Weekly Mail

MAD RIDE ON AN ENGINE, The Throttle Valve Pulled out and the Machine Ran Wild. "Talk about fast time," said a railroad man on the Missouri Pacific train the other day to a correspondent of the St. Louis Globe- Democrat, but I have never heard of a trip that would beat one I made myself some years ago, nor of any half so exciting. H I formerly lived at Garrett, Ind., the ter- minus of the Central Division of the Chicago Division of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. I had little to do and made the railroad yards my loafing headquarters. At that time the Billy 0' had an arrange- ment with the Wabash to transfer all New York freight at Auburn Junction, nine miles distant, to the east of us. This was done by the old switch engine, the 642, which made two trips to the junction daily. 11 Well, one day I climbed aboard a box-car when the engine left with a few cars of mer- chandise to transfer. There were six of us in the party—four yardmen, another fellow and myself. We had a jolly time going down made the transfer, and were to come back light,' that is, with nothing but the engine. It We had all crowded on the tender; the signal was given, and Gent Potter, the engi- neer, threw himself forward, pulled at the throttle-valve, and the engine jumped forward as if shot from a catapult. We did not think much of this at the time, as Gent was a fine engineer, and handled the engine to suit his fancy. We went tear- ing over the crossings and frogs in a manner that was frightful, The tender rocked as if on hinges. on hinges. Something must be wrong, we thought, as Gent was placing our lives in jeopardy. Climb- ing over the coal, we found the cab full of steam and Gent and the fireman hanging at the side of the engine. Jump, bovs,' said they, I jump for God's sake The throttle-valve is pulled clear out, and the engine is running wild.' To jump would have been instant death. As one of the boys said afterwards, the tele- graph poles looked like a fine-tooth comb. the mile posts flew by with unseemly rapidity. The yard foreman claimed that a mile was covered in thirty-eight seconds, and not one would doubt his word. 11 St. Joe was in sight. Would the track be clear ? Only three miles to Garrett, with its net- work of tracks, switches, and spurs The steam-gauge registered ninety pounds. There were no hopes of the engine dying out in five or six minutes. With pre- sence of mind the foreman dashed off a few words: Engine wild. Telegraph Garrett to clear track.' "This he dropped as we passed St. Joe, and the operator, clear to comprehend the situation, sent it to the despatcher on the east end, without a I call,'as we learned after- wards. "There was Garrett in sight, with its tall chimneys belching forth smoke; there were the yards filled with freight cars and engines. As we get closer we could see men hurry- ing hither and thither. The other yard engine was rushing madly to the west end of the yard. The main track was clear. We passed the depot like a pursued victim. Pale faces watched us in our mad flight. We passed the railroad shops and hun- .1.3. '-n_- ..Lt.. -r ii uieus uame running 10 aee tiie cause oi ine commotion. The engine was in a quiver the bell was ringing wildly with each sway of the engine, the escaping steam whistled as if demented, and fires blazed from the hot boxes. (l Then we saw something that made us think we were doomed. The switch to the coal chute was opened, and the long ascent could only end in our destruction. We looked again, saw men working on the track and then we knew we were saved. What were they doing ? Why, bless my soul, friend, those fellows were oiling the track up the chute. We struck the ascent and slid up about one hundred feet, and then the old 642 stood still and the wheels flew around sparks came from beneath them as from an emery wheel. Gradually the engine slid down, the wheels still in the forward motion, and thus the engine died out. "We all suffered a severe shock to our nervous system, but had it not been for the presence of mind of the master mechanic who ordered the oil poured on the chute track, I might not have been here to-day." "Andhow fast did you go?" Well, the first six miles were made in less than five minutes the last three were made in much slower time as the steam was ex- hausting itself rapidly."

