Evening Star Newspaper, June 27, 1896, Page 18

eee PART IL. John Haliburton, as he rede along, was Im high f He had done well at court, better than he hed hoped for, having, in- 1, nad a er intrusted to him that delicate handling and some cour- age. For handling, though but a novice in intrigue and in the craft that commends a man to a minister, he was confident he had enough to bring the affair to uccessful ue, and courage, he thought he had as much as any man alive. Of the nature of the packet he carried im his saddle bag Haliburton knew nothing, but that it related to matter of the deepest ymport he was convinced, more from the stern reminder of the chancellor that he would have to answer for its safe delivery with life, than from the feverish, fidg- ety anxiety displayed by the king, when he commanded him to “haud to it tooth and nail. ‘The knowledge, however, of the danger- ous character of his mission, as implied by the chancellor's words, in no way troubled John Haliburton as he rode at a canter across the moor. He had a good horse under him, a stout sword by his side, and, what was best of all, a thorough belief in himself. ‘In a word, John Haliburton was the bearer of dispatches from the court of James to Lord Hunsdon, the nobleman se- lected by Elizabeth to open communication with the king of Scots, and his orders were sr to draw bridle nor hold speech or yf any kind with any man whatso- ever, no matter of what degree he might be, until he had got them into Hunsdon’s bands—Sir John Maitland plainly intimat- ing to him at rture that, notwit _ standing every precaution to keep the affair ret, he Jully anticipated that Halibur ald 1 interce x. no ount to go from i: t to hold to his letters as the king mmanded, “tooth and until ed Hu when h bility. d, with a smile, he or had ac L could hardiy h en a fitter ma T hich Halil replied, compla think not, my ton been a man more a c¢ beth, is the aim < to prevent suc! venge the death of however, s influen rs he went as he went nd war. his qui rih ear caught Was no mis- saddie he saw him- 's name, halt!" rion only flicked his bridle and into a gallop. -S nar halt. or I fire!’ lowg the wind, but the pursuit pred the pursued and in the I hope they will bear cI draw the bridle for no man, ee Hunsdon and give over my d with that he patted the bay dit with a few encouraging words ork. her a summons flint. The riders held their d thir teeth and glared whilst the stret: ‘da nostrils quivering as the: after mile the bay he sign of distri a scream fi urried right and left, but ged. The pursuers were end of five miles as hen they sighted their quarry. “The bay for a twenty retlected n. ry! in that time I should row them he muttered, turning and looking back. But at that moment the ominous ring of & luose shoe clinked upon his ear, warning him that the game was up. whirr the Sicrm Reminder of celior. With an oath that found its echo in the shout from behind, Haliburton putled up, The the Chan- waited for a space. then drew his dag. swung round in his seat and fired. The bell missed the foremost rider, but it was for the horse immediately follow- d with a scream into the air and own upon its master with a sicken- ng crash, and before the third, who was close behind, could swerve aside, both horse and man came to the earth over the im- rediment in front. One animal was dead: the other, however, seemed unhurt, for it scrambled to its legs and made off. "But of the two riders one alone rose; his comrade bad broken his neck. With a shout of defiance John Haliburton, rising in his stirrups, dashed his discharged Weapon in the face of the advancing horse- man, drew his sword and awaited his on- set. But the rider declined the combat by reining in his beast. “By my soul, sir,” cried he, angrily, “if I Were not on the king’s errand I would gar HOW JOHN HALIBURTON LEL'VERED HIS DISPATCH. BY WILLIAM BEATTY. (Copyright, 1896, by the Bacheller Syndicate.) { over- LBs g eo ye pay dearly for this. Heard ye not my Summons? Your papers, sir, in the king's name,” he demanded peremptorily. “Marry! sir, and who may you be?” asked Haliburton, nonchalantly, as sword across his holsters and way at a fcot’s pace, a ma- t which gave his opponent, as was in- tended, the opportunity he watched for. It was a dare devil thing to do, thus to turn his back upon a foe, but with all his zashness John Haliburton had a modicum of prudence, too, that always brought him through. He did not look the kind of man to note trifles, but that was just where he had the advantage of his fellows. Things that other men beheld and heeded not, he saw and marked for use. The sun at that moment was on his left, but to the rear, so that his vn and his neighbor's shadow projected diagona!ly in front. By watching them with the tail of his eye, Haliburton could thus easily enough observe every move- ment of the man at his back, and it was well fer him that he could, for he had berely time to note his purpose and fall upon his horse’s mane, when the fellow ed. John ith! sir,” laughed “Haliburton, ironical- if I was not something pressed for time, I would fain