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1.33pm h‘ gill-1530mm H0 SE. 1 SEVENTH PARLIAMENTâ€"FOURTH SESSION AT OTTAWA. IRAS!!! RIVER PLOODS. Mr. Corbould desired to call attention to the disaster in the Fraser River valley, B. C. This district was, perhaps, the garden of British Columbia, and the result of the floods was hardly yet known. Much valu- able property had been destroyed and some lives lost. A stretch of country seventy miles long by about twelve miles wide had been swept. by thefioods. The disaster was caused by thesudden andexoept-ional warmth of an early season melting a very heavy snowfall on the mountains. He hoped the Government would come to the aid of the people of the district, who, were homeless and destitute. Sir John Thompson was sorry he was not able today to give the hon. gentleman a direct answer for want of information and particulars on the subject. He presumed the information would be forthcoming in a few days. . I THIRD READINGS. The following bills were read a third time ;â€" _ To incorporate the Northern Life Assur- ance Company of Canada. Respectin the Richelieu and Ontario NaVigation mpauy. Canada. mvoacs COURT. Mr. Charlton, on the second reading of the bill for the relief of Joseph Thompson, said that if the system of granting divorces were to be continued, it should be bya Divorce Court. As the evidence had not been distributed the bill was allowed to stand. EMPLOYMENT OF CHINESE. Sir John 'Thompson, replying to Mr. Prior, said that inasmuch as the work on the Esquimalt fortification is carried on directly under the British Government, no action had been taken regarding the employment of Chinese upon them, further than to forward the protest to the home authorities. GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS s Mr. Coatsworth. in moving that it is expedient to insert in every contract for any public work made and entered into hereafter a clause requiring the contractor to pay the workmen engaged upon such work a rate of wrges at least equal to the current rate of wages paid in the locality where such work is being done, at and during the time such contract is being car- ried on, unless the Minister with whose de- partment the contract has been made shall for special reason relieve the cTintractor from the observance of this clause“, said that a similar resolution was carried in the British House of Commons on February 13th, 1891, and was now in operation in all the departments of the Imperial service. A by-laav had been adopted in Toronto enacting that ‘laborers working on corporation work in that city shall be paid not less than 15 cents an hour. The principle be sought to establish was by no means new, and he thought he had shown a good precedent for its adoption by the Government. Mr. Ouimet said that at first sight the resolution seemed commendable, but the question that always arose was what was the current rate of wages. With the ex- ception of what had taken place in Toronto last,winter, he knew of nothing that called for such action as the hon. gentleman soughtto take. The trouble in Toronto seemed to be that the contractors took in laborers who were not local men. But how could this be provided against? If outside men were never employed, much higher prices would have to be paid. ~He foresaw great difficulties in the way of the adoption of such a principle, and for his dgpartment he could say it was impractic- a 6. Sir John Thompson‘said the proposal to adjourn the debate was a reasonable one. If the sweating system existed in Canada, and could be checked by the present reac- lution, it should be adopted. That, how- ever, was seriously challenged. The subject was worthy of consideration, and therefore he supported the motion to adjourn the debate. 'riuaD assume. Mr. Weldon’s bill to disfranchise voters who have taken bribes was read a third time. SA BEAT ll 0 BSERVANCE. Mr. Charlton moved the house into com- mittee on a bill to secure the better observ- ance of the Lord's day, commonly called Sunday. Mr. Sproule objected to the provision preventing boats moving through the canals etween 6 run. and 10 p.m. on Sundays. Mr. Haggart moved to substitute foLthe clause, that in case of urgent necessity, owing to pressure of business, cause by in- terruption of traffic or the approach of the close of navigation, the clause may be sus- pended or varied by order-in-Council which shall continue in force for only four weeks at the most and may apply to one or‘more canals. . The motion was carried by a vote of 56 to 3‘2. ' Mr. Charlton supposed he had better be satisfied with what he had got, and, with the permission of the chairman, he would drop clauses 3 and 4, referring to the run- ning of Sunday railway trains and railway and steamboat excursions. The clauses were dropped. Mr. Taylor desired to know if