The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, August 07, 1903, Image 6
PtwJTand a :
{ guidebook ;
V By N. MACLEAN HELLIWELL
O Copyright, lfiO. liy T. U. McCluro
How it did rain! Barbara pressed In
woebegone face against tin' windo
pane and strained lior eyes in a val
endeavor to catch a glimpse of tl
gleaming white of the distant inon
ment. Shc^U.ul been in the beautif
capital of ^ r country nearly tweni
hours, and site had seen nothing*?nbs
lutely nothing?of it. Nearly twen
hours of the few precious days of h
visit gone in impotent, heartbreakli
waiting for Jupiter I'luvlus to exhau
himself and retire in favor of old Sol.
n i n i ui ^ inu mium- a
ley of raindrops in n yet tieroor o
slnuglit against tlu* glass and dnsln
tlicm in scurrying streams doujp tl
dripping asphalt the girl's head droopi
despairingly ?'id site sighed.
The young man who for some tin
had l?een watching Iter sympatlietieal
over his book now threw it aside at
stepped to the other window.
**Wtkt n day.'" he said as lite Iv
cMpgi^n'dcwperntcly to the wall, w;
~ tossed hither and thither by the bol
tefrouswind.
The girl's faee brightened, and si
turned to him impetuously.
"Oh. thank goodness you have spok?
at last! I was going to start the co
versational hall myself. I simp
eouhln't stand the silence any .longr
1H> you know I have not Tittered 01
word this morning since 1 ordered n
breakfast. It's an unprecedented ro
ord. but the strain has lteen awful
She dimpled roguishly, and a faint lilt:
rose in her elioek. lie might think h
very Imld, this handsome young stra
gor, but she really could not help
The limit of lier silent endurance li:
been reached. She must speak or?p<
isll.
Hut the idea of boldness never ontc
frt U\? young uwn'H head. lie \V
thinking how very pretty she was. lit
soft and curly her hair, how piqun
lier dimpled smile and how beconii
the little tirge of pink in her roll
cheek. lie laughed in comprehend!
sympathy.
"Why, I wanted to speak to you loi
ngo, hut didn't like to venture. Isi
It the very dickens of a day? W1
could go sightseeing in this?" as
fresh fury rattled the windows.
The girl's face fell again.
"Who, Indeed?" she echoed diseons
lately. "Think of coaxing all wint
for Just three days of Washington m
having the whole of one of them lil
this I"
"It is rather rough," said the your
man. "I'm In precisely the same be
mmiiK?Cta floavittn. r?<ii\.wn
aging. fuTT iFonly Increases ones ag
iiy to look at it. Won't you sit down
lie turned a rocking chair with i
hack to the window, and as Itarba
dropped into it he threw himself in
the sofa corner opposite.
"Is this your llrst visit to Wasliiu
ton:" he asked.
"My very lirst. Father comes lie;
on business every spring, but lie liat
to be bothered, and 1 could never pe
anode him to bring mo before. I
poked his head into my room before
Wil? 1111 tli?< nmrniiiir t n cur 1
would probably not see me again t
day as lio linrf oooans of business
do and an otlicial dinner tonight, at
lio otijoinod in*' most emphatically n
to think of going out as long as
rainod. I huvo written lottors to ovoi
one I can think of, and if it doosi
clear after luncheon I'll go to bod!"
The young man laughed and looki
at his watch.
"Why, it's a quarter to 2," ho sai
"Suppose wo have luncheon now,
you will honor mo, and perhaps tl
outlook will bo brighter by the tin
wo have finished."
The girl rose with alacrity.
"I'm ravenous," she declared, "b
I simply could not face that great di
Ing room again all by myself. I pos
tlvely cannot swallow unless I lur
some one to talk to while I'm catin
My breakfast this morning was ma
tyrdoin."
That luncheon was the jolliest ine
Barbara had ever eaten and, she mal
tains, the most delicious. When it wi
over and they adjourned to the state
drawing room her companion left In
for a minute. When he returned 1
brought with him a couple of books at:
a huge bunch of violets.
