Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, February 28, 1903, Image 1
" " ISSUED
z.m. geist'S sons, Publishers. ( 21 <jfantilg JReicspaprrJar the promotion of the jgolifical, facial, g^ritulforal, and (garontntial Jnl^sls of the ^toglt. {T K R OTvjnn c k?tsA n c e '
ESTABLISHED 1855. YORKVILLE, 8. C., SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28,1903. JSTO. 17.
. I
% \ *
V,
By George
Copyright, 1902, by F. M. Buckles & <
CHAPTER IV.
* Y new master was indulgent
to a degree,
and my duties were
WI not at ail irksome. 1
showed some lgnoranee
in grooming the
' ' * 'AViy K/ikmo Kut Tnhn tnnlr
# UV1DCO, VU% WVMM
pleasure In exhibiting
his superior knowledge by showing me
Just what to do. I must have been an
apt pupil, for be nodded approval every
time I attempted to do the work according
to his directions. But I was
not cut out for menial labor. It was
the anticipation of finding out more
about Charles Goddard, my new master
and companion in crime, that had
first tempted me to accept such a position
as groom.
I soon found out, however, that he
had skillfully banished me from his
presence. He never appeared around
the barn, and so far as seeing him was
concerned I might as well have been
a hundred miles away. He went out
riding every day, but John hitched up
ho hnrnpfl nnrt drnvf? tin to the front
of the house, where shrubbery and
trees hid them from view.
I stayed in my place,five days with-;
out catching a glimpse of my master
or of Miss Stetson, and I was on the
verge of throwing up the position in
I was grooming his best trotter.
disgust when events took a different
turn. On the morning of the sixth day
Mr. Goddard appeared at the stable
door where I was grooming his best
trotter and took me by surprise.
"William, are you accustomed to
driving?" he asked me before I had a
chance to greet him with a good morn
ing.
It was the first time we had met
alone since that eventful night when
we had robbed the Stetson mansion,
and I was a little concerned to see if
he would show any sigu of recognition.
His parting injunction had been that
we should not know each other again
unless we met under conditions similar
to our first encounter. A glance at his
face showed that he was still determined
upon pursuing the same course
even when we were alone.
I would not be outdone in keeping an
honorable agreement, and I answered
him accordingly.
"Yes, sir; I have driven good horses
a little."
"Well John is going to take the gray
stallion to the city, and I want you to
hitch up the team and drive me over to
Miss Stetson's at 10 o'clock sharp."
"Yes. sir. I'll be there on time."
He hesitated a moment, looking
straight at my clothes. I divined his
meaning.
"I can put on John's clothes," I said.
"We're about the same size, and they:
* will fit."
"All right. That will solve the problem.
I will depend on you to be there
In time."
He walked hurriedly out of the barn,
flecking the dust from his neatly fitting
trousers with a riding whip. His figure
was almost as perfect as the setting of
his face, and 1 unintentionally fell to
admiring it. He was every inch a gentleman.
and the mystery of his strange
double life was intensified. What reason
had he to rob a house in the dead
of night and that house belonging to a
woman he loved?
Then it occurred to me that he had
keen searching for some papers or articles
that concerned his welfare and
that the robbery or me silverware was
only an incidental feature of the
night's work. The goods were probably
taken out to cover up bis tracks, to
give the impression that some ordinary
burglar had done the work. Satisfied
with this solution of the mystery, I determined
to stay in my iiosition as
groom for some time longer, hoping
that events might reveal more to me
and give me a chance in time of assisting
Mr. Goddard in his trouble, for the
truth was I had taken a strong liking
to him and wished to be near him.
Promptly at 10 o'clock 1 rattled up to
the house with the team and waited
for my master (I did not consider it
lowering to call him that), who soon
appeared on the piazza dressed with
immaculate taste. His face was a trifle
paler than I had ever seen it before,
but otherwise he was unchanged.
I liked the new duties assigned to me
and looked forward with considerable
Interest to the outcome of the ride. I
would at least have an opportunity to
study the two together.
He dismounted at the front door of
the Stetson house and lightly ran up
the steps, taking two at a time. lie
was goue about fifteen minutes, during
i E. Walsh.
Do., New York.
which time I studied the house and
the various windows which opened
upon rooms in which I must have been.
