s
-7 l. 1 C 11 MM
B. P. SCHWEIER,
THE OOISTlTUnOI-THE TJHOI-AID TEE UTOXOEMHR OP THE LAVS.
Editor and Proprietor.
VOL. XXXIX.
MIFFLINTOWN. JUNIATA COUNTY. PENNA.. WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 26, 18S5.
NO. 35.
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CTCBI-D1I THOl'UHTS.
In the light or another world bow umall
Mast our petty strivings aefta ;
Ambition's that hold the soul in thrall
Ail our error's futile dream ; '
The breathlem chase for the glitter of gold
I or the bauble of wealth, heart aud spirit
sold.
In the sc iles of a higher justice weighed
The lost opportnuities claim '
Redress for the wrongs by furgeiiulneas
made.
In pursuit of the selfish aim ;
What it Ift undone niay cause previous sin.
With a life-long blight on tlie realm within.
We have left uusjKiten the chnering word :
We have kept our idle hands
From tile cordial grasp that would sound
the chord
Of a kindred soul's demands;
We hare left the lone mourner beside the
vntrii
Yet we call the Omnipotent One to save .
With t!m lawless ambitious of heart and
brain,
We can never tarry where
The Voice of the Lord to our mortal pain
jives the joy of an answered prayer ;
The bound-slave of Mammon may only
know
The fleeting bliss, and the unshared woo.
In the Hunt of another world, how great
Will the uncrowned herdea 11
The humble who aat by the rich man's
gate,
Aud i he veriest lauper, he ;
t or the cold of heart, and the uruel ees.
May not share in the souls' won paradise.
Only the u-art- reath of Mercy there.
Is the currency all divine;
And th- Love that is justice, everywhere
Knciictes th Me aud Miue ;
The passport from earth to ttie beaveuiy
land,
la a record God's AueU uuderstaud.
BONNIE.
"How could I ever imagine that you
would take my words seriously?" I ex
claim impatiently. .
"You certainly said you would like
one," cousiu loin responded, in a crest
fallen tone, his usually cheerful face a
picture of blank discomfort.
'You always was a dreadful blun
derer," I go ou, with a sigh; "but such
an obvious joke as that 1 thought even
your obtuse brain would take in."
"You are not particularly polite,'
observes Tom, over whose honest fea
tures an aniiry flush spreads for a mo
ment; "and 1 am sure, era, if you
only knew all the trouble I took to get
him and the number of scrapes lie got
me into on the voyage home, you would
confess your-lf very ungrateful,"
I make no answer, but continue star
ing stupidly at the object of our dispute
a little er?cn-eyed monkey with bright
brown eyes and' a deeply-furrowed fore
head, sittimr huddled in Tom's arms.
"lie has cost me a good deal from
first to last," continues my cousiu, in
an injured tone. "To begin, there was
the catching of him to pay for."
"What! Is he a wild monkey?" I ask
in fresh alarm.
A grim smile passes like a ray of
watery sunshine over Tom's face.
"They are rather difficult creatures
to train" tie explains; "but Bonnie is
perfectly free from vice."
1 heave a sigh of relief.
"Then his voyage, one way and an
other, cost me ten pounds; and now
there is his hotel bill," Tom winds up
complaiulngly.
"His hotel bill?" I say laughing in
spite of my dilemma.
"Yes. You see, w hen I landed at
Liverpool, I wasn't very clear what to
do with him. I couldn't very well take
him to my lodgings, and there was no
chance lor some days of finding time to
run down here, so I left him at the
Mona Hotel in Liverpool. On the day
before yesterday I wrote and told them
to send him by the first train this mor
ning, which they did. They also, by
last evening's post, sent me his bilL
See it comes to two poinds ten shil
HngsP "I don't wonder at it," is my some
what unsympathetic comment. "1 am
only astonished that they consented to
lodge him at any price. I wonder where
they kept him?"
"He was chained to the leg of the
kitchen table."
"For how long?"
"Ten days."
"Well, two pounds ten Is rather a
heavy charge for that accommodation,
1 admit.
"He is a clever little fellow arent
you, Bonnie?" Bonnie answers by a
blink of his eyelids. "And I am sure.
Vera, when you get to know him, you
will be awfully fond ot him; you were
alwavs so devoted to pets."
p'ets yes," I admit doubtfully.
"But do you call that thing a pet?''
Tom is beginning to get huffy.
"Of course, if you won't have him
you wont," he says sharply; "but I
must say that your conduct strikes me
as being a trifle capricious. The very
last words you said to me before I left
England were, 'mind and bring me
home a monkey!' Well, at no small
trouble to myself I procured a monkey,
and with still more trouble I brought
ithome;andnowallyou can do is to
sit there and abuse the both or us.
The case is a hard oue, even I, with
the facts thus thrust before me, am
obliged to admit. It has been brought
about by Tom's stupidity, of course.
In an ungarded moment, with an over
flow of unladylike animal spirits, when
Tom had asked me, in a slightly lacka
daisical tone. "Shall I bring you any
thing from Indiar" I ha answered
jocosely, ' Oh, do bring me a monkey!
WelL Tom blundering, good natured
Tom -had taken my small joke au
serieux: and there he sits m the June
suXne with that awful little brown
object in his arms. Of course I shall
never joke again; but that does not
alter existing circumstances.
Did I not know my cousin s disposi
tion thoroughly, I hould suspect him
of having revenged himself for my par
ting impertinence by a P"
but no-only stolid, unselusn good
nature has impelled him to comply wrth
my unfortunate request. As tnese
tiioughts rush through my mind 1 . be
gin to feel sorry for Tom and his dis
appointment; at the same time I feel a
good deal more sorry for myself. Only
one loop-hole of escape can I see.
"I think he is very baads-ime-for a
inoukev " I say, in a conciliatory way.
