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AS GOOD AS GOLD. CHAPTER VI. n^ the group outalde lie window h*d wlthm the l«at fcw niinulfs Ixon reiaforoed l»y new arrivalfl. sotno of them rw^wctable shopk.epers and their aasiataBts. who had oome out for a whifr of air after pultiu* up the shut tors for th» ni«ht : some of them of a lower olajw. Diatinot from eitht-j their ap- peared a Bt rangerâ€" a yoiuig man of re- markably pleaaant aspect, who carried in hU hind a C5arpet-l»g of the smart noral pattern prevaltmt in such arti- cles at that time. He WB« fair and ruddy, bright-eyed, and slight in Iniiid. Hw might possibly hare pawed by without stoi)pinK at all, or at most for h«Uf a minute to glance in at the aoene, toad not his advent coin- cided with the dlsoussion o(n corn nnd Iwead -.isx which event rhifl huslory had never been enacted. But the subject â- eemed to arreat him, and he w liispered some imiuiriea of the other bystanders, and remained listening. Wh»n he heard Henchord's closing wordB, "It cant be dome," he emUed, impulaivaly drew out his jKjuket-lKwk. and wTote down a few words by the aid lit tl» 2i«ilit an the win<lorw. He tore «ut the leaf, folded and directed it, Bjid seemod about to dhrow it m through the opejj aasbiupon the dining- Uble, but, on OL-oomi thoughts, edged himaJf throuffh the loiters till ho reached the door of the hotel, where one at the waiters who tad l)een uervinK iniide wa« now idiy leaning against the doorpost. "Glre this to the Mayor at onoe,' he â- aid handling in hU hasty note. l-aizaleth-Jane had seen hia move- manta and heard the wwds, which at- tracted her by their 8ul)ject and by thftir accentâ€" a strange one for those parta. It was quiiint and northerly. The waiter took the note, while the young stranger continued: "And can ye tell me of a respectable hotel tliat's a little more moderate tba,n this!" The waiter glanced indifferently up sad (iciwa tlie street. "Tiiey say the. King of Prussia, just l»lo\s- here, is a very good place." he languidly answered; "but I liave never stayed tiiere myself." The Scotchman, as he seemed to l)e, tbau)^e<l him, and strolled on in the direction of th« King of Prussia afore- said, apparently more oonci-rned about th» question of an inn than aljout the fat« of liJB noU>, now that the momen- tary imimlse of writing it was over. " White ho WHS disiiweariug slowly down the street the waller left the door, and liUizabeth-Jane saw with some interest the note brouglit into the ilining-roora and h.inded to the Mayor. Henchard looked at it carelessly, un- foldMl it with one haml, and glanced It through. 'I'hereupim it was curious to note the unexjx'i-lcd effect. The nettled, clouded a.six-ct which had held pneaession of his fa-o since the sulv Ject of his oorn-dealing.s had l)een broached, duingt-^t its<'lf into one of iir- raated attention. Ui> read the n(»te slowly, and fell into thought, not moody, hut fitfully inlenms tus that of a man who hafl Iji-en captured by an idoa. By this time t.oasts ami 8p<yM-.h«« had glvivn place t-o song<i. I hi whe.it sulv jecl Ijeing quite forpolieii. -Men were putting their h'^ds together iu twos and thre<vj, telling gmKl slori>'s with panttunimifl laugh!