'T1u.ua " lio ort%l..lnod
rn lia<l arranged the flowers upon lit
person to her satisfaction, "are guhl
books?one to Washington in genera
the other to the Congressional library]
particular. As the rain god is still 1
com in and of affairs, suppose we Jui
'do' the capitol and library right hei
where we are. It's really, when yc
think of it, much the more satisfactot
way. If we went to the actual built
logs we'd have to walk our feet off a
the lia id floors. We'd have to lose oi
breath climbing innumerable stairs <
, else have our brains addled by bein
\ j jerked up niy^iown in elevators. We'
dislocate Jr?>oks tilting our beat]
back to .sec t/ ^pictures on the ceiling
And at the en.i of the day we'd probi
bly come back to the hotel cross, tire
and dissatisfied, having doubtless fo
gotten to look at the one tiling abov
all others we particularly wanted t
lee. Now, with these valuable littl
books we can defy the elements an
study at our ease every detail of tli
buildings-exteriorly and interiorly
font we can absorb priceless knowledp
about tbeni that all the gazing at til
originals conld never tell us. What <1
you say, shall we begin with the llbrt
ryr
Barbara's eyes sparkled. "It's the Ir
fpiration of geiiiua," she cried ecstatl<
v.. ..
. >S .
Ially. "Yes, lot lis begin with the library
by nil means, ami you may rend its
history aloud before we look at the pictures."
lly dinner time I hey knew more
about the cnpitol and the wonderful
Congressional library than many a native
Wnshlngtonlnn. and they had also
learned the height of Washington's
monument and all the details In connection
with its construction.
After they had dined they repaired to
,r the palm room, where to the accompany
uiiuent of sweet mnsle each unfolded
jn to the other various chapters of personlo
al history, whieli. strange to say. they
found even more interesting than the
?1 history of their country.
Barbara's sympathetic attention and
q. undisguised interest encouraged her
(V eompanion tcjdiscourse at length upon
?'r liis oeenpatldn. prospects, hopes and
ambitions, a compliment slie returned
st in full, being inspired to confidence by
th" delightful discovery tliat her new
3j. a??i>ialntanee was actually the Arthur
n. Howard of whom "Cousin Tom" was
always talking, who had been his 1*1l10
drs Achates at Yale and Ids comrade in
5^ arms in Cuba.
The precious hours llew only too
[lr, iptickly now. When at last ltnrbara
jy fdt compelled to say good night she
Kj tripped blithely to bed. happy in the
knowledge that she had another whole
v day In Washington and that, no mntter
l:ow busy b"r father might be, she
ig. would not have to spend it alone.
Not even the undeniable fact that It
10 was still raining when ltnrbara pulled
up her window blinds the next morning
could dampen her buoyant spirits.
n lly a strange chance Mr. Howard
jy irjiniru i in* ti?nu JUJ*I
?p Barbara and her father api?enred. and,
no poppa having cordially greeted "the
JV Mr. Howard who nttrscd Cousin Tom
through that dreadful fever in Cuba,"
.. the three went in to breakfast together.
^ "I'm sorry, little girl, to have your
or visit turn out so dull," said Durham's
_ father as they were leaving the dining
room, "hut there's a meeting of dlrect1(j
ors this morning, and I'll have to be
,... with Itryce up to train time this afternoon,
so I'm afraid I can't show you
around today any more than I did yesaa
tordny." ^
. "If you ai!>? Miss Warren will permit
|)t me," cried Howard eagerly, "I shall be
H only too delighted to l?e her cicerone.
I Mine is purely a sightseeing visit."
tig "Capital," answered Mr. Warren. "I
have a great respect for Tom's Judgment.
and I leave my daughter In jour
care with perfect confidence. Only don't
I take her out if it rains hard." And, aca
cepting a hast.v kiss from llarhara, the
hitsj* man hurried away.
