prospectors prophesied great discoveries. I came back with the idea that the property was far more i-- v ?_ ?rt 1^ t 1 * ? "vaiuauio tu(iii uuuQ utnj preicuucu, ?nd I lost no time in buying it" "Did father know, when he sold you his half-inter* st, all you had learned by your secret visit to Montana?" asked Elfie. "He did," replied Perry. "He was my friend, and I was obliged to tell him. He comDrehended perfectly what he was selling. Realizing that he was stricken with death, and that your uncles would not hesitate to rob you, Elfie, and knowing that it takes a strong hand to hold its own in the wilds of Montana, ho deeded me the lands, with the understanding that I would hold them ae a sacred trust for you, and that you should share with me any good which might come of them." "But you didn't tell Uncle Hiram * "Certainly not," answered Perry. "I was under no obligations to do so. Ha asked me no Questions. *nd I didn't even |tell him 1 had been to Montana. deemed himself smart, and thought the was unloading upon me a property which was practically worthless. I was not his friend, nor in his confidence, nor In any way his debtor." "I see," breathed Elfie. "So we are (now the joint owners of that entire Musselshell property?" "Yea, Elfie, as you will see by a letter your mother wrote you a month ago.? declared Wynans, drawing a handful of valuable papers from his pocket and proceeding to detach from them the : imipsive in question. "Read this." Starting in glad surprise, assherecog- , nized her mother's handwriting fltie J * ' ^ pressed the letter repeatedly to ner Hps, and thee broke the seal and read as follows: Mr Darling Daughter?Mr. Wynans says your uncles will not do anything fox you after I am gone, but It Is only right that you should apply to them, especially to your uncle Hiram. Your father furnished him with the capital which gave him his first start as a merchant. Should he prove a broken reed to lean upon, such will not bo the case with Perry Wynans. We have not known tnis aear rnena long, du* wo have known him Intimately. He 1b honest, kindly, and generous?all things good and noble. How much It comforts me to know that I leave you such a friend and protector, is only known to that God in whose bosom I shall soon be at rest from my trials. Trust this man, darling, as you would trust me. The Musselshell lands It seems are be-, coming" very valuable; and Ferry?I call him so because he seems like a son to me? will give you half they produce. Consult with him whenever you need advice, and remember that my last blessing will always rest upon you both. Heaven be with you both now and ever. Mothsr. Elfie had not read this epistle without many a pause, as also with emotions which found repeated expression in tears. It seemed to her almost like a message from another world. "This letter confirms all you have told me, Mr. Wynans," she said at length, handing it to him and inviting him by a I .'gesture to read it. "You will Bee how 'much mamma thought of you." Perry read the letter in silence, tears | gathering in his eyes. i cShe was only ioo' appreciative of the little I have done, or could do,? he said, handing the letter Dacic to tine, wno again preBsed it to her lips and sncnred It tenderly in her bosom. "At the moment it waB written I was not as fully enlightened about the Musselshell property as I am now, but enough had become known to render It oertain that we were on the road to fortune. * Elfie looked so pleased at this assurance that he hastened to add: "The reports I have received during the past week from the Musselshell read like a fairy tale. I hardly dare give you their substance, and so will let you look them over for yourself in the course of the evening or to-morrow. It is enough to say that we have on our land two of the richest gold mines which have ever been found in America." With what intensity the girl's glances came back to his face! "How nice!" she murmured, with the sweet simplicity of her years. "And how like a fairy tale, as you sayl I suppose you will not remain In Uncle Hiram's service a moment longer?" "No. Elfie. In fact, I am not going bacK to tne store, x ieit a Driei nuw uu my desk to that effect I remained until to-day merely on yonr account. My idea was that your undo would refuse to do anything for you, and I deemed