THE HEROINE OF THE MILL, OR A LANCASHIRE MAN'S REVENCE.

North Otago Times, 3 September 1910, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE HEROINE OF THE MILL, OR A LANCASHIRE MAN'S REVENCE.

■ ■ All Rights Reserved. PART 11. CHAPTER Xll.—(Continued.) _ "I could not restrain a wild laugh ' at this mo9t appropriate verse. Let mo leave life and end this sorrow was my desire. One plunge and all was over. The rowers in the white boat will pull me in. I looked all rnnnrt t.hn citv liehts. listened to the

rouna MB City llguio, utaeucu w ««) ( merry .voices, thought of my dark \ life and raised for the last time my eyes to'the heaven we all adore.' ( "Nothing but darkness. The moon was only seen fitfully. The stars were often obscured. I cried in my madness: " 'Heaven hides its face from me.' " Then just as I was about to join the choristers of the white boatjust as I was about to leave the , ' tlmo of endless sorrow '-a great shout rent the air, the sky was lit far and wide and looking straight be- , fore and above me, my eyes became ; filed upon the golden cross surmounting .the spire of a church. " In my ears resounded the chantHere is rest ; Life attest Is a time of endless sorrow. " But before my eyes and abovo the blessed cross I saw as clearly defined as I see it now, the face of my own—my darling Kate. "I turned from the dark rolling ; river the vision of the white boat, the painted sepulchre and its "spirits of evil clad in light,' and with a cry ] of relief, fled from the spot into the arms of my guardian angel. "My guardian angel, little Kate- : You will always be my little Kate, , should I live to see your dear locks grey—was a, Scotch woman and, ,

worse and worse some folkß may say, , 1 ah actress. "In the paper I left for you in , Liverpool I told of my being em- , ployed for a considerable period in tho wardrobe of the only Glasgow theatre then recognised by the law , of the land. There I met Miss Haitians, who was now going out to , Australia, but had been fulfilling an engagement in Oldchcstcr before em- . barking from- Southampton for Mel- < bourne. " She had seen me, and she confessed at first thoughts that I bad had too much drink. " The talented tragedienne had dis- ( covered in me in Glasgow—as she said—a most superior andloveable ; person, and now was just in time to gave me from the deadly sin of selfdestruction. "She took me home, and I told her my story. 'I have not saved much money,' sho said, ' but hope to i make a lot in Australia. Luckily I am permitted by the speculator who Mas engaged me to take a maid or companion with me. I have not selected one. Will you come ?" " 'But my poor child |' I cried. " 'ls in good hands, yon confess, for the present,' she said, and she would' be a burden to you on the Journey. Besides the sea air might kill It. When we get to Melbourne - we'll write and send home money, ■ and then when we make our fortunes; , we'll return and be happy ever after- . wards, as the ston books sav'

naiuo, aa me sun ) UUU&H Bay. "She prevailed upon me, There , was no other prospect then but' death. She promised to make an actress of me and she kept her word. , " I am sot going to trouble you . now, darling, with either my* Australian or theatrical experiences. I became an actress and earned plenty |, •f money. My friend made a large fortune and married a sheep farmer, | . who owns miles upon miles of land, i We were playing np country near | Bendigo. Our payment was mostly gold dußt, One night two miners came in and it was their last night there. Their ' elaim ' had been un- . successful and nobody cared to pur- . chase it. One of them said facetiously: 'Let's give it to' Miss Maltland , and Miss Marryat.' I had then as- | sumed that professional name. , " 'Done,' said the other, and the , property became ours. There were i plenty of men who would cut the throats of the companions who shared the tents with them, but all united in respecting the players. I " One morning a rough fellow came with two large nuggets in his band. • He banded them to Miss Maltland. " 'Seein' as you weren't workin' i your claim, ma'am me and Bill Sloman's been and done a bit overtime.' " 'You are a good fellow,' said Mlsb Maltland. "How much are ' they worth ?" " 'Matter o' eight hundred apiece.' : " 'lndeed,' we both cried, My l heart leapt with joy. I saw the : prospect of going home to you. "We commissioned the men to work overtime for us at twenty-five per cent. That wbb the practical Scotchwoman's arrangement and in a short'period we had amassed nearly i

