Chatterbox, 1905 Part 108

Young readers are sometimes puzzled, in reading accounts of ancient processions through city streets, at the frequent references to the Conduits pa.s.sed on the way. A conduit was a strong tower built of stone, furnished with taps, through which water was supplied to the people.

London householders used to send their servants and apprentices, with jugs and pails, to the conduits, to obtain water for daily use; and a great deal of gossiping and quarrelling went on at these places. On state occasions the conduits were decorated; and, at the coronation of one of the queens, we read that over the conduit near Shoe Lane was raised a turret, with figures of the four cardinal virtues; while the taps, instead of sending out water, ran for that day with streams of wine. Often, as a royal procession pa.s.sed such places, a youth or child, in some strange dress, would stand forth, and deliver a speech, prepared beforehand, to the king or queen.

CLEVER BILLY.

A True Story.

'Well, Lucy, how have you been getting on since I saw you last?' said Miss f.a.n.n.y Cresswell to her niece, Lucy.

Lucy had come on a visit to her aunt's pretty cottage in the country, and very pleased the little girl was to be there. Nevertheless, there was a shadow on her usually bright face as she looked up.

'We have had a great trouble at home, Aunt f.a.n.n.y,' she answered. 'Our dear old dog, Carlo, is dead. He was so clever and so good that we shall never get another like him. Why, he even carried my basket when I went shopping, instead of being stupid, like other animals.'

Aunt f.a.n.n.y could hardly help smiling. 'Carlo was indeed a good dog, and I am very sorry that he is dead,' she said. 'But you must not think, my dear, that all the other animals are stupid. My goat, Billy, is, in his own way, as clever as Carlo, as you may see to-morrow morning--that is, if you are up in time.'

Lucy thought to herself that Aunt f.a.n.n.y's rough goat--of whom, in her heart, she was a little afraid--could not possibly equal poor, faithful Carlo. But she took care to be early next morning, and very soon she found out her aunt's meaning.

Miss Cresswell was writing at her desk, and Mary, the maid, was busy getting breakfast, when the postman came to the gate.

'There is the postman with a letter,' cried Lucy. 'Shall I run and take it, auntie?'

'Oh, never mind!' said Aunt f.a.n.n.y. 'Billy will do that.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: "Billy allowed the letter to be taken."]

Sure enough Billy trotted up to the smiling postman and received the letter in his mouth. Once or twice he capered round Lucy, who had followed to the gate, and then, standing quite still, he held up his head as if proud of his achievement, and allowed the letter to be taken.

'Good Billy,' said Lucy, as, ashamed of her former fears, she patted his s.h.a.ggy side. 'You _are_ clever. It is just as wonderful for a goat to bring the letters as for a dog to carry a basket.'

AFLOAT ON THE DOGGER BANK.

A Story of Adventure on the North Sea and in China.

(_Continued from page 319._)

CHAPTER XIV.

An hour pa.s.sed, and Charlie, Fred, and Ping w.a.n.g were still in the wooden collars. Charlie and Fred closed their eyes; but, as they did not succeed in getting any sleep, after ten minutes' endeavour they gave up the attempt, and had a short conversation in low tones.

Ping w.a.n.g was lamenting that he had persuaded the Pages to come to China, when they heard a shout of 'Foreigners!' and turning their eyes in the direction from which it came they saw a European approaching. He wore a beehive hat, but the remainder of his attire was European.

'He is coming towards us!' Fred exclaimed, joyfully.

'But he won't be able to set us free,' Charlie answered.

'He is a missionary,' Ping w.a.n.g declared, 'and you may be sure that he will do all that he possibly can to help us out of our trouble. Come closer!' he shouted, in Chinese. 'We want to speak to you.'

'I say,' Charlie exclaimed, 'it's Barton, the old "International!"'

'So it is,' Fred said, delightedly, feeling certain that a resourceful football-player, such as Barton had proved himself to be times innumerable, would devise some means for freeing them.

'Well,' said Barton, smiling, 'you're collared.' And Charlie and Fred laughed. 'How did you get in this fix?' Barton continued, seriously; and Ping w.a.n.g related in a few words how they had been arrested. 'This is very unfortunate,' Barton declared. 'Early this morning one of our converts saw three men make off with my colleague's horse. I reported the theft to the Chinese officials, and urged that steps should be taken to detect the thieves. I suppose that to save the trouble of making inquiries they arrested you. I received information about an hour ago that the thieves had been caught, and I came out to see if I knew the men. Now I must hurry away, and see if I can get you set at liberty. It will be difficult, I fear; but you may rely on my doing my best.'

[Ill.u.s.tration: "The men unlocked the collars."]

Barton hurried away, leaving the prisoners in much better spirits.

Nearly two hours pa.s.sed before he returned, and they had begun to fear that his efforts on their behalf had not been successful.

'Barton's smiling,' Charlie whispered, as the missionary drew near. 'We are going to be released. I should like to give old Barton a cheer. It wouldn't be the first I have given him by many a score.'

'Don't talk,' Ping w.a.n.g said; and in a few minutes the men who had arrested them had unlocked the collars, and set them free.

'Come with me,' Barton said, as they rose from their cramped position on the ground.

'Can you speak Chinese?' he asked the Pages, when they had walked a few yards; and, on their replying that they only knew a few words, added, 'Then we will speak English. You need not fear that it will arouse suspicion, for several of our native Christians have learnt English.

By-the-bye, I am sorry to have kept you waiting; the officials knew very well that they had arrested the wrong men; but when I told them that such was the case, they flatly contradicted me. However, after we had a long conversation, they told me that they would set you free, but would not arrest anybody else. I agreed to that at once, and they seemed quite as pleased as I was at the result of my interview.'

'We are very grateful to you----' Charlie began, but Barton stopped him.

'My dear fellow, you have nothing to thank me for. In fact, I am the innocent cause of the hardship you have undergone; for if I had not complained of our horse having been stolen, you would not have been arrested. But, I hope,' he continued, 'you have not suffered from the wooden collars?'

'Our necks have. Mine is horribly stiff.'

'We can remedy that with embrocation. When we reach our house--we shall soon be there--you had better have a bath at once.'

The Pages and Ping w.a.n.g were very pleased when they reached the mission station, and were able to indulge in the luxury of a warm bath. Having bathed, rubbed their necks with embrocation, and well shaken their clothes, they strolled out on to the verandah, where Barton was waiting for them. He led the way along the verandah, which ran the length of the building, and turned into a large, airy, plainly furnished dining-room.

At the head of the table sat the senior missionary--a man of about fifty years of age--and facing him was his wife. An elderly lady and a young man were the other missionaries, and there were also at the table the four children of the senior missionary.

After dinner they all went out on the verandah, and there Charlie, by request, told his new friends why he and Fred were in Su-ching disguised as Chinamen.

The senior missionary strongly advised the Pages and Ping w.a.n.g to give up their journey, declaring that if they persisted they would probably meet with worse punishment than the wooden collar.

'But the jewels belong to me,' Ping w.a.n.g declared.

'I do not doubt it, but nevertheless, Chin Choo would regard you as a common thief. Why not ask him to return the idol to you?'

'That would make him think it was more valuable than he had supposed.

Moreover, he has threatened to kill me if ever he has the opportunity.'

'Then why give him an opportunity?'