Miss Stetson appeared more beautiful
than ever that morning, confirm*
C?UA nrtfinAi?
injj U1V LU'Sl ILUpi CDCSHJU. oue uv/nvtu
Die with a slight inclination of the
head. Then the two took their seats,
and I drove them down the old country
road in the opposite direction from the
city.
For a time they remained silent but
after we had covered a mile they began
to converse in* monosyllables. This
In time yielded to more animated conversation,
conducted in an undertone
that made hearing very difficult I have
always prided myself upon my good
hearing, and it is due to the acuteness
of tbis sense that I caught any of the
conversation. As they became wrapped
up lu their talk they unconsciously
raised their voices a trifle. As near as
i could hear the important part of their
conversation was as follows:
"I wish Dr. Squires would leave that
old haunted house." Miss Stetson was
saying. "It makes me feel cold and
clammy every time I pass it and what
must it be to live in it all the time!"
"Probably very disagreeable, especially
to one of your temperament"
Mr. Goddard replied quietly.
"Or to one of vour nature." she an
swered, with a rising intonation of her
voice.
"But Dr. Squires does not seem to
mind it." he added, unmoved. "I have
offered to let him have a room in my
bouse, but he prefers to stay where he
Is. He says he cannot pursue his investigations
so well anywhere else."
"What are his studies and investigations?
He is so mysterious about them
that my curiosity is excited."
"Ask him, and be will probably tell
you."
"I have, but he always puts me off?
tells me to wait until some day when
he is ready to announce his discovery
to tin* world. Then he wil| tell me the
ursi one.
"A great honor to you, I am sure,
but I should demand to be let luto the
secret now."
There was a little Irony In bis voice
which no oue could mistake.
"Why do you not aspire to the same
honor'/" she asked In sharp, piqued
toues. "1 understand that you are just
as iguorant of his secrets as I am."'
"Yes, 1 am. I know nothing about
bis studies. He never lets me go beyoud
his office, which is on the ground
floor in front, but then there is no special
reason why he should take me into
bis secrets."
"Isn't he a friend of yours, and didn't
you bring him here?"
"I brought him here, but not as a
friend. I understood that he was
skilled in certain lines, and I brought
him here as a medical adviser. I am
responsible for nothing more thau
that."
"You talk very differently from what
you did six months ago. There was
uothiug too good for you to say about
bim."
"I'm saying nothing against him
?nw l mcrclv disclaim responsibility
for bim except us a medical adviser."
"1 do not think he ueeds j;ou as a
sponsor for his charucter," was tlie
sharp rejoinder.
"Probably not."
The quietness of the reply added
fuel to the tire, and the silence which
followed was no Indication of their
feelings. I dropped the whip purposely
on the seat back of me, and in turning
to pick it up I caught a momentary
glimpse of their faces. They were both
pale, and they were gazing intently at
the sceuery on opposite sides of the
carriage.
During the rest of the ride very little
conversation was carried on between
them, and 1 bad ample time to think
and reflect. The result of my cogitatious
was that I determined to pay Dr.
Squires a visit and see what I could
discover of his secret studies and investigations.
Following the natural
bent of my mind, I of course decided
to make the visit in the dead of night
and unannounced. Something more
than ghosts and spirits would be required
to keep rue off the premises
where there was any chance of making
a good haul or of discovering any
secrets that might be turned to good
account later.
CHAPTER V.
f . .. -.3^/j/ ^ T was nearly a week
I after this ri(^e before
tajgM/ I I could decide upon
a night favorable for
a vlslt to Dr. Squires.
It is a poor burglar
r*c^^ who fails to make
careful preparations before attempting
to euter a house, and long experience
in my business has made me extremely
cautious. I never undertake a Job wltbmif
/liia fAncl/lorntlrm r>f nil dptnllo A
sneak thief may go around from house
to house iu an aimless sort of manner
and enter the first one that is not properly
barred, but not so with a professional.
John always sent me off to exercise
the horses on the few days when Mr.
Goddard did not use them, and I employed
these spare moments to acquaint
myself with the surrounding
country. I passed Dr. Squires' house
several times in the course of the next
few days, examining the premises with
a critical eye.
