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??YQR SEVILLE?EW?y BRER?^ lewis >i. grist, Proprietor, j gin Jiulcpendent ^tmtlti JfeuKiraper: .Jfor the promotion of tire ?olificat, Social, Agricultural and Commercial Jnferests of the .South. |TERMS'?$2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE. VOL. 86. YOEKYILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1890. NO. 39. A MATRIMO BY G. B. a [Copyright, 1890, by American Press Association.) CHAPTER I. MAJ. BLACK MAKES A DISCOVERY. "A man tcho'd rob my letter boxes'd lie ?? ~~ ~ about his own father." Half way between Snow flake City and Holbrook, in a spur of the Mogollon mountains, lies the mining settlement of Redrock Springs. Red rock makes no pretensions to architectural beauty, but it is on record that some of the richest quartz has been dug out there that has ever been known this side of the Juniper mountains, which lie due west, probably a good two hundred miles. The creek itself is a small affair?a mere tributary of the Little Colorado river, which flows along the northeastern base of the Mogollon mountains till it is lost in the vast volume of the Colorado at the foot of the great wooded range near Willow Spring. Practically isolated from the rest of mankind, Redrock has to fall back upon its own recources for social and other recreation after sunset ?the miner's hour for throwing aside his tools and making tracks for the cabin or the more congenial hotel bar. There is no dusk to speak of. At one moment you have the sun, shining bright and warm, along the sides of the valley; the next he has slidden over the Mogollon range and out of sight, and the denizens of Redrock know it is time for supper. The general rendezvous is the "parlors" of Maj. Jonas Black's hotel?a structure that combines peculiar natural * Kf o-* ouvaiiio^vo wiiu kuwc auviucu u? a&u It stands sheer up against a limestone cliff, which forms its northern wall; and it has also a floor of the same cheap and enduring material. On three sides it is a frame structure, substantial enough to defy alike the blasts of winter (sometimes pretty severe at Bedrock) and the W V The two mile expanse of valley is a veritable flower garden?an oasis amid the white peaked hills, whose picturesque silence has not yet been invaded by the smoke and din of the locomotive, or by anything noisier than the quartz mill and the rattle of the teamsters, as they drive their wiry little horses aloflg the single path that leads from the settlement proper to the Bhaggy Peak mine, which lies further up the valley. Supper was over, and the miners had begun to gather at the major's. Here the elite of the Springs held nightly symposium and discussed the prospects of the Peak and the latest news received by the maiL There were two ameliorative influences for which Bedrock might be fairly said to hunger; Th* refining prosenoe of a female cook at the major's ranch to save them from the cruel mereies of the coolie who now served in that important capacity, and the advent of a semi-weekly mail from Snowflake City or Fort Defiance. Jack Browning, one of the latest comers, sat smoking with his chum, Fred Lispenard, in a corner of the parlors, wa^hlno' the nlavora at. tVio hvn taVilpa " -O 1 J ? ~ who were somewhat boisterous in their comments as the game proceeded. There was no disorder, however. The major, an easy going, somewhat corpulent man of 50, with an eye that was at once serious and full of jocose humor, was a capital host, and knew just how far to let the boys have their way. Presently he came over to where Browning and his friend sat, and, turning up a box on end, squatted beside them. "D'ye hear that yer old mate, Crenshaw, left here this morning? No? Well, he did; an' he cum pretty nigh not gittin' away at all." "How was that, major?" asked Browning, suddenly wheeling about. "I told ye, didn't I, that the boys here wouldn't allow no foolin'. Well, yer see, Crenshaw had bin takin' liberties with other folks' fixin's an' he got notice ter quit?an' he did. That's all." "Was it the mail again, major?" put In Lispenard. "It wuz," solemnly averred the host. "An' it wuz an aggervated case as required pretty consider'ble stiff measures. The boys?some on 'em, 8t least?reckoned as how a short rope wouldn't a' come amiss; but Jonas Black ain't a goin' ter lead no lynchin' bees in this creek, unless he can't help himself. Yer see, Crenshaw had been mussin' and fussin' 'roun' my mail boxes so long that I begun ter be a bit suspicious; an' last evenin'?maybe it were about 10?Cy Whipple, the mine superintendent, oaught him redhanded. Crenshaw was smart 'nuff ter see he was in a box an' he tried ter lafl it off; but it wouldn't go down with Cy. When he come on that cur with a envelup dated Boise City, or lonahurioA ntnmiwH hp tnmvpH hp'H hoon up to his tricks that we've been suspectin* fer some time back. Crenshaw never forgot you fer the turn you gave him when you caught him here Sunday mornin' two weeks ago, an' when he allowed he was after a drink. I'm dead positive he got some mail that time, although I didn't hear no complaints in partic'ler." "He's just the sort of fellow to nurse grudges and he's better away," interposed i Lispenard. "PBhaw!" observed Browning, careless- ' ly, tossing away the stump of his cigar. "What if he did? I can't imagine how he could use one's letters, aftor bolting from the neighborhood with a vigilance oeuimittee at his heels." "Now, Browning, yer friend has about hit Crenshaw's size jest right," said the major, shrewdly. "A man who'd rob my letter boxes 'd lie about his own father, let alone about a chap who had fminrt him ojj t-nn rtiri "Rut It'n Cfit tin' late, an' if the boys don't objec', I guess I'll call the game and get ter my bunk." A half hour later Redrock was asleep. The thin wedge of the crescent moon crept over the northern mountain and looked across into the quiet valley, like a sentinel in the sky. CHAPTER U. the mail brings startling news. Something like three weeks had passed and the departure of Crenshaw had been almost forgotten, when, one afternoon, the mail brought a letter addressed to the "Chief of Police of Redrock Springs," j a superscription which greatly puzzled the major. "Sim," he called to his bartender, to whom he mainly confided his troubles, "I don't half like the looks o' that letter. | Seems I sort o* reckonise the handwrite, Sim." "Nothin' like findin' out when yer in doubt," Baid Sim, laconically. "Ther's no law agin' openin' it, I s'pose?" "True enough, Sim; but ther' ain't no ' chief o' police here, an' I don't know as 1 have the right to open it." "Stuff!" piped Sim. "Ain't yer the magistrate and the jedge all in one? When the boys hev a spat, don't they come to you fer a settlement an' to decide it? Who is the chief ef 'taint you, I'd like ter know?" PL BOOM. ANSISOX. The major drew a long breath. He turned the letter over and over and then herd it up to the light. His open features, on which his 50 years had left hardly the trace of a wrinkle, were all pulled together in the mighty effort to penetrate the mysterious envelope and gather an inkling of its contents. He drew a long breath, stroked his whiskers softly, and laid the letter on the counter before him. "Sim, I've bin five years at Redrock, an' no man ever said as Jonas Black took liberties with what didn't belong to him. But as there don't appear to be nobody here what kin lay claim to this letter, and seein' as how I'm postmaster ! and sort o' gin'ral survant to the town? actin' like, ye know, Sim, till we get kinder organized as it were?I feel as if I mout venture" Sim smiled and began to move toward | the major, who had taken up the letter | again. The latter weighed it gently across his forefinger, and then, with a sudden resolution, tore it open at one end and let the inclosure drop on the