18
THE PITTSBURG- DISPATCH, SUNDAY,MAT '"11, 1890.
f
j
who
'We
the rendarmes must know everything. I
hare many revelations to make.
"That is a different matter." said Falkin.
"Will Your Excellency permit me to send
at once for two of mv men?"
"I have already two policemen below for
this men," observed bcneini.
"Thank vou," replied Palkin,
guessed that" there xvas a secret here.
can manage it alone! pl
But these are onr own secret affairs,
said Schelm, "by what right?"
"Do not resistl" said Count Perowski.
"We certainly have no secrets for the head
of the gendarmes."
With a commanding gesture of the hand
the Minister made an end to the scene and
dismissed all the persons present.
CHAPTER XII.
The Emperor Nicholas had appeared at
the ball at about 10 o'clock, and a few mo
ments later put on his cap, thus intimating
that now, by the favor of the Czar, all eti
quette was set aside. Prom this moment
the monarch's presence was ignored. He
actually got more than once into a crowd
and received many a slight push, but these
little accidents amused him greatly, and he
could thus come down from the altitude of
his position. Moreover, every mask was at
libertv to address him, and even to indulge
in pleasantries if he assented the one con
dition being that no business matter must
be introduced. Tbe Emperor was thus
walking up and down in the ballroom, and
seemed to be highly amused by the merry
company of a black domino with a white
camelia. She seemed to entertain him so
well that he showed no desire to leave the
room with its motley crowd of merrv masks.
Alone in the joyful assembly and hidden
behind a pillar stood Jana, wrapped in the
wide folds of a dark domino, her lather
standing by her in simple ball cos
tume. The Emperor had not noticed Wer-
' nin, who kept his place near the principal
entrance, while Jaiia followed in feverish
excitement every gesture of the Czar and
the elegant mask.
It struck 10:30. Jana whispered to her
father with a sigh:
"No sign of him! Ana yet ne promised
he would be here before 10."
"What is it, Jana?" said a low voice close
to her ear. The black domino irtth the
camelia had left the Emperor and was now
at her side.
"Nothing," replied the Countess, "as yet
we know nothing. And yet it is time he
should be here. The Emperor has promised
me he will not leave the ball before 11:30. I
have promised then to take off my mask and
let him know who I am. But at midnight
he will be gone, and we shall never find a
better opportunity."
"Can he also be a traitor?" whispered
Jana.
"J ana!" said her father. "Stay here, I'll
drive to the Ministry, perhaps I can hear
something there!"
"Quiet, dearest father! I shall wait here
patiently."
"Are youafraidof remaininghere alone?"
"How could I be afraid, when we work
for my husband?"
"I must also go. When you see me acain
on the Emperor's arm and" yon have any
papers to hand him, do not fear, but step
up boldly belore him!"
She disappeared in the crowd and Jana
remained alone, anxiously watching the
staircase where she expected every moment
to see Popoff appear. She saw' nothing.
She did not eveu notice a small crowd of
merry young officers of the guard who came
down :rom the galleries rather noisily.
They had all of them been drinking heavily,
especially Prince Max, who led them. His
eyes fell upon Jana. The wonderful grace
with which her whole presence was impreg
nated; her delicate, beautifully shaped foot
excited his curiosity. He stopped to look
at her and then said: "She must be wonder
fully fair."
Then he pointed out the solitary domino
to his friends; Jana said nothing, until the
Prince slightly touched ljer arm. She
turned round quickly and at the sight of
these young men, who had evidently had
too much wine, she uttered a little cry of
terror.
"Pear not, fair mask," said the Prince,
"we are ail admirers of yours. Choose from
among us a partner. So fair a mask must
not be lelt alone!"
"Gentlemen!" said Jana, in a low tone of
voice, "I beseecn you to leave me."
"Oh, you cruel one, you wait tor someone,
and we are all in love with you!"
"Your Highness is mistaken," said Jana.
"Have pity on me!"
"Ah! You know me!" laughed the Prince.
"Now I shall not think of leaving you.
Come, let us take a walk into the room, and
I will bring you back in time for the happy
one "
The Countess trembled in all her limbs.
"I must remain here. Yon-do not know
I pray you will leave me alone such per
sistence is rudeness."
"What? You mean to scold us?" said
the Prince. "Pray, your arm!" And once
more he touched her arm. Jana. in her in-
1 dignation, struck him with her fan, saying:
i "Has no one here respect for ladies?"
The officers drew back, but the Prince,
half angry and half amnsed by the scene,
was about to repeat his appeal, when a
strong hand moved the officers aside, and
Wernin, pale and out of breath, offered Jana
his arm.
"Come, child, let ns leave this place as
soon as possible. All is lost. Popoff has
been arrested. I saw him in a droschke be
tween two gendarmes."
"It is his daughter," said several voices.
"It is the Countess Lanin. And here at a
ball. When her husband is suffering in
prison, she goes to a ball!"
Jana was almost fainting. Her father
supported her, measuring the crowd around
him, as it increased, with proud, angry
looks.
All of a sudden the crowd stepped aside,
full of awe. All heads bowed. An imperious
Toice asked:
"What is this noise?"
The Emperor Nicholas appeared in the
center of the curious crowd. He faced poor,
trembling Jana and her father, who had
been carried away by his indignation. The
sudden stillness b tar tied Jana. When she
raised her eyes she saw the Czar.
At sight of him she pulled off her mask,
and cried, falling at the monarch's feet:
"Your Majesty, I am the wife of Count
Lanin, and beg to ask for one favor only."
"What is it?"
"They tell me my husband has sinned
against the empire, but that does not make
him cease to be my husband. Your Ma
jesty's justice has sentenced him to exile.
Will Your Majesty's high favor grant me
Jeave to follow him to Siberia?"
The Emperor's eyes grew milder and a
benevolent expression appeared in his fea
tures. "Poor woman, your wish shall be ful
filled!" He raised her and offered her his arm.,
"And, now, allow me to see you to your
carriage. This is co place for yon!"
Casting a stern look at the bystanders, the
Emperor left the ball, poor Jana hanging on
his arm.
CHAPTER XIII.
The snow was frozen hard and glittered on
the fields, reflecting every ray of the sun, in
all the colors of the rainbow.
Not a cloud on the sky, not a breath of
air stirring. The sun shines in full splendor,
but the rays are pale and cold. A coach put
ODon a sledge, pushing on diligently along
the high road beside the river, looked at a
distance like a little black insect, creeping
busily along upon the snow. The ringing
of the horses' bells leave a mournful sadness
in this -r.-ist solitude.
