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{ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.1 A WOMAN AT BAY. I BY MARIE ZIMMERMANN, Author of The Bam of Both, 0, etc. etc. CHAPTER XXVII. I A TRUCE. I So schooled had been the movements of the two men-the Squire's brother and the detective—that no one suspected anything out of the ordinary. The principal himself was now talking to the keepers, whose patients were scattering about the sunny places. I must see you at once," whispered Davis peremptorily, and he drew himself aside. "Where?" asked Randolph, guardedly following him up. "At the station, in half an hour's time, Will that suit you, Doctor." "I suppose so," muttered Randolph. "Of course I shall tell the chief what has happened." "That's as you please, Doctor." This isn't your first visit here, I take it?" asked the Squire's brother gloomily. No, it isn't," answered Davis. Did you come here before, when I picked you up ? Yes; I came on from Boxham to Cather- leigh by train. The governor's looking this way, Doctor." Immediately after, the principal, taking With him the patient Mott, returned to the feouse, and thither the Squire's brother speedily followed him, while Davis took prompt leave of the keepers and started for CJatberleigh station. There, very soon after, came the man he waited for. A lad was loafing about, and he JStailed him and told him to mind the convey- ce till he returned. Bidding the detective follow him, Randolph then made for a tteadow adjoining the station. I must have air," he said, pulling off his Jiat; "I'm choking. Well, air, the game's lip. That's so, Doctor." What's the next move?" Make a clean breast of it, of course." I'd be glad of the chance to do so," said Randolph promptly, "if I were the only party concerned, but the others-" "The others," interposed Davis grimly, "will have to do as circumstances require. It beats me how the dickens you managed to keep things so quiet, my friend." "They're not so 'quiet' as you think; or, at least, lately they haven't been," answered Randolph. You figured at the asylum under another Came ? asked Davis abruptly. "Not quite; they know me there as Mr. Randolph. This was done on the spur of the raouient, and has been regretted since. I should have gone there in my own character." Certainly a well-known man like your- self is sure to be found out. My opinion is, that if I hadn't I spotted' you somebody else Would very shortly. But that's just it; in -an emergency such as this there is no time for detail. And now to business. Who was the man who went away in Fulke's place? I was. My appearance favoured the plan In every way." I thought as much," muttered Davis. And you've been in it all along, of course?" To be sure I have." The Squire and Fulke got to loggerheads, jl suppose ? e did." What about, Doctor ? Randolph jumped up and strode here and there under the trees. "Let's have it," said Davis; "there no middle course here." "Middle course be hanged!" muttered Randolph I'm not thinking of myself, but ,of- Heaven help her I" Let's have it alf the same eaid the im- perturbable Davis. To a certain extent I feel bound to take affairs into my own hands now," the Doctor vren t on "still-" What did the two men quarrel about ? asked the detective curtly. I don't know." "Bah!" I give you my word I don't; I only wish I did," said the other man gravely. "Tell me what happened on the night the Baron disappeared, Doctor; I can, perhaps, tell you, then." Well, on the night in question I was 81tt.alg alone in the surgery when one of the stable lads came to tell me that the Squire had been taken ill, and that Madam wanted we to go at once to the Hall. I wasn't long an getting there, you may be sure. I then Jound that though ostensibly called in to my brother, it was for Fulke, who lay like a 4iead man on the floor of the Squire's den, I nad been bidden there. My sister-in-law, JJjho is certainly a wonder among women, then told me how the two men had quar- relled, she saw at once, for that at the moment when she entered the room Fulke had been hurled down by her husband and struck his head on the edge of the iron fender. My brother's wife thought at first that he Was fatally injured, and realising at once the gravity of her husband's position, locked the doors upon the prostrate man and got Wyon, whom the shock of the thing had paralysed, to his own room and into bed. My presence was thus reasonably accounted for, though my brother was known to be out of health at the time. We then considered M to what should be done in this extremity; we, I Bay, but it was my sister-in-law who planned and directed, for I admit that for once in my life I was knocked out of time. Meanwhile, I had done what I could for the injured man, but though I saw there was no immediate danger, I was not at all sure that he would recover. Our purpose, therefore, Was to keep things quiet for the present, and so gain time. "Now, Roxana had heard me mention my old friend and patron, Doctor Moore, as a man who had made brain affections a speciality, and she suggested that I should appeal to him in our extremity. My friend's only son and I had been medical students together, and very intimate of late years- Frank being now a successful practitioner in Liverpool-I have seen little of his father, hut Iliad no hesitancy in applying to him in our misfortune. It was therefore arranged 2hat I should convey Fulke at midnight to the asylum of which, as you know, Doctor Moore is the worthy chief, and so treat the matter, that in the case of serious conse- iences, the responsibHity would fall upon ?