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A CAST FOR FORTUNE. Bv L‘naisrixx Rem, ix “LirriSorrr’5 Mauuzrxe." CHAPTER \'III. ' After dinner, therefere. feelin ridiculous- I ' weak, Derwent passed out of is room for the first time since in: had entered it, and . found himself in the. court he had so often admired. Under the great arch of a passage which led to the front of the house, and of another which led to a second court behind, hung large and brilliant lamps, the light of which was reflected in the basin of the foun- tain that occupied the centre of the flutjo, , while about it were grouped wide- eated tropical plants in tcrra-cotta pots of native manufacture. Around the court a broad, tiled gallery arches, under which there were glimpses of , various apartments. One of these was the dining-rtmin, and its open doors revealed a table still covered with the remains of des- sert,â€"stands piled high with beautiful fruit, , tall, slender wine-bottles and cut-glass liqueur-decanters, gleaming in the light of low-swinging lamps. fan, supported by pillaredil Following Rainon's noiseless tread Den. went lpassed to where wide glass doors, shower a large and lofty apartment, which, charmed his eye at once by its picturesque. grace and comfort. And yet, with the ex~ ception of a few articles of foreign luxury, it was such a room as might be found in any house belonging to a family of means, throughout Mexico, and had a beauty in- dependent of its furnishing, in its noble pro- portions, its floor of glazed tiles that re- flected like a mirror every object placed up on it, and the delicate arabesqucs traced up- on its plastered walls. Over the shining floor were scattered Eastern rugs, inter- f spcrscd with the silky white fleece of thel Angora goat and the handsome spotted fur of the Mexican tiger-cat. A variety of low, luxurious couches-distinctly European, tlieseâ€"~\vcrc mingled with easy-chairs of in- viting forln. There wasan upright piano, with a scarf of Japanese silk of softly-blended colors thrown across its top, a long, low bookcase filled with volumes, and various tables, on almost all of which bowls and vases of flowers stood, while the whole was li'htcd by two lamps of Moorish design w iich hung from the ceiling by long silver chains. Altogether, simple as these things would have been in a different place, it was not such an apartment as one would, “'ltll‘ out warning, have expected to find under the shadow of the Sierra Madre; and Der- wcnts surprise was excusable as he stood for a moment motionless on the threshold. "Enter, senor, cuter,” said Ramon, push- ing wider yet the open doors. He glanced around. “All! the scuorita,” he said, as a lady rose and advanced from the farther end of the long room. As she calnc toward him. it seemed to Dorwcnt as if he had not before had the least idea of her surpassing beauty. Not even in tho Alameda of Mexico, when she walked past him like a princess, draped in rich black lace, had be fully recognized the prefection of her loveliness. But here it fairly dazzled him. The foreign, semi- Oriental room, with its shadowy corners and the circles of shining light from its hanging lamps, made an harmonious background for the graceful figure that, clad in soft white India silk clasped by a silver girdle at the waist and fitting high to the throat, under a silver collar wrought with the fairy-like delicacy of Mexican \vork, moved over the polished floor with the ease of a [/Huulv dam» and held out a slender hand to him. “I am very glad to sec. you, senor,” she said, with gentle graciousncss, "and more than glad that you have recovered sufliciczit- ly to be able to join us. l’ray take this chair." \\'it.h her own hands she. moved forward a large wicker chair, fitted with soft cushions of crimson silk, and llcl'wcnt was glad to sink into it, with a nmrmurcd apology, while she sat down on a. divan opposite and looked at him with her dark, beautiful eyes full of solicitudc. “You are very pale," she said. “Shall I not send liaiin)ii"~â€"\vlio still lingered at the door»“‘for a glass of wine '3" “0h, no,-uâ€"tlianks," he uiiswered. “You arc very kind. but I am only a little weak. I have felt lnol‘c weakness from my wound than would have been the case. had I not lost so much blood." he added. apologet- ically. “And then the fever," she said. “L'on- sidcring both these things. I think you have madc great strides toward recovery. It was only a week yesterday since you were brought into the house insensiblcrâ€"wc