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A LEGAL SECRET. CHAPTER. I. ThA houae in Llnoaln's rnn Kielcis, (rom wUioh the firm of Trench, Pilking- ton and Trendh addressed their niuner- out cliemta, won ge-Uiag quiU anliqu- •.led. It h»d sUwd Ihtero ii <*ntury or inor«. Diiwreatly pU<»d a Utile dis- tance lxu,k from th« roadway. ['"^^ ,^,„„___., ,. most of the legaJ housea in Lincoln a , ^^^ grave nature. I Inn, ilB ampJar arohitecture soonewhat | them day afte-r day." mean in worldly wisdom. You are too soft-hearted, Sidney, too eaaiiy impres- sed. " Sidney »milBd, but made no answer. "When your giundfaAher died, plao- jjig HUB so Murly iiii life at the head; of this firm, do you nupiioae I occupie<l my- self with the troables of destitute cleritJtr No. sir; 1 g«.ve my mind to the affairs of clients; I listened to their I trouhlesâ€" famly trouljle«, Sidney of a will listen to Mr. Pilkin0ton xwemblMl a Luml.le-down house of cards; paused, tor ft inomenl. leaiwng h^ raeuiuiwiB. u „„,,i,i„ i«rred n«a'' against hm hand, he looked as if tliere were baJoom««. ouUide Uarrett ^^^ tHo accumulatwt troubles of dislin- windows, upon which no one evwr ven- gujahed clients to wham, he had given ttixed to trust has weight, and there ear for more, than half a century were ^ stunted gables ^^'f <i- J;^^^^- i rw"n'""^To"*^"v.'treir'fa'Sui^* fr'Z jecting walls. TJimto tJhiB topmost gable ^ain-oflem from disgrace," he present- was a weatluBiroocik; and this vane, point- [y i^sumed, "is our business. Talk to ting towards th» north-w«et. remiind- me abau« that, Sidney, if you will; that 5d one that a gust of wmd from that is a subject wtoh ronoema us. not so ^^ . " , ,, .1 ,1,1 ' ymiT destitute clerks, auartei might any day blow the oia | ^^^ ^^ intimate acquaintance with h/uuse down, bb it had threatened to do thje aristocracy and theJx private affairs, already m«re than once; and would have »ver mnoe he^vm«_,a^ young man, done bat for tlhie supiwrt of a more modem building on eacih side. Mr. Piikington had leajrnt to worship rank. There were so many great families in the United Kingdouo, so many members There had been changes since the ! of the Upper House. whose ^re.ts between ' were locked up in his brain. But he had never been known to display in- first deed of portnierdhif) Trenc*. Pilidngton, and Trench had been signed; for sometimes a Piikington was senior partner, sometimes a Trencfli. But thii designation of this legal firm bad always remaiDed unalleired. It had tieea known as Trendh. Piikington and Trenob time, out of mind, and so it was •till described. There had always been a trustworthy repreeentativeâ€" always bearing eitli/er the naimiB of Trench or of PiUdngton, ond always gifted with OD acute ear for confiding clients, For a day seldom passed but wbal some one driving u{) in his car- riage brought with hilm a weighty sec- ret; and the head of the hooise, whether young or old, was always tUnere with his wits about bioa prepared to accept the trust. Before one partner showed any sign oX superannuations, as it was shrewdly observed, onoLber was skilful- ly trained to siefi into his place; so you might confide your secrets to the firm of Trench, Piltonglon and Trenob with ths some sense of security which you experieooed when placing your money in t^ bank. The B«nior's partner's roam was large and oblong in shapes and with three dismal windows in a row; for bheoe win- dows had iron bars, and the dust upon them was on efficient substitute for blinds. Between t;he Ijura uouid be seen a blurred forest of distorted obiiuuieys. At the end of the room was a huge fireplace; and before the fire, which was burning brightly, was a great brass guard. It was an ideal db^mbor fur the safe deposits of secrets; the walU were liidden by sbelveo, and on these sheltes stood deod-buxeo, some wilh names in fall, others iwtth the initials only painted upon them. At a deok between the barred windows and the guarded hsarth, sat an old man. If any one evor looked like a living embodiment of secrecy that could not be tampered with, this lawyer looked it from head to foot. Ilia white shaggy •yeljrowa hung over bis eyes and seemed almott to hiidef them; it was dif- ficult