Evening Express

am THE CROWNED BARD. "Watcyn Wyn" Scores a Success at Chicago. THE CR0WNTN6 CEREMONY. In consequence of a, misunderstanding the fol- lowing message from our special correspondent at Chicago did not reach us at the proper time, having been forwarded by mail instead of being cabled, but as it gives a graphic description of the success of Watcyn Wyn," the winner of the silver crown and 200dols. ( £ 40), offered for the beat poem on George Washington," it will be read with in- terest by Welshmen throughont the country. This, we may mention, is the first report of the success of "Watcyn Wyn," and it adds another to the list of prizes secured by Welsh singers and bards at the great eisteddfod at Chicago. (PROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] CHICAGO, SATURDAY, SEPT. 9,1893. It has been announced that the silver crown and 200 dollars ( £ 4 T) offered for the best poem of 3,000 lines on George Washington have been won by "Watcyn Wyn (Mr. W. H. Williams, head master of Gwynfryn School, Ammanford, Carmarthenshire). The announce- ment was received with intense enthusiasm, the Welsh people who were present in the great kail jumping on the seats and shouting with joy, O'r Cymro a.g e' and Gallant little Wales The scene was one which will be remembered for many a day, not only for the thoroughly hearty character of the reception accorded by Welshmen to the work of a genuinely Welsh representative bard, but for the equally enthusiastic manner in which that section of the audience which could claim no connection with the Principality joined in the ovation. Watcyn Wyn has more than a local reputation for his writings. He is well-known to many people on this side of the Atlantic, as a few years ago he visited the States, and his humorous and sagacious account in CyfaiU yr Aetwyd is still remembered with pleasure by his American friends. It was a disappointment tha.t the popular bard wa.s not present to receive the honour he had so worthily won, and to see for himself how warmly the announcement of his success was received by the enormous audience in this large eisteddfodic ball. He wil JUDGE NOAH DAVIS. be glad to know that the adjudicators-there were only two of them present, namely, "Hwfa Mon" and the Rev. G. H. Humphrey, M.A., Utica," Dafydd Morganwg" being- absent-spoke in terms of enthusiasm of the merit of the poem. "It is a great poem, and proves the author to be a true poet, a. pro- found and clear thinker, and a writer of glowing and graceful Welsh"—this was the verdict of the adjudicators, and they added that a crown had never been given to a worthier recipient. When the identity of the poet was made known by a friend of "Watcyn'¡;¡" who waa in the know and patiently awaiting the adjudication, the enthusiasm fairly ran over. At one o'clock this afternoon Cynonfardd" (the Her. T. C. Edwards, late of Car- diff), the representative of "Watcyn Wyn," the winner of the bardic crown in the "Arwrgerdd" competition,was crooned with great pomp a,nd ceremony and in the midst of the greatest enthusiasm. The" Arwrgerdd wceived the same honours as were given to the Awdl," the Druids, the bards, and the ovates, SjEr all in their distinctive robes surrounding: the Hf representative of the winner. The crown, which is a magnificent specimen of the silver- Uf smith's art, is of' line silver, ornamented with Colorado garnet diamonds, and was given by the tidies of Denver. The crown is valued at 75 dollars (£15). Caradog," who looked the very embodiment of podgy joy, informed me that he was mighty proud of the triumphs of his countrymen and eountrywomen. "My heart is full," he said. "I expected one or two triumphs, but lOCh a. series of noble victories has ) almost made me dumb with joy. I can't tell you what I feel and think. But look here," he added, and his eyes glistened, and he seemed to swell again with pride, if Dan Davies, or Prosser Bach, or William Hop- kins, or R. C. had brought out a choir it would have won the JE1,000 with ease. Scraaton sang grandly, but we have two or three choirs I PROFESSOR JOHN P. JONES. I in South Wales (he called it yn y D&") who would have shown them something more tasteful in the quality of voices and the class of singing." I tried to find Mrs. Davies, the vivacious lady conductor of the victorious ladies' choir, but I found that the choir has left to fulfil some con- cert engagements which they have arranged on tkir way back to New York. They are likely to meet with phenomena iccess, for the wave. of enthusiasm that was created by their splendid success yesterday will follow them wherever they go on this great continent. Others than the Welsh people ha.ve been struck with admira- tion at the indomitable pluck of this party of Welsh girls, who came, and sang, and { conquered. PROCESSION TO THE FESTIVAL-HALL. Biography of "Watcyn Wyn." The following biographical sketch of the successful bard will be read with interest by our readers :—Mr. W. H. Williams—or ''Watcyn Wyn," as he is known to every Welshman—was born in a house called Cwm- garw, Brynamman,in 1844, and, like "Dyfed," he was obliged to go to the coal pit when very younr-about ten years of age, and he worked hard as a collier for many years. When he was working in the colliery the colliers of Brynamman had two very important institutions, carried on with great zeal, in the pit, namely (1) a prayer meeting every Monday morning to ask the Lord to protect them in their perils, and to thank him for His past mercies (2) a competitive meeting every month, or oftener sometimes, to encourage the young men to write and study literature, poetry, and music. Never were these so flourishing as when Watcyn was underground. He mar- ried in 1870. and in 1871 he lost his wife, His plans of life being thus destroyed, he com- menced life afresh, as it were. He began to preach and went to school, his course of life developing those bardic qualities which were in the future to bear such good fruit, and sharpening his keen insight into the problems of life. In 1875 he was admitted to Carmarthen College, and on leaving, in conjunction with a friend, he vln opened a grammar school at Llangadog, but be soon removed his school to Rhydaman (or Ammanford, as it has been transfigured lately), and there he is now conducting the flourishing Gwynfryn School, which is doing grand work, especially in preparing young men for the theological colleges. At present there is only one other bard who has won the national chair and crown-" H wfa. BARDS IN THEIR ROBES. Mon." Wa.tcyn Wyn won the crown at the Merthyr Eisteddfod in 1881 for a pcem on "Life, and the chair for an ode on the "Truth Against the World," at Aberdare, in 1885. He won four other chairs a t Ynyshir, Aberaeron, Glyn Ebbwy, andPestiniog. He was equal with Islwyn on a poem to the "Angel," which, in his own estimation, is one of the proudest positions he ever achieved. He is one of the hardest workers in Wales. Besides preaching, lecturing, and writing' to the leading periodicals, he is, conjointly with the Rev. R. Thomas, Liverpool, editing the Diwygiwr," and has succeeded in giving new life to that old magazine. Nobody will wonder at this last vic- tory of his, but the news will be hailed with satisfaction by all Welshmen all over the world. OTHER AWARDS. For the best poem on Art the Rev. J. T. Morgan ("Thalamus"), of New Straitsville, Ohio, was awarded a prize of 25dols. William Evans, of North Wales, was awarded a similar amount for a reverie, entitled" The Poet on Poetry." The prize of 50dols. for the best translation of Locksley Hall" into Welsh was awarded to Hugh Edwards, of Rhyl, North Wales.