"i Par away, a -dark spot became gradually
visible on the white ground. It was the
toll booth ot Kasan, which the fast travel
ing coach soon reached. Here the snow,
trod under foot by men and horses, had
changed into mud; and all around an un
wonted activity became perceptible. Many
sleighs, covered with mrs, another coach,
many open, and a crowd of men were await
ing the raising of the huge beam, which,
like a colossal latch, closed the road to
Kasan. Men rubbed their hands to warm
them and animals trembled with frost.
Every five minutes the toll bar rose and
each time a sleigh was passed through, but I
was stopped immediately again before a I
small house which stood close by the toll
gate. This was a dirty, damp hut, with a
very small window that gave it the appear
ance of a prison, and whenever the door
opened vile odors came steaming forth.
Only after closing the door of the little
hut behind them did the driver recover his
usual good humor. The merchant began
once more to calculate and the bojar to set
tle his tolpac, and all mounted their sleighs
in a better frame of mind.
This little house was the residence of the
police official, who inspected the passports
and established the identity of the travelers.
Nearby stood a picket of Cossacks, ready
to be at hand upon a sign of the officer.
The coach upon the sledge stopped at the
tollgate; the postilion got down and walked
about to warm his feet. One window of the
coach was lowered and a man of 50 with
pleasant and centle features asked:
"Is this the" tollhouse?"
"Yes," replied the postilion, "we are near
Kasan."
The man who had put his head out of the
window drew back and said to the ladies
within:
'We are stopping at the tollgate and will
have to show our passports."
In the coach there were four travelers,
three ladies and one man. The person whom
the latter addressed was a woman in the
bloom of youth and of extraordinary beauty.
The splendid lurs in which she was'wrapped
from head to foot spoke of princely wealth.
An old woman who sat by her was'decently
but modestly dressed. On the other seat, by
the gentleman, sat a girl the very type of a
maid. A snub nose, lively eyes and a sharp
look gave to her features an expression of
gayety, which contested strangely with the
sadness impressed upon the faces of the trav
elers as upon the landscape without. The
young lady who looked like a queen among
her subjects asked in a melodious voice:
"Dear doctor, Kasan is surely the last
half European city which we shall have to
visit."
"Certainly, Countess; but we have still
800 wersts to the Siberian frontier and we
leave only the easiest part of our journey he
hind us."
"Ah, my dear friend, how anxious I am
to reach the end ! You cannot imagine it hat
I have suffered since that catastrophe!
Poor Vladimir. How unhappy hemust be.
Everv werst brines me nearer to him, and I
count each one impatiently, knowing how
he waits and longs lor me. This exile has
cut him off entirely from the world. He re
ceives no news from home, and yet I know
he expects me and this hope keeps him alive.
Since that fearful night 1 have not heard a
word about his fate. Is not such uncer
tainty agonizing?"
"I sutler the same pain for my son," said
the old woman. "He also has disappeared,
and I do not know what has become of him,
and yet I hope certainly to meet with him
in Siberia! If in our empire a man disap
pears, there is nothing for it bat to start on
one's way eastward; every unfortunate man
is to be found somewhere there. It is this
hope, Countess, which has made me and this
poor girl join you on vour journey. Perhaps
we shall there find our poor Nicholas!"
"Mv dear Lina," said the young lady, "I
cannot tell you how grateful I am to you
that you have not left me. All the little' in
fluence I may still possess shall be em
ployed to help you. This is mv sacred
duty."
"As it is our duty to serve you with self
sacrifice and devout respect, I always tell
Helen we must devote every moment of our
lives to the happiness of the Countess, an
ticipating every wish of hers, serve her on
our knees, weep when she weeps, and as
never a smile plays around her lips, we also
must never smile. Is it not so, doctor?"
"You are perfectly right, Una," said the
doctor. "Have not I also laid my old ex
perience at the feet of our Countess and de
voted myself, body and soul to her cause?
Since vou have been kind enough to engage
my services, Countess, I am only the first of
your servants and agree with Lina that we
ought to do you homage on our Knees,
Jana offered him her hand.
Just then the coach moved forward. They
passed the tollgated and stopped before the
policeman's hut
Two Cossacks came up to open the door.
"Doctor," said Jana, "will you have the
kindness to get out and show our pass
ports?" One of the Cossacks said:
"All must get out"
Jana obeyed, and on the doctor's arm en
tered the lowly hut
The official, who was throwing abontsome
papers on a dirty table, rose, filled with sur
prise and admiration. The unwonted ap
pearance of such a beautiful and noble
looking being in this dark and dirty hut im
pressed him deeply. He actually removed
his cap, and said in a milder tone than
usual:
"May I ask for your passports?"
The doctor handed him the papers, which
he perused, shaking his head.
"This is not enough," he said at last,
"the passport says merely, 'Dr. Haas is
traveling with three persons, and has the
right to demand four horses at every station.
That was enough till Kasan, butat the gates
of this city we demand more detailed state
ments. Have your companions passports?
Pray, let us see them."
Jana apDroached him proudly, saying:
"I am the Counteis Lanin, and am going
to Irkutsk to share my husband's exile. I
have the special permission of His Majesty
the Emperor."
The officer bowed low.
"We have expected your arrival for some
time, having been notified. The Governor
wishes to see you. Please go to him." And
without waiting for her answer he beckoned
to one of ther gendarmes.
"What does this mean?" asked Jana,
troubled.
"We have strict orders," was the only
reply.
"I think," said the doctor, "as the Count
ess has the express permission of the Em
peror, she ought not to be delayed on her
journey."
"Nor do I detain her; I only obey orders.
You can discuss that with the Governor."
Then turning to the soldier he added: "You
will go with these travelers to the Gover
nor's palace."
The Governor of Kasan was engaged in
a conversation with our old friend, Col.
Palkin.
"You have but few prisoners," he said,
"as I see here."
"Only 12, but there is one among them
who is dangerous."
"Aud who is that?"
"FopajF. a former clerk in the Ministry of
the Interior. He is pointed out to us by the
Minister, Count Perowski, himself, "as a
very dangerous character. He is to be got
ten out oi the way. In the meantime belies
in solitary confinement."
If the Governor had watched his friend's
face he would have seen how the Colonel's
eyes flashed ont when he heard this. Still,
he asked very quietly:
"Could I see the man, perhaps?"
