Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, January 25, 1874, Page 10

« 10 yo— +HE CHICAGO DAILY TRIBUNE: SUNDAY, IANUARY 25, 1874 MODERN MYSTERIES. 7he Obscvrity Enveloping Our Neighbors’ Incomes. The Secret of Conjugal Congeniality. Some of the Unsatisfactory Benefits of Self-Enowledge. What = stock in trade to all pocts and ro- ‘mencers is the phrase, ** The Mystery of Life " The resder is immedistely conscions th~¢ the writer has expressed for him the secret feelings which he himself could never have expressed. The lesrned D. D., in bis study, smong his pondercus tomes, begins to suspect that human beinge bear about the same relation to the Uni- serso that gnats do to this earth; the Public Benefactor wonders bow the world can possibly got alopg when he shall be gone, and cannot understand why sousefal = creature should not live here forever; the Commonplace Person is exceedingly trombled at find- ing himeelf living, and destined (o live eternally, without being allowed any voice in the matter, and with an indefinite feol- ing that something groat—he doesn’t know ex- setly what—is expocted of him just because he is & living creature, To all these distressed querista comes the Poot twanging his lyre, and warbling sbout the *Mystery of Life," nnd forthwith they all ery “Ah, yes! That isit. ¢The Mystery of Life.” That is what we mean,” and are all confident and satisfied. People are hoad in mock sadness. ‘* My wife always gets her own way by giving up to me, 2nd then I'm ashamed to take the advantage.” “It's all fudge, you know,” whispers tbe wife, about my having my own way. My hus- band always eave, ~in that provoking, indifferert ~manner, ‘Do just 8s you F}uss; my dear! How do I know what I waut ? dun't plesse anything in particatar till I'm opposed in it. So it ends in his deciding the matter after L7 But the most bewildering of all subjects is the STCDY OF ONE'S SELF. The amazement which fills you when, aftar firmly resolving on 8 certain course of action, yqu find yourself doing diroctly the opposite thing! You find it impossible to explain to voureelf why, after playing tho fool in a certain manner, and go- ing dovn into the = depths of bumiliation therefor, and giving the subject all due coosideration, when & second opportunity presents _itaelf you never fail to distinguish youreelf in the #ame way. Given tho sume cir- cumstances, the samo result ensues. It is an unaccountable fact. Again, every student of self must have queried why it is that the curious faculty called instinct, possessed by both men and animals, seems to prova of litile or no use to the former, When a dog distrusts 8 man, he acts on that impulse, and probably debars himsclf from the enjos- ment of a pound of poisoned meat or & charge of shot; but one man distrusting another wats for some proof of _the corractness of his inatinct, and generally finds himeelf in the position of oue wlo has waited to be bitten by the rattlesnake, to make sure ho heard the rattle. Since we bhave this endow- ment of instinct, it would seem it was given for use ; n something which would act quicker than reason ; a sort of weather-signal-servicethrongh life. Derhaps it s this inexplicable fuculty Which éauses us, when we look back over our own oid letters and other wiitten sentiments, to wender at our own foresight, and to feel that, all unconsciouely at the time, we were indoe the prophets of our own lives. Wrrcn-HAZEL. rever so confident and so satisfied as when they wre talking about something of which they know Bol g * But it is not the old, unanswerable conun- %Why are we hero?” ** Where are we going ?” etc., with which this ephemeral article is to deal. We are talking now of the little, every-day mysteries which go to make up Life itself ; the BOCIAY, PERPLEXITIES which puzzle us all. To begin with, thereis thst patural and laudable desire which weall poasess to know how and whence our neighbor's money comes; and how mysterious is its origin ip some cases! You flatter your- gelf that you are on a finencial equality with X, who lives at the corner of the block; ¥, who comes down town on the aame car with yon every morning; and £, who sits a fow seats in front of you in church; bnt suddenly X gets a soat in the Legislature, and builds a bigr house on the Avenue; and Y gete the city or State printing, and disduins to ride in strect-cars, but envelops you in » clond of dust 8s he whirls alopg behind his thousand-dollar horses; and ¥, without giving up bis comparatively- obscure position s Treasurer in the *Aerial Navigation DBalloon and Bab- ble Company,” moves ioto a more expensive pew, and buys a good many lots on soeculation in the city snd out in the suburbs ; his wife wears diamonds and sables, and his daughter joins & party of Europesn tourists. You look on.enviczzly, and wonder bow it is all done. Perbaps you ask some mutual acquaint- ance how X made his money, and the man stares hard at you, aud shrugs his shoulders, but givss no more definito answer than that. There are odd little whispers going around abont Y. Nobody seems to know exactly what it is all about until he becomes again a candidate for public favors, and then there is published an attack in the papers about the Printing Swindle. ‘But still nobody believes it, because every poli- tician expects to be defamed. As for Z, he sud- denly resigns his_position as Treasurer of the Aerial Navigation Baloon and Bubble Com- pauy ;" his property scems to melt away (some gflopls venture to say it went to make up eficencies in his accounts); he_goes aronnd with his eyes on the ground, and looking years clder. His family have moved into cheap lodg- ings, snd yon hear incidentally that his wife 15 inpoor health. Oh! the poor wives of these Bu den)renridhed and as suddenly-impoverisbed men! he worst of all the shame, and dis- grace of socisl ostracism, falls on their inno- cent heads, How patiently Ia wife refurbished tho 0ld party dresses, sud dovised new coiffures, and eked out the money for sashes, and bou- quets, and gloves, 80 long as economy was neces- sary; but, when suddenly the reign of plenty began, and the husband’s business ~was 50 pros- perous, snd the diamonds were her wedding-an- - miversary present, and the husband went with ber to clioose the velvet dress and the point-lace shawl, and would not let her ask the price, she rejoiced as any other wcman would have re- joiced in the sunshine. Then the crash came,and Elo shook their heads over the velvets, and and diamonds, believingthose tobe the cause of the financial ruin, Not s0. When a man be- wins _defpulting, forging, embezzling, or Swindling in any way, the first things on the programme are fast horses, fine houses, ex- pensive suppers; and then, after those things, comes the marital command: *‘For heaven’s sake, do get yourself something decent to weat. T nover waot to 8sy0a ot again in the evening in that old green silk,.or your wedding-dress. Poople will think you've never had anything new to wear since you were married.” The time is past for laying the burden of 3 man's business-failures on a wife's ehoulders. Let. justice be done though the heavens fall. Women, as & rule, hate debt. There is not one wife in a hundred who would take any comfort in a dress, or_house, or earrisge, the payment for which sl did not be- lieve was coming from legitimate sources. ‘Another vast field for specalation is fonnd in tha difference between TIE WORK AND THE WORKED. You sec a2 exquisite pictare or statue, and are £ll anxiety to meet the man in whose brain are created such forms of loveliness; but, when some mutua! friend brings you two together, the master of the studio has nothing in common withyon. Helivesina world of his own, snd iho tolerstes you simply as one of his sdmirers when he chooses to come out into the every-day world. It will be something un- usual if he cares two straws for what Teunyson, or Bsron, or Wordsworth said about &torms at sea, or mountaine, or oceans, or trees. Nither does be care to talk abont his art_to you, be- cause he talks an_artist's jargon which you can- not underatand. You wonder, as you_ part, how 50 stupid s man can paint such wonderful pic- tures ; and he allows you to pasa out of his con- sciousncss a8 one of the ever-changing crowd of stupidities who *C:!