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The king { _=s?HONI A NOVEL OF AMERICAN LIFI BY MAURICE Coprrigbt, 1892 ?nd 1K>3 ? CHAPTER V. CONTINUED. Fairfax could not have the heart to simulate opposition to the natural feeling of his hostess, especially since he was hoping and wishing that the I departure of the Vernons for New Orleaus would be hastened by every possible good fortune. He was ready to go with them at a moment's notice himself. "Your experience here will be pleasant to remember," he "said, "and I should think that such an outing would add an express charm to your enjoyment of the city. I am sure that even my unheroic adventures with the masked raiders from the wilderness will afford me most enjoyable recollections so soon as I can get them in the proper perspective. To be perfectly frank, I am myselt quite wining 10 return to New Orleans." "Father will be ready to go now," Bpoke up Pauline, for the first time; "he will not wish to keep us here any longer." It was useless for Fairfax to try, he could not lead the conversation away from the robbers, and so they sat long at the table discussing the subject most unwelcome to him until Mr. Vernon returned just in time to take coffee with them. The incoming of the bluff and cheery host changed the atmosphere of the room at once; Mrs. Vernon and Pauline were smiling and comparatively at case again. "I have sent a small boat with orders to my overseer at the Chandeleurs to bring up another large schooner; I'm going to take everything away from here." These were Mr. Vernon's first words. "My sloop is jnst in from New Orleans," lie added, turning some papers in his hands. "The war between England and the United States is taking a new turn it seems, and this coast will not long be aafe. We will return to New Orleans at once." MrB. Vernon and Pauline exchanged a glance of delight; evidently just then they were glad of anything, even war, that would ^rive them away from their wildWood home and back to the security and comfort of the city. They forgot Pierre Raineau and his cavaliers, they forgot Vasseur and his house in *shes, as on the instant the visiou of :he mansion on the narrow street in New Orleans arose in their minds with the murmur of man's activities and the gleam of passing vehicles. Inleed, the thought of war was vague, remote, shrouded in the misty dis;ance; even the United States seemed x) them not the country in which they livor? hnt rftfliAr snmA fftT-nff land in which they ba^ bat a nominal interest. Fairfax had left New York just in idvance of the beginning of war, and perhaps no better impression can be L given of tbe wide, unconqnered dis?nces of our country before steam and tj^L slectricity bad compressed them, than imagine that, although for some Hj^HQonths the fighting bed been going news of it was just fairly reachHHjHBkiiouk of the gulf coast where BBj^^HHg^HBLhimself so deeply and BweetflB9HE9|^^^^tbat the thought of his or hiB duty, as the son calling him to arms, in his mind. He HM^HB^HifflSi^^k.mentioned in New impressed him to himself, to be you are goSnHHnHBBHH^ksaid, to give i was BflH^^^^H&a^^RBniSBI^H^ BBB|HHHSHMH^^S^^iied nHnnwBBnHMN j OF^ :Y ISLAND = DURING THE WAR OF 1812. WTf THOMPSON. by Robert Bonner's Bon*. inquired. "Js he quieting down to a robbed man's best philosophy?" | "Poor little fellow!" Mr. Yernon J answered. "He cries for his jewels as a mother cries lor ner iobi canurcu. "What is he going to do?" "I don't know; no more does he; but I should not like to be the man that robbed him. He is little, but he is as deidly as a viper and as persistent as time itself." Something in Mr. Vernon's voice and manner, as he said this, suggested to Fairfax that there was a meaning between the words; but the truth was that Mr. Vernon's thoughts were not on Vasseur and his troubles. Uppermost in his mind was a shadow of what the war might bring to him and his. Not that he had any cowardly fears; but there had been matters connected -with his early career which rendered the probabilities of his falling into the hands of the' English a thing not to be regarded without unspeakable dread. He knew enough about military science to be well I owara nf tli? defenseless condition of New Orleans in the presence of such a fleet and such an army as the British Government might be able to send there. Now the news that came to Jiim from one in high connection with the Government indicated that a strong fleet and an army overwhelming in numbers would probably soon be in front of New Orleans and under com- J mand of a distinguished British officer. What would be the result? It seemed to him that there could be but one answer: The city would fail, and the whole gulf coast would be ravaged. He excused himself presently, with the plea that he had much to do in preparing for the departure for New Orleans, and went out. Fairfax felt compelled, under the circumstances, to