Abergavenny Chronicle

I (ALL RIGHTS RKSEUVED.] THE FLAilntlRDS MYSTERY BY SIR WILLIAM rJIAGnJAY, BT., Author of "The He ress of the Season, "The Rec Chancellor," The Master Spirit." &c. CHAPTER XXf. A GLASS OF WINB. Are vou all right?" Mr. Crofton. I mad e a feeble, dazed reply. Rolt turned to the table, poured out a glass of spirits, and made me drink- it. The stimulant quickly took effect, and I was able with help to stagger to my feet, and then look wund the room. An amazingly dramatic sight was there. Four uniformed policemen were guarding in custody the three men who had just so nearly been my murderers and who were already handcuffed. Almost before 1 had realised what it meant, I hvard. Rolt's voice addressing the prisoners. "Thomas Jurby, Francis Errington, alias Edwards, Auguste Marie De la Cour, known also as Auguste Bcnvoisin, I hold a warrant for your arrest. You will probably bo c harged, together with a man named Henry Richards, or Rickards, calling himself Fitz- Rich ard. with and receiving a | quantity of jewellery and plate from Glen- thorpe Hall, the property of Sir Percy Stavncr, Baronet, also various articles of jewellery stolen from Rossington Court, the residence of Philip Afchbury, Esquire; and with several robberies in other parts of the county. You will also probably be charged with an attempt to do grievous bodily barm to David Gelston, Esquire, a:nd further with assaulting with attempt to murder Francis Crofton, Esquire, on this date. And I hereby caution you that anything you may say will be taken down and may be used in evidence against you." For a moment or two all three prisoners sullenly kept silence, then Jurby said: "I have nothing to say to you just now, Mr. Rolt, except to congratulate you on your luck and smartness. I hope you wou't find one of these days there is such a thing as being a little too smart." As be finished speaking I went anxiously to Rolt. "What of Gelston? Is he all right?" "Make your mind easy," he answered re- assuringly. "Mr. Gelston is all right, or will be by to-morrow. No thanks to our friends here, though, as you shall hear, pre- sently," His words gave me welcome relief, and I I quickly recovered from the effects of my tussle. Preparations were quickly m.uie to convey the prisoners to Morningford Police Stati an, and for that purpose the carriag-.i I was brought round Which had been waiting ready to take the criminals to the railway on the first stage of their projected flight. Before a start was made, Rolt made a rapid I oxamination of the house, on which I accom- panied him. The place was deserted but 1'or the woman servant who had ooened the door I to me. The rooms were- in disorder, showing eigns of hasty preparations tor flight; beds "^cre unmade, clothes thrown about, card- board boxes and all sorts of rubbish lay in confusion on the floors, and tho whole aspect of the house had a most lH. and disreputable appearance. brou-lit very litile )' oti see, Lhese P'- ?oopblseerve d a"s Just what with them," Rolt observed, as he went rapidly from room to room. "Just what I was sufficient to get on with from day to I day, since they never knew when they ) might have to be on the movo." "The women have vanished," I remarked. "Yes. Two were packed off this morning, and Mrs. Jurby left by the 4.44," answered knowingly. The men waited till to-night to avoid rousing suspicion—and perhaps for another reason." WlKMl we went downstairs again the police and their captives were waiting in the dimly-lighted hall ready to start. At a "word from Rolt, Jurby and De la. Cour, with two policemen, got into the brougham, and a constable mounted the box beside the driver. Errington, or Edwards, in chargo of the fourth policeman, followed on foot, Bolt and I walking just behind them. My companion did not seem inclined to talk, perhaps because we were within earshot of the prisoner, and we traversed the half miles to the town in almost unbroken silence. At "The George" Rolt stopped and bade ine good night. ,?, I'll. give you a call in tho morning Mr. Crofton, and in the mean- time I°think you will find your friend Mr. Gclston going on all right. You had better let him sleep off the effects of the drug they gave him. Dr. Spackmaa has seen him, .and says there is no cause for anxiety. Good night, and congratulations——" "On being still alive?" 1 suggested with laugh. Rolt nodded. "It was a near thing, but; ajl's well I found Gelston in a quiet, if heavy, sleep, and, with a thankful heart for his escape and my own I left him and quickly tumbled, dead tired, into bed. In the morning my friend appeared as ttsual when I took him a cup of tea, only complaining of a racking headache. "1 must have had a bad time last even- ing," he said, with unconscious naivete. ■"That fellow Jurby's port wine "Ail right, old fellow," I interrupted laughingly. "Our precious friends at Morningford Place did their best to give us both a bad time, but they won't try it on again in a hurry." He stared at me in surprise. "Nott IWhy. what has happened? "Thev are just now in the cells of the local police station," I answered. "I'll tell jou the rest when you are up." •A bout half-past ten Rolt was announced. Gelston had just appeared, still feeling and dizzy. "Glad to see you up so soon, Mr. Gel- ston." was the visitor's cheety greeting. "Thanks. I don't know what happened to me last evening," he said dully. I "-N(), you don't," was Rolt's pointed re- sponse. "That is just what I have come to tell you." YesY But first of all, Mr. G-elston, I want you to be kind enough to enlighten me as to wh,t happened to you at Morningford Placo previous to the time you lost your senses. 