al- unost tln‘mght a dying man." “I owe you many excuses for making such a sensational entrance," he said. smiling. “It must be very unpleasant to have an ap- parently dying man brought without any warning to your door. lint then what would have bcconu‘ of 'me if the senor, your father. had not met and succorcd me in the most truly Samaritan fashion 2’ I am afraid the dying would soon have become a grim fact." "There is a strong probability of it." she answcrcd : "and tlicrcforc we are very grate- ful for the chance that brought you here. It has been a great pleasure to do what we could for you. and to know that you were gctting better." “What shouldl have bccn made of if I did fiu'. get bcttci'T” llt' said. “It isthconly way in which I canshow my appreciation of your great kindness." “l.ct us not talk of that." she said. with a slight \\.\\'c of the hand. "(lurkindness is nothing. In Mexico it is not considered rc- markablc to show hospitality to any one,“ cspccially to :i Wounded stranger. The re‘ markablc thing would be if one failed in it. lhn probably you do not know Mexico well, scnor t" Ilc icrccchd that she wished to change :hc Inliicct. and followcd her lead at once, “No.” he answered, “I c'uniot say that I know .‘Ir‘KlCU well ; but I have at least the desire {U know if bet tci‘. The mere idea of the country always cxcrciscd a great fascina- lion o\cr inc." "Then you did not think of us as bar- lurians, was I have been told that the most of your countrymen do?" she slid. smiling. “The most of my countrymen are very ignorant of Mexico. scnorita," he replied. "but I rcally do not think their ignorance leads them so far as that." “ Does it not 3" she said. rather incredul- onslv. "I have heard that in the States Mexico is considered a barbarous country. It is alittlc singular,is it not, that in Europe no such idea exists with regard to us 3" l " Europe knows you better." he answer~ ed. “ Up to the present time, all Mexico's social and commercial intercourse has been with Europe. rather than with her immedi- ate neighbor. There was very good reason for this, as you know. I have no excuses to make for my countrymen, senorita. The grasping propensities of the Anglo-Saxon are, unfortunately, well known. And the 2 narrow-minded vanity which induces him l to fancy himself the exemplar of the human race is not less remarkable." “ You are not very cxnnplimentary to your countrymen," she said, showing her )early teeth in another smlie. “\Vhy should I be complimentary ‘3" he asked. “Why should not one try to clear ‘one's mind of natural prejudice, and get as near the truth as possible in this very im~ perfect world? E 'ery race has Ita‘ defauts (1“ ses qualitrs. But it is a great mistake to confound the defects with the virtues.” “Yes,” she said, nieditatively, “that is very true. Mexicans have undoubtedly Some defects, although I really thinkâ€"and it is not only because I too am a Mexicanâ€"â€" that they have also great virtues.” “Even from the little that I have seen of them, I am very sure of it," said Derwent, heartily. “But you, senorita, can hardly consider yourself altogether a Mexican.” “I do, however,” she said, lifting her head a little higher, with a pride that became it well. “I am Mexican in heart and soul, as well as in blood and birth. It is true that my dear father comes of another race : but he will tell you that he is altogether Mexican now.” “I am glad that he has at least not laid aside his knowledge of English, and that you condcsccml to speak it also," said Der- wcnt. smiling. “ But here comes one who does not,” said the young lady, rising. llel‘cht rose, too, as an elderly lady entered the room. He knew her at once as llona Zarifa's companion when he saw the latter in the Alameda,â€"a handsome, middle- agcd woman, very brunette and inclined to f'Hlllnll/JOfllfi, as all Spanish women are after a certain age. \Vith a few words of greet- ing. she held out a soft, kindly hand to Der- wcnt, who bowed over it. “ This is my cousin, Senora l’eralta," said Dona Zarifa. “ She hopes you are recover- ing. If you speak French, you can answer her in that language." Derwcnt did speak French with fluency, so he answered Senora l’eialta’s inquiry, and then, in Icply to other questions, gave a circumstantial history of his wound and all relating to it. ioth ladies listened to him attentively, and the subject was hardly exhausted when llon Maurizio came in. “Ah, Mr. Def-went,” he said, cordially, “ I am delighted to see you here. You look better