Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, March 19, 1909, Image 1
YORKVSLIE ENQUIRER; ~
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^^fABLlSHED1855. ~ YORKVILLE, 8. C, FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 1909. 3STO. 23.
IU* A*A KAK AHA ftAft A*A ?A*
\ Heron
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3 By ETTA 1
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Uft A*A KA* A*A *A* AXA KAK
CHAPTER HI.
The morrow came?big with fate.
In preparation for the conquest of
my grandfather's heart, my mother
dressed me with great care, and combed
and curled my long hair with her
own hands. Patty, too, fluttered
around me in great excitement. She
knew the family secrets and more than
once her feelings became too much for
her.
"Lord bless you for a born beauty,
Miss Hazel," she cried, "the old judge
will never be able to hold out a'gin you
this day, unless he's turned to granite.
Oh, but I remember him well?born to
rule, if ever a man was, and to make
other folks tremble."
"Do you know my grandfather, Patty?"
I interrupted.
"Lor*, yes, miss," sighed Patty. "I
was your mamma's waiting-woman before
she ever left her father's house.
I've stuck close to her since that hour.
I'll stick to her till the world ends.
There! you do look like a little angel?
fit to move a rock, if so be it had eyes
to see you."
At the hour appointed on the previous
day Aunt Ferrers arrived to take
possession of me.
"Is all well ?" my mother asked, anxiously.
"Does my father suspect anything?
Has he discovered your visit
of yesterday?"
"He suspects notmng, me u?u,
white-haired lady answered, cheerfully.
"Francis Heron Is to lunch with
him today. I see that you have armed
Hazel cap-a-ple for conquest." She
looked breathlessly Into my mother's
pale face. "My poor girl, Is all well
here? Have you suffered any fresh
alarm?seen anything more of the gray
woman.
"No," shuddered my mother; "but at
the last moment I feel strangely reluct-1
ant to send Hazel on her mission. Oh,
Aunt Helena! take care of my darl-1
ing!"
"I will. Fear nothing," answered
Aunt Helena. "You can trust her with)
me, Constance."
Then we went down to the gate,
which Patty had unlocked, entered a
carriage waiting there, and rolled off
to the nearest railway station.
She was very kind and gentle?this
" - ?.. ? A T o.nn Oiirn that ahA
new-iounu uuui?i n<? <.??>
must love my mother fondly. She put
me In a car, with a box of French boni
bons to comfort me, and took a seat
by my side, asking me many questions
about our hermit life at Lake Cottage.
There were anxious lines in her face,
and now and then a heavy sigh escaped
her.
The train?an express?tore rapidly
' on. Soon bridges and water, and an
immense wilderness of roofs and
spires, with one great gilded dome rising
above all, like a miniature sun,
burst on my wondering eyes. It was
my first experience of travel?my first
glimpse of the vast world.
The train slackened speed?stopped.
We had reached the city of wealth and
culture?the city of pride, prejudice,
and narrow, crooked streets.
"Come," said Aunt Ferrers, and we
alighted on a platform, under an arched
roof of glass and iron. At a sidedoor
an English broughham, drawn by
iron-gray horses, and driven by a
coachman in livery, awaited us. We
entered the vehicle and through a network
of noisy ways started for that
of aristocratic Boston, the
Back Bay.
Bewildered, I looked from the carriage
window on the vast human hive
into which I had made my first plunge.
Endless walls of brick and stone met
k my eyes?vast, hurrying crowds of
men and women?ancient trees, in a
confusion of autumnal tints. Then the
broughham rumbled into Commonwealth
Avenue, and stoppfed before an
i imposing stonp dwelling.
"My dear, this is the place," said
Auui r ci i cio.
She led me up a flight of steps into
a hall, ceiled and paneled with carven
oak. On one side was a fire-place with
aPompeiian mosaic for a hearth-stone,
palms in huge jars stood on the landing.
We ascended a wide stair to a
boudoir, where a white-capped maid
came to attend us. My hat and cloak
were removed, and the servant brought
a tray of dainties, of which I tasted
sparingly." Where was my grandfather?
I wanted to go to him at once.
I was glad when Aunt Ferrers took my
hand and said. Impressively:
"The moment has come, Hazel?we
cannot delay longer."
Down the shallow stair we went; the
j- house seemed very still. We crossed
the hall to a portiere of magnificent
tapestry. A footman waited there
Aunt Ferrers motioned him aside and
drew back the fabric with her own
hand. But in the act she suddenly
^ paused, as though strength and courage
were falling?as though she could
not take the fateful step across the
threshold. And while she thus held
the tapestry in her trembling grasp,
? . w v. Anoninc nooport Ansrprlv
A, UIIUUBH lire ujreimiB, p ,
Into the room beyond.
I saw walls of an exquisite primrose
p tint, an inlaid floor; a bow-window of
stained glass that cast a soft glow
upon everything, and a luncheon-table,
shining with old silver, painted Sevres,
and Benares bowls of Marechal Niel
roses.
At the board sat two persons?one,
a thin, sallow, olive-skinned youth?
the other, an elderly gentleman, with
an ugly aquiline profile, and huge gray
eyebrows beetling over his keen, unpleasant
eyes. This latter party was
in the act of taking some black grapes
from a silver dish, and so absorbed
was he in talking to the sallow youth,
that he did not notice the movement of
the portiere?did not see Aunt Ferrers
P and myself halting In mortal dread on
his threshold.
