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i .The Paris newspapers, with scarcely Iln» exception, now. profess ardent friendship for Italy, and are disposed 120 ting-me that the visit of the Italian fleet to Toulolni, like the visit of: the Firewall fleet to Kronstadt. will have far-reaching political consequ'cnces. A Hungarian paper takes a similar fview. hind docking that the Triple Al- liiamce will not be renewed in 1903. but that, on the contrary. Italy will become an ally of France and Russia. [the presemce of a Russian squadron It Toiulom during the festivities in honor of the Italian visitors is thought to confirm the prediction. There is another and more prob-mic theory. that Italy, while refrain- inig' tram joining the Dual Alliance. ,will enter into- a. compact to main- tain a strict neutrality in the event of a war between Germany and France. The later theory rests on the huthxoritty such as it: is, of the well- kn-own correspondent of the London Times in Paris. M. dc Blowitz Says that he has seen _a letter from "n personage of bringh rank in one of tho lmall northern Powers." which letter maintains an outline of an agreement alleged to be our the point of signa- ture by Russia, France and Italy. Ac- cording to this personage. the treaty is neither offensive nor defensive. but simply pledges Italy. as we have said, he remain a neutral. A moment’s reflection will show that such neut- rality would be of incomparany more benefit to France than to Germany. In: the event of a war between the .two last named Powers, France woqu [mo Inger be compelled to keep a con- siderable part (if her army on her Southeastenn frontier to withstand a possible invasion in that quarter and she would also be able to employ the whole of her Mediterranean fleet for aggressive operations in the North Sea and the Baltic. Germany. on the other hand could use only a part of her land forces against France. be- cause Russiu would be able, not only to occupy Austria. but to menace Ger- ma‘ny's eastern frontier. It is clear. then. that such an agreement would be regarded at Berlin as a hostile act. and. while Germany might not venture to punish Italy directly by an invasion, (to longer be compelled to keep a con- flict with Russia and France, she might have recourse to the weapon which in i881â€"82 Bismarck found,efâ€" Eeotivxe for the purpose of driving Italy into a league with Germany and Austria. That weapon was an- agitation in favor of an international guarantee of the independence of the Pupacy. nguarantee which would have involved a revival of the Pope‘s sovereignty over at least a part of the funnier" Papal dominions. Such a. restoration, if brought about by exâ€" temior pressure, would deal a more deadly blow at Italian unity than would the sometimes mooted vol- wntary cession of the Leonine City. together with a strip of land rum ning from it to the sea. The situa- tictn, however, would be materially different from that of twenty years ago, for, if Itnly could count upon the support of France and Russia. she should be able to resist any pres- sure exercised by Germany and Aus- ‘Lria. In the internal condition of Italy at th-e present time there are indica- tions that a change of foreign policy might meet with favor. The young King Victor Emmanuel III. is be- lieved to be strongly praposscssod in favor of France. and he has already evinced a determination to be much less of a figurehead in the Govern- ment than was his father. It may be token for granted that his Queen .who was a Montenegrin Princess, Iwould do anything in her power to further the must cordial relations be- tween Russia. and her adopted coun- try. Them again. in the Chamâ€" ber of Deputies, the centre of political gravity seems like- ly to be fixed permanently in tho Left. and the! Left is not: only notoriously antiâ€"Teutonic, in is sym- pathies, but includes the IrredentiSLs, .who deem the unity of Italy incom- plete so long 113‘ Austria, is suffered to retain the Treutino and Trieste. Once more, in Lombardy, the feeling ‘of dislike for Austria and of gratitude ,to France is more pervasive and em- phatic than in any other part of the Italian peninsula, and it so happens that in the prosent Ministry, both the Pnemier =nd tho Minister for Foreign Affairs are natives of Lombardy. NOTES AND COAIAIENTS. “Purple V iolcts.” Colonel Desmond smiled at his old gardener's fervency. “Thank you. Casey. By Jove!"