QEMBEK 28 , 1890.-SIXTEEN PAGES. 11
IVI7
A Montana Miner "Who Sheds His Skin An
nually Lib a Snake.
HOT RACE WITH IDAHO ROBBERS ,
inn < mln Miller Itclntcinti H.xpcrlcnco
of Illi "Yotitli-Snl Story of
White ; Ilujip Ho Inter *
vlovieil I'lvollcnrj.
Dropping Into the barroom of tlio ICnlscr
hotel lust evening , tny attention wns attract
ed by quite nn utemlva cabinet of mtncrnh ) ,
curiosities , anil Drlc-a-lnrc , 6ccupylng a
prominent position In the place , says a
I'hllllpsburi ? letter in the Butte Miner.
"You huvo an Interesting collection hero , "
I remarked to the barkeeper. "Who owns HI"
1 asked.
"I do , " said lie , with a goodncalof pride.
The owner , Mr. Herman Idiljcr , then gave-
mo tliehistory of tbo mostlntorcstlng articles
Ju ihivcnbmot. The mlneral ipecltncnswere
all obtained Tram tbo claims and mines Intho
Immediate vorlnlty of 1'hllllpsburff.
"Hut thcro la the greatest curiosity tnnt I
Imvc , " anld Mr.lCuiscr , pointing to nn article
that appeared to 1110 to bo a fish-colored
glove. "Now , you would take that to bo a
glovoat thcilratglnncc , wouldn't you ! "
"Icortnlnly uould. "
"Well , It Isn't ' n glove nt nil1 ; ' said ho.
"Examine It n llttlo more closely , and you
will sco that It Is the akin of n human hand. "
Such It rciilly proved to bo. The palm , the
thumb , thoflngcra v/cra all there In one per
fect piece. Thcio was no mistake about that. *
"That is Indeed n curiosity , " I observed.
"Some man must have been skinned here
abouts by tbo Indians , "
"You are mistaken. The man from whose
jiund that skin carne Is skinned nllvo once a
year : ho does It himself.'and ho resides in
this vicinity. "
"You Uon't ' intend to make mo believe any
thing of that kind , do you ! " 1 askedin
amazement.
"You heUovo Her not. "
can a ? you please ,
said he , "Imt every thing I tell you about
Johnny 1'rlco Is gospel truth , and It can bo
proved by over a hundred witnesses in this
town. That oleco of skin , as I said before ,
comes from u human hand the right hand of
Johnny 1'rlco , \voll known resident of this
town , Ho sheds bis cuticle every year- , be
tween July 14 ami 10. This singular process
has been going on over since ho was n child.
Ho h now thirty-seven years old. Sometime
ngo ho wrote tosomo Pittaburg doctors , de
scribing hh cuso and sending thorn pieces of
his skin. They did not believe his state
ments , but kept writing to him , and , finally ,
to satisfy themselves , they determined to
make an InvmtlKatlon. They had never
heard of anything of the kind before.After
considerable correspondence , they agreed
last spring to pay bis expenses to Plttsburp
and return. Accordingly , Mr. Price went
to Pittsburg atiout two weeks before the
usual tlmo of tbo shedding process , in
order to give the medical men plenty of
tlmo to study every stage of the case. Just
before the skin bopins to pcol off Jlr. Price
becomes deathly sick , nml remains so for
two or thico days. Ho then recovers and
strips himself of his old cuticle and appears
In anew skin.
"Arriving at 1'ittsburji ho wns taken In
charge of by the doctors , and , euro enough ,
about July 17 , after his usual sickness , the
chnngo of skin took place. The d octors suc
ceeded In removing the entire cuticle from
lil neck and fncu down to the end of his toes ,
In eau piece , Just the same as you would re-
jnovoa suit of tiguts from an acrobat. This
wns done with a view of stunlng the skin.
To say tlmt the doctors -were astonished and
completely puzzled docs not bepin to express
It. They have made arrangements to take
Mr. Price to Europe next year and bring
him before a convention of tbo most eminent
doctors of the old world and let tbcm make
a thorough study of the cnso for the
benefit of science. Stops will also bo taken
to euro the patient if possible. All Mr.
Price's expenses uroto bo paid , and if any
money is to bo mudo out of this singular
transformation process hois tolmvotlio bene
fit of it , us ho Is a poor man. Ho has bed a
lot of photographs taken , which no soils
every now und then. The doctors did not
know what iinrao to glvo to UU singular case.
They simply call it a freak of nature , and
could in no wny account for it.
Mr. Prlco was born in Nebraska , Ho Is
five foot , seven Inches in height , fair com
lexion , good looking , weighs 150 pounds , is
olfiBniorm nnd very active. He Is iiulto an
atbloto nml wrestler , nnd has had several
wrestling matches , all of which ho has won.
Ho is very popular among all who know him.
Uo formerly ran tbe Silver L.uko hotel in this
town und everybody knows nil about him.
At present ho Is mining over at LJluck I'lno.
He 1ms thrco brothers and a sister , and has
lived In 1'hlllipsburg about fifteen years.
"Price very frequently makes nn exhibi
tion of himself , but ho has become a chestnut
her s. Ju.it after July 14 , if bo is seen com
ing up the street , nearly everybody will ro-
nmrit : 'It must bo skinning time. ' Huhus
received a proposition from a dime museum ,
and may accept it after hia trip to Kuropo
next year.