™and *‘Ah!"™ over his ‘pictares, and then coma to stare at him. . Then, again, there was the author of a snccess- fal. society-novel, and you liked her nom-de- plume, and_quoted her sayings, and made a charming mental picture of her, and were aox- jous for her acquaintancs, antil somebody pointed ber out to you at tho Opera one mght. "The brilliant writer, of graceful manners, piquant {ace, and tasteful dress, existed only in your im- sgination, and you saw before you an angular female, with & deficiency of chignon, and & purple feattier rampant on = severely-defiant Lonet, You felt very differcntly when your wife quoted her next book to you, and what be- fore was piquancy bad changed to acridity, 2nd what before was pathos had now. become bosh. The myateries of pergonality should never be dis- pelled. Bet it down as a rule, never to be intro- duced to sny one whose productions you admire. Generslly the people best worth knowing are the people who have never done anything worth mentioning. It i8 0o use attempling to explain the fact. §n!suimply one of the mysteries of to-day. ‘Bat, of all life's enigmas, the CONUXDRUMS OF COURTSIIP erovoted on ull sides to be the most fascinating. The wonder of being able to write a letter tothe mame perton and 83V something new, every day, peven dayE in a week, week in and week out, for months ! The seeming impossibility—which lov- ers doclare they accomplish—of saring the same thing over and over, and over again, snd yet beving it eternally fresh. The ever-recurring wonderment of each 88 to the choice of the oth- eor,—s wonderment, it i8 only fair to state, which ia shared b all their friends. There is always disinterested _masculine party to s0mMe query as to “How on earth that follow succeeded in getting such & woman a8 that 7 and no represcntative of tne gentie vex is over without inumate friends to onder * What under the sun be could teein Her!® Then there is the time-honored phenom- enon of the lovers' quarrel, when it is sweoter to be at variance with each otber than on the moat amicable terms with all the rest of the world. In troth, this ability of those who iove ench other Let to hurt each other most, is beyond explaustion. Weall know tho married couple who can never live together nor apart. .They wound each other with home-thrusts which long end familiar intercourse alone could teach them hotw fo make; and yet, when scparated, they are full of bitter self-reproaches. Full as ranch of a riddle are the marred pair who never have s word of dissgrecment. “I know I'm 3 monaged man,” saya the husband, shaking nis P I S LOVE ALONE. 01d Bishop Ivo met one das, And went up and down tie lands, Aetern, wad woman on her way, With firo and water in ber Lands— In this band waler, that band fire— ‘And she was filled with holy ire! What mean those symbols, Mother, tell? And whither go you?” 'Shercplies : 4T0 quench with this the flames of Hell, With this to burn up Paradise, Fear, Hope, must nevermore be known, But man serve God through Love alona 1™ —Richard Henry Stoddurd. _— HUMOR. Very, very blonde bar isnow called *the light fantastic tow."” —A Captain remarked that his steerage pas- sengars ought be very well-behaved, they had 8o much deck-o’er-"em.. —+Don’t & Quaker ever take off his hat to any one, mamma " “ No, my dear.” “If ho dow't take off his hat to s Larber, how does he have hie hair cat ?” —The old—Murder will out. The now—)ur- derers will out. —When was_beef-tea first mentioned in his- tory? When King Henry VLI diesolved the Papal bull. ZOut in Montans, when thoy start s man down Lillin » barrel, they speak of his sppearance in & new role. —An embryo poet, who is certainly s close ob- server of human palure, remarks: ¢ Time marches on with the slow, meusured tread of a man_working by the day.” —Dobson gays his friends seem determined to givo him the title of Dr. His butcher, baker, &nd all the rest, do eo, but they put Dr. after hus name instead of before it. —_How can they expect to be satisfied with the ag&oiulmam.s in Capada whon the Queen her- gelf put a Daffer in ? — A suspicious wife, on being asked where her husband was, Teplied that she was very much 8freid ho was Miss-10g. —Postal cards are coming into such general use that letter-carriers and landladies have all they can do to keep up. —Broker—**How are_you off for money this morning?” Cashier—**I'am off with what littlo there {67 the bank. Good-bye.” bat is the difference cen & man’a a8- nd a drunkard's departure? Oneis an ipso dixit and tho other a tipsy exit, —The creditors of an absconding Yankee found, on opering bia safe, tha the only thing he bad lnid up for a rainy day was an umbrella. —The following question is respectfully ad- dressed to the clergy: Whether & person who sits in the gallery of the church is responsible for deeds done in the body? Young Iady—*"Oh, I am so glad vou like birds; waich kind do you admire most ?” ¢ Old Squao—* Well, I think the goose, with plenty of stufting, is about as good as any." —There is & preparation for coloring ladies’ gums a beautiful and delicate pink, and the re- sult is 5 song that is popular among confidential friends, ** Gum, oh gum with me.” —It 18n't always beet to call things by their right paties. A young gentleman called & conch dog 2 Dalmatisn hound, snd was nformed by his fiance that 1f he could not refrain from pro- fapityin her presence they must henceforth be strangers. Dt strain your voice scolding your chil- dren. The little wretches won't appreciate your sacrifice. — Hoosier Sweethearts,"—Indianapolis Sen- tinel. None of your business, old impertinence. —Cincinnati Times. —Quilp and his wife bad a bit of contention the otherdsy. “I own that you bhave more brillianey than I.” said the woman, ** but I have the betier judgment.” Yes,” eaid Quilp, “*your choice in marriage shows that.” Quilp ‘was informed that he was a brute. —“That's just the sort of umbrella that people appropriats—or in other words hook,” suid Smiggies to & _companion this moming, showing & very handsome silk parachute. Yes,” quietly said his companion, ‘I thought #o when I saw you bave it.” —A young lady of Lyons, Tows, recently sai 1:Bomo men are always talking_sbout patroniz- ing their own town—always barping on that duty—and yet they go abroad to get married, while here we all stand waiting | I do hope that some of these men who marry Eastern women will get cheated I A —A wretched cynic writes: ‘fA bright little 5-year-old was looking through a picture-book: the other night, when she suddenly paused, gazed engerly into her mother’s fuce, and, whila there shone in Ler eyes the light of a wisdom be- yond her years, said—[blamed if we haven't for- potten what she gaid).” —*Blood is thicker than water.” *Whatis the matter, De Mowbray? You ecem sad and depressed.” “How can I help it my dear fel- low? IUs the anniversarv of % sad event in our tamily. Young Aubrey de Mowbray (a younger son, but a trae De Mowbray) fell this day, bythe hand of a low-born Saxon, at the battle of Has- tings!” (De Mowbray weeps.) . '—Thero is nothing quito 50 exhuusting to & village mewspaper man 88 to write up & compli- mentary notice of & local exhibition, in which there are thirteen performers who design send- ing copies of the paper to their friends.—Jan- bury News. —One who has the reputation of being & great philosopber, an expericnced man of the world, a profound thinker, and an acute obrerver, with a deep insight into buman pature, has left cn record the expression of his firm conviction that no mao, however gifted, however fortuuate in his domestic relatione, however successful in bis public undertskings, can be pronounced bappy—whoae trousers bag at the Loecs.