lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllli-' C... \ HOW SHE FELT FOR HIM. BYzA. w. BELLAW. You say that very dear am 1; Too dear for all your gold to buy, And that your life's one sigh for me— Your life must then one ci-pher be. My face has carried you away? Not far enough to make you stay. You say love mak‘ is you brave; behold At least it makes you Vt‘l‘y bold! You say you put your trust in me: I ask not Cl'edlf, don‘t you see? And if you'Ve loved me for so long To love me longer would be wrong. I love to see your form go bv— And never stop: indeed do I. I love to hear your step so dear— Wlien it grows less upon my ear. If you go hungering for a smile Try pork and cabbage for awhile; And if for me you'd swim the sea- Begin the voyage suddenly. You say you‘ve nearly lost your mind- A better one you’ll easily find. I thin; of you when you are gone— So stay there and I'll still think on. I think our missives fair and bright When t ey say - "Cannot come to-night;' And if you cannot live from me, An undertaker you must see. I love to hear your voice so light— In those sweet syllables, “ Good-night;" And since my hand you do implore, I ll gladly give it—at the door. M Pen Pictures of the Far West. ~~——————- Eurly Rocky Mountain Explorers. BY ma EEGMUN. BEAVER and more enterprising spirits never armed themselves for conquest than the Span- ish cavaliers who invaded the southern wilder- ness of the western world in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Their exploits present themselves to the mind more like Arabian Night stories than veritable history. Had I not seen the proofs, in the shape of old ruins and aban~ doned mines, I should doubt the accounts which have come down to us. To penetrate the Rocky Mountain fastnesses within the last fifty years, even, has been chronicled as most daring and brilliant adventures. Kearney, Carson, Fre- mont, Bridger, and other American explorers, have been famed in fiction; song and history for their explorations in those distant mountain re— gions; yet—and I say it with no intention of disparaging these illustrious countrymen—how inSignificant seem their exploits, circumstances on both sides considered. as compared with those of the early Spanish explorers! The ad- venturers of our times set out from the frontiers of a powerful nation on the same continent as the region they went forth to explore, and 50ml3 of them were at the heads of strong armies; but the caValiers crossed a great ocean to reach the same objective points when wild animals and wild men held undisputed sway in America from the eastern to the western seas—at all points and in all sections. And they achieved their purpose. There, in those mid—continent wilds, thousands and thousands of miles of land and ocean between them and their source of supplies, their nearest reServe forces, the gal- lant sons of Spain established and long main- tained themselves. There they were, build- ing towns and opening mines of gold and of silver, before the songs of thanksgiving and praise of the Pilgrim Fathers echoed through the forests of ew England. It is a well authenticated fact that fifty years, at least, be- fore the first house was erected on the site of Jamestown, Virginia, missionaries of the Catholic church raised the holy cross in the New Mexican and Arizonian wilderness. Yet many, and even professing students of history, think and speak of the Territory of New Mexico as a new country. There is nota church edifice in any of the organized States of the Union as old as a cathedral building in New Mexico. As early as 1542, or seventy-eight years before the Mayflower cast anchor off Cape Cod, Spanish explorers ascended the Colorado River from the Gulf of California to its grand canyon—- now, three centuries and a. half later, attract— ing attention as a recently-discovered wonder of the far West. The Gila River was also ex- plored that early by the Spaniards. ‘ [n a speech in favor of Government aid to a trans-continental railroad—delivered in Con- gress in 1850, I think—Thomas H. Benton made the assertion that it would be better for Cali- fornia if she had not a grain of gold in her mountains. He probably had in mind, when he made the declaration, the disastrous results to Spain of settling her American colonies with the main object of securing treasures of gold, silver and copper. Another thought suggests itself in this con- nection: as all-important as organized or insti— tutional moral influences may be to the stabilit and well-being of society, they alone are insu - ficient to the