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‘detached from the wall, by True leecuntof a Russian Horror. â€"â€" II Michael Alexandroff, called Mischa for short, was one of the regular train hands, employed at Kornoff. This had been a red-letter day with himâ€"suspenâ€" sion of work since noon, double pay and the unique experience of seeing a real live Princess! Ah. that was worth cel- ebrating. So, before going to his cab- in. he purchased a quarter of aliter of wodki and a bag full of gingerâ€"bread for Maschinka. Poor little Maschinka. she do‘bed on gingerbread, and got her fill of it only once or twice a year. They had been married seven months and already owned a little cabin where they livedâ€"the cabin, a table, cupboard. bench and a bed. More still. The gild- ed shrine that occupied the place of hon- or on the principal wall of their but. was all paid for. And how did this come about? Miseha had given up wodki as a steady diet when he took unto himself a wife, .and if the little strangâ€" er they expected soon was a boy, he ,Would give it up entirely. Yes, indeed. he would. ' When Mischa. got home he was alit- lile the worse for liquor and full of talk and nonsense, "I've seen a. real Princess,” he said, " and what is more she has seen me. She came to the winâ€" dow Do do it, and pointed me out to the Governor." v "You are a liar, Masha," cried the| young woman with goodâ€"natured blunt- nessâ€""why should such great people .want to look at you i” ” I don’t know, I’m sure, but perhaps they were attracted by my new boots, I had polished them till I could see my face in them." ‘ 'Pshaw, you just want to make me laugh; but inasmuch as you brought me gingerbread, allow me to eat it in peace." v They sat down together. she munchâ€" ing with every evidence of relish, be watching her white teeth work and sip- ping from his bottle. They were the picture of contentment. Suddenly the door was opened with a crash. The pc- i airl. lice lieutenant and Duschikin entered noisily. “We alrc looking for you, Michael Alexandroff.” Husband and wife jumped up. "It must be a mistake. gracious master,” cried both, and Mischa added: " My passport is in order. master; I have paid my taxes, though they were ex- tremely heavy. Still, I paid them.:’ ' 'No need of telling me that you find no pleasure in giving the Emperor what . is the Emperor's. We know all about you. rascal. Have you any printed or written matter in your cabin? Better confess, for we will surely find every- thing." God save me. masterâ€"I can neither read nor write.” . ‘ "That’s a. moth-eaten excuse, which may be reversed under pressure of the knout. Meanwhile, you, Duschkin, try and rout out the stuff; if there be any suspicious articles we must find them. Search well, and spare not their bags.” . The offimr executed the order to the letter, leaving no piece of furniture. or firewood, either. unturned, throw- ing the contents of the cupboard and bed on the floor, and ripping up the mattress despite Mascha’s wailings. Of course, he found nothing. nothing ex- cept the half-empty wodki bottle, and this he placed carefully out of sight. “Nothing to be found, master Lieu- tenant.” i " Never mind, they probably have roofs enough in St. Petersburg, any- ow to transport him for life. Now handcuff the scoundrcl, but an that he feels it. Quic .” "Great God," cried the woman ; "par- don him, little father, whatever he has done he cannot have sinned much, or; 1. his constant companion, would know it. Release hi1l , racious master, flor this time only. u 11 we own in this world shall be yours." Scheli‘nsky looked down upon the kneeling Mascha, as if she was a dog dined with revolutionary awaiting punishment. His eyes swep the disordered mom contemptuously. "Don't lick my boots, bag-gage!” he, cried, "and consider ylourself lucky ifi I do not report; you for offering bribes ‘ to the police. Duschkin, I order you a. v second time. to hurry." i Mascha's tears flowed freely. In spite ‘ of Schellnsky’s haughty injunction, she embraced his knees again and again. and kissed his dirty boots, crying uloud for mercy. l White with rage the uniformed brute tried to shake off the miserable crea- ture. but Mascha hung on, until, fin-, ally, beside himself with fury, Schelin- 3 sky struck her a fearful blow that sent her reeling-toward the floor. In falling the poor girl struck her head against a. corner of the iron bedstead. A stream of blood gushed from the wound in her temple and she sank down with a. low moan. unconscious. Michael until then had remained seemingly apathetic and silent. But see- ing his Wife