THE CHARLOTTE MESSENGER
YOL. 111. NO. 47.
THE
Charlotte Messenger
IS PUBLISHED
Every Saturday,
AT
CHARLOTTE, N. C.
In the Interests of the Colored People
of the Country.
Able and well-known writers will contrib
ute to its columns from different part 6 of the
country, and it will contain the latest Gen
eral News of the day.
The Messenger is a first-class newspaper
and will not allow personal abuse in its col
umn*. It is not sectarian or partisan, but
independent—dealing fairly by nil. It re
serves the right to criticise the shortcomings
of all public officials—commending the
worthy, and recommending for election such
men ns in its opinion are best suited to serve
the interests of the people.
Tt is intended to supply the long felt need
of a newspaper to advocate the rights and
defend the interests of the Negro-American,
< penally in the Piedmont section of the
< arolinas.
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
{Always in Advance.)
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Address,
W.C. SMITH, Charlotte NC,
Disgruntled people should hesitate be
fore they go in with a club to hit the ed
itor. The man who is all the time put
t ing heads on copy may possibly have
learned how to put a head on an unwel
come visitor.— Somerville Journal.
A Washington correspondent asserts
*hat: “It may not be many years before
n woman will be a rare sight in a de
portment. Slowly, but sufely, they are
being got rid of under the civil service
system. Tlr y are not now seen walking
arm in arm through the Treasury corri
dor.- or standing at the windows at noon
time with fheir cups of tea. It is not
that (hey are closer to their desks. They
are not there. Since Secretary Manning
first took the Treasury port folio, and
the new order of things was begun, near
ly twenty per cent, of the women have
gone, and none have come in their places.
When a female clerk dies or gets mar
ried, resigns, or is dismissed a requisi
tion goes to the Civil Service Commis
sioners for a man to fill the vacancy. ]
was asking why this was—if it was true
that women did not make as good clerks
as men. The reply was that some ol
them made better clerks than did the
men. The trouble did not lie in that
The fact is they are hard to deal with.
Most of them depend upon the gallantry
*>f the superior officers, and are constant
ly asking favors, many of them not hes
itating or seeming to think it improper
to ask high officials—even as high as
Secretaries—to make false statements 01
violate the law in tjieir interests. The
most trouble is when examining them
for promotion. Some have not hesitated
to ask beforehand for a list of the ques
tions. So persistent are some that it re
flects upon the whole class, and the
Departments have entered upon a sys
tematic effort to get rid of them.”
Mr. Lorenz Reich, of New York, pos
sesses an autograph album that he values
it over SIOO,OOO. A reporter for the
Mail and Express, passing up Fitth ave
ivj sbc other day, dropped in to inspect
(V.e wonderful album. Mr. Reich took
t out of his safe as a mother would lift
ap her infant from the cradle, very care
tully and tenderly, and placed it gently
jpon a table. 11 is a large, ledgcr-look
ng book, with probably 200 or 250 folios
n it. On manjpof the pages the hand
writing of some of the foremost men of
thews times and of the last generation is
visible just as they wrote at that period.
The large, bold and legible signature of
Central Grant was the first seen upon
Tuning the tome. It was put there
■'•me years ago when he was in the full
‘ Movrnent of health and prosperity. A
* 'v pages back the peculiar signature of
Horace f»reply was sprawled across the
'< lio. and almost opjiosite the giant auto
graph of Thurlow Weed stands out like
1 < oln.gus overlooking the more delicate
■lame* above and beneath. The poet
VhiMier'fi name is modestly written in
sci ’* nal small and beautiful handwrit
>i'. Hundreds of other signatures ap
ar, among them senators, pocta, fttates
■ en, philosophers, divines, physicians,
i iflior- and actors. Among the doctors
Hu late Dr. Frank Hamilton’s dashing
lutograph, written some years before his
1 »tai dices- . It is a peculiar fact that
*everal cmin*at physician* who attended
General Grant in his last illness have
'heir autographs in the album, written
ong before they ever surmised that they
would be railed u,>on to administer to
«i' h a distinguished man. The familiar
signature of Chester A. Arthur is in clow*
uroximity to ijotcd editors.
