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About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (March 3, 1905)
THE FADING LIGHT OF DAY. VTonny, gather up tho scraps, nnd Hetty, bring tho broom feally, push tho eottlo back and tidy up tho room; Now's tlio tlrao, 'twlxt day and dark, to clear tho work awayj For tho morn mako ready by tho fading light of day. "Come, my boys, bring In the wood and split tho kindling nno, ?ctch somo water from tho uprlng and feed tho waiting kino; ou'll not need tho lantern, lads, tho twilight's clear and gray Ilasto and you will finish by tlio fading light of day." Thus tlio dear housemothor spako, still busy all tlio while, Ilelplng girls and cheering boys with gentle word and smllo, Till tho tasks wore ended and the sons and daughters gay Gathered round tlio flreplaco by tho fading light of day. Scattered, scattered, far and wide, In distant lands, and dcadj Long tho grass has waved above the gentle mother's head; But at nightfall even yot I scorn lo hear her say, "For tlio morn make ready by tlio fading light of day.' Wiser now, mothlnks therein that hidden meanings lurk, Teaching ere that night shall come "wherein no man can work" Every soul be girded ready; God alono can say If our eyes again bohold tho fading light of day. Boston Transcript, THE STRESS OF THE TRAIL ---S3S()L. fP tntlntrrllt "Tltiw Tff .iVrwl lilu L head out from under the tarpau lin and peered through tlio murk. aTor half iu minute, porlmps, ho llston ied tentatively; thon ho brushed away jtho snowflnkes Uiat had accumulatod .on his tousled hair, and snuggled back Into the comfortable warmth of tlio (fclankots. lie thrust a big fist, none .ioo gently, against tho ribs of his part focr. "What's tho matter with yuh?" krowiod tho "Freak," sleepily. "I ain't iio punchln' bag." "We're goln' t' get thorn steers t' Jtho post t'-morrow I don't think 1" jBlg Joff murmured. "Tho angels Is jplckln' geese for their Christmas din ner. From the way tlio feathers is flyln there'll bo about two foot of 'em ln tho morula'." Tho Freak protruded his head, only Jto withdraw it hastily. "Holy smoker 1" ho muttered, "she's buro comln' thick. Wonder if them Seattle's all right." "Yes; I heirrd 'om a-woolla' an' jlramplin' round In tho corral a mili tate ago," Jeff assured him. "You bot fter go t' sleep, m' son; no use layin' (ttwnke worrylnV Tills Boemed to tlie Freak the proper Eouihu to pursue. Ho wriggled Into a oiu'oi table posture, and soo.i r.ho mi or key of Ills snore mingled with the Weep bass Big Joff emitted. ' In tho old round-up corral, beside jwlilch their bed was mado, a bunch jof steers Btood huddled togctlier witli Anils to the storm, great masses of enow piling on their broad backs; out elde, tied securely to a pout, two po pica alternately pawed the ground and shivered under the oiled slickers that were spread across their loins. Save for tho canvas bed-cover til at sheltered the two men, there was little comfort for beast or human that night; noth ing: but biting wind, tha.t whistled keenly through tho rails of the corral, nnd everywhere tlio silent, virgin enow, dropping swiftly earthward in huge, eddying Hakes. It was gray dawn when Big Jeff (invoke again. He raised a corner of Jtho tarpaulin, and a mass of snow fell joa his face. The spluttering ,of him jaronsod tho Freak. Profanely la- nientlng tlio necessity that drove the.m (forth on such a trip, they groped about tfor their boots, drew them on, and lemerged, In ugly temper, for there .-were two feet of snow on top of the 'bed. To the top rail of the corral the Troak climbed and glanced quickly over the cattle to tho Ullmltablo reach es beyond. Inside the corral, the cat tle still stood hunip-lmeked; outside, ''the horses still shivered under the pro uicuiik Hnuurrnj win. mis wiuu mill men to a faint breath and the sun glared uuwlnkingly at thorn as It balanced an the lower edge of a cloud-free sky It was a perfect morning, save for tho diamond frost that glinted la the rare fled air, and tlio ugly meaaco of tho client, whlto pall of snow that lay Lolly-deep to a long-horn, on every foot of tho land. "See tho horses?" queried Jeff looking up from his task of kicking away the snow that covered their cof foe pot and frying pan. "Naw!" th J Freak snorted, disgust edly. "There's nothln' t' be .seen but this overlastin snow. The chances are them nags is hlttln' tho high places for tho Circle Four about this time, nobbles wouldn't stop 'em after they f ot started, aa' a storm like this wouli start most anything that wasn't tied hard an' fast." "This hero's sure hard lack," Jeff mourned, as he fanned an Incipient lTlnaso with bis hat. "Wo'ro out of grub If wo don't hit tho post to-nlgh an' we won't git thore bofore the next ehlnook If wo don't have thorn horses t' break trail. An' we promise! t' cat Christmas dinner with -Bob Stow art an' the girls, yuh know. Freak." 