"Of course," replied the Governor, "the
mission in which you are engaged opens you
the doors of all prison?."
"Yes, in Siberia; but here I am virtually
hero ynu will see her in a moment Here
she is."
The door opened. Jana and the doctor
entered. The Countess seemed to anticipate
misfortune. She was deadly pale, but her
innate pride did not abandon her for a mo
ment The mild face of the doctor, on the
other hand, had changed very strangely;
usually quiet and placid, it now shone with
resolute determination. He entered the
room saying:
"Your Excellency, the officers here "
J.ina interrupted him.
"Never minfl, doctor, I will speak with
His Excellency the-Governor, myself."
The doctor was silent.
"Your Excellency," said the Countess,
turning to the Governor, "the Emperor has
been graciously pleased to grant me leave to
share my husband's exile. Here are papers
confirming it, I do not know by what right
your subordinates drag me into your pres
ence. This is a want ot respect for the Em
peror's will which I cannot comprehend.
You will please, therefore, examine the
papers and in no way prevent my continu
ing my journey "
Here Jana broke down under the pressure
of sudden fright and consternation. When
she entered she had not noticed Palkin. who
had purposely concealed himself behind a
desk. Now the Governor arose to take the
papers, and in to doing revealed his guest
At once the memory ot that fearful night
came back to her, and the ominous figure of
the officer of the gendarmes had left its im
pression upon the poor woman's heart She
recognized him instantly, and this meeting
with one of her persecutors, who, she
thought, must have pursued her even to the
frontier lines of the empire, fillen her with
unspeakable anguish. She fell almost life
less into a chair, saying to hersell:
-"Lost!"
Palkin, however, approached her and
said, trying to give a milder tone to his
rough voice:
"I understand, ,Countess, that my pres
ence nere cannot De pleasant to yon. 1 bad
a most painful duty to perform at your
house. I only did my duty. I pray you
will not imagine that, therefore, I am your
enemy. Very far Irom it. If I can be in
any way of service to you I pray you will
ceinmand me."
The Governor, who had been wondering
at Jana's haughty carriage at first aud her
discomfiture so soon after, now said:
"I regret very much, Countess, that I
must disappoint your hopes. I knew that
this documentwas in your hands. I had,
however, received orders to prevent your
journey and to send you back to St. Peters
burg." The Countess was so unnerved that she
could not answer; she seemed to be unable
to see or to hear. The doctor, however,pro
tested. "Your Excellency has no right to detain
us! Perhaps you have not read the docu
ment very carefully. It contains the ex
press words: 'Upon His Majesty the Em
peror's special order,' and below is the Em
peror's own signature."
The Governor turned ronnd quickly, sur
prised at the tone in which the doctor spoke
to him.
"Who are you?" he exclaimed. "What
right have you to interfere in this affair?"
"1 am Dr. Haas and accompany the.
Countess Lanin as her medical adviser. I
am one of the persons to whom His Majesty
has given leave to go with her to Irkutsk.
I have, therefore, the right to rontinne the
journey, and no one dare prevent me."
"No one prevents you," said the Gov
ernor. "Mv orders concern the Countess
alone!"
"Since I heve offered my services to the
Countes3 I am no longer my own master. I
speak, therefore, in claiming my rights only
of those of the Countess."
Now the Colonel also began to take a part
in the discussion, after having asked permis.
sion to examine the documents and papers
Having read them he said:
"The papers of the Countess are in per
fect order and nobody has a right to stop
her."
Jana raised her beautiful eyes with a ray
of hope in them, astonished at the courtesy
of one whom she considered her bitter
enemy.
"You see, Governor, I was right," said
Dr. Haas.
The Governor shrugged his shoulders, re
plying: "I have already stated that I have re
ceived precise orders to pay no regard to
that permission of His Majesty. These
orders came from the Minister of the In
terior, whom I am bound to obey."
"I do not see that," said Palkin. "In no
case can a man like Schelm nullify an im
perial order. I am of the doctor's opinion.
Nobody has aright to stop the Countess."
"What?" said the Governor, amazed.
"I not only advise you, I urge youre
member that a single order given by the
Emperor supersedes all other orders."
"But my responsibility to Mr. Schelm?"
"Cannot be greater than that to the Czar."
The Governor hung his head.
"L can, however, relieve your mind." con
tinued Palkin. "You know that as superior
officer of the gendarmes I have the duty to
see to it that his Majesty's orders are faith
fully carried out If the Countess does not
herself wish to remain here" with a pro
found bow to Jana "ask the Countess if
she would rather comply with Mr. Schelm's
demand, in which case I do not oppose."
The doctor, full of joy, seized both of Pal
kin's hands and said:
"I tbank you. Colonel. You are sent ns
by Providence!"
Jana had suffered so terribly from treason
and deception that she dared not hope. Be
sides, she mistrusted Palkin, whose lowering
face and ugly features "had made a bad im
pression upon her. A secret aversion besides
warned her not to intrust herself to his
hands.
She said, therefore, only a few words of
cool gratitude, thanking him for having as
sisted her.
The indifference of these words wounded
Palkin, but he did not show his discontent
"Well, then!" he said to the Governor.
"You let the Countess, continue her journey,
without making any difficulties about it, and
as I am going also to Irkutsk I can be some
protection perhaps."
When he said this Jana took the doctor's
hands and whispered:
"Nothing in the world conld induce me to
travel witlf him. I am frightened!"
"Accept his offer!" whispered the doctor
in return; "it is your salvation. Shall I not
always be near you?"
She bowed, and thus consented. In the
meantime Palakin had removed the Gov
ernor's last scruples, aud turning to Jaua
he said:
"Countess, I shall leave Kasan to-day, as
soon as some important business which I
was sent to transact shall be finished. I
have been appointed chief of the gendarmes
in East Siberia and this will explain to you
why I go to Irkutsk. If you will,;there
fore, have the kindness to wait till evening,
I shall have the honor to accompany you to
the end of your journey and remove every
difficulty from your way."
"Very well, as you order it," said Jana,
naughtily.
"lhe question is not to obey me,
ECUADOR'S PRODUCTS
A Wondcrlul Land That Might Be
Made to Blossom as the Bose.
PINEAPPLES AND STRAW HATS.
The Cocoa Bean and Its Conversion Into
Commercial Chocolate.
POEBIDDEff SALES OP HUMAN HBADS.
PlMfa
WJi
rCORKESFOHDENCS 07 TIIE DISPATCH. 1
Guayaquil. Ecuador, April 2.