<T which reached con- vulsive grimawv Some were Ix'gin- nlns to look as if they did nul know how they had come there, what they had cf>me for, or how they were going to get hinno again; ami provi.siunally Mat on with a tlanvl MuilU-. StiuuiV' built me.ii MiowimI a tendency to lie- <Mjme hunchlKicks. mi-n with a dignifiecl presence l<«t it in i-urious ol>li(iuily of ilgure, in whii:h I heir featun s grew rlLsarranged and one-sided ; whilst the h«a'ls ol a few who liiid ilined with ex- treme lhorouiflini'ii.H were somehow Kinking into tlieir .shoulders, the cor- n<ys of their niouih (jml eyes ln'ing Ijciit uinvurd.s by the sulsldence. Only Flenoharil did not conform to these flexuous chnng<-s ; he. reiniiineil stately and verlieni, Milt-ntly thinking. Tho clock struck nine; lOlizab-th- Jane tinned to her coniiwuiun. "The evejilng i.s drawing on, nioiher." «he What d(» you i/i'opo.';)' to do?" "He WTote it himselT, dr, U he stood outside the window." "Ohâ€" w rote it himaelf. ... Is the young m'.n in the hotel?" •No, sir. H' w«'.nt to the King of Prut^ui, 1 beliiive." The Sfayor walked up and down the .e.stibule of the liotel with hia hands mder his cout-lails, as if he were mere- ly ae«'king a cooler atmosphere than that of the room he had quilted. Hut there could lie no doubt that he was iu reality still p(»s ssed Lo the full by the new idea, whatever it might 1«. At length he went l>ack to the door of the dining-room, [kulwJ and found that the songs, toast.s. and conversation were prcK-x-eiling quite salLsfactorily without his presence. The cori>orai ion. private re.siilents, and major and minor iradeAraen had, in fact, gone in for comfort ing lx»vcrages to such an extent thjit lliey had <iujte forgoUen, not only tho Mayor, but all tho.«f vn.st jKdi- tii-al, religions, and wxiil differences which they felt necessary to maintain in tlie daytime,, and wliich wii.i rated tlieni like iron i'liiLs. Seeing this, the M.ayor took iiis hit, and when Ih^i wait- er liad help'd him on with a thin hol- liuid overcoat, went out and stood un- der tile iKjrtico. _ \ Very tew iiersnns were now in the street ; and hLs eyes, by a sort of at- traction, turno<l and dwelt upon a spot about a hundred y.ards farlner down. It wa-s the house to which the writer o£ the note had goneâ€" the King of Priia- siaâ€" whose t.vo piominent gables, bow- window, anu pissage-light could tx' .se«-n from where he stood. Having kept his eye on it for a while, he strolled in that direction. ' Thus immutable house of accornmo- dalion for man and l>east was built of mellow .sandstone, with muUioned win- ilow.s of the .same material, now mark- edly out of perpendicular from the -â- iettlement of foundations. TiiB Ixjw- windows projecting into tho street, whose interior was so j)f)pular -umonK the frequenters of the inn, was closed witli shutters, in each of which appeared heart-.sh ip.'d aperture, somewhat into it, when in a liquid state, and could not now be uu..stuck, looked the girl up and down inquiringly, with her hands on tlie chalr-aj-ms. Such ar- rangements "as the one Klizal)eLh pro- lM«od were not uncoiniuon in country villages ; but, though Ca.sterl)ridge was ul(i-lu.siiii)aed, the custom was well ol)- sulete here. The miatross of the house, however, wua an eajsy woman to strang- ers, and she made no olijection. There- upon Klizabeth, Ixjing instructed by nods and notions from the taciturn landlord aj to where she could find the different things, trotted up and down sluirs with nuiteriabj for her own and her paienl'a ijieal. While she was doing this, the wood parliiiou in the ctnire of the house thrilled to its centre with tho tugging of a liell-puU ui«tairs. A bell below tinkled a note tiiit was feebler in sound than the twanging of wires and cranks that had produced it. "'Tia the Scotch gentleman," said the landlady omnisciently ; and, turn- ing her eyen to KlizalHjth: "Now then, c.iii you go and see if his supiwr is on the tray 1 If it is, you can take it up lo liim. The front room over ihia." Klizaljeth-Janc. though hungry, will- ingly pcBiponed serving herseli a while, and applied to l.he cook in the kitchen, whence she brought, forth tho tray of supper viands, and proceeded with it uiutairs to ibe aiiariment indicate i. Ibo accommodation of the King "f I'ruasia was far from