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VOL. 40. YOBKVILLE, S. C-, WEDNESDAY, JUNE SO, 1894. NO. 35.
A YANKEI
BY CHARLES B. L
Copyright, 1891, by the American Press Assf
CHAPTER XXVII.
Uncle Ben had started out bravely
enoimh. but after he had traveled a mile
? 0_w
or so be found himself growing faint
and weak. He was not only an old man,
bat the exciting scenes through which
he bad passed in the last few hoars, together
with the physical pain be bad
endared, were quite sufficient to tax his
strength to the htinost. He foaght
against the feeling until at length the
rocks and trees seemed to be whirling
round and round and the frozen highway
to be sliding from under his feet,
and then he dropped to the eaith and
gasped:
'*0 Lawd, doan' let it cum jest yitl
Give de ole man strength 'nuff to reach
dem Yankees, an den yo' kin take him
away I I dun can't stop yere, O Lawd!
I'ze got to keep trabblin till I finds Mars
Custer an tells him dat Miss Sunshine
wants him!"
After a rest of three or fonr minutes
he rose up and moved on. He slipped
and staggered as he advanced, but he
shot bis teeth hard and would not yield
to the-weakness seeking to pull him
down. Two events happened to brace
him up and restore a portion of his
strength. He had gone a distance of
about tjvo miles and was just passing
the cabin of a "poor white" which had
boen deserted for the last month when
Mrs. Baxter suddenly appeared. She
had traveled two miles toward the Yankee
lines after leaving Rest Haven instead
of going the other way, but it was
to strike a pfcss leading over the range
into the Shenandoah. She had been
waiting there in hopes to hear from Ike,
who had told her that he would return
for his revenge. Uncle Ben was no
doubt possessed of the information she
longed for, and though realizing hip
feelings toward her she made bold to
step out and accost him.
"What, yo* yere!" shouted the old
man at the top of his voice as soon as he
set eyes on her. "Fo* de Lawd, worn
an, bat n l eDer git nanus on yo i u
kill yo' for shore!"
"Had Ike cam when yo' left the
place?" she asked, pretending not to notice
his oatbnrst of anger, bat at the
same time preserving a respectful distance
between them.
"Yo'olecat! Yo' ole she debbilt"
be exclaimed as be rushed at her. " Yo'
un de one who brang all dis trabble
to Miss Sunshine, an I'll broke ebery
bone in yo'r body!"
She retreated before him and held up
her band as a caution tojiim to listen.
The soldiers and guerrillas had begun
firing on the camp. The distance was
two miles or more, but the morning
wind was blowing from the south, and
the reports of the muskets came plainly
to their ears. Both realized at once
what was going on. The woman
laughed as she observed:
"Ike's goin to git 'em fur ehorel Ike
will be an ossifer now and ride the best
critter in the company. Reckon yo'
must 'a' bin bidin out when Ike got
thar, or yo' wouldn't be yere now. He
wa3 goin to burn yo' un alive."
The reports of the guns told Uncle
Ben that the two men in camp bad been
attacked, and that be had not a moment
to waste with the woman. All his
strength and resolution had returned,
and without heeding her words he started
off at a stoat pace. She felt certain
of bis mission, and she was determined
A- Ju:? boTfar
IU UCtaiU UJ1U li. puooiuic. iuid. uaawt
was Dot only a fearless woman under
all circumstances, but in such a crisis
as this she was desperate. If Uncle Ben
brought help, all that had been gained
would be lost, and Ike might be killed
or captured with the rest of the gang.
She stepped aside to let the old slave
pass and then followed at his heels,
threatening, taunting and commanding
by turns and almost daring to lay hands
on him. If she bad been armed with
knife or pistol, she wonld have attacked
him at once. As she was not she continned
to follow him in hopes of encountering
soine one on the highway.
If a white man, and she cried ont to
him that the black had dared to raise
his band against her, Uncle Ben would
be seized, if not shot down in his tracks.
Aggravated and annoyed by the pain
of the blows inflicted by Ike Baxter,
maddened by the woman's words and
her continued presence and rendeied
desperate by the danger of the general
situation, it was 110 wonder the old man
suddenly turned at bay with the glare
of a hunted wolf in his eyes. She was
too close to him to escape. Springing
forward, he seized her by the shoulders,
lifted tier ironi tue grounu, anu wnn
a mighty effort he flung her clear of the
road. At that point the ground sloped
sharply away toward a ravine, and as
the woman struck the earth with stunning
force she rolled over and over until
she finally brought up against a bush
50 feet away.
"De Lawd furgive me, but I couldn't
dun help it!" groaned Uncle Ben as he
continued his way. "Dey's arter Miss
Sunshine, an dey's arter me, au dey's
arter Mars Kenton, an de good ole missus
am lyin dead in de house, an what's
gwine to becum of us all I dunno!"
With eyes fastened on the pathway,
with teeth hard shut, with words of
prayer rising to his lips and a constant
struggle against the feeling of despair
seeking a lodgment in his heart, the
faithful old slave pressed 011, mile
after mile, and suddenly found himself
confronted by a party of horsemen in
blue uniforms. The goal had been won,
and as he realized it up went went his
arras, and he sank down on the icy road.
' Runaway darky, but he isn't pursued
that I can see," observed the captain
of the troop as he ordeied a halt.
"Some of you men liven him tip with
a sip of whisky."
A sergeant dismounted and put a
flask to Uncle. Ben's lips and forced
some of the contents down his throat.
In a couple of minutes the old man sat
up and looked around.
"Were you running away?" asked
the captain as he rode closer.
"Whar?whar's Mars Custer?" gasped
Uncle Ben in reply.
"Ueneral Custer? Ob, he's some
miles away. Did you want to see him?"
"Miss Sunshine dun wants him, sail
?wants him to cum quick! De gorillas
an de sojers am up dar tryin to burn
de house an kill eberybody!"
Uncle Ben was so overcome that it
took 10 minutes to get his story straight.
The troopers numbered only about half
a company and had been sent out to intercept
a Confederate mail courier who
was expected to enter that valley
through Hempstead's gap, three miles
away. The captain wrote a note and
sent it off to the Federal lines by courier,
but could do no more in the matter.
Uncle Ben was given somo rations to
make a breakfast of, provided with a
blanket by a kind hearted trooper and
instructed to wait for the force which
would bo sure to come up within two
or three hours.
Let us anticipate their coming. As
the fusillade bad drawn no reply from
the fort, the enemy at length concluded
that its defenders had been disiibled.
They also realized that the sounds of
battle might reach Federal ears and
tirirn* nn n force to the rescue, and it
w**-o -r ? ?
was therefore decided to advance upon
the canjp without farther loss of time.
As Brayton had predicted, they formed
on the open ground to the south. The
* entire torce formed in two lines for
a charge, and as a movement or two
showed that they were about ready to
advance Steve quietly remarked:
"1 dunnowhar Jeff Davis bought this
5 IN GRAY.
EWIS, "HI QUAD."
>vlutiun.
I yere carbine, but it was a mighty cute
I trick in birn. She's good for seven shots
as fast as I kin pull trigger, and that
[ means that sumbody's goin to git hurt.
Yo' nn hold yo'r buckshot till they git
on this side of that bush. How yo' feelin,
YankV"
"All right."
