O i it. k,v I & r r 18 "Wernin arose reluctantly and somewhat impatiently put on a gorgeous dressing gown. "When he entered the reception room he found there Popoff and Mine, de Dugarcy warming themselves at the fire. The gendarme stood at the door. The Frenchwoman had found it impossible to see the Emperor at this hour, and therefore came to J.ina's father. The old man wept bitterly when he heard the terrible news, and cried: "That is Schelm's revenge! My poor, poor child! I shall see Schelm at once and fall at his feet. My son-in law is innocent! I'll sacrifice my wfiole fortune to save him!" "If Tour Excellency should not succeed it will be my turn to act," said PoDoff. "Wernin looked at him astonished. "Who are vou?" "I am Count Vladimir's secretary and owe him evervthing. Before I came to him I was employed in Schelm's office and I have a weapon, which, in my hands, may not be verv dangerous, but " "What do vou mean?" ' "That in tfie hands of Tour Excellency this weapon is mightier than all the gold of Bussia." "Why don't you tell me at once what weapon it is." "Clear evidence that Schelm has stolen money and that the Count is innocent. But these documents can only be submitted to the Emperor himself." "Wernin sank exhausted into a chair. "The Emperor! Only yesterday I could have done that! But to-morrow they will ar rest me as the father-in-law of a man who is accused of having conspired against the per son ol the Emperor, ana 1 snail never ooiain an audience. Your weapon is useless." The French woman interrupted him. "I am Jana's friend, and I can always reach the Emperor! Intrust those papers to me. Monday the burgesses will give a great ball, at which the Emperor will certainly appear. I promise you I will speak to him and hand him the papers!-' Wernin shook his head. "Idle hopes! You are not allowed to ad dress the Emperor at a ball!" "What a gentleman may not do a lady can, and what is forbidden a Russian is per mitted a foreigner. Besides, I take the re sponsibility!" "Ah! ray lady," exclaimed Wernin, "if you could do that!" "Certainly, it shall be done! And now, Mr. Popoff, "may I ask for those papers?" "Only as a last resource, when everything else fails, can this weapon be used, for as it crushes Schelm it crushes me also. AVhen a poor man rises to overthrow a great man he generally perishes first." "But who can De this man Schelm?" she asked, filled with awe and terror. "He is the man who watches over the safety of the empire, works in secret, con cocts conspiracies." "Now I understand! A policeman, a spy on a large scale. Ah, the more zealously shall I work for you. Mr. Popoff, what are "your plans now?" "Your Excellency will go on Monday to Schelm and offer him a large sum of monev. Perhaps the Counters will go with you. If you fail I'll go to him at night In the meantime you will go to the ball and wait for me there. If I cannot bring you the Count's pardon I shall at least brine you ir re.utable proof of Schelm's criminality.' "Your son-in-law is innocent?" asked Mme. de Dugarcy. "Beyond all doubt Vladimir must be innocent Schelm's association with the conspiracy proves it I predicted the man would avenge himself." "I swear to save the Count," said Popoff. "Count upon my gratitude, young man," replied Wernin. "And now I must go," said Mme. de Du garcy. "To-morrow morning I'll come and see Jana, and I am always ready to serve you." "A thousand thanks," said Wernin, kiss ing her hand. When the lady reached the door the gen darme stopped her. "Does you companion remain here?" he asked. "Yes, indeed ! I return to the French legation." "You cannot do that I am ordered not to lose sight or both of you." She said smiling to Nicholas : "Mr. Popoff. you will have to spend the night at the ernlia&sy. .Nothing can be done with this man." "Oh, God !" cried Wernin, when he was alone, "take my life, but save my chil dren 1" And the old counselor remained all night sitting before the fire, wrapped in dark and dismal thoughts. CHAPTEE X The bells began to ring merry and the streets were lull of people. The gilt cupolas of St Isaacs and Our Dear Lady of Kasam shone in the rays of the sun. All Petersburg was in gala dress: it was Sun day, the day following the events just mentioned. The fort of Peter and Paul, the founda tions of which are laid on the bed of the Neva, seemed alone to keep aloof from the universal joyousness. The rays of the sun seemed to he unable to warm these sad walls, and the dense enveloping fog gave to it the appearance of a tomb. The bells of the fore rang, to be sure, like all others, but their soundcame low and sorrowful, as if tolling for a funeral. The casements, on a level with the river, have to be lit by day and by night with oil lamps. The prisoners are fearlul. Cell No. 12, at the end of a corridor, lies opposite to a grated door that is covered over with bars and padlocks. This door leads to a few steps which descend to the river. Here, as every where, the walls are damp and cracked in many places; the dirty, uneven floor con sists of bricks; the vaulted ceiling is very low; the small window heavily crated out . side, nothing but the waves of the Neva can be seen. And yet the keepers open this cell only reluctantly, never as long as any other cell is unoccupied. For this cell has its own grewsome story. A large number of unhappy beings have here ended their lives, and if tradition may be believed, the famous Princess Tarakoff also per ished here in the waves, when, in 1787, her cell was suddenly flooded. In the year 1819 an old keeper was still alive who vowed he had seen the corpse of the wretched lady, as it was found after the waters had subsided. The rats, however, had left notbiug but the skeleton of the beautiful woman. On the evening of the day, which had just passed, a rich capture seemed to have been made, for 11 tines in succession the ponderous gjtes of the fortress had been opened. At last all was full, and Miller, oi Millertown, was sent to the ill-fated cell. He rested his elbows on the saiall table, the one article in the cell, and was sunk in deep meditation. Filteen hours bad gone by siuce his arrest, and he could not yet recover his usual calmness. He was emphatically a man oi action, of energy, and preserved even in battle his in comparable repose, while giving proof of his matchless boldness and resolution. But now, alone in his dungeon, be had ample time to reflect, and with reflection came con scicmiuU; scruples and apprehension. "Well," he said to himself, "it is done! Schelm has conquered, and I have com mitted the most horrible deed that human imagination can well devise. Ishrink Irom myself. Ten of Hearts, that brave, loyal Colonel, will be shot or hanged, or sentenced to lifelong labor in the mines! Fonr of Hearts, the young