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i laurveyin mums dish. “Iwas just think~ ing I con d eat the whole lot of those cun- * ning little cakes." By GEORGE B. BURGIN. Miss Mattie was in a dilemma. A chill ‘ who had faint ho gleam of April sunshine shot across the be couched in all the table and lit dancingly on Miss Mattic’s of Miss face. Miss Mattie was not averse to su -- shine ordinarily, but this intrusive and irre- sponsible beam annoyed her; besides, itswith certain vain but impassioned utter- made the flame of the fire look sickly, and disturbed maiden meditations. She put on her spectacles. carefully adjusted her cap, and prepared for the worst. Then she rang the boll for Prudence, her handmaiden, who appeared in Quaker gray and a snowy cap. Little rebellious curls danced out from be- neath the cap in a frivolous fashion uhich nothing could restrain. Even now as she ~ came in she made an attempt to reduce them to order, but in vain. “Prudence,” said Miss Mattie, “what did the Doctor's boy say 2" "That worldly youth, Mistress, attempt- ed to pass the time in vain discourse con- cerning certain maidens who attire them~ selves in blue raiment and smite a heathen instrument called the tambourine” . “Yes, yes, Prudence.” interrupted Miss Mattie, “I daresay. But what did he say about the letter l” ' “He said, Mistress, that he was to take back an answer ; and I have entrcated him to much profitable conversation until the answer be written." Miss Mattie looked perplexedly at the grave, serene-eyed, little Quaker maid. “How old are you, child '2” she asked. " Twenty, M'stress," said Prudence. Miss Mattie gazed at the unopened letter on the table, and then at Prudence. “ Pru- I deuce, you are young,” she said, “but wiser 3 than your years. Have youâ€"have you ever had a sweetheart ?” Prudence looked a little unprepared for this remark. Bu: she was conscientious. " Truly," she said, “ there is one stalwart youth, a carpenter, who has flattered. me; many times when going to Meeting, but to whom I have not been drawn.” , “ Oh, yonâ€"you weren’t drawn to him 2” ' asked Miss Mattie. ” Nay, Mistress ; whereat he is much pro- voked, and threateneth to "-â€" “ To what ?” asked Miss Mattie. “ To fare forth to foreign lands and for- get me,” plucidly answered the little maid. Miss Mattie still struggled with acertain shameful consciousness that she had waver~ ed. What; a towsr of strength Prudence was ! “ Did youâ€"did youâ€"did he ever kiss you 2” she asked in a whisper. . Prudence opened her blue eyes widely. “ Surely, Mistress, it is the manner ofyoung men to indulge in such unsecmlincss unless discouraged." “Andâ€"and didâ€"you- did you discour- age him ‘3” asked Miss Mattie. A taint color stole over the pretty little maid’a face. She looked distressfully at the carpet. “The youth was strong, and I but slight,” she answered in confusion; “and he was about to depart and-â€"and”â€"â€" "W-what did he do?" asked Miss Mattie eagerly. still holding the letter in her hand. “He saluted me, Mistress,” answered Pru- dence. A faint smile played over her lips at the recollection. “Sit down, Prudence,” said Miss Mattie. “I want to ask your advice, child. You know more about men than I do.” Prudence sat down. Miss Mattie regard- ed her as a daughter, although Miss Mattie herself was only forty-five. But people in Little Binglcton rather prided themselves an looking old.‘ It was thought to savour )I fliglitiiiess if folks adopted modern fashions or travelled often to town Miss Mattie was the only daughter of the late Dr. Sewcll. Ever since her fa- ther's death, which had happened about; ten years ago, she had lived in her own pretty little cottage on the out- skirts of the town. People who remember. ed her fifteen years back said that Miss Mattie was then very handsome. She was still a sweet-faced woman, with rich auburn hair, and placid blue eyes. There has been whispers of a girlish romance 11 long time ago; but by-and-by people looked upon her as aconfirmed old maid. The years pass- ed, iind still Miss Mattie lived her quiet uneventful days, until Dr. Slurke, the one practitioner in the place, suddenly discover- ed that Miss Mattie was wasting her life, “You’vea mission to fulfil," he had said. “What is it '2” placidly demanded hiss} Mattie. “I will go home and write it to you,” rctorted the. Doctor, attacked by a sudden fit of shyness. His manner bad 0:- casioncd