THE AUCKLAND EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, AUGUST 6,1887.

rsu?H_|HEM?.

Ruby's Reward.

i ' _.p fi GEORGIE SHELDON,

I ' .'The Forsaken Bride,' ?%JnW> Triumph," "That powdy," etc.

CHAPTER XX

. FIMA-CUL WRECK. , a ded Mr and Mrs Ruggles to &V* P e' , {fcer Christmas, as they wete tcmaiD -.herßiiests, and" as her invita toha^!n heartily seconded by both Mr iSsSott^ad not been hard to

accompli^- abrf ht> keen winter's ! Thed n dyaTerth e morning meal had been diy;Vof the family adjourned to the dis posed oi, the y mys terious library to in v d been armn ged upon packages wh-cn the table there- enumerate them It would bei v mm bered all the tt>t»Ti& aVery handsome Kuby's gift «mm wh . ch ad S^wSrchJd upon the top |jP^i concealed eIanCB- 3 hSdwritl-g o- theoutside. recognised>is banci 0 ,Sher o nlc opened the box-to find a ! ieCTuink co ton within. Lifting this K£ w« almost, dazzled by the rays S3? that were emitted from three large SuSamonds of the purest water, .he cried out with delight: sOh Mr and Mrs Ruggl^3 y T , ike perfect drops of dew, and they are the -diamonds that I have ever had pre 6™L3 tc me. I have my mo'.ber's, to be SbSHone ever gavt-mt a diamond and his wife greatly enjoyed he Seasure. They had bought the gems I because they did not know in what SS would prefer them, and thought Sto let her select the setting for herself. They bad spent one whole happy day to- Jier in choosing Christmas gifts for this Sv, who had been so kind and courteous Khan, and for many a month after it formed the theme of pleasant converse for ' Mrs Gordon was the recipient of a set of .Want toilet articles, while Mr Gordon L r presented with some choice books, Such he bad been heard to say he would Zto posse*. But their chief thought had beeni for Ruby, whom those plain but honest people were learning to love with a fondness which they would have lavished upon their own daughter had she been spared to them. Am Gordon presented Mrs Ruggles with a fine silver ladle, and Mr Gordon are Mr Ruggles a substantial gold chain for the handsome gold watch which he already possessed. But there was no gift from Ruby to her friends upon the table, and when all the packages had been examined, she turned to them, a little tender smile wreathing her lips, saying:— • . "Will you come with me for a lew moment-, Mr and Mrs Ruggles ? I have jomething I would like to show you." She led them to a small parlour or recep tion-room, opened the door for them to pass in, and then softly closed it after them, leaving them alone. Bat just opposite, and where they could not {ail to see it, there hung a life-size and -{{■like" crayon 'portrait of their dead <te-er, which Ruby had had copied from SD&tograpb, and, fastened.to.one corner /(he frame,, thare was a card bearing the words; " from Ruby to her dear friends, Mr and Mrs Ruggles." They gave one startled look into the sweet, refined face of the girl who had been so dear to them; for " Annie Ruggles," as she was known among her school friends, had been an unusually cultivated girl, having been a thorough student and some -ingofapoet; then a mist, a blur obscured their sight; a sob burst from the loving mother; Mr Ruggles choked back a groan ; then they both broke down entirely, and clung to each other for comfort. Ruby had been sure that it would be so, and thus she had delicately planned for them to see the picture for the first time by themselves. ■ ■

She could not have given them anything that they, would have valued so much as this enlarged and perfected likeness of their only child; and when, a half hour later, Mr Ruggles had regained his composure and act Ruby in the hall on his way back to the library, he laid his hand gently on her head, then stooped and touched her hair with his still tremulous lips, as he said, gratefully;

"Forgive an old man's weakness, Miss Ruby, but I tell you, you couldn't have touched mother and me in a more tender spot; and—though I don't suppose the time'll ever come-if you're ever in a tight place and need a friend, Owen Ruggles is toe man that'll stand by you." But the time was to come, and was not tar distant either, when she was to stand in fore need of just such a friend as he pro nusedtobe.

alter had been invited to dine with the <*ordons that ovening, and afterward the ™ie family attended the opera, to hear je renowned Christine Nilsson, and thus *» delightful holiday came to an end. ! 1.1 n jext mornin X Mr and Mrs Ruggles returned to their home among the moun m asserting that they had never enjoyed m much during their whole lives as during ™»»n diys that they had spont. with their frienda m Philadelphia. ; After that the winter passed rapidly, but *iti-iit muqh that is.worthy of note. Js™6 came, thpti summer, and Ruby 25 t° the mountains, to spend several 1 ™» MV and Mrs Ruggles, as she had ES \? d 0 the RW" year. And 3W Walter came again to pass his vaca- X,./"r ,ose two weeks were weeks mto be forgotten by cither of them. tolly. yefc would not allow himself BStaS'^ woukl lead Ri*yfco Riff- **him ' yefc each knew thafc them til. between «^ cMx they wo"^bel6ng to would Z-i.* Anotber year' Salter hoped, &fn l lm -8 _nterest in the *&&*£ lehm lifTl^ 661 free t0 nsk Ruby to K e ? a el ° hlmi wiilAout the fear of fcfldS d a^ a fort«n«*l»nnter by her T B,™ acquaintances. Gordon^ and one afternoon Mr >t^^ t?"^ tasked, *ocU°wl thatw,h^ for a foment *fcte3_._£ 8^ c,le?sn«,ss, and then The _?»„ and faint dead away. SSBSffISRW holP' ? nd X* over to Sffi ]0f untd sl,° r°vived arid ®M^"^tobearthesiKht of * doo' t£lr Camea timid kno<* on Eft a Pale: fnc nd R«*>.. *% mi 1 W ■nd solemn eyes "stole asked: ™ Wound l»s neck and gently »ruined r efault,n S' ai%our coin-

