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Trap to Catch a Husband. tut ion was iutendH for actual accept-
Sunset in the tropics. Sunset on the
shirts of a Louisiana forest—stately,
emn. What a chaos of nohlc color,
lat an Eden of blossom and of odor,
royal prodigality of tint ran,-
eled life. The spot where a party <»1
jurists had encamped themselves tor
night whs at the height of some
;ee or four hundred feet above 11 h j
vel of the sea : and a glowing sweep
lowland country—yellow maize fields,
diards. villages, and gardens—stretch-
away league beyond league before
them.
Tlie party which made up this en-
ainpment consisted of four men—
Northerners on a tour of pleasure and
Observation. Three were gentlemen of
r ealth ; but the fourth—lerrold Gray
was a dependent nephew of one of
„the rich trio. 11 is uncle had educated
lim, and now, at the end of his colle-
course, had taken him on this
At its conclusion .lerrold was to
se a profession, and commence shi
mmied the battle of life. His uncle
a number of children, so that Jer-
bl(l could not reasonably expect to in-
erit anything, and his independence
irompted him to decline further pecu
niary aid.
Leaving his companions cooking the
supper, in true camp fashion, .lerrold
■trolled off to view the panorama that
T as stretched beneath the surrounding
As he stood listlessly leaning
ftfnst a tree, he broke out into a
ance song. He was realh a tine
uger, possessed of a highly cultivated
ice, and sang with all the abandon of
■sumed solitude.
le did not see the bright, black eyes
t were watching him. nor the dainty
that were listening, both of wlii<#i
onged to one of the prettiest and
..alt.hiest heiresses in Louisiana. She
£tat on a splendid horse, and made a
tourists decided upon the
pictu% that, had .lerrold seen it. would
mve eclipsed the opposite landscape
upon which he \^as gazing. >he waited
there, fascinated, and trusting to the
lelter of the trees until he turned and
retraced bis steps.
But suddenly, in the very height of I
Ids song, his glance fell on her, leaning j
gracefully forward upon the saddle, and |
regarding him with a face of mingled
wonder and admiration that was so in- !
tense as to be comical, the tall bushes i
and branches half veiling her. Never!
could he forget the picture. His voice I
* * abruptly ceased : and the next instant i
. he burst into a ringing laugh that was |
so joyous, hearty and irrepressible that
♦ it proved infectious, and catching by
■ instinct the humor of the moment, she
laughed very heartily. Then, as if
■‘^frightened by such familiarity with a
stranger, she suddenly became serious.
“ I beg your pardon, sir. for listen
ing,” she said ; “but it is so seldom we
meet a Ionian being out here on the
lulls, that you tempted me to listen."
Never had .lerrold looked upon a
countenance that so fascinated him.
The girl’s dark hair, and a face on
liicli there always lived a bloom, but
which there never mounted a decided
3ulor, appeared the very embodiment
- of health and vitality. But it was the
wmderful mobility of the features that
-jpWfcjtituted their greatest charm : their
'■•expressions were as shifting and various
as the atmosphere upon an April morn
ing. Every mood a^^^ggiion they re
lief ted changed them into anothei face :
iow they were tlio.-c uf a la gliing
Hebe ; now those of a simple child.
Before Jerrold could reply to the
young lady, a gentleman on horseback
rode up.
“So, Bertha,” he said to her, “you
ran away from me.” And then, seeing
. Jerrold Gray, lie bowed politely, and
added : “It isn’t ofte i these wild hills
are visited by strangers.”
A brief conversation ensued, ending
in a visit to the temporary camp. The
gentleman introduced himself as Mr.
Fenshaw. a planter of the neighbor-
ijttod, and the girl as Bertlm Fenshaw,
his niece.
“Do you intend to remain here to
night V” he asked, as he prepared to go.
“Yes," was tin* reply : “we arc very
azily seeking pleasure, and we encamp
wherever fancy dictates.”
