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 Tf^'f ^-y U5Af?f^ MR. FLfNTSHIflE'S MARRIAGE Mr. Flintshiie retited from the ladian civil service at the 8ge of 50, and rettnrned to England with the fixed intention of mar- rying for money. Being a bachelor, his pension was more than sufficient for his wants, and his savings amounted to a con- siderabU fortune. Bat he was a vety care- ful man, to say the least, and he ha4 alwa^ cherished the idea of finding a rich wife who would keep him. Hitherto he had been un- successful, because he had, to a limited extent, allowed sentiment to interfere with his choice. But now that his income had diminished in consequence of his retirement, he resolved to be guided entirely by expedi- ency, and to permit neither age nor any other ditqualification to baulk his design. It is hardly surprising that with such broad views as this he had comparatively little difficulty in discovering h's oppor- tunity. He was chattiog one day with his doctor in rather a desoondent mood, in con- sequence of the unsatisfactory state of his liver, when the medical gentleman, to cheer him, remarked " My dear sir, you need not feel uneasy. You will be well in a month, and you will live to be as brisk and lively at 84 as old Mrs. Mumblewood." "Who is Mrs. Mumblewood?" icqnircd Mr. Flintshire. "A patient of mineâ€" a wocdeiful clJ lady. As I tell ycu, she is 84, and yet comes to see me in an omnibus to save a cab fare," said the doctor, laughing. " You will hard- ly believe it when I tell you she is enormous- ly wealthy." " Is she a widow " icquired Mr, Flint- shire, pricking up his ears. "Yes. Her husband was old Mumble- wood, the contractor^, who died v/orth, as they say, a quarter ofa million. The ell fellow came from nothing, but the widow is a shrewd, clever old lady, as br sk as you or I." " She can't last much longer, I suppose?" remarked Mr. Flintshire, absently. "Well, that is a professional secret," said the doctor, laughing again. "However, it is safe to predisi that she has lived the best part of her life." "I should like to see her," said Mr. Flintshire, in quite a hearty tone for him. " The sight of her will do one more good than a course of medicine." " It will be cheaper, at any rate," said the doctor, with unconscious irony. "Let me seeâ€" I should like to have a look at you next week. Now, Tuesday morning at 12 o'clock ii old Mrs. Mumblewood's hoar, and you might arrange your visit accordingly," Probably the doctor had no other designs in his mind than the wish to secure another fee, and in this he succeeded, for Mr. Flint- shire at ones undertook to call en the day and at the hour mentioned. It seems incredible that any man should seriously think of payirg court to an old lady of 84.' Yet Mr. FUntshire was quite prepared to do so if it turned out that Mrs. Mumblewood was anythine; like £S rich as was supposed, and ho made the appointment with the most deliberate intentions. He had no difficulty in learning all sbout the old lady, who resided in 81oan street, and was well known in the neighborhood. The result of his inquiries was highly satis- factory, for though the deceased contractor had not left anything like a quarter of a million, the widow had inherited a large for- tune, which must have considerably increas- ed in consequence of her penurious habits. She lived in a small house, attended only by two old servants who had been respectively cook and butler to her late husband. She could hardly be spending £500 a year, to judge from the stories that were told about her, and the natural inference was that her saving must alone amount to a fortune. Under these circumstances Mr, Flintshire did not fail to keep his appointment. He considered the widow an excellent chance, and though her miserly propensities rather interfered with his original design of being supported Iree of expense, this drawback was counterbalanced by the probability of her speedy demise. Even if he should have to keep her for a few years, her fortune, which would come to him, would only be proporiionately increased. He therefore quite made up his mind to marry her, nor did his purpose waver when he found Mrs. Mumb'ewocd an illiterate old lady, with a skin like parchment, a face that might have been carved from a block of wood, and a tongue that was constantly faying bitter