man. lull of trnst and confidence, at whose mother's table I dined recently, is in prison! The Treasurer of the Minister ot Finance, who had remained honest these SO years, was tempted by-me and bv my misleading words. I have used my talents .or I have it iu me to become a leader of men to ruin nine men by taking them into a conspiracv of which they did not even dream. And Vladimir! I cannot think of him! I do not believe in parsons' tales hut it there should really be a just Goci " And now Miller began to speak, as is often the case in solitary confinement, to an in visible person: "Doyou know that Schelm is capable of deceiving me even yet? The world knows no greater rascal tlian Schelm. I may, after all, hare committed this fearful crime in vain. Why is he not here? I have waited so long already. He ought to have been here to give roe my money and my freedom. He is really cruel to keep me waiting so long. I long for fresh air. I long for the wide, wide world! I must flee from Russia and try to forget all. Ob, my former misery, how I now envv you. "There below me flows the river, farther on is the Baltic, then Germany, France and Ensland. There I want to forget Vladimir, Schelm, Kussia. the Czar and Siberia. But where is Ihe rascal? Does he not know that with one blow I can knock over the whole cunning structure of his intrigue?" Suddenly he p.iused in his walk, a rat ran across the floor, climbed up on the damp wall and disappeared in a crack near the window. "That was only a rat one of those that will eat me here, for Schelm is capable ot forgetting mc. If he should betray me as I betraved them." The rat had been frightened by a noise in the passage. Miller's heart began to beat violently when he heard the door open slowly and saw the lintern of the keeper, who was Jollowed by another person. It was Schelm, who sent DacK the keeper and remained alone with his victim. "At last!" exclaimed" Miller. "I have waited for you impatiently. I think I should have lost my mind if you had not come." Schelm smiled knowingly. "1 come to keep my word, because I am fully satisfied. Here are 100,000 rubles. Are you content?" "Per.'ectly, it I can live away from here. Bnt that is not all. When shall I be tree again? You come surely to give me lib erty." "Not exactly," replied Schelm. "Your evidence will be required. Lanin will deny, no doubt: he will have to be con victed." "Another step do wn in my humiliation." "Yes, you two will be confronted with each other." "Spare me that only that! I would rather take ray life than to look into his eyes after what has happened." "Be calm, foolish man! Yonr wish shall be granted, but your evidence is needed. This alone will secure your liberation." "Yon will not spare this poor young man, Schelm?" "Look at me! Do I look like a man who spares an enemy? His cell adjoins yours." Miller went quickly over to the other side. Will you soon let me out of this cursed hole?" he asked with trembling voice. 'Certainly, next week!" said Schelm, hastily going out "No sooner, however, did he reach the passage than he shrugged his shoulders and ordered the next cell to be opened Vladi mir's. Lanin had spent 1G hours here. At mid night he had been arrested; at 2 o'clock cast into this fearful cell; now it was 4 o'clock in the afternoon. He ate a little of the black bread left by the keeper and looked out of the small window. The Neva was flowing close under it; he could not even see a piere ot the sty above. The setting snn, reflected from the surface of the river, cast a greenish, unhealthy light on the prison walls. A, this moment the door opened and Schelm entered. Lanin shook with excitement when he saw who it was. The keeper remained outside without closing the door. Iu a moment Vladimir was at the thres hold, and with one look at his adversary asked him: "Perhaps you can explain why this has been done to me, as you seem to have the thread of this intrigue in your hand." A devilish, scorn ul laugh was Schelm's onlv answer. "You laugh !" exclaimed Lanin, "and yet you know that I am innocent" Schelm raised his diity, crooked forefinger And said ironically: "Innocent? Why, that is news!" Vladimir seized him by his coat "Mr. Schelm, explain yourself. I allowed perlups an unbecoming jest to pass when I ought to have checked it; vou wish to pun ish me for it, ana certainly I have been pun ished already. Mr. Schelm. I have suffered, suffered agony. I repent that jest. Shorten now mv sufferings and release me." Schelm smiled, continually feasting his eyes and his mind at the sight of his victim's suffering. "You answer not What more do you want of me, my fortune? Take it! I know you are omnipotent; remember that we once were comrades !'" "What nonsense are you talking," sud denly said Schelm. "You do not see before you Mr. Schelm, whom you once knew, and who may have had reason to be offended by your conduct No! You have now to do with the head of a division in the Ministry of the Interior, who comes here to examine and sees in the prisoner solely a man ac cused of high treason." Vladimir looked into his eyes. Schelm could not endure his honest scrutiny. "Do you think I am guilty?" asked Lanin, trying to master his indignation. "The letters on your portfolio made it clear to nie that this is your revenge. Do you know that I have ever conspired?" "For two months my agents have been looking for the Ace oi Club, the head of this disgraceful conspiracy. You yourself acknowledged that you were the Ace ot Clubs." "I? Great God ! But vou know this is vile slander. 1 will not be ruined, how ever. I have many friends and kinsmen 1" Schelm laughed aloud. "The man who once conspires against the Emperor loses friends and kinsmen at once. Young man, be candid, try to tell me the truth and your honest coniessjon may solten the Emperor's just wrath." An unusual noise was heard at this in stant. Spurs sounded and swords struck the stone floor; there were hurried steps ot sol diers; four men with torches preceded the newcomers. On the threshold appeared the Governor of the fortress, in company with the Emperor's aide. Count Lanin. Schelm turned deadly pale; Vladimir quickly ap proached the door and called out: "Villain, my friends aud kinsmen have not deserted me. Dear uncle, save me!" The General kept him back coldly. "If this gentleman told you that you had no kinsmen be was perfectly right. I did not come to set you free, nor to pity you, be cause you have deserved your fate. I come in obedience to an order of His Majesty the Emperor, who does not wish to see our name forever disgraced, in consideration of my faithful services." As soon as Schelm noticed the drift of affairs he endeavored to poison the mind of the Count "Your Excellency," he said, "let us begin the investigation." Count Lanin