TO-MORROW’S FORTUNES.
My dreams, like ships that went to sea,
And got becalmed in sunnier climes,
No more returned, are lost to me,
Faint echoes of those hopeful times;
And I have leartied, with doubt oppressed-
There are no birds in next year's nest.
The seed is sowed in balmy spring.
The summer’s sun to vivify,
With his warm kisses ripening
To golden harvests by and by.
Got caught by drought, like all the rest—
There are no bird’s in next year's nest.
The stock I bought at eighty-nine
Broke down at once to twenty-eight;
Some squatters jumped my silver mine,
My own convention smashed my slato
No more in futures I’ll invest—
There are no birds in next year's nest.
—Burdette, in Brooklyn Eagle.
EMELINE’S_ SCHOOL.
She was the dullest scholar who at
tended the school. The teacher said so.
The particular institution which sh<
attended was a little brick-rcd school
house in the Territory of Dakota. Per
haps there is more than one such ednea
tional edifice in the Territory of Dakota,
but I can’t be more definite because tha!
is about all I know concerning it myself.
Her name wasEmeline 1 Fanchcr, usual
ly called Em Fanchcr, or sometime!
Emma Fanchcr, or perhaps more fre
quently “old Fanchcr’s gal” and it was
agreed by all that she never would know
anything—not about her books—and tin
teacher was quite positive that that wa.‘
all there was to learn in this world.
Os course she learned other things
readily enough and she could learn hei
lessons as well if she wanted to, but ■ she
didn’t want to—only on very rare occa
sions. It was said that she was famous
to help her mother at home, and that sh(
was somewhat better than her brothers in
helping her father out doors and that
when it came to going after the cows on
horseback or setting a trap which would
invariably catch a muskrat, or othei
things of this nature, that she was en
thusiastic and successful, but it didn’t
raise her much in the eyes of the com
munity.
She was always shockingly familiar
with the teacher, a prim maiden lady
who had been a district school teacher
all her life and considered perfecting the
multiplication table the highest achieve
ment of man.
During the noon hour this wayward
scholar would sometimes take her scat on
top of a desk near the teacher’s corner
and sit and swing her feet and ply her
prim instructor with questions concern
ing the manners and customs and scenery
and natural products of different parts
of the country, and volunteer a bcwil-
of information concerning
the habits of the muskrat and the jack
rabbit and the prospect for a good crog,
and her latest adventure while bringing
home the cows on her favorite pony. She
would thus continue to shock Miss
Bacon, the prim instructor, till at last that
lady would be obliged to send her away
in self-defense.
So Emelinc went along for a couple of
years in the little brick-red schoolhouse.
Then she graduated. The exercises were
not elaborate—in fact they could not
have well been more simple. She piled
up her books and taking them under her
arm went home.
To the astonished Miss Bacon, who
demanded an explanation of her sudden
departure, she said:
“I’ve learned enough and I am going
to quit.”
“What are you going to do at home ?”
“Help ma and pa, I reckon.”
“But don’t you know you are only
fifteen years of age and need to go to
school more ?”
“Oh, I s’posc so—that’s what you’re
always telling me. But I guess I’ll never
learn anything at school anyhow, so I'm
going to quit. Pa and ma don’t rare
and you’ll never see me at school any
more, so good-by.” She went out the
door, but turned and gave Miss Bacon a
parting shock by adding: “Come down
to our house Saturday and we’ll go a
fishing in Dry Lake—l know where there
are some splendid young frogs for bait.”
But the worthy Miss Bacon could not
reply—the idea of her adjusting a frog
on a hook! Ho she did not go Saturday
and did not see her late pupil. In fact
two years passed and she only saw her
occasionally and then when going to or
from school she encountered her dashing
wildly along on her pony.