"Suppose," suggested Howard as
tltey wandered into the drawing room,
^ "that we read up the Smithsonian Inj
stitution and the Corcoran Art gallery
tliis morning. Then if it clears
we can go out right after luncheon and
drive round the citj\ By that means
k Wt, ,, ;it least see the outside of ail
,x the places of interest, which will ho
s ? i * ?> tv ?nii
the inside of only one."
Mr. Warren reached the door of his
* hotel that evening in a heavy down1,1
pour just as a closed carriage drove
? up. from which he was amazed to see
his daughter and her escort emerge.
In spite of the rain and tlio thick,
gloomy fog that enveloped everything
10 Barbara's cheeks were Mushed with
1' happiness, her eyes gloriouslj* bright.
"Voll'vi. inirni* liiuin ulirlifamiiiiiv I,,
- ' ?
' this wenther!" cried Mr. Warren as
* they followed him in. "Are you both
lH crazy? Where have you been?"
?* The young man stepped forward
eagerly, hut Barbara forestalled ldin.
u' Laying her hand on her father's arm,
l)* slie said coaxingly:
"No, dear, we're not crazy; just enr;
gaged, and we've seen the outside of
1 * everything, and"?
"And next year, sir, with your permission,"
broke in Howard, "we'll
come hack together, Barbara and I,
and see the inside of them all."
"Engaged! Seen everything!" gasped
',0 the astonished old gentleman. "All
10 inside of twenty-four hours!"
Barbara laughed.
"Two people and a guidebook can
do a good deal in two days?If they understand
how to study the guidebook!"
Jl" she declared. And her father was
kC forced to believe that they could.
'* His Only Opportunity.
Coming downtown on an elevated exal
press from Harlem last week the foln
lowing impromptu lecture created conis
siderahle amusement among the pasly
sengers who heard it:
it "Look here, Bob, you are an excelie
lent talker, and it is always a pleasure
i'l to listen to you at the proper time and
place. But there are a great many
a- things in this newspaper that I want
*r to know, and if I listen to you I shan't
e- know them until night. I haven't an
il? hour or two a day to read the paper in
In my oliiee. as you have. If I don't read
In it now I shall have to take it home, or
nt maybe not read it at all. Now, keep
re ?p;iet, like a good fellow. Sorry you
'U haven't a paper, hut I'll tear you off
'y th first page of this one as soon as I
I- !:aVe read it."
>11 "<:o?l for you!" said a man who was
ir re ling while ijinging to a strap, and
?r a ore of passengers who knew how it
g was them--elves wen* heartless enough
d to luugh New York Times.
Is
S. Ilearronorlnpr tlir llnnp,
i- "Yon re charging me $7 a week for
d bi rd ami lodging. Mrs. Irons," said
r- 'he ; ray haired person of the name of
II t -~1. '
u ii.iii.i. i i'SK NOW .VCHi wouia
to it? part of it Is for
|p board ?"
<1 "Five dollars." replied tlie landlady.
i? "And #'J for m.v rooiu?"
"Yes."
;p 'Well. if you don't mind. Mrs. Irons,"
e he said, propped ini; to square tip for
o another week, "we'll consider hereafter
i- that I'm paying you $r> for lodging and
JPU for l>onrd. It will seem more as if
i- I were getting the worth of my mon>
cy."?Chicugo Tribune.
THE "WAVE MEKE," I
Omrrfnl nnd Rrflnrd Ditnrc p?t? r
lormrd by Fijian Muldt ni. <
"The Fijian natives cull their dances a
'mokes,' and the liost of them all is the 5
'wave meke,'" says a traveler who has r
witnessed these graceful evolutions, i
"A lot of pretty girls, in two or three a
rows, act the movements of the aea as j
It rolls in upon the reefs. '
"First of all, they hend down in unl- '
son and sweep the ground slowly with
their hands, waving their lingers in or- |
der to represent the little wavelets ]
flh-ked by the wind. Then they sway (
their bodies to niul fro to show the long |
roll of the tropical wave, and presently j
their figures rise and fall as do the ,
breakers. The action of the dance he- ^
comes more and more violent. The ,
wave is dashing up the barrier reef.
