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THE LOST DIAMOIIdS OF THE ORAIIGE RIVER, I eat dow^n on a rock and lit a pip©, just to think it ov«sr Mid settle my rather hinhly strung n«tv«B. The Paarl aa I TOu!d iK.w «ee. was a unique for- mation of crystal-spar, singularly round«(l upon its !««•. It and the glorious canopy of hanging stalactite aljovB it must haT« been reft bare by Mxne mighty convulsion that ha<l an- ciently torn asunder these mounUins, leevinK the ravine in which we Mood. , drojik from our water-bottlee sibly be enooantered in the twenty- minutes' crawl, wbiob as Klaaa had told me, it would take to get through. This opLttlon v/i>a not of a nature to forti- fy me in the undertaking, yet, rath- er thiin leave the diajnonds unexplored. I felt prepared to brave the terrors of this uncanny passage. It wan now three o'rjock ; the sun wae uinTchiaiS steadily across the bras- sy firmament on his eastward trek, and we had no time to lose. "In you go, Kiaa«," eaid I; and, nothing loth, Klans dived into the bow- eJs of thto mountains, 1 at his heels creep upon the flooring of the tunnel aometiuies on smooth sand, sometimes over protruding fock and rough gr^iv- ©I we got along very ooenfortably. Then the roof of ibe dark avenue, for It wiui piUih dark now â€" suddenly low- ej'e<l. and we had to crawl along. It was unple^isant, I can tell you, boxed up likie this lieneath the heajt of the mountain. The very thought seemed to make the oi)pre«SbOn a mUliun times more oppressive. Even Klaas, plucky liusbnuin though he was, didn't seem to relish the adventure, and spoke in a sul>dued and awe-stricken whisiier. Sometimes since, as 1 have thought of that meet gruesome passage, I have l)urst Into a sweat nearly a.s profuse Ab we draaifc from our waiei-"^"-"- j,-^^ jj^^ minute.s. by dint of stooping and ate some of the dried flesh and j^^j ^^ occaaioual h»nd*-and-kneea biscuits we bacl brought with us, I no- ticed Klaaa's keen little eye.s wander- ing imiuiringly round tiw* ba»e of the precipice in our front. He seemed puz- zled ; and as w© finished our repast and lit our pipes again he said : " The hole in the rock that leads fro«n this kloof to the diajnonds should be over there " â€" pointing bafore hiim ; "but I can't quite make out the spot, the bushes have altered and grown bo, since Iwas here oa a boy yeors and years ago." ,W© got ut> and walked straight for the point he had indicj.tBd. an I reach- ed the foot of the precipice. The Hush- j «{'^"K{» lot k, painful as I endured *^ "^ t\uU day. i\t last, after what .seamed man lmnte<l hither and thither in tl-.e jo m© hoars of this painful crawling prickly jungle with the fierce rapidity and Egyptian glooui, w© met a breath at a, tiger-cat ; but, inasmuch as he wa:J I ol freslier air ; the tunnel widened and •wietimea prevented from immediate- u'ri?''i*J^' "^^ '"" »"?';''«' "'?,, T„'n' *; , ,1 V. J^ > "* emerged into the blessed sun- ly ojiproaching the rock-wall, he ap- , light. Lutle Klaas lo<A©d pretty well peaxed ua:ible to hit off the tunnel that " oaked," even In his old leather crack- led, as he had formerly told me, to the «™' le->the,r trousers and flannel shirt. 11 K- J £. jj 1 *i u u 1 â- ** â- o'' myself, I was literally slrcam- TaII©y beyond. Suddenly, after he had i„g; ^y^/^ thi-ead " nT wsls as wet again di8ttppeare<l; he gave a low whis- as if J tiui plunged into a river. We tie; a signal to approach, to which 1 I^J Panting for a while uiion the scorch- quickly reaponded. Quietly pushing my ]^/^^^'^^ *^" "*' "P ""'^ '""''" way toward* him, I was astonished to Jf tJi© Paj^j Kloof, aa Klaas called se© within a small cle«ring, a thick it. whence w© h;id just come bad Ijeen and high thorn-fence, outaide of which '^efficiently striking, the uiighty am- i7-i„.. ..