The Cardiff Times

Samuel Rendle, boatman on board the s.s. Penwick, now lying outside Moantstuart Dry Docks, Cardiff, was taken suddenly n on Saturday morning, and died half au hoar after- wards. An inquest will be held. { [

1 Complete Story. LITTLE WINKLE AND HER WICKED SERGEANT. By E. LIVINGSTONE PRESCOTT. Aathor of Scarlet and Steel," "Helot and Hero," etc., etc. The smart sergeant of Hussars swaggered, m- appropnate as a wild sea-hawk among barn- :door fowl, into the cold parlour where the funeral feast was spread. As he clanked into a, vacant place, with ajangle of accoutrements, he created confusion in the prim, black company. This was before the days when every man-at-arms I' He had visited the chill apartment at irregular intervals when his ancient Scotch great-aunt, just deceased, was its occupant; he hardly knew why, save" that blood—especially Scottish blood- is thicker than water for he had met with no | very warm welcome. She had felt it her duty to lecture him on the sinfulness of his profession, j-his own wicked ways and his latter end. He was aware that none 'of her money, earned by a I close-fisted righteousness of dealing in past years, would flow into the channels of the un- godly. Yet he camo • perhaps becaue every other relative had discarded him as a hopeless castaway, or because, though there was no love, there was an odd bit of loyalty between them. For this was a very wicked sergeant indeed, so wicked that his surname of Wickhart had been altered in sport by the mess to an adjectiva. Thus, he was gaily termed tho Wicked Sergeant, I and, his smartness notwithstanding, cottared constantly on the giddy of reduction to the ranks. He bore it in his face, despite a gentle- manly bearing, certain ruined good looks, and a curly head a mother's hand had once stioked proudly and left all too soon. IS virtuous fellow-mourners instinctively put a distance between themselves and the sinner, the women looking prim, the men sour. But a they sat and chatted gloomily on the stern virtues of the dead-the dead for whom nobody really wept, in spite of displayed handkerchiefs and lowered eyelids—a voice of mourning smote faintly on the sergeant's idle ear, a wail of true mourning, for it was mere]y the voice of a little dog. J It was. in fact. Little Winkle, who wept, after her fashion.'and her small cry smote on Wick- hart's ear alone—even perhapa, on his heart. A prodigal's heart gets much knocked about and sore in spots, as well as generally callous. He.Jmew Little Winkle who, albeit ahe was a. religious person, like bis great-aunt, was less narrow. She used to wa £ her tail in a lati- tudinarian manner, to lick the boots which walked in such ill-by-ways and to cuddle against him with a confidential' yawn up in his faoe during the reading of homilies. Therefore he stole out of the parlour while the heritors solemnly appraised the <r0'od old-fashioned fur-' niture. ° Little Winkle was in sad perplexity for her mistress and supieme diety had never slept such, a long, long sleep before and Little Winkle had always been present at her waking. Why, therefore, not now ? If she had waked up in church, as th" maid, seemed to imply, well—whisper it ]ow Little Winkle had often been to churcb with her mistress, because she remained in such low spirits all day if she were left behind, and Little Winkle knew how to conduct herself as well as—or better than—you or 1. ) Sitting upright in the corner of a tall pew in an old-world Presbyterian sanctuary, she kept her gaze all the time fixed on the minister, with whom she had a personal friendship, and who, when asked—merely as a form—by that respected spinster Mistress Width art, after sapper and before the exercises no object to the dogue, Mr McNabbV" always patted Little Winkle's head. He was once, looking into her wondrous brown eyes all love and faith, nearly guilty of the heresy" of saying. Of such is the K-, but stopped in time. it was only m reference to sacred things that Little Winkle was called The Dogue," and she was conscious of an honourable, if appalling, solemnity in the title Her week day name arose from the fact of her having been rescued, in a moment of weakness by Miss Wickhartfrom a pewter receptacle on a fish hawker's barrow, whence, a tiny puppy she piped her need of a warm lap. As the sergeant entered the mourner raised one drooping ear, and blinked tearfully in his direc- tion. She was 6eated small and forlorn, on the bed which, to her lovin'g fancy, was sti^ glorified by some mysterious arema. of the departed presence. Little Winkle indeed, was very small, and now both old and fat She had been uncon- sciously a Daughter of Consolation for many loveless years to the old nmid, and the softest thing in that hard house True, when she slobbered her mistress in the twilight she was only called Ye little fule for her pains, but Little Winkle had well understood that break in the voice which was now silent. By race she was a smooth terrier, white and fawn—points indeterminate; nevertheless she had been pretty in her youth- She still had dark lucid eyes. miraculously expressive, wells of sweet meekness, and showed, when she took off her weight of fifteen ye»r^ to possess playful wrath, a number of little ivory teeth. Those eyes were