A Young Lawyer's Dilemma.

A, good story has just leaked out on a young lawyer named W , who boards L a fashionable establishment on Olive street- In the same house is a young lady, 8 teacher in the public schools, for whom the lawyer cherishes a warm attachment, which is reciprocated with an almost equal decree of fervor. The other evening our Wal friend and his dulcinea occupied the front door-steps, whispering words of love until a late hour. All the other occupants 0 f the house had already sought 'tired nature's sweet restorer' when they separa ted with a good-night kiss and retired to their respective apartments, the lawyer to ]iis room on the third floor, and the young lady to hers on the second. The attorney, on reaching his room, concluded that it would be a good idea to take aba.th before goin^ to bpd. At first he hesitated, as the bith room is on the second floor, and quite near the one occupied by the young lady just mentioned ; but, ufter waiting, as he thought' a sufficient length of time to allow lier to sink softly to sleep, he started down stairs with a towel in one hand aud a piece of castile soap in the other, having divested himself of all his clothing except a gauzy under-garment that was not very extensive. The bath-room reached, he turned on the water very quietly, lstting it run slowly, go as not to cause any disturbance that jnjcrbt awakes any of the sleepers near by. He enjoyed the bath very much, and con gratulating himself on the success of the experiment, started up stairs to his room. Here, however, a difficulty presented itself to his legal mind that Avas unforeseen. The door of the room had a spring lock, and he had not taken the precaution to arrange the ' catch' when he went down stairs. The consequence was that the door was closed and the key being in his pantaloons pocket in the room, his chances for getting to bed seemed slim, indeed. Wliat could he do ? The lady who kept the house might possibly have another key, but he did not think he was attired in a proper costume to appear before her in, at that hour of the nigut, and state his case. If he walked around the house much he was afraid he would be taken for a burglar, ad be shot by some suspicious boarder. Then the thought that perhaps the young lady from whom he had so recently parted might see him in his undress uniform awa kened feelings in him that were anything but cheerful. He went down stairs to the j bath room again, and pondered over his misfortune there for awhile, but grew rest less, and started up stairs to his room once more, and hopelessly handled the door bob a feAV minutes. Then he thought he would go down stairs —down to the first floor—'and wake up the colored boy who did the general utility business for the household. Brilliant idea ! Of course he hew where his room was. It was just the thing ! He could send tho colored boy up stairs to rouse Mrs.——, get an other key from her, and then he Avould re tire without any of the other boarders

knowing what had happened. Downstairs he went, along the hall, through the din ing-room and back to the room that he supposed was the sleeping apartment of the colored youth. He knocked once, twice, thrice on the door, but no answer came. Then he knocked a little louder, and was gratified to hear a faint voice say : 'Who's there ?'

[ He answered, ' It is I—W .' There was no response for a while, and thinking the boy had gone to sleep again, he gave the door several loud knocks and said, rather angrily, ' get up, there ! I can't get into my room, and I want you to get a key for me.' 'What do you want?' said a voice be hind him, and locking around he beheld the colored boy with his head stuck out of a door on the opposite side. 'Look here, Jim,' he said, rushing over to his side, 'I came out and took a bath, and when I went back to the room it was locked and I can't get in, I want you to wake up Mrs. ■ and tell her all about it, and ask her if she hasn't got another key to my room.' Just then the door at which our legal friend had been knocking opened, aud the servant-girl stuck her head out and said : 'Oh you nasty brute, Go way. I never thougit that of you. I'll tell missis in the morning.' The lawyer darted into the colored hoy's room when he saw the girl and hid himself.

After awhile the boy returned and said that the Mrs. didn't have any key, hut that the key of Mr. -—-'s room would open his.

'Then, why in thunder don't you go and wake him up and get it ? 1 don't want to stay here all night.' The boy again started off, and after about fifteen minutes' absence came back With the key, which the lawyer hastily clutched and started with it up stairs, As he groped his way along the hall he heard suppressed laughter in nearly every room. That plagued boy had • roused everybody. He reached his room, how ever, and got to sleep just as the clock struck two.

