The Pee Dee Herald from Wadesboro, North Carolina • Page 2

-TBIEHHPOPICSs- ITEMS OF INTERT neegaged--reta-tof I'd jost like-fr lookiirtbe blue-satin And all this time Greta had not even consented. It is true, wealth and. pom-fort were alluring. She had told hrself that Providence would provide, and how could very pro visiohtade tot he? -Is would le delightfuliio doubt? to nioy establishment as- Grafton flf Iace.ri Only, let her say and sha might weal her velvets ana laces witH anyJadyin the her satm-linecT car riage, and have servants under, her and Jly pbofograph album Certainly, You can look, il you -wish, my dear; To me it is just like a graveyard, Though I go through it once a ear Any new lacea No, indeed. No I stopped collecting some rear 4 And yet, well at the book: It is fuU of histories strange; V-''vf The faces are ust an index, dear, To stories of pitiful change-Drama and poem and tragedy, Which I alone hare the power to see.

all that heart could desire. All--esrfnsh. On account of the unhealthiness of -hand slew twenty-seven Germans during the first six weeks of theseige. His gallantry warrariis by praise lavished in his rf the day and in a gen-r. day, and the Legion.

of H.Tr.-ijestowM on him. The Mtrl- him it was very intpof-T tant tlir.L aulspatch should reach Marshal Bazdine and offered him $4,000 to vmdertaktfthe mission. It was perirous, Hetdrhis head on success. It ea7orTiim than for many French men he was an Alsacian acd spoke said to the Minister of War: "I accept the mission but Ire fuse the money jft-Haw Lafte howl-ofin-dignation Wenfup when it wasTbund Sergeant noff had disappeared. It was said that he had always been a Prussian spy and was now a traitor The government gave the key-note to these howls to save HoflTslife discovered as he passed through the enemy's lines.

He safely reached Bazaine. The war over he was mnde keeper CofWendome 1 Uoiumn. 1 he keeper of the 'Iriumphai Arch died the other day, and Sergeant Hoff, to the delight of the Parisians, has been appointed to the vacant place. A New paper has an article in regard to the proposed plan of General Fremont. Governor of Arizona, to extend the Gulf of California by tapping the northern end and letting it run into and fill up the great Colorado Desert.

It seems that the sediment carried down-for ages by the great river Colorado at last collected at what was then its sufficient quantity to dam off the northern arm of the; Gulf of California from any connection with the ocean. The water in this unfed resorvoir then slowly evaporated, leaving a dry basin 130 miles by thirty, and this, together with the surrounding slopes, soon became a "bladeless desolation," while the river turning southward found entrance to the gulf many miles below. Between this and waste and the present head of the gulf lies some thirty miles soft earth, just lifted above sea-level, and through this Governor Fremont proposes to cut his canal. It is a highway of commerce that is now contemplated, but originally the main object aimed at by pouring the esert full of water was to restore the natural harmonies4 which had been disturbed by the drying up of uie sea. numan remains prove mat tne desert was lately fertile, and an old Spanish map is mentioned which places the boundaries of the gulf far beyond their present positions.

Mr. McCormick, Commissioner-General from the United States to the Paris Exposition, is engaged in dispatching the diplomas and medals recently received from Paris-to the fortunate exhibitors. The latter are of gold, those silver and bronze not having yet arrived. They are about two inches broad, weigh three ounces, and arc worth $50. On the obverse side is the medallion of a female, the head of the republic of France, inscribed Republique Francaise." On the reverse are the, figure of fame, with the legend, "Expositi6n Universelle In ternational de 1878." A youth beside the figure holds a tablet, upon whichis engraved the name of the exhibitor.

There are 140 of these, and with each goes a diploma. The latter are heJio-types eighteen by twenty inches. The upper sections contains an allegory of Peace and Fame clasping the hand of an artisan at the foot of a throne. The lower portion is insnriW Exposition, Universelle de 1878. Le Jury Internationale des Recompenses de cerne une Medille D'or," with the name of exhibitor, group, etc.