all suffused and drowned in agony now, like her little soul. They started out of her head, so big and bright, as if'the fond heart in that small breast were breaking out at you that it was after all only you and not her. On each side of the tiny nose were pitiful wet channels. She quivered with a moment's wild hope when the sergeant appeared, and stared in- tently behind him. The look fell; but when Wick- hart stepped gently to the bed, Little Winkle indicated that she would have wagged her tail, if she had had the spirit. Dog and man regarded each other with a strange comprehension yet one was the acme of fidelity and the other the acme of faithlessness Little Winkle's was the desolation of love and loss; a desolation which even saints cannot escape. The Wicked Sergeant's was the desola- tion of sin of which too many saints have not the slightest idea. or would believe in. He stooped over her, addressing her—not in toosey-woosey language, but sensibly—as ohe liked to be addressed by her acquaintance. In bis voice, too, there was an unconscious mourn- ing, though not so rnu-h for the dead living with God, as—perhaps he hardly knew himself what for. Well, Winkle," he said, "and is she gone ?" Then Little Winkle exactly exemplified Scrip- ture phrase, for she lifted up her voice and wept. O—o—o—oh was all she appeared to say all that can be written; but in that solitary, reiterated syllable was the long cry o earth's love and lack from veneration to generation and what comfort could an ardent devil-worshipper like the Wicked Sergeant afford ? Little Winkle was so human that he felt as if he ought to offer her the consolation of religion. But all he could say. badly, was, She—she was a good woman Winkle and—1 daresay she's in Heaven—if there is such a place." Which last, respecting Little Winkle's orthodoxy, he mur- mured under his breath. The little wail went on. But—O—o—h it seemed to plead-as all of us have pleaded, or must plead-d I want her here The two stared wistfully at one another. Then Wickhart picked Little Winkle up, reverently, as you might take some legacy from the relaxed fingers of a dying hand Little Winkle made no resistance, for she saw there was nothing there any more than either of them need stay for. The Wicked Sergeant kissed her on the top of ber little silken head as be carried her down the stairs—it was Ion0' since he had kissed anyone in honour and virt(le Little Winkle in return raised her nose slightly to kiss him with languid edge of a small, weary, red tongue. They came in together to where the black company were squab- bling piously over the dead's'modest treasures. The heir-at-law paused as his glance fell on the pair. "Ah! There's the dogne," he said. "Mar'gret will no doubt like to have her mistress's doguo." But Marg'ret, a rsd-cheeked lass somewhat harried by the deceased, shrilly disclaimed. She was to be married and her man did not like tykes. "No breed about her," a younger Wickhart, slightingly. A fat, little old thing." I would take the beastie, for the sake of her that's gone," said his sister but it snaps at wee bairns, an<? mine She'd best be put out of the way—of course in a maircifu' manner," said the -heir at-law and Little Winkle trembled and whined, in instinctive apprehension of his benevolence. Then the Wicked "Sergeant, in the face of that decorous circle, launched a. big. full-flavoured oath of the Mess pointedly at the respectable speaker. The latter controlled himself. maybe take the animal home to voar barracks ?" he suggested with fine sarcasm. The sergeant made them a grave,, flourishing bow, and then and"there walked out, with Little Winkle, wondering greatly, under his arm. As the door slammed behind them he felt the tiny hind paws scratch retrogressively, and as the familiar street retired, heard small inner whines. During that strange, unknown journey, which seemed to explore the universe, he met an occasional upward look or sad question. But, though all the [way the Wicked Sergeant got whisky for himself, and paid highly Spiced com- pliments to waitresses and other receptive females, he did not forget weak tea in a saucer for Little Winkle: a beverage to which she was partial and which always reassured her. Whether she recognised the tie of blood, with all the glaring between them, that linked Wickhart and the dead, is a riddle. She sometimes pircked her ears at inaudible voices, and sat straining eloquent eyes at things unseen, yet from that hour sne accepted the Wicked Sergeant as deputed deity, and worshipped him faithfully. ¡ The chngs was tremendous, stunning from the narrow drab house in Islington to extremely broad effects of light and colour of the sergeant's mess. Little Winkle, a canine spinster of long standing, was at first strtled and shocked. But she was exceedingly well received, as all dogs are, by soldiers, and soon learned to pat in gravely as a matter of course, either at Wick- ■ hart's heels inquire for him. Too old to love again anyone not of that blood, she main- I' tained a dignified general friendship with every rank cf the regiment she soon learnt to know as her own. She haunted the sergeants billiard room, and when in good spirits would allow balls to he rolled for her along the ground, uttering low, husky "Wows," with raised forepaw as a hint .that she was prepared to run for another or that, being tired, she wished to, rolled in one of the red window curtains till her Wiokhart was ready. There was one part of the moss, however, to which she was averse the long slip, with a bar- window, through whicb decoctions—so Little Winkla firmly believed!