Next morning at the breakfast table he tooked rather disconsolate, and when the landlady remarked that baths were very refreshing, healthy in fact; and when the school-teacher said he saw a ghost in the flall the night, before; and when the man Whose key had been borrowed said some People sat up quite bite at night anyhow ; and when others said various other things, }? felt as if lie would sooner lose the biggest ease that was ever known than be ?hced in such a predicament again. Now,

wherever he goes, he hears nothing but dissertations on baths'and inquiries as to the state of his health since he took the last one, &c. He says he is tired of it all, and that the first man who says bath to him again will get hurt. So if you meet him in any of the court-rooms to-day, and have any regard for your safety, don't allude to the cleansing process.

Reprobates.

I avasn't always the old reprobate. lam now not much.

No, I suppose not. You were once a young reprobate; as for instance, when you ' kissed and made up ' with the tailors wife.

Come now, we've had enough of that. What I mean is that at one time in my youth I was No. 1 pious. You need'nt laugh, it is a fact ; and I once taught in a Sunday-school.

When you say once, do you mean just once ?

INio, I did'nt mean just once, but if I had meant it, it would have been true for it was just once, and no more.

I see you are itching to tell a story, Dick, so out with it.

Well, it isn't much of a story, but it shows how my piety sprouted and grew for a while, and then suddenly withered and died. It also shows how it demoralize a fellow to fail in anything he undertakes. My folks were all Methodists, and I Avas early taught to walk by a pretty chalk line, especially when the old man was looking on. But I was'nt one of the sort that piety was indigenious to, (I believe that is the right word) and 1 think I must have been a pretty tough sort of a boy—at times.

One day 1 was meandering about the streets in Baltimore, and seeing a crowd, gathered I walked up to learn what the fun was and found that old Lorenzo Dow was, entertaining them. He wore his hair long on his shoulders, and what was very unusual in that day, he wore a long beard and moustache. His was the only moustache I had ever seen at this time, so you uiay know they weren't common. He was as grey as a badger, and being dressed iv sailor clothes and a tarpaulin hat, his appearance was very striking, Whatever he had been saying, the crowd seemed disposed to poke fun at him, and just as I came up, one of them sung out,' father Dow, when was the devil born ?'

'Keep your own family record, boys; keep your own family record/ was his reply,

The crowd laughed and hurrahed at this, and the old man went on to tell them that a friend of his, who had spent a long life as sailor was going to preach that night to the bad boys. He didn't want any but bad ones to come, as he was going to tell some stories that good boys wouldn't care to here. The idea caught my fancy, and I resolved to go, and did. His friend proved to be the famous sailor preacher, Jackson, and I became so interested in his discourse, which was about the neglected children on Federal hill, that I resolved to try and do something to reclaim them. His suggestion about Sunday-schools excited my enthusiasm, and as that was a means of grace that my Methodist training gave me an experi mental knowledge of, I decided that 1 would start a pioneer Sunday-school on Federal hill. It was a pretty bard neighborhood, that, but I thought I was just the boy for the business, i had no trouble in procuring a room gratis, and the Sunday-school union agreed to furnish books. Next Sunday I set out bright and early drumming up recruits, and by nine o'clock had collected nearly a hundred. The novelty of the thing alone induced them to go at least once, Several brethren of the church to which my parents belonged had promised to attend, to conduct the religious exercises. I was not a ' professor,' you see, and only meant to bring in the raw material, and let the other fellows do the manufacturing into Christians. But not one of them made his appearance. After waiting until a half hour after the time, I thought I would proceed with the singing, in nopes that by the time we got through with that, some one would drop in that could do the praying. All the rest I felt myself able to get away with, but I never could pray. It is the only thing I ever tried that I couldn't blunder through with in some sort of a way, but I was always clean stumped when I came to that. When we got about half through with the hymn, greatly to my relief, a sister who was in the habit of praying at the class and prayer meetings came in, and I thought to myself ' she'll do.' The hymn being ended, we all knelt down, and as we did so, I said to the new-comer: ' Sister Smith, will you lead us in prayer ?' Greatly to my dismay she replied ' pray yourself,' with all the tartness she could infuse into her naturally shaip

