County Observer and Monmouthshire Central Advertiser Abergavenny and Raglan Herald Usk and Pontypool Messenger and Chepstow Argus
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[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] THE…
[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.] THE MURDER AT NUMBER THIRTEEN: A Romance of Modem Life. BY JOHN K. LEYS, Author of The Lindsays," dtc. dsc. CHAPTER V. A NEW SUSPICION. HAD hardly reached my office next morning, when my clerk told me that the Major wished to See me. I was annoyed, but I could nob refuse iinyself to him. Muttering to myself, "Heshau'i get much out of me I told the clerk to show Uim in.. I had supposed that the Major had come to pnm Trie, but I was mistaken. His object in caiim. Was to suggest that I should accompany him il lnaking a more minute examination of the hoim No. 13, Sea View Gardens, and of the garden at f lu back, than it had yet received, except, perhaps, at the hands of the police. I consented at once. I had intended to inspect the premises later in the day, and I thought iI, might be no bad thing to have the Major as my companion, for though in some ways a fool, he was sharp of sight, and could draw an obscure infer- ence better than most men. We went down to the house, past the promenade frith its gay groups of merry, langhing, pleasure Seekers, and reached Sea View Gardens, which were built on a high part of the cliff overlooking the sea. The small crowd which bad gathered in front of the house the day before had not re- assembled. The presence of a policeman keeping guard at the door was the only indication that anything unusual had happened there. We went up the front walk, and I noticed that tny companion pointed to me with his thumb when the policeman glanced at us. This meant that Major Bond had not obtained leave to visit the Premises, as I supposed he had done, and that he had had recourse to me, who, as the prisoner's Solicitor, would naturally obtain such leave if it Were asked for, simply in order that he might have the means of gratifying his insatiable curiosity. ] felt rather annoyed, but the point did not seem Worth making a fuss about; so I said nothing. When we reached the lawn the Major began to enjoy himself. He pointed out to me with great exactness the spot where the body had been 'ying, describing most minutely all the details; dhe then began poking about everywhere, seelc- -Ing for footsteps on the hard-beaten gravel path, JO a fashion which on any other occasion would «ave struck me as highly comical. &c The inquest is to be held here at twelve, you know," he said to me; and it is highly necessary that I should make the examination before those tools come trampling over everything." When he said this he was down on his knees on the path, carefully subjecting that part of the lawn which was within his range oivision to the scrutiny of his small beady, black eyes. While he was at this work I sauntered off irite. the garden proper, which was divided from the lawn by a hedge of privet and sweet-briar. Thc- ,garden could not boast of a fine show of either flowers or vegetables. The space was not large, and it was occupied chiefly l y gooseberry and CUrrant bushes, among which were a few beds of carrots and turnips. I was looking vaguely at these things, at the path which led down to the high brick-wall which closed in the garden at the lower end, at the Wooden door which led into the back lane at the other side of the wall, at the two empty houses- numbers twelve and fourteen, one on either hand without making any effort to search for any. thing which might provide a clue to' the mystery of the murder. I left that to the Major. I had no talent for detective work, of this kind. How Sften I wished afterwards that I had not been so ■apathetic! As I stood in the garden-path—there was but èJdand tran in a. straight line from the house to Tii/r door in the wall the foot of the garden— Major Bond came up to me. I saw at once by the important look on his face that he had something to communicate. "You have discovered somethingV7 I said, .going up to him. "I have," he replied, pursing up his lips, as if he preferred to keep his own secret. Then apparently changing his mind, he came close to me, stood on tiptoe, so as to bring his lips close to my ear, and said in a loud impressive whisper- "There waS a woman here the night of the .murder Nonsense How do you know ? Come here." He led me back to the lawn, and made me kneel down on a spot which he carefully pointed out to me, four or five feet from the place where the body had been lying. Be careful!" cried the Major, or you will obliterate them!" You don't mean to tell me that you can make "Out the print of footsteps on this grass!" I ejaculated. "Not at all. Look closer and you will see," said the Major, glancing up at the house, as if he were afraid that some one would observe him. "Don't you see, he continued, "here—and here—and here I Now do you see it ? lIe was right. Close together on the smooth of the lawn were a number of small round holes, such as are to be seen on the smooth sand of -the seashore sometimes, when the tide has gone out, but smaller. "What made these holes?" asked the Major riumphantly. I should say, the point of a woman's parasol or ^'nbrella." Exactly; and, therefore, I say a woman was ure on the night of the murder." 