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LbVE Ditties ALL' Tat-tat-tat sounded in a dreary monotone from the drums, and slowly, in single file, the miserable prisoners came into view. Ragged, dirty, um- kempt, footsore, panting from the blazing August sky, they were truly a pitiable sight. Yet they held up their heads defiantly and smiled derisively at the insulting epithets and grimaces which the lower classes heaped upon them, especially in the vicinity of any officer's residence. The better classâ€" es of: the Havanese showed their sym- pathy in striking contest to the jeers and jibes of the basqr sort. The year was 1851, directly after the capture of Crittenden, Lopez's brave lieutenant, in his ill-starred expedition to Cuba. He and his Spartan remnâ€" ant were these forlorn prisoners. When they reached the Calle da la Lamparilla, one of the narrow streets of the city, the guards suddenly halt- ed the column and reverently b-ared their heads. A funeral procession was approaching from the opposite di- rection, and the line was pushed close toward the houses jutting on the narâ€" row footway, scarcely worthy the name of pavement. . A youth among the foremost pris- oners, who, evidently, had not the for- titude of his elder companions, judged by his bowed head and deep dejection, now looked up with a wan smile of - recognition as a pair of dark eyes brimming with tears gazed through a Iatticed window at the pitiful sight. "Amalia!" he whispered. "Rnberoitol Is it indeed you? Oh, how terrible! I did not dream you were with them."_ "Dearest cousin, save me!" he re- plied in Spaniim as fluent as her own. "We are all condemned to be shot in two days, perhaps sooner. I am too young to die." “Would that I could, but, alas! I am powerless as a lamb among wolvesl” “Amalia, don’t say that! You have friends among the Spaniards. For the love of my motherâ€"â€"" "Forward, marchl" rang on the air, and the weary column passed on to the dungeons of Morro Castle. That night the Senorita Amalia de Valdez was a dream of loveliness as she reclined listlessly among the cushâ€" ions on a lounge in her handsome sa- lon. She we. considered to be the beauty of beauties in the capital fam- ed for the grace and loveliness of its women. Young Captain Antonio de Ramon, who presently entered, was so enrap- tured with her appearance that only the presence of the inevitable duenna restrained him from throwing himself at her feet in reality, as well as in the formal salutation with which Spanish gentlemen greet all ladies. But she looked preoccupied, sad, de- spondent, and replied absently to his greeting. He seated himself near her, while the duenna, her gentle aunt Maria, retired to a. distant corner. “Tell me, my soul," said he, “why are you so melancholy?" A sigh was the only answer. “Ah, yes! I know your tender heart aches for the poor prisoners you have seen toâ€"day. Poor fellowsl Theirs is a terrible fate. But tell me, what is it you wish to ask me? Can there be a Wish of yours I would not gratify at the risk of my life, if need be? I have your precious note safe here,” and he pointed to his heart. “You have but to command and I will obey." “Aunt mia," said Amalia, turning to her aunt, “I have mislaid my pearl bracelet upstairs. Will you kindly look for it i" The duenna vanished as if she had expected the request. Amalia turned to him at once and said: “You have often sworn that you love me to distraction; is it not so An- tonio ’l‘ \Vhat happiness it was for him to hear from her lips the diminutive “ilo” added to his name, which, in itself, is a caress in words. “My life, with all my heart and soul 1" he exclaimed. But she drew back. “No, I give myself only to him who proves his love." "What can I do for you, beloved? Dispose of me as you will for life." “It is life I ask. Sit here, beside me, dearest, and I will tell you." She then related the scene of the morning, the discovery that Roberto, who had passed the previous winter in Havana with his family, was now among the prisoners. "He is the son of my favorite aunt â€"so young, barely sixteen. He came here to perfect himself in Spanish, and I inspired him with my own enthus- iasm for the Cuban cause. He has re- turned. alas! to die, unless you will save him for my sake. Should he perish, I can never know another happy moment." Antonio grew pale as he listened. “Amalia, you cannot break my heart thus. Ask me anything else." "Aubonito ma! I love you," she sobâ€" bed. “For you I would give up home, relatives, country. for this one favor. Save that poor child, and Iswear to be- come your Wife in another month. You have said that if I would marry you, you would resign your hateful commis- sion in the army and seek a home in Mexico. I will follow you there and to the end of the earth." "You have won," he said after a pause. "For you I Will dare anything. They are to be shot the day after to- morrow. I have but a short time,anrl now must leave you, dearest. If I fail, you will forgive me, will you not? or I