~^ I J If • 11 -1 Pmtneatre m which we lay was mlin- Klaaa stood. Inside this circular kraal it«|j. ^.^^ amazing. Imagine a vast was a low round hut. formed of boughs arena almost completely circular in and branch<w strongly and closely in- ^''^Pe. flat awl smooth, and c»»mposed, terlaced. Klaas was standing watching ^tli" 'f /jP^'Vf' "' '°T,'"'"'°^'^f'?.l'r'' • ..,..... . , , . ,. r ""'• gravel reddish yellow lu colour. intently the interior of the hut, which This arena was surrounded by stuix-n- aeemed to be biu-re<l at its tiny entrance dous waJIs of the same ruddy-brown l>y a pile of thorns lying close against rock we had noticed in I'aarl Kloof. ^» which here towered to a height of cloee â- ,,r, . ,, . ^^. ^ ?,o " thousand t«et.. In the centre of What could It mean, thus strange tli© red cliffs, blazing forth in splen- dwelltng, iinaccetsible as it seamed to dour, ran a bruad band of the most hnuian lif©f Klaas soon found a weak ?,*"V*'"'' "twIeBcent rock-crystal, which liashed out its rays of coloured light as if to meet the fiery kisHe.H of the sua. 'rhis flaming girdle of crystal, more spot lu the kraal fonce, and pulling down suine Ujorns we stepped inside and approached the hut. Here too, Klaas pulled away the dry mimosa- thorns from th© entranoe, and was at one© confronted by a tiny bow and ar- row, and behind that by a fierce little weazemd faiw. Instantly, my Uushmaii poured forth a torrent of his own lan- guage, re<lundant beyond expression, with those extraordinary olicks of which the Dustunan tongue seems main- ly toconssi. Kven as he spoke, the bow and arrow were lowered, the little head appeared through the entrance, and the tlnieet, quuinteat, most ancient figure of a man 1 had ever beheld stxiod be- tore us. Ancient, did I aay 1 Ancient is hardly a meet description of his asiiect, As he stood there blinking like an owl in thefieri'e sunlight liisonly ooveringa little skin karossof thered rhe-bok fas- tened over his slioutders. he looked in- deed coeval with the rocks around hum. ' never saw anything like be,autiful a thousand tinie.s than the meet gorge</U3 ojial, the sheen of a fresh-cnught mackerel, or the moat rad' lant mother-of-pearl, I can only com- pare in splendour to the flashing rain- bows foriii©<l over the foaming falls of th© Zambesi, which I have seen moare than once. It ran horizontally and very evenly round at least two^thirda of the cliff-lieli that encircled ut». It was a wonderful, au amazing sijetvtacle, «jnd 1 think quit© the iiwiat singular of th© many strange things, and they are not few. I have seen in the African in- terior. Well, we sat gazuig at thia crystal rainliow for majiy minutes, till 1 had Bomewhat fea«t©<l my enraptured gaze. Ihen w© B« ujs and at once began the aearob for diamonds. Directly 1 saw the gravel, e»i)e«ially where it had been cleansed in th«, aluillow channels by the action of rain and flood. 1 knew at onie w© sliould find "stones;" it resembled ainujtrt exa»-lly the gravel fouwl in th© Vaal lUver diggings, and was here and there strongly ferruginou-s and mingled with red sand, and occasionally luii©. it !>««, littu no'ij^d quickly that agates, ja»iiers "I""''"'**-"-! '•halcedony were diBtribute.1 pret- (xldity, dim th<»ugh his eyes were wax- , ty thickly, and timt occasiojially the .ng, feeble though his shrivelled arm, i 9"'''"'" l|«'nd-do».m stone, so of ten found (lulled though his formerly acute senses, he had. with all th© desperate pluck of his rai'«, been prepared to do bat- tle for his hearth and huiue I in the Vaal Haver wiih diamonds, and I indeed often considered by diggers as a surts Lndii-ator of "Ktones,"' was to i l» met with. In majiy pljices the peb- t»l<« were washed perfwtlv clean, and lay thickly pile^l in holUm- water-way!