—Roxana. and myself-and not on him. as was to receive him merely as a patient Snt S irffcthi^. benefit of his peculiar skill; if ::y fd bculty arose, or awkward questions Shnn? asked, Bvich inquiries were to be "Terrorl? as ^he responsible party. .1 1 a fi • ea11y forget that night's work. I ra a certam r,sk m Yself, of course for the manwf was ,Itical, a«d a ftl result wiakt UTlt\d foll1 the journey. lDg had to be nsked a11 th b however and I d a roug however, and I made up ?y ?? to take hIm. I went to th 1'. no a e him- hbra.ry and wrote a flurried message to the surgery to the effect Ui °Ut night' and having desnatched ^rbet turned f!t1 o my sister-in-law. I then settled with Sam, the groom, that a certain conveyance, which I knew would best suit my purpose, was to be left ready for me that I might make a journey late that night. Of Sam's pressing entreaties to be allowed to go with me I made light, assuring him that I could manage quite well alone, and refusing altogether to hear of such a thing. The patient had been left in my brother's bedroom—this appearing to be the -fer place, and the more convenient whence to carry him to the conveyance later on. "At twelve, or thereabouts, I took a walk round the premises; not a light, was to he seen save that in my brother's bedroom, nor a sound to be heard. Wyon still lay in that stunned condition, which at that moment I was not really sorry for, and. we arranged that my sister-in-law should keep watch for my return. I had, mean- while, got the conveyance to one of the outer gates near the high road, and assisted by Roxana, I carried poor Fulke there, and directly after started on my journey. "lean never forget that ride; the sweat breaks out on me now as I talk of it. My fear was that I might be stopped and dis- covery ensue, but I only saw two policemen, and both of these I knew; moreover, to avert suspicion, I hailed them, and ac- customed as they were to see me at all times on the road, neither of them appeared to particularly notice the matter. "At last I got to my journey's end. Doctor Moore was kindness itself, and at once received the injured man on my responsi- bility. His case, he informed me after an examination, was a serious one, and he warned me that a brain disorder would probably ensue. This coincided with my own opinion of the case, and I told him so, and that we resigned the patient, who was to be treated as a Mr. Mott, altogether to his charge. Our first desire was the man's recovery, leaving other events to take their chance meanwhile; and if this desired end was to be accomplished, Moore was the man to bring it about. On the way home poor Betty went down over a heap of stones and cut her knees crueljy, so that it was close on daybreak when I got back." "Ah," put in the detective mildly, it was poor Betty's mishap that let the cat out of the bag,' Doctor." "How so?" inquired Randolph sharply, upon which Davis briefly recounted his various conversations with Sam, the groom, who, unawares, had given him-Davis-the clue to the mystery. Truth, like murder, will out," said the Doctor thoughtfully. Well, I found my sister-in-law awaiting me, as you may imagine. She never asked me a single ques- tion she just gave me one look, and when I said "All is well, dear," she heaved one big sigh and began to cry in a way that I hope I'll never see any other woman do. When she was a bit quieter, I made her promise to go and rest while I kept watch by my brother. I was to have a look round before anyone was up, to make sure that we had left nothing about that might cause sus- picion we were then to have coffee together m a couple of hours' time, and take Daphne into our confidence. This we did, and the little woman bore up like a Briton under the trial. "We all three agreed that the mother should be kept out of it altogether; that our course must depend upon the condition of Dr. Moore's patient, and that we must keep a brave face under the hue and cry that would inevitably follow the discovery of Fulke's disappearance. That, as you no doubt know, broke over us early on the next morning, in consequence of the Baron's horse having been found grazing near the Court grounds. This was the desired result of a certain scheme of my sister-in-law's, by which I was made to personate the visitor and take leave at the expected time in his place. It was a difficult and anxious bit of work, I assure you, but we accomplished it." "Wonderful woman, that!" muttered Davis, and no mistake. Then the horse was out all night, of course ?" Yes but I knew he wouldntgo far from where I left him too many good things about," answered Randolph. "There came some anxious days now, as you will guess; and these were intensified when you appeared upon the scene. Then my brother's condi- tion was alarming at times, and the dear old mother worried us to death. Depressing reports came from the asylum, and we were tormented by your importunities. My sister-in-law was prostrate for days after her interview with you in the Hhrary." her "She's a masterpiece I" cried the detective enthusiastically, for now only did he estimate at its real worth the heroism of the woman as manifested to him at their first meeting. But," he added strenuously, "I am sure— with all deference to this lady be it said— that that fellow Fulke has the pull of her somehow." "Nota word against her!"cried Randolph, and the man's looks let sudden daylight upon his pathetic case, than which no miser's hoard was ever more zealously kept. Good Heavens, is that so ? cried Davis with emotion. "N o wonder none of the lasses hereabouts have