already. A little society is a good thing; although I must warn you that we can offer you very little variety in that line at Miraflores." llerwcnt replied very sincerely that it was impossible to desire ‘better society than he found at Miraflores. “ lint I have heard," he said, “ that most Mexican proprietors of large estates do not live on them, because of their loneliness.” “It is, unfortunately, true," answered his host. “ The estates are generally so large, and the distances from one to another so great, that wealthy Mexicans do not, as a rule, live on their haciendas, except fora few Weeks in the course of the year.” " That is what I was told when I expres- sed a desire to see something of life on an hacienda.” said Dex-went. ' “ ‘ Nobody lives on the haciendas but the agents,'I was assur- ed. "l‘here is no life there of the kind you fancy. Mexicans of the higher class all live in the capital or abroad.‘ ” “ Allowing for exceptions,” said Maurizio, “that was a correct statement. And the consequence is that half the haciendas of Mexico are for sale, destined before long to pass into the hands of aliens. When men leave their estates in the control of agents, the result is mismanagement in all respects. Who knows this better than an Irishman? Absenteeism has been the curse of my country ; and it is in a great degree the curse of Mexico. So when I became a Mcxican I determined that I would not fol- low the prevailing fashion. (lreat estates came into my hands, and I resolved at once to administer them myself. I have done- so for twenty years, and I am rather proud of the result." “And you have not found it very irksome to live on an hacienda “I cannot understand how a man -an find anything irksomc which is in the clear line of duty- and which affords abundant occupa- tion for his hands and head. I have found infinite pleasure as well as infinite employ- ment in my life. An Irishman from (ialway naturally loves everything connected with a free, out-door life: and I have taught my daughter to love it as well as I do myself. She is an enthusiastic horscwonian, and we live in the saddle halfour time. By the bye, if you like riding, I ‘an give you a good mount." ' Ilerwent‘s cyes brightened. “ I am a Southerner," he said, as if that were answer enough. “Half of my life I have spent in Louisiana, and half in the blue-grass region of Kcutucky,â€"-â€"my mother belonging to the. first. and my father to the last. Not even in (Balway do you think more of riding than we do. ' “ And in neither are there such plains over which to ride as in Mexico. I am sure," said llona Zarifa. “ Ah, it is like flying through the air to put onc‘s horse at his best speed and ride for miles over our great mum. - Her delicate nostril dilated as if she in- halcd the breezes sweeping ovcr t‘ wide leagues of space of which she spoke; and lh-iueut. looking at her, felt a quick thrill at the thought that he might bc permitted some day to Iide by her side. " And do you really. then, spend all your timc here?" he asked, addressing Don Maurizio. " Here at Mimflores'.’ Oh, no," that gen. tleman replied. “ I have another large hacienda in the Ilajio-â€"you know that stretch of fertile country between Impuato and Querctaro? I divide my time between that place and this. with a month or two now and then in Mexico. lint. rich. prmluetive, and beautiful. too. as the Bajio is. both my daughter and myself prefer this wilder country: and if we were called upon to name our home, I think we should sav Miraflorcs. " ' ' “ “'ithou’. doubt," Don said Dona Zarifa. __________._._â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€"-â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"- “ There is no place in the: world so dear to me as this." .~. -. P"- " That is very 00d for a girl who is fresh from a season in aris, is if not ‘3" said Don Maurizio. as he laid his hand caressingly on her wrist. She placed her other hand over his, and looked up at him with her dark e) es melt- ing into a more liquid softness than they had known before. “ You were not in Paris," she said, with an enchanting smile. " No, thank heaven '." he answered. gayly. “ What should a Mexican harivmlado, with his heart among his flocks and herds, do there 2' But go, rarina min, and give us some music. Let Mr. Derwent see what he thinks of our Mexican airs." She rose instantly and moved across the floor,-â€"a perfect picture of grace, Derwent thought, in her soft, shimmering draperies. and with her natural, unstudied charm of