'But these marks may have been .made days Before," I objected. j. No. They are much too fresh for that. no women ever come here. How should key i Yinet was a bachelor. Besides, Mrs. and her daughter have already declared to ? police that no one except your client, the Prisoner, visited Vinet for at least a week before s18 death. But it is plain from these marks that ,0lUe one has visited him—a woman. She must ^ave come secretly, at night, else Mrs. Collins or daughter v'ou'd have seen her. She must ^aVe come recently, else the marks would have destroyed by the natural pressure of the soil, j., hat more likely than that this secret visitor and ttiurderer are the same ? At is possible, of course and I quite appre- tor importance to Char—to my client, of any th"*0^ ^at a khird person was here that night. But i 18 does not prove it. It only shows that it may ,"e been so." y. Possible? It is certain! See—she stood here. iQet was standing where I am. She was angry— j. ^perated—undecided. Unconsciously, as she ^ked, upbraiding him—beseeching him—or what f will, she was all the time digging the point of ..er Umbrella—it couldn't be a parasol, seeing that Was at night—digging the point of her umbrella the grass, He refused her petition; nriosfe for said something to insult or wound her, is more than probable thas she provoked 5 and then she drew a revolver, fired, and him ariic .^■aJor went through the motions of drawing th n§ a pistol; and I confess I,shuddered at the way in which his imagination recalled Ob:' But why did no one hear the shot ?" I odern revolvers make wonderfully little both' Said tiie Major; "and besides, as you see, khe adjoining houses are empty. Both If a under repair, as I have ascertained, ima °ne did hear shot, he would naturally a £ lne that it was somebody taking a pot-shot at ttoh ^Uding cafc- At any rate the shot was fired, it ? doubts that; and it matters little whether ^ard or not." Us trw j- hardly see how these marks can help ««- ^"Scover the murderer." than T°? Y°U • Then you must be more dense e] J jf took you for. You see, it is stiff clay soil, and would not have retained the marks so long, tlean" her damp. What lady ever thinks of n8 the stick of her umbrella? No one, because no women ever uses her umbrella stick, I and the clay must certainly have soiled it. Find a woman who has an umbrella with the lower part of the stiek soiled with clay and I will show you the murderer of Pierre Vinet." I laughed aloud. "Truly you build up a mighty edifice on the slenderest of foundations!" I cried. You would hang a woman because she has dirtied her umbrella And besides, who is to carry out the inspection of all the ladies' umbrellas in East- cliff? "It is not necessary to inspect them all, or one hundreth part of them," said the Major, quite undisturbed by my raillery. You have only got to discover the women who were intimate with the murdered man." He looked at me, as he said this, and I looked at him. One name was in the mind of each of us, the name of the girl in whose society Vinet had been so constantly during the season. It seemed absurd to suspect her; and yet—and yet the 'criminal records of the country are full of examples to show that the gentlest of women may, when smarting under a real or fancied wrong, become the victims of uncontrollable passion. We paced slowly in Indian file down the garden path, for it was not wide enough to allow of our walking comfortably side by side. The Major went first and I followed. We passed under a wire archway, of the kind so common in the gardens of suburban villas aud at I that spot the sweetbriar which helped to compose the hedge that separated the lawn from the kitchen garden had thrown out shoots that ought to have been pruned away. We passed through the archway, walking carefully to avoid being scratched; and all at once the Major came to a full stop. On the other side of the path from the sweet- briar was a gooseberry bush, and his eye had lighted on what seemed to me a morsel of waste paper that was hanging from one of the branches. He stooped, cut off the twig from which it was hanging, and then proceeded with the utmost cara to disentangle it from the thorns which held it. I It was a piece of lace A fragment, perhaps two inches long at the most, by an inch-and-a-half I broad. "From a woman's dress," said the Major gravely, spreading it out on the palm of his hand, "Rea she saw the aateeibriar had" and&yoidwS t, and in doing so she caught her dress on Lile gooseberry bush opposite, which in the darkness she did not see. And she has left this memorial of her visit behind her. It may be a serious matter for her." I suppose you will give that to the police ? said I after a pause. "If you think that for your client's sake it ought to be produced at once, I will do so, said the Major after a moment's pause; "otherwise, I think I should prefer to wait a little, and probe the matter a little further before speaking of it to anyone." I saw that the Major's instinct for the ferret- ting out of the obscure was urging him on but the absurd, restless, flighty manner that used to distinguish him had vanished. The gravity of the situation had sobered him. I answered him that so far as I could see at present it would do my client no particular good to have the fact that a lady had visited Vinet disclosed now rather than later and upon hearing this the Major stowed the fragment of lace care- fully away in his pocket-book. We went over the garden together, but found nothing of any interest. The garden door which led into the back lane was not looked, indeed it was slightly ajar. We left it as it was, and went back to the house, where preparations for the inquest were already being made. CHAPTER VL YOU WILL NOT BETRAY ME?" I THAT fining as I was taking a turn on the Esplanr.de to get an appetite for dinner I met Ida Braithwaite. She was alone and