spacious, despile the fair area of ground it covered. Tho room demanded Ijy iniriisive beams and raflera, partitions, passages, staircases, left comiMratively small quarters for ill. FIGHTIN& FOE HIS LIFE. LEVIATHAN OF THE SEA SUCCUMBS TO A JOINT ATTACK- more attenuated in the right and left ventricles than is .ieen in Nature. In- side these illuminiited liolea, at a dis- tanc.i of about thi'ee inches, were ranged at this hour, as every piaser knew, the ruddy polls of Hilly Wills the glazier, Smart the shoemaker, Buzzford the gen- eral dealer, and Olivers of that set, each with hia yard of <-lay. A four-centred Tudor arch was over I lie entrantv.i. and over the arch the â- signboard, how visible in the rays ol an o^KKiU) lamp. Hereon, the King, who liad lieen represented by the artist aa a person of two diiuejisions only â€" in other words, flat as a shadowâ€" was seated on a war-lK>r.s<! in a paralysed I>raniie. Ueing on the sunny side of the street, lx>th he and hia charger had siiffereil largely from warping, split- ring, fading, and shrinkage, so tliat he was but a half invisible film upon the reality of Ihe grain, and knots, and iiail.s, which composed the signlxKird. As a matter of lacl, this stale of things was not w> much oNving to Stannidge tho landlord's neKlect. as from the l.nk of a painter in C.i.sterbridge who would undertake to icpraluoe tlie imiform of a man so traditional. A long, narrow, dimly-lit pas.sago irive access to the irui, within which p.u-.sage the horses going lo their staJls at tlw Imck, and the loming and de- parting hiinuin guewis, rul'U'd shoul- ilers indis<:riminat,cly, tho latter run- ning no slight risk i".r having their tois irodden U|)<m by the animiils. Tho goo I slabluig .and tli» good ale of the King ot I'riisfria, though somewhat dif- llciiii to reach on account of there Ijeiiig but tliia narrow way to both, wer.^ nevertheless. t>eiseveringly sought oul by the sagacious old heads who knew wliat was wh.it iu Casterbrid^e. UejicJiiird stood wil hout the inn tor a few instants; Hum, lowering the dig- nity of hia iiresenco as much as possi- ble by buttoning the lirown iiolland coat over his shirt-frimt, and in other ways toning liim.self down lo his or- dinary everyday apjiearanoe, he enter- ed the inn iloor- OHAPTKK VII. Klizaljeth-Jano ujul her mother had arrived some tiventy minules earlier. Outside tho hoiia.i tliey hail stood and coii.sidcntd whelher even this hiiiiioly phuxi, though recommended ius moder- ate, uiiaht noL lie loo serious in its uri<-es for their light iHicUei.s. finally. n(>«ever, they hud found cuurago lo enter, and duly met Htanuidge, the landlord ; a silent man, who drew and carried Irolhiiig nu'.usuros lo IhLsrooiu iinil lo 111 It, .shoulder lo shoulder wilh his wailiiig-ui::iilsâ€" a Mtai<dy slowness, however, entering inio his ndnist rations by <'oiiiiMi,i with theirs, as liecame one wh.iso Si'rviini was Hoiiiewhal optional. It would have lieen allogelliir optional but for til' orderH of i lie laiidlady. ii IH'ison who sat in the bar, corpore- ally motionless, 1ml «iih a flitting eye ami (jiiick e.ir, wlih which .she oKserved iiri.i lio'ird iliroiigh i lll^ oik'U dooruiid hatchway Ihe iiiessing needs of cus- iDini'iVi wlii.ni Ijer hu;.li,in<l overlooked though cluise at hand. Klizalwlh ami her mother were pissivcdy aceeiited as sipjoiMiiers. and shown to' a small tn-d- room under on â- . ot tin giilihw, where they 8.it down. The principle of tho inn seemed to lie lo I'oiuiM'iisaie lor tho nnii(pie awk- wardness, crookedness, and obscurity of Ihe p.',ssig<'H, rioors, and ivilings, by (|uaiitilles of dean linen spread alsiul everywhere, and this had a dazzling ef- fect upon I hi' travelle.rM. "'Tis too good for us â€" we can't meet It I" said the