had any chance, doctor but I'm not surprised at you, or any other man, going down before your brother's wife." "You're a decent fellow," said Randolph, or I'm not sure I wouldn't knock you down for hinting such a thing. I liate myself to-day. I could cut my own throat." "I believe you, Doctor; but time works wonders for us, and you have the comfort of knowing that you have kept your trouble well. Not one of the family dreams of such a thing." If I could but feel sure of that!" sighed Randolph. "You can, I'm positive. I sympathise with that, Doctor, said Davis, earnestly. Some years ago I had the prospect of being as happy as any man going, but three days before the marriage my step-brother carried off the woman I loved, and made her his wife. After two years' brutal usage, he left her to starve, and that would have probably been the end of it, if I hadn't found her out. Since then, well! my coat has been a bit rusty sometimes, but she has wanted nothing that brother Phil could give her, or her child either, come to that." Randolph put out his hand to him then, and the other gripped it right heartily. t "Good old Shakespeare 1" he said. "This, I take it, is the 'touch of nature' that helps to 'make the whole world kin,' Doctor. But to business. You haven't sounded your sister-in-law, I suppose, as to her circum- stances previous to her marriage?" My sister-in-law," answered Randolph gravely, "is not a woman to be 'sounded.' What the plague can that man mean by raving as he does about a shoe? You've heard of it, of course ? Oh, yes you see tliei-e was that affair of the old tramp who was found dead at the same time." "True; and she had lost one shoe, and her name was Sallie Waters. He remembers her, I suppose, as he remembers our Daphne," observed the Doctor reflectively. He was madly in love with her, you know." "I wonder," quoth Davis speculatively, "whether—er—presuming, of course, that our patient duly pulls round-there's any chance of-of 11 "An adjustment," put in Randolph, by means of a marriage ? I'm sure I wish such a thing might come to pass. Unfortunately, however, Daphne detests the man." Ah, that's bad," muttered Davis. Still, something may happen in that way unex- pectedly. Suppose we suspend all further intercourse for a spell, Doctor, each working in his own way in the interests of his case? A few days' truce, d'ye see, after our skirmishing?" "Agreed," said Randolph, and the two men walked towards the station. "I'm goinz straight to Shurnleigh," he added, as they-went along; shall I give you a lift." To this Davis gladly assented, and they I set off together very shortly after. CHAPTER XXVIII. VANQUISHED, BUT IMMUTABLE. I MR. DAVIS was certainly not prepared for the climax towards which his case had pre- cipitated itself, and he sat and pondered anxiously the best course to pursue under the circumstances when he got back to his I odest inn chamber, after his encounter with Dr. Kynnesley. A letter which was handed to him as he entered the hostel did not lessen his discomfort either, for it proved upon inspection to be a missive from Mr. Fulke, and was serious, if not rebuking, in tone. His employer had omitted to ask whether he—Davis—stood in need of funds, and said that such should be sent on at once if required. He mentioned the recent inter- view with the detective as having been very unsatisfactory, and spoke pointedly of the necessity of a speedy explanation. "The locality," he said, "simply teems with gossip, some of it being of a very un- pleasant nature, as reflecting upon the integrity of the Kynnesleys, who, I am sure, had no more to do with the disappearance of my unfortunate cousin than I had. You admitted that there is a good deal to explain I hope you will shortly see your way to giving me this explanation." Davis was not surprised to have this letter; he had felt that the interview-owing to his (Davis's) desire to reserve certain facts as yet-liad not been a satisfactory one. His sympathies were wholly with the Squire's wife her all-pervading influence it was that induced this reticence on his part to take any step towards implicating her. Even him, the least susceptible of men, she fascinated it was good to be within touch of the broad repose, the culture, and self-effacement of such a woman. That's the stuff," he said, as he stuck his elbows on a little round table at the window, "that heroines are made of. She's the sort of female to run under a horse's feet to save a child, or stand and see a hushand or son go into a burning house to fetch out a poor beggar of a servant." The end of his cogitations was a resolve to let things have their course for a few days; after wnich he would certainly have to take some decisive step towards bringing matters to a close. In the stress of events, the packet of newspapers which he had brought from his mother's place had been forgotten he now suddenly remembered them, and cut the string that held them together. Among them he found more letters from Lawyer Itivington to his chum Stephen, but of the four he picked out haphazard, not one had reference to the business in hand. Another note, which he found as he was putting the papers together again, referred to the man called "Squinter, and had a postscript which interested him :— I am afraid our poor Juno is done for (it ran). I expect the case for the prosecution will begin to-morrow, and things will co bard with the poor girl, I'm thinking. The old woman is a bad lot,' and will deserve all she may get." A knock at the door occurred here. In answer to his blithe Come in," a buxom chambermaid entered. Please sir," said she, "did you find your leti.ey-? No is there one?" "Yes, sir; behind the chimbly glass. Master will have 'em put there, though gents are always missing 'em. That's it, sir," said the girl, handing it over; it came while you was out, sir." Why, it's from the old lady," said Davis, as the busy Martha departed. "Any news, I wonder! "DEAR SON (the missive ran),-Look and See if the picter (spelling was never a strong point of Phil's mother) is Amung the Papers you took away. If it tissent, let me No, and i Will hunt round more.