Alas 1 the poor neglected children little dreamed what a strait their youthful pioneer felt himself in at that moment. In the unsophisticated innocence of their hearts, without the least suspicion that everything was not all right, they were no sooner on their knees than they began slyly to swap jackknives and marbles, kite-strings and tops, in which _ they became so intensely interested, that it was some moments before they became aware that the prayer was not progressing. One by one, however, they commenced looking up with surprise, whilst a cold sweat "was rapidly moistening my brow.

I made one or two gasping efforts to retain my credit by repeating the Lord's prayer, but my tongue absolutely refused to utter, a syllable. Luckily, I was bandy to the door, which stood open, so I cut the gordian knot by making a bold dash for liberty. In an instant, I was outside, legging it for any place away from there, and that was the last appearence of your humble servant as a- Sunday-school pioneer.

1 tell you, boys, a failure is awfully demoralizing to a fellow, and I never had any piety to speak of after that.

Charge of the Light Brigade.

Wno has not read of tho charge of the Light Brigade ? And yet the story of that brilliant achievement is scarcely known to the world except through the graphic poem of Alfred Tennyson. sTesterday a ' Chronicle, reporter visited William Kobert Duke, a trumpeter of the Light Brigade, temporarily residing in tho city, and from his own lips received the narra tive of the charge' into the jaws of death.' Mr. Duke is a soldier-like man, with a martial bearing ;snd a certain air of self-possession. Bis conversation is succinct and to the point. Neither in speech nor manner is there any evidence of tho drawer of the long bow- He produced certain documents which established his con nection with the Light Brigade beyond doubt. His face, hands and arms bear honorable scars which he will carry to his grave. Of these, however, he makes no ostentatious display, al though he might well show his scars with pride. Probably the story, through oft-repeated recitals, has become old tc him. The substace of it is as follows : Balaklava is a small seaport town of i Russia, with apopulation ofabout 750. I It is situated in the government of j Taurida, on the south-west coast of the Crimea and a small bay of the Black Sea. The bay of Balaklava was known in antiquity as Symbolon Portus, and was called in the middle ages Cembalo and Bella (Jhiava. It was then a G-enoese possession, the Grenoese hav ing a fortress on the hights above the harbor. Catharine II detached to Balaklava 2, 000 Greek and Armenian soldiers as guards of the coast. The decendants of these soldiers formed from 1795 to 1850 the so-called Balaklava-Grreek battalion. In the Crimean war, in Avhicli the charge of the Light Brigade occured, the British troops under Lord Raglan compelled the small Hussian garrison to surrender on the 26th of September, 1854 The British established thire naval headquarters there and constructed fortifications and a railroad to Sebas topolland laid a submarine cable to Varna. On the 25th of Octobor, Bala klavawas attacked by the Hussians. Pour redoubts were stormed, the latter being feebly defended by Turkish troops, and 11 guns wero captured. After the repulse of their cavalry by the Highlanders and their defeat by the Kngiish Heavy Brigade, they made no further effort to advance. ' The Light Brigade, having been ordered 'to boot and saddle' before day break, were fatigued, and wero dis mounted and smoking their pipes at will, when Captain JNolan, Lord Raglan's aide-de-camp, and noted as the smartest cavalry officer in tho service, was seen approaching at a gallop, .tiding up to Lord Lucan, who com manded the corps of which the Light Brigade formed a portion, Captaiu Nolan delivered Lord Raglan's order to charge the guns stationed on the summit of the eminences encircling the valley. Lord Lucan was amazed at the order, and remarked to JNolan that the idea of detaching cavalry to storm a battery on the summit of an almost precipitous hill was prepos terous, and that the duty belonged to the infantry. Captain Nolan, how ever, insisted that Raglan had sent that order, and being an officer noted for precision, his word was not doubted. A ccordingly, Lucan sent a dispatch to Lord Cardigan, eominaud ng the Light Brigade, directing him to sorm the batteries, half a league aAvay. The line was at once formed, and the body, numbering 000, led by Lord Cardigan, swept up the \alley. The front line was composed of the Seventeenth Laucers and the 13th Light Dragoons, of which Duke was the trumpeter. The second line \vas composed of the Eleventh Hussars, and the third, of the Fourth Light Dragoons and the Eighth Hussars. As soon as the detachment got well into the valley, three nussian batteries opened fire upon them. One battery of twelve guns were located at tho extremity of the valley, while two of six guns each were posted on both flanks. In addition to the yollies