ehler woman, looking round Ihe upirtnient with mi.sgiving as soon as they were left alone. "I fear it is loo," said lilizulvtb. "Hut we miiMl Iw respectabln." "Wo must pay our way even before wo must ln! re.sjieclaldo," replied her inolher. "Mr. lleiuhard i.s too high for IIS to make onrselv<\s known to liiui, I much fear ; iso wo've oniy ouir own pockets to deiiend on." "I know whit I'll do." said Klizalieth- Jaiie, after an inurval ot wniliug. during which their needs seemed quite forgotten umler tho press of business lielow. And leaving the runni, she de- scended the stairs »4i<l penetrated to the bar. If there was one good thing more than another which eharncteri.sed this OuLsiile tho domr of tliH n«»ein!<iy-room ' single-hearted girl, it was a willing- he saw the waiter, and IxM'koning toineas lo siu'rifice her (Mirsonal comfort him, u.sked who Iwoiight the nolo which ! and dignity to tho conimon weal. bad IxM-n hanried In a quarter of an I "Aa you HO«>m busy hero to-night, hmiT 'j«^foTe. j and mother's not well off, might f' â- 'A young man, sirâ€" a Hi»rt of trav- take out part of our acconiinodalion by »ler. He wsa a Scotchman seeming- he loin?" she asked o( tho landlady, \f," '1 ho latter, who reinainod iia fixed in "OiA be aajr how be hod got it t" tho arm-obair as K she had been melted SIm^ w.-us siir|>ri»ed to find how irreso- lute her mot her ha<t Im come. "We must get a placo to lie down in," she murmured; "I liavo (kien â€" Mr. Ucn- cliard ; and Ihifs all I wantetl to do." "Thai's enough for to-night at any rate," Klizals'l ii-Jano replied .sioihing- ly, "Wo cjin think to-morrow what is liest to doal)'/ul li'in. 'Ih.' question now siâ€" is it notfâ€" how shall we find a Iwlgingt'* As Ix'T mother did not reply, Klizn- lieth-.Tane'R niinil reverled to Ihe fworda of tho waiter, that tho King ot PrussU wna an Inn of moderalo charg*"*. A teconiirieiKlation good for one in'rmm vras prolmhly good for an- other, "lift's g<» where the young man lias gone lo," she said, "Ho is resiiect- ible. What do you say/" Her mother iu-««Mitod, and down tho «lre<'t they wi\nt. In the iiieantiiiio the Mayor'.s Ihought- .uUiesa, enpenderod by the note as stilted, ronlinued to hold him in nl>- Btra«;tion; till, whi.siwriiig to his neigh- iKnr to take Ills pl.ice, h:' found oppor- tunity to leave I ho iliair. 'I'hi.s was juat after the de.jKirturn of his wife and Klizalioth human lieings. iloreover, this iieing at a time before home-brewing was aban- doned by the smaller victoallera. and a house in which tho twelve-bushel strength was still religiously adhered Lo by the landlord in bus ale, the qual- ity of the liquor w;us the chief attrac- tion of the premises, so that everything had to make way for utensils and op- pt'rationa in connection therewith. Thus Klizalioth found that the Scotchman was located in a room quite close to the .small one that had been allotted Id herdeU and her mother. When she entered nolwdy was pre- sent but the young man himselfâ€" ihe .s;inio whom she had s»*n lingering without the windowM of the Golden Crown Hotel. He was now idly read- ing a copy of the local paper, and was hardly conscious of her entry, so that she looked at him quite coolly, and saw how his forehead shone where the light caught it, and how nicely hia hair was cut. and the sort of velvet-pile or down that was on the skin at the liack of his neck, and how his cheek was so truly curved as to l>e part of a glolie, and how clearly drawn were the lids and lashes which hid his bent eyes. She set down the tray, spread his supiier, and went away without a word. On her arrival below, the landlady, who was aa kind as she was fat and lazy, saw that Elizaljeth-Jane was raiher tired, though in h.