things. Tne meeting at the doctor's house, which was their lirst introduction, soon ripened into intimacy. Mr. Flintshire "made the running" â€" to use a sporting phrase â€" with dexterity and determination. He insisted on giving the widow a lift home in a cab, and from that day forward he never failed to send her some little token of regard. Singular as it may appear in an old lady of 84, Mrs. Mumblewoed was evidently flitter- ed by these attentions, and, though she soon intimated to him she suspected he had de- signs en her fortune, she readily accepted his aesurance that his politeness arose from pure friendship. Before long Mr. Flint- shire got into the habit of calling nearly every day, and though the hospitality he re- ceived was of a very meagre kind, he could not help admiring the strict economy which the widow practiced in her domestic ar- rangements. It was only naturd.], however, that the old proverb about the course of true love never running smooth should have been ex- emplified in Mr. Flintshire's case. If the widow received his attentions with compla- cent satisfaction, he was much less favor- ably regarded by another member of the household. He perceived that be had an enemy in the butler from the first moment that ancient retainer opened the door to him. This individual was a surly, not over- clean old man of CO or thereabouts, whose chief duties appeared to be to keep off ia- tmders from his mistress, since he apparent- ly discharged no other functions. It was perfectly obvious that old Numb was jealous of everyone who entered the house, and, probably, had an eye to his mistress' fortune. He was never polite to Mr. Flintshire, though the latter, from motives of policy, took great pains to make himself agreeable, even going to the length of an occasional gratuity. Unfortunately the man appeared xo have considerable influence with the old lady, who was evidently a little afraid of him, Mr, Flintshire, whi did not intend to hs refused when he made his proposal of nxmage, realized that he mast not leave Mr. Nwnb .oat..#t W» oaJcal»tM»5« coDseqaence waa that, after mature delioera- tioH, he one day asked the butler to give him a few words in private, and thus deUv- ered himself "Mr, Numb," he said, myBteriously, " has the poBsibility of your mwtreas marry- ing ^lain ey«r occurred to you " " No, ifham't." said the man, shortly. •• Well, Mr. Numb, perhaps not, though you could hardly have imagined that I could see 80 much of that excellent lady aa I have done lately without conceiving a very great regard for her. Now, supposing," said Mr. Flintshire, quite jocosely, "supposing I were to aspire to gain your mistress' hand, what would you say ' " I should say, don't you wish you may get it ' returned Numb, calmly. " I am quite serious." said Mr, Flintshire, frowning a little, " Of course, I know it is not usual for a gentleman to consult a lady's butler before proposing marriage to her. Indeed, the idea is ridiculous. But you have lived in your mistress' service so long that she regards you as a friend and adviser, and, under the circumstances, I think it only right to mention the matter to you, A word from you, Mr, Numb, might prove very useful." "Tery likely," said Mr. Numb, in an oracular tone. "Well, now, come, Mr. Numb. Just con- sider. I am not a foolish and extravagant Bian who would play ducks and drakes with your mistress' money. On the contrary, I am a careful man, and not a poor one either. I think we should live a little better. Numb, if I were master here your wages might be raised andâ€" andâ€" well. Numb, on my wedding day, I dare say I might give you a five-pound note. What do you say to that " Mr. Flintshire spoke in his most earnest and persuasivi} tone, but failed to move a muscle of Mr. Nu'nb's stolid face. "Or â€" or ten. S'.iall wesay ten, Nuir.b?" said Mr. Flintshire, eagerly. "Make it fifty," said the butler, with a perfectly impassive countenance. " i'ifty Bless my soul. Ahem 1 it's a very large sum," gasped Mr. Flintshire. " Can't we split the difiference and meet half-way. Say twenty or twenty-five." " Fifty," repeated Numb, stubbornly. "Well, well fifty, then," said Mr. Flint- shire, with resignation. "It's a large sum, but -, However, say fifty." The butler snid fifty, apparently rather to oblige Mr. Flintshire than from any interest