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'THE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER
V. W. BAN UK US rubtlihnr.
NEMAHA, - - -
- NEBRASKA.
DIRGE FOR A SOLDIER.
In tlui cast the morning comes,
Jlcar tie rolling of the drums
On the hjll.
But the heart that boat as they beat
In the battle's raging day heat
Uctll Htlll.
Unto him tho night has come,
Though they roll the morning drum.
What l.s In tho bugle's blast?
".It Is: "Victory at last!
Now for rest."
"lint, my comrades, come behold him
Where our colors now enfold htm,
And his breast
"Hares no more to meet tho blade,
llut lies covered In tho shade.
"What a stir there Is to-day!
'They are lnylng him away
Where ho fell.
' There the Hag goes draped beforo him:
Now they pllo the grave sod o'er him
With a knelt.
And ho answers to his name
In the hlghor ranks of fame.
'There's n woman left to mourn
l"or the child that she has borne
In travail.
Tint her heart beats high and higher,
"With a patriot mother's lire,
At the talc.
iSlie hns borne and lost a son,
nut her work and his are done.
Fling the Hag out, let It wavo:
"They're returning from tho grave
"Double quick!"
.And tho cymbals now are crashing,
"Bright his comrades' eyes are Hashing
Krom the thick
Battle-ranks which knew him bruvo.
No tears for a hero's grave.
In the east tho morning comes,
Hear tho r.ittlo of the drums
Far away.
Now no time for grief's pursuing.
Other work Is for tho doing,
Hero to-day.
lie Is sleeping, let him rest
With the Hag across his breast.
Paul Iauronco Dunbar, In Youth's Com
panion. &-
. ,,,ii
-o
l The Flower of the Air
By Katherino Tynan.
&
T'IKY had boon little goat-herds to
gethcronn Sicilian hillside, liuisep
,pe ami Maddalenn. There, where the
magic of Theocritus yet lingers, the
brown children nre as beautiful as
Jraccs among the olive groves and
vineyards. Maddalenn, dancing with
her ragged skirt held high, and her
brown bare feet twinkling in the
grass where tho eieala sings, might
ibavc made a living part of an idyll. It
was always Maddalena who danced.
and lleppr, who snt on the scorched hill
side piping her music, his brown eyes
mysterious with dreams.
They were both orphans and perhaps
the loneliness was a link to draw them
closer together. For such there was
the stick if the goats strayed, or they
forgot to be home by sundown. Mnd-
dalena had her own share of beatings,
yet she would have borne them doubly,
-trebly, if Heppo could only have gone
free, for Ueppo was fragile and gentle,
:and the stick that only enrnged her
.and made her obstinate, had, on the
contrary, made Ueppo ill for days.
Yet, if Maddalena had not kept her
wits about her, they would have been
an trouble much of tener than they were.
'It was Ueppo who would forget on the
warm hillside the sickness of his last
beating, and the chill of his empty
stomach, making tunes for Maddalena
to dance to, while the goats invaded the
vineyards, or the dews and night found
them yet far afield.
It was good while the summer last
ed, and the children could forget the
beatings in the comfort of the sun on
their half-clad bodies. Hut harder when
it was winter, sharp and bright, and
there were more children, real children
of the house, than the house could hold,
and lleppo's starvation and nakedness
told upon him, so that lie coughed and
.grew hollow-eyed, while Maddalena
wa only exhilarated by the clear air
and the unwinking sunlight.
Maddalena was always the little
mother, ready with compassion anil
comfort for her Ueppo, when they wan
derd apart from the other children,
who looked at them askance, because
they were orphans, and had to bear the
blame and the blows.
Hhe was very much stronger than the
boy, and their positions were quite re
versed, she bearing the heay burdens
and taking the rough roads; he accept
ing this state of things, as though he
were the girl and she the boy. No one
but Maddalena knew as the boy him
self did the aches and the weariness
that made him lean on his friend as a
sick child on the bosom of its mother.
Hut there was neither sickness nor
chill in the air the day Antonio came
that way.
