The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1890-12-27 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

VIII.  appear  discovered  An American lady had a laughable experience with her cook the other day. The cook, it seems, a recent arrival from the "auld sod" and, as may be imagined, a trifle green in the ways of the new world. The first morning that she took charge of the kitchen, while broiling a steak and humming a tune, the madame whistled down through the speaking tube and applied her ear to the mouthpiece for a reply. The noise that she heard from below was nothing if not startling, for shriek after rent the air in quick succession, followed by moans and exclamations of fright. The lady quickly descended to the culinary department where she found the cook cowering in the corner, her knees knocking together and her teeth chattering, while the steak had fallen into the fire and was fad assuming the appearance of a burnt offering. "Why, Bridget, what on earth is the matter ?" she asked as soon as she could recover her composure. "Sure, Mum, Oi knowed it wild come, Oi knowed it vrud come, fur in me drames lasht noight Oi sawn ghosts an' spooks galore. Jist now, whoile Oi wure cookin' the mate, wan av thim gave a whistle bike a dame ingin, an' be the powers, f whin 01 lucked about the room nobody wure here. It's the divil's own place is this same kitchen, an' Oi lave yea this marnin'." The lady explained the meaning of the whistle, and even succeeded in getting the terrified girl to apply her ear, while she ascended to the floor above and spoke, but even then the girl was only half convinced, and to this day the pool creature has to summon up all her courage before answering the whistle.  was  shriek  For the last day or two, writes a Vienna correspondent, the time-honoured Hofburg has been.. after dusk, one great illumination, the windowe looking over the Burgplatz and the Franzensplatz, or the inner square of the Hofborg, being a blaze of light. The explanation is that experiments have been made with the electric light, which is to to installed throughout the Palace. For the present only 52 halls, reception-rooms, and apartments have received the new illuminant, but next spring it will be extended to the remaining 41 rooms, which are now occupied by the Emperor, the Empress, and the Archduchess Stephanie, and are. therefore, not ready for the workmen. The incandescent system is the only one, adopted, and tho chief difficulty experienced in fixing it arose from the strict orders against any alLeration of the character and outward appearance of the handsome candelabra, in embossed gold and crystal, which date from the time of the Emperor Francis I. In the great Ceremoniensaal alone there are 27 of these, with 54 lights apiece. The difficulty was surmounted by inserting small white lacquered wooden tubes, resembling candles at a distance, into the old lustres, each tube being fitted with a moveable lamp. The entire installation, when completed, will consist of 5,250 incandescent lamps, equal to 30,000 wax candles, in the apartments, and nearly 1,800 lights in the entrance halls, galleries, and staircases, or some 7,000 lamps in all. This will be the largest installation in any one building in Europe. The length of the wires inside the building will be 15 English miles The experiments made have been completely successful, and it was interesting to notice how well the magnifica:4i ceilings were brought out, and what an unsuspected wealth of colour was developed in the famous Flemish tapestries on the walls of the Privy Council Chamber and other apartments.  • To Treasure Trove and Short Cuts Mr. G. R. Sims contributes some examples of the large number of begging letters he is constantly receiving. It would be hard and ungenerous, perhaps (he writes), to say that the majority of people who write to strangers for money are impostors; but it is unfortunately a fact that a very large proportion of them are anything but deserving objects. The unfortunate feature of private charity—that is to say, of money given in response to private appeal—is that the least deserving people are just those who ama the most likely to make the strongest and most plausible appeal. I could if I chose tell some curious stories of professional begging-letter writers and their funny little ways; but I don't care to do anything which might, perhaps, cause a revulsion of feeling in the hearts of the generous public.. There are among us undoubtedly cases of terrible, heart-rending distress, and occasionally driven to desperation the unfortunate victim of circumstances takes up the pen and pours out his story to some one who, he believes, from what he heard or read„ has a kind heart and money to spare. Among, pesu haps, the strangest letters I over reeeiv.ed were a number from a gentleman who signed himself "Only a Hunted Beast." • He was a gentleman whc was always being followed about by his relatives (whom he freely named) in order that they might put him in a lunatic asylum. The last communication I received from him was as follows:—" Sir,— You are the only man who understands me. Enclosed IS the ticket of a portmanteau deposited at Charing Cross cloak-room. It contains all my jewellery and some other valuable property. To-night is my last night earth. To-morrow when you fetch the bag tishall be dead. Keep these things in memory of one who is' ' Only a Hunted Beast.'" Underneath the , poor fellow had signed his real name. As soon as / . had read the letter I turned to the Daily Telegraph, and my attention was attracted by a headline. "Extraordinary Suicide in Regent - street." My correspondent had shot himself in Regent-street at 1 o'clock in the morning. .1 sent the letter and the ticket to Superintendent Williamson, at Scotlandyard, who handed the tieket over to the unfortunate man's hiends.