"Doffiou think, Tom, they wouM be
delighted to have him at the-tbe
as.eood-bye to my hope! TonVs
lace suddenly clouds again; he is quite
Do jou think I lave gone to all
this trouble and expense merely to pre
sent htm to the Zoo?" he cries angrily.
"Besides, I have grown fond of the
poor little beast-layingbsUn.bro-ed
hand caressingly upon the 1 toy J head
-"and look here, Vera-if you won't
have him"-savagely-"I have quite
determined what to do with him.
"What?" I ask eagerly, with a re
flicktring of my lost hope.
I'll load my gun, let him free, and
shoot him," answers Tom doggedly
"Oh. don't!" I sav helnli,,
But I know that Tom is in earnest.
Hw heart is warm and soft as a wo
man a; out, me idea once entertained
that Bonnie would be better dead than
handed over to strangers, there is no
hoi of his determination wavering.
"J ust say will you have him or not?"
he asks stiffly.
"I suppose I must!-' is my ungracious
answer.
"Not at all; if you would rather not
you have only to say so. 1 am a fair
shot, so the little brute wont suffer."
Just then Bonnie's small bright eye
uncloses, and for a moment he looks
up at his master with a glance which is
almost pathetic. Apparently it has no
affect on Tom; with me however it is
ainereut. -"Poor
littlethluz it would be brutal
to kill it!" I say impatiently. "I'll ac
cept it, Tom only where in the wide
world am 1 to keep it?"
"Ah, I knewyou would come round!"
Tom declares, all the stiffness dying out
of his manner as if by magic I have
ordered a first-class cage eight feet
by six and it will be here this evening.
Bonnie, my boy, you are the happiest
monkey out of India!"
The little creature does not appear
inclined to receive my overtures in a
friendly manner at first, but thrusts at
me in a wilful and fretful way with its
tiny black hands. On being bribed
with a piece of cake however, be
snatches at it eagerly aud begins to
cram lie pouches, recklessly scattering
such pot lions as do not tempt his daintv
palate o.i to the carjet. Then, with a
little coaxing, he is Induced to leave
Tom's sheltering arms, and, after hop
ping about in an aimless way for some
time at the end of his chain, he climbs
up the leg of my chair and into my lap,
jabbing slightly and working his fore
head up and down as if in fear. A few
minutes later be is sound asleep that
is, as sound asleep as a monkey can be,
for it is my belief they never quite lose
consciousness. On the least, and to
human ears almost imperceptible, stir
the brown eyes would open wide, on
the look-out for danger.
"I believe they have nearly teased
the life out of him on the journey
down," explains Tom. "He came in
the guard's van."
And indeed the poor thing does seem
overcome with fatigue and fear. Every
now and again he opens his eyes with a
start; then, finding that all is right,
smacks his lips nervously and settles to
rest again. His little red cloak is rag
ged and torn, whilst the hood that
should fit over his head hangs round
his neck, and is kept there by a dirty
knotted piece of braid. He has a deep
scratch on his little flat nose and another
on oue of his hands. He looks like a
monkey that has been at war with the
world, and still more oes he look as is
the world has been at war with him.
"Poor Bonnie!" 1 say, with a genuine
sigh.
Then, being deplorably ignorant as
to the habits and customs of monkevs,
I ask for and receive instructions re
sisting the treatment of this new in
mate of our household.
A little later Tom proceeds to give
me a detailed account of the accom
plishments of my new pet, alter listen
ing to which, I regard him with a little
less alarm than I did on his first arri
val. He is such a mite of a thing not
much larger than a kitten that he
surely cannot do a great deal of barm!
"I dare say I shall get used to him
In time," is my unsuspecting remark;
"but, Tom, I don't know what iapa
will say, or whether he will even allow
me to keep it."
At this Tom breaks into a long and
and uproarious fit of laughter.
"Well done. Vera; nothing like leav
ing open a door by which to escape from
your contract! But mind I know un
cle, and, as I am perfectly couvinced
that you would be allowed to keep a
tame elephant should you express a
desire to do so, a plea of his dislike to
Bonnie won't serve you much."
"Indeed papa is not so weakly in
dulgent as you seem to imagine," I an
swer with a fair assumption of dignity.
Tom shrugs his shoulders in an un
believing way, but does not contradict
me.
'You will have a chance of seeing
papa at dinner," I continue more gra
ciously, "for of course you can't leave
me until the cage arrives."
Tom assents and then we stroll out
into the garden, Bonnie-following, like
a well conducted monkey at the end of
his chain.
Apparently he approves of his iew
home aud new mistress, for onco or
twice he gives a contented little gruut.
He hunts vigorously for something
wherewith to fill his pouches, and soon
his small face assumes aswelled appear
ance, very irregular in outline, by rea
son of sticks and twigs with which his
cheeks are crammed. It is reassuring
to be told that he will not voluntarily
eat things which are not likely to disa
gree with him.
Ou papa's return from towu, I get
not a grain of the sympathy I have
reckoned on. lie declares i am r;gnt
ly caught for saying what I did not
mean. He slaps Tom on the back and
expresses his delight at seeing him
indeed he seems so full of Tom that the
monkey is of no account in his eyes;
whilst it may be ungrateful, but I
cannot help it the little creature
weighs so heavily ou my mind that I
cannot appreciate Tom.