" Yes, darling, it is all true; and that is not the worst, either," .„ f ,„ th . "Whafi- do you mean, Robert.' the vouno- girl asked, clasping both her small hands about his arm, and searching his face with anxious earnestness. He msntly unclasped her hands, and, with anguish written upon every feature of Ins fine face, drew her close to his r^Ruby, can you bear to hear all ?" he "she caught her breath quickly, and her face grew white with a sudden fear. Was her idolised brother implicated m the wrong thab had brought run upon him and his company? top .dare not utter the thought aloud, yet it pierced her heart lite a knife. . A , Acrain she searched his face; but there was" nothing like shame or dishonour stamped upon it, and she replied : "I can bear anything better than to see you look so broken-hearted. Tell me all your trouble," she pleaded, pressing her lips softly against his cheek. Something like a sob burst from the strong man, and he hugged her almost con vulsively to him. „ "Darling you are a little comforter, he said • "but mv trouble is more on your account and Estelle'- than upon my own. I am a man, and I can bear to face poverty and loss. Ruby, could you bear to be poor ? Have you any idea what it means to be "I do not suppose I have, really, but I think there are some things that would bo harder to bear than poverty, Ruby re turned, gravely. :. " What do you mean, Ruby . "It would be a thousand times worse it— if you wero in Mr Currier's place— if you had been guilty of dishonour." " Yes, thank Heaven for that; though 1 have lost everything, my name is untar nished, and I need not fear to look any man in the face." Robert Gordon returned, heartily. ' ~ , . " Robert, I want you to tell me all about it; do not talk to me as if I were a child, and could not understand ; but lot me help you to bear your trouble, whatever it may be. Ido not believo it will be so very dreadful to be poor as long as we can have each other to love, and are well and strong. The man regarded her with surprise, this delicate, lovely girl, whom he had so care fully sheltered from every care during all her life, who had been apet and plaything, whose lightest wish had been like a law unto him. He had not looked for anything like thi3 from her-for such utter self-forgetfulness and such tender solicitude for him. We cannot blame him if a thought of bitterness stirred his heart, that she from whom he had expected nothing but helpless dependence, had risen above their trial and come to comfort him, while his wife lay in hor chamber above, weeping and wringing her hands in utter abandonment of grief over the misfortune which had so suddenly overtaken them. "Ruby.my precious sister.l mil tell you, he said, gravely. _l have not only lo3t every dollar of what I was worth, but all your money also, while I am, I believe, heavily in debt besides."

CHAPTER XXI.

busy's heroism.

The brother and sister sat in silence for several minutes after Mr Gordon made his startling statement. She made no sign of regret or grief at the announcement tbat her handsome fortune had all been swept away. She would not wound his already lacerated heart by one word of blame or reproach. She rested her shining golden head con fidingly against his shoulder, while one soft hand was laid upon his cheek in mute sympathy. " Robert," she said, slowly and steadily, after a while,- HI don't believe we need be troubled so very much about anything hut the debts, and perhaps they will not prove to be so heavy as you fear.'* '.' Ruby, child, |sthat a}\ you have to say to me ? You cannot realise what it means to lose every dollar. Can you bear to give up your lovely home with all its comforts ; the horses and carriages, your liberal income, all your pretty dresses, and the hundred other things that you have had but to wish for in order to possess?" he asked, astonished. "I presume I shall miss them, and at first, perhaps, it will be a little hard ; but it will not be nearly So bad as if I had lost my health," tho young girl answered,cheer fully. "Can you endure the thought of going to live in a few close, ill furnished rooms, with coarse carpets, or worse, none at all ? Oh, my darling !" cried the strong man in tones of despair, as the enormity of the sacrifice swept over him, " I never thought such a calamity could overtake us. I was so sure that everything was safely invested, and now the whole is wrenched from us at a single blow." Ruby lifted her head and looked into her brother's face. She was very pale, and there was a wistful look in her beautiful eyes, but the lines about her sweet mouth were firm and steady. " Robert, don't call me a child arty more," she said. " I know that I have been little better than one all my life. But I feel like a woman now, and I wish you would treat me like one. Of course all that you havo spoken of will seem a little strange for a time, but I shall not shrink from giving up everything— everything if it will help to lighten your trouble. I have read of these dreadful things happening to others, though I never have thought of their coming to us, and so, of course, I could not realise them fully. But, oh, Robert, I would so much prefer to be poor with you, and have it no fault of your own, than to enjoy every luxury of life, and have you guilty of a great wrong like Mr Currier."