give you a lesson that Would steady your hand. Howteit, as my besiness cannot wait now, I beg that you will excuse me.” “I am. at your command, sir, whenever you choose,” returned the other. “I should | prefer to play with you now, but I am on @uty, and may not risk the King’s dis- pleasure by mismanaging the affair I have in hand. Your name, if I mistake not, is John Haliburton.” “Well, marry! and what if it be?” “You are the bearer of dispatches to Lerd Hunsdon?” ell, marry, and what of that?” The king,” went on the other, “bade me evertake you and require these dispatches; they are withdrawn. * nodded Haliburton, ‘but what warrant have I of that?! uu have the king's command, sir, and my word as a man of honor.” “Well, faith, these be fine words, sir,” answered Haliburton, put I have my doubt of them, for werds, sir, are but air, and air will not stead a man before a king. And as for your being a man of honor, nom de Dieu, sir, ycu must be that ire so badly at a man’s and Haliburton’s mustache curled the he could not express. I acted according to my instructions,” replied the man, turning pale with an; “Well, well, give you good-day, sir, | Haliburton, saluting him. must on. “Phen you defy the king?” ‘. I am too Ileal a subject for that.”’ sir, without mere ado, will you patch cool “with aid hed Haliburto: f ind, on T Laliburtot dam in no humor for quib- John 1 the ric if the survivor was com . but the fellow was sitting on a bou head in his han John Halihn nghed 0 vu de refuse,” sneered the other, fniticant glarce at Haliburton’s een do as I was bid- Lord Hun: and with forward, out his host. exclaimed Haliburton, handling n idea had come to t well to let this f e might way further on, and that was to be st. epeated. 4 the men seem inclined to make a | desh for it, but either his courage failed or prudence warned him that Haliburton was too r to miss. He Rode Away at a Trot. “Ah, you agree,” said he, affecting to misunderstand. “I have need of that horse—the king's service requires it, was Haliburton’s re- ply; then shortly: “Dismount, sir."* “How, you want my horse—" the other was beginning, but an cmincus moverz>nt on the part of Haliburten decided him. “Well, Iam overmatched, but it may not always be so,” said he, dismounting and | making as if he would ungirth. ‘Hold, sir,” said Haliburton, sternly; “the king also requires your appoint- ments.” “But my dispatches?” said the fellow, in ne of alarm. You ferget I am a king's messenger,” smiled Haliburton, sardonically; “I will be responsible for them." Again the man hesitated, but his case was desperate, and he saw it. “Weil, so be it,” he said, bitterly; “yet if you were a man—" and he looked at the dag. “And I am one,” laughed Haliburton, “but, unfortunately, I am a king's messen- ger before all. I am sorry, sir, to trouble you, but have the goodness to step back a dozen paces.” The man did so. “Thanks, sir,” nodded Hailburton, dis- mounting. “I will requite your courtesy at a more convenient season. Give you good day!" Whereupon, vaulting into his discomfited opponent's saddle, he gave the horse the spur, and, leading his own, rode away at a leisurely trot. a PART II. “Fait he droled to himself as he went along, “I have not done so badly; the | business is more amusing than I hoped for, | and, certes, I have come off better than I deserved, for I should have seen to the beast’s shoes." The lameness, however, of his own ani- | mat retarded Haliburton more than he had looked for, and indeed increased so much that, in a while, he was compelled reluct- j antly to jraw rein and proceed more slow- | ly, and eventually, having an affection for | the horse, he felt constrained to go for- ward at a foot’s pace only. It was certainly disauie‘ing, for the after- j noon had waned, and evening itself was | srowing apace, so that there was every ; chance that he might be overtaken by | darkness before he reached a place of shel- | ter. However, having great faith in his | own luck, he kept on, hoping to get to | Some spot where he might either have his beast shod, or, if that could not be done, where he might leave it till he was free to return. Nor did his good fortune desert him, for presently he came at dusk to a house that was like to serve his purpose. It was a solitary place enough, lying in a hollow in the moorland, with never a sign of life about, but when he rode up he found he had chanced on better quarters | than appearances had promised. The host, a quiet, decent sort of man, evidently mas- | ter and servant in one, assured him that he would take every care of his beast: but at the same time he strongly advised Hali- burton to remain over night—the country round there, he said, was wild and difficult for travelers, and somewhat dangerous be- sides. If his man had been about he would have offered him with pleasure as a guide; but, as it happened, he had gone to Ber- wick the day before. After considering the matter for awhile, Haliburton concluded to do as the man suggested. The nights were then at the shortest, and a rest of an hour or so would not be amiss. Where he to go on, he might