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1 wonder whv,
t wonder wiiv hearts change so carelessly,
Forgetful of the fires they have set
A „lo’w in other hearts, trembling lips wet
Forgetful of the once
With dews of kisses.
1 ff onder why it comes—forgetfulness
Tos teal away the loyalty and truth
^ a t once were glorified, formless shadow—ruth
Leaving, alone, a
for those forgotten
1 wonder why we cannot earnestly
Command our loves as we command our
lives,
And prove it sweetly true
That love remains to him who truly strives
To grow in constancy.
I wonder why we never know ourselves—
Can never look into ourselves and see
The hidden springs that wait
A®agic touch to burst forth mightily,
Ami ’whelm our startled souls.
I wonder why once earnest vows enshrined
fithin the inner temples.of our love,
jrow faint withlapsi ig time,
tike echoes from some whisp’ring voice
above
The far-off floating clouds—
I wonder why!
—Mew OrleansTimes-Democrat.
OUT OF THE DEEP.
T was a clear star¬
li¬ light night. We
<» ;| ^ were degrees in about south lat- ten
itude and the
fV'I P J ship was steering
s-jL W 'ftpfe southwest. W e
f' were i ust on the
mainroyal set, the
°M Nautilus, with
^ the wind just be¬
fore the beam, was making a good
eleven knots. Eight bells had struck,
and the wheel and lookout had just
been relieved.
Before going below, the starboard
■watch had gathered with their ship¬
mates about the foremast, where a
lively discussion was taking place be¬
tween George, one of the crew, and
Silva, the fourth mate, on the respec¬
tive merits of the crews of the star¬
board and waist boats. George pulled
the bow oar in the latter, while Silva
steered the captain in the former. All
daring the voyage there had been a
deal of rivalry between these crews,
and the rivalry had been intensified by
that neither of the boats had been
fortunate, most of the whales having
been struck by the first mate in the
port boat, to whom the third mate in
the bow boat had proved a worthy as¬
sistant.
It was exceedingly galling to the
membefrs of the starboard watch to
seethe honors snatched away from
them day after day while we were
upon the cruising ground, and it was
no more than natural the crews should
endeavor to shift the responsibility
for their misfortunes from one to the
ether,
Silva, the fourth mate, was a native
of De Verde Islands, and called him¬
self a Portuguese. George—or
“Frenchv,” as he was known—was a
French Canadian, coming from one of
the counties of Quebec, near the Gulf
of St. Lawrence. He was tall and
slender, with jet-black eyes and
straight hair, and a skin almost the
•color of copper. He was a good sailor,
an expert oarsman and one of the
most valuable all-round men on
board.
The dispute between the two was
waxing finally warmer each moment, until
the lie was passed, then came
blows, they clinched, and, after a brief
scuffle, they both fell to the deck,
Silva on top and George underneath.
Another instant and those standing by
saw the glimmer of a knife blade and
then a cry from Silva : “He’s cut me!
I’m stabbed!”
AH was eoufusion. A dozen of the
■crew rushed to part the combatants,
and in the meantime the first mate
came hurrying forward. The men
were separated and helped to their
feet; the knife,. stained with blood,
George handed to Mr. Hoyt, while
Silva pulled back the bosom of his
shirt to examine his wound. He
led into the galley, where, by the
light of a lamp, it was seen that the
hurt was a superficial one, the knife
having merely penetrated the muscles
beloiv the left armpit.
in the meantime the captain had
left the poop and was standing in the
waist when George was led aft by the
mate. As soon as the affray had been
explained to him he ordered George to
be triced up by the thumbs to the
mizzen rigging. “Let him stay that
way for the night,” said he. “It will
cool his blood, and to-morrow I will
look into his case.”
Tricing up by the thumbs is the
most severe of the cruel punishments
that were, until recent years, quite
common in the merchant service. The
hands of the victim are raised above
his head, then the thumbs are bound
securely together with tarred twine
and made fast to the rigging at such a
height as to hardly permit the toes to
touch the deck. Only a strong man
length can endure this punishment for any
of time.
It was nearly two bells of the first
watch when George had been fast¬
ened by the mate, assisted by one of
the boat steerers. Not a word had
escaped him exeept en occasional mut
tered threat and a hiss which could be
heard some distance in the quiet which
prevailed—a quiet which was only
broken by the rushing of the water
past the run of the vessel and an occa
sional splash as the bows struck a
swell bit heavier than usual.
