Ontario Community Newspapers

Fenelon Falls Gazette, 12 Sep 1890, p. 2

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3!, WWW GIN A MOTHER FORGET 9 In one of the poorest and most overcrowd- edparts of r and overcrowded Inudon stands a litt e whitewashed house, differing from the squalid places round it. only “1.118 )erfect cleanlinessâ€"for on entering nothing int the phtincst and most necessary furnish- ings are to he found. ' Urn-bitter night early in February there sat, in the hardlyâ€"furnished sitting went, a. young priest. He was evidently expecting some one, and some one he loved; for from time to time, he stirred the fire and looked with sortie-thing like a sigh at the meagre meal which was prepared on the table. “I niu..t m: p-t'. “neosls,”he said to lrnnsclf, “ for if the tire is really bright when be com .‘r: in, he will grudge himself the warmth. I dun; not nrzrkc 7- . nnfortable meal, for he will gm 1 the food. It is alwax. , for he thin s that he alone can do \l'lilit'alti rest, warmth, and comfort; for oh ! l; :-'.'.' lender and thoughtful he is about every one else I" As he sat down again. the door opened to admit a tall, powerful man, looking weary bcvond word}, and wet to the skin. It needed not his clerical dress to assure any who saw him what his calling was; for iri- tcrcsting as his face must have been under any ciri::‘.t!l~st:.‘.trccs, it was rendered beauti- ful by the beauty of holiness, sud the strength and sweetness mingled in it made it like the face of an angel. “ Dear brother,” he said, as he came in, “I can go out no more this night, for my body is so weary and my heart so sore that. I feel helpleesand dispiritedas I lioverarely felt before. The sin rind the suffering, the wretchedness rind poverty, above all, the cry of the children, are breaking my heart. And if mineâ€"J) 'l‘hou loving Shepherd! what mtth the suffering he to Thee, iii Thy rfect purity and unequalled tenderness? Kitv long, 0 Lord, how long ‘3" He sank down on a chair and buried his face in his hands for a few moments, while the younger priest looked at him sadly and anxiously. It was so unusual for bother “'arrcn‘s face to be clouded and so rare for his spirit to be tlcspondcnt that. be felt sure something was wrong, and that overwork and constant exposure were at last begui- ning to tell even on his riiaguificeut health and frame. “ Now, dear father,” he said beeccchingly, “do put. on dry clothes and test this evening and take a. long quiet sleep, for if you persist in this constant self-forget;- fnlness, you will have to give up work alt-o- ether, and I think no greater trouble could full you and us than that.” “\Vcll, truly,” l‘uplicd Father \Vzirren, “I am resolved to go out no more this night, for, thouin the spirit is willing, the flesh is weak." lIc ll'ttl hardly finished speaking when a ring was heard at the door, and the servant entering, said, “Father, a lurtv desires to see you, and beg; you will not ref to her." ‘ “ Let. me go. ’ said the young priest, 'uniping up. “ l! istoo hard, this perpetual Importuuity. I will speak to her, and tell her how unfit you are to do anything more or see airy one this evening.” “Do so, my son,” said Father \Varrcn, "but let it be courtcously and gently said, as befits those who speak in the name of a. gentle and ricvcr-ivcniy Master.” The young imin crossed himself and left the room; he returned, however, after a few minutes, with a disappointed and somewhat mortified air. “She will have none of me, dear father, but desires to see you and you, only: and in very truth I feel myself asking for her; her pleading is so touching and her longing so earliest that l have gone over to her side and can resist her wish no longer." Father Warren rose briskly and said. “ Do not let her wait a morncntlorrgcr. I feel to blame that she has waited so long already Bring her in :it once, I iraiyyou,” and while the priest hastened to obey he placed a ehnirncnr the tire, ltlltl muttering to himself, “Neither turnelh a deaf ear to any poor man,” he put- thc teapot on the table and prepared to receive cordially the unexpected visitor. ' The door was gently opened by a. fall lady, dressed in bluck. She was exceedingly fair to sec, beautiful in feature and carriage beyond most women ; but there wasan inev- essiblc charm far beyond even thatâ€"a tigiiity and perfection of manner and ap- pearance such rs Father \l'nrren had never seen before. Advancing toward him, she said in a low, clear. and most melodious voics : “ Forgive me, dear father, for disturbing you so late, and on sueba night ; but no other could fulfill so Well the mission which I ask you to uiidcrtukc. Will you come with me to