Miss Mattie some misgivings, but- ' she had concealed them under her usual placid exterior until the arrival of the fatal etter. The latter lay upon the table. Miss Mattie dared not open it. It seemed as if the occasion demanded a solemn and formal ceremony of some sortâ€"a ceremony with" witnesses, “Open it, Prudence” she said’ suddenly, turning to the little maid. 7 Even Prudence could not conceal some- thing which approached to worldly curios- ity. She took the letter in her hand and opened it with her usual deliberation. “The man has a concern to marry thee, Mistress," she said, after a steady perusal of the letter. No woman likes to have a proposal of marriage put before her in so boldly prosaic a manner as in this instance. Miss Mattie felt that the occasion was not being treated with sufficient solemuity. “ Read it aloud please, Prudence," she said ; and Prudence ' read it: . Dean M.\D.\.\I.-I never proposed to any l one beforeâ€" haven’t. had either the time or the inclinationâ€"and l have vainly consult~ , ed all the literature on the subject. Most of it seems to me to be rubbish. Your are! a at: set, amiable woman, of rather a melan- choly disposition ;I am bustliiig,savage,irri~ l table, loud and overbearing. Don't you 3 think that wecacli have what the other hicks? ; I‘m tired of livinzalonc,soniust you be also. 1 Couldn‘t we join force and travel together! You must be very solitary,n:nl it is always so 3 comforting to have a man in the house in: case of burglars or fire or anything of that 1 sort. Will you marry me? If so, kindly return a note in the affirmative by bearer, and I’ll come up this evening to talk it over. If my letter islacking in delicacy, remember E that doctors arc accustomed to come straight ' to the point. You want rousing ; so do I. l “‘hich shall it be? Yes or no? I shall be,I walking ixnpsti: ntiy up and down my garden j -â€":in exceedingly rash thing to do in this ? east wandâ€"until I receive your reply.â€"- 3 Years very faithfully, Sims Straits. “ Is that all 3" demanded Miss Mattie, ' And Miss Mattie actually laughed. Her tea parties were usually very solemn and stately affairs. Mrs. Pennifather, the Rec. tor‘s wife, always came in a copper-coloured silk. Miss Tivinkleton, too, invariably don- ned her best old yellow lace ruffles for the occasion. The stranger, however, were gar- ments ofa transatlantic cut, and had a point- ed beard. Hc was a tine handsome man of about forty-five. As Miss Mattie handed him a fragile cup, the lust of the pikelets had disappeared. ’ h ’ e pes that the: missive would lonu- winded eloquence Austin’s heroines. Even Prudence seemed to have found it disappointing. She inwardly contrasted it ances of the young carpenter. and then Sewell, said“ I’m rebuked herself for instituting worldly com- pan-ions. “Is there nothing more in the letter, Prudence? Nothing about love '3" "The letter lacketh worldlincss of that kind,” answered Prudence, seriously scan- ning the page. Miss Mattie had not lost all sentiment. She recalled that. episode of her vanished youth when Reuben Rouutree had declared that be worshipped her. {eubcn was only a farmer's sonâ€"a struggling farmerâ€"and Miss Mattic’s exalted position had been de- clared a fatal obstacle to Reuben‘s preteri- sions. thrcupon, Reuben had uttered wicked words, shaken his fist at Mattie’s white-haired old father, and departed toi $§é£gTLfielhingogfg:Tgitzlgcxngefg)": lands unknown in search of fortune. He had taken a lock of Miss Mattie’s fair hair with him, and she stillcherishcd in secret a little black daguerreotype of the departed swain. All this had happened a quarter of a century ago. At first, the faith of love had kept Miss Mattie’s heart; warm. But hearts grow cold and faith wavers and dies away when the years pass and absent lot ers make no sign. Miss Mattie drifted placidly adown the stream of Time, distributing little gifts to her neighbors on the banks, and winning the love of all. But she found life rather dull. Her old school-fellows had large families, who called Miss Matilda. ' ‘Auut Matttc,’ and confided all their troubles to her sympathetic ears. Miss Mattie also found, to her very great surprise, that men rather disturbed her. She liked her little nap after dinner, her game of backgammon with Prudence in the evening, her regular quiet life. If she had married Reuben, all these things would have become impos» sible. Miss Mattie did not like to be hurried. And yetâ€"and yet. 