"when Prlco undergoes the transforma
tion ho comes out In a nowsKinthatls as
wblto and soft as that of an infant. I have
scon him come Into this barroom with his
sleeves rolled up and his hands having the
appearance of being encased in gloves. Ho
had rolled down tbo skin from his arms and
formed ngnuntlot at the wrist. Uo asked
mo what I thought of his gloves , and 1 re
plied that they looked quite stylish. He then
showed mo what ho hud dono. I certainly
thought ho had on a pair of gloves. Aftot
bis annual Illness , and when tils shin begins
to peel oft , tie uses a llttlo oil to softou it and
make it mc.ro . pliable. I had the entire skin
of his back In that cabinet two years ago last
spring , but hocamoBiid got It and sent It to
the PittsburK doctors. "
I was lying ico-bound at T.owlston , Idaho ,
Men wanted to send money to their friends
or families ; merchants , anticipating the
tremendous rush , must get letters througl
the snow to Walla AValln. Would I po
Could I go I writes Joaquiu Miller in St
Nicholas.
The snow was deep. The trails , over oner
and monotonous mountains , were urlftcdfull
Could nny living man fuco the drifting snov
-und find his way to Walla AVallul At lira' '
the merchants had tried to hlro Indians t <
undertake the trip and deliver their letters
Not one could ho found to go. When tin
storm abated a little the men who kept tin
ferry across the Shoshone river scraped of
the snow and cutting down the upheave *
blocks oflco made It possible to cross with ;
horse.
At llrst I meant to carry only letters , bu
having finally consented to take n little golt
for one merchant I soon found I should losi
friends if I did not tauo gold for others. Tin
result was Unit I had to take gold wort ]
nearly $10,000.
A few municil-np frlenils came down to tlv
river bank to sco mo off. Itwas n , grew
event. For two weeks we had not had alln
from the outer world. A.nd meantime th <
civil war was raging in all Its terrible fury
As I sot out that bleak and icy morning
after I had mounted my plunging pony 1 sav
In the crowd several faces that I did not like
Thcro was Dave Kngbsh , who wns hung o\ \
that spot with several of his followers.no
Jorty days later ; there was Uoono Helm
hung in Montana ; Cherokee Deb , killed ii
Mllli'rsburgh ; unit also Cnuada Joo. Thi
last lived with some low Indians u llttlo wn-
down the river , So when ho redo ahead d
mo 1 wns rather glad than otherwise ; for
felt that ho won Id hot go fav , I kept watcl
of him , however. And when I saw that h
ekulked nrounJ under the hill , us If he wer
going home , und then finally got back Intoth
trail , 1 know there was trouble nhc.id.
Hut the "Hublcon" was now behind. M ;
impotun * vi nt i r u til o snov
ami I was boon tearing through ttio storm u ;
tno Ma. Once fairly on my way I lookoi
hack below. Dave Kngllsa and.IJoon . Haiti
wcro bidding goodby to two mounted row
boys nt Ihp forty house. Ton minutes later
ns I Itokcd bark through the blinding snow ,
en w that these two desperate fellows were fol
lowing mo.
True , thcro was nothing criminal la that
The two highway men had a right torido behind
hind mo If they wished , And Canada Jo-
had just as good u right to ride ahead of me
But to bo on rt horsodeopln thobllndini
snow and loaded down with gold was bin
cough. To have a desperado blocking th
nnrrow trail before you with his two friends
behind mfi wns ( earful I
I had two six-shooters close at hand under
the bearskin flap of my saddle-bag where the
gold was , I kept my loft hand In my pocket
where luy a small six-shooter warm and
ready. Once , as the drifting and blinding
mow hroko n\ray \ un thu mountain , I saw
Canada Joe with his head bent down In the
storm still pushing on ahead of mo nt n safe
distance , A few moments after , as I climbed
the farther bank of an ugly canon , the two
robbers taiie iloso enough to hall me. One
of them held up a bottle. They evidently In
tended to overtake mo if they could nnd pro
fess to bo friendly. This 1 must not allow. I
urged my ambitious hone to bis best. Hut to
my dismay as I hastened up n narrow pass I
found that I was not far behind Canada Joo.
This low-browed black fellow was reported
to bo the worst man In all that country , And
that was aying ho was bad Indeed ,
I was In n twit place now nnd had to think
fast. My llrst pi an was to rldo forward and
face this man before the others came up. Bus
I was really afraid of him. It seemed nmuch
easier task to turn nnd 1(111 the two rear men
nud got b.ick to town. Hut not no ! All this
was abandoned almost us soon ns thought of.
In those days , oven the most despernlo hnd
certain rights which their surviving friends
wouldonforco. '
I was now hut a few hundred yards behind -
hind Canudn Joe. Bo far as I could find
out , tbo robbers wore closing In on mo.
But wo had ridden over the rouirtiust part
of the road and \vcro within a few miles of
the high plateau , so that the wind wns tearIng -
Ing past In a glee , and the drilling snow al
most blinded mo.
Suddenly 1 had a now thought. Why not
take to the loft , gain the plateau by a now
route , and let these bloodthirsty robbers close
their net without having me lusldcf I
rose In my saddle wllh excitement at
the Idea , and striking spurs to my
bravo horse. I was soon climbing
up the gradual slope at a gallon. Ah ! but I
wasgladl Gallop ipallopl gallop I I seemed
to liear many horses ! Turning my head sud
denly over my shoulder I saw my two pur-
pucrs not a hundred yards behind me. They
shouted ! I was now on the high plateau nnd
the snow was not so deep. ( Jnliopl gallop !
gallupl Canada Joe thank Heaven wns
away to the right , and fast falling behind.
Gallop ! gallopl gallon 1 I was gaining on the
robbers and they knew U. Fainter and
fainter came their curses and tholr shouts.