Another Triumph for the Literary Policeman. Mr. Charles Ashton, police-officer, Dinas Mawddwy, Merionethshire, was declared the winner of £20 and a piece of land, valued at jE40, for .the best handbook of short biographical sketches of Welsh poets from Gwilym Lleyn to Gwilym Hiraethog." There were four com- petitors.

THE RHONDDA PARTY. A Member Describes an hicident in Mid-Ocean. The following interesting' letter is from the pen of one of the members of the Rhondda Glee Society, which recently won the prize in the male voice competition at Chicago :— Of course, you know that we won. We were not at all at our best either. There was no comparison between the singing of the Rhondda party at Pontypridd and at Chicago nevertheless the singing was good enough. So Yankeeland is not in it with Wales. To-day the ladies are going to add another victory for gallant little Wales. "We had a most uncomfortable jonrnt-y as the vessel was very crowded. We were fog- bound on the Newfoundland Coast about ten hours, and we made a gallant rescue of a man and boy who were hanging to a boat, keel upwards, in the Straits of St. Lawrence. We sent five men in a boat and rescued them. To see them clinging to the boat and throwing up their hands to signal to us was most appalling. It was a very rough sea and it was a great risk to try to rescue them. There was a collection made on board and a presentation to the rescuers. We! collected £14 12s. 6d. By the bye it is some fun to watch our boys looking i at the dimes and dollars and cents, and asking each other, What is this, boy ?' and How much will that be at home ? We were only 42 competing. Penrhyn Choir numbered 59, and all the other parties consisted of about the same number so you see we were handicapped a good deal. "We did not land at Quebec till on the Saturday evening. Then we took train and were travelling till Monday night. So you can g-uess what form we were in to compete. We had to stop at a small village about 30 miles from Toronto for our engine to run back there for some passengers who were left behind. We were there three hours. The people were all French Canadians, and could not speak English or Cymraeg. The North and our party sang a few Welsh hymns Las the people were coming out from mass. They could not understand who and what we were. I heard one of them laugh at us, and remarked something about Salvation Army. We stayed a few minutes at another point, and came across some loyal Canadians. We gave them 'Comrades in Arms,' and they cheered us tothe echo. Well, Ted, I want breakfast. While I was waiting I thought I would drop you I'. a line. There are over 1,000 lodgers here, Mrs. Davies and her girls among the number." THE GATHERING AT THE GORSEDD-Y DORF 0 GYLCH YR ORSEDD FESTIVAL HALL—NEUADD YR EISTEDDFOD. I