—from Hades were passed. She judged by results--a Scriptural method—and grew to know that, after Wickhart had stood there long, the crook of his arm could not be relied on as a cradle. So she hung back when he entered, preferring to sit forlornly on her tail in the passage. Str-ange to say. this persistent "trait of a wee doggie caused a slight uneasiness in the breast of more than one fine big fellow. She was an obsse little skeleton— 'pardon the bull-at their feasts. Her great sad eyes seemed to record, and to condemn, every social, glass. Once jocular Sergeant Sparkes set her on his 'knee, intending to put whisky down her throat. Little Winkle, because she had done no wrong, and was a pious person with a sense of an over- ruling Providence, was not at first alarmed. ,But when she saw his evil purpose she cried out, bit him with all her strength, and fled growling. Little Winkle's influence always worked for righteousness, though she was "beautifully un- conscious. She wanted to do good things, and was surprised if others did not. Dear past days had taught her the hour of evening service and the clang of bells heralding it. At that hour, therefore, she pit-patted to and fro, or sat dis- creetly at the door, glancing over her shoulder at Wickhart to sea if he would get his book and take her. Whan he realised her wishes, he com- plied, sheerly for a lark, and occupied a dark corner of the Wesleyan Chapel in a village near camp. Little Winkle, used to sober Presbyterianism, each time an energetic local preacher smote the pulpit, jumped, and looked up at her authority, to see if all was right. A lively hymn made her protest faintly, but on the whole she enjoyed herself, waggled a good deal, and, next Sunday, proposed going again. Alas I Wickhart shut her up, and went instead for a walk with two florid young ladies in pro- nounced silks and feathers. But he had better have gone with Little Winkle to church. He subsequently acquired his knowledge in fall, to his cost j Little Winkle in her innocence, •only fragments of it—as that he was a year away by her chronology, by ours, 36 hours and that afterwards, he did not go out foi, say, weeks. During that penitential space he held Little Winkle much on his knee and talked to her, she struggling hard to understand. Finally, after being fetched by her friend, fat Sergeant-Major Rndd, with the remark, Buck up, Wickhart," and a regzetful Not you," Winkle," when she would have followed, he returned to her, with his head hanging down and only two stripes i nstead of three on his sleeve for her to paw. She was under the impression that he was about to make a prayer—for he stood still in the middle of the room and put his face in his hands, as Mr MacNabb used to do. It did not sound like a prayer, but people have different ways of praying. Little Winkle herself, when she prayed very hard, said. "Wo, Wahl or something shrill, high up in her head. She got tired, and sat up in front of him. which in these plump days was a rare exploit and feeling, dog fashion, she must somehow be in fault, began to pray to him herself, confessing pitifully her sins of ignorance. Wickhart, when he saw her, laughed rather wildly, and lifting her to that throne of honour, his shoulder, laid his cheek on the sleek little back. Now a great and a joyful thing occurred, and a strange little one to boot. He went no more to that place of doom, the Mess, where Little Winkle herself had once sealed her testimony by killing a man it was always her firm impression that she had slain Sergeant Sparkles, as he left the Service shortly afterwards. She used to whine in her dreams, remombering it, because she had never given way to sinful passion before. The small incident was that, one day, Wickhart said to her, See, Winklekins and showing her a card, he wrote somehing on it, while she stared devoutly. Then he took her right paw, and caused her, Little Winkle, to write also, which she thought great fun, and did not know that she had held his paw far more than hers, but frisked gaily around him. The war flare, running all over Britain, did not spare Little Winkle. Her sergeant, reduced 'to corporal, by the malign influence of the two florid young ladies, was-this was Little Winkle's view—ordered, with an unimportant addendum of five hundred or so officers and men and a complement of horses, to proceed to South Africa. Of course, you can't take your dog," said somebody in authority. But Little Winkle went, all the same. She was astowa-way-and very easily stowed, and the whole regiment, including tha authority in question, aided and abetted her. She was a I' dogette of refined habits, and even that awful person, the Colonel, had been known to say to her "Ah Little Winkle I that's your name. isn't it? You-are small I At which exquisite joke she set at him gravely while the Major neld an, intimate knowledge of the exact spot bohind your ear which you could