-r earnestness to lje u.s<!ful .she w;i8 waiving her own needs alt oget tier. AItb. Stannidge thereupon said, with a considerate pereuiplori- ue-ss, that she and her mother had l)et- ler take their own suppers if they tiieanl to have any. Klizabeth fetched their simple pro- visions, aa sho had fetched tho Scotch- man's and went up to the little cham- ber where she had left her mother, nuiaeU-jtsly pushing open the door wilh the edge ol llio -iray. To her surprise her moiher, in3t.«;'ul of Ijciug reclined on tho Ixjd where sho had leil her, was iu an erect posiliou, with iiiis purled. Al Klizulieth a eniry stie lilted her fm- ger. The meaning of this was soon appir- eut. Tho room allolled lo the two wo- men had al one time served us a Urcss- ing-room to ihe Scotchman's chamlier; .us was evidenced by signs of a door ot communicaliou between, ihemâ€" now M^rowed up and pasted over wilh the wall iKil>er. iiui, iis is Irequeully the uise wilh hotels of far highar prelcii- .sioiis than the King ot I'rusua, every word spoken in either of these rooms w.us distiucily audioio in ihj olher. Such souiiils came through now. Thus silently conjured, iJliz.ilieth de- ixisiltia Of tray, aim her moilier whis- (leied its sho di'ew near, '"Tis he." "Whof" said the girl. "The Mayor." The treiiiurs in Susan Ilonchard'a lone might have led any person but uno so pfrieclly unsuspicious ot the truth aj-llie girl was. to .surnnse .some 1 li<-*r conneciiou iliau iho udiuilted sim- ple kinship us a uieaus ui uccouiiiiug .or them. Two men were indeed talking in the uljoining eiiaiiilKjr, tho young tcotch- lu.ui ana llouchard, w ho, having en- tered Ihe iiiji wuilo Klualielh-Jaiie wa.s in the kitciieu waiting lor tho supiier, had Iveii u'loreniially conducLod up- ilairs by imsl Scaiiiinigo hiuis<'lt. Th»' girl noiidessly laid oui thoir liiiK' nical, and oockoned lo her mother lo join her, which Mrj. Ibnchard mech- anically ilia, her a<ieniiou txing ii\ed on the coiuorsiition through the door. , "1 merely strolled in on my way home to a.<k you a qiiesiiun about .souiothiiig thai has ticitv'd my curi- iwity, " a:nd iho Mayor, with cajcless g;eiiialiiy. "Hut 1 .aee you have not linishcil .supiier," 'Ay. lull 1 will have done in a tew minutes I Vo iiieiln't go, sir. Takou seat. I've almost done, and it make;, lio dilfereiioe tti. all." llenchard seemed to take the scat iMiertrd, and in a nioiueni ho rtvjunaod: "\\ell, tii.st I should ask, did you wriio thi-sT' A rustling of piix>r fol- lowed. "Ves, I did," said the Scotchman. • "Then," .siiid llenchard, "I am un- der tho impression that wo have met by accidoiii while waiiing tor the morn- ing to korp an aiipoinlmeul with eiwli other f My name is Honchard ; ha'u'l you replieil lo an adverlLsjinent â- for a 1 orn-fuclor's manager that I put into ilm pip.râ€" lia'n't you come hero to sec me alHiul it 1" "No," .said the Scotchman, with some aurpri.se. "Surely you are tho man," went on llenchard, insislingly, "who arr.mged to como ami sims tuo 1 Joshua, Joshua, Jipiiâ€" Jopp â€" what was his niuuo f" "No, inilood," said tho young man. "My nniiio is Donald Farfrae. It is true 1 am in Hi" enrern trade â€" bull liivo replied to no advarrtiament, and arranged lo soo iiu one. 1 uui on my way to Uriidolâ€" from there lo tho oth- er side of llio warrld to try luy fortufio iu tho (jueal whoal-growing dLslricts of the We.st I 1 have some inventions useful to the trade, and there is no ai'oiie for developing hoere." (To l« Continued.) A 8wordOKh nu<l n Jasper m«ale KIH » Mouiter Mperiu Wliale Iu View u« « Hteumrr'a l*»ii»en(jer«-A Uaiue FIgUl. Bnt II Elided In Weiilb. A whale fight is one of the most re- markable sights s«cn by sailors and ocean voyagers. The combat of the mighty leviathans of the deep ia grand and impressive. In lacl, tbooe who have