chanc? to lose his way or founder his horse. There was only one condition that caused him to hesitate, and that was that he might again be stayed either by the fellow he had tricked, or by others; but as that was a remote contin- gency, Haliburton, as we have said, con- cluded to remain. But, being a cautious man in the main, he saw to the stabling of the animals him- self, bringing the saddles away with him into his own room, when, having partaken of a hearty meal, he thought it well, before retiring, to see whether his dispatches were safe . It was a mere matter of form, but forms are indispensable at times, and on such an errand Haliburton felt that he, ought to take every precaution. Accordingly, hav- ing satisfied himself that his papers were safe, he was about to lie down when it oc- curred to him to examine those he had captured. Strangely enough, while inspecting his find, the remembrance of the fellow’s words somehow or other flashed across his mind. “I am overmatched,” he had said, “but it may not be so always.” Despite his sanguine temperament and indifference to daager, Haliburton could not altogether shake off a feeling of discomfort. For a brief moment he realized what it was to be anxious, and his anxiety was not allayed when he glanced at the packet in his hand, for it was so like to his own that when he placed the two side by side he would, had he not known the one on his right to be really his, have been hard put to it to say which was which. Fearful that he might grow confused be- tween them, he took the precaution to merk one of them at the right-hand top corner with a scratch of his thumb nail; tnen, consigning both to his adversary’s saddle, he laid himself down on the floor, rested his head on it for a pillow and fell asleep. His slumber, however, as it proved, was not of long duration, for presently, as it seemed to Haliburton, he awoke to find himself at the mercy of the man he had so lately tricked. The fellow was standing over him pistol in hand, apparently unde- clded what to do. With a bound Haliburton made to rise, but to his dismay he only rolled over like a log. He was tied hand and foot. “Well, friend,” said the man, and the prisoner could see, even in the dim light that flickered from the small lamp on the table, the smile of satisfaction on his face. He Came at Du Was Like k to a Hous: That to Serve Hin Purpose, I, friend,” s: pon in hi: ht, the wh d he, coolly re gs his Ye I Was in the ron the turn; it was is 3 now. Ye forgot t John Haliburton, and t undone y Having s much, without more ado dragged his saddle from below Ha 2's head, laid it on the table, lifted up aps and thrust his hand within, both!” he chuc si “I will be responsible for your Sas well as—" but at this point his voice faltered, then trailed off into a troubled look came into his face, ai peered down at the two packets, holding them close to the lamp the better to dis tinguish them. Malediction!* he muttered, peering more closely at them, completely at a loss to know his own. “Marry, sir sneered John Haliburton, after a long pause, during which his op- ponent had b engaged with bended brows examining the packets, unable to hide the discomposure he w: “ye seem in no great the wheel is aye turning “Let it! Howe'er it turns it will never serv. our turn,” growled the other, angrily. “The beast ye rode is lame, and when I go I will ride my own, and take the sound one with me. There is no great haste.’ “I might come Haliburton. “I think that not likel: returned the ether, uncertainty, his attention divided between Haliburton-and the packets; “the m:n keeps none; but I see no reason why I should not be assured of ye,” he added, gloomily. “Tush,” said Haliburton, laughing. will not.” “What hinders me?’ “Ma foi! a good reason. nd that is——?" “Because ye ken not which of these is yeurs,” laughed Haliburton, nodding his head in the direction of the packets. “Which means, I take it, that you do,” retorted the other, quickly. “You may take it so, if it please you,” answered Haliburton, with an assumption of indifference that evidently disconcerted the man for a moment. “Well, I do take it so, but if ye think that I am balked, ye are out, for I will go forward all the same and deliver the dis- patches to Hensdon.” Haliburton shook his head, unbelievingly. “Aye, faith will I!” asseverated the other, thinking he had gained an advantage. “What, both?” queried Haliburton, lifting his brows. “Aye, both,” returned the man, doggedly. “Marry! said Haliburton, “that may be good policy, but I doubt if it would serve hrown into, Bethink ye, by another,” taunted “¥e would fain ken why ‘Why? Why thus: Hunsdon is no fool, and even if he be, Cecil is none. Which, now, of these tway dispatches, my frien think you, is Hunsdon likely to act on? “Faith, mine,” answered the man at the table; ‘“‘mine, of which I ken the tenor. ‘When he has learnt their contents, I will “Well, friend, * * * ye see I was fi the right.” advise him wnich is mine and tell him that it supersedes yours. Bah, man! when I explain that having overtaken you and had your dispatches, the tway being so much alike, I was forced by the accident of their coming together to deliver both, as I was tnable to say which was which, he cannot help himself.”” “Ah,” said Haliburton, nonchalantly, “well, ye have the advantage of me so far as the knowledge of the contents go, but, yet, I doubt, having an inkling of what my own was meant for, I doubt if he will an- Swer your exnectations.” “And why not, sir?” “Why, certes, because he is, as I said, no fool. Iam no diplomat, but if Hunsdon use not the one that will further the end his mistress has in view, and what that is ye doubtless ken, then, marry! he kens not his business.”