not scratch yourself save by a gymnastic feat. Thunders of blast and billow were incidents too J¡ big to concern so small a creature. When she observed them at all, she concluded they were t under due control by her Corporal, so would not hurt her. ) At the front, touching the red, seething, foremost wave of life and death, she was not afraid, though surprised, and worried by the nervous remarks of other dogs, who, poor things, had somehow mislaid their masters. She herself trotted about confidently through all sorts of weird places and adventures. ) Sometimes she had no dinner. Once she caught, by a flurried accident a juvenile mouse which she brought timorously to the first man of her regiment she saw, asking what she should do with it; looking up with a face of perfect innocence and the mouse straggling across it. But the mouse got away after all and Little Winkle, though she affected annoyance, was in truth relieved. It was well she had got over her earlier im- pression that life is ended at the first crack of j a shot, for she lived for a. few weeks in a leaden hurricane, and, quite oblivious of the enemy, pit-patted sedulously into action among the legs of her own regiment, making hasty excuses to corpses for trampling on them. She became the official Dog of the Regiment, and was immensely applauded. It was, indeed, a striking spectacle to see her fat tiny form trot sedately towards blazing Boer rifles. Once, her regiment deploying into the open, Little Winkle at that crucial moment deployed on an errand of her o.vn. The foe were shooting for all they were worth. Little Winkle, wagging apologetically at the solecism, paused on a convenient sandy hillock, to flirt away a trouble- some Dutch pulex with her small hind leg, yawning amiably to express relief, at a large faced Boer who happened to catch her eye, when that beast fired upon her. She gazed up in the air at the yellow cloud of dust, then. waggling perplexedly, retired in good order. There was a shout of execration from her regiment, and Moonface lay on his back to shoot no more. But when someone said, Did they, Winks t" andpatted her she only wondered. We must go on to the catastrophe—the biggest thing in Little Winkle's life. In action she always stuck close to her Corporal, and no matter what the hurly-burly, how thick the air with shouts, groans and martial tumult, how dark the night and crowded with agony, hatred and death, beard his voice alone. The tiny star of mar- vellous love shone high above all. The regiment had paraded there was a certain height to be scaled and held, and Little Winkle, amongst others, was present to scale and hold it, The C.O. said sternly, "What do you mean by bringing the dog ? as if she were a four-foot mastiff. The regiment returned collectively, Can't keep her away, sir." Little Winkle limped' forward, and put her best paw as far as it would reach on the C.O/s leg with a persuasive whimper and wag. He replied, irresolutely, that she was too small then, with weakness in his eye, dropped the subject, and she limped back triumphant. So, on a stormy, gloomy night Little Winkle with her regiment climbed to victory or apo- theosis. Again someone bad blundered but it was a hill, not a valley of death this time. Little Winkle knew not even the alternative to do or die. Her simple law was to follow her Corporal whithersoever he went and it must be owned tint the legs she loved were always in the hottest and hardest places. He and she had kissed one another breathlessly at odd crises behind rocks, where t hey potted Boers, at a moment when he turned his back on the tumult, a back burdened by the limp figure of the youngest Second Lieutenant, and Little Winkle trotted responsibly after, carrying the officer's wet red cap in her mouth. They were back directly, and at it again. A pale lilac haze announced the advent of the moon behind a rude shoulder of black hill; a low wind moaned. The stones hurt Little Winkle s pet rheumatic paw, but she pushed on, perceiving somehow a tenseness in the hour. Her part was to keep well to heel, and not to run frivolously after those little elongated balls, of which the air was full. Yet a great many of her friends were lying about—presumably to clutch and grope after them. Their faces were so white and vild that Little Winkle longed sorely to stop and lick them but those dear legs-he cuddled beside them. Her Corporal looked down at her with a fond oath, Go back, you blanked little foolt" But the little fool went on, for she saw through him using in self-justification the canine creed, which may be found in the old Testament Scriptures, Where thou goest, J will go," etc. They came on big Sergeant-Major Kudu, very calmly asleep on Ryan, the Regimental scoundrel, so much more drunk than ever before that he shrieked a child's prayer in:a.sps between his usual blasphemies on little Tommy May, the drummer-LIttle Winkle's chief playiellow -who lay on his back smiling at the alien stars, and played a sweet game in which she could have no share; and many others. Then- Good God I There goes the C.O. I to her Wickhart cried. Little Winkle saw the tall figure of her Corporal's inferior officer throw up bis arms and fall. She cried breathlessly, "Wow-Wah- Wow in dismayed chorus. And