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AS GOOD AS GOJjD. t'^: CHAPTER XXXVI. Rttoming from her appointment TjU- «ett» saw a man wailing by (he lamp nearest to her own door. When she •tooped to go In he came and spoke Co her. It was Jopp. He begged her pardon for address- ing her. But he had heard that Mr. Farfrae had bpeji applied to by a neigh- bouring oorn-mercbant to recommend a working partner ; if so. he wished to offer himself. Ue could give good •ecurity, and had staled as much to Mr. Farfrae in a ieller; but he would feel much obliged if Lucotta would aay a word in his favour to her husliand. "It is a thing 1 know nothing about," â- aid Lucetta coldly. " Uut you can testify to my trust- worthiness better than anybody, ma'- am," said Jopp. " I was in Jersey sev- eral years, and knew you there by sight." • indeed." she replied. " But I knew Botbing of you." " I think, ma'am, that a word from you would secure for me what I oov- •t very much," he persisted. She steadily refused to have anything to do with the affair, and, because of her anxiety to get indoors before her husband should miss her. left him OB the pavement. Ue watched her till she had vanished, and then went home. When he got there he sat down In the fireless chim- ney corner looking at the iron dogs. A movement upstairs disturbed him, and Henchard came down from his bed- room, where he seemed to have been rommaging boxes. " I wish," said Henchard, "you would do m« a aarvice Jopp, now, to-night, I mean, if you can. Leave this at Mrs. Farfrae's for her. I should take it my- â- elf, of oourse, but I don't wish to be Men there." Ue handed a package in brown paper, sealed. Uenchard had been as good as bia word. " Well, how have ye got on to-day ?" hia lodger asked. " Any prospect of an opening T" â- ' I am afraid not," said Jopp, who had not told the other of his applica- tion to Farfrae. " There never will be in Caster- bridge," declared Henchard decisively. " You muat roam farther afield." He then returned to his own part of the house. Jopp knew there had lieen something of the nature of wooing Ijetween Hen- chard and the now Mr.s. Farfrae ; and his vague ideas on the subject narrow- ed themselves down lu these ; Uench- ard had u parcel Iwlonging lo Mrs. Farfrae, and he bad reasons for not re- turning that parcel lo her in person. What could Lm inside it ? So be went on and on tiil, animated by resenlmenl at Lucelta's haughtiness, as be Ibougbl it, and curiosity tu learn It there were any weak sides to Ibis transaction with Hew^hiird. be examined the package. The p»n and all its relations Iwing awk- ward tools in Uenchard's hands, he bad affixed the seals without an impres- â- ion, it never occurring to him that the efficacy of such a Casloiiing depended on tbi.i. Jopp wns far less of a lyru; be lifted one of the seals with his ]>en- knife, peeped in at the end thus opened, aaw that the bundle consisted of let- ters; and. having satisfied himself thus far, sealed up the end again by aim ply soflening the wax with the candlu, and went off quested. ff with the parcel as re- Comiiig into the light at the bridge which stood at the end of High Street, he lieheld lounging thereon Mother Cuxtom and Nance Mookridge. " We be Juat going down Mixen I.ane way, to look into .Saint Peter's Finger afore creeping to bed," naid Mrs. I'ux.- Botn. "There's a fiddle and lainbuur- ine going on there. Lor<l, what's all the world â€" do ye come along toi), Jopp â€" "twon't binder ye five uiinultw." Jopp had mostly kept himself out of this company, but present circum- stances made him somewhat more reck- less than usual, and without many words he decided to go to his d.jstina- tion that way. Mixen Lane was the Adullam of all the surrounding villages. It was the hiding-place of those who were in dis- tresa, and in debt, and in Iroubli* of every kind. Farm lal)ourers ami oth- er peasants, who combined u littlo. foa<:hlng with their farming, and a tit- le brawling and bibbing with their poachi'Ug, found theiiLselvt>8 sooner or later in Mixen .'