The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, November 22, 1893, Image 6

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m , WHAT ANSWER? ST 1H18. J. V. H. KOONS. Adown thro' the age* oomos sounding the cry, The question unanswered that "If a man die Shall he live again T Who can tell ? Who can tell? We know not, hope only that all will be well 11 back to its elements passes the clay That shelters the spirit for only a day, Why may not the soul, as the body, return To Its elements tooV But what do we loarn By questioning over and looking thro' tears To a past full of idols and blood-embalmed years? Though sweet lines of poesy run here and there, Like sunbeams of gold, tbro' a cold, leaden air; Though eweet, mournful music from days that are dead Still fall on the ear. healing hearts that have bled? ^ ^ T&CUgU 'tis Sweet tO DeilCYS in ice jogenuo Vi old, To see trees of life bend with apples of gold, To baek in the tropicB 'neatli olive and palm Where the kind words of Jesus, to the 'world, fell like halm. Though sweet to the heart are the dreams of our youth, The present is with us, fall of stern, arctic ' truth, Full of now revelations for each new-born day, Ami teacher and learner must both work and pray For sew light and more light?onoo candles would do? And truths then discovered 'will ever be true. gut the error must perish, thus eaycth the .. Lord; W>ongl> keen pangs are suffered in severing the cord. * "The ethics of Jesus, broad, Boon narrowed down To village theologies." Christian and clown, a/1 T?ara of miacecenation ant night, Have loosened their hold on the anchor of right Have traildod a babel from whoso crumbling tower Bholl be to humanity given new power, And men shall go forth and shall labor alone, Asd bread shall be given instead of a stone. God's truth in the heart made alive the: shall be fYom doctrines and dogmas the world shall b< free To do-right and live right the soul's highes good, By their fruits shall ke know them," thlB grand t brotherhood, Who work In God's vineyard with hope fixed above, To Hftn alone lookirg for life thro' H1b love. JSuncie, Ind. doeb?m A Story of Early Colonial Days. BY CHARLES C. HAHN. CHAPTER XII. A WILD, WET NIGHT. HE harsh sentence was car^ HSBil |%1 rie(* outl at once? <j2 1 and the poor young woman ft ? 7a J " ^ ^ ^ decidod Egbert if VV./fu' / t0 remove from /j >v " " Sagnauck? either lo some other place in the colony or to his home in old England. The latter place was chosen for him within a ftfw days by ar. unexpected letter from his father. Egbert's cider brother had " been killed while hunting, and the father wrote to recall the younger sen, who would now be the next Lord of Oswold. But before Egbert Ingram could arrange to leave Sagnauck other events wero shaping themselves to keep him longer in the place of his wife's persecution. Tho inhuman sentence of the Puritan judges had brought on a low /ever, and before a week hau passed Dorothea Ingram was insane. Her insanity was of a mild form, and the vagaries which filled her mind were of the most eluslye kind. ' Some days dark ghostly clouds swept over her and in the wall of darkness around, queer forms intermingled with each other, fantastic shapes, distorted /aces of m$n and women. These would appear and fado and others come. At limes some woodland scene would* appear as plain as if she were looking out of her cabin window at the forests which surrounded her home; the waves of the Dccan'beat in her imagination and tall" towering to'lf themselves and "disappeared before Lei- eyes'. * * Kut at all times a light cloud seemed to Coat before her eyes, a cloud which xvnu avov <rvir>f t.n Tifi'PtvfltP and w^s po thTrl iiial she was ever in ' uopes of finding what was behind H. Sometimes the cloud passed away and then soijic other objcct appeared. Now Jt was Egbert, nofs- the minister, and sometimes Mark Hillary. At length the beclouded intellect was able to understand what the object of its desire was. Hidden by cloud or by the perplexing appearance of other forms v/as the figure of her mother, whom sho could not remember but whose portrait she had worn on her breast all her lifo. v Cnco did she see the vision, through clouds and darknoss, and the gentle influenco of hor 3pirit mother brought a soothing peace, and Dorothea sank Into an untroubled, childish sloop. After that, although the filmy mist hung over her still, the vision never entirely faded. SliO felt that the fair form was hovering over her and the consciousness brought her rest. Daring Dorothea's illness", her husband never left tho cabin, ami yet the two wero never in need. Every morning, when ho are*e, Egbert found by his cabin door soma article of game, a fish from the river, or a piece of venison. This soon became known to the busy gossips of the \11lagtf, and every effort was made to learn from what source he received thorn. Kaiiing in this ihey, fell back upon the old theory that Dorothea was beiug protected by that unknown l?er?on to whom the minister hud referred an the day of the trial. Mr. Granville wu not flow to hear tho*e tales. In fact he took rains to inquire daily concerning tt:c young couple, &nd stored away every possible story or theory as more evidence against the poor woman. Every incident in Dorothea's ? .? r? * * lire wa* now a m?mt; m;- auijuvwi i him. IIo remembered when she had | given way to anger and knew now that ehe had boon under the Influence of the devil; her friend* had been won by evil chara?; her insanity w?s the working of ciovlis in h?r nr:.d and the food