counter. He stared at it hard for a minute while he wiped his spectacles. ' It's from 'Frisco, Sim, that's what it is. I might a-knowed by the handwrite. An its from a woman?a lady, I jedge, by the style of penmanship," and he took it up carefully, Sim meanwhile scanning the paper over his shoulder. "Snakes and b'arsl What can she mean? Jest lis'en to what 6he says." And the major began to read, slowly and carefully, pondering every syllable. This was the letter: 8,012 Kzarnev Street. I Sax Francisco, June 11, 18?) Dear Sir?I have just learned of the fate of my unfortunate boy. John Browning, and write to ask you to keep the body till his sisters arrive at Rod rock. They will come by the cars to Trescott and will reach the Springs by the stage on Wednesday next. Do this for the sake of his sorrow stricken mother, Sopqroxia Browning. When ho had read the letter through the major laid it down again and glared at Sim. "What's it mean?" he almost gasped. "Why, I saw young Jack and his mate only last night. And slio talks about him bein' dead, and all that. Sim, there's trouble ahead." "Somebody's been a-playin' it on the old lady to pay off a grudge, 'pears to me, major, suggested &im. ".anynow, it can't do the young feller much hurt. He's big enough to look out fer himself. An' meantime the two gals is a-comin' over. Well, it's goin' ter be interestin'." tTwojadifia<biM."i Ubtrt "doufet" aT -"Tio^ 'tney're high quality folks, fer that Jackdoes hold himself up wonderful like, and so does his mate, that Lispenard. 'Spose you send Bill over to the mine and j'est tell Browning ter come across here by noon." The sun was lighting up both sides of Shaggy Peak when Browning entered the hotel. Without a word, the major took the letter and handed it to him, smoking vigorously while Browning perused it Jack's brows knit and he shook the paper as if trying by that act to get at its secret. "Well?" inquired the major. "It's mother's writing," muttered Browning, "but who in heaven's name could have been so cruel as to impose upon her with such a story? There's 6onie deviltry here. What does. it.ni?an2" "It's mother's writing," muttered Browning. "Mr. Browning," said the major impressively, "when yer lady mother writ that there letter she writ it after she seen a rascaL Leastways so it would seem. Ef Crenshaw were here now, or knowed your folks in 'Frisco, it wouldn't be hard to guess who lied to her and told her you lied lifted yer last pick and swung yer cradle." That afternoon the news of the major's remarkable letter spread all over the settlement. Many were the surmises as to the cause of the strange communication; but all agreed that one good thing seemed likely to come out of it at all events: Redrock was to have two charming visitors. And it would be strange indeed if the settlement, which had never before had such an experience, did not rise nobly and gallantly to the occasion. CHAPTER III. TWO NOTABLE ARRIVALS. During the week preceding the arrival of the sisters the settlement was in a fever of excitement. All the trouble over the letter had been apparently lost sight of in the pleasure of the anticipated visit. The momentous event was discussed everywhere. Jack found himself compelled to answer endless inquiries al>out the two young ladies?all of them icnuing io snow less or me oruinary mquisitiveness than of a burning desire to individually and collectively testify to Redrock's appreciation of the compliment. Finally the excitement reached a climax when the major one evening stopped a game in the "parlors," right in the middle, and, clearing his throat, addressed Browning, who had just entered: "Mister Browning and gentlemen," he said, "it hez been taken as the sense of the male poperlashun of this settlement, as our numbers is shortly about to be increased by the two elegant young ladies who is now on their ways here, that we should show our 'preciasliun of the event by quittin' work at the mines for twentyfour hours. All in favor o' that say 'aye.'" A deep and sonorous "aye" came from all sides of the room, and Jack's vigorous exclamation of protest passed unheeded. "The 'aves' hev it, yer see, Mr. Brown "ng," said the major, with a smile. "We A-ant to do this thing up in our own way, in a style to refleck credit on the settle I went. Ami, moreover, we Hopes to have j you and Mr. Lispenard with us to help j us out." There was nothing for it but to submit. The next few days it seemed as though the Springs had gone crazy. Something deeply mysterious was going on in the "parlors," to which only the major, Sim and a "special committee" were now admitted. It was clear that something quite unusual was about to happen. At last the morning of stage day dawned clear and cool on the little settlement. Never were the skies bluer, the air balmier or the valley more still. It seemed as though a hush pervaded the place. Little puffy wisps of cloud that floated over the Mogollon mountains cast slender, filmy shadows athwart the valley, only to be chased away by the swift sunshine. The stream, unvexed by the miners, ran as clear as in I the days before the white man sought j out that lonely, auriferous spur of the western hills in his hunt for gold. Jac*. : and Lispenard were up betimes and noted the unusual aspect of the place. It was the strange calm only to be found "Oh, Jack! And we all thought you was deadf' in a New England Sabbath transplanted to the mining camp. But it did not last long. Before 9 o'clock the whole of Redrock was astir. The stage was due at 2. At the hotel the hum of preparation was still in the air, and the major wore a satisfied look as he trod the piazza. The mine superintendent, too, was early on the pcene. He was a young Englishman?a globe trotter once; but he had now settled down to extract-the wealth that lay hidden in these hills that overhung the Little Colorado and its feeders. "Cy" Whipple had been the major's lieutenant in the preparations for the coming event. The greetings he received from the men everywhere showed how well they were satisfied with their blonde bearded and bronzed superintendent. At noon precisely, according to the major's old fashioned timepiece that faced you as you entered the parlors, there was a small cavalcade assembled in front of the hotel. It was composed' of the major, resplendent in a somewhat faded suit of what might once have been white duck, but which was white no longer; Cy Whipple, Jem Gillip, the timekeeper at the mine, and Jack and his friend Lispenard. All were pretty well mounted. At the major's cheery signal they started off at a round pace for Pine Spruce Pass, to meet the stage which would come round by Chino. A half hour's ride brought them in sight of the stage. "Now, boys," said the major, "let's give 'em the proper s'loot. Draw up on each side the road and don't let's block up the drivin' path, like everlastin' stage robbers." Accordingly the five drew up and as the stage approached Sile Bagley, the driver, recognizing the portly form of the major, pulled rein, just as the latter with a courtly flourish took the middle of the road. "Hello, major," called Sile. "Anything wrong down at the Springs?" r;Ro, srieiThe&fl-ingg-ifoliift' a holiday, and we thought as how w6hU would come down and meet some strangers you're bringin' here. Ther's two young gentlemen here as would be mighty pleased to see two ladles as was a-comin' to Red rock about tin's time o' year. Maybe ye might hev' them as passengers, Sile?" There was a flutter at the stage window, and a feminine face peeped out. Jack saw it and sprang forward in an instyit. "Em and you, too, Millie! How is mother?" "Oh, Jack! And we all thought you was dead! Jack! Dear Jack!" And the door was opened and the fair girl was clasped in her brother's strong arras. Another, slenderer and taller, followed. - _ ... "Millie, dear (kiss), how is mother? Tell me how you left her?" "Why, Jack, we were told you had? oh, it was terrible, Jack. And poor mamma! She took on so about you, to think you were dead, all alone here, out in this dreadful place! Oh! how glad she will be to find that it isn't true!" "Of course it isn't, Millie," said her brother. "But we'll talk about that later. Mother was misled by some scamp who wished to do me an injury and didn't care how he did it; that's all. Meanwhile let me introduce you to these gentlemen. Here, you know Lispenard already," as the latter came forward and greeted the new arrivals warmly. The others who had dismounted stood by in a group a little way off, the major with a red handkerchief to his eyes,and evidently deeply affected by what he had just witnessed. Introduced, seriatim, they paid their several respects. Then the ladies re-entered the stage, and the cavalcade wheeled about in the direction of the Springs. "Well, I'm blowed," muttered Sile Bagley, the driver, as he remounted his box and gathered up the lines. "This is a queer party as I've got aboard, just as I suspicioned from the fust. Whatever brought them gals out here beats me all to pieces." And he tried to engage the major in conversation, but he might as well have essayed to talk to his coach wheels. The major had taken up his post, like a gallant escort, at the off side of the stage, and was fast breaking ground with Miss Millie, the elder of the sisters. Jack and Lisnenard were keeping up a brisk fire on the opposite side with Em, who was apparently rallying rapidly from her depression, after discovering that her brother was still in the flesh and not a spook, haunting the shadowy passes of these wild hills. "Yes, Miss Millie; you 6ee the boys took a holiday, as I said, and they kind o' deputized us to conio down an' meet ye an' break the news, gentle like. We didn't want young ladies to pop in 'mong us rough miners, who isn't accustomed to wimmin' folks, seein' as how some on us haven't seen the sign of a petticoat in years, and as none was ever seen in Redrock yet." Miss Millie held up her hands with u frightened little gesture. "No women at all, major! Dear me! Why you must be a lot of barbarians. I'm afraid we will be troublesome intruders" "Bless your heart, Miss Millie, if you only knowed how the boys liev looked forward to this day for nigh onto two weeks, you wouldn't say so. They hev jest laid out to do their very best, miss, to please you and yer sister. And I, beiu' as I'm their humble representertive, can only say as I'm glad ye come, both of ye." A merry laugh?from the other side, at some of Lispenard's sallies, told them that the spirits of the party were rising. Jim Gillip rode on ahead, to notify the gathering at the hotel. Fifteen minutes later the stage and its escort were seen rounding the familiar curve on the rise, west of Redrock. As they drew up in front of the major's hostelry a ringing cheer burst from the assembled miners, which surprised the ladies. Silo made his horses describe an extra half turn bofore halting, appreciating tho fact that some unusual display was in order. Cy Whipple helped the sisters to alight, and as they ascended the steps of the hotel they were captured by the major, who, taking a hand of each, led them gallantly to the piazza. The poor girls?half pleased, yet half afraid?were trembling at tiie unwonted demonstration. There was the whole settlement?two hundred miners, at least?facing them; and, had it not been for tho smiling assurances of Jack and Lispenard, they would surely have fainted. "Ladies?and gentlemen," said the major, after clearing his throat, "I have the honor?and the pleasure?of welcoming two distinguished guests to our rude but humble home. Now boys (as an impending cheer showed signs of interrupting his remarks), will yer hear me first and then shout all yer want afterwards? Ladies, you are welcome, for yours is tho first wimmin's faces as has ever bin seen in this valley, as long as most on us has bin here?exceptin' prob'ly some poor Injun squaw, as kin never awake tho admiration or respeck of men as has bin used to tho society of ladies. Wo want to make yer stay Here as pleasant as we kin, and we're bound to do our best towards ye both. Everything is free to ye while yer here?understand that! An' it don't matter whether ye stop a week or a year, it'll be the same. You confounded idiot! Ef yc don't handle that more carefully I'll break every bone in yer yellow hide!" This emphatic digression was for the benefit of the Celestial who, in helping Sile Bagley to uustrap the girls' boxes from the coach, happened to drop the end of one of theiu on the ground. The sisters looked in dismay in the direction of the culprit and then turned to tho major, who, observing their interest, explained: "Ladies, them heathen need to be looked after pretty sharp. They ain't used exactly to perlite treatment, and I ask yer pardin. Resumin', let me say that since wo first came here to Redrock circumstances beyond our control has deprived us of feminine society. The red man of the forest isn't fit company for the white man, and is a poor apology for society. All that Redrock needs, with its rich placers and its fine alluvial soil, its mountains and its quartz mill, is mantnl inflnnnnAn rtf Inuflltr WAJYifln UUO lUliWUUVU VI *V?VIJ ITVU4UUI We misa her pretty face, her smiles, her sweet voice to make music among them hills over there, until we build fine residences for 'em to sing in. An' now, here's all the boys want to tell you themselves jest how glad they are to see you an' if you don't objec' while our Chinaman is a-layin' out the table I'll interjuce a few of them." "My dear major," said Jack, "let me say in behalf of my sisters that they are greatly pleased with the very cordial welcome you have given them. But they are tired, no doubt, with their long journey, and if you will kindly postpone the introductions till they have a little rest, they will then be glad to meet our friends afterwards." And as the sisters withdrew a sturdy cheer broke out, in which the strong note of the major could be distinctly recognized. They found "the parlors" a wonderful apartment. It had been transformed for their especial benefit, and all the care and elaboration of the major and his faithful lieutenant Sim had been expended to make it comfortable and attractive. Jack was obliged to confess that they had succeeded amazingly. During the afternoon both Lispenard and Browning were besieged by at least a dozen of Redrock's "leading citizens" for introductions to the girls. It began to be a bore, and although Jack smiled as he referred to it, Lispenard took a more serious view of the case. "See," said he, "these fellows are actually going to get up a serenade. The settlement is wild. I'm afraid the girls will be horribly worried before it's all through." That night before they slept the sisfciyrs wrote to Mrs. Browning at San all about their journey and the wonderful receptioh'at Redrock. and how gallant the major had been to Millie and how impressively attentive the young English superintendent was tc Em. Indeed, they good humoredly hinted that both gentlemen had been so cordial that had it not been for the fact t hat Redrock recognized no conventional forms, and that its society was a little chaotic, the writers would have been justified in regarding their attentions as too pointed. All this and much more to the same pleasant and trivial effect they wrote. And, woman like, they did not omit to mention in a postscript that Jack was alive and well. When the widow received the letters a week later she was indignant. "How selfish!" she exclaimed. "To think of nothing but flirtation, when their poor brother might have been cold in his grave. They must be brought home at once. And as they seem to be 60 forgetful of their duty and the proprieties, I think it best to go and fetch them myself." A few days after reaching this determination Mrs. Browning went by rail to Prescott, where she took the stage for Redrock Springs. CHAPTER IV. Tin nnt nnlti hlnhhp.rp.fi. hp. hp.llmnp.tl. ? - ?