five thousand poundß apiece. "I determined to return to England now. I had 'written to '' Mrs. Kelly about you ; often, but got no reply. At length, just as I was preparing to go down to Melbourne to take ship, a letter came that'dashed all my hopes to 1 the ground for ever. "I had written to the Catholic clergyman who used to visit Mrs. Kelly—luckily I remembered his name —and this was his reply: " 'Mr, and Mrs. Kelly have gone to Ireland where Michael' and the child, he-believed, died. Mrs. Kelly bad come back alone and had emigrated to America.' " Your • account; of what Bridget told you, of course, explains this now. Then the intelligence nearly broke my already shattered heart. " I passed the weary years there, and.'made more money. j At length when Miss Maitland married I came home and a vague hope of finding some comfort'made me settle down in semi-retirement in-my .native city. That hope has been realised. . (You are'my. joy; my purest:'comfort sent back by God to repay me in somo sort for the long life of misery I have spent." There came a knock at the door. " Come in,", said the mistress. A neat looking maid entered to announce that the brougham had come lound, . "Very well, Pblllia," etid Mw. Mawyat, "w« thill . to 4m jw'

When the 'girl had retired, the happy mother said: "I am impatient to meet and thank the good woman who has helped to make you such a lovable > girl." ; "Poor' Mother Pulford! She'll 1 go distracted with joy and sorrowjoy at my fortune, which she always predicted in a most positive way, and with sorrow at being compelled to part with me. I often thought ebo loved me more than her own children." " Heaven bless her I" The brougham was soon spinning across the city and the two women silently looked into each other's faces. In a Bhort time they reached Mrs, Pulford's door. It was about seven o'clock and nearly dark. • A large wild face appeared at the xnrrinnn Annr Kallcinff Mm MorrWlt.

carriage door causing Mrs. warryat 1 to give a cry of alarm. " All right, mamma, dear; It is I onlyQommy," said Kate, ' The coachman opened the door as i the witless weaver cried: i "All's right, Scratch, my man. i It's th' angel-ay, and t'other angel. I told thee they'd come, an' here 1 they are." i " What Is the matter ?" asked Kate noticing Gommy's unusual excite- I ment. " Th' young chap wi' th' red ncet cap an' Nabal Blackley and Dawsy Howarth an' two foreign chaps have i gone in th' mills down canal wqy an 1 I cannot make. watchman hear, an' 1 Scratch an' me have been knockin' at gate door this half hour." I " What can he their purpose there I at this time of night?" cried Kate in alarm. i " They're goin' to set fire to th' 1 mills. I watched all the way from < Joe Taafl's and heard them say it," I " Gommy," cried Kate, " run to I all the mill hands whom you know, 1 and ask them to come to the works." j Gommy disappeared in a twinkling. I "My dear mother," continued I Kate, "you must lend me jour car- ' riage while you wait here with my I mother, Mrs. Fulford." That buxom woman was standing i at the door listening in stupefied a-

mazement. '■ " What do you intend to do child?" asked the perplexed newly-found mother. She had made no false estimate of Kate's self-possession and decision of ; character. " Wait a moment, and you will see darling " and she rushed upstairs. ; In a very short time she again appeared .in the garb of a mill-girl, bare-armed, bare-headed. She kissed her mother tenderly, told Mrs. Fulford to take care of her, and jumped into the brougham. "Where are you going, dear?" cried Mrs. Marryat, "To save the mills," was Kate's" reply. Then, to the astonished coachman: "Drive to Bolton Hall; and if you are there in half an hour, a sovereign will be yourß." The brougham disappeared in the darkness. The mother, and foßter-mother stood looking after it with mingled feelings of admiration and fear. ' CHAPTER XIII. THE COMBERMERE ARMS.-THE AMATEUR DETECTIVE.-THE MISSING POLICIES. We must now go back to the time when Gommy was amazed to see two " angels " come out of the cathedral. He wandered aimlessly along, trying to work it out in his poor brain, when suddenly he was aroused by a„-„*,o, Vn.lrln,. „„rl 1,„ in tt,i-tm flu.

