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as to enable them to resim tion capable of bringing : predicted event. He gun Fate in its malignity l capable of striking; at him this his favorite sin. 11¢ suited physicians. who, 01 pronounced him without a. The last rible date At last fear, a. sheer um'easoning terror, took possession of himâ€"a panic without reprieve that, chilled and fettered him in every act, of his daily life. He did not fall ill: scarce- ly did his ruddy color fade. or his hearty rotundity diminish. He kept. multiplying his hygienic measures, to the end of so forlifyiug all his organs Impelled by the human propensity to further irritate a. throbbing nerve, he took to poring over books on 0c- cultism, and set going endless con- versations on mystical topics among his friends. He took a, morbid pleas- ure in accumulating" proofs of the late lamentable conviction that was growing upon him. Yes, yes. it was true! Any number of these wretched predictions had been knoWn to come to exact fulfillment. But after the lapse of eleven years, Mr. Harding had completely lost the spirit of mockery that had sustained and diverted him. The progress of a fixed idea. in his brain begun to asâ€" sert itself more and more. These (leâ€" vils of magicians had been knoWn to prophecy correctly, after all! In the beginning certainly the good gentleman had felt no fear. He even found gratification in uttering wittiâ€" cisms against soothsayers and their kind. “A lot of swindlers, trying to pull the wool over honest. people's eyes," was his verdict. Now, it is just this condition of happy quietude thth is the one most favorable to thought, and the reâ€" membrance of the vital foreclosure that had been predicted to him failed not too soon obtrude itself upon Harding, the more persistently as his mind had no enforced occupation with which to combat it. titled to the name of "villa." Here his incorrigible old bachelor- hood, jealous of its case, ,and intolerâ€" ant of outside intrusion. struck Steadfast roots of peace and habits Copious hygienic ropasts, morning Walks, a little gardening, and a litâ€" tle anglingâ€"such was the Wise and foiicitous intermixture of needs and pastimes that he had devised. Towards 1884, when the strivenâ€"for million had become an accomplished fact, Harding decided to realize the dream of his industrious life. and urclmsed in Dcvonshirc a, harbour For his declining years, which, by virtue of its pocket-handkerchief of a garden towards the south, was en- titled to the name of “villa.” The years went by. Harding Work- ed, prospered, amassed wealth. Ev- erything smiled upon him. Never once had a halt been called in his steady march to fortune. He finally came to be a. person to be considered, to be envied; but, egotistical by nu- lure, ho had never married. And in later years, the endeavor first to create a position for himself, then a fortune in his chosen mercan- lilc pursuit, had left him little leis- ure in which to consider the predic- tion; and, in any case, his sixtieth year seemed so remote, so buried out of sight, under ages of future exist- ence! Nevertheless, the date remainâ€" ed indelibly written on his brainâ€" September 28th, 1900. Harding was a youth of twenty- three. In order to give proof of rouruge to the ladies present, he step« pcd forward, and solicited a prophe- :_v of the seer. This date. Septem- ber 28. 1900, had been categorically specified to him as the any on which he was to die. He had laughed heartily at the time; the term of fur- ther existence accorded to him had been sufliciently reassuring. Forty years before, at a. social ga- thering of which he formed a. part, the topic of astrology had arisen. An old gentleman, who for a. long time had held the entire comptu under the spell of his learned and enthusiâ€" astic discourse on this subjch, had ofl'ered to illustrate his owu powers of divination, by foretelling the exact date of his death to anyone who cared to submit, himself for the ex- periment. After a few moments of anguished torpor he arose. In spite of the disâ€" tress written on his countenance. there was nothing in Mr. Harding’s appearance to indicate the imminent demise he had announced. His per- son wus sound and robust, and his step assured, as he crossed the room. On the morning of September 28th, 1900. Mr. Harding awoke with a start. out of an oppressed sleep. which had not overtaken him until towm’ds daybreak, after hours of tos- sing in extreme nervous agitation. His face was very pale, and his haggard, unseeing eyes sent a roving glance around the room, that en- countered objects Without. seeing them, and plainly attested the ter- rors of some recent nightmare. But, even after the revival of con- sciousness of external things, the palâ€" lor of his face remained the same, and it was in a voice entirely unlike his own that, he muttered: “To-day I must die!" Complete lucidity came to him un- der the influence of his cold abluâ€" tions, and he set to going over in his mind. with extreme exactness, the circumstances which had led to the utterance of his sombre phrase. few mm brought H10. 