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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 4, 1904)
This San of Mars Tried to Tia But BaeGod of J Hi orce S urrewaer mar mmm & v mm mm m w 1 1 jv 1 1 1 - - mmm S' 1 u - -m. m m m v-b . m mm mm mm w mmmh ij'w 11 i . -v 1 tw X era o the Philippines Openly Courted Danger and Laughed at the Warnings of His , Comrades. ,1IREE months ago E. V. Orvls, one time loldler In the Philippines, now lawyer In Waukegan and sergeant In Battery C, the crack artillery organization of the town, was a foulisn man In the merry month of August, when the north shore In daytime Is gay with the merry picnic throngs and when the Japanese lanterns of muny lawn fete Illumine the soft night, and Cupid stalks ubiquitously about seeking whom he may de vour, Sergeant Orvis arose at a garden party given In Wauke gan and read a carefully drawn up resolution, deploring the epidemic of marriages which was threatening to decimate the bold battery, and openly defied the god of love to further en croach upon the hearts of any of his men or of his own. Foolish sergeant! He Is wiser now wiser and, the peo ple of the north shore declare, happier. lie has Just been married. Now he knows what men of wisdom and experience might have told him long before he ventured to enter the lists with Cupid: No man. It matters not who he may be or how long he has braved the darts of love, can hope to withstand the onslaught of the llltlo god when he decides that It Is good for a young man and a young woman to be brought to gether. He tried to do It and fell fatally wounded at least he was shot through and through the heart. Now he 's satis fied to lot his example be a warning to other young men who wish to remain In the state of blessed bachelorhood; and, furthermore, he Is satisfied to let It be seen that he Is not sorry that Cupid, to evidence his strength, brought hint and his pretty stenographer. Miss Ella Ahart, to become man and wife. Tried to Interfere with Cupid. Cupid was having everything his own way In VVaukegan this summer. He arranged love matches galore. Manly young men and beautiful young women met, became ac quainted and got married with an enthusiasm and In num bers that caused the little fellow to chortle In his quiver with glee. Never was such a summer for Cupid. A list of the love marriages that took place In Waukegan since the 1st of June, this year, would forever silence the carping critic whose cry la that the tender sentiment Is dead or dying in this age. Other placea may have forgotten that there la such a thing as romance and love, but Waukegan still remembers. Battery C Is Waukegan's favorite society organization as well as a model for a rallltla artillerymen to pattern after. Its handsome armory makes an excellent ballroom and Its stalwart members In their red striped uniforms make excel lent partners and society men In general. Cupid was ever partial to the man In uniform and brass. Women are so created that they have a tender spot In their hearts for the same sort of a creature. Was It any wonder then that there shouTd be romances and engagements a-plenty with the mem bers of Battery C as the male end of the contracting parties? In fact, the machinations of Cupid in Waukegan cen tered at the battery's armory. Man after man of the bold soger boys fell a victim to his arrows. Scarcely a drill, ball, or other function took. place but some one of the battery would blushlngly announce that he was engaged, etc., etc. All this, while good and beautiful, does not make for the efflalency of an artillery battery. No man can properly handle the mount under him If he is thinking of what She said last night; the man who tries to sit, with his arms properly folded, on an ammunition box as It goes jerking and bouncing after the gun. with his head full of a vision of The Glr, is quite apt to find himself on his head by the roadside. J J Captain Aids Sentimental Couples. But the engagements continued to grow in number, and the captain of the battery gave Cupid all the aid and encour- rji' i "' ' '' 'If I agement within his power, for the captain was among those who know the delights of the tenuVr sentiment, and wished all the young men under his command to enter Into speak ing terms with the same. He gave bulls, parties, lawn fetes, and In other ways ably assisted all prospective lovers. Sergeant E. V. Orvls was the most enthusiastic member of the battery and wished to bring the organization up to the top notch In drill, accouterment, and military behavior. He was a hard and stern disciplinarian, as becomes a man who has seen two years of hard service in the Philippines. He knew full well that -in the battery which Is to maintain the form and rigid discipline which makes the soldier a Joy to the eye of the critical officer and leaves him fit and