Scratch barking and he saw three figures on ahead. The first was unmistakably that of Demitri Bnumenides, who, by some occult means had evidently succeeded in being in two I places at once. The newspapers proclaimed him lyI ing at the doors of death' from the eflects of the railway accident. And Gommy, who did not read the paI pers, saw him distinctly here. Had | he been a newspaper reader he would have suspected his presence in Oldchester meant mischief; as it was, he concluded that he was up to no good for the two men he was just leaving were Nabal Blackley and Dawsy Howarth. "There's somethin' up, Scratch, my man," cried Gommy. "We must follow them chaps;" and the idiot elected himself an amateur detective on the spot- acting in his advance upon >the presumed enemy with quite as much caution as did Mr. Inspector Wills, who was also on their track. The two ruffians were got up regardless of expense. They wore black broadcloth coats, light tweed trousers of a large staring check pattern. Mr. Blackley had a bright scarlet bandanna round his evil throat while the bulldog neck of " Ginger" Dawsy was enveloped in a silken cloud of bright green. They were the admired of all beholders, " Let's go down and see if young Enumenides will meet us," said Nabal Blackley. "He said Joe Taafi's, It's a swell house, an' too open-like for such business," "It's all right," said Dawsy. "Don't you know why he goes to Joe's?" "Because there's sneh a lot of ladies from theayters and music-halls,

an' comic singers." ■ " Oh, I see. You're right," replied , Natal, i Neither of the gentlemen knew that • the idiot amateur detective, Gommy, i > was close upon their heels and had : I heard every word. i The house, which we will'call Coms bermere, was in a quiet street, When Nabal and Dawsy entered the s handsome doorway of the hostelry, ; they felt as nervous as if they were , i going into a court of justice. In : i fact, Dawsy Howarth involuntarily i r took off his coster-looking cap until he realised exactly that he was only ( in a public-house of rather elevated : ; style. i The landlord whom we have called i ■ Joe, met them in the hall. They; i were making for the coffee-room but he repulsed them quietly. i i "Carn't a chap go where he likes 1 ! if he pays his way ?" i " No; that room is for ladies and gentlemen." i They were shown the tap-room." ( About to resent this indignity they ] turned, to see the folding-doors open 1 and Inspector Wills and another en-'f ter. e " Bless me," whispered Nabal, "if i it ain't the D's." They pushed the door open and i were greeted by a numerous a'nd;t merry company of their own iklnd. jt Rough-voiced, hard-swearing, hard-, e .topking-; oniratlvw, having a tow ( 4m'* < pl*y M wm» call meaningleag t

cashiro witches," joining in the spree from sheer innocent mischief. "Eh, Dawsy, lad, come-you and stand a gallon." j "Nabal, but you . are. rigged up 'fine. Hast any brass In your kick?". : were the greetings on every side. Drink waß,.ordered in ; and with it came the companion of the inspector, who soon joined gleefully, iri< the. orgy. The half-witted giant next made his appearance in the hall and went unopposed into the parlour. Gommy,' in the. days of bis darkness Waß well known all over Oldchester. He walked to the centre of the spacious room around which were grouped picturesque parties of " pros"-unmistakable public entertainers. On this occasion they were the entertained, The buzz of conversation was stilled in a moment.' Scratch squatted sedately by his mflflf.pr'c sldo wtin hniyan •

masters sme wno began: 11 " Eh, Scratch, man. Hast been to • th' Empire lately? That's chap j: what stands on 'is head and drinks \ glass o' beer on top o' long pole. I > 1 could drink a drop meself. I am ' dry." ] , " Landlord's sent you this," .Baid i tho neat waitress, handing a foaming tankard. ' , i " Landlord's right sort," said, 1 Gommy, taking a mighty draught, i " I'll bet there's something for you, ' Scratch in th' kitchen>" " There's method in his madness," 1 some spouting tragedian remarHid. I "Ay, I'm no 1 such a fool as I i look," replied Gommy. 1 This caused a laugh after which I Gommy described to himself some of I the celebrities he recognised. i " An' there's George, the Mam- i moth Comique, an' the Comic King, i Eh, but he does get fat I An' Irish i chap what makes his face black an' tells funny stories, an' danceß. An' f there's the purty Irish girl what's i lost Pat O'Brien, who's a Royal En- i gincer in Africa. An' there's Johnny ' Dohcrty, the tailor, an' the little 1 Brecse what gives the tip; an'—an' I there's Master Wills, what locked me i up; but I'm dom'd if I can see th' 1 two scoundrels I'm lookin' for." i " Who are you looking for, Gom- i my ?" asked Inspector Wills. I " I must not tell you. You'd lock