will not survive my disgrace." Roberto lay on a pallet beside two comrades, who, in the midst of their own misery, tried to cheer and fortify the boy, exhorting him to meet manâ€" fully a doom which they felt was even more terrible for him than for them. He had been one of the most on- thusiastic volunteers; had fought well, but now the near prospect of death seemed to mike a coward of him. A soldier entered the cell at this moment and roughly bade him rise and follow to the captain‘s room. Bob- erto rose tremblingly. "Courage, my boy," said a middle- aged man, "perhaps it is good news for you. If not, beware lest he wring from you a word about Lopez's plans." “Never fear," he replied, making an effort to control his agitation. “I hate to die"-â€"hcre he gulped down a sobâ€" “this way, but I'll not be a traitor." The guard interrupted further speech by pushing him into the corridor with his musket. "Here is the prisoner, captain." “Very well; you may retire, ser- geant." Antonio locked the door after him, and in a low tone briefly related to Roberto the plan he had formulated for the latter’s escape. "Each prisoner will receive three shots. By dint of extensive bribery, and the co-operation of a surgeon, a secret friend of the Cuban cause, I have arranged that three blank car- tridges shall be fired at you. You must be careful to simulate death as much as possible until the word 'Am- alia' is whispered in your ear. Then you may breathe freely and open your eyes, for you will be temporarily safe. "Further details will then have been arranged and will be communicated to you. The. least indiscretion on your part, the least bungling on that of those I have employed, though only two are in the secret, will ruin me as well as seal your fate." Boberto thanked him fervently, and promised him implicit obedience. "You must not return to your com- rades." “Poor fellows!’ muttered Roberto. "The light of hope is shining in your ey'es, and might betray us. Look as downcast as when you entered, if pos- sible. Come in, sergeant," he said, and, as he entered the door, added, ‘conduet this prisoner to a solitary cell. He must have no communica- tion with the other filibusters." They passed out, and Antonio, groan- ing deeply, murmured: "Oh, my love, what a sacrifice!" O I O O O The courtyard of the castle was thronged with soldiers as the unfortuâ€" nate band was marched to their death place just as day was breaking over the beautiful bay. Surrounded by hostile soldiers, they still maintained a defiant air, even when the glitter- ing line of bayonets faced them, and they knew all hope was over. "Kneel, filibusters l" The command was not obeyed, the men proudly refused. A struggle ensued, in which some were forced to their knees; perhaps all might have been had not the officer in charge, with a touch of humanity, be- gun giving the orders. At the word "Firel" so deadly was the volley that few survived it, and they but a few moments. Roberto, happily, had no need to simulate death. The shock and strain of the suspense had caused him to faint, and the sur- geon , who hastened to his side, gave a deep sigh of relief as be perceived Roberta's rigid unconsciousness, ‘ “Carry this body, and this, and this" -â€"-pointing to sevaralâ€""to the hospital." "If they are not dead now, they will soon be under his knife," laughed one of his assistants. When Roberto revived, he found himself in a carefully darkened room. With joy he heard the word "Amalia" in a friendly voice. In a day or two, according to Antonio's previously con- certed arrangements, he was smuggled, in the disguise of a waterman, to an English ship in the harbor and con- cealed in the hold all night. The next day be thanked his devoted cousin as he inhaled with a glad sense of freedom the fresh breeze of the sea. He never retruned to Cuba. The gay capital of Cuba was quite electrified a month later to learn of the resignation from the army of Capâ€" tain Antonio, and his marriage im- mediately after, in spite of opposition on the part of her family, to the beauâ€" tiful Senorita Amalia de Valdez. 0 THE STATIONâ€"MASTER’S TROUBLES. The [coal agents of railroads com- plain tliat the. questions asked them every day are of such a nature that they cannot keep their patience on all ticket window, m'ty find it easy to lieâ€" mained long in the neighborhood of a ticket window may find it easy to beâ€" lieve it. An exchange describes a portly lady with a great many bundle, who look- ed as if she had been buying out the stores, in front of the window at a station. Has the train for Jungleville gone yet? she asked. No ma’am, seller. How far is it there? About seventy miles, ma'am. What's the price of a ticket? One ninetyâ€"eight. One ninetyâ€"eightl she repeated. How does it happen to be that? I don't know, ma'am, answered the ticket-seller, deferentially, and with a glance at the bundles, unless it's marked down from two dollars! responded the ticket- ‘WHY, OF COURSE. Why is it, he naked, that people who have money seldom have taste in dress? Her look of pitying contempt show- ed that this problem was altogether too easy for her. It is because, she. replied, the people who have taste in dress seldom have money. ! HOUSE WWW HOLD. NW A CHAPTER. 