ready for active service In a hard campaign there is no room for any entertainment of serious regard for woman. " Quit getting engaged and married, you fellows, and 'tend to your drilling more carefully." he said sternly to tho men under him. " We want to make this the best battery in the Btate, and we can't do it unless you buckle down and think more about your duties as militiamen than you do about your girls. Soldiering and love don't go together, despite arguments to the contrary." So quoth the hard drill ing lawyer-sergeant. Promises That Came to Naught. The men promised dutifully to obey. They would eschew all thoughts of the girls and settle down to learning how to rldo and go through the buttery drill properly. Poor soger boys! Cupid had his eye on them and their fates were al ready arranged. Within a week two of them came shame facedly to the sergeant and admitted that' they had met the enemy and they were hls'n. " You'd ought to see her, sergeant," said one. " She's a peach; you'd fall In love with her yourself." " There's no way to keep a fellow from falling In love, eergeant. If he meets the rig-fit girl," wisely philosophized an other. " Bah' Weaklings!" roared Mars. In the shape of Ser geant Orvls. " Weaklings, to fail before the enemy without a single struggle! Fine soldiers you are, to succumb to the attacks of a mere baby, one without any uniform at that! Watch me; you won't see me losing my head over any girl." Scorns Warning of Friends. And he was as good as his word for several months. He not only refrained from allowing himself the luxury of fall ing In love, but he even went fo far as to openly Issue a den to Cupid, and in his resolution strongly advised Cupid to keep his hands oft the faithful remnants of his beloved bat tery. Wiser men than he advised him to refrain. " Don't do it, Orvis," they said, when he announced his Intention of engaging Cupid in mortal warfare. " Oon't do it; it's Just like defying lightning, Us sure to strike you." But Orvls was, and is still, a brave man. He has faced the Mausers of ,the Philippine Jungles without fear; he has done much business with the ferocious bolo men, and nothing on this earth or any other ever held terror for him.. "Strike me?" lie repeated, scornfully, after his advisers as he squared his shoulders and sot his Jaw more firmly. "Strike me? Well, I'd like to see that happen." Openly Defied Cod of Love. Firmly resolved In his mission, the doughty veteran went unheeding to his fate. lie openly courted danger. He at tended the brilliant social functions, where the danger of Infection from love microbes was acknowledged to be great est, and loudly voiced his defiance and preached against the pernicious custom of getting married Into which the young men of his troop had recently fallen. He attended a lawn fete given In honor of the troop, and there he boldly stood forth and read the following resolution, which set the north shore buzzing with excitement and which made Sergeant Orvls famous beyond ull measure: " Whereas, An epidemic has broken out In our midst, and from Its different phases and repeated attacks It can be seen that it endangers our success as a military organization; and, whereas, our captain has encouraged it and refused to lend his Bupport to stem the tide, and. for untenable reasons, has helped to spread the disease; and, whereas, no vaccine has been discovered which will counteract Its effects, "BE IT RESOLVED, That the person who is responsible for said epidemic, commonly known as Dan Cupid, be hereby warned to keep away from such members of Battery C as have so far escaped contagion; and "BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That an appeal be made to the young ladles of Waukegan and vicinity that they also refrain from further attacks upon the young men of Battery C." This was In the middle of August. Cupid laughed glee fully at the bold words of the young soldier. To think that mortal man would attempt to combat him. Ridiculous! Sergeant Meets His First Defeat. The blow fell soon afterwards. In Orvls' law office Miss Ella Ahart had for some tilt) ' been employed as a stenogra pher. She was entirely satisfactory to the lawyer Orvls ns a stenographer. Incidentally she was beautiful, but (irvis had his heart so steeled iigaiiwt all women that he failed. to ob serve this, or If he did observe, he refused to allow it to make ony impiesslon upon him. Previous to his public deilance of Cupid he was pleased to regard her only as an extrennly com petent stenographer. Immediately afterwards there came a change. O, what a change! Sergeant Orvls, worn n hater and love defler, began to take notice of the extreme beauty ami grace of his employe. " Strange I never notieed how good looking Miss Ahart la," he mused. This was the first step. Cupid was working hard. He quickly