One day when perhaps a little more
than the time mentioned had elapsed,
Emma entered the school-house after
school had closed and as Miss Bacon was
preparing to take her departure. Sh«
was, in her own words, a “full-fledged
young lady now,’’and wascertainly quite
prepossessing in appearance, Miss Bacon
thought, compared with when she “gradu
ated.” Hhe was not large, though per
hnps a little taller than the average
young lady, and was ss strong and ac
CHARLOTTE, N. C., SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 1887
tive as ever. She was dressed with more
taste than formerly and evidently did
not indulge in her wild and wayward
habits to so great a degree, though she
had the old gleam in her eye which
seemed to tell that she could still ride
the pony as far and fast, or set a trap by
the lake with the same certainty of a
catch.
“Miss Bacon,” she said, “I’m going to
surprise you.”
“Well,” replied that lady, “go on—
you have surprised me before.”
“That’s what I thought, so I'm .going
to teach school.”
“You a teacher!” exclaimed Miss
Bacon. “Why, Emelinc, Low can you
think of such a thing?”
“Yes, got my school engaged. Goin<;
to have thirty scholars, some big boys,
too, and I’m going lo make them stani
around. If any of my scholars ever rur
away and act like I used to I’ll niak<
them wish they hadn't.**
“Well, I hope you may have excellent
success, and if I can do anything to assist
you at any time, pray let me know.”
“Oh, I’m going to get along all right
•—that’s what I’m going over there for,’
and she gave her head a decided toss ant
walked away leaving Miss Bacon musin*
on what might net happen in this work
of constant surprises.
A few weeks after, Emma went to hci
school. She found a boarding plact
near at hand and settled down with thi
determination to work hard and give the
best satisfaction that she possibly could.
The first morning she was confronted bj
the usual array. They were all sizes,
from those so small that the oxpcricncec
teacher always put them down a;
having been sent, by strategic mothers
to get them out of the way at
home, to the large boys she had spoken
of to Miss Bacon, some of w hom were not
only larger than herself, but several
years older as well; and one of them, Mr.
Edward Comstock, even grew particu
larly attentive to his teacher.
She was also met by the usual diversity
of text-books, those necessary auxiliaries
to a successful school, ranging from th(
late N. Webster’s able spelling book tc
the last work of some ambitious profes
sor who hopes to teach orthography with
out labor on the part of pupil or tcachei
with his new “system”—the former vol
ume having been the property of the
grandfather of the little urchin who
brought it and the latter having come as
a sample from the publishers to the direc
tor of the district who straightway armed
his youngest son and heir with it, de
termined to give the work a trial before
recommending it.
Likewise there was the usual range ol
studies. There was the little tot who
had yet to gain a speaking acquaintance
with the alphabet, up to the ambitious
young man who aspired to algebra and
an ornate style of penmanship, which
ran to birds and spiral-spring o*B.
It must be confessed that in highei
mathematics and pen-strokes which
swelled out at unexpected places our
teacher was not altogether at home.
But she argued that these ambitious
young men knew nothing about it either,
and therefore they could all, at least
start even.
Among the particularly bad boys was
little Johnny Dutcher, whom Emm®
found to be a particularly obstinate youth
that no amount of moral suasion, “keep
in’ in” at the noon hour or even corporal
punishment could woo from the error of
his ways.
Several weeks of school passed and
Mr. Edward Comstock, the largest bey,
remained attentive to Emma—but not
more attentive than a pupil could judi
ciously be to his teacher. One day when
the term was about half over she found it
necessary to order little Johnny Dutcher
lo sit still in his scat and make the ac
quaintance of his lesson during the noon
hour when the other children were en
gaged in a grand snow balling match
outside. Naturally this was the cause of
much grief to little Johnny—missing the
snow balling match was partly responsi,
ble for the distress, but being forced to
come in contact with his lesson was the
direct cause. Judging from the way he
recited his lesson subsequently, it would j
have been hard to conceive how such a
very slight introduction to it as he must
have hud could have caused him so much
grief. But it did and Johnny went home
plotting all manner of schemes.for rc
venge.
