Evening Star Newspaper, October 14, 1893, Page 7

IN THE PA GE VALLEY. CAVERNS OF LURAY. How the Wonderful Underground Palace Was Discovered. A FAIRY-LIKE SCENE. Strange Sights and Sounds in the Deep Recesses. AMONG THE STALACTITES. Written (or The Brenig Sg THAN A CEN- tury ago, according to tradition, Peter Ruffner left the home of his father in the hills of eastern Penn- sylvania and moved up the Shenandoah river to settle in the wilderness, which has since been trans- formed into the beau- tiful Page valley. With the help of his fifteen children and that of his eldest son’s flock, which also numbered fifteen, he soon had a large tract of land cleared, and settled down to farm- ing. One evening @ son was missed. He failed to answer to bis name at supper and it was learned that he had gone hunting. The woods were full of wild animals and not a few unfriendly Indians, and, fearing that he had been killed or injured, the father immediately began a search. At the end of @ week's constant searching they came to @ cave in the side of a hill, and before {ts entrance found the missing boy's flint- lock rifle. Candles were procured and short- yd he was rescued. in a famished and dead condition. There was naturally | The Organ—fish Market. great rejoicing in the Ruffner household, and in honor of the discoverer. the cavity od Ruffner's cave. . knowing of this ation of two broth- to help explore it it an object of in- were unwilling to but agreed to help the surface of ated to be se- ‘They accord- and prospected for nearly four 3 of much ridi- give up in despair, St 13 of that year, n all-day tramp, ession in the side of the hill on w the Ruffner cave is situ- ated, and. noticing aft of cold air is- suing from a crevice, they threw out the Tocks and briars and enlarged it sufficiently to admit a person. Mr. Arthur Campbell was then lowered by a rope ar was so surprised at the scene, alti 1 but dimly by the 2 3 cave, invited enter the cave the search for a new on: ingly formed a “comp about the hills and vz Weeks, became the o! cule, and were when one e while re they can intrance Hall. that he stayed long enough E Test of the party, and they nwed In search of him.. Thus, at the entrance to the realm of stalacta the three men stood, the caverns of Luray were Given to the world. As one stands in the room of the cottage today at the entrance in waterproofs, ready to deseead to the damp region below, he 13 Immediately over the place where they first noticed the draft, and as he descends that same cold air is apparent. Coats are buttoned and visitors shiver while descend- ing by the cemented steps to the entrance hall, but once inside the atmosphere be- comes much more agreeable. Strange Shapes aud Sh: ws. An electric light blinks and sputters from the ceiling and the queer forms are thus Drousht out with a statuesque likeness, casting grotesque shadows and filling one with the strange influence of a subter- we Car. © side rise dark br t out more clearly ark background. Stalactites icteles and much resembling from the ceiling and draps sten and trickle down their fall to the wet fluor or be caught ett bi he pend by stalagmites, which are thus formed and grow upward. Into the black passage-way ahead one’s eyes peer in eager anticipation, and as the guide leads the way the visitor is brought to the “vegetable garden,” a shelf-like space with @ border of natural stalagmites in- ; closing many odd forms growing bulb-like and resembling cabbages, cauliflowers, &c. Further along the hand-made walk, the theater, a large and gallery, is passed, then the natural bridge, and finally the “fish market” is reached. This latter is a row of forms on the left wall and, as they glisten with moisture, one can readily see the dark backs and whitish bellies of bass, perch, catfish and eels hung up by the gills. “Rockfish,” drolly remarks the guide. ! Odd Forms From the Ceiling. A flight of steps leads to the Elfin Ramble, where at places the floor and ceiling come close enough together to make it a tall man’s misery. Another arc light throws dark shadows behind, and soon the brink of Pluto's empty chasm is reached. It is five hundred feet long and at places seventy-five feet deep. At the further end, out of reach of the electric light, shines the tall specter, & snowy-white stalactite, apparently sus- pended over the depths. Returning along the dizzy edge, visitors ascend sieps to a balcony and are shown stalactitic draperies resembling scarfs. They are all of exquisite color and are striped in brown with a perfect eveness, which follows the symmetrical folding in ev detail. From one of the sixteen “scarfs’ protrudes a perfect baby hand, as true as any ever carved out of marble. From the draperies trickles water, silvered in candle light, and “this is the eve: shuttle that weaves the fairy fabric. The crystal spring next shown fills to the | brim a beautiful bowl of crystals of lime | carbonate, and directly above its rim hangs | @ Tow of stalactites, which come to within | @ few inches of its edge, as if to prevent |intrusion. As the guide holds his candles | benind it the lmpid water and wet stal- | actites shine like silver. | The Giant's Hall is 160 feet below the surface and contains columns and forms of ‘immense dimensions. The ceiling is forty feet high. To the left is the snow bank, the | Stalagmitic statue of Santa Claus, and the | frozen fountain, all of pure white. Coming to the Saracen's Tent, one sees great yel- |lowish draperies depending from the ceiling | thirty feet above, nearly inclosing = circu- lar space fm the form of a tent. From here | the visitor can get a good view of the Cathedral, the Organ Room and part of |lower Giant’s Hall. In the Cathedral the | size and beauty of the formations arising | from the floor, and of those depending from | its dome-like ‘ceiling, are remarkable. One | can easily imagine himself standing in a ‘The Blanket—Up From the Floor. hall described in Arabian Nights, the work | of genil. The ceiling shows where, in ages past, great stalactites broke and fell. Most of them have rotted away from the action ‘of the water and but two remain, the Fallen Column (twelve feet in diameter), and the Organ, which stands alone in the center of the room. It is a mass of drip stone, with long sonorous stalactites still attached, which give out clear musical notes ranging from treble to deep bass. The chimes on the right of this room are of a similar formation, but sound, when struck, with rich bell-like tone, and to hear them at a distance is a treat. | The different forms of “drapery” are ex- | quisitely wrought. | Further along the halls are shown the groups of stalagmitic statuary, “Christ Blessing Little Children,” the “Madonna and Child” “and the “Sleeping Infant.” |, Jn the ball room, where two romance- | loving couples came to be