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"He‘s over the aadge,” cried Mo- Callum, who felt that he had to stand by his absent friend. “He's neither over not under the sage. Sandy." said the captain with decision; "he's between thirty and toxty, and he should have been here "Baldy McVemnel, step forward from the ranks!” was the sharp command of the armed officer. There was a: moment's apprehensive silence, but no one stepped from the ranks, which was not 10 be wondered at, for Baldy was at that moment peacefully ploughing his field seven good miles away, and "present" had been answered by his friend and relative, McCallum, who had varied the word from his own answer, “Here,” the better to escape notice, a plan which had always been successful before. Deep was the soowl on the captain's face. "Put him down fur a. fine." he said to the clerk. Angus first .took command, but lweil remember the dismtty his action spread over the district. Angus knew per- sonally every man in the county, which, to parody Gilbert, was A fact they hadn't counted upon, When they first put his unitorm on. ’l‘he captain s uniform consisted of his ordinary clothes, rendered warlike by a scarlet sash, looped over the left shoulder, and tied in a sanguinary knot under the right arm, or “oxter,” as Angus termed that portion at his body. But what added perturbation to the feelings of the crowd assembled on the parade-ground was the long Claymore, held perpendicularly up the rigid right arm, the hilt almost down to the knee, the point extending above the head, as Angus stood erect, with heels together and chin held high. Even the dullest of us could perceive that the slovenliness of our Lormer captains, in happy-go-lucky style of department, was a. thing of the past. We were now face to face with the real terrors of war, in the person of Captain Angus McKerricher. ’l'he stout yeomanry were all drawn up in line, and beside the statueâ€"like tigure of the captain stood the town clerk, or whatever the official was who kept the roll of able-bodied citiâ€" zens, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, who were liable to mili- tary servibe. 'lhe day began with the “b‘uudy McCallum I" “Here.” ' "Baldy McVan‘nel !“ "Present." At this juncture the suddenly lifted sword of Lime capLzLLn sLoppe reading of the roll. ‘ forty-five, tary servi'ce calling of t We, in Western Canada, were always a bloodthirsty gang, and our military system has since been plagiarised by Germany and France. Service in the ranks was compulsory, and one whole day in the year was devoted to drill, the consumption of stimulants, and the making out effete Europe tremble. 'l‘his memorable annual festival was the 24th of May. the birthday of the Queen. Unless a day in the middle of harvest had been chosen, no more in- opportune time could have been se- lected than the 24th of May, so far as the farmers were concerned. The Leaves were just out on the trees, the roads were becoming passable again through the drying of the mud, and spring work was at its height. It was, therefore, extremely inconvenient for farmers to turn their ploughshares in- to muzzleloaders, and go from three to thirteen miles to the village and revel in gore, yet the law made attend- ance compulsory. ~ For years the rigour of military dis- cipline had been mitigated by a wellâ€" kncflvn device. Some neighbour, at the reading of the roll, would Vshout "Here," when an absentee‘s name was called, and so the reports that went in to the Government always showed the most marvellously constant at- tendance on duty that has ever gone on record. No wonder the Queen sat securely on her throne, and was un- Thus the Empire ran Lil Angus McKerricheJ min of the militia. 