0110 an .hout a. flaw .113 before t} this mental him any afl‘ecâ€" bout the up wine. :ing quite through LOF- ) ll- fully fully Mr. Harding now cu sciousncss of a. Wild 0: only left to hi1 minutes. A seize him that One terrific clan almost sent himI into a swoon. Oh, if he were now tol die of fear! After an hour of imch scribable suffering, the porceptionl that quxet had succeeded to tumult gave him courage to venture to a window and look out. The storm had passed; stars were twinkling" peacefully out of a clear sky. The elements had spared him. yet his fear. was not removed. Eleven o'clock. There was now only left to him a maximum of sixtv “as ever a human situation before? the dial of a clock seconds that were gle remaining hour A half-hour more Shortly before ten o'clock a vio- lent thundersLormâ€"the aftermath of the extreme heat of the dayâ€"arose, and turned the peace of the evening into dire confusion. The lightning‘s flashes wen: of savage \‘ividncss, and the thunncr roared in unclmincd fury. Mr. Harding at once recognized in this the means chosen by Heaven for his destruction. This alarm suggested to Mr. Hardâ€" ing the advisability of arming him- self for protection in case of criminal assault. But for nothing in the World would he have laid finger on a weapon that day: so he contented himself with giving orders that all his outer dooz‘s be double-locked and bolted, and that not a. soul be ad~ mitted on any pretence to the house. The hours passed‘ His evening meal was gone through with like the first. He could not eat At one point the servant broke two costly plates. Contrary to his usual custom in such occurrences, her masâ€" ter did not scold. He feared too much the evil consequences of hasty anger. The last. bite choked down, Mr. Harding looked at the clock. Half-past eight. The fact of the lateness of the hour bore not the slightest assurance with it. The preceding hours had flown by with a. speed that indicated, to his (les- pair, the brevity of the few remainâ€" ing to him. Towards tour o’clock he was made to experience a, lively shock. The bell rang. He imagined it to herald the irruption of assassins. Incapable of any attempt, at defence or flight. he collapsed back into his chair and waited. The maid entered to an- nounce that his friend, Mr, Smythe. was there, inquiring if he would not come out 101' a Walk. 011 no acâ€" count. The Whole outside world was terrifying to him for its suggestions of perilous possibilities. It was noon. He took. his seat at the table for breakfast. He Could scarcely bring: himself to more than taste the various dishes that were set before him. Then he deeply consider- ed the matter of taking or leaving his daily cigar. Why, even a. murâ€" derer is accorded a few little luxuries at his last. meal! Still, he decided not to smoke. He passed the first hours of Lhe af- ternoon in the cool soinbl‘eness of his drawing-room. putting the query to himself: What form was the apâ€" proaching calamity to takeâ€"crime. accident. disease? He felt his pulse. It. beat a little feverishly. In intense anxiety he hastened to swallow a dose of quinine. This restored it to normal regularity. 9 All sorts of lugubrions ideas crowd- ed in upon him. Ought he not to look over his will; attend to any number of such final preparations? Then the thought that, according to popular superstition. such a course would sinipl)r be to invite disaster, deterred him. Ills wakeiul night had made him languid, and, concluding. after parâ€" taking of his coll‘ce, that to go about much would be injurious, he betook himself to his study. There he strove to apply himself to the perusâ€" al of the morning paper. Impossible. The lines danced before his mist.- dimmcd eyes. He descended into his garden to breathe the air. The day had an- nounced itself as Warm. This was unfortunate. Heat, is not favorable to sanguine temperament. often beâ€" ing‘ the determining cause of apoâ€" plexy. lie resolved to shut himself up, after :1 light, midday meal, in a. cool chamber, for Lhc' whole after- noon. to the principles of human morality, should be forced to live through such moments as those? Fate was horriâ€" bly unjust! It, was eight o’clock. Ills toilet finished, he tool: a. few turns about. the room. This action procured him a pleasure in movement. for its own sake, that he had never before ex- perienced. A reminiscence of early, romantic reading evoked a compari- son in his mind to the awakening of a felon on the morning; of his