—Yore affexnet Mother, MAGGIE BOND." The detective turned over the contents of the packet anxiously, but found no such thing among them, and he put it aside in disappointment. He then wrote a hasty message to his mother, telling her that he had not found the desired object, and bade her leave no stone unturned to get the sketch and send it on to him. The next post would be shortly despatched he therefore clapped on his round hat and strode off with his letter to the post office, which, as already stated, was within a stone's throw of the ancient inn where he had put up. He saw a pretty basket carriage standing outside, and he stopped involuntarily to admire the simple, but expensive, turn-out, not forgetting the knowing young tiger in charge. A lady stood at the counter, and she turned at the sound of the cracked boll. It was the Squire's wife, and she smiled and bowed. A stamp, please," said Mr. Davis, saluting her with great expression. A letter lay on the counter, and he saw at a glance that it was addressed to the owner of Catherleigh Asylum. He stuck on his stamp, she picked up her letter, which was already stamped, and together they passed out to the slot. Mr. Davis," said she, as he was turning with another salute on his way, I wish to spejtk to you. Will you walk with me as far as the hill gate ? She greatly honoured him, he answered: he was entirely at her service. She then bade her attendant drive home, saying that she would return through the grounds, and he saluted and drove off. They walked in silence together towards the hills, he suiting his pace to hers, and awaiting with deference what she might say. In this wise—he expectant, she at a loss, seemingly, as to how to express her feelings- they walked slowly across the village green towards the winding bill road, when she suddenly addressed him. Mr. Davis," said she succinctly, "is there any collusion between you and my brother- in-law, Doctor Kynnesley?" "I—I—beg pardon," murmured Davis, quite nonplussed. Collusion, madam ? Perhaps," said she with a flickering flush, I do not adequately express myself. What I mean to ask is whether there is any com- bination between yourself and my husband's brother ? In making certain inquiries of Doctor Kynnesley lately his manner showed a reserve that would have pained me greatly if I had not felt that this reticence was the outcome of necessity rather than a want of interest in our anxieties." "Y Olll" anxieties are his, Mrs. Kynnesley," said Mr. Davis with emphasis, "as they would be of all who have the privilege of close acquaintance with you I" How she looked at him then. "Ah" she murmured, and the deep voice trembled, "it is good to hear that. Thank you. Thank you." "As to a combination," he went on, seeing that she awaited an answer, "between Doctor Kynnesley and myself, why-" He stopped there. In the face of the special conipact made wit.h the Squire's brother, it was difficult to answer sincerely such a question as she had put to him. "Have you," asked she abruptly, "found a clue to the missing man ? 11 He said he had, and that Dr. Kynnesley was aware of it. "I see," murmured she with emotion, and the inquiries I made embarrassed him, he being such an eminently truthful man." She laid her hand with a light, but impressive, touch upon his arm. "Tell me the truth," she entreated; "it will be best, believe me. What have we to expect, or fear, Mr. Davis?" They were walking round the hills now; they had passed. the gate, but neither had noticed it apparently. You posted a letter to-day," said be with significance. si "Ah," cried she, catching her breath, while her pale face flamed, "I understand. To Doctor Moore ? He bowed. Neither spoke just then. You have seen the — the — patient ? whispered Roxana presently, and ne bowed again. What shall you do now?" "My duty, madam," answered he gravely. And what," asked she, and oh, how she trembled now, "will your duty under these circumstances be?" "Before all things, and at every risk," he answered, I have to discover why the two men quarrelled, Mrs. Kynnesley." And—then ? asked she with anxiety. I shall know better how to proceed and how to advise the separate parties concerned in the business," said Davis. "By this you mean, I suppose," she rejoined, that the cause of the quarrel may in some measure palliaUs the consequences— should these prove serious ones-of the assault, Mr. Davis ? Exactly. As I have had the privilege to remark before, you should have been one of us, Mrs. Kynnesley; you would have made a name for yourself as a detective. Yes the provocation received always supposing there was such—would emphatically affect the position of the assailant." She thanked him gravely. "And now," she continued, "will you further oblige me by telling me what you suspect?" Mr. Davis smiled quite paternally when she said that. He was about to turn the conversation when a sudden idea seemed to strike him. At present I am pursuing that will-witb- a-wisp called the 'missing link, he said trenchantly. "You know that a feather's weight will turn the