There are 225 silver medals, 200 bronze and about 200 certificates of merit, which is the lowest prize given. Mr. R. R. Hitt, secretary of the American Legation at Paris, says that the principal officers of the French government are very enthusiastic over the character and conduct of the American department of the Exposition.

The Mormon Creed. The Mormons, it seems to me, have no religion. They, however, have a creed and believe in it. They have a system of theology, too, but such a conglomerate affair is it that it defies description. It is worthy of mention only as a curiosity.

It teaches primarily that there are many gods, and that eminent saints become gods in heaven. They rise one above, another in power and glory to infinity. Joseph Smith is now the god of this generation. Above him is Jesus of Nazareth, whose superior god is Adam. Above Adam is Jehovah, and above Jehovah is Elohim.

These all have many wives and they all rule over their descendants, who are constantly increasing in number and dominion. The glory of a saint When he becomes a god depends in some degree upon the number of wives and children which lie has. Hence it is that polygamy is taught and enforced as a duty. Wives are sealed to saints here on earth to increase their dominion in heaven. The gods are in the form of men, and are the fathers of the souls of men in this world.

The ten commandments are the rule of life, together with a revelation given to; Joseph Smith in 1863. This revelation is called A Word of Wisdom," and is regarded simply as counsel not as law. According to the Mormon creed infant sprinkling is At eight years of age children are immersed Baptism for the dead is practiced, a living person being baptized for one or more dead persons. Some of the great men of the nation and of the world are by proxy members of the church of Latter-Day Saints, as Washington, Franklin, etc. There have been many dispensations of religious truth, but the greatest of all is that made through the Prophet Joseph.

This dispensation will culminate in the settlement of the saints in Jackson county, Missouri, whence they were expelled. Here will all the saints be gathered in due time, and all others be cut off. All preaching, so far as doctrine is concerned, is ringing a change on these points." The people know their articles of faith by heart and not allowed to forget them. Neither can a Gentile, though a fool, fail to learn what the saints believe. It is an eclectic theology that they hold, made up of contri-butionsjfrom every creed.

It is a compound of Cliristianity, philosophy and mythology in about equal parts. "The form of church government is that of the Methodist Church, although the leaders were origuially Congregationalists in the matter of church order and Baptists by profession. This conglomerate theology is diametrically opposed to the doctrines of the Bible, (1) being purely materialistic, (2) in teaching the eternity of matter, (3) declaring the pre-existence and transmission of souls, (4) in preaching a plurality of gods, and (5) in advocating the doctrine of a plurality of wives or celestial marriage. Sunday Afternoon. Sergeant-Hoff: He-witi make carpets rafton Place, and he had taken pain to show her over the house and grounds, and -had nearly-snatched a kiss injhe shadow of the lindens, as he put her into carriage to send her home.

1 Greta had ne vcr worked there, again but perhaps she was too grntefuf at finding a friend at Iier side in mich stormy weather to refuse a favor from1 3Ir Grafton, and perhaps she had forgotten his audacity. Yet in the midst of her humiliations Greta with a heart-throb that-she had a lover to come to her rescue if she chose to call him tliat she should not be dependent upon Mr. Grafton's tender mercies after Stephen Sotheme had been notified of her strait. At the same time, she felt disinclined to break the bad news to him till after all was over. For how could it be possible for an innocent person to suffer? But' Greta was not a little stunned one morning onr receiving a letter in the handwriting, of her true love," ran in this wise: i "My Dear Greta It is some time since I had the pleasure of hearing from it ha occurred to me to ask if time and distance wwe not weakening ur hold upon each-other; to wonder how long you- would continue to love a man whonxyou saw only once or twice a year, since it seemsr to me that owing to the bad times our marriage is as indefinitely postponed as the millennium! Now.

my dear girl, I do not wish to stand in your light if you were not engaged to mej some more eligible partner would seek you, I feel certain. Moreover; my: health is precarious, and the doctors have advised me to trythe air of California. It is a-prescription more nauseous than drugs, since I must leave you behind i me; i but I could not, in honor, carry: your- promise with me for an indefinite space of time for my own selfish satisfaction merely. At the same time, believe me, it is no easy thing for me to say adieu to the dearest girl in the world. I Sincerely, StEPITEX SOTHERXE." To say that Greta was surprised would be the same as if yre should call an earthquake "unpleasant." She was thunder-struck overwhelmed, with just enough1 spirit left to return Mr.