1. am sorry to trouble you just now, but it is intportant that I should be in possession of all the facts without delay." "Oh, I am only too glad, Gelston re- sponded. I went up to Morningford Place as usual, to get the last sitting for Mrs. -Jurby s portrait. I expoeted to finish it off in a couple of hours, and did so, but Jurby came in and made a lot of suggestions for alight alterations, so that between painting and arguing I was kept at work till nearly dark. Then Mrs. Jurby left the room-" "Casually, I suppose. She did not sav good-bye or suggest that she was leaving 1" the place?" Rolt put in. "Oh, no; nothing of the Bart," Gelston answered. "Jurby stayed with me talking while I packed up my paraphernalia. He was very gushing, expressed his entire satisfaction with the portrait, and their regret that the sittings had come to an end. "Don't hurry -away," he said, "let us have a little chat and a cigar. I am doping to employ your brush again before long either liere or in town." In the circumstances I could not very well refuse to stay for half-an-bnur. He went into the study, where a very hot fire was burning. Jurby fusse d about, looking for a cigar-box, and in doing so he moved a bottle standing in a straw envelope on a i bureau. I "Ah, now," he said, "this is something special. This is some very fine '47 port; we must just have a glass of it, and before we moke, or we shan't 1 nsto the flavour." He tossed the envelope into the wasto- paper basket, took a corkscrew from a drawer and opened the bottle. From a corner cupboard he produced two rather large glasses which he filled, and handed one to me. "There, my boy," he said, tell me what you think of that. There is not much left of i' now, so it behoves a man to drink it n he gets thechauce." I suppose he j J it on me on account of my having j,nested against his opening the bo Hie for me. "Well, I did'n't think much of the wine; it had a curious aromatic tas?, but then I am not a jud?e, and could not well say so. Anyhow I had to finish the glass, though refusing a second, and then we lighted our cigars. Jurby did all the talking in hia j fluid style, and I soon began to feel unusu- ally sleepy. I put it down to the hot room, the liberal ,Iiss of port wine, and the cigar, which seemed fairly strong. Naturally I did my best not to be guilty of the bad manners of being sent to sleep by my host's talk, but it was no use; I could not keep awake, the soporific effect became irresistible, and I finaily went off dead asleep. From that moment I know no more till I awoke this morning in my bed here." "Doubtless, Mr. Gelston, you will say it was just as well you knew nothing of what happened to you la$t evening- when you hear what it was." "Tell me." j Rolt lighted a fresh cigarette and coolly began his storv. CHAPTER XXII. I JURI;Y"S EXPEDIENT. "Luckily for you—for you might easily, as well as your friend, Mr. Crofton, have ben at' this moment awaiting a coroner's inquest—1 happened late yesterday after- noon to be keeping observation on Morning- ford Place and its inmates. I had got all the evidence I wanted against then, but it was desirable that we should, if possible, take no decisive step down here until Richards—or, as he has called himself, Fitz- Richard—had been run d'own and arrested in London. I had an idea that you, Mr. Gelston, were still on the premises, and there were in my mind strong reasons for suspecting that foul play might be resorted to. As a matter of fact, though it was, perhaps, not likely to occur to you, Jurby had cause to believe you were in a position to give some very damning evidence against him." "I?" Gelston exclaimed in surprise. Then in a flash of enlightenment he added, "He was never the man I saw through the win- dow at Flambartfs ? "We won't be too sure about that," Rolt replied with an enigmatical smile. "Any- how, Jurby seems to have held serious doubts on the subject, which accounts for the attention he has paid you lately. He is no fool, and he has taken care to keep you within striking distance. Well, to return to what happened last evening. I had a chilly post of observation among the bushes commanding the front of the house, but pre- sently my patience was rewarded when the front door opened and Jurby appeared, half dragging, half carrying you out cf the house. "I must tell you, what Mr. Crofton will have already discovered, that Jurby is not by twenty years as old as he has all along down here pretended to be. With a little powder worked into his hair and a light framework or some such contrivance under his big-cut clothes, he has presented the appearance of a pleasant, easy-going, middle- aged man. He is really not more than forty, muscular and active; his rather full face lends itself to the deception he has been practising. One docs not easily sus- pect a man of that habit of body to pursue a calling where physical activity "is requisite. "It was consequently no difficult matter for Jurby to convey your dead" weight out into the garden and to a spot some fifty yards from the door, where he laid you on the ground and went back in the direction of the stables. "Natyrally my first thought was that you were a dead man, and that Jurby was now going to dispose of your body in some way, possibly by burying you in the garden. Not a pleasant idea to contemplate, even on