Bonnie allays some of my fears by
behaving irreproachfully on the first
evening of his arrival. With the ex
ception of a firmly-marked determina
tion to sit on thedinine room- hob, the
fire being low, nis conduct Demg exem
niarv. The caee makes its appearance
about nine, and is conveyed to the
kitchen, where, alter a soarp dispute
with the cook, it Is established. Bonnie
ia then consigned to his house, and an
old shawl is given him for bed-clothes
Even whilst we are paaiocamgiueaoor
ho hu enveloped his head in the folds
of the shawl and is sound asleep in the
corner of his cage.
w
tw months have passed since that
morning in June when Tom introduced
Bonnie to our family circle. Tom has
t tn India, and a wish some
times haunts me that he had taken
Bonnie witn mm.- xet x
tnA nf th little creature, but the re-
sponsibility of possessing such an imp
of mischief is never off my mind. It
seems to me mat. jjouuhs uc ik
his caee unless so inclined and, alas,
iL S often inclined! The servants
are afraid of him. and to ensure his
freedom for tne any ue v
a dart for the scullery-maid wnen she
? ",.ir nut his caw in the morning
Ifor on at liberty, there is not much
""tf gSSX fA entertained .
greater hatred for him than anybody
else. I have seen him stand shaking
ui ust iu uupoteui wratn wniist Bon
nie niied his pouche with Deach bios
som and playfully pelted his enemy
with the same. Ouce, worked into a
state of frenzy, he attemuted to drive
the monkey away with a handful of
gravel. Bonnie accepted the challenge
auu, nopping on to the neighboring vi
nery, armed himself with some loose
bricks from the chimney; his strength
tailing wnen he hurled them at the
gardener; they fell short and smashed
tue vinery roof.
"Ihree-pound-five-worth of glass
he've a-sma-hed in five minutes, and
all them grapes a-sooiled for this sea-
son!" remarked Diggs, with a kiud of
grim satisfaction.
tvenifhehad confined himself to
our own establishment, it would not
nave been so bad: but no Bonnie was
inflicted with an insatiable curiosity
respectim our neighbors, and that cu
riosity he would satisfy. One day old
ansa u ranger, on entering her beu
room, was startled to find a little brown
object squatted on her dressing-table,
and carefully turning over the contents
of the box In which she kept her Lest
lies, un her entrance, he made off.
dragging her most brilliant scarf be
hind him. 1 ar from being annoyed.
the dear old lady seemed so delighted at
nis enterprise that she- made him a
handsome little blue velvet coat, and
sent it to him with her comoliiueuts.
However, all neighbors tci iioi so
obliging. -
r
It is a sultry morning in August.and
I am sitting wilh the drawing-room
windows Tide opeu, to catch any faint
breeze that may be stirrintr. Without
the scene is dazzling combination of
bright blue sky and emerald earth.
Within, I have somewhat subdued the
glare by drawing down two out of the
three window-blinds. The day Is too in
tensely hot for my usu.U euergetic mor
ning practice, so 1 am trying over a
new song, in a very lackadaisical m.in
ner, when a faint "Miaw!" catches my
far.
An exclamation of impatience breaks
from my lips as, turning, I perceive
Bonnie majestically ctossiug the hearth
rug, with a wicked smile on his face
and my poor little Persian pussy's tail
firmly clasped in his small black hand.
Poor pussy is only a month old, and to
tally unable to defend herself Bonnie
the coward, stands n wholesome dread
of mother puss, and it is only when he
finds her offspring unprotected that be
dares lay his long profane fingers upon
her. At the present moment he is jab
bing with g'ee as the kitten performs
her painful backward walk.
In a moment I am on the rug; but
Bonnie is too sharp for me. He h;ts
made his escajw through the open win
dow, still retaining hold of the kittens
tail. He meets his match however on
the lawn, wheie madam puss, attracted
by the cries of her little one, makes a
curious onslaughter. Bonnie does not
stop long to test the sharpness of her
claws, but, leaving his prey, swings
himself into a tree, where he sits aud
jablwrs out his indignation, the picture
of injured innocence. Knowing how
utterly futile all efforts to catch him in
varibly prove, I hurry indoors and
sound the alarm.
Five minutes later every window is
closed ; aud to must they remain through
the broiling heat of the long summer
day. Xexi I hurry away to the greenhouse-,
where, with a certain amount
of dread, I announce the fact that
"Bonnie Is loose" to our gardner. .Fi
nally I return to the lawn, with some
misty hope of decoying Bonnie to bis
capture. Nut at all! There is his
lordship slowly swinging himself from
window-ledge to window-ledge making
diabolical grimaces as be finds each
casement barred against him.
Knowing bis weakness tor sweet bis
cuits, I procure some and hold them
out in au enticing manner. Bonnie
advances cautiously and snatches the
coveted morsal from my hand, then,
retiring, sits and devours it, in anon
chaleut manner, on the high branch of
a tree. At length I am fain to give up
in despair, and decide on watching him
and, if KissibIe, keeping him out of
mischief. So, procuring a book. I seat
myself in the shade of a great elm-tree
where I can read and at the same time
keep my eye on Bonnie; but, as the old
rhyme says
"One ruing at a time, and tUaC done well.
Is a Tt-ry good role as many can teu.'
My book is interesting no, "interest
ing" is not the word it is entrancing.
For the first ten minutes I glance up at
the end of evey few lines, then at every
half-page. Bonnie is swinging from
biaiu-h to branch overhead; seemingly
he has no thought of roaming. I glance
up whenever I turn a page. Just a
few lines over the page this time, down
to the end of the paragraph now where
is Bonnie? Where indeed? Xot in
the tree overhead, or in ai:y of the sur
rounding trees, or ou the roof, or
amidst the flower-beds Bonnie is . no
where visible. He must, impelled bv
greed, have made his way to the kitchen-garden;
if so, he will be back
ah'.ii directly. It is .not everywhere
lo day, and I am sure Bonnie will find
the kitchen-garden too hot even for his
eastern constitution. Consoled by this
reflection. 1 continue my retding and
calinlv await his return.
Bine!
The book drops out of my hand, and
my heart gives one heavy thump. Who
can have fired off a gun so near? Can
it any way concern Bonnie? Xo; the
gardeners did not harm him, since he
is my pet. Trobably the report of fire
arms will bring him back to my side in
an agony of trembling fear; in the
meantime I resume my reading.