with which she w*s Ted came from her Mwtcr. ? About this t'mc- Mr. Gr?nvil!e received uiedlcii advice concernii.y his children, and was bidden t? lx.ke ibem for iong iralKs !n the open air. He followed the physician's advice conscientiously, but he had become such a monomaniac tbat each walk always led bin; and his two daughters by Dorothea's home. One day, as they, were passing, they heard a faint cry within the c&'cnn, a cry so faint &nd yet so peculiar tbat the three stopped, and Achsah said: "Papa, did you hear the kitty?" The father looked at his daughter, and seeing in her face the signs of "her peculiar nervous fits, turned and hastened home with her. All day Jong she lay prostrate upon her couch, the minister kneeling by her side and praying. When it became known that a child had been born to Egbert and Dorothea. iSnfih-i ... \ | . the minister lost no time in relating Ih circumstances of Achsah's illness, an before evening all the gossips in the vil lage had made excuses to call upon th young mother and see the baby that cri& like a cat. Children came to the win low, looked in and then ran away a from a haunted place. After a few davs Dorothea's insanit: returned, and it was thought; best to re .-novo the child from her. A mont] passed, during which she lay upon he bed, uttering the vagaries which came t her beclouded mind. At last her memor; and her reason returned, and she askei for her babe as if it had been absent bu an hour. This was toward evening and, after receiving the child into he arms, she lay for an hour in deep silence as if absorbed in thought; but not a mo tion was made she did not see, and a times, when the babe gave utterance t x low cry, the mother would raise her self upon her elbow and gazo upon i with painful intensity. She refuse* all offers of food, and now and then, a the twilight deepened, hummed a drows; tune in the babe's ears or whispered t it in sweet"and soothing words. After a time the babe fell asleep an< Egbert sat down by the open door. Thi twilight passed into evening. The win< began to moan dismally through the for est, and the rain began to patter on th< cabin roof. The moaning changed to wailing an< then to roaring, and tho wind swept th< increasing rain against the window The day was done and a wet, wild nigh had set in. Egbert sat for a while an< listened to the dreary music, then barre< the door, and leaning back in his chair fell asleep. The brief period of Dorothea's sanit] | had passed away and the cloud upon hei mind began to settle with the falling o the night. The roaring wind, the sweep ing rain, .the beating upon the roof ant the child at her side, became, all alike creatures of her imagination. Lookinj upward, through the mist, she saw hei mother and was a child again herself. The sound of the wind and the rair passed away; oui, as sno gazeu, m? vision faded and, instead of the peace brooding form of her mother appeared the child, which to he: distorted imagination, seemed t< rise, as did those other phantom: months before, merely to hide from hei the one face she wished to see. Sht changed her position on the bed, but th< infant still appeared. She tried tc brush away the face with her hand, bul could not reach it. She could now hear the roaring of th( wind again and see the warring branches of the trees outside the cabin window. The wind and the rain and the tree: spoke to her. They were real. The] would help her. Had not all her lift been passed in intercourse with them, and had not her father taught her theii secrets? All else were mere phantoms. She was a child again, and this was hei father's cabin! What was that strange man doing in the great chair by the table, and whose was this babe which was lying by her side? Her past life was almost wholly a blank, but a blank blotted by the faint recollection of a lifelong persecution. What could the child be but some evil sprite left to worry her? And the wind and tho rain told her tc kill it. Once more she looked upward, but could see nothing but a baby face above her in the mist. She turned her head upon the pillow and saw the little sleeper by her side. She watched it for a moment and then, as a serpent creeps through the bushes in search of its prey, she passed her hand slowly over the child. As she did so, the wind seemed to die away and the rain ceased to fall upon the roof. Sne paused, and a low moan came through tho tree-tops in the forest. It came like a moan from that blot in her nast life, a moan erief-burdened and growing faint with despair. 4 It strengthened her purpose and she touched the baby hand. It clasped her fingers convulsively, which caused her to look Intently lyxm th? little face. It was the same wnicn, a few moments before had appeared in the mist above Ler. Still, with a faint dawning of Intelligence, and perhaps of maternal feeling, 6hc paused to wonder if it might not be a real child. ' But at that moment the babe awakened and gave a faint cry which, even to the mother, seemed like the cry of a cat. There was no more doubt! The child belonged to the evil one who was still pursuing her. A frcsli gust of wind came up with its long sough gathered from the depth of the woods, and her brain was influenced by it. Again hei* hand, which had been withdrawn when the baby's finger's clutched it, was stretched out and this timo touched the infant's head. Her ? o wnrrt Vmrnirur wit.h <>rcitement. but with uprvcs stcacly and hand nrra as Iron, sho passed Kcr fingers down the little sleeper's face to its throat and felt thQ warm beating from its hearty