accept the hospitality of the Vernons during the rest of his stay, seeing that, since the burning of Vasseur's place, there was no other available alternative, and besides he could not muBter up the slightest unwillingness in the matter. He was glad, indeed, with a genuine boyish gladness, and could not hide the pleasure his situation gave him. U UilittA WQ9 UUIU IV Luaixg uuo uivov of bis surroundings; but Pauline when she foand herself for a moment alone with him under the vines of the rude veranda, suddenly felt an access of shyness not in the least characteristic, aud shrank away from him, it spirit at least, taking refuge within that impenetrable close which is walled by the reserve of unaffected girlhood. He, however, was too happy to desire more than to be near her and see her, to feel that he formed part of a picture with her, that they stood on the eame plane and were outlined against the same romantic background; and to dream that perhaps they might go, side by side, through a long and happy future. CHAPTER YI. AX UNKNOWN SCHOONER. With a favorable wind and'with the temperature at the average degree for springtime, the voyage from the bay I of Saint Lonia to New Orleans, bv way of Lake Borgne, the Rigolets and Lake Pontchartrain, is a charming experience. Passing out of the bay's mouth in a southeasterly direction, the course is over a shallow sound, set with sand-bars and dotted with low islands, some of them densely wooded, others covered with rushes and marshgrass. On the right for miles shine the white bluffs of the mainland, crowned at the time of our story with groves of live-oaks and magnolias, immense in size and bearing the unmistakable marks of great age. It waa these beautiful headUandt that oast their glamour over ^^imagination of the old French exas be sailed by in 1699, on his H^^^^ontchartrain and Maurepas. now, the fascination of seen from the sea has HHBH^^gthened, so that no perwithout dreaming HE^9H?K|^^fcnaI, breezy, balmy HKflH^^Hn^sky oaks spread IRKflHlSHH^flRheir leaves and BM^SXanHBGn^TOer so vaguely, ^^BBHS|^wJ^^kshadow8 beHHHHH^nHnLa sheen so fl^^BffiKHHBB&^^^teven men RflHjRH^HH|9KB|^Ld Bien^^^HBHHH^HSB|^wsing a ( HHHffiHHUnR^Abored j^c - 4 taria Lake, on one side, to Honey Island, on the other. New Orleans was hedged in, so to speak, with-a cordon of outlaws, whose leaders dictated, in no small degree, the policy of the city in trade and commerce, law and politics. Mr. Vernon was explaining all this to Fairfax as they sat smoking on the deck of the little vessel which was beariug them past Half-Moon Island into the tumbling little sea called Lake Borgne. Mrs. Vornon and Pauline were below, and a group of family servants, huddled forward, wero lounging idly and enjoying the lazy swing of the waves. Three men, short, gaunt, with musoles like irof? bands on their sturdy limbs, were the vessel's crew. One, whose head was grizzled with age, watched the tiller, and gave orders in a queer mincing patois. "You do not mean to say, Mr. Vernon, that you are abandoning your place at Bav Saint Louis," remarked Fairfax, in the oourse of their conversation; "you surely aro not going to leave it to go to ruin!" "I cannot say for how long; but certainly I acn abandoning it," said Mr. Vernon. "It is no longer safe to stay there. Besides, if the war reaches here everything will be de-' stroyed, and even if that calamity be averted, there remains the genersl unsafe condition of society and government here." Pauline just then came from below. "But do you think the British are really likely to attack this coast?" inquired Fairfax. . ' ' ' - ? ? 1 ? 1- -1 ? l.-i. "JLE 18 not oniy imeiy uut mmuov certain," was the reply. "And with what result?" "Disaster to us." At this point Mr. Vernon arose and went to speak to the man at the tiller. He was beginning to fear that with the breeze as it now set they were not going to be able to pass the Rigolets bofore nightfall, and that, indeed, they might be forced to anchor off the mouth of Pearl River to await a change of wind. The thought" was anything but pleasant. Already the sun was slipping down the west, and every minute the breeze became more unfavorable and also more fiokle, puffing irregularly and at times threatening to cease alto* gether. The negro sailors were working hard and with a great deal of adroitness to make the most of the situation; for they were not unaware ol tne aanger to xoerzi m apeuuiug a night in tho track of,the Pearl River vessels. To them the thoaght of falling into the hands of pirates had all the force of romantic terror possible to their imagination. Fairfax, in blissful ignorance of any special significance attaching to the situation, abandoned himself to the pleasure of looking into Pauline's face and listening to her voice. Pauline may have been quite as un conscious of the young man's admiration as she appeared to be; but,doubtless, some satisfying