next a rock- ing world, wandering ftars, blackness of dark- ness for her o'vn beautiful, strong, matchless deity stood astare, as at some wondrous sight, for two seconds, then fell beside her and neither stirred nor spoke more. Little Winkle sighed deeply and wher.sily, and of course sat down too. A good many things surged past, over, around her a bullet grazed her ear, a foot smashed her poorshort tail, elicit- ing a high, one-syllabled yelp. There she sa^, at intervals investigating with a small cold nose, a timid paw. a lingering kiss of her tiny tongue. He tasted like the subaltern s cap. She addressed him with loud whines of pathetic query, but he made no reply. Thus, for an hour or so, he lay and she watched. Madden of Hers dragged himself past, paused, gazed down at her Corporal and shook his head. He was himself white, streaked with red and black, and going, she dimly observed, the downward way. VViien he had suggested that Little Winkle should come with him—a perfectly ridiculous thing on the face of it—he melted, groaning into the night, Little Winkle shivered the world became strange about her. Below, on the ragged slope, i familiar voices sighed, familiar fignres stretched and writhed. Far away, there were horses of the regiment, inquiring vainly for their riders. Aiion, a great gold moon sailed up and looked at her. At the best of times the moon chilled the marrow of Little Winkle's spine, making her feel weird things she could not explain. The Queen of Night wrung from her wailing strophes of protest even when pressed tight in Wickhart's arms, and she had often begged him to take that orb away but a moon under these circumstances was horrid indeed! She snuggled close to the long still body, nuzzling her own little skull against the proud, close curled head that lay so low, yet her corporal bad no comfort to give her. A crowd of odious ape-like creatures came I shambling up, with uncouth gestures and shouts. Wickhart did not rise in wrath he lay, solemn and mute, with the moonlight on his face. The apes swarmed over him, and now Little Winkle saw that it was not merely an idiotic game, and a Berserk passion fired her gentle breast. Her limited person seemed to be everywhere snapping,, snarling, right and left, at this and that sacri- legions hand. If she had understood angry f aggestions in Dutch to knock her brains out it would have made no difference adog can die but once, and Dulce et decorum, pro Corporal" —this is good Dog Latin. Somebody snatched her up by the neck, and, j with a load langh. held her dangling. Her eyes were blind with broken-hearted tears as she saw how they stripped her god, scratched a hollow in the loose sandy soil, and laid him there, kicking earth and stones over him with their great feat. Other groups of Boers were doing this to her men. To what had the world come ? Nobody was there at all to appealto Even Teddy—"B" Squadron's cat—would have been a comfort. The Boer who held her proposed in broken English taking Little Winkle home as a toy for vrow. At this proposition she bit him with all her strength. He dropped her like a red-hot dog —which she was at the moment—and would have kicked the life out of her, but she was off. He retired with a foul oath, and Little Winkle at a lame canter nosed her way to the consecrated spot of agony. There she had to fall down for a moment, with all herlegsst,retched out, and utter a passing howl at the malign moon. Then she rose and. quivering all over, laid her •, nose to the ground. She steadied herself for a second. Then followed a wild, flurried scratching of tiny white paws, small shrill yelps interspersed, a sandy little face of fond despair occasionally reproaching the sky, More feverish delving, with Yap. yap Wh'o-o-o-o Help me somebody Help me, moon I am so old so small so fat!" The little paws bled fast, the little face was a mask of dirt and tears, but, with both ears cocked, the little eager head probed the earth. Then Little Winkle gave a long shriek of joy. Beneath her frantic paws, touching ber sore nose, something moved feebly. Now Little Winkle had seen Lieutenant D'Arcy's terriers disinter rabbits, and had assisted them—or believed she did so—sedately repelling their attentions afterwards. She fell to work methodically, for there was a delicious breath, a melodious moan, to reward her and -O-o-oh the moonlight shone on her Corporal's face. Bnt nlie could naver get him out alone She considered her big eyes jewels, her ears pricked, sitting up and snuffing breathlessly like a bunny. Far off were sounds of the English tongue, and, in the shadow, figures that sought and stooped. She collected all her strength. Co-o-mw be-e-e-re she cried to the best of her ability. Such a little cry, such a tiny atom, to be alone on that wild hillside with dying and dead. But the voice of love and woe awakened strange echoes. If a sparrow's fall, why not a dog's despair ? Perhaps some ministering spirit of the Father of both :carried the desperate plea to His throne perhaps the moon—malicious as Little Winkle thought her—helped showing against the black rock the white speck that ran to the top of the crag and backin a weary pit-pat of anxiety, Dark figures climbed the steep. Little Winkle's agitated nerves made her mistake friend for foe she bristled and ran snarling forward, eyes out of head, teeth gleaming fiercely But-on, bliss, raptue, rest !