l)e*n fortunate enough to wil- nesa a whale fight will ever remember tile unique scene. There ate three actors in a whale combatâ€" a true whale, a jasper whaJe and a swordfisb. It us necessary for a true, or sperm, whale to come to the surface of the water to breathe and blow, while the jasper whale is like any other fish in that respect. The Hay of Wiscay, that generaUy tur- bulent sea, which has swallowed thou- sands of ships, was on a recent trip of the Union steamship Mexican aa smooth as a mirror, ll did not seem pcociililo this peaceful .sea would ever lash itself into the furies of the gale. The passengers of the Mexican were startled early on Thursday morning by iho lookout man ciyiug out: "A whale light, right on the starboard bow 1" Kv- erytKxly beai^e at once excited. The Captain easou ihe speed of the boat, and headed directly for the combatants. The steamer was stopped when within a short distance, from whence all could view this tragic sccue ol ocean life. THKlil MANMEK OF ITtiHXLNG. 'Twaj a wondrous sighl that met the gaze of the on-loukers. A mighty sperm whale was lashing the sea wilb its tail until four yards aromid tho water had Iwcome milky white. Fiercer each mo- ment became the struggle betw een the sperm whale and his two deadly oppon- euia. 'The manner by which the jasper whale and sword lisn attack the siierui- er is a rather pecuhar one, and as to why there is that deadly haireii lietween the.je muusicrs of the ueep remains un- solved. The jasper whale grasja the sperm whale by the lower jaw, while the swordfish >s dealing blows to the vicimi underneath. As the momenta pass, and it kjecomes necessary tor the .spermer to come 10' tho surface to breathe, the struggle liecome.s more acute. Ueleut- less is the Cold ol the jasper, and equal- ly as cruel are the darts ol the sword- lish as that mighty weapon enters deep into the vital parts of the doomed whale, lor not one iu leu thoinsand ever escapes from this encounter. The sperm- er at lirst simply lashes the water in indignation, but the la.shing increases in lury until the soa liecouies milky while. This was tho condiiiou ol al- lairs iHjlween ihe fighters w-hen the Mexican stopped witliiu hailing dis- tviioe of Iho fight. Wilh suIhIuuU excile- meut the crew and paasongera watch- ed the proc^cedings. - A TliUKU' IC KNCOUNTEK. Faster and faster became the lash- ings ot the sperm whalu, aud louder echoed tho strokes on the water. Sev- eral times the sjH'rmer, witu a mighty effort, rose clean out of tho sea, half ilragging the jasper that had bold of hi.i jaw, out ol the water wilh him. Ho wa<s out but fur an iuslaut, giving liim, however, an opiMiriunily to gain a lirealh of .lir auffieient to allow him to renew wilh greater energy the struggle tor lil'w. On wont tho combat It seemed as if .soiue unseen pawer ot nature was forming mighty eddies and whirlpools aruiiud these great occu- pants of tho sea. I.,ong was ibe fierce and uualxilod airuggle. 'The last lime that the sperm whale rose from the water, which must have \nvn a her- culean etlori lo accomplish, tb«! whale bled prulusuly from the sides. Down :igaiii he weul with a dash. A low more terrible lashes were dealt the wa- ter by his tail, and then there w;is u gradual diminishing ol the strokes. Fainter and slower liecame the strug- gle for lite. All could see that ibe great leviathan, that had fought nobly and bravely to eat-ape his deadly enemies, was now rapiiily piasing away. Death was near, i'rotu a milky white color Ihe atia was last turning into a blood- red hue. A lew mighly gasps were luade by the doomed fish and the fer- (H-iouB sea battle was over. Ho lay on the surface of the Hay of Biscay, sur- lounded by his own blo.;d, Ijcreft ot lifu after as gallant a fight as was