- - "J J ? -? ? The weeks slipped away at the Springs. Em and Millie, under the agreeable guidance of Cy Whipple, Lispenard and Jack, had surveyed almost the entire region, and seen all there was to be seen on this side the Mogollons. Mining was to them no longer a mystery, and they showed a surprising interest and aptitude in everything that related to sluices, placers, pans, gravel, dredges and all the other paraphernalia that compose a miner's equipment. Cy was, of course, an indispensable party in these little excursions, and the girls saw much of the tawny mustached Englishman. The major, too, had his rig constantly at their service, and allowed no one else to hand the ladies in or help them out. Still when young Whipple would come around the major would obligingly yield him a seat by either lady. It was clear, thought Cy, that the gallant veteran, while he might have been in a frame of mind to lose his heart, was not yet quite decided to which chamber it ought to go, and was letting things take their course. One perfect afternoon in early July, just after the midday meal which the Springs had not yet begun to dignify with the name of lunch, the stage was seen wheeling around the curve, just east of Chino Gap, and on the top of the rise. Long before the dust covered and thirsty driver had pulled up in front of tho hotel piazza a considerable group of miners had gathered. The major, as usual, stepped forward and opened the door of the coach, while Sile held a colloquy from his box with the barkeeper. "Only one passenger this trip, Sim," said lie. " iNotiier ladj*. l ten ye, iteilrock's a-looking up. At this rate we'll soon hear of you folks bein'incorporated into a city and runnin' tho major for guv'nor of the territory," ho added, with a chuckle. A pretty scream from the window of "the parlors," a wild flutter of dresses and a responsive screech from tho interior of the stage interrupted Sile and made everybody look. The major had but half opened the door when tho occupant of the coach flopped out and into the arms of Millie. Em was panting close behind. "Oh, mamma! Goodness! Who over thought of seeing you hero? However did you come, and all alone, too!" cried the girls together in a breath. "Jack!" called Em, as that youth appeared on the piazza, "here's mamma!"' The widow Browning, who had been hugging the girls for a minute, raised her eyes. She reached forward without speaking and gasped, as if about to faint. Jack sprang to her and clasped her in his strong arms. "They said you were dead, my son. It's you, Jack, isn't it? Thank God! Thank God for his goodness! But oh, Jack, it was cruel! How could they say it?*' And she sobbed quietly on her son's shoulder, with her head modestly averted from the crowded uiazza. "Hush, mother;-calm yourself. I'm all right, as you see, and so are the girls." But the fountains of long repressed grief, once opened, were not so readily stemmed. Em and&Millie added their tears to hers, and Jaclc found himself in a somewhat embarrassing position. Here he was, with three weeping women, sol>bing as though their hearts would break, and there was fully one-half the population of the Springs gazing straight at them wonderingly. Suddenly he heard a loud and vehement blubbering proceeding from the other side of the stage coach. "Major! Major!" he cried, with a shrewd guess at the author of the sounds. Tt woo irwlnprl t.lif* mninr whrwo snu ceptibilities had again been deeply touched by the sight of lovely woman in tears. He edged around till he came within handshaking distance, when, grasping Jack by the arm?the latter having now succeeded in disengaging himself from his relatives?he blurted out: "Sorry, my boy: but I can't help it. Never could a-bear seein' wimruin folks in distress. Ah, Mr. Lispenanl, you there, too? Well,'tian't for everything. Jonas Black woui.^ drop ^ tear, but nater .will hev its way once in a while," and the tender hearted major took another look at the ladies as if to assure himself that their grief was not yet spent, and then started to blubber afresh. He not only blubbered, he bellowed. His grief was of the transcendent character that asserted itself. It wasn't to bo gainsaid. And all the while the voluminous red handkerchief was sawing the air, being waved with a gentle motion in the left hand, while the right was firmly pressed against the major's streaming eyes. Jack and his friend Lispenard looked at each other in dismay. They led the ladies gently and still sobbing to the parlors; but the transit was fatal, for, to their utter astonishment when the two friends emerged a moment later, they found the still weeping and apparently disconsolate major surrounded by a score or more miners who were softly howling in sympathy. They had learned from a lu'nf nocf Aiif Kr moini* in flia TU^jUV UillV UUOU VUW UJ Ki?V AM Kliv intervals of his vehement bursts of grief that something had happened?they couldn't exactly say what; but as it had gone straight to the major's heart, and as everybody at the Springs loved the major and stood by him, they followed his example. It was a perfect canival of grief, and Redrock indulged it to the full, just as it might have injulged in the circus or any other unwonted luxury. The miners went sobbing in pairs and groups and enjoyed the agony. Even the Chinese cook went moaning about the kitchen, wondering what had come over everybody and what it was all about. Long after the mother and daughters had mastered their emotions and condescended to talk rationally the settlement kept it up. This episode of grief was a "luxury" rare an(l unwonted to be lightly turned asluu:*- I^drock sobbed itself to sleep like an infant. 'Jiie fiaj?5t"T who was one of the last to go to bed, declared to Whipple that although he had never cried since he was a boy he had never enjoyed anything half so much in his life. "An1 I tell ye what it is, Cy, that widow's a pretty sensible sort o' woman, and whoever gets either o' the daughters *11 have a perfeck lady fer a motherin-law." The superintendent's heart gave a jump and his blue eyes flashed at the major in a way the latter might have resented had it not been dark and the hour late. After they parted Ofr pondered the major's words. He could make nothing out of them. It was absurd, he thought, to imagine that the old prospector and hotel keeper had ambitions in the direction of Millio, whose dimpled, oval face and bright, dancing eyes would ill assort with his gray locks and increasing avoirdupois. It was equally idiotic to believe that he aspired to make an impression with the tall and dignified Emmeline, who had a distinguished air about her that made him seem ridiculous by contrast. Still, jealousy once aroused is hard to stifle. To think over it is to strengthen it. And so, while all else in Redrock slopt as quietly as a babe at it mother's breast, Cy Whipple alone lay awake through the night watches, tossing on his couch, uneasy and troubled by the events of the previous evening, and quite undecided as to the course he should adopt on the morrow. That it devolved upon him to do something, however, he felt certain; and he resolved that he would seize the first opportunity. CHAPTER V. REDROCK SPRINGS GETS A BOOM. "It must rest with herself. Mother, what do you say?" The sun climbed over Shaggy Peak and peeped down upon tear washed Redrock next morning, flooding the "parlors" and shedding a general air of sylvan cheerfulness about the quiet neighborhood. At the hotel folks were early astir. Tho new arrival and her daughters were served with a capital breakfast