permanent establishment of civil government and to securing the material pros~ perity and mental advancement of the gov- erned, for never were there more devoted and self-sacrificing moral teachers than those who, over three Centuries ago, made Christian con- verts in the valleys of New Mexico and Arizona. To cultivate the soil is to increase the perma- nent wealth of a country, and ennoble human nature. Tillage is the solid basis of human prosperity. If Spain had colonized in America half as many of her vine-growers as she sent fighting men hither, it would be unnecessary in these times to search old records to prove the priority of her settlements in the western world ——that fact would be attested by millions of cultivated acres, and hundreds of flourishing cities, where all is now desolation. History leaves much to be supplied by con- jecture. I am inclined to believe that the first reports reaching Spain from the headwaters of the Rio Grande of the mineral wealth of that country—greatly exaggerated, of course, as such reports are in our ti::i-.;es——-caiised a perfect furore of excitement, and resul‘ed in setting in motion a great tide of crnigrsti- n. The adventurers were actuated by only two motives—to fight and subdue the natives, and find gold and silver. There was in: at single true element of civiliZition in these spirited ex- peditionary movements: "hey were irresistible in motion, but perished naturally when the ex- citement subsided in which. they originated. A single plow sent into the American wilds, at that time, would have done more infi'fll‘d con- ciliating and making permanent the influences of civiliz-ition than a regiment of c-i-raliers. But, unlike those brave-spirited men w ho later made permanent settlements on the Atlantic sea— board, the gold-huntcrs from Southern Europe came not to increase the wealth of the iieovlzinds they had discovered by developing their natural resources and building homes in them; on the contrary, their intention was to strip them of their native wealth, and then leave them in a worse condition than they had found them— robbed materially, and not ameliorated mo- rally. This was the true spirit, the real animus of the Spanish invasions of America, notwith- standing the bold enterprise of the Mother Church in establishing missions wherever the colors of Spain were given to the breeze; and of course no other than just such disastrous results as came could have been philosophically ex- pected. But in their daring ventures for fame and for— tune those early Spanish explorers accomplished Wonders while the animating spirit lasted. They overran the whole country. from the Gulf of California to the lakes of Utah. They scaled mountains and crossed deserts everywhere in sQH‘Ph of mines of the precious metals. The great rush of adventurers to Pike’s Peak, to Montana, to the Black Hills and to Leadville, in our days, have been merely history repeatv ing itself—the same dramas had been enacted by the Spaniards over three hundred years be- fore And the Spaniards found gold and silver, and realized millions from their discoveries; but their cupidity was not satisfied With seizing and holding these natural treasure vaults—with the privilege of taking from them what they could secure by their own industry Without paying taxes or tributes of any kind. They must cruelly enslave the poor natives they had robbed. They forced the Indians to go into the shafts and tun: hole, and toil from the rising to like setting or the sun, and kept them in a condition of wretch— ed, pinching poverty. This was not all. Spain made a penal colony of that part of her western possessaons. The most vicious characters of the mother country, the ofi‘sconrings of home society, were trans- ported and brought into close association With the natives. The Indians and the convicts were forced to labor and live together. This was the kind of “ civilizing” work that was done in New Mexico under the auspices of the Spanish Gov- ernnient. . But the day of retribution came. It was in- evitable. The judgments of God are not to he stayed or set aSIde. In 1680, by a preconcerted movement of the long—persecuted Indians—plan— ned so cautiously that even the priests had not a suspicion of the bloody plot-—tlie Spaniards, without regard to sex, age or station, were mas- sacred wherever found. A few escaped down the valley of the Rio Grande to the present Site of El I’aso del Norte, where they made asst- tlement—probably a fifth thus saved their lives. All the others were murdered. Things sacred and things secular