I had taken the wheel at eight bells,
a nd although not present during the
fracas, was a witness to the binding of
George, and the mate had given me
an outline of the affair as he stood at
my “George side looking into the binnacle,
took his medicine like a true
sailor, and I hope the old man won’t
be too hard on him,” said he.
At four bells (10 o’clock) I was re
lieved at the wheel and started for
ward along the lee side of the deck,
As I approached George he whispered:
“Walter, cut these seizngs, will you ;
I can’t stand it any longer.” Almost
involuntarily, without giving a
thought as to the consequences of the
act, I took my knife from its sheath,
reached to where the poor fellow’s
hands were fast'to the rigging, drew
the keen blade across the tarred stuff,
gave a glance aft, saw the mate lean¬
ing upon the rail looking to windward,
and without a word I hurried forward.
As I reached the mainmast i turned
and saw George still standing with
his hands raised above his head.
Could it be that I had failed to sever
the fastenings? It seemed impossible.
But yet, why did he remain in that
position if his hands were free?
My curiosity was soon to be en¬
lightened for I had scarcely reached
the windlass bitts, where most of the
watch were assembled, when a cry
was heard from the after part of the
ship, “Man overboard!” followed by
the voice of the mate, “Clew up the
yard; haul up the mainsail; stand by
to lower away the port boat!”
As the ship shot up into the wind
the main and main-top gallant yards
were rounded in, and before she had
lost her headway the port boat was
over the side, with the third mate at
the steering oar.
“He can’t be far astern, Mr. Bax¬
ter. The moon is just coming up.
and you ought to catch sight of him
as he rides on the swell. Burn your
blue Jight as soon os you thiDli it will
be of use. Keep your eyes peeled,
boys, all of you. Off you go, now,”
and the mate waved his hand as the
boat drifted away from the ship. One
of the boat steerers was already in the
mizzen rigging, keeping track of the
boat and endeavoring to get a glimpse
of George, for all had by this time
learned that he was the man that was
overboard.
“How in the world did he get
loose, anyway, Mr.JfHo.yt?” I heard
the captain ask the mate as I was pass¬
ing off from the poop after the boat
had been lowered.
“I can’t imagine, sir,” was the re
ply- “The first I knew of it he was
overboard, The man at the wheel
saw him as he sprang from the rail.”
“Some of those boat-steerers must
have done it. If I could find out
which one it was I’d disrate him and
keep him in irons till we get into
port,”
This was not very cheeiing news for
me, but I made up my mind that I
would not see an innocent man pun¬
ished, and if anyone was wrongfully
accused I would come forward and
make a clean breast of it. In the
meantime, however, I determined to
keep my own counsel and await devel¬
opments. blue light blazed
Just then the up,
and the boat and the sea about it were
wrapped in a spectral flame.
“See anything of him?” yelled the
captain, as he sprang onto the taftrail.
“Nothing, sir, nothing,” came back
in a faint tone from the boat.
“He can’t be drowned, such a swim
mer as he, do you think, Mr. Hoyt?”
asked the captain, turning to the mate.
“He was a grand swimmer, yes,”
was the reply, “but you forget the
sharks, sir. They are plenty in these
waters. Why look there!”
As he spoke he pointed over the
side, almost under the ship’s counter.
A number of us who had gathered in
the waist heard ibe mate’s exclama¬
tion, aud sure enough there was to be
seen the outlines of a shark, aud as he
slowly moved through the water
bathed in the phosphorescent gleam,
every part of the body was visible,
every fin distinct.
“Heave iron into that chap, )
an
said the captain in a low tone.
“Aye, aye, sir, I’ll give him one,”
replied Mr. Hoyt, and stepping light¬
ly into the starboard boat he picked
up a harpoon that was all ready for
use, saw that it was fast to the line in
the tub, raised it above his head and
sen t it downward with all his strength.
His aim was true and the sharp iron
was buried in the big fish nearly to
the pole. hearties, pull! he
“Pul!, my dozen coils of the
yelled, throwing a the shark
line on to the deck. Before
really knew he was hit the line was
seized by a score of willing hands and
the sea tiger hauled along to the
gangway. As the creature was raised
from the water one of the boatsteerers
stood by with a cutting-in spade and
hacked away at the bead until that
member was nearly severed from the
body and its struggles had all but
ceased.
