County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus

Sign writer: "You sent to our shop for a writer. I believe?" Mr. Shentpershent: "Yah. I vant you to baint < Money Lent m creat, pig letters all ofer mein pawnbroker windows. Baiat him in golt letters so efferjpody can see it." Signwriter: "Tbat will b^qmte |]ob. Do you want it done right away i Mr. o-hent pershent: "Eight away quick. able beople is coming back from oere holida s. One boy in bed is worth two in the parlour when the big sister has company. Many of the women who go shopping in the matrimonial market start in the silk depart- ment and wind up at the remnant counter. The fears a girl experiences when she sees some other girl talking to her lover are nothing compared to the pangs that torture a woman when a neighbour calls her servant-gir* to the .,zate and talks to her.

GARDEN GOSSIP. I (From "The Gardener.") In preparing stations for fruit trees, never allow less than six feet diameter for each tre.9, and work the soil in these stations two or three spits deep. Do not prune trees immediately after planting in autumn; this work is best left until early spring. « • • Never plant a great number of varieties; choose the best sorts for succession, and plant more of each. When storing Pears it should be remembered that these need a drier and warmer place than do Apples. u Remember that Bougainvilleas must have a thorough rest in winter if they are to flower well in spring and summer. Do not prune the Goooeoorzy bushes until spring if birds are very troublesome in taking the buds out of the branches. Plants in dwelling houses will require frequent changing at this season, as they are more likely to suffer from the confinement of rooms now. Azaleas in cool houses will require very little water for some weeks, but they must not be al- lowed to become dust dry or they will cast their leaves badly. When planting Raspberries always endeavour to provide posts and wire in preference to bundl- ing the growths to stakes. Those who wish to make sure of their Roses passing safely through the winter should now protect them with bracken or loose strawy litter. Rose lovers who have not yet grown Frau Karl Druschki should make a, point of obtaining this charming variety. Make an effort to have some portion, at least, of the garden trenched or double dug during the winter. < If some of the money annually expended' on manure were applied to the purchase of lime in- stead, much benefit would result, especially to soils of a tenacious character. < The present is a good time for putting herba- ceous borders in order. Take up old clumps, discarding the weak central growths, and replace with some of the vigorous outer portions. The owner or occupier of a small garden may obtain a good deal of pleasure from one or two fruit trees in pots; moreover, there is no legal difficulty in removing these from one residence to another. Black Currants should be given a moist posi- tion if there is such in the garden. They should tlso be given liquid manure, or dressings of rot- sn manure occasionally they are too frequently neglected in this respect. The buds of large Gooseberry bushes may be protected by tying the branches closely together in the shape of a cone. < e Show Auriculas ought now to be in cold frames. There must be no drip, or many plants may be lost from this cause. Hyacinths in Glasses.—Although late, a start may still be made with Hyacinths in glasses. Select hard, compact bulbs, rather on the small than the large side, and place them in glasses so filled with water that it does not quite come in contact with the base of the bulbs. Stand the glasses in a cupboard in the kitchen or other warm room, fill them up with water in a fort- night's time, and in about a month bring them from the cupboard into full, light. If the cup- board is quite dark and the bulbs have been properly managed, the roots should have- reached the bottom of even tall glasses, while the top growth should not exceed J inch in length. Pickle bottles and Bovril bottles make substitutes for proper Hyacinth glasses, but are not nearly 69 effective or successful. Bulbs in Pots.—Where bulbs were potted and plunged in September or October, a few should be introduced to the window. If many are fit to remove from the ashes, place a reserve batch in a cold window, the others in a warm one. Plenty of water should be given at all times, and a sharp look-out kept for green fly, which is almost sure to attack the young foliage. The finger and thumb are a handy and effective means of de- stroying green fly if brought early into operation. Window Boxes.—The Chrysanthemums used for following on the summer display having got shabby, it becomes necessary to resort to other filling. A very pretty and effective temporary one is composed of berried Solanums, and Golden Privet alternated. In a warm position the Solanums retain their berries over a con- siderable period, and the combination of scarlet and gold is very bright. For a permanent filling, evergreen shrubs are the most useful, but rV:-get-me-nots, Wallflowers, Silene pendula compacta, Arabis, Pansies, Candytuft, Polyanthuses, and Primroses are all useful for winter greenery and spring flowers. Potting Soils for Winter and Spring Use.