—it was a man of Hers I And another-and another They scrambled on, patting Little Winkle as they went, who frisked and fawned in exhausted joy, then gravely took command, snowing them where to scratch, and exactly how you should lay yourself toit. Thus her dead was happily brought to life, and the round world revolved upon its proper axis once more. A slow procession went down the hill, escorted I by a very lame and fat little'dog, who, though she constantly fell over inequalities, kept one eye on a certain stretcher, and would not be carried at any price, thank you For there lay a broken figure, whose faint, delirious voice constantly reiterated Little Winkle's name. figure, whose faint, delirious voice constantly reiterated Little Winkle's name. With this chronicle attached to her, Little Winkle was necessarily admitted to hospital, where it must be owued she was rather a com- plication. Boers were amongst the wounded, which Little Winkle thought a serious mistake they should be dead Boers—effectually interred. If kept alive by a shortsighted benevolence, they had to bs reviled in canine Billingsgate, and, when possible, secretly worried from under the j bed. So the corporal and Little Winkle were eventually removed to another ward. Here visitors were introiuced to her. She knew she had distinguished herself and sat on her bandaged tail,smiling benignly, but was really indifferent to their iiatteries. The last of it was this :— Her corporal, it appeared, had done something great on that dayof battle, which Little Winkle, in her genial opinion of him, had not particularly noticed. He had gained steps over those dead comrades who had no dogs to scratch them up, ■ and was a sergeant major—with the dazzling prospect of a commission. So for this deliverance and honour he and Little Winkle held a thanks- giving service all to themselves. I Winks, would you like a gold collar ?" Little Winkle, who was standing upon his cheat, returned that Dr Luther said his dog, Fritz, would have that in the Resurrection; und she would wait for hers, too. Winkle, I've been a bad lot, but you du me 1 out twice. And—a little—dog—shall lead them. Not profane, eh Winks ? Sing then | Little Winkle could sing. It was one of her Rccomplishments, She braced her paws against her master's tunic and: starsong devoutly upward sang a Doxology. Her-Sergeant had no voice, but I think after his fashion he joined in, The End. Next Week :— NURSE ELLEN, By Fred Whishaw

LANCASHIRE "WAKES." I The celebration of the Lancashire wakes," or annual holidays, commenced on Saturday, when thousands of workpeople drew the savings of a year and left the scenes of their labours for a brief spell of enjoyment at the seaside. At Blackburn, the chief weaving centre of Lancashire, the mills stopped for a week. Fourteen excursion trains and seven ordinary trains, closely packed with merry holiday-makers, left the station between fi o'clock and noon, the principal destination being Blackpool, though Wales and the Isle of Man were also popular. The local savings bank paid oat X25,000, the Pleasant Sunday Afternoon Club £11,000, the Yorkshire Penny Bank iE4,000, and the Post Office and co-operative societies zE5,009 each. At Bury the holiday will continue until Thursday morning at most places, while some works will not resume until the Monday following. Blackpool is the favourite resort of Bury excursionists at the Wakes holi- days, but alarge number also patronise Douglas, Fleetwood, and Morecambe. Large sums were disbursed from the various holiday savings clubs, Y,1,480 having been distributed at the Wellington Mill, £ 1,504 at the Britannia Mill, and £465 at the Tenterden-street Baptist Chapel. At Stock- port the majority of the mills of the town closed for the whole of next week, instead of the usual two or three days, in consequence of the de- I pressed state of the cotton trade..Many of the I savings clubs have not been formed this year.

A DRUNKEN FRACAS. At North London Police Court on Saturday Edward Hall (50), leather cutter, of Dunstan- street. Haggerston, was charged with unlawfully and maliciously wounding Mary Ann Freeman. The prosecutrix, whose left hand was bandaged said the prisoner struck her on the hand with a jug.—The Prisoner And she stabbed me with the lamp-glass.—Prosecutrix added that she and the prisoner were drinking together on Friday night, and he got very quarrelsome. She offered him the jug with some beer in it,and he snatched it away and hit her on the hand. When she saw her hand bleeding she ran into the street, and a policeman took her to the Metropolitan Hospital, where the wound was dressed. The prisoner de- nied that it was malicious it was done in a struggle. She hit him, and he hit her. The prosecutrix said she did not want to give the man I into custody.-The Clerk But you bave charged him.—Sergeant Sangster said that, from what he was told at the hospital, he arrested the prisoner I in bed. The prisoner said it was done in a dranken quarrel.—Mr Fofdharu said he believed I this was the case, and, with the advice to the prisoner to be more careful in the future, dis- I' charged him.

