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lewis m:. grist, Propi'ietor. j ?ui Jwleprndcnt ^amil]} lUitspaper: 4'or the promotion of the political, Social, ffgrirultural and (tfommerciat Jnterests of the j^outh. jTERMS?sf2.00 A YEAR IN ADVANCE. VOL. 40. YORKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, JUNE 18, 1894. ISTO. 24. 1 - - - * - - ! .t 4..1 Tl.n A YANKEE BY CHARLES B. LE Copyright, ism. by the American Press Asstx CHAPTER XXIV. (Jncle Ben returned to the house at midnight and found Marian anxiously I waiting for news. Royal Kenton had ' told him what to tell her, and while she j was comforted in one direction she was | frightened in another. If Kenton and j Brayton had been followed over the ! mountains and blood had been shed, ! would the pursuit cease until they had been hunted down? If the man whom ; Uncle Ben had struck down in the darkness was Ike Baxter, wouldn't his information bring Captain T ' <? ?nd his company into the neighborhood .'.t once? Provided it was not Ike Baxter at all, it certainly was an enemy of 6ome sort, who would demand revenge. The outlook was indeed an anxious one, but they could only wait and hope. | It was well for the mother that she 1 was too ill to realize that anything unusual was happening. The doctor had exercised his skill to no benefit, and though permitting Marian to hope that a favorable change might occur he re- : alized that the chances of recovery were very remote. All that long night she lay as one sleeping heavily, and but for the many distractions the daughter would have noticed that the change was for the worse. Neither Marian nor Uncle Ben had reason to euspect that Mrs. Baxter had seen or heard anything that night, but she must soon know all. The girl had determined that Kenton should be brought to the house and cared for. The thought of his rude shelter, wounded j and Buffering as be was on that cold i winter's night, almost drove her wild, j It was hardly 7 o'clock in the morning, and she bad simply tasted breakfast, I when she went out to Uncle Ben and said: . "1 am ready to go and can't wait an- ; other minute. We will take 6ome more provisions, but I shall have Mr. Kenton brought to the house." "What about dat woman?" he asked. "I don't care for her. If she doesn't like his being here, she can go." "Jest look into her room, Miss Sunshine!" The door was ajar, while the woman herself was at tho other house. There was a bloody towel on a chair, bloody water in a washbowl, spots of blood on a chair and on the floor. % "It looks as if some one had sought to murder her!" exclaimed Marian as she looked about in astonishment. "I know what happened," replied Uncle Ben. "Dat pusson I knocked inter de middle o' last summer was Ike Baxter. He was follerin me from de bouse. Boaf of 'em knowed what was up. He cum to arter a bit an cum yere to hev his hurts tooken car' of. I heard a noise 'bout daylight, uu I reckon dat was when he left." "I'm glad you didn't kill him, but 1 expect Mrs. Baxter will now feel like taking revenge upon the whole house- I hold. Let us be going." Half an hour later they were challenged by Steve Brayton, who had al- j ready prepared breakfast for the wounded man and was able to report that Ken- I ton had passed a comparatively comfortable night. He met them just outside the camp, and with a wink to Uncle Ben he said to Marian. "Go right along, Miss Percy; he un's ! heard yo'r voice and is waiting fur yo'. j I want to speak a word or two to Uncle Ben." "What yo'. want to spoke to me , 'bout?" cautiously inquired the old man after they had walked away a few steps. "Nutbin, yo' old son of Africa!" answered Steve. "Don't yo' nn know j what b'longs to good manners? D' yo' reckon that gal wants anybody around when she fust claps eyes on the feller she loves like a house afire and is gwine to marry arter this cussed scrimmage is over?" "Hn! I sec!" chuckled Uncle Ben. "Of co'so yo' sees arter I has pinted ; out the way, but then yo' is only an i oie nigger and can't be spected to hev any feelin's onless kicked by a mule or licked by a passel of guerrillas." Ben then told him of the discoveries made at the house and of his belief that bis victim was Ike Baxter, and Steve looked very serious as be replied: "Then yo'kin bet we ar'in fur a redhot time! Ike Baxter will be back befo' noon with a gang at his heels, and the chances ar' that somebody will git shot I" At this moment Marian called to them, and as they entered the camp they found her dressing Kenton's wound and preparing for his immediate removal to the house. While the raiding party had , stolen the horses, as before mentioned, The girl had determined that Kenton should be brought to the house. none of the vehicles had been taken, and she argued that it would be easy for the two men to get Kenton down to the road and then convey him to the house in one of the carriages. He looked upon the plan favorably, but when she turned to Steve Brayton be said: "Beg pardon, iniss, but I can't agree with yo\ Yeie ar* the situation: Over tVior nn thfi nthpr rnnd visterdav mawil v" 9 *"V ** " " ? ^ - *> in we uns was tooken fur Yankee spies. He uns a Yank straight 'nuff, but not a spy, while I'm a purty good rebel, as the t'other side calls us. We uns hud a fuss with a fool of a Confedeiate, and he got help and tried to run us down. It wasn't over two miles awav that I dropped one and winged another. Ib that plain to yo', Miss Percy?" "Yes." "Waal, thein ciitters hain't goin to give it up without knowin who we ar' and all about us. We uns will hear from them today fur shore. Then thar is Ike Baxter to look out fur. Pity yo'r nigger didn't strike a leetle harder and finish him, but it seems that Ike got away. He un was probably sent to spy on yo', and yo' kin bet that Captain Wyle and bis critter company hain't tur off. We shall also hear from them beto' the day's over." "Well, suppose we do?" asked Marian. "Mr. Kenton has been true and loyal to Virginia and the south. He is here in Confederate uniform and has only escaped from the Federals after being taken prisoner in another battle. Suppose the Confederates do come?" "That's yo'r way of lookin at it, Miss Percy," said Stevens he twirled his hat in his bands. "My way is a leetle different. Captain Wyle, Ike Baxter and the rest of the crowd want revenge. If they find Mr. Kenton in yo'r house, they'll take him out and carry him off to some camp. They'll use him rough. They'll make charges. They'll stick right to him till they hev his life. I'm not figgerin on myself 'tall. If they don't shoot me offhand, I'll git court martialed and be chained up sumwhar till the eand of the war. Fact is, Miss Per cy, J ve jesi auoui uuu cm iuubc nuui this glorious old southern confederacy and gone over to the Yanks!" "Then what would you advise?" "Leave he un right yere fur awhile. We tins' got two guns and a revolver, : IN GRAY. :WIS, "M QUAD." 