bring comfort and happiness to :i. departing and crring soul T and will you bring the Holy Sacrament v-ith you. that, having confessed and been absolved, he. may go hence in peace?" “ llcur lady," answered Father \l'arren, “I have not calensince the morning. My clothes are wet through, and I am very weary. Another prich of God more worthy than 1 shall go with you. ' “Nay,” she ssid looking wistfully at him, “I pray you, go with me yourself, for to you was I sent, and the. time is very short. I beseech you to mine with me and make no deluy. lly the love of the Blessed Mother for llt‘l‘ Son, by the love of first Son for all his crriug children, I ctnplorcyou come with me, and conu- quickly." She pleaded so earnestly and tenderly, and yet with something of authority in her tone, thst the frihcr yielded: and forgetting all but her anxiety and that some one had need of him, he hastily put on s cloak and left the house with her. A strong biting wind and sharp Ilccty rain made walking ditlivult and conversation al~ most impossible, so in- fvllowed the lady sil- ently as they sped quickly along the narrow streets. Father Winn-en could not but inar~ vcl exceedingly that the lady did not seem to be aware of wind nor rin nor anything round her, but with firm tread and head erect she walked eslrnly and quietly though very mpidly on. She moved M utu‘ with a set purpose. while 3 smile of hope brightened her grave face. At‘ last After wslking thus for a consider- able distance. they came to one of those quit-t, uld~fiubiemedsquares. outta the chos- en residence of the wealthiest Londoners, but now deserted for pint-cs further fromthe crowded mantra of the huge city. She stopped at one «it the houses, end, knocking tinnly sud decidedly at the door. she turned round to the print Mid mid : “I have shown you the pint-(- and told you of the sore need of one who lives there. I can do no more, and must go now. blessing of tied the Father, the love of God ' r l the Son, snd’t-he help of God the Spirit go with'you now." She turned rapidly away and was quick! out of sight, leaving the prieste little bewil - cred st receiving so solemn a blessing from a. lady and a. stranger, and yet, with the feeling that there was nothing unsuitable nor unbe- coming iti her giving it. Before, however, he had time to collect his thou tits or explain to_ himself what he really fe t about it all, the'door was opened by astout, comfortable, respectable servant, who seemed rather astonished at his a; car- ance. “ I have been summoned to a the priest and recognizing his holy character, she went on : “ But you had better come in and explain it to the youngniasterâ€"for sure am I he wouldn't like a beggar turned from the door on a cruel night like this, let alone a holy man like you, as is well known to the poor and needy.” So saying, she led the priest into a iriost comfortable room where wasseatcd alone a young man evidently wait- ing for his dinner, preparations for which Were on the table before him. “This reverend gentleman have been led astray, Sir, by some visiting lady, and brought out of ’is ’ome, where better he would have been on a night like this, as miripaging the streets to come to a ’ouse where dying beds there is‘ none, and noth- ing but health and comfort, the Lord be praised. But I knew as you would not wish him sent away, Sir, for the sake of her as is gone, and perhaps you can put him in the way to find the right ’ousc.” ‘ The young man smiled, evidently well oc- custonrcd to the ways of his faithful old servant, and, rising courteously, led Father \Varren to a. seat by the blazing tire. “Why, you are wet through and through I” he said. “At least let rue take off your clock, and rest a little, while you tell me how I come to the honor of this visit.” The father could not withstand the genial greeting, and, sitting down, told the young man how he came there. As he tried to do this, however, he found himself quite at a. lost to explain the impression the lady had made on him, and how powerless he felt to resist her opportunity, or even to question her as to where she was leading him. His host was grieved and concerned at the useless fatigue and exposure he had gone through, and said : “I fear you have, in your ready self-sacrifice, given way too easily to some charitable lady, more zealous than judicious, who, in her desire to do much, has, tonight at least, done too much, and made a mistake in an address can neither of us rectify. ” Father \\'urren shook his head sadly, for he felt how completely he had failed to re- present truly his calm and dignified visitor, and he sighed as he thought how, after all, her mission had failed. “I shall not let