I "Of co'se vo' ar\ Yo' ar' lookin jest
as natural as an ole bat! Yere they
: cam!" ?
With a chorus of yells that would
have done credit to a war party of Paw
nees, the enemy broke cover and ad!
vanced at a run. They were hardly in
i the open before Steve began blazing
! away. His fire was fast and deadly,
' but it did not check them. It was only
: when Kenton, who was coolly waiting
I for them . to pass the bush, let fiy both
barrels into them at ju6t the right range
for buckshot to do its best that the
charge was broken, and every man on
j his feet sought safety in precipitate re,
treat.
j "That is awful!" whispered Kenton
as the smoke blew away and gave them
! a clear sight of the ground.
"Lands, but wo uns hev licked the
| hull southern confedeiacyl" answered
| Steve.
At first sight it seemed as if half the
charging foice had been wiped out,
i but after a moment some of those who
i had fallen began to creep away to i.he
shelter of the rocks and bushes. They
were allowed to do this without molestation.
Five remained there in plain
sighf, however, and not one of them
would ever stand on his feet again.
; There was no further movement for half
an hour. The besiegers realized that
they were not strong enough to carry
that fort, oven though it held only two
' "SN
Holding the fort.
' defenders, and they resorted to strategy.
A flag of truce finaHy appeared, and the
soldier1'who boro it was permitted to
approach within 30 feet of the rocks.
- There he halted and said that 10 more
men had come up; that Ike Baxter had
been sent off to the Confederate lines
-.for artillery and more soldiers; that the
men then surrounding them had become
so desperate that unless the twain sur.'
rendered within 10 minutes a squad
would be detailed to go and burn Rest j
Haven and wreak revenge on Marian j
r Percy.
It was a threat intended to strike :
Royal Kenton a heavy blow, and it sue- |
ceeded. As he heard the words and re- ]
j alized their import his face grew white j
as snow, and he whispered to Steve that j
the terms must bo complied with.
"Don't you believe it!" was the blunt :
reply. "It's simply a game to rattle us. i
Don't yo' remember that Uncle Ben was j
to start out the fust thing this mawnin ;
to find the Yankees? He un's had time, I
and it's likely they are on the way. The;
gal is southern and loyal, and even i
though sum of these chaps ar guerrillas
[ .they dasn't go that fur."
"But suppose they dared to?" pleaded j
Kenton.
"Then they'd do it arter they had cut
us to pieces, the same as befo\ Look at
them dead folks out thar. D'ye reckon
they'll spare us arter that? Hark!
Whoopee! By the livin jingo, but the
Yanks hev showed up at last!"
CHAPTER XXVIII.
The courier dispatched by the captain j
of the Federal troop reached tho lines
in due time and handed the message to !
General Custer, whose brigade was in
winter quarters, but scouting and reconnoitering
almost daily An order had !
been issued by the general in command
of the army in tho valley outlawing all
Confederate irregulars and directing .
special attention to Mosbv's band.
Within halt an hour after receiving
the courier Custer dispatched two companies
of the Sixth Michigan cavalry,
with instructions to push forward at a
gallop, and 30 minutes later ho followed
them with the First and Fifth
regiments and a battery of artillery.
The flying column found old Undo Ben
' patiently waiting by tho roadside and
stopped long enough to hear his story.
He gave them the lay of tho camp occupied
by Kenton and Bray ton and was
left behind to wait for the main column.
Perhaps the besieging force was in
earnest in making the statement which
fell from tho lips of tho flag of truce
| man as an alternative. They had suffered
too severely to try another charge
up the narrow way, and the fusillade
maintained for hours had been lead
thrown away. Ike Baxter had indeed
been sent away for re-enforcements and
a piece of artillery, and the guerrilla
portion of the force was thirsting for revenge
and rife for the most desperate
deed. The girl had defied them, and
her lover had killed two or three of
their number, and somebody must be
made to suffer.
The sergeant in command of the squad
of Confederate cavalry had no control
over the guerrillas, but when, as they
waited to hear from the men behind
the rocks, ho heaid theiu planning
to wreak their vengeance on Rest Haven,
ho did all in his power to dissuade
them. They seemed to abandon the
idea, but under pretense of "having a
talk" four or five of them slipped away
and started for tho house. They were
within 20 rods of it and had already divided
up the wicked work to be swiftly
accomplished when the flying squadron
turned a bend in the highway and was
upon them. They turned to flee, but
half a dozen revolvers cracked, and they
were dead men as the last set of fours
jumped over their bodies lying on the
highway. Not a trooper slackened his
rein or a horse broke his gallop.
"Halt! Dismount! Fourth men hold
horses! Deploy to tho left! Forward
and fire at will!"
It was a complete surprise to the Confederates,
who had collected in a body
to hear what answer might be made to
the message sent in. They made a show
of defense, but after a tight of five minutes,
during which they lost 10 or lit
men, they threw down their arms and
surrendered. This event was known in
the camp almost as soon as outside of it,
and the cheers which .Steve Bray ton uttered
as he perched himself on the rocks
were plainly heard as far as Rest Haven.
"Yalik, old boy, we uns is on the top
limb now, "chuckled Steve as he leaped
down and shook Kenton's hand. "Bein
as I've got sorter used to the sight of
Yankee uniforms, I reckou I'll drop over
tbar and tell 'em about yo' and see
what's goin to be uone."
"But tell them of Miss Percy first,"
replied Kenton, whose anxiety was far
greater than be had dared betray to his
comrade.
The prisoners were conducted to the
highway and surrounded by a guard,
and then the senior captain accompanied
Brayton back to the camp. They were
not long in deciding what should ho
done with Kenton. They would remove
1 him to Rest Haven, temporarily at
least, and the prisoners would he held
I there until the main column came up. i
j A rudo litter was soon constructed, and
J Kenton was placed thereon and borno
away.
A feeling of dumb despair crept over
I Marian Percy as sbe entered the house
I alter Uncle Ben's departure and looked
upon htr dead. The event was not en;
tirely unexpected, and yet it was a great
shock to her, surrounded as it was by
such trying circumstances. The mother
! dead, Mrs. Baxter gone, her lover I
J wounded and besieged by bloodthirsty
; men, Uncle Ben gone after help, an almost
certain knowledge that the worst
was yet to come?what wonder that the
c?iri wns KTrirken and heloless? The re
port of every musket reached her ears
I ?
The report of every musket reached her
ear8.
and now and then as the firing died
away a little her heart stood still nt the
thought that Kenton and his comrade
! had been captured by those who thirsted .
for their lives. She could only weep and ;
; pray as the hours dragged away. Hopo !
came to her only when she heard the
clatter of iron hoofs on the frozen road
and looked out to behold the two companies?of
Federal cavalry sweeping up
; the highway to tho rescue. Uncle Ben
had been in time, and she murmured,
"God^ bless him!" as sho realized what
it meant. The dead guerrillas lry in
plain sight as tho troopers pushed on,
and she shuddered as she realized what
might have been. The dead were forgotten
for a moment in her anxiety for'
the living. There had been no firing for
the last 10 minutes. Had the camp been
captured? Had help come too late? She
stood in the open door and held herself
on her feet while she listened. A sudden
crash of musketry told her wW she
was yearning to know. Tlie federal
troopers had attacked, and they were
strong enough to beat off or annihilate !
the besiegers. Half an hour later she
was crying and sobbing and saying to
the men who bore the litter:
1 "Carefully now! Bring him right in
this way I 1 am so glad! I was afraid
that he was dead!"
