After Twenty Long, Long Years.

Otago Witness, Volume 11, Issue 2159, 11 July 1895, Page 49

After Twenty Long, Long Years.

He was asking the old man for his daughter in marriage. He was talking tremblingly, hesitatingly, as you read of in story books, and the scene was full of colour, so far as an irate father and a nerveless young man could make it. It came to the old man's tarn to speak, and as he began his face w&3 white with passion, and his voice shook with excitement. " You want my daughter ? " he said. "Ah, now is the timo tor my revenge. Twenty years ago your father almost ruined me in a business "matter, and I swore to be revenged. And now my time has come." He paused for breath, and the aspirant for the maiden's hand was about to beat a hasty retreat in the face of supposed defeat whan the father broke forth again : •' Yes, sir, I swore to be revenged, and now I'll strike the father through the son. Want my daughter, eh ? Well, take her, and may she prove as expensive to you as she has to me." The old man dropped into his chair, worn out with the excitement of his plot, and the young man fainted. So He Paid Up. A tailor who had banked up a large number of desperate accounts told a lawyer friend of his troubles, and the lawyer said to him : •• Why don't you get; after these fellows ?" "Wall," said the tailor, |;if I put the accounts into the hands of an agency the expenses would eat up whatever small portion of the accounts they could collect." "Don't give them to an agency. I have in my office two young men who ace readiug law. They are anxious to make some money, and will collect for you on a percentage. It won't cost you anything, and they have the t ; me to hunt these fellows up and keep after them." ••You send them ruund," said the tailor, "and I'll give them plenty to do." On the day following this conversation the two students of law called on the tailor, and were given a big bundle of old accounts. They returned to the office, and one of them went in to tell the lawyer of their good fortune. " If youboya get on the track of these fellows and keep after them you c*n collect a great many of those bills and make some money," said the lawyer, who wa« always generous with fatherly advico. " We'll do our be3fc." said the young man. [ " Most of them can't be collected by law, but you can worry a debtor until he pays you. Stick to 'em." " Yes, sir. By the way, when could you attend to this ? " The young man laid before his superior a statement showing that ho^the lawyer) was indebted to the tailor in the sum of two guineas for some articles of clothing purohased September 17, 1888. " Great goodness ! " said the lawyer, " I believe I do,owe that." "Do you want me to ' keep after you ' ?" - "No ; I'll pay it at once." I "Thanks, I'll get half & sovereign oat of it." Nordica's Lovers. The Mascot tells some interesting detni's of the love affairs of Madame Nord ca, the celebrated sirger. The last to fall a victim to her charms was Sigmund Easchoska, her singing teacher and accompanist. A few months ago, when it was reported that the fair eioger was about to marry another, he brought affairs to a crisis. Madame Nordica's husband went up in a balloon one day and was never heard of afterwards. Easchoska had not a balloon handy, bat he disappeared in a similar manner. Madame Nordica is engaged to ba married to Herr Zoltan Dohm, and frowned on the suit of her accompanist. Whereupon Kaschoska vowed that nobody would ever see him again. He was as good as his word. He disappeared utterly. His friends and relatives have never seen him since the day on which he was rejected by Nordica. An investigation of his mysterious case, institated by his sister, Felicia Kaschoska, a prima donna, and his father. Rabbi Grutzhandler, of Poland, has recently been made without saccess. The morgue, the insane asylums, and the photographs of the unknown dead have been inspected without finding any trace of the unfortunate musician. Kaschoska has disappeared totally. Truly Madatse Nordica is a remarkable woman. Men who love her are subject to instant annihilation. Her husband disappeared into the clouds, and for his love of hex Kas» ehosk'a faded into nothingness. American Anglophobia. There can be little doubt that we Americans as a people have a tendency to that disease which, on this side of the water, has been very aptly termed "Anglophobia." It usually attacks as in our school daye while we ate study-