in their rooms, thanks to tho forethought of the hospitable major, and the widow soon found herself surprised at the many comforts and conveniences that were to be found in such an out of the way place. "My dears," she remarked to the girls, "there are some advantages here after all, although it is really a dreadful place for two young women like yourselves to be secluded in. Now, Millie, that my head is a little better and I begin to feel myself again, I would like to know who it was that sent us that cruel letter saying Jack had been killed. But here's Jack himself. He may bo able to enlighten me on a matter that you don't seem to care to talk about." "Why, mother," said Jack, entering the room, "do you regret that I atu not dead after all, then?" ' What a question!" and for a moment the tears seemed to be ready to spring afresh to the poor woman's eyes. "Jack, you know I didn't mean any such tiling as that. But it really was cruel. Here is the letter. And when 1 expected to hear all about a funeral Millie, like the light headed creature she is, goes off tc writing and chattering about men I never heard of. I think I have a right to feel aggrieved." "But, mother dear, the girls were as much surprised to find me alive and well apparently as yourself. By the way, the major is waiting to pay his respects. He is a capital fellow the major, mother, and I hope you will like him. lie has been good to the girls; indeed, I don't know what they would have done without him." "lie has Indeed, mamma," said Em. "Maj. Black is" "Emmeline!" interrupted tho widow, severely. "I'm surprised to think that you and your sister should fall so readily into the rude manners of the people of this place and talk about gentlemen whom you cannot possibly know anything of more than as casual acquaintances. I myself will thank Maj. Black for his fatherly care of you, for I'm sure Jack here hasn't thought of such a thing." Jack bit his lip. "Very well, mother. Just as you ple:ise. Only permit mo to suggest that you should remember we are not in San Francisco, and that society in a mining camp is formed upon somewhat more primitive lines than in cities. Don't expect too much in the way of etiquette and social distinctions, and you'll get along hero famously." "Indeed, I propose to take the girls homo with me as soon as we can leave this place," retorted the widow with spirit. "Your acquaintances may be very kind, but it is clearly no place for them. What would the Cadwalladers and the Florences say if they knew that Millie and Em were boarding in a mining camp, the ouly women in the place?" "My dear mamma," said Jack, impressively, "you will be careful, please, not to give unnecessary pain to any one here, fo?- T noenvn von tlioir do nnt rlpHPrvA if", fit your hands, and it would ill repay all the real kindnesses they have paid to my sisters since they came hero. Besides, they and you are the major's guests, and, in a sense, the guests of the Springs. Why, they actually celebrated the arrival of Em and Millie by taking a holiday." The widow looked pleased. It was difficult to say whether vanity or gratitude was uppermost, however. "I confess the major is quite a presentable sort of person," she said, presently. "But lie is hardly the kind of man I would care to have paying attentions to either of my daughters. There is too great a disparity" "Oh, mamma!" cried Millie, placing her hand to her mother's lips. "Why do you talk of such tilings?" "Ridiculous, mamma!" interposed Em, with a furious blush which did not escape Mrs.Browning's watchful eye. Jack laughed heartily. "Why, mother," he said, "the wind doesn't set in that quarter, I hope. At any rate, you will let the major speak for himself, and if he needs and deserves the maternal rebuke, go ahead and let him have it." "Don't talk nonsense, Jack," exclaimed the widow severely. "You know it's all your own fault that this thing has happened. You would come out to this terrible place, and I knew something would come of it." "Ana it Has, mother, xou see, were | all here together now, and that's certainly consoling. Now, if you have no objection, I'll just step out and see who's around." Outside he met Whipple and the major. To the latter Jack handed the letter his mother had received, and which had caused all the trouble. It was a note written in a scrawling hand and Jonas Black regarded it long and intently. "Well, dog my cats!" he exclaimed. "Ef I don't believe it's Crenshaw's handwrite. I've seen it afore and it'd be jist like the cur ter monkey with the mail and then pay off the man as found him out with a trick like that. It's Crenshaw, I'll lay my oath, and ef he wuz around here at this partic'lar minit I wouldn't give an ounce of dust fer his chances, ef the boys only knew about this," and he held up the scrawl, his honest eyes blazing with indignation. "Well, major," said Jack philosophical^r"Vte f>|inyi's over, and let it rest. It was a mean trick, but as tlobt>a74L. the worse for it we'll let it drop. I'll explain it to mother for the credit of the settlement, and see that the right man is blamed. Now, let's see what the women are doing in the parlors." Both Whipple and the major had a sober and serious air when, re-enforced by Lispenard, the trio returned to the hotel. The ladies were found in capital humor. Mrs. Browning had quite recovered from the fatigue of the journey and looked really becoming in a dark morn ing dress. The major fancied he saw a strong family resemblance between her and Era, the taller of the sisters. Time had certainly dealt very kindly with the Widow Browning. When she turned her dark gray eyes full upon him the majm thought those orbs must be electric, as they seemed to thrill him through and through. "The mornings are beautiful here," said the widow. "I adore scenery, and the view from these windows is very charming, major. Don't you think so?" "It is, mum," he replied. Somehow he felt that his gift of loquacity, which had made him the most respected and influential citizen of the Springs, had deserted him at the very moment when he most wished to be able to say something interesting. "The mountains is very fine; a'most as fine a view as that back of Sacramento. But you ought ter ride over to Chino Pass to get the full benefit of the scenery." "I should like very much to go there," she said; "but I'm afraid our stay here will be too short to admit of much sight seeing. I mean to take the girls back with me as soon as possible." "You ain't never goin' to leave us Jiko that," spoke up Jonas, quickly. "Why, it seems only a day or two sence the young ladies there come here, an' it's been the happiest time the Springs hez seen since I knowed them, some live year or more. The Springs is a likely place an' risin'. It's goin' t?r be a big town some o' these days. We are goin' ter have a railroad, jest as soon us the Pass is surveyed; and we're buildin' two new quartz mills an' we'll have a branch of the Prescott bank here by next fall." "Indeed," said the widow with a show of interest. "Yes," continued the major, his eloquence increasing with his favorite topic. "A railroad an' a bank. Then, if we only had ladies like you and your daughters come over once in a while, we'd soon ha'?e a dry goods emporyum, too." Mrs. Browning laughed. It was a little cheery laugh, and the major felt impelled to join in it. It was evident, Jack thought, that the two were becoming acquainted. So there was little need to apprehend the "maternal rebuke" in that quarter, at least. "Mr. Browning," said the major, catching his eye, "your mother says as how she intends to take the two young ladies homo a'most right off. I've been a-tryin' ter.persuade her to stop here awhile an' git acquainted." Jack smiled. "I imagine the girls will like to bo consulted about it," he said quietly. "They may want to stay