<. In his own Ioiikuc Klaas interrogat- , ji-.. , .:•â- ",.•,â-  ••: ""â- â€¢"" "•i'»«-i-niij.-\. â-  Uio« â- "Z'^,';^*' si*«<''l.v found a rich harvest ©d ths aniediluvian Dushtiian and imw ,,f ,u . .-.â-  â-  BUddenlj, as lie was answejed by the !;!„", •'T^'K'U*' K'Jus. In a feverish word "Ari«e«p. a light flashed across his , I^ i V ,, ",'" """."â-  "'"' " half. Klaas counteiianic. hW'izing his aged count ry- ""' ' '"'â- *"**' ^V I hijly-tliree fine stones, man i>y the shouhlers. he turned him I rrj*!"* 7i,*'?* , " " *""*" P'8e<>n"B xouiiTI anil cartJullv exi«jnine<l his back, ,'nl f " ., P' '** '"^•* "' ">y 'it- Lifting the akin kar«« and rubbing n.t.'"*^'"''"'''''- "«*.V were all fine dia- away the i-oating <»f grease and dirt .. '?„ T"* '^" â-  ,'* " true, yellow or that covere<l the right shoulder, Klaaa ^.i „?.**.' "I''«rs i.f i,ure«t water, point<Ml l<. two round white s«-ars just „* ',.*« â- l?"^""...'*'""'"'*' • <^"^ "e had below the bU-wle-lMine, several inches Zy^l^Hlit^.U" ^''^'iiaiS ihe^m. although afjaxt. 'I'hen he air. seized the de-lM>ne, several inches Z""'",'^'."' ii"u»ng lUe,in. although ic gave a leap into the Xf ,^J^ ir*"** "V^ ""' " twentieth (lart old fo«.sil by the ne.k, ?l:['^ "fO^','*'- , ' 'O"''' «« at omw from andabilked into III ear> the most wim- '~!f, "^'-h»u<l wearch that enormous d«^rful lorrenl ot Itushiiuui language 1 i i'*^"<^« "'-V;^'"'*'"' 'i^en' U|ion the sur- hav© ever heard. In his turn the old ** "?* earth; bejiejith, probalily man started tmck, examined Klaas in-^."* '"onfmed falmlous wealth. I was tenth from head to f(«>t, and in a thin P""je<» at the time, and I have never pipe jaliiiered at liim alm«vsl as volu- 71 mclwiation or opportunity to solve bly. ; ''"'' "'.velery since, to account for the finally, Klaas enlighletie<l me as to '"'*''*"',T,,*'','''^"'"n"l» '" such profu- this comical interlude. It seemed in- , ,,^- »» hether they were swept into oredible; but this old man, 'Aris<-©p by fP^ valley l.y early floodings of the name, was his grandfather, whom he i ,vr*(°'^ ."i*"!. **"*â- '' "•"""' aperture hml not set ©yes oji since long years' , ^^i^ted formerly, but had l*en kief<«re the Ik*.r artiiliui n<lo hiid brok- '''<'««'« "1' volcanic action; or wliether, en into his tribal fastness, slain his "f'*"" ">»'.l'"e<l to t hink the whole am- father and mother and other relatives, {"""leatre is a vast upheaval froon sub- and carried himself off captive. The old |*rraneous fires of a bygone perio<l, is tnan liefore us liad somehow escaiicd in _?.!'" ."'' ?" unfatlKmied secret. I tb© fight ; had c years of solitary tains around, had somehow penel.i..;.'u ,i t i, " â€" â€".....,•<.«â-  to this grim atxl desolate valley, where *"'.''"' had be«« shot upwards funnel be had BUlisiisted on liu.iliiiian fareâ€" J,*^^/!'."'" '^ww, «nd that ages of flood! â- nakes, lizards, r<K,ls, gum, bulbs, fruit, and an o'vasional snared buck <ir rock- rabbit ; these and a little rill of water that gushed fixun the mountain side hard lij 6uppiie<l him with existence. Here he hiui lingered for many years alone and isolated. After neiirly an hour's incessant chat- ter, during which 1 lielle.ve Klaas had In id lie.fore his monkey-like ancester an liad somehow eB<'B|)cd in i" ' "i«. Hour an unfathoiiied secret. I crept away; and after I J^"*'' '."''''"^.