married, the | objects of especial interest here are the tombs of the martyrs, the vault, the lady's riding whip, the idol, Cinderelia and the | pawnbroker’s grave, which latter is marked | with a tombstone stalagmite, topped with | three perfect balls. | 4,22 Colin's grotto the forms hanging from the ceiling are very curious, and one need not stretch his tmagination far to see drag- ons, snakes, bats, skeletons and things ani mate and inanimate among them, but space | forbids details, and we can only hint at the numerous attractions to be seen here. ‘The electric light is used in the larger halls and dangerous passages, and it ex- hibits its wonderful power to bring out the innumerable objects and to heighten the contrast between white and black. It brings out with a striking effect the light and shade, which is the charm of cavern scen- ‘and renders photographing possible. ‘o animal life whatever ts found in the cave, and, although it is damp and cool always, the guide, who is old in the service, said he hes never felt any bad effects from it. In this respect, as in many others, it | contrasts favorably to Mammoth cave, Ken- tucky. ad | eee | Written for The Evening Star. A Maple in Lafayette Square. By the north entrance of the verdant square Where many climes unite fm rich array, There stands a maple like a great bouquet, Bright im the flushed yellow of a pear From sunlit western valleys, radiant, fair, And rounded out in every leafy spray, Decked as some wedding maiden of Cathay, ‘With gold embroidered ralment wondrous rare, So doth the inner growth of spirit stand, Sometimes unseen, unknown, throughout the Of storm, the wilting of heat, amid a bend Of sordid alfens, patient until the Fall, When, lo, it shines by infinite command, ‘And im perfected grace surpameth all. a. @. HEATON. Washington, October 5, 1893. A Dangerous Experiment. From Puck. Mabel—I suppose the Struckluck giris have a lot of money; but they are frightfully | common-looking. Mae—Common-looking? Well, I should say so! I know, for a fact, that they are afternoons. afraid to go out Thursday THE EVENING STAR: WASHINGTON, D. ©. SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1898—SIXTEEN PAGES. SMOKING FOR LADIES. The Wordy Battle for and Against Using Tobacco by the Fair Sex. ROYALTIES AND CIGARETTES, Noted Women Who Frequently In- dulge in a Quiet Smoke. AN OLD PASTIME FOR WOMEN. HE BATTLE OF words now raging in England between the female champions and opponents of nicotine, who debate the ques- tion of removing the social flat against fe- male indulgence ‘in tobacco, continues with the accustomed fury of disagreeing women. Lady Colin Campbell, the heroine of @ once famous and now forgotten divorce case, maintains that woman's delicate organism has far more need of the soothing influence of the cigar- ette than is required by man’s coarser clay, while Mrs. Linn Linton, to the delight of her followers, replies with very pertinent remarks about the growing tendency of woman to “throw her bonnet over the roof,” as the Frenchman would express It. More smoking is practiced in society than the outsider has any idea of, though he may know in a vague manner that the artist’s model smokes here nearly as fre- quently as in Paris and that the girl who prides herself on being abreast of the latest ¢raze knows how to roll and handle a cigar- ette with a piquant ease. Tobacco is much more generally used by womankind abroad than here despite the Sreater freedom of the American ladies. The Turkish lady takes her cigarette very Raturally, and the Russian lady imitates her with as little fear of reproach, while in Austria the tobacco business is exclusively the occupation of women. In every street of Vienna, as well as smaller towns, may be found two, or if the space allows, three daintily clad daughters of Eve with their bewitching smiles and charming ways, who sell the fragrant weed, and many a young student squanders time and money for the sake of a chat with the pretty cigar girl, and for the delight of smoking one of her wares, the flavor of which has been made more delightful by its contact with the roxy lips of the fair salesiady, for she will never refuse to light the cigar or cigarette for small compensation. Vienna has but one large cigar shop, frequented principally by strangers, and here six of the fair sex at- tend to the purchases of the spendthrift Americans and Englishmen to whom the aromatic Havanas are a necessity. It is considered perfectly proper for a lady to smoke and few Austrian women would re- fuse @ good cigarette. Russian women are so fond of smoking that the czar's min- ister of the interior has lately ordered the railway officials of the empire to provide smoking compartments for the exclusive use of women tn thelr regular passenger trains. The habit of smoking among Rus- sian women is universal and they are suid to be excellent judges of a cigar. The cigar- ette is, however, the favorite among both unmarried and married women; but it is an expensive habit, for not more than three whiffs are taken from each one, it being Tecognized that every puff by drawing back fhe nicotine makes the next one more ter. The higher social grades of Siberia lead a luxurious existence and some of the cigar- ette smoking belles of that region are de- scribed as possessing the voluptuous and varying charms of the eastern houris. Royal Ladies as Smokers. Among the women of royalty who smoke the Empress of Austria takes precedence. She has a passion for all physical exere! 1s a superb equestrienne, Nkes strong meat and drink and smokes from thirty to forty Turkish and Russian cigarettes a day, and fofWiany years it has been her inveterate custom to puff away after dinner at a strong Italian cigar, one of those with a straw running through It. This is brought to her every evening on a golden salver which also holds her cup of Turkish coffee. On her writing table stands always a large silver box, of repousse work, filled with cigarettes, a match-box of carved Chinese jade and @ capacious ash-receiver. Almost mechanically her majesty Mghts cigarette after cigarette as she sits in her zreat writing room at Godollo, which ts fitted up with carved oak panels and Gobelin ta- pestries, the somber hue of the walls be- ing relieved here and there by trophies cf the chase. With Luxurious Surroundings. ‘The Czarina of Russia, who is likewise one who burns the fragrant weed, smokes in a somewhat more indolent and almost oriental fashion. Stretched on the silken cushions of @ broad low divan at Gatschina, she follows dreamily with her beautiful dark eyes the rings of blue smoke that her crimson lips part to send upwards into the Perfumed air of her boudoir—a boudoir which she calls her “den,” and which is copied from one of the loveliest rooms of the Cosas with palms raising their mers against