were indiscriminately de— stroyed—the archives of the church and the records of the crown were alike consigned to the flames. Many were imprisoned in the shafts and tunnels of the mines, and left to die a hor- rible death—-to perish from suffocation or star- vation. In 1693 the Spaniards reconquered New Mexico, but some of the mines that were being worked at the time of the unsparing massacre have not been entered by a human being since. To find one of those old Spanish mines, I once made a horseback journey of ovur athousand miles. I had been told of its existence by a Texan, who found it while hunting in -the mountains about the head-waters of the Gila River. He supposed it to be a valuable silver mine. We found the place—the mine and sur— roundings had been correctly deScribed by the Texas hunter. An incline followed the vein down over a hundred feet, but the mouth of it was almost completely clos.zd, and a live-oak tree had grown to great Size right at the en- trance. Had it not been for the pile of ore 1y- ing near the mouth of the incline, the mine would not have been noticed. Not a trace of trail or road was to be found near. We opened the entrance and explored it to the bottom. By the aid of ropes, the vein not having a pitch of over sixty degrees, we were enabled to make the descent. A horrifying sight was disclosed at the bottom. There, by the glare of our candles, we saw a heap of hu— man bones—a ghastly monument of the ven- geance wreaked by the enslaved upon their on- slavers. We were disappointed in our expectations. It was not a silver mine at, all, but a copper vein. The ore carried but a slight trace of silver. We left it as we found it, not thinking it worth recording as a new discovery. Mulligan Takes a Will! Hide. BY THE CITY-ITEMS SCRIBE. “ HAPPY man dhat Oi am, Missurs Mulligan!” So Mulligan cried, as he pirouetted into the presence of his better-half with his usual whoop. “ Phwat is dhe occasion av it all, Pat?” Mrs. Mulli an inquired. “ D e dhream av meloife is realized at last!” “ And phwat has been dhe dhream of yer lonfe, Oi’d be askin’l” “ Och! but hould yer whist, now, and Oi’ll be afther tellin’ yez. It’s dhe proudest man in seven counties Oi am!” “Perhaps it’s another invintion ye have got into yer head.” .- “ lnvintion nothin’! Don’t talk av invintion to me, MiSSurs Mulligan. Sure, an‘ yez want to invint anyt‘ing, go ahead, but don’t t’ink ye can rope me into it wid ye. Oi have had enough of er—fl “ But, it was—’ “ Don’t yez be conthradictin’ av me, Missurs Mulligan; Oi know phwut Oi am talkin’ about, av you don’t.” “ Is it’a foire—escape, or a wather—walkerl Or is it a— ’ “ Shut up yer head, Missurs Mulligan, in— stanter! Sure, it is always a-bickerin’ fer throuble yez are. Av ye don’t want ter hear phwat Oi have to tell yez, begorra yez naden’t, and dhat’s all.” “ Well, well, we’ll say no more. Pat. dear?” “ Dhere, now ye are talkin’ somethin’ loike. Ye know Muldoon’s son Mike, Missurs Mulli- an.” E “ Oi moind him, Pat.” “Dhe same dhat has been foiroman on dhe railroad for so long.” “ Yis, yis, Oi moind him well.” “Well, he has been promotered to be anjun- ear.” “ And is it dhat dhat makes ye so happy? Sure, Oi don’t see anyt’ing in dhat to cause ye to rejoice so, Pat.” “ How shtupid yez are to be sure, Missurs Mulligan. But dhen, a woman can’t be expect— ed io undershtand. Dhey are not built dhat way.” “ Phwat are yez thryin’ to get t’rough yez, onyhow, Pat?’ “ Begorra, an’ yez would k’ape yer head shut for wan minute, Oi moight tell yez. Let a wo- man set her tongue a-runnin’, an’ dherc’s no use fer any wan else thryin’ tar get in a wurred.” “Oi would have yez to know, Pat Mulligan, dhat Oi don’t talk no more nor phwat yez do yersel‘, an’ aven av Oi did, dhere would be some sinse in pliwat Oi’d be sa'yin’, so dhere would.” “ Bedad do yez m’ane to say dhere is no sinse in phwat Oi say?” “ It would be hard to discover it, sometimes.” “ Av ye was a man, Missurs Mulligan, an’ not dhe wife av me bosom, it is beltin’ye wan in dhe gob Oi’d be doin‘, an’ don’t ye forget dhat.” “ And av Oi was a man Oi’d be afther darin’ yez ter do it, dhe same as Oi do now, Pat Mulli- gan. Ye bald-headed, s3rawny—neckcd, pig- eyed son av a bog—trottcr, ye; Oi’d be jerkin’ yez out av yer brogans, so Oi would !” “ Missurs Mulligan, a saint from Hivvin couldn’t live in p‘ace wid a woman loike you, no more he could. Here Oi came into yer prisence wid me heart overflowiu’ wid happiness, an’ now it’s loike a lump av lead in me breast, it is. Och! wurra, wurra! Phwat a burden loife is, to be