“Then 1 shall insist upon receiving
you at my house. You see it yonder,"
he said, pointing to a plantation resi
dence dimly visible in the distant plain ;
“and, until then, good day.”
Bertha added her invitation, and un
cle and niece were soon, riding out of
sight.
Knowing by experience the liospi-
iLouisianian planters of the
..certain tlwAlLt^A 1 -
ance, the
morrow.
On that same morrow, towards after
noon, Bertha Fenshaw sat in her room,
thinking of .lerrold Gray. She had
dreamed of him during the night, and
she was wondering why. It was not
because of a dearth of young men
among the circle of her acquaintances.
And all the region knew the pretty
heiress. She was acquainted with all
the old men and women in the country,
and their numerous complaints. She
was god-mother to half the babies.
The young planters of all the adjoining
counties were in love with her, and pro
posed to her at regular intervals. But
Bertha was romantic. She was very
happy as she w as. and if she did marry,
Ik* must be more of a hero, to win her,
than any she had seen.
Had Jerrold Gray seen the pretty
heiress, and known that he was the
subject of her thoughts, lie might have
been more Haltered, but scarcely more
in love than he really was. Her room
was arranged with all the simple taste
of a well-bred girl. Her hanging book
shelves were well tilled with their row
of poets, their row ot useful w< rks.
The neat little writing table, with its
gilt inkstand, and its pretty, costly
nick-nacks, stood in the. window, and
above it bung the cage of her pet ca
nary. There was a piano, too, and a
well-filled music-stand.
Upon all the rooms was the impress
and evidence of womanly taste and
neatness; nothing was prim, but every
thing was properly arranged. Above
all, neither in books, pictures, music,
nor on the dressing-room in the adjoin
ing room, was there the smallest sign
of “fastness.” that almost omnipotent
drawback to the charms of the young
ladies of the present day.
But none of these things interested
our heroine just now, and in the middle
of her reverie she heard the arrival of
the tourists, and the voice of her uncle
welcoming them. Hastily finishing her
toilet, she went down to the sitting-
room, where she found the gentlemen
in conversation. Perhaps it was natural
enough that the two younger members
of the quintet gravitated towards each
other, and were soon in an easy con
verse. Later, Bertha showed him the
gardens, etc. The call proved so pleas
ant, and all were so pleased with the
congenial intercourse, that the tourists
complied with the planter’s urgent in
vitation to spend a week at his house.
The week w as spent agreeable to all
—a week of elysiuui to Jerrold and
l>crtha.
“Jerrold," said George Burton, one
of ihe party, “you are getting desper
ately in love with this Southern
beauty.”
“Yes," was the frank reply; “1 love
her as 1 never dreamed I could love a
woman.”
‘‘And does she return your sudden
passion ?”
“Yes. 1 am certain of that.”
“Then you have spoken to her about
it ?"
“No. and shall not do so. She is
rich—I am poor. 1 will never marry
under such conditions.”
The week ended, and the guests were,
about to bid adieu to their generous
host. Bertha showed no special signs
of emotion, but as Jerrold was about
leaving her si unpaid to him, “Sing to me
something that will recall you to me.”
He went to the piano, and without
thought, the strains of Schubert’s
“Adieu” came into his mind. The
passion of a lifetime was concentrated
in its melody, and Bertha, hiding her
eyes in her hands, listened, understand
ing his love and farewell.
They went, and time passed. The
civil war broke out. Three years after
his first visit, Jerrold Gray was in New
Orleans, a Lieutenant in the Federal
army. George Merton, too, was in the
same regiment. When the army ad
vanced to the neighborhood of the Fen-
shaw plantation. Morton proposed a
visit to their former hosts; but Jerrold,
for some reason, declined, and Morton
decided to go alone. He found the
plantation in a sad state, but the mas
ter as hospitable as ever.
“This house is like a tomb,” said Mr.