I found that the house was located
some distance back from the main
highway and that it was nearly concealed
from view by shade and fruit
trees. A small grove of woods backed
up to It on one side and an open pasture
field bordered It on two other
sides. The easiest and safest approach
to It, I conceived, was from the wood
side.
The house Itself was an old fashioned
fiat roofed mansion sadly ,ln need of
paint and general repairs. It was
gloomy enough to drive almost anybody
away from it after dusk, and 1
nnt wnndpr that sfrsnere stories of
ghosts and spirits had been gossiped
around by the country people. If I had
been a superstitious person, I should
have selected the bouse as the last one
to rob. It was probably this Idea that
had Influenced the doctor In taking It
for his workshop. He was pretty pafe
lp assuming that nobody would disturb
him in that lonely retreat
I obtained leave to go to the city on
Friday afternoon, and 1 told John not
to worry If I did not appear until the
following morning. I had friends In
the city who might detain me over
night
About 4 o'clock I left the barn and
started presumably to walk to the city.
John offered to drive me half way
down If I would wait until after supper,
but the afternoon was so fine 1
preferred the walk.
Two miles down the road I found
that I was perfectly concealed from
view of every house, and I quietly slipped
over the fence Into the woods. This
piece of woods I knew backed op to
Dr. Squires' house. 1 concealed the
bqndle, which I pretended that I-wanted
to take to the city with me. taking
enough tools from It first to answer all
my present purposes.
As I approached the edge of the
woods I moved with great caution. I
did not know how many servants the
doctor bad, although John bad assdred
me that be had only one, a copper colored
Indian who was more foreign
looking than his master. This servant
never associated with anybody else
and was either deaf and dumb or unable
to speak English.
He was a sort of faithful watchdog,
1 judged, whom the doctor bad befriended
and who would in consequence
give up his life for him if necessary.
I had met such zealous manservants
before, and my experience
had always been that they are exceedingly
troublesome. I therefore fised
extra precaution.
While yet some distance from the
house I climbed up into the leafy
branches of one of the large trees and,
pulling the foliage to one side, scanned
the house Intently through a pair of
strong fleldglasses. By their aid I
could uote everything that was going (
on outside the house and could almost
see objects Inside the windows. i
The only advantage I obtained from
this was a clearer idea of the most
vulnerable points of the bouse and also
the way to escape from the premises In
the event of an alarm. I saw the servant
go about his duties, and later I secured
my first glimpse of the doctor.
He was a dark bearded, thickset, well I
proportioned knan. and one who would
prove a bold and powerful antagonist
More than this I could not say until 1
found myself at closer quarters with
him.
I remained in my treetop position
until well after dark, watching everything
that occurred around the house.
Then I descended to the ground, ate a
few pieces of cold meat and bread,
drank a little wine and threw myself
on the dry leaves to sleep. There was
no danger of being discovered In the ,
woods, and I needed the rest and sleep ,
to prepare me for the night's work. i
4. nrhon 1
it WUO aiicr uimmguw nuvu * i
opened my eyes again. Habit bad made
It a second nature with me to awaken
at this hour, and I had no fear of over
sleeping myself when I first closed my
eyes. I crawled through the under
brush toward the fence which divided
the doctor's land from the grove, an<
then waited and listened. The houst
was perfectly dark, and everything
was calm and peaceful.
I bad thought of dogs, but had failed
to see any around in the afternooi
through my glasses. However, to make
sure of it I imitated the cry and snarl
of a cat?a noise that always brings
waxcuaogs away trom xueir post uj
duty. If the dogs were Inside th<
house, I would find that out later. Bm
I really saw no reason why dogs
should be kept on the place.
Satisfied that the coast was clear, 1 [
made my way toward the bouse, keeplng
well in the shadow of the trees. 1
Then I made a close examination of
the windows and doors. They were
'.ocked with old fashioned catches and
re-enforced with nails. I selected the
doctor's study as the place least likely ,
to be occupied.
With a diamond cutter I took a piece 1
}f the glass pane out making an open- J
lng large enough to insert the hand. 1
worked so carefully that the diamond
point scarcely made any of the grating
noise so common when one operates
with cheap cutters. This one had been
mnrlp cnpr-lnllv for hip pnrt tt wna npr- f
feet in every detail.