scale, Mrs. Kynnesley; well, the issues of my whole case, involved as it has proved itself, hang at present upon a mere trifle; namely, the why and where- fore of-" He saw her breast heave as he paused involuntarily. "Of what?" she whispered. "Of an old shoe," he answered, stopping short at the gate, to which they had now returned. She laid her hands upon the top rail; her lips moved, but she did not speak; he saw that she was striving with her tormented spirit, and in silence awaited her further proceeding. Ever afterwards he remem- bered her as he saw her at that moment when she hung over the little green gate- vanquished, but immutable. "Good-bye." she then said, and she gave him a deep look and both her hands; "I thank you. She now slowly went on her way. Davis did not return to the inn for an hour or more, and had but laid hat and stick aside, when a small square packet, which the postman had just left, was handed to him. He opened it with some excitement, for it was addressed in his mother's diffusive writing, and the shape of the thing was suggestive. After many coverings, he drew forth a square of white cardboard, on which was a rude but forcible sketch of a young and beautiful woman. ( To be continued.)

I DIVING FOR COAL. I I A NOVEL TRADE. I Coal mining in the waters of Long Island Sound has, says the New York Tribune," been taken up by the Sound and Coast Wrecking Company, with the idea of relieving the stringency in the coal market, and with the almost assured certainty of handsome profits for the pioneers in this unique industry. The method of water mining "is simple, but almost entirely unknown to the general public. In the first place, the wrecks must be found, and for practical work the wrecks ought to be in water not over 40ft. or 50ft. deep, and 30ft. is much easier working. For this work wreck finders are employed. They consist of two 32ft. power boats, gasolene engines being used, and each boat is manned by two men. The boats run out to where the wrecks are believed to be. In each one is a large reel containing a mile of inch rope. The boats are run alongside of each other and the ends of the ropes from each boat's reel are spliced. This makes a continuous rope two miles long, and in reality, lashes the two wreck finders, or sweep boats, as they are sometimes called, together. I HOW WRECKS ARB FOUND. I The boats run in opposite directions until they are half a mile apart. Then they take their course and run parallel to each other, the wind- lasses or reels in each boat in the meantime having been released, and paying out the rope from the stern in each boat through a ring in the end of an iron pole that extends out over the stern. When a sufficient length of rope has been paid out two large weights of 300 pounds or more are run down the rope from the stern of each boat. These weights sink to the bottom and hold the half mile of rope about four feet from the ground, so that the rope forms a sweep half a mile long, catching anything that comes in its way. Sometimes one of the sweep boats will remain at anchor and the other boat run around a radius of half a mile, and clearing up a mile of ground. When the sweep rope catches fast it is indicated by the pulling down, sometimes almost under water, of the sterns of the sweep boats. The boats are stopped, and the reels are reversed to wind up the rope. Slowly the sterns of the boats come closer and closer together until they are almost directly over the point where the sweep rope is fastened many feet below. Then a sound of lead is run down the sweep rope until it strikes bottont. Then it is drawn up, and upon close examination small black particles can be seen if the fastening is a coal wreck. If it is rock the lead will show traces of rust. If this lead fails to tell what is caught below a small arrow or harpoon is sent down the rope. If it sticks, it is wood. If it comes up blunted it has come in contact with iron or rock. But there is little difficulty in determining when a coal wreck has been found. I WORK OF THE DIVER. I The next step is taken by the diver, one of the crew always being a diver. He dons his rubber suit and is let down to the fastening and proceeds to explore the find. He estimates the quantity and looks into the quality of the find; also observes the best manner of taking it out, whether by buckets or the suction pump. If the find is worth while the diver fastens a floating buoy to the wreck, and Aen the sweep boats proceed on their way to find more wrecks. After the wreck finders have marked their find by a floating buoy the lighters run out. They are equipped with derricks and suction pumps. Sometimes the pump is run down into the sunken coal barges and shoved around by a diver, who goes below to tend the pump and place the end where it will do the best work. This is the easiest method of recovering the coal as the coal is sucked up through the five-inch pipe in a steady stream and falls into a screen, the water running overboard, and the coal passing down the chute into the hold of the lighter. At other times it is necessary to take the coal out in buckets or shovels, the shovels acting the same as the folding shovels of a great dredger, which sends the shovel down to the bottom and then closes up, bringing up whatever it shuts upon at the bottom. It is not an uncommon thing to find a coal wreck where the lighter can be pumped full of coal in half a day, and a wreck that will not fill the hold of the lighter in a day is not considered much of a find. A hundred tons of coal recovered in this way is considered a fair day's work.