* As Haliburton had calculated, that stroke finished the business. At any rate, whether or no the man had really contemplated act- ing as he had said, his next words pro- claimed that he had abandoned the idea. “Well, sir,” said he, “diplomat or no, ye play a close game. It would seem, then, that neither of the packets are to reach his a for you cannot, and I may not, use em.”” hat has | “Th ms no. outgate,” rejoined Hali- burton th It Then fora-space there was a silence that was om¥ bdoken by the breathing of the “Ye saja that yours was marked, I think,” said the man, sharply, at length breaking the stillness, ‘darting as he spoke a keen glance at Haliburton. “Nay, said not so,” returned that per- son, imperturbably; “you hinted that I ken- ned yours,,and I answered you that ye might take {t so if it pleased you.” Bars id which, John Haliburton leaned ‘fis*"back against the wall and watched, his rival with a smile of amuse- rent as he scrutinized the packets each in turn, back and front, but only once again to recognize that he was discomfited. “Come, sir,” said the man, looking up, as if he had formed a resolution, “this 1s trifling. One of us must reach Hunsdon— we cannot bide here till the crack of doom. Haliburton nodded. “Will,” he corrected, “Well, will; anything in the devil's name,” answered the other. ‘There seems no other e open than to put the matter to the ‘ation of the sword. I will free you, let you choose your packet, and then fight you a I’ outrance. The man that leay this room alive may carry his dispatches whither he will.” Haliburton shook his head. “Marry,” he said, “I will only use my weapon on a gen- tleman, nct upon a common assassin. But even if ye were a man I could meet I would not cross blades with you now, for my orders were peremptory, and I may not go frem them. ‘In self-defense I am any man’: man, but I will not jeépardize the king's business in any sic fashion as ye propose. If I did, faith, 1 might come off iil, for one thing I ken not your play, and more, sir, I am not too well assured that, after having chosen the packet. I might not get a steliet in my back. It may be, for aught I ken, that ye have a knave or tway by to help at @ pinch.” it was a random shot, but it told; the eye of the man at the table wavered for a sec- ond, then drooped. “'Sdeath, what would you, then?” he said, with a shrug of the shoulders, fingering the packets nervously, and turning his back to the light, as if to study them to better ad- vantage—a procceding, however, that failed to hide the confusion he was in. “Gif ye wiil neither light nor choose I trow we are not like to get away soon. “Faith, no,” answered Haliburton, with a yawn. “Faith, no; unless ye care to ad- venture a plan I have thought on.” “Well,” said the other, “let us hear it.” “Pshaw, sir," jeered Haliburton; “ye may slower there like a eat in the dark, but ye li find nothing about me but what's hon- The plan is simpie enow, a fair ficld C and no favor. Let us wait till the light come in, mount our beasts and choose our packets—our host may held them for that matter—and then let the best man, or rather the best horse, win the da: “But how about the beasts? We may come to words thei “That may well be; but a throw of the dice will settle that—the chances of war the highest call to have first choice. What say y “Doi said the other, with just enough elation m his voice to apprise Haliburton of what would happen. PART LT. As, however, John Haliburton stood to win, no matter how th: went, he dis- posed himself to wait the coming of the morning as comfortably would permit, and v« 8 surprise, resum: had been at the table, rence, or conse with one of gr elected to he s as circumstance h to the ious that he had at courage and ry ith one eye on himself or his possessi wrapt himself In his ci down in the window seat. In this strang j fashion, the one asleep, the other nodui | With the boaes of conicntion—the p: the table between them, as if i no aceount, the fier wha d to the wa At length s n eternity of ing r and when he was pme to belir y would Rn n, the flushing | of dawn, streaking the casement warned him that the fateful moment wa Rising with at caution so as not to di: j turb the slecper, he stole across the floor, out of the ¢ Ans Time Passed the Beast Still Hell . On. sage, and opening a door at the end of it looked into the place beyond, and whis- pered something to a man, who, in the dim light of the half dead fire, looked not unlike mine host. Whoever