you go out again till you are thoroughly warm and fed,” said the young man; “und you must just console your- self by the thought of the kindness you are doing in sharing my lonely dinner, and in giv- ing me the pleasure of your company on such a dismal night as this.” The worn~out, hungry mun yielded to the cordiality and lieurtirmss of the bright youth‘s manner, and soon they were together as though they were old friends. They seemed drawn toward each other in some mysterious way, and their hearts were open- ed, and they spoke as neither had done for years. "'1 once belonged to your church," said the laid in rat-her sad, rcgrctful tones; “but I belong to no church now. Since my dear mother died, nothing seems of real interest, and I feel that if she were, indeed, living, in an ' state she would find some way to com- 'llicll we inunicate with me, for heaven itself could bring no joy to her if I were shut outside. And. indeed. it is much the same with me, for I have tried every kind of life to forget my loneliness, but everything becomes drearincss without her, and I have found no one to fill her place.” “Nay, not so, dear boy,” said Father \Vorren, very gently, “you have not tried everythingâ€"not; faith and patience and per- fect submission, with forgetfulness of self, the only things that can bring you peace and content.” “I do not want peace,” replied the boy-â€" for he was little more in his iiiipetuous, lov» ing heartâ€"“I want happiness, I want my mother, I want my old full life back again. It cannot. be true that she is living any- where, in any condition, and has forgotten her only child, her buy, her companion and her friend. My father died suddenly of heart disease before I was born, and my mother and I were all in all to each other ; we had not a thought sport. No! she in dead indeed ! gone forever ! Dust and ashes ! and the sooner I am the same, the sooner will the aching of my heart be stopped, and ' a useless life be over 1" l May the. l Father “'srrcii was deeply moved by the passionate outcry and evident sincerity of the lsd's grief. His mother had been dead for three years, and he had not allowed any- thing to be touched or altered in the old house. He could not best‘ any change in her arrangements, and her books and w'crk lay about as if she were still a living presence there. As they talked together it became evident that the young man had drifted into dis- belief of all kinds, and was tossed About on that dreary sea, forlorn and hopeless. It would not become me to try and repeat the powerful arguments and loving plead- ings used by the faithful servant of his Mas- ter to win back this lost soul. The life of the priest was well known to the lad, and he remembered in what terms his mother had always spoan of him, how she had told of rank and wealth put aside by him. that he might the hettcrbriog corn- fort snd hope to the poor neglected people among whom he lived, and his heart burned within him as the holy man plesded with him more and more strongly to return to the folde had left, but. where his plscc was always kept ready for him. “Come back. conic lizu he aid, “to the faith and the Church which made your mother what she was- â€"\vii.\t she is. I: is on who, by unbelief and wsymzrducss, sve raised the barrier between you. It is you who hsve loscd the door so that her holy angel cannot come to you. Return to the Church of God. Confess your sins and l ymg bed,” he said ; “ pray take me stance tothe room." The woman looked perplexed, and answer- ed : “ There ain’t; no dying beds here, nor hasn’t. been this long time. Thanks be to Heaven, we're all well in this house Sir '." “ There must be some mistake,” replied Father \Varren, “for I was conducted here by a lady who fetched me herself to the very door, and was in much unxretv and haste.” “There‘s no lady got no right tofetch any one here, and mistake there surely is," said the woman, rather testily ; but looking at y receive absolution, remembering thst there is more joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth than over ninety and nine just men that need no repentance. Open your ears and your heart now, so that, through my r lips, you may hear your angel mot er pleading with you for your soul’s salvationâ€"for mother triumph for the blessed Saviour's'cross." I know not what further words he used, nor dare I venture to describe the feelings of the youth as he listened ; but, after a while. his better nature conquered entirely, and kneeling before the priest he cried : “Receive me back again, I pray you, and bless me, even me also, 0 my Father l" Father “'arren, however, replied thought- fully: “I think it wiser and better, my son, that