belched? forth, by these batteries, a galling fire was received from bodies of infantry stationed at the base of the hills. As England's Poet Laureate has expressed it: Half a league, Half a league, Half a league onward, Into the Valley of Death Bode the Six Hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon before them, Vollied and thundered.

The crossfire was terrible, and sad dles were emptied at every step. It seemed as if the whole Russian army had directed its energies to the anni hilation of the devoted Light Brigade. Before half the distance to the guns was traversed, captain Nolan fell dead, and his riderless and terrified horse careered back to the main line.

On swept tho Light Brigade under the galling fire, up to the base of the hills, up to the heights, and upon the guns. To cut down the gunners was the work of a few moments, and in a trice the guns were spiked. And here occurred the mistake which sealed the doom of the Light Brigade. In the heat of the conflict the men became separated, and dashed back toward the British lines in small squads. Mr Duke, in company with seven others, found themselves alone on the field in the midst of the Russian lines. The enemy was concentrating around them —to remain was certain death, The little band looked about for the Light Brigade, and seeing a cloud of dust moving down the valley pursued it, supposing that within the cloud was the Brigade flying back to the lines; but taey were mistaken. They over took and enterod the cloud of dust only to find that it was raised by the thundering hoofs of a body of Russian horse. To wheel and retreat was the work of a moment, and back Avent the devoted band, skirting the hills, retrac ing the route followed by the Brigade on the charge. A.bout half-way down the valley the squad suddenly emerged from the smoke face to face Avith a line of 8,000 Russian cavalry. To retreat Avas too late ; to stand Avas to die; and with a wild yell the devoted band flung themselves upon the line, cut their way through the ranks and went galloping down the valley, leaving a gap in the Russian ranks and a score of bleeding corpses to mark their track. Butitlielastenemyhadnotyetbeen encountered. Right in their path Avas a detatchment of Polish lancers determined to cut them doAvn. A combat was inevitable, and the gallant band Avith a Avild hurrah flung them selves upon the Poles. A fierce combat then ensued. Maddened by the fury of the battle, enraged at their reverses, and stimulated by the smell of powder and blood, the British fought like demons, but to no avail. Several men Avere cut down by Duke's side, literally hacked to pieces, and Duke and a comrade named McWilliams Avere finally captured, but only after their horses had been shot doAvn under them. Duke received fourteen wounds, composod of sabercuts, bullets and lance-thrusts. His scalp had been torn from his head and he was bleeding profusely from various other wounds. Duke and McWilliams were forced to lay out on the field all night, and iv the morning as prisoners of Avar, wero marched to Varonetz, and thence to Moscow. They never again saw or heard of the vest of band, and that they were cut down by the polish lancers is evident, Of the ' noble Six Hundred' not one returned from that famous but fated charge, saving those whose horses were shot down during the onward charge, and the few Avho were captured and subsequently exchanged—l4o in all. McWilliams remained a prisoner of war twelve months, and was then exchanged. Duke's imprisonment was of longer duration. The scalp wound ho had received produced temporary insanity, and fourteen months elapsed ere he was finally exchanged at Ordessa. During his imprisonment, Duke's mother died of broken heart in Australia, on receiving tidings that her sou's bead had been blown off at Balaklava. William Robert Duke was a graduate of the Royal Hibernian Miilitary School, and entered the British army at the age of 14, as a trumpeter. At the time of the charge of the Light Brigade he was a mere boy 21 years of age. His father served at Waterloo and on the Peninsula, and left an honorable record. William Duke receives a pension from the British Government of Is. 2d. per diem, This amount, it is needless to say, is not sufficient to enable the heroic pensioner to procure the barest

