WEISPER3.
Oh, how the glistening waters
Whisper along on the shore,
Telling of lands in the distance,
Echoes of rest evermore.
M.vfctical islands of pleasure,
Far in the ocean of Rest,
Where the bright angels of glory
Sing in the land of the blest.
Whispering flowers are ever
Tilling of visions they know;
Lowly vrc bend if we hear them,
Their voices of fragrance are low;
Whisp'TS of melody, sweeping
Many harmonious keys,
Down from the fluttering tree-tops
Float on the breath of the breeze.
Many the voice- of nature.
If tve but lit; (en we hear;
Lver a mes.-agr. to cheer us,
Never with tidings of fear.
With the bright blushes of twilight
Blending in unison fair.
Then do we whisper lo heaven
On the sweet hi'.i!se of rrajr.r.
L?ps that are tilling their minion,
Hopefully whisper of chcr,
Telling the beautiful story
Kver so precious mid !;ir.
Tis the same word tli.il the flowers,
lireezes and murmuring tide.
Bear in their musi'-a) whi.-pors
That joy may with mortals ab;J?.
-V. L
In the veal- 1875', I v. us chief office,:
of the mail steam r HJranada," trudin ;
between San Salvador and San Fiau
cisco, and on my lust trip from the Stales.
I airned at La Uni( n just as the Salva
doiian government bad received two
n w gunboats from England. In their
i ( ntr.o-t for th m vai included tint
stipulation tint the bui'ders were ti
have the vtsse's oflicerel and manned
by competent p-rsons ti instruct the
S:dad rians in their m mageinent, m
up to that period they had nexer had,
ft iy tit: am vessels in their riavy, nd s )
were "without any jroer olticers an
sailors to take immediate charge.
I veil lemember how trim ami ship,
shape every tiring locked about them
the diy they arrived, and how brigh
the fun shone on the snow-white hann
mocks as they were & to wed in theirs
nettings .-.round the bul walks, and the
Nailers, ned and trim in their uniforms,
moved quickly aroun 1 in answer to thy
orders piped bv the b os'n's shrill whis:
V.e. Little did I imagine On that day
that I shoul.l ever hae any furthest
interest in them, hut in what (strange;
Ways a sea fa ring man's life; drift I v.il
try to unfold in the following tale.
Oil my next trip down, one month,
later, vp had hardly dropped our anchor,
and opened our ports ready to discharge
cargo, when one of o ir quartermasters
informed me that the Senor Joaquin
Dorado, Commandah'e of the Poit,'
wished to s- c me in my room. Wonder i
ing why he should ma'.c such a partic
ular request to see me, as he usually
transacted all his b tsihess Aith the
steamer's pivser, I lepuire 1 to my room
nt one. On entering, I salut 'd him, as
he wi!h several o il -r distinguished
looking officers had take h possession oj
my limited quarters and, after exchang-,
ing the gree tings of too day with the
others, a they wore intro bleed, I asked
him in what manner I could serve him.
He begun by informing me that the
American Consul at that place, a Mr.
Leoimd, had informed them that I 1 ad
be.n a master's mate in the American
navy, nnd that 1 stood A 1 in my presenj
position as an ofiuer and d s iplinarian;
md as they were in need of just such a
man to straighten cut their t oubles in
getting office! s to take charge of tho
gunbo its, and to train the men to be
efficient, they h d coo e to me, as their
contract with the b lilders for th;?:
officers and m u for sixty days h- d
nearly expired, and up to the presenj
time they had made but little progre s,
in getting together crews sufficiently
capable to handle the boa's. They dids
not give mo much time for thought be
fore they made me a proposition, which,'
coining so unexpected was somewha':
startling, it was as follo w s : I was to bo
appointed Commodore of the Faciii-;
Squadron, consisting of two s'.e.tm gun
loats above mentioned, carrying six
guns ea !. and two sailing schooners of
four gun? each, I to h ive full control,
and to organize and train as I saw lit,
tsnbje.'t only to the orders of the Secre
tary of the Navy. I was to swear my
allegiance to the San Salvador gov-rn-ment
for the term of rive yars. and to
be released from it only in case c f war
with the United States, wheu I conld
withdraw and would I e conducted safely
through th.ir t rritory and be free to
d 'part. My salary was to be fi. e thou
sand dollars a year, payable in goI.
mi-annuilly, and any 'money th.it 1
m ght need for contingent expenses
would ij advanced by the Cemman-
uanre personalty, ana l emkliepnyit
at the end of the tirst six months. Aiter
a few more general i : marks, ay ing
they would r.turn for my answ r next
day, ut two p. m., they Avithdre w, hav
ing me standing in my doorway w. itch
ing their forms recede from sight s i
puzzled and confused that for several
moments I did not move, but fiuaPy
my numerous du!ics somewhat distract
ed my mind from thoughts of their otl'e-,
and darkness soon ended my day's
work.