me up again." "You shouldn't bear malice, Gommy," said Inspector Wills laughing, " I only did my duty." Gommy was about to reply when Demitri Ennmenides looked into the ' parlour, and then withdrew. I " Can I have a private room for a few minutes ?" he asked some attendant in the hall. "There's a "snug" here, sir, that's ' emptv." "All right"— opening the door, " I sent two working fellows here to wait for me a few minutes ago. One had a red and the other a green tie on." i " They're in the tap-room," " Send them to me." Just as Nabal and Dawsy were en- ' tering the 'snug' Gommy came out of the parlour his eye cunningly wide awake. i " Good : bye, Comic King I, Goodbye, Johnny Doherty! Good-bye, landlord chap ! Ay, thy beer is good and cheap, very cheap. Good-by« Mr Wills, you cannot catch me again. Come thy ways Scratch man. I ' thought Joe'd find thee something in ' th' kitchen. That's a good bone an' none so bare." The idiot did not fully disclose ' himself in the hall until Nabal and Dawsy had disappeared. He glanced round and then rapidly retired to the paved court leading to the stabling and outhouses. The 'snug' had a window open-

• ing on to this court, but Gommy saw ■ that it was closed and an attempt to i hear anything that passed inside ' would be impossible. He was about to retire in despair when his eyes fell upon four perforated bricks in ■ the setting beneath the window, i forming a diamond in the centre of the panel and a ventilator at the ■ same time. I " Come here, Scratch," said the . cunning Gommy. When the dog came his biped com--1 panion stooped over him and "made • believe" to be examining the lately ; mutilated tail. In fact Gommy'B ear ■ was thus brought close to the perforated bricta. His face brightened. He could ■ not hear evory word distinctly but he could distinguish enough. He had i sufficient intelligence to piece the fragments of conversation together. They amounted to: " Fifty pounds apiece"- grumbling over this. "Very well, then we shall say sixty and a free passage to Belgium. My father has an interest in new cottoro mills at Antwerp and "- more grumbling still. "You i would prefer America; all right." " Feast at Bolton Hall to-night—--1 everyone engaged—mills must be /burnt, rapidly— <aa retreat by the ■ same way we enter." Then Nabal Blackley's voice rose with something like, "I'd like to be even with Ritchison an' I wish we could only get that mad Gommy in and burn him to death," . "Dost hear that Scratch, my man ?'■' asbid Gommy in a whisper. Scratch looked up from his repast, and growled, ,we fear, an untruthful answer. ■ ' You know why Gommy took up

the posture over Scratch's tail-in case any one might c6me ahd imagine ho was up to something wrong. Another short interval and the red fez cap of the young ""Bemitri Enu- • menides appeared above the Venetian screen of the window. , "They're going, Scratch. Listen, Doggie." " You won't fail to come and meet me at the corner of Kingstreet at six o'clock, But'dress not like this; you are then' so easily recognised. Choose working garb." "All right, sir. You bring the dynamite; I'll make the match afore I see' you," " Dynamite—blow us up-"match-set fire to th' old lot," whispered iGommy. "I must be off an'tell/th' angel, or we'll all. be ruined. Ah, there's Master Wills; but he can do naught yet. An' I mustn't tell him,, but I'll run to the angel." He pushed forward into the hall, and as he came level with the door of the *' snug " he noticed that Mr. Inspector Wills was standing on the i threshold of the parlour, while hip ] sharp-looking companion was. apparently endeavouring carelessly to open the door which was fastened inside, Gommy went away. The idiot ! ama- ■ teur '-detective had' succeeded in ell-1, minating., valuable'information'where two. of the most accomplished train-. . ed.men had'failed.; buVtheri whb'but. an idiot would .think of listening at' a, dlampnd.fora«4 totting oj Pflrtora-v WW*sf ■'■"■■■■:■ li