the gorgeous colors and diapered gold of the walls. Queen Marguerite of Italy 1s another of the royal ladies who see no harm in the use of tobacco. She occuples herself with liter- ature and is strongly addicted to the cigar- ette, which she smokes in the privacy of her room. Her flashing black eyes look laughingly through odorous clouds of smoke and she is wont to declare that her cigar- ette is more essential to her comfort than anything else in life. Christina, queen regent of Spain, is a Breat advocate of tobacco. She consumes a large quantity of Egyptian cigarettes, and his little majesty, Alphonso XIII, en- Joys lighting them for her. ‘The smoking paraphernalia of the beau- tiful Natalie, ex-queen of Servia, 1s of the most elaborate and magnificent description. She knows that many persons prefer one brand of tobacco to another, but they\are all equally pleasant to her. She smokes anything sent to her, and in very large quantities. The Queen of Rourrania, so well known under the nom de plume of Carmen Sylva, writes prose and verse as she smokes Le’ antine tobacco. She wears a gold cigarette case suspended to her girdle, from which she takes comfort whenever she may Please. The Comtesse of Paris, the Queen of France de jure, is fond of mild Havanas of delicious flavor, and her daughter, the Queen of Portugal, is the source of con- siderable income to the cigarette manu- facturers of Dresden. The Princess Bernadotte, crown princess of Sweden, who as an intriguing maid of honor captivated the heir to the throne, is almost intemperately addicted to the de- lights of a full-fledged cigar, a penchant which is said to be shared by the Queen sr and the Grand Duchess of jen. The Non-Smokers. ‘The Empress Augusta of Germany cares for none of these diversions. She does not trouble her head about literature, nor does she smoke, She gets up early, like a boyr- geols housewife, and makes coffee for her husband before he goes off to the drill- ground. Queen Victoria ts perhaps the only Eu- Topean sovereign who has a positive aver- sion to tobacco in all its forms. Woe be to the prince who pollutes the apartments at Windsor with its fumes. Her minis- ters, too, must be careful. On more than one occasion telegrams have been returned to her foreign secretary with a note from her majesty’s private secretary requesting that they be purified and that in future they may not smell as villainously of to- bacco smoke, for her majesty has her an- cestress Elizabeth's aversion to “an evil smell. The Princess of Wales does not herself smoke, but 1s very charitable on the sub- Jec ‘With the Men After Dinner. At the present day the practice of women remaining after dinner with the men while they smoke {s growing rapidly in high social circles in both England and America, and {t {s customary in many country houses for the hostess and some of her guests to invade the smoking room before going to bed. Cigar smoke clings to clothes and for this reason this smart little circle of women have gowns made for the smoke room, Their idea is to imitate the tea gown in form and fashion, but in a hue not too delicate for the purpose for which it is made. Brown is usually chosen. Female smoking is not a new departure. In the reign of Louis XIV we read th: the court ladies were very fond of the weed, and although the “grand monarch” had a great dislike to tobacco his daughters did not disdain to avail themselves of its solace. When they became wearied by the gravity and ctiquette of the court they frequently indulged in revelry in their apartments after supper. On one occasion when at a late hour the Dauphin had left the card table he heard a noise in that part of the palace and went to find the cause. To his amazement he saw the ladies smoking and laughing, and discovered that they had borrowed their pipes from the officers of the Swiss guard. ‘The first mention of tobacco smoking in French literature is in a letter of Mme. de Maintenon, in which she says “the Dau- phiness after the excitement and fatigue of appearing in a gala dress to receive the plentpotentiaries sent by Queen Anne to Negotiate terms of peace snuffed and smok- $4 tobacco, and found herself the better for loing so."" In Engiand ladies were smoking before King James I issued his “counterblast to tobacco.” His efforts did not check the per- niclous habit, for later Prynne, the famous Puritanical inveigher against stage plays, tells us that in his time ladies at the theater were sometimes “offered the to- bacco pipe” as a refreshment, instead of pples, which appear to have been the staple commodity, as oranges were after- ward. In 1669 Moll King died, a notorious courte- san, who was also a fortune teller, pick- pocket, thief, receiver of stolen goods and forger, as occasion demanded. Her most notable exploit was robbing the parila- mentary Gen. Fairfax on Hounslow Heath, for which she narrowly escaped hanging. Granger says: “She died of the dropsy in the seventy-fifth year of her age, and would probably have died sooner if she had not smoked tobacco, in the frequent use of which she long indulged herself.” E. 8, ——___+e-+____ VANISHED RIVER TOWNS. Transportation. From the Davenport (lowa) Democrat. It is the fashion to talk about the deca- dence of the steamboat business on the Mis- sissippi. These degenerate days, when the business 1s confined to a few rafts of logs or lumber, a short-line packet or two, and one boat a week elther way between St. Louis and St. Paul, give occasion for plenty of invidious comparisons with the old days of palatial steamers and tows of five big barges of freight, besides the loads on ihe boats themselves, of full cabin lists and fast time, of swell passengers and big profits. But the decay of the river traffic is not confined to the loss of the boats and the decrease in their number and tonnage. On shore all along the river are evidences that these days are different from those when the steamboat man was the monarch of all men. They are found with melancholy fre- quency in the dead and dying towns alung the river, not to mention those other places that were once prominent shipping points, of which hardly a memory now remains. There are dozens of such places. They were built up by the steamboat traffic in tmes when railroads were deemed nothing more than remote possibilities. They grew and prospered. They fed the steamers and the steamers fostered them. Inland towns had but small chance beside them, and were looked upon with contempt as places far in the backwoods, hopelessly remote from the channels of commerce and communication and forever doomed to small things. Well, within the memory of men who are now active on the river, Port Louisa, Louisa county, some distance below Muscatine, was @ great grain-shipping point, @ dozen big warehouses stood there, and there were dwellings, and