As I took the piece of glass out and
deposited it ou the floor of the piazza
I listened intently for a few moments
to see if my operations bad disturbed
anybody. Then I applied my ear to the
hole in the pane to catch the breathing
of any watchdog.
Nothing could be heard of an alarm
ing character, and so I proceeded to
unfasten the window and to open it
Now, If I had been In the city or the
house had been a modern one, I should
never have thought of opening that
window without searching for a burglar
alarm, but out in the country,
miles away from any assistance and
in such an antique house, 1 did not see
the value of a burglar alarm and consequently
never once gave it consideration.
I discovered my mistake in an instant,
however. I had not raised the
window half an Inch when there were
a ringing of bells and an electric buzzing
all through the house that made
me turn pale. An amateur might have
thought that all the ghosts and spirits
)f the dead had suddenly come to life
igain, but I was too familiar with that
jound to be deceived.
I was off the piazza in half a minute.
3ulck as I was, however, a flash of
light in the windows of the house beat
me. The alarm had lighted every electric
light in the rooms, and the old
mansion was in a brilliant blaze.
Even at this critical moment, when
ill my faculties should have been alert,
[ made another mistake. Instead of
seeking safety in the woods as fast as
my legs would carry me I waited to see
runner developments. wouia me uoctor
and his servant come out and
search for me? I laughed softly to
myself at the Idea. .Certainly they
:ould not expect assistance from an>ther
house Inside of half an hour,
rhen what was the burglar alarm for?
To frighten robbers away; that was
ill, I concluded.
But I changed my mind a moment
ater when I heard the quick patter of
steps that I knew did not belong to
luman beings. Two black objects ,
,*ame rushing down the lawn from the
Darn, and In the semldarkness I made
>ut two enormous Dane bounds. The
ibject of the burglar alarm flashed
icrossmy mind In an Instant
The electric wire that had started the
Dells to ringing had also released the
watchdogs^ and they were now upon
ma
As if by Instinct they rushed upon
die piazza, catching the scent almost
Rut In that Instant 1 hurt
UJUiCUiOtVI^ VUM.V AUUVUM. UHW
.urned and fled toward the woods, my
>nly place of safety. Could I reach
:he woods and climb a tree before they
caught up to me?
This question flashed through my
nind, but I could not answer It 1 al eady
heard their feet behind me, strikng
the ground with heavy patters as
:hey loped rapidly across the lntervenng
space.
The blood seemed to rush to my head,
md for an Instant I thought of death.
[ had never been cornered quite so
completely before. I gathered up my
strength for a final effort and cleared
:he fence with a bound, but as I leaped
lpward the foremost Dane made a tremendous
lope and cleared the top rail
>f the fence In fine style.
We both landed on the other side, but
the force of the hound's leap carried j
llm several feet over my head. Be
fore he could turn upon me I had
locked my revolver, and as he made a
savage dive toward me I exploded It
full In his face. The range was so
short that the explosion must have
partly stunned him, for he rolled over
md kicked a few times and then lay
juite still.
But I had no time to prepare for the
second one. A& If angered by the sight '
He sprang upon me with a marl.
)f his dead mate he sprang upon me
with a snarl that I can remember to
.his day. The great red, foam flecked
jaws were close to my face, and 1
irew back with a helpless shudder. 1
could have yelled In fear then if professional
pride had not tied my tongue.
[ bowed to receive my fate, determined,
however, to sell my life dearly.
But before the white teeth could
close upon me I saw a flash of something
over the hound's head; It seemed
to my dazed mind like a fork of lightaing.
It made a curve downward and
then disappeared, but It had left its ,
mark behind. I felt great spurts of
bot blood pouring from the Dane's
throat on my hands and face, while
the brute rolled over with an angry
jrowL
I jumped to my feet and saw fating
me. with the bloody knife in bis hand,
Mr. Ooddard. For an Instant I was ,
speechless and almost helpless, but his
warning voice brought me to my
senses.
"You have only a few minutes to escape.
They are coming. Runl"
I heard footsteps on the lawn back
of us, and, remembering the athletic
form of the doctor and his faithful
bodyguard. I obeyed the word* of my
master and hurried from the spot, but
vhen I turned to look for my deliverer
. found that be had disappeared too.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Sledge Dogi.