The prisoners were confined in the ;
barn. Of the entire force not one had
escaped except Ike Baxter, and that
only because he was absent. There were
a dozen or more dead men to bury, and
after awhile a detail was sent back to
perform the work. A dozen dead, but
no wounded.* If yon were in the valley
that winter, yon will recall the bitterness
existing between the "irregulars,"'
who were practically bushwhackers and
guerrillas, and the Federal cavalry. No
prisoners were taken on either side. If
a Federal detachment was cut off, never
a man returned to his lines. If a courier
was captured, he was shot in his
tracks or hung to the limb of a roadside
tree. There was no more mercy shown
on the other side. The capture of an J
armed man in citizen's dress or half
uniform meant that he had only 15 minutes
to live at the furthest. If he
claimed to belong to Mosby's band, he
courted death the sooner. Men who fell
in a fight went down to be buried there.
Custer with his troopers found Uncle
Ben eagerly awaiting them. The old
man was given a seat in an ambulance,
and within a few minutes the general
had heard his story. The order was given
to push on at a faster pace, and the !
command reached Rest Haven just as
the prisoners, had been placed under
guard. A surgeon accompanied the
column, and while he was busy dressing
Kenton's wounds General Custer was
holding an interview with Marian Percy.
The result of this was an order that
the dead woman and the wounded man
should be taken back to the Federal
lines?the one for burial, the other for
proper medical treatment. Whatever
Marian wished to take away would be
transported for her, and the place would
be abandoned.
Steve Brayton had come out of the (
affair a greater hero than ho had ever
hoped to be. Although frankly .acknowledging
himself an escaped prisoner
and now again captured by the enemies
of bis cause, every Federal who
understood how he had foytified the
camp and defended it to save a wounded
and almost helpless fellow Confederate
insisted on taking him by the hand and
tendering him hearty congratulations.
Even General Custer himself did not
withhold a word of praise after learning
from Marian and Kenton of Brayton's
bravery and self sacrifice.
"Waal, gineral. I dunno about all
this, "replied Steve, with a good deal of
embarrassmnet. "Reckon I was the
means of gittin that Yank into the Confederate
service, and now it looks as if
I was the means of gittin him out and
myself along with him. We uns hev
been driv outer the southern army by
that fout up at the camp, and if yo' uns
don't tako keer of us I reckon wo uns
will liev to hunt a cave sum what: and
hide away till the war is over."
The packing tip had been accomplished,
and the dead woman was about
to bo carried out of the house when the
burial party was driven in by a strong
force of Confederates. Ike Baxter had
galloped into the Confederate lines, only
five or six miles away, with information
that speedily sent two companies of cavalry
down the road as a re-enforcement.
One of these was Captain Wyle's, and
he smiled grimly as he recalled the circumstances
of his last ride over this
highway.
Ike Baxter had come into camp on a
previous occasion to report that Kenton
and Rravton were hidimr out near Rest
Haven, and that he had heen nearly
killed by Undo Ben while trying to follow
him to the hiding place of the fugitives.
Captain Wylo would wash his
hands of the affair, hut a detachment
was sent away with orders to hunt down
and bring in the prisoners. Steve Brayton
might lie brought in, hut he very
well knew that Kenton would not be,
whether found wounded and helpless or
not. After the detachment had accomplished
its work he would seek a meeting
with Marian Percy, hut not before.
Sho could not hold him responsible for
the action of others.
As the Confederates came down the
road in pursuit of the burial party Custer
ordered forward three or four companies,
and the pursuers became in turn
tho pursued. But not for long. A heavy
foreo of troopers in gray were coming
up, and even a child could have told .
what that look on General Custer's face
i portrayed. For long weeks ho had tried
- * C_1.i rpt...
to 1)11 ng on a cavairy ngiiu xuu iiuui
had come!
CHAPTER XI.
It is within an hour of sunset on a
winter's day. An inch of snow covers
tho earth like a royal carpet, and dark
and ragged clouds drive fast across a
cold blue sky.
In front of Rest Haven, looking to
tho south, the hills recede and leave an j
! almost level plain on which there is no j
1 greater obstruction than an occasional
tree or tnnni. A creek which h;is its 1
birthplace in the mountains meanders
across this plain, but divides it about
equally. The plain is large enough for
5,000 cavalry to maneuver on, and
along its edges aro a dozen spots on
which field artillery can bo posted advantageously".
Attention, now, l'or you are going to
witness one of tho grandest sights in
war?a cavalry fight! Only a few of the
Confederates have appeared in sight,
but Custer has guessed the situation and
is preparing for it. While he is issuing
orders and the squadrons are moving
and the artillery galloping into position,
one of his aids is hurrying up the move
to abandon the house. Wrapped in her
bedding instead of n shroud, the dead
woman is borne to an ambulance by |
troopers with uncovered heads and reverent
mien?troopers who will be shouting
like devils and wear the looks of
madmen half an hour hence. Marian
goes with her dead, Royal Kenton into
an ambulanco by himself. The vehicles |
take the road for the Federal lines.
"You aro a noncombatant and had ;
better go with him," the officer said to
Btevo Br ay ten as Kenton was ready to
go"Sense
me fur differin with vo',"
replied Steve, "but if it won't do no j
pertick'ler harm I'll stay and see this
tuss over with. It's goin to be a right |
smart scrimmage, 1 take it, and as it'll
probably be tho last fout I'll see I'll
sorter hang around. Thar's that ole
nigger, though?don't leave him."
Undo Ben stood in the midst of the
bnstlowith bundles and packages in his
anus and at his feet. He was told to J
get into the vehicle with Kenton, and
next moment six horses were galloping j
a gun over the spot where he had stood.
Look to the south. The Confederates ;
are debouching from the highway and
deploying on the plain. Their hearts '
are filled with rejoicing as they behold
the foice of Federals opposed. They,
too, have longed for a battle in which
the infantry should have no part, and
the oft expressed wish is about to be
gratified.
There is no advantage of position.
Two thousand Federals, 2,000 Ccnfed- j
erates, and each has a battery number
The artillery galloping Into position.
ing six pieces. Custer's guns could
reach the gray horsemen as they deploy,
but every piece is silent. A charge by
half his command across that snow covered
plain would have swept the held at
first and crushed the Confederates back
into the narrow highway to become a
panic stricken mob. No charge was ordered.
The man whose name was to become
a household word before the end
of the war and whoso life was to be
spared on 20 fields of battle that it j
might go out with the shouts of Indian ;
demons ringing in his ears sat his horse i
and watched and waited. He had come j
to the brigade of stalwart Michigan- i
ders a few months previously fresh from |
West Point. He had been called a boy, j
and men and officers had taken no pains '
to conceal their sarcasm and distrust.
Two or threo times he had led them i *a 1
dash there, but little fighting resulted, j
He would test them now, and they ;
Bhould weigh him in the balance.