ing the elementary United States History. Having been a victim of the disease myself, I have a vivid recollection of how I first caught it. It all happened in a little wooden district schoolhouse, sarronDded by the fertile farmlands of beautiful Wisconsin. At (he close of each history recitation there was always one question which wo knew would be propounded to us before we were dismissed from the class. "Children," asked our tsacher, "what was the cause of the war between England and the American colonies ? " Then we would all, boys and girls, with our lusty, youthful voice 3, chorus bank : " Taxation without representation ! " "Was that right?" "No, ma'am !" We were nofc exactly sure jurt what taxation or representation meant, but we felt that it was not right on general principles. Afterwards, during the intermission, when we gathered in the p'.ay^rounds, we amused ourselves with-a game, the plot of which was to be found in the inspiring old story of " The First Boston Tea Party." I remember that towards the end of the rhymo we chanted something like this : So, before the rising sun, They emptied the tea All into the sea, And England's reign was done I Then we clenohed oar tiny fists atd hated John Bull with all our youthful mights. — Elizabeth Banks, in tho Nineteenth Century for April. Heady TVitted. The Shah of Persia is a despot by virtue ef his position. The life of any of his subjects is at his mercy ; and it depsiids upon his temper how he exercises this prerogative. Oae of the prepent Shah's predecessors was hunting in the village of Netunt z early in the morning, when he 6udd«nly oauie f*ce to face with an uncommonly ugly man, at the sight of whom his horse started. Being nearly dismounted, and deeming it a bad omen, he called out to have the man's head struck cff. The attendants promptly seized the unfortunate peasant, who prayed that ho might be in« formed of bis crime. " Your crime," said the angry Shah, " ia your ugly oountenance, whioh is, the first o\aeot I saw this morn'ng, and which has startled my horse." "Alas!" returned the peasant, "by this reasoning what must I oall your Majesty's countenance, which was the first object I saw this morning, end which is now to cause mv death?" The Shah admired ready wit, as his countrymen generally da. He let the man kef p his bead, and supplemented the gift with a handful of coins. Mr Bnlfour's Baby. - Some gossip aboat Mr Arthur Balfour's holiday expedition to Rye, where he was golfing, reminds a raconteur of an amusing story which he once heard » Cabinet Minister tell after dinner. It does not, of courge, follow th»t it is true, bub here it is. When on a holiday Mr Balfour once found himself travelling with a certain nametake of h ! 8, who was also a right honourable, and wai accompanied by his wife. The lady bad, naturally enough, arranged to have vows of her absent baby de^afcehed to her from time to time on a aeries of postcards, wMch were addressed to the Right Hon. Mr Balfour. "B*by has had a good night," " Baby is very well," "Baby haa got a little cold,", "B*by faid 'papa' this afternoon," and Bo on. Such was the nature of these delightfully interesting bulletins. But things soon got not a little mix^d, for it happened on several occasions that the two Me B*lfours stopped at the same hotels, and tho obsequious hotfclkeepers delivered the cards to the ex-Chief Secretary, who was naturally much embarrassed by the strauge homa news. <t For an Emergency. General Thiebaulfr, a well-known French officer, in. recounting the story of his life, dwells at some length upon his experiences in the swimming school, on the bank of the Seine. Among the habitues of the place was one man who had opinions of his own and a mind to exercise them. He came to the school three times & week, and General Tb.iebs.ult thus de- I scribes him : — He was about 40 years old, ball, thin, serious looking, and carried himself like an aristocrat. He always came straight into the school in his street dress, his hat on his head, his coat buttoned up to his chin, gloves ou, and c&ne in hand. Without paying attention to anyone he walked along the pUtform, drawing nearer and nearer to the edge, and then suddenly, and to all appetr&nco a* much to his surprise as ts anyone else's, bis foot slipped, and ioto the river he tumbled. The first time I saw this performance I supposed it wm an accident, and was preparing to go to the man's rescue, when I saw him pick up his hat, pat it on his bead, put his cane between his teeth, and strike out for the platform. Having reached the platform, he retired to a dressing room, out of which he presently emerged wearing « bathing suit like the rest of us. By this time I was half disposed to believe him crazy, but when I ventured to ask an

explanation pf his strange behaviour he x%» plied : " Sir, we learn to swim in order to be able to save ouraelves if we should ever fall into the river. Now, then, if suoh an accident should happen to you, do you imagine that you would be dressed in swimmiug drawers ? No, sir, you would have on your clothes, your boots, your hat, and, being taken all by surprise, you would most likely be drowned. As for me, if I were iv such a position, I should, as you see. save myself easily."