'il(tlol). ana it tne crowd comes we Kin stand 'em off a good deal better than at the bouse. Meanwhile let Uncle Ben sot out down the valley to find the Yankee soldiers and tell 'em what's up. If 'miff of 'em cum, and they cum in time, we will be all right. If not, we might as well say our prayers!" Both Marian and Kenton realized the situation as he presented it, and within five minutes Uncle Ben had his instructions. It was believed that ho would run across Federal cavalry within 10 miles of Best Haven. He was to ask for General Custer, and if he found that commander to ask him in the name of the Percys to come at once. He was to call at the house and say to Mrs. Baxter that Marian would be home within an hour. "And while yo' un's yere to look out fur the patient," said Steve Brayton to the girl as the old man moved away, "I'll jest git ready fur tho call I'm expectin!" The camp bad plenty of natural defense, but by moving 6ome of the bowlders with a lever and using such stones as he could lift as "chinking" he had the place proof against anything but artillery within an hour. While he works and Marian and Kenton plan let us follow Uncle Ben. He had been intrusted* with a message to Mrs. Baxter, but on his arrival at the house he failed to find her. Entering her room in the "quarters" in his search, he found things in such disorder that he felt certain she had packed up a few articles and fled from the place. Under no other circumstances would he have dared to look into tho bedroom of the "missus" in the other house. Alarmed at the thought that she was helpless and abandoned, ho ventured to intrude. She was lying with her faco toward him. and the first glance brought a moan to his lips. He called to her, passed into the room, called again and finally reached out and touched the whito and wasted hand resting on tho cover. It was cold as ice. He pushed forward an old black hand whicli had served her and hers for half a century and more and laid it on her face. "Fo' de great Lawd in lira ben, but de missus has dun died!" he cried aloud as he hurried from the room with chattering teeth and trembling limbs. She had seemed to bo sleeping when Marian left the house an hour or more before, but she might have been dying then. The old man's first thought was to hurry back to camp and tell tho girl what had occurred, but as he moved away he checked himself and muttered: "Jest wait now till we figger a Ketle. De good Lawd bus dun tooken de missus away, an my olo heart's ready to break wid sorrow, but I mustn't give tip to do feelin. Dar's Miss Sunshine, an dar's Mars Kenton an dat soger Steve, dey's all alive an in danger. If i tole Miss Sunshine, she couldn't do uuffin now 'cept to wing her hands an cry. No, I won't go back dar! I'll hurry up an find dem Yankees an tell 'em to cum as quick as dey kin!" He had turned about in his tracks when he heard a great clatter up the road, and nest minute he was surrounded by about 20 mounted men. Some were in uniform, and among these he noticed one with his head bandaged and at once identified him as Ike Baxter. There were others in citizens' dress, and while he was wondering who they might be one of them laughingly exclaimed: "Hello, yo' old son of satan! How does yo' un feel after the lickin yo got last night?" There was a sergeant in command of the squad, but Ike Baxter appeared to direct operations. He at first drew his saber as if to give the old negro a cut, but checking himself he said: "Now, men, look alive! Some of j*o' uns search the house and drag out that cussed Yankee and Steve Brayton, and the rest of us will drive a stake and find a chain and some firewood! I'm goin to burn this old nigger alive fur tryin to kill me last night!" CHAPTER XXV. Although surprised and confounded by the sudden turn of events,Uncle Ben did not entirely lose his head. When and his shirt torn away from his shoulders. They were going to lake his life, not mercifully, as one kills a savage beast by a bullet through the heart or brain, but they would torture him tor hours peihaps. fie could not fail to realize this, but lie did not beg for mercy. He simply shut his eyes and prayed God to give him strength to endure everything for the sake of those in hiding down the road. He would be asked to betray them. His refusal would bring other tortures, but he would refuse. "Now, then, yo' black hound, whar ar' the rest of the folks?" demanded Ike Baxter as he walked up to Uncle Ben and flourished the cruel whip. "Aye, he knows the exact spot whar they ar' hidin, and he's got to tell!" shouted two or three in the crowd. "Of co'se he knows, and I'll liev it outer he un mighty quick!" replied Ike. "I'm goin to give yo' a powerful lickin, ale man. fur the wav vo' banged me last night, but I'll make it a lectio easier if yo'll tell wliar they all is hid away." "I has nuthm to say." quietly replied the old man as he looked about him. "What! Yo' won't tell me?" "Give it to him! Cut his hide into strings!" yelled tho crowd. Ike responded by striking Undo Ben about 20 blows across tho bare back. Each blow raised a welt, and as each one fell tho victim strained and tugged at his lashings. Undo Ben had been I whipped tho "night before, but that wat more in the nature of an assault or ar attack by armed men. For tho firsl I time in his life he had been tied up ant j his back bared. He felt the shame ant indignity almost as much as the blows, " Yo' kin see what brung on this yen war," said Ike as he paused for breath. "Them air Yankees was tellin our niggers that they was jest as good as thai masters. Yere's a case of it right yere, i If he'd bin my nigger, he'd hev bin as 1 ~ - * ? i n- _ n humble as pumpKin pie, out me rercys, who hev alius bin half Yankee them selves, brung him up to think he tin was as good as anybody!" "Hurry up. Give he tin some more!" yelled the crowd, j "Thar hain't no rush about it," replied Ike as he flourished the whip. "1 want to make it last as long as I kin. It's a dod gasted pity we hain't got IE or 20 other niggers yero to look on and take warniti by his fate. I've alius [ itched to lick a nigger, but never had the chance befo'. Ar' yo' goin to tell me, yo' infernal old imp, whar thai I Yankee is hidin out?" Uncle Ben sitnj ply shook his head. "Yo' hain't, eh?" screamed Ike. "Then everybody stand i back, fur I'm goin?I'm goin to make the blood fly all over the yard!" "Stop!" Ike had his arm raised for a blow when a figure passed him and halted beside Uncle Ben. That figure had pushed its way into the circle unheard and unseen. Everybody stared in OS' i "Stopl" she cried. tonishment, and for half a minute nut s word was said. It was Marian Percy, I She was known by sight to at least hall of the gang, and the others at once identified her as "the gal" they had expected to find in the house. Let us go bad a little. When Uncle Ben left tho camj among tho rocks, she had intended tc i follow him within an hour. It had been settled that Kenton must remain where he was until a force of Federal* ; was brought to tho rescue or until it was known that ho was in no peril from the Confederates. While it was hoped ! that Uncle Ben's mission would be sue; cessful all realized the chances of its | failure. Both armies were scouting and raiding up and down and across. A i hamlet or crossroads or bridge held by ' the Federals one day would be in possession of the Confederates on the next, and vice versa. Uncle Ben might encounter a troop of Federal cavalry and ! bring them to the rescue, or he might be picked up by a Confederate troop ox a gang of guerrillas and sent off somewhere to work 011 fortifications. J "Mebbe the Yanks will come fust, I and mebbe the Confederates," replied Steve Brayton when appealed to for hit opinion. "It's goin to be nip and tuck, I reckon, but with the chances a leeth I in favor of the Confederates. Kin 1 I make bold to offer some advice?" "Why, certainly," answered Mariar | and Kenton in the same breath. I "Then let Miss Percy head fur hoim to once. We can't tell what may b< bappenin thar or what's goin to happei i yere. She's a Percy and u good Confed I erate, and nobody'll dare disturb th( ; house.*? Thein blamed guerrillas whict he heard the men crying out for revenge and looked into their pitiless faces, he felt that his last hour had come. And yet the devotion of the old slave was never better illustrated than wi what followed. As a portion of the crowd started for the house, no doubt fully expecting to find Kenton there, the old man shouted at the top of his voice: "Cum back yere?cum back! Yo' kin kill me if yo' wants to, but fur God's sako doan' put yo'r feet in dat house!