to gsl mnre than an occasional flash from tliemâ€" dlKicult to judge wbe- tlisr they were small o. largo, liis nose was narrow, lung, and tuxaked like a hawks'; and itie thin lips wtf.re iiresaed together as ii they liad been sealed. He seMued at least fourscore years of age. The eaprassion on hid face appeared to iijuply tliat. he iiad oh(»uii the .same mot- to as the I'nnce de C'oiide, and had Iju.s- ed his character on the word "Listenl" Tt was growing dusk. As I be lawyeir placed his hand upon the l>eU at hLi difference for the condition of those equal or beneath him in station; and Sidney Trench was puzzled to discover call. Sidney was to<i busy to see him; on adequate reason for his present at- titude. It was so trivial a subject. A clerk, Abel Norris, had been asked to but 'be had promised to look in upon the man/ after business hours. No mo- tive, except the wish to aid a deserving diaracter, had entered into his calcula- tions. He hardly kn^w how to excuse his purpose to his senior where no ex- ouse appeared requisite. "I merely mentioned tlhe clerk, sir," said the young mbn in a conciliatory tone, "as a reason for not driving baok with you this eivwning. There is some- times business connected with our cli- ents upon which you wish to converse with niB on our way home<." liut IVIr. Piikington ma.de no reply; he appeared lost in thought. Never had Sidney perceived a sign of mental ab- Btraction in the old lawyer before. Men who nr^ keenly occupied in the business of life are seldom absent-mind- ed, 'rhe senior |)artner, from years of training, hud an unlimited power of at- tention. ^{othLng was ever known to' escape him. Again the young man re- garded him with surprise and perplex- ity. Presently, Mr. Piikington looked up. "Come to me in the library after din- ner," said he; "we will have some talk together there." U'hen he suddenly added : "I suppose uhis clerk has a large family defiendent upon him t" "No; only one doughter." Deeper shadows seemed to gather ov- er th« old man's face. Itut the shadows of night were also gathering outside, and the senior partner's room would have been almcsl dark but for the fire which was still burning though less brightly. "Have th« Jclndness," said be as Sid- ney went towards t;liie door, "to send send some one to light my lamp." When Mr. Pilkingion's laimp had been lighted and be was onoe more alone, he grew still more thoughtful. But at lengt.h he roused hiiuself. tied up the douumeiilfl on bis desk, and rose from bis chair. There was a green luiize door opposite the windows. Mr. Piikington stepped softly towards this door and placed his hand upon tlia nob. He had to exert some effort to open it; for it fitted 80 compellely that no voice, no cunversatiou. could penetrate beyond. It opened with a muffled sound; and just b(>.liind was anolheir door of dark oak. Thi.H lie also openiid and entered a small 0(!lagonal chanilier. It Was an ant.e- rooui leailing out upon the principal slairca.se; it wa.^ here that clients with matten for tihe senior's private ear waited tii« pleasure. But there was no one wailing now. The secrets of that day were all confided and looked away. ft, wa.9 now night, but not dark with- out; for through the window, barred bliiulle.sa like the windows in Mr. Piik- ington 's room, the light from the iires- cjeiit iiioon looked in over the crooked I'hiJUTieys and down upon the .â- ienior Bide, the door opened, and in liwae a | Partner as he took a Ininoh of keys front young man wkoae fnuik face wa.i in | "'•'< IxH'kel and opened a black deed-box •trikiiiK oontrost to the eejiior' partn- ."'•^nding amongst a aiuuber of othiers ^- â-  â-  â-  â-  â-  ik in his °H_ ♦ lie sh^^lf . whioh Mr. o«i ♦ he 8h.af . p-i^ anxious expression iV*?'"" "'''''' *""' ooc'iaion to observe "" }-J'^'^'* of hi!?( clients wa.s now up- '*° "?.N'»- I-t appeared as if some sec- ret ol 1n^^yyr^x oi)pre«.sed him. Was that possiblef Vaa {, po.«siljle llhat this man, , wh«> baa lL<^vned all his life to the spc- â-  rets or other people without a sign of m Chancery ''""V"."' •! » ««<»** <>' 1^ »w^n f His L waiting, sir; '^"'"'•'^'"'''•d m-s he unlocjied the .arriage is at tlie door." The old JJ!