it my duty to resume my acquaintance with you at the very point where your uncle's dealings ended." "How good of youl Oh, if I hadn't met yon at that sad, gloomy moment! I wa9 quite in despair. And now that you have quit uncle's service and be has cast me off?" "We'll go to Montana together, If you think well of the suggestion," declared Perry. "No father wa9 ever kinder to a daughter than I will be to you, should you desire to bear me company to these wonderful mines.." Effie sighed with a gladness that was too intense {or utterance. "Oh, it has been the dream of my life to go out to the mountains and valleys of the great West!" "I foresaw how you would welcome my proposition," said Perry, "and so I hawQ finffaced a life-lone friend of your mother and yourself to go out there with us?In fact, your dear old nurse, Mrs. Kankle." "Really? How delightful! Where Is she?" "She's at my hotel waiting for us." How thoughtful you are I don't know what mamma and I would have done without dear Mrs. Kankle." "You will go with me to Montana, then?" "As if I could refuse!" exclaimed El fie. MI think we shall be able to start this very afternoon," announced Wynans. "The truth is, your Uncle Jerry is still in possession of our lands and mines, and is robbing us of a fortune daily, so that I am resolved to put in an appearance there at the earliest moment possible." "And shall we say anything to Uncle Hiram about our intentions?" "Certainly not, Elfie. What is 'Uncle Hiram' to you? But he'll not be far be hind us, I think. He is In danger of failing and losing everything he has In the world, and his intention is to start for Montana this very day. He has realized all the cash he could by all sorts of shifts and expedients?many of them grossly dishonest?and is going to run away, taking his son and daughter with him." "Then we may see them all in Montana?" "It's only too probable. But when you do he will be the 'beggar' ana you will bo rolling in your millions." How Elfie's heart fluttered at the thought! What a true prophetess she had been in warning Hiram Skidder of such a change in their respective situations! "And for all this I have to thank you, Mr. Wynans," she murmured, her eyes misty with her exquisite joy; "you who, until to-day, have been so rarely a-o hour in my presence! You have tolled and thought for me while I slept! Surely it is the hand of God which ha3 brought ns together, and is leading me out of my * ^ * T oUnll desolation UU ? pttlu wucmiu x au?n uuu radiance and sunshine forever!" With a smile as gentle as his speech and mien had been, Perry arose with her, offering her his arm again, and they, went forth to their destiny together. CHAPTER VL A SINGULAR ENCOUNTER. The silence to whici we left Elfie and Wynans was broken by the latter with the inquiry: "How have you left things In Ingleheim? Are you expected there to-night?" "Oh, no," replied Elfie. "I have left the place definitely, storing my furniture with Mr. Bush, who will keep it safe until further orders." She reflected a few moments ear, nestly, and then added: "1 was so sure Uncle Hiram wonia asB me to remain a few days at least with cousin Hilda that I brought with me a trunk, in which I have placed all mj personal effects." "Where is that trunk now?" "At the Kansas City, Harrison street. * "That is just as it should be," com merited Perry. "We shall start from there on our journey, and need only exchange one check for another." They walked on a little while in silence, and then Perry asked: "Do you wish to go anywhere? Would you like to make a call or go shopping?8 The girl sighed deeply. "In all this great city," she replied, "I haven't a single friend, Mr. Wynans, save yourself, and consequently no calli to make, nowhere to go." "Then wo will go direct to the auiel little hotel oh Madison street, whe'rb I iiave long had my quarters," proposed Wynans. "We shall havo barely time to get our supper and lay in a few supplies before it will fce time to drive to the station. " They proceeded to the hotel in question. "I will show you to the ladies' parlor," remarkea Wynans, as the couple reachod the entrance of the hotel. "If we should | encounter Mrs. Long, the landlady, I -.Ye. . . .. ." / wm mention that yon are waning ror a traiD, and will only ba here to supper." The room was tenantless