THE AUCKLAND EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, MAY 28, 1887.

i&m^m&^,: j

MORNA DALE; OR, The Guardian's Forgery.

'JISYLVANUS COBB, Jr.

CHAPTER XVI.

<•■' '?:., j! forsakkx, do-wiitouy. ■. ' h^j; been brought to Morna and DIN>'mpanwn shortly after two o'clock, o n vj occasion Nancy Downer had been * fflpa nied as far as the ante-room by an &. but that, assistant had not been 8?!1S M to enter the principal chamber. MM S$ S^'M* -of the veryfine6fc lit.v in fact'; d both «h'ls had eaten $ .' 'Lett, to herself, poor Helen % Eye fainted and failed, though more account than on her own ; °° / en s ] ie saw.how calm and sclf-con •od her; dear lady was,-and how coiifi- in the ability of her'friends to flier, she took heart, and was able to Mi comfortable meal. m afternoon passed, and the evening ~ and .they had not been again dis *S Th'eThight had fallen, and for al ■S'hour tlTey were, left in, the weird IffP of their prison chamber. As they •*^tly meditating, the sound of coach *-y a pon the pavement of the inner '&oke the air. It was a heivy vehi 5eV-knew by the' rumble'; and' they I'jiire' it had stopped at tho main vesti-

"■ % 'could ib be? They were sure no «__•_ of any kind had left the Abbey flbey had been brought to it. Of *,«-there were visitors from outside.; I ffiart of our heroine bounded hopefully Ijjjjt.e thought that friends of her, own have come. -. . . " At where: was Nancy? Did she mean |<j keep then* in the,dark, and without tea, Light?-;. The minutes went oh;, half an jSaa'tipassed since the sound of the lelsonthe.pavement had aroused them, tthe^therattling-of.the key was heard ; it !{de-,;and-r thumped,-and slipped about ijsrirely,:• ■ the ' girls ' thought; but, at Lah,!.th_. door was thrown, smartly open, ijlongß by the1 kick of a heavy foot, and Haicycaine in, with tea-tray, and on it a li-htedlamp. .Howshe hadj>-ob along.with -.Van accident :ib was difficult, to under hand for Morna:saw at a glance that she »under.the influence of liquor. .However,ishe Avas.not so badly off but flat'she could navigate successfully ; and js for her'perceptive faculties, they were jeener than rever. -She offered no excuse forher lateness, but -set the tray down on the 'smalli'i table, thenl went out into the ante-room*-and brought thence another lamp, M a salver on which were fruit and cake*-and then, roughly and coarsely, she informed itheiri " leddyships " that they might" eat as soon as they pleased." i ('Nancy,"'said our heroine, as pleasantly andkindly as possibly, "Who came in the co^h.that arrived half an hour ago ?" •.The woman ■winked, horribly, and broke iatoaTiiaucHin laughs :;• ;;; : . ■•"Eh". cD'yo'think' it-was* some o' yeJ Meads'. >, Welljp'a'aps 'twas. But doft't ..jm-fret yefself, my pretty - leddy. They TO^lu-rm you-r-nbt while Gap'n Tom's at . jjehelm. can stake yer life on that, -&._>. rt -v.."-" «-'.'•■ - "•'-',.■-''' ■■ ■ ■ rMorna tarned> away im disgust, and iortlf afterwards Nancy left the- room. •■ - i^o persecuted girl did not; enjoy this K&I, She was too anxious about the coach, Uth.B6#ho must have come in it. ... •.. ..». •it length]' however, her suspense ended 4ititt#,.,litofttl. 4*s^l*:*ointmer_t.._: She roll _awAy—-heard-^he -last |a\\ ee'ho pi its rumbHhg wheels or> the dis t"!.nt•pavement; and. no .friend.had made asign. r When Nancy came into .carry away.the tray, the lady. : had, no^question to.ask, and t-eonlywpfdispbken word by the smuggler itfe.rwho had the'grace -to ask if _inytning more was rwanted. t*. Slie swas answered in tie negative-; j and then,, before departing, s_e took, a critical survey of the apartment. She went to the bed, .pulled . down the clothihg,'ondran' v her .hand around inside;* tien,got down on -her'knees a,nd looked nn_er it. 'From this'position she had a siighli difficulty Wairising ;' but she got up at length, .and then, went .into the smaller bedrc-om,/wher_. she .peered around as she kad done in the-first, .chamber., She also wentbto.the bath;-rloom ;; .arid as she came O-t'froni -.there, '.she.: looked up,' with a sfonid, drunk.n leeri winking, and blinking furioisly as _He thickly muttered : ' -"Oho! Til see ye tightV comf'r'ble; a. 11l ioind'. ftt : ye': don't gl' us/the slip. MindNaiice ain't nobody's fool—(Ate }) eh I that, leddy 1". .. *. .' .And witH that she started to stagger sway. ./Helen.reminded.:.ber :, that she ws forgetting her ■' tray';, and .with an oath,-that^.might haye ddne'. credit- to a minggler's boatswain,,she turned back arid poked,itup,: and was ere long out.of sight, She might have forgotten, the tea-things ; te she did hot forgist to lock the door ■ •it«rher.v-V '~"' '. :/'■''''"'- '. '. "'. '''.'''