*' "What's the matter?" asked one as the gang came to a halt. "De ole missus am Jyin in dar dead an all alone, an it hain't fitten dat yo' should go in!" "Whar's that Yankee? Whar's the gal? Whar's Steve Brayton?" was shouted at him. "Dun gore?all dun gone!" he answered. "It's jest like I tole yo'?uobody in dar but de dead missus!" "Go on, go on!" yelled Ike Baxter, "but look out fur yo'selves! The hull crowd of 'em nr' in thar, and they'll likely mako a fight fur it!" Tlio mpti r.qnfinnslv putered the house. firearms held ready for instant use, but at the end of seven or eight minutes they came out to report that "the cussed old nigger" had told the truth. "Dead, eli'r" exclaimed Ike Baxter as they told of the corpse cn the bed. "Waal, I'm goin to burn the house jest the same, though mebbe some of yo' tins will lug the body outdoors fust. Time 'nuff fur that after we git through with this old nigger. linn lie tin up to that post! Now, then, chain him there! Yo' old black devil, but I'll make yo' suffer fur the rap yo'giv me last night! I'm gout to begin at yo'i chin and skin yo' cl'ar down to yo'r heels! After yo've bin sknn we'll build a file around yo' and roast what's left!" Ho went to his saddle for a rawhide, one he had seemingly brought along for the occasion. When he returned with it, Uncle Ben was stripped of coat and vest I iUlieieu us ^coiciuaj *ii?j J any minit. and once they do she can'i | git away." The advice was full of wisdom, ant Marian prepared to start at once. "Got any we'pinsin the houseV" askec Steve as 6he was ready, i "No." "Kin yo' shoot a pistol?" "Of course. I have been sorry thai I left mine behind us in Winchester." "Then take this revolver. It's a bij un, but I guess yo' kin handle it. Beii I yo' ar' a southern gal, no southern mai orter trouble yo', but vo' can't alius tel what may happen. If wuss comes t< wuss, bullets will count fur mo' thai I words." Kenton advised her to take it, am Brayton assisted her down to the high way and said as he left her: "Yo' may hear some shootin up thii way doorin the day, but don't be narv i us about it and don't run any risks t< cum and see what the trnbble is." On approaching the house Mariai ; caught, sight of the horses and men ant realized what had happened and wai happening before she had made out tin | figure of the loyal old slave chained tc the post. She had felt terribly anxioui about her mother as she came along tin road, and she had grown faint at though of the troubles and perils snrrcundiiif her, but everything was forgotten tin instant she saw that circle of men. I was no wonder every man in the gan< looked at her as if spellbound when sin suddenly appeared in their midst am j cried out to stop Ike Baxter's upliftet arm. As women despise cowardice ii a man, so do men admire anything ap proaehing heroism in a woman. Mar iau rested one hand on the naked shoul der of the old slave who had trotted he: on his knee as a child a thousand times and holding the revolver ready for in ! stant use in the other, her slight fom drawn up, her brown eyes flashing, lie handsome face handsomer than ever be fore, she demanded: " Who are yon, and what is tho mean ing of this?" Every man instinctively fell back ; step or two. Ike Baxter let his arm fall } and no one dared look the girl full ii the face. For a long half minuto in 0110 spoke. Then Ike, shifting from 0111 foot to tho other and looking past lie instead of at her, muttered: "We uns cum yere to captur' tha cussed Yankee and pay this nigger of fur smashin my head last night!" "Yes, that's what we uns cum fur!' added two or three others. 1 Marian deposited her weapon on th ground and proceeded to cast off th chain by which Uncle Ben was secure* to tho post. Some of the men crowde* a little nearer, and sonio muttered am cuised, but no one interfered. Whei the slave was free, she signed to hi in t< put on his garments, picked up th weapon, and sweeping her eyes uroum tho circle she said: "You speak of capturing a Yankee Who is he?where is lie?" "Yo' know who wo mean," replle* Ike Baxter, who was recovering his as surance sooner than the others. '' W uns want Kenton, that cussed Yanke spy!" "Aye, ho un's tho man! growle three or four others. "And you call him a Yankee?you Ike Baxter!" she replied as she steppe forward to face him. "He enliste when you did. He fought when yo ran away. He has eucouuteied a scor of dangers to your one. He has don more for the cause of the south than al of you combined. When you call hit a Yankee spy, I call you a cur, and coward, and a disgrace to the unit'ori you wear!" CHAPTER XXVI. The gang had gone far enough?pel haps too far. The Percys were loyi southerners and peoploof influence, an this disgraceful raid, even though mad under a reasonable pretext, might L 6ternly rebuked by higher authorities Those in citizens' dress were 110 bette than prowlers; thoso in uniform had r. authority beyond what Ike Baxter a: I sumed. ' As Marian stood facing the crowd j | her face expressing the contempt siie i felt anil her eyes flashing a menace from t I man to man, they began to fall back [ toward the horses. [ "Docl rot my skin, but why didn't 1 kill that cussed nigger when I had a ) chance?" growled Ike Baxter. "Ar' yo' , ! all goin to let that gal stand us off in this way? If she un's hidin that Yan 1 kee, then her's a sympathizer and orter , , suffer fur it! I movo we shoot tho uigj ( ger and burn the houses!" ; "We una won't do anything of the . , 8ort,"said the sergeant, now pushing > forward for the first time. "We uns was sent yero to captur' Kenton and Brayton, and I reckon t'other things had better be left alone. If that gal wasn't in the house when yo' all search[ ed it, then whar did she cum from?" One of the men replied that he thought i ho had caught sight of her up the road [ about five minutes before she appeared ) i among them, but wasn't sure. Ike Bax[ | ter said ho had been following Uncle I Ben up the highway when assaulted, t and it was rightfully concluded that the fugitives were not a great way off. 1 I Just then they were joined by three [ more guerrillas, and the entire gang i I headed op the load and were soon out of sight. As they moved away Uncle Ben's tears began to fall, and ho whisr | pered: | "God bressyo', Miss Sunshine,fureber [ an fureber fur what yo' dun did fur 1 me, but I'ze got powerful bad news to tell yo'!" "Is mother dead?" she asked as the color went out of her face and her lips grew white. "Slio was dead when I dun got yere!" "Undo Ben," whispered the girl, choking back the wails of sorrow which 6ought to pass her lips, "I know you i are stiff and lame and sore, but I want you to try to reach the Federal army I and bring help!" "I hain't hurted much?only jest a leetle bit?an I'll start right off!" ho answered. "I'll go, an I'll keep gwino till I drap down in my tracks!" "God grant that you may be in time!" sbo prayed as she turned away to enter the house of the dead, while the old i man lost not a moment in setting out on his journey down the road. ? Let us see how things went on at the camp. Marian had no sooner left it than Stevo Brayton still farther : strengthened the defenses. The ground i to the south was fairly clear for a i charge, but in no other direction could I a body of men make a rush. The camp i was on the crest of a knoll, and no spot i within rifle shot commanded it. ; "I figger jest this way," said Steve i as ho overhauled the ammunition and I saw that both guns were ready for service?"that Ike Baxter was sent down i to tho house last night to sorter spy | | around fur Captain Wyle. -Uncle Ben didn't smash him hard 'miff, and he un crawled back to tho house, got his wife to fix him up and then skulked off. I don t recKon no un uuu mr iu gu. it a purty shore that somo of our company | will show up doorin the day, and yo' ; j kin bet yo'r last mewl that them guer- j j rillas hain't given up the chase! Befo' noon sunthin's bound to bust!" "And what would you advise?" asked Kenton, seeing that Stevo was in doubt [ about something. j "Seems to mo tho situation, is about , as follers," replied Steve. "Wo ar' 1 3 both Confederates. We've fit in several [ j battles. We've bin captured and got away. We've put in a heap o' time i ! chawin up mighty pore rations and | marchin up and down the kentry to j > I prove our patriotism. Do yo' foller?" 