'As she sat there hold- ing Dr. Slurke’s letter in her band, her youth came back. How the poor boy had loved her! She recalled his foolish speeches, his fondness for her yellow locks and blue eyes, and all the thousand-und-one little tricks and jests with which he had beguiled her into loving him. had unsettled her. Though she felt she could not marry a man who never wiped his boots on the mat, and believed that a. coit- gested liver was answerable for all the sur- row in the worldâ€"yet there might be hidden depths of love within him. He was. a doctor, too. That was another recommenda- ~ tion. Prudence still waited, the letter in her hand. Miss Mattie temporiscd. “ Iâ€"I will ask him to lea, Prudence,” she said, as she sat down to her desk and wrote in an elegant Italian hand that she must have further time in which to consider Dr Slnrke’s flatter- ing proposal. “ And Prudence,” she said, as she sealed thelcttcrâ€"Miss Mattie always used a sealâ€"“ see that your pikelets are plentiful and of the best. Nothing comforts a man so much as a good tea.” Miss Mattie was a little bit rufiled by the events of the day. She went tip-stairs and looked long and lovingly at a certain little tin portrait. Then she put on her best lavender silk dress, removed her cap, and went down-stairs to her cosy sittingroom. A man’s step scrunched the gravel outside, and the next moment an unknown voice demanded if Miss Matilda Sewell lived there. Miss Mattie thrust the daguerreotype in- to her bosom and went out. “ What is it, Prudence ‘2” she asked. “A wayfarer from over the sons who would have speech with thee, Mistress,” said Prudence quietly, as she went back to her pikclets. , Miss Mattie felt an odd sensation at her heart. It fluttered and leapt. What if this burly stranger brought. her news from the miforgotten Reuben ! The stranger held a letter in his hand. “I’ve just come down on the cars with a letter from an old friend,” he said. “On the what?” asked Miss .Mattie, in bewilderment. Oh, I forgot. “0n the cars. them trains. Can I come in 1’” “With pleasure,” said Miss Mattie, in a fluttered, odd little tone. “May I offer you a dish of tea ?” The stranger sccmcd puzzled. ally drink it in mugs,” he said. He took off his bat and coat and careful- ly hung them on a peg in the hall. The pas- sage seemed to shrink when he walked along it, and his head bit; against the low little portal as he followed Miss Mattie into her small sitting-room, full of delicate cliina,and gay With samplers and quaint old mirrors on the walls. The stranger sat down in an arm chair by the fire. He seemed to swell over the sides of it. The cat jumped on his‘colosssl knee and went to sleep there. Miss Mattie sat facing the window, and feeling reassured. She trusted that cat’s instinct almost as much as she did the wis- dom of Prudence. And the cat did not know young carpenters. As the stranger glanced around the room, the ancient figures on the samplers caught his eye. He studied the impossible pea- cocks spreading their tails under equally im- possible trees, and his eyes twinkled “ My! Ain't they real pretty 1” he said. Then he looked at another sampler. "I like that picture of Noah and his sons sitting on top of the Ark,” he observed genially. Miss Mattie felt distressed. She did not like to interrupt his flow of criticism by ad- mitting that the Ark was meant for the roof of a house, and Noah and his sons were only four ravens perched on the ridge. “Excuse me," said the stranger, handing liera letter. “Won't you read this first. and then we'll talk." Hospitality was a sacred rite with Miss Mattie. “I trust that you will partake of my poor hospitality first, M-Ztlaâ€" 1'” she said, with a stately bend of her head. “Alphaeus l’. Winterbottom. I’d be sorry to go away without doiu so,” answered the stranger heartily, as grudcnoo appeared with the pikelets. “l’rudence,"said Miss Mattie solemnly, “make some more.” ' "You're right, Ma'ain," said the stranger, You call “We gener- Dr. Slurke’s letterl “ My 1 Miss quite forgetting the walls. for ’ein at this rate. ” Miss Mattie laughed again. step ly. “Iâ€"â€"I had quite forgotten him. ” Dr Slurke opened the door, and recoiled in angry amaZement. but seldomâ€"chatting genially away with some foreign rufiian whom he had never be- fore heard of or known to exist. indecorous ; it was vulgar ; it was nnfeel- any lady however nice she might be under ordinary circumstances. stubby beard and glanced at the stranger. But, unfortunately for the Doctor, Mr Al- ' phueus P. Winterbottom 3 whclmed. ‘ To in; cos'rixuso. _"_+-â€"-â€"â€" ITEMS OF INTEREST. The Mayor of Ironton. Ohio, Mr, John Corns, has occupied that; ofiicc for l M. twenty-two years. 