-.ane. Rural mcchan- icA too idle to mechanise, rural ser- vants too rebellious to serve, drifted or were forced into Mixen Lnne. Yet this mildewed leaf in the sturdy and flourishing Caslerbridge plant lay close to the upon country ; not a hund- red yards from a row of noble elms, and commanding a view across Ihn moor of airy uplands and r^irnfields, anil man- sions of the groat. A brook divided the moor from the tnnoinenls, and to outward view there was no way across itâ€" no way to the houses but round about bv the road. But under every householder's at airs there was kept a mysterious |)lank nine inches wide; which plank was a seoret bridge. Walking along the lane at dusk thi? stranger was struck by two or three peculiar features therein. One was an intermittent rumliling from the l>ack premises of the Inn Ealf-way up; this meant a skittle alley. Another was the extensive prevalence of whistling In the various domicilp.iâ€" a piped note of some kind coming from neatly every open door. Anotncr was the frequency of white aprons over dingy gowns umung the Women around the doorways. V et amid ho much t bat was liad, needy respectability alsci found a homo. Under some of the roofs abode pure and virtuous snuKs, whose iiresence there was due to the iron hand of ne- cessity, and to that aloite. The Inn called Saint I'etnr's Finger was the church of Mixen Lane. It was oenlrallr viiuate, as such places should l>e, and bore about the wme sor^laj re- latlou to the King of Wussia as the latter bore to the Golden Crown. At first sight the inn was so respectable as to be puxzling. But at the corner of the jpuliiic-house was an alley, a mere slit, dividing it from the next build- ing. Half-way up the alley was a nar- row door, shiny and paintless from the rub of infinite hands and shoulders. This was the actual entrance to the inn. A pedestrian would be seen abstract- edly passing along Mixen Lane ; and then, in a moment, he would vanish, causing the gazer to blink like Ash- ton at the disappearance of Ravens- wood. The abstraot.ed pedestrian bad edged into the slit by tne adroit fillip of bis person sideways ; from the slit he edged into the tavern by a simi- lar exercise of skill. The company at the King of Prussia were persons of quality in comparison with the company which gathered here ; though it must be admitted that the lowest fringe of the King's party touch- ed the crests of Peter's at points. Waifs and strays of all sorts loitered about here. To this house Jopp and his acquaint- ances had arrived. The thunder of bowls echoed from the backyard ; swin- gels hung l«hind the blower of the chimney ; and ex-poachers and ex-game keepers, whom squires had persecuted without a cause (in their own view), sat elliowing each other. "Dos't mind how you could jerk a trout ashore with a bramble, and not ruffle the stream, Charl?" a deposed keeper was saying. " 'Twas at that 1 caught 'ec once, if you can mind?" " That can I. But the worst larry for me was that pheasant business al Horewood. Your wife swore false that time, Joe,â€" oh, she didâ€" there's no deny- ing it." " How was that ?" asked Jopp. " Why â€" Joe closed with me, and we rolled down together, close to his gar- den hedge. Hearing the noiiie, out ran bis wife with the oven pyie, and it being dark under the trees slie could- n't see which was uppermost. " Where beest thee, Joe, under or top V she screeched. " Ohâ€" under," says he. She then becan to rap down upon my skull, back and ribe with the pyle till we'd roll over again. " Where beest now, dear Joe, under or top i" she'd scream again. By George, 'twas through her 1 was took I And then when we got up in ball she sware that the cock pheasant was one of her rearing, when 'twas not your bird at all, Joe; 'twas Bquire Urown's birdâ€" that's whose 'twasâ€" one that we'd picked off as we passed his wood, an hour afore. It did hurt my feelings to be so wronged 1 . . . An well â€" 'tis over now." " I might have had ye days afore that," said the keeper. " I was with- in a few yards of ye dozens of times, with a sight more of birds than that poor one." " Vesâ€" 'tis