— Punch. —Alexandre Dumas used to tell the following anecdote : Being one evening at the San Carlo, Naples, he entered into conversation with a stranger gitting in the stall next to him. I hope,” said the latter at tho close of the per- formince, ** that we may havo the pleasurs of meeting again—I am Alexandro Dumas.” * Oh, indeed I" replied the celebrated novelist, with his gay langh, *so am L” Tha stranger col- lapsed. —In a Detroit Police Court recently, when s man was about to be tried for assault and bat~ tery, he brought forward his boy, 10 years old, 88 a witness. The Justice asked the lad if he knew the nature of an oath, and the boy aid his futher had explained it. * What did he eay ?" asked the Justice. * He said.” replicd the boy, sthat if I didn’t swear that the other fellow struck first, he'd tan the whole hide off my back.” He wasn't used on the srand. Not long since s very mervous lady took pussage 8¢ the Tip-Top House, White Mountains, 10 descend by the almost perpendicular railroad. Her fems wora apparent to every ono, and the following dialogae tcok place between her and the conductor: Lady—Mr. Conductor, how do vou hold thess cars when you want to make & stop? Conductor—Madame, wo spply the brake, which you see there. Lady—Suppose, Mr. Con- Guctor, that brake should give way, what would you do then? Conductor—Madame, we then apply the double-acting brale, which you see at tho other end of the cars. Lady—Bat, Ar. Con- ductor, suppose that brake should not be suili- to check the cars, where will we go then? Con- ductor—Madame, that depends entirely upon how you have lived in this world. . The old lady groaned, but subsided. A FRENGH GRIFFITH GAUNT. The Affaire de la Pivardiere. A Forgotten Cause Celebre. From Appleton's Jeurnal. The Affaire de la Pivardiere is one of the for- gotten causes celebres of French trials. It made quite & noise in its day. and gave oceasion to M. d'Aguessean (afterward the still more famous Chancellor) tomake two of his most brilliant speeches. The case is yet of some interest, both in iteelf, and becauso of tho sivgular sim- ilarity in somo of its eatlior situstions, and in tho fact of the trial, to Charles Reade's novel, ¢ GRIFFITH GAUNT,” Mr. Reade, it he bas borrowad it, as he has some othier things, from the French, has marred it sadly in oversetting it for an English story. The Affaire iuvolved innocent persons in euffi- cient danger, and was marked by ituations of sufficient interest, and the procedures in tho trial are in sufficient contrast to our mode of conducting a trial, to deserve a recital of its chief details. Louis de la Pivardiere, Sicur de Douchet, s cadet of the family of Pivardicre, was a poor, starveling noble, whose means, barely sufficient to support Lis raak in the country, were bovond tho extravagance of a residence at Court. Fret- fing over ls narrow means, chafing at Lis forced abacnce from that great centre of all that is de- sirabls in Franco, chuuce brought him an intro- duction to o Madame de Meuon, the widow of a Isto lsmented Sionr de Billy. ‘The widow twas weil off, and owned » fino maneion, the Clatean do Narboune. The property wss good and well- managed, the widow good-looking, in fact rather imperious, yet affable; so AL de la Pivardiere whisperod 16va, aud sffer. more assurcdly, mar- Hoge. Tho widow thought of his noble blood and good manners, received his graceful atten- tions with pleasure, and, 1n short, prees . This was at the close of 1637. Bat, when ho thought her wealth was fairly within his grasp, the magk of an assumed tenderness dropped off, and he acted the indifference lie felt. Their tvo children scemed to form no secure bond for his gradually-cooling affections. Madame do ls Pivardiere, after a while, returned with usury tho growing neglect shown to her love; perbap, too, she had taken too good vare to control the purse-strings. Monsieur had oune resource, \which was tot 8o readily hers; his duty led hum to attend npon the King, and he could escape, at times, 80 long o8 his allowance permitted, the vexations of a loveless homo. But they had, too, A FRIEND. The Prior of the noighboring Abbey of Mizeray was, in cruth, too assiduous in bhis visits to the Chatean de Nacbonne while M. de la Pivardiero was absent. Tho poor Prior had tha sole re- Ward of sharing the danger of the terrible por- secution which some years later jeopardized the lady's lifo. Her anger aud bitter dissppomtment over ber busband's neglect, and her proud, self- absorbed thoughts, all blinded ber to the possi- bility of baving ber conduct miscopstrued, and closed her ears to the tales which wera too cagerly listened to by M. Ge la Pivar- diore.” The Siour, weary of o galling yoke, mot carng fo play the too public Tole of a jeslous husband,—their domestic griev- ances were too well known,—and not able to re- main very long st Court, betook himself to o wanderiog life. It would be a relief for both to bo apart. His absences apparently continucd for some time, with regular periods of reappear- ance, and be gaves good account of himselt when at home. But one luckless evening ha was strolling upon the ramparts of tho pretty Town of Auxerre, when he eaw, and immediately fell inJove with the gentle and modest daughter of a certain huissier of the city. His infatuation was B0 great that hio not only concealed his raut from the girl's father, but, as the honest tipstafl was failing, married the girl, and took tho ofiico s her dowry. M. de la Pivardiere, Sieurdo Bouchet. Lecame A DIGAMIST AND TOWYN CONSTADLE. This was in 1694-"95. For two years he was happy with his new wife. Every mix mouths be disappeared from Auxerre, prescnted himself at the chialeau, drew a part of The rents, lounged about as becimo a_gentle- mau. and then J:os(cd back to the constabulary of Auxerre, and tho pretty wife attached. In his visits home he always found the Prior at the Liouse, but asked no_dissgrecablo questions,— made no remarks. Madame, too, cariug as little to retain = Lusband whose indifference was reciprocated, never attempted to de:ain_him by withhoiding what money ho wanted. But his duplicity was gradually nearing o denoucwmient. Monsiear's escapado came to bis wife's ears. But gossip could not tell her or his place of re- treat. Her domestic infelicity she bore anu passively resented, but Lus deliberato inddelity WAS BEYOND ENDURANCE, and she resolved to make him feel the weight of ber displeasure when he noxt returned. With- out the slightest suspicion that his wife knew— in fact, that any one knew of his misconduct, AL de ta Pivardiero confidently set out for the Cha- teau de Narbonne. Tt was the Teto of Notre Dame, Aug. 15, 1697. Msadame de la Pivardiere bad givena large party in honor of the feast-day. Theo large salie was cchoing with meriment, and the Luzz of pleasaut chat and gay laughter. L. de la Pivardiere entered unannouuced. but with the assurance of a master. His uulooked-for sappesrance checked tho_laughing conversation. A marked pause ensued. Several frionds—and the most forward was the Prior—offored & pro- fuse walcome home. Madame, salone, with an unappeasable anger tuggiug 8t her heart, sat gilent at the farther end of the salle. Monsieur advanced toward her. She returned THE MOST FRIGID ACENOWLEDGMENTS o his salutations. “Enquoi! Is this the wayshe receives hor Jong-absent husband 7" exclaimed & guest to M. de In Pivardiere. He apologetically explained : “I am her husband, it is true, but I am not her friend.” Dinver was announced. He took a seat with the rest, but the skeleton in the closet had stalked out unbidden. The unwelcome guest, who was yet the legal master in the houso, cast a spell over tho gathered guests, and, one byone, thoy slipped away, without & word of adieu. The husband and wife were left alone. She bhad nothing but scorn for Lim. *Back to the wifo that claims you, and ask herif Ihaveno reason for my colduess,—aye, my anger " In vain he denied all; protested and vowed tenderness, love, fidelity. ' His words ouly FED