Ah! a fino wild night It and tho wind cainc roaring and wailing through the dashing rain, and beneath the dark storm cloud. A roll of thunder and out in the forest'a tree had been shivered with the lightning's stroke! A hush for an instant and then the storm bioke forth afresh. The hand was resting on tho infant's throat. Tho fingers closed. No gaspl No sound! But the little hands tugged at the great one which was taking its J^fe away! The baby breast heaved witu quick throes and the legs were drawn up convulsively. The struggle ceased, and the soft baby eves slowly deadened into a senseless gaze. That instant another roll of thunder nocsorf nvcr head, tho whole villaee was illuminated by the flash of lightning and a holt from heaven struck tho minister's house. Then the peal rambled on among the clouds until it died away in the distance. As if satisfied with tho work that had been dyne, the wind died away and the rain ceased falling. Dorothea Ingrare took it as an intimation that she hac conquered, and fell asleep. A lonely wanderer seeking the village and approaching Hillary's cabin just a< that time, said next morning that it wa.' surrounded by a halo of fire and that h< saw Btrange-lookinR devils In the light CHAPTER XIII. TIIE HOUSE 6TRCCK nY LIGHTNING. In the last chapter mention was mad< of a belated traveler who, approaching the village through the woods, saw th< Hillary cabin surrounded by unholj light, and also saw in the light a wall o demons dancing around it. They wen of fantastic shape, and yet here and then were voluptuous limbs which would havi been a temptation for St. Anthony. Ap pearing here and there like an oft-recur ring thread in a loom, appeared a round ed arm or a delicatcly curved leg, th< shadow of the outline of a woman'! breast and above in the darkness i woman's face. These would pass in ; circle around the cabin, ana In tliei place would appear tho shriveled form ol nags, ana uiu jiuhuisu iu>vcs vj uumnu All wore themselves into a supple danc< in which voluptuous forms and dcvilisl shapes were curiously intermingled. I was a veritable dance of the evil on and his victims. The sight struck th traveler with awe, and lie stopped be neath an elm treo which grew by th brook to watch it. For a full minut the light lasted and then the strange continued his journey. Just as he approached the cabin h heard a roll of thunder and saw a Has o of lightning. As ne emerged rrom tn d forest and wended bis way down tL I- village street he saw that a house at tfc e other ond was ablazo with fire. With d cry of "fire" he sprang forward and ra - with all speed to the burning house. Th s villagers, awaKenea Dy tne cry, jch inei comfortable beds and followed. Tli y house to which their steps were dlrecte > was the parsonage, and it had bee ti struck by lightning. r When the stranger arrived he foun 0 that the minister and his family ha y rushed from their burning heme, an 1 that the former was already busy savin t the most valuable of his possessions , The wifo with her two children stoo r 6hivering beneath a tree, from whic i, great drops of water fell now and then - gazing with agonizing looks upon thci t home, but seemingly unable to lend 0 helping hand. Even in his haste to reach and assis t the minister, who was making quid 1 visits to the house, tho stranger noticei 9 that the mother pressed one child mor y closely to her side than the other. I a was Achsah, who had been torn fron | her bed where she had been sufferini i from her nervousness, but now not i b trace of her disorder appeared. Shi 1 looked like one just brought back to life - There were truces of ill-health in he i face, but her countenance had under gone a change. The old querulous lool 3 had disappeared and in Its place a lool a or returning health had come. He recent illness had been cured in an in J. stant, and she stood beneath the drippini J* tree stronger than she had been fo 3 years. > Either by the flash of lightning or b; the tragedy in the cabin in the woods P she had been cured, and, strange as i J was, her attacks never occurred again. ' For an hour the pioneers workei " dragging out the minister's furniture ' and then stood around while the las ? beams of the unhappy home fell into th< ? coals below and were consumed. Da; r had not yet begun to break when tin homeless family was taken to neighbor 1 inc houses and the village returned t< J their beds. In the confusion the Strang er was not noticed, and none missed hin ? when he disappeared from the crowd, j CHAPTER XIV. ? THE FINGER OF GOD. When the first rays of morning ligh j broke through the forest, which circlet , around Sagnauck, the next morning \ they sent dim lines of light between th< trunks of trees along the water-soakc< ground. Little grass grew in those darl } depths; only here and there a fring< s about a tree or a cluster midway be tween, where the sun shone. But th< j dark earth was rich, and here and then r a sky-tinted flower grew, with deeper , colors and more delicate tints than those which bloomed beneath the sun. [ The rays of light which were grad' ually penetrating the forest from th( eastward, and casi.ing faint shadows or ; each side, were here and there obstructed by fallen trees which broke the lighl 1 and cast shapeless shadows in its path1 way. At first, and this was not long 1 after Dorothea ' had strangled hei ' babe, the rays of light which were going straight upward for the sun beneath the ' eastern horizon merely made gray the ; darkness between and beneath the great trees. Gradually the light increased and 1 gray paths grew between the trees, bordered by shadows on either side. The 1 sun rose higher and the brook was enlivened by its rays, and danced in morning glee. How gayly the water dashed over an obtruding stone and how merrily it rushed around an obstructing bank. The birds, too, wofe waking up and rendering distant chirps through the woods. For, was not the whole world merry again? The sun had risen, and the brook and the birds were free. The light shining through the woods was broad at the entrance, but gradually tapered to a point like a great white finger stretching alorg the ground. It was like the finger of God pointing from the line between heaven and earth, through the woods to Sagnauck. In Hillary's cabin there was a finger of liwht. tnr> Tho hahv finfrore u-prp still | wvw> w " ? ?