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Rh The petition was bitterly opposed by ex-Queen Liliuokalani, who was plotting hard to reëstablish herself upon the throne. But President McKinley considered it his duty to listen to what the many Americans in the islands desired, and on June 16, 1898, he approved a treaty which was shortly afterward ratified by the Senate, and the islands became the Territory of Hawaii, with Sanford B. Dole as governor.

This was a most important epoch in our history, and one well worth remembering. It was the first move in the policy of expansion for which the McKinley administration afterward became so noted. In the past we had held no outside territory but that of Alaska; now war was to put us in possession of islands close at home and other islands thousands of miles away.

It was a great day in the Hawaiian Islands when the annexation was formally proclaimed. Cannon boomed, pistols cracked, drums rattled, bands played, and it was very much like an old-fashion Fourth of July here at home. The grounds around the government building were crowded with people of a score of nationalities, and all


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210 became strangely hushed as the government band played the national air, "Hawaii Ponoi" for the last time. Then the flag of the Republic was lowered, and Old Glory was hoisted in its stead, while the band from the United States cruiser Philadelphia played the "Star-spangled Banner," and the cheering became louder and louder. To this day none of the Hawaiians have regretted the step this taken, nor is it likely that they will regret it in the future.

In Cuba there had been a war of long standing. The island was under the rule of Spain, and Spain had been the oppressor of all her colonies for centuries. Her cruelty to her subjects had cost her a good portion of the United States, Mexico, and her enormous power in Central and South America, and now it was to cost her the loss of Cuba, Porto Rico, and the twelve hundred islands on the other side of the, globe known as the Philippines.

It would be impossible in a work of this kind to go into the details of the Cuban trouble. Let me say briefly, then, that the people were taxed to the utmost, and the many improvements promised to

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


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Rh roads, public schools and other buildings, and better courts of justice—were not forthcoming, and whenever anybody made a protest he was promptly thrust into prison.

From bad, matters became worse, until the people rebelled openly, and a fight occurred in which several natives were slain. Then Spain sent an army into the island to conquer the inhabitants at any cost. But the spirit of liberty was now aflame, a Cuban army was hastily organized, guns and ammunition procured, and almost before the outside world knew it, a war was on which was cruel and bloodthirsty to the last degree, and in which countless thousands were slain.

The watchword of the Cubans was Cuba Libre, meaning Cuban Liberty, and this watchword was speedily taken up in this country by those who wished to see the people of the ill-fated isle their own masters. Guns and other supplies were shipped to Cuba in secret, but this was contrary to international law, and the United States was called upon by Spain to put down the practice, for Cuba was considered merely a rebellious colony and not an independent power.


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212 The war in Cuba affected many Americans who had their homes there, and these people soon asked for assistance.

"They shall be helped," said President McKinley, promptly, and forthwith sent a message to Congress recommending that the sum of $50,000 be appropriated for that purpose. A bill was quickly passed, and the money was used where it would do the most good. This was on May 17, 1897, and three days later our Senate passed a resolution recognizing the Cubans as belligerents. This made the giving of aid by any people in the United States lawful here. Aid was soon forthcoming, and a number of our old soldiers went to Cuba to fight in the army of the natives against oppression. Among those on the battlefields of Cuba at this time was Colonel Frederick Funston, afterward well known because of his capture of the rebel leader, General Aguinaldo, in the Philippine Islands.

The Cubans had often asked the United States for help, but it was not until early in 1898 that war with Spain began to be talked about among our people. The President believed in self-restraint as much as possible,


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Rh although perfectly willing to give aid to the struggling isle in other ways.

On February 15, 1898, occurred a catastrophe which has few parallels in history. The battleship Maine, which had been sent down to Cuba on a friendly visit, was blown up while lying in Havana Harbor, and over two hundred and fifty officers and sailors lost their lives.

The destruction of the massive ship, which was over three hundred feet long, occurred about ten o'clock at night. A rumble and a roar was heard in the city, which shook buildings and broke glassware; and looking out into the harbor, it was seen that the beautiful battleship had been rent and torn completely asunder and was sinking.

At once boats were sent out to bring in those who might be floating around. Captain Sigsbee, who had been writing a letter in the cabin at the time of the explosion, was rescued, and likewise a few others. But the great majority of those who had gone down were dead or dying.

The blowing up of the Maine caused intense excitement throughout the length and breadth of the land, and many demanded


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214 that we go to war with Spain at once because of it. But Spain professed utter ignorance of the explosion, and a board of inquiry was appointed to make an examination into the affair. This board later on reached the important conclusion that the battleship had been blown up from the outside, and not from within, as Spain wished to prove.

"This means war, and nothing but war," was heard upon every hand; and the situation in Cuba was the sole topic of conversation. At once a number of important cabinet meetings were held, and President McKinley pointed out that the United States were in no shape to wage war on even such a secondary nation as Spain.

"She has an army of almost two hundred thousand men in Cuba," he said, "and a navy which is considered first-class, while we have but an army of a few thousand within immediate call, and a navy which is sadly lacking both in guns and ammunition. We must have an appropriation and get into shape to fight before we do anything else."

The word was passed along, and in a few


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Rh days both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed an appropriation of $50,000,000 to be placed at the disposal of the President, to be used at his discretion, "for National defence."

Fifty million dollars! It was certainly a large sum to place in the absolute charge of any one man, and it showed the whole country's unbounded confidence in the President; for the appropriation was made unanimously, not a single representative or senator voting against it. Politics, party lines, the fading line between North and South, were all cast aside as the Nation arose, and men stood shoulder to shoulder in a common cause, the defence of the oppressed, and the advancement of liberty.


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216

The United States had not been on a war footing since our great armies had disbanded in 1865, thirty-three years before; consequently when the conflict with Spain became inevitable, there was an immense amount of work to do. And a large portion of this labor fell upon the shoulders of President McKinley.

He did not shrink from the responsibility imposed upon him. He had done his best to avert war, but the folly of Spain had left no loophole by which peace could be maintained. The Cubans were suffering untold horrors, on the battlefield and through starvation, and something, had to be done. It was not a war of conquest, but only a magnificent public effort to help another nation establish its freedom.


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Rh As said before, the work to be done was tremendous. Generally a war is measured entirely by the battles fought and the victories or defeats. Few people think of the labor involved in raising and equipping an army and a navy, and of maintaining them while one is in the field and the other on the high seas. In the army the men have to be gathered together and properly officered, they have to be clothed and fed and taken care of when they are sick or when they are wounded. They have to be properly drilled, and when they wish to move from one place to another without marching, proper transportation facilities have to be provided. In the navy the vessels must be put into the best possible fighting trim. Stations for coaling and for obtaining ammunition and food must be provided, and those who are carrying on the war must study matters closely so as to have the right ships at the right place when the time comes to use them. These are but a few of the thousand and one details which go to make up a competent war service, and yet which seldom reach the ears of the general public.


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218 The days passed swiftly, and President McKinley was kept more than busy. His first call was for one hundred and twenty-five thousand men, and right nobly did the citizens from every state in the Union respond to the call. The militia everywhere was called out, and recruiting went on at all hours of the day. Camps were established in various parts of the country, and here the militia were sworn into the United States service. The writer of this volume visited a number of these camps at the time, and the patriotic impression brought back will never be forgotten.

Strange as it may seem, the first great blow struck by us against Spain was miles away from either the United States or Cuba. When war became a fact. Commodore George Dewey, commanding the Asiatic Squadron of the United States navy, was stationed at the bay of Hong Kong, China. He was immediately ordered to get his squadron into proper shape for fighting, and was further ordered to find a certain Spanish fleet located in or near the Philippine Islands and engage it.

Commodore Dewey had fought in the


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Rh Civil War, and was a man of quick action. Without delay he coaled his vessels, and on April 27 left Chinese waters, bound for the Philippines. He expected to have no easy task of finding the Spanish fleet, for the Philippines, as said before, are about twelve hundred in number, and there are harbors, big and little, innumerable.

The commodore's squadron consisted of four cruisers, the Olympia, Boston, Baltimore, and Raleigh, three gunboats, the Concord, Petrel, and a small craft named the McCulloch, and two coaling vessels. The largest craft was the Olympia, of fifty-eight hundred tons, which was Dewey's flagship.

The course was for the island of Luzon, the largest by far of the group, and the one upon which is located Manila, the chief city. The run to Luzon took but a few days, and the first stop made was at Subic Bay, a few miles west of Manila Bay. No Spanish warships were sighted, and then Commodore Dewey steered straight for Manila.

The bay of Manila is large, with a very narrow entrance. Corregidor Island partly blocks the channel, and upon this island


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220 was located a Spanish fort with a number of heavy guns.

Not wishing to be caught by the fire from the fort, the commodore kept out of sight of the coast line until nightfall. It was a fearfully hot day, and the jackies suffered greatly, but nobody complained. All were anxious to do their duty to the utmost.

As night came on, the squadron approached the entrance to the bay. This was a highly dangerous move, for every vessel ran the risk of being shot at from the fort on the island, and the forts on the mainland, or of being blown up by some hidden mine. Yet Commodore Dewey did not falter, but went straight ahead.

Suddenly a rocket flared up into the air, followed by others, and in the light thus afforded warships and forts stood out in bold relief. In a few seconds came the dull boom of a cannon, and an eight-inch shell passed close by one of the American ships. A few other shots followed, but did no damage, and soon the American squadron was out of reach of the enemy, in the middle of Manila Bay.

The hours to follow were anxious ones,


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Rh and but little sleep was indulged in by any one. As daylight came on, it was discovered that the Spanish warships were indeed in the bay, drawn up in something of a line from the lower part of Manila to the Cavité peninsula, eight miles further south.