•Helen, who had follpwed the woman as lir'asthedoor, and had stood there while •iejkey iwas.being turned in t&e lpck, was siartled by the voice of __Jr Crandal, who, tad met. Nancyin- the ante-room or at the ->. Without noise«she bent •«r ear to the keyhoje, and heard'the man ji if Miss Dalei iuld eaten' supper. She Vj-fd.jije. woman, answer yes.. Something, Bore was said, but the maid could not. •Wo ib:'oiife, and presently afterwards the oater/door .was closed .and-locked, and the PtPjfthem. went, away.., •- , ~"Heprp^ably Qame to make sure tjfjat' we ;«ra..safe,^.-akl:-'Mprna-, ;Wh'en"HelOn had : g»rted to hey what she bad beard. ' " But. , j| ||W36*_^hearted_'-d(»r^ri,"*tbe mistress I won./vfith '.more 'of. hope inrher tone _ |w."^e-had 'manifested'for k considerable C W.K..^'I<_.el ifc/ia in'y-'heart that!we shall • %MM- S '.-It cannot- be otherwise. Think' : *%Hae^;;; : ;Thin_: JK_wmany friendisC we* r has "one friend fffflwe'ramtnist^ We can surely count a Wred./.(Q! among ithem all-there must *SP. .1 wfll.riot give'up.", ;,'-,'■•' ■',' .' " ■M, threw her arms airduhd the neck of 5 Whiul; attendant and drew her to her W*,, and /there ..held. her" while she of -^i- fervent prayer,to Heaven., passed away, until at length e^aßked her mistress if, she" would not Wbetter-to lie down and rest. Morna »BBdted. her .watch, arid" found it ten tclqclt, ._ . ;., ■■-.-■■•' J.,; --• --: ; .;■■■ v|^.y*-^.d(Mr.';;.'! "VV;alt'a',little'while.; r D.*{l \!'gh ; ;bub'l.haveslepb sfinpe;.J' haves.' f?Bitting;here' aridVl /dreamed -0 ! ,1 S n!s'-bat a bright angel, with garments S eW;bght,,oamp aha/bade me, be of Sfe'iior, my 'prison doors' should be Hart^l'.Whatis'that? Some- Wrltb nptthe step' of a man; Ah !--- placed in tho lock of their A few 00''an^ --twasJ turning in its socket. '_fi_i Bec<ro3s. more, and the"'door was 2fe^Wlyo!3eried,"arid-0 ! blessed j^i' 1 f? e"for_h rof "a!young, girl glided m>H -»^.; in .'-■ and.Morna,recognised the . her deadest ioa^a.girl whose mother she had, witH-.: from^ ye_Vr last Pasfc> nursed and; nourished fo-Ml>,intb life. ■ The girl came in wibh S-^'.on.hor lips, and'riot until she tbjs^^-5 door, behind her and : turned .iJtS^^'lnside' did'she- speak, and M*2j , .eil'urit_l _he' had come to'Morna'e "■tot. hand upon her'arm,"

I " Dear- "lady ! !,— don't speak above a breath. Be strong; be brave. '01 I know you can." "Yes, dearEatelle, I can be-as brave a_ the bravest. Tell me what lam to do, and you shall see how quickly I will doit. Darling, have you come to save us- Helen and me?"

I have come to try, dear Morna. I have phedthat old woman with drink until she la in a dead stupor. So I gob her keys, and hero I am/ My brother Pbilip is out side. He-Phil—promised George Latham that he would help if he could. He came to me, and wo put our heads together. He got the rum for me, and I gave it to Nancy Downer. She caught at it greedily But there is no time to waste. Captain Tom has ridden off to Walling Cove to have the smugglers get their vessel ready, and you are to be carried off to France just as soon as he comes back, and he ■ -Captain Tom—is to go with you." ' ,

-Morna caught the girl by the arm and looked into her face. She had heard, but the words bad become strangely confused. She could not wholly understand. " Estelle .'—Carry me—to France ?—to night ? What is it ? Why would they do this ? Are you sure ?"

" Dear lady," said the girl,speaking very distinctly, "Philip overheard the whole plan. He came into the great hall while your friends were in the drawing-room, with the master-—" ' *

" Stop ! stop !" broke in Morna, a bright gleam of intelligence lighting up her face. " You said my friends ; who wero they ?" "Doctor Laybrook and Mr Morley and the lawyer "■- Mr Blackmore ; and George Latham, was with them. He camo in the cc-ach with them, Philip said." "0! George! George! Bless hie true heart ! He had been to Wallingbam, and brought them to help me ! . And—O 'i-.Es telle, do, you know what they did?" " Only this; lady : Philip heard the old doctor, just as they were going away," tell Mr. Crandal.that.he would set you free if he could. Of course Phil exmldn't hear much. He made out that the master showed them somothing that surprised them, and caused them to go away without seeing you. But they would have seori you, dear. Least wise, Doctor Laybrook would, but the master wouldn't let him."

** And whon they wero gone -my friends, I mean.-.- Philip overheard Mr Cranelal—say —what was it you said ?" " Captain Tom was to saddle a horse and fide swiftly to1 Walling Cove, and have the lugger made ready for.going across the Cliannel. He said you must be gob over. to. France before the light of another day. Captain Tom is to go with you. 0, now, dear Morna, if you will make haste, and make no mistake, you shall givo them the slip. Once you are with your friends, you will'be safe. Don't stop at the Grange — not a moment, but away for the town as swiftly as you can." The true-hearted, devoted girl stopped, literally out of breath. She had spoken rapidly, in a constrained voice, and under a condition of intense feeling ; bufe Morna understood. She knew could see it all. Her friends had come, thinking to take her with them without trouble ; and the villain had shown them the deed of guardianship which he had shown her. Of course, that would be sufficient to prevent their iisin^ force. She knew the. temper and the spirit of the dear old doctor, She could well imagine how he had threatened the wicked man with the power of the law. And then, after that, fearing that something might be done'to oblige him to give her up, he would spirit her nway into Prance. " Once in France, with Tom Crandal for a companion!—O, I would rather die!" .' .- . :. . •••-.•■ •..-•

This; last she spoke alond ; and on the next instont she was making preparation for leaving the Abbey. Philip' Dexter, was at tbe littlo rear porch, the servants were all asleep, and the way was clear. Phil had the key of the postern/ and George Latham was id waiting oj-teide, , ,-«,. •.■.. .4* - All' this Esfelle told while the tWo pjisohsrs SEere do.nfciag $b%'outer_ gar ments— all but their boots: The** mm were to carry in their hands; "u_rtil tftey should have reached tlie porch. ; ~

