Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, June 13, 1894, Image 1
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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."
\