this fine morning; still, knowing my Inan, it was by no means far-fetched. "To my great relief, however—for if, as I rather anticipated, the worst had haplw-ned, I should never have forgiven myself for not warning you-when, taking advantage of Jurby's departure, I crept up- to where you lay, and felt your pulse, I found that you were alive, and guessed that you had been drugged. "I was then faced' by the critical problem as to what line of action I should take, since it was quite obvious Jurbv would be returning to finish his foul work. Should I get you away from the place, or should I wait and see what the man's devilish game was? I am afraid that professional instinct prompted me to choose the less obvious and more hazardous course. Anyhow, while I was still debating, the sound. of wheels and a horse's hoofs coming softly over the grass decided the question for me. "I retreated into covert as the vehicle, a low dog-cart, was pulled up beside you. Jurby, who was driving, got down, and, opening the back of the cart, lifted you into the space underneath the seat, pulled up the tail-board to prevent your falling out, got I up again, and drove slowly off. "Luckily it was a dark night. I slipped out from my hiding-place, ran after the cart, and as it passed out of the gate I lient down, and, darting forward, placed myself close to the tail-board, which, so long as I kept in a stooping position, hid me from the driver. "Holding on to the cart, I ran along with it, the wheels and the horse's hoofs drown. ing the 30und of my feet. I am a pretty good runiier-it is necessary to be so in my line of liusin-ess-and Jurby drove at a moderate pace, so that there was no diffi- culty in my keeping up with him, and I must say that my curiosity as to what was going to happen invested my run with pecu- liar zest. Jurby took the road towards the rail- way station, a. course which rather sur- prised and puzzled me until he turned off to the right down a lane which runs parallel with the line, and' in about three furlongs crosses it by an accommodation bridge. "I now began to have an inkling of the fellow's purpose. He drove on down the rcugh lane till the point was reached, where it turns to the left towards the railway line, and ascends the slope to the bridge. Here he gave signs of being about to pull up, and I therefore took an opportunity of slipping from behind the cart into the covert of the thick straggling hed'ge. In accordance with my expectation, the cart stopped a few yards farther on, and I, crouching in the ditch overgrown with rank herbage, watched the proceedings, ready at any moment to inter- fere. "Jurby got down, lowered the tail-board, and drew you out of the cart. I could hear the thud as your feet struck the ground. Then, taking you under the arms, he began to drag you towards the line. I let him get a little wnv, and then crawled stealthily after him. There is a fairly stiff fence to surmount, and by the time he had lifted you.' over this I was close upon him. Once over that his work was easier, though fiendish enough. He had only to drag you down the rather steep embankment, and so on to the line. "Good heavens! What a villain!" I cried. and Gelston's face looked ghastly as ho began to realise what he had escaped. "Jurby's idea." Ro!t continued, "was now plain enough. He was, of course, going to place you in your insensible condition across the rails, where you would lie till a train same along, and—well, there is no need to «r R° into that. And on the rails, in th» I go J shadow of the bridge, he did leave you, with. your neck in the most favourable position' for decapitation. And all the while '01 was ] crouching among the bushes on the embank- iny ears for the sign oi an ? approaching train. For I realised that Jurby would be shrewd enough to tme the deed so as to minimise the chances of your j | being found and rescued from that deadly position." { "Yen did not see your way to tacklo I Jurby then and there?" I suggested, "Oh, yes," Rolt answered. "It would have been easy enough, for I Wad armed. j | But there were disadvantages attaching to such a move. For one thing, it would have upset the plans I had laid for the capture of j j the gang later on that evening. I particu- t larly did not wish to strike a note of alarm. And, you know, these detective coups depend ¡ for their success very largely on what one I may call .stage-management. No I was j ready to rush forward at the first sign that delay was unsafe, but iich pi-eferrecl-vou i must forgive me, Mr. Gelston—bringing off | the rescue more artistically. I "And this I was happily able to do. Having placed you on the line to his satis- faction, Jurby hurried b"k up the embank- ment, and in another half minute I heard i him drive away. Then it was easy for me [ to make a dash for you, pull you away into safety, hurry off for assistance to the j station, where I had several men posted ou ( the look-out, and as quickly as possible get you conveyed here, where the police doctor saw you, and found that, beyond the hocus- ing, you had suffered no particular harm." "So much for the story as it concerns Mr. Gelston. We now come to the second mur- derous attempt and narrow escape—yours. Mr. Crofton. Of that you know more than I; and so if you will give me an account of what happened to you at Morningford Place, I will just jot it down, and you can, if necessary, amplify it hereafter." I accordingly told my story, of which Rolt took copious notes. (To be Continued).