Fenshaw ; “no more music, no more
sounds of joy. That piano lias not
been touched for two years ; the last
thing played on it was the ‘Adieu’ of
that young friend of yours. By the
way, is lie living ? have you heard of
him V”
“Yes. Have you never had any sus
picions about him
“Suspicions ?”
“Yes; concerning your niece."
“Concerning Bertha-—let me see. A
light dawns in on me ; do you. Have 1
been deceived? We fear sin* is losing
her health and spirits. ”
‘ She is in love with Jerrold Gray."
Then Merton told him all that had
passed ; all his scruples ; all bis love ;
his resolve never to marry a woman so
far above him in fortune.”
“Come,” said Air. Fenshaw, “and re
peat this to Bertha.”
The three w ere in close consultation
for an hour, and when Merton set out
on bis return, something of the old
vivacity had returned to Bertha.
“Well,” said Jerrold,when liis friend
returned, “have you seen them ?”
“Yes.”
“And is Bertha well ?”
Merton looked grave.
“Yes,” he said, “as well as could be
expected under the circumstances.
The fortunes of war have dealt hardly
with her. She has lost every penny of
her fortune.”
Jerohl Gray’s eyes sparkled.
“You do not seem saddened by the
ill luck of the girl you said you loved,”
said Merton.
“No,” replied the young man, "tie-
cause now she is on a level with me
and 1 can offer her my hand without
loss of self-respect.”
Obtaining leave of absence, Lieuten
ant Gray started for the Fenshaw’s on
the following day. The uncle received
him graciously—the niece with a joy
that found expression in her lustrous
eyes in the warm clasp of her hand, and
in the very eloquence of her silence.
Before his departure lie told her his
love, and her trembling lips had clung
to his in a betrothal kiss.
They are married now, and happy, in
spite of a piece of anti-marriage deceit
on the part of the bride.
“Could you forgive me a great—a
very great deception, provided it was
intended to make us both happy for
life?” asked Bertha, soon after the
quiet wedding.
“Yes.”
“Then listen to my confession. Mr.
Merton deceived you when he told you
that my fortune had been lost. He
told me of your resolution never to
marry a woman richer than yourself,
and suggested the plan of inducing you
to propose by representing me as penni
less. I loved you so well that I couldn’t
refuse—and do forgive me, Jerrold.”
A kiss settled it, and Jerrold laugh
ingly acknowledged himself caught in
“A trap to catch a husband.”
Recent Legal Decisions.
Horne Hints.
Th^ best way to hang up a broom is
to screw a large picture ring into the
top of the handle.
To cure a bruise or sprain bathe it in
cold water, and then apply a decoction
of wormwood and vinegar.
To prevent the juice of a pie soaking
into the under crust, brush the crust
with the white of a beaten egg.
To take oil spots out of matting, etc.,
wet the spot with alcohol, rub it with
# ard soap, and then wash well cold
water.
To renovate black sil , sponge it
with spirits ot ammonia or alco i >1, di
luted with warm water, and press i n
the wrong s : de.
To remove stains from cups or other
articles of tableware or marblesized oil
cloths rub them with saleratus, either
with the finger or a piece of linen.
To rid a room of the disagreeable
smell of fresh paint let a pailful of
water in which a handful of hay hits
been placed stand in the room over
night.
To remove ink stains from mahogany
apply carefully with a feather a mixture
.of a teaspoonful of water and a few
drops of nitre, and rub quickly with a
damp cloth. ,
A Dishonest Debt.
“Yes, sir, 1 alwajs pay my honest
debts." declared an Arkansaw gentle
man of the old school, addressing an
acquaintance.
“I am glad to hear you say so ” ex
claimed a merchant who overheard the
remark. “You bought a suit of clothes
from me some time ago, and you have
persistently refused to pay me. Now
you blow around that you pay your
honest debts.”