Alone in my room, after writing upi
the day's log-book, and making evening
inspection, I sat down and reasoned
with my self as follows : "Now, Bob,
you luoe been slaving and toiling at sea.
for the last twenty years, and you have
not had a chance 'as vt t to rise above
your present position, 'and although it
is ollered you by a foreign nation,and
one you have not much respect for, still,
rive thousand a year and a snug berih
like this, with a good part ef vour time
ashore, don't drift by every day, so
before it gets out of your leach vou had
better make fast to it; and besides vou
have no ties to bind you to your home,
no one dependent on ycu for support
and, in fact, no one to caie what the
deuce becomes of you; but if you ar
successful in your new undertaking,
and everythingoes well, you should b'
able to lay aside a nice snug sum oil' ol
3"Qtr Ffttory, for you know up to the pres
ent time you have made but a poor show1
in savings for the amount of labor per
formed, and then, perhaps, you can re
turn to your old home in Bath and buv
n faim, or start in businsss ashore, and
(you are not such an old looking man
vet although it's a f ct your poor head
(is quite bald but that you may be able
to rind some thrifty Avoman who could
ove you for the honor and glory and
"money you had, even if it did come
.from, a foreign country; and then you
could many und settle down to house
Keeping, for you can't batlle with the
storms and gales all your life, and will
have to anchor some time, so I guess
ycu had better accept and go and tell
the caiilain."
: Arriving at the captain's room, the
door berng open, I entei ed and informed'
him of the off r made to me.
"Vhy, Great Scott, Mr. Randall' he
exclaimed, rising from hisehair, "would"
you bury yourself in this hot hole with
thes i fore'giieis for any such offer as"
that ' Why, s"r, I am astonished."
After awhile he resumed h's seat, andi
spoke more gently, trying to explain to
me that twelve hundred dollars a year,
and working night and d y was a much
pleasant er occupation, and that only!
last trip h6 had recommended me at the)
home office for promotion, but as I had)
b2en waiting only about tea years with:
the promise held out to me of receiving
command of a steamer about every voy-!
age, he dil not us a very favorably
argument, so utter trying his best tq
induce me to change my mind, and notj
meeting with success, h'i said, '
'Well, g if you think best, but yotj
will regret it, but I (tin assure you I am
very sorry to lose your services."
So the nevt day, wheu the Comman-j
dante came for his reply, I accepted hifj
oiler. He was highly elated with my
decision and urged me to t ome on shore
at once, but I referred him to the cap-j
tain, who gave his consent, sryiug thai
I could leave when the ship was loaded
and ready for sea, which would bo the
i.ext day noon.
The time soon arrived, and, packing
all my dunage in my chest, I bid all my
fellow officers good-bye, and, followed
by their best wishes for my future suc
cess, I embarked with the Commandaute
in his barge, und was rowed toward the)
fhore, while the steamer, which had;
so long been my only home, hove up.
her anchor und stormed out from thei
land-locked haibir with the American,
Hug float ing pi oudly from her peak. A,
fueling us near akin to homesickness as,
I ever felt, stole over me as I turned
again towards the shore which was to be!
my future home, for a time at least.
Our boat landed at the principal mole
or wharf of the toAvn, at the foot of tha
Calle Saint Ignac-io, where quite a
numetious crowd of the inhabitants had
congregated to get a glimpse of the
Commodore Americmo, who, they had
he.trd, was to assume command of their
fleet.
Upon disembarking I proceeded at
once to the ottco of Senor Dorado, and,
in the presence of several witnesses
swore my allegiance to the Salvadjrhm
government, as promised, upon the ac-.
ceptance of their ofl'er, after which I
proceeded on board the gunboat Ama-i
pala, rlagship of the s piadron, and
w-as introduce! to the officers and men;
then in h irge. I will n:t weary myj
readers with particulars of the routine
work which I was comprlltd to go.
through during the next three months,
suftico to : ay that at the expiration cf
that time I hal nnule a ve:y satisfactory
showing from the law recruits I had toj
work with, but I must say that I never,
m t with such a bigoted, self-conceiteel;
set of young officers in my life as the'ie!
were in th-3 Falvadorian n.uy. Mcst of
them had been on board only three,
months 1 efoie my arrival, coming front
the interior of the State, where the
n arest thing to a boat they had eveii
(cm was a dugout canoe, male from the!
tt.uk of a tree', but in that short time.
they had become possessed of the idea
that there wasn't anything afloat in any!
country that they could not defeat with
what they considered their invincible
Armanda, consisting of the two gunboats
and two fchooners, and as to seaman
si iip and ta.tics, why, Luce, or aayi
other writer on these subjects, they could
give points to; and realiy, at times, ifj
you listened to their talk in the officers'
mess room, vou would be trouble I foil
the future safety of the United Stated
or England in case war shemld be de-i
elared against them by h'au Salvador.