at the moment they reached it, and they sat down near an open window looking out upon the street. "Here are three thousand dollars, Elfie," remarked Wynans, producing a wad of bills, "which I would like you to conceal under your corset or in some other safe place on your person. I have retained in my own hands something more than a thousand, which will doubtless be ample to take us to our destination. Here, also, is a will I made eleven months ago in your favor, giving yon all the real and personal property of which 1 may be possessed at the moment of my iU AO WA A# 4 Vfc {e a 1 ort B uottiiu. xiiac guuu v/ato ui uuid _ Elfie concealed the will and the money in ner bosom with an air whicTi attested how deeply she was touched by these evidences of her companion's kindness | and confidence. "Of course we are not going to a trackless wilderness," continued Wynans, 6miling. "We can get almost everything we need in the principal towns of Montana The only drawback is that prices are exceptionally high in the more inaccessible quarters. For these and other roasons I have filled two large trunks with all sorts of supplies for the household, including whole pieces of sheeting, muslin, dress goods, cloakings, flannels and linen. I selected them with especial reference to you, Elfie, and have no doubt you will be pleased with them." Elfie could not help thinking, as she expressed her thanks, wnat a wonderrui man Perry was, and the tender, admiring look in her eyes deepened. "There is one very important point I would like to impress upon you," contin* ued Wynans. MWe are going to a neighborhood where our lives, for a time at least, would not be worth a pinch or salt if our identity should by any means be discovered. Your 'other uncle,' Jerry Skidder, is in full possession of my mines, and has given out that they are entirely his own?a position he has been able to take through the fact that I have not yet placed my deeds on record at Lewistown, the capital of Fergus County. Until I have secured some sort of footing in Montana, we must be very wary. From all I hear of your uncle and the crew around him, they'd snuff us out at the tirst intimation of our presence as quickly as one can extinguish a candle." Elfie assented gravely. She comprei hended only too well the perilous nature of the expedition in which she was about to embark. "It is essential, therefore," proceeded Wynans, "for us to keep our identities carefully concealed. You had better address me as 'brother', when you have occasion to call my attention before anyonej and I.will address you as 'ray dear' and'sister.' We had better give out? any occasion arising?that we are going to Lewistown, and we'll call ourselves Doctor Dolligef and sister.' We can add that we are going to Montana to settle on a rancn we have purchased." Receiving Elbe's approval, he excused himself for a moment, proceeding to the office. When he came back, she hastened to meet him, seeing that he had a telegram. "It's from Mrs. Rankle," he said. nannAf Ko Vioro f.lll fnnr nV.lnp.W. UUO vauuvw w MVAW vw. ?w ?- w Probably she missed the train, or Is otherwise detained." "The Interval is not a long one,"' remarked Elfie, returning the telegram. "Don't let me detain you, Mr. Wynans. If you have anything to do, or any farewell calls to make, I can amuse myself in your absence." "I packed up definitely this morning,* he replied, "and am all ready for aeparture, now that you have joined me. Didn't your mother tell you, not long before she died, that you were to see me, in case your visit to your uncle should not be satisfactory?" "I was to see you in any case," declared Elfie. "Mamma often said that 1 was not to lose sight of you, as she knew you would befriend me, the occasion arising." A step resounded on the adjacent staircase at this moment, and a young woman of singular appearance came striding into the parlor, with her head tossed aloft inquiringly. She was not without beauty of a vigorous, original type, but she was rudely and even wildly rustic In both garb and manners. "Have you seen my pa, miss?" she demanded, in a voice as strident as her walk, as she halted near the couple. "No, miss," replid Elfieu "Butwe have only been here a few moments*" "Well, I think it's a shame that be don't return and give me a chance to see something