Aiultben : With ! Crack ! Tlmdl
I looked back and saw that they both had
, hrown Iheimolvoi from their saddles nud
r'crc taking deliberate nlm.
But to no purpose. Not one shot touched
no or my horse , and I reached the lirst sta-
Ion , ami finally rode Into Walla Wnlln , with
uy precious burden , safe and sound.
A story of nn encounter between five bears
iiid a hey , In which the Utter came out vie-
.orious , reached this city yesterday. The
ere of the anventure Is said to bo Bert Mon
roe , son of Henry Monroe of the valley , says
ho Helena Journal. Thoooyis about nine-
.eon or twenty years old , and is an cnthus-
nstlc hunter and a do ad shot. Last fall ho
tilled the largest bear that hnd over been
tilled In this section , and ho refused $75 for
ho hide. Although this latest adventure in
.vhlch ho is said to have figured so promt-
ently sounds considerably like n bear story ,
Is friends in this city nru Inclined to think
10 would not hesitate to tnchlo one bear or a
dozen If ho came across them together.
Young Monroe started out for St. I'cter's
vlisslou a few days ago on a hunting cxpcill-
ion , Ho was after bear and ho found inoro
han he had bargained for. His journey took
: iim up toward the bead of Milk river , and
, vhllo notcxpeetlnglt ho came face to face
, vithn bear which emerged from what after-
rd proved to bo a hears1 dun or Inir , Ho
iail no sooner killed the bear with hia trusty
[ Ulothan another ono appeared. Ho killed
this ono in the same way mid the third ap
peared. Ho killed this ono also and before ho
had time to realize that lie was getting about
all the bear ho cared foriu ono day boar num
ber four appeared. This fellow wns also
'tilled and thcro was only ono cnrtridgn left
in his magazine. Ho needed tills cartridge ,
too , for n fifth bear nud larger than nny of the
other four came out of his den and made for
ihn. Ho Urcd his last shot and though it
.irobably lilt IJruln It did not do the business ,
for ho came straight at him. Monroe did not
avotlmoto get another cartridge la his gun
before tbo Infuriated beast was on him. The
animal mndo u slap at him , which sent the
useless gun Hying out of his grasp lind ho
Just had tlmo to draw his hunting knife and
give Brulu an ugly cut in the throat. In
doing this ho received a sovcro squeeze
from tbo monster and n fearful bite on the
shoulder. Then ho lost consciousness. It
: nust have been only a few moments , however -
over , for when ho came to ngnlii his horse
was between him and the bear. The latter
was evidently hurt , for ho wai making a
fccblo attack upon the horse and was bleed
ing profusely from the wound In the throat.
When the horse turned tall to his adversary
and began to kick the bear made oil to the
brush , leaving a trail of blood behind. Mon
roe found that ho was hurt in his bacit and
sldo , which had been terribly torn in his
brief struggle. With difficulty ho mounted
his horse , which was quito unhurt , and rode
two miles to n point where men wcro at work
on a railtoad grade of the Great Notthcrn.
From there ho was taken to the I'iegnn
agency , whore he now is. A party which
went out the next day found the four hours
which bad been killed and a trail of blood
leading as far as a stream , made by the fifth
bear. Iho gun was also found whom It had
fallen.
At tbo ago of sixty-six , alone , unattended ,
worn out by the lifo he had led and without a
friend In the woild , .1 , , T. B.tyard , the boss
crank of the American nation , died In his
don , near Boernc , Kendall county , says n
San Antonio , Tox. , dispatch to the S3t , Louis
Globe-Democrat. Ho wns a nephew of
Thomas tBayard , secretary of stuto under
Cleveland , and was born in Delaware In 1824.
The story of his life Is a romantic one. Ho
graduated from Yale at the ago of twenty-
one , and for ton years after led nllfeo
pleasure. Tils father was wealthy and gnvo
him anythlngho asked for. Fifteen years
ago bo appeared In this section of the state ,
anil brought some llttlo money with him. Ho
wns n kind man to the common people , and
speedily made himself popular. His visita
tions to the sick and charities to strangers
arc still remembered In this city At that
tlmo ho wns dressed , moro like legendary
"Old Grimes" than any other character m
fiction or history. Ho used to wear a IOIIK
black .coat , the primmest of white neck-
tics and shoes that were always carefully
polNhed ,
Tiring ot llfo hero ho removed to Kendall
county , and purchased a fov > acres of land
about nlno miles from town. Then ho became -
came a hermit. Such time as was not de
voted to religious meditation or healing the
silk ho put in In the manufacture of patent
medicines , which ho brewed from herbs
found near his domicile. . This domicile was
in Itself a wonder. In the sldo of a hill hu
dug a cave , and near that built himself n
log h\it. Ho connected the two by a subter
ranean passage some four feet under the
ground , and live feet high ny three wide. In
thocavoho brewed his medicines , and to It
ho retired when vlsltots called. The mouth
of the cave where It opened on the surface
was partially Closed with stones. He staid
thcro so long that they became woven togeth
er with moss. Behind this rampart ho would
rotlro nnd hold conversation with bis callers.
If they wanted medicine the bottle was
handed over the rampart and no money taken.