Robert Gordon bent and kissed his sister's upturned brow with trembling lips. He could not trust himself to speak, for her noble self-abnegation unmanned him more than the knowledge of financial ruin hay done;' arid' yet,- at the sametimes'ft was an unspeakable comfort to have her bear it thus

" You can begin over again," she went on, cheerfully, seeing that he could not speak. " I have heard people say that you have excellent business talents, and will do everything I can to help you. I believe I can do a great deal toward taking care of myself. I can teach, for Mr Sampson told me, when he gave me my diploma, that if I ever wanted a position he would give me one, and I only laughed, for I thought how impossible it was that I should ever need to do anything of the kind. Do not worry about me, only let me help you. lam good at figures, and, if it will save you any ex pense let me help you about your books, write letters, or anything else." Robert Gordon smiled at the idea of his sister turning clerk for him in the present crisis. But she had already helped him more than she knew with her ready sym pathy and the brave spirit with which she faced the dark future, and he told her so.

• " Does Estelle know ?" she asked, a little later. "Is it that which has made her so suddenly ill ?" " Yes. she knows," replied Mr Gordon, with a sigh. " I heard her crying," pursued Ruby, "and I went to her door, but she would not see mo. Is- I suppose her money is all safe ?" she oonclnded. Her brother g-roaned aloud, for this was tho bitterest blow of all. "No, dear—that hae all gone with the rest." " Poor Estelle !" Ruby murmured ; then she added : "But.Robert.do not grieve. I am sure she will not mind it -so much when she comes to realise how heavy your trouble is."

But, in her heart, she knew that.Estelle would mind very much. She had been a

gay and fafsfcionable belle when she married Mi* Gordon, and possessed a handsome fortune. !. he was exceedingly proud spirited, and thought more of position, a good bank account, and the, luxuries of life than of any anything else In the world. Again an oppressive silence fell upon those two, while Robert. Gordon sab the picture of helplass despair. Ruby felt as if she could not bear to see him thus, and lot\ged to get away to think out the sad problem alone; but, somehow, the clinging touch of his encircling arm told her that it waxs a comfort to him to have her there, and1, so she remained.

At last, when she could endnre the still ness no longer, she asked, in a clear, energetic voice : " Robert, can't you bring yourself to meet these reverses courageously ? If you were alone in the world, you would not allow yourself to be so utterly disheart ened."

"No ; that is true; I should nob; and if your money and Esbelle's were only safe, I should not feel it now so much. Of course I must meet my fate ; but how courageously I cannot say." " What will be the first thing to be done?" Ruby questioned, with practical forethought. " Discover what my liabilities are, and then ascertain how much I have to meet them with."

" How long will it take you ?" " I do not know ; I imagine I shall know the very worst in a wt.ek or a fortnight." " The house will ha^e bo be sold ?" " Yes, and everything in it!" Mr Gordon groaned. " Cannot we keep wivythmg ?" Ruby asked looking a little startled, for there were some things that she tresured very sacredly. " You are to have everything that belongs to y OU — our mother's plate, and other things that she left; and Estelle shall have what she brought here. "Nothing else can be retained except just a few articles neces sary to furnish a humble home for us." " If you will give me a list of just what we may have, Robert, I will see that every thing is properly attended to," Ruby said, thoughtfully. "Of course we must have bed-clothing and table-linen, and per haps one or two of the plainer car pets, and. some of the cheaper furniture. If you will do this, you need have no more care about it. Sarah and I will pack everything, and thus relieve you of that anxiety." Robert Gordon felt a sense of shame creeping over him as he listened to his sister's request. Not one word of murmur ing over her own loss had escaped her lips ; her thought was all for him and his burden of care. He reproached himself ,for having betrayed so much weakness before her ; but his wife's wild grief, and the storm of reproaohes she showered upon him, when he told her that her own fortune was sunk wiifli the rest, had almost crushed him.

Now he sat suddenly erect, and smiled down into the earnest eyes uplifted to his face.

" My darling, what should I have done without you?" he said,kissing her fondly. " You shame me with your courage, and yet you inspire me to arouse myself and make the best of my situation. You have taken a load from my heart by striving to adapt yourself so cheerfully to circum stances, and I will repine no more." Ruby's lip quivered slightly, for, in spite of the change in his tone, bis face was very wan and haggard ; but she smiled stead fastly as she answered : " I believe I am almost happy to hear you say that, and I really begin to feel as if I am of same use in the world if I have helped you ever so little. And then, when I think of the poor man who has caused all this, lam very, very thankful; lam proud, too, for you are still an honourable man, yon will not have to hide from justice or run from the law ; you will find some way to pay the debts that trouble you so ; then you can bosnn again, and everyone will trust and respect you. We are all well and strong, and that is a great deal in our favour; and now," she added, brightly, " while we stay here I am going to get the cook to teach me somethiug every day, so that I can keep house for you and Estelle when we have to go away, and we shall not need to keep any servants." Robert Gordon laughed aloud in spite of his misery at the idea of his dainty sister, with her little jewelled hands, going into the kitchen and working like a common servant. But he went bravely to work himself after that, for he was greatly cheered by the strength of character and sympathy she displayed, and by the end of a fort night he knew just where he stood and what he would have to do.

Everything that he possessed would have to be sold, and even then there would re main a debt of two or three thousand dollars upon his shoulders. It was a terrible blow to the proud and generous man to be obliged to stand before the world at his age without a dollar of his own, and even owing an amount such as he had often given away to charitable objects and thought nothing of it. But he was comforted with the thought that there was no stain upon his name, for he would yet pay all, even to the uttermost penny ; that he still had the trust and respect of business men, several of whom stood ready to help him up again. If his wife had only borne the shock as bravely as Ruby had done, it would have been far easier for him. But she seemed to be completely prostrated, excluded herself from everyone, and spent her time in weep ing and bemoaning her hard lot. Ruby, true to her word, went directly to the cook, after leaving her brother on that never-to-be-forgotten day, confided their trouble to her, and asked her to teach her how to make good bread and other simple things, such as she knew she would need to understand in order to keep house her self.