T still declare that 1 pay my honest
delas. ”
•WVel). why don’t you pay me for that
suit of clothes ?”
“It’s not an honest bebt.”
“Why?”
“Because, when I got the clothes I
did not intend to mv you. Conse-
.teiitlv the debt is <,
1. Evidence — Presumption of
Delivehv ok Telegrams. 2. Agen
cy—Loan — Ratification. — The
superintendent of a mine owner borrow
ed money at a bank to pay the miners,
and executed notes in the name of his
principal for the loan, and sent letters
and telegrams to his principal at his
residence in Cincinnati, advising him
of what lie had done. No replies were
received from him. Upon refusal to
pay the bank brought suit on the notes,
and recovered judgment. The defend
ant appealed to the Supreme Court of
Colorado, who also decided the case—
Breed vs. First National Bank of Cen
tral City—in favor of the bank. The
Chiei Justice (Elbert) in the opinion
said: “1. Greenleaf, in his work on
evidence, said : ‘If a letter is sent by
post it is presumed from the known
course in that department of the pub
lic service that it reached its destina
tion at the'regular time and was re
ceived by the person to whom it was
addressed, if living at the place and
usually receiving letters there.’ This
presumption has also been held to apply
to telegrams. 2. The silence of Breed
upon the receipt of letters and tele
grams will, by presumption, ratify the
acts of his agent. And it was proper
to show, for the purpose of charging
Breed, and as bearing upon the ques
tion of ratification, that the money
borrowed was expended in 11is business
and to bis advantage.”
Fire Insurance—Other Insur
ance— Avoiding Policy. — A fire
policy had a condition in it that the in
sured should not be entitled to recover
up in it if he got other insurance on the
property witl out the consent of the
secretary of the company. Other insur
ance was taken out by the owner w.tli-
out getting the consent; but the policy,
by reason of misrepresentation and be
cause of prior insurance, was void. On
the trial the company was beaten on its
defense of the violation of this condi
tion, the Judge deciding that there was
no actual violation ot the condition,
t and an appeal was taken to the Supreme
j Court of Minnesota, which gave the
I company a judgment. The Chief Jus-
I tice (Giifillan) in the opinion, said : “In
j the American Courts generally it has
I been held that conditions similar to
I that in question here were not violated
j if the contract for other insurance was
either void or voidable ; but we cannot
l yield our assent to such a construction
! of the contract. It involves a disre
gard of the plain objects contemplated
by the parties to the contract when
it was made, and to accomplish which
the condition against other insurance
was adopted. In this view we are sus
tained by the Federal, New York,
Georgia, Louisiana and Canadian
Courts.”
Fixtures—Permanent Machin
ery—Custom.—An action was brought
by certain creditors against the owner
of land on which there was a steam
engine and accompanying machinery,
which were annexed to a building by
the owner for permanent and habitual
use in smelting lead ore and manufact
uring it into pig-lead. In this case—
Thomas vs. Davis—the Supreme Court
of Missouri decided in favor of the
grantee of the land. Judge Henry, in
the opinion, said: “Between grantor
and grantee of land, if the fixture is
one to become a part of the realty, it
must be so firmly annexed that its re
moval would involve the destruction,
impairment or substantial injury to the
freehold ; and the maimer of annexa
tion would seem to be a material ques
tion, The offer, on the trial, to show
that it was the custom to regard ma
chinery for making pig-lead as chattels
was properly ruled out. The intention
in making the annexation to the free
hold is to he determined by the con
sideration of the character of the an
nexation, and its appropriation and
adaptation to the use or purpose of that
part of the realty with which it is cot -
neeted.”
Marriage and Divorce—Di cuke
Forriddino Marriage—Marriage
in Another State.—A husband was
forbidden to marry in the decree of
divorce granted to his wife in New
York. This part of the decree was
made under the express provisions of a
statute of that State. The husband,
however, contracted a marriage in
Philadelphia, having left the city of
New York for the express purpose of
avoiding tl e prohibition of the decree.