the Chris- tian Guardian was to be called anewspaper. He thought not. This paper was sent to clergyman, who distributed it in rural districts to their parishioners on Sunday. He therefore objected to the clause provid- ing for the imposition of a fine of not more than $50 for first conviction and not more v than $100 for each subsequent ofl'encc. “The clause was carried on a vote of 48 to The bill was reported with certain amendments which were agreed to. car-n11 1‘0 ANIMALS. Mr. Conan-crib“ moved the House into committee on his hill to make further pro- vision as to the prevention of cruelty to To incorporate the Trust Corporation ofl eept as a bona fide test of skill in mark- manship" struck out, Vhich, as the clause stands, prevents the ill-treating, baiting, starving, abandoning, or using as a target of any domestic animal. The amendment was carried by a vote of 55 to l0. - AN UNBXPEGTED LESSON. “ I didn’t enjoy the sermon at all this morning,” said Mrs. Fisk. " It seemed to me Dr. Prescott went out of his way to say Mr. 'l'isdale moved that the committee 05" filings: “1d I m “"7 ‘0 “Mice he is rise and report progress. The motion was carried by a vote of 62 to 27. . ‘ south-WEST saw. Mr. Only, in introducing a bill to amend the NorthJVest Territories Act, explained that when the prohibitory law was in force, an enactment was adopted to provide that debts for liquorssupplied by wholesale mer- chants could not be collected. It was pro- posed toprov1do that the Lieutenant-Gover- normight by proclamation repeal the provis- bcginning to put on pulpit airs, something I especially detest in any minister.” “ What do you mean by little pulpit airs, wife 2” ” Why,didn’t you notice how every little while he shrugged a' shoulder?” and lift-S. Fisk drew up one shoulder in exact imita- tion of the minister’s movement. “ Then there was an aficcted way of glancing with great rapidity from right to left, as if ion. Another feature of the bill was that it startled by his own ideas.” provided that the memberof the Executive Council should hold oflice until their succes- sors are appointed. IRRIGATION. ' Mr. Daly explained, on the first reading Again, Mrs. Fisk mimicked the pastor, turning her eyes from side to side in so ludicrous a manner that her husband laugh- ,ed outright, and little Dot burst into aloud of. the Dominion Irrigation Act, that it Pea-1 0f laugh": ‘00- makes provision fér irrigation by companies and individuals. - ‘ THE ELLIS CASE. The House passed adverse judgment upon Davies' resolution, which proposed to condemn as wrong the imprisonment of John V. Ellis, proprietor of the St. John Globe, by the Supreme Court of New Bruns- wick, for constructive contempt of court. Sir John Thompson gave the answer of the Government to the charges made against the New Brunswick judiciary, and to the legal arguments which have been put for- ward. Sc far as the offence was concerned, the Premier holds that it amounted to mak- ing infamous charges against Judge Tuck, which,after the accuser was compelled to ad- mit were rcundless,herefused towithdraw. Thepunis mentoflibellous andfalse attacks upon the bench in connectiOn with actions pending is held to be constitutionally and properly within the power of the court as- sailed. RELUWAN'I' \VITNESS M. Mr. Edgar moved that J. B. Provost and C. E. Larose, of Quebec, witnesses who had refused to answer the summons of the Privileges and Elections Committee, ‘do attend at the bar of the House on Monday, June 11. > Sir Hector Langevin pointed out that in Que bee when witnesses were requested to go a distance their traveling expenses were always tendered them. In this case not a cent had been paid. Therefore, he thought these witnesses should be first offered their expenses before these extraordinary pro- ceedings were taken. Sir John Thompson' said the practice was not to tender expenses, but no punish- ment could be meted out to a witness who failed to attend because of his indigent circumstances. . , Mr. Laurier said the payment of ex- penses in advance, when the witnesses ware summoned by the Crown, was not the practice in Quebec. The motion was adopted. KEMPTVILLE POST- OFFICE. Sir Adolphe Caron, answering M r. Lister, said that in 1891 and 1893 complaint has been made by Mrs. D. Leslie that her letters had been tampered with in the Kempttille post-office. The matter had been investigated, and the postmaster was instructed to discharge the assistant who was charged with tampering with the letters. LANDS FOR SETTLERS. Mr. Charlton movod an amendment to a motion that the House go into supply, that lands shall be sold only to actual settlers. The curse of the settlement of the country was the middleman or speculator. The Government had given away to speculators no less than 2,290 townships, or 82,590 square miles. Another evil was the