Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-29

| contents OF the ashpt on the potato
field. and the ring absorbed 10y the potnfo
inside of which 1t wac found year after
| IL had been lost.
When my brother. Normln Macbe"d
| ana | went 10 Palestine tn 1861 he was
asked by an old woman In his congrega'
| ton 10 discover her son--an engineer IN
! "a steamer somewhere in the Levant-a ana
| TO persuade him to send help 10 MS
| mother Wherever he ever went my
| brother inquired for this man. Now ne
was told ne was trading In the Black
1 sea: again, that he vas In some snip on
the Syrian coast: but he failed 10 find
him When We were weighing anchor
! In the Golden Horn. before proceeding
10 the Blach Sea on our way home. n
and | were sitting aft on the port side.
/ when our steamer drifted against another.
| 4 man came 10 let buffer" down he
| tween the two ships just where We were
| sitting. on speaking 10 him ana rec"a
! MIXING his unmlstakable accent. my brc-
! Their asked II he knew anything OF the
! engineer he was in search OF. Il am the
| mani" was the reply, and so his last
words spoken 10 any one before leaving
| the East were exchanged with the very
man h. had been searching for, ana an
/ the two ships parted. he had said all he
wished to say, II was coincidence. but
one OF the greatest improbability.
The Duke of Argyll. when strollng on
| q stormy afternoon in the woods at liz
vcraray. noticed a raven flying over the
/ shoulder OF Duniauoich-the hill which
forms such o picturesque feature In III"
landscape When passing over some trees
undo- which his Grace was standing. he,
seeing II had something In It's Dill. shout
ed and Clapped his hands suddenly IL
dropped what is was carrying. which
rroveJ 10 be a cone Of the spruce fir.
with all its scales reverted, ana on the
surface Of each scale there was the feti-
culated pattern of some dark stun, the
nature OF which the Duke coull not deter
mine. IL sent ii to Sir William Hooker,
at Kew. who replied that the pattern
was due 10 a fungus called Parichena
Strobilina which infested spruce Cones
and was only known in that mode OF oc-
currence Sir William added that this
fungus was so rare that only one specimen
had been found previously in Scotland.
The Duke adds: Il saw this find of mine
many years later duly ticketed in The
Museum at Kew. Professor owen suS-
gested that the raven had been attracted
by the smell Of the fungus. which Is
'neaty.' and as ravens are curious and
inquisiiive. II had lifted this cone TO play
with IL in the air and hide IL. perhaps
il had a museum Of its own!''
Another interesting incident is related
bv the Duke. Castle Campbell. the pic
turesque ruin near Dollar. belonged at
one time to the Argyll family. but was
taken and destroyed 10y Montrose. Some
years a 20 a picture was picked up in
cottage near Castle Campbell by Mr..
Ellis. a wel-known collector OF antiques
in Edinburgh. and was by him presented
To the Duke The picture was in very
bad condition. but when cleaned IL turned
out 90 be a splendid bit OF art-and also
proved to be the only eXtant portrait Of
the famous Marquis of Argyll. Sad 10 re-
late. il was destroyed in the great fire
at Inveraray Castle few years ago.
Many years ago poor lame girl CHILLED
upon me for assistance She was from
Ross-shire. and had sweet accent ard as
sweet face-quiet ana sad. She had been
cruelty used by her grandparents. who
he'd refused TO keep her. and she had
come 10 Glasgow 10 get work az tailor
ess"-in other words she had been en-
ployed by some sweater. and had not
enough 10 live on. Her Highland inno-
.cence and religious principles had re-
ceived q painful shock by what she had
seen i'm the great city. She often came to
me for help and on one occasion her dls-
tress was great. because her wooden leg
had become so short that she found II an
encumbrance. / WAS able TO procure
new leg for her. but the battle Of life
proved too much. and one day she came
b-seeching me to send her home. The
Messrs MacBrayne kin " gave me
bass. and she was To- leave next day. To
my surprise. four or five days afteTward
/ net her in the street, when she told
me- she had been hone. and had been
forced back by her grandmother in the
steamer on its return journey. My faith
failed me. for IL was 50 unlike any High
lander to disown her own grandchild.
that ! did not believe her, and / told her
SO. ana that ! was distressed 10 find her
untrue. II was cruel. and | repented Of
it, for within few days an agent Of the
Charity Organization Society, who called
for me about another case. assured me
ttat the girl had told the truth. and that
she had been forced back as she de-
scribed. ] was glad when the opportunity
occurred of making an ample apology
20 her.
\ considerable time after this j
was officiating at q marriage. and to my
surprise. / found my Highland friend in
the wealthy home, acting as maid TO the
bride on speaking about her 10 the lady
OF the house. she said THAT Is a most
extraordinary girl. a rich man has fallen
in love with Eer. ana sent her TO a board
year or two; but she will not hear Of il.
and has left the school saying she will
not marry any one whom she does not
love enough. Unfortunately, the gentle
men told her that ii was her resemblance
To one he had been once engaged to. and
had died. which had led 10 his interest In
her, ana she was determined 10 have
husband who would love her for her own
sake"
After some years | met this lady again.
and heard the subsequent history Of the
interesting girl. 1t seems that the gen
tleman managed to trace her out in
Glasgow. and. having cleared away all
her doubt as to his affection. he won
her consent to be married to him in Lon
don. As she was then an inmate OF the
Home OF the Young Women's Christian
Institute in Glasgow, she arranged to
30 10 the similar home In London, and
remain there until she was married Her
intended husband met her at the railway
station, and took her TO the home. but
the matron foolishly suspecting foul play.
told the girl that no gentleman in the
evident position Of her friend could really
intend TO marry poor, lame creature
like her: and. in spite of the girls tears
and entreaties. she packed her off in the
train TO Scotland next day. The gentle
mans anger may be imagined when he
found what had been done. but the girl.
filed with shame. would not 20 back 10
Glasgow. but went to Edinburgh. and
communicated with the iady in whose
house / had found her. II ended in the
gentleman coming for her. and. after
few days, she was married TO him. and
taken 10 his luxurious home In London.
But her adventures were not over.
friend Of his. Scottish lawyer. came.
with his wife, to visit the happy pair in
England and so strong friendship arose