Boom! Boom! Boom! The Confed- ,
erate battery is the first to open fire, and
it is promptly responded to. The verj
first missile is a percussion shell, and it
drives its way into the house so lately
occupied by the living and the dead,
and in its explosion brings wreck and j
ruin. Twelve guns are belching their I
death missiles across the open space
when a sudden cry rises to the lips of a
thousand men. From the western edge
of the plain, where the pines grow
thick, a womap suddenly appears to
view. She is bare headed, and her hair
is flying about her shoulders. She has i
neither shawl nor cloak, and her dress I
is ragged and torn. She has a stick in j
her hand, and she waves it as if it were
a sword in the hand of a man and starts ;
at a wild run for the eastern edge of
tho plain, right across the front of the )
lines drawn up in battle array. The cry i
of astonishment which greeted her appearance
becomes a shout of warning,
but 8ho does not heed it. Enveloped by
tho smoke of their guns, tho artillerists
do not see her. Their hearing deadened j
by the loud reports, they do not catch :
tho shouts uttered by Federal and Confederate
alike. Round shot and shell go
whizzing and shrieking over the snow,
and men waiting for battle shudder at
tho woman's danger.
TT..UI TT?
"Wnosuiatr nan: niun nu tan
never do it! He's sure to be killed!"
So cried ">00 Federals as Steve Bra}*- i
ton, mounted on the horse of a trooper
ho had been asked to hold for a moment, i
dashed straight out into the plain to I
head tho woman off. He knew her the
moment she stepped out of tho woods.
Uncle Ben had told him cf tho meeting I
with Mrs. Baxter on tho highway. He J
had flung her down tho hank with tre- .
mendons force, and as ho came hack
over the road with Custer's men ho expected
to find her lying there dead.
Nothing was to he seen of her, however,
and his mind was greatly relieved. In
her tall, as was afterward known, tho
woman's head struck a stone, and the ,
skull was fractured. When she struggled
up she was no longer sane. She
had been wandering through the forest
for hours before sho appeared on tho
battlefield, but she encountered no one j
and found no shelter.
Never was there a more gallant deed
than that performed by Stevo Brayton,
and never was hero 111010 heartily applauded
by friend and foe. Ho galloped
his horse straight at tho woman, and as
he came up to her he leaned over in the i
saddle, caught her with both hands, and
next instant sho was on the saddle hefore
bini, and tho horse was flying hack !
to tbo Federal lines. The woman fought
and screamed, and fragments of bursting
shell whizzed and whirred around
and above horse and riders, hut they !
dashed into tho lines unhurt, and tho I
gallant rescuer was directed tocontinuo
down tho road until tho woman could
be placed beyond danger.
Turn quick to tho south! You will
never see a grander spectacle than this.
Tho Confederate command, divided into
three divisions, with double lines
dressed as if on parade, has received tho
order to advance. They had waited lor
Custer to charge, but tho chevalier was
also a strategist. His aitillery, being
better served, was creating tho most ;
havoc, and ho could afford to delay. J
Look! Look! As tho gray horsemen he
gin to move Custer's guns, which havo
been grouped in front of his center,
limber up and move at a gallop?four
of them?two to the right and two to
the left. In three minutes they are on
his flanks and loaded with grapeshot
and canister. The Confederate battery ,
does not follow the example, and as the
horsemen move forward the 'guns are
useless.
"Trot! Gallop! Charge!"
You hear the bugles sound tho order,
and you see 2,000 sabers flash in the '
sunset as 2,000 horsemen thunder over
tho plain. Give them credit for bravery
even to recklessness. Before tho
horses are off a trot the murderous grape- j
shot are knocking them down by dozens, !
and as the artillerists change to canister j
2,000 Federal carbines also open fire. j
"Rally! Re-form! Forward!"
Above tho roar of cannon and inns- I
ketry you can catch the notes of thp
bugles, and as the smoke lifts here and
there in spots the eye can detect the gray
horsemen seeking to obey tho calls. 1
They do rally. They do re-form. They ,
do push forward under that terrible
fire, but only to be broken up and swept
aside. The Federal artillerists get the
order to cease firing, the crackle of musketry
dies away, and five minutes later
tho smoke has drifted off, and the eye
can scan tho plain. Beaten, broken,
slaughtered, and yet the gray horsemen 1
are trying to rally again!
Now is the moment, and Custer has
waited for it. Only the dead and
wounded are left behind as he moves
out. as his entire command sweeps
straight across tho plain and falls npon
the broken and disorganized enemy.
They rally here and there by the score
and meet the shock. They fight singly
and by twos and threes. Men wait and
die rather than ran away. Brave men,
all of them?men whoso deeds will be ,
spoken of around our campfires for years
to come. The only criticism" will be
that they did not have a leader equal to
Cnster in the murderous art of war.
Night has fallen, and the fight is over.
There are prisoners to be guarded,
wounded to be cared for, dead to bo J
counted for the official report and spoils I
to bo gathered up. The clouds have
driven away to the east, and the canopy I
of heaven is studded with bright stars, j
There is no moon, and the' blood spots j
on tho snow gradually fade away and j
aro lost to sight.
Hark! That sound is the cry of j
wounded men blended into one great i
wail forsuccor. It is freezing cold, and
they are in torture. Hark again! That ,
grewsomo sound rising at intervals
above the wailing comes from the
wounded horses. They are also begging ,
and pleading. Some are limping about I
among the dead and wounded men as if ,
seeking their masters, pausing now and j
then to rub their cold noses against a
body, while others are lying down and
lift their heads only to utter a whinny
which tells of fright and pain. Thank j
God that night and darkness come to
the battlefield to hide its horrors! In
the darkness we shall search out all tho
wounded, but we shall not be forced to
look upon the mangled dead?mangled ;
!?. nUAi n/I rtfonn onrl ilto irnn I
uy dxjui mm oiicji (iiiu uuu wiv ?vm
hoofs of tho charging horses until resemblance
to humanity is lest and one \
cries out in horror.
CHAPTER XXX.
While tho fight was raging tho house
and "quarters" were both in flames,
fired by the shells from a Confederate
guu. But for the strenuous efforts of
the detachment guarding the prisoners
in the barn tnat structure would have
also been reduced to ashes. It therefore .
came about that when the battle was
over and men began -to bring in the
wounded the barn was the only shelter
to be had. The prisoners were turned j
out and the place given up to moaning, j
groaning men and those who sought to
succor them. Tho sounds of battle had
been heard in the Federal lines, and a
brigade of infantry arrived about 8
o'clock in the evening. While their
services were not needed, the half dozen
surgeons sent out with tho column had [
work to last them the long night through
and far into the next day.
It is a grim sight, a field hospital like
this, and they are grim men into whose
hands the wounded fall as they are lifted
off the stretchers, groaning, cursing
or crying. The flight of a snowflake in
a gale of wind is not more erratic than
the flight of death missiles in a battle. ;
Here aro men wounded in the face; the
next three or four may be wounded in
tho feet or ankles. Sabers have descended
upon heads and shoulders; bullets
have plowed their way into arms, sides, j
hips or legs; fragments of shell have
carried away fingers and reduced hands
to pulp. Of a hundred men no two have j
received tho same hurt.