as soon as she caught sight of me she came up to me, and intimated by a gesture that she wished to speak to me. Her face was deathly in its paleness, but her manner was wonderfully composed. "Hâve you been fit the inquest ? she asked in a cold, hard voice, quite unlike her own. U Yes I have been there all day." What—what was the verdict?" A kind of spasm shook her, so that I thought she was about to fall to the ground, and I was at her side in an instant. Please take my arm," I said. "Or, here is a bench. Let us sit down for a minute or two." "Why do you torture me? What was the verdict?" "The jury returned what we call an open verdict—that the deceased came by his death by a pistol shot, but that there was not sufficient evidence to show who fired the pistol." "Thank God! Oh, thank God! And Mr. Protheroe—has he been set at liberty ? Not yet. The police are not satisfied they wish to take time-to see whether they can collect more evidence." What more evidence can they want ? Mr. Protheroe has given them a perfectly rational account of his being in the house." I said nothing but I remembered what Major Bond bad told me about the state of the drawers and other receptacles in the house. They had shown signs of having been ransacked; and the inference was that it was Protheroe that had done this. It was not surprising that they should refuse to set him at liberty. "Suppose we sit down for a minute," I said, leading the way to the seat I had mentioned. She sat down beside me, but as we each turned I towards the other, we were almost facing each I other. Could her agitation, concealed in part, yet evi- dent enough to anyone with an observant eye, be merely due to a friendly interest in Charley's welfare? It seemed hardly, possible, unless she were in love with him, which I did net think was the case, or unless he were running into dange)- to shield her. This thought had been in my mind when I visited Charley in his cell. He was certainly keeping back something. It could not be on his own account. It must be for her sake. What, then, would my duty be, if his own interests and hers should come into collision ? To speak plainly -if I saw my way to clearing my client at the cost of implicating, or of throwing suspicion upou Ida, what was I to do ? My eyes were cast down, as I pondered the question. I felt that her eyes were fixed upon my face. I did not know what was before my eyes; if they had been suddenly bandaged I could not for my life have told what I had last seen, when suddenly I came, as it were, to myself with a start so violent that it attracted my companion's attention. What is it ? What is the matter ? she asked, I dul not answer her, I could not. I was staring at the point of her umbrella,. The stick was of some light-coloured wood, as light as satin- wood, and it was stained, from the ferrule to the silk, with dark, clayey stains., What have you been doing with your umbrella?" I asked, impulsively. "My umbrella?" (looking at it, then at me, with surprise) "nothing. "It is stained with mud, you see. Have you a habit of poking it into the ground. you remember doing so lately ?' "What a strange question! And how solemn you look over it! No—I do not think I bad that habit. I might do it, perhaps, if I were greatly excited. Why do you ask ? Miss Braithwaite, were you at Number ± 1 teen Sea View Gardens, on the night when--No, no What am I saying ? Don't answer me unless you choose. I—I have no right to question you. Pray, please don't look at me like that! I was thinking of my client, of Charley Protheroe. But I had no right to question you. Please forget what I said." It was nearly a minute, I should think, before she was able to utter a word; but all the time she j gazed at me with a terrified expression that I could not bear to see in her face. How do you know ?" The words came in a hollow voice that at any other time would have made me shudder. I could not answer her. I I could only look at the tell-tale umbrella and back to her. She put out her little hand timidly, and laid it on the sleeve of my coat. ■ You won't betray me ? I went to my rooms, and dined; and I had just lit my pipe when Major Bond was announced. I fear that the heartfelt groan with which I received the announcement of his name must have been overheard by the gallant Major, as he stood in the hall; but if it were so, he betrayed nothing by his manner when he entered the room. Waiting until we were quite alone, he came up to me with an air of mystery, and said- "Prepare yourself for a surprise, Clavering." Another wonderful discovery ? I said lightly, but my heart sank within me. "Well, I think that, considering how slender the clue was, it is pretty creditable. I have found the name of the lady who visited poor Vinet on the Eight of his death." No, no, Major. Not so fast. But excuse me; won't you have anything to drink ?" ThaI Major shook his head impatiently, as much as to say that my frivolty was highly displeasing to him. I ought to have beer impressed, awed, overwhelmed with a sense of the Major's penetration and acumen. You were saying ?" he asked almost fiercely. I was saying that you may have discovered the name of a lady who called on Mr. Vinet within the last six weeks,-let us say. Probably he had a dozen visitors during that time, and it is quite likely that more than one of them was a lady. But, of course, all this has occurred to you already." "Nonsense!" cried the Major. "The holes in the turf are fresh, yet they are just visible to-day. They will be gone to-morrow. Six weeks True. I was thinking of-" Of the bit of lace. Well, I daresay you will agroe with me that the same lady who made the punctures in the turf left that scrap of lace on the gooseberry bush ? "That may or may not be," said I, affecting an air of profound caution. Well, it is likely, at all events. I think it is a certainty. And what I came to tell you is that the morsel of lace was torn off a dress belonging to Miss Braithwaite.