“Cut cut the iron and let the car¬
cass go,” said the mate. “Hell make
a dinner for some of his kind.”
During this brieE interruption the
captain and most of the crew were
eagerly watching the boat from the
deck, while the second mate and sev
eral boat steerers were in the rigging
hoping to calch a glimpse of the miss
ing man. The moon had by this time
climbed well above the horizon and as
it was at its full it shed a bright shim
meting light over the surface of the
sea that made objects almost as dis
tinct as in the day. The boat could
be seen not more than two cable
lengths off. One man was standing in
the bow while the officer in the stern
sheets was leaning on the steering oar
and apparently scanning the surface
with his night glass,
“See anything, Mr. Baxter?” hailed
the captaiu.
“Not a thing, not a thing, sir,” was
the response.
“Come aboard then,” was the or
der. “Poor fellow, he’s gone, ’ the
captain continued in a lower tone as
he turned and resumed his w T alk on
the poop.
The boat was soon alongside and
hoisted up, the members of the star¬
board watch wont below, the main
yard was braced forward and the ship
again put on her course, During the
next day the officers and men went
about their duties with an air of
unusual quiet, but in a week the
tragedy of the night had apparently
been forgotten. There was no inquiry
made as to how George managed to un¬
loose his bonds and the secret remained
in my own breast during the rest of
the voyage.
When we reached our home port I
left the ship, bid good-by to the sea
and settled down at the home of my
parents in the interior. Two years
had come and gone when one day I re¬
ceived a notification from the local
agent of the express company to call
at his office. I went and there found a
fine gray parrot in a cage addressed to
my care. It had come from New York
and the charges were paid. I took the
bird home to the great delight of my
mother and sister. We could not get
it to utter a word, but a bird fancier
told me its silence might be owing to
the effects of the journey, audit would
probably have something to say in a
few days, “especially,” as he re¬
marked, “as it looks like a talking
bird.”
The prediction proved correct, for
on the morning of the third day I was
startled by loud calls from the parrot.
The cage had been hung on a back
porch, were the occupant could get
the morning sun. As I appeared upon
the scene judge of my astonishment
when I was greeted in first-rate Eng¬
lish with “Trice up the scamp! hr!
ha! hello, Walter! hello!”
I had often told the story of George’s
punishment and tragic end in the fam¬
ily circle, and when she heard the
parrot my mother said at onqe :
“Why, Walter, this bird certainly
comes from one of your old shipmates,
for no one else would have taught it
those words about thrieingup; wasn’t
that what you called it when they
tied that poor sailor up by the
thumbs?”
“Yes, and it was Walter who cut
him loose and then he jumped over¬
board and was drowned,” added my
youngest sister with a kind of mali¬
cious smile.
“Eor shame, Kate,” remarked my
dear mother, “you know Walter did
what he thought was right.”
We tried hard to teach the parrot
some additions to his vocabulary, but
with poor success. He held fast to his
early training, and was always ready
with his “Trice up the scamp ! ha ! ha!
Hallo, Walter, hallo!” greatly to the
amusement of visitors, though after a
time it became a bit monotonous to
the family.
Years came and went, and one of
the few reminders I had of my early
seafaring days was in the never-fail¬
ing prattle of the parrot. I had oc¬
casion, during the winter of 1869-70,
to go to New York, and as usual,
when I found myself in a seaport, did
not fail to visit the wharves and ship¬
ping. One morning I was strolling
along the East Biver, and at the foot
of Wall street I noticed a fine new
ship, the Great Admiral, alongside
the pier. A large porter announced
that she was loading for San Francis¬
co and would have quick dispatch.
Impelled by curiosity to inspect the
noble craft, I climbed up the compan¬
ion ladder and soon .stood upon the
deck. Several sailors were at work
near the gangway, and as I was tak¬
ing a general survey of the vessel and
her lofty spars a voice at my elbow
said: “Hello, Walter!” I started,
turned quickly, and looked upon a
tall, dark-complexioned man with gray
hair and keen gray eyes. He held a
marlinspike in his left hand, while his
right was extended towards me.
“Don’t you remember George,
Walter?”
Had one risen from the grave I
could not have been more astonished.