1 he was appointed, but atrak y BY ROBERT BARR. This is a story of wur‘s alarms, and the agony that comes through man's inhumanity to man. It is generally supposed that it is upon the com- mon soldier that the brunt of battle talls; but very often highly-placed ofâ€" ficers are called upon to suffer for their country, and it is the pathetic tale of one of these war dogs that I now set myself to relate. hoping that his heroism may thus retain a place in the annals of the land. it Madame History, after listening to my tale of woe, reserves a modest niche in the temple of fame for Captain Angus Mc- Kerrieher, I shall be more than satis- fired. How Finley McEilIHeldthe Plat Ly-nve, who WM '3' servibe. lime (Lu‘ ling of the names Peter McAlpiJne !” Here." John Finlaysonl" Here." Dugald McMillqu Here." npire ran serenely on Kerricher was made c Ldenly upâ€" sLopped the 011 [In "Cot pless her," dignunl Northerner was made known; 13h, let her have :1‘ In other words, i absentees was to 13 also set the law reg m1 bk and if invaders had come, I am will- ing to risk an even :‘ollar that they would have wished themselves safe once more in Buffalo saloons, in spite of the justly celebrated reputation of our own brands of liquor, for they would have come into a peaceful com- munity that would rather fight than eat. Few of us knew anything about the merits of the Irish question of that day; out attention being absorbed in politics that pertained to the talisman- ic names of "John A.," or George Brown. Still, if invasion came, we were all willing to fight first. and in- quire into the case afterwards. The northern shore of Lake Erieâ€"at least, that part with which I am acâ€" quaintedâ€"is a coast perfect as a de- fence. High perpendicular clay walls, quite unscalnhle, form a barrier which no ench of sense would care to quisition. Shotguns, muskets and rifles were brought down. from their wooden pegs along the hewn walls of the log houses. \Ve youngsters were set at moulding bullets, and it was great fun. Every house possessed bul- let moulds, i‘ron arrangemonl’s, like a pair of pincers, with metal rups at the business end. where a small hole weapon he had to the village whi knew would be the rendezvous seems sunny to look back on this motion, for there was no more. 0 of the Feninns coming to our p; the country than there was 0 Russians; nevertheless, we did stop to think about that until in motion. But it was the Fenian scare that brought out. the superb Napoleonic qualities of Captain McKerricher, as great crises always develop the latent genius of notable men. "To armsl" was the cry, and everything that would shoot, except the. blacksmith’s anvil, with which we used to celebrate the Queen's birthday, was brought into re- quisition. Shotguns, muskets and rifles were brought down from their wooden pegs along the hewn walls of the log houses. We youngsters were shoot, except !h with which we Queen's birthday quisition. Shot a‘hled There blade whicl cessary implement of his new trade as militia officer, and that the peace and comfort of the realm had not been visi- bly interfered with through his carry- ing of it; but it was easily proven that he had retained his sword while not on duty, and that said instrument was a knife within the meaning of the Act, its blade being more than six inches in length, firmly affixed to the handle aforesaid. The magistrate fined him five dollars, and administered a sol- emu Warning from the bench. absentee as soon as parade was over. and the friend had taken on board suf- ficient whisky to make him quarrel- some, which was not as large a quan- tity as some of our temperance friends might imagine. There was Celtic blood in the locality, and it flowed freely from punched noses on less momentous occasions than the day of the grand muster. After the dismis- sal of the troops, the captain k t his good sword in his hand, and was still too early inthe afternoon for any to have courage enough to attack him with bare fists. That was expected later, for it takes time to reach the proper pitch. even with potent Can- adian malt. However, revenge preâ€" sented itself to the captain in strictly legalguise. A villager, learned in the law, engineered the matter, and the constaible arrested McKerricher on the charge of carrying a knife with a blade longer than the statutes allowed. About that time there had become prevalent a villainous-looking dirk, with a long, sharply-pointed blade, with a long, sharply- wh‘ich shut up like an knife, but which had, the handle, a catch, blade rigid, ounce opene pan had, in more than ( in ordinary circumstan innocent enough, pro member the