grant- ing of 25,000 square miles at $5 a square mile to favorites of the Government. What was wanted was the actual settlement of lands and the development of the resources of the country. The Government should in every way make it to the interest of the settler to go into unoccupied lauds. Mr. Daly pointed out that the proposed resolution declarel that lands should be sold to actual settlers only on liberal terms; that there should be no sales of land to middlemen ; that provision should be made for free grant settlers ; and that land grants to railway corporations had been made with reckless lavishness to the serious det- riment of the public interest. The ma- jority, he conceded, would agree with the first portion of the resolution. Provision for free grants had existed since 1872, and it- was a liberal provision. Before the hon. gentleman made such char es, he should ascertain the terms on whic colonization lands were granted to settlers. Mr. Martin charged that the Government’ land policy‘was responsible for the small' ones of the emigration to the lVest. The reservation of a two mile railway belt had retarded the settlement of the country. He contended that rants had in everyinstance retarded the bui ding of the railways. The men who got grants were in nearly every instance unable and unprepared to go on with construction, and only prevented others who were able to carry on the work. Mr. Davin said the hon. member for North Norfolk (Mr. Charlton) in stating the amount of land granted to railways by the United States Government since 1850, when the first grant was made, down to the present time, which he said was 58,000, 000 acres, had given only a fractional amount of the grants. He had made the mistake ignorantly, he believed, of culling the amount patented from the total amount granted. ' The amendment was then festpd by a vote of 100 to 47. Some of the bricks found in Babylon in- dicate by the stain upon their surface an age of at least 5, years. The art of brick- making was well develo at that time, for no bricks are better in c than these. in the year 1862 the value of the salmon fisheries of England and Wales was esti- mated to have been £18,000. .In 1863 it was said to have reached £30,000. In 1870 its value was fixed at £70,000, and two years later the value was placed at £100,000. This‘ increase is the direct re- sult of the Salmon Fishery Act of 1361, of which the three fundamental principles were : The preservation of the salmon dur~ put and" de- “ It’s such queer little mannerisms as those,” she added, “ that I call pulpit airs, and, as i said before, I detest them l I only wish some one would tell Dr. Prescott how he spoils the effect of what he is saying by assuming such looks and attitudes." Mrs. Fisk and her husband had just re- turned from church, and- little Dot, seated on the floor was paying such fixed attention to what her mother was saying that her father asked, laughiugly, “ And what do you think of pulpit airs, little Dot 2” “‘I a-tests ’em l" said Dot, emphatically. This caused a merry laugh at Dot’s ex- pense, for the little four-year-old was par ticularly fond of getting hold of words alto- gether too large for her little packer of a mouth. The dinner bell ringing just then effected a change on the subject. It was only Monday afternoon, however, that Dr. Prescott called on Mrs. Fisk, and the servant thinking her mistress was at home, admitted him. On discovering that Mrs. Fisk was away, the girl returned to the parlor, and was surprised to find Dot carrying on what appeared an animated conversation with the minister. When Mrs. Fisk returned she saw her paétor’s card in the salver on the hall table and later in the afternoon as she sat sewing, with Dot seated, as usual, on the floor, surrounded by her belovad dollies, the wait- ress,in passing, looked into the room and said. . “I suppose you saw Dr. Prescott’s card, ma’am '3” - Mrs. Fisk replied that .she had seen it, P and was sorry not to have seen the gentle- man himself. “ As the girl passed on, Dot looked up and remarked, in a tone of great satisfaction : “I seed him, and I tellcd him 1 did a-test pulpit airs.” “What!” Mrs. Fisk started so and spoke . with such energy that. Dot started, 'too. Then she added, more quietly, “Dot, tell mamma just what you said to Dr. Prescott.” The child began again with a satisfied air, as if sure of commendation for having worthin performed a needed duty. “I tolled him I did a-test pulpit airs. And he said, ‘ What you mean, little girl?’ And I say, ‘ You sticks up your shoul’er, and you goes this way,’ “and Dot opened her brown eyes to-theirmtmost ex- tent and wriggled her little body about in her desire to look as wild as possible. “What else did he say, and what did you say '2" asked Mrs. Fisk, her voice fairly trembling with excitement and anxiety. “He say, ‘Wh‘o belled you that, little girl?’ And I say, ‘Miss Mittikens l’ ” and ' Dot throw back her head and laughed mer- ril . xVVas that all he said '2” asked mamma. “No ; he say, ‘Who is Miss Mittikcns ?’ And I say, ‘016 Mother Hubbard !’ And he laugh and say, ‘Who ole Mother Hub- bard is?’ And I say, ‘Little ole Marm Step- andâ€"fetchit !' andpthe unconscious Dot ligugh- ed harder. Mrs. Fisk despite her trepidation, had to laugh, too, but she asked again: “And what did Dr. Prescott say then? Tell mamma truly, Dot," “He never say 'nother word, only pinch my cheek and say, ‘Oh, you little michief, ou l’ ” y Mrs. Fisk felt a little relieved. She had shown such a predilection for silk mittens all winter that her husband had sportively called her Mrs. Mittikens, and, of course, Dot had learned the name by heart in a very short time. Then because of her fondness for a rather shapeless house dress, he had occasionally dubbed her old Mother Hub- bard. The appellation, “Little Marni Step- and-fetch-it," Mr. Fisk had applied to Dot herself, because of her alacrity in running little errands, and knowing, as he did, that the longer a name he could find the better she would like it. Mrs. Fisk took Dot on her lap,and, look- ing at her steadily, said, gently, but with some decision : “My little Dot, I want you to tell me truly, Did you say anything at all to Dr. Prescott about papa or mainma 2” Dot shook her head with decision in her turn, as she replied : "No ! truly rooly, I didn't say mamma nor papa one single time.” Then Mrs. Fisk added, lightly, not wish- ing to impress the matter further on'the childish mind : “You must never speak to any one of that again. New remember, Dot E” And the innocent Dot reassured her, pro- mising “truly rooly" never to tell it to Dr. Prescott again, nor to any one else, “ ever an ore.” n talking husband that night, Mrs. with the remarks : “I did not realize for an instant that the little midget would understand in the least the matter over with her Fisk concluded what I was saying, much less treasure up P0 and remember it. But it shows that parents cannot be two careful what they say before children, and ially about others. As to my mimicry, am simply ashamed of it, and I acknowledge frankly my criticisms vwere unnecessarily uncharitabls and severe. I can only say I haveiearned a lesson not soon to be forgotten." Not very long afterward Dr. Prescott reached an admirable sermon to which “inn. “4 to ‘wd [be aiming cod. 0; ing a fixed time, the opening up of rivers to . rs. Fisk listened With at forced air of 189‘}. Mr. Flint moved to have the words “ex- ths free ascent of salmon to the upper waters, and the prevention of pollution. placid attention, although her heart flut- teredin little uneven bounds, at several points in the discourse. There was entire absence of any superfluous mannerisms, MI PROGRESS IN AFRICA. but 0'11? 3 "'7 “male imPTWiVe Bit. 1‘3 Aspects of the Congo Country Nine fears the gocd man admonished Christian parents to beware lest their style of conversation. prove anything but beneficial to the younger members of the family. He reminded his hearers, that let a preacher be ever so faithful and sever so sincere, his teaching would lose all power and his precept all valueâ€"in fact, his in-. finance for good would be totally lost it on the young people of the householdâ€"i he was criticized unfavorably in their hearing. A single remark, he argued, of a detrimental character was sufficient to destroy the most earnest. efforts on the pastor's part. And the sermon was one that could have been listened to with marked profit «by many‘ a well-meaning but thoughtless parent. > * ..__...____ TREATMENT FOR OBESITY. A Patient loses More Than l-‘lfty Poundi In the Course ofSlx months. Savill gives an account of his treatment of obesity that presents some features of specialinterest, says the London Lancet. A man 5 feet 10 inches in height and weigh- ing 284 pounds was admitted to the Padd- ingtou infirmary to be treated for an ulcer. ' This patient, 68 years of age, was unable to walk, chiefly by reason of his bulk. He was put upon a diet of.one pound of cooked fish and one pound of lean cooked meet a day ands. pint of hot water sipped at in. tervals every‘two hours. The fish and the meat were distributed in meals, according to the taste of the patient, but no bread, vegetables, milk, or any other article of food was allowed. ' The patient was a person of intelligence and did everything towards the success of his treatment, manag- ing to drink five or six pints of hot water during the day. Weight decreased steadily. On admission, Sep. '21, it was 284 pounds; Oct. 2 it was 274 pounds: Nov. 18 it was 256 pounds, and Dec. 4, 246% pounds.