— When the winter rains come and our potting soil is exposed to them, then is the time that we feel the need of a shed in which to store such valuable compost. Not only is wet soil difficult to mix, sift, and handle, but it is quite unfit for plants. A heap of soil constantly moistened soon turns sour, but when protected1 it remains sweet. I have seen cartloads at a time dried over huge boilers before it could be used; and after the drying the loam seemed1 baked and not nice for the purpose. Soil which is stored in a shed must not be left sufficiently long to cause it to become dust dry, as such loam is unfit to, use then the only way is to mix some with a. quantity of moister soil. There is a medium course which is the best. Both large and small quantities of turves may be kept in the open air in fairly good con- dition with or without temporary protection, if properly stacked. A square top must be avoided have a long sloping roof of soil with the surface made even and very smooth with the back of a spade. Rain water will not enter deeply into such a heap of soil. But it is better to place a few boards, or even a thin layer of straw, as a thatch on the top. By cutting down a narrow course at one end, and removing the soil to the shed a couple of days before it is required for use, a splendid work- able loam will be at hand. The heap, too, will not suffer, as there is no top surface exposed to the rains. Leaf soil, sand, manure, wood ashes, and chemicals must all be kept dry, but the leaf soil in a cool place. Half the pleasure of potting is experienced when the composts are handy and in just the right condition. Lily of the Valley in Pots.—A labourer, but a keen gardener, said to me last spring, "Nothing has given my wife so much pleasure during the last month as a pan of well grown Lily of the Valley. I did' not let her see them until they were bursting into bud, and then I took them into the house from the frame, and they have been a delight ever since. For a few pence I bought a good clump from a neighbour, broke it up, and planted the best crowns in a mixture of leaf mould, wood ashes, and rich garden soil, placing leaves and manure over the drainage. Dressing Fruit Trees.—Where trees have their limbs and branches overgrown with lichen, some effort should be made to remove this if the trees are of sufficient value. Fresh lime should be slaked and applied to the thick branches in the form of a strong wash, by means of an old whitewash brush, after the lichens and mosses have been removed by a blunt instrument. Into the heads of the trees amongst the small branches freshly slaked lime, in a powdery condition, may be thrown when they are wet with dew or after rain. This will not only destroy the encrustations but also most of the American blight, with which such trees are usually infested.

OUR SHORT STORY. I A TRAGIC BURGLARY. I Clara Melton shivered slightly as she saw the figure of Will Brent outlined against the verandah of the hotel. I ought to tell him all," she murmured, for I believe that now I have made him love me, mad that I was. What-oh, what shall I do!" Brent stood a moment and gazed at the vista before him, then turned to speak to a fellow visitor to the hotel, someone who, like himself, after the arduous routine of a business life in town, had gone down to that pleasant spot in order to combine golf and sight-seeing, or rather driving tours, about the exquisite coantryside; but the chat was of short duration, for the young man suddenly caught sight of Clara sitting there, and nodding to his friend approached the girl. That which you told me this afternoon is not correct, I trust, Miss Melton. You are surely not really determined to return home to-morrow ?" I am afraid that I must," she said, quietly. "My aunt writes to ask me to go back. She is unwell, and requires me." And," he exclaimed, what of those you leave behind ? Are they not deserving of any considera- tion ? Miss Melton-Clara, sin te I have been here I have but one thought-you. I want you to marry me." The girl started to her feet. Mr. Brent," she cried," if you but knew What should I know," he said, but that you are very dear to me, and that I wish to know no more ?" It is madness!" came in an agonised tone. Then, recovering herself, It is impossible, because-" Because of what ?" Because I am not what you think me." He gave a gesture of dissent. Don't refuse me," he said. Don't refuse me- not suddenly, like this. Think it over. I will come to you to-morrow morning—may I, and have your answer then ? He turned sharply away, before the girl could say more, walking across the verandah towards the gardens, where he was soon lost to view in the shades of the night. The girl seemed for a moment or two as if spell- bound, and then slowly and thoughtfully