The girls spring forward and clnp their ,
hands nnd then drop to the ground
with a long musical cry. The wave ,
has surmounted the reef nnd emptied
Itself into the ulassv lagoon. The dance
is over. - ,
"Kvcrj* movement of the 'ware
meke' is graceful and refined. The best ,
ballet girls in your American theaters
are not better trained than these young
Fijian maidens, who spend a good half
of their happy, careless, lazy lives
dancing their 'mokes' or playing in the J
surf. There are no liner dancers In the j
world. Nearly ail their ballets describe 1
the scenes around them or the incidents
of their daily life. Other 'niekea'
picture the palms swaying in the j
breeze, the canoes tossing in a gale and ,
the clouds sailing across the sky."
A PamouK >cn York Tin nit.
Early last century a charter was
granted a company to set up a chemical
works In New York, and in consideration
of the boon these works would be '
a clause was added granting banking '
privileges. The astute men at the head
of the concern saw possibilities of development
on banking lines not apparent
in the manufacture of chemicals
and decided to make the ligsincss a
banking one. -To retain the privilege,
however, it was necessary to manufacture
chemicals, and so then, as today,
an admirable pretense was made of doing
tins. In the line establishment of
t)io f?rt?M fMionilon 1 Vnltntinl l\nr?L- nn
R roadway i\ little shop is apportioned
to n manufacturing chemist, who pottors
about mixing ingredients. He is
not inueh troubled with business, but '
now and again a New York citizen will , 1
startle a visitor by taking him into this
fine bank and asking for a dime's 1
worth of castor oil which is supplied. 1
This was the only bank which did not
suspend specie payments during the
civil war.
? i
Military Grme. <
Even the geese in Germany march <
with military precision, which may be |
the reason why the famous drill style (
of the German Infantry is called the
"goose step." A writer in Travel thus 1
are so interesting to the heultli seekers
at Rad-Xnuheiui: 1
"It is worth while to go to Ober- 1
Moerlen at ?"> o'clock in the afternoon to 1
see these g ?ese returning home from <
the fields. The village is white with i
them; hundreds and thousands, regl- l
ments and brigades of geese, marching I
along with military precision. As they
near home they separate of their own 1
accord; sixteen to the right, twelve to
the left, a detachment up a lane, and so
on?all quacking loudly, but bearing
themselves with that keen sense of order
and discipline which distinguishes
the vaterland."
Why Corn Pnpa.
Finally a scientific sharp conies to
our rescue and in science explains the
phenomenon of the popping of popeprn
in an extremely lucid and interesting
manner. The learned gentleman
says:
"The starch polygons are of such nature
and construction as to facilitate
expansion and render it explosive In
character. There is a fracture of a
particle along its two radii, the endosperm
swelling very considerably, the
peripheral portions cohering with the
nun. mil mo rraciurai quarters turning
back to moot below the embryo."
And there you are. Dellclously sim- i
pie, isn't It??Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Wlirre the I.mtlcn Propone.
Itetween the mountains of India and
Fersla Is a powerful trilie, among i
whom an extraordinary custom prevails.
Woman's rights have apparently
received full recognition, for the ladies
of the tribe can chooss their own i
husbands. All a single woman has to <
do when she wishes to change her state i
is to send a servant to pin a liaodkercliief
to thff hat of the man on whom
her fancy lights, and lie is obliged to i
lunrry her, unless he can show that he l
Is too poor to purchase her at the price i
her father requires. <
.Not a Stud? it4 of Farm. 1
Teacher?Willie, if one horse can run 1
a mile in two minutes and another
horse can do it in three minutes how i
far apart will they be at the end of <
eight miles? i
Willie?Madam, I was brought up 1
strietly. Above all tilings, my parents 1
have warned me to avoid horse racing, l
Consequently I cannot answer your
question.?'Toledo Blade.
Thn*? KiliirnlPd SiiiiihTlrhm. 1
College Idiot (in Hie lunch r6om>? <
TIhN^'s one good thing I can say about I
these sandwiches. 1
Kind Friend?What's that?