1 am sorry to s iy my honorable posi.ionj
had began already to lose some of its
glory, and tho thousand and one little)
incidents continually cropping upi
caused me a great deal of annoyance j
t nd further, I found, although myj
iignre shone resplendent in a gorgeou
uniform, consisting of more tl an one
ihhd gold braid and fancy trimmings,;
und 1 had always in attendance on mej
:. n ensign as nJc-de-''nnp, who would
shame the tun its -If in tha lustre of his
iirmament, that money was a very
scarce aiticle to gt:t my hands on; for if
I wanted to buy anything at the stores,
iu-t. ud of 1 eing able to pay for it like
u y riviit.' citizen, I was compelled to
a ; opt an order on the town merchants,
telling them to charge it to the govern
in n1-, and as the aforesaid goveinmenti
was very slow in r aving its bills, X
cm el not bl: me the
merchants much
if vhen an order was
in, ssnted tl ey
cuisjdit under their breaths in gjod
snong language, a id were either jus)
out of what you wanted or dieln't keep
it, and wouid refer you to some other
dealer further up or down the street.
.' Things were getting no better
when one morn ng I was highly de-.
lighted by my old quartermaster
informing me that my ohl steam
er the Uranada h:d ai rive. during
the night und lay at anchor across tho
biy. Xow, I thought, I will have u lit
tle satis'a.-tion in boarding her in all
my glory nnd tilling my old fellow of
fice iV hearts with envy ut my glorious,
array of an eight -eared buge an 1 my
lv splendent un form ami an ,'nsigii ull
of my omu; but if the tiufh ts known,
I sigh, el moie for my lettns und pa
pers and the grand dinner I' knew I
would be invited to par nke of; fori
cculd not bring my appeti'e to do jus
tice to ti e hot riery dishes gene:ally
served on the Atn&puia.
I imme diately :Vi i t d the omYer of
the day to have r.,y barge i w alleel,
and denning my lull regalia, with my
a el sauted lesid .' mo J, s e.id myse I
u in her stern sheets ; nd iluvw n y
go geous noli aw cle.uk v el. ba k. s ; s
'.o make a grai.cl a ibsIav ; s p.si;ll)
us we pulled for the ste. mcr.
Arriving alo!:-: s:l 1 v: s very cor
di illy lceh cd ar.d t e-d. et loyuilyly
everyene from the captain down, and
congratulated by all my old compan-.
ioas as a very lucky man. But Lttle
did they suimis-j that I was already be
ginning to think that after all the "hon
or connected with my new position did
not reuy me us fully as I was lei to
auti. ipate when I accepted it. I sperri
most of the d.ry oil board and really feT.
forry when duty compelled me to tuk j
my departure.
At last six m nths had pas'ed, and
with bright hopes of handling my first
siv months' hard earned s ilary, I ap
plied at the government office for it,
when I ai rived on shoie in the mornin?.
But I was doomed to n.e t with a sad
di appointment, for I wjs infoimel
that the uppivopria'ioa for my
sa'ary had not been passed,
and they could not state, owing
to the sef.i city of money, when it would
be. I informed them that notr
withstanding their statement my snlaiy
as per con ti act was now due, and that
must insist on its immediate payment,
a? I had carried cut my part of th
agreement in what I understood to be a
very satisfactory manner. But my state
ment had noptr.eptib'e effect, furtlei?
than to make the Commandante look a j
me in a "wiekd, malicious way which I
thought at the time bocV d me no good.
So I had nothing f nrlher to say, but re-,
tui ne I on bear 1 my vessel, compltte'y
de'ec'.el und disgus'ed, with my mrnj
fully made up that I would not hold
my position any longer. I immediately
wrote out my resignation, and tailing
my ensign instruct el him to take i!j
ashoie ut once ;:n I deliver it personally
at headquut ts.