THE FIERCE WRATI that flamed up in her. 7The thought that an- other possosscd & heart that ouglt to bave been hers was burning too decp in her soul. Wearied out with the scene, and some of his old indiffexr~ ence and assurance returning, he cooly asked for 8 bed-room. Madame indignantly left tho chamber in which they were, nni took the chil- dren wilh her into an upper chamber, seldom used. When they were asleep she turned the ey in the door, and went down the great stair- case. There was a loud rapping at tho outer door; & servant ran thither, and a voice from without asked if M. de la Pivardicre had re- turned home. The servant, without openiug the door, replied in the afirmative. Then all was quiet. Day broke soon afier. When the servant went to rouse Monsiour, he was nowhere to be found. He bad € MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED. The fact soon spresd through the neighbor- hood. Significant comments were mady upon 80 etrango and sudden a departure. Tho con- duct of Madame, her poiuted coldness toward her busband at_the patty, their past quarrels, and his wandering lifo sad reported marriage; incidents that, the servants whispercd, had oc- curred upon that memorable night: tha voica without the door, a shot fired off after mid- night, a cry of snguish heard from bis room, some drops of blood on the bed, bis borss in the stable still, bis cloak 1n the hall, his riding-boots left by his bedside, were facts by no means un- dervalued. While suspicions were filling the air, and the whele neighborhood wae astir with the waldest and most improbable tales, Nadame remained tranquilly at home, appurentiy in perfect com- posure, whether from conscious inbnocence or from strength of will. So had she sat and lived through the stories of past years that had xmien:rl her truant husband. She did not care to know, and no one cared to tell her. Yct she was eoon forced to know what ywas reported The judicial functionarios conld not remain im- passive. A against Maiame de la Pivar- diere, hor children and her servants, was issued. The Judge visited the chatean, and made a thorough search through the house. > FEOOF OF GUILT : accumulated with tetrible swiftness. He exam- ined the chamber where M. de la Pivardiere had slept. Dadly-eaced blood-stains spotted the matiress, were smeared upon the bedsiead, aud on somo of the farniture. In the cellar, in which rumor lLad hidden the corpse, a trench was found three and a halr feet wide, one and o Dalf feet deep. The proces-verbal set forth all these discoveries with eloquent but fatal force. Publis indiguation scized upon addsd evidence, which was given in by two maids at their exami- nation. They gave " A CIRCUMSTANTIAL ACCOUNT, of the esassination. The first (a god-daughter of Madame de la Pivardiere) told how her mistress had sent on some pretext, all of the household who ~ cculd suspect her dreadful purposo, ‘and thon intro- duced two valsts, sent by the Prior of Mizeray, who effected the murder. The second " girl de- posed that, having been sent off on some er- rand, sho had returned just as the murder had been effocted. Pathos was added to horror when his Lttle daughter, not 9 years old, told how she had heard papa's voico cfying out, *0 my God ! bave pity on mel” ‘At this juncture, one of the two girls was seized with an illness which ultimately proved fatal. Upon her dying bed sho designatod the Prior a8 AN ACCOMPLICE TO THE MURDEE. The Prior was confronted with two women. They hesitated, stammered, disavowed all they. had sworn to, and declared that the Procureur du Roi (M. Louis Nhelm?, bad threatened thom till they had testified as they had done. Hardly was the Prior removed beforo they changed sgain, askod to be brought nefore the Prior & second time, and reaseerted the original charge. The corpse, however, bad not yet been recov- ered. The oflicers were busied getting some sufliciont evidence to prove the fact of hia death, when tua whole theory of the prosecution wad scattored to the winds by a most unexpected oc- currenco. Undoubted proof waa oNored that AL de Ia Pivardiero WwaS ALIvE ! A number of witnesses deposed, some before a notary, others bofore the Bailli ¢'Erli, that the Sieur had baen soen on the 17th and 18th of August, at Chatcaurcux and Issondoun. ln otber words, he was alive two days after tho alleged murder. Madame petitioned that bho should be jnformod of the calumnies of which sho was the victim. But where was ho? Sho presented berself before the Licatenant-Gen- erul of Romorantin, and procured an order to have a scarch made for M. de la Pivardiere, and, when found, proper proof, before & magintrate, of his identity should be obtained. A delay of wo months bsd led most people to forget all shout hor application, whon tho Sicur MADE KIS APPEARANCE before the officials. Unluckily he chose badly whom to appear before at Romorautin. He wore the uir, not of s man who feared to meet the officers of justice, but, a8 an iunocent gentleman should, of calm self-possession. The prisoners, Madame do la Pivardicre and the Prior, now demanded that he should be con- fronted with the two witnesses for the Stato. "They chose, in conscious innocence, the wrong mothod. The two women swore they did not recognize lum! Mystory and doubt again roso like & miat. MM Nivele, the Procurcur du Xoi, demanded that he should be detmmned till bis identity could be satiafactorily established. Bat e was in the custody of a rival cflicial. 2. 10 Lioutenant-General of Romorantin rofused the demand. M. do Ia Pivardiere was dismissed, and DISAPPEARED INMMEDIATELY. He came and weut iiko & ghost. An sppeal was then taken to the Crown, and the King issucd an order for hiy arrest wherever found. The Kingdom mnust be searched. Again the mysteri- ous man disturbed even royal preparations. M. de la Pivardiere voluntarily came forward, swore to his own identity, and explaned his singular conduot by avowing his doublo marringe. ‘T'his time it was before the Procureur of Romoran- tin. Now release seemed at hand for the prison- ers. A weary yoar had been dragged out in prison. Not so. The Royal warrant was out 2gainst bim. To order tooppear at all, he had provided himself with & safe-conduct, ‘The Louor of the prosecution was wounded. The Toval safo-conduct staved tho Royal warrant, and bindered a provceution for bigamy. The Court could only recoinize the evidenco of the man whom the warrant prasented before thom as the possible M. de Ia Pivardiere. His desire to reliove lus wife and the TRIOR WAS NEUTRALIZED by his selfish solf-protection. 'he character of the Siour is uot a deep problom, but au interest- iug one. It was cartaialy very buwan, and very —i{uhumane. He claimed to be admitted to testify. He had to force the Court to admit his evidence. The defeuse now attacked. 