If they wished to tallc llayard would converse
from behind his Intrcnchment , If they wished
toluuira ( | into his p'.xst history they wcro
promptly requested to leave. Ho became
known among the farmers us a hermit who
posseosscd strange healing powers and who
preached a very simple religion , which called
upon men to do their best , ono for the other
and to bollevo In the Savior. His medicines
have been demonstrated to be of the plainest
character. Such natural purgatives and fe-
brlncs as ho could lind ho divided
into doses , nnd always accompanied
a gift of them with an explanation of thclt
strength and effects , and always refused tc
treat complicated or chronic cases. Ho per
sistently refused to take money from any <
body and seemed to llvo altogether upon the
little capital ho had stored away , paying
cash for nny thing ho bought , andbuylng vcrj
llttlo indeed. He occasionally walkcu InU
Boerno , but was never scon to go near ttu
poiloftlco or to hnvo correspondence of nnj
iclrnl. To the day of his death ho [ wrslsteutlj
refused to talk about nls relatives in Delaware
ware , or to alludu In any way to his past life ,
When ho died yesterday his premises wcii
invaded by a curious mob who wished tc
know just ho\v \ hu hnd lived and what effect !
he loft behind. They found an old truuk , r
rough mattress , n pair of blankets , and Irene
ono corner of the cave a few articles of sollei
underclothing , There were no papers of anj
kind. Standing against the wall were a few
bottles of medicine. His relatives in Uela
wuru wcro telegraphed , but have not res
ponded.
O , X01' Itll"
JMriru Journal , .
At a library desk stood some rcAdcrs ono dny
Crying , "Novels , oh , novels , oh , novelsl" |
And I said to them ! "I'eoplo , oh , why do
you say 1
'Qlvo ' us novels , oh , novels , oh , novels I1
I It weakness of Intellect , people , " I cried ,
"Or simply a space whcru the brains should
abide I"
'Jhcy answer mo not. for they only replied !
"Glvo us novels , on , novels , oh , novelsl"
Hero are thousands of boons tlmt will do you
more good
Than the novels , oh , novels , oh , novels !
"You will weaken your brain with such poor
mental food
As the novels , oh , novels , oh , novels 1
1'ray take history , music , or travels , or plays ,
Ulogmphy , poetry , science , essays ,
Or anything else that more wisdom displays
Than the novels , oh , novels , oh , novels !
A librarian may talk till lie's black in the
fnco
About novels , nh , novels , oh , novelsl
And may think that with patience ho may
raise the taste
Above novels , oh , novels , oh , novels I
Ho may talk till wIllume his round shoulders
are bout ,
And the white hairs of tlmo 'mid the black
ones are sent ,
"When ho bauds his report in , still seventy
per cent
Will bo novels , oh , novels , oh , novels I
PRIVATE SMITH'S RETURN ,
IIAULIN OAKLAND , IX TJIE AHKNA.
I.
The ncnror the train draw toward La
Cropte , the soberer the llttlo group of
"vets" became. On the long1 way from
Now Orleans they had boguilcd the te
dium with jokes nnd friendly clmlT ; or
with planning with elaborate detail
what they were Kolny to do now. after
the war. A long- journey , slowly , irreg
ularly , yet persistently pushed north
ward. When they entered on Wiscon
sin territory tlioy gave n , cheer , and un-
other when tlioy reached Madison , but
nftor tliut they sunk Into a dumb o.xpoc-
tiincy. Comrades dropped oil nt ono or
two polnla bo.voml , until there were only
four or five loft who were bound for La
C'rosso county.
Tli roe of them were gaunt and brown ,
the fourth was gaunt and jiulo.ylth
signs of fever nnd ague upon him. 0 no
had n great scar down his temple ; ono
limped , nnd they all hud unnaturally
largo bright oycs , showing emaciation.
There wore no bands greeting them at
the stations , no banks of gaily-dressed
Indies waving handkerchiefs and shout
ing "bravo , " ns they came in on the ca
boose of a freight tram into the towns
that had cheered nnd blared at thorn on
their way to war. As they looked outer
or stopped upon the platform for a moment
mont a& the train blood at the station ,
the loafers looked at thorn indifferently.
Their blue coats , dusty nnd grimy , were
too familiar now to oxuito notice , much
loss n friendly word. They wuro the
lust o ( the ni'iny to return , and the loaf
ers were surfeited with such sights.
The train jogged forward so slowly
that , it seemed likely to bo midnight before
fore they should reach La Crosse. The
llttlo squad of "vots" grumbled nnd
swore , but it was no use , the train would
not hurry , and as a matter of fact , it
was nearly 2 o'clock when the engine
whistled "down brakes. "
Most of the group wore farmers , living
in districts several miles out of town ,
and all were poor.
"Now , boys , " said Private Smith , ho
of the fever and ague , "wo are landed in
Crosse in the night. WOTO got to
stay Bomowhero till mornin' . Now I
nln't got no $2 to waste on a hotel. I've
got n wife nnd children , so I'm gain' to
roost on a bench , and take the cost of a
bed out of my hide. "
"Sumo hero , " put in ono of the other
men. "Hide'U ' grow on again , dollars
como hard. It's goin' to bo mighty hot
skirmishin' to find a dollar these days. "
"Don't think ' bo
they'll a deputation
of citizens wnitiii1 to 'scort us to a hotel ,
oh ? " His sarcasm was too obvious to re
quire an answer.
Smith went on : "Then at dnybi-cak
we'll start for homo , at least I will. "
" \Voll , I'll bo dumnod if I'll tnko $12
out o' ' my hide , ' ' ono of the younger men
said. "I'm goin' to a hotel of I don't
novcrlay up n cent. "
"That'll do f'r you , " said Smith , "but
II you had a wife an' hreo young 'uns
dopendin' on yeh "
" \Vhieh I nlnt , thank the Lordl and
don't intend bavin' while the courl
knows itself. "
The station wns deserted , chill anil
dark ns they came into It at exactly a
uarter to 2 in the morning. Lit by
ho oil lamps that ilnrcd u dull ret
light over the dingy benches , the wait
ing1 room was not an inviting place. The
younger man wont off to look up a hotel ,
while the rest remained to cnmp dowr
on the floor nnd benches. Smith was at
tended to tenderly by the other men ,
who spread their blankets on the bench
for mm , and by robbing themselves
made quito a comfortable bed , though
the narrowness of the bench made his
bleeping precarious.