before dark. I'm so tired of being shut up here like a bear in a trap." "Who Is your pa?" asked Wynans, with the kindly intention of interesting the fair stranger, and so shortening her Interval of waiting. "He's Jeremiah Skidder, of Musselshell, Montana," was the reply, "and I am Daisy, his only daughter!" What a surprise for Elfie! This rustic creature was her own cousin! Ere another word could be said, however, a series of rapid and heavy footsteps resounded In the stairway, and Daisy bounded toward the door, exclaiming: "Oh, I'm so glad! Here he isl* CHAPTER VIL THE PLANS OF THE SKIDDER8. Darting througn the doorway, Daisy Skidder caught the newcomer by the hand and literally dragged him into the parlor. ' "You haven't showed up a minute toa soon, pa," she assured him. "I should have had a fit and stepped into it, if you had delayed coming another minute. But what is the matter, pa? Are you sick?" "That infernal brother of mine has robbed me of two hundred thousand dollars," growled Jerry Skidder, with such deep internal convulsions that his voice seemed to be ground out of his throat. "I'm sorry I didn't shoot him dead in his tracks. "Hush, p&, this is a public parlor," enjoined Daisy, placing her hand over his mouth. "They'll hear you." "Well, I don't care who hears mel It's true." blurted out Jerry, dropping Into a chair, and glaring at Wynans and Elfie from behind the figure of his daughter. "But bless my soul! I'll put him where he won't get out till the ants carry him through the keyhole!" "How did he rob you?" a9ked Daisy, comprehending by long experience that the only way to silence him was to give vent to his wrath. "How?" roared Jerry. "I bought the Musselshell mines for 8200,000, and ho pret2nded to give me a deed of tbem, but he told mo, after I had parted with my money, that he sold them three years ago to a man named Perry Wynans. ana the deed he gave me turned out to be a deed of a bit of wild land in Idaho, curse him!" "A fine brother, I should think!" commented Daisy, with the air of being upset by her father's revelations. "Why didn't you take back your money?" "He had slipped it into his desk." "Then why didn't you take other measures?" "I couldn't do a thing, child! Ho had given me a deed for my money, and he would have been quito willing to go into court and swear that the money was paid for the Idaho land, on account of its being supposed to be a gold field." "But about the other half interest, pa ?that of Uncle Charles Tower??? ~ "on, Tower ana his wire are both dead, after selling their interest to the Perry Wynane aforesaid!" wailed Jerry. "You see what luck I've had by this trip to town! It's enough to drive a man crazy!" Drawing a capacious flask from one of his numeroas pockets, he sheltered himself behind Daisy, and proceeded to chcer and console himself with about "three fingers",of "mountain dew* all the way from Montana. "Then you didn't go to Ingleheim, as talked, pa?" queried Daisy. "No. Why should I waste my time in any such way?" retorted Jerry. "To be sure, Tower left a girl named Elfle?so named by that sister of mine, her mothrohn ttTQ c nn? nf th? most, romantio creatures I ever knew?but the title was never in Elfie, and so we have nothing to fear or hope from her, and that's a sufficient reason why I didn't go near her." "But this Perry Wynans, ? said Datey, who seemed to have a faculty for following the subject in hand, "who and what is ne?" "I only know that he has been a bookkeeper 6r cashie'rln Hiram's employ for a number of years," replied Jerry. "You didn't see him, I suppose?" "No, I couldn't, for the reason that he leaves for Montana to-day, according to Hiram." The statement seemed to give Daley a suggestion. "Can be have heard what the property is worth?" she asked. "Of course he has." "Then he'll never be fool enough to ell it?" "Never." "Did you learn from uncle Hiram what sort of a man this Perry Wynans is, and whether he is married or single?" "No, Daisy. And what has all that to do with the Musselshell mines?" "Perhaps nothing, and perhaps a great deal," declared Daisy, with a smirk of self-conceit. "If he starts for Montana to-day he can't get there any quicker than we shall, can he?" "Certainly not * "II ne comes 10 me .reiusBeisjaeij,- pursued Dal3y, with the air of scheming aloud, "we shall be