sense of her influence upon him stole through her mind, a waft from that wonderland of experience, toward which it is the blessed privilege of every maiden to drift, half expecting, half doubting. They were both under the influence of a very tender and beautiful, yet indistinct, mood, whioh made it altogether delightful to sit or Btand near each other and merely play wifh the outer fringe of sentiment, while the Water-Bird slipped gently along bo(moon fcliA -pftllmv marshes. v..?" Suddenly a sail, shining as white as snow in the now almost level rays of J the sun, separated itself from a clump of oaks on a distant hummock, and appeared to slip forth across a level, grassy marsh. All hands on deck saw it at once. Mr. Yernon sent below for his glass. A moment later, Mrs. Vernon camo up. She watched her husband who, despite his age and bulk, was climb| ing with surprising nimbleness aloft in order to have a clear view of the approaching sail. It proved to be a schooner coming down Pearl River into Borgne; he could not make out its further description; but it appeared to be a fast little craft, well manned and admirably handled. Although the breeze was puffy, it favored the stranger and she seemed to be skimming along very briskly and steadily. Mr. "Vernon came down out of the rigging and gave some orders in an undertone to the man at the tiller, then he passed forward, speaking in the same tone to the other sailors. (to be continued.) Care of Coatly China. Washing the costly china which wealthy^people use at grand 'dinners is almost a fine art. Such china is of- I ten hand-painted by celebrated ar- j tifets, and a single piece not infre* quently costs from $25 to $100 or more. The contents of the chiua closets of milllAtiairnO oro Mjiiie rn orr:?mm u"111111 juli I worth a moderate fortune, and their I care is intrusted only to experts, who | Icharge high prices for their services. | tame of the dishwashers employed by ^Hiiouable caterers receivo salaries jHB^^ar exceed those of the average j^BHw or clerk. 9^9H|^k^pIace, the pieces are fl^^S^^H^^^onch cuch otber, but and removed in t goQCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 11 fetches Among ? i I the (Itunese. | o ? o From the Notebook of an Amerl- O g can consul. q OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO -TT- GRlDAT deal Las been writ /\ ten about the peculiarities of the Chinaman's character. Fastidious foreigners object 1 to his fancy for a cat and dog diet; 1 they arc overcome by the odors which emanate from his habitations. In truth, the Chinese coolie is not a dainty creature; but he is a good servant; he is quick; he is honest; he is 1 faithful; he is as regular in the performance of his duties as clockwork; and he can be forced to some degree of cleanliness. 1 iv . 1 IMPERIAL PALACE AT PEKIN FRC In the big foreign hotels which i abound In all the treaty ports?Hong- < Kong, Shanghai, etc^as'a waiter he 1% 1 perfect. He wears a loose white rober immaculately clean; milk white,stocklugs, with black satin sllppera^a-fchliiy black pigtail divides his ba$s fro111 neck to heels. He move"* a&dut as silently as a cat: His duties once "having been explained'to him, he never ! forgets. He is reliable. TYPE OF CHINESE MAtfDAl IN. c (Chaug-Cliib-Tu?'R, Ooveruor of the Prov- ^ P._" iuco of Hupeli.) t At 1be American Consulate he was ' housekeeper, chambermaid anil butler. He did the marketing, and should .tuy complaint arise in regard lo the cooking, this head servant considered it (lis duty to whip the cook, another Chinaman. He wears a clean white cot- j ton gown?that is, of course, in sum- | mer?May to September?when the I '< fm ^ /My imrrrwi j/ f' ^ c This is perfectly intelligible to John, the name by which all foreign resl-.i dents call the servant The average Chinaman possesses a remarkable memory. He will learn to make himself understood in almost any foreign language in less than half tiie time it requires an intelligent Englishman or American to make himself understood In any one of the many Chinese dialects. This disparity lias led to some curious anomalies in j the trade of the country. Thus at all the open ports trade with' foreigners Is carried on by means of middlemen, * - ?- -1? ~ I or agents, wuo are aiwajra uuui?, They are called "compradores." If a foreign merchant wishes to buy tea, silk, porcelain or other articles of native product he must do so through his "compradore." If he wishes to sell any article of foreign product to a native house he must again call in the "compradore." The "compradore" employs all the servants of the foreigner's establishment, fixes their sal >M WHICH THE UPRISING IN CHINA W aries and is responsible for their honssty^vlSe keeps the foreign trader's SknKV^ceount straightened out with the native bankers and makes out shipping lists and invoices. Practically, though nominally a mere upper servant, he is the real head of the liouse, and his word is law. He is usually a shrewd fellow, and watches closely his employer's interests, not [orgetting his own. He has certain egitimate commissions, or "squeezes," is they are called, on all of his transitions. His income is considerable. A foreign merchant, having acquired lfter a long residence' a sufficient tnowledge of the language, decides :hat his business is too much in the lands of natives, and dismisses his ' -1 ?? TT? ? CUlliiUUUUie. X1C lii pciouu IV some native "liong" and asks for samples and quotations. He is politely iliown through the establishment and )thcrwise treated with consideration. 