she went towards the entrance of the hotel. I will go away," she said softly to herself; I will go away. Is it all my fault ? No, no. But I will not go on. It is too mean, too cowardly; and yet, if- She did not finish the thought, for one of ilie hotel servants was coming towards her with a letter. I, It has just come, miss." Thank you," and Clara took the missive, to give a movement of disgust as she recognised the handwriting. Then, to herself, "I will not'go on with it. I will not-not even if he commands." She did not examine the letter until she had gained her room and had locked the door, and then | she feverishly tore it open, and anxiously scanned the contents, afterwards subsiding into a chair and breaking down. To order me to go back so as to make sure of him! Oh, I can't do it-I can't," she sobbed. For I love him, and now it is all hopeless, for if ever he knows who I am—what I am-Ah, it is too horrible—too horrible! I can bear no more." People little reeked the long night hours of anguish the girl had passed, the lonely vigil, the inner communings which came in the solitude, the ceaseless questioning as the clocks sounded the passing hours, and the night wind rustled the leaves of the creepers on the window pane. Brent thought that he knew all She truth, and reproached himself with having acted with undue haste. What I said to you last night has troubled you," he said. You know that I only wish for your happiness. Only give me permission to come and see you in town." Yes," she answered Yes, I will." She declined his offer to escort her to the railway station, and he watched the carriage drive away with melancholy. < Kesxnere had few attractions for him after Clara's departure, and he left for London two days later, to make it his business and pleasure to call upon her at the earliest possible moment; but his disappointment was great when the servant, in reply to his question as to whether Miss Melton was at home, said that her young mistress was out. But as he turned to go he faced round and looked up at the house-a plain square edifice in a row, with a scrap of garden in front-and he felt certain that the curtain of an upper window moved, and that she was looking at him. People were wont to envy him his business, left him by his father—a jewelery business where only real connoisseurs need apply. The young man had chambers over the office where business was trans- acted by him and by his father's old man of affairs, Mr. Watery, who had been left with the other parts of the old-fashioned firm. But during the next few days he was almost oblivious of everything around him, amazed as he was not only at the mystery surrounding Clara Melton, enshrouding her personality, but also at the treatment he had received, for she had given no sign of life, and each time he had called it was to meet with the same response. On the last occasion on which he had rung the bell at her house he had endeavoured to obtain some informa- tion, but the attempt was futile, Nothing has happened to her ?" he asked. Not that I know of, sir ?" came the reply. He turned thoughtfully away, baffled and ill at ease, trying to gain comfort from the idea that no tragic event could have occurred, for if it had it would certainly have crept into the papers, such, for instance, as an accident—a personal accident —on the railway, or a real case of a missing individual. No, ho it was just to avoid him. He thought long that night, hardly noting the passage of time, and midnight had struck when he was startled out of his reverie by hearing the ting- ting-ting of the electric bell, the person who had touched it keeping his finger there. Brent went down and unlocked the door, and as a puff of air swept in' he started back in amaze- ment, for standing without, dimly against the night, was Clara. -You t" he gasped. Hush!" she said; and she glanced nervously right and left, up the street and down, and then quickly entered the house. Shut the door," she said, tremulously, they may have spied on me." He looked at her dumfoundedly, and the thought was in his eyes that she had gone mad. I must tell you now," she said, as he led her into his sitting-room and she seized his arm. Tell me," he exclaimed. But what have you to tell me, Clara, that should make you tremble ?" Oh, Will," she cried. 