It was chill , though August , and the
two men sitting with bowed heads , grow
stilt with cold and weariness , and were
forced to rise now and again and walk
about to warm their btifl'oncd limbs. It
didn't occur to them , probably , to con
trust their coming homo with their go
ing1 forth , or with the coining homo o
the generals , colonels , or oven captains
but to Private Smith , at any rate
there came a sickness at heart almos
deadly , as ho lay there on his hard bci
and wont over his situation.
In the deep of the night , lying on i
board In the town whore ho had enlistee
three years ngo , all elation and enthusl
asm gene out of him , ho faced the fac
that with the joy of homo-coining was
mingled the bitter juice of euro. lie
saw himself sick , worn out , taking ui
the work on his half-cleared farm , the
Inevitable mortgage standing rondj
with open jaws to s\vallow half his earn
liijjs. lie had given three years of hit
life for a moro pittance of pay , am
now-
Morning dawned nl last , with n palo
yellow dome of light rising silently
above the bluffs which stand like some
huge battlemented castle , just east o
the city. Out to the loft the great rive
swept on its massive yet silent way to
the south. Jays called across the rive
from hillside to hillside , through the
clear , beautiful air. and hawks began to
skim the tops of the hills. The two "vets'
were astir onrly , hut Private Smith hai
fallen at last into n slcop , and they won
out without waking him. Ho lay on hti
knapsack , his gaunt fauo turned tovam
the coiling , his hands clasped on his
breast , with n curious pathotlo effect ol
weakness and appeal.
An engine switching near woke him
nt last , nnd ho slowlv sat up and stared
about It. He looked out of the window ,
and saw that the sun wns lightening
the hills across the river. Ho rose And
brushed his hair ns well as ho could ,
folded his blankets up , and wont out tc
find his companions. Theytootl trazing
silently nt the river and'fatHho hills.
' Looks nnt'rnl , don't 1W they said ,
as ho came out.
"That's whnt it docs , " ho replied.
"An1 It looks good. D'vch eco that
peak ? ' Ho pointed to n 'bountiful sym
metrical peak , rising Hkoi a slightly
truncated cone , so hlch that it Boomed
ho very highest of th6mnll. It was
Ighted by the morning sun till it
glowed like u bencon , and ii light scurf
of gray morning fog was .rolling up Its
luulowed side. i < .
"My farm's just beyondthat. Now , of
can only ketch a rldo , wo'll he homo by
Tinner timo. "
"I'm talldn' nbontbreak'fast , " snld ono
of the others.
"I puuss It's ono inoro meal o' hard-
nek f'r me. " said Smith. They foraged
around , ana finally found a restaurant
vlth n sleepy old Gorman behind the
counter , and procured some coIToowhich
.hey . drank to wasli down their hard-
ack.
"Tirao'll " said Smith
como. , holding
ip a piece by the corner , "when thls'll
> o a curiosity. "
"I hope to God it will ! " I hot I've
clmwed hardtack on.ough to shingle
every house In the coolly. I've chawed
t when my lumpers was down and when
.hoy wasn't. I've ' took it dry , soaked
ind mashed. I've hnd It wormy , musty ,
( our nnd bluo-mouldy. I've ' had It in
ittlo bits and big bits ; 'fore colTeo nn'
tftor colTeo. I'm ' ready f'r a change. I'd
ike t' git hoi' jest about now o' sonic of
the hot biscuits my wife o'n make when
she lays herself out f'r company. "
"Well , If yon sot there gnblin' ' , you'll
icvor see vor wife "
"Como on , " said Private Smith.
"Wait a moment , boys ; less takosuthin. '
tt's on mo , " Ho leu them to the rusty
, ln dipper which hung on a nail beside
the wooden water pail , and they grinned
ind drank. ( Things were primitive-
Li'.i Crosbo then. ) Then shouldering
tholr blankets nnd muskets , which they
were "taking homo to the boys , " they
struck out on their Inst march.
"Thoy culled that coIToo Jayvy , "
grumbled ono of them , "but it never
went by the road whore government
Tayvy resides. I reckon I know coIToo
from peas. "
They kept together on the road along
Lho turnpike , nnd up the winding road
by the river , which they followed for
borne miles , The river was very lovely ,
curving down along Its windy beds , pnus-
intr now nnd then under broad busswood
trees , or running in dnrk , swift , silent
currents under tangles of wild grape
vines , and drooning alders , and haw
Lrees. At ono of these lovely spots the
three vets sat down on the thick grcon
nvnrd to rest , "on Smith's account. " The
leaves of the tree were as fresh and
green ns Juno , the jays called cheery
irreotlngs to them , and klnglishors
darted to and fro , with swooping , noise-
lew ilight.
"I toll yeh , this knocks the swamps of
Louecsiana Into kindgoa como. "
"You bet. All they e'n ralso down
there is snakes , niggers , und p'rticlor
hell , "
"An' ' flghtln' men. If I hnd a good hook
an' ' line I'd sneak a pick'rol out , o' that
pond. Sav , remember that time I shot
that alligator "
"I guess we'd bettor bo crawlin'
along , " interrupted Smith , rising and
shouldering his knausaek , with consid
erable effort which ho tried to hide.
"Say , Smith , lommo givo'you ' a lift on
that. "
"I guess I c'n inanngo , ' ' said Smith ,
errimly.