.All was ready,.and Estelle had stepped to the door to unlock it, when she was startled by a heavy footfall in the. passage beyond the ante-room. She thought of tbe master instantly. What should be done? Evidently he was coming to see that all was safe. He had duplicate keys. Estelle might have failed in such a moment, but the supreme need gave to Morna strength and courage. Bidding Helen to throw off her hat, and run and get into bed, she sent Estelle under her own bed; , then she extinguished one of the lamps, and pushed the other behind a box on the bureau where it stood; and in a moment more her hab was off and she was in bed, her head press ing hen-pillow. And not one poor second to spare. Morna's head had not been on the pillow during that infinitesimal tick of time when the door of her room was opened, and she knew that some one looked in, and that a stronger light was present. Sho ventured I to lift her lids—just a hair's breadth—and • she saw the dark face of Jonas Crandal, and saw that he held a lighted lantern into the apartmenb. She saw a smile of triumph curling about his cruel lips, and in a moment he was gone. He closed the door ! and locked it; then the outer door was; closed, and likewise locked; and the heavy steps were heard until their, dv«! echoes had died-away in the distane>e. . I And then Morna leaped from the bed, • and sank into a chair and took breath., OJ what an escape ! Suppose they had humed, and h^d been met on their way out, or that the bold; bad man had missed them and followed! ' '■ „ ~ , , "Don't let us think of it," whispered Estelle, who had crawled out from her hiding-place, with the door-key in her.hand. "0, what-a blessing that I happened to take the keys out : after me. Dear Morna, dorian', it seem as though Heaven and™ 6, gpodangels were on our side? We MUM Be, jsafe,now."._"..,. '•'. •-/..-_ .. -.-v Poor Helen came forth from her place, weak and shivering ; but when f.he found her dear mistress ..alive. tepjs heart, and soon found' ber strength. /; •. , ; > Orice more the adventurers were ready, and--once more„,Estelle went fdrward to open the way, and to reconnoitre. Going carefully tdthe outer door, she listened for a time, and ..then looked forth. The way wis'clears She had come provided wi4A a small, dark lantern, which ber brother bad brought to.her from the stable, and witn the slide of this open just sufficiently to en able them to pick their way without stumbling they set forth, taking care to lock the two doors after them . Their .course was, towards the rearwoll of that old wing, and down a narrow flight of stone steps, into a small rear hall below. A few -yards from this landing was the head of.another flight, leading «Jj* the entry-way of a.small porch on the^-back side of the Abbey; and from this porch they passed out into the rear .court, where they found Phil waiting to receive them. But few words were spoken here. Morna kissed her brave deliverer, and blessed her; and having been assured that she stood in •no danger of detection by her master, she gave her hand to Philip Darter--.;.and stepped out from beneath the Abbey r°E_telle, as soon as she had seen her friends safely off, sped back, into th? servants' quarters, and into theL^m where !she had left Nancy Downer, finding that female still.in her drunken stupor, lo slip the keys back into the pocket whence ishihad-token, them was the moment; / having done which, Bhe glided back into the servants hall and away to her own chamber, where she arrived without a SlEnrime! P' Phil Dexterl *ad|^g .Momaand Heleh to the PS^^fcSgg, *■ W secured a key;' and oukide th&y

-flrere met lay GeorgeLatham. In that ri-oment -the 'grateful girl could have thrown her arms .around the neck of her groom and kissed him with all the good and righteous will of her heart. But she foreborei Yet her cry of joy when she saw his kindly face, and the frank and grateful earnestness with which she caught his hand, gave him all the pleasure he asked, started from his eyes, and his lips quivered when he spoke. She turned and thanked young Dexter. ■'■" Oh ! Philip !" she exclaimed, in the fulness .of her heart, " how poor and paltry my thanks seem to me in return for all you have done !"

"Hush! Hush, dear lady! If you knew what joy it has given me you would know how richly I am repaid.—There!— Now, George, you know the way." A few steps brought them to a path lead ing down the hill, very nearly parallel with the high-way, and that they kept to the bottom, where thsy struck into the main 6treet, and were ere long at the Grange.

(To be Continued.)

THE POST OF DEATH.

By Rotus Halb.

Chaklottk Malcolm, wife of John Mal colm, a young sea captain, was a gentle fragile Woman, who would start with alarm at the report of a gun, and who would turn pale at sight of a mouse, a rat, or a cow.

Her husband was therefore somewhat surprised when, as he was preparing for a voyage to Australia, hie timid little wife; said she -».«_. and would go with him.

" What! you ? Why, ihy'poor child, you would faint away vie moment the ship began -to roll," he cried. "Well, you would be near to keep me from falling, if I did," she replied. "But you need not be afraid, I will control myself."

He objected to her going, but she coaxed and pleaded, and when at last she began _to cry, ho was not the sort of. man to hold out longer. .Jn fact, tho, only ground for his refusal was her excessive timidity; but' ho now concluded that she would suffer less, from that failing, if she went with him, than she would from disappointment if he did not take her.

So at last went tlio vessel—the Columbia —with Malcolm and his wife aboard.

A few heavy gales were encountered on the way to Australia, and the young man knew that Charlotte was much frightened, although with that wonderful power of her sex to prevent all outward exhibition of feeling, she remained apparently un moved.

In good weather sho would come up on deck, and sometimes, at her playful request, the captain would permit her to take the wheel, and would teach her to steer the ship. Sho liked this, and her husband was sur prised at tiie progress his pupil made. Her practice at the holm soon enabled her to steer, with a light wind, almost as well as the sailors.