indi innocent enough, prov and a law had been pass it. No man was allowed sealed or in sight, any bl there blade anticipate form of z and one c absentee and the f: ficient w was the law, and it; but (he inflit did nothing tow popularity of the did increase the z for many a year munity. The infliction of these fines made a greater financial panic in our district than the failure of the Upper Canada Bank. Maire than two-thirds of the effective warriors of the town- ship proved to be absent, and the commercial agitation caused by this un- expected clapping on of fines pene- trated to the furthest bounds of the municipality. A dollar was, indeed, a dollar in those days, and not to be this day, as he very well knows. Put him down for a fineâ€"a dollar." An ignored law suddenly enforced carries consternation into a comâ€" munityi The infliction of these fines made a greater financial panic in our district than the failure of the Upper Canada Bank. More than twoâ€"thirds liar :htly one ntes the chair .is illegal i a the terror '5 faithful are or vided, the e :tmen ) that mce came ,ed that a fight b of the ind that thos rted th-ah six be no de' It was Thé magistrate fined him and administered a sol- : from the bench. t effect. In vain that the sword w ment of. his new r, and that the pe and. there inflicting to cause every man who a gun to make his way possible with whatever to the village which he be the rendezvous. It ms, shouting as thpy animals are coming!" mment, but hurrying aws. It ne'eded no muse every man who gun to make his way 1w1 int viftly. It would‘ ween DIc nant frie gal phr anyhow :claimed an in- ,x'hen the verdict f she waants ta ta lab?!” the law against enforced, let us 'd‘ing jack-knives am, dam 011E used by this un- of fines pene- bounds of the was, indeed, a and not to be However, such was no help for of the penalty increasing the LLB. although it :k on I‘ms com- 10 more. chance to our part, of we was of the lhai' held the ged that Mo- »d this ordin- Lded the town lent in plain lismay of her 9013, be the he casfl made ,, I do not re,- yhraseology of ow, it was in vain the cap- .rd was a ne- new trade as TOW iis had been take the Kerricher ands of an )n SUI strous .vhich along they press . con- Ince t of the not hustlly; "1’m g are on the alert richer." enough." This was done, and Finley tied the end of it to one of Lhe upright piles. "Hand you up they 0111's. That’s right. Now yer ta the windward o’ the pier, an) nice un’ comfortable fur the nicht." "A likely story!" replied contemptuously. “The kepii muhn to risk himself in u b like that, an' a storm comin’ ma preesoner, un’ ye’ll be u d in another meenit if ye pit oar." “Surrender! save your life name of the 1 McGillis mad chief sentry asleep bling bout becums the man on the end said slowlyâ€" "I can see ye now or fut I‘ll blow ye “That's all right hastily "You [001!" crbed the angered voy- ager. "How could I know about Me- Kerricher if I were u Fenian?" I “011, it’s easy enough to hear aboot McKerriuher, and it's verra weel ken't in the Auld Country and in the States that he is 001‘ keplin'. Yer a wolf in sheep’s clothing, that’s whut ye are, "You are surely not goln me here all night. and the, Lug ?" "The rain’s [10’ was warse fur than fur me. A buddy munna be [urteecular in time of war. should be that yer the keptin mak' ma apologies in the morni yer the Fenian ye said ye were, besides, if I did fire, would be shootin’ at 0 heights in this directiu compelled to risk bei Fenians. it's no’ in th< should stand fire from Aang'as in tukin the offic mation either. Thus the embattled farmers stood prepared to fire a shot which, if not heard round the world, would at least echo to the village two miles away. As evening drew on, preparations were made for camping out all night on these heights, and guards were set on the pier, Finley McGillis at the post of danger, the end nearest to the Fenians; while Mc- Oallum and McVannel held down the shore end, all three prepared to wade in blood should any miscreant attempt to kidnap the pier, except the limited liability company which rightfully owned it. Sentries were placed round the camp inland, and outposts farther