aware o 1 the fact as soon as anyone, and can make our arrangements according. If he is inclined | to be civil I may be able to hook on to him and become Mrs. Wynans, thut conciliating all our interests." fio be oosraruTO.] TEMPERANCE. WHAT THE DRINE COSTS THE COUNTRY. Eighty per cent, of crime and of all public expenses resulting. Ninety per cent, of pauperism and of all public expenses resulting. Fifty per cent. of insanity and of all public expenses resulting. Thirty-five per cent, of idiocy and of all public expenses resulting. Tbese estimates are not guesswork, but are based upon the testimony of such experts as Judge Noah Davis and Dr. Willard barker. BEER INSTEAD CF BREAD. In a survey of the imperial statistics 01 alcoholic drinks in Germany, Dr. William Bodesiys that the production "of the raw material manufactured into wine, beer or spirits, occupies about one-fifteenth of the cultivated land of the Empire. On this area of farming land -jnough rye might be grown to supply 3,300,000,000 of pounds of bread, whiioh. would make sixtv-six rounds of bread more a year to every one of the 50,000,000 of people inhabiting Germany, or 380 pounds to an average family of Ave persons, which is the entire food needed by the family for nearly fifty days, or about oneeighth more of food than they can enjoy at present. One-fourteonth of all the productive forces of Germany is engaged in this industry. The amount of money spent on drink has been estimated at about $120,003,000 a year, or $2.40 to each inhabitant, or tl2 to each average family of five. MOBEEATE EJUNKERS ABE INEBRIATES. But I do not deny that there are modorate drinkers. I<claim, howev?r, that these people are all moderate drinking Inebriates, if they drink habitually or every day, or if they taKo alcohol regularly with meals. If a person b9gins taking ounces of alcohol with daily meals, and coutinues the practice a few months, he will notice the following results: If he omits tho alcohol for a day he will miss it. He will feel a craving for J something. His digestion and strength will be below normal. This means that the digestive organs and nervous system ara educated to digest food under the stimulus of so muoh alcohol. If the alcohol is withdrawn, the digestive forces ani general physiological moafinras of force will bo diminished ac cordingly. To this extent such a person is an inebriate. His digestion may recover its normal condition in time if the alcohol is abstained from, bat until the craving tor liquor is gone the man is an inebriate.?Dr. Kecley. EKCOCBAGINO FIC.CIIES. ' A table of figures concerning the retail liqnor traffic in the United States for the years 1873 and 1693 has been compiled by the Rev. J. P. Loyd, of Delnware, Ohio, from the U. 8. revenue reports of those years. A glance at these figures shows that there has been a marked decrease in tho ratio of the liquor dealers to the population during the two decades1. In 1873 the number of dealers was over 200,000, being one in 192 of the population. In 1893, though the number of dealers had increased by 29,000 the ratio had decreased to one in 272. In tho great whisky States, Illinois and Ohio, the change has been elight. The most marked decrease has been chiefly in Southern and Western StatesAlabama, Arkansas, Georgia. Kmsas, Nebraska, the Dakotas and tho Carolinas ; but Massachusetts and Pennsylvania have distinguished themselves by u decrease in the number of retail dealers of twenty-flvo per cent, in connection with an increase of fifty percent, in the population. Twelve Southern States, while gaining over sixty per cent, in noDulation. recorded a decrease of twenty-flvo per cent, in the number of dealers. These are encouraging figures, anl they are far from being ofTsot by the increase per capita of licensed saloons in a few States. They include all places?drugstores, restaurants, barrooms, saloons, etc.?for for which tax or license to sell at retaii is paid.?New York Observer. TEarERAXCE NEWS AXI) NOTES. The liquor traffle, especially as cnnluctel hero in the Unite I States, is the source of much evil.?Mgr. Satoili. The W. C. T. Union, oTBrooklyn, N. Y., have resolvei to "boycott the growers who sell liquors on their premises.-' Policeman Christopher Gibbous, of the New York for.