CREEPING UP THE STAIRS,
In the softly falling twilight
Of a weary, weary day,
With a quiet step 1 entered
W here the children were at play;
I was brooding o'er some Srounle
Which had met me unawares,
ittle voles came ringing,
i +h
wich melodies awakened,
no wording can define,
raed to see our da riing,
| forgetful of my cares,
[ saw the little creature
ow!y creeping up the stairs.
£
¢ step she bravely clambered
little hands and Knees,
up a constant chattering,
magpie in the trees ;
t she reached the topmost
er all her world’s atiairs
ihe d stood a victor
reeping up the stairs.
heart, behold an image
s brief and struggling life,
«st prizes must ba captured
noble, earnest strife;
{, upward, reaching over,
ling to the weight of cares,
+. fearing, still expecting,
ing up the StaiLrs,
may be no carpet,
ides may be no rail;
knees may often pain us,
rt may almost fail,
here is the glory,
y sinfulness impairs,
st and joy forever,
eping up the stairs,
IN A FLASH.
T first remember my Aunt
Barbara. she was over forty years of
age; | could never have been
accounted a handsome woman. She
was a very tall and a very angular, with |
a long, remarkable |
featur
commandin
she
proportions.
the kindest
hearts in the |
looks seemed
a matter of trfliing moment to those |
who had the privilege of knowing her |
well. It was at my request that, some
two or three years before her death,
she wi
ce out the following narrative of
an actual occurrence
in her early life.
I put away the manuscript at the time,
and did not come across it again till the
lav. On looking 1t over ance
¢ ssemed to me not unworthy of
nseribed for a wider circle of
n that comprised by the wri-
me of
ul
being
reader
ter's immediate friends and acquaint-
ances
Youa
(begins u
go back in
to
iy aunt) to what seems to me
now like a period of remote antiquity,
when I. Barbara Waldron, was twenty-
four vears of age, and my sister Bessie
five years younger, and endeavor to put
down in writing the little story 1 told
you by word of mouth a few days ago.
You must know, then, that in those
far-off days my sister and I were keep-
ing house for our brother John, who at
that time filled the position of steward
and land-agent to Lord Dorri
The house we lived in was a pleasant
but somewhat lonely residence, about
half a mile from the little country town
l.eavensfield. The house suited us
for several reasons. In the first place,
was low; next, a large
gar was attached
Jessie and 1 sj
and in the third place, th
to Dorrington Par
my brother yuld take a
hall whenever he had bi
with his lordship, his lords
with him. Our |
i was a small one, and besides our-
selves comprised only Mary
middie aged woman; and niece, a girl
of mix John's horse and gig were
looked after bya yo he
pame of Reuben Gates, who did not,
however, sleep on the premises, An
important part of John's duties was to
receive and pay into the Levensfield
bank the rents due from farmers and
other tenants of property held under
Lord Dorrington. One such tenant |
was a certain Mr. Shllito, a corn and
seed merchant, who was noted for his
eccentricities, It was only in keeping
with Mr. Shillito’s aggravating way of
doing business that he should never pay
his rent at the time other people paid
theirs: that he should always payitin
gold and notes, instead of giving a|
check for the amonnt, as he was quite
in a position to have done, and that he
should make a point of bringing it him-
self. instead of naming the time
whefi my brother might have called
upon him; and finally, that he seldom
arrived h the money till after bank-
SK ne memory
“ord
ngion. |
<r
y
¥
i
2
the 1 he
it, In
y happy
Gen
man
ays $
wii an
#
t
entrance
hrather
ut to the i
hip
10USe-
ees or
1840 i8iness
1014
(rxibbs, a
ir
~
ung man byt
i ¥
Lee,
ing Dours,
We come now to a certain autumn
evening. Kitty had just brought in
the tea-tray. It was growing dusk,
almost too dusk, to see clearly without |
the lamp, but Bessie and I liked to
economize the daylight as much as pos.
sible, especially now that the long win-
ter nights were so close upon us, John
had come infor a cup of tea. This
evening he was going to drive over to
Nethercroft, some ten miles away, dine |
there with some friends, and stay all
night. After dinner there was to bea |
dance; and I was not without my sus-
picions as to the nature of the attrac.