Wha t w as my surprise ab Dut an houij
aft' r the t nsigu returned from his mis
sion to se i the Commandante comq
alongside with a rilo tf soldiers fronj
the fort, and imincdiit?ly upon theii
arriving: on deck order thein tojlutd
me under arrest as a traitor to the gov-,
'einmcnt, and to take me ashore an el
online me in tho fort; any epianatioi
he refused to give, und trea'c I me mori
like a dog than a man. 1 was husth d
down tho gangway in no gentle niaur
ner, and ajtually held up to ridicule and
laughet at by the sailors on the ship
which 1 ha I commanded such a short
timobefoie, who watched me over tho
bulwark as I was rowed away towards
shore.
' Upon liiy arriv al at the fort,Aith great
thought faine; s and care they removed
my uniform, I suppose to save it for
their nej:t commodore, and gave me a
suit of old things you could not call
them clothes and locked me up in a
dirty ceil full of vermin and left mo
alone to my thoughts, which I can as
sure you were not A ery pleas int.
: By eoiis'dei able entreaty I got one of
the guards to de'iwr a note to the; Am
erican C jnsul for me, askiug him td
ea'l, which Le did next day. I explain-.
0 I to him my situation, and" he assure-
me he Avyuhl do all in his power to Be
cure my immediate release.
After h s departure a long, weary
Aveek dr: gged by, and I heard nothing
from the busy outside world, and began
to think that they must have forgotten
1 was thoiv, when one day the guard
was changed audi was delighted to dis-.
cover in the new one a former boatmai
who used to do ce nsider.il l.i work for
me when I was on the mail steamer. J
had oft -i thrown u dollar or two in his:
way, and I thought now he might in:
senv? Avs y repay me for it, and I wa?
not deceived. He ygret d to inform luu
when the mail steamer arrived, ami
through his sister, who was a lum boat
.woman, tend a note on board ibr me.
' I had iow fully made up my mind to
try to get out in someway, and get on
board the sU amer if possible and escapi
to the States, i s I had more th m enough
of honor and glory in San S ilvador.
Thiee days aft. 'roar first intcrrieiv the
guard informed mo that the mail
s earner La I arrived that morning, aud
then I proceeded to put into effect my
little plan.
By promising Tc Iro, the guard, that
if he Avould help me and I got on boaid
the steamer safely, I would give h:m
fifty dollars in gold, I finally persiv-.ded
him to furnish me Avith an oi l dress and
mautilla, an 1 to find out at what time
the steamer Avas to sail again by his sis
ter Avhen she took my note oil', which I
wrote to the captain explaining my sit
uation, and ashing if Le Avould be ready
,to secret me if I h;u!d get away.
; I had notic el avIi 'Ij in prison that in
the rear of my cell facing the bay a Avin
dow Avas situated about e'ght feet above
the floor, It wi:s about two feet s p are,
ami was 3 retired by four iron c os bars
set in the stona casements on each side.
This wijidDAV opened out on to the bi s- j
tion of the old fort, and frcm there to
the shore cf the bay Avas not over two j
hundred feet, if I couidenee g t rc e sj
this space I Avould be comparatively j
safe fim observation as fa'.' as the guaros '.
were ccL'c rnea, until 1 readied t.ui
to . vi! ab )i.t u qi arter o: a nu e a a ay.
So now 1 Avaited patiently to liear
from I'olro ut what time the steamer
was to sail, and Ahat ehanc o I Avould
h ive to c irry oat my plan.
Atab:ut5 o'clock that afternoon he
informee'lme that the ste a me r was to s n'l
at 3 o'ck'ck the n(ixt m m ug, e r i s s on
as she lini-he 1 co.iliug. At the same
t rue he gave n.e the dress and man
till:. And now my time had come to act.
Poor Pedro now u'so 1 e an, I think,
to repent cf his pre m'ss, and tried to
tell me that he thought I wo.tM
be given my lib riy be f. re long if
I only wuite i patiently, und that niv
chuni'es fe r : u -ev s Avould not, be very
good, even if 1 n'i g. t out o tl.-e h-ri,
for they aaouLI b sure to a! ;h n.e be
fore I got uwuy in th stea nrr. 13r t by
a g-cat dt at f c axing a jd ll.t'eiy I a'l
last got iiim to consent to g. t h's sist r
to await me in her br.m 1 a. aboat lnli
way b. t een the ferl' urd town on ti e
b a -h. end explained to him how I in
tei cl d to es u e. an 1 is he. went n'-f
gt ard ut 8 oc'ock h crald no: 1 e Maul
ed, and th. t aV on; o i my u rival ut the
steamer his ster : h oil Id receive tin
money und I ring it ashore.