Increased the lawyer's fervid appreciation for his stenographer. " Wonderful hair she's got." he continued. ' I must be come better acquainted with her." The following weeks were but It's the same old story, the story of a man and a maid discovering that they love each other. There were boat rides on the lake, long walks along the maple shaded streets of Waukegan's suburbs under the soft moon, drives Into the country about, and over it all Cupid beamed gleefully. And Then He Surrendered. There Is nothing to Indicate that Sergeant Orvls, he who under no circumstances would permit himself to fall In love struggled perceptibly against tlie snares of Cupid as they entangled him more and more. On tho other hand, there is everything to indicate that he, like the brave soldier he'' was, recognized a superior foe when he saw him and pro ceeded to docilely follow the path which leads to orange blossoms and Mendelssohn, much after the manner of other men when they are stricken. He was beaten and he freely owned up to the fact to Miss Ahart. To the world he declined to grow confidential. He knew the reception the battery, which had listened patiently to his lectures on affairs d'amour. would accord him If he publicly announced his engagement and wedding. So one night he and Miss Ahart drove quietly to the church, were as quietly married, and Just as quietly left for parts unknown for an extended wedding trip. And Cupid, gazing down upon them, serenely folds his arms and longs eagerly for other contrary men to conquer. HERE was a great fluttering of wings on the I afternoon that the National Federation of I I Bird Clubs met in annual session at Bird Cen JL I ter. The business of the convention was entire ly lost sight of and all the delegates, from the aucy Mrs. 8tarllng and the pert Mrs. Jay to the stately Mrs. Falcon and the severely dig nified Mrs. Eagle, were eagerly discussing the social sensation of the hour the divorce granted to Mr. Mal lard Duck from Mrs. Duck. The scandal promised nearly to disrupt the Federation of Bird Clubs, for half of the Mrs. Birds were of the opinion that Mrs. Mallard Duck was deserving only of scorn and social ostracism, while the other Mrs. Birds declared that Mrs. Mallard was perfectly right and that old Mallard Duck deserved to be deserted and scorned. ; The fact In this, the most celebrated scandal in the whole history of Bird Land, are briefly these: Mr. and Mrs. Mallard Duck had lived happily together In quiet little pond tor two years and not a cloud had dark ened their domestio horizon so far as Bird Land knew. But secretly Mrs. Mallard's heart was slowly eating itself out The fact was old Mallard Duck waddled outrageously when he walked. This tilled the breast of Mrs. Mallard, who was really a beautiful duck, with anguish. Serpent Enters Mallard Eden. One day the serpent entered the Mallard Eden disguised) as a Jaunty male pintail duck. He was a bachelor duck with out the suspicion of a waddle in his walk. Mrs. Mallard Duck fell in love with hint at first sight She swam about him and ruffled ber feathers and sang to him aa well as she could and made no secret of ber affection. Mr. Pintail was At first alarmed, but when his shyness passed away he admit ted with a mournful quack that Mrs. Mallard was really the only duck thut had ever appreciated him. The upshot was that Mr. Pintail and Mrs. Mallard eloped, and old Mallard was left to shift tor himself In a deserted pond. The autumn came and winter passed and still Mrs. Mal lard and Mr. Pintail Duck gave no sign of regret They held up their heads proudly and stained to glory In their de pravityfor that is the term Mrs. Bald Eagle used In talking about It And when spring came Mrs. Mallard proudly brought to the old pond a brood of eight little ducklings, very one of which strangely resembled Mr. Pintail Duck. J Threatens Disruption of Clubs. v This was the scandal that threatened to disrupt the Fed eration Of Bird Clubs. And it was a scandal. In this busy working human world one is apt to forget even if one ever learned, thut there are love, murrlage, divorce, elopements, wldowfcd grief and sorrow among the birds just aa in the human family; and the study of the joy and Borrows of bird fetor mates out? ovice , Tfie -pintail tLat "broke up the mallard "liome life Is fully as Interesting and as instructive as the study of lmllar Joys and griefs in our own world. There Is something beautiful In the courtship of birds that appeals to the heart of every woman. For instance, i the lovemaklng of the bird of paradise. The male bird of taradise constructs a little conical hut for his lady love. In front of the hut he smooths the ground nd carpets It with a Isyer of oright green moss, carefully laid on the fresh moist earth, so that it will take root. Around this little carpet of green, mossy lawn he