Apart from the great use that the
dedge dogs were to us for pulling pur
joses, they made wonderful companons
in the solitude of the far south.
Already early In the expedition 1 bad
presented to each of the members a
log, and a great affection arose between
the masters and their dumb
. ompanions. Members often retired to
iome quiet corner, petting their fayorte
dogs. The lives, the struggles and
:be sufferings of the dogs helped to
:ake tbe memDers out or rnemseivea
tnd thus assisted materially tbe comhod
welfare of our small community.
In tbe cold time tbe dogs killed each
>ther. Suddenly the whole pack of 70
teemed to agree upon killing one of
heir number. For days they watched
Tor an opportunity, and tbe unfortunate
and doomed dog seemed at once to
'ealize that sentence of death bad been
nassed. He sought refuge with us and
tvould never go far away from camp
nntil one day for a moment be might
forget himself. The dogs would then
*usb upon him and tear blm iDto pieces.
-National Review.
MsccUancous Reading.
SEVEN YEARS TO DIG CANAL.
30,000 Men Ought to Finish the
Ditch In That Period.
"With good luck we ought to finish
the Panama canal In seven years,"
said a high government authority officially
Interested In the enterprise recently.
'The task may require as
much as ten years for its completion.
It depends largely upon the health of
thp Inhm-prs Mrmloved. An eDidemic
of bubonic plague or cholera might put
us back a good deal.
"Such a misfortune Is exactly what
we shall take most pains to avoid, however.
We shall control everything on
the strip, which will be In future, to all
Intents and purposes, a part of the
United States; and our first care will
be to fix matters as we want them In
a sanitary way. We shall clean up
things just as we did In Cuba, establishing
proper drainage, Insuring plentiful
supplies of pure water and making
cleanliness compulsory in the
towns along the route of the canal.
The French company has a fine hospital
that cost over a million dollars
which will be transferred to us with
the rest of its property.
"We shall employ about 30,000 workmen
on the canal as soon as we get
A#
miugo lainy Dial icu, auu uiio aimj v&
laborers will be drawn mainly from
Jamaica and other West Indian islands.
It has been urged that we might utilize
a few thousands of our southern
Negroes on the job, but such a plan
would not be likely to work satisfactorily.
Colored folks from the cotton
states might suffer from the climate
of the tropics and they are not accustomed
to live as cheaply and simply
as the darkles of the West Indies.
"Probably the work will be given out
to contractors, who will hire the requisite
workmen at 50 or 60 cents a
Jay, which is about what labor is
worth In that part of the world. The
contractors will give bond to the Island
governmente to care for the Negroes
properly and return them at the
end of a specified time. The laborers
will be fetched to the port of Colon by
9teamers, disembarked and assigned in
5a.ngu, unuer uu??cs, iu vanuuo
points along the line of the canal.
Work will be carried on In all parts of
the ditch simultaneously in order to
bring the enterprise to completion as
quickly as possible.
"It should be realized that the problem
presented by the Panama canal
Is altogether different from that which
would have demanded solution in Nicaragua.
If the latter route had been
chosen the work would have had to begin
with the clearing away of forests
and the grubbing of stumps?In short,
the opening of a virgin tract of country,
with a multitude of difficulties to
be overcome as a preliminary to the
excavation of the ditch. At Panama,
on the other hand, everything Is cleaned
up; the canal is already half dug?
accurately speaking, about 30 per cent,
of the necessary digging has been accomplished?and
we have only tQ take
up the task where the French people
have left off.
"We are thus enabled to start at
once and without the long delay which
would have been unavoidable in Nicaragua.
Even the machinery and other
apparatus?much of it, at all eventsIs
on hand. As yet it is impossible to
Bay what the machinery is worth; our
experts did not take It into account in
their estimate oi" th? value of the
French company's property and all of
It will have to be overhauled and examined.
A great deal of it is antiquated,
undoubtedly, but much of it is
good stuff.
"There are a great many locomotives,
nearly all of them brand new??I
think not less than forty-five or fifty?
which are valuable assets and represent
a lot of money. Then there is a
great number of machines, such as
steam Shovels and dredges, for exca
vatlng and carriers for removing earth.