HOME RULE. Mr. Labouohere as the Candid Critic of the Bill. Mr. Labouchere in this week's Truth says t It must be admitted, however' desirous we mav be that Home Rule should be secured to Ireland, that the country is taking the rejection of the Bill by the Lords calmly, not to sa.y apatheti- cally. The main reason, I take it, for this is that the Bill itself is somewhat of a half-hearted measure. It creates an Irish Executive and an Irish Legislative Assembly, but it restricts either from dealing with police, land, and taxation, which are involved in the idea of local self-government whilst it allows 80 Irish members to ha.ve what is likely often to be n. casting vote in the Imperial Parliament upon those British local matters which, m the case of Ireland, are lef to the Irish Legislature. W hen to this is added the fact that there is a British majority against the Bill, I am not surprised at the country not rising up as one man to demand the immediate abolition of the House of Lords for having ven- tured to set itself against the rel)repentatives of the nation. I deplore the apathy, but this is no .reason why I should deny its existence.

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CARDIFF LIBERAL CLUB. Purged of the Unionist Element, and Ruled by Teetotallers. A correspondent writes -The Cardiff Liberal Club, or restaurant on Radical and temperance lines, is to be re-modelled or re-formed so as to exclude all persons who are not members of the Cardiff Liberal Association, and in this way the Unionist element, which, it is alleged, brought about the shipwreck of the old club, will be got rid of. A few of the oldest members of the Car- diff Liberal Association, feeling the disgrace to the party in consequence of the failure of their club, which was opened with such a. flourish of trumpets near the Custom House Bridge, have arranged to rent from Mr. Solomon Andrews the upper floor, or a portion of it, on one side of the New Market-buildings in St. Mary-street, over the shop occupied by Mr. Hep worth, clothier, &c. To gain support, and also remove the objections raised against the old club by the teetotal members of the Cardiff Radical Asso- ciation, the committee have, it is said, yielded to the intolerant pressure of the temperance party, who refused to support the defunct club, and consented to conduct the new one on tempe- rance lines.

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IMPRACTICABLE. Owners Says the Coal Scheme Won't Work. THE PROPOSAL CONDEMNED. The scheme which Sir George Elliott has originated for the amalgamation under a trust of the colliery proprietors of this country, is not favourably received at Cardiff. A representative of the "Western Mail," had conversations with several prominent coal- owners and representatives of the principal exporting firms in South Wales on Thursday, and in every case he was informed that the scheme was impracticable. In the opinion of those gentlemen, the interests are too diverse, and the circumstances too varied to allow of such a combination being satis- factorily worked. The difficulties which will confront anyone who endeavours to place collieries turning out different qualities of coal upon one basis, are believed at Cardiff to be insuperable. One difficulty which prevents fair criticism of the scheme is found in the fact that the details are not ex- plained with sufficient fulness. One of the most prominent merchants at- Cardiff Docks-a gentleman who has a large interest in collieries—informed our repre-. sentative that after reading the scheme care-, fully, he could come to no other conclusion: than that it was impractible. For what reason ?" was the query which naturally followed such a. broad condemnation of the proposed trust. "For several reasons," was the prompt, reply. "In the first place, it will be very difficult-I fear, impossible—to check the values of the interests to be absorbed by the new company. You may call it a trust, but it really is a huge company. From what I have seen, the interest of the coal- owner and the ground landlord are lumped together, and I would like to see separate estimates of the value of the royalties. Again; a man who owns a remunerative colliery property, will be unwilling to put himself at the mercy of any valuers." Do you think a trust would prevent the disputes which now occur between em- ployers and employed ?" I question it. The trust would be a gigantic union of employers, and don't you- think that would lead to an equally gigantic j union of the men ?" I should think it would. There is another point upon which I would like your opinion;. Would not a trust be likely to put up prices of cooJ. T" 1 "The only cheok upon advanced prices would be diminished consumption. There are certain industries at home which would not be able to live with advanced prices of coal. Then again foreign competition would be a check upon the 30 millions of tons which we annually send out of the country. There- would be some amount of competition also from steel and iron companies who own col- lieries, and whose properties are not to be included in the trust." Do you think the working expenses could be reduced by a trust?" That isdoubtful. It is claimed that coal now left underground would be brought into the market. In working steam coal, the small is left because it would contain too-much dirt. It would not pay to bring it to the surface, and I fail to see how a trust is to do more with it than we are doing now. There might be economies effected in other ways, but I am perfectly convinced that the outcome of such a scheme as Sir George Elliott has proposed, would mean an increased price to consumer. I have yet to learn that a gigantic public company can be con- ducted more economically than a number of private or semi-private enterprises worked under the personal supervision of those who are mostly interested. Going back for a moment to the question of prices. It is pro- posed that these should be governed by the Board of Trade. Now we have hundreds of different qualities of coal. Some of them are in greater demand at one period, than at another, and I think in these circumstances the Board of Trade, if it undertook the responsibility, would find it very difficult to control the price. It might keep a check upon the dividend, and that is all. Colliery owners in South Wales have also a strong personal interest in their property, and would object to have that interest merged in a trust such as is proposed." There is one portion of the scheme," -said our informant, in conclusion, Which I quite agree with, and that is that some general insurance fund should be started for old and disabled colliers. Something of that sort should certainly be adopted, but the scheme generally is so large and com- plicated that I fear it can never be put into force." Opinions of a Colliers' Representative A Mail man on Thursday met one of the men's representatives on the sliding-scale committee. What do you think of the coal trust?" he asked. H'm, not much. You remember what be- came of the big scheme, nearly on similar lines, put forward in past years when masters and men were at loggerheads? It's my belief it's simply a trv-on. I don't think the coalowners of Wales will ever agree to their undertakings being consolidated." What about a remedy for coal diatnrba.nces ?'' Oh, matters in the coal world will soon be righted. There will shortly be a meeting of the joint committee, when I have every confidence that, despite the recent struggle and paralysis of trade, there will be a slight advance. And, now the men have returned to work, we hope September and October will produce a further advance." You have no faith in Sir George's scheme, then?" No and I don't think it will be taken up."