The latterwere not exactly the sort of men the captain would have chosen had ho picked out his own crew. They had been rather hastily collected by an agent of the owners, and were all lazy, sullen fellows, neither very quick nor very skilful at their duties. Amongst them were- half a dozen fierce .looking Lascars, not one of whom could handle.-a royal properly without assistance. They-grumbled when they were set to work,* -and -never <_heerful exeiept when they were eating their dinners. dharlotte, who-was-a kind little woman, would often : persuade her husband to send liotdumplings, ginger-cakes and butter.to the foremast hands. They did not seem particularly grateful to her-_or thpsij Attohtjoh., -fts som&sea-faring men would havebeen; nevertheless, they re 4r4ij_i&_fcg^^ oyer she waft vt-ithfn.hearihg. '■ rr^nally the vessel arrived at Sydney, Australia, and there Malcolm received for the owners, after disposing of his cargo, about £10,000 worth of gold. Then- tbe ship sailed on the homeward passage One afternoon, the captain went down into the cabin to look over his accounts, leaving his two officers-the first and seconcf mates—and the steward on deck. His wife was also there. All at once he heard a rush of footsteps and the sound of loud voices; next there was a noise as of several bodies falling to Suspecting foul play, he ran towards his room and procured his revolver. Four fierce fellows, provided with crow bars and handspikes, rushed into the cabin and confronted him as he came out of the apartment. "Now Captain !" cried the foremost one, a huge seaman with black, matted whiskers and cat-like eyes. " We've been planning this thing for some time, and you can't help yourself ! We don't want to take any fives. All we want is the box of gold, and then we're off where we think you'll never find us. If you quietly let us tie your hands and feet, we won't even.hurt you ; but, if you resist, it'll be the worst for 1 you !" > ■ Malcolm's only reply was the pointing of his revolver at the speaker. He pulled the trigger, but the weapon hung nre. ; ■ . , .._.,. One of the mutineers knocked it from his grasp. He seized a heavy chair to war-cfoff the: blows of his assailants, but they smashed the chair to pieces, and Iheir handspike* and crowbars fell fast upon his head and Bhoulders, until he sank down, ** bleeding mass, at their feet. "Lively, lads, and hurry up the gold !" can_e a voice from above at that moment. ", A sail has just hove in sight out of tho mist, off tbo lee bow.. It's a man-of war •" The four men found the boj of gold, in th'e'capta-m's.i'wm, and it wascboveyea-on clgck. • ' l,'iht^,.ai»fti. .j&e r miz-»n-mast, lay., the 80<jbn'd ";ahd "third"' ma&sV', un^nßcwtts'ahd bleeding, tiedJband and foot. • , ■, ', ..,,..' "; Not far. from them, fastened to .the round-house with a rope, Was the captain's wife, who, in a, heart:rehding ■_ voice, had been calling but to the .mutineers hot to hurt her husband. : ( ■'"'.:•.-■ . ■■'-.■ All the gang now Stood gazing at the man-of-war, which; evidently a frigate, and* not four miles off, was heading diagonally towards the Columbia, on the ; starboard They held a brief consultation, and con cluded to set fire to the ship before tbey left her, so thero their would be no one "to telltales." . ,<*.. . ■-; •:;■ • Not a quarter of a mile to windward of them was a fog, which would conceal them, if thoy made for it In the long-boat, before they could be seen from the frigate, and thus enable them to reach an island, where they intended to conceal themselves.- Accordingly, the boat having been lowered, they put the bdg of gold in ib, and then threw the ship up into the wind, after which1 they set fire to a mass of oakum and tarred rigging in the hold. ~ , A moment later, screened from the dis tant frigate by the smoking craft, they pulled off for the fog. ..,' As the smoke in dense, thick volume poured through the open hatches, Charlotte, Wildly calling to her husband, struggled to free herself from the rope that held her to the round-house. .' . At last she succeeded in loosening one of the slats to whioh she was fast, and by a quick jerk she pulled it off. .■■ ■ Her husband, at thesame moment, crawled upon dock, covered with blood. The ex ertion, in his condition, had been too much for" him, and he rolled over on his side, un*. able to move further*

| Charlotte drew a cup of water from the butt on deck, and placed it to his * lips.. He drank a little, and then .said, in a feeble voice:

\i " Save yourself, Charlotte. There is a plank by the rail. Throw it over; then jump after it, and hang on. Never mind me, but leave me, for I am unable to move." .-..- -. :

"No," sho answered, firmly.; "I will save you, too, or I will perish; with you." ''- '"' .;'; ■ ;.'.;. "f}:

She looked at the two officers and the steward. - . -.:,,-; ..-.;

They were still senseless. Whatever was to be done, sho alone must do. - *. ■- New strength seemed to nerve her frame. ' She sprang; to the wheel, she tossed her long, bright,hair back from her shoulders, and then she worked the helm, bringing it up, so that the ship, with sails again filling, headed on a course to meet the approaching frigate. . "Too late!" groaned Malcolm, as, the smoke and flame poured faster,and faster through the parting decks, amidships. " You will only sacrifice yourseff lor nothing." , ..,,'.; "Keep quiet, dear John, and don't worry," she answered. "Here lam and here I shall remain, either to save- you or perish." " ..-■.'.:• '.-■ ".;•> Loud roared the flames. , ... . . ;. - 1 .'

I They crackled, they hissed and snapped, and rose high in air, fast eating their way aft. '' ' "■ "•''''. ' ~:'.'' -['■. ~','•"

Watching in the fore and main shrouds, up they went, in red, wreathing billows twining about the spars and leaping towards the sails. r .-'•"-' .. ''~;

The whole fohvard part" of the ship \yas now a mass of -fire. —-• ■---.'

I The tall foremast tottered as the batjkstays were burned' through, and then,' with the broad topsails spurciag iorth'.streameifl,; of flame slowly it went oyer, Kissing andserid-; irigup thousands of sparks,; as it fell with a deafening crash across the rail,--into the

Slower now was the progress of the ship, while faster was that of the flames surging aft. ! ....•: 'v, ... :;

Charlotte felt tho scorching heat. She left the wheel for an instant, and by tugging at her helpless husband contrived, assisted by some feeble efforts on his part, to drag him further from the fire. .

Again she sprang to her post at tho wheel. "Charlotte," he moaned, " it is useless. Overboard with the plank and save your self!"

But sho replied as beforo: " Here 1 remain to either save you, dear John, or to die with you." " But see ! Tho flames will soon be upon you!" '"• " Lot them come. They will nob make me desert my helpless husband." Her voice waß firm and determined, and she continued to work the wheel as she spoke. Through the rolling smoke and the red fire she could not now see tho frigate, but she headed the vessel steadily on what she believed to be the right course. Still came the surging, roaring flame. Soon Charlotte felt it scorching-her cheeks and her hair, but she would notbudge from her post. A leaping column of fire swept nearer to her face, and tho heat of the deck beneath hor feet was almost unbearable.

Volumes of smoke wero coming up all aro.und her through the seams of the planks. " Oh, Charlotte, you will perish!" moaned her suffering husband. " Save yourself, if only to satisfy me !"