^ ""O*"" ** ?" | and stiff, and the cruel hand which had stiljp^ them was at rest in sleep. Egbert, too, was still sleeping in his chair by the table when the rising sun sent its ray6 through the forest. Whose finger was it that was pointing? Through the cabin window came tho first faint rays of the morning. A light the breadth of tho window fell upon tho sill and cast a faint gleam upon the floor. The sleepers slept on. Slowly the light grew stronger and crept across the floor. Inch by inch it moved; until it had reached the floor beneath the bed upon which Dorothea and the dead babe lay. A pause. Then a faint light touched tho bed. Good God! What does it mean? Gradually but surely the light grew stronger, and as it did so the finger rose inch by inch upon the bed and pointed across th.e coarse counterpane to where tlTg dead babe lay. . ^ ? The Stfri was risen. The day had come, and the long white finger of God was pointing directly through the cabin window to the bed, and the tip of the finger rested on the throat of the murdered child. When Egbert awoke, the sun was shining brightly in at the cabin window and the finger had been absorbed into tho broad light of day. He arose and glanced around the .room, sleepily. ' Dorothea was lying ouietly upon the bed: but the child attracted his attention. Its neck was stretched out upon 1 the pillow, long and lank. It required only a glance for Ingram to understand what had been done. "O, Dorothea! 0, God!" he cried, "what shall I do? 0, Dorothea, Dorothea, what have you done?" While Egbert was still bending over the dead babe, a neighbor knocked at the door. Ho hesitated for a moment and then opened it. The visitor was a woman who lived next to them and who 1 had come at break of day to tell them ol I the minister's misfortune and to offei her service to Dorothea. But no sooner ! had she looked in at tho open door and [ seen the dead babe on the pillows than 6he turned and ran toward the village, crying, "Murder! Murder!" The sun was now shininc bright and clear about the cabin. The storm was ' over, and a newj day had arisen upoc ! Sagnauck. Tho woman ran the whole length oi the village street, and her cry was hearc in every home. At tho sound, men anc > women hastened from their brief sleep > and ran toward Hillary's cabin, to whict j she pointed them. It needed no words for them to believe that there was somt [ sad mystery there. On they went, dowr 3 the woodland path, one by one, without j ceremony and entered the room. Withir > | half an hour it was filled with friend! - | and foes. Prominent amonp 11 ic latter was tin minister, who anxiously moved about ant J tried, with his authority, to quell the ex 5 citement. By his side was the constablt 1 and after it was evident to all that : 1 murder had been committed, the tw< r busied themselves opening drawers, pry s ing into nooks and eorners, "lifting !oos< planks from the floor and making in ^ quiries of others. It was a godsend t< '' the minister. Heaven, in his belief, hac 1 sent relief. e During all this tumult Dorothea sa e upon the bed looking wildly about Through the cabin door, now wide open e in the morning light, she could see oth e ers coming, men, women and children r walking, shouting, pointing toward th< open door. Rude men gathered abou ? ln-r bed and asked harsh questions ? while half-drcsged T^omcn cxcitedly criei I n I .,vnf t.hp Uttlo hodv which, a JayTjefore, ic .hey had said looked like a cat. At ic ength the minister drew near tho bed a md said: n "I tell you tho day of vengeanae has c ome. The persecutor of my children ir has been pointed out to you. I have ac0 ;used Dorothea Ingrain of witchcraft, d ind to this sic another has been added, n She has murdered her babe. Last night my house was struck by lightning, and I d believe it was at the same hour in which d this crime was committed." d The wanderer in the forest, who, ung ibservcd, had entered tho cabin, spoke ;. up and said: d "Reverend sir, it was at the sam? h hour." CHAPTEIt XV. 1 THE TRIAL OIT A WITCH. a The little body of the murdered baoo rone huripd in n. hollow near Dorothea's j. home, and within throe days tho nnhapj py woman was taken to Salom by armed guard, there to answer the double charge t of murder and witchcraft. For the crimo j which she had committed was so terrible y that not one person in Sagnauck, savo j her husband and her adopted parents, 8 now entertained a doubt of her guilt. When the little party arrived in Salem r Dorothea was at once consigned to jail, . and when once there, her condition be{ came so precarious that it was feared { she would never leave it even to answer . to the double charge against her. Mr. Granville, unmindful of the fact that she might be summoned to a