A NOBLE LADY. The London correspondent of the Liverpool Daily Post tells us that there is in one of the London hospitals a duke's daughter, who dis- cbarges her share of the duties of an ordinary nurse—a trying and often unpleasant occupation -with exemplary assiduity. Feeling, like Sister Rose Gertrude, that her vocation was in this direc- tion, she has forsaken the ease, luxury, and delights of the fashionable world, and applied herself in all earnestness to the study of her profession and the discharge of the mfinial duties connected therewith. ••

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—Mi—m "1'" rnmStmTg HUMOURS OF PARLIAMENT [BY OUR LONBON CORRESPONDENT.") j In the wit and humour of the last session of Parliament I cannot find anything smarter than the recently discovered, but brilliant, idea of an American, that Mr. Gladstone's conscience must be his accomplice. The dullness of the session may be measured by the steady decline in bulls." The best was made by Mr. John O'Connor, who, in pas- sionate tones, informed the House that the Irish resistance It would go on till the end of time-and even longer." Mr. Gosohen, in one of the Budget discussions, was credited with a repetition of Lord Cross's famous "bull" "1 hear a smile." Mr. John 0 Connor's is, however, the only genuine "bull" worthy of being preserved. There are some good ones in existenoe. Mr. Dillon once said "They had seen themselves filling paupers' graves." Colonel Saunderson said of Bulgaria, Sir, she was man enough to resist Russia.* Mr. Chaplin described Bradford as being It Rather Radical in the extreme." Lord Randolph Churchill assured his admirers that h The voice of England, which sounded so clearly at the last general election, would not be lost sight of." But, 1 think, the pertest and prettiest "bull" wasMr.Broadhurst's glass-house remark that Mr. Jesse Collings had always suffered more from ignorance than want of knowledge." There were some good newspaper "bulls' during the session—all of the genuine Irish breed. Mr. Donald Sullivan introduced to the House one from an Irish paper. It was in the form of an advertisement for a labourer and a boy, and concluded thus :—" With grazing for two goats. Both Protestants. An Irishman writing in the Times on the late Baron Dowse, concluded his enlogium-U A great Irishman has passed away. God grant that many as great, and who shall as wisely love their country, may follow him." A Dublin paper heard that the health of Mr. Parnell has latterly taken a very serious turn, and that fears of his recovery are entertained by his friends." Several English papers quoted this without detecting the bull." A Cork paper, in describing an interval of peace in a stormy public meeting, said, For some time a great calm raged." ————mmm+mmmmm—■ J a-

AN OUTSPOKEN CRITIC, —1- Lord Charles Beresford is on the war path. His contribution to the United Service Magazine" this month is the boldest and breeziest of the series of papers on National Assurance" that has been attracting so much attention in that monthly. He is delight- fully outspoken. He exhorts our people not to go "fiddling, blundering, and bungling about," and not to trust in a "rotten, misleading, treacherous, and unwarrant- able agreement suoh as the Declara- tion of Paris." Jle does not believe that declarations made in peace will be adhered to in war. His trust is in ships and men. He has no doubt that soon after England commences her next great war a volunteer fleet will be rapidly called into existence, whose mission it will be to seek out, sink, burn, capture, and destroy any of the enemy's shipping whenever and wherever they may be found. In the meanwhile Lord Charles leaves us this uncomfortable bit of history to digest—that in our last great war, from 1793 to 1815, although the Govern- ment issued no fewer than 10,223 letters of marque to privateers, and the regular fleet during part of that time consisted of 131 battleships and 578 cruisers, still the Frenob were able to capture nearly eleven thousand of our merchantmen. Lord Charles, however; forgets to mention that a good many of the prizes were re-oaptured by the British fleet. Still the figures are serious enough in all consoience, especially when we consider that the value of our imports and exports is now twelve times more than was the value of our imports and exports in 1813.