But still she replied:"". .'.''-: " I will either save you, dear John, or burn up with you." Volumes of smoke and flames came roll ing towards her. In a few. seconds mOre they would have enveloped her form but for half a dozen man-of-war's "men,/who now sprang over the stern-rail.'', ■{", Charlotte and her husband, with the two uncouscious officers and the steward, were quickly passed intd a cutterlyingunder the stern The boat was, then pulled to the -frigate,- which,.-.p&rig.vt»^^^*iert,^uk^£, the captiinfe -wifefcafe;ss§istj&i:&i&\ptfc than a. quarter, of a mile tiff."'" Th'ei'twd vessels by approadhing each other' so. fast had enabled the people of the war craft to send a boat iii timo for the rescue." ".')!."., , :

The hurt men were cared for, and in a few days they recovered from the, injuries they had received at the hands of the mutineers. The latter were overtaken and, put ,in irons, and the box of gold was restored to Malcolm, who,, on arriving in' New York, had it conveyed to the owners. The captain can never forget the heroic conduct of his wife, who had shown,,him how, on a really trying occasion, a timid woman could be thebravesb of the brave.

The Perils of Football.

The great winter game df fpptbajl ,-iori tinues to manifest its upon the services of medical men, arid also, alas.! of coroners. It is most,regrettable that a, pastime good and useful iii.many ways, arid popular beyond all cavil, should be apparently incapable of reasonable refprm. Yet another death is recorded.,', .An' in quest was held ab Manchesterlast me^nbh on a young man named Makin, who met with fatal injuries in a football,' match.' De ceased was playing in a Rugby game,. when he ran against another player and was accidentafly Bbruck in the abdomen.','. He fell unconscious, and died bwo days laber. The coroner commented pn therougb char acter of the game, and warned players that they ran great risk of being charged-jvith manslaughter. A ' verdipt of accidental death was returned. The coroner is to be commended for his outspoken "arid very necessary comments, Which sbpuldbetoken to heart and acted uponj nob only by in-' dividual players, but also by the'authori tiesof,the Rugby Union' and 'the Football Association. ~,'...,'"■ .-'.': •■>'...,.

Extraordinary Discovery in Peris.

Some months ago (the, Paris corrQ?p6rident of the "Daily Telegraph", says) an old womapand her idiot dauglitqr.'wlio.were living iri'great destitution at. St. .Denis, be came, heirs to a suno,„of £800. . Shortly: after the --fact became known, "tbe mother, and daughter disappeared, thpir nea,rest;friehds. being cotnpletely in the dark as" to their whereabouts.- The,police,.when, the state of affairs/was made known to.them, arrived at the conclusion that a law-agent who had been consulted about'the legacy knew some thing about the missing persons. They, went to his abode, and there found the two women in a. dirty room at the tbpp^ the house, the door of which, strongly' fastened inside, had to be broken down. The women were in a miserable, half-starved condition, having been fed for a long, time on hardly anything but bread and water. The old woman stated that she had been invited by the law-agent to reside iri' his bouse with her daughter while the proceeding jn con nection •with the transfer of the legacy were being ... completed in due form by himself. This was agreed to, and! the two legatees were then put under lock'and, key by the pettifogger. Strange to say, they bad been undergoing this treatment for nearly three months in the niidst of the borough of St. Denis ; arid riot a soul troubled about them until -heir friends, who lived in another suburb of Paris, took it inbo^heir head that something was wrong, as they had not heard from them. The . pettifogger and bis wife, who had gone for a holiday to Paris while the police were searching their house, jvere arrested on their return. ' .'.'■'• ,; ~„.; ~,,.

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MODERN ARMAMENTS AND THEIR CURE.

' : M. JtrtES Simon in "Le Matin."

How great are modern worn, where 100,000 men disabled are replaced y 100,000 others, and yet another 100,000, »nd then by hun dreds of thousands, rushing towards death by the rapid trains of all railways. What a heap, of slain ! What d«Bfmctive fires ! How many fields rendered tprren for long years ? What flourishing industries ruined ! How many fathers without children, women without husbands, old men without means of support ? How many orphans ?—Good heavens ! And what loss fyt the States ! What desolation ! Each e*nn-*on shot costs 4,675 francs, and Krupp's g-eat cannon, the terror of 1870, are nov Jost, forgotten, replaced by roburite. Oh l w^at glory to kill mon by the hundred tho-ioand at a dis tanced two leagues witho-i*. even seeing those that we. kill., That " a straggle against nature which cannot k'-ep pace with us to re-people the world. I mean to say the whole world would ouree you if you acted this part. But no ! j. acknowledge, to. the, shame of humanity, that you would be cursed by your -victims. The world only feels horror for crime * when the, crime is small. It banishes assas sination only when it is isolated. When the assassin: becomes a chief of, bandits he mounts a step higher, he is no longer so Odious. If he becomes a Napoleon, he is glorified. If. you have plenty of roburite you will be a hundred times greater than Napoleon. ; . You will,be the man who kills the most and kills the most effectively. To have plenty of roburite— that is what is called genius,you can ascend to glery by-assassina tion. The.world does not demand of you eternal and .universal peace. You cannot guarantee peace for twenty years; for after all-great as you are,, you aro only a man. ■For ten years it would be very difficult. Try, nevertheless ! "Will you give us only seven years? Well, then, give us seven years. The Septennate! Seven years of assured peace would suffice to save the world. The means aro vory simple. Ordain by a law that your army shall be reduced by 100,000 men, to begin from the day when another people shall reduce its army by 100,000 men. For that other people I can answer : It would not delay for ten minutes. And not only do I answer for it, but I answer for all peoples. It would be on all sides a general disarma ment. It would be said, " The State will reduce its debts ; it will lower its taxes ; it will demand of its Ministers new pro grammes for labour ; families will breathe again; the father will say, f I shall not leave my children orphans.' The land will recover hands for its cultivation, money to render culture productive. Factories will rekindle on all sides their furnaces with their creative fires. The genius of scientific men, in place of searching for some ne.w molinhteor roburite, will strive to pour new benefits on the masses of the people, and to conduct chosen spirits into yet unexplored regions of thought." And then, after the joy of having lived seven years in quiet, having worked, thought, acted as men, and not having been changed into wolves - after this ineffable joy, should we allow ourselves to be thrown back to days of agony and terror ? Will not the day come in history when tho last cannon-shot will resound? Has not God placed this blessed day in His eternal schenio ? This dream may, perhaps, reach the heart of those who mourn a husband or a son. Sup pose women's influence was tried. Why arc you women silent when it is a question of peace or war ? Peace is in your hands; defend the lives of your sons. « ,

Eminent People's Beverages.