“ At Christmas there was some latitude given in diet, and the result was a prompt addition to his weight of seven pounds, but by Jan. 15 weight. was reduced to 239 pounds. After four month’s treatment the diet was modified by the addition of two small slice, of bread and butter at breakfast and suppers and milk and sugar in his ten night and morning. Feb. 7 he returned to ordinary meat diet, such as'other patients had, with the except-ion of potatoes, He then weighed 234?: pounds. Weight increased slightly for a time after resuming ordinary diet, but March 21, when the patient left, he weigh. ed 2305. pounds, having. lost over fifty ounds in six months.‘ The ulcer healed within four weeks of his admission, and pain and stiffness soon‘ disappeared, per- mitting as much walking as the space in the ward would allow. Weight remains the same (23% pounds), the man being‘ new on ordinary diet, but drinking no beer. His health is excellent.. , â€"â€"â€"+â€"â€" The Great Coal Strike As the coal strike continues in the United States from day to day the em-’ ploymsnt of greatnumbers of factory hands becomes precarious, and ass destructive agency the strike is having far reaching results. It is estimated-that the strikers are losing $250,000 a‘day in wag'es, and in the course of a very few weeks wage-earn- ers in hundreds of factories, which must either have coal or close, may be deprived of their means of subsistence. Many manu- faclzurers, viewing the over-crowded con- dition of the labor market, and reflecting' that after a summer's idleness they could command their own rates of wages, do not care whether they close or not. Thus if the strike continues, wages may be forced down in many or all of the highly organiz- ed industries. ' Although small quantities of fuel have been imported from Nova Scotia and Wales, the supply from these sources, upon which a duty of 75 cents a ton is imposed, cannot bring much relief. According to the American Consul at Cape Breton, the miners of Nova Scotia receive better pay than do those of Pennsylvan'a, Maryland, and West Virginia, and in the opinion of at least one Pennsylvania paper the present McKinley tariff duty is insuf- ficient. Unquestionably the demand of the strikers is more reasonable than is that of the protectionist paper. Frenph Surgery. It is of inter-est to note the results of re- cent experiments made by surgeons in the curing of idiocy in children. Like many other things new in surgery and medicine, these experiments originated in Paris. The idea was conceived that idiocy frequently was caused, where no congenital causes were apparent, by the premature union of the bones of the skull in infants. Acting on this assumption, the French surgeons removed a portion of the bony covering of the skull on several patients, the idea being that the brain had not had room to ex and commensurate with the growth of the c ild. The results in many instances proved the correctness of the theory. In some cases the results were remarkable. In one case an idiot girl of 8 years began to show signs of recovering intelligence the very day after the operation was performed. Scotland last year increased its wheat- growing area by about 8,000 acres. A technical paper gives the following rule for determining the number of tons of rails required to lay a mile of track :â€"Multiply the weight per yard by ll and divide the product by 7. For example: Take a 70- und rail : 70_ multiplied by 11 equals 770, which divided by, 7, gives 110, the number of tons (2,240 pounds each)_rcquircd to the mile. . The length of time that footprints will remain fresh-looking in the soil on the coast of Greenland is remarkable. On Littleton Island, near Smith’s Sound, members of the Peary Relief Expedition found footprints of a reindeer which seemed but a few hours old. Yet other signs discovered shortly after proved indisputably that the animal which left the marks had not been on the island for many weeks. 0 Age and Row. A German named Martin, who recently made a seven months’ trip up the Congo river, tells some interesting things about the present condition of the settlements and enterprises along that great stream, ind has thus furnished a text for the woll~ known African traveler, _Dr. Baumann, who contrasts the present aspects of the Congo country with what he saw nine years ago, when he went over the very same ground,- ‘ At that time there were only a few squa‘ lid grass huts on the side of Matadi, 90 miles from the mouth of the river. The place is new a small city with about 2,000 population, forty or fifty European build- ings, a hotel, stores, and mission houses. This transformation has been wrought by the Congo railroad, of which Matadi is the seaward terminus. In 1885 Baumann toiled painfully over the Palahalla hill, findin himself only a few miles beyond Mata i» after shard day’s work. Now the steam cars daily whisk their passengers, in less than