S this is the com
mercial center of the
Republic in fact
the only place with
in its borders worth
mentioning in con
nection with trade
its merchants carry
considerable stocks
of goods, some claim
ing 8500.000 worth
or more, with an
annual trade of
double that amount
Few of them, how
ever, are Ecuador
ians, the heaviest
importers being Chinese. The latter have
driven so many native dealers to the wall,
and continue so persistently to extend their
monopolies that the Legislature has lately
passed a law prohibiting the further immi
gration ol Chinamen to Ecuador.
The Celestial, transplanted in this con-"
genial soil, does by no means confine him
self to the company of his own countrymen
and women, as in California and elsewhere;
but blossoms out as a leader of society and
delights to sharo his washtub, opium pipe
and marital attentions with representatives
of other nationalities. His several wives
are generally low class Ecuadorians, in
whose veins circulates a regular ollapodrida
of Indian,Spanisb,negro,and maybeAnglo
Saxon blood, and whose leather-colored skin
is not a bad match for hi own saffron-hued
complexion; the main difference in "looks"
being in the eyes those of native women
burying tha fruit until the pulp is decayed
and only the beans are lelt These are roast
ed and their shells removed. Thechocolate
is then ground between stones into a soft
mass and poured int6 molds. The melted
chocolate is pressed in bags, precisely as
Northern housewives make jelly till all the
oil is expelled. The sediment is then ground
very slowly to prevent remelting and
after being "bolted" is ready for use.
That there is so little pure chocolate in the
market is partly owing to the great medici
nal value of its oil, which is expressed in
the grinding. The consumer would better
MAKING PP HISTORY.
The Oldest Inhabitant With His
Wealth of Gossip a Great Help.
VETERANS HOME FfiOlf THE WAE.
The Scotch-Irish People of Pittsburg and
Stories About lhem.
HENRI CLAY. AXD THE L0KS BEAKDS
Chocolate in the Hough,
purchase cocoa nibs, if he can, which are
the crushed beans before they have been
ground.
Cocoa leaves are also sent from here, but
the quantity nas been greatly diminished
since Dr. Koller, of Vienna, discovered the
alkaloid cocoaine; whereupon the English
Government at once dispatched a commis
sion to transplant the tree to its Indian col
onies, and now India supplies the world with
that muiderous drug.
The coffee of Ecuador is fairly good,
though but little is exported. It crows on
a tree about eight feet high, with glossv,
dark green leaves.flowers resembling orange
blossoms, and yellow, green and purple ber-,
ries all at the same time. Each tree yields
an average of ten pounds a year.
OUR QUININE SUPPLY.
Another staple of Ecuador is chincona, or
"Peruvian bark." It takes its name from
the Countess of Chincon, who was cured by
its use of intermittent fever, in Lima, Peru,
about the middle ot the seventeenth centnry.
It was then introduced into Europe, and the
knowledge of its curative powers has spread
throughouUhe earth. Comparatively little
of it grows in Peru, except near the northern
border. .
The familiar medicine, quinine an alka
loid made from Peruvian bark, was dis
covered in 1820. The same bark has been
found to contain several other alkaloids, but
none as important as quinine. In some
countries!! is almost as necessary a pro
Vision as food and no traveler will venture
-r2SM?N
W2
f N '
" H I
rWElTTIX Ton IHB DISPATCH. 1
In the old times there were still old times
to look back upon; and plenty of frosty-
headed men who never tired of looking
lovingly into the past They were delight
ful company, if one bad time to listen to
them, for your genuine ripe old timer is not
cynical and captious. He enjoys the present
even more, perhaps, than the children of the
present, because he has seen it grow and
helped plant the seeds from which it has
sprung.
I remember one such who stood at my
elbow one day in 1865. That was a good
while ago, when you come to think of it.
Matters were going on then which are
utterly forgotten now. But this old citizen
remembered still other matters which others
had already forgotten then. On the day I
speak of a grand military demonstration
had filled the streets of Pittsburg an Alle
gheny with great crowds of excited and en
thusiastic people; for the war waa yet very
near to ns, not having fallen into perspective
as it has now. The smoke of ;(s battles was
still in the air; the fervor 0f its passions
still in people's hearts.
The Boys in Blue were having a notable
parade. Does anybody to-day remember
that such an organization ever existed? It
was the predecessor of the Grand Army of
the Republic, and like that, was made up
oi men who had been in the recently dis
1" j rmy: an(1whohad not yet been
obliged to buv new uniforms, so lately had
they worn the'ir old ones home.
SEPARATING THE COCOA-BEANS.
being very large! and not set in on the bias,
as seems to be the fashion of the Flowery
Kingdom.
onlv a guest But as 1 know the whole aff.nr ,Pe questlon,,s n er me," replied
of this man Popoff, whom I consider a very Palkin, rather hurt, Jbut whether you will
dangerous man, X snouiu lice to see mm aud ' ""',, ,! """""'
to take him with me so to make sure of his
disappearing."
""The Governor understood that Palkin
begged where he might have commanded,
and at once bowed, saying:
"As you desire."
At the same moment the officer on duly
entered aud whispered a few words to the
Governor.
"I pray they will." was the reply.
As the man lelt be said to Palkin:
"The Countess Lanin, the wife of the ex
iled man. will appear directly. You know.
of course, the whole affair?"
"Of course; but why does she stop here?"
"She is on her way to Irkutsk, where she
hopes to meet her husband. Mr. Schelm
has sent me most decided instructions con
cerning her. lam to detain her here to
prevent ber journey to Siberia, as she is
said to have formed treasonable plots against
the Emperor. She claims to possess a per
mission of the Emperor, but the Minister
of the Interior informs me that she has ob
tained this permission by an abuse of the
Emperor's kindness."
"I should like to meet the Countess," said
Palkin. "I know her slightly, as I have
iusl arrested her husband."
"Nothing is easier. If vou will remain
flif. fVinnfptta nivpnti if rratfnllv -C3
the doctor, and the Colonel had to be con
tent with Jana's silent consent.
As Jana and the doctor rose to go Palkin
detained them a moment saying:
"Pray wait for me at the postoffice. We
travel together. My sleigh will follow your
coach and I promise you I shall do every
thing in my power to make the long jour
ney pleasant and easy.
He spoke with such respect that Jana was
conquered. She offered him her band, but
only said:
"Very well, we shall wait for you."