FRENCH OFFICERS ARRESTED. > [ Vannes, Morbihan, Sunday.—The prefect fcav- I ing requested General Frater to send a detach- I ment of cavalry to Ploermel to aid the civil i administrative authorities in enforcing the Asso- ciation law, General Frater ordered Lieut.-Col. I De Saint Beniy, commanding the 2nd Regiment of Cbasseurs at Pontiny to proceed to Ploermel with a detachment, and hold himself at the dis- posal of the assistant prefect. Colonel De Saint ivemy refused to obey, declaring his religious feelings forbade him taking part in the closing j of religious establishments. General Frater I sent a major to Ploermel in place of I Colonel De Saint Remy. The General command- ing the division placed Colonel De Saint Remy under close arrest. General Andre, the Minister of War, changed this sentence to one of deten- tion in a fortress. He will be conveyed to Fort Belle Isle, and tried for breach of discipline.— Renter. Paris, Monday.—The Gaulois and Libre P-010 publish a despatch from Auvanches, according to which a rumour is current in that town that the captain of the 2nd Chasseurs had followed the example of his lieutenalat-coloiiel. who refused to take part in the operations against I religious establishments. It is added that the captainis, like his chief, confined in a fortress. Angers, Sunday.—The Court at Cholet has sentenced two priests by default—one to eight days' and the other to two months imprisonment i —for breaking scats placed by the policenpon pre- j mises occupied by members of religions orders.— l Router. <

ANGLESEY PANTOMIME. AMUSING CORONATION INCIDENT. The Marquis of Anglesey, after the Coronation, had a short procession all to himself. It was not as well attended as the Royal procession, but the small boys who participated in it enjoye i the Anglesey procession exceedingly. The Marquis on emerging from the Abbey after the Corona- tion stood waiting for his carrjage. There was such a jam of vehicles and of peers and peeresses Ji^t it was a difficult matter to sort things out. -the Marquis of Anglesey gave up the struggle as hopeless. Either his driver was asleep or had mistaken someone else for the Marquis and driven him off to the Anglesey abode The Mar- quis tried vainly to pet a cab. Then, his patience exhausted, he started in a procession of one for Piccadilly. He held his robes over his right arm so as not to stumble over them, and tucking his coronet undeif his left arm he began his procession. The Angle- "ts sey procession consisted at the start of one per- son. It lacked a good deal as far as quantity was concerned, but it wanted nothing as to intensity. It was the only procession that was proceeding at the time, and it had all the spectators to itself. The police had no instructions to clear the way for the Anglesey procession, and it was soon greatly hampered by the curious throng. Hi. Jimmy, here's one of them peers escaped," a small boy shouted to another small boy across the street. Both small boys then iell in line, and at once became an integral part of the Anglesey procession. Held on to His Coronet. The Marquis redoubled his speed, holdinc grimly on to his coronet and his robes,and with a slight blush of embarrassment on his face ho tried to get the thing over as quickly as possible. The small boys presumably, had never seen a real peer in full regalia proceeding on foot in a State procession consisting exclusively of him- self, and the pxoceedings at once achieved popular success. The Anglesey procession in. creased in size. Sturdy-looking countrymen with large mouths, which were kept open, and with eyes which they bad not blinked all day, for fear of missing something, trudged along to see what it meant. I don't know what it's all about. but evidently it's a real thing," remarked an American as he fell into line. The Anglesey pro- cession was not well drilled, and it did not keep good step. It was rather of the motley order, but it was completely in earnest. A small boy, noticing the embarrassment of the Marquis. said to him. I'll carry your crown for tuppence, but the offer was not accepted. The route of the Anglesey procession was partly that 1 Poyal Procession It proceeded along Whitehall and Cockspnr-street to Piccadilly. There it unfortunately came to an abrupt termi- nation. The Marquis suddenly disappeared, coronet, robes, and all, into an hotel. The other component parts of the Anglesey procession evidently thought they had been treated rather shabbily. They stood outside the hotel some time waiting for the Marquis to emerge. To their chagrin he did not, so the Anglesey proces- sio was permanently over. We've been had, sadly remarked a Lincolnshire farmer after he had waited two hours for something to happen.

PREDICTED HSS OWN DEATH. At Poplar on Saturday Mr Wynne E. Baxter held an inquiry concerning the death of Arthur Alsford, aged 37 years, a labourer, of Garvev street, Custom House. The widow stated that the deceased was employed in the erection of a new iron building at East Greenwich. He told her the previous week that she was not to be sur- prised if he met with an accident. On Saturday week she was informed that he had been taken I' to the Hospital, and when she saw him there he was unconscious, and remained so until his death. The evidence showed that the deceased was shifting a joist with an iron bar when the former canted, and he was thrown off another joist on which he was standing, and falling a consideraole distance, received shocking injuries to the head. Tne Jury returned a verdict of Accidental death," and added that they were ot opinion that ihe accidont was caused through want of proper superintendence and distribution of labour.

A TINY PLANET. | Preparations are being made at many observa- tones for the reappearance of the little plane,. Eros during the spring of 1903, when telescopes, I and cameras will be in requisition to solve some of the mysteries attaching to our tiny neighbour, so tiny as probably to have a diameter of leaa than 25 miles. The variability in the planet's brilliancy noticed during its apparition in 1900 j —recurring as it did at regular intervals of a few hours—suggested the possibility that instead of one small globe, two little planeticis may be Ii there in mutual revolution, the surface of one. being more capable .of reflecting sunlight than •he^ £ er; A eimilar near approach will occus- in 1917, though the least possible distance of Eros from the earth will not be attained until j 1924, when it will be only 13,000,000 of mile» away-near enough to be detected by the naked eye as a sixth magnitude star. Mars, which until 1898 was believed to be our nsarest outside neighbour, is some 33.000,000 miles distant, ever j at its closest approach, so it is anticipated thai from our small comrade the sun's distance wilJ be obtainable with greater accuracy than ha:. hitherto been possible.