Presently a shadow falls athwart the
sunny lawn, and, raising my eyes for a
moment to ascertain the cause, a cry
escapes me forslowlyadvancing comes
a man dressed in light gray tweed who
bears in his arms the still form of lit
tle Bonnie.
In an instant I am beside him, and
what remains of my pet has been band
ed over to me. As I look down and
see that the brown eyes are claimed, as
I feel the tiny form stiffening in my
clasp, a sob breaks from me.
"I am awfully sorry," says a deep
voice. "My sister thought it was youis
The only reparation I can make for the
mischief I have done is to offer an
apology:"
I pay no heed to bis words, my whole
attention is given to Bonnie.
"Is he quite dead?" I ask, striving
to hope against hope. "Can nothing
be done for him?"
"Nothing bis death was Instantane
ous," answers the man. "See!" and
he makes as though to open the stained
coat and show me the wound.
"Don't!" I say impatiently; and then
I turn away for a few moments that he
may not see me; after whkh I ait down
again under the tree and lay Bonnie
tenderly on my knees. 9
It is only by making a desperate ef
fort that I can refrain from weeping
aloud. Fortunately the man in gray
has his back towards me, and is appa
rently criticising the architecture of my
home. When I feel that my voiee can
be heard without any perceptible, trem
or I ask
"How did It happen?"
"I shot it."
"You shot it!" I echo, in amazement
and scorn; then I continue, not even
trying to hide my contempt, "What
right have you to handle a gun if you
don't know how to use one:"'
There is a faint smile on his face as
he answers humbly
"Alas, Miss Hammond, it was no ac
cident! I shot your monkey on pur
pose,"
I stare at him blankly, almost think
ing be must be a Utile wrootr iu his
head; but no he looks perfectly sane.
Then my indignation breaks forth.
"Then you are no gentleman, and
coward to boot," I exclaim angrily, 4-to
shoot a poor little harmless creature
that had never in any wayinjured you!"
"Oue moment, please, for explana
tion," he interrupts quite calmly and
politely my angry wotds seem to have
fallen short of their aim.
"Well?" I say, still rather defiantly.
feeling that no explanation can calm
the WTath within me.
"In the first place I did not know
that he was yours."
"That does not alter the fact that
you killed Bonnie," I retort bitterly.
"The act is the same, no matter to
whom he Monged."
"Secondly," coutiuues Bonnie's mur
derer, ignoring my remark, "he stole
five hundred pounds, aud 1 had to shoot
him in self defence to get my projrty
oacK.''
"People have no right to leave their
money about in that careless fashion,"
I assert; ''besides, unless it was in
notes" my voice is faltering "I don't
see how he could have taken five bun
dred pounds."
"lie took it in the easiest form he
could carry it diamonds," my com
panion explains. '-My sister is going
to be married next month, and I went
up to town yesterday and purchased
her wedding-present, a set of diamonds.
This morning, wishing her to see my
gift at its best, I opened the cases and
placed them, in the lull blaze of the
sunshine, ou the library-table. I left
tne room for a moment to fetch my
sister, and, when I returned, what
should I see but the monkey" point
ing rather indignantly towards my lap
"with the diamond neckless in his
grasp, making his escape through the
open window!"
"How could you expect him to re
sist it?" I ask tearfully.
"I did not expect him at all," an
swers my companion. "How was I to
know that you kept a monkey which
you let run at large? For all I knew
he might have been au animal trained
by burglars to help them in their work.
He made off across the lawn at express
speed: and perhaps even you will ad
mit that It is not pleasant to watch five
hundred pounds vanish out of sight
without an effort to stop the thief. My
gun was handy, and I used it."
"Poor little Bonnie, poor little Bon
nier I weep.
"I am exceedingly sorry to have
caused you so much distress,'' continues
the man in gray. "Had 1 known that
the monkey belonged to any one near,
I might simply have followed it home
as it is, I can only tender a sincere ap
ology, which I hope yon will accept.
Miss Hammond."
The latter part of the sentence is ut
tered in an interrogative way, but I
make no reply to it I feel that I can
not forgive him.
Fortunately at this moment my fath
er emerges from his study by way of
the t rench window, and advances to
wards us across the lawn.
"Do my eyes deceive me, or am I
gazing at Jack Fairlough in the flesh?"
he asks in his iovial voice.
My companion turns, with a start.
and there follows a decidedly friendly
greeting between the two. r or some
moments I am forgotten, and I avail
myself of these few seconds to deter
mine that nothing shall ever Induce
me to be more than distantly civil to
Bonnie's murderer, no matter bow pax
tial pipa my be to him.
"Ah, by-the-way, this "is my daugh
ter Vera!" says my father, wheeling
round suddenly aud indicating me with
a nod. "But" doubtfully "I think
you were talking when I came up?"
"Yes; I have just made Mr. Fair
lough's acquaintance," I say, with cut
ting meaning iu my tone
Mr. Fairlough stares at me iua hope
less kind of a way. he evidently thinks
me an unreasonable girl a girl with a
temper.
"I have had the misfortune to intro
duce myself in a most disastrous way
to your daughter," he says, with a
slight bow in my direction. "I have
kilie i her pet monkey;" aud he points
to Bonnie still lying on my knees.
"My dear fellow," my father beglus
eagerly clasping his friend's hand, "you
couldn't have conferred a greater boon
on the household; that monkey has
been the plague of my life for the past
two mouths!"
"Papa, how can you?" is my indig
nant exclamation; and then, gathering
up my pet, I rise, deciding in my own
mind that such cold-blooded persons
are not fit associates for me.
My father gives a low expressive
whistle.
"Here, Vera!" he calls, as I begin to
move away.
l es, papa." I make answer.
"Look here, child nevermind about
the monkey, poor little brute he is out
of his troubles now."