It was a brilliant day, and the joy of
the world had got into lleppo's fluting
and Maddalena's dancing. The little.
. lean, golden-brown giri in her ragged
frock of brown and orange and scarlet,
was gay a a humming bird. Lightly
as one she poised and floated and
. -swayed over the burnt grasses, and
danced faster and faster as Heppo, with
eyes of rupture, made wilder music.
Suddenly the pipe fell from his lips
. and the dancer came to earth.
"JUruvn, bravissimal." from the lips
of a sthinrr(tliad sutllced to break tjie
spell.
The newcomer' was a bearded, dark
fellow of middle Age, with a wide
mouth, and a smile of extreme enjoy
ment that fell oh the children with a
sultuslng friendliness. He was exttaVi
agantly dressed, with' a profusion" of
bright colors and a " hat hung- with
rilibqns. The children thought him
very fine a?id gazed at him open
mouthed. " am sorry," he said, making a how
to Maddalena, "to have interrupted the
signorinn's delicious performance. See
ln.re" he took from his brecehcR
pocket a handful of small coins and
scattered them" Mis a tribute to
beauty and genius; but gold it should
be, gold and gems, if Antonio lloiuuno
could but follow the promptings of his
heart."
He seated himself on the grass by
Ueppo, with the manner of one coming
critically to the theater.
"Dance now, my beauty," said he;
"dance again and let me delight myself
with your gracel And you, Sig. first
Violin, will you not tune up agninV"
Uy degrees lie won the confidence of
the shy children, and Maddalena danced
for him untiringly t and afterwards went
through the acrobatic performances
copied from what she had seen at a
traveling circus.
"Aht" he cried, and again "Ah!"
with deep breaths of satisfaction. And
at last, having applauded vigorously,
he begged them to lead him to their
mothers in the cottage below.
"Ah!" said Maddalena, "I have no
mother, nor has Heppo. None cares for
us, except the Mother of God. So we
love each other and make pets of the
goats."
She. started suddenly, and springing
up, looked distractedly about the hill
side,
"They have wandered again," she
cried, "and to-night there will be beat
ings and no supper for thee, Ueppo, and
for me. Alas! it in my fault, and it is
only last night that she beat thee, and
starved thee, caro."
She ran to Ueppo and caught his
head to her breast as might a mother,
quite unheeding the presence of the
gay stranger, who was the cause of
their transgression.
Hut Antonio lionmno swore an oath
which the recording angel might well
blot out.
"Per Haeeo!" he cried. "Who is she.
tills monster that beats and starves
motherless babes? And thou, Flower
of the Air, dost thou also go hungry
as well as thy Uutc-plnyer?"
Maddalena nodded energetically.
A smile broke oer the stranger's ex
pressive face.
"Come away, my children," he said,
"and let the goats wander home un
guided at evening. Come; we have
room for both in the great caravan be
low there. We go to Palermo, where
the signorina shall dance in the square
and the signor shall pipe to her."
He spread his hands out above their
heads.
"Come, little ones," he said, "my good
wife shall feed and clothe you. If Papa
Antonio is ever harsh or cruel with you,
may the little one he gave to Heaven
forget him!"
lie took a hand of each, and the chil
dren, fascinated, went away with him.
Down below the hillside, in the shud
ow of the woods, the oxen that drew
the great yellow and scnrlet caravans
made siesta for the midday.
Everywhere about the grass men at
tired like Antonio had Hung themselves
to rest, fliiis in short skirts and span
gles, witli (lowers in their hair, sat in
the shade and chattered like the cicalas,
while they stitched at some tawdry
llnery or played with round-limbed
children.
Antonio led his two goat-herds to
herc by the door of the biggest cara
van a buxom, kind-laced woman, with
long earrings, cooked something
savory over a little stove.
"See, my beloved, what T have
brought thee," he said. "These are two
little orphans, rescued from hungerand
the whip, to be thine own instead of the
angel we have lost."
"They have no mother?" she asked,
already opening her arms. '
"Xor father, my beautiful. They are
the little children of the good (jod, and
now they are ours."
