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About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1905)
CRIPPS, THE CARRIER R. D. BLACKMORE Author of "LORN A DOONLV "ALICE LORR A I N L," BTC, RTC. CIIAI'TRU Xl.-nontintied.l "Cripps, it took mo a very long Uino to Itrnriu tiim up to the mutter again. Ho fcrns burning for some great siilt-nt-lnw kgainst some rlvnl nursery, which always pnys t ho upstart 0110: but 1 led liim round and by patient words ntid simple truth brought lilm back to reason. Tlio pack lug of tlio bug lio remembered well, nnd the pouring of a lot of buckwheat husks Iiround and nnwng the potato sets, to cci them from bruising, and to koop fut frost. And ho scut bin best man to If Oxford conch, the first down from London, which pnsod by their gate nbout ten o'elyook, nnd would be In Ox ford about, two, with the weather and hc roads aH usual. In that case, the lung could scarcely have, been at the 'Black II,rne' more than half an hour before you came nnd laid hold of It; and being put Into tlio bar, tin the Squire's fmrcols nlwayH are, it wan very unlike y to be tnmpere I with." "It waH witchcraft then! The same bk I said all along; It were witches ernft, nnd nothing oIho." "Stop, Cripps, don't ynu be in Hitch ft hurry. Btit wait till you hear what. I have next to toll. Hut oh, here comen my friend Hnrdonow, nH punctual ns the clock strikes two! Well, old fellow, how ro yon getting on?" The Her. Thomas Hnrdcnow, Follow nnd Tutor of Brasenoso, strode Into his own room at full speed,, and stopped ab ruptly at night of the carrier. "Of all tn u. most I huvo avoided thee," was in Mh mind; but ho Hpoke It not, though being a strongly outHpoken mnn. Not that ho evcr had dono any wrong to make Mm be thy of the Cripps race; but that ho fdt It In his heart a desire fyr com nuino, which must bo dangerous. lie . know that in him lurked a foolish ten dency towards Esther; nnd he knew that she hnd dono her best to overcome ii still moro foolish turn towards lilm. Cripps, however, looked Upon any little bygono "coortlng" ns a social and con genial topic, onnbllng n quiet mnn to get on with almost any woman. Like a s iHible mnn, he hnd always ncquitted Hnrdonow of any blnme in the mntter, knowing that young girls fnncios mny be caught without any nngllug. "If her chose to bo a fool, how were he to blnmo for It?" And tho enrrier nover forgot the stages of socinl distinction. "Ser vant, sir," he therefore said, wth his wunl unburn; "hope 1 see you well, sir." "That)! you, Zncchary," snld Mr. liar-Ai-mw, talcing tltc cnrrlsr's hand, "I nm Pretty well, thank you." "Thou you don't look it, sir, that you duesn t. We hocr'd you wns getting on wonderful well. But the proof of tho PVddin' nln't In you, sir." "Thnt's right, Cripps," cried Over hute; "give it to him, Cripps. Whv, he tnrvos himself. Ever since he took his flrijt and second, and got his fellowship wad took ordors, ho hasn't known what it good dinner Is. He keeps all the fasts in tho cnlcndnr, nnd tho vigils of tho fes tivals, and he ought to hnvo nn appo se for the fensts; but he overstays his time, nnd can't keep nnythlng on his tomnch." "Now. Bussol, as usunl!" riardenow answered, with n true and pleasant Millie; "what n fine follow you would be If you only had moderation! But I see thut you want to talk to Cripps! and I li'uvo several men waiting In tho quad." "Thero goes one of the finest fellows, u nil fino fellows yot." With these words Bussel Overshute ran to the win dow and looked out. A dozen or more of young men were waiting, tho host undergraduates of the college, for Mr. Hnrdonow to lead them for fifteen miles, without a word. "Kir," said Cripps, "you might n' seen as I was waiting, until such time ns you phizo to go on wi 'nn." "Very well, thnt sntisllcs the most ex acting historian. 