She gave her whole heart to this under taking, and it was with no small amount of pride that she saw many a tempting viand which her own hand had prepared dis appear, and with evident relish, from their table. Mr Gordon soon found a small house of six rooms in the city, and removed thither what furniture and few comforts he felt he had a right to take from his luxurious home, and Ruby, with the aid of one of the ser vants, put their little home in order, and made it as inviting as they could with their limited resources.

The largest and airiest room was al lotted to Mrs Gordon, and was really a very dainty chamber when it was fur nished.

The little parlour was quietly elegant with its bright carpet, made "all over new" from an old axminster which had been upon the hall l» their old house, and afterward used in the upper story in the new dwelling. There were delicate lace draperies, which had been taken from Ruby's room, at the windows, and with ornaments that had belonged exclusively to her, and many pieces of fancy work which her own hands had wrought, tho room was, as she said, as pretty as it could be.

The dining-room was very plain, but clean and cheerful. The kitchen was small, but convenient and well stocked with all needful utensils, while Ruby's own chamber and that of the one servant, whom her brother had insisted that thoy must have, were,the simplest in the house. But the young girl was quite content to have it so ; for day by day she had seen her brother's face lose some of its care worn, expression, as business matters were straightened and the home arrangements had been made without confusion or any outward display of regret, and she felt as if she were really a help to him in this try ing emergency. But it was hard when the day came for them to leave their beautiful home, where

they had enjoyed so much, and fondly hoped to spend their lives. • Mrs Gordon was inconsolable, and her husband looked old and broken, as he finally threw his arm about her and led her from the gorgeous drawing-room which had been her special pride, and where she had reigned like a queen, out to the carriage that was to bear them away to their humble residence in the city.

Ruby, earlier in the day, had gone by herself into each room to take a final look at everything. She would not trust her self wtt'h any oneelse, and she did not wish to add a feather's weight to the sorrow of others by any display of her own grief. She could not refrain, however, from having a quiet cry, particularly when she went into the conservatory, for that had been a perfect delight to her ; but she was the brighter after her shower, and chatted merrily during their drive to the city, trying to bring something of cheerfulness to Mrs Gordon's woebegone face.

But it was a thankless task, the woman would not becomforted, she would not sco any bright side to the dark picture befove her, nor did see appear to realise that upon her devolved the duty of trying to make her future home a place of comfort and cheer to her overburdened husband.

She went into the pretty chamber, which Ruby had taken so much pains to prepare for her, without a word of thanks or ap preciation, and there she threw herself upon her bed and actually cried herself to sleep like a child. It would have been a sad place indeed for Robert Gordon, but for the sunshine that Ruby carried everywhere with her cheerful presence, and thus the bond of love was cemented more closely than ever between this devoted brother and sister. (To be Continued.)

HEADS OR TAILS.

A Scientific Attempt to Explain the Fall of a Coin.

Mr Richard A. Proctor, in his new book on " Chanco and Luck," touches upon one point which must at one time have inter ested almost everybody. It is the notion that if you toss a coin, say ten times in suc cession, and it comes down "tails" it is more likely on the eleventh throw to come down "heads" than "tails." The truth appears to be this, that if you toss for an hour "heads" will not exceed "tails" or " tails " " heads " in a greater ratio than twenty-one to twenty. If you toss for a day the inequality will not be greater than 11 to 100. And yet, if during that time you toss "tails" ten times in succession (as you may often do), there will be no more likelihood of " heads " than of " tails " on the eleventh throw. It is, indeed, obvi ously out of tho question that anything that has previously taken place can have given the coin a tendency to come down in one way rather than in another. The notion is perhaps capable of a reduc tion to absurdity in this way : Suppose it to be true that a coin which has come town "tails" ten times in succession is more likely at the eleventh throw to come down " heads " than " tails." Now let the tosserwhohas thrown "tails" ten times refrain from making the eleventh tihrow. Let him put the coin in his pocket and toss it a year hence ; it is still more likely to come down " heads" than "tails." Or let him not toss at all, but pass it to an other, who will toss it five years after. As the probability inheres in the coin, it is still more likely to come down "heads*" than "tails." Supposing all this be trim, it would appeal* that you might take up aa* old Roman coin and toss it thinking the chances to be even, whereas the probabili ties had really been decided by the lash pitcher who tossed it 2,000 years ago. One can suppose this idea to a proper subject for the reverie of a schoolboy's half holiday. But Mr Proctor mentions the case of an Englishman, an acoO-i ---plished gambler,who made it the basis of a " system "at roulette. He Watched the 'table for two hours, noting carefully the numbers which came up during that time. Then he staked his money upon the num bers which had come up very seldom or not at all. The first day the Englishman won L7OO in a single hour. His exulta tion was great. He had discovered the philosopher's stone. Within a week, how ever, he had lost it all.

REMARKABLE MEMORIES.