^ '*"â- ***"'«•*«"â- â-  *''eory, and â- y hiding in the moun- ' *^''^:"' 'nat, like the Kimberley '"pipe." lad somehow penetrated "* ''itrF<'>rs call it, the diamondiferous and rain-waahing had clean.sed and left Uire the gravel and stones I had seen upon the surface. l''rom th© search we had had. I made no doubt that a fortnight"* careful hunting in this valley would make me a millionaire, or something very like it. At length I was satisfied; and as the eiiatenng sun was fast stoojiing to his couch with a light heart and elas- epitomised hisloiry of' his life, he U>id , J,ir *'*•' ' turned with Klaas to depart. the old man we wielied to get through I t he excitement of the " find " had quite the mountainfi, and that he had lust l "'"'"t'ed the reimembrance of that the tunnel of which he had known aa '""'"' 'unnel-paasag© so recently en- a boy. 'Arisee(>, wlio, it s««iiuj. in the , *'**.V «VTn ' years he had been there had exiilored .. , ^^*." «" â„¢<^ 0°", Klaas," said I, •very nook and cranny of the valley, < . *'' ''',>""â- â-  graintlfather's kraal, and knew at once what he meant, and quick- i Ket to tl* wiigon first thing in the ly pointed oul t<> us, not on© hundred pat^ea away, n den.se and prickly mass of cactus and euphorbia bush He^c, af- ter half an hour's hewing and slashing with our hiinling-knivea. we managed to open a pathway ; and at la.st • cave- like opening in the mountain, aliout sev- . . _, , i, -•. - â€" • n feel in diiiiiieter, lav liefore as. Tha *** "â-  ««wly port of the tunn©l, there old man, however, gave us warning that ' ^/* "^ .«'»fri« m front, a fieri^. exclam- â- mekes aUunded, ond might not impoe- "'^o" '" Uuahman language, and then morning. At hajf-iiast five wie ajgain eoitered th© tunnel. It waa a naaty business when one thought of it again, but it would soon be over. As before, Klaaa went first, and for half the distance all went well. B*iddealy, as we came Klaas called out in a hoarse voice; "A anake has bitten met"' What a situa- tion I Cooped up in this frightful bur- row, face to face with probably a dead- ly soake, which had already bitten my companion. Almost immediately, Klaos's voice came back Co me in a hoarse gut- turaJ whisper: "I have him by the neoJc, sieur ; it is a puff-adder, and his teeth are atickiug into my shoulder. If you will creep up and lay hold of hia tail, which is on your side of me. we can sett le him ; but I can't get hia teeth out without your help."' Crawling forwards, and feeling my way with frightened benambed fingers, 1 touched Klaas's leg; then softly mov- ing my left ha.n<l, I was suddenly smit- ten by a horrible writhing tail. I seiz- ed it with both hands and finally grip- ped the horrid reptile, which I fe.lt to be swollen with rage, as is the brute's habit, in an iron grasp with both hands. Then I felt. In the black darkness, that KJaas took a fresh grip of the loath- some cre.Ttur©'s neck, and, with an ef- fort, disengaged the deadly fangs from his shoulder. Immediately, I felt him draw hia knife, and, after a struggle, sever the serpent's head from its USy. The head he pushed away to the right as far out of our course as possible ; and Ihen 1 dragged the writhing body, from him, ajid shuddering, cast it be- hind m« aa far as possible.; At thait moment I thought for the firpt time in my life I must have swoon- ed. But quickly I Leibought me of poor faithful Klaas, sore stricken; and I called to him in as cheerful a voice aa I could muster: "Get forward, Klaaa, ' for your life as hanl as you can, and, i Dlease tiod, we'll pull jou through.'" | hfever had I admired the Pushmaji'fa ! fierce courage more thtin now ! Most meni would have sunJc upon the ! aaind and' given up life and hn^ Not I so this aboriginal. ""Ja. sieur ; I will ' loup,'" waa all he said. '. Then we Bcrainbled oniward, occasion- i ally halting as th© deadly sickness over- ' took Klaas. At last tine light came, ' aind as, my poor Bustiman grew feebJer and more alow, I fownd room to pesa him, and, so dragged him liehimd me to the