you should take this solemn ste when you are calmer and have fully consi ered it- with rayer, for surely a second backslidin would3be far more grevious than a. first. will leave you now and return again to-tiior- row.” “N ow, I beseech you, dear, father, do not leave ,me so, unabsolved; but ifinl our wisdomyou think it well thstI shou d reflect further alone, then go into my libra- ry and take there the rest you so much need for a. few hours, while I remain here and think of all you have said." To this Father \Vurren assented, and passed into the adjoining room, leaving the young man alone. He looked around him before sitting down, and found in the books, magazines, little works of art, and pictures, further evidences of the refinement and intelli- gence which had been so marked in eve y- thing he had seen in the house. But what arrested his attention most, and fascinated while it startled him, was the picture of a beautiful lady in full evening dress which hung over an old bureau, and beneath which was a. vase of white flowers, evidently placed there by some loving hand. “Where have I seen that. face before 2" he thought. “It seems fresh in my memory, and yet I have seen none such for many years.” He took up a book and sat down be- fore the fire, trying to rest. Tired as he was, he could not sleep, for the picture seemed to haunt and disturb hini. Again and o. ain he rose to look at it, till suddenly it lies ied across him, “The lady that brou ht me here tonight ! How like, and yet row differ- ' {1 out While he was still standing looking, his new friend entered and said quickly, “You are looking at the portrait of my mother! It is very like her. Is she not beautiful? Can you not feel now how I must miss her sweet company every hour of the day? Is it not strange that I feel nearer her to-night than at any time since she died and left me alone? Indeed, I feel now as if she were not really deadâ€"as if we must meet again. Will you receive my confession now, father, and give me obsolution before I sleep, and then I think I shall feel as if the black wall between us‘had been broken down for ever. - . “\Villingly, my son," answered the good priest. Into that solemn interview and subsequent conversation it is not for us to intrude, but it was very hit-e before they parth for the night, and it was arranged that they should meet again at the 7 o’clock service in the niission-romii chapel the following morning. Iniagiiie'thcn the disappointment of Father \Varrcn when the service began and ended and his young friend (lid not appear. He was very sad“, Accustomed as he was to discpppintnieiits of this kind, he had never felt one so keenly us this before. He had been so confident of the lads earnestness, of the strength of his resolve, that he would not give up hope. “I will go and see him,” he thought, “before I return home or break my fast. Holy Mother, go with me, I be- scech thee !” . He hastened away, and not without some diiliculty found the house again. He was not surprised to find the blinds down and no sign of life, for it was not yet 8 o’clock. “Ah! here is the explanation," he exclaimed cheer- fully. “Unaecnstomed to such early hours, both servants and master are still probably asleep,” and he knocked loudly at. the door. It was quickly opened by the some ser- vsnt as the evening before. But oh! how changed in her appearance. Her eyes were streaming with tears, and she looked ten years older. In a voice broken by sobs she said : “ He is dead. He is gone. Passed away in the night in his sleep ; no sound, no cry. The best. muster that ever lived. He told my husband to call him very early, and when he went to do so he found him lying calm and quiet, like a. marble image.” Father \Varrcn passed by her silently into the room, and there, indeed, he found him lying calm and quiet, and very peaceful, lint with such a look of bright happiness on his beautiful young face as showed plainly that he had felt neither solitude nor fear when the Angel of Death came to fetch him away. “ Who can doubt that it was his mother who came to me last night '3" said the priest to himself; “for can a mother ever forget, even in heaven, the child of her love on earth 2” â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"6â€"â€"_â€" Cost of an Introduction. Brown and Smith step into a saloon and meet Jones. Brown and Jones salute each other and then Brown says, “Mr. Smith, let me introduce you to my friend Mr. Jones." Mr. Smith (who has had several social glussen)â€"â€"“.