3. Nivele held that unless he was properly brought before the Court, Moosicur mignt be really AL de la Pivar- diere, but they could not even’ sckuowledge bis possible existence. The Court refused to look at » man who preferred a safe-conduct o an ar- Test. The Procurcur alleged tho ordinauce of 1559 agaiust the two prisouers, who pleaded Yhat his testimony was essential to their caze. If it ‘was now brought in, it was_against thoso .ordi- nances, Tho case was really closed now, avd sy new evidonce muf: be un fait justificalif. But this could only be broaght In after judg- ment was given on the proces. v THE OASE WAS DESPERATE. To receive sentence that tuey might get in evidenca that was raled out, AL d’Aguessean was now retained for the defense. He made two able arguwents, dputting in o telling bloy npon tho cruelty and real fallacy of M. Nivello's points. It was defeating the very ends of justice to compel M. de Ia Pivardiero to prove is_identity #o as to destroy the prosecution, and yot to force the completion of 8o narrow and ° fatal o prosecution bofore Le could provo that identily. M. d'Agoussean was do- servedly severe upon the menaces which had almost dictated the ovidence. of the two gisls, Enp{:llylug to their terror the colie- rence nceded to shapo the horrors their minds bad fed upon into 3 perjared testimony. But all his brilliancy and eloquence were nearly thrown away. There secmed to bo no hope of rolief. At last, AFTER FIVE YEARS OF SUSPENSE (from the fatal August, 1697, to Juue, 1701}, tho close waa reached. A Koyal order deerced that tho surviviug_servant girl shoun'd make aun hon- orable amend for having testified falsely, aud deprived the officials of the Provinciul Court ab Chatillon, where the trial had_been principally conducted, of the power of holding olice. The poor girl made a public retraction in the church at Chatillon-sur-Inde, was branded with a fleur-de-lis, sud was baniched from that de- partment. The victime, Madsme de la Pivar- Uiere and the Prior, with the suspected sorvauts, were set free. We do not know whother A de 1s Pivardiers was punished, as he deserved, or not. TIE TANGIBLE RESULTS were: M. de la Pivardicro had threo years of worry to get five mnutes' evedince received ; Madame #ud the Prior wero imprisoned. four Joars ; M. d'Aguesscan snd M. Louis Nivello Eained onbanced reputation for ability; snd s branded cheek aud ruined reputation for tho actual victim, tho poor, terrificd maid-servant, Marguerite Mercier ! —— - CADENZA--A FRAGMENT. With the saddest of sad memories your dreamy music fills me Liko tho touck of loving fingers, ev’ry trembling echo thrills me ; And, sittting hera beside you, all the love I dare mot tell, 1Is a vain, impassionate yesraing, from my- heart and spirit well, Still T linger, linger list'ning to the rapturing notes that wing, Upward, in a gush of beanty, from each lightly- ‘quivering string ; Linger near you nnd bésido you,—at the closed lips ‘make 0o sign, For tho “seal of 4ilence™ hovers oler this hopeless love of mine. COTTAGE GLOVE. OwEX M. WiLsoy, JB. L O s 5 Marriage Customs in Old Britain. Whoen the Anglo-Saxcns settled in Dritain the patriarchal system was in fuli-force. The father was absolute master in his own family; be sold lis daughter in maniage, his son in slavers. Whou St. Augustine luuded in the island the maiden wns o simple article of property, ber prico fised at so many head of cattle.’ The primitive mode of procuring a Wifo waa' this: When o youth bad fixed his choice upon 8 maiden, e went with & baud of frionds and carried hor off, probably with her own secrot connivance. The relations followed in bot parsuit, & feud between the fam- iliea ensued, and waa only appeased by the lover sgreeing to pay the valne fised upon by the father for retaining possession of the maid, he gi a *¢wea,” or security for hin performanco of tae contract—hence the word wedding. This custom of siealing the bride ig as anciont as the Spartans, sad is still kept up in Brittany, where it formns o116 of ths ceremonicaof the marringe fes- tivities. The bargain made, the amount of tho *» morning gift " ecttlod upon, the contracting par- tiestook cach other by the hand and proclaimed themselves mau and wife; the ring was placed on the first finger of the left hand; and the father, Lsving received the purchase-money, delivered his daugbter over to her husband. Tho trausfer of suthority was made by & sym- bolical gift; the father delivered the bride's shoe to the bridegroom, and the latter touched ber over the head with it—a ceremony which took its origin in the custom of plicing the foot on the neck of a slave, uud was typical of the wife's subjection to Ter husband—a ceremony still preserved in tho popular custom of * throwing the ehoe.” The day after the wedding, the bridegroom gave the “morning gifi "—supposed to b voluntary, but sccording to the value stipulated. It was gener- al among the Teuton race, and often estates of gome value were thus bestowed. When Athel- stan's sister, Eadgirth, married the Emperor Otho, his momiug giit was the Cily of Magde- burg, g HOW | “SAVED FRANCE.” From St. Paul's. _ These be big words, my masters! I cap only eay they are not mine—Iam far too modest to utter any euch high-sounding phrasd oo my own responsibility—but they are the exact terms-used by s high ' municipal dignitary in characterizing the Tesult of what he was pleased toterm my “ chivalrous conduct.” My sardonic chum, on the contrary,—sn individual wholly abandoned to the ignoble vice of . punning,—as- serts that my conduct was simply *¢ barbarous.” It will be for the reader to judge. ST. MEUSE— lot uscall it St.Meuse—isa town of what is etill Fronch Lorraine ; und to St. Meuse I came drifting up the Marne Valley, over the fiat ex- panse of the plain of Uhalons, and by St. Mene- hould, the proud stronghold of pickled pig's feet, in the second week of last Soptember. St. Meuso wasone of she last of the French cities held in pawn by the Gor- mans for the payment of the milliards. The last installment of the blood-money had been paid, and the pickelaubes wero about to evacuate St. Meuse, a8 oon as tho cash had been methodically counted, and after thoy shoutd have leisurely filled their baggage-trains and packed their portmantenus, Ay intention in going to St. Meuso was to witness this evac- uation scene, and to be a spectator of the re- turn of light-heartedness to the French popula- tion, on tho withdrawal of the Teuton incubus which for threo years had lain upon the eafoty valve of their constitutional sprightliness. L bad been a hittle out of my reckoning of time, and, when I reached St. Meuse, I found thatT had o week to stay before the event should oc- cur which [ had come to witness; but the inter- val conld not be regarded ns lost time, for St. Meuso is 8 very pleasant city. and the condisions which were soon to terminate, prosented & most intoresting field of study. You must know that St. Meuse 19 A FORTRESS. Ithasa citadel, or at least such fragments of acitadel as o bombardwent has lefs, uud the quaint old townis surrounded with bastions which aro linked by curtains, and flanked by lunettes, the whole beisg girdled by a ditch, beyond the counterscarp of which spreads a sloping glacis, which makes o vory pleasant promenade. The defensivo strength of tho place is reduced to zcro in thoso days of far- reaching rifled siege artillery, for'it lies in a cup. and is surrounded on all sides by hills, the summits of which easily command the fortifica- tions. Dub the copsciousness that it ia obsoleto a3 o fortress hos not. yet come homo to St. Mouse. It has, .in truth, a very good opinion of itself 88 a valorous, not to say heroic place; nor can it be deuied that its title to this self-complacency has been fairly earncd. Spite of its defects, it stood 8 siege of over two months, and succumbed only after u severe bombardment which lasted for sov- cral days. And whilo as yot it was not wholly beloagaered, it was vory active in making itsolf disagreeable to the foreign invader. It was a patrolling party fiom St. Meuse that intercepted the courier on the battle-ficld of Sedan to Ger- mauy, carrying tho hurricd lnes to his wifo which the Crown Priuce of Germany scrawled on the fly-leaf of an orderly book whilo as’ yet the last shots of the combat were dropping in the distance ; carrymng too ~ tho motes of the battle which illism Howard ftusse!l had jotted down in the heat of action, and took the first opportunity of Qispatching. St. Mewo. then, hai balked the Princesa of the first tidings of her husbaud’s safoty, aod the great English nowspaper of the carhiest detalls of the mast sensational batile of the age. It bad fallen at last, BUT NOT INGLORIOUSLY, and the iron of defeat had not entered so deeply into its sonl as had been tha casa with some French fortresses, of which it could not well be said that they had dono their honest bess to re- sist their fate, Its self-respect, at least, was left to it, aud it was somecthing to know that whon the German garrison should march sway it was bound to leave to St. Meuse the artillery and muuitions of war of the fortress, just a8 thoy bad been fouud on the anyof the sur- render. . Icamo to like St. Meuse immcusely in the course of tho days I spsnt in it waiting for the great event_of tho evacuation. If you are par- fial to good fare. goad cookery, and good un- morcenary attendance, let me suggest to youa sojourn at toe Trois Maures in St. Meuse. Madsme is a jewel, Mademoirello 18 next door to an angel, and 28 for Monsieur, ho iaas obliging 28 heis omusing. Take my advico and help vourself twice to crawfish at dejeuner, DOT Deg- cct the dessort-biscuits indigenousto St. slense. ‘Tho company at tho table d'lote was varied and amusing. The German oflicers ate in 3 room by themselves, 80 that the obaoxious element was not present ovartly at the gencral table d'hote. Bat we bada few Germau oilicials in plain Cclothos—clerks in Geu. Mauicuflel's bureaa, contractors, cigar merchants, ete.