not our greatest doings that the world gets wind of," said the furmily- woman, who lately settled in this purlieu, sat among the rest. It was she who presently asked Jopp what was the parcel he kept so anugly un- der his arm. "Ah, therein lies a grand secret," said Jopp. "U is the passion of love. To think that a woman should love one man so well, and hale another so un- mercifully." " Who's the object of your medita- tion, sir ?" "One that stands high, in this town. I'd like to shame her I Upon my life 'twould be as gotid as a play to read her love-letters, the proud piece of silk and wax-work ! For 'tis her love-letters that I've got here." "Love letters? then let's hear 'em. good soul," said Mother Cuxsom. "Lord, de ye mind, Hichard, what fools we us- ed to be when we were younger f get- ting a nchoollmy to write ours for us; anil giving him a i>ennr, do ye mind, not to tell other folks what he'd put in- side, do ye mind ?" Hy this time Jopp had |>ushed bis finger under the siwls, ami unfiisten- ed the letters, tumbling them over and picking up one here and there at ran- dom, which he read aloud. These pas- sages soon began to uncover the sec- ret which Lucetta had .so earnestly hott- ed to keep buried, though the epustles. Iieing allusive only, did not make it altogether plain. "Mrs. Farfrae wrote {hat I" said Nance Mockridge. " "ris a bumbling thing for us, as rejip6<!table women.Uiat one of the same sex could do it. And now's she's vowed herself to another man I" "So much the liettcr for her," said Iho furmity-woman. "Ah, I auved her from a real bad marriage, and slu-'s never been the one to thank me." "I say, what a k<xk1 foundation for a sKimmil^--rldc," said Naiu». ^ ,"Trae, ' said Mrs. Cuxsom reflecting Tis OA good a ground for a skimmi- ty-ride a« ever 1 knowed ; and it ought not to Im wa«t4Ml. The last one seen in Castfl.rbri<lge muHt have been ten yt'ara ago, it a day." . Av this moiiu^iit thWn woaa shrill whiartle, and the liuidlady Kaid to the man who had biien called Charl, "'Tis .liiu coming in. Would yo go and let down tlif! bridge for m<^»" Without replying Chart and hla com- rade Joe rose, and re«*iving a lantern from hjsr went out nt tho biu-k door and down tlui gurdeiirpath, which end- ed abruptly at the i-dgH of the stream already mentioned. They asked him if h» hud had mut-li luck. "N(»t much," he said indifferently. "All salo Inside?" Uecciving a reply in the affirmative, be went on inwards, the others with- drawing the bridge and beginning lo retreat in liis rear. Uefore, however, thiy had entej:e(l the hoiLse a cry of "Ahoy" from tli« moor lo<l them to paiLsn. The cry was reiieated. They pushed the laiTtern into an out-house, and went liack to thii brink of the stream. "Ahoyâ€" is this tha way to Caster- bridge? ' aaid some one from t he other side. "Not in (lorticular," said Charl. "There's a river afore ye," "1 don't coreâ€" here's for through it," said the man in the mooi-. "I've had trnvelling enough for to-ilay." , ".mop n minute, then," said Charl, finding that the innn avtib no enemy. "Joe. bring the plank and lantern; hi'ros BfumnHidy that's lost his way. You hhould have kept along the turn- pike rnnd, friend, and not nave atrook across here." "I shouldâ€" as I see now., Uut I saw a light here, and wiy-f t to myself, Ihat^i a short out, dep<md on't." and lonely uplands, the latter in oil- ed boots and tilt bonneta, to see the InMee it, at any TMre was hardly a woitaian. in the to^ who did not put a clean shiiirt wi. Hijndlurd hud deffrmBl'med to do no work that day. He priim«<l biraaelf In i.b'* morning with a- gliUB of rum, and walking down the st-reet met Eliza- belh'-Jane, wham he hiid not seen for a week. "It was lucky," he, aaid to her, "my twenty years bad expired before this caiie mi, ot I should never have had the nerve to carry it out." "Carry out what?" said ahft, alarmed. "This welcome I am going to give our Royal visitor." "Shall wiB go atud see it together? she said. I "See ill I have other fish to fry. You aee it. It will be worth seeing!" She could do nothing to elucidate this, and