There said to l>o 700,000 Italians iu Brazil, of which more than half aro settled in tho province of St. Paulo. A correspondent of tho New York World says that there is now a man in ihe United States Senate who has taken a prominent part in fifty-four lynching*. The steam railways are suffering from tho competition of the trolley roads, and now the cry is raised that the trolleys aro lieiug painfully de pleted of their trafiic by the bicycles. Says the Chicago Dispatch: Unless wo have mado a mistake in our count Ihe fatalities thus far reported by tho Spanish troops in Cuba number about throe times tho total population of tho island. A plan is beiug discussed in New York City to establish bachelor apart ment houses in tho suburbs, whero a half dozen men may enjoy tho com forts of a rural home at small cost. Au economist has figured out thnt four men may live in fair stylo in this way for $55 each per month, and that they may even live comfortably for $35 a month. The only troublo lies in securing a good servant, but servants are said to prefer a company of men to a family, because there is less com plaint and greater leisure. Somo idea of the high value of real estate on tho lower end of Manhattan Island may be gained from a recent sale, at which the southwest corner of Liberty and Nassau street was sold for $132 a square foot. This lot is seventy-two feet six inches on Nassau street by 112 feet seven inches on Lib erty street, and the price paid was $1,250,000. Upon it will be erected a fifteen story ollico building, the front of which will be largely glass and iron in order to afford abundant light. It would amaze any old-timer of the early years of this century to seo the enor mous development of lower New York City and tho great increase in tho price of real property. This riso iu real estate values, which has been greater in tho last twenty years than for a half century before, furnishes new proof of the sound business judg ment of tho Astors, who have been consistent purchasers of New York property for throe generations. The English statistician, Miehael G. Malhnll, publishes in the North Amer ican Review nn article on "The Power nml Wealth of tho United States." Mr. Mulhnll's conclusion in that if wo take a survey of mankind in ancient or modern times ns rognrds tho physi cal, mechanical and intellectual foreo of Nations, wo lind nothing to com pare with the United States in this present year of 1895, and that tho United States possesses by far tho greatest productive power in tho world, lie asserts that tho absolute effective force of tho American people is now more than three times what it was in 1800, and that the United States possesses almost as much energy as Great Rritain, Germany and Franca collectively, and tho ratio falling to each Americun is more than what two Englishmen or Germans liavo at their disposal. lie points out, by a careful comparison between the conditions in these different countries, that an ordi nary farm hand in tho United States raises as much grain as three in Eng land, four in France, tivo in Germany or six in Austria. One man in Amer ica can produce as much Hour as will food 250, whereas in Europo one man feeds only thirty persons. Mr. Mul liall calls special attention to the fact that tho intellectual power of tho great republic is in harmony with tho industrial and meohanicul pro gress, eighty-seven per cent, of tho total population over eight years of age being able to read and write. "It mny bo fairly asserted," said he, 'That in tho history of tho human race 110 Nation ever before possessed 41,000,000 instructed citizens." The writer Bets forth in regard to the growth of the wealth of tho United (States that the nverago annual incre ment from 1.821 to 1890 was 901 mill iards of dollars, which sum is ono milliard over tho total wealth of Great Britain. In classifying tho whole wealth of the Union under tho heads of urban and rural, ho linds that rural agricultural wealth has only quad rupled in forty years, while urban wealth has multiplied sixtcenfold. In an important series of figures it is shown that tho rise in wealth and tho increase of wages came almost hand in hand. In dealing with tho develop mcnt of farm values Mr. Malhnll makes tho following statement: "If tho United States had 110 urban popu lation or industries whatovor, tlio ad vance of agricultural interest would be enough to claim tho admiration of mankind, for it has uo parallel in his tory." DOWN IN THE GR AS'' What tltil you get for tho stor Down iu tho grass so low? 1 heard the rushing of many wind Through a green world come and gu, And the dream of a song iu a faint white flower Before it began to blow, Anil this got I for tho stooping Down iu tiie grass so low. This much I got for the stooping Down where the soft winda blow, Tho feel of tho moist young green things That feed on the sue ami dew, And tho song thai I learned frem tho small, white flower; It siugoth lite