tion which was taking him so far from |
home, although he laughingiy pooh-
poohed the soft impeachment when I
challenged him with it. John was in
the act of putting down his cup and |
saticer when he heard a noise of wheels
outside, which presently came to a
stand opposite the house. He crossed |
the room and peered through the win- |
dow. i
“It's old Shillito, come to pay his |
rent,” he remarked a moment later. |
“Two hours after banking-time, as
usual. What a nuisance he is!” He
went down stairs, and about ten min- |
utes later we heard Mr, Shillito’s trap |
start off. Ninety pounds all in od |
and notes,” he said. **I’ve had to lock |
it up mw my desk till morning.’’ i
1 may here remark that iron safes for
the custody of money and other valua-
bles were by no means so common in
those days, especially in out-of-the-way
country places, as they appear to have
since become,
“But the money will be quite safe in
your desk, won’t it, John?” asked
.
Bessie,
**Safe enough without a doubt, seeing
that no one but ourselves knows of its
presence there, Only, as a matter of
business, should prefer to have it in the
coffers or the bank» Presently he
added: “The old fellow was half seas |
over, as he generally is; and I have no
doubt. with so many houses of call by
the way. that he will be soaked through
and through before he reaches home.
I wonder whether he goes to bed sober
a night in nis life?"
A few minutes later John kissed us
and bade us good-night. Bessie and I
went to the window to see him start
but by this time it was nearly dark.
He waved his whip at us as soon as he
had settled himself in his seat, then he
gave the reins a little shake. Black
Beryl’s heels struck fire from the stones |
as she sprang forward, the gravel
secrunched beneath the wheels, and a |
moment later the shadows of evening
had swallowed up horse and gig and
driver. My sister and I pulled down
the blinds and drew the curtains and
rang for Kitty to bring in the lamp.
The evening passed after our usual
quiet fashion. We worked a little and
read a little and played some half—doz- |
en duets, and chatted between times, |
till the clock pointed to half-past 10, |
at which hour we generally retired for |
the night. My last duty every evening !
was to go the round of the house and i
rel. When this duty had been duly
to-night, the drawing
tinguished, and then
took our bed-candles and
stairs, leaving darkness
behind us. Mary Gibbs |
and I
up
and solitude
My sister’s room and mine adjoined |
tion between, which generally stood
partly open at night for the sake of
The windows of both
rooms looked into the garden, which
ran in a wide strip along that side of
the house, and was shut in by a wall |
some seven or eight feet high, beyond
which there were three or four mead-
ows, and then the boundry wall of Dor- |
rington Park.
It was close on to 1
out afterward—when 1 awoke
from a sound sleep. The in-
stant I opened my eyes the room was
flash of light
ning. and it was in all probability a
peal of thunder that bad broken my
slumbers. Another flash followed after
a brief interval, succeeded again by the
deafenti accompaniment. My sleep |
I arose, flung
a shaw! over my shoulders, and cross- |
ing to windows drew back the |
blind and peered out. As long ago as I
can remember, Lightning has always
had a singular fascination for me. As
a child I loved to gaze upon its vivid
splendors, and in this respect at least
years have left me nchanged. A board
creaked as I crossed the floor.
“Is that vou, Barbara?” asked
sister from the other room.
“Yes. dear. Iam going to look out
for a few "minutes. Is not the
ning beautiful?”
“Very beautiful; only I wish it were
anywhere rather than here,’ answered
Bessie who at such times was just as
nervous as I was the reverse.
The flashes tollowed at intervals of
about a minute. I had witnessed three
or four, when suddenly I gave a start,
and an exclamati involuntarily
from ips,
o'clock—as 1
ii
i
sil
ng
hy
Lig
my
Tig
t.3
IE
lash had re-
two men in
: Tae
garden
my
act of climbing over the
wall W0S a
to me; 44 tantaneous as
was the revelatio recognize
somewhat ace and
a man named Dethel, whom my bro
had employed temporarily during
last week wo in the garden, oul
regular man being laid up with rheu-
matism at the time. There was some-
thing in the looks of the man in ques-
tion which had set me against him from
he first: but if we were all to be judged
by our looks alone, what would become
of us? For aught I knew to the con.
trary, Dethel might be an honest, hard
working fellow, with a wife and child.
ren dependent upon him; but for all
that. on the days he was working for
us, I carefully refrained from going into
the garden.