â€" glancing round the qu:1int,strag- gling gardenâ€""it is good to be home in old Ireland again. Seven years' roasting in India makes :1 man up- preciate his own country with a vengeance." "But look at that. now!" cried Casey admiringly. "And to think it's seven long years since ye puL’ yer foot in this ould garden! And is it thruc. Masther Gerald, you’ve been fightin' the blacks ivcr since? Micky Milligun, who reads the paper reg'- lur. 302 the Queen sent you a goold cross. she was‘ that plazed at Um way you knocked the divil out of the hay- thens!" "Arrah, Masthcr Gerald, but it's a grate day for Ireland that sees ye home in the ould place agin!" “Not a gold one," laughcd his mas- ter. "It's one made of gunmeml. but not all the coin in the realm could buy it. Casey. And now tell me all the news. I see"â€"glancing aroundâ€" "you've looked after the old place thoroughly during my absence." ‘ "Thdnk ye. Masther Gerald,” said Casey. beaming with pleasure. “Me an‘ the ould woman's done our bést be Coolagcr since the day ye shut it up and wint abroad to fight. As for the news, the divil :1 scrap ofchange there's been hereabouts, save and ex- cept the killin' of the one-eyed fox in Kelly's wood the saison afth-cr you left, and the death of Owen Molloy, the schoolmaster, six months ago." "And the rectory peopleâ€"how are they?" queried Colonel Desmond.with the faintest flush of colour on his forehead. "Musha, they're all thrivin‘." rc- plied Casey. with a covert glance at his master. "Of course. the rector himself gets an odd twinge of gout, but that's natural enough in a man of his age. As for Miss Cynthia, she's the swatcst lady in all Ireland! You'll ‘be afther aee'm' hur yerseli. Masthor Gerald, in a few minits. She comes ovezj to me ivery morniu' for a posy of â€"â€"â€"-" "And who may that lucky indiviâ€" dual be, Casey?" asked Colonel Des~ mond. with the faintest touch of bit- terness in his voice. Casey shuffled uncomfortably. “Arrah! sure it's not for the likes of me to be discussin' the gintry." he began insinuatingly; “.but they do Say in the village that he wint off, to the wars sivin~â€"-â€" Begorra, Mas- lher Gerald. he wint somewhere about the same time as you wint yerseli!” "They talk awful rot in the vil- lage." was Colonel De‘smond's em- phatic comment. as he turn-ed away impatiently, and walked down a side alley. For some moments he stared straight acroas the soft sweep of mea- dow-lund. “Miss Cynthia!" interrupted the colonel. with a start. "'Why~why. I thought .she was to have married Mr. Harvey !" From the farther end of the alley he could see a wide sweep of meadow- lund, with a house or two peeping from out some dis-taut woods. "Lord bless you. no, sit! Miss Cynthia will never marryâ€"least- ways." he added confidentially, "not unless she gets the man she's been utin' her heart out about this many a year!" "So she never married Harvey, af- ter all!” he muttered. "I wonder-I \vondm' why? Confound it!"â€"he broke off angrilyâ€""am I never to get rid of that confounded episode? Seven years. and I haven't forgot- ten. Seven years. since sheâ€"since she sent me about my business," he conâ€" cluded bitterly, "and I haven't had the decency to forget!” Memory pulled back the hands of the clock seven years, and in his dream he looked oh life with eyes that never would. in reality. look the same again. Life was such agood thing in those dear old far-oft days â€"â€"30 good. that not all the bitter dis- appointment and reckless danger of seven years had rubbed one hour from off the slate of his memory. But what a fool he had been! She had fooled himâ€"led him on. played with him as a cat plays with a mouse. and thenâ€". It is the way of woâ€" men to sacrifice men's hearts to their vanity. But she might have spared him. becauseâ€"well, because, after all, he had loved her ever since she had been a long-legged kiddie in short frocks. 'l‘huL was years before Han voy had appeared upon the scene. with his pushing insistence, and knack of dangling around her wherever she went. He remembered the anguish of jeal- ousy that had prompted him to write that last letterâ€"the letter whose answer was to finally settle his hopes and fears. Every phrase of that fateful missiva had burnt itself in- to his brain for over. His reproaches, his burning love and passionate jeal- ousy. all passed before him now, like the ghosts of a. play. And then there hlnzed out before him. in let- ters of {lam}, the closing wordsâ€"the He had always believed in Cynthia. in 'whose cause he had first learnt the art of battle. It was like losing his faith in God when he lost faith in Cynthia. words that demanded her final de cision. ' “I am sending this note by Casey," they ran, "who will also give you a bunch of violets. Should you wear the latter at dinner toâ€"night. Iwill know at once. and for all time, that you love me; if not. I will never boLh- or you again!" That was in the afternoon. In the evening his fate was decided. At dinner She wore a bunch of purple violets. He had ordered Casey to gnlhcr a bunch of while violetsâ€"white