-.?, has distinguished himsolf by arresting his own son for drunkenness. The greatest fools are the men who drink in the winter to ke^p warm. N;xctothem are the ones wLo drinit iu t'uj summer to keep cool. " ? T_ .1 1113 .11'XlUilU lU.ililUS, iciiiii uivvtivnv drinks, are almost feverproif; waile the drinking Creoles die by thousands. ia spite of abundant opportunities for b?coming acclimatizid. The history r?l all epidemics of cholera, yellow frver, smallpox, etc., proves that men who drink?evan if they are not druu cur.Is, but only moderate drinkers?sot the sickness soon.-r anil are more sure to die than the abstainers. The American National Congress of FrienJly Societies. which mako life insurance a chief feature, reccutly p issed a resolution declaring it uuadvisablo for bensllt societies to admit to membership men engaged in rotailins; intoxicating liquors. The Mayor of Springfield, 111., recently issued the following uuique proclamation : "To the saloonkeepers of SpringileU, III. Any one who sells or gives to George W. King any whisky or beer from this datuwill have their license cancelled at once. Frank Kramor, Mayor." As tho alcohol ingestoJ escapes from the body in an uualtered state, ir cannot, o? course, be looked upon as possessing any alimentary value. According to Dr. E. Smith, alcohol does not increase the production of heat in the body as a chemical agent, but by tho power it possesses ?ol stimulating the activity of the vital functions. CHINA'S WARRIORS. MANY OF THEM STILL FOLLOW ANCIENT WAYS OF WARFARE. AnHniiat.nd WTfannns. Banners With Dragon Pictures, Huge Umbrellas, Gongs and Glngals?"Brave" on Each Man's Bacls. THE Chinese, says the New York World, have not yet gone to "war with modern firearms and fonght according to modern Western methods. When they fought the English to stop JOOCBKB OF BOW AND ARROW BRIGADE. the opium traffic their arms were not dittimilar to those the English had used 200 years before. Their bows and arrows were probably more effective than their firearms. But their equipment was at least picturesque. They carried banners besaring representations of green dragons and other ter rible creatures, and also huge umbrellas. Many of the soldiers had colored pennants attached to their persons. Their shields were ! I I I CHINESE SOLEIEBS also painted with alarming tilings. ? They went into battle with a tre- i mendous heating of gonga and agita- ( tion of dragons and umbrellas. t They attempted to bar one of their i rivers with a makc-bclieve steamer, i having a funnel and smoke, but no engines. A huge fort also was armed t with wooden cannon of tremendous s calibre, which could not, of course, be i fired. I The Chinese army at present con gists of three divisions. The first is the eight banners, comprising "all living Manchoos and descendants of the Mongolian and Chinese soldiery of the conquest." These furnish guards for the palace and garrisons in different principal cities and other places. The second is the provincial army of the "Green Standard," comprising i*. ___ .1 _ r mu: me Janu auu niiirma lurueu. j-uib numbers about 500,000 men and is ased principally for garrison and policc duties. The third division consists of the braves or irregulars who are enlisted and disbanded a3 required and have been much used in real -warfare, j Considerable bodies of troops have been drilled and armed in European fashion, but the bulk of the army is etill a mediaeval instituion. Matchloclfe, gingals, bowa and arrows, spears [ and lances are the usual weapons. Sometimes foreign arms are put into the soldiers' hands without instructions as to their use. The Chinese soiclier wears a uniform similar to the dress the Chiucse laborer in America commonly wears. He has a conical bamboo hat, and on the v front of his coat the service to which ? ? E V. i: POLDIKR OV TSZ TTC2K GUARD. II he belongs ?aJ. on ihe back the word ei "brave"' are iascribed. The Chinese ! 