—who spoko French even among themselves, and Wero pain- Tully polito to the French habitues, who were a3 Dainfally polite in return. Tliere was 3 batch of Parisiag journalists who had come ta St. Mleuro to wateh tho ovacuation, and wha wroto their ietters in the cafe over the way t - the accompa~ ment of terres of absinthe, and Lucks of beer. Then there was the GALLANT CAPTATN OF GENSDARMES, who bad arnved with a trusty band of twenty- five wsubordinates, to take over from the Gor- mans tho muvicipal superintendence of the place, and, later, tho occupation of the fort- ress.' Ho wos the most polite mau I aver Iuevw, this Captain of Gensdarmes, with a clover Jnach of turning you outside iu in the course of Lal? an hour's copversation, and the peculir at- tripute of having to all appearauce eyes in the back of his head. To bim, as ho placidly ate his food, there camo, from tiine to time, quiet and rother bashful-looking men in civilian_attire of a slightly ecedy description. Sometinies they ‘meroly caught bis eyo aud went out again with- out speaking; sometimes they handed to him little notes ; sometimes tnoy held with him 2 brief whispored conversation, during which the Captain’s nonchalance was imperturbable. Theee respectable individuals, who, if thoy ssw yom once in convoreation with _their chief, ovor after bowed to you with the great- est empressement, word members of tho secret police. A8 FOR THE INHABITANTS of St. Mense, they appoared to await the hour of their delivery with considerable philosophy. Puysically they aro the tinest race I ever saw in France—iheir men tall, squore, snd muscular, their women handsome and comely. Numbers of both sexes are fair-baired. and the sandiness of hair whicl wo aro wont to associato with the Scottish Celt is byno means uncommon. A sardonic companion, whom I had picked up by tho way, attributed those characteristics to tho fact that in the great war, St. Mcuse was a depot for British prisoners of war, who had in some way contrived to imbue the nativo population with some of their own physical attributea. Ho further prophesied a wave of Teuton characieristics as the result of ~the Ger- man occapation which was about to terminate ; but bis insinuations scemed to moe to partake of the scurrilous, especially 28 he instanced Lewes, o Dritish depot for foreign prisoners of war, as a field in which similar phenomens were to be dis- cerned. But, nevertheless, I nnquestionably found 8 good deal of what may be called nation- al hybridism 1o St. Meuse. [used to buy photo- raphs of a shopkeepor over whose door was lazoned THE SCOTTISI NAME MACFARLANE. Outwardly Macfarlano was a * hielanman” all over. He bad a shock-liead of bright red bair such 35 might have thatched the pole of the “Dougal oratur;” s cheekbones were bigh, his nose of the Cuptain of Knockdunder poftern, and his mouth of true Celtic ampli- tude. One folt intuitively as if Macfarlane were bound to know Gaelic, and that tho times wero ont of joint when he’ ovinced greater fondncsa for eau sucree than tor Talisker. It was with quite & sense of dislocation of tho fitness of things that I foond Macfarlane could talk noth- ing bat FrencH. Eut, although ke had torn up the ancient landmarks, or_rather suffered them to lapse, he yet was proud of his aucestry. His grandfather, it appearcd, was o goldier of the % Black Watch,” who had been a prisoner of war in St. Meuse, xnd who, when the peaco came, 1iad preferred taking unto himself a daughter of the Amalekite, and settling in St. Meuse, to going home to a pensiom of sevenpence a day and liberty to ply as an Edinburgh cadie. 'AS FOR THE GERMAN “‘MEN 1< POZSESSION,” they pursaed the even tenor of their way in the preciso yet phlogmatic German_manner. Their guards kept the gates and bridges as if they meant to hold the peace till the crack of doom, instead of being uuder orders to clear out with the week. The recruits drilled on the citadel esplanade—straightening their logs and pointing their toes, as if their sole’ ambition in life was to kick their feet away into space, down to the very eve of evacuation. Their battalions practiced _skirmishing on the” glacis with the routine assiduity which is the secrot of the German - military _success. Old Manteuffel waa living in the prefecturs, holding his leveea md&ivin his stiff ceremoni- ona dinner-parties, as if he done- despite to l Dr. Cumming’s warnings and taken a lease of tho place. Tbe Germaa officers thronged their cafo, each man, after the manner of German offi- cars, ahonting at the pitch of his voico; and at the cafe of the uuder-officers tough old wacht- meistera and grizzled rergeants with many med- als played long quict games at cards or kuocked the balls sbout on the chubby little pocketless tables with cues the tips of which wero as large a8 the base of a ix-pounder shell. The French journalists insisted I ehonld ac- cept, it as an articlo of faith that these two races dwelling together in St. Meuse g HATED EACH OTHER LIKE POISON. They would have it that while discipline alone greventarl the Germans from massacring every ‘renchman in the place, it was only o bumilis~ ting scnse of weakness that hindered the Fronchmen from rising ta hot fary sgainst the Germans who were thoir temporary masters. I am afraid the gentlemen of the Parisian press camo rather to disliko me on acconnt of my ob- durate scepticism in such matters. That thore was Do great cordiality was obvious and natural. Some of che Germans were arrogans and domi- neering. For instance, baving & respect for the Germans, it pained, and, indeed, - disgustod ma, to hear 8 Colonel of the German Stafl, in answer to my question whether the evacuating force would march out with & rear-guard, as in war-time, reply: ‘“Pho, a Field-Gendarme with 8 is rear-guard enough for such canaille!” But in the mouths of Hans and Carl and Johann, the stout Kerle of the ranks, there were no such words of bitter scorn for their compulsory hosts. The honest fellowa drew water for tlie goodwives on whom thoy were bilieted, did a good deal of stolid love-malk- ing with the girls, and nursed tho babies with 2 golicitudo that put to shame the malo parents of thesa youthful hopes of Troy. I lake leave, as 8 reasonable man, to doubt whether it can lie in the heart of a family to hateaman who has dandled its baby, avd whether o maa can be rancorous against a family whose baby he has nursed. But fashion’s Sway is omoipotent in omotion 88 in dress. Ever sioco the war, journalists, suthors, ana public opinion fonorally has Lammered it iuto. tho French nation, that if it is not to be a traitor to its potriotism, the first article of its creed must be Hatred against the German, and that the bitterer this hate, the more forvent the patriotism. It is nos indeed incumbent on French men and French women to accept this creed, but it behooves them at least to profess it; and it must be admicted that they do this for the moat part with AX INTENSITY AND VIGOK which seems to prove that with many profession has decpened into couviction. Then in every town, aund more especially in_ every Freuch town, thore is s class that is swayed by an impulse to mischief, undeterred