5 I "Yes." i "That's one side. Now the other is that a sartin gal luved yo' better'n she i ! did Captain Wyle, and fur that reason i he un has bin tryin to git sheto' yo' by 3 fa'r means or foul. He's got the wbipt saw on yo' and means to hold it. If ho gitsjiold o' yo', sunthin's goin to hap1 pen, and yo'll bo tho one to be hurt. With that major down on vo' about the I Harrisonburg font, and with Ike Baxter and half a dozen others ready to sw'ar to anything the captain wants, yo' un won't stand no mo'show than a coon t | cotchcd in a co'ncrib. Am I right?" "Yes, that's about the way of it, but ; i what about you? You have been my i friend and comrade from the start. You i i have periled your life to save mine. I 1 owe you a debt of gratitude, and I don't 3 j want you to sacrifice yourself tor my i , sake. They have nothing against you which will not be overlooked. They 1 want to get mo out of tho way, and . 1 there is every chance that they will accomplish their object. I would beself3 ish to pull you down with me after what you have done." j i "And what?" queried Steve. "Give me one of tho guns, prop mo i up over there, and then go! I'll die 1 right hero after making tho best fight 1 s ' can!" 3 "Yank," said Steve as he moved over j and held out his hand, "yo' don't begin s to know Stevo Braytonif yo' think he's 3 any sich critter! I was bo'n right down t thar at Winchester, and I've lived thar r all my life and hated and abused Yau3 kees as hard as anybody. I went into t the war with a whoop, and I jest be1 lieved everything was plumb right and 3 j all hands round till I saw how the cap1 j tain and tho hull company was playin 1 ! dirt on yo'. Yo' un's Yankee bo'n, but i I yo's got mo' clean sand in yo'r craw than anybody I ever met up with befo'! I'm goin to stick right yere. If we uns git away, I'm goin with yo'. If them r guerrillas ar' too many fur us, we'll , both dio right yere!" Kenton protested and argued, but i Steve was determined. Ho took a tin r pail which had contained food and filled it with water at a spring not far away. Then he carefully moved Kenton over to tho south side of the camp, propped him up at a loophole in a sitting posi\ tion and-sat down beside him to wait. , "I've figgered this out a bit," ho said i as ho peered through- his loophole for 3 sign of danger. "If them chaps had 3 found yo' at tho house, yo'd Lev bin r carried off to camp. Bein as they'll 45 - ' 1 1 .. ? ? 'II 1,? n I1IJU } U JUI'Ui clllll UUIII <ia uuu J1 mv t< t font, tliar won't be no carryin away if f they git the better of us!" " l'ou mean they'll kill ino hero and ' havo done with it?" replied Kenton. "Exactly, and ino too! Then tliar e won't be any charges, witnesses or trial. 0 | They'll report that we tit to thu last, 1 and it will bo all plain sailin fur them | as wants us outer the way. Thar'fore, [] in shoot in we'd better jest shoot to kill it ( and git all the revenge we kin. Steady, o now! I think tho critters hev smelt us o out!" l! Half a mile up the road from Rest Haven the gang had left their horses and divided into two parties to search tho hills on each sido of tho highway. OA i?i 1.4. ,.:..i%4. 4 .-* I DIUVO IliUl LttU^lJL M^iil m i?u ui uuuu men moving toward the camp through o the scrub. o "I won'tslioot to kill?not this time!" ho whispered as he thrust the barrel of d the carbino through the opening. "I')1 jest fling a bullet down thar to let Vin , know that the Confederate Yankee army d has had breakfast, pulled its boots on d and is ready fur bizness!" u His shot was followed by a yell which o announced to the other party that the o fugitives had been discovered, and 10 II minutes later the camp was surrounded, n Among the enemy was a man who had a seen Royal Kenton fall when fired upon, n ! and it was therefore known that ho was wounded. How far ho was disabled, however, could only bo guessed at. b'tevo Bra}'ton was known to be with him, and Steve was also known to bo a d fighter. It was therefore decided not to d open fire until other means had been ree sorted to and failed. Thirty minutes io after the first appearance of the enemy s. a flag of truco was shown among tho r scrub, and tho bearer cautiously ado vanced until within hailing distance. >- His advanco was from tho south side, j and both men had him under their eyes. I, I It was Ike Baxter, and ho halted about jiistol shot awa.v and called out: [ "Hello, up thar! 1 want to speak to yo' una 'bout a uiinit!" "Waal, tire off yo'r breath!" replied Steve. "We una has dun clean surrounded j yo' uns, and yo'd better give in!" "Yes?" "If yo' nns will give in, nobody will be hurt. If yo' uns don't give in, we 1 uns ar' bound to wipe yo'out! We uns ! is a hundred strong, with two cannons!" j i "That yo', Ike Baxter?" called Steve, j 1 as if doubting the other's identity. "Yes." "Waal, I've got my gun pinted fur a shot right betwixt yo'r doggone eyes, and if yo' hain't back thar among yo'r gang befo' I count 10 I'll pull trigger! J If yo' want us, cum and git us!" Five minutes later fire was opened on ; the fort from all around the circle, and , the enemy were shouting and cheering ; as if a victory had already been nearly i won. While most of their bullets flew j clear over the piled up rocks, those j which were better aimed did no damage j whatever. Not a shot was fired in reply. Kenton's position caused him con- j sideiablo pain, and Steve removed the prop from his back and laid him down with the remark:' . "They unswill keep bustin away fur ; half an hour yit, and we uns kin take j things easy. I reckon the firin will j make the gal a bit oneasy, but it'll also I hurry up the Yankees in case they ar' ! on the way." "That's what we must hope for,"answered Kenton, "but watch out that we I are not taken by surprise." The firing attracted the attention of a : party of seven or eight guerrillas who | were hunting for the fguitives on their nurn nrrnnnt. and tllPV came UD and joined forces with the larger body. The entire force then numbered, as near as could be estimated by the firing, about 23 men. All they could hope to gain by their blazing away as they did was thut u stray bullet might find a tarIke with the flag of truce. get in one of the defenders, but this did i not happen. After expending enough ! cartridges to equip a whole company for a raid the firing suddenly ceased. "Now, then, Yank, they all's com in j to clus quarters, and I want yo'r help!" ; said Steve Brayton as he proceeded to : raise Kenton to a sitting position and i prop him up as before. "Yo* take the j shotgun. Both bar'ls ar' loaded with j buckshot, and yo' orter drap about fo' of j the critters and wing two or three mo'l" j TO UK CONTINUED NEXT WEEK. . SENATOR VANCE'S POEM. UN Protective Pastoral About the Girl With Senator Vance once set colleagues and spectators in a roar by reading in splendid style the following pastoral, which he said was entitled, "The Girl with One Stocking; a protective pastrol composed and arranged for the spinning wheel, and respectfully dedicated to that devoted friend of protected machinery and high taxes, the senator from Rhode Island, Mr. Aidrich." <>nr Mary had a little lamb. And her heart was most intent. To make its wool beyond its worth, Bring oft per cent. But a