Perhaps one might theorise about charac ter "from favourite drinks as much as from -i^^imistry,", oiV'hd«dwribing.;, L«ajb- us nee 1 wipbi-KMiihad -tbejiearti if ever a irian had. of a despot. Ho drank strong black coffee, the Sultan's drink, and Chambertin, the rich wine of princes. Cromwell and' George of Clarence were both ambitious, with very opposite endings. Both loved Malmsey, which bradibion asserts drowned the latter in the Jewel Tower.

Richelieu, the cold, crafty, calculating cardinal, loved the thin red wine of Medoc. The magnificenb and high-spirited monarchs, Henry VIII. and Francis of France, loved what Falstaff holds to be so inspiriting, viz., " a good sherris sack." Edmund Kean's erratic magnificenb genius and mad career were nourished on brandy, which was, indeed life to bhe un happy tragedian. Doran tells us that after his return, übterly broken, in 1827, only constant glasses of "brown brandy, very hob and sb ong," enabled him bo get through his scenes. . .

Addison's polished equable essays were written on moderate potations of excellent claret., ' • r, Charles Lamb, most perennially charm ing of, essayists, was a thorough Londoner in heart; and •! his favourite drink was genuine London porter. Pitt and Eldon, who represented the old order of things, both loved port, of which the Chancellor could drink three bobbles.

Peter the Great was a genius and equally a barbarian, with a fiery temper and un bridled will. We aro not surprised (speak ing, as theorists with just as much pro bability as your palmistry and chirography professors), to find that his favourite bever age was brandy with pepper 1 King, John was an nnbridled and fiercely cruel tyrant. And /if, .as Mr G. R. Sims says in one of his graphic stories, a man's disordered liver cap make him a fiend, what wonder? For King John loved draughts of new ale,, a surfeit of which with peaches is supposed to havo led to his deaths .i al- ■ ■>:. • ':;,.,= , ■; •- '

Dr. Johnson was a strange mixture of Toryism of the' ancfent^eighteenth-century flchooi—broad arid many-Tiried knowledge and goodness of heart *»rid- life—:?md great nervousness. <:He,; loypd /.in moderation, punch arid port Wine,, and-by his own des oription was ?'* 4; hardened and shameless tea-drinker, whose kettle, bad seldom time to,coel." . | ]oM: ,cari?io.t.tbebrise' about Porson, the famous Greek scholar, whp, it is said, could "cap"ftom 'memory any line quoted from the three Greek tragedians, _3_scbylus, Sophocles, or Euripides, for, he drank any thing. Indeed, it, is said, in a lady's ab sence with the keys, he vowed, much to her husbapd's annoyance,, that she had a private. bottle of spirits, and rummaging about, found one, still more to his friend's annoyance,•■ of which he _ drank the con tents. , He left, and on that lady's return (her husband /haying mentioned this in a vexed manner) she said, " Good Heavens ! It was the bottle of spirit for the lamp I" ! Sir Astley,Cooper, the great surgeon (who in 1815. received during the various months of the year £21,000 in f eeß), and who, slaving at his profession twelve hours daily, said he could digest anything but "sawdust," drank two tumblers of water at dinner and two glasses-n-never exceeding them—of port wine afterward.

I Talleyrand's cold ,and dissimulating nature was summed up in his advice to his subordinates. "[Above all, no zeal !" His favourite potation was claret in moder ateglasfles. ;■,,;■■ Henri.Quatre,France's favourite monarch, whose chivalrous memory evon the fierce Republican mobs of 1792 at first respected, loved the wine of Surennes, and, never as a rule, drank anything else. j Byron was fond of two very different po tations, which, perhaps, one might fanci fully say were typical of his two styles of poetry —one was hock and soda water, then a very, new beverage in England; the othor !-was gin and water.

Some Things One Would Rather Have left Unsaid.

The " I will" in the marriage service.

Will you marry me ?

Lady (to friend calling): "You won't mind me going on with my workwhilst you are here, then I shan't feel that I am wast ing time."

A church warden was courteously thank ing a Church dignitary for kindly taking, on emergency, a village service. _" A worse preacher would have done us, sir," he said, " if we only knew where to find him." At a soiree. The Colonel: "Will you sing again, Miss Johnson ?" Miss Johnson : '• No, for the third time ; do you think in decision is one of my failings?" The Colonel (gallantly): " Indeed, Miss John son, I should have been greatly disap pointed if you had said ' yes.'"

Eminent tragedian (to new acquain tance) : " May I send your daughter a box for the -first night of my revival, Mr Brown ? But perhaps you've seen it, and would not care yourself to—" Mr Brown: "Oh, don't mention it, pray—so good of you. I can put up with anything to give my daughter pleasure."

Tom: "I Bay, Dick, old man, with so much idle time on your hands, why don't you go in for the hundred guineas word competition prize? Any fool with leisure and a Nuttall can do it. Just the thing for you." Dramatic author (to a friendly critic): " Oh, Jones, I wish you would let me read this scene to you, because if it is clear to you I I think everybody will understand it;"

Scene: A fancy dress ball. Evangeline' (to-Lady. Dash): " Oh, how do you do, Lady Dash ?, Yon look so nice I hardly recognised you." Hostess floq.J: "Mr Green, though I never had the pleasure of hearing you sing, I am told you would favour us with ' 0 Ruddier than the Cherry ! 0, Sweeter than the Berry 1' Pray do ; Iso love to hear a good baritone roll out those delicious It's." He: " Weadily !" (and he does, singing it thus : "O, VVuddia than the Che-wy 1 0, Sweetaw than the Be-wy 1" Old lady, friend of family, congratulating daughter of the house on her engagement: " I'm very much interested about it, dear. You see, I've known you all your life ; I re member the day you were born. It's a very long time ago I" Member of a city firm (to whom a testi monial has been presented by the staff on retiring from business) to manager: "I am much obliged to you all for your very hand some present, which I highly appreciate." Manager: " Pray don't mention it, sir. We are much obliged to you for the opportunity of making it. Aftor a sumptuous repast. American host (fishing for a little praise): " I am afraid you've not had much of a dinner, sir ; but it's all owin' to the kitchen fixin's," English guest: " Pray don't mention it, my dear sir. As you know, I'm used to rough ing it a bit." Professor of many "ologies": "There are so many literary impostors about who disseminate spurious theories-" Enthusias tic listener (interrupting): " Ah, yes ; you must be an undoubted authority."