When the chief of the gendarmes was
alone in the Governor's room he rubbed bis
hands joyously and said to himself:
"Ha! lia! Mr. Schelm, you have not won
the game yet! The trumps are all in my
hand!"
(To be continued next Sunday.)
Not Setting Australia on Hire.
Brooklyn Eagle.
Mrs. James Brown Potter is not reported
to be making a great deal of stir en the
other side of the earth. We hear more of
George Bignold, George C. Mila, Prank
Liucoln, and Jolly Nash than of the Fotter
Bellew combination.
NOT EXACTLY BEAUTIFUL.
The offspring of this polyglot parentage
have not much to show in the way of
beauty, but are hardly more prepossessing
than that strange cross between Creeks and
negroes one sometimes encounters in the
Indian Territory, who have kinky hair
high cheek bones, reddish eyes and flat
noses.
The lower floors of the houses along the
principal streets are used for shops, while
the merchants and their families of what
ever nationality, live above them. Curing
business hours the entire front of each
house is removed partly to allow freer cir
culation of air, the heat being so excessive,
and also to show off the wares to better ad
vantage, lor these ground floors have no
windows.
Ecuador's exports bear no proportion to
her real capabilities; and there is no excuse
but laziness for the chronic bankruptcy of
the country. The shipments of cocoa, coffee,
India rubber, hides, chinchona bark, nut-!,
vegetable ivory, orchilla weed, sarsaparilla,
cancho, tamarinds, etc., amount to about
56,000,000 per annum. The President as
serts that Ecuador imports fully $10,000,000
worth a year; but as the Government keeps
no statistics of its commerce one may be par
doned for doubting the truth of His Excel
lency's statement, which is based merelv on
the amount of duties collected. It hardly
stands to reason that the most impoverished
and backward country in all South America
conld long continue to purchase twice as
much every year as she sells. Most of the
imports come from England. The United
States furnishes little but lard; and all the
flour comes from Chili.
STRAW HATS AND PINEAPPLES,
Ecuador is famous for only two things
for making the best straw bats and raising
the finest pineapples in the world; the
credit for the latter being entirely due to
Dame Nature, and for the former to the
native women who weave them. The well-
known ".Panama hats are all made in
Guayaquil and the Indian villages along
the coast, but none outside of Ecuador, and
this name comes from the fact that formerly
Panama merchants controlled the trade.
The best hats are woven under water, by
women who kneel beside a stream and keep
tue straws constantiysunuierged. It requires
three or lour months to make a good hat and
when finished it will bring all the way Irom
$15 to $150. Hut it will last a lifetime, can
be rolled up and packed away in a vest
pocket, cleaned as often as required and
worn either side out, as the inner surface is
as smooth and well-finished as the outer. A
great many hammocks are also made from
pita fiber aud dried grass.
An enormous quantity of cocoa is pro
duced, though but a fraction of it is gath
dred, owing to the scarcity of laborers. The
cocoa ot Ecuador is second in quality only
to that ot Venezuela, the latter being con
sidered the best in the world. Three or lour
kinds are indigenous to this coast, and it is
here called cocoa, to distinguish it from the
erythorxylon cocoa, from which cocoaine is
made tuese ail deserving tneir generic
title of Theobroma, meaning "food lor the
gods."
The cocoa tree resembles our lilac in
shape and size, and yields three crops ot
fruit every year in March, June and Sep
tember. Its flowers and fruit do not grow
upon twigs, but directly out of the trunk
and branches. Baron Humboldt said of the
cocoa palm: "A more striking example of
the expansive power of life could hardly be
met with in organic nature." The fruit is
yellowish-red, in shape and size not unlike
a cucumber; aud the brown seeds inside of
it the "cocoa beans" of commerce are en
veloped in a mass of white pulp.
PIPE CLAY IN THE CHOCOLATE.
Strange to say chocolate costs more here
by half than iq the United States at retail;
probably owing to the fact that here it is
all cocoa, while its importers have learned
that pipe clay is harmless as a beverage and
greatly increases the weight of their so
called chocolate. Spain is by far the largest
consumer. The Mexican word "chocolat" is
the origin of our word for the beverage, here
pronounced as if spelled chalk-o-lat-ah.
The best chocolato is prepared by first J
into a malarious region without it In
Ecuador there are 22 varieties of trees that
produce the bark from which quinine is
made, but many of the most valuable are
now nearly extinct, owing to the reckless
way in which they were stripped. They
flourish not onlr on the slopes of the Andes,
but equally well in Java, India, Algeria,
Mexico, the United States and wherever
they have been transplanted.
Chincona collectors arejnow obliged to go
far into the forest in search of trees, and
suffer many hardships in pursuing the in
dustry. Mr. Knox, the author, tells of a
Quito gentleman who asserted that he had
seen a chincona tree 60 feet high. 6 feet in
diameter, which yielded 2,000 pounds
of green bark, - or about 1,000
pounds when dry. Another tree
that he saw gave $3,000 worth of quinine.
Such trees are rare nowadays, but a few of
them would make one s fortune, considering
the rate at which quinine is retailed per
grain, aud the enormous quantity consumed.
ICE A DOLLAR A POUND.
Balsas are rafts that particularly interest
the stranger. Huts upon ahem is the sole
habitation of the owner and his family.
They are made of balsa logs which are as
light as cork. Balsas are used to transport
cvcijuiiiug ituui ujciuienor, including ice
from the distant peaks of Chimborazo which
sells for a dollar a pound. They also carry
water in jars or barrels, brought from a
point 20 miles up the river, out of reach of
the brackish tide. Donkeys are the water
bearers. Theyjbray as theytrot through the
streets loaded with the indispensable liquid,
for there is not a drop of fre3h water in the
locality. Each beast is laden with two
casks, or enormous earthenware jars, slung
one on each side of him in a sort of rawhide
frame. Though one sees many men and
women on the streets pretty much unclothed
and children entirely so, the donkeys all
wear the iunniest looking pantalettes, not
Irom motives of modesty but to protect their
limbs and bellies from the attacks of the
gadfly, whose sting is like the puncture of a
red-hot darning needle.
There is another article of Ecuador's com
merce which, though not reckoned in auv
market reports, is worthy of especial notice,
viz: human heads, dried and nmsmi in
about the size of your fist, each wearing the
most lile-like expression npon the perfectly
preserved feature". Most ot the faces are
elaborately tattooed, and all have Jong black
hair; the Ups are sewn together with fibers
twisted into coarse twine, hanging down
over ma cnin in neavy iringe, like that in a
macram's lambrequin. Centuries ago a
tribe ot Indians living near the northern
border of Ecuador used to preserve the cra
niums of their dead in this manner.