by the controlliug power of self-respect. Tho violence of thought, opinion, or profession, call it what you will, (hat actuates this class bas o tendency from a varioty bf causcs to work upward through the social strata, especially when tho temptations, alike in cir- cumstances snd in patural character, are 8o strong in favor of such a leavening. ‘While au yat tho pvacuation had been a thing of the remots future, the peoplo of St. Meuse had borne the yoke lightly, and indeed bad, T believe, privily congratulated themsclves on the substantial advantsges, in the way of money spent in the place and the immuuoity from taxa- tion, which were incidental to the foreign occu- pation. But as the day for the ovacaation drew closer and closer, ope became dimly conscious of AN ELECTRICAL CONDITION of the go-ial atmosphere, which auy triflo_might stimulars into”’ a thunder-storm. Dlouzes gatherod and muttered abont the street-corners, kcowling at and albowing the German goldiers a8 they at1odo to buy sausasos fo stay them in the howmeward march. The gawins, always covertly insolent, no longer cloaked their insolence, and | wagged little tri-color flags under the noso of the stolid German ecatry at the Pout St. Croix. At tho table d'hote the paisful politeness of tho Germsan civilians had no effect in thawing the studied coldness of the Fronch habitues. " Mu- tual good fecling was not iucreased by the ro- ports which reached St. Meuse of a disturbance which had occurred at Luneville, consequent on the return of a couplo of Geormans to that town after the German troops bad evecuated it. A story got abroad that the ovacuation of St. Mouse was to be postooned for this and other reasous, and tho tension of the restraned ex-~ citemont was absolutely painful. As for myself, I WAS A NEUTRAL, and profesing to take no side, lattored myselt that T could keep out of the vortex of the sore- pess. Soon afcer my arrival at St. Meuse I bad called upon His Worship the Mayorat his ofticiul quarters in the Hotel do Ville, and had received civil speeches in return for civil speeches. Then I bad left my card on Gen. hiautouffel, with whom I happencd to have a previous acynaint- snce, and those formal duties of & beuovolent neutral having been performed, I held myself freo to choose my own company. Cir- cumstances bad some time before brought me into familiar contact with very mauy German officers, and I lai imbibed a liking for their ways and conveisation, noisy a8 the latter is. Several of the oflicers then in St. Meuse had been personal scquaintances in other days, aud it was at ouce natural and pleasant to renew the intercourse. I was .nado an honorary mem- ber of the mess: I spent many hours in the officers’ casino, I rode out with the oficers of the squadron’ of Uhlana All this was very pleasant ; but as the day cf the evacuation bo- came close, I noticed thut the civility of tho Fronch Captain of Gensdarmes grew colder, that the cordiality of the I'rench habitues of the table d'hote visibly diminished, aud that I en- countered not o faw unfriendly looks as I walked through the strcots by myself. It began to dawn upon me that St. Meuse was getting to reckon me A GERMAN SYMPATHIZER, and, as there waa no _ haif-way Louse, therefore not in accord with the emotioas of France and 8t. Mecuse. On tho aftérnoon immediately preceding the ‘morning that had been_fixed for the evacnation, thero came to me & polite request _that I should visit M. le Maire at tho Hotet de Ville. His Worship was elaborately civil but obviously troubled in mind. He coughed wervously soveral times, after the initiatory compliments had passed, and than began to speak. + Monsieur. you are aware that the Germans are going to-morrow moruing " Ireplicd that I had cognizanco of this fact. “Do you aio know that tho last of tho Ger- man civilisn officialy depart by the 5 a. m. train, not catiog to remain here after the troops are gone?” Of this also I was aware. R 4 Lot mo hope,” continued the Magor, *that YOU ARE GOING_ALONG WITH TUEX, or, st all events, will ride away with Messicurs the soldiers 2 " ) Ou the coutrary, was my reply, T had comenot alone to witness the evacuation, but to note how St. Mense should bear hergelf 1n the hour of her liberaticn : I desired to witness the rejoicings : T was not less anxions to be s epectator of any distarpance, if such unhappily should cceur. Why ehould M. le Maire bave conceived this de- gire to baullk my natural curiosity ? M. Je Mairo was obviously not a little embar- rassed; but he persevered and was candid. This deplorable occupation was now so nearly finish- ed, and happily, a8 yot, oversthing had becn 80 tranquil, that 1t would be a thousand pities if any untoward event should cecur to detract from the diguified attitnde which the evacnated termtory had maintained. Tt wasof critical importance in every sense that 8t. Meuse shounld not give way to riot_or disorder on that occasion. Ho hoped and believed it would not—bhere M. la Maire laid hus hand on Lis heart—but a spark, as 1 know, fired tinder, and the 8t. Mouso popu- laco were &t preseut figurative tinder. 13IGHT BE THAT SPADK. “You much resemble s German,” said M. leo Maire, * with that great yollow beard of yours, and your broad shoulders, as if you had carried arms. Our citizens have seen you much in the society of Messieurs the German officers : thoy are not in a temper to draw fine diztinctions of nationality ; and, dear sir, I ask you to go awny with the Germans, lest, perchance, our filouscu_ reciommng yon for a Germaa, shonld not be very tender with you, when the epiked helmets are out of the place. The truthis,” said the worthy Maire, with a burst of plain-speaking, *I'm afruid that you will Be mobbed, and that there will be a fow, and then tho Germans may come back, and the evacuation be postpored, and Tl get wigeed by the Prefect and the Minister of the Interior, and bullyragged in the news- papers, and 8t. Meuse will get abused, and the fat will be generally in the fire !” HERE WAS AN AWEWARD FIX. T contd not comply with the Alayor’s request; hay was not to bo thought of, for reasony i need not mention here. I had no particular de- sire to be mobbed. Once before I had ex- perienced the tender mercies of a French mob, and knew that they were very crucl. But stronger than tha personal feeling was my eincere sympathy with the Mayor's critical position, snd my aaxiety, by what means might be within my power, to contribute to the main- tenance of a tranquillity so desirable. But then what means were within my power? I conld not go; Icould mot promise to stop indoors, for it was incumbent on me to see everything that was to be seen. And, if through me trouble came, I should be responsible beaven imows for what /—with a skinful of sore bones into the bargain. - #1¢ Bonsiear cannot go”—the Mayor broke inupon my cogitation,—*if Monuieur cannob o, will ho pardon the exigoncy of the_occasi if I suggest one other nl\crnngvo? Lois ”_a;:’,: the Mayor hesitated—* it is i g (IE TELIOW BEALD which gives the Monsiour the aspect af . mmav. With only whiskers nobody. conld oo g}ona_mur for ?