execuâ€" tion. Why was it; that, he, an honest man. who had all his life conformed ture to its keenest-Mr. Harding feared that he was going mad. But, instinctively carrying with it. a. menâ€" ace of death, he contrived to keep up some semblance of a. calm, although it was long since he had had restful sleep and his digestion was becoming impaired. Had it not been for his superb constitution. fortified by years of regular living. he would have sunk under the strain he was enduring. So on the morning of’ September 28th. 1900. he awoke, to await death. There Wasn't, the least. hero~ ism in his attitude of expectancy; the only glimmer of eourageousness to which the poor man could enforce himself had its origin in the fear that he might (lie of fright. A turbulenc mt shook hi human bcin being in To follow tho man-c} cxuit ation sur arch Gorma n OVCI‘ 200 land He met his friends aguix or two later and asked 1.) they had got on. “Oh ! we have shot no ther," he was "told. “How is that ? Didn't "Well," was the ans didn’t exactly shoot, anytl Larkins, the gamekeepm', < He met his guests after they had been out for an hour or two and askâ€" ed them what sport they had. "Oh, we. have shot twenty brace,” was the reply. “Twenty brace is not much," he said, “considering I was assured that this was the best shooting in Scotland." An African millionaire recently inâ€" vited to his Scotch shooting a party of friends whose familiarity with the gun was not excessive. The costumes of the Dalecarlian women differ according to locality. In some of the parishes red is the prevailing color and in others green and blue. Their hats are shaped and trimmed differently also, and in one of the parishes a. sort of "tam o’ shanter" is Worn. with a. band fit- ting closely around the head and a broad top. In the Moro country the men Wear jackets of white felt cut square at the corners and fitting closely to the neck, with white buck- skin knickerbockers and leather ap- rons to keep them clean. The ordiâ€" nary overcoat is made of sheepskin, with the wool on the inside, like Bry- an 0’ Lynn's, held to the waist with a belt and with long skirts reaching to the heelsâ€"a. very comfortable gar- ment for this climate and not unbe- coming. Small boys are dressed exactly like their fathers. A coat with a. long skirt is the ambition of every youngâ€" ster, like the first pair of trousers of American boys, and he usually at~ tains that honor when he is ten years old. The little Chaps you see going about in long-tailed coats and buck- skin brooches look as if they were dressed for the stage. Little girls in the same way imitate their mothers with skirts reaching to their ankles and quaint homeâ€"made jewellery of Silver and goch Every little girl hor. es to have a. brooch with jingling pendants. The Jewellery is of simple pattern the gold or silver being; ham- mered into thin sheets, cut into squares and diamonds and fastened together with rings. The men Wear long blue frock coats with full skirts. faced with red broad- cloth and edged with red cord. Hooks and eyes are used instead of buttons of a Church of England pm‘son. The and the collar is cut similar to that. vest is made of the same material and is also edged and faced with red. The knee brooches are of yellow buck- skin, ornamented with red cord and tassels at the garter. which holds up thick woollen stockings. Broad silâ€" ver buckles are worn upon the shoes. The hat is of black felt, with a low crown and broad brim resembling those Worn by Quakers in the United States. Garments Worn by the 01d and Young Differ Slightly. The costumes of the Dulecarlian Women are unique, a dark blue Woolâ€" en skirt, very full and gathered in tucks at the waist; a. white blouse, a vest of red or green Cloth, beautiful- ly embroidered in colors and often with gold and silver threads; a broad red belt. of knitted wool; a long ap- ron of red woollen, with stripes of black, White and green; a kerchief folded three-cornerwise about the neck and fastened with a. gold or sil- ver pin, with many glistening pen- dants, and a headdress in the shape of a. cornucoria made of black felt with red trimmings and streamers. Long earrings of gold or silver and bracelets of curious forms are com- mon. Down he fell upon the floor. strick- en with apoplexy. at the precise moâ€" ment, when the clock was sounding the first stroke of the midnight. that; brought to a, close the 28th of Sepâ€" tember. 1900.â€"â€"London Answers. ing up within him. What if the next, halhhour should spare him a.lso!