sure, wid—” “ Dhere, dhere, Pat, be sayin' no more about it, for it is touchin’ me heart ye are. It was yerSel’ dhat begun it—” “ No,it wasn’t, aythur; it was you l” Mulligan broke in. " Well, well, let it drop. ye so happy?” “ Faith, and it’s about knocked it out av me head ye have. As.Oi was sayiu’, Mikey has been promotered, and he has been afther askin’ me to take a roide Wid him on dhe injun—” “ Och! wurra, wnrral Don’t yez be doin’ av it, Put! Sure, it is brou ht home on a shutter yez will be, and Oi’ll be a one widdy—” “ Bah! Go ’long wid ye! Would Oi be miss- iii’ it, d’ye t’ink? It has been dhe dhream av me loife, it has, to roide on a injun, an’ now is me chance.” “ And phwen are yez goin’ Pat?" “ Dhis very noight, MissursMulligan. Whoop! but it isdhc illegant toime Oi will be Havin’, you Pat, it wasn’t my doin’s at all, at all; 1 Phwat is it, Phwat was it made bet! Oi’ll be tellin’ ye all about it to-morry, so Oi will. Oi only wish yersel’ could go along, Missurs Mulligan.” “Och! wurru, wurra! Phwat next will it be= Oi wonder?” The situation was about as we have seen it stated by Mulligan himself, and that night at nine he was on hand at the railroad station. Mike Muldoon was there to meet him. Mike was a young man, a son of Mulligan’s friend, and had just been promoted to the post of en- gineer on one of the night trains on the road. " Hello, Mulligan!” he exclaimed, chcei'ily, “ I see you are on hand!” “ Begobs, an’ Oi am dhat same,” Mulligan re- sponded. “And you’re ready for the run?” “ Dhat Oi am, me bboy.” “Good enough. We’ll be ready in about ten minutes. Come with me, and I’ll give you a Seat in the cab.’ Mulligan felt a little skittish, as he was led across divers tracks where the glare of headlights almost blinded him, but he kept close to his guide and arrived at Mike’s engine safe and sound. Mike “boosted” him up, and gave him a seat on the fireman’s side of the cab, and Mulligan took his place with his heart beating wildly. “ Oi say, Mike!” he interrogated. “ Well,” the young engineer responded. “ Has dhe b‘aste been runnin’ hard?” “ No; why do on ask that?” “ Begorra, bar to how it’s pantin’, will yez?” The engineer laughed heartily. It was the sound of the injector at work that had claimed Mulli an’s attention. Mul igan was all eyes and ears, as the sa ing is, while the engineer was “oiling around,’ and when Mike finally sprung up to his place and pulled the throttle, the passenger fairly held his breath. “Begorra,” he ejaculated, “but it is cross- legged yez Will be goin’, Mike, OVer some av dhe thracks, an yez don’t watch out.” "I am watching out,” Mike assured. “We are all right, Pat, so don’t get frightened.” “ Froightened, is it? Begobs, it w’u’d take more nor dhis ter froightcn me. =Whoop! look out dhere, or it's run into ye will be!” “ No, no, we are all right; sit down.” Another engine had dashed past them, causing Mulligan to spring up wildly and make a move as though to climb over the boiler to the other side. . W hen the engine Was got out of the side- tracks, it was backed down to the station and coupled fast to the waiting train, and in a few minutes more the throttle was pulled and the train started out upon itsnight run. “ Now, Pat, we’re off,” observed Mike, as he gave another jerk to the throttle, and he wiped his hands on a piece of waste and settled down for the ride. .“ But, Mike, it’s gom’ too fast yez are,” Mul- ligan faltered, looking out at the flashing lights they were passing swiftly. “ Hould up, will yez? Oi t’ink Oi’ll get off and not go dhis toime. O’m not t‘eelin’ well, anyhow, and—” The young engineer laughed merrily. “It is too late n0w, Pat,” he informed. “ I can’t stop now for anything. But we are not goin’ test yet; I haven’t got started.” He gave another tug at the throttle, and the engine began to sway and tremble as the speed increased with every revolution. Mulligan’s. eyes were bulging, now, and his hair was inclined to stand on end. His look was wild, and he was holding fast with both hands. “ Don’t go no fasther, Mike, don’t go no fasther,” he implored. “ 0i can’t k’ape bolt at all, at all, av ye do.” “ We’ll be going about as fast again, when we get down to business,” the young engineer consoled. “But don’t be alarmed. You’re all right.” “ Och! wurra, wurra!” Mulligan groaned. “ Pkwy did Oi ever l’ave home wid yez? Saints reserve me dhis hour! Ooh! Ooh! Shtop, ike, shtop, for dhe love av Hivvin shtOp and l’ave me 011' l” “ Sorry, Pat, but it can’t be done. are you afraid of i” “ Sure. it’s not afraid Oi am, but .Oi’m gettin’ say-sick.” V “ Close your eyes, then.” “ Close me eyes, is it? Begorra, if it is to Purgatory Oi have got ter go, Oi will go wid me eyes open, so Oi will. Whoop! l/Vhoooop !" Another headlight plunged around a curve just then, passed them like a flash of lightning, almost, and the fireman had to grab Mulligan to keep him from ‘umping off. “ Take it easy, at, take it easy,” the young engineer advised. “ You will get used to it in a little while, and then you’ll like it.” “ Take it easy, is it? Oi’d lorke ter know how Oi can take it aisy. Sure, it is me loife dhat ' is in mortal danger, so it is, and ye say take it aisy!” P‘Wgou are in no more danger than I am, a . “ Oi don’t know about dhat.” Just then the engineer pulled the whistle, sending its shrill scream out upon the night air, and again Mulligan bellmved. “ Dliere’s another train comiu’, Mike,” he yelled, “ dhere’s another train comin’, sure! Don’t yez hear it whistlin’? Sure, we must get off dhe track!” “ That was the whistle of our own engine,” the engineer explained. “ Oi know better! 0i know better!” Mulligan cried. “ Yez can’t fool me loike dhat. Don't Oi hear dhe bell a-ringin’? Och, wurra, wurra! It’s kilt we are, it’s k ilt we are i” “ It’s me that’s ringin’ th’ bell,” said the fire- But what man. Mulligan looked at him earnestly, as though trying to satisfy himself that he was really tell— ing the truth. The train was now going at high speed, and the miles were being reeled ofi' rapidly. Mulligan was crouching down on his side of the cab, trembling in every nerve. “ Begorra,” he muttered, “ it’s a t’ousand dol- lars Oi‘d give av Oi was at home dhis minnit, so Oi would.” ‘ “ Are you getting used to it 1!” the young engineer asked. “ Oi’ll sh yez, av ever ye shtop," Mulligan answered. Oi’ll get off, so Oi will, and av ya want ter go to dhe of. place a-flyin’,begorra yez may go it alone.” “ Oh, y0u’ll get used to it, you'll get used to it.” " But just then something happened. The en- gineer’s sharp eyes caught the flash of a red light ahead. and he sprung up and shut off steam and applied the brakes. “ Phwat is dhe matther?” gasped Mulligan. There was no time to answer. Mike reversed the engine, pulled the throttle, and was doing all in his power to stop the train. A perfect stream of fire was pouring from the wheels, the engine skivervd and trembled, and poor Mulli— gan was fairly holding his breath. Suddenly the engine gave a sidewise lurch, as it darted in upon a side—track, and in another mo" w r r mashed into the rear of another train that »-...s standing there, and Mulligan took a healer through the front cab window. It was the old, old story; a misplaced switch and a lazy flagman. When they dragged Mulligan out. from under the ruins he was more dead than alive. His faCe an I hands were badly cut up, but no bones were bu ken. As soon as he could stand, he looked around for the young engineer, and seeing him, pushed forward to where he was, and shaking his fist under his nose cried: “ Begorra, Mike Muldoon, av ye done dhat for a joke it was a dom’d m’ane wau,and dhat Oi’m tellin’ ye to yer head I” With that Mulligan took the back track for home. It was long past midnight when he arrived, and the noise he made. at the door was enough to awaken the dead. “ Who is dhere?” Mrs. Mulligan called dOWn. “ Be obs, but Oi’ll shew yez who is here!” yelled ulligan. “ Come down and l’ave me in, will yez? It’s more dhan half dead Oi am. Let me ever hear ye saya wurred about dhis noight’s work, Missurs Mulligan, and Oi'll murthor ye, so Oi will! Only fer you, 0i moight be at home and in bed, as any dacent citizen ought ter be- Hould yer jaw, now, and not wan wurred out av yez, or be hivvins Oi’ll jump on yez wid me two f’ate, so Oi will!” After considerable time and trouble. they got Mulligan to bed, and it was five days before he got out of it a sin. No more wi d rides of that. kind for him. Deep Sea Yarns. BY LIEUT. HARRY DENNIES PERRY, U. S. N. THE TREASURE WRECK. [SPUN BY rm: PAYMASTERJ “ THERE is every prospect of a hurricane, Garfiel ,” and Captain Lew Benson, of the U. S. revenue cutter Huntress turned to his first lieutenant, who was standing near him, watch~ ing the rising clouds of inky hue, rolling over the heavens, while the little schooner lay be- calmed upon a sea as placid as glass, for not the shadow of a breeze was in the air. “ Yes, captain, it does look so, and we will have a chance to get acquainted with one of the storms that are frequent in this for southern latitude. and to see how the Huntress behaves,” answered the lieutenant. “ Oh, the craft