opening. Here I propped bim for a moment um the sand outside with hia ' back to the mountain, and loudly call- : ed ""Ariseepl" while I got breath for a moment. rhe sun wias sinking in blood-red ' splendour befhiod the mountoina, and the kloof and rock-walls were literally aglow witJhr the parting bhish of ilay. Nature looked calm and aereoely beau- tiful, xad hushed in a si>lendour that ill accorded witi the agitating scene there ati the muMth of the tunnel. All this flashed across me as I called for th© old man. Klaas was now hreal hing heavily, and getting dull and stupifi- ed I took hiim in my arms and car- ried him to "Ariseep's kraal, wbr-iue the old miin was just emerging. At sight of hts grandfather, Klaa^ rallied, and rofiidly told him what had happened ; and tbe, old man at once plunged into bis but for aometbing. Then KUds's eyelids drooped, and be became drow- sy and aliiujet senseless. In vain I roused hiiim. and tried to make him walk, and s«o stay the baleful effecta of thei polsoiv now running riot in his blood, ile was too far gone. 'Ariweep now reappeared with a small skiiv- bag. out of which be took some dirty lookiing powder. With, uga old kniiCe be scored the skin ao>i fleab around Klaas's woond, and then rul>bed In the powder. I had no brandy or ammonia to a<lriiinister. and therefore let the old Bos'liunaa pursue hia remedy, lliough I felti someliiow it would be useless. So it proved ; either the antidote, with whiub I believe Bushmen often do ef- fect wonderful curuot was stale aud in- efficacious, or the poison had got too strong a hold. My poor Klaas never becaiine cunHcious again., though I fanci- e*l e,ig«'rly thut he recognized me Vie- fore he died, for his liiw moved as he turned to me once. At last, within au hour aindi a half from the time he was bitten, he lay dead. tto periahed my faiUnful and devot- ed ht'Dchmiin. the stoutest, truest, brav- est soul that ever j\iru-uin sun shone upon. We placed him gently in a deep sandy hmJlow, and over the sand piled heavy stones to keeii the vermin from him. 1>hen laying iiiys«'lf within 'Ari««\ep's kraul. 1 waited for the sloth- ful dawBi. jVs it (Uiue, I rose, called 'Aris<'ep froiu his hut. ajid bade fare- well to him as bet-t 1 could, for we neither of us uniierstood one another. I noticed bye-thc-liyc. thut no sign of frief seemed to trouble the old man. 'r<ibahly he was too age<l- an<l had seen i too much oC de.ith to think much alxmt ' the matter. I The rest/ of my story is soon fimish- , ed.'. I made my way back to tampi, I told my: men what had hajipened. and, ; indeed, took sinue of them back with me i to Klaas"s grave, and made thkim ex- ' hiuine his iKidy, to satisfy themselves (of t lie cause of death; for the«e inein j are sometimes very suspicious. TIkmi we covered luitu again securely agaim,- st wandering beasts and birds. .1 trekked boik to tbt old Cohmy, sold off my thtmg.i, and went h<iiiie;. The diamond!* 1 htid brought away I realized in England twenty-tsvo thou- ! smid pounds. I have never dreamt of ! going to the fatal valley again. No- ! thi'mg om earth would teuyil me, after [thtit ill-starred journey, heavy with the fate of Klaas and the B"<h,ian* boy Amazi. As for the tunnel, I would not venturei once more into its recess- es for all the diamonds in Africa, even if they; lay piled in heaps at the other end ot it. .Part of the twenty* two thuusaind (lounds 1 invested for sum© relatives; the balance that I kept. BUffced. with what 1 alre-ady pciHes."*- ed, for all possible wonts of my own. 'I'hen 1 came Iwck to my dearly love<l South Africai for the last time,; and a few years later made the iourney to the Chob© Ri-ver. from which you res.