The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1878-01-10
A Strange Story.

Benton, consisting of father, mother, son
and daughter. resided in one OF the West.
ern States near small town called
Blank. The father was wealthy and
lived in style. and his daughter Mabel, n
child between two aud three years of age,
was always elegantly dressed, and George,
the son, n boy of seven, was preparing TO
enter au Eastern school. One day little
Mabel disappeared, and her parents
never heard of her again, although they
spent thousands of dollars in searching
for her. The heart broken mother died
soon after the loss of her darling, and the
father wandered over this country and
Europe, and finally settled in New York,
where he died. George grew to maphood,
and the memory of his lost sister was al
most etfaced from his mind, In his
twenty-seventh year, while visiting Il
married friend, he fell in love with the
governess of his friends children, Il
beautiful girl of about twenty three, and
after some months they were married and
lived happily for tive or six years, boy
and girl being born to them during that
time.
BY the death of an uncle in San Fran
cisco, George WAS left considerable for
tune, who conveyed the intelligence to
him, also stated that his sisters career
had been traced. A tramp on his death
bed in u st. Louis station confessed that
he and two companions had stolen little
Mabel Benton for her clothes and u
locket which she wore, and that she had
continued with them for several years,
when her bright, pretty face attracted
the attention of II kind hearted lady in
Ohio, who adopted her aud sent her to
school, where she remained until her
patroness died. Mabel then became IL
teacher in large school in Cincinnati,
but as her health began to fail she APP
piled for a position rs governess, and WAS
now in the family of Mr.. Nj, or at
least that was the last place he had heard
of her being in.
"What was the name of the family she
was wth2' asked George.
AL" was the answer.
"What name did my sister havel'
"Mabel Ferris"
MY Ghdv cried George, in agony.
"Shc has been my wife for five years
Upon further investigation this proved
to be the truth, and the girl nearly went
crazy. AS she was devout Episcopalian
A separation ensued, all property being
equally divided. The children were
placed with friends, rs neither parent
could bear the sight of what was to them
the fruit Of II crime against God aad
man. The poor girl is still living in a
quiet city in New England, while the
husband and brother, after spending all
his property save few hundred dollars
in dissipation, shut him self off from all
communication with his friends, and Is
to-day poor farmer in this county OF
Garrett, among strangers, and where few
know his sadly remarkable story.
BLOCKING A CONFIDENCE GAME.-Mrs
Devereux, of Boston, reads the news
paper. Her husband also reads the news
paper; and the couple long ago agreed
that no verbal order purporting to come
from him for chattels should be h0nored
by his better half. The other day there
came to the door a respectable looking,
plainly dressed fellow, and when the SER
want answered his ring, he told her in
eager haste that Mr.. Devereux had torn
his pants in such manner that he could
not go out and expose himself to the gaze
of IA critical public, and had sent home
for his light cashmere pants, winch he
wanted at once, because he must go ont
Immediately on business Of importance
But MIS-. DevereuX was too sharp for
him, and 10y her order the servant told
| the messenger that If Mr.. ID -vereux want
ed his pants he must send written
order. The fellows establishment was
only cqualed by his Indignation at the
cruel refusal t. send clothing to the gen
I tlcman whose Imprisonment was enforced
10y the want of il. 1t Is needless to say
that Mr.. DevcreuX wore his brown trous-
ers home to supper in such perfect con
dilion that no lady had occasion to
blush, and the lady was made happy in
the consciousness of her superior judg-
uient, which had thus been confirmed.
The LONGEST RIVERS IN THE WORLD.
The following are the largest rivers,
with their extent: The Amazon, in South
America, falls from the Andes through II
course Of 1900 miles; the Mississippi,
from the Stony Mountains, runs 1900
miles; La Plata, from the Andes, 2,2l5
miles; the iIoangho, in China, from the
Tartarcan chain of mountains, lis 1890
miles; the Iangtse- kiang runs from the
same mountains, aud is 5000 miles long
the Nile from the Jihel kumri Mountains,
/ courses . GOO miles. the Eunhrat.s from