deckled herself out wiith a heavy hpart. Aa the appointed time drew near she got siigbt of her stepfather. Shi9 thought he was going to the King of Prtiasia; but no, he elDowed his way thirougb the gay throng to the shop of Woolfrey, the draper. She waited in the crowd without. In a few manutes he emergjed, wear- ing a brilliant rosette, while in hia hand be carried a flag, of somewhat homely construction, formed by tacking one of the amall Union Jacks, which abounded in the town to-day, to the end of a deal wandâ€" probably the roll- er from a piece of calico. Henchard rolled up his flag on the doorstep, put it under hid arm, and went down the 3tj%et. (To bei continued.) The plank was now lowered; and the stranger's form shaped itself fiom the darkness. Ue was a middle-aged man. recepliun, or ii not with hair and whiskers pr«iualurelj^|^te to lie near it. &ray, and a broad and genial fa(«. He id crossed on the plank without hiwita- tion, and tteemed to see nolliing odd in lhi» transit, "What place is this?" he asked, when they reached the door. "A public boulsiB." • "Oh. Perhaps It will suit me to put up at. Now then, come in and wet your whistle at my expense for the lift-over you have given me," They followed him into the inn, where the Increased light exhibited him as one who would stand higher in an estimate by the eye than in one by the ear. Apparently surpriaed at the kind of company which confronted him through the kitchen dooir, he at once abandon- ed bis idea of putting U41 at the bouse; but taking the aituation lightly, he called for glaaaes of the best, paid for them a# he stood in the passage, and turned to proceed on his way by the front door. This was barred, and while the landlady was unfastening it the conversation about the akimmington was continued in the sitting-room, and reached his ears, "What do they mean by a "skimmi- ty-ride?" he asked. "Oh, sir," said tlie landlady, "'tis a old foolish thing they do in tbeae parts whe na man's wile isâ€" well, a bad bar- gain in any way. But as a respect- able householder I don't encourage it,'* "Still, are they going to do it ahort- lyt It is a good sight to see, I sup- pose?" "WeU six," she simpered, "'tis the funniest thing undckr the suni And it oostvi money." "Ah! I remember bearing of some such thing. Now I shall ba in Caster- bridge for two or three weeks to come, and should not mind seeing the per- formances; Wait a moment." He turned back, entered the sitting room, and said, "Uere, good folks; I should like to see the old custom, you are talking of, and I don't mind being something towards itâ€" take that." He threw a sovereign on the table and re- turned to the landlady at the door, of whom, having inquLred the way into the town, he took his leave. "ThieTe were more where that one came from," said Charl, when the sov- ereign had been taken up and hand- ed lo the landlady for safe keeping. "By George! we ought to have got a few more while we had him here." "No, no," answeened the landlady. "This Is a respectable house, and ITl have noithlng done but what's honors able.," "Well," aaid Jopp; "now we'll consid- er the business Jopp; "now we'll consid- g»t it in train." ,^ "We will," aaid Nance. "A good laugh warms my heart more than a cordial, and that s the truth on't." Jopp gathered up the letters, and it being now somewhat late, he did not attempt to call at Farfrae 8 with them that night. H<« reached homa, sealed tht^m up as before, and delivered the paruei at its addreas next morning. Within an hour its contents were re- duced to ashes by Lucetta, who, poor soul! was inclined to fall down on her knees in thankfulneai that al last no evidence remained of the unlucky epi- sode with Henchard in her past. For, innocent as she hod been of deliberute- ly lax intentions therein, that episode, if known, was not the lea* likely to operate fatally between heraelf and her husband.' CHAimaK XXX VI I. Such was tha state of things when the current affairs of Casterbno^e were iuiurrupied by an event of auLtb mag- nitude ibat iis influunoe reoohed to the lowest social stratum there, stirring the ilepibfl of its society so sensibly us to cui into the nudst of the pireiHkrationd for tha skinunington. A royal pejBona:;' was about to pass through the boroti^u, on bus course far- tbvtr weat, to iuuuguiraie an umimensu engineering work ou;t that way. He had consented to halt hal£-an-hour or so in the town, and to ruceive an ud- dreas from the Corporation of Caster- bridgtt, 'i:\kii address was prepared on parvh- uiivni, by an artist, who was Uaudy at ornamental lettering, and was laid on with iho best gold-leaf and colors that the sigii-puintvx, liad in his shop. 