The next day little Johnny’s father, j
Mr Dutcher, senior, called at the school
and expressed his great displeasure at,
the way his promising son had ln en used, j
He was very awkward Almut it, and not
half so warlike as his manner at first in
dicated.
“Wot I want to say,” explained Mr.
Dutcher, “is that you ’bused my boy, an’
as one o’ the officers of this school decs
trick I’m goin’ to see if something can’t.
be done ’bout it.”
“I never abused your boy,” said Emma
firmly.
“But he says ye did. He says ye ken’
him in at noon an’ ree-ccsses, an’ it ain't
good for his health—no, ma’am, it’s very
bad on his health—it’s wearin’ on him
now—he can't stand it ’thout no
exercise.”
“I only kept him in a few times, and
it was because he never had his lessons.”
“But he says he al’ays has his lessons,
and that you al’ays keeps him in. An’
then he tells me ye pounded him with a
club.”
“Then he tells what isn't so, and you
know it!” replied Emma, with emphasis,
her anger rising.
‘ ‘ One o’ my boys lie? They don’t never
do no such thing—l brought ’em up
different from that I’ll hcv you Unner
tand! They tells the truth every time
and ye did pound poor little Johnny with
a club! Y’e hain’t no fit teacher fer a
school an’ I'm goin’ to sec cf I can’t get
ye turned out and scme’un in as can learn
the scholars an not pound ’em!”
“Sha’n’t I put him out?” asked
Edward Comstock, coming forward.
“Yes,” she said in a tone which
showed that she would hive done it
herself if she had been able. Then there
followed a very lively though short cn
counted in which Mr. Dutcher got
picked up and dropped a couple of
times, stepped on once and finally thrown
out through the door into a large snow
bank, all of which feats were accom
plished by Edward Comstock, the
largest boy in school, who was also
accused of harboring a tender regard for
the teacher herself.
But though the valorous Dutcher had
been so artistically got rid of in the
morning it. was much harder to dispose
of him in the afternoon when he called
with the remainder of the intelligent
School Board and announced that owing
to the fact that she had pounded one of
the children of a member of that Board
with a club and deprived him of needful
exercise—clearly proved by the child
himself—that they, as a Board and in
pursuance of their duties, must dismiss
her as teacher and secure another who
would not jeopardize the health of the
children of the members of that Board.
“You will teach the coming winter,
then”’
“Don’t you think I can do it?”
“Why, it doesn’t really seem as if you
would be successful as a teacher. Where
are you going to teach?”
“Oh, over in the other county. Ma
reckoned I couldn't get a certificate even
if I had studied some since I left here, but
the superintendent was a nice young man
and I smiled at him and acted real sweet,
and he gave me one with a pretty good
standing. I t?ll you it made ma open her
eyes.”
“Yes, I know,” she said, laughing,
“but another way this time. You re
member how I graduated?”
“Yes, I believe that is what you
termed it.”
“Well, there isn’t any use of gradu
ating unle-s it does you some godd, is
there?”
“Certainly not.**
Emma had expected such an outcome
of the difficulty and although she sup
pressed her feelings with difficulty, she
managed to keep them sufficiently under
control to indicate to Edward Comstock
to keep his seat, this young gentleman
having indicated his entire willingness to
come forward and throw the entire Board
out of the door if she was of the opinion
that it was for the best.
“I never hurt any of your children,”
she exclaimed, and put, her foot dewn
very firmly, “but they all need it and I
don't want to try to teach them any
longer anyhow,” and she walked away
and left them.
A few days Inter she returned home
and soon after met Miss Bacon.
“I’m sorry to hear of your misfortune,”
said that. lady.