there was a mill, and possi- bly another industry or so. The place had the promise of growth and increase. It was the place where the wheat and rye and oats and barley and potatoes of thousands of acres of rich lowa and Mississippi river bottom lands found passage on the packets and barges for the markets of St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans. Today there is not a stick or stone to remind the strang- er that men did active and profitable busi- ness there not many years ago. Till within @ few years the brick chimneys of the mill stood, near the river bank, and approaching hearer to it every year as the soft earth cut and crumbled into the water with the floods. At last the very site has been ab- sorbed by the Mississippi, and has gone down to build up a bar somewhere for Maj. McKenzie’s engineers to work and worry ever. Forty miles or so down the river, thirty years ago, stood East Burlington, The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy did not cross the river there till 1869, and there Wus @ prosperous town opposite the Iowa fown of re hame, It hud 20 yards of vee, 3 av ever it is there today. buried apa bar that chokes the channel in front of Burlington for half its width, the melan- choly. remains of two or three tow-heads and bars above there in former years, all removed by the change of currents result- ing from the construction of dams across some of the chutes above. ‘Six miles below there, on the Illinois side, in a Choquoquon chute, in former years stood another lot of warehouses similar to those at Port Louisa. The farmers of Hen- derson and Hancock counties, Illinois, used to haul their grain and other produce to them, there to await the coming of the boats in the spring. It used to be a race for the honor of being the first to enter this chute and tap those warehouses. The first boat there was sure of a load to the guards, and more than that she could not carry. Now there is not a fragment of warehouse or a suggestion that there ever was one there. ———+e+____. Irrigation in California, From the November Californian, ‘The question as to the value of irrigation in any region is not to be determined by the amount of its annual rainfall. It is the seasonable distribution, as much as th. quantity of rain, that makes the agricul- ture secure and enables the cultivator to dispense with irrigation. In many locali- tles in California the idea has prevailed that because crops of winter wheat and bartey can be grown successfully without irrigation such use of water is not de- sirable for general rural development. But it is to be noted that in those districts of the state in which no irrigation is prac- ticed, and where the lands are devoted to wheat and barley, almost exclusively little or no progress has been made in the past ten or twelve years. Dry farming has tended to decrease the number of farmers and to enlarge the area of farms through the absorption of small farms by the large ones. The substitution of machinery for hand labor has helped to bring about this unfortunate condition of things. Small farming for wheat has become unprofitable, and the tendency of wheat growing is stili to enlarge rather than to decrease the area of ranch properties, On the other hand, where irrigation has been introduced upon plains formerly devoted exclusively to the | production of grain, a remarkable Improve- ment has been brought about, as in the southern part of the San Joaquin valley. There the construction of irrigation canals and the boring of artesian wells has made wonderful changes for the better in popu- lation and wealth. The irrigated districts are peopled by smal! farmers and fruit growers, whose prosperity has built up large towns and given largely increased trafle to rafiroads, Southern California, lkewise, presents marvelous proofs of the great advantages of irrigation over de- Pendence upon rainfall. Similar examples of prosperity and progress through irriga- tion are to be found in scattered localities of northern California, as at Florin, Brigh- ton, Woodiand, Vina,’ Oroville, Newcastle, the’ Santa Clara valley and numerous other localities, particularly in the foot hills on the eastern border of the Sacramento val- ley. To Cheapen the Cost of Iron. From the Philadelphia Ledger. One of the objects of the visit of Thomas A. Edison, the inventor, to Allentown, Pa., @ day or two ago, was getting ideas for use in his new magnetic ore concentrator, which he expects will work a revolution in the fron business. He was also studying the working of the furnaces with a view of perfecting another invention which he has on hand for the charging of furnaces by machinery, by which he hopes to greatly cheapen the production of tron. He has already introduced similar ma- chinery in his ore mines in New Jersey, whereby the ore is brought to the surface at a small expense. In talking of his in- ventions for the treatment of ores and the operation of furnaces, he said he «xpected soon to be able to place northern furnaces once more in a position to compete success- fully with those in the south. By means of his magnetic concentrator he will take % per cent ore, and, by removing the for- eign matter, convert it into bricks that contain 60 per cent of fron. “O@ the Cob.” From Life. It is buried under a ‘gand-| THE TWO BROTHERS. A LEGEND OF THE CARPA- THIANS. WRITTEN FOR THE EVENING STAR BY CAR- ‘MEN SYLVA. ———— Copyrighted, 1893, by the Author. MIDST THE GROUP of the Bucegi moun- tains rise, like two gigantic teeth in close proximity, the Two Jipl, or the Two Brothers, as if look- ing at each other with flerce defiance. Between them de- scends toward the plain in foamy cas- cades the Urlatora (the hurler), which bounds on its course to its end in the Prahova river. It is sald that in ancient days the Jip! were twin brothers, who loved each other so much that one could not rest without the other, and that neither of them would accept a morsel of bread without sharing it; that even if @ question were addressed to the one, the other would reply for him, and that when one of them was suffering, the other wept and would not be comforted. These brothers were both very handsome sslender and straight as lances, fleet as their own arrows, and strong and powerful as young bears. The mother who bad brought them both into the world in the same hour regarded them with joy and pride, and, while caress- ing their crisp, short curls, would say: “Andreia and Mirca, my beautiful sons, may you both become so celebrated that — jthe stones shall speak of you here- er. These youths were of noble origin, and possessed a fine old castle on the high pla- teau of rocks, where they lorded it as if the whole earth belonged to them. Often jokingly they would say that they could marry but one wife between them, for that it would be utterly impossible