It is not at all strange to find a memory retentive on some subjects and extremely defective on others. A lady of my acquain tance could tell the number of stairs con tained in each flight in the bouses where she had lived, and it seemed almost im possible for her to retain for any length of time a remembrance of things more impor tant. Miss Addison, daughter of the cele brated Addison, seemed to inherit her father's memory without his sound power of understanding. She could repeat any part of her father's works; in fact,"1 the whole of many, but could not speak or write an intelligent sentence of her own. She was a perfect imbecile. The power of cal culation entirely from memory is surprising. The famous mathematician, Wallis, could extract the cube root from a sum of thirty figures in bed and in the dark. It is said George 111. never forgot a face once seen or a name once heard. Carolan had a quick and retentive memory. On one occasion he met a celebrated musician at bhe house of an Irish nobleman and urged him to a trial of skill. The musician played the fifth concerto of Viraldi on his violin. Carolan had never heard it and listened with deep attention, and, when .it was finished, took his harp and played the same concerto from beginning to end, not missing a note. Cases of forgetfulness on matters of interest are on record. When Dr. Priestly was preparing his work, entitled " Harmony of the Gospels," he had taken great pains to inform him self on a subject which had been under discussion, relating to the Jewish pass over. He wrote out the result of his re searches and laid the paper away. His at tention and time being taken with some thing else, some little time elapsed before tho subject occurred to his mind again. Then the same time and pains were given the subject that had been given the sub ject before, and they were again put upon paper and laid aside. So completely had he forgotten he had copied the same paragraph and reflections before, that it was only when he found the papers on which he had transcribed them that it was called to his recollection. Many times he had read his own published writings and not recognised them. John Hunter's memory once failed him in the house of a friend. He totally forgot where he was or where his own home was. He was conscious of the weakness, and tried to restore his recollections by looking out of the window to ascertain where be was. After a little rest, memory gradually returned. An actor once performing in a play which had had a long run, all at once forgot entirely the speech he was to make. When he got behind the scenes, he said : "How could I be expected to remember it for ever ? Have I not repeated it every night for the last thirty nights ?" On one • occasion a gentleman had to turn to his companion, when about to leave his name at a door where they had called, to ask him what it was, so completely had memory of it left him. -

After severe illness, and after enduring hardships^ loss of memory is not unusual. Thucydides relates that some who recovered from the plague at Athens lost their memory so completely that no friend or re lation and nothing connected with their personal identity was remembered. Men tal shocks frequently interrupt, or in some cases utterly put an end to that exercise which the union of body and mind pro duces. A fall, a sudden;blow, may sud denly obliterate all recollectioii.

A LIVELY EVICTION.

Tenants Who Defended "Jixemselveß in Medieval Style.

T • r. evictions at Bodyke were on J •_e 10th, and there was a repetition of the excitement and the scenes whidh have at tended the numerous attempts to evict tenants. The Sheriff and his bodyguard were stubbornly resisted at the hortse of a tenant named O'Halloran. The lullside near tho house was covered with an excited mob, who cheered the defenders of the* pre mises and urged them to hold out. O'Halloran and his party had dug a trench around the house and barricaded the lower rooms, while the upper portion of the house was occupied by ton men, including two who had returned from America, and some women.

The bailiffs made an attack on the walls o c the house with crowbars, but were re o.'ved with scalding water and fled. The Inspector of Police, with a drawn sword, then mounted the ladder placed against the side of tho house, but was beaten down. The constable, with a rifle and fixed bayo net, next mounted the ladder, but his head was battered by the defenders. Several gashes were inflicted upon him and he re tired. Another constable also attempted to climb the ladder, but failed. A second ladder was then produced and several con stables mounted it, but were beaten down. Cox essayed to climb up the ladder to speak to the inmates of the house, but the police prevented him from doing so. Finally a constable entered with a rifle and fixed bayonet, but the rifle was wrested from him and his safety was imperilled, when Father Hannon entered and commanded a cessation of hostilities. The inmates were then arrested and the work of eviction was^ carried out.

WRECKED IN THE ICE.

Details of tbe Europa's Destruction^-

The Crew's Escape

The Japanese "Mail" of May 23rd*con tains the following:

Further details r,a to the wreck of the whaler Europa on Kunashiri have been ob tained from the captain of the vessel who arrived here on S anday last from Hakodate. Tho Europu, w'jich, as we have already stated, was a shi|. of 306 tons, owned in New Bedford, left S_m Francisco an November 30th. The trip was a pleasant one, and eventually the ship started northward from S.-tipan, one of the Mariana or Ladrone islands,hav.ng on board about 4,500 gallons of oil. The captain meant to pass into the Okhotsk sea through the Pico channel, but the weather was extremely unfavourable and he was kept dodging about for three _ays in the bight formec by the east coast of Kunashiri. After losing some sails he stood out to the north-east, and at last on the 11th of last month got an observation a short distanco to the south-east of the southern extremity of the island of Iterup. On the following day, toward dusk, he sighted land which he felt convinced was this southern cape of Iterup, and he there fore steered a south-westerly course to gafri the middle of the Pico channel. The night threatened to be a very stormy one ; the ship was surrounded by ice, and snow was falling heavily, the wind blowing a gale from the oast-southeast, and he was most anxious to get out of his awkward position to windward of the islands and pass tlirough the channel. About 8 o'clock, however, the drift of ice had increased so muoh that he found it impossible to carry on, and the ship was put about and headed for the open sea. In less than half an hour afterward she took the ground. The masts were cut away and the crew remained on board all night, landing the next morn ing by hauling the boats oyer the ice, and. saving their personal eflfects and a quantity of provisions. Two of the men had been. w.as)ied overboard, but help jrus, rendered .in time to save them. The captain and crew remainded in houses near at hand for three or four days, and eventually the former chartered a small schooner to take most of the men to Nemuro. A good deal of difficulty seems to have been found in selling the ship, which, though much broken up below, had been saved by hcratrongconstruction from going to pieces, but eventually she was knocked down at auction for 2,500 dols.