“Oh, you needn’t be—l was glad to get
sway,’’Emma replied.
“Is that so? I’m sorry you feel that
way about it. I’m afraid the time you
gave to it has all been lost.”
“Well, I don’t know—l got engaged to
the biggest boy in the school and he’ll
• be twenty-one in the. spring, and we’re
going to be married then—l think that’s
doing pretty well.”
And as Miss Bacon thought of it and
remembered all the terms which she had
taught without accomplishing anything
of that nature she admitted to herself
that perhaps Emma had done more than
she had at first given her credit for.—•
Dakota Bell.
The Involute Rauf, the official journal
of the Minister of War, gives the effective
forces of the Czar on the Ist of January,
1880. According to this account the
Russian regular army numbered at that
time 824,702 soldiers and 80,655 Gener-,
als and officers. The reserves amounted
to 1,000,815 men. And this without
counting the Finland regiments.
SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON.
INTERNATIONAL LESSON FOR
JUNE 20.
Lesson Toxt: Second Quarterly Re
view—Golden Text: Ps. cv. ( 4!i
—Commentary by Pro
fessor Curtiss.
The Schooling of the People of Redemp
tion.—Nations rike individuals seed to go to
school. Israel was to Ikj trained in Ihn
sciences and arts of Me in Egypt, tho uni
versity of the ancient world, and afterward
in theology or religion in tho wilderness.
Sin, misfortune and famino were the instru
ments in God's hands in IntrocUictog Israel to
Egypt.
The. Beloved Son. —Unconsciously Jacob
find Joseph's brethren were eo-working with
God in the accomplishment of this plan.
God had great things in store for Joseph, and
he gave him premonitions of thciri. His
father loved him because the son of
his beloved wife, Rachel, nud perhaps because
of his goodness. For all these reasons his
brethren hated him,because of his superiority,
his goodness and father’s love, and they were
ready to kill him.
Josr-ph reminds us of that best beloved Son.
whom his brethren the Jew yiated because of
his sinlessness, and his just claims to leader
ship, whom they betrayed and crucified, and
who became the Saviour of the world
through the sin of his own people, ;is Joseph
became the saviour of his brethren.
Joseph a Ruler. —As Jesus the sinless one
suffered because of his grruhiess, so Joseph
suffered because of his virtue. He went to
prison for years rather than yield to the voice
of temptation and sin against God.
But as Jesus went through the deepest
shame and humiliation to a s *at at the right
hand of the Father, so Joseph was given a
place next the King of Egypt.
Joseph and His Brethren.— There is no
peace to tho wicked. Thay ore like the
troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose
waters cast up mire and dirt. Joseph spent
years in a prison; but we may well believe
that in all those; years 116 took more comfort
than his guilty brothers. Could they ever
forget his pure, pleading face as they thrust
him into the pit, or the falsehood they told
their father?
Before they could have forgiveness and
peaces they must experience deep repentance,
wo we Ixjford We can have peace with God,
and have the love of Christ shed abroad in
our hearts, must remem Ur that it was our
sins which nailed our Saviour to the rrous.
Filial Love.—Joseph is an example of tbc
love of children for parents in all times, ilc
did nil ho could to make the old aw of his
father happy. He was thoughtful for his
comfort, and was not ashamed to introduce
him to the proud Pharaoh of Egypt. He re
warded all his father's love in his early years
by cherishing that father in his okl age, and
then l»y honoring his memory when dead as
though be had been a King.
An Enslaved People.— At last Joseph tlied
an l all his brethren. A new king arose who
neither knew nor cared for him. This King
looked with fear on the Israelites, who were
so rapidly increasing in Goshen, on tho high
way of his kingdom to the countries of his
enemies in Palestine, the land of the Hittitea,
and of Assyria. He even commanded that
all the male children should be slain, but
under God’s care the people kept increasing.
The enslavement of Drool was only the way
to their deliverance.