I AN INTELLIGENT CALF. Few folk regard the calf as an animal capable of displaying much intelligence, but the following anecdote will show that in emergencies even a calf may prove itself eq ual to the occasion. Some years ago a farmer in Linton, a small market town about ten miles from Cambridge, sold a six weeks' old calf, which was removed in a cart to a farm some live miles distant. On the following morning the calf found its way back to its mother. Had it returned by the road by which it had been carried to its new home, its sagacity might not have been sur- prising; but it had not followed the read. It had taken, at a quick pace, the most direct po-sible line for the old quarters, and in doing so had climbed a hill and passed through a wood on the hill-top. Its route was known for certain from the fact of a boy who saw it start from the farm having pursued it the whole way in a" rain effort to cavoh it and take it back. -o-

A CALENDAR CHURCH. I The parish church of St. Botolph, Bcston, da us from the fourteenth century, and is remarkable in more ways than one Its tower—"Boston's Stump," 272 feet high, witu cne exception the highest of any parish cliiii,li in Eng,and-coiisl).icitous for many miits across the Lincolnshire fens and over the Wash, contains 365 steps, corresponding to the days of the year. In the church twelve pillars, fifty-two windows, and seven doors remind the congregation of the month? and the weeks of the year and the days of the week, while the twenty-four hours of the day are represented by the twenty-four steps in the porch by which the library above is reached. On each side of the chancel sixty steps lead to the roof, one flight denoting the minutes in an hour and the other the seconds in a minute; and the four stories into which the .lofty tower is divided clearly represent the four quarters and the four seasons of the year.

INDEPENDENCE DAYS. I Men have fought and died for liberty in all ages and in all countries, and yet America seems to be the only nation which observes an Independence Day-July 4th. Yet almost every country in Europe could celebrate a day when it made a bdld bid for freedom (says a contemporary). July litli is France's Independence Day. July 11th, 1789, saw the burning of the Bastille, where political prisoners were confined, and which was the visible sign of generations of tyranny. That act. was the first in a series of actions which established the present Republic of France. October 5th is Portu- gal's Independence Day. In 1010 a Republic- was proclaimed. The fi¥it step to Serbian independence was taken on July 8th, 1808, when peace was declared between Turkey and Serbia. On July 2nd, 1871, Rome be- came the capital of a united Italy, and the country came under the same liberal rule. Montenegro broke away from autocratic government on December 19th, 1905, and Belgium issued a declaration of indepen- dence against Holland on O ;tober 4th, Britain's first step towards freedom- was the signing of the Magna Charta at Runnymede on June 15th, 1215.