BITTEN BY A BAT.

A Young Lady Seriously and Fro

fcably Fatally Poisoned,

Miss Ai/vtra Delancy lies at the point of death in the Cottage Hospital, New Lon don, United States, suffering from blood poisoning. She arrived at New London from the island of Porto Rico on the brig Morancy, in company with her mother and sister. Her physician would not then per mit the girl to be taken to her home in Boston, and she has been in the hospital since, attended by her mother, sister, and aunt. Her case is an extraordinary one. Seven weeks ago Miss Delancy was reclin ing in a summer house on her aunt's plantation near Arroyo, Porto Rico, when sho was attacked by a rat, which appeared to be mad, a3 it frothed from the mouth and kept up a fright ful squealing. The rat seized the girl's clothes and was tearing at them, when, with rare presence of mind and more i_han the average of womanly courage, Miss Delancy caught tho loathsome animal by the back, dragged him off her dress, a piece of which was in his teeth, and threw him to the ground with force enough to kill him. Although naturally much excited by the unpleasant encounter, Miss Delancy appeared none the worse except for a alight scratch on the arm, where she was bitter^ by the infuriated little animal. But that little scratch will probably prove fatal. Inflammation ap peared in two of three day_, and the poison was communicated through tho whole arterial system. The opinion of the patient's physician is that the rat bad eaten of poison set among the sugar-cane, which was infested by the animals, and that the girl was inoculated with this poison through the bite. The poison is also thought to be the cause of the rabid behaviour of the animal, for the Porto Rica rats differ very slightly from our own rodents, and stories of such attacks as this one are as rare there as here.

A Strange Adventure.

A Sleeping Child Walks About a Railroad Train.

When the Dayton train pulled out of the Richmond (Lid.) depot Mrs Johnson and her four children, of Little Rock, Ark., sat in the sleeper en route to Pittsburg. Close to Dayton Conductor Charley Mider, in passing through the train, met Mrs Johnson's little daughter Mamie, aged about 9 years. The child bad stepped to the platform of the ladies' coach, three carriage lengths from where her mother, was in the sleeper, and the conductor was horrified to see the li-tle one about to spring out into the darkness. By a quick movement he caught her and brought her back. " What do you want out here?" inquired the conductor. " I am thirsty and want a drink of water," sne replied. The conductor looked skarply at the child, and to his surprise found her fast asleep, in which condition she had safely passed from one car to another, though the train was running nearly fifty miles an hour. He led the child back to the sleeper, where she awakened with a start and began to scream for her mother. Mr? Johnson had not missed the child, and when the conductor related what had happened she nearly fainted.

SNAKE CHARMING.

A Cat's PecuMar Influence on Some

Poisonous Reptiles.

t The i*uins of tbe old Weh barn at the, end of West Walnut-street, which was set on fire by the Brimmer gang of fire- '■ bugs 'and burued down about five years ago, offers ex cellent harbourage for snake?,, and the place now is literally overrun, with'them. Mr Kautz-, who now lives on the place, has killed a number, some of them being black and coppei heads. A cat belonging to Mr Jacob Ponttz, just across the street, has i brought several into his yard and deposited them just in*, front of his door, when they were soon despatched by Mr Pontz. One snake, measuring over three feet, which was brought over "by the cat, was founr', by a young son of Mr Pontz, who took a stick to kill it, but on his approach ■'obo. snake at once showed light, and the b^y concluded to call his father. Immedi. .fceiy on his re tiring the cat commenced to, p Urr an _ the anake thrust its head betw im the folds of the coil and seemed to en* oy the cat's pur ruig. The slightest adv anc6i however, of Mr Pontz would arouse < _ he snak - e and cause it to assume a hostile v ,ttitude The snake was fin. j ly killedj and since then it has been obse rve d that the cat ex eats the same power j over fchose thafc haye since been captui d by it . The snakes m<. n 2 _f°t> W 'iatever to escape from the cat, und Mr Po^tz says he can't understand how the cat manages to draw such big snal_aa acrr, Bß t he road. It is remarkable thp,fno o^ie has been bitten, as the place is a resort for the children in the iy.ighbourhood. A party of boys who crossed the place recently' found and killed i four large snakes, all within a few feet of ] each other.

RUSSIAN IRON.