There are thousands of dumpcars and
miles on miles of portable railway
tracks, which can be picked up from
one place and laid down off-handed In
another.
"Xerxes once employed a million soldiers
in the making of a canal, but
those were days when digging was
done by hand with spade and
pickaxe. In these modern times
such work is accomplished by machinery.
Steam shovels pick up
the earth, which is conveyed by
trolley carriers to cars and transported
with the help of locomotives to convenient
places, where U is dumped.
Where rock has to be removed blasting
is done, of course; but fortunately
there is very little rock to be excavated
along the Panama route, i
"Necessarily a great deal of expensive
machinery will have to be purchased.
Much of the apparatus now on
hand must go to the scrap heap to be
replaced with the newest and most-upto-date
machines. With American energy
and unlimited funds behind the
enterprise the digging of the canal will
be carried forward with great rapidity.
It is even now in progress, in a sort
of fashion, about 1,500 laborers in the
omninv nf the French comDany being
engaged on the work.
"The estimated cost of completing
the ditch Is $144,000,000. It will be forty-seven
miles in length, though the
isthmus is only forty miles wide, the
route traversed being far from straight.
The bottom width of the canal will be
150 feet, its width at the top varying
with the formation. Where it passes
through rock, of course, its sides will
be steeper than where the banks are of
earth. The depth of the water will be
35 feet throughout, so as to allow for
the passage of the largest freight
steamers, and there will be five twin
locks built of solid masonry.
The deepest cut to be made will not
be much over 300 feet above sea level
at the highest point. By the help of
the locks ships will be lifted up the
requisite 90 feet on one side of the
isthmus and lowered again to the level
of the ocean on the other side. The 1
locks will be twins in order that, when (
one of them needs repairs navigation
may not be interrupted.
"It is estimated that about 5,000,000
tons of freight will pass through the
canal during the first year after it is
opened and that there will be a steady
increase in the traffic thereafter. Tolls
will be low?not more than $1 a ton, I
should say. Uncle Sam will not be
anxious to make money out of the en- 1
terprise; and it is hardly necessary to
nav that ovorvthlnff ahnnt thin OTPftt
public work will be done on a scale
of liberality. Every modern improvement
will be introduced?even to the
lighting of the ditch throughout its ,
entire length with electricity furnished
by waterpower."?Washington Letter.
THE RUSH FOR DAMAGES.
Qneer Offers Made to the Claim
Agent of a Railroad.
. "The first thing some people think
about when they hear of a railroad
disaster is to sue the railroad company,"
said a claim attorney in one of
the big corporations in New Tork.
"The othef morning when I got to my
office a man was waiting to see me.
When I asked him his business he said:
" 'I want damages.'
"I replied, 'For what?'
"Then he explained to me that there
had been a wreck on our road and that
a relative of his had been injured. It
was the first I had heard of the wreck.
This man had come over from where
the accident occurred and got to' my
office ahead of me and told me the
news. I explained to him how he must
proceed.
" 'How much do I get if my relative
dies?' he asked.
"I told him I could not go into that,
and suggested that it would be time
for him to think of that when the time
came. He said that he had heard that
somebody got $100,000 damages out of
a railroad company for killing a man.
I told him that was no criterion.
" 'At all events,' I said, 'your friend <
is not dead yet, and you should be
thankful for that.'
" 'Yes,' he replied, *1 reckon you are j
right about that, but $100,000 is a good j
deal of money.' ; j
"Of course, he was an exception, but <
he wasn't a marker to a man who \
came in and asked how much the com- \
pany would be willing to settle for a j
pair of torn trousers. He amused me. (
I asked how his trousers came to be (
torn. He said }ie didn't exactly know. ,
The first he noticed about them was ?
when he was coming over on a ferry- j
boat; he felt kind o' chilly. I suggest- (
ed_.that he might have torn, them on j
the ferry-boat. \
" 'Maybe I did,' he replied, 'but it j
looks more like I had been in a coilis- ,
Ion,' and he proceeded to make his (
exhibit. Still amused I suggested that
he might sue the ferry-t>oat company .
X
first.
" 'I thought about that,' he replied,
'but my lawyer in Jersey said ferryboats
didn't pay as much as railroads.'