(xllylhl'mi but an Englishman, Ip onsicur would only hava the complais chacity to—to—F et ut off my beard! Great powers! shear that mana that has been growtog Tor youre i cataract of hair that bas been, 6o to speak, my oriflamme ; tho only physical belong. ing of which I ever was proad,—the only thpg, g0 far as I know, that I had ever beea envied] For the moment the snzgestion knocked me all of a heap. There came iutomy head som con- fused reminiscence of & story about & girl who cut off her hair and gold iz to keep bLer mother from starviny, or redeé¥m her lover from ey tivity, or sometuing of the kind. But that must havo been before the epoch of parish relisf, and Lidnapping is 00w punishable Ly staiute. Whag was St. Measo to mo that for her I should *mow my hirsote glories? Bu then, if people got savage, they might pull my beard out by the roots. ' And thero had been lately dawning on me the dire truth that its lawny hue was becoming somewhat freely streaxed with gray,—a color I ablior, except in eyes, I made up my mind. i, snid 1 to tho Msrer: with gir,"” sai o the Mayor, with 8 manl; BES hiart was too Fll feon iy AEnie suiness. He magemed my emotion, bowed in silence over the hand which he had grasped, and only %pnka to givo me tho address of Lis own bar- er. < This barber was & patriot of unquesti 2eal, but I am inclined o think hisqen:'fl}:: was similar to that of Macfarlane, for he come bined patriotism with profi inamost edifying manner. Ho shaved the German officers during tho whole of their stay in St Mense, be accompanied them on their march o the frontier ; he e2rned the last centima in Con- flans, and thon driving forward to the frontior liue, he unfurled the tiicolor as tha last German soldier stopped over 1t. It is seldom that one in this world aees hia way to being so adroitly am- bidexterous. But this is a digression. In twenfy minates, shorn and ehaven, I was back again in the Mayor’s parlor. The tears of gratitudo stood bis eyes. I lcarned afterwards that a decoration was contingent on his presorvation of the publia poaco on tho ocension of the evacuation. Started by tho Mayor, tne report rapidly cir- culated throngh St. Mouse that I had cut off my beard rather than it should ba possible that auy one should mistake mo for & German. From being a suspect, I BECAME A POPULAR IDOL. The French journalists entertained me to a ‘banquet at night, at which, in libations of chame agne, eternal amity_between France and Enge and was pledzed. Next morning the Germars went away, and then St. Meuso kicked up ita hecls and burst into exuberant joy. The Mayor took me up to the station in his own carriage ta meat the French troops, and introduced mo to tho Colonel of the battalion 8s & man who had ‘made sacratices for la belie France. TheColonel shook me cordially bo the hand, and I was em- braced by the robust vivandiere, who struck meas being in the practice of sustuining lite on the diet of garlic. When we emecrged from the station, I was cheered almost as loudly as was the Colouel, and & man waved a tricolor over my hoad all the way back to the town, treading ai frequent intervala on my heels. In the course of the afternoon I happoened to approach the civic band, which was performing patriotio musie in the Place St. Croix. When the band- master saw we be broke off the prozramme, and struck up - Rulo Britaunie!” in my bonor, to the clamorons joy of tho audience, who wera thwarted in their aim of carrying mo round the Place ehoulder-lngh only by the constancy with which I clung to the railinge which surround Cloverd’s statuc. B . TILE CROWNING BECOGNITION of my sacrifice came at tho bunquet which the town gave to tho Freuch oflicers. The Magor proposed the toast of ** Ouc English Friend.” *\Wa had all,” he said, * mado sacritices for la Patrie, be himself had sustained the loss of s wooden outhouse burned down in the bombardment ; the gallaot Colouel on bis right had spilt bis biood at St. Privat. Them it behooved to suffer, and they would do it again, for it was, as ho had said, for la Patrie. But what was to be said of an Lonorablo gentleman who bad_sacrificed the ‘most distingnizhing ornament of his physical as pect, without the loly stimulus of patsiotism, and simply that there might be obviated the risk of an embroilment, to the possible conscquences of which hie would not furiber alinde? * Wonid it b called the language of extravagant Lypsr- bole, or would they not rather be words justitied Ly the facts, when Le ventured before this hon- orable company to assert that his respected English fricud Lad, by lus self-ancrifica, SAVED FRANCE from a great penl? " Thse Mayor's question waa rephed to by a perfect whirlwind of cheer- ing. Everybody m the room insisted on shalang bands with me, and I was forced to get on my legs and make s reply. Later in_tho evening I Leard the Mayor and tho Town Clerk discussing the project of counfermug upon mo the freedom of the city, and this I now expect [rom day to das, lot us hope in the casiomary gold bos. To be beardless 1 find a sate of mivgled heppiness and misery. Nobody kuows me antil, as the phrasa gocs, I namo myself,” and though this is occasionally awkiward, still it saves annoyance from creditors, The great trouble is that I canuot shave myself, and I think of applying to the corporation of St Meuse to make me s grant to pay a barber wherewithal. - Axcmnanp FoRnes. JOLLY AND FREE. Oh1 my bachelor-life 15 Jolly and frea No curtain-lectures to harass the ¢ wea Bma’ hours”; no bubies around my knee; Nobody to scold about the night-key, Or to open my letters, or cry to sea Ths bill (7) that my tailor (7) markod “ Pricate™ tommse The wine that T sip 1s sweet—sh 1 swoat; And every hour, with joy replete, Maketh a perfect whole, completo: Morning, and Noontide, and Evening gres$ With laughter, and speed with flying feet,— Each a rose-crowned god, a Mercury fest, I never shall marry: Why should 17 Way Should X sbackle my life, and wadly fy Intoa knot T can never tntie? Why cloud the sun in the summer-sky ? 1 might as well give up the ghost and dle Astomarry. Wby should I—I7 No! I'm not o cynic, or bitter, or cold; T lovo each thread of the waving gold That falls with crinkle, and curl, snd fald, Over your shoulders of faultless mold ; Your eyes that are bluo as thie heavens old, Of stir my heart with a thrill untold, But Ilove a dozen besides, I fell Into the habit when young, ma Lells s And, if T were a Denedict, I'd rebel, Or forget, and love my ncightor eo well That Grundy the story would swiftly Tho 8can mag. page of thie Lumes to sw No heart! Oh! there’s where the mischief lie The troubicsome thing will leap and rise Into oy throat when ptarry eyes (Angels, I'in sure, in human guisc) Look into mine with a swiet surprise, s It they hud just strayed out of the skles, SHIL, I never shall marry, You call mes “Bear,” A * Heathien,” “ Blase,” and say, “ You don’t cara; You'd pity my wife if ono fell ina snare T set totrap her.” I pray you forbear s Don't say what yoa Enow isn't true or falr, Without rhyme or resson, neither hero nor there, And don't Tepeat that you wouldn’t have me: It may not be gallaut, but there wa agree; Yow're a flirt; I'm a * Bear; 5o don’s you ses A more wretchied unfon could never be? Ere the'honeymoon waned 1 should piae o be {ro Liko a Neptune chained far away from tho ses. “Boen happler?” Dother! don't trouble me, Peh To think about things I should like to forgot. I have friends and money. and pever fret 1am Jolly snd free ; aud yet—and yei— Fshaw ! why waste time in 3 uscless regret? Since I'm happy now, e ollyy TWCeD o bean® '0 go beck to tha past for what * might have besa L Gan¥sT B, FRIDUS A New Baby-Washers Tho Pall Mail Gazelle is firm believer in the story that on invention isready for pareats ® acts as follows: “+ Yo simply msert the begrimed aod molss- ses-coated infant in an_ onfice, which ¢an be made of sny required size by turniog for 10 minutes » cog-wheel with electric aitachmeniy “The child ghides gently down & highls-polishe incline-plate ; ita lips are mat at its torminus bY a0 India rubber tube, from whicis the infant c4% draw lacteal nourishment. While in this cOE™ partment, which is lined with plate-glasa Ie rors, the perturbed spirit of tho infant is 500th by its frantic efforts to demolish its own imagey réflected in the glars with nickel-plated OB bined toeth-cutter, nail-knife, e and nu;&nd hammer, which are thrust into the baby’® 7 by an automatic mookey, Fatigued by its siractive efforts, the infant falls sslecp, whils tho organ atiachment plays softly the melody & ¢ Put Me in My Littlo Bod~ Then it elipt il the third compartment. Here the bsby ‘washed. Another saall tube administers s 4ot of aoolhgm; syrup, J‘and the inpm;h gllfl: frodt the machiae, 1t3 n: ared, ita hair ready for tha Bebilimonts rondered nocessary B tho fall of ozr tirst paronta.”