he felc in the discussionâ€" judging, at least, from his tone and manner. Nothing more passed at this remarkable interview, but the next day Mr. Flintshire proposed to Mrs. Mumblewood and was immediately ac- cepted. After this matters went smoothly enough, and though Mr, Flintshire fretted a good deal about the £50 he had promised to Numb, he did not consider the money thrown away. The alacrity with which Mrs. Mumble- wool had accepted him plainly revealed that he owed his success to the butler's interfer- ence. When once he was married he flatter- ed himself that Mr, Numb's dominion would soon come to an end. Meanwhile, it was prudent to be polite to him, for since he acted as the old lady's confidential adviser, he might make himself disagreeable by sug- gesting settlements and other undesirable complications, Mr, Flintshire had previous- ly discovered that the butler was a remark- ably shrewd man of business, and had served in his youth as a clerk in a lawyer's ciEce. Nothing of the kind occurred, however, and the marriage was performed in a neigh- borintj church without fuss or ceremony, Mr. Numb received his £50, together with a promise of a rise in wages, which Mr. Flintshire intended, in his own mind, as a preliminary to dismissing him. The wedding banquet and the auspicious event in no way disturbed the even tenor of the household. The only change that occurred was that from henceforth Mr. Flintshire was promot- ed to the dignity of paymaster of the estab- lishment, the widow stopping all supplies with promptitude the moment she had changed her name. Mr. Flintshire did not trouble to announce his wedding in the papers. There was no- thing to be gained by doing so, and his wife did not appear to desire it. He settled down readily enough to his new state of life, and devoted himself to ministering to bis wife's comfort in a very laudable manner. The chief aim he had in view was to prevent her from making a will. He strongly suspected that she had made one before her marriage, in which the name of Mr. Numb figured conspicuously but that document was now null and void by operation of law. If his wife, therefore, did not make a fresh one he would, at her death, inherit everything as her husband, and he was, accordingly, Cjuite content to leave matters where they were at present. If Mr. Flintshhe deserved domestic happi- ness as a reward for his perseverance, he certainly did not attain that desirable con- summation. To begin with, his wife was crotchety and fractious, as old people gener- ally are, but, in addition to these failings, she possessed a remarkably vigorous tem- per. Mr. Flintshire, to serve his own pur- poses, staid by her side from morning till night, and she made a perfect slave of him. Being morbidly fearful of offending her, he dared not venture to retaliate, and never was an unhappy husband more henpecked than he. Another source o! annoyance was that the whole household ssomed to be in league to plunder him. The simple domestic arrangements which had sufficed when the old lady held the purse were no longer suf- ficient. His wife was the first to propose a more liberal table, and Mr. Numb manifest- ed a perfectly fiendish ingenuity in suggest- ing costly little dishes for her. In a word, the hou'sekeeping expenses increased to an enormous extent, and all attempts at intro- ducing economy proved unavailing. The last, but not the least, of the bride- groom's troubles was the presence ia. the house of Numb, the batlor. So long as this man remained, Mr. Flintshire felc that he was only the nominal head of the establish- ment. Mr. Numb did precisely as he pleas- ed, and his influence with his mistress show- ed no signs of diminishing. Yet Mr. Flint- shire did not see his way to getting rid of him. If h e attempted to e x arcise his authori- ty his wife might be driven to take some desperate course. He ventured on one oc- casion to hint that Numb's services might with advantage be dispensed with, but the suggestion sailed forth such a torrent of re- proaches and invectives that Mr. Flintshire and haunted him !»