0N EGGS. Eggs represent a type of perfect food; they are nourishing, palatable, cheap :it this season of the year when we want them most, and agreeable to almost every one. They should be very fresh for table use, and if properly cooked can be eaten every day with pleasure :is well as impunity. The simplest way to cook :in egg is to boil it. But there is a right and a wrong way to do even as simple a thing as this. Usually, the egg is plunged into boiling water and left there three minutes for a "soft boil- ed " and from eight to ten minutes for a " hard-boiled" egg. In the first place, the white of the egg is cooked unevenly, that next the yolk often not being coagulzited, while the yolk is in a state of nature, having been mere- ly warmed alittle. The hard-boiled egg is literally hard, and the white especially is indigest- ible. To boil eggs soft, try this plan: Lay them in a saugepan and rather more than cover them with boiling wa- ter. Let them stand where the wa- ter will keep just below the boiling point for ten minutes. Then, when brokenpthe white will be found to be jelly-like, and the yolk, though not hard, will be cooked. They will be much like boiled custard, and will have quite a different flavor to the palate. Eggs that are wanted hard should be boiled slowly for twenty minutes. The yolk will then be mealy, and it will be perfectly digestible, so much so that physici.ins frequently order boiled eggs of this kind for their pa- tients. ' Baked eggs mike a nice breakfast dish. Butter a pie~plite and break in- to it as many eggs as you wish. Pep- per and silt each yolk, and lay a. bit of butter in it. Set in the oven till the whites are firm, which will take abouL fifteen minutes. Poached eggs and dropped eggs are one and the ssime in the cook's vocabu- lary. Put us many muffin rings into the pan us you have eggs to cook and pour in a quart of boiling water, addâ€" ing a teaspoonful of sat. Set the pan where the water will boil gently 2.an break an egg in each ring. Cook till the whites set, pour off the water, take out the muffin rings and lift the eggs to a hot platter with the aid if your pancake turner. Serve on squares of buttered toast. . Eggs ! are scrambled by breaking‘ them into hot butter, and as soon as! they begin. to set, stirring them all together with a knife. Just as soon as the whites Seem! done, the eggs are done and should go to the table, via a hot dish, instanter. Another way of making a scramble is to beat five eggs with a. generous ta- blespoo-nful of melted butter, a 5mm” teaspoonful of s.lt, and half a cup of sweet milk, with a dust of white pep- per. Cook in the double boiler. stir- ring constantly until a creamy mass is formed, when it is done and should go to the table immediately. A Baked Omeletâ€"Belt seven eggs well. Then heat a pint of milk to the boiling point, put into it a t;:blespoonful of butter and .i scant teaspoonful of salt, and next a tablespoonfu! of flour rubbed smooth in a little cold milk. Pour into the dish containing the eggs and stir f ‘st and hard till well mixed. Pour into a buttered earthen dish and bake in it very hot oven. It will puff up light and high :vnd must go straight from oven to table, or it will f-ll "flat as a pancake." NOTES. A lady who undertook to grow the passion flower, Passiflora incarnata, in the house had very good success with it, her first failures, due to lack of sufficient heat. She found it appar- ently half, if not wholly, hardyâ€"that is, it stood frosts without giving up the ghost, and when, after snow came, she put it in the cellar, the stems were still green and she has hopes of being able to keep it over. She says, in Vick‘s Magazine : The Japan pink is a. biennial that is fine for cutting for bouquets. A paper of seed of " double mixed " gave fifty plants only lwo of which were similar. They differ in size and color and shape growing a great variety. The seeds germinate quickly in the house, and as they are hardy will endure more cold than most seedlings. They must be hardened before transplanting by leav- ing them in the open air both day and night. The late Empress of Austria was very fond of flowers, and at her Villa Achilleon on the isle of Corfu had a huge field of roses, comprising 25,000 bushes, of all kinds and colors. A trel- lised walk covered with climbing nois- ette and niphetos roses inclused the field, and the flower-laden branches met and interlaced overhead and then fell in perfumed showers almost to the ground. The rose garden is so planned that it has the least possible appear- ance of design. As instance of the rapid growth of the rubber tree, Ficus Elastica, a lady writes to a floral magazine that from a slip out in 1894, she had four year,~~ later a tree ten feet high, with 14" leaves and a stem six and