will behave all right; but I would feel better if we had some one on board who better understood these hurricanes.” “ I understand them, Captain Benson, for I am from Florida, and some years ago, before I lost my fortune by reckless speculation, cruised in the Gulf continually in my own yacht.” The speaker was a man of forty, who had 'ust come on deck, and had heard the last remar of the captain. He was the cutter's paymaster, and was known to have once been a man of vast riches, which he had lost in speculation, and been forced to get an appointment under Government to support his wife and two children. “ I am glad you know these waters, Trafford, for you can tell us if there is not a hurricane lurking in yonder clouds.” Henry Trafford cast his eyes at the rising clouds, and said, quickly: “ There is, indeed, and it will break ere long; my advice, sir, is to send down your topmasts, get her under just enough sail to steady her, and have all ready to meet a storm which, though it may last but a short while, will be fearful, for it is just such a one as wrecked me years ago.” All was at once bustle on board the cutter, which was quickly stripped to meet the hurri- cane; all” not a moment too soon, either, as the storm burst when hardly expected, and drove the little vessel before it with a velocity that was frightful, and swept her decks with torrents of u ater. But, as Henry Trafford had said, it lasted but half an hour, and then the cutter was headed in- shore for an anchorage, the paymastcr acting as of. “ “fell, Traitord you are a thorough scaman, I assure you, and I am more than deli hted to find I have such a good officer, where hardly looked for it in a. paymaster,” said Captain Beu- son, as the superior officers assembled in the cabin for supper. “ I have seen seaservice enough to make me a thorough sailor, captain, for 1 wason the water from a mere boy, and as I grew olderniy father, a sea captain, made me a mate on his vessel, which traded with the Indies, Mexico and South American ports.” \ “ You said, I believe, this afternoon, that you hug: £0911 wrecked by a hurricane in these wa- “Yes, sir, I was wrecked, and being wrecked made my fortune, if you can understand the parpdox,” answered the paymaster, with a mm o. \ - “ Spinus the yarn, 'l‘raflord,” said the captain, and, the other oflicers also urging, Payma'ster Trafford replied: “ With pleasure, gentlemen, if it will amuse ou. “ It was some twenty years ago, when I was a young man of twenty-two, and mate of my father’s brig, and in this very latitude, that one night our vessel was struck by a hurricane, just such a one as we weathered so bravely this af- ternoon, though it lasted much longer. “ Our brig was a fine craft, but she was loaded deep, and, straining heavily, sprung a leak, and to add to our misfortune, our bowsprit was snapped short off by a sea, carrying to death four seamen who were on it furling sail. “ After a rough hour‘s work we found we had to desert the vessel, which was making water fast, and we left in two boats, my father taking charge of one boat, with five of the crew, and as many passengers, and I having command of the second, with two seamen and six passengers, three of the latter being ladies. “ Well, in the darkness and storm we lost sight of the other boat, and have never seen those that were in it since, for they perished; but we were more fortunate, as far as our boat was concom- ed, for it weathered the waves nobly, and we were blown far off into the Gulf, and, With but a scanty supply of provisions and water, our sufferings were great. “ Becoming crazed by their sufferings the two seamen set upon me because I would not let them devour the scanty supplies, and I was forced throw them overboard to die. ‘ “ Then one of the lady passengers died, and her delirious husbam sprung into the sea after her, and our little party was reduced to five, which number death decreased the tollowing day to three, an elderly gentleman, his daughter and myself. ' “All in my power I cheered them, and we hoped to be picked up ere long, yet still ate sparingly of what food was left, but suffered greatly. “ One moonlight night I sighted land, and, seizing the cars w ith what strength I had,rowed for the nearest point, at what 1 first took for a rock,but which I discovered to be a huge wreck, cast upon a reef. “It was perfectly calm, and we made a land- ing and gained the wreck, just as the sun arose, and sought a refuge in it, though we had little hope of finding food, as it looked as though it had been on the reef half a