HUMAN HEADS IN MARKET.
Nobody now living knows how it was
done; but it is supposed that the bones were
all drawn out, bit by bit, through the Leek
and then the head was buried in the hot, drv
sand, until it shrank away to one-fourth its
former size and became perfectly preserved.
As household adornments these gruesome
recuordos of dead folk are certainly not
handsome, but they are very curious, es
pecially since the art ot preparing thein'has
long been lost aud the sewed-up lips tell no
secrets. They used to bring about 516
apiece, but now command all the way from
fiuu to iow and are very scarce at that.
Years ago the Ecuadorian Government
put a stop to this sale, as it was learned that
some modern Indians, instead ot dealing ex
clusively in the brain-pans of their defunct
ancestors, actually made a business ot pre
paring fresh ones for the market. Since
long-haired ones sold for the highest price,
they took especial care of the capillary
adornments of their wives and daughters
with a view to cutting their heads off, one
by one. There is no doubt that this traffic
in dried heads cost many lives, for the price
paid by museums and curio hunten was
enough to set an Ecuador Indian up In af
fluence for all the rest ot his days, could he
manage to judiciously market his super
fluous children and relatives.
Fannie B. "Ward.
How to be gtatciman.
From the Atlanta Constitution.)
It is tbe eastist matter in the world to be a
modern statesman. Jnst get up on the floor of
Congress, and, attar blathering around awhile,
jeU out "monopolj!"
BORE EVIDENCE OF SHOT AND SHELL.
The men who marched in the peaceful
ranks this day were veterans who had
marched to much more serious purpose at
the front There was an absence of perfect
balance in the matter of legs and arms, and
the flags they carried were not so handsome
as they had been before battle had torn
them into shapes of inspiring beauty. But
with what splendid vim and spirit the boys
marched to the familiar army tunes! And
how the blood of every man and woman
thrilled and danced as each tattered flag
came into sight!
The occasion was made still more signifi
cant by the presence of many men whom tbe
war had made famous. Sheridan, I think,
was there, as he wasatmany another reunion
of veterans in Pittsburg; Hooker also
"Fighting Joe, of Lookout Mountain" and
General Butler, who made a speech which
roused the crowd to great enthusiasm and
General Howard, who I believe also made a
speech. Others, too, there were; and alto
gether the event was one that stirred the
blood of the two cities.
The old-timer beside me was as enthusias
tic as anybody; but bis fervor was tempered
br the recollection of earlier enthusiasms.
It was glorious, he said, and he wished
every officer and every private who had
worn the blue in the service could have been
there to receive such a welcome as Pitts
burg always knew how to give. He remem
bered other men who had been received with
just as much enthusiasm not so much
demonstration, of course, because there had
been fewer people in the community then,
but just the same hearty spirit
THE VISIT OF GENERAL WOOL.
Seeing all these generals and soldiers re
minded him of the arrival of another gen
eral in Pittsburg long, long before any of
tnese naa maoe any noise in the world.
His journey to the Iron City W3S made in a
very different fashion from theirs, but he
undoubtedly enjoyed it more. The visitor
was General wool; and he came before
there was any railroad to render the journey
swift and easy. At the time of his coming
there were two lines of communication be
tween Pittsburg and the East One was by
stage coach over the mountains to Phila
delphia. The other was by boat to Browns
ville, and thence by statre to Baltimore or
Philadelphia. It was by the latter route
that General "Wool made the journey, and
my informant was on tbe boat with him
coming down from Brownsville.
The weather was cold, bnt the distin
guished passenger was so enraptured by the
magmncence o; tne scenery that he could
not be induced to leave his vantage point in
the pilot house and the companionship of
Pilot Sam Hendrickson for the warm com
forts of the cabin. At Braddock's Fields,
very naturally, his interest was unbounded.
The place was not a manufacturing town
then, but a mere barren spot with only an
historical interest attaching to it, and the
questions General "Wool asked about it
made Sam Hendrickson fairly dizzy, bnt he
answered them all.
A PITTSBURG RECEPTION.
"Well, the reception the honored veteran
met on his arrival at Pittsburg was a pleas
ant one to remember, both for him and the
citizens. There was no grand parade, like
this, for there were no soldiers then, and
not so very many people. But it gave the
visitor a deliehtful idea of Pittsburg Hospi
tality. And there were plenty of other dis
tinguished visitors about whom my friend
became talkative; and he waxed especially
eloquent, as did all ot his generation, about
the fervently cordial reception of Henry
Clay when tie came and changed the ad
miration of the community to enthusiasm.
It is by intimacy with these pleasantly
reminiscent citizens that the true life and
history of a community can be best known.
Statistics tell far Ies3 about a city than the
gossip ol its white-haired people, and tell it
far less effectively. Like many another I
made visits from time to time to the settle
ment of the Economites and collected quite
a little volume of facts and figures about tbe
enterprise of those peculiar people, so that I
thought I knew the history pretty well. One
dav an old Fittsburger chanced to tell me
that his father, in 1825, sold to George Bapp,
the fonnder of the sect, one of the three
farms constituting the Economite posses
sions; the other two farms having been pur
chased from tbe father of James G. Blaine.
now Secretary of State, and from a Mr. Haz
lett And then he told me of his own boy
ish visits to the place, putting in some an
ecdotes about the thrifty and hospitable peo
nle. Then, for the first time. I felt that I
was somewhat acquainted with the place. I
remember his gossip about it, but I have for
gotten every figure of the statistics I gath
ered. FARMS ON PENN AVENUE.
Visitors to Pittsburg become well ac
quainted with Penn avenue. The can see
ior themselves that it is a floe thoroughfare,
and that the cable cars runs through a pop
ulous and well-built-up portion oi the city.