Soth-erne's 'letters and presents by the next mail without a word. "He has heard all about the diamond, and believes it," she thought. It would be a arrangement if one could cease to love the instant a lover proves unworthy, but hearts are not fashioned after that manner. When every thought and motive of one's life is woven up with those of another, one cannot unravel tangled web all at once. "Another such shock will send me to the insane asylum," sighed Greta.

But there wjis another yet in store for her. Mr. Grafton had taken to dropping in upon her after her day's work. One evening he said "Miss Greta, what "if you should be found guilty of this this If they should find me guilty How can they find an innocent person guilty? IS I took the diamond, where is it Mr. Grafton smiled indulgently.

People have been imprisoned, branded, exiled, hanged, and quartered for sins they never committed. If you were guilty, you wOUlcbbe more likely to escape you would have laid your plans." Greta gave an involuntary sob; the tears shone in her eyes. And there is no one to help me," she gasped, thinking aloud, rather than speaking to Mr, Grafton. Yes, yes, there is some one ready to help you, Greta," said that gentleman; I will help you, if you only give me the right," he petitioned. "'You, Mr Grafton? What right can I give you? I don't understand." If you were my promised wife Ah! my dear Miss Greta, don't turn away your head disdainfullv hear me out.

Mr. Stoughton is under some obligation tome; if you were my promised wife, I uouiu write mm. xnere wouia oe no more said about the missing diamond it wouia oe accounted for in some nat ural manner. You would be no longer suspected. No one could suspect the woman whom Thomas Grafton delighted to honor." You you are very kind.

I thank you; but I do not love vou. Mr. Graf ton." 1 don't ask you. to love me. Of you don't; the idea has never, perhaps, entered your head before.

only beg that you will marry Love will come sooner or later, as I deser ve it at your hands. -And, my dear Greta, what better can you do? Who will give you employment, with this TT i upon your now win vou earn your aaiiy oread "I don't know," returned Greta; "how shall indeed? But, all the same, it would be contemptible to re ward 'm your unselfishness by merely marrying you ior a nome." "Only agree to marry me, and I will not quarrel with the motives," he im plored. What could Greta do Her lover had deserted her good name was tar nished. Without home, friends or work. was it not the height of folly to refuse such a way of escape? And yet, how could she love him? But might not one survive -the luxury of loving? Come wealth, ease and position vanish all illusions that make life sweet.

She begged a fortnight for consideration -something might turn up to her advan tage the diamond, for instance. But the fortnight passed, as fortnights will; nothing hamjened. excert that. Mr. Grafton, feeling confidence in the woman who hesitates, refurnished his parlor in blue satin and pale gold, fitted up an apartment5 for his wife's boudoir like a suburb of fairy land, bespoke the parson, the ring and the cateeer.

Do tell said one gossip to another Greta Loring's going to step into clover, nnrl Tin tniatato "It's a ndwerful chanyo for her hear Mr; Grafton's always had a hankering for her. He told Mr. Jobson any man could marry any wonian he set his heart upon, if; he'd only work hard enough and wait like a spider in his a I guess he got Greta for thfi astin eh?" 7 "I dunno; there was that Sotherne who was sweet on her." "I reckon that's blown over only a young man's pastime. I'm surprised at Tom Grafton, though, with ajl his airs and frills, with his family tree and his coat of arms, and his ancestors and his money. How does he get over that little affair of Mrs.

Stoughton's diamond? I s'pose he expects folks to visit his wife and ask no questions, once she's a Grafton." Law it's the way of the world a pretty face makes a man forget trespasses and get rid of his judgment. It's no use quarreling with.such things at our ae. Greta'll make a fine lady, and I mean to pay my respects at Grafton Place directly I ra just crazy to see the new fixings. A Chinese paper gives an account of the-cruel treatment to which the coolies who are emploved in the Tutch islands in the Straits to'clear; land and plant tobacco. Everyznan, oJjtf arrival, is tattooed on 'the cheekzand btfcfe arrived they are never released.