3ut when, with a view to buying, he nquires for prices he gets a "No have ?ot" for answer. He goes to another 'hong" and another and another, but ilways with the same result. No one las anything to sell! All are behind vith their orders! Let the foreign lealer return to his offl<?fe and send his 'compradore" on the same errand, tnd his orders will be promptly illed. This is so in every department if business where foreigners are confined. In all of the treaty ports the iuaneial affairs of every foreign house temperature ranges between eightylive anil ninety degrees. His black house slippers have noiseless paper soles. He speaks the jargon- of tLe . treaty ports, known as "Pidgin Ei.- y glisb." When dinner is ready lie pro- gents hiniself, with hands carefully t concealed in the loose, flowing sleeves f ?vf liJ.vj <1iv>cc?o ni?-n nf vpsnin'f?*in,1 i 1' Kays,"\vI1b a'.decp bow: n ".Master conies catehee chow."' Should J if; bo a little out of tempo:, / and wish to show the slightest (logic1 of disrespect, lie w.'ll allow a smail C portion of one liana to be seen, and v say: C "Cliow have got." v "Muster,in order that the domestic v machinery may run smoothly, must f liui'uuuu) uitr iu iiiu liuuus ui tuc mtives. Foreign merchants cannot lope to reach the market except brough a class of: middlemen. This 3 the Irrevocable custom of the coun'J i ">V. i." - ,-i? ^ ? , T;V= -i .? ^ j-"1- 3? ? HE TOMBS OP THE MING DYNASTY. ry. Thus commerce has utterly nih'd to break down the barriers beweon these strange people and the utijido - world. "It n':i? -it ("Miin-Tvinri'* " wrlttia thn liikm'jchii Consul in his notebook,"that lie peculiar lantern custom of tl;? Chinese was brought to my notice. I kir to be the ^uest of the American 'onsul there, and had just landed i'ith him at the foreign merchants' rharf on the Yang-tse, some distance rom the foreign settlement. It was TEA(Ms \\\ COURT \\\ Mrs\~\ r\ \\\ hA^VARTEP&\\\ I SRS I] r of L aks u anon ev- d Jes n Au'u"~"coliuitions. Every( * ttflrd mar among them carried a lantern, non< of whiel?, however, were quite as large as those of my host's coolies. "'Those are my official lanterns," said the Consul. 'In this country size represents rank. Big man, big lan tern; little man, little lantern. None uui uie oigiier omciais can nave large sized lanterns.' 44 'And who are those grave-looking gentlemen in white nightgowns, eact attended by a lamp coolie?' 44 'They,' said my host, are raer chants, clerks, "compradoes" and trad ers. You see their lamps are a llttU under the medium size. The commot coolies not attending as servants carrj the very smallest sized lamps. All are required to carry them; It is the locai municipal regulation.' "It seemed to me an absurd custom for the American Constil to have tc spend his evenings out with a coupl* of lanterns the size of barrels In con stant attendance, and I announced mj IilIT ' J . : .? "' ?-L kr * ,r_ . ^ BY TUi^ intention of having one onlyT1ii?gii enough for practical purposes. .i "'In that case,' said my host, 'yd? will be set down as a small and lnsj^ niflcant person, whose wishes may be safely disregarded.'" rs?. The pictures which accoinpany the article are reproduced from the Chicago Record. ChangrQhlh-Tung ia Governor of the Proving of Hupeh. His costume is the type of that worn by the mandarins. The Temple of Heaven, is- the edifice where the Chinese.^N>vager Empress worships her Jogfies and here the young Emperor used to find a quietretreat before his step-molher deposed DO0 ?e@E!EaK?0|~T33B THE TEMPLE OF HEAVEN IX PEKIN. him and began her intrigues with the Boxers. The most sacred spot in all China is the plain near Pekin, where repose the bones of the Ming Dynasty. It has been proposed that their tombs be destroyed by the Allies as the most terrible blow that could be struck a< Chinese pride.?New York Tribune. Tim Colt in Llvei to China. The dispatches have told of the slaughter of native Christians in Shantung and Pechili and of battles between the Imperial troops and Boxers in and around Pekin. The loss of human life is very great in the insurrections whiclC from time to time, afflict China. The recent Mohammedan rebellion in the northwest prov-, ince was stamped out only after sev eral hundred thousand persons, a large proportion of them