A little later the white oxen were
once more put in the yoke. The whips
cracked, the great caravan lumbered
heaily, and Heppo and Maddalena sat
snugly within Antonio's wheeled house,
lest any should see and recognize them,
and held each other s hands, and looked
in each other's eyes, full of delight and
wonder at their adventure, and fearing
nothing so long as they were together.
Antonio was as good as his word. No
father and mother could have been
more tender to the little waifs than he
and Teresita.
There was no hue and cry upon their
track. Who cared for them, poor little
human crickets, when the goats came
home alone at evening. At ilrst, the
stick stood ready to the stout peasant
hands to punish them when they should
come. Hut presently it was realized
that thoy would not come; and none
grieved, since Heppo was a weakling,
and Maddalena passionate and obsti
nate. The years passed very happily, jour
neying up and down the strange coun
tries, with Antonio and Teresita and
their troupe of mummers. Madalena
brougli prosperity of a kind to An
tonio, ahe was no ordinary dnneiug-
glrl. no common ncrobat. The strength
and nupplent'ss which had made An
tonlo call her ".Flower of tho Air" re
tained her If nine, and everywhere the
Caravans halted, drew crowds to see
her dance on the tight-rope and (Us
por.t, herse.lt at .giddy heights. as secure
anil graceful as any bird.
- Jttit, as the.,s"nows and the storms
dr.oe tho circus into winter quarters,
so the snows of tlge hi time fell on Au
tonio. They had al earned for the day
atid saved nothing; and the time came
when the troupe melted anil broke Up,
and Antonio and Teresita were "left all
but alone with their children.
It was then that the JhigHsh impresa
rio suw the performance of the "Flow
er of the Air," and ottered her an en
gagement at a salary that nigh took
her breath away.
Maddalena danced with joy.
"Now it is my turn," she said, "and
you will go back to Sicily, little fa
ther and mother, and own a little vine
yard, and keep a roof for Heppo and
me to return to one day."
"Ueppo will go with thee, child?"
said Antonio. "It Is well. Are you not
brother and sister? And Teresita and
I will be happier knowing he Is near
thee In the wicked world."
All these years, Heppo, sickly and
dreamy, had been little use in the
Romano troupe. Not that lie was ever
allowed to feel that his Sicilian piping
was thin as the cicala's song to those
who liked the blare of brazen instru
ments. "lie brought love for him when he
came," said Teresita, to whom the chil
dren stood in place of the baby she
had lost; and both she and Antonio
were proud of the tall, handsome, deli
cate lad, who had the look of a signor,
and not of a son of peasants.
"Why, father and mother mine," said
Maddalena, in response to Antonio's
speech, "we have a much better plan
than that; a much better plan."
She blushed and dimpled all over like
a brown pool in sunlight.
"We are to marry, Heppo and 1.
See you, we have always loved each oth
er. Hefore you came to love us, we
had only each other and the Madonna
and the angels. And it is better that
1 should he Signora than Signorina in
the world we go to."
So it was settled, and the little lovers
of old became husband and wife and
went away with the English impres
ario, while Antonio and Teresita went
sadly back to Sicily and became pro
prietors, selling the caravans, and turn
ing the white oxen to the plow.
They looked long for the children to
come to them, but they did not come, al
though the fond and faithful letters and
the money came regularly.
"A little longer,'' wrote Maddalena,
"and we will come and will stay, and 1
shall forget that i was the 'Flower of
the Air,' and shall be glad to remember
that 1 am only a little withered flower
on a Sicilian hillside."
The performances at the Variety
drew many of the class which likes to
see its fellow-creatures throw dice with
death.
The most daring nnd most graceful
of the performances was that of Sig
nora Komano, the "Flower of the Air,''
with her dance at a giddy height and
her wonderful flight through space.
Two men watched her from a private
box as she curtsied to the audience.
She was unspeakably brilliant in her
doublet of gold tissue and hose of yel
low satin.
"What a charming creature!" said
one.