looked at him severely. "My words were not addressed to you. From personal regard the Emperor has deigned to suppress this affair in quiet with out judicial sentence. The men were caught in the act The criminal here present bas himself conlessed that he was the anony mous head of the conspiracy. What good could an investigation do? His Majesty the Emperor has graciously ordered that all proceedings shall be stopped out ot con. sideration lor the name which I unfortu nately bear. You are exiled to Siberia as a simple colonist, not as a private soldie-nor as one condemned to forced labor in the mines. Considering the magnitude of the crime this is a very mild punishment In like manner vour lellow-conspipators, alto, will be sent to Siberia. His Majesty thus richly rewards mv modest services. Be grate ul, young fool, and forget, under the smock irock you will hereafter wear, the name you have covered with shame!" Vladimir listened to his uncle s words perfectly dumtounded. His uncle had so far always shown him an affection which ap-" proached weakness. The manner in which he now spoke showed him that he would never be able to justify himself since his nearest relatives doubted his innocence. Still he was indignant asuch injustice. "Uncle!" he cried, "I want to be tried. I demand an inquiry. I am innocent I am the victim of a wretched intrigue!" This language of despair touched the old centleman deeply, he replied, therefore, in a milder tone: "You are out of your senses. Instead of attempting to de end yourself try, rather, to conduct yoursel. well. The Ozar is gra ciously inclined toward you, and perhaps in ten years " THE "But, I swear I am innocent Let me tell you" 'Enough! Have the courage at least to confess your crime; your accomplices have confessed all." "I beseech you be kind enough to listen to me." "Not a word more. Day after to-morrow you start !or Siberia. And you," he added, turning to Schlem, "you have nothing more to do here. Follow me." "Uncle, as God is my judge " But the torches had already disappeared; the door groaned and Vladimir was once more alone in his cell. The sun had set Instead of the greenish shimmer which had been reflected Irom the waters of the Neva, night bad come, and darkness had covered all. The Door, de spairing prisoner, unable to bear all this at once, threw himself on the damp floor and wept Schelm had in the meantime left the pris on. In the passage the General, leaning on the arm of the commandant of the tortress, had curtly dismissed him. The head of division remained standing in the dark passage. His thirst for revenge was not completely satisfied; he bad hoped to see Vladimir hanged or at least sent into the mines; the Czar's mercy made him furious. The jailor interrupted his dark meditations by asking humbly: "Does your Excellency go up?" "Not" replied Schelm. "Open No. 12 once more and remain at hand as long as 1 am speaking with the prisoner!" Miller had become more quiet and was eating a piece of the dry black prison bread when the door opened a second time and Schelm appeared on the threshold. His face looked so ominous that Millei1 sprang up, seized with sudden apprehension. "Not one of you is to be tried! The Czar's pardon includes every one ot you. I no longer need your evidence anil you will never see me again. The money you may keep!" "And my liberation?" asked Miller trem bling. "Hal ha! ha! A conspirator wants to be set freel I wish you farewell, Miller; iu Siberia remember me!" Miller was about to fall upon Schelm. He would have killed him upon the spot. He hurled himself against the iron-bound door, which the jailer had closed at the right moment. AVhen Schelm saw himself safe he rubbed his hands with joy. In the meantime Miller shouted so loud that the woids were heard through the thick stout door: "You do not know me yet! And if I were buried in the mines of Siberia you should not escape my revenge." "What powerful lungs the man has," said Schelm to his companion. "He has missed his vocation. The Czar likes to have men in his armv who can give lond orders he might have become a General." The jailer opened his eves wide. Schelm patted him on the shoulder affectionately. "Well, in Siberia they will have enough to tell each other. That will be nicer still," he added with his Satanic smile. As the search in Lnnin's house was fruit less, Palkin had withdrawn his gendarmes and left Jana perfectly tree. It was not 10 o'clock yet, and the clerks had not yet begun work in the offices, al though it was Monday when AYernin and his daughter entered the Ministry of the In terior and sent their cards to the head of the division. Schelm sent word that he was en gaged with the Minister and could not see them before 7 in the evening. The whole day was to pass in this tearful anxiety. No, Jana resolved to call on the Minister him self. Popoff, however, showed her how dangerous such a step would be. as all chance of bribing Schelm would thus be lost. "The Minister knows the whole affair Jrom Schelm's report only. He would send us straight back to him." "AVhat can be done? I cannot live in this uncertainty. I am dying of apprehen sion." "AVe must be patient till 7 o'clock. I shall go with you. Countess, and wait for you in the carriage. If you do not succeed my turn will come. We shall have time enough before the ball." In the meantime Mme. de Dugarjy had come in. '"AVhat news? ' she asked. "Alas! no news as yet. Have you heard anything?" "Yes, indeed. I know that vour husband left the theater in search of you. He bad heard a conversation betweeu two men in the pit, who asserted they had seen you come out of a gambling hell which I had made a meeting place for mysterious pur poses. He had run out of the theater like a madman in company with your Iriend Miller, whom I have never trusted in spite of your friendship for him. Since then no one has seen him." "AVhat?" cried Jana, excited. "Vladimir could doubt nie!" "What could you expect, dearest? Think of his great love, his jealousy, the eccentrici ties for which people are kind enough to blame me, and especially your not coming. It was evidently a preconcerted plan. Prince Max, who told roe all this, said a few moments ago: 'I do not understand it at all. Laniu is accused of belonging to a consniracy, and was arrested in an unknown house.' Then he whis pered into my ear: 'This is a secret ot State; they have" used "your name and mine.' Your husband, you must know, had askeJ the Prince to challenge that man in the pit. This is all I have been able to learn, but it is enough. They have made use of my name also and I am determined to clear tip the whole affair. I mean to sup port you with all my power, but it will be a difficult tark. Everybody trembles at the mere mention of your name." "Dear Kita, how