"Yes," I allow, with a meaning look
t Mr. Fairlough.
"And see here, Vera" as I am again
turning "I read in a natural history
yesterday that monkeys sometimes live
to a hundred and fifty "
"Xot iu this neighborhood is my re
sponse; and then, as apa makes no
further effort to detain me, I enter the
house and retire to my bed-room, where
having shed a few sorrowful tears over
Bonnie, I take up my post at the win
dow which overlooks the lawn, and
whence I can watch the movements of
the enemy. Papa has a way of taking
desperate fancies to people, though this
Mr. Fait lough is apparently au old
friend, i have a presentiment that he
may be about to ask Bonnie's murderer
into the bouse. No; they walk away,
laughing and talking, in the direction
of the plantations which lie, I presume,
near Mr. Fairlough 's home.
In the evening I bury Bonnie under
my pet moss rose-tree, and plant bis
grave with forget-me-nots.
Two more months pass away, and
Mr Fairlough lingers on in our neigh
borhood indeed papa openly rejoices
over the fact that he is likely to settle
down amongst us for good aud aye. He
is occupied by some mysterious busi
ness which takes him up to London
three days each week; for our Tillage is
at a convenient distance from Londou '
only twenty miles. j
It is certainly provoking that he
should select the very spot on this wide
earth which we inhabit. What can be
more awkward than to be continually!
meeting a person in society for whom
one entertains a deadly animosity, and !
yet whose position demands for him a
certain amount of civility? I suppose
It is no great wonder that my father
develops a liking for my enemy, be is
certainly far superior to the ordinary !
run of men in fact, were it not for bis
brutal treatment of poor Bonnie, I
should doubtless think him delightful. I
As it is, I have occasionally to wear a
few flowers from Bonnie's grave when j
1 am likely to meet him. They always j
act as a reminder, and quite prevent ,
me from overstepping the "frigidly po
He" in my manner towards him. Aunt
Ellen, papa's sister, fortunately comes (
on a long visit, so that there is no need ,
of mv exerting myself in any way for
Mr. Fairlough 's entertainment. !
Iu October we gve our first large din- j
ner-party. For my own part I think
dirner parties a dreadful nuisance: but
both papa and Aunt Ellen approve of j
them, and doubtless they are amongst
the necessary evils of this life.
Of course Mr. Fairlough isone of the '
guests. No matter what entertain-1
uient we give, it seems to me be 's first '
on the list. I gather the last forget-me-1
nots on Bonnie's grave, and very puny, !
withered specimens they are. What i
matter? 1 fasten them in with their 1
hothouse brethren, as a talisman, aud '
then 1 face the enemy, feeling safely, j
"Are you gomg to sing for us?" Mr. ;
Fairlough asks, coming over to my j
side, shortly after he laves the dining
room. j
"I really don't know; I may," I an
swer coldly. j
"I suppose there would not be the
slightest use of my asking you?"
This he says interrogatively, and ;
with a certain amount of indifference ;
in his tone. j
I make no direct answer, but remark ;
mildly on the heat Of the drawing-'
room.
"Do you find it warm? You seem as '
cool as usual," be replies, with just the j
slightest meaning in his voice. Then
he looks at me for a few momenta cu
riously, and adds half . smilingly, "I
wonder will you ever forgive me that '
unlucky shot?"
"Poor Bonnie!" I murmur.
He turns aside his head for a sec-!
ond, aud I catch, or fancy I catch, the .
words "little brute!" muttered from '
under his moustache.
"You planted his grave with forget-me-nots,
didn't you?" he continues in
a bantering tone, and with a lurking 1
smile on the corners of his mouth. 1
"I did, though there was little need
to do so. I am not likely to forget the j
partiug present of poor cousin Tom." ,
He turus round sharply, without the 1
ghost of a smile on his faoe now. !
"I beg your pardon your cousin.
"My cousin Tom!" I reiterate hotly.
"He brought me Bonnie all the way
f'oiu India, at immense inconveniences
and great expense; no wonder that I
valued him!"
"True; no wonder that you valued
lain!" echoes Mr. Fairlough; and then
he crosses the room to Aunt Helen,
aud 1 Sieak no more with him that
evening.
I think it would have been only po
lite bad he asked me to sing, after men
tioning the subject.
After that dinner-party we see less
of Mr. Fairlough for some time, and,
when he does by chance look in, be is
far less cheery than of old. My father
declares that he is getting unsettled,
and predicts that he will shortly return
to t ie land where he amassed his wealth
namely South Africa.
The winter comes down swiftly upon
us, and I coax my father into letting
me give a dance. This being the first
entertainment given to my own liking
since my return from school, the event
ful evening finds me naturally in a
buoyant spirits. 1 am good-temiered
with everybody, even with Mr. Fair
lough, when, after a delightful vaise
his most inveterate enemies must ad
mit that he dances well we find our
selves alone in the hall, where a few
seats have been placed for weary dan
cers. "I hardly expected you wou!d dance
with me when I asked you," he says,
in a low tone, glancing at me with a
half-smile In his eyes.
"I could not refuse to dance ith a
guest in my father's house," 1 answer
with no thought or ungraciousness, but
merely to give him to understand that
there is nothing particular in my hav
ing accepted him as a partner.
Thank you," he answers stiffly; aud
then he is turning away, when I
falter
"Mr. Fairlough!"
"Yes?" he questious, returning to
my side.
"I did not mean to be rude."
He looks down at me so strangely;
aud then Well, there Is not the
slightest reason for putting down what
he said next it cannot possibly concern
anybody. But this much I must admit
just for the sake of truth and consis
tency we did not leave the nail for
fully ten minutes after he came back
to my side, and, wheu we did, I bad
promised to become the wife of Bon
nie's murder r.