Ecclesiastical Intelligence. We kear that the Lord Bishop of LlandafC ha3 offered the living of Pentyrch—vacant by the preferment of the Rev. Theophilur) Rees to St. Mellon's—to the Rev. H. J. Williams, vicar of Pontypridd, whose decision is not yet known, The Vicar of Pontypridd has done excellent work in the way of church extension and parochial organisation during the five years ho has held his present benefice.

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I LOCAL MARRIAGES. MISS HOWELL'S MARRIAGE.—SCENE IN THE CHAPEL^^ BRIDE'S DRESS. I BRIDE'S I MR. BUDGEN. I MISS MOXEY.

CURIOUS ACCIDENT. j A Welshman Killed on an American Railway. Charles Thomas, a Welsh resident of West Nanticoke, Pa., was instantly killed on the Delaware, Lackawana, and Western Railroad last week. The unfortunate man wa.s sitting on a rail near the Nanticoke Station taking off his shoes at the time the engine struck him and hurled him several feet into the air. His body was badly mangled. The engine-driver did not see the man till he was hit, and no blame is attached to any of the trainmen. Thomas was married, and leaves a widow and two children.

TRANSATLANTIC TRADE. Milford to be Connected with Labrador. We a,re indebted to Mr. W. Page Wood, of Hackensack, New Jersey, in the United States, for a copy of the New York Evening Telegram, which contains a very readable article on the efforts of a. new syndicate to shorten the time occupied in the passage from Europe to America, and to develope Labrador by connect- ing it v. ith the British Railway system. What is especially interesting to us on this side is the concluding statement of our American contem- porary, that the eastern terminus of the steamship line will be Milford Haven, which has often been spoken of in relation to Transatlantic passenger traffic."

The End of the Session. In the House of Commons on Thursday Sir William Harcourt formally moved that the House at its rising on the following day (to-day, Friday) should adjourn till November 2, and this was agreed to without discussion.

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I SIR MORGAN MORGAN. Vicar Thompson has Something to Say About the Teetotallers' Objections. TO THE EDITOR. SIR,-In your issue of this morning appears a paragraph under the above heading which, in common justice to the Cardiff District Tempe- rance Association, of which I have the honour to be president, and, I may add, to myself and others, requires qualification. If the expression Mr. Brett and his friends," and, again, Mr. Brett and those acting with him," is intended to imply that the action he took in lodging an objection against Sir Morgan Morgan was re- sorted to in concert with the committee of the association, of which he is the indefatigable and greatly valued secretary, it is a most misleading one, as I am sure Mr. Brett, when he sees the statement in question, will be the first to ac- knowledge. The principle which, apart from all personal feeling, guided Mr. Brett in his action is one calculated to call forth considerable diversity of opinion, and all I wish to say about it at present is that his decision to let it lie on the table" in this particular instance com- mends itself alike to my judgment and my in. clination.—I am, &c., C. J. THOMPSON. The Vicarage, Cardiff, Sept. 21.