wholo day through. This muoh i gathered, a little young song 'that bloomed in (lie grass ami grew. Anna If. llruncb, iu independent. AN ANtiKlTor BLOOD. v SIUST confess, .... -oj I J sir, thnt tho Har f, "f |I j ley street explo -1 jJ 11 sion has all the appearance of the f|%A)_ Cannon street nffnir. There is jSki-p' 11 u doubt that ——- I our wires rit u •' — just alongside —-> where tho prin cipal break i s apparent, and tho general appearance would lead one to believe that there may have have been a constant leak age. One house is only half damaged, indeed, but I should sav it would bo difficult for tho owners to prove to a jury that electricity can escape up ward as well as downward, and that any day we may expect to see forked lightning shoot out of tho oarth in stead of from the skies." ' * I do wish you would confino your self to facts and leave theories to ex perts. Cau you discover whether there was any report ?" "No report has been made as yet, sir." "1 don't moan an official report. 1 mean was the explosion, or whatever it was, accompanied liy any great noise which might bo caused by gas—" "Or thunder —" "Ob, hung your thunder theories! Do stick to facts I" "It is very difficult to stick to facts for tho simple reason that people's imagination runs away with them. So mo say they heard a sound lilcea clap of thunder; others say they heard nothing, hut felt a terrible shaking and were thrown down. I have seen ail the witnesses available and taken their statements, each of which is dia metrically opposed. Infaet, the only thing which is ccituiu is that there is a deep fissure in tho street, and that the horse and tho four-wheeler, which stood at the door, have been blown to atoms." "Tins cabman, you say, cannot he found?" "Ho has not turned up yet, hut whether ho was blown to pieces or merely went for a drink at tho corner public house, mid being frightened ran away, is not known." "Has tho number on tho cab been taken?" "It cannot be found." "This is a mysterious affair, and it seems to mo that it is a very serious business for tlio Budget. In the first place the Department is sure to bo sued for heavy damages, aud after all the expense wo were put to in sinking the overhead wires below ground, ii there is mi agitation wo may bo put to further expenditure of restoring thorn to their former position. You may go now, Mr. Thompson, but let mo impress upon you the importance of keeping to facts and not allowing your romantic imagination to run you into theorizing." The two speakers were tho Post master-General and Mr. James Thomp son, au energetic young man who had for some time acted as his private secretary. There was a third person iu the room who so far had said noth ing. 110 was tho Home Secretary, who had corao to learn all his col league, and his assistants, could gather about tho recent alarming aud unaccountable explosion iu Ilarlev street. "Is tlioro anything moro to he learned?" said the Homo Secretary, as the door shut behind tho young man, and his retreating steps wero heard dying away. "It is difficult to say. Your detec tives aro convinced, you tell me, tlmt the mischief lias been caused by a loakago of electricity of gas or a com bination of both." "And I must say I agree with them." "Naturally do you, hut I do not." "That is equally natural on your part ; but on what grounds do you base your incredulity?" "1 feel certain that there aro two persons who could tell us all about tho wholo affair." "And they are?" "The cabman for one." "And the other?" Somebody who lives, or who has lived iu the street," "llavo you a clue?" "I may have; aud, in spite of my lecture to young Thompson about ro mantic theorizing, 1 will tell yon a story." "Pray go on." The Postmaster-General settled ltim solf in his deep arm-chair and began: "As X daresay, you know, several years before I came iutu tho Cabinet I held very much tho samo position which young Thompson holds now as my privato secretary, and a great por tion of my time was spent at St. Mar tin's lu Grand, and I was often do- 1 taiuod lute at the office. On one such I occasion J had n very remarkable ad venture. I was tired of sitting and writing letters all day, aud although tho streets were full of thin November fog, I determined to walk instead of driving home. I started in a north westerly direction, as I thought, but knowing little of tho neighborhood and being somewhat confused by tho mist, I saw after a time that I had lost my way. There was not a cab to be found, and so I had nothing to do hut ask my way. This, too, was a diffi culty, for thorewns nobody about-—or seemed not to be. Before, however, I hud gone many steps I walked into a party of persons whieli the fog had veiled from me. It consisted of five persons, anillhcy were eagerly dismiss ing something under tho street lamp which stood in front of a dark aud ap parently empty house. I raised my liat and said: . " 'Can you oblige me liy putting me right for Oxford street?' "Tho answer I got was: " 'Pardon, Monsieur, mais jo no parlo pas Anglais.' "1 was about to repeat my question in French, when one of the party, a woman, stopped forward and said : " 'lf you take tho third on the right and tlio second on tho left aud koop straight ou you will como to Oxford street iu about five' minutes.' ' '.