an hour, around and above this hill to the plateau overlooking the Congo. In three days after Martin reached Leopold- ville he was able to take asteam boat for the upper river, and if he had missed the boat he would not have been compelled to wait long for another; while in 1885 those who wished to o to the furthest reaches of navigation find an.opportunity to embark only once in five or six ‘months. In 1835 there was a great scarcity of carriers on the road leading round the cataracts, while Martin compares this road to an ant-path, so numerous were the caravans of heavy- laden porters trudging in single file. In Bangala Baumaun lived in a miserable clay but and had nothing but manioc to eat, while Martin sojourned in a comfort- able brick house, and enjoyed the fruits and vegetables of a fine garden. A well-kept station of the State now stands there,where nothing but wilderness existed in 1885. Baumann scarcely heard rubber mentioned on the Congo, thou h it is now one of the chief articles of tra 8. Mr. Martin’s'poisoned arrow did not hit the mark. What he meant to do was to give avery unfavorable impression of the Gougo State. What he succeeded in doing was to furnish material for one of the most careful and scientific of African ex lorers to prove that, considering all'the isadvan- tages, the State is moving along the path of progress at a highly commendable pace. -â€"â€"â€"â€"-â€"â€"¢â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€"â€" AN ATHLETIC ADMIRAL. Sir Michael Calms-Seymour Wins in Foot 3 Race at Fifty-mam. Admiral Sir Michael Uulme-Seymour is one of the most popular as Well as most distinguished of Great Britain’s naval offi- cers. Accordingly everyone wrs highly pleased at the Mediterranean fleet athletic sports held receuty at Malta, when he won in fine style the veterans’ handicap race for officers above thirty-five years of age. Com- mander Burney, of the Hawk, ran a good second from scratch. The Admiral who succeeded the late Admiral Tyron in the command of the Mediterranean squad- ron, joined the service as far back as 1849, and is fifty-eight years oldâ€"quite a respect- able age at which to win a foot race. He served with distinction in the Baltic during the Crimean war_aud commanded the naval operations against the Chinese in 1856 and in 1858. He is of Irish descent and comes of a stock distinguished in naval history. Large numbers of spectators gathered to witness the proceedings, which were on- livened by the mass bands of the fleet, and the prizes were afterward distributed by Lady CulmeSeymour, who seemed to take especial pleasure in handling the mood of victory to her gallant husband. â€"-[N. Y. Herald. Women Gamblers in England. Theevil habits of betting and gambling are increasing most of all among women, says an English paper. Mothers of families bet away their husbands’ wages and pawn clothes and furniture to obtain funds for gambling purposes. Hundreds of young women an aged in factories bet regularly. Some see t e bookmakers personally, others send their mone through middlemen. Betting among la ice is on the increase, and the drawing-room sweepstakes are becoming popular. This isa tremendous indictment, yet I do not pro ass to refute it. It isadeplorahlestatec thin s, but even if the “half has not been tol ,” it is within the pale of credibility. “Gambling is on the increase among women.” Betting is largely practised and with disastrous effects on the fan‘in life by the mothers of England, who are constantly and proudly enough proclaimed the social saviours of our land. â€".â€"â€"-â€"â€" Come at Last. A lady was the mother of a bright little boy about three years old. The whoopin cough prevailed in the neighborhood, an the mother became very much alarmed lest her boy should take it. She had talked and worried so much about it that she had infected the child with her fears to such an extent that he would scarcely leave her side. One night, after the little fellas had been put to bed, a donkey was being driven past the house, and, when just opposite, set up his “hes-haw, hes-haw." With ashriek the little fellow was out of bed, screaming at the top of his voice :â€" “The whoopingcough is comin , mamma -â€"the whooping-cough is coming.’ â€"--â€"-.â€" It Frightened film. Binks was calling on the apple of his eye. . He picked upa volume of "Lucille," and ran across an inscription on a fly-leaf. “Ah l a present!’ he remarked. "Yes, from a dear friend, oh, ever so long agoâ€"onion or ten years. " "So long as that 3" "Oh. yes. I was quite a little girl." When three weeks had gone by, without the re ulsr nightly appearances of Blake, and it gau to look as though he meant it, shelooked up the book and found the ex- planation in the inscription. It read :-"To Miss Clara, on her twenty. fifth birthday." The fly-leaf is torn out now. a