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STOPPAGE OF A COLLIERY. "Mabon" Makes an Important State- ment to the Men. On Thursday morning Mr. W. Abraham, M.P ("Mabon"), convened a meeting of the men employed at the Dunraven Colliery, Blaoncwm at the Tynewydd Hotel, where a large meeting of the men assembled. Mr. Abraham had announced his intention the night previous of letting them know the result of his inquiries as to the payment of the men's wages. Mr. W. Evans, sub-agent, accompanied the hon. member. —Mr. Abraham said whilst in Cardiff on Wed- nesday he received a letter from Mr. Ingram, shipping agent, stating that, probably, the men's wages would be paid in the course of a few days. Matters were being arranged for that purpose by the proprietors and head officials. In the course of an interview with Mr. Walter Morgan, solicitor, Pontypridd, who had been legally con- sulted in the men's case, he ('' Mabon ") received an intimation from Mr. Vachell, solicitor to the firm, to the effect that the men would know definitely by the end of the week what the pro- prietors would be able to do as to the wages, and whether or not the colliery would be started. Very little progress had been made, said Mr. Abraham, in the recent negotiations. On his' recommendation two delegates were appointed to go to Cardiff with him on Friday to urge the' matter forward.

The Appropriation Bill. In the House of Commons on Thursday I the Consolidated Fund (Appropriation) Bill passed through Committee without debate, and was reported as unamended amid cheers. The third reading was fixed for Friday.

RAILWAY SERVANTS. Letter to Companies From the Board of Trade. < The Press Association states that the Board of Trade have issued a letter to the railway companies calling the attention of the Railway Association to the provisions of the Act to amend the law with respect to the hours of labour of railway servants, which has recently received the Royal Assent. The Board of Trade add that they feel assured that the directors of com- panies will use their best endeavours to bring the actual hours of work of their servants within reasonable limits, and that the object which Parliament had in dealing with this important question will largely be met by the railway companies themselves but the board will receive, as, indeed, it has already received from various quarters, complaints and representations, which will make it necessary for them to communicate with the companies affected and to institute inquiries. The board will be glad to receive any observations or statements which the association may submit.

Kaiser and Bismarck. A Central News telegram on Thursday evening says :-The German Emperor has telegraphed to Prince Bismarck expressing his regret at the latter's illness. The Tageblait makes a declaration, which seems to be semi-official, that the reconciliation is & matter of political I importance. The fact is pointed out that Count Von Caprivi appears to have been notified of the telegram.