'I'ho Council mot on the 'IVcaday betore the appointed day, to arrau^ the details ol procedure. While they were sitting, the door of the Council Cham- l>er siauding ojM-.n, they he,urd a heavy footstep coming up tJie slairs. It ad- vam-ed along ihe passage, and Hen- chard entered the room, in clothes of frayed and threadbare shaliliiness, the very clothes which he had us«'d lo wear in tlkt primal days wJien ho bud sat among them, "1 have a feeling," he said, advancing to. the table and Tiiying hi.s hand uiKin tlv^ green cloth, "that 1 should like to join ye in thLs rw,eption of our illus- trious visitor. 1 su|>posa 1 could walk with tlie n»t?" Fmbarras»td glances were exchang- ed by the Council, and Grower nearly alo the end of bis quill-i>en, so gnaw- ed he it during liie sileuc«i. Farfrae, the young. Mayor, who by virtue of his office sat in tue large chair, intuitive- ly caught the sens.! of the meeting, and OS siH>kesman was obligMl vo utier it, glad as hk> would have been that lh» duty should have fallen to another tongU'A, "t liardly see that it would be pro- iwr, Mr. Henchard," said he. The l!ouncil are the Council, and us ye are no longer one of the body, there would bo an irjx!gularii.y in t.h„i prcK-eediug. If ye wore included, w'l»y not others?" "I liavB a particular reason for wishing to assist at tha oenmony." Fartrae looked round. "I i.hink 1 have expressed the feeling of the Coun- cil," hy aaid. "Yes, yea," from Dr. Bath, Lawyer I,Kmg, Aldeirinan Tutiber, and several more. "Thnn I am not to fie allowed to have anything todo with it officially?' "I am afraid, so; it is out of the iiiu\s- tion, indcitid. But of couitsb you can see thn doings full >vell, su^h us they aire to lie, like the rest of the spectators." Usniiliard did not reply to llmt very obvious .sugg<>»tion, and, turning ou his bsel, went away., "I II welcome his Royalty, or no- iKxly sluill!" he went about aaying. "I am rtot going to Im «at upon liy Far- frae, ur any of the rest of the {laltry crew. You ahull see." The eventful morning was bright, a full-faced sun confronting early win- dow-gazers eimtward, and all pen-eived that there wa.s i>eruianenc« in the glow. Visitors soon liegun to floi\k in from county houses, villages, romute copses. A MAN AND HIS NEOK-nE. "It is a curious thing," aays an Eng- lish woman, "to note the subtle affin- ity between the young man and hia neoktie. Talk of 'the style' being 'the man I' In these days of sober mascu- line attire, the cravat, nine times out of ten, denotes the individual, (vnd,above all, his humor. Observe how he has fingered his tie and you shall know his mood. 'When I meet Florizel, for in- stance, prancing down the street of an afternoon, with a little abepherd's-plaid neoktie twisted into the most rakish of bows, tihen I know that he has an ap- pointment with Amanda at 5 o'cHoOk, and that the lady has a mind to listen to his suit. Other days I espy him in something limp and forlorn, and lav- ender colored. This is not a ludky day with Florizel, and if you fail to make good your escape he may go as far as to talik of his difficulties, still more darkly of the colonies, while for two- pence be will tell you of t^e perfidy of tihe wlidle female aex. There are menâ€" and worthy citizens tooâ€" who always wear blood-red silk alxiut their throats. There are others who will adorn themtielves with ready- made bows, wrhich buckle in some myst- erious fashion, at the bocdc; but this variety of the genius homo is held by