"Yes," said the other, and then lifted
his hat. "Ave, llor Martyrum!" he ncJit
ed, gravely.
"Why, Hilton," said the other, "what
words in such a place!"
"I say it every time I see her," said the
other. "Look, man, and you will say it,
too. Don't you see the martyr in her
eyes?"
"You are sentimental, Hilton."
"No, it is only that you are dull, Dal
vell. One day she will be less strong
than usual, or she will be distracted
the least little wrench during her som
ersault, and she will break her back. I
have come here day after day to see it.
She knows that it will happen In all
probability. She is prepared for death
every time she steps on that stage. It
is a race between her and (lenth."
"I hope you are not right, Hilton. If
you are the legislature should put down
such performances."
"It will eventually, when some great
awakening comes to our country peo
ple. .Just look at their faces. Those
women there have the very expression
of the Koinan dames when they turned
up the thumb. What do you suppose
brings them except the chance of see
ing yonder little human flower smashed
to pieces?"
"And you, Hilton?"
"I come for the same purpose, but
for another reason. Do you see the
handsome fellow in the wings who
gloats over the signora's beauty?"
"A lover?"
"Yes, mid a husband. It is for ills
sake the child runs a. race with death
every day. It is for his sake I am here."
"Tell me more."
"The man is d.ving on his feet. Any
great shod: would kill him; but, on the
other hand, a Jlfe of well-being might
prolong his indefinitely. This is the
signora's find lucrative engagement.
Kvery time she performs brings her one
step nearer to safety for them both.
She has promised me that she will take
lihu bath to Sicily after her time here
tcrnilnrftes. l'lu're are a couple of old
people there w'lin ijcpciid' on her also"
"How much you know about her, 1111
ton!" "
'She called me hi to see him. He haa
been spitting blood."
"Does he know lier danger?"
"He sees the performance Is danger
ous, but lie is used to .it, and he has uu
bounded confidence' In her strength and
dexterity. They keep themselves from
thinking too much by planning the life
in Sicily when her peril Is over all the
years arc provided, for. They do not
ask much, poor children! They have all
the Italian's frugality. 1 pray the thing
may end well. Hut now ah! there she
goes, like a golden butterfly."
Silently the men watched her as she
swung from bar to bar, till she was the
center of the patch of golden limelight
in the roof. For awhile she disported
herself there in movements of the most
aerial delicacy.
"1 like this part," sttid the doctor;
"it is safe enough, and she Is, as you
say, a charming creature."
"I feel a hound to be here, said
Dalvell. "No, I shall not sec her leap.
11 Is playing with flesh and blood. And,
good (loci, there are children here an
well ns women!
"Wntch the husband's face, then," re
plied the doctor. "He is rapturously in
love with her, and yet their happiness
is so quiet. They were children to
gether." Dalvell looked at the man in the
wings. Unseen by the rest of the house,
he was kissing his hand to the woman
In the files. Jits slender figure leaned
forward a little; his eager eyes were
full of light.
It must have been the moment of the
leap. Dalvell heard the low sigh n
suspense of the people about him. He
still watched the husband.
Suddenly he could not tell how it
happened, it was hi a flash of time
the man In the wings staggered and
lurched forward. He had the impulse
to rush to his aid. Hut there rang
through the hall the most terrible cry,
and then everyone rose up; there was
a hoarse shout, a pressing forward, a
swaying, a breaking out of many voices,
and the mass of people was rushing
confusedly in one direction.
"Come with me," said Hilton. "What
I feared has happened. I'm afraid I can
hardly do much for her. It isdaninablu
she should have been allowed to kill
herself. Hut that poor lad!"
"I don't think he will know," said
Dalvell, in a hushi-d voice, looking to
wards the huddled-up ligure in the
wings. "At least, he did not sec her
fall. Thank (3od for that!"
The "Flower of the Air" had been
carried behind the scenes.
Dr. Hilton hurried there, made a
hasty examination.
"Her back is broken," lie said; "she
will not live very long. She is smashed
to pieces."