Rude tables have been prepared, and <
stroDg men lift each victim up to be
overhauled by the men who have stripped
otf coat and vest and rolled their
sleeves far back. They look like butchers
in a slaughter pen, but their hearts
aro tender toward these victims of bat- ,
tie, whether friend or foe. The bitter- 1
ness of battle is at its height when the
crash of artillery and the crackle of
mnsketrv are fiercest. When the battle is
over, whether victorious or defeated,
pity returns to the heart and blinds the
eyes to the color of the uniform. Over
each man lifted up there is a brief consultation.
Those bare armed men need waste no
time. They can tell almost at a glance
what the result will be. If it is a mortal
hurt, the poor fellow is lifted aside |
to breathe his last as peacefully as possible
under such surroundings. If there
is hope for him, his wound is dressed
with agile jingere, and he gives way to
the next.
"That's Captain Wyle, my company j
captain!"
So exclaimed Steve Brayton as he en- i
tered the barn about 11 o'clock at night ;
to seo if lie could recognize any Confederates
being brought in. The captain
had just been lifted to the table. Ho
was conscious, but had not yet spoken.
Those who brought him in said that he
was pinned to tho earth by the hind
quarters of his dead horse, and that the
animal was fearfully mangled by grapeshot.
"Shoulder dislocated, ribs bioken,
leg broken, struck in tho groin by a carbine
ball," announced the surgeon who
made a rapid investigation.
"Any hope fur me?" asked tho captain,
whoso lips had been moistened
with whisky, as it was observed that ho \
desired to speak.
Tho surgeon shook his head and motioned
to the attendants to lift tho officer
aside. When they had left him,
Steve Brayton sat down besido him and
bathed his face with whisky and gavo
him to drink. Tho captain had recognized
him at once, but it was several
Tnnnrinrl
nullified ufiuit nu tjuv.iiw? i
"You and Kenton were in the fight
at Harrisonburg and were captured.
How came you here?"
"We una made a bolt fur it on the
road and got away."
"And what has happened here?"
"Waal, Kenton was wounded, then \
mo and him stood off Ike Baxter and his {
crowd, then the gal's mother died, then j
tho gal and Kenton liev bin driv away
to tho Yankee lines. Sorry tur yo', cap,
and sorry fur tho rest of 'em, fur our
hull crowd has bin wiped off tho face of
tho airtb!"
"Have wo been defeated?"
"Regularly cleaned out, cap. I don't
believe a hundred of our men got away. ;
'Cordin to what them doctors say, yo'
can't pull through this. Do yo' want to
leave any word with me?"
"No," whispered tho captain after a
moment's thought.
"Not even fur the gal? She won't
bear no grudge when she hears yo' ar'
dead."
The captain shook his head and closed
his eyes. Steve moved away after a few
minutes to look for other Confederate
wounded, and two hours later tho officer's
dead body was carried out with
others to make room for tho wounded.
When morning came and the dead
were gathered for burial, Steve Brayton ,
found many that ho could identify. In
<Wil n full half of his own company
had been wiped out, and among them
was Iko Baxter. But great as was tho
Confederate loss, that of tho Federals |
was severe. History fras said of that
first real cavalry fight of tho war that
it was terribly brief in duration and ap- I
palling in its list of dead and wounded.
It was almost night of tho day following
tho fight before the last of the Federals
moved off and left the field. And
how changed was Rest Haven, and what
a misnomer the titlo which had been
given to it in the years of peace! Cinders
and ashes showed wliero the houses
had stood. Across tho plain, furrowed
by shot and shell and hoof, its snow
white carpet now spattered and blotched
by a thousand blood stains, they had
dug long trenches and covered in the
dead. Trees had been cut down, hushes
uprooted, and over acres of ground was
strewed the wreck of battle.
#*#**
I have but few more pages to write.
My story has not been all romance, and
it is with a feeling of selfishness that I
part from those of my characters who
are with us in the fiesh today, and whose
bands I have held in mine within the
last twelvemonth. At the opening of my
story Winchester was described as a
quaint old town. That was true of it?
a quaint oin town or quaint ^nouses uiju
streets and people. War wrecked it
again and again. Every street and
square and alley witnessed a death grapple.
Every building which escaped the
flames was marked by ball or bullet. A
few months ago I looked in vain for
trace of war. Here and there a quaint
old house still stands, but the town is
full of the bustle of these rushing days.
Ah, but there was a trace of war after
all. Up in the cemetery skirted by the
Berryville pike I found grave after grave
in which soldiers slept their last long
sleep, each name engraved on the stone,
and behind them the pitiful spot over
which all may sorrow, but no one weep
?the resting place of the "unknown."
It was many days ere Kenton or Marian
or Mrs. Baxter walked in the sunshine.
In the case of the latter perhaps
it was better that her mind groped in
the darkness, apd that it was months
before she could realize her widowhood.
General Cnster kindly sent her on to
Washington for treatment,and for weeks
and weeks she kept calling out:
"Ike said he'd go fur help to captur'
tne lanKeo, due ne nam i uuu cumo
back yit. Ike's goin to be a great ossifer
and hev a sword and a pranein critter,
and I'll bold up my head with any
of 'em."
Where is Uncle Ben? Gone to his
rest years ago, but ho lived to see the
end of the war and to enjoy for a season
the haven of rest which kind hearts
created for him.
There was a marriage in Winchester
about two months after the battle of
Rest Haven. They called it a military
marriage, because more than 50 Federal
officers attended, because a Federal
chaplain officiated, because a Federal
band serenaded the happy couple. Who
do you think gave away the bride? General
Custer, who became a groom himself
only a few days later. Royal Kenton
had recovered from his wound, and
the keen edge of Marian's grief had
been somewhat dulled by lapse of time
and the excitement of her surroundings.
It was better so. Kenton was not held
for exchange under the circumstances,
nor did any one wish him to become a
renegade by joining the Federal service.
After the. marriage the bridal couple,
accompanied by Uncle Ben, went north
and there remained till the close of the
war. Steve Brayton was asked to go?
nay,almost commanded?but he replied:
"See yere, Yank, I've bin thinkin and
thinkin, and I make it out this way: I
sorter owed the confederacy a grudge
fur the way it treated yo', and hevin
paid it off and squared the debt 1 orter
go back. Thar won't be nutbin said
about yo' arter the war, bekase yo' was
actually driv out, but the boys would
rub it in on me purty heavy to the day
of my death. I'll jest surrender over
again to this Yankee army, wait to bo
exchanged and in due time become a
good Conned again." .
And that was the course he followed,
and when I shook hands with him in
Winchester last spring I was proud to
give him his title as lieuteuant. Did
the match please Uncle Ben? Hear
what he says as he congratulates the
bride:
\fi?q SrmHhinp. vn' all has dun
gone an married Mars Kenton, an it
does jest seem to me dat I ar* walkin
ronnd on aigs! Hu! But when 1 was
Uncle Ben's ocmjratulatlons.
tied np to dat post an yo' was standin
dar wid dat big dissolver, an de sojers
an gorillas was gnashin their teef, I
s'pected do Lawd was so fur off he
couldn't git dar in time to save us."
The Percy mansion was burned, as
you remember. A much finer house occupies
the site today, and it is there the
Kentons dwell, honored and respected
by all. What more could I add? Goodby!
THE END.
Greenland Delicacies
Among the Greenlander's principal'
dainties is the skin of different kinds
of whales. They call it matak and look
upon it as the acme of deliciousness. It
is taken off with tho layer of blubber
next to it and is eaten raw without ceremony.