Scene: An afternoon dance). Vav. : " I'm afraid I must be going. I have to dine somewhere ab seven. Hostess: " Well, you will have to be quick." Vav.: " Yes, I havn'b any more bime to waste." A gentleman having been recently intro duced to two sisters, the husband of one of whom had recenbly died, and bhe husband of the obher had gone to India, was talking to bhe former, when she remarked that it waa very hot. He, mistaking. her for her sister, said, " It is ; but its nothing like the place your husband has gone,to !" "I have asked to dine with me. Will you come? He-s-a perfecb fool j but I'm sure you'll get on with him." A gentleman deeply, enamoured ot a young lady was walking with her, when a Sadden shivering - -attacked her. _ '_ __£he "gentletflan anxiously inquired was she,, ill. "No,"she replied; "it'ssomebodyjwa-i-lng, over;my grave." "Ah !" $aid the gentle man lovingly,/" Would to Heaven JL was that happy creature !" ,

War Against French Book makers.

A Paris correspondent writes :—Notwith standing the tolerance with which the bookmakers were treated at Auteuil last Sunday, it appears that the Government are determined to put a. stop to the opera tions of the betting fraternity, both on the course and in the paddock. With this object in view, M. Goblet, the Premier and Minister of the Interior, has addressed a long circular to all the Prefects. M. Goblet says :—•" Whatever may be the sophisms by the aid of which people have attempted to legitimatise the exist ence of bookmakers, I consider that the suppression of tho betting industry on the raceourses is necessary. Betting as ib is practised is a source of illicit gain for some, a cause of greater loss, if not of ruin, for the greater -number, and a demoralising Erin ci pie for all." M. Goblet declares that c has consulted with the Minister of Justice, who agrees with him in regarding the distinction which was made between betting on different parts of the race field as contrary to the principles of jurispru dence. It was, therefore, not to be main tained. For those reasons, M. Goblet begs the Prefects to transmit to the agents under their authority, the instructions necessary "to prohibit betting of any sort being en gaged in on the.racecourses." This pro hibition is not to extend to bets made be tween people acquainted with each other. If, in spite of the measures which are to be taken against them, the bookmakers continue to carry on their business in. an ppen-or disguised form, they are to be pro secuted. .

The Science of Thought.

In the Royal -Institution, London, lately, Professor Max Muller began a series of three lectures on the Science of Thought. The science of language was regarded as one of the physical sciences; and its differences from comparative philology were defined. Mythology was treated as thp reaction of language on thought. The complexity and the simplicity of languages were contrasted; the former being due to the centrifugal extension of the original roots by their prefixes, suffixes, and infixes, by which they were adapted to signify more numer ous and more delicate expressions of thought, But by tracing back in languages the identities of roots, the simplicity of their primitive natures was made out. • The evi dences of the languages of savages bore strongly on this point. Thecomprehensive ness of language was indicabed by bhe two millions of words which are recognised in bhe English language. Bub bhakespeare has expressed all bhe effects and the results of his numerous plays and characters by the use of fifteen thousand. All these words being traced back to their original sources, they are reduced to eight hundred roots ; and these again in turn are reducible to one hundred and twenty concepts. The science of thought was imposed upon the science of language ; and the origin of roots from im itative sounds, such as the bellowing of bulls and the barking of dogs, was deemed in sufficient for the general expression of thoughts by languages, and the effect and results following upon action wete prefer ably regarded a3 giving rise to the concep ! tions by which language and thought have I been linked together.'- v ' ••; y ,v:.;;

THE MATRIMONIAL DECOY DUKES OF PARIS.

Amualng Revelations at Their Trial* .

Some months, ago a couple of adyenturei-^i-! .'■.: were arrested for having worked a matri monial agency, which was in reality 6a effective machinery for decoying men on the look-out for rich wives. The dupes, after having* been relieved of a round, sum,,of j money, were married to a sham heiress, and then sent about their business.1 The' " principals of the agency" were: • a ••; bogus Baroness de Mortier, alias De la BocheUe, , and her attendant cavalier, a swindler, named Lecourtois. These two succeeded in ;:> quitting the country, and the Paris Correc,-,,; r tional Tribunal, which has just disposed of r , the matter, had accordingly to deal with the sham heiress and a Mdme.' Leprout, both of whom had been, conduct*,.,, ing a tolerably prosperous matrimonial busi rtess on their own account1; a'"' " theii '■'■' • principals had left France for rea- mown,; _- to the police. The dupe wash... oduced ? _. after having answered the questions, to a - good looking young female of presumable ! Anglo-American ori^m* whose; vna_ne,ii_ according to the police reports, is, I^paL The part of the maternal relative wa» generally played by Mdme. Leprout, while "•'■ the man Lecourtois acted as the paternal , or avuncular protecter of the heiress. Mdlle. Leal, who was the chief criminal.'' arrested, said that she had com© to Parii .. from England about three years ago, in. . order to live with a man. She subsequently' accepted an offer to act as De Mortier's de* " coy-duck. :,:, • " '•"-'•" ".-'.-;;'' '"'* The first -witness for the prosecution who >*i was called was the little shopman irom' Limoges, aM. Leftivre. He sawan adyer- :*?. tisement that a English' heiress, U» about L 60.000 to her fortune, but slightly 1 damaged was in the market. He imme-. diately rushed to Paris with all the money - he could 'collect, was intrOdacod' torthe " divine Leal, spent nearly L2OO in dexromtine that peerless beauty with.jewels and gold, and went with her to London. _ Hepassod* f> happy honeymoon in theßritish capital, visiting the Alhambra and other pWaea^ of u[ entertainment, and living with biflbridd and her mother in the best hotels. • After that he returned to Paris, whither he had i summoned his friends from Limoges,- who' a soon informed him of the painful fact that he had beeu duped. M. TAbsolu, a Paris* ian barber, paid L6to he introduced,to. the daughter of a Spanish general "in her box at the opera. The.eenorita, however, f professed that she found M. PAbsola defi-. , cient in educational attainments, so he _. a was left to the tender mercies of a Mar-,,; seilles maiden, who fleeced him of £4Cu n) 'r A , stockbroker who had been bamboo^ed f; made a desperate dash after ._the£ ...dcig^'. which had been promised to bjtoti. He".... married Leal in London, at a registrar's:., office, and entered at once into, financial;,, matters. He soon found out, , however, r, that after having spent his ; mbney he .... had been fooled to the top of his bent. A . country gentleman from Toiiraine had noi)..i only lost money on Leal, for, whom he hired a box at the opera, but had, long kept , her supplied with game from his- preserves., This extraordinary trial terminated ■ by,. the condemnation of Leal to, four months',, imprisonment. Leproui was acquitted;, while Lecourtois and the sham baroness., were condemned by default . > ,*--. ;,-,.