"Heron," we heard him say, "am I
to understand that you mean, after
^ leaving college, to take up your abode
L on your Black River estates?"
"Yes, sir," answered Francis Heron.
"Listen to me, lad; sell that property?it
will yield you nothing but tor
AHA HAH AHA HAH AHA HAH AHA
*
*
'SWlFE. i
s
W. PIERCE. 5
&
AHA HAH AHA HAH AHA HAH AHA
Iment Even In your father's day the
mill-folks were a lawless lot?forever
in revolt. They ended by burning the
mills over his head?he lost his life in
the fire. Go to the North Polo?to the
Equator?anywhere?but give Black
River a wide berth."
The boy answered with the impatience
of one who is used to having his
own sweet way, and docs not relish
outside interference.
"I have no hankering for the North
Pole, sir, nor the Equator. I thank
you for your counsel, and the interest
you feel in my father's son; but I am
going to rebuild Heron's Mills, and set
up my lares and penates in the old
house at Heroncroft, as soon as I leave
Harvard."
"Just powers! 'Whom the gods design
to kill they first make mad.' I
wonder if the character of Black River
natives has improved since your father's
time?"
"I fear not. They are said to be a
set of disreputable vagrants."
"AnH von fancv. lad. that you can
take them In hand, revive the industries
which they wantonly destroyed,
and put a wholesome check upon their
lawlessness?"
"Exactly, sir!"
"Rubbish! Your father and I were
sworn friends from boyhood. For his
sake, I try to dissuade you from this
absurd scheme. Heron."
"Pardon me, sir, I am not to be dissuaded.
I am mulish by nature, as you
know. I look upon the whole matter
as a duty. I think my father would
approve of?
"He was burnt in his mills. You
will meet a similar fate."
"That remains to be seen, sir."
The next instant Aunt Ferrers had
moved forward into the room, drawing
me with her. The beautiful Inlaid floor
seemed rising to meet us. My heart
beat fast, but I thought of my mother,
and I went straight up to the gentleman
with the eyebrows, and made him
a little curtsey.
"I am your granddaughter, sir," I
said. "I am Hazel Ferrers, and if you
please, I have come to see you."
Francis Heron stopped short in the
midst of his sentence. Both men
stared. Then my grandfather pushed
back his plate of grapes. An appalling
look, like
"Lightning in a sudden spleen unfolded,"
swept his face. With those stiff gray
brows making sinister shadows over
his eyes, he glared, not at me, but at
poor Aunt Helena.
"What damnable trick is this?" he
shouted, in a voice that promised ill for
mv cause. Who brought this child
into the house, Helena?"
"I!" she answered, firmly. "Philip,
you see before you poor Constance's
little daughter?your one only grandchild,
bone of your bone and flesh of
your flesh. Have you no welcome to
give her?"
Judge Ferrers arose from his chair.
On his feet he was even more frightful
than when seated. Unconsciously,
as it seemed, Francis Heron arose also.
He appeared to be holding his
breath, as though he perceived the air
around him charged with dynamite.
"Helena," sneered my grandfather,
still Brlarlnar straight over my head,
"how is it that I, who never had a son,
am requested to welcome a grandchild
called Ferrers?the maternal, not the
paternal, name? Why such a very uncommon
arrangement?"
She was a gentle, timid woman, but
she flushed angrily.
"Are you ignorant of your daughter's
misfortunes, that you ask that
question Philip? Oh, shame! shame!
Surely your rightful heiress, the last
scion of your house, may be permitted
to shelter herself beneath your name?"
"My rightful heiress!" he echoed, in
a hard, dry voice. "Ah, now I have
the key to this trumpery bit of melo
drama! You have somehow discovered
that my will is written."
Again the color arose in her delicate
old face.
"Philip, blood ought to be thicker
than water. Constance is my niece.
If you have ceased to love her, I have
not. I must and will speak for her.
She is living in poverty, obscurity, and
worse yet, danger, all of which you can
change, if you will, to plenty, protection
and safety. Have you not punished
that unhappy girl enough? Have you
not kept her in exile long enough?
Look at this child?your own flesh and
blood?what has she ever done amiss?
If you have made a will and disinherited
her?if you have robbed her of her
birthright?consigned her in her helpless
childhood to the mercies of the
world?I tell you to your face. Judge
Ferrers, you have done a wicked, cruel,
shameful thing!"
An ugly, apoplectic purple surged
over her aquiline face. He extended
his arm suddenly, as if to smite the
bold little woman. Frightened by his
gesture, I started back, and fell over
a chair, prostrate on the slippery floor.
Instantly Francis Heron, who had not
yet spoken a word, darted round the
table, snatched me up and set me on
my feet. Quivering with wrath, my
grandfather addressed himself again
to Aunt Helena.
"Your niece has only herself to thank
for her poverty and suffering. In defiance
of my authority, she made her
choice twelve years agone, and she
may abide by it to the end of her days,
for neither by stratagem, nor in any
other way, will she wrest forgiveness
from me. Let her send no offering of
her shameful marriage to this house,
for I acknowledge no kinship with it.