College Idiot That they're college
bred.?Columbia Jester. t
One of the most important tilings In i
the education of a hoy is that lie should
learn to keep hie. lips together.?Boston r
Globe. 1
Lire with the wolves, and you will I
learn to howl.?Spanish Proverb.
*090909C#090 *0909C*090mOm r
MARIA OF THE i !
MAVERICK.... g ;
^ By ROTHWELL BROWN 5 J
I Ctrpuright, by T. C. McClurt * 11
IG#0#0#G*0?0#?0#0#0#0#0#0B J
rpcos Rill lay on the floor curbing a
jrokon arm. Downstairs hi the dance
linll musicians were twanging tliolr J
rulilles. Tlio sound came through the 1
Ivinrtlo In t1w? lmv I In Wild n ill. Klin 4
[irowned young follow. Ills blue shirt | t
ivas stained, ami liis boots were dusty, t
Oil the floor by him \\^>s his coat rolled , f
up for a pillow. I 1
The door opened, and Maria came In. 1
the was a sinnll girl. Her eyes were as J i
lark as her hair, and her skin was of a I
rieli olive color. She lighted a candle.
"I've been trying to?get up to see you
nil day, Dill, but I couldn't. Where <
were you shot ?" t
"In the arm," growled Pecos Dill,
'and it's stiff as thunder."
"It's your right one. too," said Marin.
"No matter; my left's just as good. <
I tut I've got to get It fixed somehow, <
nnd then I've got to go away. W^hen
that sheriff's convention f*ids out I'm 1
here the crowd '11 tear the town down '.
to get me." .
Maria bnred the boy's broken arm,
disclosing a round, purple wound, cut a
Immlage from her petticoat and bound
It"I
don't see how a little thing like
that queered me so," said Dill. "It
made me sick all over."
"Now fix my gun," said Pecos Dill.
He passed it to her. "I suppose the
crowd's all here by this time," lie added
while lie watched her till the chain- ]
hers of the six shooter with cartridges.
"Curse 'em. why couldn't they go some
place else," he growled. "It wasn't my
fault anyway. Graliaiu was cheating,
and he'd killed me sure if I hadn't got
the drop on him first."
Maria clicked the gun playfully.
"You'd been all right eef you hadn't
got shot," shi1 said.
"Guess I ain't any good any more,"
whined (he boy. "Confound those sheriiTs.
I wish they'd hold their convention
in Jericho."
Maria left the candle on the floor and 1
opened the door. The crowd in the 1
dance hall below was singing. There
were loud laughs and the noise of boot- 1
1-d men lining up at the bar. She crept
down the stairs.
The dance hall was crowded. Dark 1
skinned Mexicans and gayly dressed
Mexican girls from across the river, '
uwboys and gamblers danced and <
hatted or patronized the ga tnes of 1
banco.' Three grave looking tiddlers
dayod on a platform. Across one side
>f the long room was the bar.
Bob Cownn, who ran the El Paso j
Dally Maverick and was reputed to be (
^,t?r??Rr TYT- mum ona in ?I
west Texas, and who was pointed out
to strangers as "El Paso's next mayor," <
bought Maria a bottle of St. Ironist beer,
Imported at great expense, and later
ilanoed with her, to the admiration of j
all. Maria, whirling over the slippery I
tloor. frequently glanced at the ragged
rafters cobwebbed overhead. 1
"K;:ow that fellow," asked Cowan,
pointing to a tall, loose Jointed man. i
"M ost prominent man in Texas today, I
bar none. Sheriff, empire builder, he is. i
Hill Sopes of San Antone, president of
the sheriff's convention."
Maria danced and sang and enjoyed
herself with the others \tntll the sun i
name tip. She danced often with Bill i
Sopes, Iter eyes shining, her loosened
black hair falling around her face, and
her white teeth glistening between her i
parted lips.
"Who's the girl?" asked Sopes, lounging
up to Cowan. i
Cowan glanced down the long' room, i
Maria stood binding up her hair.
"Oh," said Cowan, "that's Maria;
Mexican girl. She's a typenetter on our
paper. Ain't she a Jim Dandy?"