\'ow, lrown, this introduction is not at all necessary. I’ve known Jones longer than you have. Joncsey, old boy. put ittherc." (They shake hands cff'usively.) A while after Brown and Smith go out and Smith says : “Confound it, Drown, why did you introduce me to that men Jones 7 He borrowed ten dollars of me." “You said you knew him better than I did," returned Brown. “Oh, well, I said that just for effect." “Well, it bad its effect. you see." “Yes, and I am out ten dollsrs." __+..- .-.___.. The PIincezs's Yachting Dresses. The Princess of “'ales, writes the London correspondent of the Leeds Mercury, huju-it had some new yachting dresses sent homeby ibdfeiii.’ One is in a. blue and white striped Lasting flannel, with askirt fitting like a habit. and hemmed up at the edge in a deep. Ini-l, nabbed with several rows of stitching. With this is to be worn a loosely-fitting itekct with a. mull rolled collar. This is to m \in-n over a pale blue silk blouse, made with a shirt troutâ€"<5 style of drcrs only quite recently adopted by the Princess. _....-. --. The labor question: “Is it six o‘clock )IL‘t :" ‘ lire sud brirnstone left Sodom Without a house sud lot. IN EASTERN AFRIOA. An Adventure With a Rhinoceros. From the day of descrtiog my ship at Quiloa there was never a day in the four years of my stay in Eastern Africa that I could not have scared up a rhinoceros had I been so inclined. I don‘t mean this in a literal sense. You don't have to scare upl this animal in Eastern Africa; he is always t ready to scare somebody else tip. I mean! that I could have sighted a rhinoceros with- out going to much trouble. They were as numerous in the Worunibu district as cows about a country hamlet, and now and then they did great damage to the growing crops. The natives had but one way of‘ killing them, and that: was by digging pits. \Vhen an animal had fallen into one of the pits he was lanced to death and his flesh and hide made use of, but as THESE C0 XCEA LE 1) PIN were a menace to hunting parties, and as they were liable to be uncovered by other animals, their use in \Vorunibu Land had sandals, ropes, harness, &c., and as the ani- mals had become so hold that they would charge right through the village, I wondered greatly that the natives did not move against them. In a little time I learned that super-- stition was at the bottom of it. Three years previously a rhinoceros had been captured in a pit not far from the village, and on the day he was killed and cut up a lion had killed a mother and her child in revenge. “ How do you know it was in revenge?" I asked. “ Because he was the friend of the rhinoc- eros.” “ How do you know that 2” “ Because he did not drag the bodies away to be eaten.” It was impossible to argue with such people with any show of success, but cir- cumstances brought about the change of heart I he ed for. We had some fine oxen in the vil age, broken to ride or draw the rude plouglis used by the natives, and one day when one of the head man’s wives was scratching the earth with a plough drawn by his finest OX, 8. rhinoceros charged froui a. thicket and ripped the ox open with one toss of his ugly horn. Orders were issued to make war on the animals, and I get full liberty to exercise my skill. As we had only two or three muskets and very little powder I had to resort to more primitive measures. The countr was full of paths made by big game, and pit twelve feet long, six feet wide, and nine or ten feet deep, but we had not yet covered it over when game appeared. We could see along the path on side of the pit for a distance of 200 feet, and it was about AN .iotrn BEFORE st'Nnowx, and some of the men were cutting poles and brush to cover the pit, when I sown rhinoc- eros in the path below. The wind blew fresh toward him, and he lad our scent. \Ve were also in his line of vision. An African rhinoceros has no more sense of fear than a rock. All other animals do more or less reasoning. The elephant will run away when the odds are against him, and the buffalo will calculate his chances before an attack, unless come upon too and- denly. Tho rhinoceros, on the contrary, seems to have the idea that he owns the earth, and whenever anything moves be makesa rush to destroy it. We were 0n' the far side of the pit, and as soon as we saw the beast we sprang tip and waved our arms to attract him. He accepted the dc- 'finncc, lowered his head, and as he came for us he made the ground tremble. \Ve pre- tended to run away, and the old fellow was on the brink of the pit before be suspected the job we had put up on him. He uttered a loud “\Voofl” tried to put on the air- bi‘akcs, and nextiiuoment landed square on his head in the bottom of the pit, breaking his neck with a crack which could have been heard forty rods away. At a later date we caught two more in this pit, and as we dug other pits in