A PLOT AGAINST THE CZAR.

A Nihilist Precaution.

The St. Petersburg correspondent OjE ...raw ',, " Times" writes :—ln connection with the"; rumour that the would-be regicidejp captured two weeks ago intended to get themselves arrested Opt of, unwillingness tocommit the'; ,crime for. tjs" jMrpetrationl'of whtefi tMyf lipid been cbo'sej., 'and in b-der/fo;e|^a / ! bmhg da>mtel\ed*/l|y "their tfrnSam^W* ' f&u^4f;fft&«re', &fc^ve J-**^ii_^^ •following' ourioijte arrangement ' upon its wretchea* instruments-bv the' Ask• sassination Committee of-the Nihnistjwrty-.- "> Each man was found to have a emair-nbottl^ •' conbainirig mosb active poison rasrand&dljjr* the neck, and hung next to' the bare sKin. « In case of failure, or refusal at "'the/li^fc ;| moment to accomplish their infemadt»s_v^ -secret agents of the party, who. wereoh't^jP* watch aU the time, were to strike the .chea/lf". of the faint-hearted or unsuccefflsful 'asßafl- 1. sin, thus smashing the bottle, ahd! catuln|f * bhe poison to enber the wound made by^tbe ;' broken glass. Experts declare tbab th'e.'a^ "^ plosion of either bombs would haye'Mll^/ everybody within a radius? of 28f^. „', - ' '~

More Mind, More Madness.

It is no way surprising that insanity should _ seem to increase in races /or/classes; wKjijh * are being intellectually stimulated^ £_P3fj education. Thore is always in. every coini, r " munity a proportion of brains which, being .* brought into action, will brqak dcrjv'p.; f This proportion doubtless dimim^es. ajij the communiby is elevated, ahd.i^^a fey generations the result; of; culture - i^ay-%'■■' probably, will—be to develop"., a , bpttgjr, stock,' looking upon the people as a whole-f. but -at the outset of the »iucatipriary r process, and in the generation first teughfy , the immediate: result may be a i TOnsideiw ■ able number: of wreckings. ThiSiigenpraJ principle is applicable to all raesegj^pepples, r and classes, and it explains why fhe.finjjb; effect of trying to elevate bhe. negroes hag, : been to produce an apparent; increase -of insanity among them. \, .!** •;-:' .rilst-i'l) v-o/ia

A Tame Whale.

An immense whale is " knocking aberit '-"ifiS.. the water at--Santo Monica. ;-_^--i£h;qtiatflr_* tame, and the inhabitants take great:: p-e»?; sure in. feeding it, and. watching, ite .anibjci'r iri the water. > It is so friendly, a«eprdi__#j to the ii Los Angeles Express," that: iv) wilT. fellow a boat at a respectable dists^i6e_/,ano[ f eat the food thrown to it../ .It -is, especially^ fond of fruit. Of course there is no way/i,t9> fill it up, but; it knows when it, bap enoughi* and, when satisfied,- takes .a,-plungef,aricj ; , disappears. Whales are shy; monsters,j and when it comes to enjoying thii com pany of human beings no :sucb,fßie.t was! ever recorded before.; Some years/ago,]*, whale was captured, and placed v. in aa; aquarium at Paris, where it became the ob ject of great interest. It grew to great size** and was not slow in responding to the. calls of. its keeper. The constant; streaanfof* visitors naturally made it lose'-its slijyrieetj,; and it even seemed to enjoy the presence.wi sight-seers. This whale was, in 18S4, sold to a showman in London for the handsome some of 25,000d015. Great trouble was.ex perienced in leading it on theschooiier Misty: Way, but the trouble! did not end there." While in a gale in the channel, the r vessel' was. badly wrecked,' and the huge wejoden' tank, which stood on the upper deck/'Wis"' smashed and the valuable inmate escapee!.: The sailors;, when the whale was floundering on the deck, were thunderstruckahd madefor * the. rigging! It is just 'possible, '(s_iys%nl* Australian paper) that this most precocious' whale at Santa Monica is the sariie'tfae'thab' endured captivity at Paris arid made its ea- cape. It evidently belongs to" the-spebieir" known as the Sebbaldius svlfureus', - ras <i\i9 body is large and relatively blender, 1 'pftd'itf capable of great speed; ■ Just how long this! marine visitor will remain in these%put____*tt waters is hot known;it may disappear ak' mysteriously and unceremoniously as it' ap^ I peared upon the-scerie. >- The Satt to'Monica j people are enjoying" its' pre«encepahd^ii''ii. I ho"**-* »vj attempt will be n.ad& itf a rbapbvtnfc.