1 thought I should never lay that
little beggar's ghost," says Jack irrev
erently, as we prepare to leave the hall.
1 es 1 feel a most dreadful traitor,"
I answer with a sigh; but you see the
snow is on the ground now, and last
sumratr seems so very far away." This
sounds in my own ears as a sort of ap
ology for my fickleness.
"1 dont think I should have got quite
so desperate, or have meditated South
Arrica again, had 1 known that ttoa
nie was my only rival."
' by, who else could have been I
ask iu amazement.
"I dreaded a far more formidable
rival cousin Tom."
The idea of falling in love with cous
iu Tom seems to me an excellent Joke;
and I cannot help laughing as I ex
plain to Jack that Tom has for the past
six weeks been married to an old school
fellow of mine who is now residing in
India.
So I am engaged to Jack Fairloueli.
and on my finger there flashes an em
blematic diamond forget-me-not, whilst
the withered summer flowers on Bon
nie's grave serve to remind me that
Cousin Tom's present was not altogether
an unlucky one.
Never present a gift saying tbat It is
of lo nae to yourself.
in. oray Decrar cnaji tit Gi-mh.
A gray parrot with a red tad stood
on the top of bis cage and loudly ex
pressed a desire for crackers, while the
bird fancier pointed to him and talked
to the customer.
"That's the bird for you, sir," he said.
"He knows as much as an ordinary
child already, and he's only a year old.
Why, he can say anything that he hears,
and can bark like a dog in addition."
"Dog," repeated the parrot gravely:
"Bow wow wow."
"He is an African parrot," the bird
fancier continued, "as intelligent as
any I ever saw."
A green parrot wilh a yellow head
caught the eye of the customer, aud he
said be liked its appearance better than
that of the gray parrot, and he bought
It.
('lie made a mistake," said the bird
fancier after the customer had gone.
"But 1 always find it more profitable to
let people have their own way. Now
there is no comparison between these
two birds. The green parrot can't hold
a candle to the gray. I'll guarantee
that the gray one will learn anything.
1 don't care what it la. He picks up
anything that he hears, and remembers
it too."
A little girl interrupted the bird-fancier
by asking for ten cents' worth ot
bird seed.
"(jive it to her quick," remarked the
gray parrot. Then he looked severely
at the little girl and said, "Mary Ann,
I'll tell your ma."
"African parrots," the bird-fane'er
continued, after the girl had gone out,
"are the cleverest of all the parrots, and
there are close to four hundred varie
ties of them. Their memory is some
thing wonderful, and I dont believe
that they ever forget a senteuce ouce
learned. They can pronounce the
hardest words, not only in the Euirlisii
language, but in other languages. An
African parrct learns very quickly, too,
and if you devote a little time to him
every day you would be surprised to
see how quickly he would get along.
Some of them are very amusing at
times. I remember having sold a
splendid bird to an old lady, who had
several daughters who were not very
early risers, and gave the good old lady
a great deal of trouble on that account.
About 7 o'clock every morning she u-ed
to go to the foot of the stairwav and
call, 'Maria, Louisa, Carrie, get up.'
The girls did not mind it very much,
and used to sleep on until 'J or 10
o'clock
"We'll, after the old lady bought the
parrot, she hung its cage In the hall
way ,acd, as the parrot was very tame,
the cage door was left open. The girls
said that it was a dear bird,' aud were
very much pleased with it indeed. They
fed it apples, and everything else they
had handy, and wheu they went to
bed they confided to each other that the
new parrot was indeed a pet- At 7
o'clock the next morning the old lady
went to the foot Of the stairs and called
the girls as usual. The gray iiarrot,
which bad watched her with interest
and listened attentively to all she had
to say, thought he would try his hand
at calling the girls, after the old lady
had gone back to the dining room. So,
imitating her voice, he called:
"Maria, Louisa, Carrie, get up.'
As they didn't he thought they
might not have heard him, so he kept
on calling until the girls came down
stairs. After tbat be called them every
morning, and they couldn't sleep a
wink after 7 o'clock, and the old lady
was as pleased as she could be. The
girls, however, got tired after a while
of losing their morning naps, and so
one night before going to bed they put
the parrot in his cage, shut the door,
and then put the cage down in the cel
lar. In the night the rats killed the
parrot, and the girls were glad, although
they said they were not.
"One of the stroi gest characteristics
of the African parrot is his jealous dis
position. He can't bear to see any at
tention shown to any other pet, aud if
he does he often gels into a rage. A
lady friend of mine had a parrot of
which she thought the world, and she
used to feed it herself every day.
Well, when she got a little son the baby
claimed a good deal of attention, and
the bird was neglected. He bad not
seen his mistress for nearly two months,
and when she came into the room w here
he was he was very glad indeed, and faid
all the friendly things he could remember
nut il li a i rli t aichf rf tfm tiulkV In f Iim
lady's arms. Then he got very angry, )
and flew at the baby, and continued to
do so every time he got a chance. The !
lady had to give the bird away.
"The African parrot," the bird -fancier
went on, ''comes from the west
coast of Africa. The natives steal the
young ones from the nests ai d catch
the old ones in traps. They are bought
chiefly by the captains of trading ves
sels, who bring them to this country.
As the trip is a long one, they learn
a good deal from the sailors on the way
over, and often pick up a choice stock
of profanity while on shipboard. The
parrots that come from Mexico are next
to the African parrots in Intelligence,
They are green, with a pale orange
forehead andscarlet-tipped wings. They
are very tame, and readily learn to
sing. But although they are tame,
they are able to take care of themselves.
A cat killed several song birds at my
house one night. There was a parrot in
the room, but be was all safe. The cat
came around after the parrot the next
night. I was awakened by hearing a
great noise. I went down stairs. The
parrot was shoucing 'Pretty Pol, Pretty
Pol'' I struck a light, and then saw the
parrot with his feathers all ru filed and
spattered with blood. He was all right,
though, and had put out the cat's eye
with his beak.