a quai'lei inches in circumference. This is one of ‘should be and ‘skewers are the most: stately of our ornamental plants, ranking next to the palms. TOMATOES. Stewed Tomatoesâ€"Pour boiling wa- ter over the tomatoes and then remove the skins. Chop them fine and put them in a double boiler without the addition of water. Season with salt, pepper, butter. union, :1 little sugar, if you like, one tablespoonful of crackers or toasted bread and stew one hour. Stuffed and Baked Egg Plantâ€"Cut egg plants in half, lengthwise, and parboilt hem in salted water. Scoop out most of the interior and mash it up. Season with eggs, onion, salt, pepper, butter, two teaspoonfuls of bread crumbs and either chopped chickâ€" en or grated ham and chopped break- fast bacon. Mix well togclhcr. hill the hulls will) this drcsning. Sprinkle the top with bread crumbs and :1 lit- tle clarified butter. Lay them in a buttered tin and bake fifteen minutes. If you have mushrooms at band they are also nice to‘add. Fried Egg I’lnntâ€"Parboil egg plants in boiling salted water with one table- spoonful of vinegar or lemon. Cook until tender. Peel, mash and drain. To every pint of egg plant add one cup of cracker dust, two beaten eggs, butter, pepper and salt to taste. Mois- teu with milk, form into small cakes and fry brown in hot fat. Fried Egg Plant, No. 2.â€"-Cut egg plant in slices one-third inch thick, paring each piece. Lay it in salt and water over night. The next morning take from the water, drain and wipe. Then butter the slices of egg plant, dip in beaten egg and cracker dust and fry light brown in hot butter. Season with salt and. pepper. SKILL IN CARVING. Before commencing to carve see that the meat is placed on the dish as it that all strings and removed before it is brought to the table. Mike sure that your knife is sharp and has a good edge before commencing, for it is rath- er awkwird for a woman to use the steel at the t:.ble. Turkey, chicken, goose and duck should be pliced on the dish with their heads to the left. Small birds, such as grouse or pair- Lrulges, should be placed across the dish With their heads farthest from you. A leg of mutton or veal should be carved with the thickest part toward the back of tthe dish, a shoulder of mutton or veal with the thickest pirt up, and a sirloin roast or a rib roast should have the b.0kbone at the right of the dish, The sirloin steak should have the tenderloin next to the carver, a fillet of beef should have the thickest end at the right side of the dish, and a sad- dle of mutton should be placed with the tail end to the left of the czzrver. The positions mentioned should be carefully observed if one expects to do lgood work in this line. To carve a leg of mutton or lamb place the fork firmly in the top, turn it in toward you and cut thin, even slices through to the bone; then slip the knife under and cut them away from the bone. Roasts of beef should be carved in very thin slices across the grain. #..__h.. A GREAT TURKISH WEDDING. A Turkish wedding has just occurred at Constantinople. The bridegroom was Djaird Bey and the bride was the granddziughetr of Kaptan Pasha, Min- ister of Marine, and the only Turk who successfully and constantly bulâ€" lies the Sultan. This grandâ€"father is enormously wealthy, and Meob Han- noum, the bride, is his favorite, so the wedding was a very gorgeous affair. Of course Djaird Bey never saw his bride‘s face until after the wedding, but reports say that it is worth seeing. The girl is a radiant beauty, which is natural enough, for her mother, Hiimide Haiinoum is the Turkish belle of Constantinople and a power in the kingdom. The idea of the bowstring and sack for rebellious wives doesn't apply to Humide. She has buried one husband and divorced three, and has merely started upon her career. Her daughter is said to have inherited her temper as well as her beauty, so the outlook for Djaird Bey is stormy. The bride's trousseau was ofamagâ€" nificence beside which the achieve- ments of our Canadian brides would look like samples. There were thirty three tea gowns, not to speak of visâ€" iting gowns, carriage gowns, state gowns, provided in like profusion, and the jewels would make even a queen of opera bouffe pole with envy The marriage ceremony took place at the palace of the grandfather, and an elaborate luncheon followed it. Then steam launches took the bridal party over to the Bey’s home, on the Asiatic 'Liin or THE sailich SOME INTERESTING GiiEANINGS FROM THE GREEN ISLE. Events :hnt Inn-rut Irhlimon Through- out The ‘VOI'Ing'III‘iinlt‘Hfll Brlcl‘ly for Theli' I’m-usnl. The question of a public park for Droghcda is again cropping up. In ih-- Emerald Isle there are about 103 females to e-icli 10!) males. Dir. Blii-h'iel Davitt, ill. P., had an unusual experience when he was pelt- ed. with stones. An attempt is to be, made to secure ljobs in the new Irish Counmls for so- called political prisoners. The first electric railway in the world was built in Ireland, from Bush- mills to Giants