â€"if the oracle’s prediction should prove false! Visions of future felicity swam through his dizzied brain. What if, after all these years of agon- ized suspense. a new era were really aboun to open to him! Ten minutes goneâ€"fifteen. twenty! It, Was now to the sorely-tried man as though he were being born anew into the world. At five minutes to midnight this cxnltation had risen to a. higher pitch. The 28th of September was Vll‘Lllfllly at an end. The old seer had been. after all, but, a maker of sorry jests. Mr. Harding's face was growing flushed, his eyes were glow- ing like live coals. He set. to pacing violently up and doWn the room. To him the hands of the clock seemed to moveâ€"oh, so slowly! Two minutes moreâ€"only two! He cast aside all restraint. He tore open his collar and his shirt. The happiness was suffocating him aiter all the suffering he had endured. At one minute to midnight. in a. very intoxication of delight, he started to execute a. dancing~step. in celebration of his deliverance whenâ€" ODD CUSTOMS IN UNLUCKY LARK] NS ytl bu1 I ha stud m the the answer response om niversi t SWEDEN 'lll 11 hour 1 how with but lasting so: should Inn and alums Those on board the Lorton flattered themselves that they had shoWn their rival a clean pair of heels when they failed to discover any sign of her Brazilian coast, and then commenced show up again on this side of the equator, she hove in sight off the ‘each other. During this pause in the 1an exciting, neck-to-neck struggle which lasted for some thousands of miles. Down the coast they raced side by side, rounded the Horn in company, and stood up in the Pacific until the wind forsook them, and'leit them becalmed within a, mile or so of each other. During the pause in the contest. the captains exchanged friendly visits, and even the crews‘ fraternized at times. When the breeze sprang up again, the vessels were driven asunder once more. But weeks later, as the Lorton was standâ€" ing in towards San Francisco, she discovered her opponent making for the harbor at the same time. The existed as- to which sho'uld be the first to reach that distant port. Heaâ€" vy wagers were laid on both sides, almost every soul on board from cap- tain to cabin boy having a "bit on.” They were towed out of the Mersey one after the other, the Lorton hav- ing a, few hours' start. When the tugs cast them off in the Irish Chan- next morning. Though she did not and away they went upon their long three months' race. A remarkable ocean race took place some years ago between two Liver- 1.001 ships, the Lorton and another, the course being something like 15,â€" 000 miles. Both were bound for San Francisco, and On her maiden voyage from Lonâ€" don to Melbourne in ’68, she simply ran away from all competitors. With- in sixty days afler leaving the Thames she dropped anchor in the Australian tort, a record which, so far as is known, has never been beatâ€" en. She accounted for 2,000 miles in one Week. and her fastest. day’s run was 380 miles. These figures would not discredit, many a, steam- ship even at the present day. '3 GREAT SEA YAUHTWREEi Ocean racing has from time immch morial been a. feature among the China and Australian clippers. The most famous racer of her dayâ€"01‘, indeed, of the Fast centuryâ€"was the Thermopylae, of Aberdeen. She was a iullâ€"rigger, heavily spurred ship, with a, hull like a. big yacht, and reâ€" DOAWnQd for her speed. No fewer than twelve yachts enter- ed for this contest. The start Was made from Scotland on June 14th, and only two boats finished up withâ€" in the fortnight. The prizeâ€"a very substantial one of a. thousand guinâ€" easâ€"fell to the lot of Sir Richard Sutton's racer, the Genesta, which reached Dover at 5. a. m. on June 27th. The second yacht to arrive, the Sleuthhound, did not put in an a; pearance until 11:45 that night. In the same year, 1887. the great Jubilee yacht race took place. Though CONFINED TO HOME WATERS. it was none the less an ocean race. the course being right round England and Scotland. She came abreast, of the lighthouse on Roche’s Point at ten minutes to one. beating her opponent by eigh- teen hours, for the Dauntiess did not turn up till 6:45 the following eveâ€" ning". The voyage occupied more than sixteen days, not a very strik- ing rerformance when compared to the feat of the Henrietta in '66. entrance of Queenstown harbor. On March 12th the two yachts sped away upon their long ocean voyage. a cheer following them as they flew past, the lightship at Sandy Hook and disappeared into the broad reachâ€" es of the Atlantic. No sooner were they otT than a, small army of Ameri- can journalists raced across in one of the swiftest liners to await the arri- val of the yachts at, Quoenstown. 