*":"?,^i__*_ box on which the ._. ,er was Sidney's guordian. Mr. i ' ." Paklngton's villa, in one of th» suburbs, vifoa I he yxmng loan's home; it had been er's. The aid lawyer leaned book in his ohair. and althunigh he did not open his lips or even look up, his fatie plainly ezprMsed these words: "Wellâ€" what is lit f I am lUteniog." The young man Sidney Trenoh. held a letter in his hand. He glanoed at it OM hi* stood ov«ir the fiire, and then at Mr. I'iLklngton. "I linive a little mat Ut to seUlet" sBjLd he, ' I/.in«. I will not ikeep yuu waiting, sir; filled the guests with consternation, and put every one to flight â€" be had other matters to ponder. Mr. Piikington did not even glance out of the window until his carriage reached an oiH>n heath. He then low- ered the nosh and drew" a deep Ijreath, as if the silence and moonlight whioh surrounded him were best suited to his present mood. The carriage pre- .sently reached the gates, which led through a winding avenue to the law- yer's villa. Ui>on a pedestal, on each .side of the gateway, rejicsed a stony .<q>liinx ; and The lamps in front threw an uncertain light uiion these Krotear que figures. Kven thi.s old lawyer's face scarcely expres-sed more solemnity than the faces of these sphinxes; he might have caught their look and kept it, as fitted to his peculiar mental condition. ' At a later hour of the same even- ing, as he sat in bis eaav-chair by the drawing-room fire, the lawyer'.s mood appeared but Hiijfhtly chonge.d. His eyebrows were etiU sternly knit ; but there was a lese compressed expression at>out his mouth* aa if he were endeav- ouring to force bimself to unlock some secret storeroom in his brain. At an escritoire, on w<hlch there stood a shaded lamp, was seated a handsome woman. Glancing towards her, at last Mr. Piikington said: "My dear, will you give me your attention for * few minutest" Mrs. Piikington at once put ilown her pen and wheeled her chair nearer tra hearth. And as she bent her beau- tiful dark eyes upon the old manâ€" some forty years her senior- there was a look in them of trust and devotion. "I was thinking on my way home to-night," Mr. Piikington began in an unusually serious tone, "about an in- cident which happened this afternoon. It appeared at first trivial ; but it may be no nuoh slight affair ; it may lead to very painful disclosures. But much, will depend, my dear, on your attitude. That is my opinion ; much will depend upon that. An intensely troubled look came over the wife's face. She waited for Mr. Piikington to continue. She was too overcome to nue>stion him. The colour had left her cneeks; and although her lips were parted, as if sihe were lis- tening with suddenly awakened dread, sSie scarcely drew breath. But the lawyer seemed to expect no reply ; he stcjvped only to ponder his own words. He did not raise bis eyes â€"it was not Mr. Pilkington'a way, ex- cept on the rarest ocoaaions. "There is nothing, believe me, that need alarm you." he presently reMim- ed, as if conscious of her agitation ; "for w^hen I observe that much will depend upon you. ray dear, I ought to feel reassured ; to feel otherwise would be to doubt your goodne^n of heart- to doubt even your readinev to for- give." As he spoke. Mr. Piikington drew from his pocket the packet of letters which be had taken from the deed-box in the moonlit anteroom that very evening. "I have no wish to be mysterious," the lawyer went on ; "but it has been my fortune in lifeâ€" my destinyâ€" to be the caretaker of other people's mys- teries or misifortunes. Yes ; it has been my fate. And yet. what lesaon have I learnt f None. Is it not enough -that I am forced to keep the secrets of our clients? It slbould seem so. But no ; I must needti keep a secret of my own'â€" Mr. Piikington tapped the poc- ket in bis band â€" 'and it is contained in these letters. They will explain all that you have a right to know. And when you have read themâ€" and I fear you will l)e deeply pained by the peru- sal- 1 ^all ask you to listen, as I am sure you will, while I expre-ss my con- trition, for I never can justify my con- duct." With a trembling hand Mr. Piiking- ton beld the pacJtet towards his wife. Sihe took it with manifest reluctance. 