Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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lewis m. grist, proprietor. | gin Jndfptiulcnt Tamils glwspapfr: J;or the fjromotion of the political, .Social, ^grjciiltural and (jfommcrcial Jntcrcsts of iht South. |terms?$2.00 a year in advance xrr^T An YORKVILLE, S. C., WEDNESDAY, NOYEMBER 28, 1894. NO. 48. v vyxj. -xv/. I BY RIDER Author of "Kilt# Solomon's "Allen Quai Copyright, 1893, by the Author. SYNOPSIS. Cuattkr I.?'Thomas Wingtield was boni in England of an English father and a Spanish mother. His mother confided to him that a certain Spaniard had sworn to take her life. Chaptkr II?One day, when Thomas was about 18, he went out into the mayfields to a tryst with Lily Bozard. A Spanish stranger attacked hiin on the road, and the boy cudgeled the ruffian into helplessness, leaving him tied to a 11CC. Chapter III.?Lily's father detects Thomas kissing the maiden to seal a love compact and forbids further meetings of the lovers. Returning home, Thomas finds the Spaniard gone and his mother lying dead on a scene where foot prints betray a struggle. Chapter IV.?The mother has been stabbed by the Spaniard, Jean de Garcia, her cousin. Thomas' father tells the story of his own early adventure#in Spain, of I)e Garcia. Chapter V.?He sails for Spain. . Lily Bozard pledges eternal love. Chapters VI and VII.?Thomas is a medical student and finds employment in Sevillo with a popular quack?Dr. Fonesca. He meets DeGarcia and is prevented from killing him by a woman whom the villain has wronged. Chapters VIII and IX.?Fonseca dies and leaves vast wealth to Thomas. De Garcia has gone to the Spanish Indies. Thomas sends his wealth home to propitiate Lily's father and sails for Hispaniola. Chapter X.?Thomas is shipwrecked in the Indian seas, escapes De Garcia's power and falls among the Indians ol Tabasco, where a native maiden named Marina saves him from sacrifice. Chapter XI.?Montezuma's nephew, Guatemoc, befriends Thomas and takes him to the capital. Thomas saves the life of the prince when he is attacked by a tierce puma. CHAPTER XIL the court of montezuma. Now, for a week I was so ill from my ' * - * wounus mac x was uouuiu w uumuiw, and then I .must bo carried in a litter till wo cnjno to within three days' journey of tho city of Tenoctitlan, or Mexico. One night wo camped in a rest house, of which there were many built along the roads for tho use of travelers, that was placed almost on tho top of tho sierra or mountain rango which surrounds tho valley of Tenoctitlan. Next morning we took tho road again before dawn, for tho cold was so sharp at this great height that we, who had traveled from tho hot land, could sleep very llttlo, and also Guatcmoo desired if it wero possiblo to reach tho city that night. When fte had gone a few hundred paces, the path came to tho crest of tho mountain range, and I halted suddenly in wonder and admiration. Below 111c lay a vast bowl of land and water, of which, however, I could sec nothing, for the shadows of tho night still filled it. But before me, piercing the very clouds, towered the crests of two snow clad mountains, and on theso the light of tho unrisen sun played, already changing their whiteness to tho stain of blood Popo, or tho Hill that Smokes, is tho name of tho one, and Ixtac, or tho Sleeping Woman, that of the other, and no grander sight was ever offered to tho eyes of man than they furnished lu that hour before tho dawn. From. tho lofty summit of Popo went up great columns of smoke, which, what with tho fire in heir lioArt. nnd t.hn crimson of the SUIirisO, loGked.llko rolling pillars of llama And for the glory of the glittering slopes below, that changed continually from tho mystery of white to dull red, from red to crimson and from crimson to every dazzling huo that tho rainbow holds, who can tell It, who can even imagine it* None Indeed except those that havo seen the 6un riso over the volcano of Tenoctitlan. When I had feasted my eyes on Popo, I turned to Ixtac. She is not so lofty as her "husband," for so the Aztecs namo tho volcano Popo, and when first I looked I could sec nothing but tho gigantic shape of a woman fashioned in snow and lying liko a corpse upon her lofty bier, whose hair streamed down the mountain side. But now tho sunbeams caught her ulso, and she 6eemed to start out in majesty from a veil of rosy mist, a wonderful and thrilling sight But, beautiful ns she wns then, still 1 love tiie Sleeping Woman best at eve. Then she lies a shape of glory on the blackness Ivneath and is slowly swallowed up into the solemn night as the dark draws its veil ncross her. Now, as I gazed the light began to creep down the sides of the voleanos, revealing the forests on their flanks. But still the vast valley was filled with mist that lay in dense billows resembling those of the sea, through which hills and temples tops started up like islands. By slow degrees as wo passed upon our downward road the vapors cleared away and the lakes of Tezcuco, Chalco and Xochicalco shone in tho sunlight like giant mirrors. Un their banks stood many cities. Indeed the greatest of these, Mexico, seemed to float upon tho waters. Beyond them and about them were green fields of corn and aloe and groves of forest trees, while far away towered the black wall of rock that hedges in the valley. All day wc journeyed swiftly through ^ this fairyland. Wc passed through tho cities of Amaquem and Ajotzinco, which I will not stay to describe, and many a lovoly village that nestled upon tho borders of Lake Chalco. Then wo entered on tho great causeway of stono built liko a road resting on the waters, and with the after noon we came to tho town or cuitianuac. Thence we passed on to Iztapalapan, and hero Gnateinoc would havo rested for the nifht in tho royal house of his uncle Cuitlahua. But when we reached tho town wo found that Montezuma, who hod been advised of our approach by runners, had sent orders that wo were to push on to Tenoctitlon, and that palanquins had been modo ready to bear us. So wo entered the palanquins, and leaving that lovely city of gardens were borno 6wiftly along tho southern causeway. On we went past towns built upon piles fixed in tho bottom of tho luke, past gardens that were laid out on reeds and floated over tho waters like a boat, past teocallls and glistening temples without number, through fleets of light canoes and thousands of Indians going to and fro about their business, till at length toward sunset wo reached tho battlcinrntcd fort that is culled Xoloc, which stands upon the dike. I say stands, but, alas, it stands no more! Cortes has destroyed it, and ^ with it all those glorious cities which my eyes beheld that day. At Xoloc ve Ix-gan to enter the city of Tenoctitlan, or Mexico, the mightiest city that ever I had seen. The houses on the outskirts indeed were built of mud or adobe, but those in the richer parts were constructed of redstone. Each house surrounded a courtyard and was, in turn, surroumltd by a garden, while between them ran canals, having footpaths on either side. Then there were squares, and in the sqtinres pyramids, palaces and temples without end. I gazed on them till 1 was bewildered, but all seemed as nothing when at length I saw tho great temple, with its stone gateways opening to the north and tho south, 'tho east and the west, its walls carven everywhere with 6erpents, Its jtolishcd pavements, its teoc mils uecitcd wmi uuinnn rkuur, inousanu> upon thousands of them, and its vast sur rounding tianquez, or market place. 