40 Something Advantageous ; or a Family Fracas. [January, 



jou for a prudent stone-mason ; you sliall get well paid for this job. 

 Hip ! hip ! hip ! — hurrah ! ' 



I thought, to be sure, that Mr. Shaw must have gone mad. There was 

 a man looking over the railing of the church-yard, with a spade on his 

 shoulder ; to him Mr. Shaw said — 



' Five guineas for that spade.' 



The man thought he was mad, and tried to run away ; but he dropped 

 the spade; and in another moment Mr. Shaw's coat was off, and he was 

 digging away like fury. 



' Where's the stone ? ' he cried ; ' bring the stone. That's right. 

 Poke it in — prop it up. That's the thing — all's right. Here we are. 

 Another knock. All's right — all's right.' 



' Lor ! ' said the stone-mason, as he lifted up his hands ; 'look there!' 



I looked in the direction he indicated, and there, to my astonishment, 

 1 saw arriving, carts, coaches, cabs, and wheel-barrows, and each contain- 

 ing a tombstone. A regular fight ensued at the entrance of the church- 

 yard ; and engaged in the fight I recognized the relations of Mr. Jordan. 

 Heavens, how they cuffed each other ! 



' Hold ! ' cried Mr. Shaw ; ' you are all too late, although you had 

 information you ought not to have had. There is already a stone on 

 Mr. Jordan, and placed, too, by the only one who knew not what you 

 all know. Listen to the conclusion of the will — ' And to that one of my 

 relations who will erect a tombstone to my memory, I bequeath my 

 blessing and forgiveness, and eighty thousand pounds in bank stock.' 

 ' Madam,' to Mrs. Grantham, ' I congratulate you.' 



' And there's your ring,' said I ; ' Mr. Shaw, let us shake hands ; 1 

 understand you now.' 



' Ha I ha ! ' said Mr. Shaw, ' Ladies and gentlemen, you had better 

 all of you keep the tombstones for yourselves. You can get the name 

 altered, for if you don't, I'm very much afraid you will not find them 



SOMETHING ADVANTAGEOUS.' 



IRON MANUFACTURE, 



At the late meeting of the British Association of Science, Prof Calvert 

 read a paper on the iron manufacture, in which he stated, that by mix- 

 ing about half a bushel of common salt with every ton of coal in the 

 coke-oven, the coal so made gave off no sulphurous fumes, and when 

 used in a cupola in smelting, it produced iron much closer in grain, and 

 20 per cent, stronger than that made from common coke. 