'IThe look of trust had not yet left ber face. It was evident that mora than mere words even from her own husband's lipe were needed in order to destroy the confidence she bad plac- ed in him ever since their marriage some fifteen yeum ago. "I ewill not read tht>m," said she. holding the packet impulsively toward him. "If you have tnought it wise>r to keep this necret from me, my dear husband, these letters are better plac- ed among those deeds which do not belong to our life. For some good rea- son, f can never douW, vou have kept this secret. I,et it l>e forgotten ; let it be between us as if you had never referred to this subject. 1 shall always think of you, as I always have done, as a man of honour to whom every one places the utmo.st reliance. Why do you try to sihake my iwlief in you ?" "Kor your own «ike." was the law- yer's reply ; "for your own happi- ness." (To Be Continued.) lawyer ^ Sidney's guardian. M^^. j "" '» «««»m"''l O.vge" was written; â- â-  - â-  • â-  ond in that inom««t of agitation the t*i(.ught I loul.tless trosaed his mind of was ihe young ^ . . â-  ^. ., his hr)tne since boyhood. Again Sidf- ney looked at the letter, and then hand- «d t1 to the senior partner. 11 was quite du^ now. Mr. Piiking- ton I urnnd bis back to the window, sat with his face towards the fire. He took the letter tnd b«««1: "Whiit i.s tlii.s?' He lient liis heoxl ovsr it. by that uiioertaiji ligKtf on his face brows liow much others h^ suffered while waiting liere m this i,e,e anteroom- w.uting to »)« received by him; how bitterly many )pt them must have re- viewed (he irievocable pastâ€" a past 'i."'i <^'>'"i"«<' "11 tbi' painful details lnat,_(,h«se clients were ever eager to t'oiild he read P'*** •'*^"''" '"n' ' It was their bu,. I'bi' expreasion I '"^'" .S"'*^,'' »•'' h" h«tl declared to Sid- ed to darken; the ey»- i "*" '*''"'lii Kreiii families from dii^- ted, ind lllw.re WiUi a' 8'"'"^,V\'*r *'"*''"«'"" meditating g of I lift liiw Or wij-H it ; Jf"* '" 1"? beat nieauR u( Having himself I rBCimM-imi nf the fire thai I ir"'" ''<""* Htigmati.sed l>y His family ? ven to draw tilio colour f roin ' "" ' °"* V "Iâ„¢ <!» box a humllc of letters What is I his*", he Ws are sJiort of clerlts," Sidney ex- plained, "and I have Iwsanl of one liv- ing near ClhaiK^ery I.ane, wlw is like- ly t-o mill. Tiiiti is a letter »troiiuly r»- comfuending liiui." Mr Pllkingum tossed the letter ajia- rily upon Ihe talile. "We huve enouiFh â€"too many clerks already. Make them ooine earlier; ikeep lliem later at their desks I" Sidney "Trench delilierated a moment befrnv! tinokiiig any rejjdy and went Iwck in his noiseless manner 9 his own roum. Suddenly hi.s agita- ''°n *"TL'r *"?" "" raised*hb, arm, a« If an impuW to bur„ .u. _!^ ket bad seized upon him. bV Vh« h? tervening guard, wflvicdi had proUoted many a legal paper from tJhe (lames, seemed to recall him. "No," he mut- tered, witJh a .sters look on his face, as though he w*ro forcing an acknow- ledgment upon himself ; "she is not dead ; it Is not too late even now." l''or a moment he stood witl. his lips compressed and hia shaggy eyebrows A WARiNINO TO HUSBANDS. |A story is going the rounds of the Knglish newEVapers alxiut a gentleman who, finding a ainoking cxincert wear- Lsoiue, left early and finished the ev- ening at a musical oomedy theater. He sat near the stall door, and as it was chilly, he kept on his overcoat. jA lady iin a private box by a<vident dropped an earring of no f^reat value, but the trinket struck against the edge of the box front and droiiped into the open top pwket of the gentleman's overcoat. The guileless man went h<mie, when bfa wife, always carefully inclined, turn- ed out his coat pockets. The sequel to this pretty story is not told, though its monti is obviou'i. It is unwise, as it is mean and ungallant, to go to the opera witl>-^ut your wife. Tills man, Al>6l Norris," be th«n vnn tightly contracted; and that intense ....I 4,, „l I ,.r . . .-""II villi- |;_,.._,.'^ I 1, _«,._.» ..„„,» »..»,. 