1 will go on where 1 Jeft off. Well, I left the foreman of the nursery telling me about the mnn ho font with the bag of potatoes to the Ox ford coach. He told mo he was one of Ms sharpest hands, who had been off work for. a week or two then, and hnd nly returned thnt morning. Moo Smith' M'nB IiIb nnme, nnd when they could get Him to work he would do ns much ns nnv other two men. Hero to-day nnd none to-morrow had nlwnys been his chnrnc ter; nnd they thought that he must 1 Of gypsy race, nnd perhaps hnd a wnndcr ing family. "This made me n little curious nhout the man; nnd I asked to see him. But the foremn it said thnt for some days now he hnd not been near the nursery, nnd they thought that he wns in the neigh borhood of Nettlebed. Suddenly 1 thought of your sister's tale, nnd I snld to tho foromnn, 'Does he speak like this? imitating aH well us I could your sister's mutation of blm. 'Ion know the mnn ir,' the foreman answored, 'you hnvo got lilm ho exnctiy that you must hnve heard aim mnuy times.' "Cripps, you mny well suppose that my suspicions wore strong by this time Hero wns your Bister's description con (firmed to tho very letter; and hero was the clear opportunity offered for slipping tne wrcaru oi nnir mio tue ung," "Your worship, now, your worshin rou bo a bit too shnrp! If that there man were ac neauington quarry at alghtrall or Tuesany, now could ho pob llbly a' been to Mnldonhcnd next morn Jog? No, no, your worship nro too harp." "Too thick, you mean, Cripps; and not . f harp enough. Those long-legged gypsies hink$;ory little of going thirty miles in a uljfliti- , Aud then there Is tho upinaiil B V conoh. Of course ho would not pny his fare, but ho might hang on beneath the guard's bugle, with or without his knowledge, and slip nwuy nt tlio chang ing houses. "Very well, sir," said Cripps, discreet ly; "wjio bo I for to nrgify?" "Well, I went bnck to the Inn nt once, nnd rode leisurely to Henley. It was raining hard and tho river in Hood with all the melted slnow nnd ho on, when 1 crossed Hint pretty bridge. I wont into the entrance of thnt good inn by the waterside. Tho landlord was good enough to come out, and knowing me from old boating days, he got Into a tnlk with mo. Koinemboring how tho gypsies hang about tho boats and the waterside, I asked him whether any of them happen ed to bo In tho neighborhood just now. Ho thought, porhnps, that I was timid about my dark rldo homeward, and he told mo all he kne.v of thorn. There was one lot, ns usual, in the open ground nbout Ncwnhnm, and another large camp near Ohalgrove, and another, quite a small pitch that, on tho edgo of tho firs abovo Nettlcbod. "This last wns tho lot for me; and I pressed him so nbout them that ho looked at mo with n pecullnr grin. 'What do you mean by that?' I asked. 'Now, Squire Overshute, ns If you did not know!' he answered. 'Doth your wor ship happen to remember Olnnnmintn's iiamo?' "Cripps, I assure you I was astonish ed. Of course you knew Ciuunminta well, I don't wnnt to bo Interrupted. No one could say any harm of her; and n lovelier girl wus never seen. Tlio land lord had heard some bygone gossip about Cinnaminta nnd myself. I did admire her. I nm not ashamed to say that I gnntly admired her. And so did every y ung fellow here who had got a bit of ! luck in him. I will not go into that i nest ion; but you know whnt Cinnaminta wus." Cripps nodded, with a thick mixture of feedings. His poetical self had been smitten more with Ciunainluta than he r-rod to tell. "To bo sure, your wor : p," was all ho said. "Very well, now you understand me. To hear of Cinnaminta being in that; camp at Nettlebed mnde bo determined When I got to tho end of 'the fair-mile,' the night came down In enrncst. All day thcro hnd been spits of rain, with sudden puffs of wind, nnd Htrenks of green upon the sky, nnd racing clouds with rngged edges. Tho rond wns running like a river; como hero aud go there, liflo glnss it shone. I stooped upon Cnutchipc's neck, or tho wind would have dashed me bnck over his crupper. "Suddenly, in this swirl and ronr, my horse stood steadfast. He spread his fore legs and stooped his bond to throw us balance forwurd; aud his muno swish ed down in a waterfall of hair. I was stnrtlcd ns much as ho wns, and in the strange light stared about. 'You have bettor eyes than I novo,' I said. "I followed the turn of his head, nnd there I saw a whites thing in the ditch. Something white or rather of a whity- brown color was In the trough, with something dark leaning over It. 