step and bearing. _ Sitting down to the piano, she struck a tew_chords and began to sing in a contralto so rich and su‘eet that it was like notes drawn from a violin by a master-hand, rather than the sounds of the human voice. What she sang her listener did not know,â€"the words were Spanish,â€" but the air was wild, haunting, mournful, and yet pa35ionate in the extreme. As he listened, he seemed to see the rugged moun- tainspasses, the great Sierras like stormv toSSed waves, the vase expanse of mighty plains, the sad, gentle faces and passionate eyes of the people ; then the strain sank to a lower key, a tenderer sweetness stole into it, as though tropical flowers were breath- ing their fragrance out on the starry night, and with one last burst of sad, strange melody it ended. “Oh, yes, it is Mexican,” said Don )IilllI'IZIOyâ€"“OIIC‘ of the wild native airs that linger among the people that are now and then caught and formulated by the com~ )osers." “What did it say to you, senor?” asked Zarifa, turning around. He told what it had suggested, and she smiled as if pleased. “A girl is now relating how her lover has been killed among the wild mountains, and how her own heart- is broken," she said. “At the close she wan- ders hack to memories of their first love, of how in the summer night- he would come and sing beneath her window. Then she remem- bers that he is dead,-and ends with a cry of despair.’, "A very mouruful motif," said Don Maurizio. "(live us something a little more cheerful, and then I will play physician and order Mr. Derwent to bed.” “Sing an Are Jlaria, my child,” said a quiet voice at the door ; and as Derwent looked in that direction he saw a tall, slender man, wearing the cassock of a priest, enter the room. “This is a member of our family group whom you would have met earlier if he had not been absent until to-(lay,” said Don Maurizio,â€"â€"“ our good friend and chaplain, Padre Francisco.’ There was something very charming in the dark, gentle face, with finely-outlined features and soft brown eyes that looked at Derwent with a smile as they shook hands. “ I am grieved to hear of your accident, senor,” he said, in very good English. “As Don Maurizio has remarked, I have been away for two weeks, else I should have ex- pressed my regret sooner. But you are get- ting well?” Dex-went replied suitably, and then, turn- ing to Dona Zarifa, said, “ I hope that, since I am under orders to retire, senorita, you will sing at least one more song before I no ” .lIaria. for which (‘1 2‘ I will sing the A re “ I think padre has asked,” she replied. you will like that.” Derwent was very sure of it, when he heard the strains of Uherubini’s Are .llm'ia. Often as he had heard this beautiful song before, it was always in a soprano arrange- ment, and he thought that he had never appreciated its exquisite harmonies until he heard them rendered by Dona Zarifa’s rich contralto tones. She sang it like a prayer ; and the noble strainslingered in his ear long after he had said good-night and rctiredto his chamber. fiThey haunted him after he had laid his head on his pillow. Still in his memory vibrated the full, mellow notes of the en chanting voice, and before his eyes floated a picture of the silken-draped form, with its silver ornaments, and the beautiful face out of which shone the star-like splendor of the trf k eyes. It was not strange that his last thought anore falling asleep was to say to himself, Zevercly, “ I must take care that I am not such a fool as to fall in love with Dona sarifa.” (TO in: coxrixcso.) How it Game About. Some time ago we heard how Prince Albert Victor, of \Vales, shot his first tiger, but it appears that the sports provid- ed by the Maharajah of Jeypore for the en- tertainment ofhis royal guest are not confined to the jungle or the forest. His Highness is deScribcd as inviting the Prince one morn- ing, as well as all the l‘luropeans, residents and tourists, in .Ieypore to witness a fight between two elephants. The animals, on entering the open space, chased away, it is said, the 30 or 40 spearmcn who incited them to combat, and thereupon they charged each other. After fighting with equal success for some time, they were separated with charges of gunpowder somke directed toward them. The royal party then went to another open court, where the fights were carried on in succession between pairs of quail, part- ridges, cocks, black bucks. hogs, deer, rams, samhhur, boars and buffaloes. “The ani- mals," says a witness ofthe scene. “ were all in excellent condition and fought with great fury,especiallythe rams, sambhur and bohrs. " l The writer is careful to state that the vari- l 0113 combatants were always separated before . any injury was dl‘nc ; but it must be confes- lsed that modern sportsand pastimes at the l . . . ‘ (ourt of the Maharajah of .leyporc bear a rather strong resemblance to old fashioned ; harbarity. ..