ME AND ARTHUR. p _rr I A Story of One Who Was Down On His Luck. m — Br 1 to the Board school with Arthur Hopkins. He did better there than I did, giving his mind to it more. I read a. good deal, too, although I did not stop so long on one hook. I was fondest of newspapers, if good, and pleasure books. On the whole, I took more volumes out of our institute than lie did. He gut use- ful things—"Poultry for Profit," and such. I stuck to the pleasure book<— "Strath- «iare" is about the best of them. It vasn't in the institute, but I got a loan tf it. That shows you how the people that ttts the money go it, that does." You'd lardly believe their extravagance. At school they used to call us the two gwells, or the two scholars. They did it for fan, but we rather lived it. Mo and Arthur were both set against being com- Ilion We took care of our clothes and we didn't use bad words. These Board schools are very mixed. There, are many chaps ♦here who don't have their hair cut at a •hop; it's done at home, if you can call that having your hair cut. Sometimes their fati drink and have not got religion. Me and Arthur vv^re always particular .bout religion. His father was pretty well up and hfwl a small greengrocer's shaft, living over ib. I hadn't got a father, My mother, too, wasn't ipiite on her own account-, though I don't know how the laundry, where she worked, got cri without her. She had a clever head to IKI. and respected herself. She didn't yet bad money t'roni the laundry. Om' parvats approved of us two being intimate along of each other, and not getting mixed up with the common lot. I've had •<) at Mr. Hopkins's some Sundays; they meu to have a lot of things to their teas, for he wasn't a sparing man. I've known Mr. Hopkins say that he fancied his tea mora thau he did his dinner. He was a heavy en rer. f left- school I went as lather- ¡ Vv. I v. ;is quick, and you had to be auiek, too, at our shop, especially of a Saturday night. I soon worked myself up. '■ The first public shave that I ever did, I can tell you that I trembled. It seemed to me as if the boss didn't take his eyes off me all the time I was shaving. It was rather a dressy young man, too, that I had to shave. I called mm "Sir" a good deal, and asked him if the razor suited. You can shave pleasant or you can shave unpleasant, and that first time I shaved as pleasant as I could. When I handed the young man his hat and stick he gave me a halfpenny for myself. The boss saw that, and then he knew I had done pretty well. Soon I was a regular hand, and the boss got another lather-boy. I used to order him about, and to keep him up to his work; wasn't bad, looking after that boy. He had to be civil to me. Then I fixed up a thing. Arthur was in a fur- niture warehouse, and when he was seven- teen he used to want a shave once a week. He naturally took it on Saturday nights. He always came to our shop, although it was a bit out of his way. vVhen lie came in I never said, "Evening, Arthur," nor anything of the kind. We'd agreed that we should pretend not to know each other. I used to call him "Sir," and he'd never smile. This wa-s why; Arthur wouldn't take his turn if it was one of the other two to shave 1"lim; he'd only be shaved bv me or the boss. That did me a lot i of good. The boss began to think no small things of my shaving. Arthur wanted ever, to refus-e to let the boss shave him, but I said "No." That would have made unpleasantness. You mu't shave well, but you mustn't shave better than the boss, riiii shows how friendly me and Arthur .;i\ About this time nioWnr died of a. eolic. She had saved a bit of money. I took a half-day off, and gave her the fuuemi of a lady. Even then there was money left, and I bought myself a light suit for when the summer came. But for rmmths after her death I had a bit of crapo sewed on to my whit- blouse, to show respect- for the dead; then the boss told me to take it off, because he thought that customers didn't like to be made gloomy. I didn't want to at first. I said: "It's mourning for mv mother, sir." And he said "Damn your mother So I saw that he was set on it, and I took it off. L Arthur was one for the girls. He was very handsome, and they seemed to come after him naturally. There WebS a lady that had a. place in a, confectioner1 s shop who was quite foolish about him. He eold me some things about the way they used to go on together. I remember it. It v.a; on an early-closing day, and we had dropped into a house at Hendon, where I was paying for a pint each. I said, "I say, Arthur, I shouldn't mind having a little bit to take out of a Sunday." He looked at me in rather a curious kind of way, as if he were checking a smile. "Do," he said. "Why not?" Then he laughed a little, and: said it was only about something he'd read in the paper. When I got back I looked in the glass, and then I knew what- he meant. I was ugly. For a minute I was half sorry that I had stood that beer to Arthur. However, I got over that. I'm one that always kept myself neat, but I'd never, paid any special attention to my face before. I did now. I took a dose regular for the corrmlexion, and I put a Irttle wa,s'h on my hair. I will say this for the boss—that he never minded your having a few drops of something out of I the shop. if you asked him first. The girl that Arthur fancied most was Bessie War but. She was dark. with very red cheeks, and wore a plush hat. lie had arranged to take her up on to the Heath on Easter Monday. Before that he had sometimes walked out with Jane Wells. She was a different sort, neither dark nor fair, with very white oheeks and dark lines under her eyes. She wasn't pretty, barring her eyes; but there was something about her that rather took me. Of course, it was through Arthur that I first knew Jane; if she met me in the street she would pass the time of day, but we never reached no pitch of friendliness until about a fort- night before wat Easter just after Arthur bad got so thick with Bessie Warbut. Even then her friendliness was a pretence. But it fooled me; I'm not writing this in order to make out that I'm one of your liright ones. I happened to pass her in the Edgware Road, and she spoke lirst. [ "Well, you are in a hurry," she said. ^—ML—B——— f "No particular hurry," I answered, taking the hint; "I was just going up the road to meet Arthur." "Oh! Mr. Arthur Hopkins! Don't let me keep you from your gentleman friends." "There was no appointment. I was just taking a chance of lindmg him, so that we might have an evening stroll around to- gether. But if I might-have the honour?"