constructs the barest outline of fence of bright colored berries, pebbles, and shells. Then he brings bright colored flowers with which he Hdorna nit only the lawn but the little conical hut, and whenever the flowers become wilted he brings fresh ones. Bird of Paradise's Wooing. Such is the home that the male bird of paradise prepares In advance for bis lady love. Then he goes a-wouing. He v. ! m t iiiiiiiii 1 v v is deeply in love, and his feathers, always beautiful, assume their most brilliant colors as he parades back and forth In front of his sweetheart. She Is coy, but he Is persistent. She shows signs of relenting, and then he files with her to the bower he hits built and adorned. He shows her the mossy carpet of lawn, tho bright colored berries and pebbles, the flowers, and usually this evidence of love is suliiclcnt and the birds are mated. Displaying His Beauty. There Is poetry and song In the lovemaklng of the sky larks. Audubon, the greatest bird lover In the world, de scribes It: " Each male Is seen to advance with an Imposing and measured step, swinging his tail, spreading it out to its full extent, then closing it again like a fan' In the hands of a fine lady. Their brilliant notes are more melodious than everj they repeat them oftener than usuul, as they rest on the branch or summit of some tall meadow reed. Woe to the rival who dares enter the lists or to the male who simply comes In sight of another male at this moment of delirium. He is suddenly attacked, and. If he is the weaker, chased beyond the territory claimed by the first occupant The fe male skylark shows all the natural reserve of her sex. When her lover flies before her, sighing forth his sweetest notes, she retreats before her ardent admirer In such a way that he knows not whether he is repulsed or encouraged." Every one has seen pigeons and doves courteously salute their mates. Many male birds execute dances and courting parades before the birds they are wooing. The male of the red wing struts about before bis lady love, sweeping the ground with ids tall and acting the dandy. The crested duck raises his head gracefully, straightens his silky aigrette, or bows to his female, while his throat swells and he utter a guttural sound, which la the nearest he can come to singing. Married Life a Model. The married life of most birds could be taken for a model even by members of the human family. There is, for Vfoodpecker ''vvilower calling l,IHI4, instance, the staid, dignified, and homely bald headed eagle the glorious emblem of the American republic. He mates but once and lives with his one mate until he or she dies. If left a widower even a young widower the bald headed faglo never mates again. He remains alone and disconsolate In the nest on the rocky crag or iu the branches of a tall pine that formed his domicile while his mate was alive. No other female eagle can tempt him to forsake his disconsolate life. With him, once a widower always a widower. The golden woodpeckers live In a happy married state, mating but the once. If the male dies his mate's grief Is lusting, and she lives a widowed bird the rest of her life. So, loo, the male woodpecker never seeks another mate after the death of his own. He taps on a tree beside their nest day and night trying to recall her; then at length, discouraged and hopeless, be becomes silent and never recovers his guyety. Widowhood Means Death. With the fi male Illinois purrot widowhood and death are synonymous, u circumstance rare enough In the human spe cies, yet of which birds give us more tliun one example. Whe,n ui'Ur some years of happy conjugal life a wheatear happens to die, his companion hardly survives him a month. There are, however, some birds who are as tickle as men and wonn n. A widow magpie mutes within a few hours after the death of her husband, and in one known Instance a frivolous magpie selected seven husbands, one after the other, in as many days. Jays, falcons, and starlings are Incon stant, and their home life la the most unhappy of all the birds. Bad Fathers Rare. Bad fathers are rare amongst birds. Usually the male rivals his mate In love tor their children. The currier pigeon In fact, so do nearly all birds feeds his mate while she is on the nest. More than that, the crow, the most dismal of all the birds, often sits on the eggs In the nest In order that Mrs. Crow may have an hour or so of relaxation and gossip umong the other Mrs. Crows ot her acquaintance. The blue marten, the black coated gull, the great blue heron, and the black vulture all do the same. u There are some Mormons in bird land, but not niuny , Polygamy Is almost unknown among wild birds. The wild duck has but one mate, but let him become captive by man and domesticated, and he ut once becomes a regular llrlgham Young of a Mormon, with neither hame nor remorse.