'The rabbit is so prolific that: the progeny 3 of a pair of them, in ten years, will number 70,000,000 The best corks come from Algeria. There are 2,500,000 acres of cork forests in that country, After a tedious courtship of twenty-seven i years, a. couple were married the other day in Weston, N.C. A German doctor asserts that topers can be cured of the desire for liquor by eating raw apples at every meal. Glass type, recently tested in a Paris newspaper, is said to be a success. The iprinting from it is clear and sharp, while itlie cost; is much lower than for leadcn l type. ' There is in China a secret society called , the “ Triad.” It is a capital crime to be- . long to it, yet it has more than thirty mil- ‘of the present dynasty. A relic hunter iuPortlund, Me., recently i visited the house in which Longfellow was ibOl‘ll. He desired some memento of the l the biggest he could find. He stole a whole mantle-piece. "Policeman's gout," is a new malady, g which seems to be spreading in London. It 3 is a swelling of the. head, limbs, and body, l caused by the policemaii’s readiness to im- ' bibe bcer and spirits at the expense of keep- ers of public houses. A watch is usually composed of 98 pieces _ and its manufacture embraces over 2,090 6 distinct operations. Some of its screws are i so small as to be imperceptible to the un- g aided eye; and the slit in the heads of 5 these screws is 2-1000ths of an inch in 3 width. 3 In Norway the horses always have a bucket of Water placed beside each animal’s allowance of hay. After each mouthful *of :liay they take a sip of water. It is said i that this mode of feeding is beneficial ; and y to it the fact is attributed that a broken- ! winded horse is rarely seen in Norway. Persons who employ steam-engines will be interested in the invention of a Glasgow engineer, who has perfected a device by which all steam is returned to the boiler after it has done its work in the cylinder By this contrivance, in one case, it is said, a single ton of coal was made to do as much work as ten theretoforc. Some ingenious rogues in Calcutta and Bombay purchase favorite brands of liquors in the original packages. They remove the good liquor without touching the cork or the capsule, and substitute vile stuff. How do they do it! By drilling a hole in the bottom of the bottle, and filling the hole with wax when the poisonous liquid has been introduced. Lightning played strange freaks in Dan- bury, Conn. In some cases it followed the course of the water-mains, bursting the pipes and tearing up the pavements. It entered one house through a window, and removed the gilding from several picture frames. Thos. Williams was in bed in his home at New Canaan, and the lighting play- ed around his fcot, and drew all the nails from his shoes. John Johnson, a newly rich man, wishing to be considered of a literary turn, bought books right and left to found a library. Among his purchases was an old dictionary. This he sent to be rebound. When it was returned it had printed on its back the words, “ Johnson’s Dictionary.” This familiarity he could not endure, and he in- dignantly asked the binder why he did not put on his full name-“ John Johnson's Dictionary. ” “*â€" Ashes F or the Land. The composition of the ashes varies with the kinds of wood consumed, and other Causes. The Connecticut experiment station reports a series of analyses made at the Georgia station, where there was a variation of more than ten to one in the quantities of some of the important ingredients, accord- ing to the kind} of wood used. For in- stancc,dogwood had more than 19 percent. of potash,whitc oak only ten per cent., and chestnut less than three per cent. Post oak had 3.3 per cent. of lime,and white oak only eight per cent. We mention these varieties, says the Country Gentleman, to show that precision in any prescriptions cannot be em ployed, and there is probablyquite as great a variation in the soils to which the ashes are applied, taken with the different me- chauical conditions and other influences. The value and fitness as a fertilizer may be