"She Is," said Sopes.
At 7 o'clock Maria climbed upon her
stool at her case in the dingy olliec of
?1... M...1- .....i i ?* *
n.v .'i.nt iK i\ .urn HI M*I type
busily. She could not read English, but
slio knew the alphabet.
At noon Cowan wrote the story of
the sheriffs' convention, then In session
in El Paso, and dealt the "takes" to Ma- ,
ria and tin: other girls. Maria clicked
the type merrily until suddenly she saw
the only two printed words she knew?
Pecos Hill, Site found the big capital
P with a haze before her eyes. Then (
she found the small letters, and the big
capital P with the other small Jetters,
iind sot them up mechanically, faint
with fear.
The two words were near the end of
Hie take. She finished it, thrusting the
remaining bits of type savagely into
their places and clinging by the heels
Df her slippers to the rung of the stool.
Lunch time arrived. The girls filed out,
followed by Hob Cowan, pulling at a
black cigar.
Tommy remained. Tommy was fore- 1
man. He set heads, read proof, helped
Powan to "make up" the paper every
Say. and, when the proper time came, 1
locked the forms and carried them to
the proas on his shoulder. Maria remembered
a report, once current, that
roinmy was in love with her, but she
liad never considered him seriously.
He was always so drunk, or had Just '
been drunk, or was In a fair way to be- <
xiiuedmnk, that she never had eared
'.o go near him. It occurred to her that 1
this was an exceptional onso. I
She slid from the stool with the stick <
if type in her hand, dodging between
lie rows of cases, until she came to the i
ong, narrow shelf where were Ink and 1
oiler, and struck off a proof. i
Tommy was setting the hend for the I
onventlon story, when Marin touched i
lis grimy sleeve anil smiled at him.
'Please read this to me, Tommy," she 1
legged. 1
Tommy took the proof. His eye* <
11 I
/
oiled wonderlngly. "I want to learn
o road, and I?want you to teach me,"
he explained. Ills face brightened
aider the ink. He gulped twleo und
end:
"The miming session was ndjourned
it 12 o'clock, with twenty-six delegates
resent. 1 till So pes of Han Antonio,
(resident of the convention, made the
mnounccinent that a reward of $."i00
led been offered for the arrest of Pe os
BIU"-t
"Idas inl.^" said Maria.
?"a well Jiiiown and prominent citizen
of this place, for the shooting of
Harvey Graham near Hherlff popes'
?ity some weeks ago. Our fellow
ownsifinn is not now in El Paso, alhough
there was a rumor 011 the
itreets tlds morning Hint he was sceu
lere early yesterdiojf morning and that
le was engaged iA a slight difficulty
ivith a stranger In a Utah street danco
imll."
"I Has niin, cried Maria.
"There," said Tommy. lie looked
uiriously at tlio girl, who swayed from
dde to side. She grasped Ills nrm.
"They must ho thrown off the track!
Do you understand? Oh, Tommy, you
will help me! IIolp mo before they
romo hack froip lunch. You must set
ret up as t toll Jfru."
Tommy followed her meekly and
climbed upon her stool. "Word has
Just reached us." dictated the girl, laying
her hand on the man's Inky sleeve.
Tommy swallowed hard and picked at
the type.
?"that Tocos RIU is In hiding at
Plume's ranch, about twenty miles
from 101 Paso. lie was seen tliere this
morning and was?and was slightly
wounded In the arm."
"lOot'll . sound natural to say lie's
wounded," she explained.
Tommy wagged his head. "You're
a smart one," he said.
"Tommy, listen. I want you to put
that in the paper right after the convention.
And don't tell. Tommy."
"It'll cost me my Job." said Tommy,
with a husky voice; "but, Maria, I will
?if you will give me to kiss."
Maria put up her lips without a
word, and Tommy kissed her on the
mouth.
She tolled through the afternoon, tortured
by a thousand fears, until at last
Tommy, mallet In hand, )>oundcd down
the last form and carried it to the
press. The little machine rumbled,
and the damp, sticky papers came out.