maltreated, all his manhood ‘ rose 'to ferocious exasperation. l 1 With a cry of anguish and defiance hecluwhed his long arms round the officer's waist, lifted him a few feet and flung the body heavily on the floor, simultaneously throwing himself on his prostrated enemy and throttling him. list that moment, the Saint's shrine. the comâ€" that shook the cabin from roof goth) ‘ cel ar, came tumbling down, falling l at the side of Schelinsky's purple head, i which missed it b an inch or two, ‘ ' :1 what no earthx y ower could hays . no. “1., loosening 'scha's iron grip on his victim’s throat, this sign from heaven accomplished in an instant, for the devout peasant thought that most natural occurrence nothing short of a wonder. Indeed, to his mind, it voiced God's own stern injunction, " Thou shalt not kill." Mischa raised his knees from the fall- en man’s breast. H-e stood up silo-nt- ly, his arms and hands hanging down, Duschkin found no difficulty in hand- cuff'mg the giant, though the unhappy fellow knew full well that his last hour of freedom had passed, probably forever. His eyes, still bloodshlot, soul ht those of his beloved, good-natured ll ascha ly- ing on the ground, her head in a pool of blood that steadily increased. Great. God 1 they were closed. Was she dead? ‘Minhnel felt as if his own life was ebbing away. A feeling of unwonted irresclution and exhaustion crc t over llllm. He would have fallen I a Vig- orous kick applied by\ the. spurred boot of the police liemtenlant had not re- called his senses. ' A few seconds afterwards the three men were on the. highroad to the sta- tion house. None had made an atâ€" tempt to rouse the unconscious Wife, Who was soon to become a. mother; M ischn was too dazed to do it, D'uschkln dared not take his; eyes from the prisâ€" oner. Schclinsiky would not allow a, hu- mane sentiment. to interfere With what he considered his durty. The neighbors, of course, were con- scious of what had happened. 'havmg witnessed the affair from the Windows, but though Maschiinka was now alone. none was bold enough! to come to her Tlhnt. redâ€"haired Michael was a criminal, perhaps a nihilist, was quite clear to his former friends; and they also knew that to assist "that scouri- drel's" Wife, was trunlmnoumt. to incur- ring (he displeasure, or even the susâ€" pin-ions. of tthnc authorities. ‘Ah. If there were no ea vesdroppers, no inform- crs about, every one in the crowd would have been only too eager to help, but as things Were it would in like putting one's head into the noose. VV bile drinking. or in court, no one is master Of his tongue. I ,_ “God will assist her; for he 15 graci- ous." Whispered men and women among themselves. When making thesngn of the cross. each wemt about his or her business. In the cabin all. was (Juliet as death. Ftrom time to time a drop 0f blood oozed from poor s- olliimka’s wound to join the big pool that was eating its way into the boards. but the element of dying life ebbed slower and slower. One) of the neigh- bors asserts that only once. towards lll'ghlt. a vague noise broke the awful stillness that hovered over the unhafipy roof. The listener thought she ad heard the name "Mischaâ€"Mischa." 91‘0- noumced once or twice. Ill. “Them the police came next _ to 383-1111 inspect the premises and search for hidden evidences of lawless- morning found only a dead body how” me 111 right hand a. small mus Worn crucifix. , Had any of the folks living near dar- etd PTOffer assistance after all, and» funding all earthly hopes vanished, fixâ€" ed the symbol of the promised Land be- tWeein the fingers of the dying woman _Duschkitn might perhaps have en- llghtened his brother officers. it will be remembered that duzrilng h15.f‘.r5t Vifiit he discovered a bottle containing wodki, and placed it: hand for (nature 1136. no doubt. Tihnb bott was 8939' and Diuschlkim did not search for itâ€" oertainly a. suspicious circumstance. Maschirnlra’s body was carried to the station, and from were to the cemetery. The master of police swore great. big oaths when he fommd he had Q0 bury bier. There was no appropriation for uch purposes, and it made necessary a. lot of writing and reporting. Michael Alexander's commxtment was made out the same night. It‘read as follows: ‘ "By order of his Excellency. the (10V- ernor General; "Send to the Pager-Paul fortress- "Guard carefully; treat severely. "Special reason: M’uirderously as- saulted the officer commanding the arâ€" rest." "\Vell.” said the sulblie/uteinant 1n Whose custody Mischa was to make the journey, "in conformity With regula- tions I ougth to chain! you tovthe