to find two wives precisely similar, and that, therefore, it would be wise to give up ali ideas of marriage. But the mother was deaf to these suggestions, for she wished to hold in her arms the sons of her sons, and to hush them to sleep with her mountain songs. Oft at eventiae, while plying her spindle, she would sing to them ballads of the olden time, and the two youths would hang ten- derly about her, Andreia kneeling on a cushion at her feet, Mirca leaning over her chair and inhaling the perfume of her shin- ing plaits, through the gauze-liks tissue of the white vell with which her head was bound. na “She ig still quite young, is our mother,” said Andrela. “Yes,” cried Mirca, “she has not even one white hair. either has she any wrinkles,” said An- shall never find a wife like you,” said Mirca, as he kissed the veil which covered his mother’s head. “You eclipse them all,” laughingly said Andreia, as he caught and kissed the fin- gers which were spinning the finest flax. ed father was @ happy man,” said a. And we are happy children,” cried the other. The mother smiled at this boy-like talk, and recounted to them stories of their grandmother's time, and of the wild and Savage doings of those days. She told them of her father, who was severe and austere, and of her husband, who was even more sgvere, ‘The repasts which the three of them shar- ed together were as gay as if the house had been full of guests; but when at times @ few friends were invited, the youths be- came more silent, as befitting the honor of thelr hous: ‘Their hospitality was exemplary, and often they even slept on the ground in order to leave thelr couches for their guests. Not one friend who did not find himself happy and content in this abode of love. It chanced one day while the brothers were out hunting that they decided on traversing the rocks in quest of a bear, which was said to have lately made great devastation in the surroundipg parts. After much toll and fatigue, they succeeded in finding the mark of the beast’s footsteps, and soon the characteristic growl, added to the rolling of stones on his path, announc- ed the animal's approach in the distance. Just at the moment when Mirca was about to draw his javelin to his great astonish- ment some other arrow sped from a neigh- boring bush, and struck the animal full in the flank; then at the same moment came the ringing sound of merry laughter! The bear pulling himself together, ad- vanced on his hind feet toward the clump of trees, growling angrily, Andreia saw the danger to which the bold sportsman had exposed himself, and sprang forward to his assistance. Mirca on the contrary remained unmoved, and said, “Let him finish the chase, seeing that he began it.” But Andrela cried, “Did you not hear the laughter? It can but be that of a child. And so saying he marched resolutely to- ward the bear, which had already advanced in his direction, and thrust his hunting knife into tts shoulder up to the hilt. The bear beat the air an instant with its paws and then fell lifeless, “Oh, what a pity!” cried @ silvery voice, and forth from the brushwood issued a beau- tiful young girl clad in a short woolen skirt and wearing opinci (sandals) on her tiny feet, while a cactula (cap) of white lam wool covered her head, from which esc an unruly mass of thick brown curls. Her eyes were of that shade of n which lends itself to the coloring of minute golden spots on the iris, while the eyebrows were arched and strongly defined. From her shoulders fell a mantle of goat's hair silky and white as snow; in her hand she held a large knife similar to that of Andreia’s, with which she had stood with firm foot to encounter the bear. “What a pity!” she exclaimed again, “that it was not I who killed him!" and tears of vex- ation rushed to her eyes. Andreia grew quite ashamed of his prow- ess, and looked at the bear as if he longed to bring it back to life, for the sake of this young girl. She touched the bear with the Point of her sandal, hardly knowing what she did, but solely 'to hide her disappoint- ment. ‘The bear was still breathing, and turned heavily over on its side, at the same moment that some one pulled her hastily backward. “Foolish child!" cried Mirca, setting her up again on her feet. Astonished she raised her eyes, for the voice was identical with that of the young man who was in front of her. Equally alike were also the two faces; So great a resemblance was there that one might be mistaken for the other. Like a little child, with wide open mouth, her bright eyes glanced from the one broth- er to his twin, until all three burst out into a hearty laugh. “You are double, then,” said the young girl, “ike a filbert with ‘two kernels.” “We are in reality two nuts, the issue from the same shell,” said Andreia, “but who art you, little forest fairy? I hope you are not a sorceress in disguise, who wishes for our destruction.” Yho knows?” said she; “perhaps I am @ sorceress; my grandfather has often said so, for though I have only been eight da: with him, during all those eight days he has not once suffered from the stomach which usually so much torment him.” der you to be a sor- and carry thee off to our castle, for you have been hunting on our property without ‘mission.”” perwe have also & wicked mother in our castle,” said Andreia. “Is ‘that true?” cried the young girl, must see her then; behold your prisoner. Calling to a groom who stood near her she gave him a message for her grandfather, bade him come for her with her horses, and then taking the roughest path she set off gaily toward the castle accompanied by the thers. “Dame Roxana, the mother of the two youths, looking from her window, was puz- Zled to guess who could be the young shep- herdess that her sons were bringing home with them. Behind them came @ procession of peas- ants carrying the ol 5 they approached the castle Dame Roxana cried out with alarm: “Holy mother! Why, it is a young girl who is with them! Where can they have found her?” In a few moments quick steps and young voices were heard, first in the court, then in the vestibule, then in the hall. “Mother,” cried Mirca, “we have brought you a prisoner, a hunter who has spotled our sport. What must his punishment be?” Dame Roxana gazed anxiously on the young maiden. Very willingly would she have sent her back from whence she cam but the three young folks made such a charming group that Dame Roxana smiled with kindness and held out her hand, which the young girl took end Kissed re- spectfully. “T think,” said the dame, “that the heavi- est punishment I could inflict would be to eee} make her sit and spin for several hours by the side of an old woman like me.” “Ah! then you are under a great mis- take, the guest, “for I can spin like a fairy! Handling the javelin has not made my fingers lose their suppleness. If you think that your age would be a drawback to me perhaps I should tell you that my sole companion is my dear old grandfather, who sits all day long in his easy chair, and who drops asleep whenever I want to tell him any interesting story.’ So saying sne unclasped her mantle and Was going to lay it aside, but Andreia, with quick courtesy, took it from her hands. Then Dame Roxana removed her fur cap and raised the heavy damp curls from her warm forehead, making her appear even more beautiful than before, though the luxuriant hair which framed her shapely head was not unlike a lion’s mane. The mother, equally with her sons, looked at pterieceee called, dear child?” asked “How are you cl : ad Dame Roxana. “My name is Urlanda—an ugly name is it not? I was to have been called Rolanda, but I, was always so impetuous that still remain Urlanda.” ‘This she said in so serious @ tone, yet so fomlcal withal, that they all began to res “My grandfather lives on the other side of the mountain, I find I have wandered a long way tcday.” “The repast which 1s awaiting us will not please you the less for that, I hope,” said the mother, as she led the way to their din- ing hall, which was hung with Eastern carpets, while on the table glittered rich silver and massive goblets. The young men drank water mixed with their wine, the mother took water alone. Conversation flowed pleasantly along, sto- ries of bear hunts, the one more marvelous than the other, were recounted, and at this pastime Urlanda was by no means the least Proficient. She had a wonderful talent of relating the most incredible things as if she were giving her testimony before a justice of the peace. Much amusement also arose from her continually mistaking the one brother for the other. When Andreia wished to figure before her in the opposition character of her preserver, Mirca observed that it was he who had protected her from the bear's dying em- race. “It 18 very fortunate,” said she, “that I owe my life to both of you, otherwise it would be impossible for me ever to dis- tinguish my protector. After the repast she begged that a distaff ana spindle might be brought to her,for she wished to convince them that what she had stated as to her talent for spinning was not as exaggerated as her stories of bear hunts. ‘Then throwing @ saucy4lanee toward the brothers she commenced her work. The threads that were spun by her nimble fingers were fine as cobwebs, so even and 8o fine that even Dame Roxana was struck with admiration. “I know how to embroider well also,” said she. “It was my mother who taught me that; she embroidered like a fairy, and thought ‘to restrain my impetuousness by teaching me such beautiful work, but I had #lways finished my task and was away in ‘the fields or stables before she had time to think about me again. But now,” con- tinued she, with a sigh, and springing up from her seat, “but here are the horses, and I must be off and away, for if I stay longer with you it will be night fall before I reach home, and my grandfather knows how to scold when it pleases him. He has such bushy eyebrows, and so many deep wrinkles round them.” So saying, she ran toward Dame Roxana, kissed her hand, saluted the brothers with her caciula, and then, planting it firmly down over her thick curls, rushed out of the room like a whirlwind, and was astride on horseback in a moment. The brothers also had ordered their horses to be got ready, so that they might escort their young guest to the confines of their estate, and ail three from the courtyard below turned and bowed and wavéd their hands to Dame Roxana, who stood at her window, a serious look in her eyes, but a smile upon her lips. Without knowing wherefore there came a feeling of disquietude and anxiety within her breast, and she would gladly have called her sons to return. Urlanda was disposed to gallop up hill and down dale, and it was so difficult to prevent her being too venturesome that they were obliged to entreat her pity for the horses. “Call these horses?” said she. “Why they are but walking chairs.’ Night was drawing in as they approached her home, and she insisted on their alight- ing and making the acquaintance of her grandfather, whom they found seated in his usual chair near the stove, and strok- ing his white beard, which fell like streaks of snow over his aged breast. “Where hast thou been rambling to, my wild, willful child?” said he, not unkindly. las! I-was taken into captivity for hunting on unforbidden ground, and these are my two persecutors, who have accom- panied me home to learn if I have spoken the truth.” ‘The old man looked benevolently on the youths as they stood before him in a re- spectful attitude. Shortly the evening repast was served, and was not less gay and unrestrained than was the midday dinner at Dame Roxana’s castle, At daybreak Andrefa and Mirca set out on their return home, and were not a little surprised as they rode forth to receive on their heads a shower of flowers from a win- dow above, but, though they looked up quickly, there was no hand to be seen. From’ that day commenced a long series of pleasant visits, of rides, of hunting ex- cursions, of hours passed in agreeable con- versation. But sometimes Urlanda had ber moments of melancholy, yet she was even then the more charming when she spoke of her dead parents, of how she was left quite alone in the world except for her grandfather, who was now so old that his life must soon draw to a close, and that then she would be homeless and friendless. “What @ Teproach upon us,” said An- areia. “Are we not your brothers? Is not our home a home for you also? Does not our mother love you?” At these words Dame Roxana’s heart was sorely troubled, and yet she tenderly loved this winsome child. Some few days after this last conversation a horse's hoofs were heard rattling furiously along the mountain side, and then in the court yard, and soon Urlanda appeared, her head uncovered and her hair streaming in the wind. Pale as death, she flung herself into Dame Roxana’s arms, crying, “I be- seech you in God's name, let me remain with you. My grandfather is dead; I have closed his eyes and laid him in his coffin and was not afraid. But his relatives came—a whole band ‘of them—and quar- reled amongst themselves and even fought for the heritage; they furiously attacked me, because my grandfather had apportion- ed ‘some of his property to me, and one of them—a creature with a bald head—Ugn! even asked me to marry him! Then I grew afraid of the monster, and told him that my name was Urlanda, and that I was too ill-disposed for any oné to marry me. I do not wish for a husband; I only wish to live with you always—always—that fs, until you send me away from you.’ Dame Roxana had some trouble to un- derstand this torrent of words, and still more trouble before she could’ calm the young girl's excitement. She drew her to het bosom, laid her hand on her head, and smoothed her rebellious curls, then leading her to a little white chamber in which she had already often passed the night, told her that this should be her sanctuary as long as there remained a roof over the castle. Ur- landa flung herself into her arms, kissed her hands, and promised to be gentle and good and obedient for the future. “As calm as a tranquil lake,” said she. Dame Roxana smilingiy told her that this gentle calm would come to her when she became a happy wife. “But I never wish to be married,” said she; “I will remain always free, and’ then I shail be as gay as a bird and have no care.” Dame Roxana checked a sigh, for she heard the voices of her sons, who had come in to ask news of Urlanda, whose arrival they had witnessed, se ew A material change came over the manner of the brothers shortly after Urlanda came to live amongst them. At the commence- ment each treated her like a younger sister, but this familiarity seemed to produce a timid kind of embarrassment in the young girl. The young men went abroad also much of- tener now than usual, not together, as was their wont, but separately and in different directions, while Urlanda, who stayed at home with their mother,’ grew thoughtful and dreamy, and often shed tears when alone in her sanctuary. Unobserved she would look wistfully from one to the other of the brothers, as if en- deavoring to penetrate some secret which was carefully hidden from her. Even now sometimes she mistook one brother for his twin, though she laughed no longer at this, but ‘looked anxiously at Dame Roxana. The latter saw with deep grief a heavy cloud gradually gathering over her hearth- stone; and even more frequently than Ur- landa’ she retired herself to weep in secret, since the day when each of her beloved sons had confided to her the secret of his Ufe—the great unquenchable love for the maiden to whom she had given shelter and protection. “Think you,, mother, that my brother loves her also?” they asked in turn. “He has changed so much of late; know you for which of us her heart is the more inclined?" In vain Dame Roxana made offerings of many candles to the little church of Lespedi, hoping by these means, added to a pious pilgrimage to the mountains, that heaven would hear her prayer and avert the misery which was threatening her two sons, About this time, too, the excitement and distress of Utlanda was visibly increased, for on the same day, and utterly unknown to the other, Andrela and Mirca had each declared his passionate love for her. The young girl questioned her heart, but she loved each too well to be capabie of rendering the other unhappy; indeed, her heart, like her eyes, could make no distinc- tion between them. She refrained from to Dame Rox- ana, not wishing to cause her pain, but she had the insufferable grief of remarking how daily the brothers grew more estrang- ed from each other, and that they were less affectionate. At times even they exchanged angry words, @ thing hitherto unknown be- tween them. At length one day Dame Roxana, calling the three young folks to her, spoke to her sons in this wise— “Too long, alas!—too long already, my children, have I been a silent witness of the painful struggle within your breasts! “One of you must make a cruel sacrifice and so insure the happiness of his brother.” x must withdraw himself from this world!” said Mirca. “In heaven's name,” said Urianda, “I be- seech you let there be no quarrel, no strife for me.” “Oh, no,” said Andreia; “that shall not be, but one of us must go away of his own free will h! impious children,” cried Dame Rox- “have I then brought into the world creatures so weak, and have I so badly trained and instructed them that they have not strength to support this their first great trouble! Urlanda, before tomorrow’s dawn each must arm himself with true courage and strength of purpose.” ‘On this they all seperated. Andreia, however, entered the forest and took the path which led to ‘There, kneeling in the little church among the rocks, he prayed in this wise— “My God, give me courage! Thou kno’ est my heart. Let me not sin against my- self nor against the mother who bore me,nor against the woman whom I love! But if she hath no love for me, then grant, Holy God, that I may become stone, and 80 lose all sense of feeling and suffering By another route Mirca had also gained the church, and knelt before the altar and had offered up the same hard prayer. The young men gazed into each other's faces with anguish, and then returned silently and by separate ways to their once happy home, each one being persuaded that he was ready to sacrifice himself for the other’s happiness. vhen the following day arrived—the fatal day!—Dame Roxana presented herself pale as the vell which covered her hair—now, for the first time, streaked with gtay. The two brothers were as mournful and depressed as if they were being prepared for the scaf- fold. Urlanda alone wore a beaming smile on her face when she joined them. Her whole Person seemed to shine with a kind of transfiguration, which made her almost su- pernaturally beautiful. She seemed to have grown taller, too. In a low, sweet voice, she called to them: “Come out with me, my loved ones; it is under the roof of God’s heaven that my de- cision must be pronounced.” She walked along before them as if car ried by the wind. Her hands had grown wax like and trans- parent, her uplifted eyes were full of tears. It was only when on the edge of a fright- ful precipice that she arrested her foot- ‘Bless me, mother.” placed on the girl's beautiful head, while solemnly she gave her her blessing. “And now,” said Urlanda, in a calm, clear voice, “listen to me, my brothers, I love you both; I love you intensely, more ardent- ly than myself, more than my life, 80 I cannot give myself to either one of but whichever rescues me from this he shall be my husband.” Before a hand could be stretched out save her she sprang like a bird over crest of the rock into the immeasurable depth below, but, oh, miracle, in falling she was changed into a foaming cascade, which sparkled in the air like the veil of a The two brothers were about to precipi- tate themselves after her, but were unable to do so, for their feet were turned into rock, their hands and arms into rock, while ¢ ‘The unhappy mother flung up her arms, crying: “Oh, God! Hast thou no pity? To leave me alone to live, alone to die?” She fell to the ground, stretching out her arms to embrace her children, and as she fell she gradually changed to that soft moss with which the rocks are covered. ‘These are all still to be seen now—the wild, turbulent Urlatora, the sons waiting for sacrifice; the two Jipi—and their ten- der, loving mother inseparable from them and carefully protecting them. ee -___ They Stopped