No iletters are allowed to be transmitted if ione is sick no medical attendanceMs fin bished they are dressedrSat cocoanut bark, and have for food one poundSof rioe in the hnsk d.iilv anH liftlo clt the climate nearly half die the first vear. and the total numbof deaths-smce-the 4 tfade" Degan is moreTBaa 70,000. a rigorous vratch is kept upon them that lio one has ever been Jaiowii to escape. The grave can have no terrors for an eccentric individual biiV inHIinois. He scoffs at the comforts of a patent spring mattress, with the accompanying pil-lowsbolsters, sheets, and snowy coverlids, und even deems the Indian luxury of a blanket and a fire effeminate and unworthy of man.

In his back yard there is a shallow trench, in which he lays himself each night at bedtime, and a faithful man servant shovels earth over him till nothing but his head is left uncovered. He has no fear of fire or burglars, but sleeps serene "and happy in his couch of earth. If he should wake up and find himself dead some morning, he would be both dead and buried. It is 'hardly necessary to say that he is not a married man. The: recent marriages of several wealthy girls to coachmen and others "out of their set," leads the Philadelphia Times to remark that New York fathers with good-looking daughters are instituting a reform in the matter of employing and using coachmen.

Information from the intelligence offices is to the effect that deeply-colored, ugly and aged drivers are in great demand, and their services command a better price than those of young and better appearing men. When the employment of the latter kind has been found unavoidable, the most thorough inquires are made into their social habits and possible latent qualities. The absolute determination of so many young women to marry somebody, little regarding whom, has set matrimony forth in new shapes and made the position of a father a hard one to bear, as a general thing." It has been stated that desperadoes in the West have been known to kill men in order to test the quality of a new weapon This became known through confessions made at the gallows. Recklessness in the use of all fiiearms is the characteristic of most outlaws, who nevertheless understand heir weapon perfectly. A sheriff of one of the counties in New Mexico was killed not long ago.

The desperado who did the killing owned a beautiful revolver. He was mortally wounded, but was standing on his knees facing the sheriff. The latter bade him turn the weapon around and hand the breach to him. The wounded ruffian did so, holding on to the tip of the barrel. As the sheriff bent over to receive the pistol, the wounded man, with the rapidity ot lightning, threw it back, seized the handle and pulled the trigger on the sheriff, whose heart was pierced by the oaii.

Thomas Moran, an English laborer, was arrested for not contributing $1.25 a week toward the support of his six childreu in the workhouse. His wile is in an insane asylum. He said that about a fortnight after the children entered the workhouse he was laid up ten weeks through an accident. When he got better the frost set in, and he could obtain no work for thirteen weeks. Through his long illness he got into debt but he had paid the guardians as much as he could.

An entry in the police look showed that Moran was carried to the infirmary on a stretcher in September. Notwithstanding this, the magistrate sentenced the defendant to a month's hard labor. The defendant burst out crying, exclaiming, "For God's sake, gentlemen, give me a chance I was never in prison if you send me, I'll lose my work if you give me time I'll pay all." He was, however, removed below, still appealing bitterly for mercy. The London Times has sensibility enough to call this a hard case." If any one should be required to express in brief terms the immediate motive of Peru in causing three-sided war between Chili on the one hand and Peru and Bolivia on the other, it might be done very fairly in this way the imme diate cause of the war is the effort of Peru to get up a corner in fertilizers, guano and nitrate of soda. Behind this, as a contributory cause, was the great earthquake wave a year or so ago, which swept destruction along the coast of Peru, crippling her fertilizer works and shipping depots.