car. but I will not act meanly. Just put your hand in your pocket. and see what there is in it." "They have cleaned me out at the station," replied Mischa, with a sad smile. "Even my boots they took away claiming they were, in’ all probability. literature. The sergeant gave me these sandals in retumn before I was brought to the deâ€" pot. , "All that emphasizes the seriousness of your case," said Uhte sub-lieutenant ster‘nly. "If those fellows in Kornoff were not sure that you will never have occasion to testify against them, they would not have treated you so badly.” Then turning to the guards, the off icial shouted: “Cihnirn the scoundrel to the bench. and keep him short. and who- ever talks to blunt one single word will renew acquaintance with my corpor- al’s cane." , , This hard usage was far from galling to Mischa. Since he had been torn from the bosom of his beloved wifeâ€"left her in agony. dying, perhaps, on the floor, a feeling of unutterable distress had overcome him. It penetrated to his soul and numbed his senses. Ab- solute quiet was all he craved. ,(To Be Continued.) SOUNDS. Ire walking in a very and hear a faint sound from afar, you wonder how great the distance is between. The whistle of a locomotive is (heard 3,300 yards through the air; the noise of a rail- When you quiet place way 'train, 2,800 yards; the re- port of a, musket and the bark of a dog, 1,800 yards; an orchestra or the roll of a drum, 1,600 yards; the l ten tu.‘r y. A MAN WITH THIRTEEN WIVES. 5*- A Dozen of Them “111 Swear Against Him. But the Last One Remains True. There is incarcerated inl the Spring- field, 111., Jail 8. man who has undoubtâ€" edly earned for himself: the title of the champion polygamist of the nineteenth His name is \Villiam Six. aiml lie is held awaiting trial on a. charge of bigamy. Six succeeded in‘ Inmryimg So frequently within the Past 12 months that the local authori- ties have found 13 Mrs. Sixes. Most of the women are in Missoun'i, but there are a. few in Kansas and several in In- diuma. Six is known to have been in thle Indian Territory for some time. but this section of the country has not been heard from. One of Slx's wives 1111 Missouri writes that her husband had six wives living and undivorced when he married her. Stix was arrested several weeks ago at ltllle instance of the irate brothers Of his last wife. Sihle was Miss Kate Hornung, living at Berry, Ill., and title daughter of a. well-todo farmer. When he had spent ALL HIS WIEE’S MONEY Hie tried to sell her horse and buggy. When all the money! was gone Sriix b5 came repentant and permitted his Wife to take him: to her father’s home. The bride’s brothers learned that Six hailed from Missouri, and they wrobe there and lmed his real character. Six left the house one night, ers. Six. bled him arrested at LoganSport, Ind. Several days after his arrival at Berry, Sheriff Baxter began receiving letters from all parts of thle Western country from women who claimed Six as their legal husband. One letter from a. Mrs. Six at. Lamar, Mo... stated that two days after she married Six he left her, taking with bun $100 of her moms and a gold watch. Anothâ€" er letter groin Missouri stated that Six had married a woman near Joplin, and lived with her a short time and left. Still another letter from a. Mrs. Six in Kansas read that. Six left her last December, after living with her a. week. He took her horse and buggy with him and, $50 in money. Up to date Sheriff Baxter has learned of 13 Women who claim Six for their hus- band. > LAST WIFE TRUE: In spite of all these letters the last Mrs. Six Inns never lost her infatua- tion for the man. After she was adâ€" vised of all his um‘divorced wives she first stated she was through with him. Bluft the next day she was at the Jail With a bunch of flowers, begging to be admiltted to talk with him. Last week Six made his will, in which he be- queathed all his belonging: to the last Mrs. Stix, He claims to entitled to a share in his father’s estate in Can- ada, which he values at $5,000. The case will shortly come up for trial. Nearly all the! wives that have written the Sheriff have si nified' their intention Elf naming to his trial to testify against him" . m OPTIMISM IN REAL LIFE. 5! Uncle Henry‘s Way of Making Things Come Out Right. "What is an 'optimist,’ father I" a. farmer’s boy asked of his father. who. though far from being a. learned man. had always been foutnd by the boy cap- able of giving an intelligible answer to his questions. The farmer reflect- ed a moment befiotre replying. Then he said: "Now, sonny, you know I can't give ye the