Sure enough, it was George, my old
shipmate. I welcomed him warmly,
and after we had crossed the deck we
leaned up against the rail and he told
me the story of his escape from the
sea, into which he had plunged on
that night many years before in the
South Atlantic.
He said he feared that the captain
wonld visit some terrible punishment
upon him, and rather than endure it
he decided to jump overboard. He
might drown, though he trusted that
he might be picked up by some vessel
as we were right in the track of ships
bound to and from the Cape of Good
Hope. He felt confident of being able
to sustain himself in the water until
daylight any way, especially as the
sea was comparatively smooth. When
the boat was lowered he thought his
shipmates might discover him, and
several times they seemed on the point
of doing so, but he dove beneath the
surface, and finally they gave up the
search.
Just as the ship was hauling up on*
her course again he saw floating ou the
surface, only a few feet away, a log of
wood about four feet in length. It
was evidently a piece of fine wood, !
and had probably fallen from the deck
of some vessel. He looked upon this
find as a special act of Providence, as
it would, be a great aid to him in his
queer voyage. With renewed conti
dence he waited for the night to go
by. Finally day came and following
fast after the dawn the sun appeared.
Not more than an hour later be discov¬
ered a vessel apparently coming di
rectly toward him. He had torn a
piece from his red flannel shirt, which
he used as a waif and swung above his
head. He was seen from the deck, a
boat was lowered aud he was taken on
board. It was a British ship bound
from Calcutta to New York. He told
the captain that he had belonged to a
whaler and had fallen overboard the
night before while stowing the flying
jib. He reached New York in safety,
and from that time till the day I saw
him had been sailing on ships to dif
l'erent parts of the globe. He bad sent
me the parrot to remind me, as he
said, of “Your old friend George,”
though why the honest fellow did not
let me know of his safety was singu
lar.
When I returned home and told this
happy sequel to the sad story of the
poor sailor who jumped overboard,
my mother said it was another in¬
stance of the insciutable ways of Prov¬
idence, while sister Kate declared,
“ Veil, Walter did act for the best af¬
ter all. ”
The parrot is still living and as I
write these concluding line3 I can
hear his voice, now taking on harsher
tones with his accumulating years,
jabbering to the children : “Trice up
the scamp 1 ha! ha! Hallo, Walter!”-—
San Francisco Chronicle.
WISE WORDS.
A little religion is hard to keep.
When love works, it always does its
best.
Sin always feels the safest in the
dark.
Humility dies the moment it looks
in the glass.
The man who hates light, will run
from a shadow.
A city’s righteous men are a better
safeguard than its police.
Don’t be a saint in church and a
heathen on the street car.
The wise man can learn something
from the mistakes of a fool.
lu nine cases out of ten the man
who has riches paid too much for
them.
Give a lie one day the start, and
truth will have to chase it'around the
world.
If there is any dog in a man. it is
sure to growl when his food is not to
his taste.
Many a man whose prayers are too i
long, sells goods by a measure that is j
too short.
If the sun never went down, there
are some crimes that would not be
committed.
Many a man will fight for his creed,
who never has a word of encourage¬
ment for his wife.—Barn’s Horn.
Avenged His Dog.
Of his do* bv murdering the man who
killed it.” The murdered man, a for- j
est guard, had often found the animal
trespassing, in the and evening finally called shot it. at The the j
owner j
fuard’s house, and on some pretext !
induced him to walk with him behind i
victim’s '
the house. There he cut his
throat before he could put up a hand
in his defense.”—London News.
Never Role on the Road He Built.
Instances of old people only now
taking their first ride in steam rail¬
road cars are not particularly uncom¬
mon, but a fact that makes interest¬
ing the case of Daniel Gifford, seventy
year old, of Bethel, Mich., who last
week took his first ride in the cars, is
that he helped to lay the track of the
first railroad built in that State. For
some reason he never rode over the
road.—New York Sun.
The Earliest Bird.«.
An ornithologist has been investi¬
gating the question of what hour in
summer the commonest small birds
wake up and sing. He states that the
green finch is the earliest riser, as it
pipes as early as half-past 1 in the
morning, the blackcap beginning at
about half-past 2. It is nearly 4
o’clock and the sun is well above the
horizon before the first real songster
appears in the person of the black¬
bird.—Detroit Free Press.
si >2
GOSSIP.