*« .». ""1- increasinz of the Sea, d^^Ld 'whS S fT^rse^ fnioFS'e"S;,ars1iJe'if lus^^ife's con- "^STone bright not in the -ift^.f ^r Flintshire's tribuhtion '«^'« *^*' "^hwe evinced no desire to make a will. He there fore felt tolerably secure about the fnture which was a great consolatioB to him. «ever ThSiTa yJr of this amciouB Me «o under- „SeT hi8%onstitution that m all prob- ability, another t'^el^T"'!! hirhonelessly either killed him or rendered h'"" "0P^'®„*f7 Lbeoile. Fortunately for h"' J^"^, f/:^! ful contingencies were averted by «.»« "?^ den death of the old lady, vrho expired m her sleep without having gven the tl.ghte^t indication of her approaching end. The sad event bil much the same tffec- upon the bereaved huabwid as a summer shower has upon a parched garden. It re- vived him instantly and called forth all hii former energy and vitality. Hu fif f was to make a minute and careful examina- tion of the deceased la,ly's effects, without, as he had anticirated, finding a trace of a will The precaution was hardly necessary for he was cerUin she had not made one but the search satisfied his mmd, and he lost no time in vr-nting hi." revengfal feelings against Mr. Numb. He nursed his resent- ment until the day of the funeral, but im- mediately upon his return f^m foUowmg his wife to the grave be summoned the butler to bis presence. The man'shuffled mto the room with a hang-dog look, as though he anticipated his fate, but Mr. Flmtehire re- marked that his expression was insolent and defiant. ^^ • "Numb," said hi? master, sharply you will be good enough to leave this house within an hour. I won't stand any more t your im^olence, and it was only o:it of con- sideration for the poor lady who has gone that I have bone with you so long. I will pay you a month's wages, and I warn you not to attempt to make ofif With any of my property." ,, " Two can play at that game, snarled the butler, fumbling in his pocket, and pro- ducing a document. " Suppose this house and everything in it was my property, and I was to ask you to clear out what would you say then?" ^^ "It is a perfectly idle proposition, said Mr. Flintshire, loltily. "What is that paper?" " It is a copy of the old lady's will. My lawyer has the original." " Is it dated since ray marriage " inquir- ed Mr. Flintshire with a shade of anxiety. " Oh, no '.â€"long before," answered the butler, with a grin. " Then, it is not worth the paper it is written en," said Mr. Flintshiire, waving aside the document. " I don't want to see it. It is of no consequence whatever." ' "1 shouldn't be too sure if I was you," returned Numb, maliciously, as he put the paper back in his pocket. " I fancy you will laugh the other side of your mouth be- fore the day is out." ' ' Get out of my sight this instant 1" cried Mr. Flintshire, losing his temper. " If you have not left the house within an hour I shall send for the police." The butler appeared quite unmoved by this threat, and disappeared with perfect self-possession. His confident air troubled Mr. Flintshire a little, though he hardly knew why. It was obvious that the man did not believe that the will he spoke of was void, but that was only his ignorance. Nevertheless, Mr. Flintshire resolved to call immediately upon the firm of solicitors who had been in the habit of acting as his wife's legal advisers, and accordingly he hailed a passing hansom, and drove to Lincoln's inn. "Are you Mr. Flintshire?" inquired the senior member of the firm in c^uestion, upon his new client being ushered in, " the gen- tleman who recently married cur late client, Mrs. â€" Mrs, Mumblewood?" " Yes," answered Mr, Flintshire, struck with uneasiness at something strange in the lawyer's tone and manner, " Possibly you were unaware of our marriage." " I never heard of it till to-day. I regret to say I have to make a most extraordinary and painful communication to you," said the lawyer, speaking as thongb he could hardly realize what he was about to say. " I have had Mr. Numb here this morning, and it was from him I heard of your â€" j'our mar- riage." "Good heavens, what is the matter?" gasped Mr, Flintshire, beside himself with nervous apprehension, " I really hardly like to break the news to you, but the fact is our late client was secretly married to this Mr. Numb some years ago. I had no idea of it till this morn- ing. It is the most extraordinary state of things 1 ever heard of in my life," said the lawyer, leaning back in his chair. " It's a lie â€" abase, infamous conspiracy " cried Mr. Flintshire, foaming at the mouth. " I'm afraid it is true. In