11 1-1-- You will think me a bad woman-as I am." "Never!" he retorted; and he took her hand, drawing her to a chair, where he made her sit down. Tell me anything you like, and then ten me that I have not hoped in vain." You know- she began. You know- Kesmere-I-I-was there as a decoy a cheat." You!" he cried, drawing back. Yes-oh, how can I tell you all ? They knew -my father and the people he is with-they knew that you would be there-and they sent me down —thinking that you-" "Well?" "Y ou- The girl stopped, gazing at him with an expres- sion of fear. — would ask me to marry you." As I do," he said firmly. But," she went on wildly, and her eyes flashed fire. Ah, it is all too shameful, and I-I lent my- self to it, while now "Come, come," he said quietly, "you must not accuse yourself." But," she went on wildly, and tears started to her eyes, I was to arrange so that you would not be here to-night. For my father is a thief. Yea, it's true. I did not know till lately. Be meant to rob this place; and he will. You have something valuable here." Yes," said Brent, grimly. There are a few important jewels below." "Ah t" came in a whisper. There was a pause. You understand," she said, affrightedly, that T dare not see you again—only to give the alarm. They think that I am true to them. Perhaps even now I am too late, for they trusted me, and though I vowed to myself that I would see you no more, I was to write to you, making an appointment with you, so tbat yoo should be away." And even as she spoke there came plainly from below the muffled sound of breaking glass. Well, one part of your story is going to come true," he said, quietly, and he moved swiftly towards the door, though the girl tried to detain him. Bat I can't let them take what belongs to me, he continued. "No, no; and yet "Stop here," he said, authoritative! and ho pressed her back into her ehair and left the room, to glide noiselessly downstairs to the basement, without looking behind or noticing that the girl had silently followed him. If they are only here in time," she murmured. In the central hall below Brent was able to see a dark form enter through the broken and now unfastened window, the strange visitant then turn- ing to address a word to someone without; but at the noise made by the young man the intruder gave a cry, which was heard by his colleague without, who, feeling that something had gone wrong, turned to fly. Brent made a dash at the marauder, who uttered an oath as he felt himself mastered, while at the same moment came a loud insistent hammering at the front door. Brent shook his priftoner roughly, and then started, for in the light streaming from the window he could see that Clara was immediately behind. I give in," said the captive. "Let me go. Let me go," he went on faintly; I'm done!" And as Brent relinquished his grasp the prisoner subsided limply on to a seat, while just then there came through the broken and unfastened window a soft ,glow of light from a bull's-eye lantern, and a moment later a sergeant of police was clambering in. You wouldn't open to us, sir," he said quietly. • as he dropped down; but the young man did not heed him, for the intruder held his attention. Who are you ?" exclaimed Brent, sharply, to the captive; but the latter seemed not to hear his question, instead fixing his gaze on the girl, who was as if fascinated by the state of the would-be thief. You!" came hoarsely. You You played traitor, then, to us—to me. Ah. I might have known—I might have known. Fool that I was to trust you!" "Hullo exclaimed the sergeant, and he let the light from his lantern play on the man's face. Got you, then, at last; or at least you did, sir," he added, apologetically, turning to Brent, who, however, was looking at the girl. This man," he said, excitedly, catching her arm, "is-is-- But there, I need not ask." My father!" she panted. Oh, save him——" Brent faced round sharply, just as the sergeant was saying to his subordinate QL"Ick! the darbies! One never knows with thesef-ellows. Can't you see ? It's Tom Edwards —been looking for him for years, and-Here, stop that!" And the officer gripped the prisoner's arm. Light that gas, Jim—quick!" But as the hall was flooded in brilliant light it was evidently too late, for the wanted" man, who strangely enough at such a time seemed to be more concerned about arranging the disordered state of his clothing than anything else, and who had then stroked his moustache, suddenly started up and then dropped back on to the seat, while there was a peculiar glassy stare in his eyes. What's wrong ?" asked Brent, anxiously now. Swallowed something," said the sergeant. Ah!" and he caught the man's arm again, "Doctor, Jim—run—no—yes—quick! He's giving us the slip, poor beggar! No, no, you keep away, miss." But he spoke in vain, for the girl had dropped on her knees by the sufferer and had seized his hand. Father," she whispered, forgive me." And no one else caught the words or the scarcely audible reply: Yes, Clara—yes Good-bye And the man's head sank forward, while the ser- geant, realising the truth, stepped back A goner," he muttered. Brent drew the girl away as the policeman and the doctor hurriedly entered the place, the latter to make a quick diagnosis. Too late," he said, rising to his feet. "Dead." And the sergeant of police took off his uniformed cap and nodded shortly. "You can't go back there" said Brent, ten minutes later, "not to that house." And he looked fixedly at the girl. Yes," came the reply. Where else should I go?" Why, to my aunt's in Clarges-street," he responded, firmly. She will look a: t r you until I have the right to do so. No—don't protest— don't tell me anything more. The past is dead, and it is the future which concerns us now."