'Who nro .vou there?' I shouted, nnd the wind blow my voice bnck between my teeth. ' 'Nort to you, muster. Nort to you. Go on, nnd look to your own consnrns.' "This rough reply wns in u harsh, high cackle, rather than a human voice; but It camo through tho roor of the tem pest clearly, as no common voice could como. For a moment, I hnd a great mind to do exactly ns I was ordered. But curiosity, and perhaps some pity for tho fellow, stopped mo. 'I will not leave you, my friend,' I said, 'until I am sure thnt 1 enn do no good.' Tho man was in such trouble thnt he made no answer which I could hear, ho I jumped from my horse, who would como no nearer; nnd holding the bridle, I went up to see. "in ns sheltered a spot as could be found, lay, or rather rolled 'hnd kicked, n poor child In a most violent fit 'Don't 'e now, my llttlo Tom; don't 'e, thnt's n denry, don't!' Tho man kept coaxing, and nioaulug, and trying to smooth down little legs and arms. 'Let It have it's way,' I said; 'only keep the head well up; nnd try to put something between the teeth.' Without nny answer, he did as i mule; nnd what ho put betwixt the teeth must hnvo been his own greut ttiumt). or course ho mistook me for a doctor. Nono but a doctor was likely to bo out riding on so rough a night." "Ah, now I pity thoy poor chaps!" cried Carrier Cripps. "Your worship'll 'scoosc me nbrcnkln' In. But thero's hnlf my nrrnuds to do yet. Might I mnko so bold your worship bo coming to see the Squire. Your worship Is m,t llko somo worships be. Your worship is not tho mnu to take me crooked. I means no liberty, mind you." "Of thnt I nm certnlu," Mr. Overshute answered. "Cripps, your suggestion just bits the mark. I particularly want to see your sister. That was my object In seeking you. And I did not llko to seo her, until you should have hnd timo to proparo her. I hnvo Bcvernl things to see to here, nnd then I will ride to Book loy. Mrs. Hookhnm will give mo n bit of dinner, when I hnvo seen my dear friend tho Squiro. At night, I will come down and finish my story with you." CHAPTER XII. Any kind, good-untured person, loving bright simplicity, would hnve thought It n llttlo trent to look round the cnrrler's dwelling room upon thnt Saturday even ing when ho expected Mr. Overshute. lThe room wns. BUt.nkJtche,n, nnd she hnd made no attempt to disgulso that much. But what can loolc better thnn n kitchen, clean and bright, nnd well sup plied with tlio cheery tools of appetite? It woh a good-sized room, nnd very pic turesque with sunglass. Little corners, In and out, gave play for light and shadow; the fire plnce retired far onough to well express itrelf; nnd tho dresser hnd brnss-hnndlod drawers, thnt Hccmed quietly nursing tnblo cloths. Well, nbovo these, upon lofty hooks, the chronicles of the present generation might bo read on cups, racchary headed the line of course; and then as Genesis is Ignored by grander generations Hxod us, and Le viticus nnd Numbers, and a great mnuy moro, showed that tho enrrlcr'n father and mother had gladly baptized cvry one. Uiisscl Overshute knocked nt tho door, in his usunl quick nnd Impetuous wny. In tho main ho was n gentleman; and ho would have knocked at a nobleman's door exactly nh ho did nt ti e carrier's. To put It more plainly Ovcr-'.iiilo knock ed hnrd, nnd meant no harm by It. "Como In, Hlr, and kindly wclcomo," Cripps began, as he showed him in; "plnizo to take this chair, your wor ship. Never mind your boots; tho mud f(tbroe counties cometh hero." i "Then it goes away again very quick ly! Miss Cripps, how are you? Mny I shako bunds?" Esther, who hnd been shrinking into the shndo of the clock and the dresser, came forward with n brave bright blush, anil offered her hand, as a lady might. Uitssel Overshute took it kindly, and mowed to her curtsy, and smiled at her. In nn honest, manly way lie admired pretty Esther. "Cripps," ho continued, "have you told your sister all 1 told you nt Brasenose? Very well, then; I mny begin nt the point where I left off with you. Where did I brenk it? I nlmost forget." ' "With the mnn's big thumb in tho mouth of the chcold, nnd the wind and tho rain blowing furious." "Ah, yes, I remember; nnd so they were. 1 thought that the crest of tlio hedge would fall over and bury tho wholo of us out'or the way. And when tho poor boy had kicked out his con vulsions, nnd fallen into a senseless sleep, tho rough man turned on me savagely, as if I could have prevented it. 