higher - bar of justice, devoted his time to a caroful arrangement of his evidence against her. ' The witch fever was just then at its j height in New England, and the news that a notorious young witch was to bo j tried in Salem now spread through the country and multitudes flocked to tho city. Besides Egbert and Dr. Lennox, there was a third friend who visited the jail daily. It was an old man dressed as tin Indian and so thoroughly disguised that no one would have suspected that lie was white. True lie never gained admittance, but ho was always observed loiterinjTaround the prison floor when I ever either Egbert or the Doctor wore visiting the prisoner. The day set for the trial at length ar1 rived, and Dorothea, still far from well, 5 was led before the magistrate. A formal ' charge of witchcraft ami of murder we. c ? read, and, by the advico of counsel, to 1 both she pleaded not guilty. These pref liminaries being over, the evidence of ! her Jfcague with the devil was begun. Tho Rev. Henry Granville was the ' first witness and minutely ho traced tho 5 history of Dorothea and her father, and of the strange affliction of his daughter, ! Achsah. Other members of the settlement were sworn also and bore witness to many strange actions of the accused, ! but the chief evidence against her was ' divided into two heads?licr persecution [ Achsah and her mysterious visitor who ' had provided for her at her marriage and during her illness. Both facts were ; supposed to be clearly proven by the testimony. But when the defense began and Dr. 1 Lennox was put upon the stand, even 1 Mr. Granville was able to see that ' the first part of his testimony would 1 fall to the ground. Tho Doctor stated that he had made a careful study of ! Achsah's trouble and that he was confident that she was suffering from a nervous disease, not often met with in the new world, but which was not uncom' mon in the old. He pointed out that her mnct vintant, attarlvS hadalwavs occurred during a thunder-storm, and drew the 1 | deduction that her physical nature was unusually sensitive to the electric currents. To this lie added his belief that an inherited antipathy to Hillary had been fostered and exaggerated until his presence really did have an evil effect upon the child, but that this effect was due to anything which Hillary did, ho 6toutly denied. TTO BE CONTINUBD.] TEMPERANCE. nUTTH IS STRONG. Though wo were but two or three, Sure of triumph we should be, TV? our promised land shall see, ?. j Though the way seem long; I Every fearless word we speak I Makes sin's strongholds bend and creak; | Wickedness is always weak. J3ut trutn is young unu suua*. Aicr-ciT nrr STO~ACTT. "When one tells you to put toads, lizards, makes, etc., in bottles filled with alcohol so as to preserve the flesh from dissolving and fceep it fresh for a term of years, another one (ells you to put alcohol in your stomach where a good meal of fresh meat has gone, [orthe purpose of dissolving it and "aiding ljgestioa." The man who takes alcobofto ielp digest his food must first throw off the ilcohol before his stomach can commence . , he operation. BITTER AND DESPAIRING WORDS." At the World's Congress on Africa, recently held in Chicago, an African Prince, Massomi, read a paper in excellent English which was well received. In one passage, the young colored man?he is not over three and twenty ?raising his bands to the skies wished to God that Afr^a had never seen the white man or heard of Christianity, because of the curse brought to his land by the rum traffic. What must be the shame of every white man who reads those bitter and despairing words. MONEY WORfrE THAN THROWN AWAY. The amount of money uselessly spent for liquors in the United States simply to satisfy the appetite (leaving off the revenue derived from the traffic, and the good results from the use for industrial, artistical. mechanical, and medicinal purposes) would, each yoar. pay all the expenses of the United States Government, and all the collections made on account of tariff, and for all property de1 stroyed by fire in the United States, and i leave the nice little sum of 77,811.525 dollars , for "pin money." , HE WAS A TEETOTALER. ; Dr. Thomas Guthrie was an indefatigable preacher against intemperence. and- w;is the originator of ragged schools, which bccame a National feature. i was first led."' he told a temperance , meeting in Belfast, '"to form a high opinion of the cause of temperance by the bearing of I an Irishman. It is now some twenty-two vears aoro. I had left Omagh on a bitter. bitiug. blasting day. with a lashing rain. and 1 had to travel across a cold country to Cookston. Well, by the time we had got over hair the road we reached a small inn into which I we went, as sailors in stress oi weather run I into the first haven. By ttiis time we were j soaking with water outside, and as these , were not days of tea aud toast, but of toddy . drinking, we thought the best way was to ( soak ourselves with whisky inside. "Accordingly, we rushed into the inn. or1 dered warm water, and got our tumbler ol t toddy. Out of kindness to the "ar driver. I we called him in. He was not very well ; clothed?indeed.be rather belonged in that respact to the order of my ragged school in Edinburgh. He was soaking wet anil we 5 offered him a good rummer of toddv. We 1 thought that what was sauce for the goose was sauee for tho gander . but the ear driver j was not such a gander as we. the geese, took . him for. He would uot taste it. Why.' w> asked, 'what objection have you?' Said he 5 'Please, your reverence. I'm ateetotaler. and I won't taste u drop of it.' 3 "Well, that stuck in my throat, and it went to my heart, and. in another sense than 3 drink, though. it went to my head. Here ] was a humble, uncultivated, uneducated carman. and I said. 