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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (March 27, 1900)
KING DON; A STORY OF MILITARY tiff. If! INDIA. ...QY mnVOR ALLAN WVt. t.Vl WVlWWWWWVVlVlWVlViViWVie ill j v fy !' ' ' !'!' iic Hi? kw i? ;;? 5? ; k j?i?wwKWKW5tf CHAPTER III. (Continued.) "Pardon mc," snld Don and now ho was bo thoroughly In earnest It never occurred to him the accusation might Justly have been brought against him not so vciy long ago "I lovo Lllllo too much to have dreamed of taking her from luxuries to which sho Is ac customed. She loves me, and I repeat my right to claim her." Ho toEsed nway the stump of his cigar nnd turned to look nt hla com panion with haughty defiance tlmt proud air of majesty which had put fear and trembling Into the heart or many a raw recruit. Dut Captain Derwent was no raw re cruit, but a very veteran In affairs of love and war, nnd ho could afford to meet Don's calm nonchalance with nn equally cnlm smile. "My dear chap, I'm extremely sorry: but tho child Is under ago Just yet, and as I happen to have mapped out n moro brilliant career for her, I'm afraid I must emphatically veto that claim or yours." "A moro brilliant career?"' ropoa'tcd Don, with young indignation. "Even If you nro callous to my feelings, Cap tain Dcrwcnt, have you no caro for Lllllo'8 happiness? For I toll you sho loves me," attested tho lover proudly. "And, as frequently occurs, It's a lady's privilege to change her mind," rejoined Lllllo's father, smiling. "As, for example, my little Lllllo's short lived affair with your Cousin Roddy, not bo many years since." "It is sufficiently long sinco to havo completely changed tho Lllllo of thoso days to tho Lllllo of to-day," said Don, who, however skeptical hlmsolf of that faith whoso belief had bo transformed the thoughtless Lllllo of tho past, was Hlnccro cnouch to acknowledge Its charm In her. "Sho loves mc as sho never loved Roddy," affirmed Don, In his lmporlous way; "and," ho added, meeting Cap tain Dcrwcnt's oyca with a look that was llko tho Hashing of crossed swords, "I mean to win her."- "Don't bo too sure, my friend," said the Captain, laughing. "I g'lvo you tho hint, you'll hnvo Prlnco Clement Sing to reckon with ns well as myself." Don stopped nnd wheeled round upon his companion, llerco words bursting through his sot teeth, an oath all tho moro vehement because Don's Hps wero not given to tho utteranco of them. "What do you mean, sir? ho de manded. "That you are by no mcaus tho only follow who has set his heart on posses sing tho whito Lily," said Captain Dor wont, uttering tho pet namo with airy Jocularity. Dut Don was In no humor for Joking. "I think," ho said, In n proud scorn, "It Is somewhat unfair to bracket mo with Prlnco Clement Sing. I am In deadly earnest nbout my deslro to mar ry your daughter." "And bo Is he, my good follow so much In earnest, In fact, that ho has my permission to pay his addresses to iter may bo doing so this very mln uto, Indeed," broko off Captain Dor- went lightly. For nn Instant Don glared at tho speaker In speechless nmnzomcnt. "You cannot mean It!" was tho hoarso exclamation which nt last camo from his whlto Hps. I "And wheroforo?" queried tho other, with aggravating coolness. "Though an Indian, ho is by no means n pariah Truth Is, ho has Irish bluo blood in him, nnd could hold his own with tho best of us as far as classics go. Moro- over ho is as rich ns Croesus, has im menso lnflucnco at Court; ho worships tho very ground sho treads on, nnd would make hor n princess." Again Don stopped short In his walk, and now his face showed pale as death. "I would kill him nnd you too beforo thnt should over hnppcnl" ho cried. acquisition to society, both In personal appearance nnd high Intellectual stand ing; nnd Lllllo would gladly have wel comed tho diversion of his company but that she was consumed by tho fear that his visit portended to mattcru con cerning herself. And sho was not long' In discover ing such to bo tho case. "You did not honor tho course, to day, Miss Dorwont. I looked for you in vain," he said. "No. I was in a mood for a solitary ride," oho answered". 'I trust that does not mean my pros- enco Is Inopportune, dear lady?" Sho smiled, blushing slightly. "By no means, Prlnco, for now my rldo Is over," was her polite reply. "Then I mny vcnluro to Invito my self Indoors, I hope," ho queried. 