__ a...” Fireproof Wood. The recent discovery by a New England chemist of a cheap method of dissolving zinc by combining it with hydrogen is regarded asa most valuable one. The product is a solution called zine wafer. and has the property of making wood to which it has been applied absolutely tircpr'wf, and at a very low cost. This, discovery is likely to revolutionize fire insurance, as well as to im menser decrease the loss by fire. All countries lure been discovered save heaven. ANAFRICAN I‘RAVBLLBR KILLED. ' 3h. 1’. L. James. the Explorer of Somnll- lnnd. Falls 1! “can to an Elephant. Loxoox,.\lav lS.â€"The tragic death of Mr. F. L. James, the in tre id African hunter and explorer. has surpriset and shocked all who know of his career in Africa. A cable despatch from the west coast briefly announces that he was killed by a wounded elephant while hunting in the Gaboon country. Ele- phant hunting isdangeroussport,and natives are not unfrequeutly killed while chasing thisanimal, but as a rule white men have escaped fatal accidents. There are some white victims,however, and the last one pre- ceding Mr.James was Mr. Deane, an agent of the Congo Free State, who was gored to death by a wounded elephant while hunting near the Congo. The James brothers are best known for their journey tlirou Yh the centre of Somaliland south of the Gulf of Aden. Very few white men had penetratedbeyond the seaward fringe of this country. It is, except a part of the Sahara, the most dangerous region in Afrca to travel in. The people are fanatical Mos- lems, and few who have ventured into this death: The British Consul at Berbera, be- lievin the whole party would be killed, cablei to England for permission to prevent them from going inland. He received per- mission a little too late to catch the party. \Vhile in Somaliland the expedition was in constant danger. After its return the late Mr. James wrote :1- noteworthy book describing the discoveries and hair-breadth escapes of the expedition. He came out of Somaliland unscathed, only to fall a victim to an elephant on .the other side ofthc con- tiuent. -â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"-o-â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"- Ancient Feet. A noticeable thing about the statues and women, is the apparently dispropor- tionate size of their feet. \Ye moderns are apt to prgmounce them too large. particular- 1y those of the females. It will be found, however. that for symmetrical perfection these feet could not be better. A Greek sculptor would not think of such a thing as putting a nine-inch foot on a five-and-one- half-foot woman. Their types for these classical marble figures were taken from the most perfect forms of living persons. Unquestionably the human foot, asrepresent . ed by these old sculptors, was larger than the modern one, and, in fact, the primitive foot of all people of whom we have any re- cord, either in printing or statuary, was larger than the restricted foot of modern times. The masculine foot, forming an ap- proximateaverage of four different countries, was about twelve inches long. or it comfortably. The average maseulinc foot to-day is easily fitted with a No. 8.1. shoe, and is, therefore, not. above ten and seven-sixteeenths of an inch. Now, by the old scriptural rule of proportion, a. man five feet nine inches in hight should have a foot eleven and one-half inches long, or one-sixth his hight. It was of no great consequence what size sandal he wore, but he would have required a modern shoe of at least 10.1. for a minimum fit or a No.‘ II for real coni- fort. For women, allowing for the differ- ence in the relative size of the two sexes, which was about the same then as now,a woman of five feet three inches in hight would have had afoot ten inches long requir- ing a modern shoeâ€"it ought to be spoken only in a whisperâ€"«No. 6 as the most com- fortable forthat foot or a No. as the lini- it of torture. The reason for the difference between the old classical foot and the mod- ern one is obvious. Restriction is what has done it.