The Wonderful Babe— Nothing i« small in
God’s kingdom. The destinies of thfe world
hung on the life of the Ba!>e in Bethlehem.
Herod's decree was therefore powerless
against him. So at an earlier period the
destinies of God’s chosen people were com
mitted to a little basket, and that little basket
with its precious burden was committed to
the Nile, and its keeping was entrusted to a
Hebrew maiden. Rut that child was hi the
keeping of the infinite God. The same hand
that lea the Hebrew mother to put the basket
on the waters of the Nilo was leading
Pharaoh's daughter thither, and was prepar
ing the way for this beautiful babe to become
the son of a princess.
The leader of God’s people must go to
fcchoQl, first among the Princes of tho world
in Egypt, and then like his people he was to
bo taught of God ill the awful solitudes of
the wilderness.
The Burning Bush.—All human gifts are
in vain for God’s service without the baptism
of fire, and unless God reveals himself to the
soul. The leaders of God’s host must have
a vision of the Almighty before they can
perform any mighty works. Moses was versed
in all the learning of the Egyptians, and had
had the opportunity for meditation in the
wilderness, but he was not prepared for his
work until he had seen t he burning bush.
The Passover.— The destroyer once stood at
every door in Egypt. He passed by the doors
where he saw tne blood sprinkled; lie entered
wherever he did not see the traces of the
blood, and when he came out 011a lay dead.
Christ our Passover is slain for us. If his
blood is sprinkled on our hearts wo have
peace with Hod. The destroyer cannot enter.
The soul that sinneth it shall die, and we have
all sinned, but the blood of Jesus Christ
cleanseth us from all sin. Through him we
have redemption and the forgiveness of sins.
The Path Through the Sea. —lsrael, deliv
ered from one peril, was faced with another.
There was the sea. But God said go forward.
When ho gives the word of command we are
to obey, although we are encompassed with
dungeon walls as Peter was, or although the
sea lies before us as it did before Israel. Tho
one that says “go forward " can open tho way
before us.
The Manna--The hand that opens the
way before his people can give them bread.
We cannot ask anything better for ourselves
than to be led of God; for if we are in
the way of his providence all difficulties will
disappear. We need not fear the desert if
God go before us.
The Ten Commandments. —These are ten
Inks in one chain. To break the chain u is
not necessary to break every link. He that
breaks one link has broken the chain. Ho
that breaks one commandment, as Christ has
shown, is guilty of all. The heart may have
brola-n the commandments before the hands
or feet or tongue have done so. Self worship
is idolatry. Supreme devotion to art is image
worship. Contempt of God is profanation of
his name. A worldly mind on the Lord’s day
is Sabbath-break ing. Unkind or i lighting
thoughts of parents constitute a failure tc*
honor them. Hatred is murder. Lust is
adultery. Desire of other s property which
is only field in check by law is theft. The
imputation of wrong motives toothers in our
thoughts without sufficient evidence is false
witness. Covetousness is by its very nature
a sin of the heart..
Who of us can stand before such a law and
honestly say: “I have never transgress-«t one
of them* commands”? But if we offend in one
point we are guilty of all (James ii., l(/>.
POINT* TO UK REM EM BL RED.
1. God know* how to train us for his work.
2. God gave his only and well-beloved HOll
to die for us.
8. No crow no crown ia heaven.
4. There can l*e no pardon without true re
pentance for sin.
5. We should rejoice that we may make
some return to our parents for all their lovo
to us and care of us.
6. Only Giid can wi the captives of sin
free.
7. Tliere is nothing insignificant in God's
kingdom.
Tens. $1.50 per Aim Single Copy 5 cents.
8. Servants of God must be endued with
power from on high before they can have
success.
U. Life comes through death. We live be
cause Jesus diod for us, and because His blood
is sprinkled on our hearts.
10. There are no hindrances which Go!
cannot remove.