Bragge "I was knocked senseless by a cricket ball two years ago." The Boy in the Corner: "When does yer expeck ter get over it?" Mrs. Gay: But I told you to itemise the bill." The Milliner: "The bill I sent you on the 1st was itemised; every item was there." Mrs. Gay: "Gracious! You don't understand me. I want you to send only one item each month or my husband will never pay it." A somewhat singular judicial situation has arisen in Melbourne. At the last session of the Criminal Court the senior puisne judge, Sir Hartley Williams, announced that after long and serious thought he had come to the conclu- sion that first offenders should not be sent to prison. He therefore liberated half-a-dozen convicts of that class on their own recognisances. This time the Chief Justice, Sir John Madden, is presiding in criminal jurisdiction, and, in sentencing a first offender to ten years' imprison- ment he indulged in some sarcastic remarks about the sentimentality of his learned brother. There was never any love lost between these two ermined dignitaries. Sir Hartley publicly pro- tested when Sir John was taken from the Bar and placed over his head. But respect for the law suffers when it is a toss-up whether a first offender gets off scot-free or gets ten rears.

A SHEFFIELD BLADE. I The "Sheffield Weekly Independent" quotes some striking words from a mother in the City of Steel, which are worthy of a wider currency. She talked freely, as mothers will, of her son, a knife- blade maker, and told the story which follows in a graphic and intelligent manner as a matter of public interest: "Twelve months ago," she said, my son, Titus Somerfield, had a bad attack of rheumatism, but he had a remarkable recovery by using Dr. Williams' pink pill for pale people. The complaint, which caused him much pain and very gi eat in- convenience, attacked him very severely in the back and around the shoulders. We called a doctor in at once, who said my son was suffering from heart disease, and that the case was more serious than we thought. He ordered my son into the Royal Hospital, where he stayed for three weeks. After he came out he felt better for some time, but his pains did not leave him very long, and he was soon suffering as much as ever. It was at this time, when there did not seem much hope of his recovery, that I thought of trying the pills named. There was soon a great difference. His pains grew less severe, and his appetite, which had never been very good since his first attack, began to im- prove. With such a good beginning we decided to keep on with the pills. It was a great relief to all of as to find they practically cured my son, for in a short time the pains went away entirely." You really attribute your son's cure to this ?" "Certainly I do," replied Mrs. Somerfield em- phatically, as she conducted the interviewer to the door of her house at 49, Walkly-lane, Sheffield, adding, I should always recommend Dr. Williams' pink pills to others who were suffering from rheumatism or any like complaints." Cold alone does not cause rheumatism; an acid formed in thin and poor blood is the true cause, a chill leading to acute attacks. The rheumatic poison often (as in Mr. Somerfield's case) affects the heart, and violent palpitations, fainting fits, and throbbing of all the pulses, especially when first going to bed, are danger signals. The value of Dr. Williams' pink pills in curing heart disease, rheumatism, and all disorders arising from faults in the blood (such as anaemia, skin disorders, gout, chronic erysipelas, scrofula, and the like) is proved. They are equally effective in consumption, St. Vitus' dance, paralysis, bronehitus, influenza, fits, and the distressing backaches and other miseries of our wives and daughters. Wherever medicine is sold they can be obtained, but to avoid substitutes the full name-Dr. Williams' pink pills for pale people-must be insisted upon, on the wrapper.

HISTORIC RELICS. I Some workmen of York Castle have discovered at the bottom of the ancient well some pieces of gold lace. They are believed to be remnants of the property, which included a great deal of jewellery, thrown into the well when some 500 Jews were besieged in York Castle by a mob in the reign of Richard 1. (A.D. 1190), and when they cut each other's throats to avoid the fury of their besiegers. Careful search is being made for any jewellery, but this is believed to have been all recovered shortly after the incident.