1 ? caught but n glimpse of it then, for tin darkness was falling, and afterward we wore lnirno on through the darkness, I did not know whither. Awhile went by, and I saw that we had left the city and were passing up a steep hill beneath the shadow of mighty cedai trees. Presently we halted in a courtyard, and here I was bidden to alight. Then the Prince Guatemoc led me into a won drous house, of which all the rooms wort ? roofed with cedarwood and its walls liunji with richly colored cloths, and in thai house gold seemed as plentiful as brick: and oak are with us in Kngland. Led bj domestics who bore cedar wunds in theii hands, we went through many passage: and rooms till at length we come to i chamber whero other domestics wen awaiting us, who washed us with scentet waters and clothed us in gorgeous ap parel. Thence they conducted us ton door where we were bidden to remove our shoes and a coarse colored rol>e was given t< each of us to hide our splendid dress. Th< robes having been put on, we were sufferet to pass the door and found ourselves in f vast chamber in which were many nobli mmm Mines," "She," "He," "Jess," ! terinaiii," etc. I men and some women, all standing and i clad in coarse robes. At the far end of this chamber was a gilded screen, and j from behind it floated sounds of sweet ! music. Now, as we stood in the great chamber, that was lighted with sweet smelling ' torches, many men advanced and greeted ! Guatemoc, tho prince, and I noticed that all of them looked upon mo curiously. I XTesenuy U wumuu uum-, uim x mm wiuu her beauty was great. She was tall and stately, and beneath her rough outer robe . splendidly attired in worked and jeweled | garments. Weary and bewildered as I was, her loveliness seized me, as it were, in a vise?never before had I seen such loveliness, for her eye was proud and full j liko tho eye of a buck, her curling hair fell | upon her shoulders, and her features wcro , . very noble, yet tender almost to sadness, j though at times 6ho could seem fierce enough. This lady was yet in her first youth; perchanco she may have scon somo 1 , j 18 years, but her shape was that of a full grown woman and most royal. "Greeting, Guatemoc, my cousin," 6ho I said in a sweet voice. "So you are conic at last. My royal father has awaited you | for long and will ask questions as to your | ! delay. My sister, your wife, has wondered also why you tarried." I Now, as she spoke, I felt rather than saw ' that this lady was searching mo with her , ! eyes. , i "Greeting, Otomie, my cousin," answer- j I ed tho princo. "I have been delayed by j ' " A. 1 in, fr*y* tno ncciacnis oi iruvci. ituxuw ? iu away; also my charge and companion, j i Teule," and he nodded toward me, "met ; with an accident on tho rond." I "What was the accident?" she Jiskcd. j "Only this?that he saved mo from'tlio i jaws of a puma at the risk of his life when j all the others fled from me and was somcI what hurt in the dml. He saved ino thus," j ?and in a few words he told the story. ; Sho listened, and I saw that her eyes j sparkled at the tale. When it was done, j : sho spoke aguin, and this time to me. I "Welcome, Teule," she said, smiling. j j "You are not of our people, yet my heart i I goes out to such a man." And, still smil- | ! ing, sho left us. "Who is that great lady?' I asked ol : 1 Guatcmoc. j "That is my cousin Otomie, the prln| cess of the Otomie, my uncle Montczu- I j ma's favorito daughter," lie answered. "She likes you, Teule, and that is well for i you for many reasons. Hush!" I As ho spoke the screen at the far end of the chamber was drawn aside. Beyond it ) a man sat upon a broidered cushion, who I J was inhaling the fumes of tho tobacco ! j weed from a gilded pipe of wood, after tho Indian fashion. This man, who was no j other than the monarch Montezuma, was | of a tall build and melancholy countenance, having a very pale face for one of I his nation, and thin, black hair. He was j dressed in a white robe of the purest cotton and wore a golden belt and sundals I 6et wiWi pearls, and on his head a plume ; ; of feathers of tho royal green. Behind him i I were a band of beautiful girls somewhat ' slightly clothed, somo of whom played on | lutes and other instruments of music, and ; on either side stood four ancient counselors, all of them barefooted and clad in ' tho coarsest garments. So soon as the screen was drawn all tho company in the chamber prostrated them| selves upon their knees, an example that j I hastened to follow, and thus they remainh ' 1' V=r4 i ! !!=== A man sat unon a broldcrcd cushion inhallntj the fumes of the tobacco. ed till the emperor made a sign with the I gililcd bowl of his pipe, when they rose to i their feet aguln and stood with folded | hands and eyes fixed abjectly upon the I floor. Presently Montezuma made anoth- I er signal, and three aged men, whom I understood to be embassadors, advanced : and asked some prayer of him. He an- j i swered them with a nod of the head, and ] I they retreated from his presence, making | obeisance and stepping backward till they 5 j mingled with the crowd. Then the emperor spoko a word to one of the counselors, who bowed and came slowly down tho hall, looking to the right and to the left. Presently his eye fell upon Guatemoc, and , indeed ho was easy to see, for lie stood a I' : head taller than any there. "Hail, prince," lie said. "Tho royal Montezuma desires to speak with you, and | 1 | with the Teulo, your companion." "Do as I do, Teulo," said Guatemoc, j and led the way up the chamber till we I reached the place where the wooden screen had been, which, tis wo passed it, was drawn behind us, shutting us off from the hall. Here we stood awhile, with folded hands ! and downcast eyes, till a signal was made j to us to advance. "Your report, nephew," said Montozu- j 1 ma in a low voice of command. "I went to tho city of Tabasco, O glo- i j rlous Montezuma. I found tho Teulo and j brought him thither; also I caused the j high priest to be sacrificed according to the | royal command, and now I hand back the 1 imperial signet," and he gave the ring to I a counselor. "Why did you delay so long upon the road, nephew?" "Because of the chances of the journey. While saving my life, royal Montezuma, 1 the Teule, my prisoner, was bitten by a puma. Its skin is brought to you as an ; oueruig. 1 j Now Montezuma looked at mc for the ; : first time, then opened a picture scroll that one of the counselors hamlod to him | and mul in it, glancing ut mo from timo ; 1 to time. "The description is good," he said at j length, "In all wive one tiling?it does not j say that this prisoner is the handsomest | man in Anahuac. Say, Teule, why have : i your countrymen landed on my dominions I 1 and slain my people!*" ''I know nothing of it, t) king," I on- i 1 swered as well as I might, with the help J I of Guatemoc/'and they are not my coun- > I trymen." 1 | "The report says that you confess to hav- ! ing the blood of these Tonics in your veins, 1 ' ! and that you came to these shores, or near them, in one of their great canoes." "That is so, O king, yet 1 am not of their people, and I came to the shore floating on 1 a barrel." "I hold that you lie,"answered Monte- ! 1 zuma, frowning,"for the sharks and croc- , 1 odiles would devour one who swam thus." I Then he milled anxiously, "Sny, are you | ' of the descendants of Quetzal!"' "I do not know, () king. I am of a white race, and our forefather was named j ' Adam." j "Perchance that is another name for ^ Quetzal," lie wiid. "It has long been j prophesied that his children would return, ( ' and now it seems that the hour of their ' coming is at hand " And he sighed heuv- j lly, then added: "Go now. Tomorrow you ; shall tell nieof these Teules, and the coun- I 1 cil of the priests shall decide your fate." Now, when I heard the names of the ' priests, I trembled in all my bones and ' cried, clasping my hands in supplication: "Slay me if you will, () king, but I be' seech you deliver me not again into the hands of the priests." 1 "We are all in the hands of the priests, 5 who are the mouth of God," he answered 1 coldly. "Besides 1 hold that you have lied i tome." Then I went, foreboding evil, and Gun- j temoc also looked downcast. Bitterly did ' I curse the hour when 1 had said that I ' was of the Spanish blood and yet no Span- j } iard. Had 1 known even what I knew | ? that day, torture would not have wrung ! * those worths from me. But now it was I 4 too bite. ? ' Now Guatenioe led me to certain apart incuts ot tins palace ot Clmpoltepec, where liis wife, tlie royal Princess Teeuichpo, was awaiting liini, a very lovely lady, ami with her other ladies, among them the Princess Otomic, Montezuma's daughter, and some nobles. Here a rich repast was 6ervcd to us, and I was seated next to the Princess Otomie, who spoke to me most graciously, asking me many things concerning my land and the people of the Teules. It was from her that I learned first that the emperor was much disturbed at heart because of these Teules, or Spaniards, for ho was superstitious and held them to bo tho children of the god Quetzal, who, according to ancient prophecy, would como to take tho land. Indeed so gracious was she, and so royally lovely, that for the first time I felt my heart stirred by any other woman than my betrothed whom I had left far away in England, and whom, as I thought, I should never sec again. And, as I learned in after days, mine was not the only heart that was stirred that night. Vnnr tn na Kilt ?notlier roval lndv. Pa pantzin, tho sister of Montezuma, but she was neither young nor lovely, and yet most sweet faced and sad, as though with the presage of death. Indeed she died not many weeks after, but could not rest quiet in her grave, as shall be told. When the feast was done and wo had drunk of tho cocoa or chocolate and smoked tobacco in pipes, a strange but most soothing custom that I learned in Tabasco, and of which I have never Ix-en ablo to break myself, though the weed is still hard to como by here in England, I was led to my sleeping place, a