-ihe sjioke iu perfectly puro Eng lish, nuil in a singularly low, sweet voice, which I did not expect to find associated with the dirty, unshaved lookiug ruffians with big cravats, who were her companions in this squalid street. "I raised my hat and thanked her for tho information, aud, as she bowed iu return, I could see that she wore a beautiful and costly cape of sable tails, and that her golden hair was beauti fully dressed at the back. "The woman's appearance and the strange disparity of her companions, interested mo strangely, and I kept wondering all the way homo as to what could have brought a person of her obviously high class to such a quarter on such an evening, and iu the company of such ruffianly looking scoundrels. It was this which made ino count the lamp-posts to the corner and then ask the first person I met what was the name of the street. 1 was told it was called Little Martin's streot. YVork, however, drovo tho matter out of uiv mind till I was attending n foreign office reception a fciv mouths later. It was just as cold and wet a night as I ever remember in June, hut tho reception rooms were crowded. I was rather lute, and tho big staircase was packed with exquisitely dressed women, who wore ascending and de scending to the cloak rooms in a leisurely way, stopping lo chatter nt every step. I was rather tired aud in no great hurry to fuco the battalions, preferring to await a lull and content to watch the show. Amid tho babel of lnauy tongues my car was suddenly attracted by a soft voice which seemed familiar to mo. it was obviously tbe voice of a young woman, but I could not locate it. I turned, and all I hoard in reference to the question: "'What is it like?'" was the an swer : " 'lt's a sable-tail nape.'" There was nothing in the mere words to mo then, for 1 had forgotten all about the incident in Little Mar tin's street eight mouths ugo. It was tho voice which interested me and puzzled mo to associate with nuy one I knew. I determined, however, to watob, and was soon rewarded by seo iug a young man returning from the cloak room with a handsome sable-tail cape, which ho spread over tho shoulders of a young girl who had her hack to me. As sfio bent to have it placed about her shoulders, I heard tho sweet voice again. " 'Thanks; yes, that's right!'" "In a moment it all eamo back tome, and I felt myself repeating tho words: If you take the third ou tho right. It was tho word 'right' that made the connecting link. I looked again. The girl had gold hair, and it was done in precisely tho samo fashion as the coif fure of tho lady 1 had met in tho No vember fog. There was nothing much in that, but the similarity of tho voice, the sable-tail capeandtlie hair seemed to mo something moro than a coinci dence. But how, I wondered, could tho companion of tho Solio French roughs como to ho present at a F. O. reception? If I had thought for a year I could have arrived at no con clusion, and I know it. At least, how ever, I thought, I can see what she is like. I pushed towards tlio door by which si'i! must pass out, and present ly I met her face to face. Thero was no mistaking her. fiho was tho samo woman, or her double ; but tho moro I looked at her tho muru I doubted my own senses. SUo had a i'nco like an augo', with sweet blue eyes and natural dark eyelashes, aud could not bo moro than twenty-two, for the bloom of youth was over her marble skin, and even the raokctting of tho •season had not taken tlio rosea out of her young cheeks. Tho strange con trast of tlio two senses fascinated mo, ami I nm afraid I stared horribly." "Did you find out to whom sku be longed?'' "No ; thero was a continual shout ing of 'Lady Soandso's carriage,' 'Lady Thisanthat's carriage,' '.Mr. No body's carriage,' and when she slipped out it was quite impossible to bay with whom she went." "Evidently, however, tho matter did not rest there." "No, or there would have been no story." "Then what did you do?" The Postmaster-Ucnerul changed his position aud hesitated boforo contiuu iug. "The whole business haunted mo, and tho more I thought about it tho moro it grow upon me. I determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Accordingly, every day I made it my business to walk down Little Martin street on my way to tho office and up again ou my way from the office, for a strong presgntimcDt convinoed mo that sooner or later I must run against her. By degrees I got to know the men J. had met her with by sight, and a very pretty set they scorned to be. The man to whom I had first spoken, and whom I had heard warn her in such a familiar way, was the regular typo of