pauper girl across the sea Had otic small lamb also Whosfe wool for less than half that sum She'd willingly let go. Anothcrgirl who had nosheep, No stockings?wool nor llax? But money enough just to buy , A pair without the tax. Went to the pauper girl to get Some wool to shield her feet, And make her stockings, not of llax But of wool complete. When Mary saw the girl's design She straight began to swear That she'd make her buy both wool and | and tax Or let one leg go bare. So she cried out: "Protect reform! Let pauper sheep wool free! If it will keep both of her legs warm What will encourage me?" So it was done, and people said Where'er that poor girl went, I hie leg was warmed with wool and one With oil per cent. Now praise to Mary and her lamb, Who did the scheme invent, To clothe one-half a girl in wool And one-half in per cent. All honor, too, to Mary's friends, And all protective acts, That clothe the rich in wool And wrap the poor in tax. The reading of this piece of dogger- j el was received with shouts of laughter, even Republican senators leaning back in their seats and giving unrestrained way to their mirth. As for the people in the galleries they screamed and yelled frantically, and when Senator Vance sat down they kept up their uproarious applause until the | North Carolina orator gravely inclined his head in acknowledgment. A Lkckxdok Solomon.?There is si Turkish legend to the following elleet: t When Solomon wus ruling on earth, the angel (Jabriel was sent to him one day with a goblet filled with the water of life and hearing from on high the message that if he ehose he might drink of the water and become immortal. Calling together all his wise counsellors, he asked their advice. They, with one consent advised him to drink and live forever. Then he summoned the birds and the beasts of the lield, and all of them gave the same advice, with one solitary exception. This was the hedgehog. Approaching the king's throne, and heading its brow to the ground thus did it speak : "If this water may be shared by thee with thy kith and kin, then drink and enjoy the bliss of living. Bui if it is intended for thee alone, then do not drink. Kor sad would it be for thee to I live on hut to see thy kinsmen and friends one after the. other disappear." "True are thy words, O hedgehog," replied the king. "To me alone has the water been sent. As thou has counseled, so will I decide." Thus spoke Solomon : and the water of life did lie not drink. ? - How SlI'kkstitlon Akfkcts Tkay1 HI..?Not n transatlantic steamship company has Friday among the days of departure, and until quite recently none of the coastwise steamship lines had put the unlucky day on its list. It would be highly desirable for an ocean mail service that some steamships should leave Atlantic ports 011 ; Friday: but while the owners are doubtless exempt from any superstition 011 the subject, they are obliged to defer to 1111 absurd popular notion, else I they would be apt to find a very small passenger list, and might possibly experience some ditliculty in obtaining a i crew. Railroad statistics show that there is less travel on Friday than on any other secular day of the week. Fxperienced travelers are so well ! aware of this that they sometimes do ; not take the trouble to secure a Pullman ticket Friday, as they are pretty sure to find an empty berth, Miscellaneous Reading. SOUTH CAROLINA INDIANS. MIt. M'CIHIXALI> I t UMAX TELLS AHOVT THE CA TA II HAS. A 1'leuHHlit Vlnlt to the Ke*ervHtion? Chief Jim Hurrlrt?I'nolf llllly (ieorjje?A rirtiMHiit Indian Home?A llont Hide on the Cutuwlm Klver?Other Mutters. From Sumter Wiitehmun tintl Soulliron. Mr. Editor: One dav. not a fortnight ago, I rambled with an Indian man over a beautiful piece of woods, which bad liere and there a settlement?the homes of Indians, for the land on which I walked belongs to the red race. Surprising as it may seem to my readers, this Indian land is in South Carolina. It is the Catawba reservation in York county, and this was my first visit to the tribe. On Monday afternoon, May 14,1 left j the pretty little city of Hock Hill, on horseback, and after a ride of !) or 10 miles over a pleasant road, I reached the Catawba nation. The first house I visited was that of Jim Harris, who was elected chief of the tribe a year ago last November. Some account of this chief will be of interest to your readers. He is a pleasant, intelligent j looking Indian, with a mustache, and was born on the reservation 35 years ago last March. He has traveled some, J having been to Washington once, and to Columbia several times. He is i a widower now. I called twice at his house, and although he was suffering from rheumatism, he talked readily with me. He said, among other things, that he didn't think a South Carolina statute could show where a Catawba had been in the penitentiary. Jim's brother, David Harris?a clean shaved rather striking looking red man, not quite 22?is the largest farmer among j the Catawbas. I called at the house of Hilly George, or "Uncle Billy," as he seems to he called by the nation. He looks like a i genuine Indian, and is about the oldest of the Catawbas, being probably in the J neighborhood of 85 or 90 years. As ilDanfn'm flnrtitiro" lift Cicrno/l fllA lllSf, V UVW.jjV treaty made between South Carolina and the Catawbas, and be claims to be the only Indian now living who signed it. There are 120 Catawbas in all; 07 are on the reservation, 28 are in far away Colorado, and the others are in din'crent places. There are two white women living in the nation, one of whom is the wife and the other the widow of an Indian. I asked the latter (who I met at Jim Harris's) how she came to marry an Indian, and she answered, " 'cause I loved them." About seven on the reservation can rend and write. I am inclined to think from what I could learn, that the Ca- ; taw ha language is not used much on j the reservation now ; even Jim Harris, the chief, can speak it very little, j "Uncle Bill" George told me that yum- i ma-rar-her was Catawba for chief, this word is not used now. This has become a mixed nation ; Epps Harris, a Catawba who claimed to be about CO years old, mentioned to ! me seven Indians who he said are about all that are fullblooded. Lewis Gordon, who went about with me over the reservation more than any other Indian, looked far more like a white man than an Indian. The Catawbas don't walk in Indian file now, and none of the children ever practice with bows and arrows. There was nothing of the Indian in the dress of those that I met. There are 732 acres, more or less, in the reservation, of which not over 200 acres are cleared, some is rented out to j whites. There seemed to be a number of paths on the reservation, and in my i walks I noticed some hills and little streams. As I said before, the woods here are beautiful. I think any one who enjoys walking about in forests, would be fully repaid for visiting the reservation, especially at this time, when spring is in all of its beauty and glory and everything looks so greeu and pretty. There are about eighteen settlements on the reservation, most of which are built of plank and have outhouses. There are patches around most of the settlements. The laws of landed property among these Indians are interesting. Whenever one of them cleans up land, it becomes his, and if he dies it belongs to his family. I visited nine of the settlements, and from what I saw I should judge that the homes of these people are about like those of small white farmers who rent land. I suppose the best house in the nation, by all odds, is the home ofKhoda Harris, the widow of Chief Allen Harris. I called at this house, which has been built three years. It has a piazza and four rooms, is surrounded by fruit trees and several outhouses, and