'I am not quite auro If you will find Mrs. Franklin nt home," sho began. Hut Prlnco Clement Sing looked straight at her, with a glanco from his black eyes that brought tho color Hood ing to her face. "Your presenco Is nil-sufficient," ho said, bowing low, as ho swerved his horso nsldo to allow her to pass through tho gato beforo him. Arrived at tho bungnlow, ho waved the attendant back and himself assisted her to alight, a condescension which embarrassed her nil tho moro, ns tho prlnco took occasion to command that Mrs. Krnnk!ln should not bo summoned for the next quarter of an hour, as It was With Lllllo herself ho desired n prlvato Intervlow. Lllllo passed Into tho drawing room, alarmed nt whnt she Instinctively know was to bo tho subject of that inter view; but fearful to glvo offense by re fusing It. And when tho prlnco Joined her It wna nnparent ho meant to wasto no tlmo In going straight to her mission Ho had left his sword and belt in tho vestibule nnd removed his gloves, nnd now he took his hoatcBs' hand and led her to n sent, with n deferential ceremony. "Ah, there is tho cver'.ng gun!" sho exclaimed, for tho deporato sako of saying something to break tho strain. "In ten minutes moro it will bo dark "Ah, yes; we havo no enthralling twilight as you havo In England, Miss Dcrwcnt," ho nnswercd softly, and with n tone of regret moant to bo covertly flattering to her nationality. "Well, no matter, ten minutes will suffice mo I CHAPTER IV. Stranco to sav. It was almost at that 'solf-Eamo moment Lllllo Derwont nt Rawnl Plndl, waB listening to Prlnco Clement Slng'a suit. Tho afternoon siesta, so gouoral and necessary an In dulgence throughout India, was over, and Homo hour and a half later Lllllo was returning from n ride, nttended by her natlvo groom, when sho was Joined nt tho gato of tho compound by tho Prlnco, who was also on horso back, and escorted by two natlvo troopers. Tho fierce heats nnd moist seasons ot India had not as yet robbed Lllllo's checks of their English rosea, and sho was looking particularly fair In hor plain brown hollaud hnblt, beautifully cut nnd braided with white, pleasantly BUggcstivo of comfort nnd coolness. Her hat was a largo whlto straw, with a long, whlto ostrich feather, which suited to perfection hor clear cut profllo nnd tho thick colls of hor fair hair. Her light riding gauntlets worn of whlto deerskin, and tho Prince's admiration of tho hand bo covered was only too ovldent by tho pressure to bestowed upon It. Ha himself woro whlto undress uni form and n sun lint, so llko n numb room that It would havo boon trying In the oxtremo to an ordinary wearer, but seemed to set off his dark, good looking features with an Air ot dis tinction. Indeed, Print Cleawat Sing was an to Bay what ah, what I would havo said to you long beforo today, but that I feared to bo precipitate." "Then I am sure, prince, It is best left unsaid still," sho nnswercd, with great earnestness. "Surely you do not forbid mo to Bpcnk?" Ho regarded hor haughtily. "I should riot presume- to do that," sho hastily rejoined. "I merely on treat" "What?" ho asked, with cold dis pleasure for she had stopped short, flushing. "I feel sure your highness means to bo kind nnd friendly and llattorlng; but but" Again sho hesitated. Prince Clement Sing looked down, frowning, and n dark flush swept his copper-tinted face. "Dut you do not esteom it an honor, I presume, that I should lovo you?" Thoro was asperity In his voice. "Too great an honor," sho averred His frown nnd flush passed. Ho bent towards hor and took hor hand. "Tho honor la divided," ho said gal lantly. If l give you tho crown of a princess, you glvo mo tho fairest flow er of English maidenhood n flower that all the jewels In India could not buy." Sho tried to withdraw her hand. "Your highness flutters mo too mucii; but what you ask is impossible," sbe raid, very low. Ho roso with an air of Impatience. "Impossible, you say, nnd to mo?" She roso nlso. "I venturo to hopo to retnln your friendship, prlnco, as I triiBt you will not reject mine?" "Friendship?" ho repented. Ilo dropped her hand almost roughly and stroflo to tho window. At Inst ho turned. "This Is lnsuf f cranio!" ho said, and now thoro was passion In his volco. 