the Prince Himself. From the Chicago Tribune. The visit of the Rajai Rajagan of Kapur- thala, India, to the fair, and the attention he received, have increased the desire of the crowds on’ the grounds to see with their own eyes Asiatic potentates and touch the hem of their garments. That ts the reason that the people in Horticultural Hall evinced so much interest yesterday when they learned that a real J; ese prince, lapan who was “doing” the fair “incog.,” was then somewhere in the building. Some young ladies who were standing near the crystal cave became very much excited, and made all their arrangements to “corner” the prince in a little bower, over which many green-trunked fern trees spread their foliage. It was a spot beau- tiful and romantic enough in which to eap- tivate a prince from the Ortent. A long queued individual from the celes- tial empire, in a costume gorgeous enough to have belonged to somy long-winded Chi- nese actor, came along. The girls were certain this was the prince, although they couldn't exactly reconcile the queue with their ideas of Japanese dress. ‘One of the girls stepped before the little party, for there were three Chinamen in it, and courtesied before his supposed royal highness, and asked one of the others if he Were not the prince, “He no Melican man,” responded the Chinaman. “I know, but isn’t he the Japanese prince?” “No, he no Japana man. He washee clothes in San Flancisco. He visit me South Clark street.” But the romance of catching a Chinese laundryman under the palms and fern trees, though disappointing, did not dampen their ardor to see and talk to the real prince, Presently two dark-skinned men dressed im American clothes came sauntering through, critically examining the floral dis- Plays through blue glasses, They were Japanese, and the girls determined to ask them if they knew where the prince was. “Are you from Japan?” asked the who had before courtesied to the “ ee man.” “Yes,” replied the prince in good English; for the Uttle, yellow-skinned, black-mus- tached gentleman was no other than Prince Kornatsuno Miya, holding a position in the imperial army of the Emperor of Japan corresponding to a major general of the United States army, “We are waiting here,” said the young lady, “to see a great prince from Japan. Do you know if he is in the building yet?” “Yes,” replied the prince, smiling. “He came in some time ago.” “Do you know what part of the building he is in?” “He is in this part, somewhere.” “What does he look like?” “He 1s about my size, and looks some- thing like me.” “Is that so? I thought he would be a great big, fine-looking man, But we are ever so much obliged to you.”” The prince and his companion passed on, but presently the companion came back and gave a card to the young lady. It bore the name and title of the prince printed in | English. ——-e-___ Men Were Deceivers Ever. From Truth, George Sunger’s circus entertainments, has been for rome days at Mr. Sanger’s depot in Woodville Grove, East St. Ann's, Tottenham. Yesterday Mr. er, the manager of the depot, took two Indian amas for a walk streets. The lamas were led by Mr. Turner directed the hooked stick : i ial; hei it ; sd pl i stock road, followed by and a large crowd of efforts to divert the animal’; futile. He would not approach, and when a rront he qui ly forced a passage vigorous motions of his bs into the stable of a fishmonger, he down a man who went to the @ horse. Here Mr. Turner secured tron chain, but when he endeavored ten the elephant’s feet Swept all before him with his quickly left the stable. Then he trotted, via Highburyvale, into N. turning, and next to the rear of in Highbury New Park. A stovt before his ponderous blows, and six erections were destroyed, while much was done to the gardens. Espying ing Into the road by the side of semi-detached houses, Jim ‘&@ wooden fence and the i bal i g, ‘4 i A i! i : s f ! , HI ci ai ga2hie i ul in 354 i E @ i i # 3 é i j i; i | i i i i H ie 3 Fy He 5 i i : Fy Ry 8 j (ty i “i i i z a, th i i ! a if 3 H A rit sit =e tl i 1E U | 43 F, AB California only 5 § g, This old-fashioned girl being simply aud purely educated, whilst the pursuits of the age were narrow where the advancemente of women were concerned, a responsibility life was needed after the first blush of youth had banished. It was then that this son of importance in a family. From yese to year the boys and girls left the parentr, roof for a nest all their own. Whilst thiy position of the useful member, she act |, witl ty and cheer thes her part well, with Glenity and cheer the those who were sick, timid and sorrowful. For did not her dear hand cook all the titbits for the weak and tired invalid so invitingly, and when @ marriage was, on the tapis, it was she who with skil fingers plied the needle so tastefully and steadily, and dressed when the time came the victim for the marriage feast. —_—__-+o-—__—_ Why Women Dissemble. Mary B. O'Sullivan in October Donabor's. ‘Observant eyes may read In the folds gown much of its wearer's history; Pathetic thought will recognize the spirit decent pride prompting women to make Dest of the little they possess. Men nothing of such subterfuges, so when out work the poor fellows feel it, and look and act it, and perhaps this 1s the better ut in ye jong run. Pot women could muster up courage to «9 out on the streets with frayed edges, worn leads sa said Maud, “didn’t you promise me that on the day I became your wife 'd give up smoking?” es, dear.” “And now I find you puffing on a cigar.” “Why not, dear? I kept my promise. I didn’t smoke a bit the day you became my wife.” ——_+- e+ _—___ A Fishing Smack. From Truth. seams, wilted collars and a general alr of Seediness they might receive more pity. tham usually falls to their share; but the habit of disfembling is strong upon ther, and the hours that should be given to rest are de- voted to mending and occasionally =a] to aid in the keeping up of appearan they are more or less successful according to the amount of skill they bring to beas on the task. A_ public revision of the scale of wages paid to women employes in the different industries would bring to light many start- ling facts and furnish to reformers much food for thought. If the laborer be at all worthy of his or her hire, that hire should be sufficient for comfortable present living and provision for future exigencies, —__+0-+___—_ Similar Failings. From Texas Siftings. “I didn’t like your cake very well to- night,” remarked Gus De Smith to his land~ lady. ‘No?’ queried she. “What was the mat- ter with it?” Tt seemed to me it was a little short.” TI have noticed the same failing in Mr. De Smith,” was the terse reply, Dingley borrowed enough from his friends to pay something on account. —————""_. LanGvor. loss of appetite and strength Cured oy Bromo-Selzer—trial bottle 10 ots,