It is quite true that my will is made?
it is also true that not a dollar of my
money will she or her child ever remIvo
Tn ogee vmir mlnH Hplpna. and
gratify the curiosity which is the bane
of your sex. I tell you frankly that my
fortune is bequeathed unconditionally
to the son of my dead friend?Francis
Heron!"
This, as I knew, was no secret to my
aunt, but the sallow boy started and
grew very red.
"I decline to accept it, sir!" he
cried. "I will have nothing to do with
the abominal business!"
"Hold your tongue, lad!" shouted my
grandfather.
"I warn you, you, sir, you will accomplish
nothing by bequeathing your
money to me!" persisted Heron, with
vehemence. God is my witness, I will
restore every farthing of it to your
daughter.
It was the feathep that broke the
camel's back. Judge Ferrers gave a
roar of exasperation.
"You will accept it, lad, or I will
scatter it to the winds of heaven?I
will burn it, bury It; but to the woman
who was once my child, and is
now as dead to me as though she lay
in her grave, it shall never go! Let
her perish In the gutter, and her offspring
with her!"
Heron stood facing my grandfather,
looking ill-pleased with his part in
our family tempest.
"Allow me to retire, sir"?he began
stiffly.
"I forbid you to move from this
spot!" thundered the judge.
Then Aunt Helena made one last effort.
She took my face In her twohands,
with the long hair falling away
on either side, and lifted it to my
grandfather's gaze.
"Look at her once, Philip!" she implored,
"and you cannot drive her from
you. As you hope for pardon yourself,
forgive Constance?take her home?
she is in peril and unprotected. For
this child's sake, receive the mother?
for the mother's sake, receive the
child."
If there was beauty in my face, it
did not move him; if there was a vulnerable
spot In his heart, this appeal
failed to find it. My poor mother had
sinned past all forgiveness. Before
such wrath as his, blood was not
thicker than water?its mysterious influences
had no power to affect him.
"You are my sister, Helena," he
cried, in a terrible voice, "but should
you dare repeat this offense, I will turn
you from my house?I will disown you,
as I disowned the daughter who defied
and disregarded me years ago! Now,
take that child out of my sight!"
"Phillip, oh, Philip!" cried Aunt Helena,
but he waved her off.
"Not a word more! Take her away,
or It will be the worse for you!"
She was conquered! She drew me
blindly toward the door.
I broke from her grasp, and turning
toward my grandfather, stamped my
foot, and shouted:
"You horrid, wicked, dreadful old
man! I hate you with all my heart. I
will hate you so long as I live."
Aunt Helena seized me, anew, and
dragged me forcibly over the threshold.
"Oh, Hazel," she groaned, you have
completed our utter ruin!?all Is lost?
come away!"
The laat I saw of that room was a
flood of rosy Jigh{ falling through its
* ?? -- ? ? J Sn + Vi
stained window, ana my gnmuiamci
standing In the radiance, with his back
turned upon us, while the sallow boy
Heron gazed after our ignominious retreat,
with something in his eyes that
made me think he was sorry for us.
Then the portiere fell into place, and
rejected, disowned, I stood with Aunt
Helena in the beautiful oaken hall.
"I want to go back to mamma!" I
panted.
"Immediately," sobbed Aunt Helena.
"My poor Constance! I fear this disappointment
will quite break her
heart."
In haste and silence we made our
exit from the grand house which, for
years after, was to be to me but a
memory and a dream.
Th? hroueham which had brought us
from the great depot carried us back
to it, and directly I found myself again
seated in the car beside Aunt Helena,
retracing the distance betwixt the city
and our poor cottage.
"Will my grandfather be very angry
with you, aunt?" I queried, anxiously;
"will he make you suffer for trying to
help us?"
"No, dear, no?don't think of me,"
answered Aunt Helena, shading her
eyes with her gloved hand that I might
not see her tears.
Darkness was gathering by the time
wp reached the cottage?the forlorn,
blustering darkness of an autumn eve.
For once the gate was unlocked, and
we went up the walk under the fading
trees?a crushed and hopeless pair.
My mother, too anxious to remain
in-doors, was waiting in the porch?
her pale face and sunny hair glimmered
through the dusk. I broke from
Aunt Helena and flew to meet her.
"He would not look at me, mamma,"
I cried; "he would not speak to me.
He is a hard, cruel man."
While with one hand she drew me
to her breast, with the other she
snatched at the wood-work of the
porch for support.
"Oh, Aunt Helena," she cried, "your
plan has failed!"
"Yes," answered poor Aunt Helena,
"I am but a sorry schemer, Constance.
I managed the affair very badly. Your
cause is lost?you are disinherited, and
Hazel with you!"
CHAPTER IV.
Hazel Speaks.
"Some time, mamma, I will go
again," I sobbed; "to please you, I will
go again to my grandfather."
"No," she answered, firmly, "you
shall go no more to that house. We
must be content to remain what he
has made us Hazel?outcasts!"
"Take courage, ma'am," said Patty;
"he may yet change."
"Never!" replied my mother. "If,
after twelve years, his anger against
me burns as fiercely as ever, how can
I hope that he will forgive?'