'I have your fath er's permission to address you, and I demand a hearing!" "Hut you havo already addressed mo, nnd I havo listened," sho Bald, trem bling, but outwardly cnJm. "I nm ovorcomo by your highness' condescen sion, but I could never bp vour wife. I do not lovo you. And besides" sho looked down, blushing, nt the gold band encircling tho third linger of hor left hand "nnd besides, slnco my fath er loft Plndl, I havo become engaged to Cnpt. Gordon of tho DorbyB." Tho Instant hor lovor's name had left her lips sho regrotted It. How might not a baffled suitor llko tho prlnco wield his high authority to wreak Yngcanco ou "Jiothcr aspirant to her hand? But Prlnco Cloment Sin was regard ing her with n look moro nlfin to pity than anger in his piercing eyes. "And you would relinquish the splen dor I lay at your feet for Capt. Gor don?" he said, in tones of Incredulity. "Because I love him," shn nnswercd bravely, looking up Into his faco, whllo n wave of crimson color niado her own fair features for the mo.mont even moro bewltchlngly fair to look upon. Prlnco Clement Sing was having hard work with himself to keep his nd mlrntlon within bounds, nnd tho sight of thnt blush nil but overcame his self-control. But his English educa tion had done much to subduo his naturally fiery spirit, and ho know suc cess lay, not in passion, but persever ance. "But, Miss Dcrwcnt, much na I ad mire your constancy and, of couree. so long ns you consider yourself en gaged to Capt. Cordon my Hps nro practically closed still, I am driven to remind you love Is not everything. Position nnd rank nro something. A lady Is privileged to change her mind." Ho stopped, and sho seized tho oppor tunity of speaking. "I shall never change, Prlnco Clem ent. After my God, thoro Is nothing ranks higher with mo than love." Ho took her hand, smiling n little to hldo his chagrin. "Then my only hopo must, no tnnt love will yet tnkc pity nnd yield your henrt to my prayers." Again I repent It Is impossible; but I thnnk you for tho great compliment you hnvo paid me," sho said. "I trust, Prince Clement, you will forgive nnd forget me." "No, I cannot promise to forget you," was all ills reply, no stoou ior nn Instant then, looking half away, half mortified, almost as If uncertain if ho should part with her In this seem ing friendliness or In open rupture. Tho former courso evidently pre vailed, for ho bent over the hand ho held, nnd hla thick, black moustacho brushed Its snowy whltoncss. "If I enn over bo of sorvlco to you, you may rely on me," ho said. And bowing low ngaln In response to Lll llo's farewell, ho passed from tho room with steady stops and head erect. But hidden deep down In his brenst was tho gathering fury of a maelstrom. Within tho drawing room, Lllllo went to tho window overlooking tho tcrrnco, and, screened by tho bamboo nnd silk curtains', watched him mount and rldo awny. Her heart was beating wildly, not with exultation nt tho honor tho prlnco had done her, nnd which, not so mnny yenrs ago, would havo flllcd her coquettish vanity with delight no; but with atrango feelings of un rest, with regret, and with presenti ment of evil. She fell on her knees In tho gather ing darkness, and a great yearning camo over her for tho fair English homo of her youth, and hor father and Don by her side In Its beloved sanctlly. And, all unconsciously, whilst sho prayed for their speedy return, hot tears welled up Into her eyes nnd fell on her clasped hands. Alas! for sho knew not how great was yet to bo her need of thoso prayers and tears! (To bo continued.) RUSSIA'S INVASION Of SOUTHERN ASIA. Tibet and Afghanistan might well be called one of the world's sore spots. It has long been known that tho Rus sian bear has had designs on this Him alayan territory nnd would llko to poko an aggressive paw down Into these disrupted llttlo kingdoms It onco tho opportunity presented Itself. Russia seemed to think tho chance had come whnn sho saw Great Britain engaged' ln an unexpectedly serious struggle with the South African Boor. England had spent much blood nnd money to extend the northeastern bor der of her Indian empire up ncross tho Himalayas. For two dofades she has been carrying on small tribal wars ONLY A YELLOW DOO. lnltliful Cnnliio Frlcmt Whoao DejUli CiiiiidiI Sorrow. "I lost n faithful friend nnd helper n few dnys ngo," said n letter carrier, whoso route lies below Canal street, to n Now Orleans Timcs-Domocrat man. "Ho was n yellow dog, and must confess his appearance was not exactly er prepossessing. Ills hldo wns tho color of cheap soap, and ho had tho disreputable, skulking, tramp lsh bearing peculiar to yellow dogs generally, but for nil that ho was gcntloman nt henrt. Wo met In the way ot business. His owner was what letter carriers call a 'throw-out;' In other words, ho lived two extra long squares from