" 'Course. But , yoh BOO , I may not
have a chance right off to pay yoh back
for the times yo'vo carried my gun and
hull caboodle. Sny , now , ginnno that
gun , anyway. "
"All right- yoh fool like it Jim , "
Smith replied , and they trudged along
doggedly In the sun , which was getting
higher and hotter each half mile ,
"Aint it queer they alnt no teams
comin' ' along1 '
"Well , no , sooin's it's Sunday. "
"By jinks , that's a fuctl It is Sunday.
I'll git homo in time f'r dinner , sure.
She don't have dinner uslnlly till about
1 on Sundays. " And ho fell into a muse ,
in which ho smiled.
"Well , I'll git homo just nbout 0
o'clock , jest about when the boys nro
milkin' the cows , " said oJIm Cranby.
"I'll into the ' ' I'll
stop barn.'nn'then say ,
'Iloah ! why ain't this milkin' done before
fore this time o' day i" An' then won't
they yellV" ho added , slapping his thigh
in great glee.
Smith went on. "I'll jest go up the
path. Old Rovor'll come down the road
to meet mo. Ho won't bark ; he'll know
mo , an' he'll ' como down waggin' his tail
an' showin' his teeth. That's his way of
laughin' . An1 so I'll walk up to the
kitchen door , an' I'll ' s.iy , 'Dinnor f'r a
hungry man ! ' An' ' then sho'll ' jump ,
' "
an'
up ,
Ho couldn't go on. His volco choked
at the thought of it. Saundorstho third
man , hardly uttered a word. Ho walked
silently behind the others. Ho had lost
his wife the llrst year ho was In the
war. She died of pneumonia caught in
the autumn rains while working in the
Holds on his place.
They plodded along till nt last they
came to a parting of the ways. To UNI
right the road continued up the main
valley ; to the loft it went over the
rldgo.
"Well , boys , " began Smith , as they
grounded their muakoU and looked away
up the valley , "hero's where wo shake
hands. We've marohol together a good
many miles , nn' now I suppose wo'ro
dono. "
"Yes , I don't ' think vo'll do nny moro
of It f'r a while. I don't want to I
know. "
"I hope I'll BOO yoh , once In n while ,
boys , to talk over old times. "
"Of course , " said Saunders , whoso
voice trembled a llttlo , too. "It alnt
exactly like dyln1. "
' But we'd ought'r gq homo with you , "
said the younger mar. "You'll never
climb Unit ridge with nil them things on
vor back. " '
"O , I'm all right ! Don't worry about
mo. Every stop takes | h'o nearer homo ,
yoh see. Well , irood-b/e , bqys. "
shook ' htfnds. 'iGood-by. Good
'
"Samo to you. Lomiio 'know how you
find things at homo , "
IIo turned once before they passed out
of sight , nnd waved hi L'ap.nnd they did
the bamo , and all jwllod. Then all
marched away with tlplr > long , steady ,
loping , veteran stop , > The solitary
clirabor in blue walled on for a tlmo ,
with his mind tilled wL'h the kindness o !
his comrades , and musing upon the many
jolly dnys they had had together In camp
und flo'.d.
Ho.thoughtof his clium ' * Billy Tripp.
Poor Billy ! A "mlnb'T 'ball fell Into
his bronst one day , foil walling like
a cat , and tore q great rnggod
hole into his heart. He looked for
ward to a sad scone with Billy's mother
and sweetheart. They would want to
know all about it. Uotried to recall all
that Billy had said , anl the particulars
of It , but there was lijtlo to remember ,
just that wild waillng ound high in the
air , a dull slai ) , a sh < rt , quick , expul
sive groan , and the bo'lay with hia luco
in the dirt In the ploughed Hold they
were marching across ,
Tlmt wns all , But ill the scones ho
had since boon througi had not dimmed
the horror , the torroi of that moment ,
when his hey comradf fell , with only a
, breath between a l ugh nnd u death
groan. Poor hamkono Billy ! Worth
millions of dollars waiHilH young life-
i Those gombro recolections gtivo w * j
RING OUT THE OLD RING IN THE NEW
1890.
Carnival and 'Grand r
AT THE COLISEUM ,
New Year's Eve , Dee. 31
SOO IN PRIZES.
$50 IN GOLD to best group maskers , not less than five
characters.
$10 IN GOLD to host reurosontcd complo on-innsquo.
GOLD WATCH to best represented male character.
GOLD WATCH to best represented fomnlo character. '
HANDSOME CANE to second best male chnrnotcr cos-
tumo.
BEAUTIFUL VASE to seeood best female character
costume.
DIAMOND RING to handsomest costumed lady.
DIAMOND PIN to handsomest costum.ed gentleman.
SILVER-HANDLED SILK UMBRELLA to best male
comic costume.
GOLD-HEADED SILK UMBRELLA to host fomnlo
comlw costume.
HANDSOME CA K to best "Uncle Sam. "
BOX OP CIGARS to best "Harlequin. "
BANGLE BRACELET to best "Goddess of Liberty. "
FIVE POUND BOX OF CANDY to beat "Topsy. "
And numerous other prizes to Individuals and grouus.
Grand March of Characters , en masque , at 9 o'clock p.m
Dancing at 9:30 : p.m. Two Bands of Music
Tickets Admitting Gentlemen , $2. Tickets Admitting Ladies , $1.
Boxes Seating 8 Persons , $15.
TICKETS FOR SALE AT
Saxo's Drug Store , Fifteenth nnd Farnani ,
Raymond's Jewelry Store , Fifteenth a.id Douglas ,
Max Meyer & Bro. , Sixteenth and Farnam ,
Fullor's'Drug Store , Fourteenth and Douglas ,
Havana Cigar Store. 1400 Farnam.