1< Lave proved themeehzeB to be capable of great and sustained bravery under tl competent leadership, tacit as that of tl Chiuepe Gordon. T A system of examination for officers e1 in the army is in use. Their physical tl .. . . attainments only are tested. Lifting weights, swordmanship and archery are the subjects of examination The archery test is very interesting. A A straight trench a foot or two in depth and wide enough for a pony to run in is dug in che parade ground. Mounted on a pony the candidate gallops through. He does not have to pay attention to the animal, which is guided by the trench. He passeB three targets, shooting an arrow at each. They are arranged at such distances that he has just time to put a new arrow to his bow between one and the next. A gong is beaten at each target when it is hit. The gong is commonly used to give commands in the Chinese army, and is also supposed to alarm the enemy. The Manchoo Tartar men of the race of the reigning dynasty are the fighters of the Chinese army. Certain _ i? xi xi_ _ m: u n n ox mem, composing ixie J-iger uruaru, are dressed in yellow?the imperial color?striped in imitation of a tiger's liide, and having ears also to their caps. This cap is made of split bamboo, capable of resisting a heavy blow. The shield, also of bamboo, is painted with a monstrous head, calculated to terrify the enemy. Every fifth soldier has a silk flag flying from a small staff attached to his back. This gives a very gay appearanoe. The military policeman, says a British writer, wears a placard on his breast inscribed "robustious citizen." M. Hac, who has left a very interesting record of his labors as a missionary in China between 1810 and 3 850, describes a view of the Chinese army which he witnessed. "This great military display was to take place outside the town on an immense sandy plain to which the warriors were already hastening in little groups, according to the banner to which they belonged. Their arms, -which did not trouble themselves to gleam in the sun, were also in great variety; there were guns, bows, piltes, sabres, pitchforks and saws fastened to the end of a long handle, as well as rattans, ON THE MABCH. shields and iron culverins -which had tor a carriage the shoulders of two inlividuals. In the midst of this medley ;here was, nevertheless, one thing in vhich the army displayed the most idmirable uniformity. Every man, without exception, had a pipe and a an. As to the umbrella, that did not leem to be strictly according to regllation, for those v/ho carried um jrellas were in a minority. A CHINESE FLAG BEARER. "At one extremity of the field there ras raised on a slight elevation of the round a platform, shaded by an immense red parasol and ornamented nth banners, streamers and some large anterns. "The Inspector Extraordinary of he Imperial Army and the principal ivil and military Mandarins of the own -were on the platform, seated in rm chairs before little tables covered rith tea thing6 and boxes filled with xcellent tobacco. In oue corner was servant holding a lighted match, ot. however, to fire cannon with, but o light pipes; ami at various points { the lield we saw formidable deached forts made of bamboo and ainted paper. "The moment arrived to begin. A ' ittle culverin that stood near the ktform was flred off, the military ulges covering their ears with their ands to protect them from the frightii 1 detonation ; tlipn a yellow flag was | oisted to the top of one of the forts, i be tamtams sounded a furious charge nd the soldiers rushed together pelllell, uttering terrible cries and rouping themselves round the flag of icir company; then they seemed to e trying to get into some sort of orer, in which they were not very sucessful, and after that they had a limic fight, and the melee, which was ertainly the most effective, soon fol- , >wed. , ' It is impossible to imagine any- , ling more whimsical and comic than le evolutions of the Chinese soldiers, hey advance, draw back, leap, piroutte and cut capers, ertweh behind :eir shields as if to -watch the enemy, r * - then jump up again, distribute blows, right and left and then run away with1 all their might, crying, 'Victory 1 vie-! tory!'" The Chinese muskets had no stocks, j and the soldiers held them against; their hips. The men who acted as gun-carriages had their ears stuffed' with cotton wool. The war-junks composing the Imperial Navy were invariably built to represent some alarming animal. The Centipede was the name of one with three rows of oars, representing the feet of that insect. The Hawk's Beak was made at each end like a hawk's beak. There were also wheeled vessels, which have been used in China for many centuries. The men were usnally supplied with rattan