small chamber, paneled with cedar boards. For awhile I could not sleep, for I was overcome by the memory of all the strange sights that I had 6ecn in this wonderful new land, which was so civilized and yet so barbarous. Then my thoughts flew to the vision of that most lovely maid, tho Princess Otomic, who, as I believed, hud looked on me so kindly, and I found that vision sweet, for I was young, and the English Lily, my own love, was far away and lost to me forever. Was it then wonderful that I should find this Indian poppy fair? Indeed where is tho man who would not have been overcomo by her swecctness, her beauty and that stamp of royal grace which comes with kingly blood and tho daily exercise of power? Like tho rich wonders of the robe sho wore, her very barbarism, of which now I saw but the better side, drew and dazzled my mind's eye, giving her woman's tenderness somo now quality, somber and strange, an eastern richness which is lacking in our well schooled English women, that at one and the same stroke touched both the imagination and tho senses and through them enthralled the heart. For Otomio seemed such a woman as .1 , np K.tf fAWif Wiirmlv win UAoifin muii uruuixi ui, uuu ?vij ) thftt the world has few ?uch natures and fewer nurseries where they can l>o reared. At once pure and passionate, of royal blood and heart, rich natured rind most womanly, yet bravo as a man and beautiful as the night, with a mind uthirst for knowledge and a spirit that no sorrows could avail to quell, ever changing in her outer moods, and yet most faithful and with the honor of a man, such was Otomie, Montezuma's daughter, princess of tho Otomio. Wus it wonderful then that I found her fair, or, when fate gave me her love, that at last I loved her in turn ? And yet there was that in her naturo which should have .held mo back had I but known of it, for, with all her charm, her beauty and her virtues, at heart sho was still a savage, and, 6trivo as sho would to hide it, at times lior blood would master her. But as I lay in tho chamber of tho palace of Chapoltepcc tho tramp of the guards without my door reminded mo that I had littlo now to do with lovo and other delights, I whoso lifo hung from day to day upon a hair. Tomorrow the priests would decide my fate, and when tho priests were judges tho prisoner might know the sentence beforo it was spoken. I was a stranger and a whito man, surely such a one would prove an offering more acceptable to the gods than that furnished by a thousand Indian hearts. I hud been snatched from the altars of Tabasco that I might graco tho higher altars of Tenoctitlan, and that was all. My fate would be to perish miserably far from my home, and in this world never to bo heard of more. Musing thus sadly, at last I slept. When I woke, tho sun was up. Rising from my mat, I went to tho wood barred window ploco and looked through. Tho palace whence I gazed was placed on tho crest ol a rocky hill. On ono side this liill was bathed by the bluo waters of Tezcuco; on tho other, a mile or more away, rose the temple towers of Mexico. Along tho slope* of tho hill and in some directions for n mile from its base grew huge cedar trees, from the boughs of which hung a gray and ghostly looking moss. Thoso trees are sc largo that the smallest of them is biggei than the best oak in this parish of Ditch Ingham, while tho greatest measures 22 paces round the base. Beyond and between these marvelous and ancient trees were tho gurdens of Montezuma, that with theii strange and gorgeous flowers, their marbk baths, their aviaries and wild beast dens were, as I believe, tho most wonderful in the whole world. [Tho gardens of Alonte ziuna have been long destroyed, but some of tho cedars still flourish at Chapoltepcc, though tho Spaniurds cut down many. Ono of them, which tradition says was t favorito tree of tho great emperor's, incus ures?according to a rough calculation th( 011 + nnnn tho snot? about 00 feet round the bole. It is strnng( to think that a few ancient conifers ahoulil alone survive of all the glories of Monte zuma's wealth and state.] "At the least," thought I to myself, "even if I must die, it is something to have seen this country of Anahuac, its King, its customs and its people." CHAPTER XIII. THOMAS 1JECOMES A GOD. Littlo did I, plain Thomas Wiugflcld, gentleman, know when I rose that morn ing that before sunset I should bo a god and, after Montezuma, the emperor, tla most honored man, or rather god, in th( City of MeSico. It came about thu6: When I had break fasted with the household of the Prlnc< Guatemoc, I was led to the hall of justice which was named tho "tribunal of God.' Here on a golden throno sat Montezuma administering justice in such pomp as 1 cannot describe. About him were hi; counselors and great lords, and before bin was placed a human skull crowned witl emeralds so largo that a blaze of light wcni up from them. In his hand also he hclt an arrow for a scepter. Certain chiefs or ca ziqucs were on their trial for treason, 1101 were they left long in doubt as to thcll fate, for when some evidence had been heard they were asked what they h:ul tc say in their defense. Each of them told his tale in few words and short. Then Montezuma, who till now hail said and done nothing, took tho painted scroll ol their indictments and pricked it with thi arrow in his hand where tho picture ol each prisoner api>eured upon tho scroll. Then they were led away to death, but how they died I do not know. When this trial was finished, certain priests entered the hall clothed in sabli robes, their matted hair hanging ilowi their backs. They were fierce, wild eyed men of great dignity, and I shivered whei I saw them. I noticed also that the} alone made small reverence to the majesty of Montezuma. The counselors and no hies having fallen back, these priests en tered into talk with the emperor, am presently two of them came forward, am taking me from the custody of the guard led me forward before the throne. Thei of a sudden I was commanded to strip my self of my garments, and t his I did, witl no littlo shame, till I stood naked befori them all. Now the priests came forwan and examined every part of me closely On my arms were the scars left, by IX? Gar cm t> swum, IlIUl Ull III^ UiVilsil biiv healed marks of the puma's teeth am claws. These woumls tliey scanned, ask lng how I had come by them. I told them and thereupon they carried on adlscussloi among themselves and out of my hearing which grew so warm that nt length the appealed to the emperor to decide the point He thought awhile, and I heard him say "The blemishes do not come from with in the body, nor were they upon it at birth but have been inflicted by the violence o man and beast." Then the priests consulted togethc again, and presently their leader spok some words into the ear of Montezuma He nodded, and rising from his thron came toward me, who stood naked an shivering before him, for the air of Mexi co is keen. As he advanced he loosed chain of emeralds and gold that hun about his neck and unclasped the royi cloak from Ids shoulders. Then with hi own hand he put the elmin about m throat and the cloak upon my shoulder.and having humbly bent t lie knee befor me, as though in adoration, he cast hi arms about me and embraced me. 'Hail, most blessed," he said, "divin son of Quetzal, holder of the spirit of To; cat, soul of the world, creator of tli t ! world. What have wo done that you I should honor us thus with your presence ' for a season? What can we do to pay the | ' honor InickP You created us and all this j country; behold, while you tarry with us, i it is yours, and we are nothing hut your ( servants! Order and your commands shall i j l)c obeyed; think and your thought shall | 1k> executed before it can pass your lips. I i O Tezcat, I, Montezuma, your servant, offer you my adoration and through mo the j i ' adoration of all my people," and again ho bowed the knee. "Wo adore you, O Tezcat!" chimed in : the priests. Now I remained silent and bewildered, j > for of all this foolery I coidd understand nothing, and while I stood thus Montezu- j ma clapped his hands and women entered, | i bearing beautiful clothing with them and ; a wreath of flowers. The clothing they | put upon my body and the wreath of flow- I ers on my head, worshiping me the while j and saying: "Tezcat, who died yesterday, I is come again. Be joyful; Tezcat hus come again in the body of the captive Tculc." i Then I understood that I was now a , i ! god and tho greatest of gods, though at | tint ninmmit; withill lllVS??lf I fl>lt. more of ; : ft fool tlmn I had ever been l>oforo. ; And now men appeared, grave and reverend in appearance, bearing lutes in their hands. I was told that these were my j tutors, and with them a train of royal i pages, who were to Ik- my