It vvas se n daik, and at s o'clock I
could her t'.ie hip' bdls striking he
ho ir us they hiy at anchor in the 1 a
and the tn in ; o" th." s pal ol' sol lie-; a
a; t'se." mar hod t .r.ngh tin- eonrt a:vi
to :elie the-g'aaid. a iei then :d' avu;
siicn: aga'n.
In a few mini b-s
pas.-ed my eel! on 1 i
r'd -r, ut el tetn t a.c'.i
wl e e th y us ;u 1 ' t
hour lje o e ancthei
the- 11JW j.u rl
w.-i',- down thcor
iGi in t the cu'e ;
l:.!i f.r half mi
:afih
wn - n y t mo to w. i k.
(.'nit l:ly takiuc" t:' v.o:..V i !. ncli,
which was all J ha 1 a a Ud at ui-ht
and a seat and table by day, I placed it, f
on end under the grated window, and i
then I took from the coiner where the,
bench stood a rope, braided out of my. ;
shirt, ami some strips of blanket which I
I had prepared, and parsing it with a, i
round tarn over the two lower bars, I j
fastened a piece of broom handle to tho j
end, making what sailois call a S aid-h f
windlass, of which I felt proud. I then j
applied my force, and the pressure soon j
drew the two Lars close together;
Quickly applying it again to the two !
upper bars, 1 went through the samq j
performance, and I founel I now hm 1
space enough so that by haul squeezing j
I could get my body through. I nowj j
waited till the guard had made his next
round, when I quickly set my I euch up j
again, and t ik:ng off nvy shoes (I bad
no stockings; the government didn t enn
courage tho wearing of them), and t iki
ing my old drees and mantilla, 1 climW
ed up to the window. I put my buni
die enitside on the sill, and after consid-j j
erable squeezing I was outside oucq '
again free. Quickly slipping on the! j
uress and throwing the n antilla over,
my htad Spanish fashion, I crawled
cautiously to the end of theB astion down
an t towards the beach.
1 had not progressed very far when I j
saw the guard on the ptomenado out-, !
side the fort turn in his rounds and lool i
toward me. For an ins'aut I was mo-, j
tionless and imagined my time hail j
come. But he was looking over me,
away across the I ay to where the mai
steamer lay, where perhaps his wife on
sister were engaged selling fruit from
their bum-boats, and calculating henw
much money they would bring home for
him to spend in whiskey next day. As
he resumed his patrol I moved faster,1
and was soon down on the beach.
I made my way along towards tho
town, keeping a blight look out for Pe
dro's sister. Just on the northern edge
of the toAvn, paitly secreted by a cluster!
of tall cocoanut trees, I found her ami
the boat, which Avas partly loaded with
oranges, limes and bananas, all ready
for a start.
As I approached, the dim light f.-oni
her torch exposed me to view. Sho
must have recognized me by my uwk
Avard Avalk, for, starting suddenly, sho
exclaimed :
"Hist, Senor, aeepii !"
I quickly approached, and told her I
would be ready to go iu a foAV minutes,
as I hud a call to make on a particular
friend of mine, only to l id him good
bye. My success had made me bold, and :u
spirit of revenge had come over me. It
hurt my pride to return to my old ship
mates and stand their jeers and jibesi
upon the awkward termination of my
glorious position, without making soma
effort so get some sitisfaction from tho
Commandante for the contemptible way
I had been treated. So epiickly making
my w:iy ucross to the outskirts of tho'
town, taking care to wulk in the dark
shade i of the. low houses, I soon arrived
at the street leading to the house of the
Commandante, situated in the si.burbs
of the town, detached someAvhat from
the other dwellings.
I made my Avay up the broad road
with its s'des lined with overhanging
palms, and knocked lightly on the open
iron-grated door. The Senor himself
answered, and with a candle in his
hand, peered through the seri-lark-ness,
and asked my business.
I kept my lace; well concealetl Avith,
my mantiila and in a disguised aoico
informed him I had a message from my
husbnnd, captain of the schooner l'opo
catepti, who would like to f et his clear
ance papers signed, as he Avished to sailj
b fore daybreak, aud that I had thei
papers.
Muttering an t a li, he opened a doon
und told me to enter, which I quickly;
did, closing the eloor behind me. Hoj
t . trued and eutered a room used as a li-i
b a ry or office on the right of the hall-,
way, I following close behind. Setting
down the c andle, he turned and rea.-heelj
out his hand as he suppesed to receive,
the p-ipeis. I ma le a sudden springj
and grasped him by the thro.it, at the
same time whispering in his ear that ifj
ho made the least bit of no se 1 would;
piiinge mv knife into his coAvardly
heirt.