"What hardness of heart!" groaned
Patty. "What stiffness of neck! It
is a mortal sin for a man to be so set
ae'in his own, and judgment is sure
to follow It."
On the day succeeding my unlucky
visit to town, our little household at
Lake Cottage received another fright.
It was the hour after lessons, and I
had romped about the old garden till
I was tired of its silence and solitude.
! I longed for companions?for warm,
human contact. As a last resort. I
I turned my face toward the iron en[
trance-gate, through which I was wont
| to catch an occasional glimpse of the
| outer world. As I drew near it, I espied
a woman standing on the farther side,
with her long, peaked face framed in
the rusty bars, looking through into
the garden.
She stood exactly as Patty had seen
her a few days before. Her attitude,
her dress were the same. Her veil was
drawn aside, and under it I could
see a projecting chin and eyes of a
queer topaz tint. She was gazing
breathlessly toward our cottage.
"You are the person who threw the
paper to frighten mamma!" I cried,
with unmistakable hostility. "Go
away!"
She withdrew her gaze from the
small house, and fastened it upon me.
"Are you Constance Ferrers's daughter?"
she asked, in a peculiarly soft,
refined voice.
"Yes," I answered. "Go away, I tell
you, or I will call Patty."
My threat did not move her. She
beckoned me with one gray-gloved
hand.
"Come nearer!" she coaxed.
In a sort of helpless fascination, I
obeyed. Through the gate her breath
smote my cheek, hot as flame.
"Tell your mamma," she whispered,
k/tAMaa],t noronn aha Hrwidfl
livaioci/i kAICbb UIC pviovtt w?.v -
most is on her track?tell her to fly!?
it's my last word to her!"
Then she turned and disappeared behind
the brick wall.
I ran to the cottage. In a moment
my story was told.
"It's Just as we feared, ma'am,"
groaned Patty; "we must leave this
I place tomorrow."
My mother, pale but composed, answered:
"Yes, we will find another home at
V11WC.
Immediately the two began to prepare
for flight. From a few words
dropped by Patty, I learned that Aunt
Ferrers had already secured a shelter
for us in some distant, unknown place.
That night, when our faithful servant
was making me ready for bed, I
said to her:
"Patty, I want to tell you about my
grandfather's eyebrows; they stuck
out above his eyes, like a hearth-brush.
He is a frightful old man?exactly like
an ogre in a fairy tale. Don't you
think it very sad to be a real heiress,
and have all one's money given over to
a yellow faced boy like Mr. Francis
Heron?"
"Lor*, Miss Hazel, your aunt declares
that Mr. Heron tried to take your
part," answered Patty.
"So he did; but I thought him detestable
Just the same. Patty, was my
father a bad man?"
"Goodness gracious! There you go
again! Didn't I tell you never to speak
of that party to anybody, Miss Hazel?"
"You told me mamma would drop
dead if I mentioned him in her presence;
you don't mind such a trifle, do
you, Patty? I heard my grandfather
say that mamma's marriage was
shameful. Yes, my father must have
Wn n verv had man."
Patty shut her lips and remained silent.
"Patty. I want to know who the gray
woman is that hangs about our gate."
"I shan't tett you," answered Patty,
resolutely. "She's no good, you may
be sure. We'll give her the slip tomorrow,
dearie, and put you and your
mamma in a safe place; so go to sleep
now, and have no fear."
All that night I was tormented with
ugly dreams. At early dawn I awoke.
The sky was dark and mutinous?a dolorous
wind moved in the garden-trees.
I dressed, and crept downstairs. My
mother and Patty had been up all
night, making ready for an early flitting.
Signs of the same met me at
every step. Rooms gaped dismantled;
hnvpa nnoked and straDDed, choked the
passage. The door of our little parlor
stood ajar. I looked In, and saw
my mother sitting at a table, writing
by the last gleam of a failing lamp.
There were hollows under her soft
dark eyes. She looked pale and exhausted.
This room, like the rest of
the house, was in a state of disorder.
In the grate a few embers blinked
through gray ashes. As I entered, my
mother looked up with a start, and laid
down her pen.
"What! awake so early, Hazel?" she
said. "I fear we have disturbed your
sleep, dear."
"Where is Patty?" I asked.
"Gone to the village, to find the
man who will take our goods away.
We may expect her back in a few moments."
And my mother looked wearily
up at the clock.
"Are you writing letters at this hour,
mamma?"
"Only one," she answered, with a
wan smile, "to you, dear."
"To me?" I echoed, amazed. "May
T rpftd it?"
"Not now," she replied, putting her
hand over the page. "Not for years to
come, maybe. On this last night at
Lake Cottage, something urged me to
put certain things on paper, for your
future benefit, Hazel. The story Is not
wholly written, but I can finish It at
another time."
She arose from the table, and moving
toward the window, pulled up the
curtain.
The garden stretched empty and
desolate under the dismal dawn. The
hush of a new birth was upon all
things. Night had departed, and day
; was not yet come. I slipped my hand
into my mother's, as she stood, with
her pale, beautiful face pressed to the
pane, looking out on the gloomy dawn.
"Shall we ever come back to this
place, mamma?" I asked.
"No?oh, no."
"I hope the gray woman will not follow
us to another home."
"She will not. We shall be off before
the world is astir?before prying
eyes have discovered our movements.