he was, he seemed on geod terms with the speaker, for he no sooner heard what the other had to say | than he slipped the bolt of the house door and made for the stable. The man in the ©cuk, apparently satisfied, returned to the room as stealthily as he had left it, and re- sumed hjs seat. Little by little the dull, ghostly light increased in strength, the gray began to wane and warm and grow rosy, then by-and-by the table, the chairs, the rafters and the floors and the walls, the room, began to show: a bird twittered on a bough without, and then, as a flood of yellow glory streamed over the world, and another day came dancing across the hill- tops, a hundred flute-like throats piped out a welcome. When at last it was broad daylight, the man at the window arose and stretched himself, and then proceeded to call the host by hammering upon the table with pommel of his sword. ‘Send in my man,” said he, when mine host appeared; “and hark ye! what cheer have ye at hand? Give us what ye have— we are in haste.” As soon as the lackey hed come in, close- ly followed by the victuals, Ualthurton, who had been waken for some time, had his bonds undone, anc the three at once proceeded to fortify nature by attacking the viands, at which work Haliburton, a valiant trenchman, shewed that m'sfortune, whatever else It had done, had not de- prived him of: his appetite. “Perdition séize this man,” muttered the other to himsglf; “there is no disheartening him. If his spirit be as great as his stom- ach he will ret be easy overthrown.” “A long bottle for a long ride,” sald Hall- burton, jocosely, 1s he poured out the wire frofy a tall flask; “‘may you be last 1 é | fre At last the fireplace at the far end of ‘Ye seem confident, sir,” returned the other, sovrly;2*he laughs ‘who wins.” “Well, well,,I have a presentiment that I will wih. Hawbeit, if I lose I will have had my,laugh,” said Haliburton; “but come, sir, your dice, your dice; this Is not a marriage feast; the highest’ throw has the choice.” “You first,”, his dice box. “Have with you then,” rejoined Hall- burton, as helrolled the cubes upon the board.” gw 5 “Sevenj"" ejaculated his cpponent, to beat,” and he threw in turn. “ he cried; “Jesu Maria! I am safe; I have won!” he cried again, heaving a sigh as if relieved; “I choose my ain beast.” With an exclamation of vexation, Hal- iburton rose and buckled on his sword. “Let us go,” he said. “At once, sir,” answered the other with a sharp laugh; “but faith! 1f you only win by losing, ye will scarce make salt to your ail. Not troubling himself to reply to this sally, Haliburton strode out to where the two horses were being led up and down in front of the door, leaving his adversary to settle his reckoning. “Well, sir,” said the latter when at last he came out, “if you are ready, so am I,” and he handed the two dispatches to mine host as had been agreed upon. “Ye will stand between us so, sir,” he explained, “and the moment we are up ye will glye. this gentleman his choice; the pried the other, producing two men, the man at the table busy racking his braiy:tp’come at some means of over- | | reaching,,hé opponent, Haliburton wonder- ing what his plan might be. the Torn Packe fied on that head, and assured that it y { less for him to present him. ! the packet that’s left is mine. Now, sir,” he Se mounting his horse, “boot and® sad- “Ready,” answered Haliburton, vaulting into his saddle. “Come, good sir, the packet.” Mine host, standing between the two horses, held up the dispatches. Haliburton looked them over carefully for a second or two, then noting the mark he had made to enable him to distinguish his own from that belonging to his com- panion, without any further hesitation he made his choice, and put the dispatch into his bag; the other was handed to its own- €r, who,» following Haliburton’s example, disposed of it in like fashion. “Now, masters, when I say three,” said mine host. “Ay, ay,# exclaimed Haliburton and the stranger. “Then one, two, three,” cried mine host, “and.may the best man in, though, faith,” he muttered to himself as he saw the two disappear, neck and neck, over the brow of the hill, ‘thovgh faith, how is he to manage I wotna, for the best man 1s on the warst beast, albeit not so bad as that devil Kinlevin thinks.” That he had the worst mount Haliburton was aware, but it was not until about half their journey was over that his companion teok advantage of his animal's superiority to force the pace. For some litle while this person had looked to see Haliburton’s animal fall lame, but as time passed and the beast still held on and looked like stay- irg, a suspicion of the truth flashed upon him, and he determined to hazard no more with such a man. Clearly Hali- burton had bribed mine host the highest. In his betief he gave his horse the rein, and was soon out of sight, the fellow waving an ironical adieu to Haliburton as he vanished from sight. Though It was now evident beyond a doubt that he was beaten, John Haliburton, to all outward seeming, appeared in no wise crestfallen or disheartened. On the con- trary, as he rode irto Berwick iate in