0 "I know it," ho answered, shortly. They brooded silently over their cof fee nnd fried bacon, sitting uneasily. on their boot-heels. Fifteen miles of unbroken snow lay between thorn and the agency; a day's drlvo when tlio go ng was good now, five miles of wal owing through tho drifts would leave their cattlo exhausted. A sudden freshening of tho wind meant a bliz zardand tho White Death plays a Inning game on the open pralrlo lien there Is neither food, nor fire, nor shelter. "Wo better go back n niece eh. Jeff?" advised tho Freak, as they un tied their horses. "There's u little coulee, yuh remember, back about four miles. Maybe them cayases lo cated In that There's little cut-banics along it" Sure," the big man answered, hone- fully. "We got t have 'em t' break a road for these critters. Maybe wo'll run onto n bunch o' broom-tails though I guess tho Injuns keep 'em pretty well chased out o' here." They turned the cattle out of tho corral to browse around as best thev could; thcro was little danger of their straying far. Not voluntarily would they trample their way through the encompassing snow. On top of a little eminence, half a mile from the coulee of which the Freak had spoken, they halted. Back at the corral they could see the bunch of cattle a black blot on the dazzling white page of the prairie; before them spread away a vast expanse of mo notonous level; for many miles the brown breast of the earth was clothed In the glittering robes of winter. "Ugh!" Big Joff shivered. "Not a blasted horso In sight! I iniess wo better go back an' try to shove thorn cattle through the best wo can." For answer, tho Freak pointed down the coulee which they overlooked. "Ain't that a smoke down there?" he Interrogated, anxiously. It was smoke, Big Jeff averred. To ward It they headed their horses, nlod- dlng patiently. As they camo nearer, tho almost invisible exhalation devel oped Into a half-dozen well-defined blue spirals, floating straight up through the tranquil atmosphere. They eyed them witli disfavor; and, when rounding a bond of the coulee, they came upon a bunch of scrubby ponies, orange buckskins and gayly marked plntos predominating In number, tlio Freak pulled up la disgust. "A bunch of skulkla' Gros Ventres!" he lamented. Lot o' good thev'll do us." ".Maybe we could get 'in t' break trail for us," Joff hazarded, hopefully. "It's worth quite a bit to the outlit, yuh know, t' get them cattle through; an' maybe some o' those buckos wouldn't mind makln' a few spondu licks." "Won't do no hurt f try, 1 reckon," admitted the Freak, "but these hero Gros Ventres are lazier than a fat cow In July. I know 'em." So they rode to the teepeo that, by Its sl.e and ornamentation, they Judged io bo tho abode of the chief. In many Indian dialects was the Freak versed, and so ho was able to state their wants with dignity and much sonorous language. But the chief grunted disapproval. Ills ponies were weary, he said, and the snow was deep. Also his rouuir men were weary, and the smoke of the- teepee llres was stroac n their nostrils. Therefore the trail could not be broken for his white brothers, even though he offered much Hat silver. This tho Freak communicated to Jeff as they rode away. Around the bend, past tho Indian ponies. Jeff pull od up his horse. lie curled one chap encased' leg around the saddle-horn a'nd eyed the Freak. "How many ponies they got tlcd'up iu cainp?" he asked, suddenly. "Did yuh notice, in' son " "Two was all I seen. Why?" "An' if thorn two was loose, they'd be afoot, wouldn't they? Big Jeff wont on, Ignoring tlio question. "Why, yes, I guess they would. But what if they was?" "I'll tell yuh." Jeff swung his horso closer to tho Freak, and lowered his voice though there was nono within three hundred yards to hear. At in tervals, tlio Freak nodded his head and ejaculated "Sure!" with much em phasis. Thou Big Jeff rosumed his normal position In tlio saddle, and they turned back to tho Gros Ventre camp. "Tho whlto brothers of the chief of tlio Gros Ventres," -the Freak orated, "havo little grub wherewith to face the deep snows, 'and their stomachs would