i Gcjmrriyj didli not) leafe;j at Ponce. He; hid in a.'door.way..onUL-he Baw DemV 1. tri, i Enumenldea. tom»..ou(;, -He, went up. /the 'Btrfek' r '^aljai v Bla J and >; Da s lfßy; I Howa'rtK , 'Milo#yd in Lthef bpiipe'di^ioii.' ' ';.'" last's foiiov'chd'p; to'th^n^ewap,"- • s'aid.Gotilny'W' nis^og."' ''' 6 '<o .'!Th6 J p£ir'dM so-until they' : atWved ~ at the'.(roit i 6f J tB ,i/ t , o i Wn ! 'Ha I U.' i There i.'Demetijr wiia''Jbift6d "by tiie^aller,. ■ ftether, and'%e-^air;%ent' ! dfi'-Bmlling • atfd like", ttieitad'st ihiiticeh't .and giood follows' liTthe wtirld. . i. Aatulie as i' seH : tto ; be- nip : to; ( tnls 'perio'd ~bi the 1 !' e , xpedliJod;vMe y 'WB-- I ciinn% l ißlled- i ''- ■ *hte cuJintng'wh'ich was not ehUghteni cd intelligence, •j 'Had i; he not 'been- a'fool he' Would jhave gone straight to ; the'inills and : ;told someone In''authority what he

rhaa heard. I' The hour of three had-not- yet arrived and all the beonle with few '.exceptions were still at work. < He■', iknow the principals, including Mr. ] Walton and Hal 'Waihwrlght, we're at Bolton Hall,'and that was five miles away. It may have entered his poor numbed head-but this we -shall never ■ know now-that anything'he might say in the shape of warning would be received with derision. We cannot penetrate' the-Cause of his conduct. We simply fc n ow the -! fact that Gommy "mooned" away i that afternoon while the most diabolical measures • were matured for the destruction of the finest mills in j Oldchester, the ruin of one of the j most generous and honourable of . men and the consequent revisitatlon of an Unfathomable depth of misory , upon the poor industrious worters. Gommy went to Mrs. Pulford'B but , found no Kate. Our heroine's fostermother never could thoroughly under- ! stand why people,should listen to the I "witless weaver" at all. No one had a higher estimation of Kate, but the word "angel"• as used by Gom- . my was utterly uncomprehensible to ! Nancy Pulford, Now that he had a story of two angels driving away in a coach, and that Kate was one of ' them, she considered Gommy entirely { " out of court," and surmised that '

very probable her idol had been carried away to the wedding feast. She told' this idea of hers to the idiot, and for reply she received this: " It's five miles to Bolton Hall, an' Gommy's tired an' Gommy's hungry." This elicited from the kindly dame, "Come and have something to eat.", "I cannot cat, man," was Gommy's reply. " Gommy's got wealth" -pulling a handful of silver out of his pocket— " but Gommy cannot eat until he 'sees th' angel." "Then Gommy's a.lool." " Ay, Gommy's a fool an' Scratch's a fool." "Well," Bald-Mrs. Fulford, "you'd better come in a hit till: Kate comes home." , "I cannot sit 'down. I'll wait, missus; I'll wait till th' angel comes." And the witless weaver did wait, until it gradually dawned. upon Mb mind that it must be near ■ six o'clock, That hour struck soon after, and still he kept restlessly pacing up and down the street, often addressing Scratch, much to the amusement of the neighbours who knew him and the passers-by who were more than amused. About half-past six the idea came to him, that ought to have visited his empty cranium before. He would tell the lodge-keeper. ' He set ofl at a run, and had not