11. All, whether rich or poor, should pi ay,
“Give us this day our daily bread. 1 ’
12. None but the spotless One has ever kept
the Ten Commandments perfectly.— Sunday-
School World.
The Mystery of the Types.
People unskilled in such matters will
stand before a compositor who sets his
type with a rapid, nervous motion, and
say: “'How can he do it!” ignoring some
gray-bearded veteran, with his steady,
inevitable “click! click!” whose “strings”
arc ten and eleven thousand ems every
day, while the nervous man may not put
up two-thirds thenurhber. Oh! how it
grates upon my feelings to see a man
stand before a case and “waggle.” That
is, lie cannot lift a single type into his
stick without that spasmodic backward
and forward movement of his body, as
though he needed screwing up at the
hips. Then there arc men, the motive of
whose existence seems to be to tap the
stick at least three times with the type
before placing in position, like a tele
graphic instrument; men whose noses
seem to be seeking bard after snuff
among the boxes, and men who let the
type fall so tenderly into the stick you
would think they were afraid of breaking
it. There are men who burrow into their
eases like prairie dogs, leaving one side
if the box piled high and dry, while the
other is bare, so that it is a regular case of
a strong cast wind, that lowers the tide,
ind shows the river bottom. It is a
good thmg to hear a case given a good
shaking up once in a while. Insomuch
they are like men, and need it.
It is better to pick up type jlowly and
jurcly than to have a fast motion, and
Irop every other one. Every printer
knows that, but he is often a long while
learning it. Some men get to be fast
compositors in a year or two. It was
live years before I attained any speed,
and when I did it was like the course of
a man who suddenly departs from tho
path of virtue—l rushed right along with
intoxicating celerity.— Arthur B.Leavitt,
in Inland Printer.
A Gruff Old Fellow.
On a railway train, a woman, pale and
careworn, sat holding a fretful child.
“Hush now; don't cry,” she said, press
ing her face against the child’s face.
“That awful man—” meaning a gruff old
fellow who sat near—“will come over
here and snap our heads off. Just look
what an awful face he is making at us.
Please don’t cry and we’ll see papa after
awhile. Oh, mercy, he is coming,” she
said, as the gruff looking old fellow ap
proached her.
“I can’t make her hush, sir,” she said,
pleadingly. “I know that it’s very an
noying, but I really can’t help it.”
“Let me take her.”
The woman, fearing to disobey, suf
sered him to take the child, who, too
much astonished to cry, meekly submit
ted. The gruff man walked up an down
the car and once the trembling woman
fancied that she saw him press the child
to ins bossom. When he returned the
little girl to her mother, the woman
asked:
“Areyou fond of children, sir?”
“I—l—hardly know,” lie replied,
looking away. “I suppose I am. I loved—
I say I received a dispatch this morning
telling me that my little girl is dead.”
Ho sat down, and a moment later, a
woman who had just got on the train
turned to a companion and said:
“Gracious me, just look at that gruff old
fellow. I wouldn't have him speak to
me for all the world.— Arhintaw Trav
eler.
In England, about two years ago, a
maiden lady of considerable wealth was
murdered and robbed in her summer res
idence. Her man servant, a man named
Lee, was suspected, arrested, convicted
on circumstantial evidence and sentenced
lo lie hanged. Three efforts were mado
to hang Lee, and each time the rope
broke. The hangman was horrified, and
the other officials shared his reluctance
to proceed with the business. When the
facts were reported to the Home Secre
tary Lee’s sentence was quietly com
muted to imprisonment for life. Now
for the climax : ltecently a woman who
was Lee’s fellow servant confessed on her
dying bed ihnt she had killed her mis
tress. She declared that Lee had no con
nection with the affair, and stated facta
strongly confirmatory of her confession.
It is some satisfaction to know that tho
Government at once ordered the release
of the man who had so narrowly escaped
an infamous death, and now proposes to
offer him a pecuniary compensation for
his injuries.
Twenty-four per cent, of Norway is
forest, '