Paralized and badly scared, he stood
trembling in m- power, but I did not
relax the pn s-uire on his throat one bit.
I threw b; ck the mantilla from my fac?
and he recognized me at once. I told
him I had come once again for my
money, and that I iuteudelto have it
or someone Avovdd uttimd a funeral. He
struggled hard to say something, but I
was afraid to give him enough wind or
he might make an outcry. Quickly
bt lifting the end of my mantil'a into his,
mouth, I gagned him completely, a .d;
taking oil' the ioog silk sash Avhiclij
1 e wove around his win'st, I securely
tied his hands lehind his bark, andj
thou his feet, and pro. ceded as ex-j
peditiously as possible to go through his'
pockets, his eyes, glaring Avith hatred,
following my e'.ety luo e. 3Iy searcH
was quite successful, as I found his;
Avatcli snlseas. about cue hundred
dollars in gold coin, and in the; drawer
of his desk a lag cout lining silver and;
a fine re vol t. All these things I put
into the bag of silver, and telling him
he could get my wat h from the officer
at the fort who took it from me, and
the money from the government when,
th ry passed the appropriation to pay
my salary, I bid him ' bu nosnoch s, '
and quietly stole out of the house,
e-itiekly making my wav to the l endi.
I found the girl and boat uuxioasly
awuitingnie. X time vvas to be h st.
So jumping iuto the e auoe I took my
s at in the i bow ..nd sin; in the stern.
With our paddles working vigorou-ly,
v.o headed for the stea a er i bmt a mite
a r ss the bay.
We avc re soon the re, and pushing our
Avay through the coav! of anoes al vug
side, I ciimlel th:oi;gh one of tho
freight poitiAvith a lvsket of fruit in
my hand, laid mad mv way to the en
gine room door in the be.Avee l deck.
Mr. Murray, the third assistant, wis
eui d.:ty and wj s considerably surprised
to see a woman come iti with the force
and agility I did. Throwing aside the.
mantilla from my he id, Le at one iec
ognized me. In a few words I to'.d hini
uil. Then epiickly putting fifty dollar-,
in gold in the basket rncier the fruit I
threw the mantilla oer my head once
more and returned t j Mercele s in lo r.
canoe, handing her the basket, te'l'ng
her it conttiiitd the goid a id suyii g
good-bye and thank'ng her fer all he
and Fevlroli: d c'ojo for me. I th-:i re
tiiir.el to tho cn.cpr.o r-oivi wiujv Mr.
Mimay Lad not been idle.
"Sow, Mr. Uaudall, dov.n intc the
coal bunker w-ith you," he exclaimed;
"The men are w aiting for you."
I hurried down might- fast you can
Let. The men had put one of the hatch
covers up against the side of the bunker,
and under this I crawled, and they be
gan to shovel the cc a! over the top of
me. The dust Avas awful and nearly
strangled me, and at. times I was afraid
I vvould suffocate. The sounds of the
trimme rs kept graduady gi owing faint
er to my eirs as the pile grew larger
over me und then they ccasecL
I could hear the faint rumbling of
the machinery and engine as tiny
hoisted in the coal, and after awhile the
vibrations on the steamer's side fold to
my accustonel eirs that they were
heaving up the anchor, and Ave were
soon under way. Then I begin to
breathe more freely.
After what seenu d to me alx ut twelve
hours, but which in reality was ;idy
siv, I began to hear them removing the
c al pile, a;:d in about an hour I av is
leb'used from my uncomfortable posi
tion. I was gree ted by Mr. Murray
AVith the exclamation:
"Well, Mr. Hand ill, you did have a
close call and no mistake. The Com
mandante ws.s off heie at two o'clock
this morning Avith a guard boat and
scan he I every nook and corner of the
steamer, even looking over the pile f
ci-id under which you were s-c-reted.
Ho was in an awful rage aud one of Lis
eyes Avas blaek and the skin on his fac j
all bruised. What in thunder were you
eloing to him anyhow
I replied I had given hirn a receipt
for my salary owed me by the govern
ment. The next day wo Avere well on our way
to San Franciseo, where I arrived safe
and sound, never Avanting again to -n-ter
any country's service outside of my
own, even to be a commodore.
Wonderful Human Strength.
Vcnetianello, the Italian rope walker,
although a man of short stature, avus
celebrated throughout Kurope as tho
strongest man of the sixteenth century.
He daily performed Avith a hard-woo 1
1 eani twenty f;-t u.ng and a foot squ ire.