the well dressed to lie beyond the pale. There is yet another sort of man who invariably wears the most modest little pin-points or stripes. The color of his tie is dark bll^be or black; its texture ia corded silk; and he wears it in a ra- ther deprassed-looiking sailors' knot. This is the kind of a young' man you can depend upon. He is neat, careful, modest, conscientious, honoralyje and pf good report. But, to tell the strict truth, he is not always deliriously am- using. On the other hand Iwware of the youth who wea'rs an enormous cravat frothing out on his uumsmly txjsom. He is, alasT too often a mauvai.to langue, iind wouild sacrifice you â€" or his grand- anotherâ€" in order to set the tea-table in a roar. FOOTWEAR NEVERS. !4oue IllnU an (• lli« Klaa •X Boal> l» Wrar. Dr. Samuel Appleton, gives fourteen of them, which every person will de- rive comfort in heeding.: 1. Never wear a shoo that will not al- low the great toe to lie in a straight line. 2. Never wear a shoe w>lh a sole nar- orwer than the outline of the foot.trac- ed with a pencil close under the round- ing edge. ' 3. Never wear a shoe that pinches the heel. 4. Never wear a shoe or 1>oot so large In the heel that the foot is not kept in place. 5. Never wear a shoe or boot tight anywhere. 6. Never wear a shoe or l>oot that has depressions in any part of the sole to drop any joint or lieariug lielow the level plane. 7. Never wear a shoe with a sole turn- ing up very much at the toes, as this causes the cords on the upiier part of the foot to contract. 8. Never wear a shoe that presses up into the hoilow of the foot. 9. Never have the lop of the boots tight, as it interfei'es with the action of t he calf muscles, makes one walk liudly and spoils the shape of the an- kle. 10. Never come from high heols to low heels at one jump. 11. Never wear one pair of shoes all the time, unless obliged to do so. 'IVo pairs of lioots worn a day al a time allernately give more service and are much more healthful. 12. Never wear leather sole linings lo stand upon. White cotton drilling or linen is much lietter Hnd more healthful. 13. Never wcur a .shoil stocking, or one, which, after being washed is not, at least, one-half inch looger than the toot, bear in mind that stockings shrink. Be sure that they will allow your toes to spread out at the extreme ends, as this keeps, the joints in place, and makes a strong and attractive foot. As to shape of stockings, the sin- gle digital or " one-toe stocking " is the best. 14. Never think that the feet will grow large from wearing proper shoes. IMnching and distorting makes them grow not only large but unsightly. A proper, natural iwe of all the muscles makes them cooipaot and attractive. How J Won My Wife It Slras getting toward nine o'clocU when my attention was attracted tot a pretty little girl who was tripping', across the street. Jiut as she reach.* ed the curb she slipped on a patch oil ice and fell heavily. It took me about) half a second to reach the little womaoi and pick her up. She was shaken by the fall, though not injured, and I had to support her for a moment. Tiiei^ she went her way. I had tramped up and down my beati three or four times when a barehead- ed cash boy ran out of one of the bigj stores and yelled at me: "Come, quick I The majiager had caught a shoplifter 1" J^ "Ah, officer," said the manager, wHo was a mere business machine, "I am glad you have come. One of our clerks' at the lace counter discovered that ai valuable piece ol lace had been stolen and gave the alarm. This woman hur- ried away from the counter. The lace was found in an outside pocket of her< cloak. This is the piece on the desk here." There was a sudden movement on the part of he woman. She snatched her handkerchief from her face, extended! her right arm and finger, which shookl with rage, and, turning her blazing eyes bpon the business machine, sha fairly screamed: " 'Tis false I I am no thief I" She was the black-eyed little girl that I ibad picked up .