his nearest neighbor and to deliver tho mall ho received every day Involved n four Bquaro walk for each batch. Four squares means u good deal to a tired carrier, and as a rulo throw-outs' aro anything but popular with tho craft; but soon after I took tho routo tho yollow dog got to know my whistle, and would come rushing to tho corner to get tho mall. Ho kopt that up steadily, rain or shine, for over n year, nnd novor missed n trip. What' more, ho showed n prido and Interest In tho task that wero really half hu man. Sometimes, tor lnstanco, he would bo a llttlo Into nnd find mo on !ho way to tho house when ho got out of tho yard. Then It wns comical to sco htm como tearing up tho street, every hnlr bristling, and Baying as plainly ns ho could, 'Stop, hold on! I'm hero! Don't budgo nnothor Inch!' On such occasions ho would always In sist on going back to tho comer, which was tho only plnco ho recognized of Hclally for tho delivery of mnll matter. You can Judgo whether I became at tached to him. Often ho would bo waiting for nioi cocking hlij head to 0110 aldo and feeling his Importnuco from his yollow stump of a tnll to his yellow stump of a noso. If I had nothing for him ho Bhowcd his dejec tion nnd disappointment ns plainly ns n man, but as soon as ho saw mo sort a few letters ho would glvo n sharp, Joy ous bark that sounded enough llko a laltgh to be tho real thing. Whon his owner nlet mo tho othor day nnd told mo ho wns dead I couldn't say n word to snvo my life. I turned around nnd walked off, and boforo I know It I wns blubbering llko n fool," officer for tho snke of his health tho white bear waited. Now that England has her hands full In South Africa, this same Insatlnble bear re alizes that If over thoro was t tlmo for her to move It Is the present. So this is why wo hear of Russlnn ndvances In tho cast and vague reports that Tibet nnd Afghanistan arc being threatened by the Slav. Just how It will come out It Is Im possible to tell. If Englnnd retains her full Influence nnd all tho territory sho now claims and holds as her In dian empire, It will bo through no fault of the Russian. Russia realizes that tho tlmo to make hay has arrived and But has no scruple whatever about punish ing, to tho full extent of her powor, nny Individual of tho opposlto sex thnt hnppens to be Inferior to her In slzo or strength. So strong Is this unwil lingness to strike n fcmnlo that few male hounds will attack n sho wolf or oven follow her trail. Something of tho same deference to the gentler sex mny be seen nmong horses. Al though n horso jvlll promptly nttnclc nny other horse thnt may lntcrfero with him, either In tho field or In har ness, ho will very seldom attack a marc. Farm horses, which cannot bo worked nlongsldo of any other horso on account of their savage tempers, " """" PEMDIBINCO PAS3 llonte of I.oit Tronure. It la computed that there- Is (1,000, 000,000 worth of gold and Jewels at the bottom of the sea on tho route botweou England and India. A double-faced man ean see In only one direction. and sending out punltlvo expeditions among tho tribesmen of tho northeast ern hills. Sho had pushed her strate gic railways In tho north of India nearer and nearer tho land of her de sire. Russia, in her own territory, has been working Just as hard. Tho czar has for a long tlmo been anxious to consolidate his claims In tho east, and with this end In view, has been quietly massing troops on his southern fron tiers in Asia. It was only In tho year 1872 that tho zones of lnflucnco of Rus sia, Afghanistan nnd east India wero settled between tho cabinets ot St. Pe tersburg and London, yet today they nro moro menacingly Indefinite than ever before. Afghanistan and Tibet nre tho llttlo buffer Btatcs between tho two contend ing nations, or, rather, empires. All borderlands aro turbulent districts. Ono of theso llttlo buffer states may, perhaps, bo ground out of exlstenco be foro tho Asian border Is really settled Upon. But tho two giant Imperial millstones will find both Tibet nnd Af ghanistan a very hard flint pebble to grind. Chltrnl and Swnt and Wazlrlland and Kafliiatan nre properly a border land between British India and Af ghanistan, and, though at ono tlmo supposed to belong to tho latter, aro now coming to bo calmly looked upon as out nnd out British territory. Tho unicer ot Arghanlstan, however, Is al so under tho thumb of tho czar of Rus sia. Tho ameer Is equally afraid of England. Yet, slowly but surely, Rus sia has been working