Maria washed, wound her mantilla
around her head, seized a paper and
went straight to Pecos Itill.
"Find the end of the convention and
tell me what you see," panted Maria.
Pecos Itill spread the sheet on the
rough floor and, easing himself on one
elbow, read down the column. The flro
af knowledge flashed into his eye*.
'Why, I ain't out to Plume's," he cried.
t<he knelt down by the boy and put
!ior arms around his neck. "I put that
in the paper," she cried, "to lead 'eiu
>IT, send 'em out to the ranch, kp I can
ifc crnwfelf ToTiTs feet pintiTtnty. rrrt
eyes were bright, and the blood wa? in
Ida cheek.
"(Jot down, can't you?" snarled the
girl. "Don't you know tlioy'll boc you?"
She looked cautiously out of a window.
Many boarded men wore lounging on
llic porch of a saloon across the street.
A. rider dashed tip to the group waving
a newspaper over his head. The crowd
listened while lie read to tlieni from the
saddle. Then the men jumped for their
horses. Maria went out.
When she came back she l>eckoned to
Bill, lie followed her down n side
stair. He drank and went out. In front
of the dance hall was a horse. The street
was deserted. IVi-os Itlll was climbing
painfully into tbo saddle when Boh
Cowan, a crumpled copy of the Maverick
In his hamValashed up the street 011
horseback. IlnPfacc was red with anger.
Bill's gun was In his l>elt. Maria
drew it out and pointed It at Cowan.
"(Jet down off that horse," she said.
Cowan dismounted, fuming with rage.
"Somebody's sent the whole town away
on a wild goose chase. If I knew who
meddled with my paper I'd break his
neck."
"I did eet," said Maria. "Throw up
your hands."
Cowan stood by the horse, with both
arms raised above bis head. Maria
grasped the bridle and swung herself
into the saddle. "Hand me your gun,"
Blie commanded, still covering Cowan.
He gave his six shooter to the gfrl.
Vntv 99 a 1 in ool/l -?t
k'.iv Otnu, llilllg Ull
right."
"I'll got you for this, Bill," stormed
Cowan, "and you, too, Maria."
"Just so It ain't now," laughed Pecos
Bill, "I don't cure."
Before them, through the straggling
town, lay the road to Mexico and matrimony.
Too Itfilhtlr,
"There lived In my town," said a Connecticut
man, "a poor, half wltted
mnn who made a kind of mania of
Ida religion. He used to go cve^y afternoon
to a lonely field, and, kneeling
there behind a hank of earth, he would
pray at the top of his lungs for thirty
or forty minutes at a time. Some of
us boys won Id "Vol low him now and
then, ehldc on the other side of the
mound and listen to him with wonderment.
"One afternoon he prayed altout his
tins. He vowed (that he was the wickedest
man that bad ever l?een created.
He dctdnrod that he deserved death,
lie begged the Lord to nut an end to
Mill by toppling over the embankment
ju him then and there.
"The ringleader of our crowd was up
near the top of the mound, and at this
[)olnt be shoved down on the kneeling
man n great load of loose soil. Instant'
ly the poor fellow sprang to his feet
ind ran away home.
" 'It's an awful world, this,' he sold
to a friend later. 'You can't say a
thing In fun but what it's taken in
;amest.'"
WHAT TUB BLACK VAN NEEDS.
During a recent trip south we had A
fine chance to look over several of the
southern cities during n trolley ride.
In nil these cities there was the negro
section where the colored brother lives
and propagates. The homes of these ~
people were generally of a very primitive
character, and one thing we specially
noted?while the white men of
the towns had their gardens made and
all sorts of gardeu stuff up imd looking
flue it was rare to Jiax' xliit the
colored ikAi had intMe u. y n fenipt at
gardening x|t Alt, the yard of his lot be- '
Ing. bnre vfyrfgetatkm wholly pnInvlttng.