NATIVES DESERTING THE I MATOPPOS. According to the Bulawayo Chronicle" the natives living in the Matoppos continue to desert the hills for the Mopani veld to the south. They assign, as a reason for this, the depredations of the baboons and the exhaustion of the light sandy loam of the hills. The baboons have been increas- ing rapidly, and are a source of considerable loss and almost daily annoyance. It is thought, not- withstanding, that the real reason for the exodus is that the soil in the Mopani veld is far richer than in the Matoppos, while the climate is possibly somewhat healthier. The harvests were particu- larly abundant on the banks of the Shashani, the Ovi and Malema rivers. This large and fertile tract of country, it is interesting to note, was un- inhabited until the European occupation, appa- rently because it was accessible to raids from the south, and perhaps because. it was once raided about 50 years ago. It is anticipated that a large native population will soon spread far down the larger tributaries of the Crocodile, and the Matoppos will then be more desolate and lonely than ever.

THE FIRST TURBINE YACHT. t Tine first steam turbine yacht in the world has been launched on the Clyde from Messrs. Stephen and Son's yard at Linthouse. The vessel, which is of 750 tons yacht measurement, has been built for Sir Christopher Furness, M.P. The turbines are expected to develop 1500 horse-power, which will make her one of the fastest, if not the fastest, steam yachts afloat.

"When a man is courting a pretty girl," remarked the Observer of Events, "it doesn't make much difference if he only talks about the weather, provided he knows how to use his arm." "You are such a strange girl, said Charlie. "Really, I don't know what to make of you." "Well, then, I'll tell you, Charlie," replied Araminta. "Make a wife of me." Charlie did 10 at the earliest opportunity. The death is reported in Australia, at the patriarchal age of ninety, of John Burke, an Irishman, who for more than half a century carried the mails between Melbourne and Sydney. Before the great gold rush and for some years after, there were, of course, no roads or railways, and for 500 miles Burke's way ran through wild bush. On one occasion, having lost his horse, he managed to capture a cow, and rode for a hundred miles on the ba.ck of this uncom- fortable kind of beast. His adventures with blacks, floods. bush-fires, bushrangers, and run- away convicts were numerous and exciting. Burke was a man of some education, and shortly before his death concluded an account of his experiences, the manuscript of which is now in the Sydney Public Library. Cuthbert Collingwood Denny, the son of an admiral and a descendant of the famous Admiral Lord Collingwood, was on Monday remanded at Portsmouth on a charge of forging receipts for three sums of 10s. each in connection with the local war fund. At Itamsgate, on Monday, the Archbishop of Canterbury said that the most effective wav of dealing with excessive drinking habits was not to pull down public-houses wholesale, but to make drunkards religious men. They must get at the consciences of the people.

THE WOMAN'S WORLD. Table cloths can be darned on-a sewing machine, by using very fine thread and the shortest possible stitch and sewing up and down over a thin place, always going several stitches beyond the edge of the place to be repaired. Or they can be darned with threads drawn from an old cloth, with such dainty stitches as will make the darn absolutely ornamental. Probably there is (says a writer in the Evening News ") no instance in which any two lovers make love in exactly the same way as any other two lovers since the world began. Barkis insinuated. Vivien charmed Merdin. Alexander made a bon- fire for Thais. Hildegarde took the bull by the horns. The Merchant of Venice soft-soldered Portia with a lead casket. The garrulous female in the Arabian Nights told her husband stories. In the Polynesian Islands they win their hearts by beating their heads with a shillelagh. Harry the Eighth and Bluebeard were off with the head of the old love before they were on with the new. Newton poked the tobacco in his pipe down with his sweetheart's finger-a warm token of his affec- tion. Tristan did it mostly with a harp, and was also a good liar. His two Isoldes were too many for him. Bothwell was inclined to Mary, and locked her up in his castle. It worked as well as Peter's pumpkin-shell. Cobbett's wife caught him by the grace with which she used her washtub. She was never known to use it after the wedding. Miles Standish deputed an agent, whom he considered fitter to plead his suit with his lady-love; the agent did it but too well-but for himself. Nicholas of Russia wanted to pop at a dinner-table, but didn't like to be caught at it, so he imbedded a ring in a lump of bread, and handed it to her. Charlemagne's secretary was caught by a snowstorm making love to the Emperor's daughter at midnight, and she carried him home on her back, so that his footsteps shouldn't be traced. The Emperor beard of it, and saddled him on her for the rest of her life. A long neck can be rendered quite beautiful with a yard and a half of white tule, which is carried round the throat andjjfastened in a smart bow either at the back or under the left ear. A string of pearls worn over this gives a smart. finish. If your hands are inclined to perspire, wash them occasionally in warm water in which a little borax has been dissolved-a teaspoonful to a quart is the right proportion, Rinse in clear water. Dry, and rub in a little lemon juioe. Don't