- cued me in the thirst-lund." Such was the story related to us by fhn transiiort ruler. Our narrator wound up by telling us that Mowbniy bad further toparted to him the exact locality of the diaanond valley ; Imt h« added: "I have never yet tieen there, nor do I thduk that for the present it is lokely I shall, ^ttaa <lay, before I leave thJe Cape, I may havve a try, and trek down the Orange River ; but I don't feel very keen about that sec^ ret passageh after poor Mowbray's ex- periences." (The End. J DAWN. HE ALWAYS DOES. Chorus of Excited Voicce â€" Heavens I A boat wrecked, you say ? And none of its o<\'np<inits escaped 1 l,lfe-.Snver. grimlyâ€" Only the fellow who r<K'ked UU (BY H. RIDER HAGGARD.) CHIAPTTEB. I. "Ton lie; you always were a liar, and you always will be a liar. You' told my father how I spent the money." "Well, and what if I did » I fcad to look aitar myaelf I suppose. You for- get that I am otily here on iterance, whilst you are the son of the house. Itdrieb sD't matter to you, but he would have turned me out of doors," whined George." "Oh! curse your fine words; it"8 you who forgot you swab. Ay, it's you who forget that you asked me to take the money to the giuubling-tent, an<i made me promise that you should have half of wihat we won, but that I should play for both. What, are you begin- ning to remember now^ â€" is it coming back to you after a whole month ? I am going to quicken your memory up presently, I can tell you; I have got a g(X)d deal to pay off, I"m thinking. I know what you are at; you "want to play cuckoo, to turn ""Cousin Philip" «it iibaX '"tbuain GeMiwe'" may fill the nest. You know the old man's soft iKitnta, and you keep working him up against me. You tlhink that you would like the old place wibjein' he's 'gone â€"ay, and I dare say that youi twill get it before you tuve dome, but I mean to have my penn'orth out of you now, at any rate;" and, bru^ihing th© tears of anger that stood in his brown eyes away witih the back of bis Ihand, the weaker proceeded to square up to George in a moat determined way. Now Plhilip with bis broad shoulders and bia firm-knit fi-ame, would, even at eighteen, have been ito mean an- tagonist for a full grown man; much mure than he look formidablH to 'the lanky, overgrown stripling crouching against the comer of the wall that prevented hia further retreat. "Philip, you're not going to strike me, are you, when you know you i are so much strcngerr" "Y'es, 1 am, though ; if 1 can't match you with my tongue, at any trate I will use my fists. X>wk out."" "Oh, PhUip, don't ! Ill tell your â- far- ther." "Tell hina I why. of course you wiill, I know that ; but you shall have some- thing to Lie aliout this time," and ho advanced to the attack with a grim determination not pleasant for bis cou- sin to belhoid. Finding that there was no escape, George turned upon bim with so shrill a curse that it even frightened from his leafy percii in tue oak above the time tuxtlt-dove, InteinBsely preoccu- yibd as ha was iia cuuing to a new- found mate. Ue did more than curse ; fought like a cornered rat and w itb as miu'h chance as the rat with a trained fox-terrier. In a few seconds his htixd was as sjiughjy tucked away in the uhuncery of bid cousin's arm as ever any properly wu.s lu thie icourt of that uame, and, to siieak truth, it seemed quite possible tiiut, when it emerged from its retreat, it would, liku the property, be much dilapidated and extencuvely bled. I'd us not dwell upon the scene ; fui' George it was a very puinfulone, so painful tlhat h© never quite for- got it. Hib jioBBk loo, was uiever so s-ta .-, I gnu agfc «i,., It was oi«iiu oveir, though to one uf the parties the time Weill with unnatural slowness. "Well, I think you've had about en- ough for once." soliloquized i'hilip, as h.