dictionary mealnin’ otf that word. no more’n I can of a. great many oth- ers. But I’ve got a. kind of an idea what it means. Probably you don't reâ€"4 member your Uncle Elenry, but I guess if there ever was an optimist, he was one. Things was always comin’ out right with H'ecnry, and especially any- tfhiilng hard that he had to do; it wa‘n't. aâ€"goiln' to be hardâ€"Twas jest kind of! solid-pleasant. "Take hoein’ co'r-n, now. If anything kind of took the bunker out of me ’twas hoein' corn in the hot sun. But in the field ’locmg ubowt the time I be- gun to lag back a. little, Henry he'd hootk up an' my :0 “‘Good, Jim! \V'hleln we get these two rows lined, an? eighteen more, the piece'll be half-done? Aln’ he’d say it in such a. kind of a. cheerful way that I couldn't 'a’ hen any more tickled ilf the piece hum been all doueâ€"an’ the rest would go light enough. “But the worst thilntg‘ we had to do â€"hoei!n' corn wns a picnic to lt~was pickin' stones. No end. to that on our old farm. if we wnloted to raise anyâ€" thing. \Vhen we wa’n’t huu‘ried and pressed at something else. there was always pit-kin stones to: do; and there wa’n’t a plowin' nor a frosty winter but What brought a. fresh crop of stones to the top, an’ seems if the pick- itn' all had to be done over again. "\Vell, sir, youl'd 'u’ thought to hear Henry that. there ma"n't any fun 1n the world like pit-kin' stone. He lookâ€" ed at it in a. different way from anyâ€" body I ever see. Once when the corn was all hoed, amt the grass wa’n‘t fit! to out yet, an! I’d got all laid out to go fishin'. and father be up and set us to pickin' stones up on the west piece. an' I was about ready to cry. Henry. he says: 0 "‘Coane on, Jim. I know there’s lots of nuggets l" "Ain' what do you s’pose now? That boy had a. kind of a. game that. that there field was what he called a plasser mining field, and he got me into it, w he re ‘and I could 'a.’ sworn I was in Klon-v human voice reaches to a. distance, of; ‘1,000 yards; the mki‘ff of frogs. 900 yards; the chirping o crickets, 800 yards. Distinct speaking is heard in the air from below, to the distance 0!. 600 yards; from above: it is understood to have a Range of only 100 yards downwards. dyke all dayâ€"I had such a good time.- "'0nly,’ says H'enry, after we’d got through the day’s monk, ‘the way you get rich with these mggets is to get rid of 'em. instead of to get 'em.’ "That somehow didn’t strike my fancy, but we’d had play instead of work, and a. great lot of stones had been rooted cult of that field. *A. “An as Isaild before, Ican‘t give ye any dictionary definition‘ of 'optim~ ism.’ but if your Ulucle Henry wa‘n’t an optimist, I don't know, what one is." inn ENGLISH STRIKE. A PARTICIPANT’S RECOLLECTION OF THOSE STIRRING TIMES. When All kinds of Industries Wcrc Nearly at a Stuudstlll for Six Weeks â€" The Grfnu‘sl labor Struggle Tlmt Ever 0c currcdâ€" Ignorance of the People ’l‘hme Days â€" 'I‘hc Strike Was Lost. Thomas Grundy, of Pittsburg. was a participant in some of the famous strikes which occurred in England for- ty or more years ago. and his recollec- tions of the manner in which they were conducted and his comments up- on the good which they accomplished are interesting just now. Mr. Grundy is now upward of 60 years of age, and has been a. hard worker in the labor movement nearly all his life. He drew his first inspiration from a mob of striking Weavers. who when Mr. Grun- dy was seven years old, called at the schoolhouse where he was beginning his education and compelled the teacher to give the scholars a vacation. This was a. unique form of enforced sympathy strike, which Mr. Grundy has never since seen duplicated. He had someâ€" tlIILE'S wondered at the tameness of la- bor struggles which he has since wit- nessed compared with what he saw in his boyhood's days, but as he remem- bers his feeling on the great occasion, it was simply one of satisfaction that the strikers should relieve him at the necessity of going to school. According to Mr. Grundy's descrip- tion of this strike it must have been one of the greatest labor-struggles that ever occurred. In 1842 the condiâ€" tion of the cotton workers in Lanca- shire, Yorkshire and Cheshire, had be- come so bad, owing to the introduction of machinery, that a general strike movement was brought about without any organization and at first without leadership. During the six weeks industry of ev- ery kind was entirely suspended in the district affected, it being estimated that in the neighborhood of 3,000,000 PEOPLE WERE IDLE. I This included the weavers themselves and persons of every other occupation