her vpy down, to "tho roof of tho world," as this ter ritory Is called, nnd from tho desolato heights ot tho Pamirs sho has been casting longing cye3 upon tho fertile Indus valley. Chltral Is at present the apex of tho British wedge. It is tho ono border Btato that touches tho Russian frontier nnd the Chinese at th'o same time, it Is tho British Indian wedgo driven nnd forced up Into tho heart of tho Asian continent to meet nnd chock tho npexes of the other great Imperial wodges drlvon down In tho opposlto direction. When tho ameer of Afghan istan propared to seize both Chltral and Jandol, soma tlmo ago, nnd Russia was considered as ready In turn to solzo them nil, Downing street put Its thinking cap on and woke up to the gravity of tho Indian situation. A British forco was dispatched to Chl tral to censtltuto a permanent garri son there and to keep tho throne of the reigning sovereign secure. A mili tary road was opened up from Pesha war and a subsidy was settled on tho mohtar, thus making him n vassal ot tho coy and cunning British Indian omplro. Russia watched all theso moves uneasily, Sho realized thnt an open frontier clash would bo unwise, nnd bo rosortod to her usual wily Slav diplomacy. Sho assumed an nttltudo ot Injured Innoconco and proclaimed that presence ot any strange officers who might bo found, In disputed ter ritory' should bo looked upon us merely in exouftlon on the part of any such only some unforeseen contingency will keep tho czar's scytho long suspended. KlielW Four Miles In the Air. The power of tho modern gun Is a thing that cannot bo grasped. The 100- ton projectile strikes with a force equal to 4G5.000 eleven stono men Jumping from a height of ono foot. When tho 81-ton gun Hres a Bhot twelve miles it is fired at such an angle that the shell goes up to a height 5,482 feet higher than Mt. Blanc. Big guns havo been longer In uso than most people think. In tho year 1478 they had guns called "bombards" which threw n projectile weighing a qunrter of a ton. They were wider nt tho muzzle than nt tho bore, and were used for battering buildings. The English used big guns at the battle of Crecy, and amazed the French, who had never Been such weaponB before. Answers. Chivalry of I.ovrer Anliuili. Tho chivalry of man. toward woman finds a duplicate in the lower animals and, except In rnro enscs, tho male always treats tho female kindly. It is rarely that a dog will bite a female, ex cept In tho cxtromcst need of self dofensc, though tho female, as n rule, may be safely yoked In double harness with a mare. Marcs, on the other hand, will attack their own or tho opposlto sex without the slightest hesitation. I'uro Tunnel Air. Tho entire railway world will prob ably profit by recent experiments niado In connection with tho smoko in tun nels. Tho Eceno of the experiments was a long tunnel not far from Genoa, through which some 200 trains pass u day, leaving an Immonso amount of smoke. Two methods wero tried. First compressed nlr was used. Large cyl inders of steel were filled with air and compressed to 750 pounds to the square Inch. These wero placed in the tender of the locomotive. In passing through tho tunnel the air was allowed to es cape. Tho pure air blow back tho smoko and purified tho ntmosphore. Tho second method was with com pressed oxygen. This was allowed to escape through tho cylinders Into tho fires of the engines, causing comploto combustion, and preventing the forma tion ot dangerous gases as well as making tho nlr purer by tho nddltlon of tho oxygen. Tho compressed air method Is to be ndoptcd, as it is cheap er and almost as good a3 the oxygen. A WAR MM IN SOUTH AFRICA. One of the many colebrated English physicians who have volunteered for sorvlco In a non-combatant capacity during tho South African war Is Sir William MacCormac.who has beon ren dering valuable service to the British wounded at Pletermarltzburg. Tho Il lustration shows tho famous surgeon In his Jinrickisha, being pulled about by a native runner in fact, going out on a dally round of Inspection. Sir William MacCormac was present at tho battle of Colenso and afterwards operated on many of tho wounded, while ho was consulted In most of tho moro difficult cases. He highly praised tho all but perfect arrangement of tho British for tho prompt nnd effectlvo succoring of tho wounded nt tho front nnd nil along the Hnetf of communica tion and atatod that tho field hospital resulte reflected special credit on' the volunteer ambulance corps.