century, and doubt— less had. “ But within we found human skeletons, heavy guns, with the carriages rotted down, iron cables eaten by rust, old arms, and every appearance of its having been a vemel—of-war, for its bu]- warks were shattered by shot, and its decks were torn to s linters. “ The urniture in the cabin was in rags and pieces, and decay was upon everything around: but we found in a locker bottles of wine, and in a store—room bags of dates and other dried fruits, which saved us from starvation. “On this wreck we passed several days, until we recuperated our strength with the wine and dried fruits, and then, loading our boat with what we could carry, we decided to skirt along the shores until we came to some port or sign of habitation. “ Wishing to rig a bowsprit on my boat, I searched the old wreck for a suitable spar, de- scending into the hold through a batchway in the cabin: but the sight I there beheld drove from me all thought of what had taken me there, as I came suddenly upon several kegs and boxes of gold and silver. “ The wood-work had rotted away,leaving the precious metal in piles upon the floor; but it was as good as ever, and my shouts quickly brought Judge Gaines and his daughter Lucille, who also participated in my joy. “ At once was the iron cable, used as ballast, thr0wn from my boat, and the gold and silver took its place, and, the possessor of a fortune, I set sail for the nearest port, and after several days reached St. Augustine, for it was upon one of the Bahamas that I had found the wreck. “ Once there,and I exchanged my treasure for bank-notes, and then escorted Judge Gaines and Lucille to the North, where they lived. . “ Butthe hardships he had endured proved too much for the judge, and soon after he died: but not until he had seen Lucille my wife. “ Becoming possessed so suddenly of a fortune, I at once set to work to enjoy it, and building for myself a fine yacht, cruised in it from Nova Scotia to Brazil, my wife always accompanying me; but at last I was led into the temptation of speculation, and in a short while my riches were swept from my grasp, and I entered the Govern— ment serVice, as you know.” “ And the Treasure Wreck, Trafi‘ord; what of her 9" asked Captain Benson. “ Oh, I never found out what she was, other than the report that a irate vessel, a Span- iard, had. In steriously ( isappeared from the seas some ha f-ceutury before, and I have held the belief that my Treasure Wreck was that craft.” - “ It doubtless was, Trafford; but thanks for your very entertaining story, and now let us drink all around a toast to Pa master Trafiord and his sweet wife,” and the o ccrs all rising at the captain’s words, the toast was drunk standing. The New Game Bird. 1N our West Coast States, sportsmen are count- in upon having great rt in gunning the Mon— 0 fan pheasant. The aw is off next year in regon. Up to this time not a bird has been allowed to be killed, by law; but, all the same, he has regularly been served at all 00d hotels in Western and Central Oregon, or two or three years past. Ten years ago about a dozen pairs were imported and set free in the Willam— ette Valley under protection of a law that pro- hibited shooting them for ten years. The law was so framed that a person could be fined for having the skin or plume e of a pheasant in his possession, and the gun c ubs were so energetic in enforcing the law that nobody molested the birds for several years. As the Mongolian hen pheasant covers from twenty-five to thirty eggs at a, sitting. and hatches out two broods a year, the multiplication of pheasants was rapid, and in a few years they appeared in enormous num- bers all over the valley. It is no exaggeration to Say that there are millions of these beautiful birds in Oregon now. The cock pheasant is as large as a gamechick- cn, and carries a tail about eighteen inches in length. His plumage is wonderfully brilliant, changing color in varying lights like the irides- cent plumage of the humming-bird. The head is black when in shadow, but is full of pur le gleams and metallic glints in the sunlight. he sub-color of the breast is olden brown, but many other colors interming e, producing an ef- fect that is indescribany beautiful. Pheasants’ breasts are much coveted for the adornment of bonnets. A peculiar mark of the Mongolian heasant is the white rin around the neck. rom this mark is deriv one of the names given to the bird—riug-necked pheasant. The hen is a less gorgeous creature. She dresscs in modest brown, sports no pyrotechnics] effects, and wags an unassuming tail