the afternoon, he was so little affected by his defeat as to be able to whistle a lively march Wending his way in the first instance toward Hundson’s headquarters, he there 1 ipated, that a courier had arrived an hour before with dispatches from the Scottish king. Satis- For 2 Moment the Man pwered at | 1's commissioner, H: as pre burton, tly installed at oecasioaed him. him to see whether any pr was in the noting only captain the ef on a bench h i by, a : if I did not know ye to be fl I could believe ye to be the devil himsel I wonder ye won in. Were ye not held « gal “Why, yes, sir, Tw: answered Halt burton, pushing the 1 and a glass o the b He had come to have a cor- dial dis man, who was as r to cut his throat as drink with him, but j having a mind to pur him in anot manner than by seeking a brawl, he a sumed the careless air of the soldier of fortune, and affected an indifference he did not fi ved, but I had al ut me that got “Why, yes, I was sta letter of safe conduct 2 me_ through.” “Marry, sir, your health, and better luck to your next venture—ma foi! I wonder | ye troubled to come on at all,” said the | man, with a sn “Mon Dieu! what was there left to do?” returned Haliburton, with a shrug. “I would have fared but fll had I gone back without having mplished any missio: However, better late e than never thrive. I purpose to return tomorrow.” “Why, then, belike we will go toxcther— that is, if ye vear me no ill will, for I also intend to return to court,” proposed the sir, I doubt if that would id Haliburton, “And why “God's life, drawled Haliburton, “ye should ken hest—I but make the re- mark, for, to my thinking, the court is but an ill place for a man that c his di and lames his neightor's hor: “Tush,” laughed the other, “all’s fair in love and war—these were but tricks—ye matched your wit against mine and lost. ‘Trust me, my reputation is more lkely to gain in credit by what 1 have done than to gang larkrupt. “Why, that is as may he,” returned Hall- burto! put I trow, wken the king cas his een ower this”—and he drew a packet from his doublet, the same he had chosen when starting from the inn door—“faith, sir, I trow your reputation and your craig will both be stretched to the cracking. For a moment the man glowered at the torn packet, too utterly confounded for speech, the sweat breakirg out in beads upon his brow; but at last, with a mighty effort, he fcund his voice and gasped: “Then—then the one—the one I delivered to Hunsden—” “Was mine, sir,” answered Haliburton, grimly. “I aye win by losing.” (The end.) ——— A Lesson in Civility. From Youths’ Companion. It is human nature to rejoice when a churl is taught a forcible lesson in polite- ness, and the more the rebuke is deserved the more will the lookers-on rejoice at the guilty man’s discomfiture. A case in point eccurred at the custom house at one of the ports of entry on the great lakes. ‘The inspectors were very courteous, and had been making only suprficial examina- tions of the trunks and bags of the pas- sengers, all but one of whom appreciated this leniency enough to render the in- spectors all possible aid in their work. The exception was a young Englishman, dressed in the height of fasnion, who seemed to regard the inspectors as personal enemies. When his turn came, the inspector said: “Have you a trunk, sir?” hat’s my trunk,” he answered, shortly. Will you kindly open it?” “Open it yourself!” As he spoke he threw his keys down on the top of the trunk, and looked as the inspector witha most insult- ing. expression. The inspector said never a word, but in ominous silence picked up the keys, opened the trunk, and began the examination of its contents. Beginning with the tray, he went straight through the trunk, taking out and opening everything he found. He unrolled and separated every pair of socks, unfolded every piece of underwear, and shook out and explored the pockets of all the neatly folded coats and trousers. When he had completely emptied the trunk, he “checked” it and moved on to the next, leaving the dude's entire wardrobe in a heap on the floor. The dude stood looking doubtfully at him for a moment and then exclaimed: “Here, you, who's going to put these things back?” “Put ‘em back yourself!" answered the inspector, without looking around. This the foolish fellow had to do, while the crowd laughed. be o+—_____ Rare. Frem Life. Bleach, and the girls bleach with you; Paint, and the others will; And it’s O for the sight of a real brunette When the fashion fs bleaching still! ; human barometers, so to speak. The prophesy the weather ind can = without errror THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY. JUNE 27, 1896-TWENTY-FOUR PAGES. Highest of all in Leavening Power.