has a very nice looking garden at its back, indeed 1 it is just such a home as any small and industrious white farmer would be proud to own. This was the most intelligent household that I visited among the Indians, lthoda is a dignified, pleasant old lady who is something over GO, and who shows the white blood strongly. She has two granddaughters at the Carlisle Indian school in Pennsylvania; one of these, Cammie Owl, lives with the Cherokees in North Carolina. Three of the young Indian men, u?i. ...1.1 u.in Uni-riu nml T.pivis (Jor don took me in a boat over to the Lancaster side of the Catawba river, where I was shown some Indian springs, an old Indian burying ground, and the place where an old Indian town once stood. A boat ride with Catawba Indians on the yellow waters of the river bearing the name of this tribe, was to me a new and pleasant experience. At one house the Indians gave me dinner, at. another supper. As well as I remember coffee, syrup and biscuit were given me for dinner, and coffee, fried meat and biscuit for supper. Hotli these meals were given me by the Indians without any suggestion or re| quest on my part, and it was thoughtful in the red people to show this kindness to a stranger. I bought some Indian wares and I also had some given me; among which is the most singular looking pipe I have ever seen?it is the shape of a cooler. These wares are real curiosities and show careful and nice work. My walks over the reservation must have amounted to several miles. One (sometimes more) of the red men kindly showed me around. I talked a great deal with the Catawbas, and took a good many notes on what I heard. There was some talk of electing a new chief that night, so I remained a while to see the election, which, however, did not come oil. Before I left | for Rock Hill I had quite a pleasant talk with a number of the men who had assembled at the house where the election was expected to occur. I could write more about my visit to the Catawba Indians, but will close, as I don't wish to make this article too long. This visit and the kindness shown me by the Catawbas will always j be remembered with feelings of pleas1 ure and interest. McDonai.h Firman. Ramsey, Sumter county, May, 181)4. * | Dkixki.m; Watkr.?"For the fewpersons who drink too much water," " I niu'oi/iion ilio nthpr iliiv. "there Ol.il. .? , ,, , are the very, very many who drink too little. Three pints daily arc necessary, absolutely necessary." And a writer in a medical journal, j I)r. Yorke Davis,says, with emphasis: I "Of all foods required?water is a 1 food ?to keep the system in healthy working order, water is the most important ; a man may live without any one particular kind of diet, whether it he flesh, fish, or vegetable, but he cannot live without water. It enters into the composition of every tissue, nnd fluid in the body. Digestion cannot be carried on without it, and when food has accomplished the nourishing of the different tissues, it is by means of water that its waste is carried away. Tx/lnn/l it'OlimO u'litni" fin* fond would IllVlVtllj IT IbllVUV IIMVVI >?. J .WW,. he jjoison, and the digestive apparatus as useless as a miller's wheel with no stream to turn it. There is not one hour of our existence, from the cradle to the grave, that it does not fill an important part in the operation of outlives." On this proposition he bases the logical sequence of the imperative demand for pure water, and condemns the inconceivable ignorance and indifference of those persons, who, hecause they cannot taste, see, or smell impurities in water, assume that they are not there. ? ? THE POWER OF MUSIC. The poet Coleridge tells us that "music hath charms to soothe the savage breast, to soften rocks or bend the knotted oak." That the two last things could be done is doubtful, and it would hardly be safe for a man, if he were attacked by savages, to depend upon a flute or a violin as a weapon of defence. Still, there ure instances in which music has been effectually used when some danger was sought to he avoided, or some important point gained. All of us can remember me ureetc legend of Orpheus. After his wife Eurydice's death, he went to Hades to seek her, taking his lyre with him. His music so charmed the gods of the dead that they agreed to permit Eurydice to return with him to earth. He started on his homeward journey, playing the sweetest strains, and his wife followed. But he looked back at her before he had crossed the border between the land of life and death, Kurydice vanished from his sight, and he returned to earth alone. Here are two stories of the power of music in which famous musicians figure. In both cases the situation was serious, but it had also a ludicrous side, and doubtless the chief actors in the little comedy used in after years to laugh over their strange experiences. Garcia, the famous tenor, and father of Malibran, a prima donna, equally as famous, was once traveling through Mexico, giving operatic performances. A revolution broke out, and he started to return to Europe. Before he had reached Vera Cruz brigands met him, and took not only his money and valuables, but also his clothes. In ransacking his things the jolly brigands soon found out that their eaptive was a singer, so they demanded a song. Garcia positively refused. Then the altitude of the robbers became menacing, and Garcia thought it well to acquiesce. He did so, and was led to a prominent position for the better enjoyment of the song. The great vocalist opened his throat, but could not proceed, whereupon his patrons hissed and jeered him. . This was terrible to bear ?insult and derision. Garcia made another effort, and burst into a flight of song winch entranced his hearers-so much so hat they restored him part of his clothes and valuables, and escorted him as near as they could safely venture to '''Something of a similar experience was once the lot of Cherubim, one of I the greatest musical composers ot modern times. He had to figure in the role of a tiddler, in spite of himself. In the stormy days of 1 <9- it wasja dangerous experiment to walk the streets of Paris. One day in that city Cherubini fell into the hands of a band of sans culottes, who were roving about seeking musicians to conduct their chants. . To them it was a special gratification to compel the talent that, had formerly delighted royalty to minister now to their own gratification. On Cherubini firmly refusing to lead them a low murmur ran through the crowd, and the fatal words, "Royalist, royalist!" went up. Yt this critical moment one of Cherubini's friends, also a kidnapped musician seeing his imminent danger, t thrust a violin into his unwilling hands and bade him head the mob. The whole day these two musicians accompanied the hoarse and overpowering yells of the revolutionary horde, and when at last a halt was made in a public square, where a banquettook place, Cherubini and his friend had to mount empty barrels and play till the feasting was over. _ TUB MIDNIGHT MESSAGE. A Telegraph Operator's.Strange Experience. An extraordinary incident occured a few nights since in the course of telegraphic business, between this city 1 and a little out-of-the-way office which, says the Pittsburg Dispatch, partakes of the occult, and goes a long way to support the claim that dreams are sometimes much more than the uncontrolled vagaries of a troubled sleep. In this case the facts are unquestionable, and may be vouched for by two operators, who have had no communicai tions since the strange event occurred. There was filed in the 1 ittsburg gen, eral office of the Western- A nion Telegraph company shortly before midnight between last Thursday and l<ndav a message which read . "William Murray, Klwood Junction, | Penn. Your mother died tonight. Come l ?The message was marked "Rush. It was shot up stairs in the pneumatic tube, and laid on the desk ot one of the best operators. This operator dn not know the name of the operate! at Klwood Junction. That is a small station on the Pittsburg and Lake brie railroad, where there is rarely any commercial business. At night theie . scarcely any railroad business, as only an occasional freight train passes the place, and that is slow business. The Pittsburg operator began call! in.r Klwood Junction, sounding the two letters which indicate that telegraphic station. There was no response and the call was continued lor sometime. Then, as still no answer came, another piece ot business was taken up and dispatched. 