"What else is there for either visitor or resi
dent to know about Penu avenue? Well,
one of these pleasant people who remember
things told me that his grandfather was
once offered a farm lying on that great city
street, in the portion that used to be Bay
ardstown, in exchange for a horse and
wagon. Of course, everybody knows in a
general way that the entire site of Pittsbure
was once part of the primeval wilderness;
but this bit of personal reminiscence, run
ning back only a generation or two, brought
the wilderness into startiiuglv close neigh
borhood, and vividly demonstrated how
young, after all, is the citv we call Pitts
burg. Again, everybody knows that the Scotch
Irish element was predominant in the early
population of Pittsburg. The characteristics
of these people, and tbe influence thev have
had in giving the-tjitythe standing'it has
among municipalities have been much dis
cussed; and every thoughtful citizen thinks
he understands them fairly well. But an an
ecdote, related to me once by a reminiscent
old-timer, concerning a representative of
this class, illustrated certain phases of their
character more sharplv than any amount of
abstract comment Yean ago a little hotel
on the corner of Second avenue and Smith
field street was kept by "a Scotch-Irish Pres
byterian of tbe utmost strictness. He was a
white-haired old man, with a conscience
that held him in close bondage. He was
fond of good drink, as even the strictest men
were, I think, in those days; but bis con
science somehow forbade him to sell liquor.
A LITTLE ROMANCE.
So he rented his bar to a handsome fellow
with a winning way, who became a boarder
at the hotel. The old man had several
daughters, who had been brought up in
strictness, and who were the delight of his
old heart. Unknown to him one of them
fell in love with tbe handsome barkeeper,
and she eloped with him, leaving in her
room a note of confession and a trunk full
of clothes which she had not been able to
take away with her. The father found tbe
note and read it, and the opposite neighbors
saw a surprising thing. He said not a
word; he made no fuss of any sort He
simply opened the window of his girls
room up there iu the third story and pitched
her trunk and its contents out into the
street.
Then very slowly, for he was old and his
child's action had fairly broken his heart,
he went down stairs, picked up the shattered
trunk and carried it on his shoulder up to
the room again. But not to keep it there.
He pitched it out of the window a second
time, and a third, and so on until there was
not enough left for him to gather up. And
then he went to bed and stayed there for
months, too ill to stand on his feet It is
pleasant to know that there was reconcilia
tion at last Bnt could anything better
demonstrate what grim stuff was in some of
those oldTellows ?
I have spoken of Henry Clay. Probably
that statesman was responsible for more long
beards than any other one man. A multi
tude of his admirers vowed never to shave
their faces or have their hair cut until he
was seated in the Presidental chair, and the
result was
DISASTROUS TO THE BARBERS.
To such a vow as that was traceable the
long, heavy black beard of the man who
compelled me to listen to Hamlet's soliloquy
on Liberty street He had kept his pledge
to the letter, and I thins: kept it unbroken
till the day of his death. But it was before
the vow was made that he shaved himself in
the most startling manner perhaps of any
Pittsburger who was ever known. It was
when he was a young man and a noted beau
and man of fashion. He had just returned
from Paris wearing a mustache of great
luxuriance and ot tbe latest .Parisian droop.
Immediately all the men in the summer
hotel where he was sojourning had their
mustaches shaped as nearly as possible like
his. This he could not tolerate. He did
not like to be copied, although he did like
to be admired. So one morning after all
the guests had assembled at breakfast be
made his appearance among them with one
half of his mustache cut smoothly off, the
other half being left in its original luxu
riant beauty. He walked the length ot the
dining room to his pIace,stood for a moment
looking composedly about the room and
then placidly ate his breakfast
He seems to have had a peculiar horror of
being copied in any ot his fashions of dress
or personal adornment. It is related of him
that one hot summer day be seated himself
in a chair in front of Brown's Hotel (where
the Central now is), in a harlequin suit.
which was intended as a crushing rebuke to
all who might have patterned their garments
after his; and it is safe to say that the imi
tation came to an end then and there.
One side of him was blue, and the other
side of him was buff. Even his hat was half
blue and half buff. His coat was likewise
diversified, the dividing line extending
along his spine. One leg of his trousers was
of the one color, the other leg of the contrary
color. And his stockings were assorted in
the same way.
It is qui.te within the limits of moderation
to say that such a man as that was eccentric.
But eccentricity may be the companion of
much goodness. In this case it belonged to
one who was as fond of doing deeds of secret
kindness as he was ot performing acts of
public oddity. " James C. Pubdy.
THE FIRESIDE SPHUfX
A Collection of Enismatlcal Nnts for
Home CracHng.
Address communications for this department
loER. Chadboubn. Ltwixlon, Maine.
1035 A DECLARATION OF ST. -MAiny.
.-
"WBOITCr KHID OF LICENSE.
Embnrrasslnir Questions Pat to a Youth
Who Wanted to Get Married.
Lcirlston Jonrnal.l '
A little misunderstanding, dne to the city
clerk's recent absorption in the dog taxing
business, happened in Belfast, the other day.
A young man walked bashfully into the
office, and when his turn came he huskily
asked the clerk for a license.
"What name?" said the clerk. The young
man gave his name and the clerk hastily
wrote it down on a dog license.
"AVhat breed, age and color is it?" was
the next question.
"I I didn't know vou had to tell all
that," said tbe young man.
"Have to do "that iu order to identify
them," said the clerk.
"But Mrs. Blank knows her. She has
worked there for a long time."
"Eh, what's that?" said the clerk.
"Why, we think of getting married,"
whispered the young man. It was strange
that the clerk couldn't spot that sort of a
customer at first glance!
GSOWTH OF A TETJE FEAEL.
Its Center Is an Oyster's Egg and it Secretes
lis Own Shell.
The perfect pearl is found loose in the
interior of the flesh, and has its beginning
in an animal germ. The oysters annually
produces a number of eggs which, as soon as
tney develop into diminutive animals, are
thrown out by the mother. Occasionally,
however, an egg proves abortive and re
mains behind. It is almost microscopic in
size and is inclosed iu a tiny capsule. This
capsule nowbecomes, to all intents and pur
poses, a foreign substance.
Bat it has certain powers akin to those
of the parent, one of which is that of manu
facturing, throwing out and Catherine
uniuiiuiueii uacre. a.nenacre completelyen
yelops it, and the germ of an animal is soon
incased in a beautiful prison, usually spher
ical in form, but sometimes pear-shaped. Its
size, of course, depends on the length of
time to which the process is continued, as
he pearl is enlarged by constant deposits
from year to year.
EEDUCHTG THE P0PUIATI0H.
Effect of Uamin Sacrifices and the Army of
Amazons on Dalioniej.
New YorkStm.J
Dahomey is alleged once to have had a
population of 8,000,000 souls. IU present
population is estimated at 900,000. Tbe de
crease is due mainly to the enormous waste
of lives iu the annual "grand ceremonies,"
which are a sort of religious festival lasting
two months, and durins which human sacri
fices are offered by the hundred at once. To
aid these horrible annual massacres in de
pleting tbe population of the country there
has been the maintenance of the armies of
Amazons, numbering, it is alleged, as many
as 10,000 women, all vowed to chastity
under penalty of instant decapitation lor
the first offense.