> critically («4vt^vd the wrilhiUig imuss on the grouiud before him ; and h» lixiked a very hond^iuuiie laJ as he said it. His curly black â- hair hung in waving .i»jiiu.siom over his foreJicad. and flung changing lights aud shadows into the depths of hi*i brown eyes, whilst his maisive and somew lial ht-avv features were toiu^ihed into a more aclivu life by th>^ light of ihat pleasing exiitement whuih anuuates nine men oul of every ten ot the Anglontsixon race whfn they .ire I'li^agetl on killing or hurting t^ome other living creature. The face, too, hiid u certain dignity about it, a lit- lli' of the dignity of justice; it .vaa the lace ufone who fecLs that, if bis action hiis been precipitate an<l severe, it hiui at any rate Ix-en virtuous. Th© full but clear-cut lips also had their own exprej«ioo on tihem, half serious hilt ixiuucal ; humor, contempt, and even pity were bienjled in it. Alto- gellii-r I'hiiip C-.i.rtiMJ'olot 's app^arance in thi? moment of boyi&h vengeance Wiis pli'iiMing anl uol uuiuieresliug. Prewenlly, however, something? of the same change passed owr bis la.-e that we see i n the sky when a cloud jiasst a over the snji ; thi- lighl faded oul 'of it. It was usttKnishing to note how dull and iicavy â€" a.v, more, how bad il made hiui look all in a breath. "There will be a pretty busineta about this," he murmured, and then, administering a sliaip kick to th© prostrate and g loaning form on the gruujid kt^'ttjte ihim, he .said, "Now, then gel up ; I'm not going to touch you again. Verhai«, though you won't be in quite sucih a hurry to tell lies abinit me aiiotiher time, though I suppose that oue m,ust always expe<t a certain amount of lying from ahalf- brsd beggar like you. Like molher, like son, you know." Thia last se4itenco was accoanpauied by a bitter laugh, and produced a de- cided effect on the groveling George who slowly raised himself upon his hands, and lifting his head, locked his cousin full in the face. It was not the ghastly appi'aianoe bf his mangled and blood-soaked coante- teinance that made I'hilip recoil bo siharply from the sight of bis own hoffidiworkâ€" he bad fought too often at school to be chicken-hearted about a little blood-shed, an«l, besides, he knew that his cousin was only knock- ed about, not really injuredâ€" but rath- er the In'teUBe and almiost devlliah maW ignity of the expreasiioik thut hover- ed on the blurred features and' 'in the half-cloaed eyes. But no attempt waa made by George to translate the look «flto words, and Indeed Philip felt that it waa uintransla table. He also felt illmly that the liate and malice Kvitb whici* he was reganted by the ilndivi- dual at his feet were of a more con- centrated and enduring oharaoter than most men kive power to originate. In the lurid light oif that one glance h4 was able, though he waa not very cle- ver, to pierce the darkest recesses of hia cousin's heart, and to see his in- most thoughts, no longer through a veil, but face to face. And what he saw was sufficient to make the blood leave his ruddy cheek, and to fix his eyes into an expression of fear. Next second George dropped his head on to the ground again, and began to moan in an ostentatious manner, pos- sible in order to attract some i^no whose footsteps could be plainly heard proceeding slowly down a sihrubbery- path on the other side of theiyard t^all. At any rate that wus the eHect pro- duced ; for next moment, before Philip nouJd think of escape had he wished to escape, a dooi in ah© wall waa cp«i»- ed, and a gentleman, pausing on the threshold, surveyed the whole scene, with the assistanoe of a gold-'mountod eye-glasB, with some evident surprise and little apparent satisfaction. (To be Cantlaaed.) M'SWAT'S FRONT DOOR, II !