Russian Literary Censors.
In order to prevent theu books from
being stopped at the Russian frontier,
or even wholly confiscated, Oerman
authors are now obliged to submit all
their proof-sheets to the red pencil of
the Russian censor. And the Russian
censor, from whom there ia no appeal,
is as arbitrary as a divinity. Recently
a new German novel, which contained
a description of a Russian general's
tent during the Tnrco-Rasssian war,
waa returned to its author mutilated
almost beyond recognition. Among
other things which offended the Rus
sian censor was a statement tbat in the
officer's tent above referred to was bnng
the picture of a pretty actress. The
German noTeiAt wrote to the official
declairng that the description was true,
that the fact was historloal. The Rus
sian censor deigned to reply, "Nothing
k history which ia not published in tb
official journal."
Brazil baa still 1,000,000 slaves.
I
Vl.lt to an Atrlemm Klc
1 Writes an Euglish writer: We deter
mined first to go and pay Maukoroane.
the chief or King of the trilie, a v1.-it.
whose place we found without ditnViiltv
a common, large hut, made of mm!
plastered together with brushwood and
reeds, and coarsely thatched on the
roof. The eaves projected over the
walls about three feet, so that a veran
da was formed around the hut. The
entrance was through a yard which sur
rounded the hut. with a wall of brush-w-(ol
seven feet high. There was only
one doorway, into which we entered on
a s: ii. lh yard of red clay.
Here, with their backs to the wall
sat some men, probably the kind's body
guard. They were all more or less
dressed, having trousers patched witk
every conceivable color and material,
some with haU, others with old gov
ernment hemlets. The inside of the
hut was lined with grey ciay bearim,
quaint figures and devices.
)pposite the door and close to the m
side wH lay a man on a couch with a
folded-up shawl under his head. !
l ad on a red flannel shirt, bine coat
very old cord trousers, and lio its with
cloth tops, but no socks. lie was tli -
king. At his head sat another person,
the queen, sitting like a tailor, naked
to the waist. She had a quantity of
beads round her neck, of different col
ors, from which hung charms aud such
useful articles as keys, i be king was
sound asleep, but the queen and at
tendants were wide awake. K und
a 'ainst the wall sat his two princesses,
or daughters. Then two meu smoking.
Not one of them took the slightest no-
lice of us.
At last I addressed the queen, and
w ished her all the compliments of the
s -ason. All then began to talk, except
the king, who was still asleep. To keep
them company I took up the chorus of
an old soug. They seenied delighted at
tii is, so I gave it to them again, laugh
ing violently all the time, my friend im
ploring me to keep quiet lest I should
wake the king aud incur his wrath; but
he did not awake. We then offered the
queen cigarettes, and the princesses and
the two men. Ihe nearest princess
chewed her cigarette. After sittiiik!
most of an hour we got up to go and I
nearly fell over a black baby lying on
the floor, which yelled and woke the
king. Up he jumped and greeted us
most warmly, shaking hands and ask
ing for "bacco" and also"shillin."
I gave him a cigarette, which he
forthwith lit up, imploring tne to give
him a shilling. 1 took out my purv
aud turned it upside down, and out
dropped a piece of money, for which the
princess, the queen and the courtiers
scrambled. One of the princesses secur
ed it and held it up, laughing. Wt
theu left saying. "Good- .ye."
MjMIc Bella.
W. C. Prune, in his "Tent Life,"
mentions his listening to the chimes oi
Trinity Church, New York, distinctly
heard by him while sailing on the Nile.
The Nme beautiful phenomenon of
nrngled memory and fancy Mr. Kmg
Ltke, in his "Eothen," records of his
own experience while sweltering on
cauiel-back through the torrid heats of
the Arabian Desert.
"The sun, grow ing fiercer and fiercer,
shone down more mightily now than
ever, and as I dropped' my head under
his fire and closed my eyes against the
glare that surrounded me I slowly fell
asleep, for how many minutes or
moments I cannot tell, but after
awhile I was gently awakened by a
peal of church lells my native bells
the innoceHt bells of Marlen, that
never before seut forth their music
lieyond the Blaygon hills.
My first idea naturally was that I
still remained fast under the power of!
a dream. I roused myself and drew
aside the silk that covered my eyes,
and plunged my bare face into the
light. Then at least I was well enough
aw.ikene I, but still those old Marten
bells rung on, not ringing for joy, but
properly, prosily, steadily ringing "for
church,"
. After a while the sound died away
slowly. It happened that neither I
nor any of my party had a watch by
which to measure the exact time of it
lasting, but it seemed to me that about
ten minutes had passed before the bells
ceased.
1 attributed the effect to the great
heat of the sun, the erfect dryness of
the air through which I moved, aud the
deep stillness of all around me. It
seemed to me that these causes by
occasioning a great tension and con
sequent susceptibility of the hearing
organs, had rendered them ltal.le to
tingle under the passing bines of sonie
mere memory, that must have swept
across uiy brain in a moment of sl.-t-p.
Since my return to England it has
been told-me that like sounds have
been heard at sea, and that the sailor
becalmed under a vertical son in the
midst of the wide ocean, has listened
in trembling wonder to the chime of
his own village bells.
But the most curious part comes iu
when the author adds that he discov
ered upon reference to his journal that
it was Sunday, and allowing for the
difference of longitude, those "church
going bells" might have been really
rinsing at the very time he heard them.
He pronounces the whole an "illu
siou," of course, but frankly says: "It
would have been sweeter to believe
that my kneeling mothr, by some
pious enchantment, had asked and
found this spell to rouse me from my
scandalous forget fulness of God's holy
day. "
rl-KoIa.