'A pretty doctor you be,' he exclaimed. But I took tho upper hand of him. 'Stand back, there!' I said; and I lifted the child and placed the poor littlo fellow on my horse, nnd mnnnged to get up into my snddle before the wind blew him off ngain. 'Now lend the wny to your home,' I said. And muttering something, ho set on. "lie strode nlong at such a pace that, having to manage both child and horse, It was all I could do to keep up with him. But I kept him in sight till he came to a common; nnd there he struck sharply away to the right. By tho light of tho wind and the rain I followed lilm perhaps for half a mile through a nar row track, in and out furze aud bram ble. At last he turned suddenly round a corner, nnd a shadow fell behind him his own shadow thrown by a gusty gleam of firo. Cantolupe that Is my horse, Miss Esther hns not learned to stand firo yet, nnd ho shied nt the light, nnd set off through the furze, ns if with the hounds in full cry before him. We were very lucky not to break our necks. "I got my horse under command, but we must have gone hnlf n mile any where, nnd to find tho way bnck seemed a hopeless task. But the quick-witted people saved me miles of roundabout by a very simple expedient. They hoisted from tlmo to timo a torch of dry furzo blazing upon a pole; nnd though the light flnrod nnd went out on the wind, by the '"lick repetition they guided me. Canto pe. and the child, and I fetched back tc the place. And we snw, not a (lash, but a glow this time, a steadfast body of cheerful fire, with pots and caldrons over' it. So well had tho spot been chosen,! in tho loe of ground and growth, that the ash of the fire lay round the embers,) as still as the beard of an oyster; while! thicket and tree but a few yards off woroi 41. I .1... .!..! 1 t iiucaiuuK oi me wiiiii ami waning. ie-. hind this fire, and under a rick-cloth slop ing from a sandstone crest, women and children nnd one or two men sat as hap py and snug ns could bo; dry, and warm, and ready for supper, and plensed with the wind nnd tho rain outside, which im proved their comfort and nppetite. "But while 1 was watching them n1 womnn enme out of the darkness after me. Heedless of weather, and reckless! of self, she had been seeking for mo, or wilier for my little burden, Iler hnlr was steeped with tho drenching rain, and her dark. clothes hung on the lines of her figure, ns women hnto to let them do. Iler eyes and face I could not seo becnuso of the way tho light fell; but I seemed to know her none tho less. "While I gnzed in doubt, my little fellow slipped llko an eel from my clasp nnd the snddle; nnd nlmost before I could tell where ho wis there ho was In the nrni8 of his mother! onders of love now begnn to go on; nnd it struck mo, thnt I wns one too mnuy in n scone ofi thnt sort; und I turned my good horse, to be off and nwny. But tho womnn cnllcd out nnd a mnn laid hold of my bridle nnd took his hnt oft. I snw that it was my good friend of the ditch. IIo was doing no less thnn Inviting me, with nil his heart, to nn uncommonly good dinner!" "Now thnt," said Cripps, "Is what I call tho proper way of doing things. Ar ter all, they hnthens knows a dale more thau we credit 'em." (To bo continued.) Flr but Doooltl'iil. Chlmuiy I told her I'd die if she ro fused me, nn' showed her do dimo I'd Bnved for cnrbollc neid. Johnny -An' wot did she do? Chlmmy (groaning) Do? She jollied mo along till I blowed do dime on sodn water, and den refused me. Puck. fiuuur in ii Boot. BeotB-yleld 12 to 13 per cent of tbelr weight. iu sugar. 