^'.vircely half an hooii before. Then she \/AA me her little story. She was an orphan and bad been brought up by an <dd aunt in the country. Aboub six months before this her aunt had died, and she came on to the city and turned her hand to lacetnaking, and had been able to support herself de- cently since then. She -said she bad stepped into the shop to make some small purchased and was arrested when walking away. She protested that she did not know bow the lace came to be found in her pocket. I explained the case to the sergeant at the station and got his permission for her to sit in a chair in the office instead of occupying a cell all night. Somehow I cou|dnt get the sorrow- ful look of those eyes out of my mind, and I couldn't sleep, and when day- light came lime hung on a peg until court time came. I walked around thinking over the case, trying to ar- rive at some solution favorable to the girl. Of oourse wlvea we got to court Minnieâ€" that was her nameâ€" was con- victed in one-twD-three order. She made bo statement â€" just stood dazed likeâ€" and the judge held her for trial in the court above. As they led tbe girl away she waa the picture of death. I gave her a nod of pncouragment, but she returned it with a Icik that said as plainly aa words could have said: "My beart ia broken." I had questioned her closely as to the appeaj-ance of the people who had stood near her at the lace counter. She could rememlier none save one flashily-dress- ed woman who bad attracted her at- tention because of a remarkable muti- lation of one of her ears, as if a piece had lieen cut out in a triangular form, 1 persuaded tbe superintendent ta grant me leave of absence for a couple of days and went to work. I overhaul- ed the pictures at the office and gazed hard and earnestly at the features of every female crook in the rogues' gal- lery, but I oould not find the one I waa after. At last I fell to reading the remarks under the picture of a lx>ld, handsome face, and was knocked all into a cocked hat by the words, "Has a triaugulan piece cut out of the left ear." I had a long talk with a detectiva friend of mine, and after a while he was able to place the woman and told me where she most frequented. All that day and nearly all the next I was on the look out for that lady, and wns deepairing, when a liig, hand- some woman swejrt i>asl me, actually brushing ttgaiust me with her sealskin cloak. I glanced up and fairly started, for one of her ears was mutilated just ai the girl and the note in tbe ofiice had described. ^ The woman swept on and I followed. She entered the very store where I had arrested Minnie, and went up to the very coimler where the lace was stolen and btgun examining the stock. And then, selecting a tritle, she paid for it and turned to go. I was in a quandary. Uut I was de- termined to make an effort and run tbe risk of making a serious mistake. .Ste|)ping up to her, 1 touched li«r shoulder and whispered, "Come with lue. 1 want you a moment," at the same time looking straight into her eyes. livery drop of blood left tbe woman 'a face. She fairly trembled tor an in- stant, and then she looked back de- fiantly and went with me. We had moved but a step or two in the direction of the liookke/cper'a A'iw. where the girl had been search- ed three days before, when something struck my ie<ft. 1 stoope<l and picked up a bundle oi lace. The woman bad dropped it. I was right â€" I had found my thief. Seeing that she was caught, the shoplifter owned up that she had stol- en the piece of lace. When accused 01 the other theft, for which I waoited her, she confessed to that, too. My, Imt wasn't thiat a grateful little woman 1 She just ran and placed her arms arotuid my neck and kissed me. I was kind of taken back, for although t rather enjoy kissing, I don't like too many witnessett. I married her two weeks afterward, and the bu8inet«s machine i;ave her a fauO outfit, and was glad to get out of the awkward fix at that price. \ ^- BITTER SWEET. Dumpy doeen't sera as well p_leased as he might liecause of the bundiredii of congratulutiiiry telegrams he re- ce.i<ved toe day of his wedding. I should say not. They wrre all sent 'collect.'