vulgar the world is, how wicked at the same time! For myself, how ever, I feel that I love my husband a thou sand times more since his uuhappiness." "AVhat a rascal aud what a formidable adversary that -man Schelm is," said the French woman. "How cunningly he has devised the whole plan," replied Jana. "For uow I doubt no longer that he is the author ot all our mis fortunes. I saw him. He came here on the pretense of having the house searched. He knew beforehand that he would find noth ing and shotred it by the haste with which he went through it. But the question is: What can we do?" Popoff said: "Madame, this evening at 7 Count AVcrnin and our dear Countess here will call on Schelm. I shall wait for the re sult of their interview in the carriage. You, madame, will have the kindness to appear at the masked ball and to tell the Countess how she may recognize you. If Schelm should refuse to listen to our offers I'll go and see him and will warranty that he will not refuse roe. The Conntess will then accompany the Count, her lather, to the ball and will have the kindness to wait forme at the foot of the staircase. I shall be there at 10 at the latest. Then the Countess shall tell you what is next to be done." "I shall appear to-nieht in a black domino. You shall recognize me bv the camellia I shall wear, but I shall, of course, see your lather, who will be at your side." "No doubt." "Bemember, however, madame, that vou must speak to the Emperor at all hazards," said Popoff. "This will be your last oppor tunity, because from this time you will be looked upon as connected with the family of an exile." -'Do not fear," replied Mme. de Dugarcy, "I am not a Russian subject; I shall, there fore always be able to approach the Em peror." "AM" said Jana, "when it becomes clear that Vladimir's innocence cannot be estab lished will you then still be free to visit us? Will not your husband separate us?" Mme. de Dugarcy hung her head, for that morning she had been informed at the em bassy that soon she would no longer be at liberty to enter the house of a man who was accused of high treason. "To-night, however," she said, "each one must do his duty. I promise I shall do all in my power, xour husband is, in my eyes, periectly innocent, and I shall spare no trouble to establish his iunocence. At the ball we shall meet again. Mr. Popoff, prepare your ammunition." "Madtnie," said Popoff. decisively, "I warrant the victory." "God grant it," sighed Jana. (To be continued next Sunday.) PITTSBURG"" ''DISPATCH, LIFE IN GUAYAQUIL Customs and Costumes That Interest the American Traveler. ACCOMMODATIONS AT THE HOTELS. The Women of the Aristocracj Are Among the Beauties of Earth. SERVANTS' TIKAKKI IN ECUADOR rCOr.BESPONDEKCB OP TIIE DISPATCH.! GuaSTjujuil, Ecuador, April 2. t jn this city, tne puo- lic grindstone and the public letter writer are both established in stitutions. The Matter sits in his "door, or out on the sidewalk, beside a little table, with pens, ink and paper, all ready' to indite legal documents or love letters, as the case may require, at 1 a moment's notice. The usefulness of this lindividual can hardly be appreciated in the United States; but here, where the vast majority can neither read nor write, he is invaluable. To look at a photo - Water Carrier. grapn ot Guayaquil s cathedral, one would imagine it to be a more imposing structure than Notre Dame or St. Peter's; but the truth is, that, though cer tainly elegant In architectural design, it is merely & shell of frail bamboo, plastered over with mud, stuccoed and painted. A Latin inscription across the facade assures us that its door is El Puerto del Cielo, "The gate to heaven." One would never mistrust it, however, from a glimpse of its gloomy and pewless interior, which is extremely bare and shabby, garnished by a few carica tures in the way of pictures and images, its uneven floor of brick and cement, like a cellar-bottom at home, worn into hollows in front of favorite saints by the knees of wor shippers. ..HOW CHURCHES RAISE MONET. Mr. William E. Curtis, the entertaining author, tells of a singular, but very common ceremony, which he witnessed in Guaya quil, as follows: One ot the churches had been destroyed by an earthquake, and funds were needed to repair it. So the priest took an image of the Virgin from the altar, and the Holy Sacrament, aud carried them about the stree( under a canopy, clad in his sacrcdotal vestments. He was preceded by a brass band, a number of boys carrying lighted candles and swinging incense urns, and followed by a long procession of men, women and children. The assemblage passed up and down the principal streets, stopping in lront of each house. While the band played, priests with contribution plates entered the houses, soliciting subscriptions, and the people in the procession kneeled in the dust and prayed that the same might be given with liberality. Where money was obtained, a blessing was bestowed; where none was offered, a curse was pronounced, with notice that a contribution was ex pected at once, or the cune would be daily repeated. A rather effective way, one would think,of "raising the wind," though it might not work as well in our Protestant communities. There is a very good hotel in Guayaquil, as inns average in this country, though some of its arrangements seem very funny to the newly-arrived traveler from North America. If you are wise in yonr day and generation, you will order a table out on the veranda, where the air is fresher aud the flies not so numerous. However dila tory the servants may be, your meal will never be a cold one, but made redhot by fiery peppers, and with decidedly more lard and onion about it than the average North ern stomach can well tolerate. CLOCKS ABE ALMOST UNKNOWN. Should you desire boiled eggs, iu the hope that they, at least, may be tree from grease and garlic, it will be no manner of use to order them "hard " or "soft,"or "medium," for there is neither watch nor clock any where about the premises, nor other method of measuring old Tempus in his fugitiug. The people depend entirely upon the Cathe dral bells, and the great clock in the City Hall toner, by which to tell the passing hours, but minutes do not enter into their calculations. If you want the eggs "me dium," tell the waiter to keep them boiling while he says threeavc marias; or it "hard," while he tells all the beads on his rosary. Such an order he will understand, and obey to the letter. AVhatever their shortcomings may be, it can never be stidthat Guavaquilians lack the virtue of hospitality. The gracelul po liteness and spontaneous generosity ot the better classes is but au unconscious expres sion of their sincere good will toward- all mankind; and even the poorest, the lower floors of whose bamboo casas are