—Latest U.S. Gov't Report Re CONVERSING WITH ANIMALS. You Mast Talk to Them if You Wish to Make Them Friendly. From Our Auimal Feiends, The most important kindness we can do any animal that lives with us or that works for us is to talk to him. It is all very well to give our pets proper food and care, but it is not enough. If “man dot not live by bread orly,” the animal friends of man also have higher requirements. They need c»mpanionship; they need con- versation. A team of horses that work regularly togecher have their way of talk- ing with each other. A cat and her kit- tens, a pair of prairie dogs, any of our home pets which are fortunate in the com- panionship of their cwr kind, -lo not really need our intimacy; but they will never learn to love us unless we take the trouble to be agreeable to them, and they will rever be half so intelligent in understand- ing what we expect them to do, if we omit to say clearly what we want and if we are unwilling to bear out part in a friend- ly conversation. You talk to your pets, of course, boys and girls; we have not supposed that you do not. Was there ever a boy who wouldn't talk to his dog? The dog answers you. He wags his tail, looks up into your face, licks your hards, jumps about you, and when, in his opinion, the conversation grows too exciting to be carried on in an ordinary manner, he barks as loud as he can to give fuller expression to his feel- ings. Now, a boy may have a dog for a pet. and someother member of the family may have a canary. Tie boy considers his dog the finest, cleverest fellow in the world; a canary he thinks is a stupid little thing that cares for nobody and is easily fright- ened. Let him go up gently to the canary end talk to it for a moment. The little Mrd will cock Its head first on one side, then on the other, and will chirp a delight- ed answer, ending, very probably, in a ‘st of happy song. After a while it will know that boy’s voice and will show the ever he enters the room. ch the little creature to call, and to take its favorite eed or a morsal of fr If one pays no attention at it can not be otherwise know a sa ota hemp hung where window and no 1 of any sort was yp > poor little mite @ of nothing in the world but soli pment. A yi dde of a child. A woman who mother simply fed and cloth girl. Day after she let the chi around the room took in ving. ds ne! 1 that the little d could not tall soe ASTROPHOBIA, cts of ‘This Strange Complaint Are Human Baromete ommon ev ay all ns if we wish to our hearts content. hat ultra-fas pendicitis, it is not an ¢ nor do we have to go to a hospi e a surgic: and al operation performed to be has been callel Astro- pring from it are ast they are miserabie beings. those indeed who are utterly prostrated before and du irg a thunder sicrm, und sume are e thrown into spasms. It has long been known that insects and ain dom animals be approach anges in the weather. and vhe heralds of ccmirg stc not from visual chservation, but through their nervous system. Insects fly close to the ground before a storm and birds fly low to catch them. Turkeys will sniff the air and seek cover long befcre a coming. They ms, change in the atmcesphere, and, indeed, make con: ble fuss about it, too. While this quality of premonition is gen- «ral among the lower animals, it Goes not, with them reach the perfecticn attained with some afflicted human beings, those with abnormally delicate every phy ive organizations, tems and nerves attuned to cal impression, Due to Electricity. It is to the presence of eleciricity in the atmosphere and its variable effect upon the nerves of these tive subjects that may be attributed their unenviable power cf foretelling the weather and the dis- ordered state of their systems when storm conditions are present. There abounds in the air what is known as atmosphereic electricity, the existing polarity of which, positive or negative, in- Gicates respectively normal and abnormal ther conditions. It is when the air Is charged witi positive electricity that one feels “good,” so to speak; that is, one ex- perlences the bracing, stimulating effects of pure air charged with ozone. The presence of negative electricity, how. ever, has the contrary effect, and shows one of two things, either that storm con- ditions are present or are approaching. It is now well known that there are two regular tides of positive electricity in the atmosphere, the high, or maximum, which eccurs between the hours of and 12 a. m. and 6 and 9 p. m., and the low, or mini- mum, between 2 and 5 p. m. and 1 and 5 a.m. = There are those who almost every day pass through tides of feeling, which, if they do not mathematically correspond to these daily tides of electricity in the air, follow so closely as to render certain a relation between the variable states of the system and the variable states of the air. From S$ to 12 a. m. is the golden time for brain work, as all students know; from 1 to 4p. m. there are frequently a dullness and lassitude present that make hard work a task. The latier part of the afternoon the spirits revive, and between 4 and 8 or 9 o'clock is what might be called the silver period of the day for all mental labor. Storms and the Nerves. Irregular disturbances in the electrical condition of the atmosphere in storms, and especially in thunder storms and northeast storms, affect the nervous system of these impressible temperments most unpleasaat- ly, often bringing on or asgravating neu- ar waa ABSOLUTELY PURE t from his | all to