—You look disappointed Do I ? I suppose, lawyer like, I was consider- ing the matter from the point of view of my client. I thought it possible that you might have brought me the name of a person who might, perhaps, be the gtllilty person, and in this way do Charley Protheroe a service. But Miss Braithwaite!" "More unlikely things have happened," said Major Bond, doggedly. I treated his hint with silent disdain but all the time my heart was beating painfully. Even then I knew, though I would not acknowledge it even to myself, that I was almost as anxious to shield Ida as I was to get Charley out of gaol. Well," said the Major, rising, I suppose it is for the police to say what importance they attach to these discoveries." This startled me with a vengeance. "The police!" I cried. "My dear Major, you surely don't mean to say that you are going to accuse a girl like Ida Braithwaite of—good heavens !-of committing a murder, on the strength of such evidence as that ?" I accuse nobody of anything. I state certain facts which have come under my own observation to the police. That's all. And I consider it to be the part of every good subject of thoiQueen- "Pardon me," I interrupted. He sat down again at once, and assuming the manner of an Italian conspirator with a touch of the French detective, told me that his lips were sealed. "It wa's through the maid, I suppose," said I, ignoring the scruples. A very handsome girl, too, though I don't yearn much after these Italian wenches myself. I would prefer to have an English girl about me if I were a lady. So she let you see the dress from which the lace was torn ? My visitor nodded. So another person knew poor Ida's dreadful secret! How long 'would it remain a secret ? "And she would have told me more, 1 feel sure, had it not been that some one came in just when she was becoming confidential, and she had to scurry out of the way as fast as her nimble feet would carry her. Confound the fellow! What business had he to be calling on the Braithwaites, or anybody else at that hour—half-past nine at night I" 'I Who was it ? I asked; with a languid show of interest. That fellow Dangerfield." Dangerfield I I didn't know that he was acquainted with the Braithwaites at all; and I cannot imagine how he should have the cheek to call after regulation hours." "Nor I. But there he was, and I felt that I had to leave. I should like to know just what he was doing there," continued the Major in an absent tone, caressing his moustache at the same time. I should think it might be well worth while to make some enquiries on the point," said I so gravely that I hoped the Major would not notice that I was speaking ironically—" but in the meantime, if I were you I would say nothing about your discoveries, either to the police or to anyone else. For one thiug, it might bring down an action for libel upon you from the young lady, or her father sueing in her name. That would be very unpleasant." It was odd to see how the Major's round, jolly little face took on an alarmed expression as the ominous words "action for libel" crossed my lips, But he wanted to argue the point, a thing I didn't care to do. "At all events," said I, "We are not used to the amateur detective in England, and I think it is only fair to tell you my impression, that if it gets to be known that you have been working in that way you will incur an amount of popular odium that you would shrink from encountering," "Good heavens Then do you mean to tell me that people do not care to aid the administration of justice, that they are wholly selfish and mean- spirited, that I don't know about that, Major," I said, with affected carelessness. "I think the English have a great idea of a man's attending to his own business." For the life of me, I could not help it; but I sustained the Major's angry and suspicious stare with so much composure that he began to think that I had meant nothing. And what is to be the fate of this discovery mine ?" he asked, angrily, as if his discovery were an infant born to an inheritance of a hundred thousand per annum, whom I was proposing to strangle out of the hand. "Is it to be ignored altogether ?" "By no means," said I; "but the case is a difficult one to advise oit. I must see my client again before I can say what view he would take of the matter, and after all he is the principal person concerned. And very likely I should want to take counsel's opinion. You may depend upon it that if my client's interests seem to demand it. I will not be slow to use the weapon which your keen observation and sagacity have put in my wav." Her voice shook. Her sweet blue eyes were filled with tears. No of course not. That is, not unless my duty to Charley I stopped. He is my client, you know," were the words on my tongue, but I could not utter them. It seemed so cold- blooded to prefer one to another in this way in a matter of life and death. And yet, surely it could not be my duty to shield the girl at the expense of him who was not only my friend and my client, but also (I .was convinced) an innocent man. "Does anyone else know?" she said, almost in a whisper. Yes—that is, no-not yet. But one person at least knows that a lady was at Sea View Gardens probably at night; and it is quite possible that another as well as I, may