shields painted with tigers' heads. The heavy troops wore. cuirasses of quilted cloth covered with iron plates, and helmets of polished steeL Their matchlock was of wroughtiron worked like a fowling-piece. The match was a cord of hemp or coir, and the pan had to be unoovered with the hand, which prevented its use in wet weather. The gingal is a swivel gun from six to fourteen feet long, resting on a tripod. The artillery consists principally of weapons like VIUQt A French historian writes of the Chinese army in 1644: "Their arms are arquebuses, pikes, staves with iron and hatchets. The horsemen use other arms. When they go to fight they carry four swords at their saddle pommel. They hold two in their hands when they charge, and make use of them with great dexterity. They likewise use darts and lances. They are accustomed to be environed with a troop of grooms, which are about them when they enter and which are nimble and well-armed. Their valor consists in policy and stratagems of war, where they employ their minds more than their courage to charge the enemy openly." Chinese methods of warfare were probably at that time superior to European. To use two swords at once was an admirable feat of warlike skill. A n wm'lflii POTTO nf r>awtf XXUV/UUW* TT i. ItVl OWJD V* VUV MWTJ V Mn "The greatest ships they have arcH called juncos, which are very great H and are made for the ware with castles H very high on the poop and prow, lik*H to the ships of the Levant. There areBj so many of these that it is easy foi H any general of the season to gather ioH a little time a navy of from five hun<H dred to a thousand of them of th<^| same making and greatness." The Gipsy-Moth. h Almost every one knows that th<^B gipsy-moth is a dangerous pest, anl^l that the State of Massachusetts haaH expended several hundred thoueandiH dollars in an attempt, .only partialJjjH successful, to eradicate it. . Most peo-^E pie know, too, that the little creature^fl which has done so much damage is an^Jj alien. Bat how many know just where^H it came from, and how? Hj We owe so many benefits to scien-B^ tific research that it is not singulax^H that there should be some entries on^B the other side of the account. The in<^H cnrsionB of the gipsy-moth are directly^H traceable to the unfortunate curiosity^B of a French scientist, who made his^H home more than twenty years ago in^H lYieciiord, Massacnuseus. pyf This Frenchman busied himself with^B experiments -with silkworms. He was^H desirous to find out whether there^H were any other species of insects which^H could be cultivated, from whose cocoon^H the thread could be unwound directlyflE by machinery better than can be the^H thread of the cocoon of the silkworm. To facilitate these experiments heflfl j had sent to him from France speci-^H I mens of several species of insects, among which he hoped to find a sub-^B etitute for the silkworm. With the^H rest he received Ochneria dispar, crBH the gipsy-motli. H9 He experimented with his insect^B upon trees under netting, but througbHH some accident the netting was brokeo^H and the moths escaped. When heHJ communicated his loss to the towns-^H people, it mac.e little impression upoi^nj them; bat aft er several years the foliflj age on the shade trees in Medford be-^R gan to disappear as if by magic. Tree^^H that were a delight to look upon on<1^1 day were completely stripped the next.^H The pest spread, slowly but system-^H atically, until most of the towns an^HS cities in Northwestern Massachusett^^H were visited, and great havoc wa^JB wrought to vegetation. -Then camc^H investigation, an organized movemen^^H for extermination, a commission ap^Hj pointed by order of the LegislatureHfl and large appropriations to carry oi^H| the warfare. a9H In France, it seems, there is a para^H| site which preys upon the moth arn^^K holds its destructiveness in check, buH9 the inquisitive -uecnoro rrencnma^^M neglected to import the parasite, that the gipsy-moth was permittedt^B| + - * ravage undisturbed until the State BH Massachusetts began tc make war upd^HI it. It is doubtful whether, since clora opened her box, so much dHSfl struction hns been occasioned by HH slight a cause.?Youth's Comimnio^^^B The flesh of the donkey is said be excellent eating, being as delica^MH in texture as the finest mutton, wiflflnj