determined best by careful field trials. Quantitizs may vary from 10 to 50 bushels an acre, according to the. determined needs of the different soils. Light soils are com- monly found to be most improved, possibly because they admit the potash more freely among their interstices. the little man up there on There won’t be a crumb left Another sounded on the gravel path outside. “ It’s Dr Slurkc, "she said, uncomfortab- There was Miss Mat- tieâ€"his Matilda, as he was wont to call her in dreams -when he did dream, which was It was So he pulled his was not over- 9 lions of members. Its object is the overthrow poet, and watching his opportunity, took _ ’which he was sitting. ABOUT ONE CHANGE IN 10W) “in You “In M Ruled by "gun": a” stricken person may occur without leaving Coming l'car. and only gradually be reduced to Lastly, the immediate disappearance of the a trace of his body or any of its parts, thus summarily relieving the medical examiner The past season has been unusually fatal l of further responsibility." in the number of casualties from lightning~ been repo middle of June last. forms, as sheet lightning, stroke, scarcely a week elapsiug in which from one to a halfqlozen deaths have not rted from this cause since the inastorm are trees, masts, The places and omens \vmcu suoru) ns avoman high poles, lofty buildings, spires and steeplcs, wa.cr. stove- Lightning, as it appears to the eye of an pipes, bell wires. gaspipes and electric observer, is usually classified into different wires, iron fences, crowds of people, droves zig-zng lightning of cattle or other animals, umbrellas, walk- and ball lightning. People may be struck ing sticks and metal ornaments worn upon by lightning almost aiiyvivhere-ixi houses, the person. out of doors, under trees, in open fields. and The chances that any citizen in the ordin- on board ships at sea. Cases, however, are My walks of life incurs in a single year of of most frequent occurrence out of doors, and under trees. Sailors, on board ship, are peculiarly liable to lightning stroke, Metallic objects carried in the to be struck. pockets, or about the body, render any one more liable lightning than women, in the ratio of 5 to If the clothing is wet, the lightning may pass over it, as a banning the body. On the other hand, done to the clothing. In rare instances in leaving the body. Lightning often injures without destroy- ing life. fatal in their character. few hours. times occur. Insevere cases the victim may be knock- Vomiting and nausea some- cd down with violence, or may be thrown several feet, and lose consciousness. Exter- nal injuries may be found, such as burns and bruises. There may be fractures of bones, or bleeding from the nose, ears, or month. There may be a loss of memory for a time, and cases of insanity have been known to follow. Deafness is a common symptom, and is due to rupture of the ear drum. In fatal cases DEATH IS USUALLY INSTANTANEOUS, but it has been known to occur after the lapse of several days, from secondary causes. It may be caused by apoplexy, or by rupture of the heart, or large blood vessels. Burning is a most common result ofliglit- ning stroke. The parts chiefly and first; af- fected in this manner are the upper portions neck. there is usually a deep hole in the foot, where the lightning leaves the body. Wounds made as if out with a knife are also occasionally found. good conductor, without persons may be killed without harm being bodies have been stripped naked by light- ning. The coverings of the feet areliablato be seriously injured, because it is here that. the lightning meets the greatest resistance In mild cases the person struck may, or may not, lose consciousness for a brief period of time. There may be a temporary paralysis of one or more of the 'imbs for a being killed‘by lightning, judging from the experience of the past 50 years in this state, are about one in ten thousand. Men are much more liable to death by ‘2, n fact which is probably due to their ont~ door occupations. The greatest numbers of deaths from this cause occur in July, and the least number' lin the winter months. The age 20 to 30 years also furnishes the greatest number of victims. The statistics of 300 deaths from this cause, presented in the United States census report of 1380, show that lightning stroke was by far the most- frequent in the region of the western plains at. the base of the Its affects may