A world of good could be
done by instructing these people along
this line how to care for the soli and
use^fc to help them to live. Wherever
we came across the home of a forelgn'
er?a German, Scandinavian or Engllsh1
man?he lind not only vegetables, but
| all kinds of fruits and flowers In his
garden, no matter how humble his
! home might be. When the colored man
learns how to use the soil and the climate
of the south as he may and
should, the question of his place In society
will be largely solved. '
HOW IIK MADE HIS WAY.
We came across a young man twen
ty-flvc 3'enrs of age the other day
whose story Is worth telling. lie was
a Swede and cnnic to this country only
seven years ago with no money or
friends and only a limited education
such as life could get In the common
schools of his native country. Upon
arriving In Chicago lie secured employment
with a big manufacturing concent
as a common laborer. When we
met him the other day be was Ailing
the important position of a traveling
superintendent for the company and
drawing a salary of $1,500 a year and
bis expenses. How did be do It? Wfcll,
the presumption Is that be attended
strictly to bis employers' business, did
bis level best and made himself Indispensable
to theiu. That's the way in
which the boys climb up. We know
another young fellow, who had far better
advantages, who In seven years hns
learned nothing but how to play pool
and poker and is not worth shucks and
never Vill be. You can take your
choice, boys. i
lUIMt S IX SOILS.
When n soli becomes deficient In humus
it will become sticky In a wet
time and baked in lumps In a dry
time and is thus bard to get in what Is
termed good tilth?mellow, workable
and in that condition where the plant
food it contains is available for the
crop. The roots of the grasses restore
this humus; so will the decaying leaves
of trees if the land Is planted with
timber, or green crops may be plowed
under or the land well fertilized with
stable manure. Clover does a fine work
in this line, and If a good growth of
clover Is plowc^ under it will be one
of the cheapest and very liest ways of
remedying this lack of humus in the
inn wn?T INDBPBNDE5IT,
Ton years ago the west was largely
dependent npon the enst for the capital
needed for moving mid handling crops,
for farm loans and the financing of
nil mnnlcipnl enterprises?waterworks,
electric light plants, school buildings
and the like. Tills condition 110 longer
exists. The west now lias Its own
money and no small surplus besides
what Is needed for the purposes mentioned,
which seeks the money centers
of the enst for Investment at a low
rate of interest. The west lias grown
Immensely wealthy during the past
six years. Seven cent beef and pork
enti almost do the work of an Aladdin's
lamp in the creation of wealth. ,
COXCRRXIKG ALFALFA.
The following conclusions have been
arrived at as a result of a series of experiments
with alfalfa at the Minnesota
experiment station:
First.?A variety of alfalfa lias been
grown In Minnesota for forty years
and has proved to be perfectly hardy
wherever tried.
Second.?Alfalfa produced In Minnesota
contnins more protein than red
clover and lins a greater feeding value *
than wheat bran.
Third.?Alfalfa hay contains largo
amounts of the most vnluablc fertHiring
materials and when fed on the
farm the fertility of the soil is increased.
THE PIGS IX THE BKimOOM.
A friend of ours had only been mar
ncu n short time and lind taken n town
girl to his farm home for a bride. In
the spring, Just n? the little pigs were
coming, it became necessary in order
to save their lives, owing to the bitter
cold weather, to carry them into the
house and warm them up. While so
engaged some of the wife's town lady
friends drove up to make a call, nnd
the pigs were hustled from the kitchen
into the bedroom. The callers stayed,
nnd the pigs got cold nnd squealed,
when there was nothing to be done but
let the cat out of the bag, or, rather,
the pigs out of the bedroom.
TIIR EXTRA WORK PATS.
It always pays to put a flttle extra
work on the cornfield in preparing the
sCed bed. An extra disking and dragging,
the finely pulverizing nnd the leveling
or the seed bed will Insure n bet?I
?v-? juu ui [ miiiiiK ana n more uniform
ntund ov*-'oin? w<* are very much
of tlie opinion V?t wb?r% It can be
done t^b flehl should ftcvu^e let alone
a single day after planting up to the
time tlu) corn Is showing up, continued
dragging with a light harrow at this
time killing more weeds than can be
lone by nny other method. ^
*55
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