FUSE ART OF SELLING. London shopkeepers ridicule the classes I tor training salesmen and saleswomen, just started in the city of Buffalo. Said the manager of a retail business in Bromp- ton: You cannot make a good salesman out of bad material. Salesmen, like poets, are born, not made. Girls are our worst problems. Many of them take no trouble to excel in the art of selling." "t

A GIRL BRICKLAYER. A cowardly attack has been made by bricklayers upon a young lady named Marie Roenix at Christiania. Mile. Roenix, who is studying architecture, had obtained permission from the authorities to assist in building some municipal offices, and, attired in blue trousers and a white smock, took her place on the scaffold, with the men. As she was leaving the premises at the end of the day's work a bucketful of half-slaked lime was thrown over her. She was removed to hospital, where her hands and face were found to be terribly burnt.

ARBITRATION TREATIES. The Convention between the United Kingdom and Sweden and Norway, which was signed on August 11 last has been published as a Parliamen- tary paper. It provides for the settlement by arbitration by means of a reference to the Per- manent Court of Arbitration, established by the Hague Convention in 1899, of certain classes of questions which may arise between the two Governments. Questions affecting the vital interests, the independence, or the honour of the Contracting States, and those concerning the interests of third parties, are excluded. The Con- vention extends over a period of five years. Agree- ments exactly similar to this have been entered in- to between the British Government and those of France, Spain, Italy, and Germany. Representa- tives of the United States and Portugal signed an arbitration at Washington recently, and an arbitration between Switzerland and Italy has been concluded. A telegram from New York says that the Governments of Nicaragua and Honduras have agreed to submit the boundary dispute to the arbitrament of the King of Spain.

Pete Gruber, known throughout the United States as the "rattlesnake king," has just cele- brated the killing of his 4,000th rattlesnake by giving a dinner to his friends at Williamsport. He wore a suit of clothes for the occasion made entirely of snake skins. The King is expected to revisit Windsor in January, when the Court will stay at the castle about a week. His Majesty will have several days' shooting in Windsor Great Park, many of the coverts not having been shot over this season. Around Virginia Water there is a considerable quantity of game. Over 1,000 miles of telegraph poles in full blossom are to be seen in Uganda. The wires are strung from a species of tig tree, which has extraordinary powers of germination. Millions of Hindus live, marry, and rear families on an income which rarely exceeds a couple of shillings & week. They never eat meat and need little clothing. After adopting resolutions covering a series of projected reforms, the Congress of Russian provincial councils at St. Petersburg has closed its sittings.

I EPITOME OF NEWS. Blackpool's ne," widened promenade has been completed at a cost of £ 200,000. A Bill for the repression of anarchy is to be laid before the Spanish Chamber. France has 800,000 pet dogs, on which L400,000 is paid in taxes. Capt. A. B. Lindsay, 2nd Batt. Gurkha Rifles, I has been selected by Lord Kitchener to join tba Imperial Defence Committee to act for the Go- vernment of India.. The records of the Great St. Bernard Hospice show that the lives of 200 travellers have been saved this year by the monks and their dogs. The Bank of England employs about 1,000 people, pays £ 250,000 yearly m wages, and -C £ 35,000 yearly in pensions. Lord Kelvin has been elected an honorary member of the Gsnr^n Electro-Technical Society. Prince and Princess Alexander of Teck have arrived at Windsor Castle, and taken up their residence at Henry this Third's Tower. Fair-headed people have the best heads of hair, 140,000 to 160,000 being quite an ordinary crop on the head of a fair man or woman. Middlesex Education Committee will acquire two acres of land on which to give lessons in horticulture. Of the 222,000 men in the British Army, 57,000 are total abstainers, and 25,000 of the 72,000 in India. Liverpool Guardians are strenuously objecting to having a Scandinavian lunatic dumped on them from America, whe2e he is refused entry. A marriage market is held annually near Mos- cow, and it is said that over 1,000 marriages are arranged there each year. General Booth has concluded his German cam- paign at Frankfort. Over 20,000 people attended his meetings. Built in 1888 at a cost of £ 266,204, the cruiser Galatea is to be sold out of the Navy. A Nottingham