0n landing they had to possess their souls in patience for a, whole week. The days went by until a fortnight had elapsed since the start from New York. but as yet, there was no sign of either the Coronet. or the Daunt- less. An In March ' 7, the ( schooner yacht, under of that veteran racing- In March ' 7, the Coronet, a, fine schooner yacht, under the command of that veteran racing skipper. Cap- tain Carter, was pitted against the American schooner Dauntlcss. The latter was an old stager, but. had proved her mettle in many a. stiff contest. Across the Ocean From New York to Queenstowu Harbor. The race in this instance was from New York to Roche's Point, at the COLUMBIAâ€"SHAMROCK RACE NOT THE FIRST. AT THE SA A KEEN RIVALRY 111' British 00k iting contest Wa: ace quite recentl; ward bound ves and one German IE HOUR n the vessels But stand- ., she ng for The was :ntly ves- day J ohmâ€"Was Mabel offended when you called on her with your face unshaven 7 Jimâ€"Yes, she said sue felt it very much. thz Wh anything It’s a and \\'e want a. soap that will cleanse Without the application of Water, and which could be carried in the pocket and used at such times when water is not to be obtained for love or money. Shaving, too. is a, pain- ful operation on a. cold winter's morning. and the person who wishes to possess wealth beyond the dreams of avarice has only to conceive some method that will enable a man to shave in half a. minute Without, water and will make it impossible for him to cut himself, no matter how care- shave in l and will to cut hi less he m Vast fortunes have been made over cycle inventions, but there are plenty more Waiting to be claimed. The ab- solutely unpunctureable tire is a. dis- covery of the future, and the man who is to make a. million or two thereby is probably yet unborn; C -‘ clists would also richly reward t a person who could devise a. method of repairing a. tire without having to take it off and kneel for a quarter of an hour on a damp road while it was mended, and the self-inflating tire would also prove a. gold-mine to its inventor. Cheap motors will, no doubt, in the future spell millions to somebody. There is no doubt that, the Post Office would handsomely reward the man who could design a pillar-box incapable of being pilfered; a. form of thieving that costs the auEhorities ..v~v~.....‘, V... of the Winter months, and is at all times a nuisance in London, Eng- land. Some years ago a wealthy man named Newling ofTered $500,000 to the person who would invent a. method of banishing all smoke from the metropolis, but as yet no candl- date has applied for the sum. Posâ€" sibly when the genius who can abol- ish smoke comes along he will tackle the fog problem also. If he could chase the fogs away he would earn the thanks of millions, and a. fortune beside. Most men smoke, but the smoker's ideal pipe has yet to he invented, for although many patents have been taken out in this direction from time to time. not one has reached perfecâ€" tion. In the cigar department there are also a number of unfilled Wants. The man who supplies these will speedily become a millionaire. The person who is gifted with a. fair allowance of brains need not go abroad to make a fortune, for vast sums of money are awaiting those of an inventive turn of mind who can supply one of the many requirements of the populace. In some cases weal- thy men have offered large fortunes for simple inventions, but it is sel- dom anyone comes forward to claim them. @ Smoke is one of the necessarv evils He was young and bashful. She itsâ€"ahem lâ€"not thirty. Miss Robinson, he began diflidenb- ’. I amâ€"erâ€"a. little superstitious. ad I dreamed last night, that Iâ€"et proposed to you. Is that a sign of Crowding on all sail, she soon shooli:~ 0!‘i her rivals. never sighting them again throughout the long voyage. Indeed, for months together, not a. solitury sailing ship of any kind my penred upon the horizon. 0n the River Plate, when fifty days out. she ran into a. belt of calm, and for near- ly a fortnight it was merely a. case of idle drifting. This delay sent the host of the crew down considerably; but, when on April 11th. she reached Quecnstown, and the first eager in- quiries revealed the fact that none of the other competitors had yet been reported, three ringing cheers broke out from those on board. For the next few days both captain and crew were kept in anxious suspense. the vessels which started subsequently being accorded time allowance, 0! course. But as they failed to arrive before their days of grace had ex- pired, the Muskolm was declared the winner. The actual time she took to accomplish the voyage Was 101 days, 20 hours; her quickest run In any single day being 332 miles. Great Fortunes Waiting for Every: One. All {our left Astoria. within a, Week of each other, wagers being freely laid upon the result. One of the first to get away was the British ship Muskoku, a. racer which already held the record for a voyage from Curdlfl to Hang-Kong in eightyâ€"five days: 1t CHANCE FOR INVENTORS WHAT’S IN A DREAM ? sign. she said desperately, u'vc got a deal more sense asleep bhan when you're 11y first ship held