proceeded very far when he remembered that he had 'not watched at King-street for the meeting of the young Armenian, Nabal Blackley and Dawsy Howarth. He retraced his steps and very soon nearly ran into the arms of the people he wished to " dog." But now an addition had been made to their number, in the persons of Achillc Duan and Jules Veral. Happily, he had nottbeen obversed. He followed them cautiously, until they entered a yard which he knew led to the canal, just above its junction with the river. The gate was not secured, and so he had an opportunity of seeing the five worthies get into an ugly yawl and row down towards the Ritchison mills. A long low whistle . came from , Gommy's lips and Scratch joined it with a wisdom-laden "gr-r-r-r," looking up at his mentor and wagging the eloquent stump which was the termination of his eccentric individuality. The idiot set off at the fastest pace he could command for the front of the mills. People, of course, stopped to look at him; but he was so well known in the.vicinity that few wondered at anything he did. He was soon knocking at the front gate, but response got he none, and this is easily explainable. The reader may remember that the fire insurance policies were to have been renewed that very day by Mr Dick. Mr. Ritchison was too good a business man to have forgotten anything, Before leaving.the cathedral, after the marriage ceremony, he gave Dick the key of his 'own private drawer in the special- safe of his own room,

where he had'deposited the policies the night before. After luncheon, before joining the' party at Bolton Hall, our hero went to do'the necessary work,, The people remarked, as he passed through the yard, how jolly he was looking. Dick Ritchisonl bad a glorioua daydream of leading Kate o' Pulford's soon to the altar-Kate o' Pulford's no longer,' Kate Newman, or Marryat a lady and daughter of a lady. The romance of the meeting of mother and ' child that morning, added, if possible, to the fiery, character of his great love. Light-hearted, folks are often more, sensitive and love deeper frequently than your pale and-melan-! choly-faced people. I He went .through the different, rooms of clerks, giving, a merry word to every one until he came to his: father's private apartment. He opened the door, whistling a popular air,. and then the strong spring closed it with a soft thud behind him. , He produced the master-key of the safe, and still the lively tune came from his lijis- ■ Now the personal drawer of the chief-of the firm, his father -is opened and the policies are not there, • '.''The hot blood rushed tdhisheadhe became confused and .dropped into a chair with a cry.' Then, he got up, and ransacked even drawer;and nook ;of ■ '.the depository of,tbei'mdst totoMrd ■ WflrnVs JpMffesaloJisr'No'' IW.«^'f ; Wll;'-'

i' ;/;Gould huii'(ather,havei come before ■ him? Hia.vlslt'-woiild bausolesa, uV i ; leaa he had*, a duplicate; •;,. He opiened -the door"aok inquired! if Mr. Ritchißan'h'ad been;' there' 'that •' morning/The 1, ahste bfought a hot ■ flush of -persplfatitin l through evory' '■' pore of his frame. ' ".'• ■) It was : " No."; Then ; »vcold: shiver' ' mi« through .every .fibre of | his -strong; ..body. ;..';' '■■■'";; : - :j .iv.isat could - he do? Should, he' hurry at! once. ;h'ome.'and break up" . the happy.'rgathering 1 ; irig of a new.life' to VWs''well-beloved' ■: ■'sister. No-a 1 .'''ttibußwid. times no'! He was'not such a't'rlfflbr as' you may. have imagined from'our epithet of ; "careless Dickj." You have hot aeon him to advantage yet.' Like many others, as long; as life'was commonplace he waß gay'and easy,;. but in the presence of great misfortunes he

became every inch a man, just as' his father had been before a burden. fell upon' his asptiring soul, and ! crushed the sunshine from his useful life. , No word must be spoken at Bolton Hall. His father, family, and guests: must enjoy the night. He must wear... a smile upon his face, although his , heart might be heavy-for.that a ser-', lous calamity was close ahead he , could not doubt. It flashed upon him that the same' hand that had opened the hitherto impenetrable safe !of his new brother-in-law, Rowley , Elliot to extract the missing deed, also had accomplished this robbery. ( Regardless, or forgetting his j father's resolution, not to prosecute c the first affair further, he sent a jun- ( ior clerk* for a hansom, and then set ( about CUoslng and relocking the safe , that hail been tampered with, • j The c/ierks noted his pale face and \ troubled eyes and the yard labourers stopped, amazed at _ the change a; t quarter of an hour had brought upon < him. ( He drove to the town hall, saw the \ chief of the detective department and | intimated that a similar robbery to !] that perpetrated upon Elliot had just < been discovered at' the mills. He ur- j ged him to lose no time in looking 1 after the matter and ofiered a nun- 1 dred pounds reward for a speedy \