infant named Blanche Gladys Whittle was suffocated by a dog lying across its face. Eckington West has won the premier prize for the best platform garden on the Midland Rail- way. Professor Nernst, of Gottingen, theinvenior of the Nernst lamp, is stated to have been called to Berlin as Director of the Institute for Physi- cal Chemistry. The Duke of Connaught, as Grand Master of English Freemasons, has conferred the rank of Past Junior Grand Warden upon Mr. Justice Warrington, Deputy Grand Registrar. Russia's Cross of St. Andrew has a, remarkable peculiarity attaching to it. All who are decor- ated with it have the right once to demand a pardon for a Russian subject condemned to death. The recent census in Bengal reveals the fact that there are 4,000 baby girls in that province alone who have been married, and of this num- ber 600, all less than a year old, are widows. The longest underground thoroughfare im Great Britain is in Central Derbyshire, where you can walk seven miles upon a road connecting several coal-mines. When he was at Eton it is said that the Duke of Westminster was known as "Jack Sheppard." He was at that time a small, thin boy, with a sharp figure and face. He wore his hair some- what closely cropped, after the French fashion, so that he was the living image of Cruikshank's picture of Jack Sheppard in Ainsworth's famous novel. Herr Paul Turon, of Teschen, in Austrian Silesia, sang a hymn at his own burial. He had intoned the hymn into a phonograph shortly be- fore his death and directed that it should be re- produced at his funeral service. This was car- ried out by the heirs, who, under the terms, of Herr Turon's will, had to sacrifice £100 of his estate to a charity it they faHed to comply with his wish. Two female officers of the Salvation Army were convicted at Bangor, County Down, of having caused an obstruction during an open-air service. They refused to pay the small fine on principle, preferring to go to prison. One of the magis- trates thereupon paid the fines, and the Salva- tionists were released. This is the first prose- cution against the army in Ireland. Speaking of the obstinacy of a horse in a cruelty charge at llailifax, the. delendant said, "All per- suasion was lost on it, and I might as well have talked to this Bench." Noticing a pained ex- pression pass over the faces of tne magistrates, he quickly smote the edge of the witness-box, to indicate the bench to which his remark might be taken to allude. In a letter published in the "Freeman's Jour- nal," Mr. Joseph Devlin, M.P., announces that it has been decided, in the reorganisation of the United Irish League in Dublin, to exclude from membership all members of public bodies who voted for addresses during the recent visits of the King and Queen. King Edward is largely his own physician, and a happy combination of exercise and self-denial accounts for the preservation of a fine constitu- tion. Now almost an ascetic at the. table, he may say, in the words of the late Sir William Harcourt, "I feel best, when I eat least." He may add his Royal testimony to that of Mr. Chamber- lain in praise of a good cigar. King Edward is a mighty cigarette smoker. A race between men with wooden legs is the last diversion to amuse the pedestrians of Paris. Nineteen competitors lined up at the Quatre- Chemins circus, with legs of all sizes and colours, and made' a quaint spectacle as they started off on a three-mile course up the Rue de Flandre. A prize of £ 1 was awarded to the winner, who covered the first half of the distance in the credit- able time of 12min. Among the intended applications to Parliament for private Bills in the forthcoming Session is the novel application of the Andover Gas and Coke Company, Limited, which seeks to be dis- solved and re-incorporated, with power on the one hand to manufacture and supply gas, and on the other hand to generate and supply electrical energy. This looks like an attempt to take the ¡ sting out of competition. Some of the fashions among the tribes in Uganda are distinctly original. Among the Acholi people, for instance, the young men con- strict their waists most uncomfortably with cor- sets of string covered with copper wire. The women wear pieces of glass hanging from the lower lip like icicles. The fashionable high hand-shake is the common method of salutation in Acholi. Most Japanese officers, and many of the men, can speak Russian. There has been, a professor- ship of the Russian language at the School of War in T'okio ever since 1882. There is another I at the University of Tokio, where the professor of late years has been a Muscovite by birth. named Kerder, who is now a naturalised Japanese. Besides these, Russian courses are held at several