• th© I'aaM or an BarBcX Con venalUa Between Bllllser and Lobelia. "I tell you 1 locked that front door myself ! I know I locked it I ' The voice of Mr. Mc<?w.at waa stern, high-pitched and menacing. " You were the last to go to bed, weren't you .'" demanded Mrs. M»±Jwat. "' I w^aa." "' And you locked the door, did you t" '" One© more 1 tell you f did." f'"Sur© of it, are youf â- " How immy more times have I g«* to tell you 1 locked that door the last thing before I started upstairs*" " Well, 1 found it unlocked ihiamorn> Ing."' "I can't help that, madam." "" I have no doubt, Billiger," said Mrs. MoSwat, with a praiaeworthy attempt to say it soothing'ly, '" that you think you locked it. but the fact reiiiainaâ€" " " The fact remains exactly as it waa before I"' be roared. " I don't think any thing about it. 1 know it." " Did you ixime down stairs in the night and unlock it I" " I am not in the habit of waJkintf in my sleep." " I am not asking you about youx habits. Did you come down in the night and unlock that irout door <" " 1 did not." " Well. I was the first one wbooainie down this morning and 1 found Ib4 door unlocked. How do you explaut that. lillligerC " I don't explain it at ail. i?ee here. Lobelia ! \re you trying to make ma out a liar /" "I oiu not trying to make you out anything. All ihul 1 am trying to d» is to get at the facts." " Whit dlffeienice doeti it moke, I should like to know i" " No (lifiereui'e, only I should like to find out " "Do y ou find th© house upside down! Has anything lieen stolen r' No. Tbeie isn't a sign that anybody has lieen lu the bouse. Thai's what uiiikes It so hard to understand." â-  Don't try to understand it. Let it go." "But " " His it otvurred to you that perhaps you didn't find ihat door unlocked when you cajii© (low nslairs '" "Do you Ihiuk I don't know when I find a door uuUxked. 13© a littl© care- ful how you " "I have no doubt. Lobelia, vou think you fouml that d<.>or uulock©<l but tb* fact remains that juat before i went upstairs I " "The (ai-L remains exactly as Fsaid it did. tk-e here. Uilliger, are you try- ing to tiuike me out a liar /" "I am not trying to make out auy- thing. 1 aim only defending myself against an implied charge of falsehood, when I lock a door I know it. You have got into a chronic wa^y of con- tradicting everything I say. When I tell you, liobelia, ihit it lhund^^^©<l and light<>ne<l in the night 1 presume you will try to find soun© excuse tor disput- ing it." " Last night (" "" Ves."' '" Do you iiieam to tell me it thunder- ed and lightened laal night?" " I certainly do." "Well, I i-ertaimly do not. believe that." „ ".yo" don't," snorted Mr Mcf'w.i.t. \\ 1.11 you please give me "â€"here be l«- cam© desiierately calmâ€" " some sane, de- cent, respectable reason for not believ- ing it f" "Certainly, Billiger," re«pon<ied Mrs. Mc«wat, with her accustomed sweet- ness. â- " I refuse to lielieve that it thun- dered an<l lightened last night bemuse 1 was awrtk© at the time "' " Well ?" "Ana I know it lightened and thun- dered." Whereupon HUIigcr went u|) inl<i the garret and made loud, profane remarks to iha dust-<xiver«,<l, uiolh-e.it en ga.r- uients ihil liuiig from the iiailei in th© ratters, looking wan and gh«wtlike in the gray, glwmy twilight of th© earlv morning." "' HIS EXPERIENCB. On the whole, said the aged iwealher propliet. I have found that the saftst course is to predict b.nd weather. IIow so? asked the neojjihyle. llccause people are mUch more ready to forgive you If the predictiuoi does Dot come true. MUri^AL BENEFIT. Did your busband"8 wheel-trip doblia good? Yes ; and it did me gocxi, too. 1 did- n't have lo help him clean his wheel Cur three weeks.