nee ■ of life. As manual labor reopens nis old wounds, thereby confining him to his bed, be is unable to earn a living here in America, and proposes soon returning to England.

Rich and Poor.

Bur for these distinctions in the temporal conditions of men, there would be no room for the exercise of two of the noblest of the kindly virtues, sympathy and gratitude.

The rich are not so much a self creation as a providential arrangement, and the poor are not the children of an inexorable, bitter destiny. The one class are related to the other by insuperable, tender ties, and their diverse temporalities are the source of their mutual dependence and regard. Riches are the surplus provision of an industry or art inspired by supreme Avisdom to meet the exigencies of poverty. Novel as this view may seem, it is the only one upborne by any large observation of society. In spite of the selfishness charged upon the rich, they are constant, and often lavish, contributors to the poor. Not alone from the tax revenues drawn from their wealth, but in spontaneous anticipatory contributions —in means for immediate, as well as for permanent benefit.

Behold the charities founded, as well as given in alms, by the rich—the noble institutions of art and learning, decreed by them for the common good—nay, chiefly for the good of the poor, for the rich can privately command these benefits.

And Avhat a grace of kindliness and brotherhood, of the holist sympathy, shines through such a distribution of riches.

What deeper joy can gold bring to the true soul ?

And how. beautiful the gratitude inspired by this high use of riches. The poor receive benefits, which bring gladness without humiliation, and their hearts go forth with earnest thanks, and a tenderer feeling of re gard towards their brothers and bene factors.

Riches, it is true, often make the heart hard and the hand griping—these are the if evil fruits ; but they have, and perform, high and holy offices — enough to prove them of the same divine appointment as poverty, whereof the Blaster said —' The poor ye have always with you.'

Napoleon as a Cook.

Tiie following well-authenticated anecdote, related by Baron Meneval, beautifully illustrated the social spirit of Napoleon,

The remembrance of a taste imbibed in the familiarity of the domestic life which she had passed in her youth, inspired the empress the day with a desire to make an omelet. While she Avas occupied in that important culinary operation, the emperor, unannounced, entered the room. The empress, a little embarrassed, endeavoured to conceal her preparation. ' Ah,' exclaimed the emperor, with a latent smile, ' what is going on here ? It seems to me I perceive a singular odour, as of frying. ' Then passing round the empress, he discovered the chafing dish and silver saucepan, in Avhich the butter had began to melt, the salid bowl, and the COiD is'

' How,' exclaimed the emperor, ' are you making an omelet ? You know nothing about it"'

He immediately took his place at the table, and went to work with the empress, she serving as assistant cook. The omelet was at last made, and one side of it fried.

Now came the difficulty of turuing it, by tossing it over with artistic skill in the frying pan.

Napoleon, in the atempt, awkwardly tossed it upon the floor. Smiling, he said—

' I have given myself credit for more exalted talent's than I possess ; and he left the empress undisputed misstress of the cuisine.

Standing Up—A crusty old bachelor says he likes to see women stand up .for their rights, especially Avhen the seats are crowded in a tram-ear.

Broke. —A little boy having broken his rocking-horse the day it was bought, his mother.rebuked him. He sileueed her by inquiring, 'What's the good of a horse till it's BROKE.'

Good Nature. —It is said of a good natured fellow that he was as apt to for give injuries as most people are to forget benefits,

EVENING STAR SUPPLEMENT, OCTOBER 7, 1876.