Tucson, Arizona, has a worna*
butcher.
Ada Behan’s salary is said to be
$900 a week.
Mrs. W, K. Vanderbilt owns 126
diamond rings,
Two women photographers are do¬
ing a big business in Harbine, Neb.
Caroline Hook Haas is a new South¬
ern novelist, who has made quite a hit
in Atlanta.
A new and pleasing writer on Hel¬
lenic art and antiquities is Mary
Burnside, of Dorchester.
Miss Vanderbilt bought forty-fiva
pairs of shoes as a part of her wedding
outfit as a Duchess.
The i a t es t atyle of entertainment in
Boston is a girl child-reader. She is
sa hl to be quite successful,
A somewhat remarkable feature con¬
nected with the recent railway race to
Scotland was the number of ladies in
the trains.
The Queen of Hawaii, the Queen of
Madagascar and the Queen of Korea
have come to grief this year. It is a
bad year for queens,
Mrs. Lillie Pardee was a candidate
for State Senator in Utah. She is
thirty years old, a teacher of Latin
and Greek, and the wife of a Salt Lake
lawyer.
A woman drummer for a cigar fao
tory appeared in Valdosta, Ga., a few
days ago, and surprised the merchants.
She further surprised theta later by
proving that she was an expert in
handling cigars and understood her
business thoroughly.
Mrs. J. B. Green, widow of the his¬
torian and herself a writer of high
standing, has a thorough (knowledge
of Greek, Latin, higher mathematics
and the Roman languages, which she
obtained entirely by self-culture, hav¬
ing never even had a governess as a
girl.
Glover mending sets are sold now,
and no more useful present for a well
groomed girl could be thought of.
The apparatus comes in a neat wooden
box, and consists of different sizes and
kinds of buttons, all shades of silk and
sizes and qualities of needles, a thim¬
ble and a little stretcher and “mend¬
ing stick.”
Mrs. Mary Jackson, of Louisville,
Ky., has just passed her 103d birth¬
day. She lived in Louisville when all
the houses were stockaded to guard
against Indian surprises and the red
men made considerable trouble for
the farmers thereabout. She was a
grown woman when Lafayette visited
Louisville in 1820 and well remembers
him.
Miss Nellie Adams, a pupil of the
institution at the Boyal Normal Col¬
lege for the Blind of England, passed
the second-class figure skating test of
the National Skating Association with
great success. She is only sixteen
years old, and has the distinction of
being the first woman (blind or other¬
wise) who has passed this test on roll¬
er skates.
The roll of Southern poets has been
increased by Miss Mary Louise Hunt
ley, of Atlanta. She is atall, slender,
<1 ark girl, reserved, dignified and stu
( ]jous. Her last poem, “The Sobbing
Bain,” was an exquisite idyl, and was
quoted and requoted by the press of
the country. She is the third talented
singer in her city, the other two being
Lollie Belle Wylie and Arelia Bell
Key.
FASHION NOTES.
The popular delft effects are shown
now in brooches and even stick-pins.
8of > f 11 «edes are once more popular
}, ls re " ar> ed f a P°° r
substitute for the , heavy dogskin gloves
dear to the tailor-made.girl
Hatpins of solid gold, in the shape
of round bads, looks very pretty when
used to pin on a black velvet hat. Tur
qucise, surrounded by diamonds, or
more often rhinestones, is the pin par
excellience for the bonnp^ pf the up
to-date gir,’.
Black velvet capes, elaborately em¬
broidered with jet, are vwtvy fashion¬
able. In shape they are much like
those in vogue last year, biifeiare rather
longer. Flower-strewn satin is used
for the same purpose, adorned with
jetted trimming.
Corduroy is coming to the front as
a fashionable material for street suits.
Double-breasted stylish coat bodices
opening over vests of leather is one
handsome design for them. The ma¬
terial is practically everlasting in
wear, and if made with elegance, is ex¬
ceedingly effective.
The new winter boa will be a con¬
glomeration of fur tails; lace and
flowers. It is short, merely: encircling
the neck and falling a short distance
over the corsage. The most improved
boa is of sable, fastened in; front with
a little anirhaTs head, from which
three sable tails are suspended, while
a frill of lace is caught under the head
and a bunch of violets is stuck in at
the side.