â€"â€"[Shoe and Leaflier Reporter. A Woman‘s Weapon. A great deal of laughter has been expended on womankind for taking the broom as a weapon in “shooting” an enemy, but, after all, why should not one use the implement to which she is most accustomed '.' Great exc- cution is possible with th: weapon of our choice, as an English wonan living in Can- ada has proved. She was one day greatly interested in put- ting out the family washing to dry. Sheets and tablecloths were on the lin 3, which, to her horror, suddenly fell, drop-pug her spot- less clothes in the dirt. . A large buck caught by the antlers was the cause. of the trouble. There was not a man within five milesâ€"they had all gone to a neighbor for the day. The deer plun- ged about, and the woman screamed, Some- thing had to be done, and done at once. There was a fine gun in the house, loaded, but she would not approach it, as firearms were her especial dread. Among her many possessions she had a large pair of tongs. She thoroughly under- stood this firearm, and with all her house- wifer instincts outraged she seized them and began the attack. Within five minutes the bucks skull was pounded to a jelly and then the victor, her clothing slightly torn, sat down and indulged in a good cry. Nothing Dangerous About Him. Mr. N. Peckâ€"“Alexandre Dumas says that ‘auything useless is dangerous.’ \Yhat do you think of that, my dear 1’" Mrs. N. I’cckm“ I think he was an old fool who didn't know what he was talking about. There is nothing dangerous about you, is there?" Familiar with the Subject. A teacher wastclling her little boys about temptation and showing how it sometimes came in the most attractive attire. She used as an illustration the paw of a cat. “ Now," said shc, “ you have all seen the paw of a eat. It is as soft as velvet, isn't it “ chsem," from the clasa “ And you have seen the paw of :1 dog?‘ “ \ essem.” " “'cll, although the cat's paw seems like it something that hurts. What is it '1" No answer. “ The dog bites," said the teacher, “when he is angry. but what does the cat do?" “ Scratches," replied the boy. " Correct." said the teacher, nodding her head appn‘ivingly. “ Now, what has the cat got that the dog hasn‘t?" “ Whiskers." said a boy on the back seat, and the fitter that ran around the class brought the “2550" to an end.-~-T}o ’mmg Cent/10H". l ‘vclvet, there is. nevertheless, concealed in Nature makes us vagab'm'ls, the World I makes us respectable. found in our museums of art, supposed to represent the perfect figures of ancient men This would require at least a b0. 12 or 15.5 shoe to cov- A lono‘ time passedâ€"410nm it s * ~ 1I . . I . c, .. LLlllU to countrv bet and the coast lnlls hm e escaped \,a luv clolheslmving become smked' l l Almost Drowned. ‘Thc author of “New Zealand after Fifty \ ears" was a. ‘seuger on board the ship Sir George. Po lock. bound from London to New Zealand. \Vnen about' a thousand miles smith of the Cape of Goml Hope. in a very cold latitude, he was fishing for allu~ trusses and molly-mocks over the stern. when a sudden lurch of the vessel pitched him overlxxird. He fell about twentv feet, and as he struck the water flat on his chest the wind was pretty well knocked out of him and he was for the moment half-stunned.‘ \\'hen I came to myself I was do iting pretty comfor'ably, my thick woolen clothes supporting me, and my wide-awake hat. floating by my side. Then: was a hem y swell, and. as I rose to the crest of a wave, I saw the ship, looking very small, as if she were already a long way off. I noticed, however, that she was hove to. and I felt sure that I should be picked up. My only fear was that the albatrosses might swoop down upon me and kill me with their terrible beaks, as they had killed the carpenter of the same ship the voyage l efore. I I fl )atcd low in the wate ‘ and could no long- er empty my mouth fast enough to get breath to keep the ship in sighf. Every wave that came sank me deeper and made me swallow more. water. I began to feel deadly cold and thought it was all over with me. I could not ld‘lp blaming my fl'icnds on the ship for their cruelty in letting me drown, when they might so easily have. sent a boat for me, but I forgave them and said my pravers. I could nolonger keep my head hbovti water. and at last I saw it green ovcr mv eyes as I looked up, my head swam roimd ‘ and I. thought I was going to sleep. I was aroused by something touchingme. forcing me down in the water, audithcn dragging me out altogether, and the ncxf thing I knew I was among men who were talking, though