— "How you do tnJk! I don't know that I mind coming a step. I get my legs so cramped with sitting all day." I ihade to turn back, so as not to meet Arthur. But she wouldn't go that way. "Let's come along and meet him," she said. "I'm not afraid of him, if you are." "I'm not afraid of anything," I said. She looked at me queerly and smiled. But after that she talked to me really nicely, and told me a gool deal about herself. Soon we saw Arthur coming down the street alone. Then she made me give her my arm, and began to talk to me very fast. When Arthur spoke to her she hardly answered him; she made an appointment with me for the following evening right under his very nose, and seemed to favour me more than him. She was quite cold to him, but she never took her eyes off him. Arthur didn't care. You see, he was on with Bessie Warbut. When we were alone together he said to me: "Jane seems gone on you." Then he passed a remark that I didn't quite fancy about second- hand goods. However, on the whole, I was so pleased with that evening that I had a difficulty in getting to sleep On the next evening I met her again, and I happened to say that girls didn't care for a dia.p unless he was good-looking. I was sort of feeling my way. She said that there were some chaps who thought themselves very good-dooking, and weren't really as good-looking a,s they thought. "Mr. Arthur Kr>»t].-in« is one of that sort," she SH id. That was not exactly what I was trying to get at. So I asked her whether she liked fair hair or dark hair. "Fair," she said. Now, Arthur's hair is as black as ink, but mine's a kind of pale red. That regularly exalted me. I could hardly see the street I was walking in. I took her into one of those Italian places and gave her a cup of tea. Then we fixed up abort Easter Monday. She .«e:.>in?d a bit iiik-rfoioil about what Avtluir \v;.s to do; I t-oid her that he was going up on the- TTeafrK "Then we'll go, too," she said, "just to show him that he hasn't bought the whole place." Between then and Easter Monday she was always talking to me about Arthur, but she said she despised him, and I was taken in by her. It was a tine Easter- Monday, and that light suit came in seasonable. We met Arthur and his girl twice on the Heath. Once lie and Bessie were a bit ahead of us against the drinking fountain. He stopped and took a drink, and then passed on. "1'11 have a drink, too," said Jane, and made for the fountain. I asked her not to drink in that common style, but to have a lemonade along with me. However, she had her way.. A boy had just picked up the cup out of which Arthur drank. She took it away from him and ga.ve him a. penny. There was no sense in that, because there were other cups there. I told her so. Later on as we were sitting on a bank, well out of the crowd, we saw Arthur and Bessie coming towards us. Just as they got near she whispered: "Are you afraid of Arthur?" "No," I said. "Then kiss me now," said she. I did. It was like kissing a red-hot coal. The moment I did it she snatched herself away from me. Of course, Arthur must have seen the kiss, but he pretended not to notice it. He w.'s always gentleman- like in Ids ways. However, Bessie wouldn't let it pass, and shouted .oinet-hing shame- less to Jane. Jane got up with her eyes as wide as they could be. She called Bessie every foul name she could lay her tongue to. Then Arthur said: "If your girl's drunk you'd better take her home." So in a second or two he and me had our coats off and were squaring up to each other. It seemed queer that, being such friends, we should be fighting; but eti- quette required it. I thought it would be just a. formal thing, but I soon found out that he meant it. He had lost his temper. He v too strong and heavy for me. That clicki t matter much; but just as he got my head into chancery, I heard Jane shriek out: "Go it, Arthur! Pound his ugly face for him!" Seeing that I was fighting a friend on her account", I had rather expected her to ¡ back me up. I saw it all. I saw how she had fooled ——BG——MB——OP——BB—1^—^— me. I "went mad. It didn't seem to me that I was fighting Arthur any longer, but fighting my own luck, that made me an uglv fool, unable to be any better. Wiiile he was pounding me I got out my big pocket-knife and opened it. He saw the knife and threw me over. I was up again in a moment and at him. I knifed him twice in the arm before the crowd stopped me, and the police came up. I have just come out from doing my time. I suppose I deserved it for a gross and cowardly assault, as the newspapers called it. No one will give me any work, and I've pawned' all my traps now. There's nothing to do but lie in the sun in the park. Sometimes I see Arthur go by, with his arm all right again. He's got a new girl. He never notices me now, but I'm all in rags, and it's no wonder. I don't blame him. I want to know what to do for a living. I thought of trying the comic reciting up against the arch. I used to know some funny bits by heart once, but now I can't call them to mind. So I gave it up. No; I don't blame Arthur, nor Jane, nor the world in general. Everything's all right, and I deserve my luck. But it's hard to be hungry, whether you've brought it on yourself or whether you haven't.— "Pall Man Gazette." ■■MBNHBANMAMNMNN