There! 1 hear some one at the door.
Patty has returned. Now we will gather
up our few possessions and depart."
We had seen nobody in the garden
walk, but I did not think of that.
The side door, by which Patty always
entered, opened very softly. We heard
a slight groping movement in the passage.
"Come in, Patty!" my mother called,
cheerfully.
Even as she spoke, the door swung
back, and somebody appeared on the
threshold of our little parlor and stood
there, looking in upon us.
Not Patty, but a man?a stranger,
of medium height, dressed like a gentleman,
and wearing a soft felt hat
pulled down over his pale, beardless
face. There was nothing uncommon
in his appearance, save a big red spot
on the lower jaw?whether scar or
birth-mark, I know not?but I remember
now that ugly patch of crimson
caught and held my gaze, as he turned
his face on us from the shadow of the
door.
My mother stood as though changing
to $tone. All night she had been
making' ready for flight?for future
safety, and lo! with the first gleam of
day, her enemy confronted her on her
own threshold!
Somewhere along the village road
Patty was hurrying back to her mistress.
Did not my mother know with
deadly certainty that her faithful servant
would arrive too late? Her fate
had fouhd her In the hour 'twtxt light
and daricness. She faced It, defenseless,
alone, save for my feeble presence.
The man with the scar on his jaw
made a ptep into our little room. My
mother bttered no cry, but a great
loathingj and horror flashed Into her
eyes. Iq a strong, clear voice that had
neither fear nor appeal in it?only bitter
denunciation?she called:
"George Langstroth!"
Never while life remained would I
forget that name. Like hot iron on
the flesh, my mother's voice branded
it indelibly on my memory. He took
another step nearer.
"At laftt, I have found you!" he said;
then deliberately drew something from
the bres?t of his coat. There was a
sudden, blinding flash, a puff of smoke,
and the iiext moment I stood alone in
that awful room, rending the air with
my shrieks, and at my feet lay my
beautiful mother, fallen voiceless and
motionless, with a bullet in her heart!
To be Continued
8HOOTING SOME.
When Lincoln With Carbine Hit Bull's
Eye Repeatedly.
A gentleman in this city, says an old
issue of the Indianapolis Sentinel, has
In his possession a curious relic of the
late President Lincoln. In August,
1863, Mr. S. was a clerk in the navy
department at Washington. The accumulation
of business at that time
frequently compelled him to work after
office hours. About 6 o'clock on the
evening of the 31st the clerks having
all left the department, and the watchman
not yet on duty, Mr. S. sat at his
desk alone, as he thought, in the building.
Suddenly he heard some one
walking up and down the hall with long
strides, muttering to himself.
"I do wonder If they have gone off
and left the building all alone," he
heard the voice say as he came to the
door. Looking down the hall, he saw
President Lincoln, who presently turned,
and seeing Mr. S. approaching said:
"Good evening, sir. I was just looking
for that man who goes shooting with
me sometimes," said Mr. Lincoln. Mr.
S. happened to know that President (
T ittmin nro a fnnA nf flrMrms. and was
In the habit of testing every new gun
invented, which at that time was a
pretty frequent occurrence. The messenger
of the ordnance bureau generally
went with Mr. Lincoln on his trial
trips, so Mr. S. told him he would see
if the msn was still in the building.
Finding that he was not, Mr. S. offered
his services. "All right," said Mr.
Lincoln, "get your coat on and come
on." He followed Mr. S. into the rooth
and stood at his desk, drumming on
it with his Angers and keeping up a
running fire of talk about the amount
of work they all had to do, how hot ,
the weather was, etc. Mr. S. being
ready, they started. "But hold on,"
said Mr. Lincoln, "we must have some- ,
thing to 3hoot at." So Mr. S. went
back to his desk and got half a sheet
of congress letter paper; this he folded
twice, making the target four thicknesses
of paper.
At the door of the navy department
they met a man from the White House
with a box of ammunition and a Spencer
carbine, which gun had been recenty
invented, and the qualities of
which Mr. Lincoln was going to test,
e tnnu tho cnn nnd Mr. Lincoln
the cartridge box, and then Mr. S. took
three steps and Mr Lincoln took one,
and with a trot and a stride the two
made their way across the lot south
of the White House. Arriving at a
safe distance, Mr. S. placed the target
against a guy post standing in the
ground, and the president, having loaded
the carbine, paced oft the distance,
about 80 to 100 feet, raised the rifle
to a level, took a quick aim and fired
the round of seven shots (the Spencer
carbine is a seven-barreled revolver)
in quick succession, the bullets clipping
all around the target like a Gatling
gun, and one striking near the
centre.
"I believe I can make this gun shoot
better," said Mr. Lincoln, after they
had looked at the result of the fire.
With this he took from his vest pocket
a small wooden sight which he had
whittled from a pine stick, and adjusted
it over the sight of the carbine. He
then shot two rounds, and of the fourteen
bullets nearly a dozen hit the paper.
Mr. Lincoln then wanted Mr. S.
to shoot, but as that gentleman wasn't
proud of his marksmanship he declined,
and the two walked across the lot
to the White House, Mr. Lincoln with i
the cartridge box and carbine on his
shoulder, chatting like a boy home |
from hunting, and Mr. S. with the target
in his pocket, getting in a word
edgeways when he could.