a good-looking scoundrel, so familiar on the Banl Cliche, the back streets of the Batiguellcs and the other low quarters of Paris. At last I met her, that is to say I saw her cuter tho dingy, lonely house before which I had first encountered her and her strango companions. The was no longer any doubt in my mind. She was tho same woman I had met at tho F. O. I passed tho house once and made sure she was not in tho base ment or tho ground floor. Then, un der tho preteuso of Booking lodgings, I went all over tho shabby house op posite, but could sec nothing from tho windows. To allay suspicion, how ever, I rented a room for a week, pay ing a email deposit. Tho next day I brought a box, and every afternoon for a wholo week I watched for tho golden head and slender, graceful form. On tho Tuesday and Friday ebc cam?. Ifor arrival was always marked by the visit of tho man who came after her and left first. From this I concluded that it was sho who rented tho room, and that they only camo to see her on whatever their business was. The meetings lasted about an hour, and it became clear to me, after tho first week that they did not occupy a front room. "I suppose, as a matter of fact, you were spooney 011 her?" "To lie frank with you, I was ter ribly in lovo!" "Well, go oil with your story." "My next mo\o was to try aud get rooms at tho back of tho house she visited. This, after much trouble, 1 succeeded in doing, aud tho neighbor hood boing built close together, I was able to see all that took place through the windows opposite, there being 110 more than about eight foot between the backs of the wretched buildings. On the following Tuesday J. was all ex citement for her coming. At last she came, and soon her strange com panion arrived. 1 could see them at tho second floor window every now and then, but, not being on the same level, I could not see what took place between them. By the following Fri day I had altered all that by an ar rangement with my landlady, and when they had assembled, I could see thorn sitting around a table vigorously discussing something. What their business was I could not make cut, but when the argument grew loudest I saw tho good-looking scoundrel rise and threaten to beat my angel across the face with his ugly list. My blood rushed to my face, and if his com panions had not seized him in time I believe I should shouted out to him and then waited outside till I could smash his wicked l'aco. I was now more than over convinced that 1 was right in supposing that this lovely young girl was ia tho power of those monsters, aud that she was an unwill ing abettor to somo villainy i was cer tain when I saw her, after llioy left, burst into tears. My heart bled for her, but I could do nothing, except now to watch over her. At their next meeting much tho same uctious took place, the only exception being that when they had left she sat down by tho window and rather laboriously wrote something with a typewriter. Much tho same formula was gone through on several occasions, and was always followed by her spending about an hour at tho typewriter, which she managed slowly and with little skill. I thought of many impracticable ways for discovering her secret, but at last I hit upon a plan which ultimately succeeded. I bought a typewriter myself, and started to master every detail of its working. You see I con ceived tho idea that, as she worked slowly, and as I could sec precisely how her fiugers moved, I should be able, by repeating every action which she made, to reproduco an exuet copy of her manuscript." "Very fiuo in theory, but, I sup pose in practice it would not work?" "I had many disastrous ad ventures with it at first, but in tho end I ovor oamo all difliculties." "Aud discovered there was nothing to find out but somo vulgar intrigue, I suppose." "On the contrary, I found sho was tho agent of a small circle of very ad vanced French Anarchists." "Hn, ha! And this was your angel —Azrael!" | "Have patience. How sho got into ! tho power of these miscreants I never could find out, but that she was a good woman I can prove." Tho Home Secretary smiled incredu lously and said: "I have no doubt you can to your own satisfaction because you were in lovo with her, but personally, after sonic experience, I have no sympathy with those Angels of Blood, as they call themselves." "Wait a moment! J. fouud that af ter sending out tho orders of tho Cir cle, as sho was compelled to do, she sent an anonymous intimation of their designs with rogard to explosions aud outrages to the police." "All! the same old story—shielded herself by seliiug her associates. My infatuated friend, they all do the same. I If tho safety of this or any other i country depended on the sagacity of its police instead of 'from information received,' Europe would not last a week." "Possibly, quite true, but in her case she did not alone inform tho au thorities, but she warned her associ ates that their plans were known