of moderate length. Like the game chicken, the Mongolian cock is armed with long, sharp s urs, and he is al- ways ready to use them. sin a natural-born fighter. When the hen hatches out a brood of downy little chicks, the gorgeous head of the family is prouder than ever, and at once as- sumes the responsibility of a protector. Woeto the woodrat, skunk, or other nocturnal prowler that is diseovered nosing about the nest. The coek will attack anything that meddles with his family, and-he fights with such vi of and s irit that even the wildcat learns to greed his ecu spurs. A wounded cock will strike at a man who attempts to ick him up, and sometimes manages to serio y damage the careless hand. The rapid increase in the number of to is due to some extent to the cook’s vi nee and co e in protecting the chicksfroin marauding uni ' The pheasant does not live in the forest, but prefers the thickets at the borders of the open country, whence he can invade the cultivated fields and meadows. He likes to wander about over plowed land, and a field of ripening grain is his soul’s delight. The Willamette Valley farmers regard him as a pest. Until within a year or two the country people generally respect- ed the law and did all in their power to assist in stocking the State with pheasants, but when the birds becameso numerous that there seemed to be no danger of exterminating them, they relaxed their strictness to some extent and ceased taking particular pains to avoid shooting an occasional “Chinaman” when out gunning for grouse. There is not much danger that sportsmen will be able to bag more than an uivalent to the annual increase of the birds now in Oregon. The pheasant is a wary chap and hard to kill. He always keeps his eyes open, and neither dog nor man can get within gun-shot of him in an open field, where there is no cover. He can run like a wild turkey, and when you think you are sneak— ing up to him in a plowed field he is scooting along in a furrow, with head and tail lowered. You send your dog on to flush the bird, but the bird isn’t there. He has gone to the end of the furrow,200 yards away,and while you are look- ing around for him he takes flight, and you see him sailing away toward the trees on the hill- side, his long tail streaming behind him like the tail of a prismatic comet. In the spring and summer, before the grain ripens, the best places to look for pheasants are the lowland thickets and the clumps of brush alon the fences that divide fields from the woo s. In such places the pheasant will not run, but will remain reasonably close to .the dog. “’hen he gets up, the gunner has no time to 059, as the pheasant’s flight, though straight and steady, is very swift. He whizzes past like a gleam of purple and gold, and the gun must be held well ahead of him if he is going acmss the line of fire. A man accustomed to shooting grouse will miss many a “Cbinaman " before he learns to gauge the speed, which is very de- ce tive. he flesh of the Mongolian pheasant is white, and is juicier and in every way better than chicken. Among the larger game birds thcre is none superior for the table. The ulier and remarkable excellence of the “ chicken ” scrvad at some of the hotels in the Willamette Valley IS doubtless due to the prevalence of the Mon— golian pheasant and the killing power of the bucolic shotgun. PEOPLE must be very honest in Natchez. A man there says his icehouse will remain open all winter. CENSUS-TAKER (next J une)——“ What’s your age. madam i” Mature Lady—“ Here’s your $100, sir.” “ AND why do they call the Pension Depart- ment abureau, papa?” “ Well, my son, because it holds so many drawers of pensions.” BILIOUS—“l sleep in feathers, but I believe it’s unhealthy.” Tufi'nut—“What’s that? LOok at the spring chicken; see how tough he is." RECENT investigation tends to disprove the story of the Hoboken lad who was alleged to have eaten so much honey that he was attacked by the hives. CITY EDITOR—” In your notice of the ball did you speak of Miss Blank at length?” Society Editress—“Yes, sir; I couldn’t very well speak of her in any other way; she’s six feet tall.” THE Maharajah of Baroda possesses jewels valued at $15,000,000, and on state occasions wearsa gorgeous collar of 500 diamonds. some of them as big as walnuts. W'ith the addition of a few almanac jokes of the vintage of 1810, the Maharajah would make a big success as an “ cud man ” in a. minstrel show. It is difficult to understand why a man who is not a member of a minstrel company or a summer resort hotel clerk. should wear so many diamonds.