1.1. tured txi plead, "w a most de.Herving obarmcter. Mesiden," he added 'the poor fellow is nliniksl dentil iite"â€" "Sidney," interrupted Mr. Pilkins- tOB, "how old are you now?" ''"Tw-sntv^ffmr/' "Ah I At twentyvone 1 ^nH'O.me a partnerâ€" Do you iknow that 1 shall Im •igk^y tbis spring t •'Tm;. osd 1 often think that you need mor^ rtst." "How can I taike re.st?' replied Mr. )w can I l.liiii Wle you ay so youngf-l do not Piikingtonâ€" "how can I think of retir- to his foi-e as he passed; he was not log, while you ogp so youngf â€" 1 do not Ui yiara," (e bailened to addâ€" "I listening look once more came over hi.s face. Vv,is he livtening to his own con- science at last t As tjie lawyer drove home through the west-end, where his clients lived in great nquares and gardens, he sat in the corner of his carriage with bis head bent, in a stern and brooding at- titude. He took no hefd of these man- sions, with their brilliantly lighted rooms nnd aristocratio assemblies; to- night they liTought no expressive smile thinking about tliese people's secrets â€" s(^crets which If revealed might have A JAPANKSK PRISON. The prison, elx miles from Tokio. seems to be a model i.i its perfect man- agement. We spproat-hed a lot of band.some buildings, and I a»ked it they did not lielong to the university. "No; the prison where we are going," the guide said, and we entered the beau- tiful groiuidsv laid off artistically and planted with flowers. The buildlngii are of brick, one i'torv high, and are filled with many c<miforta. Every pria- uner snIuteU us. Ir the shops all ore rctquired to work and are supplied with all necessary materials by tlie govern- ment. Some do exquisite cloisonne and wood carving; others make useful ar- Ucles, such a.s shoes, buckets, baskets, etc., until you can tlind almost any ar- ticle you wish. The articles are sold far just what the material coat. Mrs. Lamyied's fill. Be had hardly realised the situation until this caught his eye in the p«^ pep. He said nothing to any one, but crammed the Times into his pocket and drove to Lincoln's Inn. He could not put the thought which oppressed hia brain into words. Mr. Slimp was en- gaged when be rea<hed the office ; but on hearing who the visitor wo-s, sent to request that he be admitted into bis preseoce. "I am somewhat disappointed with the reading of this advertisement. Mr. Slimp, " said Mir. Dotlloson. abruptly, "and fear that it will not have the de- sired effect." "With your p€a-mission I'll iasue a new one, which may do more than this one," said Mr. Slimp. " Do what you think best ; but for mercy's sake let me know the very mo- ment you hear whether that permie- sios I gave you is in time." Mr. Slimp promised compliance, and saw his cliejit to the door; then bo went back into his room and set him- self to draw up another advertisement, which we may as well show the reader at onoe ; ' • If MiM K. D. of No. 21 Blakewood Square. South Kensington, will apply to Meesrs. St.arbone andSmuggles.Lin- ooln's Inn. sibe will receive the written permission she requires. She must ap- ply personally." The London dailies gave due publicity to this announcement the toWovrins morning, with slngularlv orompt re- Bultis. Mr. Dottleeon called at Lin- coln's Inn about eleven o'clock to ask for news, and was informed that Miss Dottleiion had come to the office an hour previously, and having inspected the document her father had signed. and received assurance that it was leg- ally what it purported to be. had gone away in the direction of tne West End â€" probably to Blakewood Square. Mr. Dottlesoia rushed out of the of- fice and called a cab ; his excitement was rising again, for in half an hour he was to know where Mrs. Lamshed's money was to go. Kate was standing at the dining-room window when be drove up and come to open the door. " When were you married ?" he de- manded excitedly the instant he was inside the bouse. " Married 1" echoed bis daughter. "I'm not married. Who said Iwasf" Mr. Dottleeon sank limply into a chair, and gaped at her for three min- utes before he found speech. Then he pu'led himself together to perform bis duty. " Explain where you have been ever since Tuesday. What have you been doing? Where is that scoundrel Lake- worth »" The extreme simplicity of Miss Dot- tleeon's explanation goaded her father slmont to madneMs. She had been .stay- ing witih ber old governess. Miss Sim- cox, at