ever made I'y niiui, brute or lish for the prc- .servalion of life. So impressive had Unin the scene that it was some moments before any one moved from th*< (lusition ihoy had oc- iipiod for the paisi hour. The solemn .iilonce Wiis broken by the Captain ring- ing the engiuo-rcMun liell, which sig- n;ilod tho Ixiat lo siarl on her voyage at full siieed ahead. Thai ocoau fight will live in the memory of tbuso who saw it as long as life shall last. SHORT ALL AaOUND, These are haul times, indeed, the days ai-o getting short. Even MILITARY BALLOONS. Eiis]a«d U ipendliig 9l!i,iSM a Tear Mi Kxperlsirnu. The School ot MiliUry Ballooning at Aldershot has become a noteworthy and important inatitution; although main- tained by a graoit of only £2500 a year, it stands second to none in its scienti- fic achievements, says the London Stan- dard. Originally founded by the Royal Engineers at Woolwich, about nineteen yeara ago, it was suhaequeoitly removed to Chatham, arid thenoa to Aldershot Uinder Maj., now Col., Templer, who baa with him Capt. Jones, R.E., and Capt. Ward, R.E. 'To these officers are due the present state of efficacy of the es- tablishment, and the perfection of the balloons, as well as the appliances for worfeing them. TbiB first important step in the ad- aptation of the balloon for military pur- poses was the compressiMi in steel tubes of the hydrogen for the inflation of the balloons on tne field or the road. Ga» worka can not be reckoned upon on » line of march ; nor can coal or raw m*- texiala be transported so handily or so cheaptj- aa the tubes of compressed gas. The hydrogen required must be of the pureat quality, made from zinc and sul- phuric acid. Another improvement la the production of hydrogen by electro- lysis. 'The trials are progressing sat- isfactorily, and the cleanliness and cer- tainty ot the dynamo will undoubtedly prevail over the chemical process. The compression of the gas has advanced most markedly in the direction of saf- ety and security. In like manner, the atcel containing tubes iiuve been im- proved in material, and rendered aafa under the very great stress of 101 at- mospheresâ€"at â- which stress they are required to travel over any and EVERY SORT OF GROUND. The experiences of many yeajs have shown that tubes must be carefully cleanaed before recharging, aud very ef- fective precautious are taken to this end. To carry the balloon charge of 11,000 cubic feet of ffia iu tubes three wagons are needed, with the existing dimieiisions and weights of the tubes; but when the new pattern tubes and wagons are delivered two wagons will suffice. U'hie adoption of " gold-beater skins " for the substance of the balloon is a step unequaled in importance. 'These siuns have the property of adhering firmly together, so that they form a homogenous material remarkable for Ita toughness, as well as being absolutely impervious to the gas. So tough and strong is the materul that a clot*'<l bal- loon of large size h:is ascended higher th:m 7000 Icet without bursting. A largo iKilloon of thus sutwtauce, hav- uig 2500 square feet of surface and cap> able of cottlaiuing 10,000 cubic feet ot g:is, weighs only 170 pounds. 'The top valve ot the balloon is now made vec7 light and strong, of an aluminum aIlo^> and is screwed into its bearing by a very fine tliread. It tits perfectly gaa tight. The silk and cloth balloons M foriuor days were always In some sort of trouble. The fabric, being varnisb- f d, was re;idily subject to cracks. It often heated, and lieeaine more or leaa charred; it was tender aud liable to bo rent or torn. The g;is was always leak- ing away, and the material was trou- blesome to repair after small holes and grazes. We have next to follow the large fin- ished txiUoon in its final sUiges of rig- ging and equipuienl. Tho tx>rd for the neltinij luis to bo both very strong and very light. That used is of luiliaa hemp, and weighs 1 pound to the hank. A yard ot it with a splicing, stretcbea round two pulleys wdl stand 500 I'DUNUS' STRAIN wil hiMit breaking. In this cord is wov- en a fine brass thrjMil for tho security of the balloon in thunder storms. 