to tho police, and it is she wo have to thank for tho cessation of explosions in public buildings." "Yes, I admit that was rather fine." said the Home Secretary; "an I how did it all end?" "In this way. Being in possession of tho full names, addresses and plans of thoso scoundrels, and being in tho Postoflice, I took upon myself to sup press tho letter of warniug seut to tho Circle aud allowed those written to tho police to bo delivered in the ordinary way." "And tho result?" "Tho French felons wore arrested red-handed and sent to penal servi tude by a too lenient Judge." "An excellent story, I admit; but how do you connect it with tho Hur ley street explosion?" The IVstmuster-Gonerul roaclie 1 across tho table to a row of reference books. "in this way. Hero is the Rod Book. Let us turn to Hurley street, No. 217. As I thought. See, 217, FitzMaurice, Sir William, M. D., F. It. C. P., F. R. C. S." "Yes, I know Billy FitzMaurice; but how does ho come into it?" "It was opposite his house that tho explosion occurred." "Well?" "Now turn to tho 'Peerage.' Ilero we arc—FitzMaurice, Sir William, M. D., F. R. C. P., F. R. 0. S., Cr. 188>. Third son of Adam FitzMaurice, Esq., of Margate, I. of Thauot, by Mary Elizabeth, d. of Stephen Marshal', Esq., of Bath; 1). 183'J, in. 1889 Mary, d. of Sir James Mitchell." "Why do you stop?" "Because the Augel of Blood, as you call her, was Miss Mary Mitchell." "Great heavens I yon don't mean to say so?" Tho Postmaster-General shut tho "Peerage" with a bang and nodded his head, saying at tho same time : "I do, and I also mean that tho good-looking French scoundrel, Jean Duinout, in whoso power she was, is tho man whom you secretly liberated three months ago." "And you thiuk—" "I think ho drove the cab." "But he could not get a license." "No number was fotin I on tho cab and the cabman is missing." Two days afterward Jean Dumout was arrested for not reporting himself to tho police, his tiekot-oMoavo was canceled, and ho has gone back to servo tho remainder of his fifteen years in Portland. —London Pick- Mo- Up. Conquest ol the Northwes*. In 1770, when independence was de clared, tho United States included only tho thirteen original States ou tho seaboard. With tho exception of a few hunters, thero were no white men west of the Alleghany Mountains, and there was not oven an American hunter in the great country out of which we have since ma le ill 5 States of Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Micnigau and Wisconsin. All this region north of tho Ohio River then formed a pirfc of the Province of Quebec. It was a wilderness of forest and prairie, teom ing with game, and inhabited by many warlike tribes of Indians. Hero an.l thero through it wore dotted quaint little towns of French Creoles, the most important being Detroit, Vinceunos on tho Wabash, and ICaskaskia and Kahokia ou the Illinois. These French villages were ruled by British officer a commanding small bodies of regular soldiers or Tory rangers and Creole partisans. The tow us were completely in tho power of tho British Government; none of tho Americau States had actual possession of a foot of property m tho North wester n To rr i t ory. Tho Northwest was acquired at tho tunc of tho Rovolutiou only by armed conquest, aud if it had not been so acquired, it woul I have rotuainol a part of the British Dominion of Can ada. The man to whom this conquest wn i duo was a famous backwoods leader, a mighty hunter, a noted ludiau lighter —George Rogers Clark. Ho was a very strong man, with light hair and blue eyes, of a goo I Virginian family, who, early in his youth embarked ou tho adventurous career of a backwoods surveyor, exactly as Washington an 1 j so many other young Virginians of spirit did at that period. He traveled out to Kentucky soon after it was | opened up by Boone, and lived there for a year, either at the stations, or camping by himself in the wools, sur veying, hunting and making war against tho Indians like any other sel ler ; but all the while his miud was bent on vaster schemes than were dreamed of by the men around hiiu. lie had his spies out ill the Northwest ern Territory, an I bee uno convinced that with a small force of resolute backwoodsmen ha could conquer it for the United St.it:;-. When lie went back to Virginia Governor Patrick Henry enter 3 I heartily into C ork's schemes and gave liim authority to fit out a force for his purpose. —St. Nich olas. Belgian's Lying Ilea'!?, Mine Joniaux, tiia Belgian poison er, has entered upon lier term of life imprisonment of such a hideous form that death must soon follow. They put her in v. cell mlo which daylight cannot penetrate, fcilio will never sec a human bciug, never hear a kum-iu voice again. They will push her food in through u slit in the wail of her cell. She will go mi l at the en 1 <>: a few months if deat i does noc come first. Even tho most, stupid and do graded have rmoeumbe i to this horror of living burial within two years.