scholastic institutions in Tokio. Saghalien, the Russian island to the north of Japan, is not so cold as the interior of Siberia, because of the surrounding saa. Gold, copper, and iron mines are worked in it. The timber is fine, especially oak and cedar. Coal, petro- leum, whale, fish (salmon and herring), and game (deer, musk-ox, elan, goats) are among the natural productions. The roots of the rampion, which many people like as an ingredient in a winter salad, are now on sate in some shops. The rampion, which hails from the South of Europe, was more m request by a former generation. After declaring to the landlord of an hotel ¡ which he visited at Dumfries his disappointment because "his love had married another man," a young Edinburgh accountant named Jackson poisoned himself with laudanum. The final spike in the railroad from Canton to Samshui was driven in the course of the last week. It was, as is customary in such cases, of silver; and before the spike had been down twenty-four hours it was Hauled up and stolen by the Chinese. Issued by the City Corporation a return shows that during the month ot October 34,122 tons of meat were delivered Bit the London Central Mar- kets as compared with 37,940 tons in October 1903, a decrease of 3,818 tons. The amount of fish delivered at Billingsgate Market last month was 17,191, an increase of 989 tons on the ae- livery for October, 1903. At the Metropolitan Cattle Market 7,836 head of cattle, 40,598 sheep, 84 calves, and 270 pigs were received. At tne Foreign Cattle Market 14,408 head of cattle and 8,087 sheep were delivered from the U.S.A. porta and from Canada. The ethios of assault have been laid down by Mr. Stewart at Liverpool. "If a man comes into your house," he said, "and picks up a poker to strike you, you are entitled to pick up the tongs and lenoe with him, and if you hit him witft the tongs he cannot complain of being assaulted, because he would have struck you first if lie could. But if, on the other hand, you take the poker out of his hand and strike him with it you are guilty of an assault, because you struck an unarmed man. That is as clear a distinction as I can make." The public pawnshop at Vienna, which was closed for some time while necessary enlarge- ment was made, has been reopened. The man- lagers of the institution, besides advancing money on articles, undertake the sale by auction of any goods or stocks of merchandise submitted. Those desirous of disposing of their effects must notify the managers three days previous to the sale. The new metropolitan institution when completed will contain no fewer than twelve auction halls. The authorities claim no more than 5 per cent, of the sum realised at the auction, which charge includes all the auction* eering expenses. An interesting case of "divining" for water is reported froQ Doncaster. The diviner was Mr. B. Tompkins, of Chippenham, Wilts. The party included several experts, engineers, sinkers, analysts, and others and on their arrival at a large farm the party entered a field, where the diviner produced a twig in the shape of a fork and, followed by the party, made an excursion up and down the ground. After a while he was led to an adjoining field, where the twig appeared sto pull him about, and the influence was so strong that he released it for a few moments, being himself powerfully affected. After a rest the diviner settled down to a particular spot, where he declared that water would be found at 50ft. and a full supply at 90ft. to 100ft. Mr. Tompkins is a farm aT and breeder of sheep on a large scale. Miss Florence St. John learnt her stage laugh —which has done so much to help her in her career—by the merest accident. She had always had the greatest trouble in laughing on the stage, and both she and the manager were somewhat anxious as to how she would laugh "loud and long" in "Madame Favert." On the first night the manager was watching the per- formance through a hole in one of the wings, and just before the moment for the laugh he, in his excitement, dropped his artificial teeth from his mouth through the hole on to the stage. 