Pittsburg Hen Who Oot the Secret

of tbe Manufacture

The New York "Tribune's" Pittsburg special of June 9th says: The initial steps wers taken today for,constructing a Ru.a'an iron mill at Freeport, about thirty miles north of this city. Farley Alden, member of W. H. Rogers and Co., who will build the iron works, said today : " This will be the first Russian iron-mill ever built outside of Siberia. An imitation of Russian iron has been made in this country for some time, but it is not impervious to rust. Imper viousness to rust is the test of genuine Russian iron. Few persons imagine what risk was run in learning the secret of the treatment by which Russian iron is made. There are only three people outside of Russia to-day who know this secret. They are William Rogers, W. H. Rogers, his son, and William Nachol, a nephew of William Rogera. About eighteen yeai'3 ago William Rogers was sent out as Penn sylvania State Ccjologist to Russia. He had credentials addressed to ex-Governor Cur tain, Minister at St. Petersburg at the time. As long as he confined his explora tions to mines he attracted little or no suspicion, but as soon as he set his foot in side the iron mills of the Princess Demidoff he was subjected to the most vigilant espionage. It miist be remembered that the men in the mills who know the secret of making Russian iron are never allowed to quit the mills. With the special study he had made of iron-making before going to Russia, he was not long in discovering the much-coveted secret, though he had great trouble to evade suspicion. Had he been detected he would have been forced to remain in Siberia the rest of his life."

A NOTABLE EXECUTION.

An Influential Native Put to Death

at Hanoi,

The " Avenir dv Tonkin" giyes.jthe .fol lowing account of an influential native who has been executed at Hanoi: At 5 -O'clock1 in the evening of April 14th the rebel-chief, Tan-ly-nguyen-cao, was executed at Hanoi. This mandarin, formerly Quan-bo of Than nguyen, abandoned his post in 1883 to ally himself with mandarins who did not accept the French protectorate. Since that time lie has been one of the most active of the rebel chiefs, has been engaged in the re cruiting and formation of bands, and was second in command at the revolt of Bay-say. He afterwards retired to Kim-gian, in the province of Hanoi, where he opened a college which was much frequented by the literati, but he did not the.less continue to hold relations with the rebels. The Residence at Hanoi having become aware of the presence of Nguyen-caoat Kim-gian, had him arrested by the Lauh-binh of Hanoi, who satisfactorily, carried out his orders. To the questions put to him the prisoner would give no answer, and immediately ho was captured he tried to commit suicide by tearing open his stomach with his nails, biting his tongue, scratching his eyes out, and mutilating himself in other still more horrible ways. Tan-ly-nguyen-cao had very great influence with the literati. At his last examination he obtained first place and he was president of the important associa tion of Thau-ban.

FIGHTING IN SOOLOO.

The Japan " Gazette " of May 23rd says : Fighting has been going on between the Spaniards and the natives of Sooloo. The island has never yet been brought under complete domination; the town of Jolo has been, in fact, the only part in which Spanish authority was fully recognised. Recently an expedition was sent to the island, after the completion of the opera tions in Mindanao. A telegram despatched by the Governor-General of the Phillipines to the Spanish Government states that on the 16th of April Colonel Arslas, Governor of Sooloo, with 900 men, obtained a com plete victory over the Moro rebels at Maibung, taking two formidable stockades, capturing their guns, and inflicting great loss in dead and wounded. Maibung was reduced to ashes. Tlie Chinese - quarter was respected and the occupants were, of their own free will, "conducted into the fort at Jolo as neutrals. Sultan Harun con curred in the operations. The enemy's loss is set down at 258 dead and wounded. The Spaniards also suffered considerable loss.

Queen Victoria's Pictures.

None of the published pictures of Queen Victoria give a correct idea of her—she is so much shorter than her photographs re present her. The pictures are productions of a photographic trick. In all full-length photographic . portraits : of the Queen she is posed standing on a raised platform. The train of her dress is then brought around in front so ac to conceal tbe step on which she is standing, and by this means she is made to appear fully four inches taller than she is. Sho does not look to be much over five feet twp inches in height. The effect of even this height is lessened by her stoutness. She rigidly adheres to black cashmere dresses and plain cloth capes, except upon state occasions. It is said that she wears these soft clothes on account of her stoutness. Although she is so stout, she does not look at all apoplectic. Her flesh looks as hard as iron. She is very full under the eyes. She has the "pop eyes" of a voluble talker. This fulness under the eyes is criss-crossed with wrinkles. Her eyes are very large. On each side of her nose are two marked lines. There is nob a wrinkle in her forehead, and only a faint line at the corner of each of her eyes. Her face shows no sign of care, annoyance or anxiety. It is a very cold face, and has but little expression when she smiles. Her smile is mechanical, and is generally accompanied by a little nodding of the head.—London correspond ent of tho " New York World."*

BESET BY SPIRITS.

A Chair In a Farmhouse Rocked by unseen Hands.

The eastern part of this (Shelby) county ia considerably excited over some spiritual manifestations that have been going on for Sdtttfe -tftt-e at the house of Lorenzo Powell, one of the wealthiest farmers in the country, and who is now making arrangements to abandon his home, where he has resided for years, on account of them, his wife havino* preceded him in his departure, being un able to endure the manifestations, which have, according to their belief, a romantic and pathetic origin, proceeding, as they believe, from the spirit of their daughter. • Mrs Adrian Rigsbee, who- died at her home a short , time ago after giving birth to a child.. Mi* Powell himself, is authority for the few facts ■ here presented. Several years ago hia daughter fell iv love with a young farmer living near them, named Thomas Rhodes, who returned her love; but her father determined she should not marry him, hav ing selected a husband for her in the person of Adrian Rigsbee, and finding that she was continuing to meet the man of her choice, in spite of his commands, he resorted to ~ sterner measures, and confined her to her room until she finally gave up the battle and agreed to, and did, marry the man her father desired her to. Her death : followed the birth of her child, taking place in the room she had occupied at her home during her girlhood, and ever since that time sounds of mourning have proceeded ; at short intervals from that room every night, and all the night through, the sup pressed sobs and groans being accompanied by the noise made by her favourite rocking- i chair as.it rocks back and forth, and which is always found next morning in the place where she was wont to sit and rock when at home, although care has been taken time . after time to leave it in another part of the i room. Her father and mother believe it is the spirit of then* daughter mourning over > the loss of her life and lover, and they have stood it as long as they can, and will desert the house. Mr Powell is a man of good ~- character, and no one who knows him doubts what he says about the matter, the • cause of which he deeply regrets.