Mr. Nansen declares that he
must offer the Eskimos his sincerest
congratulations on the invention of this
dish:
1 can assure tho reader that now as L
write of it my mouth waters at the
very thought of matak, with its inde
M--11 ? t-\ P an/1
scnuaujy uuhluiu maio ui uu^ ...,v.
oysters mingled. And then it has this
advantage over oysters, that the skin is
as tough as india rubber to' masticate,
so thattho enjoyment can be protracted
to any extent.
Of vegetable food the primitive Greenlanders
used several sorts. I may mention
angelica, dandelions, sorrel, crowberries,
bilberries and different kinds
of seaweed.
One of their greatest delicacies is the
contents of a reindoer's stomach. If a
Greenlander kills a reindeer and is unable
to convey much of it home with
him, ho will, I believe, secure the
stomach first of all, and the last thing an
Eskimo lady enjoins upon her lover
when ho sets off reindeer hunting is that
ho must reserve tor her the stomach of
his prey.
It is no doubt because they stand in
need of vegetable food that they prize
this so highly, and also because it is in
reality a very choice collection of the
finest moss and grasses which that gourmet,
the reindeer, picks out for himself.
It has undergone a sort of stewing in
the process of semidigestion, while the
gastric juico provides a somewhat sharp
and aromatic sauce.
Many will no doubt make a wry face
at tho thought of this dish, but they
really need not do so. I have tasted it
and found it not uneatable, though
somewhat sour, Jiko fermented milk.
As a dish for very special occasions it is
6erved up with pieces of blubber and
crowberriee.?Youth's Companion.
The White Petticoats.
The long use of the colored petticoat
in preference to the white one has filled
the shops with hundreds in all colors and
qualities, so that making them when
they could be bought as cheaply, with
the saving of time, seemed an industrial
absurdity. But now there aro good reasons
for knowing how to make petticoats.
One is that tho petticoat of a
j year ago is not the right style for the
present dress skirt. Another is that
! white petticoats are coming into vogue
again?at least, so all our shoppers in
Paris say.
Always wash your goods first. Don't
guess at how much a petticoat is going
j to shrink in the laundry.?St. Louis ReI
public.
Miscellaneous pending.
- j
FARMERS OF HARMONY.
A Cl'm in unity in Which Everybody
Makes a Good Living.
I .
SPLENDID SUCCESS (IF MR. T. M. ALLEN.
. .
Different individuals'interested in,
The Enqviker's writeups of York )
1 county farmers, have more than once
called our attention to the prosperous
communities in southeastern York.
"Standing on an eminence in the vicinity
of Harmony station, on the G.
C. & N. railroad, for instance," said a {
gentleman recently wno is acquainted
! with the whole section, "on a clear
day; one may see, or almost see, the
homes of a dozen or more as thrifty, !
energetic, progressive, live-at-home
farmers as can he found within the
same radius anywhere .within a hundred
miles." And, indeed, this is true;
i for from the poiut mentioned can be
seen, or almost seen, the homes of the
Williams's, the Gettys's, J. T. Spen!
cer, T. M. Allen, John D. Cornwell, J.
W. Roddey, W. W. White, Wm, Marj
tin, J. A. Abernathy, W. T. Anderson,
j W. S. Boyd, J. S. Glascock, the Leslies,
and numerous others who rank ,
! high above the average us intelligent |
and successful tillers of the soil. Some
| are well qft'in this world's goods; some
| have not yet managed to get very far i
j ahead; but all are unusually good
l farmers, and together they present ,
j the highest type of that sterling citiv
! zenship of which York county is so
j justly proud.
Representing The Enquirer, I got
i otr the Three C's train at Roddey's,
one day recently, on a visit to the
| section referred to. With so many
good subjects in the neighborhood j
J for a "write up," which to select
as the first victim, was somewhat
in the nature of a puzzle; but having
started out with my eye on Mr.
T. M. Allen, at Mr. J. W. Roddey's
| store I inquired the way to his house,
j "Going over to write up 'Bud' Allen,
| are you? Well he's a mighty good
farmer." The speaker was Mr. John
T. Spencer, who, with that whole- !
souled kindness characteristic of the i
section, at once volunteered to take me :
to Mr. Allen's house, three miles dis- ;
taut.
Mr. Allen lives within about a quarter
of a mile of Harmony station. He
had no intimation of my coming, and |
my visit was no doubt in the nature of
. a surprise; but I did not get the worst
I rni U "AT- Al_
1 UI H. I IlUllgll IJUlll ill I. mill .mo, (IIlen
were'busy with their various duties,
they at once made me feel at home,
and during my stay of 1(1 or 18 hours, !
gave abundant evidence of the fact
that the delightful hospitality for which
Old York has long been famous, is still
alive in the land.
A good substantial farm house, lo- j
cated in a pretty little grove on the
| brow of an eminence overlooking the
| public road, and in sight of the railway
station. This is where Mr..and Mrs. j
Allen live with their little daughter
Mary. Just opposite the house is a
j good-sized garden of vegetables. About
! 50 yards away are good-sized barns
and cribs, filled with more than a j
year's supply of corn, oats and forage,
and piled up under shelter," are perhaps j
| a dozen or more bales of cotton, not to j
[ be sold until the owner gets ready, j
Running ubout the yard are scores of
I chickens, turkeys, peafowls, etc. Near
! by is an orchard, containing various
; kinds of fruit trees. In the pasture,
! not far away, are a number of cattle,
i sheep and hogs, and spreading away in
i different directions, are acres of fine
looking corn and cotton. Everything
! is indicative of the prosporous small
: farmer, and the indications are exactly
i correct.
"I don't work much land," says Mr.
! Allen. "Right there is where so many
people make a fatal mistake. They
| scatter their energies over a wide areu,
sometimes use borrowed capital, try to
work with what they haven't got, and
often fail in an effort to make everything
at once. It is not how much;
i but how well. It is frequently the
; case that people who fail in attempt,
ing too much, would have been entirely
successful had they confined themi
selves within their capacity. The productiveness
of a single acre, when
properly manured and cultivated, is !
i such an unknown quantity that the i
I question is not how much land we '
i can plant; -but how little we can work
' with the most profit. My effort is to
i it _ r .. m ,
make larger crops ou ui icwer uuca.
Mr. Allen's plantation consists of
288 acres, over half of which is wood- I
land. A small farm has been rented j
! out, and on the balance he works only
| two mules on crops set as follows: 1
Twenty-four acres in cotton, 21 acres
i in corn, 8 acres in wheat, 15 acres in*!
oats, \ acre in potatoes, A acre in sorghum,
and 20 acres in pasture. It is
to this what would generally be con- !
sidered a very small acreage that he J
I gives all the time that he devotes to j
farming, and it is here he makes a
good living, and in fact more clear ;
profit than do most farmers oft* a fourhorse
farm. In taking me around over
I the plantation, Mr. Allen showed
I me his 15 acres of oats. The oats,
except in spots, were as thick on
I the ground as they could stand, as
j high as a man's shoulder, and easily
bid fair to yield from 40 to 00 bushels
to the acre. Corn was about waist
high, and although it had had uo rain
for more than a month, had been so
well cultivated as to still l>e healthy
and vigorous, and was obout ready to
"lay by." Cotton showed up a perfect j
(iinnri. looked nicelv. and was really ,
.something of which to he proud.