The Spanish fleet was a rather formidable one, embracing four cruisers, the Reina Cristina, Castilla, Don Juan de Austria, and the Don Antonio de Ulloa, several gunboats, including the Isla de Luzon and Isla de Cuba, and a number of smaller craft, including several torpedo boats. At Cavité was a fort mounting a good battery, and there was another battery near the outskirts of Manila.

With the exception of the sea-fight waged off Santiago Bay two months later, the battle of Manila Bay has no parallel in history. For several hours the fight waged furiously, and once the American squadron withdrew for breakfast, and that the commodore might ascertain if any of his vessels were seriously injured. Judge of his astonishment when he learned the good news that not a warship had suffered.

"All's well!" ran down the line.


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222 "Then we'll go in and finish them up/* was the answer, and go in the warships did, and soon . the enemy's colors were struck, and Admiral Montojo surrendered. Every one of the Spanish warships was either burnt or sunk, and the surviving sailors and officers got ashore only with the greatest of difficulty. On the American side not a man was killed or a vessel injured!

This wonderful battle and great blow to the Spanish naval power occurred on May 1, 1898. Word of it was at once carried to Hong Kong, the nearest cable station at that time available for use, and the news was flashed to the United States with all speed.

The result was truly electrifying, and it would seem as if for the moment the people would go mad with joy. The telegraph offices and newspaper offices were literally jammed with people trying to learn the particulars.

"Dewey has met the Spanish fleet in the Philippines! He sunk every ship they had and came out of the fight without a scratch!" So the talk ran on, until the


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Rh name of the heroic old sea fighter was on every lip.

This battle was important in more ways than one. Since the Civil War our navy had had no opportunity to try its power, and foreign nations were inclined to consider it second-class and of small use against the trained fighters and big warships forming other navies. Noav the eyes of the world were opened to the fact that we were a first-class naval power and could handle our ships as well as the best of them.

The announcement of the victory was received with a good deal of satisfaction by President McKinley, and it was not long before he sent his congratulations and thanks to the hero of Manila Bay, as Dewey was affectionately called. For his great victory Dewey was made admiral of the navy, and Congress voted him a beautiful and costly jewelled sword costing many thousand dollars.


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224

must not be supposed that matters were allowed to remain at a standstill in and around Cuba during the time that Dewey was preparing to find the Spanish fleet in Philippine waters and engage it. While our army was being placed on a war footing with all possible speed, the North Atlantic Squadron of the navy, under the command of Commodore Sampson, was ordered south, to blockade Havana and other important ports to the east and west of that capital city.

The squadron left Key West on the 22d of April, and before many days had elapsed the warships lay in a grand semicircle outside of Havana, Matanzas, Mariel, Cardenas, Bahia Honda, Cabanas, and other ports in that vicinity, thus cutting off this


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Rh of Cuba from the entire outside world. Of course the blockading of so many ports necessitated the use of many vessels, and the government was forced to purchase ships wherever they could be had. A great number of ocean steamers were thus taken into the service and converted into warships of considerable importance.

At this time Spain had a fleet of warships in European waters, and it soon became known that this fleet was bound westward. Where the fleet intended to strike, if at all, along our Atlantic coast was not known, and much anxiety was experienced in consequence.

"They'll come in and bombard New York or Boston," said some, while others were equally sure they would attack Atlantic City or Asbury Park, or some other coast resort. As a matter of precaution all harbor lights were left unlit at night, and some of the channels were mined with explosives. At the same time Commodore Schley, commanding what was known as the Flying Squadron, containing some of the fastest war vessels afloat, was stationed at Hampton Roads, near Fortress Monroe,


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226 ready to engage the enemy the moment he should appear, or equally ready to go after him as soon as his destination became known.

One of the first demonstrations made in Cuban waters was at Matanzas. Commodore Sampson's flagship, the New York, the cruiser Cincinnati, and the monitor Puritan sailed close in and bombarded the fortifications with such effect that a large portion of the works were completely destroyed. This bombardment speedily showed that our gunners in Atlantic waters were the equal of those in Asiatic waters, and consequently the equal of any gunners in the world.

The bombardment of Matanzas was followed by the bombardment of Cardenas, Mariel, Cienfuegos, and other points in that vicinity, and also the bombardment of San Juan, the capital city of Porto Rico. In the fight at Cardenas three warships, the Wilmington, Hudson, and Winslow, took part in the onslaught, which lasted over an hour. The Winslow was a torpedo boat, and while trying to effect a landing, a shot or shell exploded her boilers and magazine,


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Rh and several men were killed and wounded, including Ensign Worth Bagley, who was thus the first American officer to fall in the war.

As the blockade of the ports went on, many Spanish ships tried to steal in or out on the sly, and this led to a number of exciting chases and also a little fighting. But our warships were not damaged to any extent by these happenings, and in the end captured over thirty ships, which meant prize money to our officers and jackies amounting to nearly $5,000,000.

At Washington President McKinley was as busy as ever. The War Room of the chief magistrate became the centre of attraction for army and navy men, as well as of Cabinet officers, and nothing was talked of but what was doing and what was to be done. On the walls hung great maps and charts, and side tables were piled high with books, atlases, and other works of reference. Here every detail of the contest was discussed from every possible point of view, and from this room came many of the orders which resulted in such a speedy and complete overthrow of the power of


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228 Spain in Cuba, Porto Rico, and the Philippines. Of those times one who was close at hand said:—

"It seemed to me the President hardly allowed himself time to eat or sleep in those exciting days. He was up by sunrise, and I know he was often up still after midnight. He had a wonderful memory for facts and figures, and whenever anything was told to him about army or navy affairs he never forgot it. I remember once something was said about supplies at a certain fort along the coast. Nobody seemed to be able to tell what the fort had, and they were going to consult some papers, when the President spoke up and told exactly what the fort had to draw on. Afterward the figures were verified by the Secretary of War."

This shows well how thoroughly in earnest McKinley was in what he had undertaken to do. At the start he had hoped that war would be avoided, but now that it was thrust upon him he was resolved to bring it to as speedy a termination as possible, and to accomplish this result without injury to private business. As a matter of


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Rh fact, business in this country was hardly affected from the opening to the closing of the war, while throughout Spain everything was completely upset.

There was but one thing which President McKinley had to protect himself against during the beginning of the war, and that was the great army of cranks who wished to interview him with a view to protecting our coast, or bringing quick annihilation to the enemy. One man wished to manufacture war balloons carrying a regular battery of guns; another wished to send out balloons carrying oil which should be dropped, while ablaze, on the decks of the enemy's ships, or inside the enemy's forts; another wished to manufacture poisonous bullets and shells, totally unaware that the use of such is against the law of civilized nations; another wished to use powerful drugs in bombshells, which, when they exploded, would put the enemy to sleep; another wanted to supply the soldiers and sailors with suits of clothing which he promised to make bullet-proof; another wished to supply our fighters with food in highly concentrated form, so that several


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230 days' rations could be carried in a pill box in one's pocket; one man was sure he could end the war by "buying up" all the Spanish state officials, and he wished McKinley to appropriate $100,000,000 for that purpose; another man wanted to sell the government a lot of mirrors.

"This is a sure thing," said the mirror man. "The best thing ever offered to any army, sir."

"But what in the world do you expect the army to do with your mirrors?" questioned the President.

"It is very simple, sir. Every soldier will be given a mirror, and the general in command will be ordered not to fight unless the sun is shining brightly. Then, when the enemy advances, our soldiers can throw the reflection of the sunlight directly into their eyes, thus blinding them, and the rest will be very easy."

It is needless to say that the President declined the suggestion, as he declined the others previously mentioned. The mirror man went off feeling highly indignant, and afterward said he felt sure our country would be defeated, owing to its lack of progressiveness!


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Rh Early in the war President McKinley received news from Cuba which was very disappointing. For years the Cubans had claimed that if the United States would only furnish them with arms and ammunition they could easily fight off the Spanish soldiers located in the islands. The Cubans were brave,—of this there can be no doubt,—but an examination proved that their socalled army was sadly lacking in military organization and was so scattered that to bring it together without outside aid would be next to impossible. Consequently any campaign in the island would have to be fought mainly by our own soldier boys, with the Cubans as a secondary aid.

"Never mind, we'll fight it out for them," said our soldiers. "Only give us the chance." And fight it out they did, as we shall see later.

From Hampton Roads the Flying Squadron under Commodore Schley went to Key West and then to Cienfuegos. It was now felt by all that the Spanish fleet, which was known to have sailed westward, must be somewhere in the vicinity of the West Indies. A close watch was kept by every


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232 warship in Cuban waters; and learning that the enemy was not at Cienfuegos, the Flying Squadron sailed for Santiago Bay, on the south side of Cuba. At the upper part of this bay is located the city of Santiago, a place next in importance to Havana. Hardly was the Flying Squadron in sight of the bay when the discovery was made that the Spanish fleet, under Admiral Cervera, was within.

"Now we'll do them up as Dewey did at Manila!" cried some of the jackies, but this was, just then, impossible, for the entrance to Santiago harbor is very narrow, and strong fortifications flanked it upon either side. Moreover, the Spaniards had powerful search-lights which they could use at will, so running the batteries at night became out of the question. Accordingly a blockade of the harbor was set by Commodore Schley, which was afterward increased by Commodore Sampson, so that soon the Spanish warships found themselves "bottled up" as tightly as any one could desire.


text: An Act constituting the Department of Customs


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12 my soul, my heart, my life, we must part for a while. Although the value of such an instrument as this should be counted by thousands, I ask but a trifle. To get too much might keep us apart too long, for genius is often hungry and fortune is a fickle jade. Let me have three dollars until the ghost walks."

With an expression of relief the pawnbroker, after a causual examination, turned to the desk and, securing his customer's name and address, passed money and pawn ticket across the counter.