He returned to New York at once, and
lived tliere with his second wife. The
vid^y^^ltiflMfciuvriaiu^muig been
y‘t, the 1'
Judge decided that It was void ; but on
an appeal to the New York Court of
Appeals the deci.ee in this case—Thorp
vs. Thorp—was reversed. Judge Tracy,
in upholding the marriage, said : “The
marinage being a valid contract by the
laws of Pennsylvania, it must be held
to be valid here, unless it is contrary to
natural law or the express prohibition of
a statute. The provisions of our statute
are penal in character and, therefore,
have no effect outside of the State in
the absence of express words showing
the legislative intent to give them that
eftect, and no such words are to be
found in it. This disqualification to
marry again, like the disqualification by
statute upon a person convicted of
felony to testify, is imposed as an addi
tional punishment for the offence of
which he has been convicted, and
neither has any force or effect beyond
the territorial limits of the State in
which it is imposed.”—Phila. Record.
Buddah.
Even in the full middle ages we find
Marco Polo writing, “Had he been a
Christian he would have been a great
saint of our Lord Jesus Christ, so holy
and pure was the life he led ;” while in
our day the professed opponents of his
system, whether Catholic or Angelican
prelates, Wesleyan or Baptist mission
aries, agree in the judgment of M. Bar-
thelemy Saint-IIilaire, one of its sever
est and least fair critics, that “with the
sole exception of the Christ there is no
more touching figure than his among
the founders of religion,” so entirely is
he without spot and blemish, “the
finished model of the heroism, the self-
renunciation, the love, the sweetness, he
commands.” Nor, however doubtful
many details of his life may be, is tliere
any reasonable room for skepticism asi
to its main outlines ? We know that, a
royal lineage and heir to a throne, he
gave up father and wife and children to
become a religious mendicant, and that
years of heroic mortification and fic r c
interior trial culminated in that great
night under the bow tree upon the bank
of the Nairanjaia,when,as the Buddhist
author expresses it, “he attained su
preme enlightenment”, and “alone
worked the salvation of the three
worlds and overthrew the whole army
of the Prince of Evil.” We know how
he then entered upon his high task to
preach the gospel of pity, to found a
kingdom of righteousness, of which en-
francsehimerit from worldly desires
universal brotherhood, and spiritual
equalty were the great laws :
to give light to them enshrouded in durk-
And to open the gates of immortality to men.
We know how during the forty years
of his public ministry he went up and
down the country watered by the Gan
ges, occupied like One greater than he,
of whom lie may without irreverence be
deemed the precursor, in doing pood,
receiving all who came to him without
distinction of rank or caste—his law, he
was won’t to say, was “a law of grace
for all,” but especially calling to him
all that labored and were heavy laden,
the poor, the sorrowful, and the sinful,
who were above others dear to his piy
fill heart. So much is luminously clear
through “the mists of fabling time”
garding this great teacher’s life,
in truth the fables are not less va
sources of information regardin
than the facts themselves. It iag
found saying of Plato, and very
nent to this subject, that poetry c
nearer vital truth than history.
Young Wives for Old.Husband
By-the-by, a few years ago a trie
loaned me a book containing the nn
niseenees of Henry A. Wise. In it he
was out riding one evening with Presi
dent Tyler, who informed him that he
was going to get married to Miss Gard
ner. “Why,” said Wise, “she is too
young for you.” “Not at all,” re
plied the President, “I’m still in my
prime.” “That reminds me,” contin
ued Wi e, “of an old darky down in
Virginia, who was generally consulted
bv his old master on any affair of im
portance to both. The old master wi
a widower, and when he,got the r
sent of a young lady to marry b
communicated the fact ti
darky. ‘My Lord,’ said Sa
too young for you.’ ‘Not a
answ^jpj the master ; ‘I’m
' Yes, ’ res
tYourim*