whom they obliged to leave work. The small tradesmen and manufacturers were obliged to close their places, the teachers in the schools, had to send their pupils home, and the strikers even prevented the passing of vehicles up- on the highways by massing themselves in compact bodies through which no horse could be driven. Mr. Grundy having been very young at the time this strike occurred, most of his information about it has been gathered from reading. The incidents which he remembers are principally the forcing of his teacher to dismiss school and the obliging of his father to sus- pend business. Mr. Grundy's father was a. hatter, having a shop of his own and employing a few hands in the town of Ashton, near Manchester. The strikers came in a large body, and it was only necessary for one of them to say: "Put out that fire, Grundy," and the hat- ter immediately suspended all work in his little place and sent his men home to wait for the strike to be over. Mr. Grundy remembers seeing bodies of the strikers marching along the highways thickly massed together and filling the roads from side to side as far as they could be seen. They were always armed. with clubs, and when marching would line up close togeth- er, each grasping the club of the man on either side of him, and so weaving themselves into a. solid mass. In this way it was rendered impossible for any- thing or anybody to occupy the road but the strikers. and their ob’ect of forcing a general suspension 0 busi- ness in the district was obtained. This was only for a little while, however, as large bodies of the troops of the em- pire were ordered into the district held by the strikers, and soon obliged them to preserve the peace and desist from interfering with the affairs of those who desired to carry on business. Mr. Grundy 's recollection of the. mat- ter is that much sympathy was display- ed for the strikers by the troops. and that the latter were of very little. use so far as breaking the strike of the weavers was concerned. The strike was lost, however. the weavers going back to their work at. the end of six weeks without having obtained any inâ€" crease of wages, or any shortening of their hours of labor. It was not long, however, until Parliament, as a result of this strikes began to pay some at- tention to the condition of the weav- ers. and laws which served very effect- ually to ameliorate their condition were passed. Cobden, Bright and other great Eng‘ lish statesmen took up their cause, and investigations and discussions, resultâ€" ed. the good effects of which are still felt‘. The REPEAL OF THE CORN LAWS, by which English workingmen were en- abled to obtain cheaper food, MixGrunâ€" dy thinks, was largely due to the strike, though it had been advocated before the strike tonk place. Another law which was of great benefit forbade women and children under eighteen years of age to be employed in the cotton mills longer than ten hours a day. This law was not only a good thing in itself, but. it caused the workers generally to think and agitate for a ten-hour day, and some ten years after the great strike of 1842 there was a general. strike for ten hours, which resulted success- fully, and which was the beginning of better times in the matter of hours of labor in nearly all English industries. Mr. Grundy was employed in a cotâ€" ton mill himself at the time this last strike took place. The workmen sim- ply quit whcn they hnd worked ten hours one day. and so inaugurated a movement which was ‘ ccessful. Mr. Grundy says that at t at time there whhso little general education. that many persons could not tell the time of day by a clock. and so in passing around the word for the inauguration of the strike everybody was instructed to stop work when the clock pointed straight up and down, this being a method of securing rt more general un- derstanding than to say 6 o'clock in the evening. In the mill where Mr. Grundy worked the clock was watched all afternoon, and when the time come there was a general rush for the outside of the mill. The foreman had the gates lock- ed and proceeded to lutrangue the work- men, but it was to no purpose. Several were notified that they were discharg- ed, but this produced no effect upon them or the others. Mr. Grundy thinks that among ignorant workmen, that is, among those who are ignorant, in the matter of education obtained from books, there has been as a rule more loyalty to each other displayed than by those who are {ah-1y well educated. At any rate they stuck together upon this occasion. and won their strike so thoroughly that there was never