The Last Day of School. THE LITTLE ALSATIAN'S STORY. Y ALPHONSE DACDET. '7*pU■—* HAT morning I was very late in starting to school. I was .4; mucb afraid of being scolded, for Hamel had said he should question us on the par- ticiple, and I didn't know the first word about 7 it. For a mo- C ment I >vas tempted to stay "( /k_S,, away from i/Ary echool and take a r u n aoross AV • the fields. The weather was so V)^ warm and clear. The blackbirds er<» whistling in the edge of the °ods, and in the meadow behind the dioi*111'^ the Prussian soldiers were "'■ng. All that attracted me much 0re than the rule for the participle, but I Qinioned the strength to resist, and ran ""lckly toward the school-house. c A* I passed by the Town Hall I saw people Uected before the little frame for announce- s eQto. For two years that had been the th^06 ^e neWB that came to us— e lost battles, levies and orders, and I °Qght without stopping :— What is the matter now ? « as I was crossing the square on the run blacksmith, Wachter, who was there with apprentice reading the poster, called to g Don't be in such great hurry, boy; you'll T^ere 8°on enough, anyhow JWWI bought he was making sport of me, a rushed, quite of breath, into the little }H.i Of M. Hamel. *8ualIyJ at the opening of the school there ouf Sreat uproar that could be heard even of Vnto s^reet, the opening and shutting and coursing °f lessons, all at once s* ln a very loud voice, while the scholars tbOpped their ears to learn more easily, and f„e Raster's heavy ruler that struok his table 'ilence. T was counting on all this confusion to in f ni^ seat with°ut being seen but on yJt that day everything was still—s>till as a j "oath morning. Through the open window see my maizes already in their places, d M. Hamel walking back and forth with Q'8 terrible iron rnler under his arm. I was °oliged to open the door and enter in the ^idst of that profound calm. You can think blushing and frightened I was .But to my relief M. Hamel looked at me Without a trace of anger, and said very ruildly- j. to your place at once, my little yo^"2' We were ^usfc to begin without tnprr^m'Jed the bench and took my seat im- ti late!y at my desk. Then for the first n«> little recovered from my fright, 1 CreP° that our master wore his handsome W •*? c°at, his tine plaited jabot, and the em- 1 ei'ed skull cap of black silk, which he toil "e^ only on visiting days or for the dia- S(Ji l't'°n of prizes. Moreover, the whole 8ol°01 Wore a somewhat extraordinary and appearance. But the thing that sur- Sed me the most was to see at the end of eine r°°m, on the benches that were usually Hit y' tbe v'l,a £ e PeoPle sitting in silence the ^aSed Hauser with his cocked hat, oiheolÜ Major, the old postman, and many Ii er8- Ail these visitors looked sad, and ^'ithSer had brought with him an old primer on ?.rae:ged edges, which he held wide open a 13 knees with his large spectacles lying pages. [■ja L was wondering at all this, M. had gone up to his chair; and, in the reo S''ave and gentle tone with which he had me, he spoke to us :— tbe I children, I shall teach you to-day for tot time. '1 he order has come from Berlin of Tfh henceforth only German in the schools *ill *a an(* Lorraine. Your new master j? C0)ne to-morrow. To-day is your last tive" *esson« I beg you to be very atten- Th K§e ^ew vvor^s uPset nie completely. The Hon es< This, then, is what they had an- "fced at the 'J L'own Hall. y last French lesson hev n hardly knew how to write I should Wh be able to learn, then I must stop just ereIwas! How I hated myself now, for t'i rl time, for my schooldays missed to go g rd-ne,sting or to elide on the ice on the La^r! My books—which only the moment „ °re I had found so tiresome, so heavy to Sgf,'y, my grammar, my Church history— p ei^ed to me now old friends, from whom to would give me much sorrow. They ^aniel* rlhe thought that he Oin away, that I should never see him ru/ made me forget his punishment and his 'i'. ft0°r man! ha,j *Vaa 'n honour of this last lesson that he H0vv,P^t on his handsome holiday clothes, and *nderstood why these old villagers IQ e to sit at the end of the room. It seemed ^Or 8 their regret at not having come e ^'equently to our school. It was also a y«a 0|: thanking our master for his forty Of *8 good service, and of paying their dues n r?sPect to the native language which was i^ng away. ^hp reached this point in my reflections, 11 1 heard my name called. It was my giv