"I suggested to him that he might
sue the ferry-boat company first, and
if he didn't get what he thought he
ought to have, then he could sue the
railroad company.
" 'That's a good idea,' he replied.
'How much do I owe you?'
"That was a novelty I had never
encountered in the settlement of a
claim. But I was enjoying the situation.
I replied that I guessed I would
have to charge him about $50.
" 'All right,' he answered, 'if I beat
the company you can deduct the
amount of your bill from the damages
I will get.'
"That was also a novel proposition
oo m,, KnolnoQB -araa rather nrPSS
ing I tolcT him I would see him later,
and he went out, saying that he would
let me know after he had seen his other
lawyer. A claim agent's office Isn't
the dullest place In the world."?New
York Sun. '
Descendant* of Pocahontas.
In the February Issue of the Twin
Territories there Is a very Interesting
article relating to the descendants of
Pocahontas. As ought to be generally
known, this young daughter of Powhattan,
after saving Capt. Smith from
the fury of her father, was baptized
and married John Rolfe, an Englishman.
By him she was taken to England,
where, as the account states, "the
wild flower, transplanted from her native
heath to the moisture laden atmosphere
of England, wilted and died
on March 17, 1617, at Gravesend, England,
In the nineteenth year of her age
?a mere girl,. almost a child, at her
death."
This child-wife bore one son, Thomas,
who was brought back and grew to
iviunhnn/i in virctnlfl. He had a
daughter who married a Boiling, of a (
prominent English family, and a granddaughter
of this Boiling married a Randolph,
and one of their sons was the
famous "John Randolph, of Roanoke," 1
and other members of that noted Vir- (
ginia family. Through another membei4 1
of this same family descended Thomas *
Jefferson and Gen. Robert E. Lee. J
They were not of the Pocahontas stock, ]
but were related by marriage and de- 1
?4 * ~ nf nM Vine '
St'CIIl LU IUC UaUfiUbVl Wfc WAV*
Powhattan.
And so we find that this "wild flower"
of the Virginia forests became the
progenitor either by direct descent or
by intermarriages, of some of the most
famous people of a state famous for its
great men. Probably there is not another
Instance in American history to
match it. There have been doubts and
disputes as to whether Pocahontas really
saved the life of Capt. Smith, but
there is no room for doubting the records
of her marriage, nor of her descendants.
These at least are authentic
history, and prove beyond cavil that
many a proud name in Virginia is in
some way descended from the Indian
girl whose name and history have
filled many a story of both facts and i
fiction.?Montgomery Advertiser. C
THE EXPRESS TRAIN.
[Two long and two short whistles
are the signal for a crossing, and are
most familiar sounds to travelers and
all within hearing of railroad trains.]
I.
I hear a faint sound far away?
Two long, and two Bhort notes at
play,
As soft and sweet as silver flute,
The locomotive's first salute
"T-o-o-t, t-o-o-t, toot toot!"
IL
I hear again the tuneful sound,
Now waking woodland echoes round,
The locomotive seems to say
"We are coming-coming, clear the
way;"
"T-o-o-t, t-o-o-t, toot toot!"
m.
And now a rumbling noise I hear.
And clouds of smoke and steam appear,
\
The locomotive seems to shout;
"We are coming fast. Look out!'
Look out!
"T-o-o-t, t-o-o-t, toot toot!"
IV.
And now I hear a brazen bell
That lifts aloud a warning knell,
The engine now begins to yell
-Like frantic fiend escaped from hell:
''T-o-o-t, t-o-o-t, toot toot!"
V.
Mid hissing steam and deafening roar
I hear that awful sound once more;
"Keep back, keep back. Don't cross
the track!
For love of life, stand back, stand
back!
"T-o-o-t, t-o-o-t, toot toot!"
VI.
With clanging bell and clattering steel
And flaming breath and flashing
wheel,
rhe lightning train goes crashing by,
Like flery bolt from stormy sky,
'T-o-o-t,' t-o-o-t, toot toot!"
VII.
A whirlwind follows on behind.
With clouds of dust our eyes are
- blind;
fet from the curves around the hill
Is heard that engine-whistle shrill,
'T-o-o-t, t-o-o-t, toot toot!"
VIII.
Again, a faint qouind far away?