This bcum was a heavy load for two men
of average build, yet this Liliputian
prodigy Avould Avalk about his exhibi
tion grounds with it standing upon one
end on his shoulder, juggler fashion,
aud shift it from one shoulder to the
other without the aid of his hands.
Nicholas Klunher, another sixteenth
century athlete, brought from a cellar a
cask or hogshead of Avine containing '252
gallons, without the aid of pulleys or
rope s, and afterward deposited it in a
wagon.
George le Feur, the German writer,
mentions this extiaordii ary feat in his
writings, and even says that the affidav
its of persons who witnesseel the lcmoval
of the cask were then e x'ani.
"I have seen a man," s;iys Mayohis,
the Italian bishop, "in the town of Aste,
who in the presence ejf tho Marquis of
Pescara, handled a pil ar of marble
three foet long and one loot square,
which ho cast high in the air, then re
ceived it upou his arms, then tlireAv it
up again as easily as if it had ben a
cotton ball."
Cardan writes that he once saw a man
dancing with two full. grown men in his
arms, and Avith on' seated up mi each
shoulder and a fifth clinging around his
lit ck.
Thomas TopLam, tho wonderful
strong man of th past century, per
formed many astonishing feats of
strength. He amis born at London in
1710. On the 28th day of May, 1711,
when Topham avus 31 years of age, he
gave a most wonderful exhibition when,
at Coldbath Fields, near London, ho
lifted tin ee hogshea.ls of water, weigh
ing l,83(i pounds, in the presence of
thousands of people.
Dr. Desagalicrs, the expert callel to
Avituesshis feats, says in his report:
"With his fiugeis he rolled up a very
sfrong pewter dish in the same manic r
and with the same ease as an ordinary
man would a sheet of i aper. He struck
an iron poker, a yard long and three
quarteis of an inch thick, across his
bare arm, between the elbow and wrist,
until the instrument was bent so us to
nearly form a right angle. Taking an
other poker of the same hind across the
back of his neck, ho bent it iu the form
of a horsedioe, and then made it straight
Avith his bare hands.'
A Spongy Hand and Leg.
At Balkrich, Ind., liAe s John Work
hurst, who is the unfortunate poss sser
of peculiar physical traits. Woikhrrsl
is about forty "years old and a faim la
bJier, employed near Bulkrieh and m
the neighborhood of Crawfordsville.
Three years ago he began to cxiM-iience
peculiar sensations in his right arm.
The pains were not particularly keen r.--fiist,
but they gradually grewAvorse and
weie much like those of rhuematis t;.
The same paius were felt in the right
leg, though the symptoms there devel
oped less epiickly than in the arm. This
continued seveial months, and Work-hur-t,
w ho ha 1 be en treated for rheuma
tism, experienced no relief.
After about four months a change 1k:
g iu to take place in the arm, Wing first
apparent in the hand. That member
I y'degrees changed from a horny pie -e
of flesh und bone into a spongy snb
s ance of -cul;av chara ter. Th's
change came about slow ly, but giadu illy
spread to the e lbow. The foot under
went .sindhiar changes, und the eeiili-er
spongy condition of lle-h spread to the
knee. Of co-use, a it h his hand ge ne
or incapacitate 1, Workhurst cannot
labor, an.l after consulting physicians
viihout receiving any encouragement
he is waiting to see vhit other fre aks
nature will play with him.
The altered tied' is a ehvk biown.
In perfect keeping with its spongy tex
ture, the hand and foot al sorb wat r,
though in a limit eel way. and the liquid
ean be squeeze 1 out. Workhurst's h it
aim and leg icmain noimd. One of
the odd things about his eoi dition is
that he hr.s lost in weight considerably
since the changes took place. Frcm
his app. aranc Le should weigh 1.10
ound , but Lis we'ght is 11.". It is
thought that th dVa'se, or Avl a'e.er, it
i-, has we.rked ur on him internally aud
c me I the iedie-tioh in weight. He
walks Avith a li up, but is al.e to lift tlm
st auge urm reeeldy, though the fingeis
d not move and cannot becotiolled.
Tie; c..-c he- T.ced a rieat do d f
i'ittve .t in the ne jhboih. o-t cf Work
Inrst's h-Jine.
NEWS AND NOTES FOR WOMEN.
Fans usually match the gown in color.
Fans of amber shell inlaid with ivorj
are in great request.
Miss Pose Elizabeth Cleveland is spend
ing the winter in Florida.
The newest bonnets and hats are less
large and less flat than of late.
Nettings of beads or silk cords arc
used as garnitures in many ways.
This is a furry scaon, and even the
skunk has bi:cu levied on for his coat.