properly be classi- g Rocky mountains. and also in the heavily fled into those which are mild, severe and‘timbered region of the Northwest, while the north Atlantic scacoast region was com~ . paratively exempt. “4â€"â€" Scienoe on Sudden Death- Most people regard death by a fall as one of the most agonizing forms of dying. In a lecture at Zurich, Prof. Heim has declared, says a Berlin correspondent, that this opin~ ion is erroneous. The first fact to be com sidered, nccordin to the professor, is that ' the subjective fee ings in the various kinds of tall are the same. There are people who have. escaped death by n hair‘s breadth, who reached the stage of unconsciousness, and who are able to report what they felt. Prof. Heim, who has occupied himself with this interesting question for many years, bases his observations on personal as cri- Ieuces, and on a large number of cases w ich of the bodyâ€"the head, forehead, face and P0" 8"} “Pure hm“ ,0“ it“ out of 65 cases noted, Dn Bunard power is immensely increased. In almost found that 44 were injured about tho-“11.094595theP1‘5l’39emsfmd‘lenlyl! med “P head. If the person struck be standing, “'3 If by 3' flag“ 0f lightmng- A” P uses "f l have occurred, not only in the mountains, but also in war, in industrial establish- ments and in railway accidents. The Victim stiflch no pain, no paralyzing terror. He is perfectly aware of what is going on. The time seems long to him. In a few seconds he is able to think so much that he can re. His thinking life pass before the mind’s eye, nothing petty or unimportant disturbing the retro- spect. Then gentle, soft tones sound in oue's ears and die away at last when un- A curious and not; uncommon effect of consciousness sctsin. Onchears the fall of the lightning is the formation of certain arbo- rescent, or treelike, marks upon the body. By early observers they were believed to be due to the presence of neighbors ob- jects, which were photographed upon the skin. Various explanations were offered by different; authorities. Richardson has shown by experiment that the blood is the . best electrical conductor of all human tis- lsucs, and that these marks are merely the impressions of the blood vessels on the skin, due to the action of the lightning on the blood in the vessels. Casper relates a case in which a. young man was struck and killd. His hair was burnt off and his nose bled. The surgeon who examined him saw on the skin of his chest. 9. perfect impression of: an inverted tree, as if tattooed. His cap was torn to pieces. 'He died of injury to the brain. In 1871 a coachinan was killed while driv- ing, and tho footman sittingr by his side was not injured. The lightning struck the coachman’s bead, destroyed his cap and tore his clothes, passed through his body, and fore a hole through the cushion on No damage was done to the carriage except; breaking the glass, and the occupants were not injured. The loss of consciousness which some« times follows a lightning stroke is not al- ways immediate. One observer relatcs a story of a man who was able to Inn to the door of his room and call his dog after being struck and before he lost; consciousness. Lightning plays USACCOUSTABLE FREAKS. The last season has Witnessed many such. Afew days since at Medford a bed was torn in pieces by the lightning, while the per- sons who lay upon it were unharmed. In the same week two houses were struck by one bolt at Monument Beach, and one per- son was killed in each house. The writer recalls an instance which oc- curred in a suburban town several years ago, where a. farmer and his wife were sit- ting opposite each other at a kitchen table, in a storm. A cat was lying beside them on the floor near the stove. The lightning struck the chimney over the kitchen, came down, and whirled the table about without injuring either the man or his wife. It struck the stove, passing off by one of its legs, which was melted, killed the cat, and finally went off into the well, by way of a nail in the floor. In a severe thunder storm in June, 1888, two old ladies wore killed by lightning in a small town, a child of 10 months was also killed in the same storm, and, strange to relate, neither of them showed any external marks of injury. The ossibilities of lightning stroke are admira ly summed up by Dr. J. L. Sulli- van of Maldeii ina paper before the Med- ico-Legal Society in these words : “ Light- nin may heal as