fact, since see- ing Mr. Numb I have inspected the marriage registry at Somerset house," said the lawyer. "The most startling thing is that this old lady, whose meanness amounted to a mania, deliberately committed bigamy, with her husband's concurrence, in order to save money." "If it is true, he shall hang for it He shall refund every farthing and pay me dam- ages. I will inform against him before the nearest magistrate," cried Mr. Flintshire, gesticulating wildly, and looking very odd and excited. He did not cirry out any of these threats, however, for the melancholy reason that he went raving mad. â€" London Truth. â- .i-V' some Cnrlont F«»t« About the «v« Pound Notes-Bonorable DoaUnffB. faltiie course ot five;reani the paid notes amount to 77.745,000 fn ?^'^}^\^l%^^^l fill 13 400 boxes, which if placed Mde by side wouldreach two and one-iJiird^miles If ?he notes were placed in a pile ^oy would reach to a height of five and «"o-*h,»^';^^l~' or if joined end to end they would form a JhhJ 18,44.5 miles lonar. Their superficia Stent is said to be rather less than that of Hyde park. They weigh over ninety and two-thirds ton., and tneir original value was over £1,750,626,600. The greatest of rogues might be inclined to find some com- fort in the extent and intricacy ot such a store of old paper. Of course, however they are most systematically arrangeid, and any note of the seventy-seven millions may be pounced upon with the utmost celerity and Precision At the end of five years these old notes are thrown into a furnace specially constructed for the purpose, and are burned. It is a curious fact, however, so firm in tex- ture is the paper of a genuine Bink of Eng- land note that burning alone can hardly de- stroy it. The authorities have in a little glazed frame the remnants of a note which was in the great fire of Chicago. Though completely charred and black, the paper still holds together, and the printing ot the note is said to be sufficiently legible to establish its genuineness and to warront its being CiS0.6u There are some other notes here which were cashed after having gone down in the Eary- dice a few years ago, and reduced to httle better than pulp. Indeed, the scraps and fragments which sometimes come into a bank to be cashed have a really ridiculous appearance. On the occasion of a recent vis't, for instance, the officials had under cximination a number of fragments of dis- colored paper, none much bigger than a six- peuco and when put together presenting to the unskilled ee, not the slightest resem- blance of a note. And yet it was pretty confidently asserted that the paper would be cashed. It is beneath t^^^ dignity of the Bank of England to take, or even appear to take advantage of accidents to their notes, and if there is any possibility of establishing the identity of one of them, it is sure to be duly honored. Even where a note is entire- ly destroyed, proper evidence of the fact of destruction will be accepted and payment made. A lost note will in some cases be paid, and there is one occasion recorded up- on which the liberal attitude of the direc- tors in a case of this kind involved them in a loss of £30,000. A bank director deckred that he had lost a note for that amount, and, upon his giving an indemnity for the sum in the event of the note ever turning up, the money was paid to him. Many years after his death an unknown person presented the missing note. The paper was undeniably good, and the bank ha i no alternative but to cash it, as it was pa :i.ble to bearer on de- mand, and as the heirs f the bank director who had lost it repudiated all liability, the monfey could n be recovered. Ambitious to be aa Author. In 1869, a young girl from a Southern State came to one of the large Eastern cities to seek her fortune at authorship. She had a few hundred dollars was pretty, quick witted, and had absolute faith in her own genius. She would write a novel, she said, or a poem that would astonish the world and bring her fortune. After this had been done then she intended to go home crowned with fame, to become the queen of her little village. The novel and the poem was written, and went the rounds of the publishing-houses seeking in vain a publisher. She wrote other novels to no better purpose. She wrote essays, newspaper articles, and carried them herself to every