than { i for | Perch Imon or they try to in Ss upon any on J teh ut comes fr frem Buck unless you are it. Here is a litti tian fish | The first sal river each season is a very valua netting its owner at least $1 Baking Powder as invit agement. Who of us, for that matter, even of the most robust cast, have not ai times felt a © mental listness and discour- sort of resonance tn the atmosphe tain “feel” in the air, which see “take ho! So to speak, and that in an un: eumatic joint, thi when the wind blowing ‘lively from the north J d Al one of the largest institutions In the country for the treatment of nervous dis- eases It has been established beyond all question and by experiments extendi period of several that over a number of instances to changes in the electrical condition of the air. There is nothing strange in all this, for all naturalists know that many plants pr dict storms with wonderful precision hours before they appear. Man with his ex and complete neryous system, and cially civilized man, is far more impri than any animal or flower. It is, therefore, not humane to despise these subtie, storm anticipating pains in nor, indeed, may we ridicule the statement of a chance infirm weather prognisticator who may claim, and p be able to prove, that he “kaows 1 to rain, ‘cause he can feel it in nis jin sible TRAPS FOR PE ‘Or Ho wthe King inher Bucksport. From the Lewiston (Me.) Journal. About this time the Penobscot river is yielding up one of its most important pro- ducts and is sending to market its own sp cial private brand of food tish, which ¢ is Taken at s ahead even of the late A. Ward's entortain- ment enterprise and is The gcnuine Penobscot salmon is with The Canadian imitstion is a vei good one, and often, very often, masquer- ades as aYankee fish in the markets, but the epicurean salmon authority will tell you that the No’ otian lacks the fin od the exquisite favor of the Pe Scot produc When y vk at th on the slabs in th pretty sure of one of two kalled” by none. a you_ma rings. ‘TI tre not shipp vetition brings prices down to n taken from the I d the Croesus who weu' t pay bh 3 This price is good for but soon ps to sey cents. From t quick to fo rkably low pri cents b with n saimon are ally Penobscot s and at who wenty and trib- tons without number. siding of in the ften to be sipas rd drift of nor i up v much to its detriment. ‘T) lar bane of the weir owner's exist- sneak into the pound and catch . SCOOP everything out of th ve it floating he shell a sucked egg to encour: places wher Is are a stuffed dummy man in th: d near the weir- : a “scarese: tual, as the seal stern is an- netly a‘ herve g general up-to-dativeness of the crow, who, i the weir for luck S small fish that get jeft hi the floor of the pound. While the trap is built with intentions on the salmon, all kinds of fish come in their h and dry on stason. Altwives, flounde . eel d an occasional shad or se help out the on’s profits. Twice @ year the United States govern- pnt fish commission buys fish for the tehery at East Orland. The ve to be kept alive and delivered to a collecting boat, which calls for them daily. r the extr trouvle the fishermen get a handsome bonus, though not so handsome of jate years as formerly. Bani Bucksport and Belfast are th prin shipping points for th are usually packed in ice in long, narrow boxes holding one large or two sinall on and an ex, rcan land a imon in Chicago in y fine and fresh ap- bearing condition, Bee so X Ray Story. From the Cleveland Post. The investigators whose names appear im the newspapers in connection with Roent- gen ray experiments are a good deal both- ered by applications from people who im- agine they have bullets or other unpleasant foreign substance in various parts of their anatomy. The story goes that not long ago a certain local scientist received the following letter Dear Sir: I have had a bullet in my thorax for seven years. Lam too busy to come to Cleveland, but hope you will be able to come Gewn here and locate the bullet, as Tam su is worth your while. If you yourself, send your apparatus, and 1 will get one of the doctors here to use it. Yours truly, —. Here is the local man’s reply: Dear Sir: Very sorry I cannot find tin to visit you. Nor will I be able to send my apparatus. If you can't come te Cleveland yourself send me your thorax by express, and I will do the best I can with it. Yours truly, —, ——<0+ Contradictory Figures, From the Chieago T Mrs. Ferguson—“George, if I shoul to care for yeu and fall in love wi handsomer man, what would you do?” une. Mr. Ferguson (with some fierceness)—"I'd sue the scoundrel for $100,000 Mrs. Ferguson (applying the corner of a handkerchief to her eye)—"And when I told you the ¢ you if y at Spot how dearly 1 me that $1 you oniy ralgia, rheumatism and other pains, as well | ‘Humph?” “Lizzie, you's a puttin’ on lugs, ain't yer 7” “Jimmie, I'm sorry I can't be ag I wuz to yer; de old m: . me fader, is a bankin’ on a lottery ticket wot he found; if it draws de booille he’s a goin’ to send me to Europe to mash a titled bloke wid blue blood a coursin’ troo his carcase!”