occupied by pigs, donkeys and other domestic animals, will bid you welcome with hearty kindness, though they cannot speak your language or you understand a word of theirs, and share with you all they possess. The females ot Ecuador ars proverbial for beauty, those amoig the aristocracy being said to have the fairest complexions of any in South America; while all possess large, so. t and expressive dark eyes, the blackest and most abundant hair, the whitest teeth, well-rounded figures, and small bands and leet. Like all women in the tropics, they mature early and fade quickly; hut perhaps their average span of 40 years includes more heart-happiness than comes to women of colder climes iu three score years and ten, for these are harrassed by no "carking cares" or high ambitions. Indolence, religious superstition, and fc4j, L vkWmJtj 1 ,u xr&$w YMm mm WK , . , mmm& mmwm A TYPICAL HOTEL IN ECUADOR. SUNDAY, "MAT 4, faithfulness unto death are their most prom inent characteristics; their passionate na tures are completely satisfied in the love of home, husband and children; aud for them the whole universe lies within the limits of vision. What higher praise could be be stowed upon the women of any country? To be sure, they are notoriously untidy in dress and habits; but the manta, or pa neulen, like the mantle of charity, covers a multitude of sins. As the poncho, for men, is the universal and most useful garment for the middle and lower classes, answering for a coat by day, a coverlid by nigfyt, an umbrella when it rains and a basket when there is anything to carry, the female manta is worn by all classes and is equally indis pensable, since it hides unkempt hair and all defects of toilet. In all Ecuador there is not such a thing as abonnet or female hat, the most aristocratic ladies going about the streets with their glossy hair uncovered, or c,nAcA nr,i-e- htr n namsnl. a lace mantilla. or the universal mahta, the latter being a verv large square of bl ick nun's veiling, or other woolen cloth of light texture, draped so as to cover the head, shoulders ana most ot the dress. The Indians, lineal descendants of the long siuce conquered Incas, wear no color but black, as a perpetual and pathetic sign of mourning for Atahualpa, the last of their kings, who was treacherously strangled by Pizarro. They constitute the laboring pop ulation of Ecuador, and are the saddest looking people on the lace of the earth. Laughter, singing or story telling is never heard among tbem; they have no sports, no songs, no tales, no jokes, but are silent, sul len and morosely submissive to any injus tice that may be put upon them. One hun dred pounds is considered a moderate load, and with this on their backs, they will start off on a slow but even jog trot and keep it up for hours without tiring. 1,0, THE P006 INDIAX. The Indians, and in' fact nearly all the lower classes, seldom indulge in the luxury of legal matrimony, simply because they cannot afford it, the lees charged by the priests for performing that ceremony being very exorbitant. Even among the aristocracy it is not uncommon for young people to go about among their lriends, so liciting money to pay the marriage lee. You can seldom go through the streets and markets without meeting a man with a little basket, who importunes you "For the love ot the Virgin, most illustrious senor, give me a medio toward the payment of my marriage fee." Tne dead are generally buried in the mid dle of the night whv, heaven only knows, except that it is the custom, and customs here rule with an iron hand. Women even the wives, mothers and nearest rela tives are not permitted to attend their dear departed to the grave; and unutterably solemn it looks to see a procession of chant- ing priests or monks, followed by men car rving torches and candles, winding slowly through the darkness to the dismal Campo Santo or "Fieliot Saints," as the cemetery is called. Among those who can afford it the fash ion prevails of holding a kind of funeral reception during the week following the burial. Formal invitations are issued as if for a ball or a wedding. The guests gather at the appointed hour, cat, drink, gossip and have a good time generally; discuss the virtues of the dead, (his frailties being lor gotten, as happily, is the casein all lands); speculate upon the property he may have le:t, and if the deceased were a married man, upon the probability of his widow marrying again. Meanwhile the dead man's family sit in a room by themselves, arranged in the or der of their nearness of relationship, and all the guests come in, one by one, to con dole with them. At the conclusion of the entertainment every picture in the bouse is turned with its lace to the wall, the piano is locked, the harp and guitar swaddled in black cloth, jewelry is laid aside, not even natural flowers are permitted in the rooms or on the person as decorations, the house is shut against all visitors for six or eight weeks, and during that time not one of the family is expected to be seen at all, at church or elsewhere. SAME OLD SEItVANT GIRL QUESTION. If you were living in Ecuador and wished to hire a servant, you could hardly get one bv himself or herself, but would be com pelled to take up with a drove of them. With a cook for example, you must receive her husband and the rest of her family into your house, to bed and board, and they will bring along their numerous collection of domestic pets, pigs, dogs, rabbits, chickens and other "live stock" and portable property. The husband may have some trade which he fol lows during the day, but when night comes and at meal times, he returns to the bosom of his family and yours. The children of the pair may be utilized lor light services, such as running of errands, weeding the garden and watching the baby; but they are apt to be "light-fingered" and are always lousy and dirty beyond degree. There is no help for it, however, and lor every ser vant you hire, you must expect at least a dozen extra mouths to feed. Nor is this the worst of it. Sometimes 'ie cook's relatives come to pay her a visit 0 a week or two men, women and chil- en, more dogs, pigs, rabbits and chickens which must all be housed and fed. For tunately they are not accustomed to "high living" or downy beds and consider them selves in clover, it provided with plenty of beans, corn-cakes, and potato soup, while they sleep on the straw of the stable or the stones ot the patio. The danger is that some of the stranger hangers-on may not be as honest as the cook herself is supposed to be; and cases are known where thieves and even murders thus gained admission to the inside of the casa with most disastrous results. The capital of Ecuador, which lies di rectly over the equator and whose origin is lost in the mist of centuries, is one of the highest cities in the world and is sur rounded by no less than twenty volcanoes. Three of these are active, five dormant and twelve extinct' Cotopaxi is the loftiest of the active volcanoes, but in destructive energy has long been rivaled by several others. Those who have seen Vesuvius can form some idea of Cotopaxi's grandeur by. imagining a volcano 15,000 feet higher, shooting fire from a crest covered by 3,000 feet ol snow! Fannie B. AVarij. AVhen going to New, York bo sure and en gage a room beforehand. There Is no mure comfortable hotel in the city for either transient or permanent guests than the Sturtevant House, Broadway, cor. Twenty-ninth at 1890. FIBS 0NHTTSBUR6. They Used to jSay in Other Cities We Had No Pretty Girls. SMOKE MADE THEM LIKE SQUAWS. Then the Report Got Out That Nobody Ever Cracked a Smile Here. COMMENTS ON THE PEOPLE'S ENGLISH IWKITTZW FOB THE DISPATCH. 