And now, here was s man, and
another with him, effecting a surrepti-
tious entry of the premises at 1 o'clock
in the morning! Such a proceeding
could have but one end in view, Two |
questions} at once put themselves to me, |
Firstly, were thess men aware that my
brother was from home for the night,
and that pnly three helpless women and
a girl were left in the house? Secondly,
had they by some means become cogni-
zant of the fact that a few hours pre-
viously Mr. Shillito had paid my brother
a considerable sum of money, which
must necessarily still bs somewhere on |
the premises? In my mind there was
little doubt that both these facts were
fully known to the men. My brother's
movements were as open as the day,
o}
the
stranger
z 4
Or §
$5.4
Wil
from Reuben, the groom, that his mas- |
ular night; while as for Mr. Shillito,
everybody knew how he talked in his |
loud-voiced way about his most private |
todrink |
At the bar of |
that evening, |
t
more than one tavern
that Mr, Shillito had just paid John
Waldron his half year's rent.
These thoughts {flashed through my |
mind almost as quickly as that flash |
which revealed so much, DBreathlessly |
I waited for the next flash, It came,
the darkness for an instant,
and then it, too, was swallowed up.
The men were no longer visible. De-
tween the two flashes they had time to
where the thick clumps of evergreens
which clothed that part of the grounds
would effectually screen them from
view. At that very moment they were
doubtless making their way stealthily
toward the house. What was to be
done? Never had I realized so fully as
that moment how helpless a creature a
woman is, Drawing my shawl more
closely around me and putting on a pair
of list slippers which I wore about the
house in cold weather, I crept noiseless.
ly out of the room. At the top of the
stairs I halted and listened; but all was
silenes the most profound. The corn.
dor out of which the bedroom opened
was lighted at the opposite end by a high
narrow window which looked into the
garden. To this window I now made
my way, and there, with one ear pressed
to the cold glass I stood and listened.
Presently 1 heard the faint sound of
footsteps, and then the subdued voices
Directly under the place where 1 was |
standing was the back drawing-room,
which opened on the garden by means |
of a French window; and although this
window was secured at night by shut-
ters, I had an idea that the security in
question was more fancied than real,
and was of a kind that would be laugh-
ed to scorn by any burglar who was
acquainted with his business. If the
into the house—and with what other |
object could they be there?—the proba- |
bility ,was that thoy would make the |
attempt by the way of the French win- |
Even while this thought was |
1 my mind the voices of |
grating sound made itself |
heard, Evidently they had already be-
gun to force the fastenings of the win-
dow. I crept back to my room, feeling
utterly dazzed and helpless.
‘Is that you, Barbara?” Where have
Going into her room, 1 sat down on
the side of the bed and told her every- |
thing in as few words as possible. bdhe
was of a somewhat timid and nervous
disposition, and my news visibly affeet-
ed her. She sat up in bed, trembling
“Perhaps,’’ she whisperad, *‘if we
lock our bed-room doors and Keep very
near us,’
“Why, you goose it is not us
have come after, but Mr,
ninety pounds,” I answered.
“And there's poor mamma's silver |
tea service down rtairs; 1 they
won't find that.” said Dessie.
I hoped so, too, but there was no
judging how much Dethel had contri-
ved to ascertain respecting us and our |
affairs. 1 went to the corrider window
and listened. The noise made by |
the men was now plainly distinguisha- |
[t seemed as if they were trying
to file or cut their way through
obstruction. After ening for i
moments, I went back to my roo
began almost mechanically to put
wking
hope
ble
§
clothing,
was not possible to do something-—
what that something ht t
be I knew no more than the max
The nearest house was a (uar-
ter of a mile away; and even if 1 could
have stolen out unnoticed by way of the
front door, before I could have reached
burglars would have effected their pur-
pose and decamped. Our pecuniary
means at that time were very straiten-
For some time back John hail
been paying off some old family debts;
and the of ninety pounds
which as a matter of course, he would
feel bound to make good—would be a
great blow to him. If I could only
have got at the money d have hidden
it where burglars would
likely to find it, I felt that I should have
accomplished something. But the bag
Was locked up i
\ /
John's strong mah
any (des) ay
any desk, an
my reach as if |
Of He Bank
id
convenientiy i
thieves,
wi
loss the
an
the not be
;
1
yor
»
cou DArdiv
1 is
(esx
dead.