— Ladies' Every Saturday. An Ex:raur.Hilar/ SIVJJIH?. One of the most extraordinary swindles ou record has been uucarthe I in Russia. A rascal has been selling tho peasant:; cheap tickets to the planet Jupiter, where he assured them of free laud and a living without work. I a packing up to leave the peasants threw away their value lim igcs of tho saint", in in ; swindler assured them j that the saints all lived in Jupiter, uu I j there would be met face to face. j Now Orleans Picayune I FALL OF KHAItTOUN. TEN YEARS SINCECHINESE GOR DON WAS KILLED. A Krnvc and Romantic Figure ill Which Heroism und Religion Held tin Kqual Share Monument to Gor don in Trafalgar Square, Loudon. His Life ill China. lii these prosaic days we are wont to think that bravery, heroism and de votion to an ideal are 110 longer to be met with. Such indeed is often the case, but still our modern life lias pro bleed some characters fully as chivalrio as any warrior of tlio middle ages and has furnished incidents more dramatic than those of any other century. So recently as ten years ago was brought to sin end the life of Gen. Gordon, than whom no man more brave, more cour ageous and more admirable lias ever been seen. Ten years ago tho city of PALACE AT KII AUTO I'M. Khartoum fell, and in the ensuing mas sacre was put out that noble and beau tiful life. Charles George Gordon was born in England in IS3O of well-to-do parents. His father was a soldier and one of a family of soldiers; his mother is said to have been a woman of humorous and cheerful disposition, which traits she certainly transmitted to her son. Gordon followed in his father's steps and received a military training. Not much is known of his school days and we are told that lie never displayed more than the average talent. His first military service was in the Crimean war, in which he served with great courage and received rather a severe wound at Scbastopol. lie was next dispatched to China on an expedition sent out by England and he remained there some years. It was at this time that Gordon began to come prominently forward in his profession. China was then engaged in trying to put down the Tal Ping rebellion which threatened the national life. lie threw himself heart and soul into tho Chinese cause and was in r ' 1803 appointed by the Emperor com (l hiander-in-chief of the army. For two 1 years he was en ft i Gtfed in vigorous jjiii* £ hg A warfare and at the em * found his efforts f\crowlled with sue- Ulld thc rL ' l)o1 - Hon suppressed. c.kx. goicdon. The delighted Em peror conferred on him high military lank and invested him with tho yellow jacket and the peacock's feather—the mightiest in honors in the imperial gift. It was from these circumstances that lie was nick-named "Chinese" Gordon, a title which he became known by much more than by his own name. Tlio next important event in Gordon's life was an expedition to Central Africa under tlio Egyptian Government. Gor don's life in Africa was most interest ing. His bravery and courage made such an impression on the natives that they regarded liini rather as some god than as a man; Ids constant effort to put down the slave trade excited their keenest admiration and the deep relig ious motives of tlio man, which were the mainsprings of his whole life, im pressed tlio Africans even more than his military genius. Gordon was made pasha by the Khedive and a few years later England made him governor gen eral of the Soudan. During his term of service he continued his warfare against tlio slave trade, ho effected many reforms in the way of lightening extortionate taxes and dismissing un just otllciais and, finally, he put down several formidable rebellious. His reputation among the natives for jus tice and courage increased and when, MONUMENT TO GOIWON IN LONDON. in ISSO, lie finally resigned his post and returned to England ho left be hind liini lamentations, grief and tears. After Gordon's departure affairs in the Soudan got Into an alarming condi tion. Tlio gaining control of the Sue?. Canal by English capitalists had given England a hold in Egypt and had nat urally led to a sort of protectorate. Such a state of affairs was all well enough in a state of peace, but now that disturbances were arising En gland's position became one of great re- 1 sponsibiiity. This disturbing factor was Maliomct Ahmed, the Mnluli, whom we know as the False Prophet. This man went throughout the Soudan proclaiming himself as the chosen of God, the promised deliverer of Islam, who was to free Mohammedans from the rule of unbelievers whether Egyp tians or English. The Arabs flocked in swarms to this man, swore allegiance to him and joined the army which lie was raising against his enemies. l!y 1883 the Maluli's forces had gained for midable proportions. One by one the strongholds of the Khedive fell into their hands, as did many held by tlio English. At last Gen. llicks was sent against the Mahdi with a strong regi