The grotesque customer moved slowly toward the door and then stopped. "Pardon me," he said, as he retraced his steps, "I trust you appreciate how important the safe keeping of that violin is. Being delicate it is extremely sensitive to heat and cold. It is also affected by darkness. It must have light and air. Would you mind hanging it up somewhere?"

"I will store it in the back room," answered the pawnbroker. "It is both sunny and airy there."'

The violin owner shook his head protestingly, as if doubting the character of the back room. "There's a good place right above the counter," he said; "would you mind hanging it up?"

"All right," answered the pawnbroker, impatiently, and after placing the case under the counter he hung the violin where designated, while the man looked on approvingly. Then, after profuse thanks, the odd customer departed.

And with the service lubricated by demands of other customers, Uncle Myer forgot the violin and its strange-looking owner.

Two days later he smiled a welcome to a gentleman whose personal appearance breathed money begetting confidence. As the demands for loans had been unusually large during the day, the pawnbroker beamed pleasantly when his customer requested to see a diamond ring from the window display.

The man studied the ring reflectively, and with the aid of a pocket microscope viewed the sparkling gem.

"The stone is good," he admitted, "but I find, on closer examination, the setting is an inferior copy of one I already have in my collection, for that reason it does not interest me."

"Don't be in a hurry, mister," said the pawnbroker, in an agony at the prospect of losing a sale. "Look around. Possibly you'll see something else you'll like."

The man paused, rather bored, and sent his glances wandering indifferently over the many pledged articles in evidence. The pawnbroker could see that nothing really attracted him. What a pity the ring had not been salable. Uncle Myer thrust it back into the window with a peevish sniff. At the same time he made up his mind not to let that customer escape without buying something. He felt his mercantile honor was involved in the affair.

"At any rate," he told himself, "he didn't go out. What is it he looks at now?"

The stranger's gaze had come to a halt above the counter. It remained there while Uncle Myer turned and looked at the same object.


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 June 18, 1907.

It is a matter of regret that I failed to witness the dedication of the Pocahontas Bell. I send you the clipping from Baltimore Sun, the names of the contributors were given, also read as a part of the ceremony and set forth in detail. You will also observe your Alma Mater instead of Williamsburg may become the permanent home, but as the University of Virginia is a daughter of William and Mary, we are all satisfied.

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 John Quincy Adams, lineal descendant of Henry Adams, 1630, Henry Sampson, 1620, presents, as Secretary of the Flag House Association, Philadelphia, Penn., a gold ring of the colonial period in memory of Betsy Ross, who made the first flag of the American Republic. The glory of the flag, like the ring, stands a symbol without end.

Mrs. Sadie Adams Smith, lineal descendant of Henry Adams, 1630, and Captain Samuel Wadsworth, 1630; also Paul Dustin and Rev. Robert Gordon, all of Massachusetts, wife of Le Roy Sunderland Smith, a lineal descendant of George Smith, son of John Smith, of Jamestown, Va., who settled Dover, N. H., 1640, and maternally descendant of Gov. Benning Wentworth, also his son. Gov. John Wentworth, of the royal province of New Hampshire, 1630, presents in memory of her nephew, Robert Gordon Everett, the Boy Hero of San Juan Hill, a medal of honor of the Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, 1876.

Mrs. Flora Adams Darling, lineal descendant of Henry Adams, 1630, and Hannah Dustin, 1620, presents a watch chain charm of English and American memories of her husband. Gen. Edward Irving Darling, C. S. A., and her son of the same name.

Mrs. Alice Fountleroy Turner, wife of Wm. Wm. B. Matthews, lineal descendant of Sir Henry Turner, 1640, presents an old coin, 1780, in memory of her father, Col. George Turner, of King George's County, Virginia.

Mrs. Rose Turner Hunter, widow of Robert Hunter, and lineal descendant of Sir Harry Turner, presents, in memory of her mother, an old coin of Dominion memories.

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Rh at the dipping-hole, and it was the dread of her life lest he should get drowned. Annie played under the tall old hedge, picking up alder cones, that she called currants. The child required much attention, and the flies were teasing.

The children were put to bed at seven o’clock. Then she worked awhile.

When Walter Morel and Jerry arrived at Bestwood they felt a load off their minds; a railway journey no longer impended, so they could put the finishing touches to a glorious day. They entered the Nelson with the satisfaction of returned travellers.

The next day was a work-day, and the thought of it put a damper on the men’s spirits. Most of them, moreover, had spent their money. Some were already rolling dismally home, to sleep in preparation for the morrow. Mrs. Morel, listening to their moumful singing, went indoors. Nine o’clock passed, and ten, and still “the pair” had not returned. On a doorstep somewhere a man was singing loudly, in a drawl, “Lead, kindly Light.” Mrs. Morel was always indignant with the drunken men that they must sing that hymn when they got maudlin.

“As if ‘Genevieve’ weren’t good enough,” she said.

The kitchen was full of the scent of boiled herbs and hops. On the hob a large black saucepan steamed slowly. Mrs. Morel took a panchion, a great bowl of thick red earth, streamed a heap of white sugar into the bottom, and then, straining herself to the weight, was pouring in the liquor.

Just then Morel came in. He had been very jolly in the Nelson, but coming home had grown irritable. He had not quite got over the feeling of irritability and pain, after having slept on the ground when he was so hot; and a bad conscience afflicted him as he neared the house. He did not know he was angry. But when the garden-gate resisted his attempts to open it, he kicked it and broke the latch. He entered just as Mrs. Morel was pouring the infusion of herbs out of the saucepan. Swaying slightly, he lurched against the table. The boiling liquor pitched. Mrs. Morel started back.

“Good gracious,” she cried, “coming home in his drunkenness”

“Comin’ home in his what?” he snarled, his hat over his eye.

Suddenly her blood rose in a jet.

“Say you’re not drunk!” she flashed.

She had put down her saucepan, and was stirring the sugar


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 Mrs. Caroline Virginia Sinclair Jones English, widow of Col. Thomas C. English, U. S. A., lineal descendant of the Earl of Cairthress of Scotland; through Captain Henry Sinclair, second son, who came to this country 1622. She presents a silver tea bell over 300 years old, used in Scotland and this country by the Sinclairs, and through her own army life from 1850, to the memory of her father, Cary Selden Jones, Esquire, of the Old Dominion.

Mrs. Diana Elizabeth Sinclair Parker Jones, lineal descendant of Sinclair Parker of Virginia, 1630, and Major Charles Jones, of Maryland, 1617, presents a silver napkin ring, engraved with crest of the Sinclair family, in memory of her husband, Judge Charles Danforth, of New York, a descendant of the Danforths of New England, 1630.

Mrs. Nelson V. Titus, regent of the Adams Chapter, Daughters of the Revolution, presents two handwrought nails from the old Adams house, Quincy, Massachusetts, built in 1681.

Mrs. Elizabeth Drummond Ward, lineal descendant of Major Richard Drummond, of Drummondtown, Virginia, a member of the House of Burgess, and one of the great land proprietors of the Dominion, 1619, presents a very old bell used on the Drummond plantation, Accomack, Virginia, in memory of her family.

Miss Ellen Garnett Matthews and Miss Mollie Virginia Matthews each present a piece of jewelry in memory of their mother, Ellen Hobson Bagley of Scotch ancestry, the wife of Judge James Muscoe Matthews, a lineal descendant of Governor Matthews, through the

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22 into the beer. He dropped his two hands heavily on the table, and thrust his face forward at her.

“ ‘Say you’re not drunk,’ ” he repeated. “Why, nobody but a nasty little bitch like you ’ud ’ave such a thought.”

He thrust his face forward at her.

“There’s money to bezzle with, if there’s money for nothing else.”

“I’ve not spent a two-shillin’ bit this day,” he said.

“You don’t get as drunk as a lord on nothing,” she replied. “And,” she cried, flashing into sudden fury, “if you’ve been sponging on your beloved Jerry, why, let him look after his children, for they need it.”

“It’s a lie, it’s a lie. Shut your face, woman.”

They were now at battle-pitch. Each forgot everything save the hatred of the other and the battle between them. She was fiery and furious as he. They went on till he called her a liar.

“No,” she cried, starting up, scarce able to breathe. “Don’t call me that—you, the most despicable liar that ever walked in shoe-leather.” She forced the last words out of suffocated lungs”

“You’re a liar!” he yelled, banging the table with his fist. “You’re a liar, you’re a liar.”

She stiffened herself, with clenched fists.

“The house is filthy with you,” she cried.

“Then get out on it—it’s mine. Get out on it!” he shouted. “It’s me as brings th’ money whoam, not thee. It’s my house, not thine. Then ger out on’t—ger out on’t!”

“And I would,” she cried, suddenly shaken into tears of impotence. “Ah, wouldn’t I, wou1dn’t I have gone long ago, but for those children. Ay, haven’t I repented not going years ago, when I’d only the one”—suddenly drying into rage. “Do you think it’s for you I stop—do you think I’d stop one minute for you?”

“Go, then,” he shouted, beside himself. “Go!”

“No!” she faced round. “No,” she cried loudly, “you shan’t have it all your own way; you shan’t do all you like. I’ve got those children to see to. My word,” she laughed, “I should look well to leave them to you.”

“Go,” he cried thickly, lifting his fist. He was afraid of her. “Go!”

“I should be only too glad. I should laugh, laugh, my lord, if I could get away from you,” she replied.

He came up to her, his red face, with its bloodshot eyes,


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 line of Rev. John Matthews, of Matthews County, Virginia.

Mrs. Minerva S. Wynne, her daughter, Mrs. Harlan, lineal descendant of Sir Robert Wynne, 1607, speaker of the House of Burgess, a descendant of Sir Watkins Wynne of Wales. The tombs of the Wynnes are in the old Temple Church, London, one of which dates back to 405; also a descendant of Governor Harvey of Jamestown, and Governor Hardy of North Carolina, 1622, presents a charm, very ancient, marked W. W., a relic of Sir Watkins Wynne, worn by Sir Robert, in memory of her husband, Robert Wynne of Virginia.