Dover, for a day or two. It was very slow Indeed down there ; she did alksolutely noth'ng. She wasn't quite sure where Dr. Lakei^'orth was ; but he said on Tuesday tibat he was going to H'ghgate fnr a short time' no doubt he would write when he saw the ad- vert Lstvment. I^nd this was what he had magnified into an elopement I We will not dwell unon Mr. Montague Dottleson's wTath we will not relate how he tried to get that paper hack from Mir. Slimp, and how the melancholy man as executor, woul 1 not give it up. We say that we will not speak of tliese things ; we leave them to the reader's imagination. It was a long time Iwifore our fr'end re- cogn'zed that he was beaten, and might as well give is gracefully; but be did so at lait and Charles Lakeworth mar- ried Kate Dottleson with her father's ble.sH>ng. Dr. Lakeworth has now a iariye prac- tice at the West End. and Kate .some- times complains that he devotes more attention to his work than to her. Nev- eirtbeless, they are a very hanny cou- ple : and old IVIlr. Dott lesion frankly ad- mits that his daughter's choice was a wi^e one though he looks crave when you ask him about her little visit to Dover. (The End.) A HKIJ»FirL WIFE. Woman who think wifehood and motbeirhood an obeitacle to the "higher life" shcl.ild read the ak<>ltcb of Shrab Alistin. published lunang the "Open Letters" of the Ceintwry. She was the mothf«r of Lady Dkiff Goordon. whoaa Iwtters from Rgy^ are a classic, and the wife for nearly fifty years of John Aiistio, an English lawyec. who, in' the opinion of Lord Blrckigham, bad ths fineflt legal Intellect of bU time. Hn l.tcked. (loweveir. the qualities which winelucceas, and failed as a, writ- er, teacher and practitioner of law. He died in 1859, desA-lned. apparently, la remain unknown, or to be remember- ed as a maa of g<neat talents whose life was resultlesa. Te<n years later bis name became one of the most prom- inent in the histolry of English law. "A womaoi was the leader oC the deed." Mrs, Aluatln made be.r husband famous by inublishlng bis "Lectures an Juris- prudenoe" In three volumes. Wives who moke their busbaods usu- ally keep in the shade. stan<ling under the sbadknw of the man's name. Mlrs. Aiuatla modestly claimed only to have I edited her husbaiiut's ^vTltinga. What I sbft really did v/tum to ooUeot all her hluBlxajul's writingsâ€" an old law-book ailt of inriinlt ; a fe(w lectures to whlob few ba<i listened wheii delivered ; hun- dreds of marginal annotations in l>ooks be (hatl (read, and ^-ores of scraps anrawled in an almost illegible band. These .she i*ilt together with such Ht- eipary slcill that the>; grew into the roitiortal oystam of jurisprudence which wor.ke<l a revoljuticui In the study of ies, and for fifty years bis constant inspiraition. Tbey spent their days loi an almnut umbruken tete-a-tete. He read annl talked to her nn the legal subjects which engrottsed his mind, an4 accepted such assiAance as she eaai$ render. There was nothing masculine about this apprei^iative, lu-lpCul wife; on ths contrary, sb» was so ieminine that bei\ frieods »|>oke of her as "the< most wom- anly of womon." H»r liteirary labora were al4iindaat, and earned for man* yeans moat of the Axislin daily Ijj-ead. rhb Ijest men of the time. Englishmen, Freocbmen and Germans, freqfuented ber firenide. Guizot wrote to ber as a son to a mother, and aiaoussed with ber bis statecraft. Beatbom. Mocani- lay, Mill. Saatbey, Jeffrey and Glad-< atone ware also among ber corres- pondeints. iBat the delight of associating with great and good men. and of hearing ber WTitiogs prai/wd, was aubordioatea to beir ooe amciitiom â€" to be John Ausr tia"s helpmate. B.ea distimction id t]ha,t she realized hear idea of helpful wifehood.. "She deserves." writes the author ot the "Open Letter" from which we hava quoted, "to be well known to ber lat- ter-day sisters, if far no other reason tl^n a.H a possible Ideal for the neweit womanibood." English law. Th« wife aoid mother was emalded to do this great work becaiiise she had been Intereoted in her hfUAband's slud- ITEMS OF INTEREST. P«w Paragrapks Tkst Mar Preve Wertk The new mint at Philadelphia will cost 1 1.652,000. Exces£uve coffee-drloking. it is