At the White House door they part- i
ed, and with a cheery "good night," i
from Mr. Lincoln, in the whirlglg of
time yesterday brought the target be- (
avflo nf a Qont I rip] rpnortftr. It i
is now a faded piece of paper about
four Inches square. Near the centre i
is a blackened hole, through which Mr.
S. said the president, having got good 1
range, sent five or six bullets in sue- i
cession. A little to the right of this i
is another spot pierced by two bullets, i
and Just below a third perforation, i
These within a radius of about two i
inches. At the left lower corner a (
piece of the paper is chipped out, and
another at the right centre, while the
post all around the paper, Mr. S. said,
looked as if it had the smallpox. i
tsr Sir Robert Hart, the veteran in- 1
spector general of the Chinese customs,
speaking at a dinner in London 1
recently, said that once, in Pekin, he 1
sat out a banquet that lasted for seventeen
consecutive hours. There
were 125 courses, and he tasted them '
all. Mr. Ward, the American envoy
to China, who tried to secure an Interview
with the Emperor HlengFung
In 1859, tells how he was entertained
at a dinner that lasted from
noon one day until 6 o'clock In the
evening of the day following. The
total number of courses is not given,
but Ward mentions that he had to
give In after partaking of 138 different
dishes, "whereupon his hosts wondered
greatly." I
| Home Course I
| Mod
By C. V. C
| X!I.?THE SELECTION AND
Agricultural Division,
1 ' Copyright, 1908, by Am
The methods of farming followed today
are made possible only by the use
of modern labor saving machinery.
The farm hand of today needs brains
more than muscles. The ability to
handle a complicated machine successfully
is more valuable than the
power to do a hard day's manual labor.
With the coming of Improved machinery
the problem of what to buy and
what to get along without has become
a serious one. The farmer has more
money tied up in machinery than in
any one thing besides his land. Having
too much machinery is nearly as
Daa as naving iuo nine. wuai m
needed is a wise selection.
It is always well to do a little figuring
before buying a new machine. Dividing
the cost of the implement by
the number of years it may be reasonably
expected to last will give the
amount that must be charged to depreciation
each year. Add to this an
TIG. XXIII?A HANDY TYPE OF GASOLINE
ENGINE.
allowance for repairs, storage and
each year's share of the interest, and
you will have the yearly cost of the
machine. A little further figuring will
show whether the benefit received
from it in a year will warrant this
cost. tA
Machinery may be roughly divided
into Ave olaSses?tillage, planting, haying,
harvesting and miscellaneous. Of
ine many linage uuiiiciuciiio uiem
some th^t are absolutely necessary on
any f&rdL, Among these are the plows.
For the farmer on a quarter section a
sixteen inch riding plow will be all
that is needed for the field work. In
addition It may be well to have a cheap
walking plow for plowing the garden,
turning out potatoes and for use in
case of an emergency. A gang plow
requires too many horses to be practicable
on the average 160 acre farm.
On larger farms, where plenty of
horses are available, a gang plow will
save the time of an extra man. It is
a good plan to have the plow supplied
with two or three moldboards of different
slants. A steep moldboard pulverizes
the soil more and for this reason
is a good thing to use on stubble
land. On clover sod, however, a longer
moldboard should be used in order to
lessen the draft.
One of the most important tillage
Implements is the disk. No other machine
will pulverize the soil so quickly
or thoroughly. The use of a tongue
truck?a small two wheeled arrange
ment?under the rear end of th-j
tongue is of considerable advantage in
taking the weight off the horses' neck3.
Solid wheel disks pulverize the ground
more thoroughly than spaders or cutaways.
A good harrow is a necessity on any
farm. The flexible type is best for all
conditions, as it gets down into the
hollows and rides over trash better
than will a sjlid frame harrow. Spring
tooth harrows, rollers and weedersall
have their special uses, but can hardly
be said to be necessary on the average
quarter section.
ixext In order come the cultivators,
and there are so many styles of these
that choosing is a difficult matter. The
most important part of the cultivator
Is the shovels. A happy medium is
struck in the six shovel type. The
shovels on this can be run deep enough
to loosen the soil well the first two
times over the field and can later be
set shallow enough to avoid serious injury
to the spreading roots. If you are
In the corn business extensively enough
to airora two sets oi cuiuvaiurs u m
well to have special surface machines
for the last two cultivations. Some
companies make surface blades which
can be attached In place of the shovels
when so desired. In the hands of a
careful man the two row cultivator
does good and rapid work.
First in the line of planting machines
come the seeders. While costing
a little more at first, there is no
better implement for sowing small
grain than the disk drill. The disks
cut through cornstalks and other trash,
and the seed Is deposited evenly and
at a uniform depth. The resulting
evenness of stand will cause an Increased
crop sufficient to pay the entire
cost of the drill In a year or two.
in selecting a corn planter me runner
type of furrow opener Is preferable
to the disk, since the latter Is hard
to guide. The essential point In planters,
however, is the drop. If you are
in the habit of grading your seed corn
carefully so that the kernels are all
about the same size, the edge drop
plates .will give a more even stand
than will the round hole drop. Planters
In which the plates are turned by
a chain from the axle and the wire
used only to open the shoe are surer
to drop every time than those in which
all the work is done by the wire.