a little, mother, and you might talk it over with them." "Indeed," said the widow, promptly, "I shall do no such thing. I have made up my mind to take them home. They mnef )>nvn lipon <lrV>nitfnllr in tlifl iv.iv. major," she added, apologetically. "Bless their hearts!" said the major, rising. "In the way? In Jonas Black's way, ye mean? Why, mum, if I had tho choice I'd have 'em stay in the way right along, an' yourself, too, beggin' ver pardon for say in' it. Seems ter me that the Springs would never bo itself again after they left. There isn't a man in the settlement as wouldn't work his thumb nails off to please 'em, I do believe." "You are very kind?all of you," said the widow, including Whipple and Lispenurd in her glance across the room; "but I think it is perhaps better that they should go back. You see our friends expect us and" "But, mamma," broke in Millie, "you might wait a little" "Yes," said Em. "You see, mamma, wo want" Tho widow looked puzzled. Here was a mystery under her very eyes. Here was somo secret, she felt certain. It vexed her more than she cared to show that her own children should oppose her in this matter. Her pride came to the rescue. "Very well. We can do all the sight seeing necessary between now and the next stage day, I believe." "Perhaps," 6aid Cy Whipple, rising, and tugging at his long mustache vigorously, "it would bo bettor to bo plain and end all misunderstanding. The truth is, Mrs. Browning, we have come to tho conclusion that your daughter Millie's presence hero is absolutely necessary to tho successful development of the Shaggy Peak mine, of which I am superin fendent. 1 have spoken to the young lady on the subject, and we have arranged, provided you are entirely agreeable and do not withhold your approval of the plan, to enter into a permanent partnership. In other words, madam, I have asked your daughter to be my wife. I am aware that the conventional methods in such matters are somewhat different from those that prevail here; but I assure you that had it been possible I would have spoken to you about it sooner." The widow was astounded. She sank back in her chair and spoke not u word. Lispenard, who had till now been sitting quietly at some distance with Em, look ing out of the window, next faced her. "Well," he began, in his easy drawl, "Cy has broken the ice and I might as well plunge in, too. My dear Mrs. Browning, I have been talking matters over with Miss Emmeline, and we have agreed that Redrock Springs is, as the major puts it, a very likely place and fit to live in. It hasn't any palatial residences yet; but they'll come by and by. Em thinks so well of the prospect here that she has told me she is willing to try it, and I think we can both make a success in building up the future metropolis of the little Colorado, if you will kindly acquiesce. It's a great convenience having you here, dear Mrs. Browning, as otherwise Whipple and I would have had to shut down the mine and come on to San Francisco to obtain your consent and blessing." And the widow saw, as in a dream, the two fair girls standing before her, each holding the hand of her betrothed. It flashed across her mind that it was all horribly romantic and unwise. It was a filial rebellion which she was powerless to suppress, however; and as she realized her own utter helplessness she found it imnossible to restrain the tears that now found free course down her cheeks. She ro6e, but had to grasp her chair for support. "Very well. I tee how it all is; I understand it all now. My daughters, who never once in their whole lives before gave me a moment's pain, have taken their own way, and I cannot prevent it, if I would. I only wish you may be happy together?all of rou. Had I known you better I might say more. After it is all over I can go back to my home in San Francisco; but I will return alone. I" She would havo fallen had not the ma jor, who had been an interested and not wholly unaffected spectator of the scene, caught her with his strong arm, and gently placed her in a chair. After a moment Mrs. Browning looked up through her tears. Her hand still rested in that of the major, who had somehow forgotten to let it go. The girls, neither of them dry eyed, but both radiant, now that the ordeal was over, stood beside her. "Mr. Browning," said the major, in a voice that sounded as husky as though it came from the bottom of the Shaggy Peak mine, "I think as how I might make bold to ask yer permission to say something personal to yer mother. Shisays as she will return to her lonely home _4%-^E^?co, leavin' her two daughterhereTanTl]iar?7^is^s the7 may be happy with their partners. ifc.-r Browning, if yer mother?if she could be happier at the Springs than all alon-. at 'Frisco, an' if she would be willin' ter try me as partner, Jonas Black would bs the proudest man this side the Rockies, an' that's sayin' a good deal. He would take no odds of no man if he had such a woman fer his wife. And, Mr. Browning, if I might ask yer now ter put in i word for me, an' not for me alone, but for the sake of the young ladies there, whom I love as though they were my own children, although I never had none, and for the sake of the Springs, too, which would be delighted to have them all stay right here among us. It'll be like the old story Parson Gillette told us about the town that woke up when the princess came along; the Springs '11 take on new life if they stay." Jack's eyes were moist as lie answered the major's touching appeal. "It must rest with herself. Mother, what do you say? Shall we still be together and will you speak the word that will make my friend happy?" Something must have happened just then, although what it was never became quite clear to any one but the ma jor himself. He rose with a proud smile and, at the same moment, the widow, all blushes, peeped from under her handkerchief. Her daughters immediately ran to her side. "Now Redrock will have a boom and the Shaggy Peak will yield big dividends," remarked Lispenard, dryly, a few momenta later. "The annals of the future metropolis of the Little Colorado will begin on the day when Parson Gillette comes from Prescott to officiate at the triple wedding. There's only one regret, Jack, and that is that you couldn't be tied up at the same time." "1 am in no hurry to lose my freedom yet, Lispenard. Time enough. I dare say it will come by and by. Strange that my quarrel with Crenshaw should have been the means of bringing all you folks together! I wonder whether you would ever have met if ho hadn't written that lying letter." The future of Redrock Springs and its environs is assured. There has been an unprecedented influx of new capital, and the Shaggy Peak shares now stand high on the list of quoted securities on the San Francisco Stock Exchange. Already two banks have established branches at the Springs, and the route for a railroad . through the range from Snowflake City to Winslow on the northern side of the Mogollon mountains has been surveyed. Contractors are busy, and the population of the settlement is increasing at a rate that has long ago compelled the stage company to make the old weekly service a daily run. Sile Bagley is amazed at the accuracy of his own prophecy. Mrs. Browning?"Mrs. Maj. Black" the miners now call her?is loud in her praises of the Springs and talks of inviting her friends, the Cadwalladers and the Florences, to spend a few months there next summer with herself and daughters. The new hotel will soon be nA?v*nlnfA/1 Tf will Kft fKn niHfln rtf f ^UUlJ^lCLCUi XV niit uvi Vitv ^4?uv V* Vt.v Springs and the crowning realization of tho major's brightest hopes of happiness and prosperity. THE END. Colic Stones.?Travelers who have penetrated into the easternmost parts of southern Russia lind some strange beliefs as to the power of fish charms. Many fish found in those countries have two small, hard, round bones on the side of the head. They are believed to have the power when worn by the owner to prevent colic, and they are termed colic stones. The more wealthy of the peasants have colic stones mounted in gold, and they are worn upon the neck as a valuable addition to a necklace. The bones of the common bullhead are much used among the Russian peasants as a charm against fever. Among European nations in the middle ages doctors of medicine had faith that two bones found in the head of the tench have medicinal virtues. The bones were applied to the skin in cases of fever. The tench is a European fish, and the United States Fish commission are endeavoring to introduce it to American waters.?