1 he calling of Klwood Junction was resumed. The Pittsburg operator was very busy and began to be annoyed. After several minutes of sounding the answei came. . 0? "What's the matter, old man . inquired the Pittsburg sender, over the The operator at Klwood Junction replied, "I fell asleep in my chair. "Don't do it," answered Pittsburg; "it's a bad lmbU." ^ "1 wisli l nuu noi, responueu j.iwood, "for I liatl u bud dream. I dreamed my molher was dead." "Don't mind dreams," replied Pittsburg ; "there's nothing in them. I huve a message for someone out your 1 way." The message for William Murray was then ticked over the wire. There was a brief pause when the telegram was ended. Then there came back these words from the night operator at El wood Junction : "My God ! Trouble never ceases ! [ It is my mother!" The operator at the junction was William Murray, and he had received I the message announcing the death of his own mother within an lionr oi ilie time when he had dreamed of her death. The Pittsburg operator was affected ! by the answer, and he wired a message of sympathy, asking pardon for his jesting sentences. The incident, was closed, and the wires carried other messages of joy and sorrow through the night. A St'KPKISK. i Wild beasts are easily alarmed by the unexpected. The Italian's organ ! monkey that saved itself from the bulldog by taking off its cap, evidently seemed to the startled brute a creature that could pull off its own head. A strange instance is related by an African hunter who had returned from | the Hottentot country, where he had been trapping for the animal collectors at Hamburg. He was out one afternoon with some of the natives pre: paring a bait in a rocky rocky ravine. "We bad built," he says, "a stout I pen of rocks and logs, and placed a calf as a bait. The sun was nearly I down as we started for camp, and no ' one had the least suspicion of the presence of danger until a lion, which had been crouching behind a bush, sprang out and knocked me down. "In springing upon his prey the lion or tiger strikes as he seizes. This blow of the paw, if it falls on the right spot, disables the victim at once. "I was so near this fellow that he I simply reared, seized me by the shouli der, and pulled me down. I was flat on the earth before I realized what | had happened. "I was on my back, and he stood j \vith both paws on my waist, facing the | natives, and growling savagely. The i men ran ofT about 300 feet and then I halted, which was doubtless the reason j why I was not carried off at once. "I can say without conceit that I was ! fairly cool. The attack had come so suddenly I had not had time to get : frightened. I had been told by an old j Boer hunter that if ever I found myself | in Jsuch a predicament as this, I must j appeal to the lion's fears. "Had I moved my arm to get my pistol, the beast would have lowered his head and seized my throat. So | long as I lay quiet, lie reasoned that I j was dead, and gave his attention to the natives. I "Suddenly I barked like a dog, fol| lowing the barks with a growl, and the beast jumped 20 feet in his surprise. i ur~ ...... ,1,...... I.nt Ii'nnn ll(n mill flip I lie UIIIJV wumi uvviv vvn IMV M.... I natives, and I turned to see that his tail was down. "I uttered more harks and growls, I hut without moving a hand, and the lion, after making a circle around me, | suddenly bolted, and went ofl' with ! a scare which would last a week. "If you had picked up a stick and discovered it to he a snake, you would j do just as the the lion did. He supposed that he had pulled down a man. The man had turned into a dog. He could not understand it and it frightened him." TO REMEMBER HIS MOTHER. A company of poor children, who had been gathered out of the alleys and garrets of the city, were preparing i for their departure to new and distant ' homes in the West. Just before the ' starting of the cars, one of the boys ; was noticed aside from the others, and apparently very busy with a cast off 1 garment. The superintendent stepped up to him, and found he was cutting a small piece out of the patched lining. It proved to be his old jacket, which, having been replaced by a new one, had been thrown away. There was no time to be lost. "Come, John, come!" said the superintendent; "what are you going to do with that old piece of calico?" "Please, sir," said John, "I am cutting it out to take with me. My dear dead mother put the lining into this old jacket for me. This was a piece of her dress, and it is all I have to remember her by." And as the poor boy thought of that mother's love, and of the sad death scene in the old garret where she died, he covered his face ! with his hands and sobbed as if his : heart would break. But the train was about leaving, and John thrust the little piece of calico into his bosom, "to remember his mother by," hurried into a car, and was soon far away from the place where he had seen so much sorrow. Many an eye has moistened as the story of this orphan boy has been told ; and many a heart has prayed that the (iod of the fatherless and motherless would be his friend. He loved his mother, and we cannot but believe that he obeyed her and was a faithful child. Will our little readers, whose parents are still spared to them, always show their love by cheerful obedience, knowing that this is pleasing to the Lord ? Will the boys, especially, always be affectionate and kind to their mothers? Will you keep in mind that if you should some day nave 10 look upon the fuce of a "dear dead mother," no thought would be so bitter as to remember that you had given her pain by your wilfulness or disobedience ?"?Selected. ANNEXATIONS OF TERRITORY. The Louisiana purchases, by which President Jefferson got from France the country west of the Mississippi river for the I'nited States, included the whole of the present States of Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, that part of Minnesota west of the Mississippi, Wyoming and Colorado east of the Pocky Mountains and north of the Arkansas river, i and all hut a small southwestern section of Kansas. This purchase was made in 1808 and the price paid to ! Napoleon Bonaparte for it was $15,I 000,000. In 1810 the I'nited States I purchased what is now Florida from Spain, paying $5,000,000. As a result of the Mexican war we not only took in the independent republic of Texas us a State, hut acquired by conquest what is now California, I 'tali, Nevada and large portions of Arizona, Colora do and .New Mexico. lsy me treaty of peace in 1848 our government paid Mexico for this conquered territory $15,000,000 and assumed debts due from Mexico to our citizens amounting j to $3,250,000. To settle some dispute about the boundaries of the conquered territory the (Jadsden purchase was effected in 1853 by which we paid Mexico $10,000,000. For Alaska, acquired in 1809, we paid Russia $7,200,000. It is a notable fact that all these i great annexations of territory, except that of Alaska, were made by the Democratic party, and that they were, with the single exception of Alaska, opposed by New England. ? Clrii)ki? hy