There are two haying Implements
that are absolutely essential, the mower
and the rake. Be sure to pick a
wide cut mower. Six feet is a good
width. The extra draft amounts to
little, and considerable time will be
saved in going over the field.
11 I
era Agriculture. j
JREGORY, )
CARE OF FARM MACHINERY |
, Iowa State College. 1
may profitably be run through a shredder
before feeding. This will husk the
corn and leave the stalks In the best
shape to be fed or used for bedding
One of the most important of the
miscellaneous Implements is the windmill.
No farmer can afford to pump
water for his stock by hand when the
wind will do it for nothing after the
mill has once been put up. In erecting
a windmill be sure that it is put on a
high enough tower so that surrounding
trees or buildings will not cut off
the wind. A mill which is geared back
so that the wheel makes three revolutions
or so to one stroke the pump
FIO. XXIV?LOADING THE MANtJBR 8PBBAEBR
DIBBCT FBOM THB BARN WITH A LITTKH
CUBBTER.
will run in a lighter wind than will
the straight geared type. A three
legged tower is Just as strong as a
four and considerably cheaper.
A machine that is almost indispensable
on a stock farm is the gasoline engine.
The original cost of these engines
is reasonable, and the amount
required for fuel and repairs is small.
With a gasoline engine to furnish the
power to run a shelter and grinder
feed can be cheaply and easily prepared
for the stock. The engine will also
saw wood, if you are fortunate enough
to have any to say, run the silage cutter,
grindstone, separator, churn and
washing machine. It may also replace
the windmill as a source of power for
pumping.
In selecting a gasoline engine be
sure to get one large enough to do the
required work easily, remembering at
the same time that where much light
work is to be done a small engine will
do it with much less gasoline than
will be used by a large one. This objection
to a large engine can be overcome
to a large extent by so arranging
the work that several light machines
may be run at the same time.
The most reliable type of engine is
the four cycle, in which there are two
revolutions of the flywheel to one explosion.
The water system of cooling
is the most efficient, though air cooled
engines are all right for light work.
Another necessary machine of the
stock farm is the manure spreader.
Not only does this save a great deal
of work, but it also applies the manure
more evenly and will cover a
greater amount of ground with a given
quantity of manure. There should
be little wood in a manure spreader,
since it rots out quickly.
To be Continued
A WARSHIP'S RAM.
The Huge Steel Beak la Capable of Inflicting
Terrible Injury.
A modern ram is nothing more than
a huge steel beak, or sput, which is
fitted to the prow of the battleship for
the purpose of destroying an enemy's
ship in time of war by the force of
collision. Indeed, should a vessel
succeed in driving her ram against another
warship the blow, if delivered at
full speed, would be sufficient to
crush in the ship's side and sink her
immediately.
A battleship's ram weighs about forty
tons and is cast all In one piece.
It is of solid steel and capable of
striking a tremenaous diow. oneu
proof a man-of-war may be made, but
the swill of the naval architect is unequal
to the task of designing a ship
that can resist the ram.
Great care must be exercised in fixing
such a heavy piece of steel. The
method generally adopted is as follows:
The ram is suspended from a
strong derrick, the bottom end of
which is attached to the extreme end
of the vessel's keel plates. The gap
between the ram and the uncompleted
part, or hull, is walled tight compartments.
The weapon is so fixed that it
strikes Just below the armored belt,
where resistance is weakest, while it
is so shaped that the ramming vessel
can by reversing her engines easily
disentangle herself from the ship shel
has struck.?Philadelphia Record.
erlcan Press Association.
Where much hay is made the old
way of raking in bunches and pitching
it on to the wagon by hand is too
slow and laborious. A much better
plan is to rake the hay into windrows
with a side delivery rake and gather
it up with a hay loader. Where the
hay is put in the barn a set of double
harpoon forks will make short work
of tne unloading. If it is to be stacked
some form of stacker will save a great
deal of hard work.
The most important harvesting machine
lb the self binder. The binder is
the most complicated machine on the
farm and the one most likely to get
i out of order. In buying a binder simplicity
of construction, ease of adjustment
and handiness of oiling are important
points to look after. A tongue
truck is an attachment that should go
mltti ovopv hinder This Is the onlv
means of eliminating side draft that
has yet been discovered. A tongue
truck is rather expensive, but so are
sore shoulders and necks on the horses
at harvest time.
Where much stock is kept the corn
binder is a necessary Implement By
cutting a large share of the corn and
using it as fodder or silage much feed
is saved that would otherwise be wasted.
About 40 per cent of the entire
feeding value of the corn plant is in
the stalk. When these are left standing
in the held the greater part of this
feed is wasted. The shocked fodder
pteaUantau# Reading.
THE NEW TARIFF BILL.
Contemplates An Inereaae In the Revenue*
of Fifty Million Dollar*.
The long awaited tariff bill was presented
In the house of representatives
last Wednesday by Representative Sereno
E. Payne of New York, chairman
of the ways and means committee. An
Increase of $40,000,000 to $60,000,000 In
the annual revenue of the country will,
It Is estimated, result from the changes
proposed, making a total of about
$300,000,000.