af- terward a general return to the old ractice of working twelve or fifteen hours a day. In the mill where Mr. Grundy was employed, too, the mana- ger, after the ten-hour system had been in force for some time, called the workmen together, and expremed his satisfaction with it, saying that the re- sults obtained were much more satis- factory from the sta ndpoint of the pro- prietors than under the old way. A SEA MYSTERY. The Building of Great Ironclad! Only an Expcrlmem. The most remarkable experiment in recent years is this building of naviea at enormous expense, when there has been no opportunity of testing the value or! the new machinery in actual warfare. i During the last quarter of a century, there has been nol naval battle worthy of being mentioned in the same breath with Trafalgar or the Nile, or with Rodney's great victory in time ~Wesb Indies. Lissa in the Adriatic was a small fight at the: opening of the new: era of naval progress. ‘ A few ironclads have been in action on the west coast of South America. and a. British fleet shelled the ill-armr- ed forts of Alexandria. There was a. battle between fleets on “he YalunOIi long ago; bth the mental inferiority of the Chinese to the Japanese rendered it impossible for experts to judge what: their ships would have done if they had been properly manned and well handled. ’ 1 Meanwhile, the art of naval We has been: revolutionized, and every maritime nation has been expending im- mense sums upon battleships and other fighting vessels without knowing whoa ther armor will adequately protect them or whether torpedo~boats do not hold the proudest fleets at their mercy. Two years ago there was a wonder- ful naval review at Kiel when the Bal- tic Canal was opened, and this yeah there has been another off Portsmouth at which the most . PU\VELR.FUL ENGLISH FLEET ever assembled in any. waters has been seen on holiday parade. These fleets were immense combinations of machines shops, engineâ€"houses and gun-factories. What their value may be in a seaâ€"bah the is one of the mysteries of the sea. The best. experts frankly say that. they do not know whether these com- plex iron boxes filled. with. steam and. electric machinery will remain afloat under heavy fire from shore or torpedo attack. Tihley readily admit that navies will be transformed as soon as there is a great engagement between modern fleets. l . 1m Nelson's time there was an un« written law that hot shot were not to be. used in battle, on account of the risk involved in setting, fine to inflam- mable wooden shops. There was then a naval instinct against treacherous methods of fighting. This has passed away. Every navy nowhas all the modern resources for setting on fire or sinking by secret assault an enemy's ship. In naval reviews this battleships are floating batteries which seem to defy. assault; but torpedo-boats have never been used against them. With a single sting of the little steel wasp t‘hg great leviathan with its heavy armor and longâ€"range gun‘ may go down with a quick plunge. If the exâ€" perts only knew w'hut was the real, effective value of the torpedo in naval warfare. they could tell with a fair deâ€" gree of confidence what the fleets of the future would be like. I They do not know, and the build- bag of the fleets goes on in a fog of uncertainty. "I command one of these Stripe," said an old sea-dog at Kiel, “Liult let me bell you frankly, I would not like to go into battle with her. We shrill know more after the next naval war than we do now." SEMI-CYCLE. Queer Machine Ridden by a Warler Per former. Trick cycling shows all are familiar with. Some crack experts ride tricyâ€" 0195. and others bicycles. There are others, again, who, contemning a mul- tiplicity of wheels, perform all their Wonderful feats on one solitary wheel, with which they seem able to do only conceivable tilting. M. Noiset. however, a trick Cyclist in Europe rides half a. wheel! Of course, the angles are not sharp. but rounded. \NO one has ever heard tell of round an 193. perhaps, but then our cyclist's per ormance is like- wise unique. 'lih'e machine is provided with unusually long and. powerful cranks. “which (to say nothing about. the lmckupedalirng necessary) are very reâ€" quisite for the forward moveineintnwhen the half circle has run its course. and the flat side about to come down on to the ground. This young artiste, when touring across Europe and Am- crlca in the various variety theatres, always contrived to get up public races between himself tl/Ild the local rofes- slo'nal searcher. invariably stipulating, however, for a. nicely calculated start.