form an idea as to the identity of the lady." How did you know I was there ? How did you guess ? J It was discovered that a lady had stood talking with Mr. Vinet on the lawn not long since, for the marks of her umbrella as she had poked the point of it into the soft turf were there to-day. Then I noticed that your umbrella was soiled, and I knew that you and Vinet were on intimate terms, so I jumped to the conclusion. But, of course, you will have your umbrella stick cleaned the moment you go home, and-and, perhaps, no one but myself will ever know that you were there I rose hurriedly and left her, for I did not wish to say more, and though I pitied her sincerely, I did not dare to shield her at the expense of Protheroe. The injustice of such a line of action was too patent. This seemed to soothe the old boy's feelings, and 'II he smiled as he held out his hand. "Well, I will hold my tongue for the present. And in the meantime ? There seems to be nothing for me to do." "Don't you think," said I, catching up (so to speak) the stone that lay nearest to my hand- Don't you think that it would be a capital thing if we could find out what that little scamp Dangerfield, that no one knows anything about, was doing at Mr. Braithwaite's house at half-past nine-that was the time, I think you said?—at half-past nine in the evening ? The Major shook his head gravely at the suggestion. Whether he meant that the task was beyond his powers, or that it was beneath his notice, or that he had discovered that I was- chaffing him, I could not quite determine. ( To be continued. ) .0-
TRAIN WINDOW TRAGEDY. I
TRAIN WINDOW TRAGEDY. The danger of looking out of the window of a moving train was exemplified on the Caledonian Railway, near Larbert. A man named William Winton put his head out of the carriage window as a train passed a bridge, when, to the horror of his friends, he was hurled back into the compart- ment, dead, having apparently collided with the masonry of the bridge. Upon his falling back into the carriage, Winton's head struck the window, and another man in the company, William McGowan, had his face severely cut by broken glass. Both men came from Pitlochry.
BRIDESMAIDS STOPPED. I
BRIDESMAIDS STOPPED. I A remarkable incident occurred at a wedding at I Scarborough. When the bridesmaids reached the entrance of St. Mary's Parish Church they were informed that they could not enter as they were not wearing hats, but only wreaths of marguerites. The girls were naturally greatly disappointed, but they got over the difficulty by placing their handkerchiefs on their heads and the marguerites over the handkerchiefs. Then the bridesmaids were allowed in the church, and the ceremony proceeded. One of the rules enforced at this church is that ladies shall not enter bareheaded, and the vicar I never makes an exception to the rule.
GOURLAY'S SENTENCE REDUCED.
GOURLAY'S SENTENCE REDUCED. The sentence on George Gourlay, the engine driver, to five months' imprisonment in connection with the Arbroath express disaster, is to be re- duced. The Secretary for Scotland says: "While he is of opinion that the sentence was fully justified on public grounds, he is glad, having regard to the special circumstances of the case and the prayer of the petitions that have been addressed to him, to feel justified, after a conference with the learned judge, in advising that the sentence be reduced to one of three months' imprisonment."
MOTOR-CAR OVERTURNED. I
MOTOR-CAR OVERTURNED. I A motor-car turned a complete somersault at a place known as Hell Hole, ten miles from Black- pool, on Sunday afternoon, one man being killed and another injured. The car was going at a good pace down a steep hill on Abbey-road, and the accident occurred at a sharp corner. Mr. Jackson, of Green-hill, Middleton Junction, was thrown out, and the car fell upon him. His head was smashed beyond recognition, and he died in five minutes. Another man who was thrown out of the car was injured. =
\THE TURN OF THE TIDE.I
THE TURN OF THE TIDE. I Through the generosity of a certain lady and I gentleman, Charles Aneell, fifty, who was re- cently charged at Willesden Police-court with singing in the street for. alms, took passage with his wife and three children on the steam- ship Pomeranian for Manitoba, where there is a farm waiting1 for him to take possession. When Ansell was brought before Alderman Wright his appearance favourably impressed the magistrate, and Mr. Robert Marshall, the court missionary, was asked to investigate the case. It was ascertained that Ansell was a steady industrious man, and had served under Lord Roberts in India and elsewhere. His wife and three children were starving. A well-to-do lady took an interest in the un- fortunate family, and her husband presented them with a farm of about 200 acres near the town of Minnedosi, Canada.
A BOOK OF RECORDS. I
A BOOK OF RECORDS. I With the coming of the sporting season one is always glad to have a list of records for re- ference, and a particularly handy book is the "Record of Sports," issued by the Royal In- surance Company, Liverpool. The information has almost without exception been obtained from official sources, and the little book, which b quite convenient for the pocket, contains- in- formation concerning every branch of sports, with interesting records and tabulated state- ments, including the scores of the players at the Open Golf Championships and summaries of the International and Inter-University contests, which, it is believed, have not previously ap- peared in print. Copies of the book will be for- warded to anyone who cares to make applica- tion.