The decrease oT the population has of late
years so reduced the available Taw material
for the annnal slaughters and for recruiting
the Amazons that the Kings of Dahomey
have had to carry their raids far into the
kingdom ot Porto Novo to gather in victims
enough.
1036 GHOSTS.
Ton talk of angels and inch things.
Then hear tha rustle of their wings.
A proverb this both flat and stale.
Yet fit prelude for ghostly tale.
To sit as we one evenincrsat;
To talk of ghosts In gruesome chat;
Of apparitions that appeared
In ghostly shapes, is pastime weird.
The landlord sat and smoked and told
Fnlly many a local legend old;
"A headless hag whoever sees
The sages say may dreaa disease;
When Will, who lights the foggy swamp,
Is ont upon his midnight tramp.
It bodes no good, I've heard it said.
To see him come without his head.
And oriental legends say
Did you behead the woodland far.
Its oatnre. altered not at all.
Would still remain ethereal;
And if its nether part was gone
'Twould still be fair to gaze upon.
The great arch-fiend, our common tot.
His nature never chaoses, though
He with bis head were forced to parti
And never glitters when bis heart
Is from him filched by canny Scots
As soon as the leopard change his spots.'
The tale was Interrupted here.
In rushed a form that shook with fear:
"I met,- he hastened to explain,
"A headless ghost along the lano."
"Bahl" qnoth the landlord, "hold your !.
A ghost! I'll bet 'twas 1 you saw." K
"This shape I saw ot spirit kind,
Thongh headless, had his bead behind.
This nas a token by the same
I knew the realm from whence he came.'
W. Wilson.
1037 DOUBLE CEOSS-TVORD.
In Jane;
In .May;
In Rune;
In Nee.
Mv solutions in this column.
For the first month of the year.
Won this work of Charlotte Bronte,
Which I tell you plain and clear.
H. c. Buboes,
1038 diamond.
L A letter. 2. Through. 3. Sharpened on
a hone. 4. Clashed or ran against, o. Ropes
to draw up a port lid. 8. Pertaining to a vent
ride. 7. Located a second time. 8. ADpointed
as a substitute. 9. Blotted out la Depressed.
11. A letter. Delphixi.
1039 SCHOOLMASTER AND THE GEOCER,
"1 give good morning to yon, Mr. Hall;
Why, what a mammoth basket!
How many eggs might It contain t
In all
Humility I ask it."
"By any number up from two to ten
The lot's divided even.
And there's last one remaining over
When
Dividing by eleven.
JJnjt fifteen cents they by the dozen cost
Could any of your scholars
Tell what npon tha lot I gained or lost
If sold for thirty dollars:"
"W "Wrxsox
1,040 SYNCOPATION.
Whole Is a flower of fine display.
That greets the eye in month of May;
It may be red. it may be white.
Bat while Its beauty charms tbe sight;
Unlike the rose, no sweet perfume
Is exhaled from its gaudy bloom.
In last an animal we find
That's small when measured by Its kind;
It is tbe pet of girls and boys.
They love it better than their toys.
In winter's cold and summer's beat
"We're often seen it on the street.
Nelsonian.
1,041 half square.
X. Rapture. 2. Of, or pertaining to, purl
metal. 3. Pertaining to, or resembling, agat.
4. Nodding. 5. To throw. 6L Half a quart 7.
A. unit. 8. A musical syllable. 9. A letter.
Odell CYCZ.ONX.
1042 TRAN SPO3ITI0N.
"Peculiarities" should be
Discarded by the wise.
For they belittle dignity
In everybody's eyes.
Especially avoid the ways
Ot those who carp and sneer;
Such oddity as this betrays
A mind that's out of gear.
We laugh at fools and knaves we shun.
And we abhor a liar;
But bow we bate the snarling one
"A cynic is so dire."
Neuosiax,
1043 REBUS.
p
D
In winter when we want to skat
We go to total, bay or lake;
You'll baro to tell ns what you see
To clear away this mystery.
R. O. ClLESTSa.
1044 CURTAILMENT.
Whole is elevated.
Second is tbe same;
Having this much stated,
I'll explain its name.
Should vou climb, and go till
A great altitude
Yon bad reached, a total
Would be understood.
You would dwell with pleasure
On the extended view;
And, yonr feet to measure.
Say, "I'm very tuo."
Bitter SWEat
BEAUNG TOT CANS.
An Apparatus br Which Electricity Can be
ainde to Do tho Soldering.
New York San. J
The development of electricity welding
has naturally led to the invention of devices
by which heat can be applied in a somewhat
similar manner in other processes in the
arts. Frof. Elihu Thomson hai recently de
vised an apparatus bf which the heating
power of the current is utilized in the proc
ess of soldering the covers of tin cans.
Frof. Thomson has also applied this method
in other processes where materials are
united by the employment of heat to 'fuse
the r.niting material.
answers. ." i
J025 Tallow candle.
1026 Sheepskin.
1027 L
C I D
CONEY
C A N D L E K
OONTA INER
LINDABR1DEB
DELIRATED
Y V. N I T E 8
REDES
BED
8 - -
1028 Dint, din.
1029- VIBBIONEB . -INLANDER
J-'fc
BLADDER t
RADIUS 2-
I N D U 8 , -
ODES.
NEB
8 4
1030 INVESTIGATION. ij
1031 Solomon (Sol, moon).
1C3J R O S C H E R
OXALITE
S A M A R I A
CLAPPED
HIRPINI 5
BTIENNE '.
READIER - i,
1033 Palace, place. . .
1031 Grade, razed.
HOT YET A SLAVE.
How tbe Zala Girls Trent Their Lovers Jsut
ISeforo Drcomlne Wires.
Ladles' Home JoumaLJ
One part of the Zulu marriage ceremony--
is verj peculiar. The groom comes forward
and sits on the ground. His bride then
dances around him, laughing, at and ridi-'
cnling him, kicking dust in his face, dij-.
arranging his elegant head-dress, and other
wise taking liberties with him, intended to
show he was not as yet her master. Tha
groom sits silent, never replying, and as she
ceases probably for sheer want of breath, ha
arises and leaving the enclosure, returns
almost immediately reading an ox, called
the "Ox of the Girl." This is solemnly
killed and constitutes the binding portioa
oi the ceremony.