different ocnlitics, and secured other prizes the beasts finally got it into their heads that the neigh- borhood was dangerous, and therefore drew further sway. There was an old banana grove about two miles from the village, and now and then the women and boys Would go up and bring down a number of bunches. They had always brought them on their backs or slung on a pole, but one day I made a pad for one of the oxen and brought six large bunches down on his back to show what could be done. After this all the fruit was broughtdown that way, and I generally went with the party. “'0 had reached the grove one rriorning about 0 o'clock, and had nlrcud y begun to load the ox, when A \\'ll.D BULL AI‘l‘l‘IAl‘JZl) in an open space a few rods off, and issued a challenge to our ox to fight liirii. Now sud then some of the cattle go astray and adopt a. wild life, and in such cases the are very fierce and dangerous. That this bullrnenrit to attack us there could be no doubt, and the women and children ran away at once with cries of alarm. There was only one man l)(.- sides myself, and, as we had no weapons, his suggestion that we climb it tree was acted on. The hull pswcd, and bellowed, and tore up the earth, all the time coming a little nearer, and our ox was too frightened to even rnri away. He stood and trembled, and ap- pcalcd to us, sndI had determined to de- scend and try to drive the hull away, when help came frorri an unex ctcd quarter. The open space in wrich the brill stood v'xs about an acre in extent, and sur- rounded oii three sides by thorny thicket-z. l’sths led through these tliicltcust intervals and all of a. sudden we caught sight of a. male rhinoceros dcbouehing from one of these paths into the open. He had heard the racket, and wanted to takes hand in the row. He paused a moment to s~:riti'the air and get the lay of the ground. and their charged the bull. The latter lslyni broad- side on,snd did not see him, but as the rhin- oceros made his charge his heavy tread luc- tisyed his profit-ope. and the bull wiicelml to meet him." They werenow liq-ad un md ‘Ilt .1ch line. and we lieldbur brtith a. that closed. Th: bull might as \vell'ltsve stood fora. locomotive. The rhinoceros haul his jaw ‘closc to the ground, and in they came together he flung up his head and the bull vrcnt backward in a heap, his head nimln’t torn off by the ' lo blow. As he laymen», bleeding and kit: ing, the beat gored him ‘sgnin and again, and left him mil when life wu extinct. We expected iirn to been abandoned some time before I made my debut. As their hides made excellent selected a. spot about 't mile from the village where a path ran through a. large thicket of thorns. With the help of the natives I here dug a Wonderful Bsospe ofs Swiss and? ‘ I The following commit of the escape of Christian Linda, 3 Lautcrbrunnen guide, is sent- to the Times by a correspondent at Murren. Linda having acconi gentlemen, as ‘second guide, over the TSC-lh ingel glacier, was dismissed at the village of Ried, his services being no longer re~ quircd. He left Ried on Sunday, the 'ITtb ult., at daybreak, alone. with the object of returning to Lsuterbrunneii. He crossed the l‘ctersgrait, and instead of taking the route of the 'l‘ushingle l‘nss, he chose the shorter one nci-oss the glacier between the Mutthorn and the Tschingolhorii, where he fell into n crevasse about 7 orS A. .it. on Sun- day. On “'edncsdny niorningm that is 72 hours laterâ€"n gentleman spending the sum. ruer here, in ascending the 'l’schingclhoru with Fritz~(lmf, of Lsuterhrunuen, as guide. passed the spot where Linda was engulfed, and, noticing an ice-axe on the edge of the crevasse, peered down, and saw Linda at the bottom. A rope was let down, which Linda was fortunately able to secure round his waist. \Vith difficulty he was raised to the mouth of the crevasse, but being a very heavy man, his two rescuers were not iowerful enough to briu him to thesurfacc. twasthcn decided thutt ie ventlcniansliould remain on the glacier whi e Grit! obtained the necessary tackle and assistance to rescue the ice-entombed man. These were obtain- ed at the Stciiiberghnt, or chalet, nnd when Linda was hauled up he was found to be nearly dead. He was carried to the Stein- berg hut, and was removed to the hospital at Interlakcn, his recovery being doubtful. Duringdhe '7‘). hours Linda. was in the cre- vssse he had no food, for he was so tightly jammed between the walls of ice he could not get at the provisions he carried in o be on his back, He was, however, able to lie the ice with his tongue. It. is ostinirited that he was found ntadeptli of 50 feet. No one will be surprised to hear that his hands and feet are