FORESTRY EXHIBITION.
FORESTRY EXHIBITION. An interesting feature of the Royal Agri- cultural Society's forthcoming show on the racecourse at Lincoln, from the 25th to the 29th June next, will be the forestry exhibi- tion, which will this year have an added in- terest. It has been decided to offer for com- petition special medals in silver and bronze in 14 different sections, including classes for specimen boards of various sorts of timber, specimens showing the damage done by in- sect pests, the comparative quality of timber grown on different soils, and the respective ages at which it reaches marketable size, the beneficial effects of pruning when well done, and the injurious effects when badly done. In addition plots of open ground space will be allotted to firms of nurserymen for the exhibition of forest trees and shrubs, and owners of forests and woodlands, and others interested, are invited to send specimens for exhibition only.
« GRATEFUL AFRICANS."
« GRATEFUL AFRICANS." The centenary of the abolition of the African slave trade was observed by a gathering in the Jerusalem Chamber at Westminster Abbey. Unfortunately the Basuto chiefs were unable to be present, but Dean Robinson received a small company of ladies and gentlemen, amongst whom weie several descendants of the liberators who did øo much for the black section of mankind. Visits were paid to the monuments of Wil- berforce, Buxton, Zachary, Macauley, and Granville Sharp, and at the foot of each a deputation of coloured men laid a wreath in- scribed: "From grateful Africans." The Dean delivered a short address suit- able to the occasion, in which he recalled the words of Harriet Beecher Stowe: "If any of you have sorrow; if any of you are grieved over the evil in the world; if any of you are inclined to lose heart, just remember what God has done; remember this: The curse of slavery has gone for ever."
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Old Trafford Botanical Gardens, Manchester, ilre to be transformed into an amusement resort 011 the lines of Earl's Court, and the cost of the Undertaking will be £ 250,000. There will be ornamental lakes, a Venetian scene, grottos and caves, a switchbaek, v, helter-skelter rail- way, a toboggan, a captive balloon, and other attractions.
GARDEN GOSSIP.
GARDEN GOSSIP. Annuals in Borders.—Although it may be a little too early to sow the bulk of hardy < annuals out of doors, some seeds should be got in in positions where the soil has become nicely warmed. Many amateurs make their principal sowings now, but they have little or nothing to gain by so doing, and there is always the probability of many of the seeds being lost. This may be regarded as an advantage rather than otherwise in those cases where the seeds are sown as thickly as mustard and cress, but where the seeds are thinly distributed, as they unquestionably ought to be, from the middle to the end of April is the best time to set to work. However, for a few early clumps on warm borders a commencement may be made forth- with, the soil being deeply worked, and in tha finest possible condition as far as food is cou- cerned. Propagation by Cuttings.—Such things as ageratums, ice plants, verbenas, and lobelia strike root very rapidly at this season, and, aa a rule, provide better plants than those propa- gated earlier. Those having the advantage of a propagating frame will find it expeditious to insert the cuttings in the plunging material; but most do well dibbled into light soil in cut- ting boxes, which should be set over the hot water pipes. # # Planting Perennials.—Speaking generally, autumn is the best time of the year to choose for the planting of perennials, but some move better when they are just making new growth in the spring, and in other cases it is impossible to get the work completed in autumn. H nat moving or new planting remains to be done ought to be at once put in hand, provided the conditions of the soil and weather are favour- able. Deep, well-enriched ground is essential to the greatest success, and no efforts should be spared to provide the plants with everything that will favour their progresa. Sweet Peas.—Opinions differ widely as to the best time to sow sweet peas out of doors, and necessarily so, as the time in one place will not be so favourable in another. Each grower should consider his own soil and situation, and sow about the date that he has proved to give the most satisfactory results. Thin sowing in deeply worked rich soil is imperative to success, as also is regular, intelligent attention at all periods of the growth of the plants. Old Dahlia Stools.—There cannot be ml1 doubt that dahlias grown afresh from cuttings each season produce the finest flowers, but those who are not so keen on perfection of quality as on abundance of blooms will find old stools, provided they are perfectly healthy and sound, bring great satisfaction. They should be planted deeply in rich soil, and it can be done at once. The disadvantage is that far too many growths will come away, and if all are allowed to remain the flowers will be so poor as to be quite useless; therefore the grower should reduce them to about four as early as possible, so ait to leave the remainder with plenty of space. Planting Strawberries.