SOOT FROM SMOKESTACKS. I Smokestacks that are clogged with soot are wasteful of fUd, (says "Popular Mechanics"). A quick and economical method of cleaning them is by exploding a charge of blasting powder within the stack, thereby creating a concussion which jars loose and brings down all soot deposits on the walls. For this purpose a gun is used. It is made from a piece of pipe shafting, 4in. in diameter and 16in. in length. A hole, 11iu. in diameter, is bored in one end to a depth of lOin., converting it into a small cannon. A Jin. hole is bored in the side near the base of the longitudinal lioie to accommodate a fuse. The mnnon is loaded with an 8in. charge of blasting powder, wadded securely with paper and clay, and is fired after being placed with its muzzle up- ward in the base of the flue. This charge is usually sufficient to loosen the soot in a chimney 100ft. high and 4ft. in diameter. A larger flue, or one that is badly sooted, may require several shots, or the size of the cannon and the charge of explosive used may be increased to meet the requirements. Much time is saved by this method of cleaning. With careful handling there should be no occasion for an accident and no danger whatever of injuring the stack. a

I SPEED OF FISH. I Few observations have been published on this subject, according to a paper by Mr. Emerson Stringham, though the question is of economic importance in connection with the effect of water-power development on the fisheries. A Belgian authority, while study- ing fishways, concluded that salmon could swim at a speed of 3.15 metres a second for at least 14 metres. A Canadian, from in- vestigation in the Frazer River, expressed the opinion that the c limiting velocity of a steady stream up which a sockeye salmon could swim a very short distance was be- tween six and seven miles an hour. Finally, a member of the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries, declared that the velocity of the current in fishways should not exceed 10ft. a second. These various figures, arrived at indepen- dently. are substantially in agreement. From his own studies on fishways in Mas- sachusetts, Mr. Stringham found that a common species of alewifc could swim for at least a few feet through water flowing about 10ft. a second, about the limit for frshways. —————. ——————

t COAL IN THE ARCTIC. I Bear Island, lying about 300 miles south of Spitzbergen, in the Arctic Ocean, pro- mises to become an important source of coal, and has the advantage over Spitzbergen that cargoes may be dispatc-led throughout the year. An extensive coalfield has been worked there. Bear Island lies at a meet- ing-point between a cold ocean current from the north-east and the Gulf Stream Drift, and is usually shrouded in fog. The highest point is Mount Misery (1,759ft.). Countless seafowl inhabit the rocky shores and the "bird rock," on the' south side of the island, is said to be the largest colony of its kind in the Arctic regions.

I SAILORS' SUPERSTITIONS. I All sailors are superstitious, but none is so completely under this influence as the old deep-sea fisherman. He puts the deepest faith in "signs" and omens of all kinds. -Nothing' would induce a skipper of the old school to sail on a Friday. One intrepid unbeliever who dared to leave the docks at Grimsby on a Good Friday was hooted through the lock-gates by the scandalised populace. In spite of thus challenging the iaies, however, he returned safely v.ith ship ana crew. If a man's hat blew overboard while leaving port, many skippers would turn back and delay sailing until the next day. It was an omen that one of the crew would be lost over the side during the trip. This sign, however, became discredited, as wily deckhands, desirous of another day ashore with their inivei and families, con- tracted the habit of going aloft and assist- ing the wind to foretell disaster. To speak of pigs aboard a fishing trawler is fatal to success for that trip Poor catches aLd ppiit- and torn trawls will be the inevitable t on sequences. Similar misfortunes will re- sult from taking off a hatch cover and lay- ing it on the deck upside down. A new moon, on Sunday which reaches the full on :t Saturday always brings bad weather. To kill a "kitty," as the fishermen call the smaller kind of seagulls that follow in the ••.aRe of the trawlers, is a most dangerc-us act, liable to imperil the safety of the ship itself. If a man is ill at sea, his most criti- cal time is when laud is first oighted. If he survive an hour after the sighting of land, I he will recover. On some trawlers whittling is forbidden—it scares away the fish. Other s'iiopera believe that to wash your face in the middle of a trip will break a spell of :alin weather.