Further back is Peru's heavy public debt, mostly due to England, which debt and interest is secured on her guano and other trade in fertilizers, which trade and her ability to pay her obligations on her bonds were embarrassed by her losses and by compe tition springing up among Chilians domiciled on Bolivian territory, and by Chilians on their own territory, in which nitrate and guano beds are now being worked. And beyond all this are the treaties and other relics of an old dispute between Chili and Bolivia about a piece of sea-coast territory lying between the two countries. Occasionally the. newspapers contain accounts of the exhumation of bodies that give what is called unmistakable evidence of having been buried alive. Speaking of this matter, a city paper opposes the belief which prevails in the minds of many that persons are frequently buried while the spark of life has not yet left the body.

It says that "while such things have happened, add may still happen, they are of the rarest occurrence. Winslow, the celebrated anatomist, is said to have had two narrow; escapes from burial alive, and to have, pu Wished in consequence, a treatise on the signs of death. Bou-chut, Michel Levy and other pli3sicians have also expressed their views on the subject but all testimony procurable establishes the fact tliat. burial alive hardly ever takes place in these times. In corroboration of this, many -German cities have in their cemeteries mortuary houses, in which the dead are kept some days before final interment, the bell-pull being so arranged that the slightest motion of the body would sound an alarm.

So far these precautions have been super fluous. In more than forty years not one supposed corpse thing else.5' has proved to be anv During the seige of Paris there was nobody more popular, and afterward there was nobody more unpopular than Done with the pen A dead pig. The diamrind fieldThe shirt front lr 'rSn in a schoo mm lodiste is rid! modest in hei chanfes'i liNcihtrilr is 'more skockinir ttm electric battery. an Jren.a doctor a carbuncle doesn't he cut a swell Fifteen farmhouses near Italy, have been destroyed by a landsli p. What's use of going Juinry this land of' agents? Any-man-can jcri board.

A joke is not so durable as a church bell. After it' has been tolled a frw times it is worn out. The raindrops that fall when the brightness is gone are the tears of the ky. for the loss of the sun. A Sioux county (Iowa) boy goes to school on a donkey with his dinner basket hung on the ear of the quadruped.

There is nothing more lileely to estrange two friends than a small debt. I and may some day be seoarated bv an The annual importation of oranges ami lemons in the United States is over amounting in value to about 8600,000. The Baltimore papers Qoport a quio but very general revival of religion in that city, which is largely credited to tha labors of Mr. Moody. Two Italian journalists fought a duel with pistols, near Naples, and exchanged twenty-eight shots at a iistance of fifteen paces without doing any damage.

There-are 127, normal schools in A nutria and Hungary; 115 in Italy: 41 in Russia; 41 in England; 33 in Belgium; 31 in Spain; 86 in France, and 32 in Switzerland. You may SDeak of chills and fever and damp air, and the great danger of taking cold, but it never has the least effect on the couple who are bent on enjoying an evening ramble. A Hindoo has reduced laziness to a line art. He says 44 It is better to walk to run, better to stand than to walk, better to sit than to stand, and better to Sit-down than to sit." In digging a cellar at St. Paul, the workmen unearthed a solid silver chalice and salver of fine workmanship, andjthey are thought to be part of a communion service taken from Father lb nepin in 1680.

Small boy (entering shop) 44 1 want a pennyworth of canary seed." Shopkeeper (why knows the boy) 44 Is it for your mother?" Small boy (contemptu-, ously) 44 No! it's for the bird." The Chinese have a curious mode punishment not unlike the old-fashioned practice of placing criminals in the stocks. They fasten a heavy yoke about a convict's neck and make him wear it night and day, and parade him about the public squares and streets of the city by me ponce. Says the Iowa City Press: The cultivation of wolves is You don't catch a scalp-hunter killing an old wolf. He makes the acquaintance ot that old one, finds its burrow, and in the spring, when it has a litter of twelve whelps, kills ten of them, and saves pair for seed. That Turks are not altogether in- CitpuUle of -rrovU in Ty A irr.i Vefyk Pasha, who ha3 in two months drained some thousands of acres of swamp in the beautiful plains of Broussi.