women and children, had been put to the sword. The Taiping rebellion, which began in 18.10, is estimated to have cost 20,000.000 lives in the fourteen years before it was suppressed with the aid of European intervention. That rebellion was begun by the secret society known as the Taipings for the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty, which is still nominally in power, though it would not be if it had not been saved by the direct co-operation of England :ind France at Shanghai. Tleu-Tsin ;md elsewhere, and by native armies drilled and commanded by Chincst (Gordon and other European soldiers. -New York Sun. South Dakota's Wind Cave, Few people realize that Wind Cave, near Hot Springs, S. D? is the largest ind most beautiful cave in the United States. No one knows how larce it 'eally is. Over 100 miles of passages ind 3000 chambers have been explored. \nd thai is only the beginning. There ire fourteen different "routes," only hree of which have been opened to he public. They are known as the Jardeu of Eden. Fair (Jrouuds and 'early Gates.?Omaha Bee. A Danger to He Encnpod. "The whole civilized world ought to >e Interested in puttiug down this Chi. lese uprising." "I should say so. Why. an historical lovel written in Chinese dialect would ip simply awful."?Indianapolis Jourinl. A single journal in Paris causes the estruetiou of 120,000 trees a year as Jaterial for paper. * 1 ODDiTlES FROM FIJI. Specimen* of Household Furniture Fronf , I the South Sea Island*. How would you like to use this sort of a rest for your head while Bleeping! j It Is the kind of pillow employed Id Fiji and is of this peculiar form in or* j ' A FIJIAN PILLOW, der that the one who uses It may not disarrange his head-dress. The trough is made to contain offerings to propl< tlate evil spirits and protect the sleeper | from spells. i i The second illustration shows a hook used by the Fijian to hang his food oui of reach of the swarms of ants that In- ~:sj ? '/M ji'food hook from tile fiji islands, i ;-fest his dwelling. It is cut from q solid jy&lock of^prood, and is intended to be " tatuspehded from the rafters. Both of |; these illustrations are reproduced fron> E^eryttodj^'iMagazine. ' ' j ' Life la Sarawak. g|< ? village in Sarawak usually con* e Sistfl of a single house of immense size, whfchfflftords accommodation to all the Inhabitants. The house is built on posts ten or fifteen feet high. It has a veranda along its, entire length, "in. which is centred nearly all the social N life of the coinmunity," and from this verandaopens out the pri vate , room a devoted to each family. Cannibalism does not exist in Borneo^ but strips of flesh are cut from the bodies of enemies, stored in bamboos, and used as an offering to the hawks from which the omens are taken. In certain cases of illness the patient would be persuaded to eat a small portion of hu- ! man flesh as a curative agent, but this can hardly be regarded as canibalismj T" DAtmAA llm nonnln Htrl fit OT1A> Ill 1/UIWU JUU1 UCU cuc |/v.vpiv. u<u uv v-v; time to a small extent eat human flesh,1 but the practice was.stopped. For ex-! ample, a male child might be very ill, and as a last resource it would be. considered right to sacrifice a less val- > ,uable female life to save him. In; such a case, if the boy had a sister,! she would be killed and a small piece : of her flesh given to the patieut to-, eat, uuder the impression that bis life would thereby be preserved.?Cham-' bers's Journal. S IN MEMORY OF LIVINGSTONE. ! Monument to Murk tlie Site Where til? Great Explorer Died. 'Funds have been raised in England to erect a memorial to Dr. Livingstone, the intention being to mark tlie site where the great explorer died with a permanent monument, to take the place of-the famous tree beneath which his heart was buried. It has been decided that the memorial shall be an obelisk, twenty feet high, surmonted by a cross. As suitable stone is not found in the region the material chosen is the best concrete, which will be taken to Africa in 450 air-tight cylinders, each weighing fifty pounds. Moulds have been prepared for the formation of the blocks, of which 300 will be used. Two tablets, placed on opposite sides of the monument, will bear the following inscription: "Erected by His Frienas to the Memory of Dr. David Living; stone,-Missionary and Explorer. He Died Here May 4, 1873." On the other faces of the obeli6k two hrfl I [fJl > ?JWTHlO I^Vl JHSfifi_ MEMORIAL TO LIVINGSTONE. more tablets will bo placed, on which the following will appear: "This monument occupies the spot where formerly stood the tree, at the foot of which Livingstone's heart was buried by his faithful native followers. On the trunk was carved the following inscription: 'David Livingstone. Died May 4, 1S7.'J. Chuma, Souza, Mnia- . sere, Uchopere."" In China, twelve miles from Lion Cliek, there is a mountain of alum, which yields 100 tons yearly.