off. Never was there more firm (lis- cipline exacted from any body of sol- diers. The rigour of the British army was nothing as compared with the mar- tinet character of the regulations of this camp. Captain) McKerricher in person visited every sentinel, and informed him that this was no 24th of May parade, but real war, and that any sentinel caught asleep would be forthwith shot instead of being fined a dollar; and that if a man lit his pipe evening darkening early because of coming storm, the captain pushed o the boat unobserved, and rowed sor distance to the west, then turned sou and out into the lake, finally comii north again toward the end* the pi( The night was black, relieved by z occasional glimmer of lightning on t] surface of the lake, and the. wind w rising. McKerricher‘s quest was gs ting to be an unpleasant one, for i was essentially a landsman, and t] increasing motion of the boat was di agreeable; but what will a. man [1 occasional glimmer of lightning on the surface of the lake, and the. wind was rising. McKerricher‘s quest was get- ting to be an unpleasant one, for he was essentially a landsman, and the increasing motion of the boat was disâ€" agreeable; but what will a. man not do and dare for his country's sake? It is probable that he discried the form of Finley McGillis against the dark sky before the sentinel caught any indica- tion oi‘the boat on the murky water. Finley said afterwards that he was just wondering whether he dare risk a smoke in his isolated position, and trust to putting his pipe out if he heard a step coming up the pier, when he was startled by a voice from the lakeâ€"- and ji nearly an’ [I] his sent no one agam h dancedâ€" your per martialle “I'll fir gauu ta dear. If ers fr( Kerrie} capture fu tke. This was the pier. A c ed into the lake, and a roa‘ shore ran along the ban] creek. At the terminus of had be of feet :ncounter. It must not be supposed .hat I am accusing the Fenians of havâ€" ng been men of sense, for I have no such intention; but even they would Jesdtate to attempt the clay walls of Western Canada. However, the eagle :ye of the commander at once viewed .119, weak point in our defence with an merring instinct worthy of Von Mol- ;ke. This was the pier. A creek flow- 1n say Then throw ut tk rwn I‘IS‘K that there’s z yer bout 11ft. I: 1120 the lake, and a road to the a ran along the banks of this I. At the terminus of the road been built a pier, some hundreds :et in length, jutting out into the Here, in peaceful times, schoon- from Cleveland, Erie, or Buffalo, loaded themselves with oakeu as or prime wheatt. Captain Mc- icher saw that once the pier was ired the Empire fell. He there- massed his force on either bank of ravine, so that a withering crossâ€" would discommod.e the enemy as mine up the valleyâ€"not a bad forâ€" m either. Thus the embattled uld SII one gun 1n ers. Youh listen La 11] :1 inch (hit click,‘ Thou I hang yt his name Invln xtil it wed to put the firmness 313 to the proof. He 1' 0 his confidence: and h likeness to Napoleon is u never let any of his sui icers know what the n he board was to be. Th e gun in the air, and call ;. You have two, so there's Disobey your captain at and I'll have you court- in the morning." off naething ava'. I‘m not aisle a shot, an' poolhor sa fire, it will be at you; and, I did fire, the whole camp hootin’ at once from :1’ the be through ye before ye :k,‘ if ye don't do whut I [on in this shotâ€"gun ut ma :1 load of slugs, that ull ,t ta pits if ye attempt ta Is that: a rope in that l Drop your gun, and E9. Surrender, in the Fenian Brotherhood!" de no reply, gmd the cap- think he had caught his asleep; but as the wob- recame dimly visible to 10 end of Lhe pier, Finley lzLd lbility the re ntiary Drop in th« lxn'. that me. 1 If ye move hand out of the water!" ." said the captain to 1101.8 lhut you 'm Captain McKer- as warse Eur you dy munna be ower e of war. [II ut 1' the keptin', 1‘11 ,1: the mornin‘; if lid ye were, then fur yer impidence 1d of being fi a man lit his 1 rest of his life H12: me, if it’s Ian s whut There in this plied McGilIis keptin’s no’ a 1 u bit shallop 1 dead mahn pit hand to lerlng crossâ€" nneu I .e enemy as