I EMERGENCY FOOT-RULES. I Most people know that a halfpenny neasures exactly lin. across. Less exact, but useful at a pinch, are some of the measurements supplied by Nature in the Lunian body. In measuring cloth, for ex- ample, a dressmaker will often reckon as a yard the distance between her chin and her .)utstretc h e d hand. 1, outstretched hand. Similarly she will place the bended upper joint of her thumb on the cloth and call it an inch. Both measure- ments are only approximately correct, but they arc very useful! Another measure- ment (not so well known) is the forearm— from the point of the elbow to the til) of the middle finger In a nan this is about :20in., in a woman about 16in. Next there is the span of the outstretched hand from little finder to thumb, which in the case of an adult averages about 8-,1in.. These measures need, of course, to be supple- mented by a shorter one, which may take the form of the upper joint of the thumb already mentioned as. being in the neigh- bourhood of an inch (it is generally rather •nore). Other useful measurements are the, height of the eyes from the ground, and the t-pan of the outstretched arms. These should be ascertained by actual measurements, for they differ widely, of course, in different jiersons. Indeed, for the sake of accaraev all the natural measurement" should be tested first of all by the foot rule and noted down. One should also ascertain the aver- age lensrth of one's "uace in waR-incr fnr this is u?fu! in measuring -grou;d-o Once <bese particulars are recorded and memor- ised it is remarkable how oft-en thev mav I be turned to account when a foot rule õr tape measure is lacking.

I WEATHER PROPHETS. It is said that if January, between the 10th and the 18th. is particularly mild, as it has been this year, it predicts an un- usually fine and hot summer. Cattle and wild birds, too, are said to foretell the state of the weather by their behaviour. If it is going .to be very stormy, seagulls fly fr inland to procure food. < Up till now, ob- servers are said to state that our friends the gulls have been particularly quiet, and have remained on the coast and have not been seen far inland this year. Wild fowl. if there is going to be an early and warm; spring, or such mild weather as we had after about January *10 this year, rise much parlier from their marshy grounds and Reek "pastures new" weeks before it is their nual custom. Swallows and rooks flv- high when fine weather is coming. Frogs are un- usually noisy when storms and rains and winds are brewing, but quiet when the weather is unusually warm for the time of the year. During January, naturalists, who watch carefully for these signs, declare that the frogs were particularly quiet.

Lieut. William A. Hunter, attached to a Scottish air station, was drowned off the 1 east coast of Scotland. The machine he was flying came down in the sea, aud the body was recovered shortly afterwards. I Sergeant Arthur Knight, of the Canadian A.M.C., one of the survivors of the hospital ship Llandovery Castle, was summoned to Buckingham Palacc, wren he gave the King ..a det-ii'ed story of thd outrage. Vinegar, hot, will remove paint marks from glass. When cooking fruit, add a pinch of salt, it improves the flavour and, better still, ekea out the sugar. If tea-leaves are ground they will make twice the amount ci tea. Wlen storing blankets, wrap them in plc-utv of newspaper and lay slices of ye.low noa p in the folds. Moths dislike soap and. printers' ink. Milk and custard puddings can be turned into a mixture for filling cheese cakes by the addition of eggs and a distinctive flavouring. Cold or mashed potatoes may be utilised by mixing with the meat fcr croquettes in- stead of breadcrumbs. Salt and water will prevent the red bor- ders in towels, etc., from running if the towels are steeped in it for twenty-four hours. To clean varnish and paint, rub with a cloth dipped in a weak solution of vinegar and warm water. Polish with a wash, leather. To clean marble, rub with a slice of lemon dipped in salt. Leave for an hour, then J. l be removc d and wa"h off. All stains will be removed, and a nice gloss secured. I Before sweeping carpets, take an old round tin, pierce holes in the bottom, and fill with common salt. Sprinkle this, over the carpet. It keeps the dust from rising, brightens the colours, and prevents moths. ——— ———

For feeding chickens with soaked bread, Nathan and Sarah Amdim, Queen-street, London, E., were fined P-15 5s., including costs, at Old-street. Mr. J. Dillworth C-rewdson, a Gloucester- shire magistrate, was fined £ 20 and coits at Cirencester for disobeying an order to plough land. Production of wheat this year in the U.S., Canada, India, an^JiTunis, £ t is estimated, will be 873,185,00(^pt., ahincrease of 28.3 per cent. over last year. A labourer whose wife was sent to gaiol for seven days at West Ham Police-court said he was the father of twenty children—four I by h s present wife and sixteen by his first wife.