solution of the mysteriouß occurrences. "We can only look in one direction," said' Mr. Superintendent. "This is no chance., nor the work of a burglar." "I am sure of that," said Dick. ' " Your father 'declined moving farther in the matter," remarked the • detective chief. , " But fee'll move heaven and earth now," cried the impulsive young man. "Only he must know nothing of the affair till to-morrow morning," "It would serve.no purpose to spoil his enjoyment on such a day as this," agreed the officer. " I'll place the matter before D-, I-, R-,'and G-. They'll ; do their duty anyhow, Mr. Ritchlson ;■, but the reward will herp to quicken their faculties." Thanking the courteous head of the department -Dick drove to the mills. "Where is the night • watchman ?" ■ he inquired of the timekeeper at the lodge. " Won't be here till five o'clock, sir," "When he comes tell him to admit no one, under any circumstances, into the mills after the gates are closed to-night. My father, myself, Mr. Walton, and Mr. Wainwright have keys of. the wicket; but no one else is to be allowed in whatever position he may hold in the place." " All right, sir." "You remember my message distinctly." " Yes, sir."

"Don't make a fuss over this. | Mention if to no one," continued Dick; "and hero is half a crown to' purchase some tea for the old woman." This is how it came about that , Gommy was not allowed to visit the courtyard. The watchman, true to his instructions, would not even answer him, well knowing that all partners could enter by the wicket. Gommy, in despair, ran rapidly back to Mrs. Pulford's just in time, , as we have seen, to greet the angel—our heroine-as she drove up with her newly found mother in the brougham. You remember Kate telling him to alarm the workers to come to the mills. The "witless weaver" disappeared but he went only round the corner when he ran into the arms of Morgan, the leader of the demonstration that unhorsed the waggonette on the opening of the works. "You mus' get th' handß together, Morgan, man," cried Gommy, "and bring them to th' mills. Kate o' Fulford's says bo, Man wi' red neetcap's goin* to fire th' place, warehouses and all this night." Morgan knew Gommy better than most of the employees of Ritchison. He saw truth in his action and excitement, and so he set off to do his mission most earnestly. ■ Before Kate's brougham had gone far, Gommy had swung, himself up behind, and there clung tenaciously upon one of the.projecting springs until the first lodge of Bolton Park was reached. He then jumped down to be greeted by Scratch and in time to see Kate o' Fulford's disappear up the semicircular avenue of limes. i». Iff 11. . M

As- Mrs. Marryat's coachman was turning the. head of his horse to- • wards Oldcheßter.-Gommy slipped in at the gate and followed Kate. The lodgekee,per Knew the '•'■ witless weaver "and imagined he was in attendance'upon her. | (To : he Continued.) ! .r" ' ' "■■ I • •■ . I When, a 'railwaystrain in France is more than ten-minutes late, the company Is fined. "In-some .parts' of-ißerlin;; ithere are beer... saloons >wbioh v ; are' patronised' onljr-by .women.. ■ ' j, I j A prominent physician declares that | a plentiful idiet. 0f..-onionsi -served in .'.various-ways, .will.protect, : children ■' .from many ills. ' \ aThe robbery of'graves,is the only I : ;Crim& under the' : Chinese law. for which ■■ i the thief .may- be justly-killed, on the,: , spot by, anyone finding him,out. j i i| In Italian families, children's nur- i ses are. considered, the most important.members of the household, They \ i are well paid, ..petted',, .finely clothed, j I and' all 'the other .servants are ex-11 pected,to wait,upon,them,.' li .•' ■ ■ .." ■ ...'. i . Cigarette-amoking is a ' common « practice-among the coloured \vs,sh»r- • women of Ndw Orlenns.'" Tlioy lend over the tub/and niake a .itjmlni ic- i 'foril'm the'smoke rolls Iriiin t.'Hr I