All tha
wy ow i we
shiny ¥
iy 4
ing i
#ivver
wiaik
as §
welll
3 ¢ % »
moments
ail prec
flo + ani
Led s DUS O04)
sess the mors I strov
loop-h ile of 8
helpless:
some
wretchedness of a feeling! 11
to experience it again u
gree as I experienced |
The lightning if not quits
it had been a little while previ
still came in as frequent flashes, and by
ita light my sister and I made a hurried
toilet. Our house stood a little way
back from the high-road, from which it
was divided by a tiny lawn and a low
screen of evergreens, Once or twice in
the course of the night of the
mounted constabulary would ride slow-
ly past as he went his rounds; but I was
without any knowledge as to the par-
ticular time, when he might be expect
the time at
might be looked for at any
specified point did vary from night to |
night. Still, there was just a possibi
ty that he might put in an appearance
liscern
ADE, the
Ope never
the
same de-
1 a8
oue
s
il
the window to keep a lookout for him,
readiness to raise an alarm
the moment she heard the tramp of his
horse's hoofs, For once in a way the
lighning was something to be thanked
for: each flash ligntning up the high-
sides of the house.
When this was done, It seemed as if |
everything possible had been done; and
yet it was next to nothing. With both |
ing as I seemed never to have thought
pefore. Then it was that--as sudden,
awift and startling as one of those |
flashes which were momently illumina. |
ting the outer world—an idea shot |
through my brain which, for an instant
or two, seemed to cause my heart to
And yet, at the first blush |
thing so preposterous, so ludicrous,
jmminent. I should have discarded it
at once as little better than the inspira- |
tion of a mad woman. But, preposte- |
rons as the idea might seem, for the |
life of me I could think of no other, |
and every minute now was invaluable,
There was no time for hesitation. I
must discard it or adopt it, and that
without a moment's delay. **I will try
it; it can but fail,” 1 said to myself,
with an inward groan.
On the toilet-table was a jar of white
tooth-powder, which had been replen-
ished the previous day. I shook out a
quantity of this powder, shut my eyes,
and proceeded to rub it thickly over my
face, arm and hands. That done, 1
drew the white coverlet off the bed, and
draped myself with 1t loosely from head
to foot; then I unbound my hair, which
in those days was ebon black and
recchied below my waist, and shook it
round my face and over my shoulders
in “most admired disorder.” 1 was
now ready for the role 1 ha¢ made my
mind to enact.
Bessie has told me since that she |
thought I had taken leave of my senses, |
Just at the moment my tollet was com-
pleted, and as I turned and advanced
toward her, another long, quivering |
flash lighted up the room. A low |
burst involuntarily frors my |
sister’s lips, and she shrank away from |
me as though I was something alto-
gether uncanny.
*() Barbara, dear, what is the mat- |
ter?” she cried. “Why do you frighten |
me so?"
“It is not you I want to frighten, but |
the men down stairs,” Ireplied. Then |
plan,
She would have tried to dissuade me; |
but there was no time to listen, Leav-
mg her there watching by the window,
ready to raise an alarm in case the
mounted constable should pass on his
round, I stole swiftly and noiselessly
down the carpeted staircase, and only |
when I reached the corrider
[ could hear a subdued mur-
voices, and a moment later |
by the of falling
glass, The burglars had succeeded in
effecting an They and I}
were separated only by the drawing- |
room door, which, although locked, |
was an obstacle that very few n
vould overcome With an
indrawing of my breath I sped quickly
past the door along the length of the
corridor until I reached the oppos
end. where there were two more doors,
one of them being that of my brother's
ce. which also was locked, and from
lock of which I now withdrew the
I have omitted to state that the
window of John’s office was secured bj
two stout bars, which was probably one
reason why the thieves had chosen to
effect an entrance ata point more readi-
ly adapted for their purpose. The se-
cond door at the end of the corridor
wssage leading to the
This door I succeeded in open-
I had decided t
ttle way on the inner
side of and there await the course of
events. By this time men were
busily at work forcing the lock of the
drawing-room door. A thin thread of
light which sho
that althougt
frequent as before
sufficient for their purpose,
Seuarcely breathing, 1 waited.