Gen. Marcus J. Wright, C. S. A., Washington, D. C, a lineal descendant of John Wright, 1630, James Wright, his cousin, the last colonial governor of Georgia, presents a gold medal in memory of his father, Major John Wright, of Tennessee, a medal on which the name of John Wright is inscribed.

Wm. Henry Jones, lineal descendant of Robert Jones, 1630, presents a revolutionary coin in memory of his mother, Mrs. Clarissa Wissell Jones, descendant of "a minute Man" of Lexington, Massachusetts.

Charles J. Diggs, lineal descendant of Gov. Edward Diggs, son of Sir Dudley Diggs of Virginia, presents an old English coin of early days in memory of his ancestors of Jamestown, Virginia.

J. Harwood Graves, lineal descendant of Ralph Graves, 1607, presents the ring of a gold watch of ancient memories, of Petersburg, Va.

Rev. Wm. B. Everett, lineal descendant of Hon. Matthew Tilghman, 1650, also closely connected with Carrolls of Carrolton, presents

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Rh thrust forward, and gripped her arms. She cried in fear of him, struggled to be free. Coming slightly to himself, panting, he pushed her roughly to the outer door, and thrust her forth, slotting the bolt behind her with a bang. Then he went back into the kitchen, dropped into his armchair, his head, bursting full of blood, sinking between his knees. Thus he dipped gradually into a stupor, from exhaustion and intoxication.

The moon was high and magnificent in the August night. Mrs. Morel, seared with passion, shivered to find herself out there in a great white light, that fell cold on her, and gave a shock to her inflamed soul. She stood for a few moments helplessly staring at the glistening great rhubarb leaves near the door. Then she got the air into her breast. She walked down the garden path, trembling in every limb, while the child boiled within her. For a while she could not control her consciousness; mechanically she went over the last scene, then over it again, certain phrases, certain moments coming each time like a brand red-hot down on her soul; and each time she enacted again the past hour, each time the brand came down at the same points, till the mark was burnt in, and the pain burnt out, and at last she came to herself. She must have been half an hour in this delirious condition. Then the presence of the night came again to her. She glanced round in fear. She had wandered to the side garden, where she was walking up and down the path beside the currant bushes under the long wall. The garden was a narrow strip, bounded from the road, that cut transversely between the blocks, by a thick thorn hedge.

She hurried out of the side garden to the front, where she could stand as if in an immense gulf of white light, the moon streaming high in face of her, the moonlight standing up from the hills in front, and filling the valley where the Bottoms crouched, almost blindingly. There, panting and half weeping in reaction from the stress, she murmured to herself over and over again: “The nuisance! the nuisance!”

She became aware of something about her. With an effort she roused herself to see what it was that penetrated her consciousness. The tall white lilies were reeling in the moonlight, and the air was charged with their perfume, as with a presence. Mrs. Morel gasped slightly in fear. She touched the big, pallid flowers on their petals, then shivered. They seemed to be stretching in the moonlight. She put her hand into one white bin: the gold scarcely showed on her fingers by


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24. She bent down to look at the binful of yellow pollen; but it only appeared dusky. Then she drank a deep draught of the scent. It almost made her dizzy.

Mrs. Morel leaned on the garden gate, looking out, and she lost herself awhile. She did not know what she thought. Except for a slight feeling of sickness, and her consciousness in the child, herself melted out like scent into the shiny, pale air. After a time the child, too, melted with her in the mixing-pot of moonlight, and she rested with the hills and lilies and houses, all swum together in a kind of swoon.

When she came to herself she was tired for sleep. Languidly she looked about her; the clumps of white phlox seemed like bushes spread with linen; a moth ricochetted over them, and right across the garden. Following it with her eye roused her. A few whiffs of the raw, strong scent of phlox invigorated her. She passed along the path, hesitating at the white rose-bush. It smelled sweet and simple. She touched the white ruffles of the roses. Their fresh scent and cool, soft leaves reminded her of the morning-time and sunshine. She was very fond of them. But she was tired, and wanted to sleep. In the mysterious out-of-doors she felt forlorn.

There was no noise anywhere. Evidently the children had not been wakened, or had gone to sleep again. A train, three miles away, roared across the valley. The night was very large, and very strange, stretching its hoary distances infinitely. And out of the silver-grey fog of darkness came sounds vague and hoarse: a corncrake not far off, sound of a train like a sigh, and distant shouts of men.

Her quietened heart beginning to beat quickly again, she hurried down the side garden to the back of the house. Softly she lifted the latch; the door was still bolted, shut hard against her. She rapped gently, waited, then rapped again. She must not rouse the children, nor the neighbours. He must be asleep, and he would not wake easily. Her heart began to burn to be indoors. She clung to the door-handle. Now it was cold; she would take a chill, and in her present condition!

Putting her apron over her head and her arms, she hurried again to the side garden, to the window of the kitchen. Leaning on the sill, she could just see, under the blind, her husband’s arms spread out on the table, and his black head on the board. He was sleeping with his face lying on the table. Something in his attitude made her feel tired of things. The lamp was


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Good Day-Is there a reason to why the words (VOL. II and D) was not included in the proofread transcription? This is the third time I have seen it omitted while validating this work. Since then, I have added the changes within the transcription as a footer. Thanks!--Mariewalton (talk) 09:55, 5 November 2012 (UTC)


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 through his daughter a silver fork of colonial period, in memory of Rachel Tilghman, 1650.

Mrs. Waldine Matthews Zimpleman, wife of Moritz O. Kopperl, Galveston, Texas, lineal descendant of Governor Matthews, of Virginia, presents a brass picture frame of colonial period in memory of her grandfather, Thomas Matthews of Texas, a native son of Virginia.

Mrs. Estelle Ashby Johnson, in honor of Capt. William Ashby, of Culpeper, Va., presents spoon used by the First Minute Men of Virginia.

Mr. Ambler Morris, Culpeper, Va., presents a piece of the bell of the First Baptist Church of Culpeper, Va.

Miss Clark, Princeton, N. J., presents an antique key.

Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Princeton, N. J., presents keys from Prospect Hill, the home of the president of Princeton University, and some brass from Nassau Hall.

Mrs. Thomas D. Stokes, Elk Hill, Va., presents plantation bell of Glenarvon, the Colonial Gait home.

Mrs. Mary Maury, a descendant of the Maurys of Germanna, presents old Colonial bell, in honor of Governor Spottswood.

Mr. Slaughter Bradford presents a military buckle, in memory of Capt. Philip Slaughter, of the First Minute Men of Culpeper.

Brass knob from the home of Gen. Edward Stephens, which he built after the Revolutionary War, returning as the hero of the Great Bridge battle.

Mrs. Catherine Stark, of Culpeper, Va., presents a spoon, a relic of the Withers family.

Mrs. Pokahuntas Green, Norfolk, Va., a

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138 exercising the profession; while those who do this designedly, and aggravate the complaint, in order to extort more money for the cure, shall be beheaded. The offences of the inferior relations against the superior, are visited with a tenfold heavier punishment, while those of the latter against the former, are scarcely noticed. A parricide is to suffer the most lingering and shameful death that can be devised; and should the criminal even die in prison, the body is to be subjected to the same process, as if still alive; but if a parent put to death his own offspring, the offence is comparatively trivial. Whoever is guilty of killing a son, grandson, or slave, and charging another person with the crime, shall be punished by blows and banishment; but nothing is said about the crime of smothering female infants, which is so prevalent, because entirely unchecked, in China. Quarrelling and fighting is strictly prohibited in a country, where the rulers being few, and the subjects many, it is necessary to keep the people as quiet as possible. The bamboo is the remedy for the pugnacious propensities of the plebeians, and the number of blows is proportioned to the injury done, or the situation of the offending individual. A difference is observed, between striking with the fist or with a club; and the loss of an eye, tooth, finger, or toe, is visited with punishment, according to a graduated scale. A slave, beating or abusing his master, shall be put to death; while nothing is said about the master's beating his slave. A husband is not amenable for chastising his wife, except he inflict a wound; while a wife, striking her husband, is to receive one hundred blows. A child, striking or using abusive language to a father or mother, shall be put to death;


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Rh burning smokily; she could tell by the copper colour of the light. She tapped at the window more and more noisily. Almost it seemed as if the glass would break. Still he did not wake up.

After vain efforts, she began to shiver, partly from contact with the stone, and from exhaustion. Fearful always for the unborn child, she wondered what she could do for warmth. She went down to the coal-house, where was an old hearthrug she had carried out for the rag-man the day before. This she wrapped over her shoulders. It was warm, if grimy. Then she walked up and down the garden path, peeping every now and then under the blind, knocking, and telling herself that in the end the very strain of his position must wake him.

At last, after about an hour, she rapped long and low at the window. Gradually the sound penetrated to him. When, in despair, she had ceased to tap, she saw him stir, then lift his face blindly. The labouring of his heart hurt him into consciousness. She rapped imperatively at the window. He started awake. Instantly she saw his fists set and his eyes glare. He had not a grain of physical fear. If it had been twenty burglars, he would have gone blindly for them. He glare round, bewildered, but prepared to fight.

“Open the door, Walter,” she said coldly.

His hands relaxed. It dawned on him what he had done. His head dropped, sullen and dogged. She saw him hurry to the door, heard the bolt chock. He tried the latch. It opened—and there stood the silver-grey night, fearful to him, after the tawny light of the lamp. He hurried back.

When Mrs. Morel entered, she saw him almost running through the door to the stairs. He had ripped his collar off his neck in his haste to be gone ere she came in, and there it lay with bursten button-holes. It made her angry.