I could not undcrsfinnl them for the rushing and whizziug in mv cars. The first words I understood .wcrc. sonic» thing about “handing him 11 i," and at the same time I felt myself lifted up the ship's side and seized by a number of arms. Soon I knew that I was lying in warm blankets with hot bottles under my armpits and feet. I could hear voices round me and know what they said. and I could feel hands: rub hing my feet and turning me about. lint 1 could not Speak or move or show a sign of life, and in my inside I felt so cold I thought I must die. At length I felt something very hot in my mouth, and I gulpcd and it K went. down my throat. It came again and again and warmed me up and made me feel better, though fcarfully sick. Then I felt all over me a terrible pricking and twitching like “pins and needles" when your foot is asleep. After that I got drowsy, and the next thing I remembered I was lying in my bcrth with my father and sister sifting by me. I had been nearly half an hour in the cold waters of the Southern ocean, and if. was two hours before they could tell for cer- tain whether I was dead or alive. H Poppi g the Question. “livery girl makes up her mind at some. time in her life that. she will never accept. any man who does not propose gracefully,” said a man who was sipping claret with several others the other day, in the presence of a reporter. “He has got to be fully toggcd out in a dress suit, and has got to kneel according to the llclsartc custom. That is the. idea at first, but I'll bet there isn’t one girl in a hundred who ever gets her proposal in that wayâ€"at least from the one she acceptsâ€"and I'll leave it to the present company to decide, if each one will give the circumstance of his proposal. " “\Ve're in." said a graydiaircd llcnedict. “ ’iegin with your own.” “All right. I took my wife that was to he, and is now, sleigh riding. \Vc were talking about sentimental things and nch lccted to notice that we ran on to a stretch of road which the wind had cleared of snow. \Ve never notich it until the horse. stopped utterly exhausted. There was nothing to do but to get out and lczul the horse bitch, because he couldn't drag us. I proposed on the way back, vhilc I was trudging along a country road. with my left h'ind t n the horse’s bridle and thcother ~\\'cll, new 1‘ mind that. She accepted me, but she itl< ways said it was a mistake. I refused to let her off, though, or to propose again in a. dress suit." “My proposal," said thc gray-haired old man, “was made also during a sleigh ride. My wife and myself were in the back seat. in a four-scat sleigh. and, in going over a bmnp of some kind. the seat, with us on it. was thrown off. \Vc landed in a nice come fortahle snow drift, and thc sleigh wont on for a mile before we were missed. “'hcn it came back for us, however, We wure en- gagcd. \Vc weren't in a. dignified position, but we were fairly comfortable and we had the scat still with us. Since then mv wife. has frequently stated that she had lllftll'lf‘d never to accept a man unless he,- proposed in true noch form, but she did.” “ I'll give you a summer story," said .1. young man but recently married. “I did my courting in a place full of romance, but. the proposal never came at a romantic time ; in fact, I don't think a man is responsible for the time he proimscs. It just come}; and that is all there is about it. I had had the most favorable occasions in romantic nooks. Finally, I had a two-mile row in the hot sun. I apologized and took off mv coat ; thenI apologized again and took off my Vest. It wam't romantic, but if canm on me and I said if. The boat drifted half a mile and I Wouldn't have cared if it had drifted ten miles. “'c werecngagwl. And I looked liku a tramp at the time." “And I'll tell you that sentimentality domn't go," said a lawyer. “I know. he- Calhf.‘ I've tried it I proposed to my wife first at a summer resort, when thc moon was full and I was sober. There was everything to inspire sentiment. lint she refused me. I let it go. A little later I met her again in the parlor of the hotel and suggested marriage again. She accepted me then. There was nothing to inspire sentiment in the last meeting, and, therefore, I say sentiment doesn't go." I'. was the sentiment of the meetinthat on girl is proposed to in the way she ex- poets. _â€".â€"_.â€"â€"â€"-â€"â€"â€" W'hite sash curtains of dotted or spriggml muslin or lace tied back with whit: ribbon hows, are the fad of the Fifth avenue again this spring. ._-...__._.~.~.