editor, using her pretty face and girlish wiles to force a sale. Altera few months her money was gone. Her clotht s grew shabby. Her face, a little sharp now and pinched, had become fami- liar i'l every newspaper effice. Her eyes S«»ngth or Chtaa, Sorne very important statistio, "' regardmg the strength of thrChl*' 8*^*5 aiid navy by the St. Peteraburrc*^ " " China has two sepirate.arml T' penal army proper is known l*^' it- name of the Army of the Eight Tu ^hj IB divided into eight corps e,li, w '^-I* tinguished by a peculiar banner t!"' is, almost forms a militaiy caste t '*fty posed exclusively of the desc^nT "" «"t- Mantchns, Mongolians, and r. "" °^ t. who in 1601 invaded Ohiaa atl^^l.^H the old Imperial family, j)' "'aroned men of this caste arc allowed to? ^T^' '^« common business, heias fnrKi^j ""'tav leave their city without aTrltV-^'^- ' commanding officer. The office rV'^?' '^^ men only lu gy mna s tics. Accordi "^*" tit t-y. 1 "8 to the Chinese notions no man is cer unless he is anathle*e bers 210,000 men. Of'tUe over ' "r are stationed in Pekin and tk ^^ ^- in a few large Provincial cities Th* 'â- â- â-  tary caste can by no means l.- Ko^r^?^' regular army. The second^rnr" army is called the army of ihe (irlTX^"' ner. Each of the eighteen ov^n ' h Empire is obliged b'y law tfl'^^ number of soldiers, and their Lor *^ according to the officisl statistmR i ^.""' generals and c-et "y in CO-" mercenaries, while thp "" jority of the olhcers are of the miCt tate. The^e two armies amountnig tn -, ' 000 men, are all the force the Csle^Iu' pire has to rely on in case of war ' """ â-  'J^a "P-^'^l "^^rd, about iS.OOOsTo- IS tha flower of the army. Of the Gaw' "' fantry 5,200 men are proviJei with mn-^' loaders presented by the Czir of P-j--"" the rest are arm id witii iiint guns hr"' and shields. Halt of the cavalry, aiA"'r men. are armcl with t-'liassepo't rili rit 000 men. There are 7,000 officers. posed chiefly of SO The provinc:ial a zeguus, bought 111 R3i. ^Thereare i:.j The army o! tise with artillery has :J'2 bro sia, and a few mortars, educaetd artillerymen Governor of Chjily, about .S3, 000 stron also reorganized. The men are mtiK'ii by Eaghsh and French offisers, TheartDv has breech-loading rifles and Krupp steel cannons. According to German writers m to 1879 Krupp had sent to China 150 heavy guns nnd 275 field guns. The army o! the Governor of Khan-Za and Shan Zee, 40 003 strong, is said to be supplied with' all'ti. modern arms and to be drilled ajcordinjto the principles of Moltke and Manteul, This army fought successivey a^aiast Yakoob Beg, and, indeed, proved itseutw best disciplined army in Cnina, It is r'a- vious, then, that in Cniua, there are oalv about 120,000 men properly armed aaii drilled, while the rest of tuo soldiers cm be regarded only as undisciplined an i uaarme! reserves. " As to gunnowat-r ami arms the C:.;:;. men apparently have aa abundant suppli- o: their own. There ate eight excellent liT;-::- als, direct d chiefly by Englishmen, 'ly. arsenal of Jiau-Zn, for insiaace, tarns ,:: daily 3,600 pounds of powder. A: thearsK- als of Nankin, and Shacgliai t le Amenji: guns of Pk.emington and b^pencer are ir.s::- factured. At the Fu tcheu-In arsenal ;uO- marine mines are prepared. At the Lii- tchue-su arsenal cartridajes and ami a:e manufactured. The forts are loun: at the mouths of th 3 great rivers Si-kiangt, Jlin and Yang-tse-Kiang, to protect the ;reat cities. Canton, Fu-tceu, and shanghai, i: the interior of the country all the lir;e cities are also defendetl by forts. Tie ::;:;• tal city of Pekin is, of course, the most strongly protected. It is defended by Fort Daku, amply provided with Krupp camions, and is surrounded by stonj walls from fort)' to seventy feet thick and about forty feet high. Nine gates lead to the city, and the-e are defended by cannons inounteu in t.:c numerous towers, "China has three separate fleets. ^-[ Canton fleet comprises twelve gunboats, c! which nine Mere madi- in England and are in charge of English othcers. The Fa-i:a!i_; transport vessels these were nude at Ft- tcheu under the supervision of Frencnses. Tnis fleet is ia exeenitnt order, and itisi;: charge of Chinana-i^ The Shanghai £ee:^i^ composed of nine gunboats, two fri.itts essels, liar I'l every newspaper cmce. xier eyes ^^^^ several transport v: had lost