'If that man can deny himself this indulgence, why should not I?" ] " remembered that, and I have e,ver remembered it to the honor oI Ireland. I have t often told the story and thought of the example set by that poor Irishman for our , people to follow. I carried home the re3 membrance of it with me to Edinburgh, t That circumstance, along with the scenes in which 1 was called to labor daily lor | years, made me a teetotaler. FUTURE ADMIRALS. I I HOW NAVAL OFFICERS ARE g MADE AT ANNAPOLIS. v c The Life of the Plebe on Board Ship?Daily Routine at the Uaited States Naval Academy. WHEN spring makes all the > world fresh and green,the host of candidates that L seek admission to tho United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. Md., throng through the gate, way, where a marine sentry stands > guard day and night. To those who leave through that gate after an unsuccessful bout with the entrance examinations, the glance back through the gate seems like a view of lost para dise and the sentry seems a bar between them and their fondest hopes. To the others?those who pass the entrance examinations with flying colors, the same sentry seems likea prison guard, keeping them in from the world they have left outside. The lesson of li discipline, daily, hourly discipline, is 1< hard to learn, and the course of daily a study and drill seems long to look for- t ward to; but once through success- o fully, the reward is reached and the fc Government gives the successful cadet g a commission that is certainly most a honorable, and reasonably sure for v life.. Once parsed, he takes the "iron bound1' oath of allegiance from an old justice of the peace in Annapolis, whose office is in the btfilding that v served as a law office when General I Washington came to Annapolis to ie- ii sign his commission, and has been do- d ing the same duty ever since. t! After this the young cadet, or c "plebe," in the parlance of the acad- v emy, gets a cap (the only part of his 1< uniform that is not made to order) and g starts to his temporary home on the 1< old Santee that does duty, tied to the n dock and grounded in the mild, as a quarters for the "new fourth" class, si UUU CKJ W |/ilOUU guiy * VJ. VMV ? nate cadets who may commit any seri- a one infractions of the regulations, v Then begins the month of drilling in n "setting up" that precedes the first b cruise. Of all drills, setting up drill, h ?' UNITED STATES STEi which consists of a series of caleethe- T nic and marching drills, is the most f< prosaic and dnll, and thic, too, while ii the upper class cadets in the academy e; are enjoying the happy weeks preced- d ing graduation day and that culmina- n tion of a series of calisthenic and tl marching. While the other cadets ci spend their few spare hours in danc- f< ing at the hops and walking and flirt- cj ing with the crowds of pretty girls that o: come to Annapolis at this time, the tl new plebe must spend his time either si on the old Santee or drilling under the p: guidance of Swordmaster CorbeBier ti and hie assistants?and fine drillmas- p ters they are, too. Then at nearly li every turn some new and unexpected c? regulation confronts the inoffensive st plebe and, whether he meant to do w wrong or not, the demerits go down st against him. But it ie when he goes ja up to the mess hall to meals that his d: - _ r *? i."L^ CUp IB iuii Oi woe, ivr were iue u^oi jui classmen are upon him, some with tc strings of questions that bother and w perplex him, and others with remarks rt upon his soldierly bearing?generally bt an awkward attempt to be military? oi or upon his uniform, which is likely at d< that time to be a conglomeration of uniform and civilian's clothing. ei THE CADET'S FIRST CRCTSE. At last the June ball and graduation ^ over, the cadets left behind, except the second (junior) class, embark on , the Constellation, a sailing frigate, over a hundred yearo old, for the three months' summer cruise, when ^ the plebes learn the first duties of a sailor and the upper classmen practice the duties of officers. Dressed in j. a blue jacket suit of white duck, sleeping in a hammock hung from the beams above tho deck, and working from morning till night, the young plebe's life is a hard one now. It is al not the work only that is hard; it ie le the hazing and running that now be- qi comes the Dane of his existence, for it pi seems to him that every upper class- fa man thinks it a duty to make a jjlebe's si life miserable. The injurious hazing ti of former days, which often resulted it in bodily injury, is gone, but enough w x- i ii.. _i_i? u, remains i>o Keep wc pieuee uuv-u^iicu. | ? He may be required to eat a piece of candle, occasionally taste a cake of fl< Hoap, but that iB the limit, and the w common forms of hazing amount only st to saying over doggeral rhymes or tl standing on his head. And what if the se plebe objects and refuses, you say? w Well, generally, it is said that he does tl not refuse, but when he does a fight tb may be arranged, and the matter set- m tied in the wash room up forward on b< ** BBS^f ^ st MESS HALL OF THE CADETS. rtl , Ol the Constollation, according to Queens(bury rules. And many u fight has m this old wash room seen, though rare- ar ]v with any permanent injury to the j ti< combatants. j in The summer cruises generally start m *ut from Annapolis, ami make a short ac ?itop at Old Point Comfort, whtre the a i ?adett> may get a chance to go asnore aj and chttrm the girls with their brant; itf buttons and blue uniforms, for girls an are always fond of uniforms. Then mi J the ahip goes up the coast to NewLon- of ' ' T.