He is now employing a vast number of the unfortunate Mussulman refugees in planting and sowing this land. Paul Morphy, the once noted chesb player, in his insanity imagines himself a great lawyer with an abundance of clients. The great, case that absorbs nearly his whole attention is an' imaginary one against parties who had charge of an estate left him by his father. He utterly repudiates chess, and denies ever having known anything about it. One of the new industries of Germany, reported by Dr.

Stutzer to be now a flourishing condition," is the manufacture of artificial clover seed. Fragments of gravel are sifted until particles of a suitable size arc obtained, and the substitute for the seed is then shaken up with some coloring substance until it acquires the desired hue. An ordinary is quite sufficient lowever, to expose the cheat. In the government of Cherson, Ilu.s.i.t in the bed of a river, a peasant found an egg of unusual size. It is equal to forty lien's eggs, whearas the ostrich egg is equal to only twenty-four.

It is of a yellowish color, and being found between the clay and gypsum layers, is supposnl to belong to the tertiary formation. The furchaser of this egg offered it to the mperial Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, for 10,000 roubles. The academy fasled to buy it, on account ol lack of means, but asked permission to take a mold from it. The British Museum has now bought this unique egg, to the grief of the Russian students of natural science.

They make quick work in turning out for fires in Chicago. The men sleep on the floor directly over fheir wagon, in beds arranged in a circle about two trap doors opening directly over the seat-. When an alarm is struck, the same current that strikes the alarm draws the covers from the beds, opens the trap and lowers three stair wavs one leading to the driver's seat and the other two to the body of the vehicle. The men tumble down the stairways and take their places. Meanwhile the uorses spring into place, are hitched, the driver seize the reins, and tire wagon starts.

Fr mi the moment the gong is struk till the wagon is under motion but four and one-half seconds are consumed. A plan by which young persons residing in the neighborhood of great citi or anywhere else, for that matter, wlij-re the mulberry tree will grow, can, with easy, cleau and pleasant work, make from ten to-twenty-five dollars during the summer, ought to meet with large acceptance. There is a market for the cocoons at about seventy-five cents prr pound, and the eggs of the worms c.i be nrocured without trouble. I near to a store, the worms appear froin the eggs in a few days, and soon beguj to feed. The worms are hardy, but n-d pure air, and must be kept dry and warm.

Cocoons raised near German-town were shipped to Italy, when; was reported that they were in quality, and reeled off splendidly. The children can do most of the work, which lasts about six weeks in May arnl June. The care and trimming of the trees should be attended to by a man, but the little ones can carry in the leaves and feed the worms. The niui-berrytree grows rapidly, and is ready immediately the leaves appear. all but self -approval, love and Stephen So th erne Still, let Jier.

answer Kcv't and Stephen and love would still be lack- ing, and hardship, want and public dis approval be superadded. i i i The miserable little thieff thought the exasperated Mrs. Stoughton She has" played her cards to" perfection," cozening that old fellow into marrying; her.H No doubt hell xue the day, and serve him right." In the meantime, as Greta had not given him a Grafton chose to consider himself accepted. Ho consulted her about the wedding journey, about the new- servants to be engaged. as if the marriage was a matter of course.

She acquiesced his suggestions, but she had no choice to make she was drift ing with the stream, not rowing hard against it; she was making believe that she could love him by-and-bye; his at tention, his consideration for one so forlorn his generosity, touched her; that was all. One day Mrs. Stoughton's husband re turned home. It would seem as if no event could have less effect upon Greta's fortunes. She watched him walking by, and wondered if Mrs.

Stoughton was glad to see him. "Anvnewsin HanrotonP" he asked. at his dinner table. 'News Mr. Grafton is going to be married," returned his wife.

That reminds me I must see Graf ton directly. Married, eh? Well, he's old enough. Who's the bride elect?" ThatTittle hussy, Greta Loring." Softly, softly, my dear it sounds en- V10US." I envious of that little thief!" "Thief? What has Greta stolen old Grafton's heart? Nobody knew he had one before. Perhaps she has only de veloped 3. latent organ in him." Oh, Herbert, I am so sorry to tell you I never could make up my mind to write it; but she was at work here Loring by-the-way, I haven't paid her yet and and my diamond was in tne same room, and it there yet only the diamond's gone.