She warmed and soothed herself. In her weariness forgetting everything, she moved about at the little tasks that remained to done, set his breakfast, rinsed his pit-bottle, put his pit~clothes on the hearth to warm, set his pit-boots beside them, put him out a clean scarf and snap-bag and two apples, raked the fire, and went to bed. He was already dead asleep. His narrow black eyebrows were drawn up in a sort of peevish misery into his forehead, while his cheeks’ down-strokes, and his sulky mouth, seemed to be saying: “I don’t care who you are nor what you are, I shall have my own way.”


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Rh property. This severe and sanguinary law is indicative of the fears entertained, by the rulers, of assassination and rebellion. Under an absolute despotism, however, it is the best dictate of policy; and where the people are deprived of the privilege of thinking and speaking for themselves, nothing less than the terror of such a law will ensure the safety of the sovereign. All those who enter into the service of a foreign state, who aim by the practice of magic to bewitch the people, who sacrilegiously abstract the implements used in the public sacrifices, or who steal the imperial signet, shall be indiscriminately beheaded. All the above offences are included under the head of theft, in the Chinese code, because they reckon all those to be thieves, who oppose the established government, or who attempt to invade either the honour, authority, or personal security of the reigning monarch.

Stealing in general is punished by blows; but above a certain amount (£40.), by strangulation. Kidnapping persons, and selling them for slaves, is punished with blows and banishment. The disturbing of graves, is visited with the same infliction; and whoever mutilates, or throws away the unburied corpse of an elder relative shall be beheaded. With regard to murder and homicide, the Chinese are very strict and particular. Preconcerted homicide, is punishable by death. Killing in a fray, or sport, is denounced as murder; while homicide that is purely accidental, is redeemable by the payment of a fine. All those who cause the death of others by poison, magic, or terror, shall suffer death themselves; and all medical practitioners, who kill their patients, through ignorance of the established rules of practice, shall be fined, and prevented from


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26 Mrs. Morel knew him too well to look at him. As she unfastened her brooch at the mirror, she smiled faintly to see her face all smeared with the yellow dust of lilies. She brushed it off, and at last lay down. For some time her mind continued snapping and jetting sparks, but she was asleep before her husband awoke from the first sleep of his drunkenness.


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136 the barbarians, they might preserve at once their dignity and territory; but if they once let them in, their fair dominions would fall a rapid and an easy prey to the encroaching strangers, and their majesty remain the mere shadow of a shade. And can we blame them? and can we say, that they had no reason for their conduct? Their policy is for them the wisest that could have been pursued; and if China is closed against us, we may thank ourselves for it. They might by admiting our commerce and our manufactures, still confer a mutual benefit on both countries; but if, by permitting the introduction of these, they lay themselves open to the infection of our intoxicating drugs, and afford an opportunity for the establishment of our colonizing system; they may have to regret, when they see their population diminishing, and their lands passing into other hands, that they did not adhere to the exclusive system, with which they commenced.

The criminal laws are particularly severe in the matter of high treason, which is either against the established government, or against the person of the sovereign. All persons convicted of having been principals or accessaries, in this heinous offence, are to be put to death by a disgraceful and lingering execution. Besides which, all the male relations of the offender, above the age of sixteen, shall be indiscriminately beheaded; while the female relatives and the children shall be sold into slavery and the property of the family, of every description, confiscated. In order to lead to the speedy discovery of the offence, any person who shall be the means of convicting another of high treason, shall be immediately employed under government, besides being entitled to the whole of the criminal's


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such a scene as the last, Walter Morel was for some days abashed and ashamed, but he soon regained his old bullying indifference. Yet there was a slight shrinking, a diminishing in his assurance. Physically even, he shrank, and his fine full presence waned. He never grew in the least stout, so that, as he sank from his erect, assertive bearing, his physique seemed to contract along with his pride and moral strength.

But now he realized how hard it was for his wife to drag about at her work, and, his sympathy quickened by penitence, hastened forward with his help. He came straight home from the pit, and stayed in at evening till Friday, and then he could not remain at home. But he was back again by ten o’clock, almost quite sober.

He always made his own breakfast. Being a man who rose early and had plenty of time he did not, as some miners do, drag his wife out of bed at six o’clock. At five, sometimes earlier, he woke, got straight out of bed, and went downstairs. When she could not sleep, his wife lay waiting for this time, as for a period of peace. The only real rest seemed to be when he was out of the house.

He went downstairs in his shirt and then struggled into his pit-trousers, which were left on the hearth to warm all night. There was always a fire, because Mrs. Morel raked. And the first sound in the house was the bang, bang of the poker against the raker, as Morel smashed the remainder of the coal to make the kettle, which was filled and left on the hob, finally boil. His cup and knife and fork, all he wanted except just the food, was laid ready on the table on a newspaper. Then he got his breakfast, made the tea, packed the bottom of the doors with rugs to shut out the draught, piled a big fire, and sat down to an hour of joy. He toasted his bacon on a fork and caught the drops of fat on his bread; then he put the rasher on his thick slice of bread, and cut off chunks with a clasp-knife,


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 descendant of Pocahontas, a breastpin, a relic of Gen. John Mercer, of the American Revolution.

Mr. John R. Norris presents a Mexican coin, given in honor of the Ark and Dove, of Maryland.

Mrs. W. W. Grant, of Denver, Colo., presents a souvenir coin in honor of George Mason, of Gunston Hall, and Hannah Ball, eldest sister of Mary Ball, mother of George Washington, both daughters of Joseph Ball, of Epping Forest.

Mrs. Flora McDonald Williams, Louisville, Ky., presents a souvenir coin in honor of her grandfather, William Naylor, one of the framers of the Virginia Constitution of 1820.

Brass rule, used by James Green Leach in Charlotte, N. C, presented as a souvenir of his first journalistic work.

Fanny Carroll, of St. Mary's County, Maryland, presents a coin, given in honor of Charles Carroll of Carrollton.

Mr. Serrel, of Baltimore, presents a piece of metal from an old Spanish vessel of 1684.

Mr. Edward Carter, Dover, Del., presents a brass guard of a musket used in the War of 1812.

Hon. Robert I. Reynolds, Golden Ridge, Del., presents a brass key used by Gov. Robert I. Reynolds while Governor of New Jersey.

Brass bracelet worn by Chief Puyallup, Washington State; given to Mrs. Sally Carter Buchanan to insure lasting friendship between Mrs. Carter and Chief Puyallup.

Mrs. Aimee C. Gregg, Ridley Park, Pa., presents copper coins of 1700.

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28 poured his tea into his saucer, and was happy. With his family about, meals were never so pleasant. He loathed a fork; it is a modern introduction which has still scarcely reached common people. What Morel preferred was a clasp-knife. Then, in solitude, he ate and drank, often sitting, in cold weather, on a little stool with his back to the warm chimney-piece, his food on the fender, his cup on the hearth. And then he read the last night’s newspaper—what of it he could—spelling it over laboriously. He preferred to keep the blinds down and the candle lit even when it was daylight; it was the habit of the mine.

At a quarter to six he rose, cut two thick slices of bread-and-butter, and put them in the white calico snap-bag. He filled his tin bottle with tea. Cold tea without milk or sugar was the drink he preferred for the pit. Then he pulled off his shirt, and put on his pit-singlet, a vest of thick flannel cut low round the neck, and with short sleeves like a chemise. Then he went upstairs to his wife with a cup of tea because she was ill, and because it occurred to him.

“I’ve brought thee a cup o’ tea, lass,” he said.

“Well, you needn’t, for you know I don’t iikelike [sic] it,” she replied.

“Drink it up; it’ll pop thee off to sleep again.”

She accepted the tea. It pleased him to see her take it and sip it.

“I’ll back my life there’s no sugar in,” she said.

“Yi—there’s one big un,” he replied, injured.

“It’s a wonder,” she said, sipping again.

She had a winsome face when her hair was loose. He loved her to grumble at him in this manner. He looked at her again, and went, without any sort of leave-taking. He never took more than two slices of bread-and-butter to eat in the pit, so an apple or an orange was a treat to him. He always liked it when she put one out for him. He tied a scarf round his neck, put on his great, heavy boots, his coat, with the big pocket, that carried his snap-bag and his bottle of tea, and went forth into the fresh morning air, closing, without locking, the door behind him. He loved the early morning, and the walk across the fields. So he appeared at the pit-top, often with a stalk from the hedge between his teeth, which he chewed all day to keep his mouth moist, down the mine. feeling quite as happy as when he was in the field.

Later, when the time for the baby grew nearer, he would bustle round in his slovenly fashion, poking out the ashes,


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Rh rubbing the fireplace, sweeping the house before he went to work. Then, feeling very self-righteous, he went upstairs.

“Now I’m cleaned up for thee; tha’s no ’casions ter stir a peg all day, but sit and read thy books.”

Which made her laugh, in spite of her indignation.

“And the dinner cooks itself?” she answered.

“Eh, I know nowt about th’ dinner.”

“You’d know if there weren’t any.”

“Ay, ’appen so,” he answered, departing.

When she got downstairs, she would find the house tidy, but dirty. She could not rest until she had thoroughly cleaned; so she went down to the ash-pit with her dust-pan. Mrs. Kirk, spying her, would contrive to have to go to her own coal-place at that minute. Then, across the wooden fence, she would call:

“So you keep wagging on, then?”

“Ay,” answered Mrs. Morel deprecatingly. “There’s nothing else for it.”

“Have you seen Hose?” called a very small woman from across the road. It was Mrs. Anthony, a black-haired, strange little body, who always wore a brown velvet dress, tight-fitting.

“I haven’t,” said Mrs. Morel.

“Eh, I wish he’d come. I’ve got a copperful of clothes, an’ I’m sure I heered his bell.”

“Hark! He’s at the end.”

The two women looked down the alley. At the end of the Bottoms a man stood in a sort of old-fashioned trap, bending over bundles of cream-coloured stuff; while a cluster of women held up their arms to him, some with bundles. Mrs. Anthony herself had a heap of creamy, undyed stockings hanging over her arm.