3k Tlio ErO'tieli postolllce department Is now operating twenty motor enr postal routes in various parts of tho wuntry. MufciiQ'tlc Iron Hnnd lins recently boon MHoovored on tlio Month coast of Juvn, nnd it Is reported to bo very valuable. Tho new parliament building hi Stockliolm, which was begun ten years ago. Is now completed. It lies jii ii small Island. A peculiar fact is that 1003 began on Sumlny, nnd therefore lias ilffy tlireo Sundays. This will not occur iguln in J10 years. Tho Trapplst monks of Algiers tmve SfoJd their buildings and land, ind, llko most of tho persecuted Trench orders, hnve gone to Italy. Among i'emnlp Moors birthday cole jniiUons are unknown. A Moorish voniun considers it a point of honor to be absolutely ignorant of her age. Jules Vorne skeins doomed to disap pointment. His great ambition is to jc elected to the French academy, but :lio pro.ipeet of its realization is jiot M-ight. German soldiers are to have a now ;unle, cut like a blouse, with a low standup collar. Visibility of bright buttons on the tunics is to bo tested it various distances. . The French government lias be stowed the decoration Palmes Acad cntlqiics Miss Frances Johnston, of W:is!:b",'t .n, D. C. But one other American woman lias be n honored in this way. Down It; one of the soul1 ern Kansas '.owns, th- other day, the preacher at i funeral made a sad nn'ss of it when ae attempted io read :mi obituary of :he le:id woman. She was born In i'stradgyulas, Glanior-'anshlre, Wales. Kansas City Jov.; n.il. The peninsula f 1" Arabia has an area )f some 1.U0(Moo square miles, with i population estimated at from C.OfiO. XX) to 10.000,000. The Turkish p-nv-nce of Yenioii is most p'.pulo 's. and :s highly fertile. Ad n coma::, mis a total export and Import trade of somo f::o,oco,ooo. In the course of a case at Lambeth County Court, London, it wns in evi dence that old bard felt hats, which tvero, valueless up to a few months igo, could now be sold for $555 a ton, ind the market was rising. Tlio lints ire burned to get tho shellac, which (s worth "0 cents a pound. Military critics claim that the sword is a part of the field equipment of oJIl jors of the Infantry is doomed. Its aselossnctss in this connection hns seen realized for many years, and a jropositlon that It be done away with n understood to have the approval of the authorities of tho United States IVnr Department. Among tho curiosities recently pre jonted to the Marltzburg museum, In outh Africa, is a chain twenty-three feet six Inches long, carved from Hie I runic of a tree by "Knobnose" na tives, a tribe In the Zoutspanborg dis trict, Transvaal. The chain Is contin uous, requiring phenomenal patlenco ind skill In carving. It is said that there are in London about !2,(MK) charitable institutions and jrganlzatlons to advance the cause of progressive and advanced civilization. l'he number includes largo and small nstltutlons, affording more or loss re lief to the a filleted and those in dis tress. They are supported almost en tirely by personal coutril utlons. Some of Uie farmers near Santa (;osa, Cal., are experimenting with cea-growing, and their efforts seem to De mooting with success It is said that there is no reason why tea diould not be grown In some sections of this country, though the earlier South ' Carolina experiment is not tnown to be making great headway. Prof. Goldlob has been telling the hrlstlanla Academy of Science the esults of bis Investigations Into th'i nigrations of -whales. These creatures tang ttbout tho coast of Norway and Finland until the spring is well nd rauced, and then go away on their travels. Somo go to the Azores, oth- rs to Bermuda nnd tho Antilles, and Jiey cover these enormous distances ti an Incredibly short time. Some of thorn bring back harpoons which bear the names of ships and other ovi lenees of wnere these migrants have )eon for tholr summer holidays. NATURE IN GREEK ART. in to Animal and Vccetnblo Form by Hellenic ArtlntH. Look at any collection of Greek :olns, half of them bear roprosontu lons of animals animals treated so ondorly and with such feeling for lie texture of feather and hide that horn can bo littlo doubt thnt tho ii'tist studied them with understand ng and affection. Look at the eagles if Agrigontum devouring their prey, tiys a writer in Macmlllnn's Mnga due, Uie Sidejidid eagle's head of Ells, or tho lion and calf of Dyrrhachium, or tho bull of Brotria scratching his head to tho vory life; tho chariot horses of tho cities of Magna Graecla tossing their heads in eagorncss for the contest. Wc nro oven told that a bronze cow was the chief glory of the great Myron. The same is true of gem engraving gmyhounds, dolphins and rams appear drawn with a wonderful truth to nature; Indeed, In some casej the engraver has made ills design correspond to the