Pistols were said to be invented at
Pitora, Tuscany, in Italy, by Camillo
Vitelli, from which place they were
brought to England in 1520, and were
first used by t'.-e cavalry tf England
about 1544. Specimens of these early
firearms may be seen at the Tower of
Loudon. They are of rude construc-
. . i. .1 i .... I, . ..4 k.
lighted match, were succeeded by a I
wheel-lock, and then a flint. The cav-1
airy of the present day are armed with
revolvers, generally of the Colt pattern,
made by machinery, at the Goverment J
factory at Enfield. An early model of
the revolver may be seen in the museum j
of the United Service Institution, and
is supposed to date from the reign of
Charles L An eight-chambered match
lock revolver of the ltith century is also
to be seen in the Royal Artlhery Mu
seum, Woolwich.
There are now 11,000 miles of sub
marine cable stretching under the
ocean, although it ia less than thirty
years since the first ocean cable waa
ii '
NEWS IN BRIEF.
The Pacific coast is solid in silver.
Cortez conquereJ Mexico with 134
men.
Camp meetirgs crigiiiated in Ken
tucky. In harness a man has lifted 3,500
pounds.
The nutmeg tree flourishes near the
equator.
Horses trot best when the tempera
ture is S0.
Lightning kills 100 Frenchmen
every year.
Hobart Pasha has returued to the
English navy.
Jersey City is to have two mounted
letter carriers.
Street car tickets have been abol
ished in Boston.
Old St. Louis families use neeroes
as pail-bearers.
The Koraks are the wealthiest deer
owners in Sdieria.
Like the grave of Moses, that of
Mozart is unknown.
The numlier of plants used l.v man
does not exceed 3,000.
The Euglish language is taught iu
tf),000 schools in Japan.
Georgia has become as much a tem
perance State as Maine.
Denver is losing population and bus
iness is nearly stagnant.
The cholera in Spain is undoubtedly
spreading into new districts.
One Lynn, Mass.. shoe mauufactu-
ter turus out ti.OOO pairs daily.
Another electrical exhibition U
be held in Paris next spring.
Herring have sold in Baltimore this
season at nfty cents per l.OOu.
July Is one of the finest moutlis of
the year for the s-tudy of stars.
Harvard's next frtshman class will
1 the largest ever matriculated.
Only ten tunes were known in New
England in the first ninety years.
Kerosene oil has driven cocoanut
.-il wholly out of use in Zanzibar.
There is said to be ouly one book to
every 10,000 inhabitants in Russia.
The grasshopper plague Is assuming
alarming proportions iu California.
Genuine "Feriuue" tobacco can
ouly be grown in St. James Pariah, La.
There are 500 geysers and 500 hot
springs in the Yellowstone National
Park.
Four millions of false teeth are
manufactured in this country every
year.
fn Ecuador breakfast rolls are used
for making change.as there are no small
coins.
West India couch shells sell for
twenty-five cents a pair for parlor orna
ments. John Bright thinks Europe is
marching toward war,.devasiatiou aud
disaster.
The most cooling drink, if one will
wait five minutes for the effect, is said
to be hot tea.
On September 3, Hiiighaui, Mass.,
will celebrate the 250th auniversarv of
its settlement.
Four well equipped expeditions are
to leave Germany next fall for North
Pole bunting.
It Is reported that Russia is to have
a new gold coin of the value of one
pound sterling.
Lightning struck a Chinaman in
Montana and changed his complexion
from yellow to biack.
An American Philistine has built
himself a house on the topmost peak of
Biblical Mount Carmel.
The free delivery system is in oper
ation in 15'J cities iu the United States,
employing 3,S'J0 carriers.
A process has beeu patented for
making imitation maple sugar out of
glucose and hickory bark.
The palace which the city of Mar
seilles presented to Napoleon III Is now
used as a cholera hospital.
A sunflowei over 10 feet in height
aud full of flowers is growing in a yard
on Blair street, Philadelphia.
Paulding county, Ga.,has a 10-year-old
youth w ho measures seven feet iu
height and weighs but 90 pounds.
A man 107 years old, and who ap
pears likely to live ten years more, is
claimed by Gadsden county, Fla.
A magazine writer shows that a
bulldog's nose is retrousse in order that
he may breathe freely while holding on.
The richest man in Portland, Ore.,
Iiegan life by buying a calfskin on
credit, tanning it and then selling it for
:lo.
Portland, Oregon, is about to have
some of her streets paved with granite
brought from Hong Kong for the pur
pose. Light refreshments ices, cakes
and mild puueh are now the rule at
the seaside and all summer entertain
ments. The cattle ranch area embraces
ItJj.OoO square miles, or nearly 44 per
cent, of the total area of the United
Mates.
It will be news to most of our
readers probably that there are betw een
5,000 aud 6,0ix Icelanders living in this
country.
Women are numerous in the British
civil service. In a competition for ltxJ
places in the postoflices 2,K4 women
entered.
Steel tubes are found to contain
twice as much magnetism as steel rods,
and are therefore better for permanent
magnets.
In some provinces of Brazil iron
ore is used in large quantities as build
ing stone, so abundant and ready to
hand is it.
The oldest apothecary shop in Ber
lin will celebrate in l?i its 400th anni
versary. The shop was recently sold
for i3,000.0o0.
Using the letters iu the word
knowledge," a little Georgia girl re-
cently formed 240 distinct words, and
earned off a prize,
A San Francisco lawyer announces
that he will not defend the criminal
classes hereafter. He says he prefers
to send them to prison.
xh origin of bottled beer has been
traced back to 1543 and fastened upon
Dr. Alexander Norvel, the second mas
ter of Westminster school.
Colored people are more success
fully photographed, as a rule, than
white people are. In taking pictures of
animals cats are the best sitters.
John C Fremont says that be has
camped where Chicago, Minneapolis
and Salt Lake City now are oeioro tna
inhabitant put no his cabin.
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