—The spring planting of strawberries is a work not so much of inclina- tion as of necessity, and the sooner it can be brought to a conclusion after the present date the better. The land should be in perfect con- dition as far as mechanical working is con- cerned, and it should be thoroughly enriched by the generous application of good natural manure. In planting, the roots must be spread out to their fullest extent, and loamy soil, free from manure, should be placed firmly about tham. A plantation formed now and properly attended to ought to be in an excellent statfl for cropping heavily in the second season after I planting. < The Gooseberry Mite.—Envious, apparently, of the notoriety attained by the black currant through the possession of a big bud mite, the gooseberry would now appear to have started a mite of its own. At present this mite has through the possession of a big bud mite, the gooseberry would now appear to have started a mite of its own. At present this mite has proved itself incapable of puffing up gooseberry buds to the size that its confrere does thosp of the black currant, but its work is none tho less deadly. Mr. Walter E. Collinge is the dis- coverer of this new pest, and he advises that all shoots which show infection by reason of the present year's buds being brown and shrivelled should be cut off and burnt. Fruit Blossom.—The protection of the flowers of peaches and nectarines on outside walls is frequently recommended, but the same recom- mendation holds equally for choice pears and early cherries. On warm walls the latter flower very early, and are liable to suffer from night frosts when in ffower. They are particularly useful for providing early dishes of dessert, and are well worth protecting at this season. • New Raspberry Quarters.—When once a plantation of raspberries has been formed, there are apparently many people who think that nothing further is necessary in the way of cultivation. Certainly, they do not make un- reasonable demands upon our time, but total neglect spells failure. When. the plants show anmistakable signs of exhaustion, new planta- tions should be formed forthwith, and if there remains any work of this nature to be done this spring it ought to be quickly completed. Growers are warned not to overlook the import- ance of getting the plants thoroughly established at the outset; the proper course to pursue is to cut the canes down to within eight or nine inches of the surface, as soon as planting is finished, to give the roots an opportunity to get a thorough hold of the soil. Gsneval Work.—If there still remains any pruning to be done, let it be completed imme- diairly, and as soon as possible afterwards all priur'.ngs etc. should be removed from surface of the soil and conveyed to the garden smother for conversion into plant food. It will do much good to loosen the surface soil with a Dutch hoe, or carefully prick it over with a fork, so as to facilitate the admission of abundance of fresh ai, Globe Artichokes.-These vegetables are not generally grown by amateurs, but they make a welcome change on the table, and the plants are decidedly handsome when in full growth. The position chosen should be worked to its utmost depth, and some thoroughly decomposed manure must be put in, as a soil in which growth will be fairly rapid is necessary to the greatest success. Pieces taken from old stools should be planted now, and at the same time established plants should have a mulching of decayed manure, or it may be well forked in round them if more convenient. « Broccoli and Other Greens.—About this time deeds of broccoli, cabbages, and savoys mav be sown. Some people sow later, but in any in- stance that failure has occurred with a sowing made at this period, plants from a later sowing have invariably been less satisfactory. The reason seems to be that broccoli, like Brussels sprouts, are partial to a long season of growth. The ground set apart for these should be in a nice friable condition, the drills formed flat in the bottom rather than V shaped, so that the seeds can be sown widely apart. The seedlings will appear sooner if the soil is lightly forked up previous to sowing the seeds. Celery.—The early plants should now be large enough for pricking off singly, if sown as ad- vised some time ago. The plants may be kept growing briskly in a warm temperature for a week or two, but should have a position near the glass. I Cauliflowers.—A full sowing of these should be made at this time, selecting varieties to succeed the earliest and to carry on the supply. The only method of treating cauliflowers that succeeds here is to never transplant the seed- lings. Instead of sowing in lines, the seeds are distributed in small patches at suitable dis- tances apart, and when the plants are well up they are thinned to one, or at most two, in the aase of a dwarf growing variety.
IHOME HINTS.