GREASY PAPERS. Never throw away butter paper. When making a cake, instead of greasing the tin, line it with butter paper, and you will save a little lard. STAJNS ON KNIVES. Cut a small potato in half.' After washing the knives, dip the potato in powdered brickdust and rub the knife with it. Stains disappear instantly, aud, after drying, knives need no further cleaning. The same piece of potato can be used over and over again. KEEPING CHEESE FRESH. Cheese can be kept fresh by rubbing the flat of a warm knife over the cut surface and wrajping it in oiled paper or in cheese- cloth wrung out of salt water. HANGING SAFE FOR MEAT. For this you will require two light wooden hoops, and sufficient thin fabric to make a long bag just large enough to take the hoops, leaving a moderate space between them. Sew them in position, allowing a wide margin of material above the upper- most hoop. Place the joint on a meat hook, aid put it in the bag, tie the top securely, and hang in a current of air. To SEPARATE EGG YOLK. Here is a way of separating the white from the yolk ot an egg th.at wiil save time and trouble. A small funnel will serve, even if the egg is none too fresh. When broken and dropjved into the large end of the funnel, the white slips through, leaving the yolk tinbroken in the funnel. The latter can then be poured out as desired. GRAVY COLOURING. Many housewives use browned sugar for colouring, but a far nicer one i:, ma-e with browned onions, as this gives flavour well as colouring. To make it-ilic-e two small onions and fry till a very dark brown in. one ounce of dripping. Then add half a. pint cf water and simmer fcr thirty minutes. Strain and bottle. Use one tea- spoonful of the colouring to half a pint of gravy. DON'TS FOR HOUSEWIVES. Don't be in a hurry. If you ekimp in the matter of time you are certain to leave some important thing undone. Don't try to improve upon a recipe until you have mas- tered its every detail. If you deviate from it, to "save trouble," you will proba-biy "make trouble" lor your.,elf. Don't be dis- couraged by one failure. If the dish does not succeed, try again, and keep on trying until you find out what is the matter. Don't fail to keep a clock in the kitchen, for time is a necessary ingredient in suc- cessful cooking. —— ——

J SOME USEFUL RECIPES. POTATOES WITH CARROTS.—A very appe- tising meal is made by cooking equal quan- tities of coarsely chopjied carrots and pota- toes, in slightly salted water, until quite tender, but not mashy. Drain very care- fully, keep hot. Make a sauce with --one ounce of self-raising flour, a quarter of a pint of milk or milk and water, and one ounce of fat. Cook all together until the sauce clings to the spoon. Put the vegetables into a very hot dish, polir over the sauce, and send to table with squares of fried broad. OAT;EAL PORRIDGE SCOPES.—Take on6 pint or left over porridge, one ounce of uripping or fat, salt, a little flour or oat- mt>ai. Fiour a board well and turn the por- ridge on to it. Work in enough flour or dry "materials to stiffen it, and to allow of its being handled without sticking. Melt the fat and add salt to taste. Roll out half an inch thick, put on a greased baking sheet, and bake till light brown, or put a little fat in a frying pan and cook over the fire, turn- ing once. STEWED LEEKS AND BACON.—Wash the leeks, cut in halves lengthways, and put in a casserole or stewpan with a rasher of bacon (raw) to each leek. Pour on sufficient stock, or gravy made with meat cubes, to nearly cover, season -with salt and pepper, add a* teaspoonful of chopped parsley, and simmer till the leeks are tender. Dish the leeks and bacon up, thicken the gravy with a little flour, and pour over. D>TE PUDDING.—This is an economical I pudding, for no sugar is required. Take half a pound of dates, two ounces of suet, one teaspoonful of egg powder, a teaspoon- ful of mixed spice, and two cupfuls of flour. Stone the dates, mix into the flour, euet. and spice, then stir in. the egg and water, or milk if preferred. CABBAGE PrE.-Boil a cabbage in the ordi- nary way, drain as dry as possible, chop up finely, and season with pepper and salt. Boil two moderately large onions, chop up small, and mix with two tablespconfuls of breadcrumbs, a hard-boiled. egg (chopped up), and a tablespoonful of vinegar. Grease a piedish, and put in alternate layers of the cabbage and onion mixture, letting tho onions come last, put little pieces of drip- ping on top, and bake delicately brown. Serve with a good LlravY.