“I’ve done ten dozen this week,” she said proudly to Mrs. Morel.

“T-t-t!” went the other. “I don’t know how you can find time.”

“Eh!” said Mrs. Anthony. “You can find time if you make time.”

“I don’t know how you do it,” said Mrs. Morel. “And how much shall you get for those many?”

“Tuppence-ha’penny a dozen,” replied the other.

“Well,” said Mrs. Morel, “I’d starve before I’d sit down and seam twenty-four stockings for twopence ha’penny.”


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160 mention it to the Captain, as I know he would only laugh at my silliness."

"And pray, my little prophetess, what was the substance of this terrible dream," replied Bella, with a feigned indifference, for something struck her that it was very remarkable both husband and wife should be visited in the same night by such dreams.

"You may smile my dear, I have always been an unbeliever in dreams as well as you, but that of last night had such terrors connected with it: I imagined that a storm came on, which drove us on land, where a number of wild savages seized upon us, the fright awoke me with a start, and I am unable to banish it from my mind."

"Is that all," replied Bella, provokingly, at the same time forcing a smile. "Have you never heard that dreams go by contraries? Now I shall take upon myself, for the first time, to be a reader of dreams, and yours of last night indicates, according to this rule, that this fine weather will take us safely to Sydney, where we shall be received by our friends with open arms."

Bella McKay, with her usual cheerfulness and encouragement, succeeded in coaxing the invalid to dress herself, and accompany her on deck, when the beautiful prospect soon dispelled part of the gloom and anxiety which had taken possession of her mind.

During the whole forenoon the same calmness continued, but Bella noticed that the Captain constantly watched the weather-glass and sky with more attention than usual. At length, beckoning her to the other side of the quarter-deck, apparently unperceived by his wife, and on her approaching him, he spoke as follows:—"My dear Miss McKay, you have always acted the part of a kind friend to my wife during her illness and the voyage, and I shall be obliged if you would take her below, as I expect a strong gale of wind soon (or, as we call them in Sydney, a brickfielder) from yonder black cloud. Those sudden gales are very prevalent in these latitudes, and are generally preceded by such calms and stillness as we have had to day. You need not be alarmed, for if we are hard pressed, we can find shelter in some small

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Rh cove on the coast until it blows over, although I would rather be caught in the wide ocean, than in these straits and currents."

Bella now looked at the cloud, which appeared like a black speck in the heavens, but which every minute increased in size. Without betraying any concern, she conducted Mrs. McLean to her cabin, which they had hardly gained, when the loud and clear voice of the Captain was heard calling out, "All hands ready, take in sail!"

The astonished seamen could hardly believe their ears, and stared in each other's faces, when the captain again called out:—"make all ready for a gale of wind."

This well-known command made them spring up the rigging, and it was well that they had exercised such rapidity, for no sooner was the vessel made snug, than a sudden blast struck her aloft and would have sent her on her beam ends, had not the few sails set given away.

The gale now set in with fearful violence, driving the ship under bare poles before it, until darkness closed around them, which rendered their situation more perilous. The experienced commander well knew that if the gale lasted long, they would be forced upon a lee shore before morning; he therefore endeavoured to bring her head up and lie to, but the force of the hurricane made this a difficult and hard task.

The night was passed by all on board in the utmost anxiety, which was greatly increased on the first appearance of daylight, for the wind and current had driven them far beyond the captain's anticipated distance, and in sight of the ninety-mile beach, which extended as far as the eye could reach on their lee and which offered no shelter to them. Each moment they approached nearer and nearer to their inevitable doom; the brave captain at length made known his intention to beach the ship, which was the only chance of saving themselves.

This terrible expedient, which would be attended by so many dangers, was determined on, and everything prepared accordingly. The captain took the wheel himself in order to run her with as much ease as possible towards her foaming berth, while each seaman stood with

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162 his axe in his hand ready to cut away spars and rigging when she touched.

The moment was an awful one, each man stood ready at his post with a pale and resolute countenance, and as the ship rode furiously on the crest of the surf which carried her to her doom, the implements came down at one swoop at the word "cut away my lads!" when the tall masts with the entangled rigging fell over the side with one fearful crash, which sounded above the roaring of the billows. When the wreck was cleared away, the longboat was launched and all on board were got safely into it at great risk; she was then cut adrift, when a furious billow, which washed over the hull, struck her amidship, capsized her, and sent all on board into the raging surf.

Bella's first recollection was to find herself swept with fearful velocity on to the sandy shore, and when on the eve of being drawn back by the receding surge, she felt that something held her tightly by her clothes, which saved her from being drowned. The succeeding wave carried her still higher up, and in retreating the same firm grasp held her, but this time it dragged her out of the reach of further danger.

Bella then lay for some time quite exhausted, and unable to move, or even see, as her dripping hair covered her face, when some fierce growls struck her ear. Terrified at this second danger, and expecting that the growl proceeded from some native animal, she was afraid to open her eyes.

The warm rays of the morning sun soon revived her, and infused strength into her saturated form. The growling of the animal became more fierce, which was at length accompanied with the snapping of a dog, as if keeping some animal at bay. She now removed her dripping hair from her eyes, when a sight which failed her with awe and terror presented itself, and sent a thrill through her frame which almost deprived her of life. Within a few yards of her were ranged a number of natives, with dark skins, and painted with white stripes over the body, which gave them a horrible appearance. Each of them was armed with several

title: Page:Lindigo.djvu/162


text:
Author:Robert Hamilton

Works

 * History of the Presbyterian Church of Victoria (1888)

title: Author:Robert Hamilton


text:
Page:Lindigo.djvu/163

Rh like implements, and whenever they attempted to approach her, her brave guardian, Bran (from whom the growling proceeded) made a spring at them, which sent them back in affright.

Captain McLean and his wife's dreams recurred to her at the moment, and she now guessed that her faithful dog was her preserver, when near death by drowning; and now the faithful brute stood by her in another, and perhaps more trying time, protecting her against the savages.

On seeing the terror the noble dog kept the natives in, and gaining courage by the hopes that he might be the means of protecting that life which had been so wonderfully preserved, she considered it her bounden duty to exert herself in fulfilling her share of the responsibility.

Raising herself from the wet sand, which had almost benumbed her, her first act was to look round for her companions; but, alas, no sign or vestige of them could be seen, and the admired Bella McKay, the idol of the Western Highlands, was now a solitary exile and wanderer in a wild and unknown land, with not a creature save her faithful dog, to protect her, or administer to her wants.

How vain now all the attention and homage which had been paid her by the noblest gallants in the British Kingdom. Alas! the condition of the poorest and simplest mendicant in her fatherland would now be hailed by her as an inestimable blessing in her present forlorn state, her very existence being threatened to become a sacrifice to those most terrible-looking savages.

These thoughts were soon interrupted by the approach of a tall and powerful-looking savage, who, by his manner and looks, appeared to be their chief.

With a significant gesture and word of command, he sent the whole party up the beach, but they returned in a short time unarmed, each holding up a green branch. This she understood to mean peace, having heard and read of similar practices among savage nations, which greatly alleviated her fears, and which, with the

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30 “Oh, I don’t know, said Mrs. Anthony. “You can rip along with ’em.”

Hose was coming along, ringing his bell. Women were waiting at the yard-ends with their seamed stockings hanging over their arms. The man, a common fellow, made jokes with them, tried to swindle them, and bullied them. Mrs. Morel went up her yard disdainfully.

It was an understood thing that if one woman wanted her neighbour, she should put the poker in the fire and bang at the back of the fireplace, which, as the fires were back to back, would make a great noise in the adjoining house. One morning Mrs. Kirk, mixing a pudding, nearly started out of her skin as she heard the thud, thud, in her grate. With her hands all floury, she rushed to the fence.

“Did you knock, Mrs. Morel?”

“If you wouldn’t mind, Mrs. Kirk.”

Mrs. Kirk climbed on to her copper, got over the wall on to Mrs. Morel’s copper, and ran in to her neighbour.

“Eh, dear, how are you feeling?” she cried in concern.

“You might fetch Mrs. Bower,” said Mrs. Morel.

Mrs. Kirk went into the yard, lifted up her strong, shrill voice, and called.:

“Ag-gie—Ag-gie!”

The sound was heard from one end of the Bottoms to the other. At last Aggie came running up, and was sent for Mrs. Bower, whilst Mrs. Kirk left her pudding and stayed with her neighbour.

Mrs. Morel went to bed. Mrs. Kirk had Annie and William for dinner. Mrs. Bower, fat and waddling, bossed the house.

“Hash some cold meat up for the master’s dinner, and make him an apple-charlotte pudding,” said Mrs. Morel.

“He may go without pudding this day,” said Mrs. Bower.

Morel was not as a rule one of the first to appear at the bottom of the pit, ready to come up. Some men were there before four o’clock, when the whistle blew loose-all; but Morel, whose stall, a poor one, was at this time about a mile and a half away from the bottom, worked usually till the first mate stopped, then he finished also. This day, however, the miner was sick of the work. At two o’clock he looked at his watch, by the light of the green candle—he was in a safe working—and again at half-past two. He was hewing at a piece of rock that was in the way for the next day’s work. As he sat on his heels, or kneeled, giving hard blows with his pick, “Uszza—uszza!” he went.


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164  and terrified looks they cast on Bran, filled her with some hope of security.

The chief, meanwhile, displayed many signs of sympathy for her pitiful and uncomfortable condition, pointing to her dripping garments, and then pointing to some smoke that appeared to issue from a fire above the beach among the bushes, by which she understood that he invited her to warm herself.

Seeing opposition unavailing, being entirely in their power, and having the protection of Bran, who appeared to hold some mysterious influence over the savages, (which had they possessed sufficient courage, they could easily have despatched with their spears,) she consented to follow them.