j BANK MANAGER'S SAD END. At St. Pancras Coroner's Court on Saturday Mr Walter Schroder held an inquest concerning the death of Siiney Herbert Diver,aged 34, assis- tant manager at the Union of London and Smith's Bank, Lombard-street, City. The de., ceased, who resided at Woodbank, Woodville- road. New Barnet, had to sleep at the bank oe Wednesday night last, and left home at 9 p.rn.. to travel by the Enfield train to Moorgate Sta- tion. He had lately, his wiaow said, been work ing very hard, and was fatigued when he departed YvThen the train by which Mr Diver travelled' emerged from the tunnel near Yoik-road Station on the Great Northern Railway, he was, accord- ing to Charles Turner, a railway porter, hanging with his head, shoulders, and arms far out of tha window of a first-class compartment, and resting :on the brass bar crossing the window midway, .He was found to be unconscious and dying, from -the effects of injury to the head. The Jury found a, verdict of Accidental daath."

THE NEW GOVERNOR OF THE ISLE OF MAN. Lord Raglan, who was Under-Secretary of War in the last Ministry, has, it is re- ported, been appointed to the Lieutenant- Governorship of the Isle of Man, rendered vacant by the death of Lord Henniker. Lord Raglan'" salary as Under secretary was -.1,500 a year as Lieutenant-Governor of the Isle of Man he will get EJ.,800 with a hoase. Born ^57, Lord Ragian was educated at Eton and the ll.M.C., Sandhurst. In 1875 he was appointed a sub-lieutenant, and a year later joined the Grenadier Guards, of which regiment he was made a captain in 1886. He afterwards went over to the Monmouthshire Militia Engineers. From 1880 to 1883 he was A.D.C. to Sir James rergusson, Governor of Bombay. He was orderly officer to Major-General Sir R. Phayre in the second phases of the Afghan War, when ha earned a medal. For six years (1868-74) he was 8: Page of Honour to Queen Victoria. The new Governor has an excellent pedigree, if he could trace it no further back than his grandfather, thft Commander-in-Chief of the British forces in th. Crimea. He is an Honorary Lieutenant-Coiona and owns 800 acres of Welsh land and Cefn. tilla Court, which was presented to his warlike grandfather by a grateful crowd of public sub scribers.

NEWPORT MILITARY INCIDENTS. The Newport justices on Monday deaiv with a series of cases in which soldier, were interested. Bombardier Lacey noticec a gunner in the Artillery wearing a flower in his tunic in the street and removed it, as it was contrary to military order? to wear a flower when in uniform. Henry Lewis, o' 34, East dsk-road, who was with the soldier thereupon raised his fist, and threatened to giv, Lacey a "good hiding." Lewis, however, told th, Court that he told Lacey that he had put th flower-a little carnation-in the soldier's tunic and that Lacey told him not to speak and pushet him away, and it was then that he threatened t. strike him. Defendant was fined 10s.—Gunne; Frederick Peter was in the dock because he wa,, drunk on Saturday night, and kicked P.C. Rey, nolds three times on the legs. A number o Eoldiers were fighting in Shaftesbury-street and the officer interfered, which interfeience Petez resented. The soldier now explained that he had been an abstainer for four years, but on Saturday he was persuaded to drink the King's health o& account of the Coronation. Peter, who was givell an excellent character, was fined 10s.—Johc Storey, who deserted from the Royal Field Artil- lery at Newport,gave as a reason that he had been home from South Africa for seven months and could not get any kit served out to him. Storey was ordered to be handed over to an escort.

BOUNDARY DISPUTE AT WHITCHURCH At Llandaff Police Court on Monday (before M1 G. C. Williams, Mr Franklen G. Evans, and ML Henry Lewis) Henry Brown, a, market gardener, having a garden at Whitchurch, charged-Wil- liam Webber, a gardener, occupying the adjoin- ing piece of land, with an assault, in which big two sons, Walter and Charles, took part. Mr Morgan Morgan appeared for the plaintiff, and Mr J. H. Jones for the defendants. On the 29th ult. the plaintift saw the defendants gathering apples from a tree which grew in the bank separating the respective gardens. Plaintiff claimed the apples. This led to a disturbance, in which the senior defendant belaboured the plaintiff with a linen prop, both parties claim- ing the bank and the apple tree. This was the whole essence of the case, and Mr J. H. Jones called Mr William Roberts, land surveyor, who swore that he surveyed the ground some 15 months ago, owing to disputed ownership, and the plan on the deed of conveyance, which was a correction, gave the fenc 3 and the apple tree to the land occupied by the defendants. The Bench retired, and after some time gave their decision in favour of defendants and dismissed the case.

To the representation of the East Ward, New. port, upon the Newport Board of Guardians, ic place of Mr S. J. Broadribb, disqualified, Mr W. Garland (Liberal), the Friendly Societies" Council nominee, will be returned onopppaed.