*?: / ^ y y&*. * ton and Newport. When the ship bj ;ete fairly out to sea, the woe of the ar tlebe is multiplied, 'for seasickness ab generally adds to hazing and hard sn rork to make his life miserable. But fic >nce in port at some of the New Eng- ci] ?__?> ?- ^ J ai AlW'Hlt HHVKIF.T.'BL fft and summer resorts, the half day's si save to visit the shore on Saturdays w< nd Sundays to those who remain on de he first conduct class comes like an ? asis in the desert. The hotels on the fe ieach are thronged with summer ro iris, who always appreciate the cadets, co nd look forward to the hop on board, gn rhich is the last thing in port. TV LIFE ON BOARD SHIP. ^' During these ahmiher cruises the di reek days are spent cruising about in of iong Island Sound, the cadets work- as ag the ship, those in the lower classes oing the work of the blue jackets and dt bose in the first class acting as offi- ut ers, under the guidance and super- in ision of the regular officers. They th aarn to tie knots, clamber up the rig- ei1 ing, loose and furl sails, heave the wi sad, and, in fact, to perform all the tw lany duties of a sailor. The open sea ca ir and plenty of exercise make them tal trong and healthy, and, in spite of oe he fact that their hammocks are hung eii s close as can be done on a poorly -wl entilated deck, and the food is often ne ot particularly enticing, they come sp ack from the cruise glowing with ro ealth and bronzed by sun and sea. a ] ! w] AA \ " e a lMSHIP SANTEE. , 'lie amusements aboard ship are few t6 )r cadets on a practice cruise. Smokig and card playing are crimes in the Th jres of the regulations, yet a little dii anger only adds zest to the enjoy- 1 1 lent, and wherever they can escape an le vigilant eyes of the officers and co idet officers groups of cadets enjoy a sn] sw puffs or a game of cards. On one Pa *i-Icir\ ontrowal mo/lfl CL nTftP-tlPfi DI' f wearing shirts and hats exactly like ' le blue jackets when the evening inf lades came od, and smoking a clay at ipe such as the sailors of every na- th< onality use. With their hats well *8' ailed down over .their eyea, there was sp< ttle danger of detection. On one oc- am ision a cadet was thus enjoying the olen sweets of his evening smoke hen the officer of the deck came up Pr< iddenly, and taking him to be a blue th< cket, ordered him to attend to a very th? isagreeable duty, that a cadet would rp< at be expected to do. To refuse was til ? be detected and "spotted," which c?1 ould give him enough demerits to ftn< :strict him from going ashore, so he da; fallowed his pride and did as he was rdered, considering that he had paid jarly for his smoke that time. Target practice, boat drills, and ren landing parties for drill fill up le time in port and give the cadets a 4jj reliminary practice in their future r* ities aboard ship. When they te- 5 >me officers and look back upon the * ijb when they pulled at ropes and >wed an oar they may appreciate hat the enlisted man under them\ id n mavi'm a 1 iVtJ IU UU 1U1 11/ iO o juiuoxm V* idet's training that "he is not able to ? >mmand until he is first able to do * te same thing himself." Upon this Su: axim his education is founded. ^ DAILY ROUTINE AT THE ACADEMY. for The three months of cruising over ^ei 1 except the plebes go on a month's Sp ave of absence, while the plebes are 0],j lartered again on the Santee and factice morning and afternoon at in- me ntry, artillery and boat drills. This ^ iort month's leave each year is the me looked forward to by all, and at an( s end the cadets come back laden ]ov ith stories of the good times they f]e^ *ve had fin) To the manv visitors who enjoy a mn seting view of the Naval Academy ! on ith its well kept green lawns that on( retch down to the white sea walls of res le Severn River the life of a cadet ca], :ems ideal, and they may even ask eor hat he does to occupy his time. But ie time is well occupied. Here is le daily routine during the eight ] onths' study from the 1st of Octo- scr ;r until the graduation in June: At La] o'clock the buglers march through jng ie hall, playing reveille, that famil- ax r call that every cadet has hummed : mjj I can't get them up, Th< I eun't get them up, the 1 can't get them up. j in the morning: i Get up you lazy loungers. fieJ' Put on your blouse uud trousers. | wo< I cftu't get t'leni up iu the moruing!" j ]eu Then the cadet in charge of the floor ax ' art* at the last note to inspect the j gav orns und sec that every one is turned j his it, and woe to the sleepy ones, fur jusi rt demerits is the penalty. Thirty j the inutee later the assembly sounds j tig! wl ilnwn th?> nt-.ftirK a11 rnsli to forma- ! t.nw jn for breakfast. The long lines fall j pou anil thi' ranks arc opened and j inutely inspected by officers who, | F cording to the cadets' ideas, can see ; in 1 spot, of dirt n hundred yards away, j as 1 the formations are with exact inil- j the: irv precision, the orders are read j tire id the battalion marched into the I kuc ess hall. One-half of the lower floor j and the cadets' new quarters is occupied j cur L " . " ./ ,; "" "fffjSgjg. ri ? =. this mess hall, where the 300 cadets! i e seated at the tables in three rows,! 