[Jewelers' Review. Kindness Always Pays.?I say kindness comes home to roost just as certainly as curses. Most men pay when they can, and if you help a man in trouble you may he sure you can call on him for a hundred cents ;: on the dollar when the time comes for you to be in trouble. I believe I'd give more for an account against a man who could not pay, but who wishes to, than for one against a per- < fectly solvent man who does not like < to pay. i I ^tisceUancmts HENRY CLAY'S POKER PLAYING. Wu-shiiiKton Correspondence Pittsburg Press. "That is the very table at which Henry Clay used to lose the greater part of his congressional salary," said an old Washington gambler. "The game he used to play was one in which the blind was ")0 cents and $1.00 to come in. There was no limit in those days, as there generally is today. A man could, however, demand a sight for his money. Clay's antagonist was generally a man named Bright, and both preferred to play a two-handed game. The cards worn mif ntio rlnv onrl f'lnv trnt thn first deal. He was a better card shuffler than lives to-day. He could hold his hands four feet apart and fly the cards from one to the other without a card falling. Generally he dealt with one hand and without a perceptible movement of the arm, throwing each card to its proper place with his long muscular fingers. "Clay was a poor poker player, however. He played for the excitement and not for the gain, and as he was careless about his bets he generally came out a .loser. He almost always straddled the blind, and whatever hand he held would raise the bet of his antagonist. He used to bluff a great deal, and as this would soon be found out, he would come out a loser. "For nearly two hours the night I speak of Clay had been having his own way with Bright. He held a king full four times running, and then had a jack full. Bright did his best to catch Clay in a bluff, but it was of no use. Clay had a hand that could only be beaten by fours. The play began at three ovclock, and by half-past ten Bright had lost $1,500 and had borrowed $500 from John Hancock. After that Clay's luck vanished and by midnight he had lost all his winnings ana $1,000 hesides?all the cash he had with him. "It was Saturday night, and Bright proposed that they quit so that they could go to church in the morning, but Clay wouldn't have it. So he borrowed $500 from Bright and the game went on. The game was continued and by daylight he owed Bria-ht $1,500. He liquidated the debt by giving Bright a'deed for 320 acres of Kentucky land and six shares of stock in a Louisville bank. "Clay went to church all the same that morning. While he was talking to the rector after it was over he put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a pack of cards along with his handkerchief. They fluttered to the ground, bnt Clay was not ashamed, and replacing them, said they must have been placed there as a practical joke." CONTINENTAL* MONEY. The condition of American finance in 1780 was simply horrible. The "greenback" delusion possessed people's minds even more strongly then than in the days following our Civil War. Pelatian Webster, the ablest political economist in America at that time, a thinker far in advance of .his age, was almost alone in insistingapnYr ->iflxation. The popular feeling was expresggfr-k^Lj*; delegate in congress who asked, wmnIifti^3iS^I able scorn, why he should vote tor tax the people, when a Philadelphia printing-press could turn out money by the bushel. But indeed congress naa no power to lay any tax, save through requisitions upon the State governments. There seemed to be no alternative but to go on issuing this money, which many people glorified as the safest possible currency, because "nobody could take it out of the country." As Webster truly said, the country had suffered more from this cause than from the arms of the enemy. At the end of the year 1778, the paper dollar was worth 10 cents in the Northern States and 12 cents in the South. Early in 1780 its value had fallen to 2 cents, and before the end of the year it took ten paper dollars to make a cent. In October, Indian corn sold wholesale in Boston for $150 a bushel, butter was $12 a pound, tea $90, sugar $10, beef $8, coffee $12, and a barrel of flour cost $1,570. Samuel Adams paid $2,000 for a hat and a suit of clothes. The money soon ceased to circulate, debts could not be collected, and there was a general prostration of credit. To say that a thing was "not worth a Continental" became the strongest possible expression of contempt. A barber in Philadelphia papered his shop with bills, and a dog was led up and down the streets, smeared with tar, with this unhappy money sticking all over him,?a sorry substitute for the golden-fleeced sheep of the old Norse legend. Save for the scanty pitance of gold which came in from the French Alliance, from the little foreign commerce that was left, and from trade wiih the British army itself, the country was without any circulating medium. In making its requisitions upon the States, congress resorted to a measure which reminds one of the barbaric ages of barter. Instead of asking for money, it requested the States to send in their "specific supplies" of beef and pork, flour and rice, salt and hay, tobacco and rum. The finances of what was so soon to become the richest of nations were thus managed 011 ine principle wnereuy Lilt mea^ie salaries of country clergymen in New England used to be eked out. It might have been called a continental system of "donation parties."? [September Atlantic. PILATE'S WIFE. Our curiosity is greatly aroused regarding Pilate's wife. We are told nothing about her in Scripture except what is mentioned in this one incident. Tradition identifies her as Claudia Procula, and it has been conjectured that, bearing such a name, she must have belonged to the Claudian family?one of the most famous families in Roman history, whose founder, Appius Claudius, was the maker of the great Appian Way, and which gave no less than six emperors of Rome, the emperor who was sitting on the throne at the time of our Lord being Tiberius Claudius. Being thus of high station, it is possible that it was through her influence that her husband, Pontius Pilate was made procurator of Judea; for Pilate's own birth was comparatively humble, seeing that the name Pilate is derived from the cap which was worn as a distinguished badge by manumitted slaves, and the epithet marks him out as a freedman, or as descending from one. She accompanied her husband to Palestine, and it is a striking illustration of the truthfulness of the Scripture narrative that it was only during the reign of Tiberius Claudius that the wife of a Roman was allowed to accompany her husband to the province which he ruled. In early times a law was expressly passed to prevent a magistrate taking his wife with him to the sphere of his jurisdiction, lest she should meddle with his administration or unduly influence his public career. And this law was rigorously carried out; but at the time of our Lord it had fallen into neglect. Per- . haps the wife of Pilate had received 1 a special permission to accompany 1 her husband on account of her connection with the reigning family; and, in any case, her presence in ] Jerusalem at the time of our Lord's i judgment indicates that the relation- ] ship between herself and her hus- i band must have been one of deep and .] true affection. Pilate, if he had been ] an indifferent husband-uiight have i left his wife behind at Rome in con- i formity with the law of the empire, 1 and his wife, if she had been less lov- \ ing and devoted, might have remain- ] ed at Crcsarea, which was the fixed ( official residence of the Roman gov- i ernor and the headquarters of the i Roman army in Palestine, and not have accompanied him, to which he had to go on the annual feast of the Passover, to preserve order among the great crowds of pilgrims which at that time filled the sacred city.?