bo as the stomach of the gray wolf ere they reach the wooden tee pees of tho White Father at Snako Butte. Can the great chief spare a few pounds of flour and a log of deer meat? His while brothers will give many pieces of flat silver." Yes, tho groat chief could for flat sliver. Tho transfer accomplished, the Freak reached the bundle up to Jeff, who sat on his horso, a silent specta tor. As Joff leaned to tako It from him, his horse snorted and lashed out wickedly behind. A dun cayuso, meek of ;nlcn nnd small of stature, stood di rectly la his rear, tied" to tlio wheel of a Bed Itiver cart; against his ribs the hoofs of Jeff's horse whacked loudly. Startled by the unexpected onslaught, tho pony Jerked violently against tlio Ue-ropo. It parted, and ho scurried for tho bunch like a frightened rabbit, Jeff giving chnso. "Let not the chief be alarmed," tlio Freak shouted. "His pony shall bo brought back to his teepee." Ho mounted hastily, did tlio Freak, not forgetting to keep tight hold of tho sack. Calling assurances to tho chief nnd to the bucks, wiio wore swarming out of the lodges, he started after Jeff. But his horso was taken with a sudden madness, and bucked high nnd crookedly. At the next tee pee a pinto was tied to an nnclent sleigh. Between the sleigh and tho pony's head tho Freak's horse plunged, rearing, kicking, leaping high. Presently the pinto also scurried up the coulee, with tho Freak In hot pur suit; and save for their own lndolpnt legs, tlio Gros Ventres were without means of locomotion. "Crowd 'em, old boy!" tlio Freak yelled, as he turned tho bend. "Next thing on the program Is angry Injuns burnln' powder!" "Say," ho cried, breathlessly, to Jeff as ho reached the bunch, "yuh ought to scon old 'Bock do the Wild West act. He sure did thlpgs to that pinto when I throwed the hooks into him." They fell upon the ponies with swishing ropes and tempestuous pro fanity. Through tho drifts that bar red their way they urged the herd to a floundering gallop. Enveloped In a cloud of. snow-dust kicked up by the flying heels, they swept up out of the coulee, and almost gained tho knoll from which they had spied the camp, ere the first bullet whiuged futilely after them. Big Jeff waved a gloved hand, and his deep laugh went bellowing across tlio white waste. "Look at 'em, Freak!" ho chortled. "The Avhole tribe is after us. Them dark-complected boygi would sure do business with us if they was close enough." "You bet!" tho Freak responded. "And them brunette ladles would sure love to wind their fingers In our hair." "Say," the Freak observed, as they topped the little rldgo, "somo o them bucks Is pretty good runners, I no tice. Now I don't hanker, t' have 'em catch up witli us after wo start with them cattle. I tell yuh, Jeff, you pike for the corral an' get tlio bod on one o' these cayuses. I'll stay on this pinna cle here an snap a few caps at 'em. That'll hold 'em till you got ready t' start an' then I'll come a-runnln'." "I hate t' leave yuh, Freak," Jeff grumbled, "but I guess it's a good scheme." "Don't yuh stay too long." he warn ed over his shoulder, as ho crowded forward on the heels of the herd. A score of vountr bucks were trot ting swiftly along In the beaten track of tho horses. At Intervals a rllle would pop. Hkfl tho breaking of a frost ed willow, but the distance was too great for their guns to carry. Back on the bank of the coulee, tho squaws and nnnnoosps were massed, mutelv witnessing. The yelping clamor of the mongrel dogs came Indistinctly to tne ears of tho Freak. lie drew his rifle from tho scabbard and pumped a cartridge into the chain ber, Dropping on one knee In tlio powdery snow, ho sent a steel-Jacket od missile humming slnlsterly along the hack trail. The pursuing Indians dropped on their faces with a celerity that made the Freak smile. It was a close shot very close, as he hat meant It to be. It was nearly an hour before the Freak swung stlllly upon his horse and loped away. Like bloodhounds the In dlans struck the trail again, tramping doggedly, mile after mile. But Big Jeff and tho Freak had a live-mile start, and they held their own. The long-horns, gaunt and hungry, travel ed fart, stepping closo up to tho hor that, perforce, broke tralL "This hero's a swell way o' spending Christmas Eve," tho Freak yelled across tho backs of tho plodding cattle to Joff, who drovo tho horses ahead. "Never yuh mind, Freak there's good times comln'. Just cast your eye ahead." Ho did, and the sight gladdened him. For behind them