A PARISIAN ROMANCE.

Evening Post, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 108, 2 November 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

A PARISIAN ROMANCE.

The latest Parisian sensation for the summer time is the strange case of tho " lovely widow and the lucky engineer." The son of science is only a humble worker iv the lower walks of his profession, and as he was sauntering along the banks of the Seino, near Neuilly, the other day, lazily and listlessly, he espied a tall, graceful, and charming lady, attired in widow's weeds, walking quickly down to the water's edge. After having looked about for a moment the lady suddenly jumped into the river, and was soon floating helplessly away on the current. The engineer took off his coat, hat, and boots, and was in the water in the twinkling of an eyo. Striking boldly out for the lady, he reached her before she sank for the third time, and skilfully conveyed his almost lifeless burden towards an adjacent boat which had been put out from shore by two barges. Tho lady and her rescuer were taken into the craft, and, restoratives having beon applied, tho lovely one, all in black arrayed, opened her eyes and asked to be carried home. Her wishes

were complied with promptly, and ' her gallant rescuer accompanied her to a semi-baronial vilia not far from tho riverside. Next day the engineer called to see the lady, who thanked him most warmly, and asked him to come again. He did as he was requested, keeping up his visits for nearly a week, at the end of which time he succeeded in winning the hand and tho heart of the lady whom he had saved from drowning. As she happens to be the possessor of a handsome jointure, as well as of houses, lands, and chariots, all is about to go as merry as a mania go bell. Tho fair widow had been eaten up with mnui, and life became so utterly unlit to live for, in hor estimation, that she resolved to end it. Luckily, the young and intrepid engineer appeared at the proper moment.

CHAMPION SNAKE STORIES. 'Do .you want some items about snakes ?' asked an apricultural-rural-I looking gentleman of the editor the other day. i 'We hnve no objection, if they are fre9h and true,' responded the editor. 1 Exactly,' repliod the farmer ; 1 these items are both. Nobody knows 'em but me. I have just come from America and am an American, so you may be sure they ate true. I have a farm there with lots of snakes on it. Near the house is a pond. My little girl jumped into the pond, and would have been drowned if it had not been for a snake. The snake seen her and brought her ashore. The particular point about this item is the way he did it.' ' How was it ?' asked the editor. 1 It was a black snake, about thirty feet long, and he just coiled the middle of himself around her neck, so that she couldn't swallow any water, and swam ashore with his head and tail. Is that a good item ?' 'First class.' ' You can spread it out, 33 r ou know. After they got ashore the girl patted the snake on the head, and it went off pleased as Punch. Ever since ! then he comes to the house regular at meal times, and she feeds him on pie. Think you can make anything of that item?' ' ' Know any more V ' ' Yes. I got a baby six months ; old. He's a boy. "Wo generally ' sit him out on the grass of a morning, ' aud he hollers like a bull all day, at least he used to do, but he don't any ' more. One morning we noticed he i wasn't hollering, and wondered what : was up. When we looked there wa.s a rattlesnake coiled up in. front of : him scanning his features. The boy : was grinning and the snake was grinning. The snake then turned ' his tail to the baby, and backed his rattlo right into the baby's fiat.' • ' What did the baby do ?" ; 'Why; he just rattled that tail so , you could hear it three-quarters of a mile, and the snake lay there and ' grinned. Every morning we found ] the snake here, until one day a bigger J snake came, and the baby played ! with the rattle just the same till the ■ first snake came back. He looked ■ thin, and I reckon he had been sick, \ and sent the other to lake his place. Will that do for an item ?' : ' Immensely. Do you think of any ' more ?' ( ' Ain't you got enough ? Lemme think. Oh, yes. One Sunday me ' and my wife was going to church, and she dropped her garter somewhere. She told me about it, and I noticed a little striped snake running alongside and listening to her. Bimeby he made a- spring and just wound himself round her stocking, or ! tried to, but he didn't fetch it.' ' ' Why not ?' ' 'He wasn't long enough. He ( jumped down, and shook his head ( and started off. We hadn't gone J more'n a quarter of a mile when we I see him coming out of the woods just ahead of us. He was awfully hot ! and tired, and ho had another snake : with him twice as big as he was. They looked at my wife a minute and said something to each othor, and then the big snake went right to the place where the garter belonged. He wrapped right round it, put his tail iv his mouth, and then went to sleep. We've got him yet. We use him to hold the stove-pipe together when wo put the stove up. Is that any use as an item ?' ' Certainly ?' eaid the editor, as he sighed to think of the preponderance of Pigottisin in the world. HE FOUND MR. SNAGGS. From tho Sydney Referee I clip the following piece of good fuu : — ' Ha ! Caught 3 - ou at last, have I?' The tall powerful man who uttered these words stood in the centre of a group at a street corner up Goulburnstroot way. As he spoke he brought his hand down heavily on the shoulder of a mild-looking young man who was passing by and turned him halfway round. The tall powerful man had previously winked at tho bystanders who waited for the ii.t-n and his talent who waited for anything they could muzzle. ' You don't remember me, I s'pose ?' he continued with a fierce frown, as he tightened his clutch on tho stranger's shoulder. ' Why, no ; I can't say I do ?' replied the mild-mannerod man looking at him wonderingly. ' You've forgot all about the time you leaned out of a car or tram jest pulling out of Bridge-street, and knocked my hat off, I reckon ?' ' I certainly don't remember anything of the kind,' protested the bewildered stranger. ' I nover saw you before.' 'Oh yos, you did. You may have forgot it, but I haven't.' Aud he emphasised the assertion by a vigorous shake. ' I haven't forgot it, an' I've said a thousand times since then that if ever I met you again I'd make you apologise or fight.' ' Now that I think of it,' said the mild-looking stranger, stooping to pick up his hat, which had fallen to the ground during the shaking process, " it seems to me I do remember something. I suppose I am bound to give you satisfaction for it.' His bewildered look had gone by this time. Placing himself in an attitude of defence, ho danced about the big man in a way startlingly suggestive of previous practice. ' Before I mop the sidewalk with you,' said the other, ' I want to be

sure I ain't mistaken. Your name is — is Snaggs, ain't it ?' 'Suaggs.' replied the stranger, planting- a "blow on his antagonist's jaw, 'certainly! Snaggs will do as well as anything else. Snaggs it is !' ' But hold on ! I want to be dead sure! Tho man I'm look in' for is Jonathan finaggs.' ' You've found him, my friend,' exclaimed tho stranger, as he banged [ him on tho uosp, ' I'm Jonathan Snaggs,' ho continued, making a feint with his left, and administering a vicious upper-cut with his right. ' O, yes, I am Snaggs (biff), from (whack) Snaggsvillo, rtnaggs County (bang), neaT tho headwaters of Snagg Creek. Office huurs from 1 to 24. Come early and avoid tho rush.' With a final blow under the are he laid tho burly fellow flat on the ground. As he turned to go he said : — ' My name, gentlemen, is Jonathan SnaggH, of course, buo for convenience sake I go round under an alias.' And he took- from hi 3 vest pocket a card, and threw it on tho prostrate body of the big man. After he had gone away somebody picked it up and read : — ' Jim Hall, Professor of Scientific Boxing. Special attention devoted to training pugilists.'