use the borax very often, as it will make the skin dry and inclined to crack. The finger-nails need weekly cutting with a pair c,f proper nail-scissors, and the cutting should ex- actly follow the outline of the finger ends. A piece of lemon used once 01 twice a week is nearly a necessity if nails are to be kept properly. The acid acts on the nail substance with a wonderful effect of polishing, and it softens the skin marvel- lously that is apt to drag itself forward over the shining nail surface. Puffy places under the eyes are generally due to some sort of kidney ailment. Cold water should be taken very freely. Make it a practice to drink a:glassful half an hour before each meal, and another one two hours after, and the puffy places will not only vanish, but the complexion will beclearerand the general health much improved. A double chin is a hard thing to remove by home treatment, but it can certainly be modified by per- sistent, daily application of the following treat- ment: Grasp as much of the chin as can be held between the thumb and forefinger, and twist until it slips out. Do this many times on both sides of the chin. One can form the habit of doing it when reading. The advantages of a covering for the hair at night are worthy of consideration. A loose cap, tied under the chin and protecting the hair, will keep it from splitting and breaking. The cap should be quite thin, either of chiffon, 1a.oe, or point d'esprit, and when trimmed with lace and ribbons it may be converted into a very nretty and becoming affair, not at all unsightly. The very newest corsets (a correspondent of the cc Evening News" says) boast very low-out fronts and "cela va sans dire" the straightest, most drawn-down busks, these terminating with sua- penders, doing the double duty of securing stock- ings and keeping the front of the corset in correct position. The result of this particular corset is to give a decidedly fuller aspect to the bust, together with the long-waisted appearance now deemed so absolutely essential. Truly we are creatures of moods! Even our very shapes are now undergoing a distinct change, and although perchance those of us already past our first youth may find it somewhat difficult to utterly disregard the tenets of our earlier days, most assuredly will the younger members of the feminine community be inclined to accept the new figure, which is, by the way, most hygienieally correct, without demur. And also as undoubtedly is the woman of to-day who persists in donning the old-fashioned spoonbill corset dubbed, and with every appearance of truth, dowdy. For first and foremost to be remarked in the cause of elegance is a pleasing contour, whereon to adjust the various modes it pleaseth Dame Fashion to accord us. Given a good figure, well-dressed coiffure, and fresh, clear complexion, one can defy criticism of every description. And, bien entendu, saving a slight initial expenditure in the cause of corsets, the remaining two essentials require nothing but careful, individual attention, so mone- tary outlay whatever being demanded by them. The fashionable colour this winter (says the Sun ") is to be brown, as to those women that it suits-and bear in mind it by no means suits all people—it is the colour to choose. Brown is a colour that looks well on the fortunate girl wh possesses golden hair and brown eyes. Brown is the ideal colour for the girl with what is vulgarly termed red hair (as a matter of fact, place her hair besides most shades of red and you will find that it has no red in it at all), and brown looks well with a dark beauty who boasts a certain amount of bright colour in her cheeks. But to & great number of women who have muddy com- plexions and mouse-coloured hair it simply turns the whole figure to mud. To women who can look admirable in other colours., a fashion correspon- dent says, avoid brown." Millinery seems to get uglier and more grotesque daily. Some models are seen stretching far and away beyond the face, the back of the hat pressed fiat agamst the head, and 80 abruptly endmg but serves to accentuate the unnecessa™ extend front. The SlUy, useless, and nTSLoSe i™ ia Of IUCE pendent from the back-and in extreme models reaching to the waist-are TCeat feat™  ml1hnery. Again, large wings with droopIng tIpS are fixed under the brims of some hats, so aa to n over the hair. The flatter the W'i» «, e™ore approved it is, and the trimming • disposed to retire from its ormaA position on te outside for the purpose of ademing the under. side of the hat brim. Whole birds, with a scrap of lace or velvet, provide the sole trimming for many hats. Rarely, indeed, have the feathered tribes contributed more extensively to the demands of fashion. China plates are being used for decorative pep- poses. Not only is this true of antique ware, but of the ordinary modern specimens. For this the colouring must be strong and the pattern effective. For this reason blue and white is a particular favourite, and squares of blue and white china are even framed in black oak and used as pictures. A new variety of Wedgewood ware is now being sold very cheap to satisfy this demand. The plates each represent a scene from one of Scott's or Dickens' novels, and there is a quaint title in old English lettering.

When you see a man going home at two o'clock in the morning, and his wife is waiting up for him, it will very probably turn out stormy. A young man went to sleep on a railway track a few nights ago, and a train came alo?g and killed him. This goes to show that a railway track is almost as dangerous to sleep on as folding bed.