the sun was down and the wind was rising; but tho brown mass of tho agency upheaved ts bulk beforo them. In hnlf an hour they had swung down Wild Horse, under the shadow of Snake Butte, and Jig Jeff was howling lustily at tlio agent's door. A befurred receiving clerk counted the cattle Into n corral and handed Big Jeff a receipt for their delivery. "Wo can mako it t' old Bob's to morrow In time for dinner easy," Big Jeff exulted, as ho removed tho bed from tho back of the dun pony and threw it into a shed beside the corral. I'm sure thankful, Freak, that wo nln't out on the bald prairie t'-nlght." "Sumo here," tho Freak responded, tersely, "But I reckon we better give these runty cayuses a good shoot along tlio back trail I guess them Injuns 'd appreciate a ride back t' camp an' then go up an' square ourselves with the agent beforo wo get pinched for horse 6lcalin'. San Francisco Argo naut. A DAY OF REST. Old-Fnahloncrt, Quiet Routine for Sim- dny Now laild Aside. Sunday, from being a day of rest for man nnd beast, lias become the busiest day of tho week. So many society people live in the suburbs that the English week-end parties havo be come an established custom In this country, nnd the guests must be amused. Dinners, at homes, nnd musi- calcs, not only In town, but out of town, have become tho regulation mode of entertainment for that day. Sunday, too, is the day now selected for repairing streets and altering car tracks In tho business sections, which It is Impossible to do during the rush and crowding of tho week. The old-fashioned Sunday has dis appeared that slow, easy-going day of rest and family reunion, when church nnd a good, solid dinner were tho only distractions, and Sunday pa pers were of small Import. Simple pleasures, and yet how restful! The city's growth and the opening of new and convenient routes by the trolleys are In a great measure respon sible for the change, and the truthful excuse Is given that Sunday is the only day that one is free to visit. But have tho majority this excuse, or is tho feverish rush after excitement and novelty? What would the Pilgrim fathers havo to say If they saw the very vanities they had turned from in the old world becoming dally more established in the new? Think of the austerity of tho Puritan Sunday the long Journey to church, the long, tedious service and It cannot be wondered at that a re action should ensue. Then came the Sundays of the last century the Sun days when breakfast was deferred to an hour later than on week days. Oh, the luxury of that extra hour's sleep! The regulation Sunday breakfast of hot bread or griddle cakes, and the haste to be ready in time for church, for to church or meeting one mast go, unless able to give some plausible ex cuse. The children all wont to church, too, in those days, and if the sermon seemed endless and far beyond the comprehension of such youthful lis teners there was always the compen sation of dropping tho bright penny on the collection plate, or watching poor old Mr. Plank nodding gently and waking with a start at regular intervals. Sacrilegious amusements without doubt but compensating in a measure for the penance of sitting still, which is so irksome to the young. How much the children enjoyed being allowed to keep on their host clothes in lienor of the day! Light literature was tabooed, only to make it more enjoy able during tho week nnd there was the solace of knowing that If story books were forbidden, lessons, too, were laid aside. Childish and simple this sounds now, yot how restful that Sunday routine in modern ears! -Washington Star. A Worm's Skin. The Annelid Podynce clrrata is mean-looking worm about an Inch and a half In length, of flattened shan blunt at both ends, apparently covered by a smooth skin of a dull brown eol or. On being touched it throws Itself into elegant serpentine curves, nnd then what appears to bo the upper skli Is seen to be composed of a great mini her of round, Hat. membranous nhit es or shields, arranged in two rows, over lapping each other. These, thouirh of larger size, are attached to the body only uy a small point in the center their sides, so that when the animal moves the edges of these shloldn i re lifted and reveal their llvo Btructuri sliding upon each other in a slngul at manner. A country woman will so far un bend as to eat chicken In a restaurant but she Is doubtful about the milk and never orders a glass. Science A plko with a benign bony tumor on ono of Its gill-covers is among tho specimens that