Getty's Confectionery , 111" Douglas ,
Kins'lor's Drug Store Sixteenth and tarnam , .
E. L. Kobcrtson & Bro. . Cigar Store , 210 S. 15th Street :
Schroter's Drug Store , Sixteenth and Farnam ,
at length to moro cheerful feelings as ho
began to approach his homo coulo. O.ho
Holds nnd houses grew familiar , and in
one or two ho was greeted by people
seated In the doorway. But ho was In
no mood to talk , nnd pushed on steadily ,
though ho stopped and accepted a drink
of milk once at the well sldo of a neiga-
The Bun was getting hot on that slono ,
and his stop grow slower , in spite of his
iron resolution. Ho sat down several
times to rest. Slowly ho crawled up the
rough , reddish brown road , which
wound along the hillside , under
great trees , through dense groves of
jack oaks , with tree-tops far below
him on his loft hand , and the hills far
above him on his right. Ho crawled
along like some minute wingless variety
of fly. , . . ,
Ho ate some hardtack , sauced wltli
wild berries , wlion ho reached the sum
mit of the ridge , and sat there for some
time , looking down into his homo coulo.
Sombre , pathetic llgurol His wide ,
round , gray oycs ga/.ing down into the
beautiful valley , seeing and' not seeing ,
the splendid cloud-shadows swooping
over the western hills , and across the
grcon and yellow wheat far below. Ills
head drooped forward on his palm , his
shoulders took on a tired htoop , his
cheek bones showed painfully. An observer -
server might have said ; "Ho is looking
down upon his own grave. "
[ CONCLUDKD NKXT Wliniv.J
The Census ntul City Populations.
Representative William M. Springer
points out in the December Forum that
ttio population of the United States has
incroabtd between 1880 and 18)0 ! ) from
60,000,000 to 04,000,000 , or about 20 per
cent. Deducting the urban population ,
the increase of rural population Is found
to bo only 8 per cent , while the increase
of the urban population Is moro than 67
per cent. This class ! fication of urban
population includes only cities of 8,000
inhabitants and upward. It the classifi
cation should embrace cities of 4,000 in
habitants and upward , it would undobt-
odly appear that the rural population
hnd decreased during the decade , while
tlio total increase would bo in the cities.
This general result has been brought
about notwithstanding the immense In
crease in population in the rural dis
tricts in extreme western states , such ns
the Dnkotas , Minnesota , Nebraska , Kan
sas , Arkansas and Texas.
Table showing the increase of the
total population of several states and the
increase of the city population :
Total Jncroitso
IncrciiM ) In City
ISbO-IMX ) , Population.
. . ,
Massachusetts . Woo SKOnoo
Connecticut . 110,000 101,000
Illiodo Island . 00.000 4J.OCO
Now York . 1,01(1,000 ( 7IKI.OOO
Illinois . bUJ.OOO 701,000
The percentages of the Increase of city
population to the whole Increase of
population , between 1880 and 1890 , in
Bovoral states , nro ns follows : In Malno
there wns an actual doorcase of rural
population , the Increase in the cities
being more than the total increase In
the state. In Massachusetts the increase
in cities was CO per cent of the whole In
crease , in Connecticut 1)5 ) nor cent , In
Rhode Islnnd 70 per cent , In Now York
moro than 75 per cent , In Pennsylvania
nearly 60 per cent , In Ohio moro than
50 per cent , In Illinois 87 per cent.
Are You GoliiR Koutli This AVIntor ?
Parties contemplating a visit to the
far-famed Sutherland , the favorite re
sort of O malm , people , or to other points
in Flor9l , will find that the rates nnd
tiraoaro the same via The Burlington to
Chicago and thence via Cincinnati or
Loulsvlllo , as via St. Louis , with the ad
ditional advantages of the vcstlbulo
limited trains and elegant dining car
service which nro characteristic of tills
route. The Burlington also has on sale
round trip tickets to all southern points
either via Kansas City and Memphis , or
via St. Louis , ollorinif i greater variety
of routes than any other lino. For full
information , tickets and Bleeping berths
call at city ticket olllco , lii'J Farcum
Btreot. W. F. VulU agent
Glndstono & Co. , Grocers , 1308 Douglas ,
Kuhn's ' Drug Store , Fifteenth and Douglas ,
Elehor & Kipplingor Cigar Store , First National Bank
Building ,
News Stands at Principal Hotels ,
Gaynoro'e Cignr Store Corner , 10th and Dodge ,
Leslie & Leslie , Druggists , Kith nnd Dodgo.
Win. Gladish , Druggist , Dodge street.
And at the Coliseum.
A STORY OF LOVE AND LUCRE ,
Ho Had Plenty * of Passion But Pwoiou
Little Pelf ,
SHE WAS THE PINK OF PROPRIETY.
The Howard of Genius A Very
I'olntctl SiiKIJCstlon Ho Only
Rctnllntcil-Kcpt Time to
ilio Tniio lie Sane.
inilffim narclaii JunJiam In Life.
Your foot , Is the tiniest that trips , love ,
Thro' the maddening maze of the waltz ;
Two blossomliiff buds arc your lips , love ,
Your eyes say your heart Is not false.
Your hands nro so dainty nnd wblto , love ,
Your ilguroso wondrously fine ,
That I'm tempted almost , but not quito , love ,
To say I adore you I bo mine 1
But no 1 there's n frightening fear , love ,
That will not allow mo to speak ,
You're spending three thousand a year , love ;
I'm making twelve dollars a week.
A Matter of Course.