No body else had been in the house. What could I think? Of course she stole it, though she brazens it out as she does." Mr. Stoughton turned ash-color, laid down his fork, and stared at his wife. And you accused her of stealing the liamond?" I wrote to her very kindly and con siderately. She reuhedin a hisrh and mighty tone, which was simply "insult ing.

1 put the case into Mr. Grafton's hands." "Into Grafton's hands! and what did he say about it?" "bay: Why, he's going to marry her!" Looks as if you'd win your case," "And laughed Mr. Stoughton, uneasily. so Greta is going to marry the old fox. A nrettv kettle i of fish Mv Vlear.

really wish ycu had notified me Qf your 1 ADD 11 He took up his hat and went out frimly. He had a very disagreeable uty to perform, and he wanted it over with it had spoiled his dinner, and that was enough. He knocked at Greta's door. The diamond again," she thought. After all," he cogitated, why not let well enough alone? Perhaps she loves the fellow." Greta bore herself like one with good news: a tender color trembled oh her cheek, a sort of suppressed joy shone in her eyes.

An open letter lay before her, and Mr. Grafton sat in her easy-chair. Mrs. Stoughton, watching from her window, wondered what under the sun Herbert could have to say that would take so long, and.hoped he was giving Greta a piece of his mind, but grew ail the more bewildered when he and Mr. Grafton came out together and separated without a word.

I guess her cake is dough," she When Greta was left once more alone, she turned to her open letter, written in a strange hand What does it mean, my dearest Greta?" it began. "I sometimes think I'm not quite, sane yet, and it's all a fiction of my disturbed brain. Here I was, just picking up from a fever, in a strange sity, when I received all my old letters and keepsakes from my sweetheart, and not a word of explanation. It was like a bombshell. I was out of my head for a month afterward, and small wonder.

Gretet, I love you loe you; so much love was never meant to be wasted. The hospital nurse kindly writes this for me, since I can only swear that I am still, and ever will be, your devoted lover, "Stephen Sotherne." Mr. Stoughton looked very sober when he sat down to his tea table that night. I'm dying; to know what Miss Greta had to say for herself," remarked his wife. The stronger vessel smiled.

Your tea, my dear, resembles the church Laodicea it is neither hot nor cold." "It waited for you long enough to cool. I wonder you didn't see that you were de trop at Miss Loring's." "I triink maybe Grafton found me de trop. In the mean time, my love, I am happy to restore your diamond," and he passed a tiny across the table. Then she has confessed!" sparkled Mrs. Stoughton.

"You jump at conclusions. Women are fond of gymnastic exercises, I hear. No; the confession comes from your-humble servant. I am the euhrit. Mrs.

Stoughton. It was I who, wanting come iciiuv money ior ousmess purposes, abstracted the diamond from your ring, Jid payned it to. Mr. Grafton. He advanced a considerable sum upon it, and never meant you should know it till I had redeemed it perhaps not After all, perfect confidence is the only safe thing between you arid me, I find.

Now we must go and beg Greta's pardon." "And Mr. Grafton" "The blue satin parlor is a mistake, as well as the boudoir he will remain a bachelor." "How -how does he explain himself?" -v''vJ All's fair in love and war, even forgery, is his creed "Then Greta will return to her Not if Stephen Sotherne can help it. Harper's Bazar. Breeches shrink. or contract Those that Ah! I thought yon would pause at that face; She was fair as a poet's lay.

The sweetest rose ol her English home, Yet she perished far, far away In the black massacre at Cawnpore She suffered and died we know no more. And that Ah, yes, 'tis a noble head! Soul sits, on the clear; lotty brow; She was my friend in the days gone by, And she is my enemy now. Mistake, and wrong, and sorrow la! One of life's tragedies let it pass. This lice Ilejwaa my lover, Jeannette; And perchance he remembers to-day Hie passionate wrong that wrecked us both When he sailed in his anger away. Heart-sick and hopeless through weary years.