Though broken and rolling, all of
Mr. Allen's lands show evidence of being
unusually well cared for. "That," [
| he said, when I made the matter the
subject of remark, "is a part of my !
system. I always watch my land care- j
fully and whenever there is any break
; by reason of washing, I have it attended
to at once, tilling up the gullies usu- :
I ally with pine leaves and other matter
from the woods. I also make all the
manure I can at home, and supplement
with the best grade fertilizers I can buy,
at the rate of from 200 to 800 pounds
' to the acre. In these matters, I am,
at least trying not to go backward."
I asked Mr. Allen as to how much
i cotton he makes to the acre. "One
year," he replied, "I made 20 bales otf
of 24 acres ; and another year I averaged
1,020 pounds." Though Mr. Allen
did not tell me so, his neighbors !
say that his entire cotton crop every
year is clear protit over and above all
expenses. 1 have no doubt that this '
is true. Mr. Allen seldom buys anything
for his well supplied table. He
raises his own corn, wheat and meat,
and last month from three cows, Mrs. t
A. sold, at 20 cents a pound, 100 |
pounds of butter, and this alter having j
an abundance for the table and giving
away the entire proceeds of the four
Saturdays to pay for the hire of the 1
milking.
And now for the most important
part of the story. With scarcely more
than a $100 worth of property to his .
| name, Mr. Allen bought his 288 acres
of land about 14 years ago on credit.
His father, who owned a one-third
interest in it, made him a present of it,
, and by hard work he and Mrs. Allen
i paid for the balance. It was a pretty
fair case of starting at the bottom and !
coming out at the top. After the battle
had been already won, Mr. and
Mrs. Allen inherited a neat little lega- 1
cy ; but this they have never had occasion
to encroach upon. They still
j live upon their farm.
| ''I don t work much now-a-uays, i
says Mr. Allen, "I just study to accomplish
the best results with the least
labor, give instructions as to how things
should be done, and see to it that they
are done that way." This is the way
most of the farmers of the neighborhood
look at the parts they play, and
while, of course, they only mean that
they oversee rather than plow, hoe, ,
etc., their success in evading the blessing-mixed
curse that is prescibed : "In
the sweat ot tny lace snail mou eai i
thy bread," is suggestive of the observation
of a newly arrived Pat: "He- !
gora, its the foinest counthray I iver
saw. From morning till night not
a thing do I do but carry bricks and
mortar up to the scaffold. Foine pay
do I get; but the min on the scaffold
do all the worruck !" w. u. o.
DIAMOND SMUGGLING.
Tlie Khhi' With Which 1'rechill* Stones of
Large Value May he Concealed.
One of the simplest devices for
smuggling diamonds is that of the
hollow-heeled shoe. It is asserted
that boots and shoes constructed so
as to leave a small vacant space in
the heels are easily obtained in Europe,
and they are especially manufactured
for the purpose of supplying smugglers
with a means for escaping detection.
The porus plaster has often served as
a means of secreting diamonds. When
it is understood that $10,000 worth of
diamonds or more cau be inclosed in a
paper parcel about as wide as this col- I
umn, one and one-half inches high,
and about a quarter of an inch thick,
it is easy to comprehend that such a
package can be kept securely in place
by means of an innocent, but highly
serviceable porous plaster.
One of the most ingenious methods ;
ever employed was the use of a cake :
of soap, wherein a number of diamonds ;
had been imbedded. It is highly prob- i
able that this plan would have proved
successful had it not been that the
officers of the government had re- !
ceived information that the suspected
person had diamonds with him, and
searched his effects so thoroughly that
they examined even the gem-studded
block of soap.
The wife of this smuggler helped
her spouse, and her plan was not less
ingenious than that of her husband.
Her hat was ornamented with bunches
of grapes, which, under ordinary cir- \
cumstances wouiu omy nave awuKcued
the envy of other wearers of bonnets.
Within the grapes were diamonds
and fancy stones of great value.
Another smuggler was specially
provided by providence with a smug- j
gling device in the shape of a heavy
covering of thick, bushy hair, which
lie arranged so that it stood tip from
his forehead like an impenetrable bush.
Within this mass of heavy hair ho deposited
a goodly stock of diamonds,
and succeeded for a lime in escaping
the vigilance of the custom-house
officials.
As these schemes have become
known to the custom-house authorities
the ingenuity of the smugglers
has been more severely taxed. A
recent discovery disclosed the following
elaborate plan, which succeeded a
great many times before it was discovered
:
Two smugglers operated in partnership.
The tirst crossed the ocean, and
before leaving the wharf reserved a
return berth for a .certain date.
The date and the number of the berth
were at once cabled to his accomplice
in America. Having purchased his
diamonds, in due time he returned to
this country in accordance with the
instructions previously cabled. No
amount of examination resulted in
finding any diamonds upon his person.
Meanwhile, however, his partner had
secured the same berth.
When the day for sailing came, part- j
ner No. 2, accompanied by his family,
entered the cabin, and extracted from
a secure hiuing-place several parcel
of diamonds left there by his accomplice.
These he handed to his tearful
family, who, after bidding him goodby,
left the steamer unsuspected, and
brought the diamonds into the market.
It took a long time to discover this
scheme.
WHERE RUBBER COMES FROM.
The best grades of rubber come from
the banks of the river Amazon, and,
says Hardware, we might say the supply
is unlimited; but the climate is
very unhealthy and this adds to the
cost. The very best in turn comes
from the rivers Purus and Madeira, I
tributaries of the Amazon, and these
sorts are used for surgical goods. They
are very fine grades, and while their
cost is only two or three cents more
per pound in the New York market,
still, if the demand should increase,
there would be greater difference. The
Para grades are good enough for all ordinary
purposes. The term Para comes
from a large city at the mouth of the
Amazon, in telegraph communication
with the whole world, and reports from
there received daily, govern the rubber
markets of every nation.
Dimrnlu mon it iu irniitfralli- onniwl.
",VJV"V " " b"""'---j
ed, use very freely of Para grades, and
few will admit anything to the contrary.
Still, an examination of the manifests
of the Pacific Mail Steamship
company discloses the fact that Centrals
come into New York consigned j
to bicycle firms. The large mechanical
goods firms are not particular about
obtaining Para grades, one house using
freely of Madagascar, which in a commercial
sense, rank next to Para. A
great many Assams?rubber coming
from India?are used.
The adulteration of rubber is something
remarkable, and in order to
make it weigh more, barytes, white
lead, or most anything, is used. The
consumer is attracted to the product
because it is cheap, but he pays just so
much more per pound for the heavy
materials compounded. Insulating
men use a very cheap rubber coming
from the eastern coast of Mexico and
Nicaraugua. It sells for about lo cents
per pound, and can hardly he called
rubber. Chicle is very cheap, and used
in the manufacture of chewing-gum.
The whole subject is one of price, and
as you caunot get something for nothing,
you cannot get lasting mechanical
goods at a quotation which will not
pay, weight for weight, for the rubber
supposed to be in them.
FIREPROOF BUILDINGS.
A writer in the New York Recorder,
commenting on the destruction by fire
of the Rev. Dr. Talmage's tabernacle,
in Brooklyn, adds:
What is fireproof?