have been submitted to tho English Cancer Commission. Tho growth was as largo as a good-sized chestnut, nnd the fish was much emaj elated, weighing less than a pound, though 18y2 inches long. Whether matter undergoes any chango of properties on being charged with electric current, has been n sub ject of experiment. Tho results havo been practically ncgntlve. Paul It. Iloyl states that when carrying a1 heavy current the chango In tlio tensile strength of iron cannot exceed half of 1 por cent, and tho melting point of tlnJ can hardly be changed two degree. The value of evidence has been test ed experimentally by Mile. Maria Borst. Her subjects wero twelve malea and twelve females, and within a' period of six weeks tho3e wero shown flvo scenes from dally life, which they woro afterward required to describe In writing, and about which tlioy wore, tlien interrogated orally. Statements! under oath Woro required. The results show that accurate evidenco is rare, that evidenco improves by practice,! that tlio evidence of women is more' faithful and complete than that ofj men, but that one-twelfth of tho sworn1 statements are incorrect Dr. C. It. Eastman, of Harvard, calls attention, la Science, to the "astonish-, lag longevity of the popular delusion," to which even educated people at the present day give credence, that livlngi frogs, toads and other animals aro sometimes discovered la hermetically sealed cavities la tree trunks and rocks. After quoting a number of re markable instances of these alleged discoveries, Dr. Eastman says that a little reflection shows, from the very! nature of things, that such tales are Incredible, and that those who vouch for them must bo mistaken In their observations, as the most sharp-sighted persons are deceived by the feats of a prestidigitator. An Idea which has occurred to many( minds since the first "harnessing" of Niagara Falls, was clearly put by H.' W. Buck In a paper read before tho Engineers Society of Western New York. It Is that most of the electric power obtained from the falls will bo used within a few miles of its placo of origin Instead of being transmitted to distant cities. In other words, Mr; Buck belloves with Professor Brig ham that at and near the falls will be, situated the future Industrial center ofl America. It would be theoretically! possible, ho says, to transmit power from Nlngara as far as San Francisco, but the cost would be prohibitive. It' Is much cheaper to locate factories near the falls. Museums of language will be of great Importance to tlio future his-! torlnn. Tho idea was suggested In. Venna six years ago, but has only ro-: cently taken shape, although It has; already resulted in a collection of: four hundred phonograph records on durable metal. Tho purpose is to re cord the languages of Europe, andj eventually of tho world, the musle of: tho different countries nnd speeches, of notable porsonnges. Tho collection! now embraces the Slavic, Servian, Modern Greek, Portuguese and Bra zilian languages, with songs and dia lects of natives of India and of 'Ara bians and Bedouins. An expedition under Dr. Poech has penetrated New Guinea to reproduce the speech of the Papuans. Poison for Cholera Victims. "Some years ago 1 found mysplf in tho city of Buenos Ayres at a time when tho cholera was raging in thnt capital," said a traveler. "It happened that as I walked along a public thoroughfare ono day while the plague was at Its height 1 saw a man fall to tho ground, and I sur mised that he had been stricken with tlio dread disease. Beforo reaching him 1 noticed a policeman approach the unfortunate and administer a drink to him from a Dottle which I had ao doubt contained a restorative or some kind of medicine. At tho samo time tho policeman blew his whistle for an ambulance. "The vehicle enme very quickly, and yet before It arrived the man was dead, and It was a corpse that was removed. I remarked to the officer that the niedlclno had been of no avail. 'Certainly not, seaor,' ho an swered; 'it was not medicine I gave him, but a deadly poison. That is tho way we have to do now to chock the spread of the cholera. Besides, the man would soon havo died anyway. "I never experienced a deeper feel ing of horror in my llfo and looked on the policeman In the light of a mur derer. Yet he doubtless regarded what he had done as In the nature of a dis agreeable necessity, aul politely bid ding me adlos, went his way.'' Wash ington Tost. A 10-year-old girl Isn't as pretty us barrel of picked red apples.