"Conic with me," said Dalvell. "I
think they have not found him, but her
husband is lying In the wings."
"He saw her fall?"
"No. 1 am afraid she saw him. "it
must have been that that caused the ac
cident." "Ah! 1 saw her poor little face. Then
she came . . . crash!"
Ueppo was earned to the dressing
room. There was nothing to be done
for him. He had died quite suddenly.
"Angina pectoris, no doubt," said Dr.
Hilton. "Perhaps, poor hid, he realized
suddenly that she was in deadly peril.
Perhaps not. Anyhow, he has gone be
fore her."
In the broken little figure of the
"Flower of the Air" life stirred. Tlie
eyes, that seemed the only things un
injured, opened, and fixed themselves
after a minute on Dr. Hilton's face.
"Ueppo?" she cried, with dilllculty.
"I saw him fall."
The doctor held something to her
lips.
"lie brave, my child. You are dying;
but lie has gone before you."
"Ah! he need not know. It will he
better than Sicily . . . and there
nre none sick there. The money is for
the old people . . . you will find
it . . .Dr. Hilton ... at my
lodgings."
The voice died oV In sing-song.
"I urn so glad . . . " she panted
again "that he . . . has gone first
, . . I could not have left . . .
him."
"Come, Dalvell," said Dr. Hilton. "We
can do no more. She will not speak
again." London Sketch.
All IIIkIiI, Cii r."
A grand wedding was being solem
nized at St. Peter's, Faton Square. On
each side of the strip of carpet that
extended from the chinch door to the
curb was u crowd of well-dressed peo
ple watching the guests arrive. In thu
wake of a procession of equipages of
the most aristocratic and well-appointed
character came a four-wheeled nab,
dingy and disreputable beyond belief.
"Here! here!" shouted the police
man in charge, "you can't stop here!
We're waiting for the bishop of "'
The cabman regarded the ofllcer with
a triumphant leer, as lie climbed down
from his wat and threw a ragged blan
ket over his skeleton steed.
"It's all light, guv'nor," he paid, "I've
got the old duffer inside!" London
Spare Moments.
Cheap ToiirN.
FnglUliuien may now spend n fort
night hi Purls or Switzerland for i'jiS,
or enjoy a Xonsegiau tour for $50.
CUBA IS IMPROVING.
Oimi. Fltzliugh I. or, .lust Ilomn from ttm If
Inml, Siiyn American Mtlltiiry ItoiUrnlut
llun it Sulutnrjr KfTniil.
WnhlngttmfOot. ill). Gen. Fltzhugh
Leo, who arrived in Washington last
night from New York, said in ait inter
view" yesterday that the people of
Cuba arc steadily improving under tho
existing protoetoratu of tho United
States and are slowly hut surely re
building their war-wasted homes and
repairing their crippled fortunes.
Li.fo and property aro securo in Cuba,
owing largely, ho said, to the salutary
restraint oxerolBcd by American mili
tary authority. Ho thinks tho tluio
not ripo yet, however, for a purely
Cuban government. lie says:
Cuba Ih Improving. Tho Cubans nrct tract
able and quiet, and tho revolution has given
them soU-renpcd and self-rollnneo. Their lm
pulnc.H nro generally Intho rUht direction, but
ot course both In tho theory and practice of
self-government they aro wholly without expe
rience. There is uniting certain Cubans a dcop
fceutcd prejudice ogutiiNt soino men who, th.
Cubans think, oppressed Cubans under Spanish
rule, and, If given a free rein, tho Cubans' would
mako short work of them. Tho United State
government Is pledged to grant Independence to
Cuba after the Island turn been pncltlcd, and t
believe that tho promise should bo f ulllUod. Just
as swiftly an wo can in roaHou and Justice Tho
Industrial Hlthatlon Is Improving, nnd money 1
grodunlly going Into Cuba, but nothing Uko M
fast us It would If Inventors woro nuro that
property would remain safe for yoarn to oomo
nnd bo protected by n govemmont strong enough,
to enforce law and order.