Low shoes the eoW of the gown, with
hose to match, are worn for full dress.
A shoemaker says that most girls buy
shoes to fit their head? instead of theii
feet.
Palpably painted cheeks and black
dotted veils continue to belie American
taste-.
Black and colored A-clvtt cowns for
evening wear are oftt;nest made in Direc
toire style.
Black, after a long retirement, is
again popular in woolens f cr house and
street wear.
Kate Ficid says that women are
absolutely untit for the management of
public affairs.
The German Empress has ordered
several apartments in her palice to be
furnished in Turkish style.
ledicis scarfs of lace have a tine wire
to fasten them about the neck, and lo
not require to be tied or pinned.
Mrs. Shaw, the famous whistler, has
had a photograph taken of herself in
London which is over nine feet high.
Empress Elizabeth, of Austria, is so
affected by grief that she hates the sight
of human beings and prays for death.
Walking sticks arc the thing anions
London Women of fashion, simply be
cause the Queen has of necessity to use
one.
Miss Nellie Gould, the chiest daughter
of the millionaire, is brown of eye, deli
cate of look, serious of mind and demure
of manner.
The oldest daughter of Senator Allen,
of the new State of Washington, a fifteen-year-old
girl, acts as private secre
tary for her father.
A stylish and becoming use for fur is
as bands upon the sweeping trains and
hangiDg sleeves of dressy gowns of light -colored
and bright brocades.
Pure golden yellow, and ''dawn," an
exquisite golden rose lint, are highly fa
vored colors in the rich brocades used for
dinner and reception gowns.
Of late years the number of women en
tering the professions of painting and
sculpture has enormously increased in
France, Germany and Russia.
A pretty accessory to an evening cloak
is a lace cape, with a hood for wearing
over the hair, and long scarfs in front,
which hang to the foot of the; cloak.
A Japanese nun is u novelty in a Cath
olic convent. However, a young Japa
nese lady belonging to a high family will
soon take the veil to enter a Bavarian
nunnery.
FIoavcts arc likely to be the preferred
garniture for coming festal occasions, and
garlands for various uses arc shown,
graded from buds to full-blown blossoms,
with the appropriate foliage.
The "Edison mantle' is the newest
thing in the way of wraps in London.
It is named for the American inven
tor, and is said to "recall the robe of
some Venetian dame of medieval times."
Augusta Evans, the f-iruous story
writer of a generation ago, has lived for
a number of years in iMobile, Ala. Shi
is a native of Georgia aud is fifty-three,
years old. She has made a fortune from
her novels.
London ladies are wealing a sailor hat
made of waterproof e admiere. It is easily
made and should be popular in fact,
any hatter or milliner can make one.
Properly and plainly trimmed, they
should be all but indestructible.
Every Christmas Mrs. Cornelius Vander
biit, of ZS'ew York- sends 100 elolls to
the mission schrCls patronized by tho
Church of St. Bartholomew. She has
them dressed at her own home by a num
ber of poor needlewomen hired by the
day.
New Oriental laces have mitred edges,
with open ring patterns. They are
accordion-plaited, crimned or fluted, and
worn around the neck and sleeves in
wide frills. Very good imitations of
round point laces arcs used in the same
way.
The sash is a confirmed popular feature
of house tlresses, of whatever style.
There is no prescribed rule for its arrange
ment, but it may be placed wherever
most effective, and knotted, looped or
arranged in a single careless tie at front,
back or side.
Julia Ward Howe has gone on an ex
tensive pleasure tour through California,
and incidentally Avill appear on the lec
ture platform on the coast. Her Boston
home Avill be occupied during her
absence by her daughter, 3Irs. Maud
Howe Elliott.
Mrs. Mulligan, who is iu charge of the
Pension Agency at Chicago, has paid out
j over 28,000,000 to pensioners during
I the four years of her incumbency of the
' office. She is the widow of Colonel
; James A. Mulligan, one of the gallant
! soldiers of Illinois.
! The "KiDg's Daughters' will be inter-
estcd in the news from St. Louis that
! Roman Catholic women of that city, with
j the approval of their pastors, have started
I a society of "Daughters of the Queen.'
Its chief work will be to shelter hemes-
. less girls, rind work for girls out of em
ployment, and establi-h a training and
I industrial school.
Mrs. Kate Chase has almost dropped
out of notice during the last few years.
She is still as brilliant iu conversation, as
charming in manners and exquisitely
cultivated as in the old days when she
was the proud daughter of the Chief
Justice of the-United States, the unri-
i valed queen of Washington society, whose
good word was tho passport -to social
; n coruith.u.