[The Quiver. SOURCES OF SPRINGS. Springs originate in the highlands and mountains. The rain falls upon the mountain tops and then decends to the valleys. A part washes over the < surface, col lects in the ravines, and as brooks or streams rushes down the mountain, and in the valleys, coml\?nin/v VU a mi trAM.i ttfui aVi nr\ MMtr uiiiuig, iwiiii int; incm vvJIUJII the water to the sea. A nart is reconverted into vapor and floats away. Another part is absorbed by the rocks and ledges, or passes down through the cracks or crevices, or between the strata, emerging lower on the mountain sides, in the valleys or even out in the ocean. The largest known springs are those bursting up from the ocean floor. Off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, a few miles from the shore, a large spring of fresh water rises to the surface, furnishing water to fishermen and sailors, who dip it up in the midst of the salt water of the Gulf. A few miles from the eastern shore of Florida, nearly opposite Mantanzas, a large spring of fresh water boils up in great abundance. So large is this spring that Lieutenant Maury took his little coast survey steamer on top of "the boil," and it was quickly swept to one side by the boiling spring. Some rocks are more porous than others. Water will percolate through these down to a stratum of slate or other impervious rock, and the water may now between these for many miles?sometimes for scores of milestill a crack or a fault is reached, when it rises to the surface, forming a spring. Thus springs in the valleys may have tneir origin a long distance away. They may even burst out on top of a hill or mountain, in a region where the strata have been folded, the water rising nearly to the height of the head fountain. Mineral springs are produced by the water percolating through rocks containing minerals in such chemical combinations that they can be dissolved out and carried away. Thus silica, sulphur, iron, lime, salt and others are removed by the water, giving rise to mineral springs rendered famous for their power to relieve or cure diseases. Other springs, like many in the White Mountains, are remarkably pure, from the fact that the waters Derco late through rocks from which scarcely any mineral substances have been dissolved. In* Heligoland.?Crime there is none, for no criminal could possibly escape except with the connivance of practically the whole population. This difficulty of escape was amusingly illustrated last year. Two housebreakers from Hamburg came across on a professional visit. They had a highly successful evening's work; every door stood open ; they had only to watch when no one was by, step boldly in, and carry away what they cared for. They got altogether a very handsome booty. But they had forgotton one little deThere was no steamer leaving Heligofet^Lili? following day till two o'clock in the^ftSCSP0"- .. ? , , Lonj*, long ere then been discovered, the robo^^^S?" in prison, and the stolen propStt^/**" turned to its owners. When escaffL is impossible villiany of any kind can hardly flourish. So the Heligolanders are honest whether they like it or not, but long custom has made them honest by choice as well as by force. It is one of the rarest things for the little Heligoland prison to nave any inmates; when it has any they are there for very trivial offences and occupy themselves in singing (as Heligolanders will always do when they A AUAMAA\ AM/1 fwiAn/la afnn/1 get tiumiitcj) ciiiu men uiuuiu oiouu outside and sing in unison to keep them company. A Heligolander if arrested will go to the prison by himself, ring up tne warder, and tell him he is in custody. Altogether the island is in its way so peculiar and unconventional that this procedure is regared by any accidental delinquent as only natural and proper. Earthquake Parties.?The credulity of the human mind was prettily illustrated by the world of fashion in 17o0. A smart shock of earthquake startled all England in February, and was succeeded by a more violent one in the following March. The consternation was general, and bishops and clergymen made the event the subject of numerous sermons, homilies and exhortations, while it is on record that a country quack reaped a golden harvest by selling earthquake pills. Then arose a crazy-minded life-guardsman, solemnly predicting that a third and specially fatal shock would occur on April 5. The polite world, as it is called, took fright, and on the evening preceding the fatal (Jay the roads out of London, wrhich the earthquake was to tumble into ruins, were thronged with vehicles, though the newspapers threatened to publish "an exact list of all the nobility and gentry who have left or shall leave this place through fear of another earthquake." The ladies wrapped themselves in "earthquake gowns"-warm gowns intended to be worn while sitting out of doors all night. Not a few persons spent the nignt in Hyde Park, sitting in their coaches, and playing cards by the light of wax candles. "What will you think," tirmfrua 1-Tnr\ \\To 1 n/\lo "nf T o/^tr w 11ivo xx\/iav.v ?t ui|^v7iv^ \ja Catherine Pelham, and Lady Frances Arundel, and Lord and Lady Galway, who go this evening to an inn ten miles out of town, where they are to play brag till 4 o'clock in the morning, and then come back, I suppose, to look for the bones of their husbands and families under the rubbish ?" A Bull With Two Mouths.? A New York city butcher recently came into possession of a remarkable animal, being a full grown bull with two distinct mouths. The mouth proper of the animal is used solely for eating, while the other organ is used only for drinking. The bull is about eighteen months old, weighs 1,200 pounds, and is a dappled gray in color, the animal; with the exception of one shoulder and the forelegs, being well formed. The regular mouth is of normal size and contains two full sets of teeth, but no liquid ever passes between them. The other mouth is about five inches in diameter, at the end of a protuberance three inches thick, and is situated directly under the neck, about half way between the head and shoulders. There are neither eyes nor ears in connection with this mouth, but there are nostrils, through which the animal breathes as well as through his other nostrils, and a partial set of teeth, although this mouth is only used for drinking. The animal also has double knee and hoof joints. His disposition is said to be quiet and gentle.?[Scientific Ameri can. BOB* The most careful experiments have shown, says a medical authority, that the human body is as completely insensitive to magnetism and is wholly unaffected by it as a piece of rubber or wood. A person may stand between the poles of the strongest magnet, one of which might hold up a ton of iron, without :he slightest perceptible effects upon the bodily functions being produced. Hence, all so-called magnet appliances, brushes or combs, disks, belts ind magnets, have absolutely no cur- j itive power whetevcr. jM