pressqd t t a bad forâ€" surprlse_ e embattled really 11: r fire a shot "Man! 1 the world, he cried village two rm“ _.. while I'm )t by the min 111211: I vu fx‘ien's; g to ram 1:111 11111 ampmg ts, and Finley r, the htful ]y t round farther ta) dis- for he 1 the as disâ€" Lu not ke ? It 5 form rk sky hallop keep com- out ome )uth bull and 1pe :11] out, â€"use the soâ€"called "brick" tea. This is the cheapest sort, being mixed with the stems and compressed by some ad- hesive gum into dry cakes of various sizes, resembling in its outward appearance plug tobacco. This tea, which would probably prove poisonous to anyone else, is co sian workingman : of about twenty st a day; the Russian equal to five of th cul deed onions, gar] and strongly ally the of the people at large, one must not wonder at the enormous quantity of hot tea needed to still a Russian thirst and help on his digestion. Of course, it is not the "brick" tea. as used by the poor moujil; that enjoys a world-wide reputation, but that; in use among the middle and upper classes. In such households tea at the price of $1 per pound, 0.90 of the English pound nvoirdupois, is quite an ordinary thing, while in wealthier families $2 per pound is frequently paid. There are choice sorts of teas which are sold even at $15 per pound, but of these only TWENTY quantities of any foreigne siun SOlll' 01‘ of the people at wonder at the e hot tea needed to and herp 0:11 nis tam or sentinel, and do one or other might obj velation of his identity.- gazine. pc a few Ie: delicious Thus the brought planatiou will not be amiss. The “samovar” is the utensil used only [or boiling the water. They are usually mule of brass or copper, ’Jut there are also silver samovars, the inside being lined with another metal. In the mid- dle there is a. kind of chimney or fire receptacle, around which fresh cold water is poured into the samovar. Burning charcoal or Kwood is thrown into the chimney, and it usually takes who 1 their ships [h "le8 me L ed the captiv and then I'll mornin'." When day l pressed the u name tunit tain about watex nounc undeI water under the cover. Then water is poured upon the pot, and the latter placed of the s‘amovar to keep w about :1 fif filled with with boilin or milk is z That Is So In th the R u infusion is m Ina wmd 1‘ the rain cam PUD 111' a bullLt readily as y utile XI riority over the 11 Europe. But apart from ussian method ( long way to ('0 unt Ih th on Amon king into c Maul \cried in he subox the S use Stan marks worlc USE CHIEF ARTICLES OF FOOD the ievol of [h unous hin of prep :ir ha advise about :now xsed at our aft 1 Russian won’t in hlS class r _that man 1 1 quarter of an hour before the begins to boil, this being an- d by a volume of steam from the cover. Then the boiling untr ‘ordiz fifth gar! The Ru 01.1 ttt all GLASSES 01" TBA A DAY. but th "samuvar" and a word will not be is the uLensi war to Keep warm unknown m Russi made very strong. NESI 1 mm the int nich, alas! me n this section 3 what I have 8, I could u use I have he nsulting 'with C1 the begi] themselv 7 suffer oma to t 11 quality mate l mulml x0 wud ha amazemen tea fra the north kill: tnth perspiration brez' g Lo the popular sayil :onsideration that blu 7, bricblike bread, r a, dried leather-like f salted herrings are u: as the occurre 1, who h Highlan ;ime, tht Le bette tam r to keep warm, as ten- ,known in Russia. Th? (16 very strong. but only or quarter of a glass is the rest being filled up v:1ter. A slice of lemon unt the DUE ug tobacco. This tea, robably prove poisonous is consumed by the Rus- an at the average rate .y stakans, or tumblers, :silzm stakan being quite l of preparin contribute to of tea su; :e Finley McGiIlis >st consternation that his prisoner Lly paid. There are .5 which are sold even J, but of these only used to add an extra. to the ordinary tea. ulity of the tea itself i and most carefully iief reason of its su- : teas in use in \Vest- 1t is due nspox‘t sinus c suffici er 1:) a private em: a day for 1n DD the sooth.” he boat rocked cordu FE.\CH El (he le preparing it goes ~mute to the fine a. In this process r" plays the prin- u‘d or two of ex- ft and helpless.