ment The followers of the False Prophet surprised them and a horrible massacre followed which scarcely any Englishman survived. Gen. Baker, who was marching to Hicks' assistance, was next attacked, three-quarters of ids men were slain and lie himself nar rowly escaped to a gunboat, whence lie made ids way to England. When tills news reached England it caused the greatest possible consterna tion. The Government saw its bravest troops slain, its best commanders cut down and knew that unless something were done to hinder the Maluli's vic torious advance the country must lose all hold in the Soudan. There was just one man to whom the Government could turn; this was Gordon; on ids shouders must rest the whole responsi bility of maintaining England's glory. Gordon accepted the mission, and in January, 188-1, went to Egypt and leis urely proceeded to Khartoum, the chief city in the Soudan, lie was received with loud acclaims, the people crowding about and proclaiming him as their savior and deliverer. lie proceeded to take command of the city and to bring something lil-e order out of the con fused affairs of the people. The Mahdi, meanwhile continued ids onward course and made for Khar toum. Before he knew it Gordon found himself shut up in the city which the Mahdi now besieged. Encouraged by Gordon the city made a noble resist ance, but soon the people were reduced to a most desperate condition. Famine broke out; sickness followed in its train and Gordon saw himself in desperate straits. lie sent appeals, pitiful in their distress, to the home Government praying for relief; but statesmen and ministers delayed and disputed, and it \ias not till the last of the year that help was sent him. Gen. James Stew art and a force came near Khartoum early in 1885, but only to meet the ene my in desperate conflict, in which Stew art was killed and 12 per cent, of his men slain or rendered incapable of fighting. Khartoum had fallen the day beforo their advent, as reports months after ward showed. Gordon had attempted to dislodge the Mahdi and failed. Then came the news of the approach of the reserves and the Mahdi determined to storm the city before their arrival. A colleague of Gordon's, Ferig Pasha, wanted him to give up the place; Gor don became very angry and a violent discussion ensued. Meanwhile the dis tress in the city increased and Gordon was at ids jvit's end what to do. The suffering, the doubt and the difficulties of that strong soul can be better imag ined than described; the hope of rescue, the heart-sick feeling of despair weto nil his. Sir Charles Wilson and Lord Charles Beresford next attempted Gordon's res cue. They approached by water and reached Khartoum on the 28th. Gui don's flag was no longer to lie seen, and so they turned back without finding out definitely what the condition of tho city was. But it could not last. A few days later and tlie Mahdi overpowered the small force of defenders and entered the city. A terrible massacre was at once inaug urated and thousands perished. In tho general slaughter Gordon was killed, though how is not known to this day. The accounts are most conflicting and ail that is certain is his death. Even that was doubted for many months, and it was long thought lie might pos sibly have survived. Perhaps tills strange and mysterious end is of a piece with the mystical character of the man which almost raises him out of tho ranks of ordinary mortals to some higher plane, making him to resemble Galahad or Bayard or Arthur. Homo Hints. Court plaster should never be applied to a bruised wound. Do not slice apples for pies; quarter, core and cut each quarter in two pieces. The white of an egg stirred up with a little sugar and water is good for a child with an Irritable stomach. If you store away flat Irons for a sea son rub them over first with a littlo sweet oil to keep them from rusting. Tho best thing to loosen up salt or sugar which has become hard packed in a barrel is a carpenter's "scratch awl." A little powdered borax in baby's bath water prevents the skin from chafing, and it is less liable to "break out with tho heat." If skirls linvo shrunk till too short lengthen by bias folds, overlapping, or one bins baud stitched or edged with soutache or mohair braid. The Latest Fad in Stockingo. Musical stockings are among tho latest freaks of fashion. They are not audibly musical, however, merely visi bly so. Their musical open-work bands, running perpendiculiarly up the ankles, are patterned in the notes and bars of tlio musical clef, of course, different tuno3 are used for different occasions. Upon full dross hosiery grand opera arias are appropriately inscribed. Lighter compositions appear upon hose dedicated to functions less Important, and for everyday stockings quite every day ditties are used. Stockings to ba used upon Sunday alone are nil Inter esting phase of tho fashion. Those are, of course, embellished with hymn tunes and other sacred music.