'out twenty-five at each table. At aj tall table near tie centre are the of-i * :er in charge (a lieutenant of the dia>; pline department), the cadet lieuten-j it commander (the ranking cadet of-! ser), the cadet adjutant and the cadeti Beer of the day. Three times a day e assembly sounds for meal forma-; ans, and the cadets have just time to! , it in ran Irs trifh p.lnthefl and fihoeff ashed, blouses buttoned and caps onj uare, when the bugle sounds "left! ce" and the rolls are called, thej rdy and absent ones spotted, andj terwards assigned demerits unless! eir excuses are infallible. ^ < The room itself is interesting, with ; high ceiling and windows lookingj it on the fair grounds of the acad-j ' \ ay. The walls and pillars are oov-i ed with trophies?flags won in thej >at races in several quarters of the! obe, class pictures and- banners, thej ones of crack shots of past classes id some ofetihe targets showing their! ore and the bow and - sculls of ai mous racing eheH.. i - . The pealsare composed of good, rob-j antial food, well cooked and fairly, * ill served. For example, a recent kv's menu was as follows:. Br eakfastj TJ/\yi/o4ftnV 1c aaI.I UiCU |n/M?WDO) 1VUO) w*e, tea, , chocolate ; dinner?eoup, aet beef, roast mutton, potatoes, rn, sliced tomatoes and iee cream; pper?cold meat, rolls, tea, coffee. hile not elegant, this is enough to ' iep the young men in good health ' id strength, and on holidays a finer nner is set out, in which ail the skill the gray-haired cook and his three Bi8tants is demonstrated. But to return to the routine of daily ities. Breakfast over, thirty mines is given the cadet to put his room! order. The three upper floors of! e quarters are divided into rooms onl, fcher side of the hnlis that run length-' ' se of the building, each room about;. -1? J--1 J L.Ui * eive ieet square huu uomiug *>wwj. deta. In the center is a plain, square M ble, with ft gas jet dropping from the ' iling over it. On either side of thej lgle window stands a wardrobe,) lere the regulation clothing is kept ' at]7 put away and ever ready for in-ection, while on either side of the om is a narrow iron bedstead, with' iiair mattress and hair pillow, wfth) lite sheets and spread. Two chairs and two shelves complete e furniture of these very plain and nventional rooms, yet they are oomrtable enough. The two cadets in vy5'.'. ch room take turns for a week at a ne as "cadet in charge of room" and! ch cadet is required to make his own d, keep his mirror and toilet articled i i * i . ! ; xtJ ian ana m oraer, nis snoes iieauyj acked and arranged beneath his bed, 3 wardrobe in order and his books sted and arranged on the shelves, cording to size and right side np. a result every room looks exactly ;e any other room. At 8 o'clock in the morning the tudy call" is sounded, and half of ; j eh class falls in to go to recitation, lile the other half goes to the rooms study. An hour later they alterte, at 10 again, and at 12 still again.1 ion a few minutes' rest comes before' 1 iner at half-past 12. From half-past an til 4 in the afternoon the study d recitation again alternate, then mes an hour or two of drill, then pper at half-past 6; while from halfst 7 till half-past 9 study hours arer Bserved, and at 10 taps sonnets and IglJlsD UUli CUUO luu uuiy uwj. ^<M. j the study hoars those cadets not recitation are required to remain in ;ir rooms and study and no visiting^ allowed, a system of frequent inactions generally making visits! ong the cadets during these hours ry difficult. Yet friendly parties" 11 get together and when the ap-' caching footsteps of the offioer of s day is heard the visitors hide in} wardrobes, where there is barely )m to cronch down out of sight un-. the inspection is over, or get ^ ight, which means more demerits 1 no liberty on Saturday and Sun- . r. ;? ; I CADET GROUNDS. J Saturday afternoon and evening and1 aday afternoon are the hours of rest ih one hour recreation on Wedneaf afternoon, and at these times the tunate ones who have not enough' nerits to restrict them, generally; ;nd these afternoons in the quaint . city of Annapolis. During the iter a series of hops form amusent for Saturday nights. The holidays are few and short, only f anksgiving, Christmas, New Year 1 Washington's Birthday being aired, and then the unfortunate ca 8 on the first conduct class who can 3 a relative in Washington or Balti- '* re to visit go off for a day or two Christmas and New Year, and the js who stay behind find solace in a 4 t from study and the great boxes of I ;e and turkey and good things that ne from home.?Washington Star. The Bear and Boat. f 1 ? o V?Aaf ha/I an BTAi'tinff ? 1 our men jxi ? uv/l.1. ^ 0 immftge with an enormous bear on seWhitcom. They were on a lish- .1 trip, and were armed only with an and a pistol. They 6aw it.swimag in the water and opened fire. ? bear made straight for the bow of boat, with its eyes like small balls ire and its month open wide. It soil the boat, tearing a piece of jd oil' the gunwale several inches in 1 th ; then, dodging the blows of the 1 that were directed at him, Bruin i e the side of the boat a swipe with ^ . 1 i. R?j. 1 loot, Denrijr uvenuimu^ u, jl^uv i then the pistol and the ax got in ir work, and the bear gave up the it and the ghost. The carcass was ? ed ashore and weighed nearly 300 inds. ?Morning Oregonian. 'oisonous snake* are so numeroue 'enczueia that snake bite is almost common there as in India. But re are fewer fatalities, for the nais have discovered that a plant " J i\^i as the ocnmillo. when powdered applied to the wound, results in ft e in almost every case. ,