Iron isn't, because it melts in fierce
heat, and in less heat expands. Thus
an iron beam between two walls may
expand so much as to throw one of
them down. Stone isn't, because in
fierce neat it crumoies uwaj iu uu?.
The muterial which is most nearly lireproof
is good brick. So the best lireproof
bindings have brick terra cotta
walls, floors of hollow brick, and doors
and casings onlyof wood. Even then
a fireproof building will burn if a very
hot lire attacks it from the outside.
But a lire starting in one of the rooms )
only burns up what's in that room and
stops. It never gets very hot.
In such a lire as that in Chicago or
Boston, the best of buildings would be
damaged greatlv, even if they did not
fall.
Wood, when it is thin, burns very
rapidly, but in big beams it doesn't
catch fire so rapidly.
So, in ordinary wooden buildings, it i
is the hollow spaces between the lath
and the walls and floors that carry the
fire out of sight like so many chimneys j
until it is ready to burst through. I
These hollow floors are one of the
greatest dangers in tire. The stairway,
with its wooden stairs, and the elevator
shaft, if there is one, are the points
oCgreatcst danger, because they draw
fire up like chimneys.
That is why, in case of a fire pretty
well started, it is always better to go
out by the fire escape instead of the
stairs.
THE LETTEFoF THE LAW.
That a quick-witted sense of the ludicrous
may often lead its possessor
out of difficulties, was evidenced not
long ago in the case of a certain George
fv .4. /\..r J T\ ... 4Ua
i'., ill v_/Aiuru. u. nua uuc ui mu
brightest men of his class, but unfortunately
his intellectual I)r. Jekyll bore
daily company with a mischief-loving
Hyde, whose diabolical tendencies frequently
got him into disgrace. Was
there trouble with the townsmen the
night before, it was D. who was first
questioned by the dean. Was there some
unique bit of deviltry played on a firstyear
man, it was upon D. that the faculty's
eye of suspicion was turned.
He was, as usual, "on the ragged
edge of suspicion," when one Sunday
morning, at churchtime, in his third
year, he was descried by the dean sitting
at the open window of his quadrangle
room in his shirt sleeves, calmly
smoking a long Dutch pipe and
drinking beer. The dean was on his
way to church, and the cool public irreverence
of the man shocked him.
The next morning he summoned D. to
his study.
"Sir," said the dean, "your irreverence
is disgraceful. What do you mean
by this public disrespect of the Lord's
day ?"
"I was not aware that drinking beer
and smoking a pipe was so wicked,"
said D.
"It is, sir," thundered the dean;
"and if I ever see you in your shirt
sleeves drinking beer and smokiug a
pipe again on Sunday, your connection
with this university ceases."
I), bowed bis head respectfully and
went out. The following Sunday the
dean took particular pains to he a
trifle late for church, and pass by
young D's window. What was his
amazement to discover that worthy
lolling in his window-couch, smoking
and drinking. Such impudent defiance
of his orders! He would expel
him then and there. But as he approached
nearer, his anger changed
into wonderment; and then as he
quickly walked by, his sense of humor
brought a smile to his face. The letter
of the law had been obeyed. Young
I), was faultlessly arrayed in his dress
suit, drinking champagne and smoking
a cigar.
Prices of Mules and Horses.?
The census statistics show that the
average price of a mule is seven dollars
more than the average price of a horse.
South Carolina owns about 55,000 of
these creatures with the busy heels.
Texas has 200,000?probably more
than any other State. The South
Carolina mule is now about $90; average
price of a horse in the same State
; is $79. The Texas mule is worth $41,
or nearly twice the value of a horse.
In Missouri mules are worth about
seven dollars more, and in Kentucky
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I uuuub mice uui iuio uiuiv muu i* uv?wv<
| Oregon is the only State where an average
horse sells for a higher price than
mules. The ordinary horse out there
is worth $51, while the mule brings
$46. California horses sell lor $46,
i and mules for $67. Pennsylvania
mules?used a great deal in the coal
j mines?bring about $86, and their
| horses only $67. A New York mule
j is now $91, and a horse $76. The
i New Jersey mule averages about $105
1 ?the highest in the United States?or
$30 more than the horses. Illinois has
more mules than any other Western
State?140,000.
The Darkey and His Check.?
"One of the incidents of the boom at
Chattanooga, which happened to fall
under my immediate observation, interested
me greatly," said a Tennesseean.
"A negro there had come into the
ownership of a small piece of real estate
worth, when he got it, about $100.
During the boom this property became
very desirable, and could probably
have been bought for a few hundred
dollars had the would-be purchaser
not scared the darkey by offering him
several thousand ;buta deal was finally
closed for $10,000, and the negro
went to the bank to get the money.
"How do you want it?" said the
cashier.
"Gib it to me in silber."
The cashier began to pile up the
silver, and the negro's eyes grew bigger
and bigger. Finally he could
; stand it no longer.
"Stop, boss," he said, "gib me a dollar
and a half and keep de res' fer
me."?St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
A Little.?Accept it, and make it ,
the motto of life. A little moderation
I is wealth and fortune; a condition
that promises the most peaceful life,
free from anxiety for the future, doubtI
less requiring daily duties, but permit!
ting man innocent enjoyments. A
| little moderation in our desires, contentment
with what we possess, making
the most of it, and repressing all
i vain dreams of a more brilliant position,
a more extended reputation, a
more famous name. A little?the affection
of a heart devoted to duty,
and kindling joy in the family circle
composed of kindred to love, friends
to cheer, poor to succor, hearts to
strengthen, sufferings to alleviate. A *
little?a taste for all that is beautiful;
books, works of art, music, not making
us idly dream of fame, but simply providing
enjoyment for the mind, all the
more keen as the daily toil renders
the occasion rare.
Some Superstitious Statesm ex.?
Nothing can induce Senator Yoorhces
to ride in a street cur drawn by a
white horse.
Senator Edmunds regards it as unluckv
if the first person he meets 011
emerging from his house is a woman,
and will return for a fiesh start.
Senator Sherman will not extend his
left hand in greeting or receive one extended
to him?a familiar habit with
politicians.
Senator Call will bury or burn a
pair of socks, one or both of which he
has put on wrong side out.
When Senator Harris, of Tennessee,
is in doubt as to a course of action, he
decides it by spitting at a mark.
If Senator Vest, of Missouri, meets a
beggur iu the streets before he lias
spent any money, he invariably gives
to the mendicant.
fSTHere is a suggestion from a
Western paper. By a very simple
rule the duration of night and day cay
be determined at any time of the year.
All you have to do is to multiply the
time of the sun's rising by two, and it
will give you the length of the night.
Multiply the time of setting by two
and you get the length of the day. It
is easily demonstrated at the time of
W.? t.n.iK wlinn thf> ?llll jjml sots ttf
(i o'clock, ami the day and night are of
equal duration. It is just as true
as the days lengthen and shorten.
Thus as winter approaches, take a day
when the sun rises at ti.30 and sets at
5.30. Apply the rule, and you have a
night of 13 hours and a day of 11 hours.
The rule will be found absolutely accurate
at any season of the year.
? ?
flaT Brick from what is .believed
to be the remains of the old Tower
of Babel are still found in great profusion
at Birs Nimrud, Babylonia.