violets were her favourite flowerâ€"and de- liver them. with the letter to Miss Cynthia without delay. That Qua allâ€"=31: ill-written note and a bunch of violets: but they were the last chapter in a man's tragedy. Looking buckward now. Colonel Dcsmoud knew that of all the battles he had been through in his time. tho, one he had fought with himself that ill-starred night was the hardest. and the victory the most creditable he had ever won. He had taken his leave like a gentleman. and a week later sailed for India on active ser- vice. That was seven years agonow; and the years blunt oursorrows wonder- fully; hut he had never forgotten the white violets. nor Cynthia. Presently the colEmel l'etraced his footsteps; "Casey." he said, "is: the bed of white violets by the south wall still in existence 2" The gardener scratched hiq head. "Lord, no, Mnsihcr Gerald!" he said. “A blight seemed to come over them soon aflher you left. and the divil :1 stem in the bed but died!" “Shurc. si‘r," agreed Casey vague- ly; "but the other wensâ€"you remem- ber the bed of double purple wens" be th-o ould greenhouseâ€"â€"’ Desmond nodded. "\Vell. though it's meself thatsny! it,"' continued Casey proudly. "they're as bright and bloomin' as the day you tlould me to pull a bunch and take them across with the letther to Miss Cynthia! \Vill ye come and have a look at thim. Mastlmer Gerald?” "I am afraid, Casey," said Colonel Desmond. smiling, as he followed the old gardener. "your memory is play- ing you a trick. They were white violets I told you to take to Miss Cynthia that day. I have every rea- son for remembering." ' "Bless your soul, no. Mnsther Ger- ald!” replied Casey confidently, as they stopped opposite a bed of rich purple violets. "They waur the double purples. These is the very wans at out feet. I remember it as well as if it wour only yesterday; Ye called me up to the verandy. 'Casey.’ sez you. ‘tuke this letter, along wid a bunch of Vilets‘. across to Miss Cyn- thia at wunce. And, Casey,’ sez you, 'it's to be a big bunchâ€"remember. a. big bunch.’ Yez may have sed white. but the divil’a bit of me heerd. so I tuk her a darlin’ bunch av the dou- ble purples, and," continued Casey, too interested in his narrative to no- tice his master's white faceâ€"and I'm goin’ to tell ye a saycret, sir. The devil a. flower Miss Cynthia. has ever worn from that day to this but pur- ple violets!" But Casey's information appeared to pass unnoticed. The colonel nev- er spoke, only stared across the sun- ny meadows to where a spiral wreath of blue smoke crept upward through the distant woods. So that was the explanation of Cynthia's purple vio- lets. Poor Cynthia! She had lov- ed him, after all. And heâ€"what had he done to her? He turned on Casey. A savage desire to choke the life out of this softâ€"hearted idiot, who had well-nigh ruined two lives, swept through him. Then the man in him triumphed. He fought down the pas- sion bravely. \Vhat was done, was done. without hope of redemption. "Ah! Like dreams. Casey." $3 the colonel. "Violets die quickly." "For all the world as if he'd seen a ghost," Casey told a. crony long af- terwardfi "She kean over here wan day afther ye'd gone abroad. sir," resumed the loquacious Casey. at length, “and axed me if I'd let her have a bunch av the double purples every morn- in' while they waur in sais-on. which was quare, scein' they have the best flowers on the counthryside in the rectory garden. I reminded her av thwt,” continued Casey. “but she only smiled a bit sorrowful like. and sed she’d rather have the wans that grew here. She called thim a quare name â€"sed they want her romance. or somethin"likc thatâ€"but the divil a name l'vc iver heard thim called me- SQIf but purple violets!" “And you always let her have them ?" asked the colonel slowly. His face was very white. ‘3 “Av coorse. Mnsther Gerald!” as- sented Casey insinuatingly. “I knew if ye wanr at home yerself ye’d let Miss Cynthia have the sowl out of yer own 'body if Bhe axzd it. So ivory mornin' she comes over about this time. and â€"â€" Begorra! here she is herself!" bque off Casey suddenly. self, with a brave effort. "Iâ€"we never heard you had come home." "No." 119 said. gently, taking her h-xnd. “I cam?! horn: last night quite suddenly. Only yourself and Casey She came along the wide, gravclled path, with all her old grace and dig- nity; and Colonel Desmond, as he watched her. thanked God he had loved and waited even seven years. Her eyes were fixed on the ground, as if she were lost in thougnt. and she had drawn quite near before she looked up. Then he went towards; "And if ye don't mind. Mislher Ge}. ald. I'll go and look at the roses." A flush of color suddenly swept through her face, and as suddenly