servants. They t j led me forth from tke hall, making music ; i as they went, and before me marched a herald, culling out that this was the god : i Tczcat, soul jf the world, creator of the world, who hud come again to visit his I j people. They led me through all the courts i i j and endless chambers of the palace, and I ! i wherever I went man, woman and child I bowed themselves to the earth Ix'foro mo ! and worshiped me, Thomas Wingileld of Ditchinghum, in tho county of Norfolk, ! till I thought that I must l>o mad. Then they placed mo in a litter and car- ; i ricd ni3 down tho hill Chapoltepec and ! | along causeways and through streets till i wo came to the great square of tho temple, j Before mo went heralds and priests, after ; mo followed pages and nobles, and ever as | i | we passed the multitudes prostrated themselves till I began to understand how j wearisome a thing it is to bo a god. Next 1 i ) they carried mo through tho wall of scr- I i pents and up tho winding paths of tho I i i mighty teocalll till wo reached tho sum- I ' mit, where tho temples and idols stood, j . and here a great drum licat, and tho priests \ ! sacrificed victim after victim in my honor, i and I grew sick with the sight of wicked- I i ! cess and blood. Presently they invited mo to descend from the litter, laying rich car- | i ! pets and flowers for my feet to tread on, j and I was much afraid, for I thought that they were about to sacrifice me to myself or some other divinity. But this was not i | so. They led mo to tho edge of the pyra mid, or as near as I would go, for I shrank back lest tlicy should scizo 1110 suddenly and cast mo over tho edge. And there tho high priest called out my dignity to tho thousands who were assembled lwneath, and every ono of them bent tho kneo in adoration of me, the priests above and tho multitudes below. And so it went on till I grew dizzy with tho worship, and tho shouting, and tho music, and the sights of ! death, and very thankful was I when at ! ! last thov carried 1110 back to Chapoltepec. Here now honors awaited me, for I was I conducted to a splendid range of apart1 ments next to those of tho emperor him ! self, and I was told that all Montezuma's j household were at my command and that ho who refused to do my bidding should , die. So at last I spoko and said it was my j bidding that I should be suffered to rest I awhile till a feast was prepared for mo in t tho apartments of Guatemoc tho prince, [ for there I hoped to meet Otomie. AJy tutors and tho nobles who attended me answered thut Montezuma, my servant, hod trusted that I would feast with him s that night. Still my command should bo done. Then they left me, saying that they would coino again in an hour to lead mo i to tho banquet. Now I threw off tho emi blcms of my godhead and cast myself down on cushions to rest and think, and a cer. j tain exultation took possession of me, for ; was I not a god, and had I not power al. | most absolute? Still, being of a cautious i ! mind, I wondered why I was a god and i how long my power would last. Before tho hour had gone by, pages and i I nobles entered, bearing now robes, which j were put upon my body, and fresh flowers I to crown my head, and I was led away to ! ! the apartments of Guatemoc, fair women ' going before 1110 who played upon instru- j i monts of music. Here Guatemoc tho prince waited to re- I i cclvo me, which ho did as though I, his j > captive and companion, was tho first of ! l kings. And yet I thought that I saw mcr- | rimcnt in his eye, mingled with sorrow. I Bending forward, I spoko to him in a ? whisper: What does all this mean, prince?" I said. "Am I befooled, or am I indeed a ! god?" i "Hush!" ho answered, bowing low and ) speaking beneath his breath. "It means : j both good and ill for you, my friend Teulc. ) j Another time I will tell you." Then ho ? udded aloud: "Does it pleaso you, O Tezl cat, god of gods, that we should sit at | meat with you, or will you eat alone?" > I "The gods liko good company, prince," I said. Now, during this bilk I had discovered i that among those gathered in the hall was tho Princess Otomie. So when we passed ) to the low table around which wo were to - I sit on cushions I hung back, watching ) where she would place herself, and then I 1 at once seated myself beside her. This caused some little confusion among tho i company, for the place of honor had been , ? prepared for me at tho head of the table, ) tho scat of (ruatemoc being to my rignt > i and that of his wife, the royal Tecuichpo, to my left. ''Your seat is yonder, O Tezcat," she i said, blushing beneath her olive skin as she spoke. i ''Surely a god may sit where ho chooses, * I royal Otomie," I answered. "Besides," I i I added in a low voice, ''what better place > ' call he 11 nd than by the side of the most i ! lovely goddess on the earth?" Again she blushed and answered; "Alius, ' I am no goddess, but only a mortal maid! 3 Listen. If you desirothat I should be your , | companion at our feasts, you must issuo ' it as a command. None will dare to diso, bey you, not even Montezuma, my father." i So I r.ese and said in very halting Aztec a to tho nobles who waited on me, "It is i , my will that my place shall always be set i by the side of tho Princess Otomie." t At these words Otomie blushed even i more, and a murmur went round among - ! tho guests, while Guatemoc lirst looked ' ' angry and then laughed. But the nobles, * my attendants, bowed, and their spokes1 man answered: * '"The words of Tezcat shall lie olxtyed. L Let the seat of Otomie, tho royal princess, 1 ; the favored of Tezcat, be placed by tho side [ : of the god.'' j Afterward this was always done, except * when I ato with Montezuma himself. ' i Moreover, the Princess Otomie became I known throughout tho city as "the blessed r princess, the favored of Tezcat," for so j strong a hold had custom and superstition 1 , upon this people that they thought it tho 5 j greatest of honors to her, who was among 1 the first ladies in the land, that he who fur 1 a little space was supposed to hold tho > | spirit of the soul of tho world should deign * to desire her companionship when he ate. ' I Now the feast went on, and presently I made shift to ask Otomie what all tliis might mean. I j ''Alas!" she whispered, "you do not I know, nor dare I tell you now. But I will * say this, though you who are a god may i sit where you will today an hour shall come when you must lie whore you would 1 not. Listen. When we have finished eat" ! ing, say that it is your wish to walk in tho 1 gardens of the palace, and that I should accompany you. Then I may find a chance to speak." y Accordingly, when the feast was over, I I ' said that I desired to walk in the gardens with the Princess Otolith*, and wo wont . out and wandered under the solemn trees a that are draped in a winding sheet of gray moss, which, hanging from every bough y as though the forest had Ihvii decked with > the white beards of nn army of aged men, " waved and rustled sadly in the keen night o air. But, alas! we might not he alone, for i, after us at a distance of 20 paces followed f all my crowd of attendant nobles, together with fair dancing girls and minstrels, arnir | cd with their accursed llutes, on which they e blew in season and out of it, dancing as i. they blow. In vain did I command them o to be silent, telling them that it was writd ten of old that there is a time to play and i- dance and a time to cease from dancing, a for in this alone they would not oliey mo. g Never could I be at peace because of them il then or thereafter, and not till now did I s learn how great a treasure is solitude, y Still we were allowed to walk together under the trees, and though the clamor of o music pursued us wherever we went, wo Is were soon deep in talk. Then it was that i I learned how dreadful was the talc which o overshadowed me. "Know, O Tonic," said Otomie, forsho ie | woidd call me by the old name when there was none to hour, '"this is tho custom of our land?that every year a young cuptivo should ho chosen to l>o the earthly imago of the god To/cat, who created the world. Only two things arc necessary to this cap- ! tivc?namely, that his blood should lx) no- ' hie and that his person should Ijo l>cnuti- i ful and without flaw or blemish. Tho day I that you ciuno hither, Toule, chanced to be tho day of choosing a new cuptivo to I personate the god, and you have been l chosen because you aro both noble and 1 more beautiful than any man in Anohuac, i and also because, being of tho people of tho ' Teules, the children of Quetzal, of whom j so many rumors havo reached us, and whoso coming my father, Montezuma, dreads more than anything in tho world, | it was thought by tho priests that you may j avert their anger from us and the anger of : tho