Causeway. A farmer in County ArnMgh has (lied lag-«l 102 years and some months, leavâ€" ,ing a widow in her mom year. Mr. John Morley's step-daughter was receit'ed into the Sisters of Charity, 3. Roman Catholic order. in Dublin. The highest number of emigrants ‘from Ireland in any one year since 1851 lwas 150,322, in 1852, and the lowest 32,- l241 in 1898. The Duchess of York had no fewer than seven day and evening gowns made by one firm in Dublin (hiring her recent visit. The Royal Ulster Yacht Club enter- faincd a gathering of press represen- tatives at the opening of their clubâ€"house at Bangor. . The Presbyterian TheologicalFaculty of Ireland is to confer the degree of D. D. on the Rev. George Hanson. of Marylebone church, London. / Dr. McCaw, of Londondierry, who had Ibeen chief clerk to the Synod for 35 years, was absent this year for the ‘first time, owing to failing health. The Protestant Church of St. John's. lBallinasloc, destroyed by fire on the lIGih ult., was a splendid edifice, and, :lhe damage is estimated at £30,000. A man named Collins, of Filemuck, about seven miles from Skibbereen ‘has been killed near Ballydehob asthb result of an altercation over an eleo tion. An old woman in county Donegal, when she was askedl if she was a widow, said: ” 'Deed. ma'am. A'm the worst sort 0' wudda â€" A’m an ould 'maid!" new Irish local industries are making steady progress in connection with the 'Ilirlh Industries Association, and local branches are being formed in various districts. Belfast seems to hold out peculiar attractions to Highlanders, for a large ‘lniimber have found their way there, and have proved themselves able and industrious citizens. Gout is rarely known among atbe working classes in Ireland. Their im- munity from this complaint is thought to due to the fact that their food consists largely of potatoes. Candidates for the Royal Irish Con- stabulary must be nominated by the Lord Lieutenant through a member of Parliament. The limits of age are 21 to 26; minimum height, 5 feet 5 inches. The international gymnastic contest which took place in Dublin between team; representing England, Scotland and Ireland, resulted in a victory for Scotland by ten points, England taking second place. A conference of Nationalist members of Parliament was held in the Mansion _House, Dublin, for the purpose of tak- ing steps to bring about the reunion of the. various sections of the National- ists in Ireland. Does Mr. William Field, the repreâ€" senlative of St. Patrick's division of the city of Dublin in Parliament, wear Irish-mide CIDIh.‘S,’ This question has been perturbing the press of the capital of the Emerald Isle. A sensational Belfast breach of pro- mise action will shortly be heard in the Irish courts. Teh fair plaintiff is Miss liaihlen Gai‘lani, daughter of an Iiisli Land Commissioner, and the deâ€" fendant, Mr. Bernard Hughes. is a very wealthy Belfast merchant. The damages are laid at £10.000. The late DI". Grosart, of Dublin, was one of the literary men of the United Presbyterian Church. :1 band including such namrs as Pollack, George Gilfil- 1.111, W. B. Robertson, Alex. Smith and William Black. I-lis fiist publication and his last were, curiously enough, on Robert Ferguson, the illâ€"fated shore. A rigidly closed state carriage met the boats, and into it the closeâ€" ly muffled bride was bundled, with her mother, who, must have been a great comfort to her daughter. The bride- groom rode ahead on a prancing white Scotch poet. Intelligence reiched Skibbereen on the 15th ult., of a shocking occurrence near Bsintry. 0n the night of the 14th steed. when the house was reached ult., a traveller (ii~'.c.nVâ€"‘i'ed the dead the bridegroom led the bride to the body of Jen-main Kmh-iue, a farmer state chamber, where he lifted her of Gorldromagh, on the roadside. Ilia veil, and, for the first time, saw her face. Then he escaped, and went out and threw pennies to the beggars. The bride mounted a throne, on a raised dais, and was exhibited for three hours. Throngs of guests came in and skull was battered in. Sum-a. distance away his son, a young man, was found in an unconscious condition, 'ind his life is despaired of. V\'h Ist‘ fishing .il'f (‘arlingford Lough, looked her over, while they ate jam on the Irish coast, recently, the trawl- and sherbet, drank coffee, and smoked er Bournemouth of Milford Haven. cigarettes. The trousseau was laid dredged up in the. ML a bundle of out for their edification, too. . Evidently a Turkish wedding is 3 papers, sealed ‘illli tied with red tape, sociable, unconventional affair, agreat and I’Prf“°‘l-V “Itam' 11’“ Sklpp" improvement upon conservative west_ brought them to port and handed them ern customs, for every one, friend and to a gentleman. “h‘? W'md that they foe alike, is free to attend the function Plll‘l’orW-d t" be 51 “"11 "1 “VOL” 0f 3 and see the Show, The downtrodden NIISS Mary MacDonald, and that they l'urk has some compensations, after bad reference to estates in Ireland all. valued at 1611.000.