re- ceded again. leaving her deadly pale. "You?" sh? cried, recovering her- Cynthia! he said II out man : Casey." sald know I am in Ireland. I never meant to have come home again," he went on; "but Fate seems to have forced my footsteps back to your side again. Oh. Cynthia, Cynthia," he cried. "for- give me! I made an awful mistake that night seven years ago!" Then. with one hand tightly clasped in his, he explained Casey’s mistake â€"the mistake that had swallowed up seven years of their happiness. and well-nigh wrecked their lives. "I could stake my life that I told him this violets were to be white," he concluded; "and when you came into dinner wearing purple, Iâ€"â€"â€" “’0”. af- ter that. nothing mattered much." He broke off thickly. Her eyes suddenly filled with tears. “It nearly broke my heart." she said softly. “Oh. Cynthia, Cynthia," he cried. his clasp on her hand tightening. "what a honrtlnss brute you must have thought mo! Try to think of what I did :1 little gently. Andâ€"and will you let. me try to atone for the wrong I did you in the past? Int me try to win back a little of the old loveâ€" only a little.” Shll‘. suddenly stooped down. and pulled some of the violets growing at their feet. As she pinned them, in his carat, her eyes met his. "For Seven years." she said, "I've never worn any [lowers but these I" The Surprlslnz l‘hcnnmrnon 'l‘lml Follows lilgglug In I‘rlnlclncl'u Asphalt Lake. Few people who travel over the asphaltcd streets of our large cities arcawaro of the origin of the black. pitchy mass that goes to make up the basis of the smooth roadway un- der their feet. Eighteen hundred miles almost due south from New York lies the little tropical island of Trini- dadâ€"a. British possession off the coast of northern South America. At the south-western extremity of this col- ony the famous Pitch Lake is located cm the summit of a. small hill, less than two hundred feet above the level of the area. In appearance there is nothing phenomenal about this wonder of the tropics but a. visit to the lake as. it is familiarly called; re- veals one of the most unaccountable oddities of nature in the annals of travel. The tourist may take passage to the ‘iland of the humming-bird"â€"as Trinidad people like their country to be calledâ€"and after securing ac- commodation at the only decent hotel in the colony, proceed to the lake by one. of the smallGovernment steam- ers plying coast-wise three times weekly, disembark at the Brighton pier, and proceed to the scene of "dig- ging." Of all the crude. rough, and ready means of extracting wealth from mother earth. the Trinidad Lake asphalt operations are the most striking. The visitor arrives on a fairly level plateau. spotted here and there with tiny pools of water. beneath which the soft shiny sub- stance known as asphalt glitters in the reflection of a. fierce tropical sun. Scattered over the surface of the lake dozens of swarthy negroes are ply- ing pick and hoe, extracting the tar- cvouly looking stuff from. the earth. One may sit in the shade of a near- by shrub, or under the protecting shelter of an umbrella, and watch the negroes pile heap after heap of the asphalt into the endless chain of tubs that hurry along to the pier, from which one has but recently land- cD‘J, until a( yawning excavation Hf twenty or more feet suggests to the supervising darky that the time has come ‘to move a bit further on. 'In the course of a few hours the excava- tion resulting from the morning's diggi‘ngs begins to look less deep, and by eventide the spot from which more than five or ten tons have been dug is again level with the surround- ing earth and ready to be dug over by the gang of noisy blacks. From the point of digging to the pier is but a mile or less of endless-chain descent; moored to the pier are big sailing vessels, and sometimes steamq ers, into whose capacious holds the tubs discharge the pitch at the rate of two or three hundred tons per day. Many stories are told of good luck following old purchases made by the enterprising mercantile men known as "shipâ€"breakers,” who buy up wrecks and the hulks oi stranded vessels, etc. But the latest received comes from Newport, England, where one lucky shipâ€"breaker made a bid for one of the vessels stranded on the \Velsh Hook, between the English and “'elsh sands, at the time when the steam- ship Brunswick grounded and was wrecked. Apparently so hopeless was the condition of the vessel that. he had the lot for £82. However, he sucâ€" ceeded in raising her, and having towed her to Newport thus became possessed of the vessel, a cargo of 990 tons of coal, and the whole of the ship's stores. Mr. Younghusband. recovering from influenza :â€"This beef-tea seems very weak, my dear. Mrs. Y.