THINKS HE IS A HORSE.

Strange Hallucination of an lowa

Lunatic.;

A peculiar case of insanity, caused by a wound in the head, is reported from Shelby county. A farmer is said to have been kicked by a horse some twenty years ago, the scar being still visible just beneath the ' right eye. He has now gone crazy, his mental ailment taking the form of an oc casional spell of acting like a horse—sleep- < ing with horses, working in harness: with them, and finally prancing about the room and snorting and whinnying the moment the subject of horses is mentioned in his presence. The story goes - on to say that an appeal to the doctor suggested that there might • be something still the matter in the old wound—a loose piece of bone or an indenta- ■ tion of the skull. A consultation of doc tors was held, the skull trepanned, and a piece of horse slice nail about three-quarters of an inch long, was found imbedded in the ' brain. It was taken out, and at last- ac-■'" counts recovery seemed likely, the delirium having entirely disappeared. The most > incredible part of the story is that the nail • should have ever got in there. We do nob _ see how it should have been attached to the shoe on the bare foot in such a mari ner as to completely penetrate the skull, leaving no external projee- T tion. After that the rest is simple enough. Such cases have often happened, f But the fact that it was a horseshoe nail -nrstead of apebble in his brain had nothing to do with the form of the malady, or the peculiarity of the delusion. This may.have ... been oaused by the fact that the wouM was caused by the kick of a horse. In the ori ginal delirium caused by hia wound the patient would most likely dream of horses , more than anything else. People who have been nearly drowned sometimes retain all . their lives a dread of water, which apr . proaches insanity. A man who was nearly killed and quite demented by a horse might, ; . §o crazy on that subject. The editor of the helby " News " offers to exhibit the nail in \ substantiation of his story.

A Relative of Lord Beaconsfield.

TnE death is announced from Leghorn of an old lady who was one of the few relatives of the late Lord Beaconsfield. This is Mme. Sara de Rossi (nee Israeli-Tedeschi). Her mother was Rachel D'lsraeli, half-sister ef Isaac Disraeli, and elder child of Benjamin D'lsraeli, grandfather of Lord Beaconsfield. Benjamin D'lsraeli was twice married, and his daughter Rachel wa« the offspring of the first marriage. The first Mrs Benjamin D'ls raeli was Rebecca Furrado, who was born in Portugal, and, together with her mother, had to flee from the clutches of the Inquisi tion. Her grave and that of her mother, are still to be seen in the cemetery at Mile end, with the story of the escape inscribed on the tombstones. Lord Beaconsfield's father was the offspring of the second marriage, lt is curious to observe that the great Earl, in his introduction to his father's collected works, adopted the history of the Fun-ados as a family tradition of the DTsraelis. Mme. de Ross was 90 years of age. She died in the faith of her fathers.—. "Jewish World." '

Boiler Rivets.

In some practical tests of the comparative value of drilling and punching rivet holes in boiler-plate made in London, the result was in favour of drilling and the use of one third-inch rivets. In these facts all ihe pieces were fron\ .he same sheet of five sixteenths-inch boiler-plate and of one and three-fourth-inch width. Three pieces were torn in two/ l\y hydraulic pressure sh an average strain of 32,685 pounds; three pieces punched, one five-eighths-inch bole in each piece, broke under an average tensile strain of 13,485 pounds; three pieces drilled, one five-eighths-inch hole in each, broke under an average tensile strain of 17,645 pounds. The average strength of the drilled plate was \ thus 4,160 pounds greater than that of the punched plate. Three pairs of plates, punched and riveted with the best five-eight-s^inch rivets, one rivet to each pair, broke in the centre Una of hole, at an average strain of 17,549 pounds. : \

In the Jaws of Lions.

The residents near the corner of wenWoft- Avenue, Chicago, were aroused at daybreafc recently by the most terrifying series, of shrieks and groans and roars proceeding from a circus located near that corner. The circus people were also aroused by the un usual uproar and proceeded to investigate. Fainting on the floor of the menagerie-waff found Henry Decaber, one of the attendant-. One of his legs was torn and.mangled. Above him roared and wrestled with the restraining bars the' lions, which are the principal feature of the show. Decaber' leg was terribly lacerated,and he had nearly bled to death by the time assistance arrived.

When he recovered consciousness lie said that he had gone to sleep at night on top of the cages containing the lions. The first ' thing he knew was the beasts had dragged his leg through the upper bars of the den and were clawing and biting the flesh off it. j They pulled him off the roof and he fell clown oii the floor fainting, but how the excited lions came to let go his limb he does not know. Decaber was taken lip the County; Hospital in an ambulance, and is ' reported ' to be doing as well <w could be expected. '