The bill contemplates downward revision
with maximum and minimum
provisions which impose- an average
maximum duty of 20 per cent in excess
of the present tariff. The recommendations
made by President Taft?
that Inheritance tax be provided ano
that a limited amount of tobacco and
sugar be admitted free from the Philippines?are
included in the bill. The
measure also provides for the issuance
of Panama canal bonds to the amount
of $40,000,000 to reimburse the treas
ury for the original purchase of the
canal and re-enacts the provision for
the issue of treasury certificates, the
amount being Increased from $100,000,000
to $260,000,000. The bill was
referred to committee.
Some of the salient features of the
bill follow:
An additional duty of one cent per
yard is placed on mercerised cotton
fabrics, with a small additional duty
on lappets and an increased duty on
stockings fashioned and shaped wholly
or in part on knitting machines.
Coffee is on the free list; tea is taxed
8 cents per pound, and 9 cents when
brought in from other than the producing
country.
Iron ore is on the free list, a re
auction from the present rate or 40
cents a ton. The duties on manufactures
of Iron and steel are materially
reduced. The plate and steel rails are
reduced.
Hides are on the free list and duties
on manufactured leather reduced; and
shoes reduced 40 per cent
Lumber knd timber duties are cut in
half.
An inheritance tax is provided, estimated
to bring in $20,000,000.
There Is to be reciprocal free trade
with the Philippines, with a limitation
on the amount of sugar and tobacco
annually to be Imported.
Reciprocity with Cuba continues.
The internal revenue tax on cigarettes
is increased from $3 to $3.(0 and
from $1 to $L50 per thousand. Beer
and whisky are not touched.
Sugar is reduced five one-hundredths
of a cent per pound.
i ne cneaper graaes or wooi are reduced.
Tallow, cotton seed oil and work* of
art more than twenty years old, are
placed on the free Hat
The tariff on boota and shoes la reduced
40 per cent and other leather
manufactures in proportion. The pottery
schedule remains about the same,
but the duties on window and plate
glass of the smaller sixes are increased,
while the duties on the larger sixeare
reduced. The tariff on wool of the
first and second class, used principally
In clothing is not disturbed, but on
wool of the third class, known aa carpet
wool, it Is reduced on the cheaper
grades. The recommendation for placing
wood pulp on the free list and reducing
the duties on print paper, with
certain restrictions, made by the Mann
committee of the house, are Incorporated
in the bill.
The duty on refined sugar Is reduced
five one-hundredths of a cent per
pound and on dextrin, one-half cent
a pound. A reduction of one cent a
pound is also made in the duty on
starch, with the exception of potato
starch. Zinc ore is assessed one cent
nor nnun/1 for the zlrtn contained The
tariff on pig iron la reduced from $4
to $2.50 per ton.
The principal Increaaea are made In
the duties on lemons, cocoa and substitutes
- for coffee, coal tar, dyes,
gloves, and coated papers and lithographic
prints.
The new tariff bill la made on a
maximum and minimum basis, with
the provision that the maximum rates
are not to go Into effect until 60 days
after the passage of the bill. Reciprocity
provisions are contained* in the
paragraphs assessing duties on bituminous
coal and coke, and agricultural
implements, by which these articles
are given entry free of duty when Imported
from countries which permit
the free importation of these articles
from America.
The inheritance tax provision of the
bill is similar to the New York state
law. It provides a tax of five per cent
on all inheritances over $500 that are
collateral Inheritances or in which
strangers are the legatees. In cases
of direct inheritance the taxes prescribed
are: On $10,000 to $100,000, one per
cent; on $100,000 to $500,000, two per
cent, and on those over $500,000, three
per cent. It is estimated that $20,000,000
annually will be derived from this
tax.
rne maximum ana minimum pruvlsion
of the bill doee away with the
necessity of continuing the foreign
trade agreements. The abrogation of
these is provided for in a section
which authorizes the president to issue
notices of the termination of these
agreements within ten days after the
bill goes Into effect. The French agreement
would, therefore, terminate immediately,
while the German agreement
would remain in force for six months.
The time that must intervene before
the operation of the other reciprocity
treaty agreements would become effective,
ranges from three months to
one year.
Drawback privileges are extended by
the bill and the method of valuation
on articles upon which the tariff imposes
an ad valorem duty Is broadened
for the purpose of preventing the practice
of under-valuation.
Mr. Payne, in introducing the bill,
gave out a statement in part as follows:
One problem that confronted the
committee was the question of revenue.
The business of all commercial
nations has been depressed for nearly
two years, and this has affected our
commerce and greatly reduced our
revenues, so that we have a large deficit,
but the revenues under the present
law are improving from month to
mnnth aa hnalnMa cnnrtltlnns are he.
coming: better.
"With a return to anything like
normal conditions during the next
fiscal year, It Is safe to predict that
the deficit would be entirely wiped
out; but in case it is not, the bill provides
for the issue of Panama canal
bonds to reimburse the treasury for
the $40,000,000 paid out in the original
purchase of the canal. This would
more than make up any probable deficiency.
There is also re-enacted the
provision for the issue*of certificates
to run one year to replenish the treasury,
raising the amount from $100,000.000
to $250,000,000, an amount sufficient
to provide at any time against
two or three years of depressed busness
conditions.