Daughter: Papa, can't I go to the World's Fair? Father: Certainly, my child. Wait till I go down town and put a mortgage on our property. A Yank-ee showman was making a great fuss at the front of his exhibition as to the wonders he had inside. A man stand- ing in the crowd with a little boy beside him cried out, "I'll bet you a dollar you can't let me see a lion!" "Done," said the showman eagerly; put down your money The man placed a. dollar in the hand of a bystander, and the showman did the same. Now, walk this way," said the showman, and Fll soon convince you. There you a.re!" said he triumphantly. Look in the corner at that beautiful Numidia.n lion." I don't see any," re- sponded the other. "NNliLVs the matter with you?" asked the showman. "I'm blind," was the grinning reply; and in a few lniuutes the blind man pocketed the two dollars and went on his way.

VERY PERPLEXING. Pamily Relations which Bother the Man interested m Them. The strangest combination resulting from the marriage of relatives that we have ever heard of is that in the family of Lewis Osborne, who has recently removed to Pomona from Selma, Fresno County, says the "Pomona Progress." Mr. Osborne tells us that lie- has been ten years trying to unravel the perplexities of relationship that his second inarriage has caused. In 1888 lie married a young widow, who was his grandfather's third wife. The couple have a little son. Given this simple statement, and a num- ber of peculiar family relationships may be deduced. For example, Mr. Osborne is a grandchild of his wife. His son, being also a son of his (Osborne's) grandmother, is uncle to his own father. Osborne becomes a brother to his uncles and aunts, and also a stepfather to them. The boy, being the child of Osborne as a grandson, is thereby a great-grandson of his own mother, while his father may rejoice in the title of great-grandfather to his own child. Thus the boy became u granduncle to himself and his parents' great-grandchild. )sborne is the boy's father and great- grandfather at the same time, and, being the husband of his own grandmother, en- joys the distinction of being his own grand- father as well. usborne's mother' married a man named Blake, and his sister married a brother- in-law of her mother, Henry Blake. Os- borne's sister becomes a sister to her own mother, Mrs. Blake being Osborne's mother is gr-uulniotlier to Osborne's son. The latter, however, being the son of the wife of Mr. Blake s father-in-law, is, therefore, a brother to his grandmother and grandunclc to his grandmother's sister, the daughter who married Mrs. Blake's brother-in-law. He aiso is her nephew, as the son of her brother. Osborne is the youngest Mrs. Blake's grandfather as well as her brother. Thus her nephew, Os- borne's son, becomes uncle to his aunt, being a son of her grandmother. The series of relationships may be likewise traced almost indefinitely. The family is happy and contented, and lives as plea- santly as though the peculiar family ties were not present.

"T"" 1 A CLEVER RESCUE. '1 Recently six labourers who were working in a great clay pit near Chateaudun, in France, were overwhelmed by the caving in of the pit. A great mass of earth had I fallen in upon them. No one connected with the work believed that their lives could be saved. They were simply some- where in the midst of a vast deposit of clayey earth, and must already be smothered, it was said. Nevertheless, the aid of science was in- voked. Not very far away was Versailles, and from there an army engineer and a little corps of sappers were brought at once. The engineer ascertained as nearly as he could where they were overwhelmed, and, using his technical knowledge in calculating distances, drove a. long tube cautiously in the direction of the spot. Crouched in a little air space beneath a couple of timbers the six clay miners, all still alive, heard the dull sound of the blows upon the cylinder and knew that an effort wajs being made to save them. This buoyed them up, though they were nearly suffocated. At last the sounds of the blows came nearer and nearer. They seemed to be struck in the clay itself not far away. -he man had with them a bit of candle. They lighted it, and by and by its light, flickering faintly in the foul air, revealed a strange object- entering, in little jerks of a quarter of an inch each, timr place of refuge. It was the capped head of the tube. The engineer had calculated with such a nicety that he had struck the very spot where the miners were crouched. One of them sprang at the tube and knocked at the cap with his pick. Then he put his mouth to the tube and shouted as loud as he could. The sappers at the other end heard what seemed to be a faint wail from the bowels I-of the earth. They stopped their pounding, and shouted through the tube in their turn. "Hello!" the engineer called. "How are you ?" "We're all right tIt the voice came from the pit. "Have you anything to eat?" "Not a thing." "Can you breathe?" "Yes, through this tube." "Have you r. light?" • "Abou,t au inch of candle." "What would you like to eat, milk ai. bouillon?" "Bouillon!" came the voice eagerly. "Then watch the end of the tube." A big kettle of bouillon had been prepared for such an emergency. It was poured into the tube, and the six men took their turns in catching the liquid as it came through. The sappers had now but to follow the tube with their digging operations, and in due time they reached the imprisoned miners and restored them to daylight and the open air.

Fine for a Pamphlet. An Irish barrister named Bethel was rather proud of writing pamphlets. Meet- ing a witty acquaintance some days after the publication of one of these, Bethel waa asked by him why he had not 'informed him of its appearance. "I wonder you didn't tell me you'd written it, Bethel," said the witty acquaintance; I never saw it until yesterday, and then only by the merest accident." "Well, how did you like it r asked Bethel. "How did I like it?" re- peated the other. Why it contained some of the best things I ever saw in a pamphlet or on any subject!" I am very proud to hear you say so," cried Bethel—"very proud, indeed! And-ah! what were the things that pleased you so much?" "Mince-pies," sa the other. "What?" cried Bethel, his face turning purple. "Mince-pies," repeated the other. I saw a girl coming out of a pastry-shop, and she had three steaming hot mince-pies wrapped in your pa.mphlet. They were fine!"

Park keeper: Beg pardon, sir; but would you please lend me your pencil a moment? "Certainly; here it is." Park- keeper And now your name and address, please. I saw you picking flowers a moment ago. Printed au4 Published by the Proprietors, Messrs Daniel Owen and Co. (Limited), at the WESTKRI MAIL" Temporary Offices, Tu'loi-i'o.nl, Cardiff, f the County of Glamorgan. MJIDAX, SEPTEMBER 22, 1S9J