their dewy softness, and shone hard i ^^.gj.g miilj bv the 'hint All of tseHC Tbe maslng Idnks. Josiah H. Stringly, forty years ago was leaning on his ox-cart in front of the Bap. tist meeting-house of Oshkosh when the steeple was struck by lightning. Mr. String- ly was stunned, hia oxen killed, and the cart was apparently annihilated. After re- covering from the effects of the lightning, Mr. Stringly became a book agent and prac- ticed that calling until about a week ago, when an indurated swelling on his right cheek attracted his attention. He found that it was caused by a link of an ox-chain, and on tijiag to pull the link out of the cheek twelve feet of heavy ox-chain and the missing ox-cart were recovered â€" the latter in perfect condition, with the exception of the tires which were slightly corroded. This stsry teaches us that we should never play with lightning and should always tell the truth. â€".^ew York Times. and defiant. Often she was hungry The end of the story is easily guejsed. She w.asstnt homo at last, ruined in health and in reputation. This is a true story in eveiy detail. The dirl had ability enough to ear i her livmg in a half dozen ordinary ways but she had uot the ability to express herself in writing, and here is the fatal mistake which she and so many other young people make. Tney ara blind and indilTdreut to all kinds of success but that of authorship. Yet many a man and woman who can hardly write a well-expressed letter have more sound prac- tical sense, executive talent and refinement of feeling, than the versified or story-teller who hold the public breathless for a time. But the ambition to succeed as an author is harmless enough, provided disappoint- ment does not disable the mind for other work. It is a career which requires no capi- tal or " plant" of any kind. Neither is in- fluence needed to secure a new aspirant a hearing, although there is a wide-spread be- lief among unsuccessful writers that there is a rinfif composed of editors and a few well- known writers, whose object is to crush un- known genius and forbid it a hearing. On the contrary, there is not an editor in the country who would not hail with abso- lute delight a new writer of power, who could bring fresh strength to his columns. Send your manuscript, therefore, boys, and girls, to the magazine you prefer. You may be assured that it will be fairly read and judged. If you do not succeed, it will be because you have not the especial talent for writing. Give it up. You have other ability use that. Turn to any profession or trade rather than hang around newspaper offices in the onhonored ranks of the hang- ers-on of literature. â€" Youth's Companion. namen t ;iemseivei â- Â»"" are rather iusiguificini. R:ceatly u'Jsa has got from Easlan^l eigiu ;ron-;.aa:, armed with guns of the largest ca.iJre, The strongest and most eJective par. o. the C.iiuesc fldt: •' -n.idc' up of t;u:.*eE small gunboats, naiii-.d after the letter^u the (Ireek alphabst. of 1 T-JO tousaispiaie- ment. They are built of steel, aad are f.^ pelled by twin screws driven by compw- engines of, together, 12, LiOO indicated hor=e po A-er, They each carry two twentj s i " ten-inch breech-loading truu?, mOuB.*:' upon centre pivots, o;is lorward anu ooe^^- Each of these h.avy guns ""i'"f ,f /„:, ly all around fire. The charge ^^f ^h^ g^^ â-  ISO pounds of po-.vdcr, t'-VJ weigM o' P- ;^^. tile 400 pounds, and the T^^^,^,- equal to piercmg .^'S^t^n^ m^^^^^^y^^;, breeck-loaain; unbacked iron plate. each four forty-pounder ---- j guns. twoNordenfeidti andfour la. =^ and, furthermore, tAo sjtfam"^«" -,55 with spar torpedoes. The vessels a.e armed with a formidable steel kn^ [^^^ spur or ram. Without claiming W^^^ for these vessels, says the London i .. should be remarked of them that tK i^^^ and ran^^e ot their g"",* measured by the accepted of °"J f evcep: yet o.i^j ' ,Lg the English "I'^^^f '%£hat Italian "Dailio." No ""^-^Xranu^ent carries guns can be compa"'ea .