On arriving at the fires, round which some small sheds were constructed of sticks and bark, the chief brought from the largest of them a rug made of skins of animals, and apparently the best change of clothes in his wardrobe. This she folded round her, which, with the heat of the fire, soon warmed her.

Great care and attention was paid to her and to her comfort by the chief and the whole tribe, which she had no idea was in their nature. The most delicate portions of fish and game were prepared and offered to her as her food, with some berries and other native fruit.

A more commodious and secure shed was constructed for her accommodation, and which was kept strictly private for her and Bran, who kept watch over her day and night.

The feelings which overwhelmed Bella in her captivity, and the many hardships and sufferings she had to endure, would have crushed many a stout heart. The fate of her companions she could not learn, but the fatal evidence of seeing the clothing and other articles distributed among the tribe, left no room for conjecture; but, how

title: Page:Lindigo.djvu/164


text: Lindigo, the White Woman/Chapter 22

title: Lindigo, the White Woman/Chapter 22


text: 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Thyrsus

title: 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Thyrsus


text:
Author:William Harcus

Works

 * South Australia: its History, Resources and Productions

title: Author:William Harcus


text: Index:New land mollusks from Madagascar and Mexico.djvu


text:
Author:John Fletcher Hargrave

Works

 * Trusts for Accumulations (1841)
 * (ed.) Blackstone's Commentaries (1843, 21st ed.)

title: Author:John Fletcher Hargrave


text: MediaWiki:Broken-file-category

title: MediaWiki:Broken-file-category


text: Author talk:Samuel Millington Miller

title: Author talk:Samuel Millington Miller


text:
Page:Pentagon-Papers-Part IV. A. 2.djvu/25

Declassified per Executive Order 13526, Section 3.3 NND Project Number: NND 63316. By: NWD Date: 2011 TOP SECRET – Sensitive :"(2) Popular support of the Government by the Indochinese people is essential to a favorable settlement of the security problem of Indochina. Therefore, as a condition to the provision of those further increases in military assistance to Indochina necessary for the implementation of an agreed over-all military plan, the United States Government should obtain assurances from the French Government that:

 * "(a) A program providing for the eventual self-government of Indochina either within or outside of the French Union will be developed, made public, and implementation initiated at once in order to strengthen the national spirit of the Indochinese in opposition to Communism.

 * "(b) National armies of the Associated States of Indochina will be organized as a matter of urgency. While it is doubtful that the buildup of these armies can be accomplished in time to contribute significantly to the present military situation, the direct political and psychological benefits to be derived from this course would be great and would thus result in immediate, although indirect, military benefits.

 * "(c) Pending the formation and training of Indochinese national armies as effective units, and as an interim emergency measure, France will dispatch sufficient additional armed forces to Indochina to insure that the restoration of peace and internal security in that country will be accomplished in accordance with the timetable of the over-all military plan for Indochina.

 * "(d) France will change its political and military concepts in Indochina to:

 * . Eliminate its policy of 'colonialism.'

 * . Provide proper tutelage to the Associated States.

 * . Insure that a suitable military command structure, unhampered by political interference, is established to conduct effective and appropriate military operations...

 * "(3) At an appropriate time the United States should institute checks to satisfy itself that the conditions set forth in subparagraph .(2) above are being fulfilled.

 * ". The United States should exert all practicable political and diplomatic measures required to obtain the

Rh


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168 The two physicians then conversed for a considerable time. Van den Ende had a strange mocking expression, and spoke eagerly. Long Flyns listened to the medical consultation with wide open eyes, and nodded to first one and then the other, as if he understood it all, while in fact he did not understand a word; and to Baruch's ears it was only a word here and there that was borne as if by the wind; nevertheless he gazed anxiously at the stranger physician. In the ways and appearance of this little man there lay such a rare serenity and peace of mind that Baruch, in the mood he was then in, was fascinated by him. His hands, which were covered nearly to the fingers with his crimped cuffs, were crossed on the gold head of his Spanish cane; he leaned comfortably over the cushioned back of his chair; his plump round figure seemed almost too extensive to be supported by feet so small and neat, ornamented as they were with buckles and ribbons; but attention was soon attracted again from them to his head; from out the curled folds of his peruke, which flowed to his shoulders, his round face looked good-naturedly at the world, and no one would have thought he had seen more than fifty winters, but for some wrinkles that nestled round his eyes when he smiled, and, like the dark red on his nose and its neighborhood, were evidences of a more advanced age. The deep-set grey eyes moved incessantly, but the outward

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Rh of the little man was a contrast to the violent gesticulations of Silva, who sometimes seized his colleague unconsciously by the cloak, sometimes tapped him on the arm, sometimes on the shoulder, to exact proper attention to his words. As Baruch watched the stranger he could have envied him the rapid stream of Latin converse that flowed from his lips if he had dared to think of his studies beside his father's sick bed.

The operation was successful beyond all expectation. Van den Ende visited the convalescent nearly every day, and conversed principally with Baruch; the restlessness and active mind of the youth did not long remain hidden from his penetrating sight. The grateful father willingly granted his request that he might instruct Baruch in classical learning.

Baruch accompanied the physician to his dwelling at the end of Warmoes Street, not far from St. Olave's Church, and the chapel built on the model of the Temple of Jerusalem. Baruch had once passed there with Chisdai. Chisdai spat at it three times; Baruch merely remarked that the builder had departed very much from the original, but that it could not be otherwise, for even those learned in the Talmud could not have a perfect idea of the outward and inward appearance of the Temple of Jerusalem, since the real original was in Heaven itself. Now, however, he troubled himself but little about the architecture of the Temple in heaven, or

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170 on earth, as he entered the house of the physician. Here he found himself in a wholly novel atmosphere. Joyous singing in a young girl's voice, accompanied by an organ, reached his ears even on the ground floor. The physician led his pupil into a large room, and left him alone for a while. Bright colored pictures looked down on him from all sides, wantonly attracting remark: here a Leda rising from her bath, an oil painting in fresh, alluring tints; there a Venus, as she arose in all her glorious perfection from the foam; near her a Semele on whom a cloud was sinking; on the opposite wall hung Flemish still-life, fruit and flowers, landscapes inimitable in truth of coloring. Little statuettes of white and tinted marble stood on the inlaid stands. Canaries in gilt cages repeated their well-studied songs, and between whiles interposed their powerful native wood-notes. Roses, tulips, carnations, lilies, and anemones bloomed round the windows in ornamental pots, and drew attention there. The physician returned, aud explained the beauties of the pictures to Baruch; some he took down, and dusted them with a sponge for a better view. Especially long he lingered over a picture of natural solitude by his contemporary, Jacob Ruysdael, and a rich landscape by his rival Nicolaus Berghem, then still alive. He then led Baruch into another room, that created even greater astonishment. The walls were hung with

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Rh drawings, one above another; glass cases, in which butterflies and beetles were well arranged, hung between; stuffed birds sat on little twigs fixed into the book-cases. At one end of the room stood phials and retorts; in one corner lay a large heap of grey papers, from which emerged the stems and leaves of dried plants; there also stood a large skeleton in whose bony fingers was placed a gilt paper sceptre. Above the green-covered writing-table stood a marble bust, the acute Greek face crowned with a laurel wreath.

Baruch took note of his surroundings, in which, in spite of the superabundance, a certain order was visible. Life could be filled with other things than biblical rules, commentaries, and religious ceremonies; here was quite another world, thus he assured himself, and the physician did not disturb his thoughts, for he was seeking through his shelves for a book. At last he chose Cicero de Officiis, and required Baruch to construe it. The tutor shook his head often reflectively; not that Baruch knew no Latin; that could not be accurately said of him; it was that with his characteristic quickness of mind he burst the grammatical forms with a wonderful comprehension of the author whom he read. If but a few words were clear that gave an idea of the progress of the narrative, or indicated the aim of the train of thought, he would rapidly, and often correctly, connect the sense of the whole. More

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Rh But thou deserv'st a better heart,

Than they or I can give for thine.

7.

For thee, and such as thee, behold,

Is Fortune painted truly—blind!

Who doomed thee to be bought or sold,

Has proved too bounteous to be kind.

8.

Each day some tempter's crafty suit

Would woo thee to a loveless bed:

I see thee to the altar's foot

A decorated victim led.

9.

Adieu, dear maid! I must not speak

Whate'er my secret thoughts may be;

Though thou art all that man can seek

I dare not talk of Love to thee.

STANZAS FOR MUSIC.

not, I trace not, I breathe not thy name,

There is grief in the sound, there is guilt in the fame:


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172, however, in following the train of the author's ideas, he would spring over them to his own much more widely extended combinations. Van den Ende saw that in this case a wholly different mode of instruction must be carried out; here was a well-grown tree that had seen the flowers and fruit of many seasons fall, and which must now be transplanted to another soil.

The progress that succeeded was not, however, as great as might have been expected, the lessons being nearly always interrupted by discussions on wholly different subjects. Baruch had gained confidence in his teacher, and told him once in a confidential tone how he had lost the power to pray. The physician laughed so heartily that he was obliged to hold his sides; but he perceived how seriously this annoyed his pupil.