IVil ( < Klcl'if ) ) ' Tims.
Whoever for reasons of his own
Has loved a single horse ,
That ho should como to love the race ,
Is but a thing of course.
A LosliiK IliisiiiCBS.
Munsoy's Weekly : Liner Do you
work for the Bazoo any more ? |
Spacer No , Indeed. You know I did ;
that article on the "Gamblers of Now
York , " for the Bazoo. :
Liner Yes.
Spacer Well , I lost $500 getting my
points and got $10.00 for tho'artiele.
The Pink of Propriety.
Smith , Gray & Co.'s ' Monthly : Ho
Now , Miss Evelyn , you wouldn't hiss n
young mati under any circumstances ,
would you ?
She Of course not.
Ho And whyV
She Because ho should take the in-
itativo. '
A. I-ovol Hcnilccl Girl.
Street & Smith's Good News : Mother
Now that you have become a chiropo
dist , whore are you going to bottle ?
Ambitious Youth I think , mother ,
I'll co to Nebraska. All the papers Bay
that'is a great corn Btato.
A Pointed HusKostlon Ibis.
Dr.iko's'Magazino : IIo ( rapturously ]
I love the very ground which Is trod
by your fairy feet.
She ( Innocently ) Are you aware
that this land does not belong to my
father ?
Why She Added to Tlinlr finfoty.
Now York Herald : ' 'Your now wait
ress Is a very attractive looking per
son. "
"Very and It has added largely to our
safety lioro. There is always a police
man on duty in the kitchen. "
The Reward of
Munsoy's Weekly : Crosby What IB
the largest price you over got for. a
single poem ?
Mr. Hondo WoU , I consider that some
vortes I wrote to Miss Do Rocks before
wo wcro married netted monbout $70,000.
Tooth In.
Smith , Gray & Co.'s Monthly : Maun
I have such a terrible pain In ono of
my tcoth , but I am afraid to have It
drawn.
Cholly Why don't you have It photo
graphed ?
Kept limn to the Timo.
St. Joseph Herald Mother Where Is
Harry ? 1 sent him Into the yard for n
bucket of coal and told him I wanted it
r.ght away. That must bo an hour ago ,
'Daughter IIo WIIB there a short tinio
ago for I heard him singing "Swift as a
bird. " _
More CohoHlvc.
St. .Tosoph Herald : Mrs. II. I think
they will always love ono another devot
edly , there are such "Bonds of Love"
between them.
Mrs. B. "Government Bonds" are
bettor. _
Couldn't Htnnd the Ilnoknt.
Clothier nnd Furnisher : IIo Did you
use those neckties I travo you to make
the crazy quilt ?
She Yes.
Bo Can I sco it ?
She I am sorry , but 1 had to give it
away to a deaf and dumb asylum.
An Hxliaustlnj ; Plnec.
Munsey's Weekly : Mistress I am nt
a loss to understand your motive in leav
ing.
Bridget The work is too hnrrud ,
mum , and It's worn out I bo entirely.
Mistress Why , I have done moat of it
myself !
Bridget Yes , but it's worn out I bo
hearing you toll mo of it.
The Iluiimnoo of n Whldow.
Now York Sun : The first morning I
cnmo down town on Third avenue
elevated with the bald-headed man ho
called my attention to a women who sat
sowing near a window not more than
thirty" feet from the station. She wtis
both good-looking and happy.
"Often see her husband up there with
his arm around her , " said bald-hond.
"Cosiest couple I know of. . Always look
in on thorn. She's devoted to him and
homo , and my Ideal of u wifo. "
After that I always looked for the
t woman. Sometimes the bald-headed
1 man nnd I exchanged words about her ,
but there was nothing now. Ono morn
ing , after nbout three months , bald-head
observed :
"She's got an anxious look. Husband
is probably sick. "
Thrco days later ho said ;
' She's awfully worried. Husband is
probably worse. "
Two or thrco days later wo saw her In
mourning , and it was no use to toll each
ether that her husband had passed
away.
"Too bad ! Too bad ! " sighed my friend.
"Well , sho'll reverence Ills memory nil
the rest of her days. "
Almost every morning for thrco
months wo saw her nt the sowing
machine as the train pulled up nt the
fetation. On ono occasion my friend
blurted out :
"Sad ! Sho's got Into second mourning
already ! H'H probably a case of
necessity. I suppose she can bo just us
sorry in that. "
A month later wo saw her at Iho glass
curling her hair. My friend didn't say
anything , hut ho looked uneasy , ft
wasn't a fortnight before her Lecond
mourning had disappeared , and wo
hoard her humming a lively nlr IIH she
threaded a spool. I looked at my friend.
"Probably visits his grave every Sun
day , " ho replied. "Light-hearted woman
never got over grieving. Sho's singing
to ease the pain in her heart. "
Just a month from that day slio utood
at the window. There was a man bcsldo
her. She hurt her head on his shoulder.
"Married again , by thunder ! " almost
shouted my friend.
"But I thought you said aho would
never . "
"Never finld a durncd word about her ,
gosh durn her ! " ho cried ; and now wo
never look Into that window any more.
Our romance has been shattered and
dispelled.
ChniiKO Cai-N ? No.
Among ttio many QxigoneleH of modern
travel there ih one requirement which
IH always popular and always In demand ,
nnd that la "a through service. " Llfo
Is too short to "change cars" every few
hundred miles , and the travelling pub-
ho hnvo very properly rebelled against
all such old-fashioneifrailroadlnp , The
through equipment of the Union Pacific ,
"tho original overland route , " provldou
for a through car service for all point *
west from the Mlbbourl river ,