3 A gentleman living in Chicago once told me that the characteristic of Pittsburg, which had most strongly impressed him on the oc casion of a recent visit, was the queer way the people had ot expressing themselves. This was rather a surprise to me, lor I had not noticed any very marked difference of speech between Pittsburgers and people of other cities. Had the criticism come from Boston I would have thought less of it, per haps, but Chicago is'supposed to be more broadiy tolerant in matters of phraseology. So with some trepidation I asked for details and proof. Well, the chief peculiarity it seemed, lay in the unusual and unwarranted use of the verb "to git." Would he give an example? He had no hesitation in doing so, and be proceeded to report Irom memory a conversa tion he had heard between two young women in a Pittsburg street car. "Did you git to go to the party the other night?" one of them asked of the other. "Did I git to go!" was the emphatic re sponse. "I didn't git to hear of it till the next day, let alone gittin' to go!" That was the startling example of lingual depravity cited by my Chicago acquaint ance. During some years of residence in the atmosphere of smoke I had never become ftmihar with any such habit of speech, and I told him so. But in spite of my assurances he evidently clung to the belief that "git to go" is an inherent element of Pittsburg lan guage. ONE THE OTHER "WAY. On the other hand a Pittsburger who had been on a visit to Philadelphia once told me, as a curious fact concerning the Quaker City, that nobody living iu the part oi the city north of Market street was "ever recog nized as having any social standing what ever. Also that ladies living south of Mar ket street were very careiul not to risk their social position by walking on the north side of any street they might be on, or by occu pying a seat on the north side of any theater. This gentleman was one Of many. He was the exponent of an idea that prevails far and wide concerning the city ofPenn. But it is au idea that does not prevail to any extent in Philadelphia itself; and it is a source of amused surprised to Philadelphians when it is Drought to their notice. "Do people really believe that?" they ask. People do believe it, not only in Pittsburg, but in many another city And they will probably continue to believe it; and all because there are a few pronounced and aggressive fools among the million or so of human beings inhabiting Philadel phia. Among the multitude of people living in Pittsburg whose "English as she is spoke" is beyond reproach, there are undoubtedly some who habitually say "git to go;" but what Pittsburger would not be amazed to have those lew proclaimed as setting the standard of language for the population ot the entire great city? ISOLATED CASES DON'T COUNT. Living south of Market street, in Phila delphia, are a few addle-pates who insist that their geographical position is the only test of high respectability. But living be side them in the same favored localitv is a preponderance of sensible people who laugh at the preposterous nonsense of their neigh bors, and who are so confident of their own respectability that they never think of north and south latitude as affecting it And there is a vast population living in the northern part of the city in such pleasant ness and elegance that they would doubt the wits of any one who should question their being well and properly placed. So, also, it will not do to set down the millions of New Yorkers as having no social existence because the few hundred snobs ot Gotham know them not The moral of all of which is that nobody can fairly judge a citylul of people by an individual specimen here and there. But of course there is not the slightest use in urging that moral, for judgment will con tinue to be passed just the same as if nobody had ever shown the fallacy of it Beally.I don't suppose another city in the country ever had so much injustice done it by casual judges as Pittsburg; and I am quite sure no city ever took tne matter so little to heart The children of the fire hearted city knew their mother well and loved her. If those who were not her chil dren found only the blemishes and Enew nothing of the endearing qualities, why so much the worse for them. The loss was theirs, not ours, and we had no call to la ment it SAID VTE HAD NO PRETTY GIRLS. It was iu the days of long ago, when smoke was the thing most in evidence, that misjudgment was most rife. And looming out of the smoke was one false conclusion that did stir to resentment the heart of the Pittsburg man still more, perhaps, the heart of the Pittsburg woman who heard it announced. It was the verdict of ignor ance concerning the womankind of Pitts burg. I do not refer to the assertion that the mothers of the Smoky City were obliged to wash the faces of all tne children playing near their doors before they could identify their own offspring. That was rather an ex travagant joke, although I have been asked in all seriousness by strangers whether such a state of aiairs did'not really exist But this that I speak of related rather to the maidens than to the matrons ol Pitts burg, and it involved their claims to beauty and lairncss. Think of a large .class of the population of the United States living and dying in the belief that a pretty girl was a physical impossibility in Pittsburg! To us who know that not even Baltimore is more richly endowed with female loveliness than Pittsburg such error seems wildly impos sible. It had a very real and a very wide spread existence, however, in the smoky days referred to. And many a time I have heard exclamations of surprise from visit ing strangers as they looked upon the many well-favored damsels and matrons too to be seen. Ol course one visit, ever so brief, was sufficient to annihilate all the super stition concerning the remale unIovelines3 of