gods." Now Otoniio paused as ono who has j something to say that she can scarcely And ! words to lit. but, I remembering only what had been said, swelled Inwardly with tho sense of my own greatness and because this lovely princess had declared that I was the most beautiful man In Anahuac, I, who, though I was well looking enough, had never beforo been called "beautiful" ! by man, woman or child. But in this I case, as in many another, pride went be- I fore a fall. "It must bo spoken, Teulc," Otomio j continued. "Alas, that it should bo I : who am fated to tell you. For a year j you will rule as god in this city of To- j noctitlan,andexceptforccrtalnceremonies j that you must undergo and certain arts ! which you must learn nono will troublo | you. Your slightest wish will bo a law, I and when you sniilo on any it shnll lx) an I omen of good to them, and they will bless j you. Even my father, Montezuma, will | treat you with reverence as an equal or I more. Every delight shall bo yours except j that of marriage, and this will 1x5 withheld till tho twelfth month of the year. ! Then the four most beautiful maidens in j tho land will be given to you as brides." "And who will chooso them?" I asked. "Nay, I know not, Teule, who do not I meddlo in such mysteries," sho answered | hurriedly. "Sometimes tho god is judge, : and sometimes the priests judge for him. | It is as it may chance. Listen now to tho ! end of my tale, and you will surely forget j tho rest. For ono month you will livo ; with your wives, and this month you will pass in feasting at all tho noblest houses in tho city. On tho last day of the month, howovcr, you will bo placed in a royal barge, and, together with your wives, paddled across tho lako to a place that is named Melting of Metals. Thcnco you j will bo led to tho teocalli, named House of | Weapons, whero your wives will bid faro- j well to you forever, and there, Teule?alas, that I must say it!?you aro doomed to bo offered as a Siicrlfico to tho god whose spirit you hold, the great god Tezcat, for your heart will be torn from your Ixxly, and your head will 1x5 struck from your shouldors and set upon tho stake that is known as 'post of heads.' " Now, when I heard this dreadful doom, I groaned aloud, and my knees trembled so that I almost fell to the ground. Then a great fury seized me, und forgetting my father's counsel I blasphemed tho gods of that country and the people who worshiped them, first in tho Aztec and Maya languages, then, when my knowledge of theso tongues failed me, in Spanish and good English. But Otomio, who heard somo of my words and guessed more, was seized with fear and lifted her hands, Saying: "Curso not the awful gods, I beseech you, last some terrible thing befall you at once. If you aro overheard, it will bo thought that you have an evil spirit and not a good one, and then you must dio now and by torment. At the least tho gods, who aro everywhere, will hear you." ''Let them hear," I answered. "They are false gods, and that country is nccursed which worships them. They aro doomed, I say, and all their worshipers nre doomed. Nay, I aire not if I am heard?as well dio now by torment as live a year in the torment of approuching death. But I shall not dio alone. All the sea of blood that your priests have shed cries out for vengeance to tho truo God, and ho will avenge." Thus I raved on, being mud with fear and impotent anger, while tho Princess Otomio stood terrified and amazed at my blasphemies, and the flutes piped and tho dancers danced behind us. And as I raved I saw that tho mind of Otomio wandered from my words, for she was staring to- | ward tho east like one who sees a vision. I Then I looked also toward tho east and saw the sky was alight there, for from the edge of the horizon to tho highest parts | of heaven spread a fan of pale and fearful light powdered over with sparks of fire, | the handle of the fan rest ing on the earth, as it were, while its wings covered tho eastern sky. Now I ceased my cursing and stood transfixed, and as I stood a cry of terror arose from all tho precincts of tho palace, and people poured from every door to gaze upon the portent that flared and I blazed in the east. Presently Montezuma | himself came out, attended by his great j lords, and in that ghastly light I saw that his lips worked and his hands writhed over each other. Nor was the miracle dono I with, for anon from the clear sky that hung over the city descended a ball of fire, which seemed to rest upon tho points of the lofty temple in the great square, lighting up the tcoealli jus with tho glare of day. It vanished, but where it had been another light now burned, for tho tcmplo of Quetzjil was afire. Now cries of four and lamentation arose ' from all who beheld these wonders on the j hill of Chapoltcpec and also from the city | below. Even I was frightened, I do not i know why, for it may well Ixj that the j blaze of light which wo saw on that and after nights was nothing but the brightj ness of a comet, and that the Arc In tho | temple was caused by a thunderbolt. But ; to these people, and moro especially to | Montezuma, whose mind was filled already I with rumors of the coming of a strange I white race, which, as it was truly propho| sied, would bring his empire to nothingness, the omen seemed very evil. Indeed, I if they had any doubt as to their meaning, ! it was soon to be dispelled, in their mind | at least, for as we stood, wonder struck, '< a messenger, panting and soiled with travi el, arrived among us, and prostrating hiiu1 ff~ Mr : ^ i A messenger, panthaj ami soiled with travel, arrived. self before the majesty of the emperor ho ; drew a painted scroll from Ids robe and handed it to an attendant noble. So desirous was Montezuma to know its con: tents that, contrary to all custom, ho snatched the roll from the hands of tho j counselor, and unrolling it he began to read tho picture writing by tho baleful j light of the blazing sky and temple. Presently, as he watched and he read, Montezuma groaned aloud, and casting down the writing ho covered tils face with his hands. As it chanced, it fell near to where I stood, and I saw painted over it rude I pictures of ships of tho .Spanish rig and of ! men in the Spanish armor. Then I uni derstood why Montezuma groaned. Tho Spaniards had landed on his shores! Now some of his counselors approached him to console him, hut lie thrust them aside, saying: "Let me mourn?the doom that was foretold has fallen upon tho children of Anahuac. The children of Quetzal muster on our shores and slay my people. Let mo mourn, I say." I At that moment another messenger camo from tho palace, having grief written on his face. "Speak," said Montezuma. "O king, forgive the tongue that must tell such tidings. Your royal sister Papantzin was seized with terror at yonder ! dreadful sight," and ho pointed to tho heavens. "She lies dying in tho palace!" ! Now, when tho emperor heard that his sister, whom he loved, was dying, ho said J nothing, but covering his face with his ! royal mantle ho passed slowly hack to tho ' palace. And idl tho while the crimson light gleamed and sparkled in the east like some I monstrous anil unnatural dawn, while the temple of Quetzal burned fiercely In tho I city beneath. Now I turned to the Princess Otoinle, who had stood by my side throughout, overcome with wonder and trembling. "Did I not say that this company was accursed, princess of tho Otomier" "You said it, Tcule," she answered, "and it is accursed." Then we went into the palace, and even ; in this hour of fear after me canio tho minstrels, as before. TO BK CONTINl?Kl> NKXT WKKlf. SllisfctlnHfous Reading. BROKEN PROMISES. I.arry (lantt Says the Reform Leaders Are Frauds. From The Piedmont Headlight, Reform. t ? 