â€"I'm sure it ought to be good; I made it according to the doc- tor's instructions. Mr. Y., inquiringly,â€"-The doom-"s? Mrs. Y.â€"Yes. he said half the peollle didn't stew the beef enough to get all the goodness out of it. I'm sure I did. for the sauceâ€"pan boiled dry twice. and I had to fill it up with water. LAND OF THE IIUMMING BIRD. I .ITERAL INSTRUCT TONS A G 00D INVESTMENT Nelghlmurly Interest In Ills Doingsâ€"Man- lt-rs uf Moment and )Ilrlh Gulhcrcd l-‘ram Ills Records. FROM THE UNITED STATES PERSONAL AND POLITICAL NOTES ABOUT THE BUSY YANKEE. for coloured mom. Inns been organized in New York. Senator Forakcr will spend the {all in Porto Rico. and make a thorough study of all its industries, classes of population and its various social. edu- cational and religious institutions. President James K. Patterson. of Kentucky State College. Lexington, Ky.. has anvnmmced that in his will he has set aside $50,000 for a collvge library as a memorial. to his deCCzned sun. pl‘opl‘iated $5,000 [or colportcur work among the negroes of the South. David L. Richards has b-ecn elected to the position of Town Clerk of North Dana. Mass.. [on- the forty-first con- secutive time. He also served as trea- surer of the town: for twentyâ€"one years. Mrs. Ida. A. Hull, a Methodist mis- sionary to the Chinese in San Fran~ ciscu), has changed her name to Chan Hon ’l'an. According to competent testlimro'my it is, the name of a worthy [minister and a scholar. Fire Chief Swenio. of Chicago, is said to be writingn book, partly auto- biographical and partly ahistory of the fire department of his city. It is to be entitled “Fifty Years :1 Fire- mun.“ The Gowernor of Utah has had the good sense to. veto the bill passed by the Legislature far the toleration of plural marriages solemnized before Utah became a State. An attempt to pass the bill over his veto failed. Baron R. Lehman, Consul-General of Greece to the Netherlands, is making a tour of Amerilca and announces his intention to write a. book about the United States. He says that he could not say anything unkind about it. The sum of $300,000 has been given by four philanthropists of New York to the Y.M.C.A. of that city torc- lilave the branches of the debt on their buildings. Three of the four donors aare J. Pierpont Morgan. John D. Rockefeller and \Villimm E. Dodge. The fourth wishes his gift to be anonymous. By the will of the late Franklin E. Bisth of Russell, Mass.. the State of Massachusetts is made his residuary legatee. The will reads: "As I have no relatives on whom I care to bc~ sto-w my goods and estates, after the payment of my just debts and funeral expenses, I give all the residue of my estate to the Communwealth of Mas- sachusetts, to its sole use and be- hoof forever.” The executor says that when the estate is settled the commonwealth will receive about $7,000. Mr. Bishop was a prominent citizen of Russell and an ardent ud- m'irer of his State. 'Favwwmble arrangements are being made with the railroads for the con- V‘eyan‘ce of Epwou‘th leaguers from all points in the United States and Can- a‘dxa to San Francisco for the next Na- tional Convention which, according to presernt arrangements, will be held July 18â€"21. An example to: other cities has been set in Pittsfield. Mass., by ministers of all demomiiumtions. They have agreed to refuse to pprform a mat- riage ceremony when. one or both parties to the marriage have been divorced, excepting the case of 'the innocent party to the divorce suit who has obtained a divorce on Scrip- tural grounds. Few of the struggles of life are more agouising than those of the schoolboy .who has no idea of what is (In-cued of. him, but dctermmcs to d) his best. His frantic efforts ta meet the teacher’s suggestions Half- way are simply heroic. A few days ago, the master of one of the elementary schools in New- bury was teaching his boys the com- position of sentences, and said to them: If I ask you, "\Vhat have I in my hand?" you. must not answer "Chalk,' but make a full sentence, and say, " You have chalk in your hand." Now we will go on. “ \Vlmt have I on my feet ?" Boots, came the immediate reply. Wrong, S'ou haven‘t listened to my directions. “'rong again; worse than ever! \vrathfully replied the master. We)” be continued interrogatively to alad near him. Stockings, ventured. another heed- less one. Please, sirâ€"â€" then he paused. Per- haps he thought that his answer might seem funny, but convinced :hat he was right. he recklessly gaspad out : Corns ! Ethelâ€"Yes, we played husband and wife. I kissed him and said he was the handsomest man in the world. and he said, Here‘s forty dollars, go and buy some gloves. - The American Bxblc Society has apâ€" A branch of the Y.M.(‘~A. ZEALOUS G UESSING REALISL‘I specially