Pittsburg. But those whose fortune it was not to make the one visit doubtless died in the pagan laitb. BY WAY OF ILLUSTRATION. "I hear you have just come from Pitts burg," said a lady in another city to aPitts hurg girl of cream and rose complexion visiting there. "It is evident you" didn't make a long st3y in the horrid place." "AVby, pray?" "Because it fs so ruinous to the com plexion to stay there any length of time. The smoke, you know. I am told that the women and girls who live there have their skins actually tanned, so that they can't be distinguished from squaws." "Do they? Probably I would not notice that so much as a stranger, fori have always lived in Pittsburg." And the queer thing about it is that the "tanning" theory ol that discomfitted lady ought to have been correct according to all philosophy or cause and effect Nobodv can explaiu just why, in that dense atmosphere ol soot and smoke, the women and girls did not look like squaws, but Dersisted rather in blooming like flowers. ' Ho ever, we can well rest content iu the knowledge of the very pleasant fact. As I have said, only those spoke these absurd verdicts whose fortune had never been kind enough to bring them to Pitts burg. Perhaps surprise added a little em phasis to the friendly words of the notable ones who did come. I have no idea whether Miss Susan B. Anthony still retains any recollection of a visit she made to Pittsburg when it was still the city of s:oke, or whether she remembers the impressions which, at the time, were strong and well de fined. It was a good manv yers ago, and she came to deliver a lecture. I remember that her 50th birthday had recently been celebrated; and in conversation she made some very genial jokes about unmarried women who had no hesitation in letting public announcement be mane that they had reached the shady side of 50. SUSAN B. ANTHONY'S VERDICT. I had seen her when she was a good many years younger than that, and when she wore the short skirt and trousers of the Bloomer costume, and her pnblic ntterances had the same yim and vigorous directness on this later occasion, when she appeared in con ventional gown as then, when she wore the uniform of revolt against fashion. But those who have only heard Susan B. An thony on the platform, and have cherished the idea that she is simply an aggressive and disgruntled mortal, with no thought save for the warfare she iswaging would do well to disabuse their minds ot a wholly false impression. She is a lady of many sided intelligence, and of most genial social qualities. And this geniality expressed itself in words which should make her name a pleas ant one for Pittsburgers to remember. "All the women I have seen here have such wholesome and intelligent faces!" she said. "And how very pretty the young girls are, and how prettily they are dressed!" These words were said privately, but I am glad to say that Pittsburg gave the lady who spoke them a good audience and a hearty welcome. I think it was in the same winter that an other famous woman made a brief visit to Pittsburg. She was Mrs. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who came also to occupy the lecture platform. Those who met this champion of woman suffrage made the acquaintance ol a thoroughly charming woman, whose talk in social intercourse had no flavor or sugges tion of "stiong-minded" aggressiveness about it Her brilliant, discourse on the platform drew forth hearty applause, and her equally Drilliant discourse iu conversa tion gave unqualified delight. "It there are any homely girls or ugly women in your city they must have shut themselves up," she said. "I have not seen any. Probably they don't care to be con spicuous by contrast with the many." Could any city desire a prettier compli ment than that? A SAD POPULATION. There was another very odd idea which mistaken strangers used to entprtain regard ing Pittsburg, in addition to the belief in the smoke-tanned skins of the inhabitants. The perpetual gloom of the smoke-laden at mosphere was partly responsible for it, and partly, I suppose, the traditions of Scotch Irish Presbyterianism, which were identi fied with the place. This idea was that anything like cheerful enjoyment was a thing quite unknown to the people of the forlorn city, quite impos sible to them, and altogether out of the course of nature. That sounds very funny to those of us who know how much hilarity and gay sociability used to prevail beneath those overhanging clouds ot murk. But there were plenty of outsiders who could hot at all reconcile anything in the sem blance of fun with their notions of life in Pittsburg. I well remember the astonishment of a distant friend whom I was visiting, when I happened to say something about dancing. Daneiner! She had not thought of the possi bility that anything so gay as that could i ever be indulged in in I'lttsourg. it must be a very solemn sort of dancing, she sur mised; a sort of religious observance, prob ably. For how in the world could the peo ple, young or old. possihlv get their spirits up to the point of dancing for the fun of it? And when 1 insisted that social enjoy ments of all sorts prevailed and were heartily participated in, and that music was a passion very largely indulged, I could see that she wondered how it was that people could go away from home and tell such whoppers, expecting to be believed. James C. Pubdy. KILTING A HIPPOPOTAMUS. Rills Shots Only Stuns Ilim Into Aneer and HeNrnrly Upet tbo Boat. E. J. Glave, In St. Mcholas. Having decided to return to Lufcolela, I left early one morning, and about a mile and a half from the village I came upon a herd of hippopotami. One ol them offering a favorable shot, I fired. The sting ot the bullet tended only to infuriate the animal; he threw himself wildly out of the water and plunged about in all directions. A few of my paddlers keep cool, but most of them, not accustomed to this kind of thing, dropped their paddles and clung wildly to the gunwhale of the canoe. All this commotion rendered it vry difficult for me to take a shot with any cer tainty ot aim, so that, although I kept on hitting the brute, I could not succeed in reaching a vital part, and each successive bullet that struck rendered the monster only the more furious. At 1' t he caught sight of us, and seemed, all at once, to recognize that we were his enemies. He came on, plowing his way through the water, and struck my canoe a blow which, nearly capsizing it, "threw sev eral of my men into the water. Fortunately, he did not follow them up, but, passing under the canoe, kept plunging madlv on for a short distance. In the meantime I had managed to pick up the men from the water just in time, for he returned and made another charge. As he passed for a second time under the canoe, my