color of his stone, po Unit a cow will appear on an omen aid as In u green Held, or a dolphin on a berg as Jf in the blue green sea water, though that may possibly be due to the desire to emphasize tha power of tho gem its an n mulct. In the treatment of iloral and vege table forms tho result is disappoint ing. Flowers nnd leaves occur on coins, btit their treatment is not suc cessful, it Is neither natural nor con volitional. Tho wheat ear of Motn pontum, tho parsley leaf of Sellnus, the rose of Hbodes are unsatisfactory! all that can be said for them Is thai they are unmistakable. On a coin of Gortyna in Crete Eu. ropa is seen seated in a treo which Is certainly drawn after a moro mit ural pattern; but even here it is In ferior to the bull on the other sidd so complacently licking his back. U Is doubtful whether a natural treat ment of flowers is suitable as a deco ration for vases. Admirers of tha Worcester chlnn of our own dny will say that it is, but the question re mains open. No one, however, will deny thai most beautiful conventional patterns may be made from lloral forms, yet the only cases of such designs on Crook vases are. so far as I know, thi' stereotyped lotus and palmetto, The vine appears as tho adjunct of Dionysus, nnd sometimes alone, a on a vase where satyrs are gathering Uie grapes, ye- the treatment is al most always inadequate, and in na casoI believe, does the olive appea on vases of Athenian manufacture. An apple bough is seen on a very beautiful white ground vase by So tades in the British museum, but tlu general feeling for floral forms is dif ferent from Lint which Uie Mycenaean potter had for the weeds and flow ers of the deep. Where Uiey do oc cur It Is generally ns a necessary pari of a story which the human interest Is paramount. Trlptolemus, for In stance, holds Uie wheat ears in his hand, but It is on him that the ar tist expends his skill; Dionysus Is ' surrounded by the vine, but it is the god at whom we look, not at tho curving spirals of the plant The acanthus leaf, again, is the motive of the Corinthian capital, but it quick' ly becomes stereotyped: tho variety of the Byzantine capitals and friezoi shows a far greater love for leaf form ChnrmipK Dolly Madison. To define the cbnrm of a cliarmlnj woman Is always difficult Dolly Mad' Ison's features were not regular, noi was her figure perfect She was not witty, nor wns she wise, mid she par ticipated little, If at all, In her hus band's Intellectual life. Nevertheless she stands out as the greatest of all mistresses of the White House, ami her popularity was unbounded. Shi ruled over her world In Washington with genial good nature and lnstinci tlve tact. Her nature was warm, af fectlonato and Impressionable. Shu loved life and people, nnd her world loved her. Iler brilliant coloring, anB mated face and well-rounded flguri wont with n cordial mnnner and A sympathy for those about her amount lng to genius, and sho was nlwayi ready to bubble Into laughter. Who could resist such a woman, thi wife of a President? She was tho cen. tor of observation at tho innugural ball, but sho would have been the cen ter of observation at any ball, even 11 she had not been the President's wife Sho bad, in fact, ruled as lndlsputablj over the little boarding house In Phil ndolphla kept by her moUier, when shi was the Widow Todd, as she did ovei the White House as Mrs. -Madison. Century. Rooipo Wanted. Young Mrs. Vinton looked over tin fence that separates her bnck yari from Mrs. Hardy's, and her prcttj faco was troubled, says tho Chicagi News. "Mrs. Hardy!" she called softly. "Yes. What is It?" and Mrs. Hap dy's matronly figure appeared in hoi kitchen door. "I'm so sorry to trouble you," Mra Vinton went on, "but will you tell m somo good way to cook clay pigeonsi Jimmy lias Just sent me word Uiat hi is going out to shoot Borne. Ile'i bound to bring a lot homo, and haven't tho remotest idea how to pre pare them." Unintorostod. "Why don't you make an effort t do something that will causo youi name, to bo written high in tho annali of history?" "I'm not interested in nnv firmo tu, publish history," answered Senate Sorghum coldly. "I don't seo why 1 should bo providing them wlUi mate rial." Washington. Star.