1 onn ?i._ r. 1 Ill lOIJO till; iiumcia ncic ui^uuiAbu . into what is known as the Reform Movement. They were told by their leaders that taxes were too high ; that salaries of State officers should be reduced ; that the old ring power would not relinquish olliee when once in power, but only rotated from a lower posi- , tion to a higher one. Well, the poor, deluded farmer swallowed all this and went to the polls and did just what he was told to do. lie placed implicit j reliance in the promises of his leaders and believed all they told him. Well, what is the result? One year, ' two years, three years, four years passed under the benign reign of "Re- 1 form," and still not a single one of these promises made to the "dear peo- > pie" has been fulfilled. The same salaries fixed when cotton was bringing about $100 per bale are today demanded, and when it takes a mammoth bale j to bring $25. We find every State office in Columbia filled with idle and ; expensive clerks, all drawing hand- j some salaries with unwavering regular- 1 ily, and who do the work that the heads of departments arc elected to perform. We find the State treasurer j with an office full of clerks, and yet ; he has time to act as president of a [ bank and also manage the Globe Phosphate company. The Scriptures tell us that a man 1 cannot serve two masters, and yet we [ find our State treasurer serving three. Now, if Treasurer Rates has time to look after outside business he could certainly, by giving up that business, discard one or more of his clerks and do that work himself. It is the same with the secretary of state, attorney general and school commissioner. All have men employed to do the work that tliev were elected to perform themselves. Hut the grandest farce is giving the adjutant and inspector general an assistant to help him do nothing. There are hundreds of old Confederate soldiers in South Carolina who would take the job of reviewing the militia companies of our State and he glad to receive $300 for the work instead of $3,000. And when this offi cer travels, the entire expenses must he paid by the farmer. But that is not | all. We pay our judges just $l,o00 each per year more than neighboring States pay their judiciary. Now let us reason this matter: Sup- ! pose a farmer hires a hand for $100 a year to tend a certain piece of land, j When pay day comes that employee ' not only demands that you pay his j own wages, but you find thnt he has i employed perhaps a half-dozen other j men to help him tend that one-horse I crop, and makes you also pay them ! for a full year's work. And yet this | is just what we are doing in South I Carolina under the benign and "eeon- j omizing" reign of so-called "reform." | If these public otlicers cannot attend ' to the duties that they were elected to | perform, why let them resign, and we ! will guarantee that 100 just as good j and capable men will he found ready ! and willing to take their places for one- j half the salary they receive. And j again: When they employ a man to j do a certain piece of work, they expect j him to do that work himselt and not hire some one else. I Now, if there is any reform in re- ' quiring the farmer to make live-cents j cotton to pay the same salaries as [ when our staple brought three times { and at half that price, we cannot see it with the largest sized magnifying j glass. In other words, those blatant | "Reformers" whom the people gave j olliee to in 1S90, are demanding and i receiving the same salaries as they were when times were in the heyday of prosperity, while the poor tiller of the soil must, in order to ! pay those taxes, give three licks where one lick would do when they ! were first fixed. And we would like to know with what degree of conI sisteney can these apostles of "reform" j denounce the extravagance of the j Cleveland administration, when they j are doing at home exactly what they I condemn in Washington? You may j cry "reform" to the people, and they | have heeded it in the past; but the sen 1 ps of nnrtisan nassion are falling from their eyes, and they now demand ! to see a little of that promised reform 1 put into actual practice. There is no j use for the farmer to economize and I work like a slave, and stint his wife and children in the comforts of life, j when the office-holders whom this vote I has placed in power, are grinding him : into bankruptcy that they may live a I life of ease and afllucnec. When the : man who tills out fields suffer, and j must practice economy, those who j rule over him should be made to do I likewise. While property values have increased ?to,000,000 in South Carolina since our Reformers came into i power, 1890, the average tax levy has not been reduced, but remains practi; cally the" same. Therefore, so far ; from the farmer being given any share in this prosperity, he is kept in the same old ruts by his professed friends. LKTTKlt FROM BUFFALO. i A Chapter on Tuxes?Some Suggestions for the I'ropwMCil Convention?Thinks Salaries Should he Hediieed. ! Correspondence of the Yorkville Eminirer. RriTAi.o, November 2(5.?Where ' cotton and taxes will land this old i Ship of State is the all absorbing topic I of the times. Air. Neely is out ou his ! usual tour collecting, and will he i around to see us in a few days. He ! has quite* a number of friends in this ! section, and they arc preparing to give : him as warm a reception as they can, [ under their present circumstances. Taxes and death are said to he the ; only two things certain. As for my part, 1 prefer the latter first, rather than try to pay such heavy taxes with I five-cents cotton. Away hack in lSoS-o!), cotton was i worth 12 cents, and the taxes on one ' of my neighbor's farms was only 4S ] cents; but this year, it will be over $11. Four pounds of cotton, then ' would pay taxes on as much property i as 220 will now. It will take over 4,000 bales to pay the taxes of this : county, and more than a dozen to pay | on dogs alone ; and why not just tax them out of existence and revive up the old time sheep industry? Il is ' going to take 1">,000 or 20,000 bales to finish paying the bonded debt on the Three ("s railroad, which everybody (lone witliont very wen oeiore n> was built. Allowing each county the same us Ibis, it will take 120,000 bales to pay the taxes of the entire State; yet I j venture to say it will far exceed that i number. The farmers are said to be the ' backbone of the country but if cotj ton keeps on going down and taxes up, it will soon suck all the marrow out of them, and this country will be like Sam Jones says some men are that I think they have backbone, when it is | only a cotton string run up their hacks. Whatever directly nfl'ects ngricuIturc, affects all other industries; so the tanners will not he the only ones that will sutler. But isn't it time the politicians were studying political, and the people, domestic economy. My sweetheart and I have agreed to economize our love towards each other. We cannot alford to love extravagantly while times are so hard. Let others do likewise. Let the Reform party cease harping on national issues and do something to relieve us of these burdensome taxes at home. It would strengthen the faith of its followers, and, besides a lot of Conservatives, and a few of the dusky sons of Ham are willing to be converted whenever Reform measures are extended into their pockets. It would pav better than disfranchising the Negro. Since Tom Reed and his gang of political Pharisees have eotten hold of the reins of the national government, it would be dangerous for us to tamper with Negro suffrage. They might make us take our own medicine by passing a force bill over us. It would humiliate us to have to march to the polls through a battalion of Negro marshals. It would be putting the bottom rail on top and obliterating every ray of our hope of ever obtaining relief at the ballot box. But if we are to have a new constitution, why not insert a cat-'o-ninetails into it for petty thefts and other minor offenses, or put culprits to work and macadamize all our public highways, and thereby save the county the expense of feeding a lot of worthless vagabonds without receiving anything in return. And why not reduce the salaries of all the officers from the governor on down ? York county has scores of good men who would serve as governor for $1,500 a year, and be thankful for the job; and plenty of men who would serve as trial justices just for the sake of having "Esq." attached to their names. TO C0KXK11 COTTON. ltesult of tlic llecent Meeting in Atlanta. The Atlanta Constitution, Thursday. A meeting of cotton men held at the Kimball house yesterday afternoon recommended Mr. J. T. Roddey's plan for controlling the price of cotton by flip formation of a trust. "This action, however, was taken only as individuals, and was opposed by some of those present. This opposition was from no absolute hostility to Mr. Roddey's scheme; hut was due to the fact that the idea was new and had not been fully investigated. Following this recommendation there was appointed a committee of three, consisting of John T. Roddey chairman; H. S. Lipscomb, of South Carolina, and J. E. Nunnally, of Georgia, to call county and State conventions to elect delegates, one from each congressional district and one at large, to an interstate convention. There were about SO present at the meeting, among whom were Commissioner of Agriculture of Alabama Hector I). Lane; Commissioner It. T. Nesbitt, of Georgia ; W. L. ltoddev, Itock Hill, S. C.; J. S. Blaloek, Laurens, S. C.; J. T. Duncan, Newberry, S. C.; Representative J. F. McElmurry, Waynesboro, Ga.; H. S. Lipscomb, Spartanburg, S. C.; John Bostwick, Morgan county, Ga.; J. L. Moore, Rock Hill, S. C. W. J. Moore, Abbeville, S. C.; J. It. Black, Monroe, Ga. ; B. N. Moore, York county, S. C.; and Representative J. P. Brown, of