said, impairs the sight. Nine-tentbe of the railroad passen- gers In England travel third^lass. The Greenland whale, it is said, some* time.s attains an agd of four hundred years. Several European railroads have at last adopted the American system o( checking baggage. The favorite beverage of Sarah Bern- hardt is warm milk and water. She h-ia never used wine or other intoxkanta. To impart a refreshing odor to aa invalid's room, pour some good cologn* into a soup plate and set fire to it with a lighted match. The best quality of maple syrup comes from the north side of the tree, but the flow is not so large as when th* tree is tapped on the south side. In China, the man who lives nearest to the scene of a murder, if the perpet- rator is unknown, is suspected of th* orime, ajid is required to prove his in- nocence. Domestic troubles caused the coron- er at Thenilworth. England, to clos* bis career with bis own hand, and a coroner's inquest was held upon th* coroner. Dr. Ellison, of Williamsburg. Ky., owns a cow which lately gave birth to a calf that has two bodies, two tails, and eight legs. The bead resemblea that of a dog. An unusual accident, the explosioa of a coffeeKurn, occurred in a London restaurant. Kour girls were severely scalded, and the face of one of tbem will be permanently disfigured. Persons intending to select a pap. should permit the pup's mother to make the choice. The one the mother first carries back to their bed is almost cer- tain to become the best dog. Notwitheitaading all the efforts of in- ventora, no one has been able to dis- cover a substitute, for leather. For sboe.s, belting, harness, and a thousand other uses. " there"s nothing like leath- er." 'Alphonse Bertillon, the French math- esuatician. advocates that each family with three children be exempted from taxation, and that each family not thus provided t)e taxed '20 per cent, extra. A two^itory frame house floated away from its foundation, near E>yer8burg, Te-nn., with all the household furniture. Its owner, J. I. Hopkins, ailvertises for information of its whereabouts. An average of fifteen hundred tramps a luunth made their way through Win- neliago County. Wis. The number has been reduced to an average of seven- ty-five since a law was passed forcing tue tramps to go to work. Noah Raby. who has been an inmate of the poor farm at Pijk-ataway. N.J., for thirty years, is one hundred and twenty-five years old. He has been a smoker for one hundred and twenty years, and his weight is leas than one hundred pounds. Tartini, the great violinist, compos- ed the " Devil's .><<>ii;ita " under the in- spiration of a (Ireaiii. He fancied that the devil invited him to a trial of skill upon h's own instrument, and awoke with the music of the sonata ringing in his ears. He at once traced it on papevr. Eagles are numerous in the vicinity of Esseg, Slavonia. One was shot there a short time ago. and on its ne<-k was a steel collar, bearing the coat of arms of a noble family, and the date lG4li. showing that the eagle bad worn one collar for two hundred and fifty vears. WUKS BLONDIN WAS AFBAID. One of the many stories told of Blondin since hU recent decease comes from a London correspondent. Ourt of Blundin's favorite joke-s was to offe|- to j-a'rry some dislingoiished spe<-latar across the rope with him on his liack. Bv«ryb(.Hly naturally refused, and the great equilibrist, with a genial souiltv »o;ild say , "1 am sorry you are afraid 1 .should drop you." But he was hoi>it oinse with his own jietaid. Um was exhibiting in Paris, and was alx>.it to ar««is tlw Seine on his rope. Cham, the great caricaturist, had coma to make a sk.vtcb. Blundlii, recog- nizing him, at once invited him; tocroas with him. i "With pleaslure." replied Cboim, "but oin on« i-ondiition." "And that isâ€" t " queried Blundin. "That 1 shall carry you an myl back," answered Cbaim. "Not if I know myself!" a'nswored Blondin. " Ab r triumpbatvlly exclaimed Cham. "ThU time. Mon-sieur Blondin. it bi you whw are afraid I" r> y THE DEADLY PASTRY. Mrs. Beahomâ€" I beliieive t>here is a burglar in tihe pantry wbere the mines pies are that 1 madie this aJteinoon. Beahn«nr-WeU IibIcu, my dear, and we may oaloh his Isist wxuxks.