too excited, too wrought up, the t
xireme
14
A
"
below,
mur of
was startled
noise
entrance,
nutes
suffice to
0] ie
f
fii
the
kitchen.
ing without noise, 0
§
it
ivy
the
i
to all
was all terri-
biv real, yet*with a strange vague sense
of unreality underlying I felt as if
1 sheuld not have |
woke up and found the
solve itself into a dream, while yet f
assured in my mind that it was nothing
of the kind. Suddenly the at the
door ceased: the lock had been forced.
The thread of light disappeared; for
few moments all was silence,
most profound. Then ax
creaking, which at any
would have bee:
i
ie
noise
An
arose
» other
4d! paudible, that told
that the drawing-room d¢ WR
opened and at the crucial m
had come,
heart, and fo
i overpowering
get back to my 1
wit n
Or
ment
s
a few brief
most
But it
yy AW 4
myseis n.
the men were in
this time
I knew it, although
em
“Where’
{1 Om
4
hea:
that 9"?
* Lai
there i
Was no
there was, Where's t
the li
the bull's
darkness and fl ing
the blinding intensity of its glare. Then
[ saw the men and the men saw me,
but the darkness had hidden us from
each other again before they had time
to make sure that their eyes had not
deceived them.
One of them gave a gasp and whis-
pered to his master: “What was that
tall white thing at the end of ihe pas,
sage? Seemed to me like a ghost,”
“(Ghost be dashed? There ain't ne
such things-~here's the glim, We
soon see what it 18,” As he spoke, the
light of his bull’s eye was turned full
upon me,
{ advanced a eouple of paces, and the
men fell back in speechless surprise
and terror. I have often tried since to
picture to myself the appearance I must
have presented when seen at such a
moment and by what uncertain light,
with my ghastly death-like face, my
dilated eves, my black, snake-like locks,
my tall figure all in white, and with
one extended arm and finger pointed
direct at the men, 1 caunot wonder at
their fright.
was quicker than
smiting the
srrider with
add
eve,
the ¢«
Tt
id
and a terrible peal of thunder startied
the air and shook the house. At the
very mstant, impelled thereto by some-
thing within me that 1 was powerless to
control, I burst into a wild peal of ma
niacal, blood-curdling laughter. One
step nearer [ advanced; but that was
enough.
the men turned and fled by the way
they had come, I heard a crash of
gonses to find Dessie supporting my
my nose.
and it is hardly necessary to add that
Dethel, the ex-gardener, was never seen
in those parts again,
I
A King's Cradle.
Near the scepter and purple robes
was the cradle of the King of Rome,
welghing one quarter of a ton. The ma-
torial was sald to be silver-gilt, At
the head hovered the figure of an angel
holding aloft a metal wreath, from
which depended the rich silk draperies
that could be made to completely en-
velop the cradle, or be drawn aside and
looped back behind the angel figure, 1
suppose the imperial babies developed
as much fretfulness in this satin-lined
cradle as do the neglected infants of
modern Palestine in their hard stone |
mangers,
The Mystery of Flowers,
The name of the Peony is derived |
which was supposed to be a moonstruck
Tho peony was thought to |
The floral kingdom furnishes plants |
and associated some with the qualities
The cyclamen opens in Southern Eu-
cated to this romantic recluse, who |
abandoned a noble career for 4 Monas-
because he witnessed his father |
kill a kinsman in a duel. The rose bay |
willow herb the French called St, An- |
thony’s fires, because of its brilliant red |
hue, and its having appeared first In
wh
ease wi ot
ch its patron, Anthony, |
was believed to possess,
The early Christians, attracted
some flowers by their peculiar beauty,
gathered a number of tl futo a her-
barium and dedicated them to the Vir-
gin Mary. Ameung these are the snow-
drop, the lily of the valley, white daffo-
dil. white rose, white hyacinth and
white clematis, lady’s-finger, lady’s siip-
per, lady’s glove, marigold, lady’s man-
tle ete., to all of which superstition at- |
taches qualities of purity and goodness,
and conferred these upon the wearer of |
any of these symbolical flowers, The |
common hollyhock a corruption
holy oak, and is reverence
of rural England, where tri
colates through cent because cru
saders brought n the Holy Land
Ap ilk
The
despite
i
to
1886
i
ge
in
of
f acl]
ries,
modest,
the wite qualities,
plant of war in the superstitious belief
the same people, is dedicated to BL.
George, their patron saint,
jy the French the white variety of
his plant is, in curious contrast, asso-
ated with the peaceful character of
and is called la veld
ps. The familiar line, 1
Gilead!’ is the name of a piant
nearest summer relation is our
In the earliest was celebr
Pliny, Strabo, Tacitus and Jus
! for 1 qualities,
4
el
LU, i Jie eli
ha 1 Balm f
wh wi
acacia,
ages it ated by
in, t
on rivs no
t
i
14afie grit > 3 ¥ % 2 vr ex vs ine
lofty spirit and dignity its meani
‘increase, The
it to King Sol
1 one spec
ved
fre rian
ripeneaq
SU PpOse 0
Sheba brought
ini
Cleopatra pla
Matara. which
3
celebrated
$
1 §)
&
Or
oi
by travelers {
wird. The Eastern Christians believ
ed the plant would grow only under the
care of a Christian gardener, and
the bark incised |
nt metal the flow of
be corrupt.
'nder their fostering
grew as large as a §i
the
shat
that
Were WW any instru-
ment o balsam would
1
i
respect that it
spread
TOR Th §
alm ol
Christianity
courts the
n i
'
P i tha
i all La
a1
ie
of
{evn
¢ 3 . ” > ¥
of the water and res
How 10 make a Ghost.
ymena of optical illusions
have been made use of to a considerable
extent upon stage within
few years, the most
exhibitions this sort is known
TS 3) Se
ii NIECE
the
One of
of
Curious
%
from Mr, Pepper, an English physicist,
whom the origin
tributed. The ghost in question 18 no
“materialized” spirit, but, although
one sees it walk upon the stage and
act its part, is of so inwaterial a con-
stitution that the individual whom it
comes to haunt cleaves it with hissword
as if it were so much empty air, and
actually walks through the spectre.
When this marvel was first exhibited
in London the public flocked to see it
and great was the wonder thereat, The
mystery is, however, easily explained.
Every one has observed that a pane
of window glass, though transparent,
reflect the rays of light to a certain
extent. so that while admitting light
from the street it returns also a faint
image of objects in the room. Ifitis
dark outside the reflection is more dis- |
tinct. When this is understood the
explanation of the trick is very simple. |
The actors on the stage are seen
through a large plate of transparent
glass, placed in an inclined position and
jeaning toward the audience al an an- |
gle of forty-five degrees. The transpa-
rency of the glass prevents the specta- 1
tors in the dim light from perceiving it. |
Beneath the stage, out of sight, and |
facing a large mirror Inclined parallel !
%
t
I's
with the plate of glass above, is the |
Upon this figure, |
the vivid glare of an oxy-hydrogen
in the mirror, and from the mirror a
bright image of the object is cast upon
the glass plate facing the audience.
To the audience, however, this image
does not appear as if thrown on the
lass, but as if standing some distance
ck on the stage, just as the reflection
of objects seen in a windowpane seems
projected out into the street. Thus
the reflection of a sheet-clpd figure be-
Jow the stage may be made to walk the
boards a very realistic spectre,
Sparrows,
The English sparrows was made the
subject of a committee Foport at a meet.
ing of the Ornithologists nion in New
York recently, and recommendations
looking to the extermination of the ag«
A Modern MIghWwayman,
The railroads are the great highways
The mighwayman,
who has long loft the slower thorough-
As you pass the ticket gate
standing engineless, waiting for passen~
gers, you will notice the porter waiting
tos the words:
“Chicago sleeper, sir?”
These words are varied according fo
If you
#000,
He never says ‘sleeping car.”
are tired and want to get to bed
“I wish you would make up my berth
as soon as possible.’
“Which is your berth, sir?’’
“Tower three on the Venezuela,”
“Very sorry, gir; but three ladies, a
f young
men are ahead of you, sir.”
As you turn away he says:
“1°11 see what 1 can do for
1711 do my best sir.”’
Later he comes {0 you
you,
fidential manner-
ve managed so as t
s up second, sir,
ou said, sir, always li¥e
ge an old patron of the road
iis latter phrase is a d
Hewants v
recognizes you
When the train
for the porter, and he
tened quarters very
es
OAL
£2334 z
1
he as an old hand,
is a busy Lime
in rather
ftly. Peo-
DAITOW
Varies,
berths
tart it
Aris 1%
er WOrKsSs
foal
ral
de
pie pass § n hae
ATi Sass in in
aisle, but hi ]
A dozen are at him to get
y, and with great tact
His method of
He places t
evitable valise under the seat and «
making a bed «
he lets down th
ut the end
lace, fasten-
y that by no
tenant push
never
their
he satis-
work
:
made uj
fies them all,
EW
3
vith attentic
Fiil ALL 3
ya.
seats over it,
Tt
Lie
en
4 1 £
ARE t
4
bs ony mts
waem 11
y
Pp
qf
je is the only occupant of the sec
It would never do
} ach
He tak
it over the
vo
5] aCe 1 ¥
The space
d he, with a peculiar and
lands :
He then t 8 4
x » pe | §
in akind of
GOW:
OORS ¢
the
overiet
, pulls
ye bs }
lings the b
the brass rod at
’ 3 $..
and then
ckness with whic
5
nade up b
‘
enticated case has ever come to ligh
nt bravery that
not possessed
ay. The lh
a sword or a
requires an amou (
he average American
f boast as he mn
of
is
yf, let him 1 igh-
| wayman’s weapon is not
pistol, but a little apparently innocuous
broom—a clothes broom. He calls you
up to the captain’s office to settle in the
following manner:
“Brush you off, sir?’
“Thank you, I brashed mysell ofl
moment ago.”
“There's a lot of dust on the back of
your coat yet, sir.”
If you still demur he takes your hat
and gives it a most vigorousdusting off,
gradually leading you off into the dread
ante-chamber. Then be lays on Mac-
duff. He dusts you off with energy and
| precision. He puffs and pants over it
and exerts himself very visibly. Ther
a
across lus heated brow as if he rarely
encountered so rough a job, It's
| dom that a man is so hardened as to
pass that stage without his hand aulo-
matically seeking the quarter that lies
dormant in his pants pocket, but grant
for the sake of argument that there is
a man who could calmly say, “Thank
you,” and take his crimson’seatl in the
car again. The next stage is after this
Se].
air 4
iN.
“Did I brush you off, sir?”
“Youdid.”
“Ahem. hope you are satisfied, sir.’
“perfectly satisfied.’
A pause,
“I'm glad you're satisfied, sir.”
Another pause, during which you feel
antly conspicuous.
“Were your boots blacked to suit you,
gir?"
“They were well blackened.”
“You see, some likes one kind of
blacking and some another. 1 generally
give satisfaction, sir; I never see no
“gontlemen’’ complain.”
If you make no move at this, ths final
catastrophe occurs. The highwayman
drops all politeness as thrown away
such a boor, thrusts his hand before vou
while he holds the whisk under his lef
arm, and demand: :
“Porter, please,
Then he gets his quarter,
A E—————
Hritish Empire.
The British empire's area is 8,500,
000 square miles, but there is in indi-
rect domination over enough more to
make the total 10,000,000--one-fifth of
the land surface of the globe, Of the
gressive little bird were adopted,
total lation only one-seventh are
Onristhns.