At length I forgot him despite these tears. J- That handsome fellow? He loved me too And he vowed he would die, my dear, When I told him No "--'tis long ago: He married the very next year. That one I liked a little, but he Cared much fox my gold, nothing for Brides and bridegrooms together, dear, And most of them parted to-day Some famous men that are quite forgot, Some beauties faded and gray. Close the book, for 'tis just as I said- Full of pale ehosts from a life that's dead. Harper Weekly.

Mrs. Stoughton's Diamond. Greta had seen her household gods fall about her before she was able to put pride into her pocket, -where there was plenty of room, and turn iier hand to the only work she understood. It was some five years since she had begun to go dut by the day to make and mend carpets, old and new, for the housekeepers of Hampton. She had plenty of employment now, some money in the bank, and a lover.

She looked forward to the time, not so far off, when she should begin upon her own carpets, when the iioney in the bank would be drawn out to buy the parlor set and the household linen, pictures and knickknackerv perhaps, the wedding gown and bridecake. She had been working for Mrs. Stoughton for several days, when her troubles began, and had gone home, quite tired out with the conflict over that lady's chamber carpet, which had seen its best days. She had been obliged to rip and match figures and insert patches to deceive the rery elect, and at the end Mrs. Stoughton had told her she Would settle the bill when she heard from her husband, who had gone away on business, and taken the key of the money drawer with him by mistake.

Greta shrewdly suspected that the drawer was as empty as a drum, but made no demur. She would oblige a neighbor, and never remember it. Dr. Cardamon's, when she heard Fred rush in from school, and shout "I say, ma, 's supper ready? Give me a hunk of gingerbread, anyhow. Where's Greta Loring? I want to ask her if she's stole Miss Stoughton's diamond out of her ring! Jack Stoughton says his mother's going to haul Greta over-thelcoals.

I don't believe a word of it, and I want to ask her 'Hush, Fred, hush!" said Mrs. Stoughton. "What do you mean? Don't ask Greta any such silly question." "Well, I aon't want Jack Stoughton saying things, and I'll just thrash him for it. Diamonds laughed Greta to herself. Who would suspect Airs.

Stoughton of Then she suddenly remembered having picked a ring off the floor of the chamber where she was sewing at Mrs. Stoughton's a gold ring in which a stone of good size had no doubt once sparkled, and she had dropped it on the mantel, and thought no more about it. Was that cavity going to bear false witness against her? What nonsense But that evening, when she returned to her longings, she found a note awaiting her, which read: "If Miss Loring can give Mrs. Stoughton any information about the diamond missing from a ring left in the chamber where Miss Loring was at woTk, it will be gratefully received, and no mortifying disclosures Poor Greta slept little that night. How could any one suspect her of such a dreadful thing? Where could the diamond have gone? How could she defend herself except by her word Ought she not to have been above suspicion, ike Caesar's wife? What had she done to deserve it? In an angry moment she returned this misjudged reply Mrs.

Stoughton is at liberty to make whatever mortifying disclosures she may choose, but she must excuse Miss Lorin-from rendering account of a diamond of whose existence she was ignorant." This naturally exasperated Mrs. Stoughton, who flattered herself that she had transacted the affair with great delicacy and decorum. She had expected to brin Miss Loring to her feet, with contrite tears and confessions, and here was absolute defiance Did such a hussy deserve consideration at her hands? And if Mrs. Stoughton was more or less afraid to say her soul was her own before that impecunious other half of herself, how much more "Was she afraid to say that her diamond was no longer hers! Accordingly she made haste to put the matter into the hands of the law and the mouths of the Hampton gossips. Doubtless Gi fcta would have been lodged in jail at this time had not Mfi Grafton secretly espoused her cause, while he undertook the case Mrs.

Stoughton had intrusted to him. Mr. Grafton was a wealthy bachelor, somewhat gray, and a good deal bald he had smiled upon Greta more than once, without receiving any answering smile; perhaps he thought now that everything arrives to him who. can aflbrd to wait that this -was his opportunity. Hi.