Pulaski county. Commissioner Lane, of Alabama, was made chairman of the meeting and Mr. J. T. Duncan, secretary. Commissioner Lane, on taking the chair, made an interesting address, heartily endorsing a plan that would control the price of cotton. He thought that the time for action in the matter was at hand and believed that concerted and well organized effort on the part of the farmers would bring about the desired result. Mr. J. T. Roddey, who is a South Carolinian, doing a cotton brokerage business in New York, was called upon and outlined the details of his plans to the meeting. Mr. Roddey is an interesting talker, and his enthusiasm evidenced a deep interest in the work he has undertaken. He prefaced his remarks by showing the way cotton values arc manipulated by speculators and their system of robbing the producer of his legitimate profits. "It is all a mistake about over production being the cause of low-priced cotton. It's because the crop is manipulated by speculators. Now, my idea is to make the crop control the price. This can be done by forming a gigantic combination or company with a capital of $00,000,000 or $100,000,000. j To form this company I would suggest j that the producers contribute one bale 1 of cotton out of every five they make. In this way the stock can be subscribed, and the producer will not be out a dollar. "This seems absurd, but soy that in a crop of 8,000,000 for every five bales a farmer grows he takes stock to the extent of one bale. That wduld leave a crop of 0,400,000 to be marketed, the 1,000,000 being set aside as capital i stock lor the company and taken out of the available supply. Now I verily believe that 0,400,000 bales of cot ! ton will bring in vaiue iiiny as mucn as 8,000,000,?the difference which has ! gone to speculators and manufacturers will he set aside for the producer in stock the first year. In case of a crop failure he has his stock in the company to fall hack on, and the company can sell part or all their cotton provided the price is high enough, but j in no case permit the market to he ! flooded with cotton. "To perfect the system of operations it would be advisable to have the gins in each county listed and the number ; of bales ginned reported to the genereral office. If possible it would be a i good idea to control the gins. If | cotton then comes in too freely we could notify the ginners and have them suspend operations until the de mnnd increased. "Many of the farmers would probably be willing for the trust to handle more than one bale out of every five, I as you will see from a letter, the Hatcher Manufacturing company, of j Columbus, (fa., offers to subscribe 200 j bales at the start. "The affairs of the trust would be kept as secret as possible from the I speculators and through our branch offices in all the counties of the cotton belt, we would lie in absolute possession of all facts concerning the state of the crop at all periods of the year. "The cotton contributed by the producer, after being delivered to the ofli' eers of the trust in each county, would be stored, insured, graded and weighed and stock to the amount contributed given to the producer. ".My plan would be to have warehouses at- every general receiving 1 point. These coulil either ne purchased retuiy built at a legitimate ; price or arrangements could be made i with warehouse owners to store and ! insure at a very low rate. The warehouse receipts could be made transferi able or bills' of exchange could be ! used. "Let books of subscription be opened at every town and city in the South. In regard to the management of the company, have one general or | head office, say in New York, New Orleans or Atlanta, with two general directors from each cotton growing j State; have one office in each State, | with one director from each county in | that State, and have suboftices in all ! the principal cities and towns in the ! different States to control the local 1 cotton, all to he controlled by the geni oral or head ollice. i "Let the head office instruct when to sell certain lots of cotton or hold | until a certain price is offered. The j farmer, in this way, could not be forced | to sell his cotton. Arrange so that in t case a farmer wishes to sell, say 10 I or 100 bales, with so much advanced i on it, he might sell or transfer his j warehouse receipts to his creditors." Continuing, Mr. Roddey said : "Messrs. Latham, Alexander & Co., make an estimate of the present acre- i age at 20,1100,000. "Neil's estimate of 10,250,000 bales j would signify a yield of a little more , than half a bale per acre, which is preposterous. "But an 8,000,000 bale crop at 5 j , cents represents a cash value of $200,- j I 000,000. Il one fifth or this crop, or one bale out of every five was put into ( the proposed trust it, is estimated that its withdrawal would increase values ; 25 per cent., giving a cash valuation j to the remaining four-filths of the crop, of $200,000,000, and $50,000,000 to the | 1,000,000 bales held by the trust. This i shows the wonderful possibilities in 1 , store for the producer in this scheme." [ \ Mr. Roddey was closely questioned I I on all points connected with his plan, ! and in each instance he gave ready | answers, showing that he had fully J I mastered the subject. | J. O. Waddell, president of the Georgia Agricultural society and Chair- j | man Lane, thought that an endorse- j | mcnt of the plans at this time would : , | be hasty and ill advised, but they i were overruled by a majority of those j ' present who sustained a motion to j recommend the plan. , The subject will doubtless come up j in regular form before the meeting of J I the Southern Cotton Growers' associa- i | tion at Jackson, Miss., on January 9th ! , I next. I The meetings passed resolutions ! giving hearty endorsements to the action of the Southern Cotton Growers' j association at Montgomery. j SHERMAN AND duBIGON. How the Distinguished Georgian Deported (he Loss of HIm I'ct 1'ony. When the national convention of i j lawyers met in the West some years | : I ago, Mr. duBigon was sent to represent ; i Georgia, his native State. Being one ; of the rising young men of his region, ! I lie was also invited to respond to the ' l toast, "The Young Manhood of the j South," at the large banquet to he ; given. i The young lawyer prepared his re- | ply with care, feeling he had done his i j best, which was all the bar could ex- j j pect of him. His toast was the 10th , in line and the toastmaster had pro- I nounced in distinct tones the title of ' J the toast, and added that Mr. Fleming j ' duBigon, of Georgia, would reply. The lawyer rose slowly to his feet, j ! glancing as +e did so down the long j j double line of expectant, polite, up- | I turned faces smiling at him, encourag- i | ing him to proceed. | "Gentlemen of the bar," he began, i i<[ ?> "General Sherman," delightedly | broke in the toastmaster, and "Slier- j man!" "Sherman!" was echoed all down the table, which saw dozens of men stund to their feet to greet the great soldier-lawyer as he eutered the room. General Sherman had promised to attend this convention, but had been | detained by other engagements until this late hour, and his advent was i hailed with a burst of welcome as he j advanced down to bis vacant chair. Everyone was shaking hands with him, ; | creating quite a hubbub. When it finally subsided the toast- j | master turned again to the young ; Georgian and said : ! "Will Mr. duBigon now proceed j with the toast, "The Young Manhood , of the South ?" i The Georgian sat for an instant , i dazed. He was young and the excite- j ment breaking into his speech had ; "floored" him. What was he going to do ? What j 1 was he going to say ? Every line of { ! his prepared toast had left hipi. To ! stand there a confirmed dullard ; to be ; j unable to respond to the toast that | involved all his patriotism, when that j speech was intended to show the ! Northerners just what the Southerners could do and he ! It wus humiliating ; i , it was agonizing. All this, however, did not occupy the space of time it takes to tell it. It j ; flashed through his brain like light- 1 j ning, and even during the latter part i of these thoughts he was rising mej chanically to his feet. j He stood still for a second and saw j j General Sherman's face looking at j ! him with interest. The silence was i appalling! He felt that every one was i thinking, "Poor fellow, he doesn't j know what to say." In a quiet tone, in which, however : he felt a quiver, he commenced : "Gentlemen, I am confounded ! The advent of so noted a warrior as GeneJ ral Sherman has made me forget every ! word of my speech"?the men all looked anxious and interested?"but I i think you can scarcely wonder at my confusion. Georgians are so used to i the fact of General Sherman following