Two long, and two short notes at
play?
rhe locomotive's farewell call; ,
"We are chasing time, God speed us
all"?
'T-o-o-t, t-o-o-t, toot toot!"'
EVER-BURNING LAMPS.
)ne Lighted One Thousand Years
Ago Just Going Oat la England.
Towneley Hall and Park have been
n the possession of the Towneley
'amily ever since the reign of King
Alfred, that is to say, for more than
>ne thousand years, and have a dls:Inct
claim to celebrity, for It Is to be
'eared that the famous lamp of Towneey
chapel was the last of the so-called
iver-burnlng lamps in England. At
*- - Ad 4VA 1?m4 ikaso
.lie UeglllUUlg U1 luc laai tcuiui; uinc
vas some half a dozen known to fame
(till alight, and which had been burn- ?
ng for centuries, while at the time of
he reformation and the dissolution of
be monasteries by King Henry VIII,
:here were many hundreds of them
bat had been burning without lnter uptlon
from the time of the Norman
conquest
Doubtless these perpetual lamps
vere a remnant of that form of pagan
worship known as the everlasting fire,
vhlch was kept alight by guardians,
joth male and female, the latter known
is vestals, and who were punishable
vith death if they allowed the fire to
?o out. How much Importance was at:ached
even after the reformation and
veil on into the seventeenth century, in
Surope to these ever-burning lamps is
lemonstrated by the fact that some of
:he greatest scientists of those days
levoted both much time and labor to . x
:he discovery of some species of illumnant
that would burn forever. Many
works have been written about the
natter by French, Italian and English
writers, some of whom vouch for the
nost extraordinary details on the sublect.
Thus, for instance, it is solemnly
asserted that at the opening of the
comb of Tulia, the daughter of Cicero,
in Rome, in the Via Appla, in the sixceenth
century, a lamp was found
aurning there, which, if the story auchenticated
by the records at the Yati;an,
and bearing the signature of Pope
Paul III, are to be believed, must lave
been burning for more than 1,500
pears.
Bailey, in his English dictionary of
1730, tells that at the dissolution of the
in ihn Hm? nf TTpnrv VTTT
muiiaoici ico in ui? ?m??v v* ? ?? ? .
:here was a lamp found that had been
burning more than 1,200 years; that Is
:o say, since the second century of the
Christian era, and declared that this
amp was in his days to be seen at the
Museum of Rarities at Leyden, in
Holland. Shakespeare, in his address
)f Percles, refers to- "ever-burning
amps," and Spenser, too, alludes to
'lamps which never go out." From a
jurely antiquarian point of view, there!ore,
it must be a source of great refret
that the owners should permit the
extinction of a lamp which, according
* " ? * - 5 ? V
,o tradition, naa ueen uuruiug nnuvui,
nterruption since the days of King:
\lfred, that is to say, for more than
>ne thousand years, in the chapel on
he Towneley estate.?Science Sittings.
Touching Editorial Appeal.?Bring
is taters, sweet or Irish, bring us
:hickens, young or old; bring us eggs,
>r pork, or sorghum; bring us silver
jring us gold; bring us copper, bring
is greenbacks; bring us fodder, corn
>r hay; bring us fruit of all descrlpions,
bring us corn meal any day.
3ring us beans, or oats, or pumpkins;
jring us butter, lard or flour; or anyhing
that's good to stay our hunger
j'en an hour. For the larder's getting
impty, and the cash is running low;
md our paper bills must soon be, for
:he paper's got to go. Our store bills
nust be settled, and the kids must go
:o school; and our trousers seem more
>U.AAjkA?A. AO Via WOQthor 'iHnfl to
.mcauuaic, ao uic 0.?
:ool. So bring us anything you have
:o eat, or trade or wear; or pay a bill,
>r go on trade, or help to put us
square. We need you kind assistance
:o help us pull through until railroad
gins to build, for till then we feel
juite blue. The times are dull, and
tve are short and need a little raise;
so come to our assistance and you'll
eceive the praise. So pay for a<}ver:ising,
subscriptions and the like, and
ceep the enterprise from want and gong
on a strike. We'll raise our voice
ind howl for you and sing your praise,
ong, if you'll only rustle in the grub
ind bring it good and strong.?Dodd
?lty, Ark., Appeal.