terribly frostbittcn ; tho marvel is that situated as he was for so many hours without food to sustain animal heat, he wits not frozen to death. Again, it is remarkable that the rescuers should have passed over not only the exact spot. where Linda fell in, but just in time to save him. Gambling on Atlantic Steamers. In the A?)th American. Review, Cu taiii \Villiam Kennedy, lstc commander o the “’liite Star steamship Germanic, contributes a. bit of his personal experiences on “ Gamb- linw on Atlantic Steamers.” Captain Kern nedy states that during the summer seasonâ€"- from May to Novcriilmrâ€"these steamers are to resort of scores of professional gamblers who especially infest the smokingroom, banishing quiet and decency therefrom, and polluting the whole atmosphere With their coarse language and objectionol ways. But it is not only by professional blacklegs that gambling is carried on on shipboard. A coriiiiiou form of gambling among respectable passeng- ers is to bet on the mileage the ship makes in :24 hours, and the excitement that uccorn< :inies it is intense. Upon being questioned liy passengers as to why be permitted a a. practice to which he was known to be opposed, the only reply he could give was that he had no authority from the company to interfere. In answer to the question, Why do the companies sanction it ? he gives a simple answer. All Atlantic steamships are furnished with u. an )ply of wines and liquors. Those who gam rle generally drink â€"â€"-sonic of them largely. To abolish gariibling on board would, therefore, tend to reduce the surplus very apprt-cinbly. Thus, for the sake of increasing their revenues, rc- pntziblc comiiicrcinl companies mutation and encourage a practice which is dcmorlaising and immoral, the companion of other and. worse evils, and all calculated to do infinite harm to societyl A Useful Burglar. A I’aris newspaper tells an mnusin" story of an event which, it says, occurrcdn day or two ago. Two gentlemenâ€"n journalist and nu artistâ€"were about to leave a small hotel in one of the avenues radiating from the Arc de 'l‘rioniphc, where they had hpt'llf, the evening. Unfortunately the Concierch cordon was broken, and he could not find the key. It was impossible for the visitors to get out or for the tenants of the house who were abroad to get in. Our two gentle- men, whu knew a tenant on the ground floor, got out by one of his windowx and promised to find a locksmith. All the shops were shut, however, and iioire of the lock- snriths in the quarter would take the trouble to answer when the bell was rung. Failing to find an officer, they asked where was the nearest police station. Meanwhile it was one o'clock, and a long line of benightcd tenants were drawn upbefore the fast-closed door. 'l'heir wouhl~bedeliverers were beginn- ing to losecouragc, when a very suspicious- lookingiitdividualstumlulcdngainsl them. The artist stopped the man quietly, and said â€"~“I beg your pm'don, sir, but you don't happen to have n jvmmy rind r. set of false keys in your pockets ‘3“ The mini looked at them suspiciously fora moment, and their whisper- ed »â€"“is it to crack a. crib ‘:" The artist ex- plained to the night wanderer what \‘v’ll’d the novice they required of him. “All right. i} ll get the inquisitivcpcople out of thcway. I don't want to give free lesmm." 'l'hc burglar opened the door in the twinkling of on eye, amid a perfect chorus of thanks. The two "cutlenicn wanted to -ivc tlw honest burger a. couple of frsrics,lmt drawing him- self up with dignity, he exclaimed -- “Sir 1 among pals 8” ............ A Touching Appeal From a. Child. In the Cincinnati Pout-office, recently, in the general deposit of mail gnthcred at noon, was s. mueli-thumbed and t4 er-uteiue-l postal card. The writing upon it was in a child's hand, trembling and uncertain. The sddreru we“ “ My dear mum in lieven." The let- is as follows: “borne. “ dear mumsâ€"l MI) I“ lonesome sins you went to hcvcn, i want to go to '01], the time seems so long, you said i onuh come to you. Mrs. Clarke is kind to me but she is er-t like you. you she this to God and send .m' me sure, my arm hurts me so and you a .i .2 would be well in bevcn. i send you 5 km, from me, little Dom." t aid indeed must be the hean that does not moisten the eye that looks upon that toncliin I and pathetic letter, with itn baby love ant unquestioning faith and illustration of the love between children and mother that. [numb understandin . The whole world of pathos is in the chi d'n cry. “ Mrs. serve our ox the some way, but he wont Clarke is kind to me, but the is not like away without coming nearer. l fl

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