I HOME HINTS. 0- Melted butter is a very good substitute fop olive oil in salad dressing. Many prefer thar butter to oil. To freshen stale cake steam it for an hour and then place in a hot oven for a few minutes. When boiling milk, put two tablespoonfnla of water in the pan and let it boil. Milk boiled in this way will never burn to the bot- tom of the saucepan. Rice boiled in milk instead of in water has a much richer flavour. It must be watched closely while being cooked, as it will burn quickly. Match marks on a polished or varnished surface may be removed by first rubbing them with a cut lemon and then with a cloth dipped in water. To bake potatoes in from one-half to three- quarters of an hour, boil until thoroughly heated through before putting in the oven, which takes about five minutes. When boiling beef add a little vinegar to the water. It makes the meat tender; but be sure the water merely simmers after the first ten minutes, or, in spite of the vinegar, the meat will be tough. The best way to keep windows from steam- ing or frosting is to clean the* inside of the window with a cloth moistened with pure glycerine, wiping it so as to leave only a trace of the glycerine. It is a mistake to lay scrubbing brushes with the bristle side upwards. They should always be put with the bristles down, other- wise the water will soak into the wooden part and the bristles very soon become loose. Carrots.—Boil the carrots until tender, then cut into halves lengthwise. Melt eome butter in a hot pan. When the butter bubbles lay in the carrots, and sprinkle with some sugar, salt, pepper, and finely chopped parsley. Fry them until the edges become crisp and brown. Make potatoes look white and floury by boiling in as little water as possible, strain, and take at once to an open door. Give the potatoes a vigorous shake in the saucepan, and let it remjain uncovered at the side of the fire for five minutes before serving. Potatoes and Cod Salad.—Take some cold boiled potatoes and cut into slices. Mix with some flakes of cold boiled cod. Pour over thick salad dressing and serve with chopped parsley as a garnish. When boiling beans, if a quart of cold water is poured into the saucepan before straining them, the beans will immediately sink to the bottom and the water can readily be poured off without spilling any of the beans. Potted Meat.—Use the remains of cold salted beef. Pass the beef twice through the mincing machine and free it of little bits of gristle, pound thoroughly in a mortar, add- ing anchovy sauce, a little good gravy, pepper and allspice. When all is thoroughly blended press the mixture into jars, and nut some melted butter on the top. When baking apples, remember that they are dusty even before tiny a,re picked from the trees, and that if bought in a town they are sure to be dusty. Apples, therefore, should always be rinsed before being cooked. Wipe the fruit dry carefully after washing. and cook at once. Simple Salad a la Russe. Line a salad bowl with crisp lettuce leaves. Put over one or two tomatoes that have been peeled and chopped fine. Add a mashed anchovy to the recipe for French dressing, pour over and serve. Emergency Diglies.k pot of meat essence, a packet of dried vegetables, bottled fruit, a packet of custard powder, and some pre- served meats should be kept handy in everv store cupboard. They prove invaluable for extra dishes so often required in a hurry in every household. Ragout of Mtitton. Cut two pounds of coarse- lean mutton into small pieces, and fry them m a pan with an onion chopped small Pour sufficient water over to cover the meat* adding a few herbs and any scraps of vege- tables which you have by you. Simmer gently for two hours, then season with pepper and salt, and thicken the gravy nicely with flour. Serve in a deep dish, with chopped parsley scattered over. Macaroni and Cheese. Take about three ounces of macaroni and boil until tender in a stewpan with a little water. Take a pio- dish, warm a little butter in it, and put in a layer of macaroni, then a layer of cheese grated or cut into small bits and sprinkle over with salt, pepper, and smalt pieces of butter; then add another layer of macaroni and so on, finishing off with cheese. Pour on rice milk or cream, enough just to come to the top of the ingredients and bake from half to tnrpl'-cm:1:rtpr", e.t" an v wJ. ivii XX. layer of breadcrumbs may be placed over the top if desired. Sliced raw onions kept constantly in a sick room where there are eruptive diseases may not be very pleasant, but they are an excel- lent preventive^ against contagion. The slices- ■will be soon discoloured, grow quite dark, and should then be at once destroyed and re- placed by fresh slices. Every housekeeper knows how annoying it is to have the hinges of the doors squeak, and the locks and bolts refuse to move unless great force be used. Many do not realise that a few drops of oil will, as a rule, remedy these annoyances. First spread a newspaper on that part of the floor over which the hinges swing. Now with the sewing-machine oil-can, oil the hinges thoroughly, and then swing the door back and forth until it moves without noise. Wipe the hinges, but let the paper remain for a few hours, to gusvrd against the possible dripping of oil. For locks and bolts, guard the floor in the same manner. Oil them thorough, working them until they will move with ease. ° When the smell of frying pervades the house examine the outside and bottom of the rying-pan, and you will probably find that it is covered with burnt fat, which smells directly it is at all hot. Besides, washing the pan inside and out with strong sodI water, directly it has been used, it is neces- cary occasionally to boil it out in a larger Dkectlvl? Soda water and soap. JJirectly the burnt grease is removed th» paTS on1l°fifryinfl in-the h°USe tho pan is on the fire will exist no more. If stale bread is immersed for a moment or two in cold water, and then is rebaked, it is in every respect equal to newly-baked bread. Another way to freshen the bread is to dip the loaf wrapped in a clean cloth, into boil- ing water, and allow it to remain for half a minute. Then unroll the cloth. Lancashire Hot Pot.—Line the bottom of an earthenware pie-dish with thinly sliced peeled potato, then a laver of onion, then a layer of beef or mutton, "and a few minced herbs, next a layer of kidney or oysters. Re- peat the layers, and finish 'with a layer of potato, on which add some thin rashers of fat bacon. Pour in a little stock for gravy. Bake four or five nours in a moderate area- till mcely browned,,