recite. What would I not have l0utn to be able to repeat at full length, very of without a mistake, that famous rule ^ith Participles! But I grew perplexed by the first words and remained Btanding to J1? desk, with a swelling heart, not daring sp a/Se my head. Then I heard M. Ilamel II to me not scold you, little Frantz, you punished enough. This is how it is. dfty we tell ourselves: Bah 1 have AQJ y °f time. I will study to-morrow. Ah) How you see what happens. Ai It has been the great misfortune of our tijj tJa to constantly put off her instruction jjg. to-morrow. Now these people have a to say to us: W hat! you pretend to be fcor*10*1' aQd you know neither how to speak Pooj^pte your own language. In all this, my 0ne ^rantz, you are not the most culpable to )j' ^7e all have our good share of reproach Your parents have not oared sulfi- te s y to see you instructed. They preferred factoerid you to farm or to work in the Tes'. 80 88 to have a few sous more, ^ep,, 'tor my part, nothing with which to ach myself? Have I not of ten* bidden ater ruv aardeii instead of study ? And when I wanted to go trout fishing have 1 hesitated to give you a holiday ? Then, from one thing to another, M. Hamel began to speak to us about the French language, saying that it was the most beautiful language in the world, the clearest, the most substantial; that we must always keep it among us, and never forget it, because when a nation fails into bondage, as long as it keeps its language perfect, it is as if it held the keys of its prison. Then he took a grammar and read us our lesson. I was astonished to see how I understood it. All that he said seemed to me most easy. I think, too, that I had never listened so well, and aiso that he had never used so much patience in making his explanations. One would have thought that before leaving us the poor man wished to give us all his knowledge. The lesson ended we took up writing, tor that day M. Hamel had prepared us some new copies, on which were written in beauti- ful round hand: France, Alsace, France, Alsace. They were in the form of little flags, which floated over the whole schoolroom, hung from our desks. You should have seen how we applied ourselves, every one, and what silence! Nothing could be heard but the scratching of the pens on the paper. Once some May-beetles flew in, but nobody paid them any attention, not even the very little ones, who were devoting themselves to the tracing of their pothooks with heart and conscience, as if even they, too, were French. On the roof of the schoolhouse I heard the pigeons cooing softly, and asked myself as I listened: 14 Will not they also be obliged to sing in German 2" From time to time, as I raised my eyes from the bottom of a page, I saw M. Hamel motionless in his chair, regarding the objects about as if he wished to carry away in his eyes his little school-house. Think of it. For forty years he had been there in the same place with his school before him. The benches and desks were polished and worn with use; the walnut trees in the yard bad grown large, and the hop-vine he had planted himself now garlanded the windows to the roof. What a heart-break it must be to the poor man to leave all these things, and to hear his sister going to and fro in the rooms above packing their trunks, for they were to leave on the morrow for ever. All the same, he taught the school till the end. After writing we had our history lesson, and then the little ones sang their "Ba.Be, Bi, Bo, Bu." At the end of the room yonder the old Hauser put on his spectacles, and, holding his primer up in both hands, he spelled the letters with them. It was evident that even he was applying him- self his voice trembled with emotion, and it was so funny to hear him that we all wanted to laugh and weep at the same time. Ah I shall remember that last day at school. (Suddenly the church clock rang for noon, then the angelus. At the same moment the trumpets of the Prussians returning from drill blared under our windows. M. Hamel, very pale, rose from his chair. He bad never looked so tall before. My friends," said he, my friends, I— I—" But something choked him. He could not finish his sentence. Then he turned to the blaok board, took a piece of chalk, and bearing on it with all bis strength he wrote in as as large letters as be could: Vivc ia France!" Then he stood still, leaning his head against the wall, and signed to us with his hand. H It is all ended—you may go."