^ein with them, and no armored ship e 1 in spjed.' trative power he accepteu exceed those of any gun yet those of QUEER MARRIED U H ^4 Btots ot two Wom* tended to be SKan a Tn the spring of I860 t ^e town of Barrett, 1 "^rtof Monroe county, a Shelves Rev. Joseph *Ja wife. The man w; • â-  dressed in tatteree in A young man who had been assisted away from the home of a girl whose society he yearaed for, wrote next day to the cruel parent 81 follows; "I did not mind what you said to me, though yotir language was pretty rough, but when you kicked me with that No. II boot you hurt my feelings. I shall make no further effort to win your daughter. If she inherits your style of feet and any of your versatility in the use of them, I feel that I could not be entirely happy with her." UtlUz ns tbe £un. come= invention v-""-- jjj A Frenchman, ^^'^j News of a curious the south of France, has patented a machme^- -j ,,oti« concentrated solar rays a^^aj^e ^^^^^^ a liai he is machine for the rays as a genera power, has set up ^^'^f"^^^^^^e.t Algeria for the French (rovern ^^^ now carrvins on expenme^"^t^'J,^iiere 1 andraiW^J^,; the action ot tne bhu rays. ^^ ^^iii Dilke has also lent him "P^V^^.i^en^"" Cape Brun, near Toulon, for his e^ .^ ^,^ and he purposes to utiliz ^hef piaiifi? ' the holes for blasting, ^°' "'J^ini^'^. the hard rocks, as wel a^ m P r^„,, .- from the winter wells into the tern. now carrying L- M,„res ""-- ;,r of PorqueroUes near ^^^^iag «3ter ".^ threshing Indian corn and^^^^' glr heigWi led a long singlu-b; fore no hat, and lus he. Zith thick black curly hair l-ty. The woman was t ^n! .and was meanly clad wore spectacles, inan,N" SS^^owed tliat she v.a Stelligent. For two ye rtUple roamed about the t ^ostof the time in the nuently makm- their ap] .-illage, where the man -ild and incoherent liaran and botli would beg for f Tn 1871 they had becoiue to the inhabitants tliat tl ed on charge of vagrancy U) jail in Stroudsburg. discovery was made that^ women. Soon afterward -hat they together Jeft tl: i)eleware county, N.Y., a {ore their appearance in tl poorhouse authorities ..f ^on took them back to E following strange ],i.-toiy Icanied â€" In 1854, Lucy Ann L year-old daugliter i an living at Long Eddy, '-r River, was married t.i She was known far and w shot with the rifle, not on but in hunting the wild that part of the valley w; After a year of married serted his wife, leaving 1 circumstances, with an in: old. Her parents were unable to give her a ho: •srilUng to relieve her of child, however, and she in their charge. She tlien in male attire and disapp Soon afterv,-arda youii: sessing appearance openet in the village of Bethany, Pa. He ga^-e his name as and became a great fav. young women of tlie vilLi whom joined his singing g»od singer and violini.s- knowledge of music. Be his school was ovei- he he one of his pupils, the d; the leading citizens of Ik was set for the weddin presence of the young si Bethany reached Long I ion was aroused that lie Lucy Ann Slater, wliosi. plishments were well km place. Investigation pn picion was correct. The obtained by a young n who had been a rival of 1 for the hand of tlie youii the secret to a few comi planned to capture the tain night and tar and fi became known in some Lobdell was to luarry, ai iag her mortification, teacher of her danger, si from the town by niglit Long Eddy, where she attire for a short time. Early in 185G she ag; attire, and for eight yea a hunter, roaming the fi Delaware, Wayne, an She rarely came into th then to exchange game munition and neces=ar cording to her suliseipie wild life was one if tl and privation. Her na â- wild animals and her su hunger and sickness du the woods she recorded "The Life and Advent i Lobdell, the Female Eddy." She returned 1864, broken in mind child had been placed i Delhi. She once more iments of her sex, and about the valley for a object of pity and char the shelter of the alms In the summer of IS giving the name of M became an inmate of Delhi. She was in poo m the county, and evi( ed. She declined to g herself, but it was lear afterward that she v a "Well-to-do parents in a lage, and was a graduf ^ston. It was rumc run away from home, W^hom her parents objc serted by him. This denied nor admittid U An intimacy grew Terry and Lucy Ann â-  i.me strongly attaclu although their habits, tecedents were so wide ^ng that the almhouse formed her parents oi the girl resolved to k *^d Lucy Ann Lobdel ^«y were not heard ^tmty until they wer Strawsbury jail, mm snd wife, and were re l'rorhouse. They re s-iort time, and then 1 ta^d resumed their n ^oods, insisting on e 'hey wero man and ^wemony between th wrmedinlSGOby a,^ ^ce of the peace, he