tiik Compass Plant. "Among the many wonders of the Western plains," said Garrett C. Hughes, of Boulder, Col., "nothing strikes the traveler of a scientific turn of mind with more surprise than the 'compass plant.' The leaves of this singular plant are magnetic, and its petals point constantly to the north. These wonderful prairie guides have on numerous occasions proved to he an inestimable benefit to travelers who had strayed away from ?their camp and companions and found themselves lost on the plains. "In ISliO, while on niv way to the Kooky mountains by a wagon train, a party of us, who had left camp on a hunt for antelope, lost our way owing to a dark, stormy night overtaking us. I We knew that our train was camped I about 10 miles to the northwest of where ; We were lulls uveriai\un. inc iii^no was as dark as pitch, and we were beginning to be alarmed, when one of , our number happened to think of the compass plant and its singular peculiarity. We at once dismounted and groped about in the dark till at last our hands came in contact with the familiar leaves of the plant. It was but a short calculation till we turned our horses' heads in the right direction ' toward the camp, which we had the satisfaction of reaching in about two hours, hut not until we had dismounted several times to feel among the leaves of this friendly guide to make sure of our course." A SKKMOX IN A C1HCIS TENT. Forepaugh's circus was in Chicago last week. On Sunday morning there was 110 performance and Mr. Moody hired the big tent for a gospel service. ! A great multitude variously estimated at from 10,000 to 15,000, was present. It was a sight which one will not see more than about once in a life-time. Mr. McNeill and Mr. Moody each preached a short sermon, and the singing was lively and rapturous. We do not believe there were 20 disinterested people there. Attention was eager and sustained. The words of the preachers fell upon many ears unaccustomed to the gospel message. Some veteran circus people had not heard a sermon for almost a life-time. Mr. Moody's text was one upon which he so often preaches : "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save I that which was lost." After he had j finished, a little boy with handsome i face and form was brought to the plat form by au ollicer, wtio said ne nan found him wandering in the crowd, evidently lost. Mr. Moody took the J little fellow in his arms and, standing before the great throng, asked the people to look at the lost child. "This boy has a father who is no doubt at this moment looking for him with anxious heart," suid the preacher. "The father is more anxious to find his hoy than the boy is to be found. It is 1 just so with our Heavenly Father. He is seeking us today seeking us with I unspeakable solicitude. For long years He has been following you, oh, sinner; He is followingyou still. He is calling you today." At this instant a mau with blanched face and excited eye was seen elbowing his way toward the platform. As he reached it the little boy saw him and, running quickly over the platform, threw himself into the j father's outstretched arms. The multitude witnessed the sceue with breathless attention, and then broke out into a mighty cheer. "Thus," cried Mr. Moody, "will God receive you if you run to Him today. 'The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." The impression made by the incident was very great, apd as the people tiled out many eyes were tilled with t^ars. God providentially gave to the preacher a most vivid and effective object lesson with which to illustrate and enforce his message. CHILDREN'S BANK ACCOUNTS. I see a family who commenced life near 30 years ago, with a small farm worth $400 then. At the end of four years they welcomed a baby boy, and, | later, another, a little girl, and still I another boy. Feeling that these chil; dren would have to depend on them, selves, the first thing was to educate | them. To that end the mother lent a ! hand at outside work, where a child I must be kept from school if she did not. While still little ones they were taught ! to work ; and a few pennies for pick! ing up a barrel of apples made their I wfirW pnsipr Then thev nicked berries and nuts, kept a few hens, and had a patch of land to raise whatever they pleased. As they grew older they found outside work during vacation. Early in life they began to have a bank account. At 21 they each had $1,000 at their disposal, and were ready to begin their life work. The oldest is a I mechanical engineer; the second a farmer; the third, not yet 21, talks of a ; future hen farm. The daughter is a successful teacher and has also learned to bank part of her income against a time of need. The parents now have I 40 acres instead of six, and feel that although they have helped their children to help themselves, they will be dependent on them only for filial love and care as they advance in life. I see other boys?whose parents lived much less frugally all these 30 years? commencing at 21 to save the lirst doldollar that they call their own, and I think if parents could only see what their children could accomplish by littles through childhood and youth, they would gladly give them a better i chance.?Rural New Yorker. Costly Ecckntricty.?A certain savant, noted for his eccentricities, had a mania for collecting rare and curious old books, which absorbed the greater part of his not inconsiderable fortune. Among other rarities he possessed a volume which he prized most highly, as he believed it to be the only one extant. Learning one day that there existed in I'aris another copy of the same work, he stuffed his pockets full of banknotes and set out for the French capital, where he drove straight to the address of his "rival." After the usual preliminaries, the following conversation took place: "Sir, you possess a copy of such and | such a work ?" "Quite right. The book is in my librarv. If you wish to look at it, here it is." "Very good. I'll give you one thousand francs for it." "Sir, I am not a dealer in hooks." "Five thousand francs?" "I repeat?" "Ten thousand francs?" "Really, sir, I am not justified in . refusing such an oiler. Here, the book is yours." Our savant paid down the money, and received the volume. The scene of the interview was a large library, where a blazing fire was burning. Having attentively examined his newly-acquired treasure, our savant suddenly threw it into the fire with a satisfaction that he did not attempt to conceal. The Frenchman, in the belief that he had to ileal with a madman, tried to snatch the book out of the tlames, but was stopped by his visitor, who calmly observed : "Sir, I also possess a copy of this work. It is now the only one that exists in the world. I wish you a very good morning?" So Much I'kr Folio.?The following is clipped by Loudon Truth from Croake James's "Curiosities of Law and Lawyers:" Ifa man were to give to another an orange he would merely say: "I give you this orange," but when the transaction is intrusted to the hands of a lawyer to put it in writing, he adopts this form : "I hereby give, grant, and convey to you all and singular my estate and interest, i right, title, claim and advantage of in and to the said orange, together with all its rind, skin, juice, pulp and pips, and all right and advantage therein, with full power to bite, cut, suck and otherwise eat the same, or give the same away, as fully and effectually i as I. the said A. B., am now entitled I to bite, cut, suck or ortherwise eat the j same orange, or give the same away, with or without its skin, rind, juice, pulp and pips, anything hereinbefore or herinafter, or in any deed or deeds, instrument or instruments, of what j ever nature or kind soever to the couI trary in anywise notwithstanding." \