'This ring is of American hickory, and the car is formed of exwllent wicker-vvork. The aeronaut or officer ascondinp with him makes up wliat obs(>rving instru- ment ho likes or requires. Some ot the haml i-econLs taken in the free balloon excursions are extremely precLso and full of serviceable details. The photo- gra.ptis. even thos«> ot small size, usu- ally contain details ot value. Soldier* wiihui a range of two miles on each side of tht< line of flight can be detected wit ll a h.ind lens. Tho coiuirig trials ot the capabilities NO PURK GOLD IN USK. "Gold, when refined from impurities."' says a well-known jeweller, "and al- loys of interior metals, is denoniinaied pure. This moans gold of twenty-four carats, and this is the standard re- cognized by the Mint miistor and deal- ers ill gold. As a matter of fact, how- ever, there is no gold so pure. Gold of twenty-two carats is about as pure as it can lie got. It hart two parts of sil- ver or one ptirt of silver and one part of copiier. 'Iho copper darkens the color of gold, while silver ligbiens it in color. 'Twoniy-thn^e carat gold is occasionally seen, which menn.s a half carat each of silver and of copi>«>r. Or- dinarily eighteen carat gold i< the liest gold that caij l>o had. Certainly it ia the iK'st tor jewelry, for pure gold, .Id it is called, is too soft, and will wear away much taster than tho owners ot it desire." MORE MYSTKRIES NOW. What a mystery is lifel excla'u.vu .le philosopher. Th*t, moreover, was Imig prior to ^t^ hivention' ot tho trollev car and those other perfect liy killing things that char- acterize our age of progress. of Ivillooas for taking jwrt in military engineering operations in warfare will be fraught with inte-.-.-wt and novelty, whether they 1hi successful or not. 'The first trials will prolubly be directed toward the application ot captive and carrying balhums in assisting or pre- vent ing o[)erationa in trenches. The ditch forms the protection to tho work- ing sappers; and the artillery projec- tiles cut into tlv« nvar of the treiicb and drive the deVirls to tho rear of tl*'! work. "Iho oh>-ct ot a balloon at- tack, t herefore, might \xi to plant, say, a riDO-poiind chiirpe of high explosive in rear ot the trench, so that when ex- |ilo<lod it should blow tho debris into It, ove.rwhelming the men or exposing them to their enemy. Kvory balloon Nva- gon hsia halt i niilo o( wire ropo at- tached to it.whiuh is available for hold- ing the balloon captive. Tlwvre is also a telephone cbndjictor; and connection with the wagon ^.x neatly made on • screw- bar, so t hit in whatever dl- rociion tho pull of the lialloon ni .y be th«> wire roi»e will never come into con- tart ncrtvis the drum. Tho wivgona can N> readily moved about, and tho car- rying balloon, with e.vpU>sive charge, round in form, and swiveled on t !» end of a line pendant from it, could be manipulated by the experta in ao- cordanoe wilh slgn.als reotdved fr'su the captive or olwerving balloon; th? ex- plosive chari^e could thus I* got into the place desired. PLSCONTINtTED TAKINO. Irate Patrc«iâ€" You advertise to cure consumption, don't youf ,l)ix-tor <^uack â€" Yes, sir. I never tail wii»e.ii «i> '"istm' *ioins are followed. Irate Patronâ€" My .«>on tixik your medi- cine for a year, and died an hour after tt^ la^t doae. Uootcir. Quack â€" My instruotlona wen not followed. I ♦old him to takei it two years.