"Excuse me!" he said. "I am not laughing at you; ha! ha! ha! We had, in the lunatic asylum at Milan, an excellent example of a theological-philosophical Narcissus. He covered his face with a cloth, and remained the whole day on his knees, praying, 'Holy St. Christopher stand by me, and forgive me my sins.' Ha! ha! ha! and if he were asked, 'Who and where is the holy St. Christopher?' he stood up, and lifted the cloth from his face, crying in a majestic tone, 'Do you not see the glory round my brow? Kneel down and pray. I am the holy Christopher.' Ha! ha! ha! If one only

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Rh thinks about it awhile, there lay much method in his madness. What is the use of prayer? To influence God? Half a fool could see that it would be a contradiction if God allowed himself to be disturbed by us. The proverb says ora et labora; it all comes to this, then, that it raises and tranquillizes our so-called souls, which are oppressed and perplexed by our sorrows and pains; if I could do it by an anecdote, or a chapter on logic and physic, it would be just as good; so don't trouble yourself because you have become independent; don't hang your head, but be merry and good-humored. I am so, and for more than twenty years have never thought of prayer. If one could only bring up the young without wasting the fairest time of life in useless fiddle-faddle!" So said the physician, and his little grey eyes twinkled. Baruch could not oppose his exposition, but from that time he was more reserved with him; he diligently studied the works on mathematics and natural science that he received from him, questioned him on any difficulty therein, but carefully avoided any reference to his own condition of mind. The physician, however, knew how to awaken confidence by his insinuating frankness.

"I was once as hampered by doubts as you," he once said to Baruch. "And I know what the effect of such bondage is; even now when I think I have freed myself I catch myself in that exclusiveness

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174 that proceeds from the fancied possession of the one true creed. I am not come like you from the Bible itself to the way of freedom. It was a peculiar and in itself weaker impulse that led me into it. I was sent as a pious Catholic to the University of Leyden. One Ascension Eve I had studied so long that my lamp burned out; as I lay quietly in bed the thought passed like lightning through my mind, 'Where is that illuminating power now? The fire has annihilated its fuel and flowed into the Universe. What if it should be so with our souls also?' My teacher had impressed on me the once wide-spread theory that life was a process of burning. It can be called so without explaining much thereby; what we call soul, thought, and sensation is nothing but a combination of matter that has its nourishment from matter, palpable or impalpable, and will again become such. One man digests with difficulty, another with ease, one with comfort, another with discomfort."

"In what then lies our superiority to the brutes?"

"Who told you that such must exist? But we are indeed superior, only in so far, however, that we are more richly gifted and composed of finer material, therefore the so-called immaterial essences of color, sound, and language act more powerfully on us. The brain of a man outweighs a fiftieth of his whole body, therefore he has more of what is

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Rh called reason and intellect. In an ox, for example, the brain amounts to hardly an eight-hundredth part of its weight, therefore it is stupid; the elephant is ponderous but sagacious, because he has a proportionately large brain. Injure your brain and you become an idiot; why then do you talk of your future life and your eternal existence?"

"Our destiny then should be to make our life-work, or our existence, as you call it, as agreeable as possible."

"Decidedly."

"I did not think you were so selfish," replied Baruch.

"I am not selfish," retorted the physician, "I would joyfully give fortune and life for the good of the community, for the State, but not for religion and faith; I would not pull a hair from my wig for them. The surest and highest good of mankind lies in the well-being of the State, and to care for that is the destined work of man; in all else we but mount from one cloud to another."

"Your endeavors for the good of your fatherland and mankind were in the end then nothing more than to make it possible for this or that individual, or, if you prefer it, the community at large, to eat, drink, and take their pleasure with more ease and comfort; in your extension of this you obtain nothing higher, only something wider."

"I will talk with you openly," added the

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176, coming nearer to his scholar with a rare earnestness in his manner "Each one must go through the crisis in which you are now. I too was enthusiastic at your age about the higher or spiritual needs of mankind, and thought they ought never to be dissevered from their strivings towards the good of the community. I was in that sense a zealous Catholic, but only in that sense. It was the time when

I saw the Advocate mount the scaffold, because he defended himself from the old Jewish creed by which, through election, they would make Christians into a body-guard of God; there, leaning on his staff, the septuagenarian Oldenbarnaveldt stood on the scaffold.

"'O God!' he cried; 'what will become of mankind?' And all around stood the brainless crowd, heads beyond heads, and gloated over it, and shouted as that noblest head of all was severed from the body. There and then I learned to despise the multitude; there I gained the knowledge that before all things it is necessary to reject all influence from what the crowd calls religion. Superstition is a hollow tooth; it leaves you long in peace, but a harder morsel, or a colder whiff of air, and you are maddened by it. Try to draw it out,

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 had promised a doctor that he would say aloud, "Thar isn't real—I, Khal Kan, am not real."

Khal Kan laughed. The idea of saying such a thing, of asserting that Thar and Jotan and everything else was not real, seemed idiotic.

"That timid little man I am in the dream each night—he thinks I would mouth such folly as that!" Khal Kan chuckled.

Golden Wings had awakened. Her slumbrous black eyes regarded him questioningly.

"It's my own private joke, sweet," he told her. And he went on to tell her of the nightly dream he had had since childhood, of a queer world, called Earth in which he was another man. "It's the maddest world you can imagine, my pet—that dream-world. Men don't even wear swords, they don't know how to ride or fight like men, and they spend their lives plotting in stuffy rooms for a thing they call 'money'—bits of paper and metal.

"And the cream of the joke," Khal Kan laughed, "is that in my dream, I even doubt whether Thar is real. The dream-me believes that maybe this is the dream, that Jotan and Brusul and Zoor and even you are but phantom visions of my sleeping brain."

E ROSE to his feet. "Enough of dreams and visions. Today we ride to meet Egir and the Bunts. That is no dream!"

Ten thousand strong massed the fighting-men of Jotan later that morning, outside the walls of the city. Under the red sun their bronzed faces were sternly confident and eager for battle.

Kan Abul rode out through their ranks, with his captains behind him in full armor. Khal Kan was among them, and beside him rode Golden Wings. The desert princess had fiercely refused to be left behind.

Their helmets flashed in die red sunlight, and the cheers of the troops were deafening as Kan Abul spoke to his captains.

"Egir's main force is already ten leagues north of Galoon," he told them. "There's talk of some new weapon which the Bunts have, with which they claim to be invincible. So we're going to take them by surprise.

"I'll lead our main force of eight thousand archers and spearmen south along the coast road," the king continued. "My son, you will take our two thousand horsemen and ride over the first ridge of the Dragals, then ride south ten leagues. We'll join battle with the Bunts down on the coastal plain, and you can come down from the Dragals and strike their flank. And the gods will be against us if we don't roll them up and destroy them as our forefathers did, generations ago."

Kan Abul led the troops down the coast road, and as they marched along they roared out the old fighting-song of Jotan.

Hours later, Khal Kan sat his horse amid a thin screen of brush high in the red easternmost ridge of the Dragals, leagues south of Jotan. Golden Wings sat her pony beside him, and their two thousand horsemen waited below the concealment of the ridge.

Down there below them, the red slopes dropped into a narrow plain between the mountains and the blue Zambrian. Far southward, a pall of black smoke marked the site of sacked Galoon. And from there, something like a glittering snake was crawling north along the coast.

"My Uncle Egir and his green devils," muttered Khal Kan. "Now where are father and our footmen?"

"See—they come!" Golden Wings cried, pointing northward eagerly.


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Rh the patient strikes you in the face, you leave a splinter in and cannot extract it except with the danger of tearing the gum, or destroying a nerve. Whoever would really help says he would but look at it, then fixes the pincers in the jaws, then back! out with it; but it is better not to help him who has not the courage to let himself be helped."

"You make the endeavor after possession and increase of the ideal attainments of mankind an intellectual luxury."

"Yes, it has no practical aim; I don't grudge it to you Jews, if you like to erect a heavenly kingdom, since you have no earthly one. Why do you laugh? Am I not right?"

"The Talmud says that the best of the physicians go to hell; the professors of healing then had evidently the same ideas as you have now."

"What does your Talmud matter to me? Your Moses was a great statesman, but wise Solomon is the man for me; he understood life, that is why he says in Ecclesiastes, 'Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry.'"

"Then the brutes best fulfil their destiny, and the mollusks who consist of a stomach are the most perfect of creations."

"No; I grant you a brute can be merry, but man is superior in this, not that he walks upright, can

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178 read and write, and thereby know what happened before him and therefore may happen to him; no, but men alone can laugh. Democritus and Lucian were the two most sagacious men in Greece, the others have mostly thrashed empty straw. I am an old practitioner, believe me, no pleasure in the world is so permanent as laughter, and in the enjoyment of it men remain normally fresh and healthy."

"It is odd that you are again in agreement with the Talmud, for it says there, 'that laughter is the prerogative of mankind.'"

"Truly? Then there is some wisdom in that heavy book, but I go still further, and say, it is a prerogative of men above gods, for he whom nothing surprises cannot laugh."

"Let us remain among men," interrupted Baruch. "What in your view of things becomes of the poor who moisten their crusts with tears, the old, the sick, and the sorrowful, who find nothing to enjoy, and nothing to laugh at? Where are comfort and joy for them?"

"Such should believe and be merry in their godly faith."

"But if they come to a fuller knowledge, and all is overturned?"

"There is no fear of that, it will never happen; in all times there are but few clear-sighted ones; the rabble will always believe: it must be so,

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Rh they are wanting in cultivation and judgment; otherwise they would never be kept within bounds."

"These are they who count themselves free; even infidelity has its elect!" Such were Baruch's thoughts as he went away.

On yet another occasion the books lay open before them, and teacher and learner spoke of other things than what was written therein.

"Believe me," said the physician, and he blinked with his grey eyes, like one who has penetrated the deepest secrets; "believe me, I often looked behind the curtains; I know the matrimonial history of what men call matter and spirit, and have coupled with a religious blessing."

"Yet every one desires to be believed," answered the pupil. "But if I had wished it I should have remained among the Rabbis; perhaps I might have succeeded in building yet another story to that Tower of Babel, the Talmud, which at last may reach to Heaven; but I wish for knowledge, certainty."

"That you will only find in matter; of all other things I can prove to you as readily that they exist as that they do not exist."

"In the combination of my own unbroken succession of impressions, feelings, and thoughts I know myself to be a spiritual unit, independent of, and unconnected with, the body. Suicide,

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