j them, that it is enough to simply paralyze one of them to be asked to follow the general." There was a pause for ! an instant over the young fellow's au' dacity, and then the room rang with appreciative applause at his excellent wit. Men leaned over their plates and immediately fixed themselves into at- j ! titudes of interest; they at once peri ceived that, at least, an original young chap was going to speak. Mr. duBignon felt the personal magnetism he had excited reflect on him- j self, and continued with more assur- '< ance. He.said that he would tell a story j about the young manhood of the ' South ; the very young manhood, inj eluding his first impressions of General j Sherman. The time was the Civil war, the ; i place Millcdgevillc, Gn. "I was only j a little shaver," he started, "staying at home taking care of my mother and younger brother. All the men had gone to war. The cry started in the . morning 'Sherman is coming !' It in- , ] creased from a whisper to a frightened shout. The old Negroes who were at home left the field and plow and gath- j i ered in their cabins, exactly as if it had j been said, 'The judgment day is com- i ; ing!' People stood irresolute in the street, not knowing what to do or ! whether it was best to go anywhere. Even the chickens and cows seemed to understand that portentous phrase that was filling the air?'Sherman is coming.' "And later 011 he came. Soldiers 1 ' < < - cil ; and norses, uiey ueguu iu uu mu muc town and the people's houses and fear was the prevailing element. "I insisted that my Shetland pony and my brother's pet rooster must be saved. My mother equally insisted that I was to stay in the house, for if not the soldiers would carry me away. ! I was made a prisoner, but owned a window, and when I saw one of the ! soldiers go under our house and catch j i the rooster and ring its neck. I was j I certain my pony would go next. So . jumping out of the window, I ran to the soldier, and doubling up my list, cried : 'Dog-gone you, old Yankee, if j I you take that pony I'll report you to j General Sherman.' lie stopped an ini slant, and then continued, courteous1 ly : 'General, he did take my pony, and this is my lirst opportunity to report to you." Mr. duBigno'n, of Georgia, won the flay. Men cheered him ns he took his seat for his cleverness, and General Sherman jumping up, said : "Will someone present me to the young rebel?"?New York Press. TilK NOBLE ART OF LYING. "Everybody should know how to lie well," said a woman. "One cannot live in the world with any degree of peace and comfort without lying a good deal, and one ought to he able to do it well. Every one knows that a good liar must have a good memory. Other things, too, are necessary. A small vocabulary for one ; the fewer words the better. When you are lyiug, stick to facts, if I may put it that way, and leave out detail. Never volunteer a lie. An unnecessary lie isasdangerous as the truth. Don't tell improbable lies. To tell an improbable lie is merely plucky ; it isn't art. Always be whole-souled about your lies. Don't be niggardly and spoil a good lie by patching it up with half truth. An uriisuc uar will employ ine iruui us u sort of background, but he won't mix it in a weak-minded way calculated to destroy all real effect." In Cambridge, Ind., lived a wellknown old gentleman by the name of Josiah Nixon, who in early boyhood had acquired the habit of gross exaggeration. The habit had grown upon him so that he believed everything he said was the truth, no matter how great the exaggeration. After he had reached the ripe age of three-score and ten some of the deacons in the church thought it was too much like lying to pass unnoticed, and it was decided after a great deal of consideration, that the old gentleman be churched. One evening while seated in front of his door, telling a small circle of neighbors about the way the pioneers had to live, the gate opened and the delegation of deacons filed in. "Yes," the old gentleman was saying, "we had hard times then. I lived two years on gross, and hickory bark on Sundays. We use to call Sundays 'bark days', on that account, and that's the only way we could tell when Sundays came. Bears! I seen 1,200 great big varmints onct around our camp, and I killed?" "Uncle Josiah " broke in one of the deacons, "we have come' to see you about this habit of yours. You have the unpleasant habit of forgetting the truth when talking, and we have come to remonstrate with you." "I know it, deacon," replied the old man, us he looked around. "I know it, and I want to tell you that I have grieved over that failin' of mine 500,000 times a day for the past 200 years." The Memphis Commercial has been moved to pay editorial tribute to liars. We do not know whether it is moved by that fellow feeling which makes us wondrous kind, or whether he is actuuted by pure magnanimity. Our contemporary writes as one having full knowledge of the subject; but whether it writes from the standpoint of an expert, or has been moved by admiration for the talent of some liar by whom it has been victimized, we can only conjecture, and we leave our readers to do the same. The Commercial says: Who set the great enterprises afloat v Who is the originator of vast investments and the instigator of magnificent projects? The liar. Who js it that floats the bonds, discounts the paper and manuocvers the initial steps of corporations and consolidations? Who is it that has settled the wild lands of the West and made Uncle Sam no longer a freeholder ? The liar. Who is it that originates "booms" and distributes capital from the unwary to the wise? Who is it that makes wild-cat mines successful and sets a prize upon human ingenuity ? Who is it that gives the impetus to politics and the trend to political economy ? The liar. The truth is, the liar has as many guises as Proteus. Anon he wishes to make your fortune, and again he wants to borrow a dollar. But he is always pleasant, affable and agreeable, whether engaged in the soliciting of millions in worldstirring plans, or in attempting to secure a free lunch. The truthful man will affrontyou with rude candor and hold up your faults brutally to your notice. But the liar?he will do nothing of the sort. He will make you comfortable and happy. He will put you at peace with the world and with destiuy. Whether he is in commerce, in politics, or in the show business, whether he is offering you a position or asking a favor, let him be respected in the future, and let his merits be recognized. Talk With the Flowers.?While being treated at the Johns Hopkins hospital, Baltimore, sometime ago, Mrs. D. L. Clark, of High Point, N. C., was kent sunnlied bv her friends with nu X" - ir gr f inerous choice flowers. In the following beautiful apostrophe, she expressed her appreciation : "O, speak to me, beautiful flowers. Truly you have been sprinkled by the dew drops of Heaven. Sweet flowers, come near and whisper to me some uccents of love that may cheer my wearied heart, so far away from home, upon this sick couch. Truly you have come to leave some glad tidings with me. Dark clouds had gathered round my bed, ere you did enter, and all seemed sad and lonely, but now your sweet smile begins to soothe my aching heart and pain is lulled to a happy sleep. And I would bless the hand that plucked you, O, sweet llowers, and placed you here to.send forth your rich perfume and to whisper to me, through tender bud and blooming rose, the sweet, comforting hope of returning health, renewed life and a glorious reunion once more with the dear loved one of my happy home. Then bloom on, sweet llowers, and let your voice be ever heard in loudest praise of this glorious institution, the panacea of health and hope in the world." Boys, Rkai> This.?-Many people seem to forget that character grows? that it is not something to put on readv-made with womanhood or manhood, but day by day, here a little and there a little, grows with the growth and strengthens with the strength, until, good or bad, it becomes almost a coat of mail. Look at a man of business?prompt, reliable, conscientious, yet clear-headed and energetic. When do you suppose ne aeveiopeu all those admirable qualities? When he was a boy. Let us see bow a boy of 10 years gets up in the morning, works, plays, studies, and we will tell you what kind of a man he will make. The boy that is late at breakfast and late at school stands a poor chance to be a prompt man. The boy who neglects his duties, be they ever so small, and then excuses himself by saying, 'T forgot; I didn't think," will never be a reliable man ; and the boy who finds pleasure in the suffering of weaker things will never be a noble, generous, kind man?a gentleman. Some people are so constituted that they can never see the bright side of anything but a dollar.