hunter, Bongo Nsanda, dexter ously plunged a spear into him, which, striking in the side, seemed to cripple him greatly. " vas now becoming exhausted, and bis movements became slower and slower. Each time he rose to the surface he presented a pitiable sight, with the blood streaming from his wounds. I was now able, by a well-directed shot behind the ear, to end the poor brute's sufferings, and alter a few spasmodic struggles he sank from sight, leaving the water all around us discolored with his blood. A hippopotamus when killed in the water invariably sinks; the bodv does not rise for several hours, the duration of snbmersion depending ou the temperature of the water. BUFFALO IN AUSTRALIA. The Wild Borlne Itlny DNplnco the Rapid ly ninappenrins: Knnenroo. Chambers' Journal. It is said that the wild buffalo has found a congenial home in the plains of North ern Australia, where it is now found in vast herds. These animals are supposed to he the descendants of the first buffaloes which were landed in Australia GO years ago. In the meantime, the kangaroo, the typical Australian marsupial, is s lid to be gradually becoming so reduced in numbers that there is a chance of its extinction un less rigorous measures be taken tor its pre servation. A kangaroo will, it is said, cat as much gras as six sheep, so that irom a farmer's point of view its extermination would not be looked upon as an unmixed evil. It is estimated that in the year 1838 there were about SO per cetit. fewer kangaroos in Aus tralia than there were in the previous year. - COBWEB SOCIAL PAEITES. An Indiana Aniuaeinrnt Which Is Likely to Spread to Other States. Indiana young ladies are now giving what they call "cobweb" parties. Balls of yarn of various colors are unwound, one end being fastened to the chandelier in the parlor and the other carried all over the house, its course being as intricately developed as pos sible. The colors are divided among the guests, and at a given time each selects his or her corresponding color on the chandelier and starts out on a tour to find the othereud. The one finding the end of the ball first is declared winner of the contest The rivalry is quite decided, and the evening passes most delightfully. Each guest finds at the end of his'ball a beautiful little souvenir in a small crocheted cobweb. NEAT COUNTRY HOME. Quite a Pretentions L'esidence for Less Than Four Thousand. THE PERSPECTIVE AND THE PLANS. Table of Prices on Material and Labor for Bnilders' Perusal. ALL THE 1I0DEES COXYENIEXCES rWEITTEK rOB THI DI3P1TCH.I The estimates of cost given in these articles are based on the following prices for materials and labor. By comparing these prices with local prices, the intending builder can fairly judge whether the esti- mates should bo higher or lower for his lo cality: Excavations, per cubic yard, 25 cents; rough stone work below grade laid np com plete, all materials furnished by contractor, per perch ot 25 cubic feet, S4 25; stone wall finished above grade, 25 cents per foot, or per perch, ?G 25; brick-work, laid in the wall, per 31, ?15; plastering, per yard, 30 cents; sprnee timber, per 1,000 feet, 520; hemlock timber, per 1,000 feet, 514; hemlock sheathing boards, per 1,000 feet, 15; piuo shingles, per 1,000, 54 50; pine flooring, merchantable, per 1,000 feet. 526; clear pine clapboards, per 1,000 feet, 25; clear pino trim, reed or molded Jxj inches, per lineal foot, 3 cents; novelty siding, per 1,000 feet, 530; moldings per square inch, of section, per lineal loot, 5 cents; molded base, eight inches high, seven-eights ot an inch thick, per lineal foot, Scents; rw-i fd&fc. Perspective. glazed window sash, 2 feet 7 inches by 5 feet 6 inches by 1J inches, two lights per pair. 52; doors, four panels, molded both sides, 2 leet 8 inches by 7 feet by 1 inches, each, 52 60; blinds will average all round per window 5150; tinning, per square of 100 square feet, 56; painting, including mate rials and labor, per square yard, each coat, 6 cents; carpenters' labor, p'er day S3, and masons' and plasterers' labor, per day. 53 50. Following will be found a somewhat de tailed description of the attractive country house design illustrating this article: General Dimensions Width, including veranda, 53 leet; depth, including veranda 'IW ianiBa r . lin r First Floor. and ki'chen extension, 49 feet. Heights of stories First story, 9 feet; second story, 8 leet 6 inches; third story. 8 feet. Exterior materials Foundation, stone piers; first story, shingles extending nearly to grade and covering foundation piers; tower, dormers, gables and roofs, shingles; cresting and finia!s, copper. Interior finish Plastered throughout for papering. Soft wood flooring, trim and back stairs. Hard wood main Second Floor. staircase from first to second story. All in terior woodwork finished with hard oil. Colors Shingles on side walls of first story, tower and all dormers, brownish stain. Shingles on roof ol all dormers, tower and main house dipped and brush coated dark red. "Wall shingles of first story, where covered by veranda, and on backs of -veranda archings. stained drab. Trim, and all cornices and other moldings, dark brown. Soffits of dormer roof projections, drab. Outside doors finished with hard oil. Veranda floors and ceilings, oiled. Sahses, red. All brick work cleaned down and l oiled. Copper cresting and finials left nat ural color of metal. Accommodations The principal room? and their sizes, etc., are shown by the floo plans. No cellar. Two rooms and hallway . finished in attic. Combined - front and back stairway economizes space. Laundry with three set tuba tj ;. Third Floor. back of kitchen. Servants' water closet off rear j orch. Open firenlaces and wood man tels in pirinrand dining-room. Cost. 53,500, not including mantels, rango nd heater. Feasible modifications Heights of stories, sizes ot rooms, materials and colors may bo changed. Cellar may be placed under a part or under whole of house. Diessing rooms and passage in second story front may be united to lorm a bedroom. Plumb ing', open fireplaces and sliding doors may be omitted. Second story of kitchen exten sion may be omitted. K. W. Shoppei. Crow and Field Mice. "5 Crows have a very curious way in the spring, before the snow is off the ground, of $ hunting lor neiu mice, of which they are ex- 55 tremely fond The mice build their nest - under the snow, and the warmth of their ' bodies and that of the young melts it around them, so thbt finally there appears a hole in the snow crust. Tne crows fly about look ing for these holes, and when they find one they tear out the nest and eat the content. raH "i iycr.cr JL 6 il!'H--j - I I Haiir-; R en crt ' -- - n ssy- sf g Peel m' aMlj '. i . a- Bed R I. jfKftlW"'
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers