A Secret
f |t I I nm wcnf In th • #ll4
fl.'dvv tth l*#, n* #llilBf In tli# wmn,
Anl they hil hf mi Ih nl II In m thoiHMiid <>th#r
# f r* another Jaj ilowty bofrt
"Oh, He I* I# •'"••id l.'jron utmll pm\l
fln piti< k fh#n flr my tody w##t to t#r
In th* puff of h*r mililin Umim,
Th* ."nr|*l lotnrUnrn of h*f chestnut half.
f told Mm In hlr<l n* litilMln<
Hr KMI t pmr* within the •pn-mlinc tfrr,
|i| hr • hlldmn hud l*|nn to. Imll- r
Ah* Infd l o*TO And o'r* right ftyom!jr
"■•h, traitor Iflrd I whUp. rrd , "itay Ihy ringing
Thou l -t not hn.w, th*r In that nnat shor#*
Thiii are ni rntdt to twit to other* .
Tha -I!' > •i Ih birthright of Inc* to?a "*
I told the *ecret to my lot#, my l#fy ,
Phr hrld t*I'HM ly t fc*r darling Ireaef !
Then * f • Up#>d h#r run# * tiny whl*p r
"Tli# blfdt Mid flow art told me all tbe rrt,
!f'-r ihonlit'ft thou '•hide them that they pi%lie tin
aw ret—
Tha whole world la a cord of lorn divine.
And Mrde ari l rt-wwre but fulfill their Mi*ei*'tt
In rolling ee*ref* rwart a* mine and Ihlga
All the Fear Round.
"A WITLESS THING."
"A dur jmsnt In mtdiiM ; tko'igbu snd rainrm.
I ma tltmJ.--Ilsai.lT, mi. I* sc. 5.
'•Now remember, Lord Orayton,"
said th" Doctor, solemnly, ''all I told
you. You are very welcome to come to
our ball, though, a* a rule, we only a-k
a certain ret of wise men and maidens
who know our ways and Meir ways.
Still, you are good looking, humorous,
and cheery, and if you are sensible you
can enjoy yourse'f and, msy he, do
iKrm a world of good. I believe in elec
tricity as a curative agent—not the |
quack non-ense of belts anil chains and |
musical oxee, that only shak-- the |
nervc-centers, but the real electricity o!' i
animal spirits, the tonic of good health.' j
"I shall do exactly a I am bid " said !
Lord fi my ton, a handsome, florid, mut j
eulsr young man, strong as a horse, j
buoyant a* a balloon, just back after a
-•-lf-iinposed exile of five years in India j
with the big game; ••but tell me of all j
those confounded caution* again. I did
a lot of dancing of various kinds v-ar<
ago, Ix-fore I went after the tigers''
and he laughed a* mingled memories of i
Vay fair and the Lotus t'lub swain back
to him—"and I've tried both the t 'orro i
l-oree in I theSol.inga; hut'pon honor I
never danced with a lunatic girl yet." j
"Aro you quite sure of that said ;
the I'octor. grimily ; "they are to be j
met with nutside Copswood, I . in tell \
you. "However. listen; the rule is aim- I
pie. Be civil and don't contr:dirt. It j
old t'rackton ask* you to play < h<—. j
play, lie's a good player, ati I will !.•
you fairly if he run ;if be can't he'll j
make a false move and call 'checkmate.' J
snd you must reaign. If poor Snohly j
think*. you are the Prince. and 'S rs j
you all over the place, and throws out !
liints al>out feing asked to Sandring 1
ham; if you are asked to listen to the
.•hirning clock in Baker's interiors, or to
avoid someone else, because he's gl
and might hrenk, you must do yu |
tiest to be courteous to them all, and !
.in no account laugh at their fancie
"Sounds rather umpy. And the |
ladies?"
"I'll see to that, and introduce you'o j
the nicest, ami tell you what to avoid i
-peaking about; the men will make the '
talking for themselves, the women don't ,
talk much."
"Sign of insanity. I suppose. \nd
what am I to talk about? '
"Everything avo one thing—the j
Kmpre>s of Austria, or the st ge or
white roe*, or Mr. Mollock, or black j
stockings. I'll give you the cue never i
fear; only it may happen thst one of;
them will ask yoti to dance, and then
you mu't itesras best you can—talk
society or art or chance. My own girls
and their friend* get on famously with
the male patients, and you must do
your best. o>m, 'you are going to la
our beat tonic to-night, and you must
be off and dress; nine sharp, mind, *
they all go to bed at midnight."
"(jueer thing this,,' soliloquized Gray
ton, as He completed an elaliorate dress
ing, "beginning my first season afier
five yeart by dancing with a lot of luna
Ucs. Hope they won't wear straw in
their bair ; if they do I shall bolt to the
Congletons' dance."
He had many strange adventures that
evening as he s oiled about the pretty
ball roe m at the Copawooel private
asylum. lie was duly defeated at
chess ha the v ncrahle Crack ton, who
deliberately slid back a captured queen
on the board, and performed prodigies
of valor with her. He sympathizes! with
the gentlemen who had swallowed a
crockodile, and lie noticed the pale ca
daverous man who amuses! himself by
counting the lights on each side of the
room And singing softly to himself,
".Sorry I csn't adroit it sir, sorry 1 can't
abmit it!" He had bei-n an Acrostic
Editor once upon a time. He noticed
the fuzzy little man, with a pale blue
•haven face, who wanted to stage man
age the sixteen Lancers, ami who jet
eoualy entreated the dancers to "go
back over all that again, please, and try
and get it crispier j" and tho erratic
journalist who wrote paragraph" on his
ahirtcuffs, and many other itrangMli,-
tbat pasted by in the motley pagan tot
iC"
unsettled rein- ns.
"There's King Liar," whi <| •■ t• I the
I'octor, "a very foolish fond old man,
■ fourscore and tiqwsrd," pasted them
muttering of "Brighton A's;' "you
| know who he wasf" snd he tshi*| red
a name in Ornylun's ear that rondel Iml f
nobleman whistle softly.
"And aro there any ttpheliss, 'who-e
young maid's wit* should he as morlal
at an old man's life?" asked flrsylon.
showing that he knew his Mliakespeare
as we'd n the Doctor.
"Yes, but we keep their secret. Now
go and dance;" and th Doctor took
I
King !-ear off lor a cup of coffee.
It wa a sad, weitd sigh altogether,
nnd as Drayton watched it, it reminded
him of Ksulhsch's "D.mce of Death,"
and lie felt oddly morbid as be thought
of his own lonely life. He had once
loved and given his heart to a woman
whom he had both idealized and idol
ized ; be had youth, brains and position,
and with her he felt he oould conquer
the world. It was an old story ; she
turned out to be as loveless as she was
lovely, and so he tock to the tigers. Ho
hail got owr it all now, but be shud
dered as he remembered the fret of it
all, and thought bow near madness he
had been driven when he b-*rd o* n.-r
ultimate fate, and *li' iter lib oad
drifted to. So there we. >nkelis here I
More like Audreys, n< i, .ought, a be
watched some uncouth gamboling in a
corner. His eyes wandered round the
room, and rested at last on s face.J
It was an exquisite oval fsoe, some
what sad and wistful in expression,
of that rare delicate olive color one
' "ees in the South, with the skin of so
tine a texture that the red fluh spring*
i up through the vein tracery at moment's
excitement ; the large brown eyes wer p
: soft ar.d dreamy, the chiseled mouth
I waa parted, nnd tbe dark hr-e n hair,
looking black at night, was worn • Deck
; fashion close to the h.-vi, sweeping in
undul tin g lines pat the tiny rose tipped
ears. She was seated on a low *o r a.
I < vrelenly clasping one knee with both
hands. She wore a simple white frock
. ju.*t mysteriously friilt-1 round the little
white column of a throat, and a great
, black -rest rose nc-tle t in h-r br>- t.
"no little h gh Arched foot, in }•a> L
colored nettled llk, kept swinging to
the mu-ic. No one seemed to talk to
her except the Doctor, who 1
I pbasanlly -s he passed snd said some
thing to which *he answered with a
j nod
"Ophelia at last," said tirayton to
iiimtt-lf; and in melancholy vein he
! wished tie were a Hvmlt and could
lie at her feat and watch the play.
" 'Poor < >phe| a ' divided frota herself
land her fsir judgment J'( the quota
tion was irresi-tible . "I wonder what
I sent her her- some brute of a man.
or a soldier lover killed at Kxaaassin.
(irscious 1 1 hope this terrible M<>g Mer
rilies is not going t-> s-k me to dtnee !"
: and he moved away. * h< s ,-.v , wild
eyed woman bearing down upon him, to
a seat somewhat near- r tho pale girl
i with the blek red rose.
For a time he watched her; then he
tried to tnwgentize brr. At last ibeir
! eyea met, he stared II>T full IQ the face
| She never shrank from hi* !>ok, on'v •
I sort of pily 'ng light seem- d to glow in
; ihe sorrowful eyes. A moment passed,
j and then she rose quietly and with per
feet self-possessed grace walked ever to
'him to hi* intense astonishment sat
I down quietly by' bis side, an I lid in <
| soft musical voice ;
j "You seem sad to-night ;1 am orry."
, For a moment h-- was tongue tied ,
then he recollected his instruction* and
pulled himself together.
"\tell, I think I was sad liecjuse you
were looking sad."
"Was I ? I suppose 1 always do, then.
Of course, being here naturally makes
one fed sad. But we won't talk of that,"
she added quickly. "Do you care for
dancing* I'll dance with you, if you
like,"
Dance '■ w th you
"O yea, if you like; many of the otli
era dance, you know."
''How calmly she seem* to recognize
ber sad state!" thought Drayton, a* he
stood up and pawed hi* arm round
poor Ophelia's slender waist, wondering
how she would "jig and amble." Tbey
were playing the "Dream Faces," as
they swung in undulating rhythm to
the pretty song he felt that few slips of
sane seventeen should ecme up to her.
"That't righl," said the Doctor, en
couiagioglv ; "tet a good example."
"Means I'm to be a tonic, I suppose,"
thought Orayton ; so ho carried offOphe
lia for an ioe
"You dance beautifully," she satd,
' No, you tit down and I'll got you the
ice; there now, there'sja spoon and a
wafer; now you fee! comfortable, don't
you ? Isn't that a lovely valse ?"
"Yes, I'm fond of Dream Faces tbe
people ono meets in dreamt are
genersly vastly nicer than tho real folk.
I bnvo many dream friends."
"Haveyou f sliesaid, look ing amused ;
''tell mo of them."
"Well you know,! think I'm mar
ried to a dream wife-just like Gilbert's
Prioress Toto, you know, with her
9r#am husband. And she comet to me
sometimes mi I • ''M* me if I're done li
anything wrong In tin day ; end some I'
tirn* she's T' 1 * and • i ' "Mi- nor
me for wesk*." ' t
He fell us if li • wn* telling u 'u'i * ♦*!•
t<> a child. k
"llow charming I D-i 11 • •• mote ;
other. I* she beaut'fu 7 What is she i •
like. !
Tim fanciful commit ffincl '•> inuu< t
her, on hn went on drawing picture* of t
an ideal worn n . then growing uneon >•
•rinudy rlnqurni, h l>urt oui, "Mi, if
one couM only rarrt her alive, what a g
wife she wouhl make I A very second *
self, aiding, sympathizing, helping, lov *
ing —at once the ch'-erirtat of chum* *
ami the niott idolized of idol* "
.She had flushed a little as h< spoke. *
hut she went 'in ; "What apret'y jiii-t I
ure ! Where did you got your beauti v
ful thought* aboui marriage?' 1
"I suppose my dream girl taught m*'."
"la *he pretty ?"
(irayton wondered if a delicate, bare- •
fared oompliment would he a good tonic '
for a lunatic. "Yes, beautiful. She ban '
large trown eyes, wonderful hair a low '
voioe, an olive ova! face, she dances au
perbly and she wear* a black red rose 1
in brr white dress." I
Ophelia looked a little frightened.
Forgive trie, I didn't mean to be
rude, but she i—really, you are not an- '
gry with me ?" and be laid hi# hand 1
gently on Her*. 1
"O nothen tbere was a pause.
"Come, and let me show you some pict J
urea; '/am something of an artiat my
•elfand she le<i him into a long gal- m
, lery, and talked art o -en-ihly and 1
sympathetic illy that here, at all event*
he fell there w a very pleasant method
1 in here madness.
"Talking art" ia a recognized method !
1 of interchanging sympathies.
He wa no bad judge of a picture ; !
hut he preferred to affect ignorance,
an I ake I the *tupidc*t questions * mply
for the pleasure of bearing her talk.
| There i kind of inn-x-ent dignity almut
lln r that fascinated him. She ws*
more like a Vestal virgin than a Bin
cbante. s > the evening p.i-<- I a 1 too
(tiickly, till he so Idenlr bethought
' hiinelf that tier" a en ir:j ' .fit
division iri tie- I rJ '.lot n -gh. ami
that he *2- 1 and to I><- i"n content
I before tie- i I K-k trie k e!> -,er. an 1
' ,fter that he wl4 In at I.vJy ' angle
! ton's ilan
i "Must y.u go awav . sin iid. -woy >
"Well, you aee, I'm on-- of tho>e
much-abused people tha*. the Hadi- als
, • !! Hereditary f --gisl.it r*. snd I am
; not abolished yet. I mut 1 e in our
' House at eleven."
'tf course *he could not have un-l<r
stood a word he sai-l. for she murmur* 1
to h< rself. "Poor fellow •■> young, In '
Ho rose and held his hand out.
"Good tight; that k y cti f'-r a very
- • harming • ver.ing.''
"Goodnight said "phelia tenderly.
I should likialitth memory i f thi
meeting, will you give me that ro<-
I've I een longing for it all the evening
••Of course I will, why didn't you
a k for it hi lore! an 1 she took it
from her dress and fasten -1 it in bis
: mat. "I sh >ll see you again, there will
-I e another dance h- re soon. If w is it
1 n'-ver saw you bef-.re at one?''
"This is mv first d'-u e here, les.ud'
grs v el v.
AVljr it was tlist Ophelia's ,\ es su I
denly filled with t' irs he ■ -ul lu't uu
. d< rstand. but ahe left him with a quiet
fiow and went back to th/dancingroom
"You've liesn enjoy ing ynu-i F, | see.'
-sid the linriur, as <irsvti<n cniue to
ssy good bye. "though I mini •'t it
was rather selfish of both of vou."
"Selfish' why 1 Hiil all I could f'-r
her. |ioor dear girl!"
"jioor! why. my hear ford Gr\t<vn
•he has s : v th'usand a year of herowii"
' fii-ar mi l and what i< done with it?"
"She does what she iik-s with i':
she helps all the big charities, and the
helps nie ard Copswood in particular
| and s|je generally does a lot of good to
our poor people picks up -ome one
she lakes a ftney to, and chests him np
a bit. She's tneof my best tonics, and
this is the Hr-t time 1 have noticed that
•he never d ined ome with a patient:
that was your fault, you know."
Good gracious 1 then she isn't a -a
patient herself?"
The Doctor laughed till the tears ]
rolled down his jolly face. "Bless my
heart, no! That's Lady Mary I'etigrcw,
daughter of old lrd Po!nnius, and
•he's just one of the cleverest and
sweeteat girls in the world. I thought
you knew her."
"Not 1 ! She evme over and spoke to
me, and—"
"I see it all—took you for a patient!
O, this ia too lovely and the Doctor
waa positively boisterous in his merri
ment.
Drayton bolted to the House, and
having duty recorded his vote against '
the bill, sent up from the Commons, 1
for chloroforming grouse instead of 1
•hooting th'-nij betook himself in a
strange state of bewilderment to Lady
Congleton's. His hosteas welcomed him
warmly, like the returned prodigal that i
he wan, and insisted upon introducing ;
him to some one in whom she seemed
to havo ii special inteicst.
•'lb-ally a delightful giil, f,ord Gray
ton, quite after your own heart -di
voted to \rt and PhilMntliropy, you
k now."
• Irayton was I ofull of thought to pre
test, so submitted meekly, What
were girls to him just then? He was
thinking over C.qiswood as his hostess
took his arm and they set out on a pil
grim ige.
"Ah, here #h is! Lady M*r> l'eu
grew, Lord 'irayton. I'm stir -yo i two
will g- t along capitally;" and hsr lady
ship was off, leaving 'lrayton stating j
vaguely at his fascinating lunatic.
Lady Mary could hardly supples* a
scream as she turned hc-r head and
Flu-he.| as deep as the rose he still
wore in his button hole.
"How—how—did you get out? she
ti-ke 1, awkwardly.
"I never was in, Lady Mary; the fact
ia, I'm afraid there has been a little
mistake on both sides. I only found
out fr< ui the Doctor as I left that you
weren't a—"
She put her feathery fan up with a
warning "Hush t" then said, "What
brought you there?"
"< 'uriosity; and you ?"
"I often go th- re and try and do
some good. I cheer them sometimes:
but to night' O. how wrong and stupid
of me!"
There was a lit tie pailre as he looked
at her with hi- frank, kindly <-yes.
"Let uv forget and forgive, Lady Mary,
after all you were very good to j-oor
Hamlet.*'
"And you were very nice nnd kind to
foolish Ophelia. Listen' there'* the
'Dream Face-,' ag*in; let us -ce if we
can dance it in our right mirid." *he
said, ss she roe with a nervous smil--
quivering in the corners of her lips.
And it so happened that in a month
they lioth came to their right minds,
slid the D K-tor w*# at tin- wedding.—
fsm7>>i W 'nrhi.
3omo CurioHttic-H trf Oovornmcut.
Si \l to tin Presiibo l of the I'niti i
> les the best pad l'cder-1 rib :.l is
the < lcik of the >it| retL- '."ourU
The St* tea of t'olora-10. Delawsre,
l ior.da. Neiads. < r--gcn, Hhade Island
and % i-riii iol have less thvn on half
tin poj ulstion of lilinoi*. tut havi the
.ime numtx r of n presentatives in < !<>u
gre-s—twenty two.
P.-nn-v lvania lisa larger number of
j "-t (li--. • than aoy f-tli'-r :.*t .
Nu! a cb-rk :n tbe Pension ' ilh< • in
thi" city draws | ( , than f i,(W> ay •ar
raiary, the av. rage for the 1,173 cb-rk
fiemg sl,'_".l. Kven the mpjiu get
?'i a y<or. Tin se clerks livve light
1 tie r and short hours. The average soi
ary of tb* railway |n*t otiire clerks
throughout the country ia only i a
year. The-e m- n work hvrd, at thi
n. ..t try ing Übor, and have long hou-s.
K gbty tevrsago North 'nrt l na had
a' tii iny r preventatives in npreos a-
New N--rth Carolina now has
nine, or one les- thn she had in 1 *■'.
while N- v York haa thirty four.
Ther are ||9 tvp'sctter*. bcidt • ay
prenti i: the llovcrninent pr tiling
office.
K*tirr.-ting •'- ng'ei* to be in tocnti
days in a year, the salnm-* of >ena
tors and Reprewtitatives nmotint to
ah -ut 1 10.0 > a Jay.
The >:te of Nevada, winch ha* two
Senator* m l on Ifepre . n'stire n, in
•*<-*. h • not so large a p q-uiati -n |.y
'•IT rotiD s (be city of New Haven,
< 'oti n.
\ tun Ki ri-i the I'niWd Slat- >. n
atc's employe* are put down on the
records as "skill- I lshirrrs," and diaW
p iv at SI,OOO a year, while thoae who are
iT'-rely "tinskille-1 laborers" get s*|tt a
year. The distinction list ween the two
i ,n the kind of brooms they manipu
late. The "•kilh I" laborer use# a com
mon broi-rn to rep *t..n digging'
while the "unskilled" lab"iar wields t
<oir*e broom in sweeping carriageways.
During th" past t n years the Govern
ment ha* expended neatly s7o,tS*t,otS)
in caring for tbe Indians. The total
number of Indians attached to agencies
ia ouly "ffi.Ofst, and of these 60,000 in
Ind an Territory, ".TOO in Wisconsin,
and 5,000 in \ew York are suppiooeel to
be at Dast partially ae lf supporting.
liaat yesr the Post office Department
used $11.0"0 worth of ink for stamping
nnd cancelling letters.
The five States of Delaware, Colorado,
Florida, Nevada, and Oregon combined
have hot so great si population by about
100,000 souls as the city of New York.
Yet New York city haa but eight Rep
resents!ive# in '"ongrrsa, while tho five
States have sixteen, besides their ten
Senator*.
In the fie*l year ended June 30, the
Government's disbursements for pen
sion* reached a sum which exceeds by
six millions of dollars tbe disburse
ment! for all purposes in the year lkfiO.
From tho five States of New York
Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ms**nchuett*
and Ohio, the Government derive* uos
half of all its postal revenues.
; \
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