PEACE BEFORE POLICIES.
Tim rrcNlitnnt. Wilt Not I.Uton to Any
Hellenic for Clovernmniit af I lie I'hlllp-
Itlnen Until thu limufrnotlnn In Over.
Washington, Oct. 80. There is only
ono question before the government
now concerning the Philippines that
is tho putting down of tho insurrec
tion. Until that is accomplished tho
president will not be inclined to glvo
much tlmu to any other aspects of tho
situation. This is, in ciTcct, what Mr.
Kinlcy has told tho memburs of tho
Philippine commission during his in
terviews with them. Tho president Is
willing and oven anxious that the com
mission gut to work on its report, but
for himself he Is concerned chiefly in
crushing tho rebellion. When that in
donu ho will be ready to consider sug
gestions and policies for thu govern
ment of thu islands.
HE USED HIS FEET.
In an Inciting -1'rizo Fight In 1'url
Knock Out" Wit from it Kick
on the Leg.
th
Paris, Oct. no, The fight for .'15,000
frano.i between Charlemont, the French
champion, and ".Jerry" Driseoll, former
champion of tho Hiitish navy, Saturday
afternoon resulted in victory for tho
former. There was a great crowd
present and the lighting was hot for
six rounds. In the seven th round Drls
coll was knocked out by a smashing
kick on thu leg, tho Frenchman being
allowed to uso his feet, In accordance
with thu French custom. Thu scuta
sold as high as 810 each.
IiierritiMt In l)-nd Letter Mull-
Washington, Oct. JJO. Tho annual
report of the dead letter ofllcu shows
that it received from all sources 0,855,
U8H pieces of mail matter, nearly niuo
per cent, increase over last year. Of
these over 1-15,000 consisted of hiHufii
cicntly paid mail. A quarter of n mil
lion were undelivered letters to hotel
addresses, over 107,01)0 unclaimed par
pels, and more than 500,000 pieces of
foreign mail. Mall directed to fictitious
addresses decreased by 45 per cent., in
dicating a notable restriction in opera
tions of fraudulent concerns.
llonpltnl Aid Noclnty lit Muiiltu.
Manila, Oct. 80. A Hospital Aid so
ciety hits been organized here by the
ladles of thu military circle. Mrs. Law
ton, tho wife of tlcn. Lawton, has been
elected president. It is thu intention
to supply to thu sick and Wounded
first, clothing, slippers and periodicals,
and to visit them personally. Tagalos,
prisoners in thu municipal hospital,
will also receive care. A charity ball
is soon to be given for the purpose of
raising funds.
Oklitlioinii'H Wonderful Fertility.
Perry, Ok., Oct. :10. For thrcu days
this portion of Oklahoma has been
deluged with rains. Frank Itlack, of
Alva, has 75 peach trees in full bloom,
and if present conditions continue
much longer hu will raise a crop of
peaches. A second crop of potatoes is
ready to use in S. H. Share's garden.
.Mitftt JteMpcflt Our Trade Itlchtx.
Washington, Oct. !J0. Tliu United
States has demanded from the govern
ments of Russia, Germany and Franco
assurances that in their division of
China into zones of political domination
or spheres of influence thu trade rights
of citizens of tills country shall bo
fully respected.
Inventor of TypoMiUIni; Alftrhlnn Ili-ud.
Ualttmorc, Mil., Oct. (). Ottmar
Mcrgenthalcr, the Inventor of tho
linotype typesetting machine, died this
morning of consumption, lie was born
in Germany on May 10, 1854.
lloiiKbt lllm for H3, 000.
Kansas City, Mo., Oct. !10. At Sat
urday's salu of llercfords, K. U. Ar
mour bought from C. C. Slaughter, of
Texas, the famous prizo yearling,
Aaron, paying S'.t.OOO for him.
.Six lluudi-eil Kin-op Ureiniitoil.
Kansas City, Mo., Oct. 80. In a tiro
at tho s-iock yards lato Saturday night
000 sheep were cremated and three fire
men were injured.
yi
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