1 9 Miss St. John saw the accident, which sent her off into peals of laughter, and next morning the I papers all spoke highly of her entrancing laugh, which she repeated ever after. The taxameter of the Paris cab service has necessitated a curious exercise Ðf inventive in- genuity on the part of the cabman. During the summer season and with open cabs matters were easy enough. The driver bad but to turn his head to consult his records. With the closed crub of winter, however, this is impossible. If the cabman wished to be certain of his figures he had to dismount. One day an ingenious driver conceived the idea of using a little hand mirror from his box seat, and this, at a certain angle, answered perfectly. Every Paris cabman now has his mirror. The "new planet," whose discovery is proudly recorded from Heidelberg, is probably nothing more than an asteroid," one of the fragments of that shattered world that once kept its ap- pointed place between Mars and Jupiter. It was thought last year that they had been all ac- counted for, and as they now number well over five hundred, the discovery of a strayed member or two is no great astronomical sensation. But Reuter might be a little more explicit. When a "new planet" swims into our ken, we like to know enough to found a modest ecstasy upon. Some interesting facts about the Japanese Government's medical precautions are mentioned in the "Chemist and Druggist." Beechwood creosote is supposed to prevent dysentery, which is very prevalent in Manchuria, and the medi- cal department decided to give each soldier a pill containing 0.25 of creosote at a meal, or three pills a day. Each soldier's requirements are nicely packed in small tins, each containing 90 pills, or a month's supply; they are labelled "Russian Expedition Pills." At the busiest time 2,000,00') pills a day were made by the Army's tablet and pill works in Tokio. Victims to influenza may, or may not, be com- forted by the assurance that the complaint, if not the name, is no new thing. In the winter of 1731, we read in a chronicle of the period that "an epidemical distemper, which consisted of a cold attended with a fever, raged for some time with such violence in the city of London that it took off a great number of the inhabitants. The bill of mortality in one week was increased six times its usual number." Leaving out the actual statistics, this description might easily have fitted the first modern visitation of the in- fluenza fiend just fifteen winters ago. A romance almost .as sensational as the Tich- borne Claimant's is that of the cabman who is stated to have already left Tasmania to claim the Meredyth 'baronetage. In this case, how- ever, Burke and Debrett seem to leave no doubt as to the claimant being the legal heir-presump- tive, and there appears to be no intention of the family to contest his claim. Whether the pro- perty will go with the title is not yet decided. Such cases are much commoner in the colonies than at home. To drive a cab, mend a road, or eft-ry a post bag, does not involve the same loss of social position as here, and the free life attracts many men of the highest birth, who have had various reasons for leaving England. Dr. Maclean, principal of the Edinburgh Theo- logical College, who has accepted the see of Moray and Ross in the Scottish Episcopal Church, is described in "Truth" as a very able man, distinguished fro great learning, re- markable force of character, and exceptional energy. He took high honours at Cambridge in 1880. The stipend of Moray is Y,600 a year, but the duties are certainly not onerous, for there are only 23 clergy in the diocese, and it seems a pity that such a man should be practically lost in what an eminent prelate defined as "the lotus- eating featherbed of a Scctch diocese." The women of Cincinnati have lately per- formed a strange task with as much courage as humour. One line morning about a hundred of them appeared in neat cotton dresses and sun hats and armed with brooms and shovels. They forthwith began to sweep and clean the chief street of the town. The spectators, who soon. assembled in crowds cheered them to the best of their lung power. At noon the women sat down on the doorsteps and consumed I heir dinners, which many had brought to them by their child- ren. By sunset the chief roads of Cincinnati had, for the first time for no less a period than six months, received a thorough cleaning. The women gwined their point, for the fathers of the city were so much ashamed that they solemnly resolved henceforth to keep the place in that condition vihich is reckoned to be next to godli- ness. By the conduct which gained him the V.C., Vice-Admiral Sir A. K. Wilson long since proved himself to be a "cool hand" in an emergency. It was when the Naval Brigade were in the fighting at El-Teb that Captain Wilson, as he then was, performed an act. of gallantry which Sir Redvers Buller, who was present, declared to be the most courageous thing he had ever witnessed. A gap was made in the British square, and half-a-dozen of the enemy rushed forward to pierce the ranks. Captain Wilson, who advanced alone to meet them, broke his sword in attempting to cut one of them down. Without receding a step he threw aside his broken weapon and tackled his assailants with his fists, flooring each in turn while the square closed up.