THE FLOWERS OF SOCIAL INTERCOURSE. WiFH I'm writing to Mrs. Van Cortlandt Lake, dear; shall I put in any word from you ? HUSBAND: That woman makes me deadly tired. Give her my kindest regards, of course.

SCHOOL QUESTIONS. A report reaches Texas Siftings from a country neighbourhood down East that has recently elected a female school board, and the correspondent sends the following list of questions which they have drawn up to pro- pound to any young men applying for the position of teacher in the district school 1. Have you any prejudice against boarding around ? 2. Would you object to splitting kindling wood if you could do it evenings P 3. Would you be willing to excuse the big girls half a day Mondays to help wash ? 4. Do you approve of union undergarments for children? 5. How many eggs would you use in a batch of pumpkin pies P 6. What is the best month to bile soap ? 7. Would you lay skirts in pleats or cut them goring ? 8. Do you favour oleomargarine or lard for shortening ? 9. Would you set out cabbage plants before or after rain ? 10. When would you set hens? 11. Do you favour the basque or the polonaise ? 12. Would you speak a piece at the meet- ing of our Dorcas Sewing Society ? 13. Could you help in the choir P 14. Would you set the sponge overnight for yeast bread, or do you advocate salt- rising ? 15. Do you favour women voting, and what would be a fair remuneration for each vote ? 16. Is biled dinner indigestible? 17. Is coffee or eggshell best for settling ooffee ? 18. Do you believe in the future punish- ment of disobedient scholars ? 19. Or would you give it to 'em as they go along ? 20. Do you favour double heels and toes in knitting? 21. How much for a drawing of tea to each person ?

A CAM).—A Clergyman will send, frea of charge a prescription for the cure of all who suffer from the errors and indiscretions of vouth, nervous debility, physical exhaustion, and early decay. This great remedy was discovered by a Missionary in Old Mexico; it eaved him from a miserable exis- tence and an early grave. Send a self-addressed I stamped envelope to Rev. JOSKFH HOMIES, Blooms- bury Mansions, Oloomebury-Equare, London, W.C Mftntifio UJJB p&oer- 4590

SKY SIGNS. [BY RAMBLER."] There are signs in the sky and letters Is the Times. The signs on the business announcements of tradesmen and the letters are the indignant protest of anguished aesthetes. Since their invention by Mr. Sage, of Gray's Inn-road, three or four years ago, these sky signs have become popular. About 60 of them are put up in different parts of London. The highest is 80 feet abort the roof. The sky signs consist of four str<Jn| but light iron rods, firmly braoed to the roof| and lined together with stout wire-rod, form- ing a complete iron net-work. The letters of sign swing with the wind, and as the whole face is of open work, there is the slightest risk to the stability of the structure. At night, under certain conditions of artifioial light, or under the rays of the moon, they have a weird, uncanny effeot, for the letters, swinging high above the houses, oan be read, while the black framework is invisible, and the advertisement thus appears to be written in the sky. Out of this idea 1 perceive that an enterprising tradesman has evolved a fresh, development of night signs. He has his nam< inscribed in luminous paint on the banner, and then hangs it high up on the outer walls., This is much cheaper than gas, and more effective. People stop to look at it,; and wonder how it is done. That is one great secret of advertising-to get people. to read and think about it. These glaring., tokens of enterprise may offend the artiatio susceptibilities of some people, but I do not think a case can be made oat for interference. London is getting so anweildy that the only chance of attracting attention that is left to a tradesman is to go higher. As he stands In the street admiring his new sky sign he can indulge in the comfortable reflection that things are" looking up with him. >

———— — Shorthand-Teaching in Schools, The Education Department has (writes thef London correspondent of the Manchester Examiner) just taken a fresh departure in the matter of tlier teaching of shorthand as a specific subject under the new Code. The Department has put forth a scheme for examination, and according to this the subject will be taught over three years, though, as previously stated, the three years' course witC not be rigidly enforced. It cannot be said that the standard of speed has been fixed very high— in fact, it is almost ridiculously low, being only a minimum of thirty words a minute at the end ot the first year, forty words at the end of the second year, and sixty words at the end of the third year.

Cruelty to Seagull ■ ■ i Visitors to certain seaside resorts on the Yort" shire coast again complain of the cruelty prac- tised by thoughtless young men who shoot at the seagulls, wounding them in dozens and leaving them to die a lingering and painful death upon the sands. The sight of these helpless and suffering, birds is sufficient to rob the daily walk of ita- pleasure for many; and who could enjoy scenery, with the foreground filled in with the unfortunate^ victim's of man's inhumanity t We commend th? matter to the Sopiety for the Suppression of., Cruelty to Animals. t

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