“ 1e lake, so, if it 113 ashore aboot prominent place Lts quality unc 1nd consumption 9 is no such thing at anly 1110011 t and custom drink enormous ient to frighten umber for :I liu-a Bil-Ink. m out 1eg h areak, an past the a pleasur tell m fur it pply for the in Russia is to the heavy [D 8X18 eeved that! thimvk 1tis£ie itself )D who help- t of the and, raw Allie fish hen the her bap- now but the re- are usu- Is( the ian Le ii which qulte unco but the M not 1n lhe Hg int top )l plies ‘ victims The f The floor of Lhe rotunda at the Lon- don Coal Exchange, where the me:- chants gather is very unique. It is composed of inlaid woods, arranged in the form of a mariner’s compass‘ with- in a border of Greek fret. Upwards of 4,000 pieces of wood are employed. Al- m(st every British variety is included in the scheme of decoration. IN MERRYflULD ENGLANEI In a recent treatise on alco by Trull, it is stated that in E1 75 per cent. of all classes of pan] are due to drink, and in Germ: per cent. In Germany drink le 1,630 cases of suicide :1 year, anl plies ihe insane asylum with Its or due (:4 000 human Commons which his A deputation from the Miller’s Union and Bakers' Operatives‘ Society recent- ly asked the General Purpose Commit- tee of the London County Council to establish municipal bakeries, and in support of their request urged that such bakeries. would not only be an ad- vantage to the public, but also a source of profit. The committee’s reply was that they would think it over. When Elizabeth “'alfurd, of Hal- stead, took up a morning cup of tea, with toast, to Mrs. Marlar, the wife of a Chemist, her mistress noticed that the toast was very bitter. Strychnine was afterwards found upon it, and this was the servant's revenge for u" talk~ in 18:17. The dec in the class of works. such balk: vantage source of was that lh‘ timated extraor mg to" fairs. A sentence hour. iLy .1 ROPOI‘II of lhe law-ms Tuning l’inée In Ilm Land of the lloseâ€"lnteI-estlug' 00- " l‘l'l‘lll‘t‘s- A large numb ple attain the Among the my: the Duke of Cal there are the B1 ars x girls Th m and chit be enormous sum of $154,480,934 on ntoxicants. The Queen was much distressed to iear of the damage by recent gales to be Frogmore Mausoleum, where Brince Albert is buried. The worn-out uniforms of the Bri- :isl.\ army, when sold, bring back into In: War Office treasury close upon 51w,000 a year. )OINGS OF THE ENGLISH PEORLE REPORTED BY MAIL. f hain Ace Caleful l‘h Ih l'h 1) finally cleared 1m Franklin An Lord Rosebery has written to Sir nry Campbell-Baunerman, felicitat- ; him on the skill with which he is ding the Opposition in the House of mmons, and 1.119 ready loyalty with .000 f the th 110111105 3 Mr. Ru: mnet: The ed 31 1-2 gallows of hen Sir Rudolf Statin oria at “'indsor Cas is“ calculated United King for 1899 shows that Lhere are now churches in the British isles and mmiscers, of whom 288 are tem- lly without charge. here are interre newest cry of the London wait- Lh‘at they are being oufited by value of the estate of Al )1' any Souda calculated that the pe ited Kingdom laét yea] rmous sum of £154.480‘ Brit mist, her mistress 1 L was very bitter. rwzn‘dz found Upon servanL's revenge : gwen respecting h .L Lhe Essex Assizc d to eight month 1 de Rothschild has been es- aL £1,488,128. number of distinguish!) the age of 80 this 3 royalties are the Quee of Cambridge, In the c the Bishop of Glouceslt it: 000 estimates n's weddiu amere has presepted the eum with a selecLion of n of spoiting trophies and ed by him during his rep iun to Lake Rudolph and British East Africa. sh iership work of ar treatise on alcoholism stated that in England all classes of pauperism 1k, and in Germany 90 iermany drink leads to uicide a year, and sup- ne asylum with 3,000 ner has beeh offered olume he cares to write camptngn. lumy Ltes show that each erred within the lim- )£ London, about 103.- Assizos she was mnnlhs' hard Ia- each man, wom- 1d last year con ships urs of luonal Dee her 10 On 8x1 lnivers 1d ingenuâ€" JU pounds; and three )wledged ed Queen horrified I s of last entered was an :ntirely uvenile line). in goods. >p1e of spent S Baron ‘d peo- year- ircuâ€" year. 1 and. md the suns lid Sir 1f- 1n