well as harm; it may abo ish sight, hearing and the power of voluntary motion, or it may restore the lost senses. and cure paralysis. It may strip the body naked, and consume the clothing,whilc the wearer escapes unhurt, or it may consume the individual and leave his garments untouched. One person who is fatally struck may be hurled violently to a distance, while another is left in the pre- cise attitude and spot. in which death sur- prised him. One case may present exten- sive anatomical changes, such as amputa- l tion of limbs, rupture of the heart. fracture . of the bones, while in another case no in- body, but one does not feel it. It will be remembered that Mr. \Vliyniper, who had a severe succession of falls once in the Alps without losing his consciousness, declares emphatically that as be bounded from one rock to another he felt absolutely no pain. The same thing happens on the battle field; the entrance of the bullet into the body is not felt, and it is not till he feels the blood flowing ora limb paralyzed that the soldier knows he is wounded. Persons who have had limbs broken by a. fall do not know which limbs are affected till they try to rise. At the moment of a fall the whole intellectual activity is increased to an ex- traordinary degree. There is not a trace of anxiety. One considers quickly what will happen, or may happen. This is by no means the consequence of “presence of mind”, it; is rather the product of absolute necessity. A solemn composure takes pas- scssion of the victim. Death by fall isa beautiful one. Great thoughts fill the vic- tims" souls ; they fall painlessly into a great blue sky. TIED TO A CAR. The Horrible (.‘rnelty or'l‘cnnesscc Miners to Gilbert 6. ltlce. A New York telegram says zâ€"Gilbert G. Rice, the man whose sufferings at the hands of a mob of Tennessee miners did so much in the recent strike to turn sentiment against the strikers. is able to tell his story. To a. reporter Mr. Rice gave a description of the thrilling experience he had. He was captured by a band of strikers who were holding it secret meeting in the woods who suspected him of being a spy. He was kept a prisoner several days in hopes that he would give somedctails of the convict camp. He gave them false information and they made a charge on the camp and were defeated. They were very angry and de- termined to make an example of him. It was decided to tie him by the neck to a car and then set the car running down the steep incline. “ The nooae was drawn around my neck and the brakes loosened,” he said. “One of the miners dropped the noose from my neck to my waist. As the, car started I took a step forward, then another until I found it diflicnlt to keep up. The sides of the track were lined with a jeering mob of miners. At a curve in the road I was lost to their sight. There was a sudden turn as the car flow around, and at the end of the taut lariat I felt myself flying through space. I had gone offon u. tangent, and the rope near the car struck a telegraph pole. The rope wound itself rapidly around the pole. There was a sharp report as the lariat parted and the car went on. Hours later I revived and got. free from the lariat, which had tom the flesh about my loins into shreds. Two ribs were broken, and I was bruised all over. I found a s ustter’s hut. and two days later was in ’uoxville: I have been very ill ever since. My Weight has fallen from 205 pounds three weeks ago to 150 now, and the shock has turned my hair while. " So remote is the planet Neptune from the sunâ€"its mean distance being 2,745,998 milesâ€"that its temperature is estimated to bc nine hundred degrees below zero. The manner in which tiials are conducted jurYWilllwdelccled. Oneautopaywillro- in Chinese courts would be a startling veal softening of bony structures, collapse surprise to all who have not personall of the lungs, etc., while another case will present precisely opposite conditions. thunder-stricken corpse may undergo rapid , lattcnded a court scene. (law I Torture is of: ways resorted to in order to compel the accused to declare himself guilty of the putrefactiou, while another will remain for ; charge against him, and to such an extent day- “nCl‘angt‘d- There may be Hidden is it carried that it often results in either homing of the body. or it may be cullflum'.causlng the death of the accused or else ed slowly, as if by spontaneous combustion, i maimmg him for life.