Nebraska Newspapers

    i
DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD; DAKOTA CITY, NEBRASKA.
i
HEART
" l '
CHAPTER XVI Continued.
16
"But first, wait I" exclaimed the
horse-breaker. "I bring you something
of value, too." Desiring to render fa
vor for favor, and to show that he was
fully deserving of tho general's gene
rosity, Jose removed from Insldo tho
sweatband of his hat a scaled, stamped
letter, which ho handed to his em
ployer. "Ycuierdny I carried tho mall
to town, but as I rodo away from Las
Palmas tho senora handed mo this,
with a silver dollar for myself. Look 1
It 18 written to tho man wo both hate."
Longorlo took tho letter, read tho In
scription, and then opened tho enve
lope. Jose looked on with pleasure
while ho spelled out tho contents.
When tho general had finished read
ing, ho exclaimed: "Ho I A inlruclol
Now I know nil that I wish to know."
"Then I did well to steal tho letter,
eh?"
"Diablo 1 Yest That brute of n hus
band makes my angel's Hfo unbearable,
and sho flees to Ln Ferln to be rid of
htm. Good 1 It fits ln with my plans.
She will be surprised to see mo thero.
Then, when tho war comes, and all Is
chaos then what? I'll warrant I can
make her forgot certain things and cer
tain people." Longorlo nodded with
satisfaction. "You did very well, Jose."
Tho latter leaned forward, his eyes
brlg'ht "That lady la rich. A fine
prize, truly. Sho would bring a hugo
ransom," 9
This remark brought a smllo to Lon
gorio's fnce. "My dear friend, you do
not In tho least understand," ho said.
"Hansom I What an Ideal" Ho lost
himself ln meditation, then, rousing,
spoko briskly: "Listen I In two, three
days your senora will leavo Las Pal
mas. When sho in gono you will per
form your work, llko tho bravo man I
know you to be. You will relievo hor
of her husbnnd."
J080 hesitated, and tho smllo van
ished from his face. "Scnor Ed Is not
a bad man. Ho likes mo; ho " Lon
gorio's gazo altered and Joso fell silent
"Comol You nro not losing heart,
eh? Ilnvo I not promised to mako you
a rich man? Well, tho tlmo has nr
rlvcid." Seeing that Joso still mani
fested no eagerness, tho general went
on In a different tono: "Do not think
that you can withdraw from our llttlo
arrangement. Oh, not Do you-remember
n promlso I raado to you when you
camo to mo In Romero? I said that If
you pluyed me falso I would bury you
to tho neck ln dn ant-hill and, fill your
mouth with honoy. I keep my prom
ises." Joso's strugglo wnB brief ; ho prompt
ly resigned himself to tho Inevitable.
With every ovldenco of sincerity ho as
sured Longorlo of his loyalty, and de
nied tho least lntontion of betraying
'Then I Did Well to 8teal That Let
ter, Eh?"
hla general's confidence. After all, tho
gringos wero enemies, and thero wus
uo ono of them who did Hot merit de
struction. I'leasod with these sentiments, and
feeling sufficiently assured that Joso
was now really ln tho proper frame of
mind to suit his purpose, Longorlo
took tho winding trail back toward
Snngre do Crlsto.
CHAPTER XVII.
A Warning.
A few days after she had written to
Vidge Ellsworth Alalro followed her
letter ln person, for, having at last de
cided to dlvorco Ed, sho acted with
characteristic decision. Slnco Ells
worth had moro Uian once advised this
very course, sho went to Brownsville,
enUfajIng bis willing support. Sho had
written Davo Law, telling him that
she Intended to go to La Ferla, thero
to remain pending tho hearing of her
salt To be sure, sho would have pre
ferred some place of refuge other than
La Fec, but sho reasoned that thero
she wouH at least, be undisturbed, and
that Ed, even If be wished to effect a
reconciliation, would not dare to follow
her, slnco ho was persona non gratu
In federal Mexico.
Sho bud counted upon aerlLg Davo
OF THE
By Rex Beach
CopyHiht by Harper & Brothers
during her stay in Brownsville, nnd her
fntluro to do so was a gravo disap
pointment as she knew that ho was In
town nttendlng court Yet sho told
herself that it was bravo of him to
obey hor Injunctions so literally and to
leavo her unembarrassed by his pres
enco at this particular time. It in
spired her to bo equally brave and to
wait patiently for tho day when sho
could wclcomo him with clean hands
nnd a soul unashamed.
In tho midst of Ala I re's uncertainty
of mind it gratified her to realize that
Dave alono would know of her where
abouts. Sho wondered If ho would
como to see her. lie was a reckless,
headstrong lover, and his desires wero
all too likely to overcome his delib
erate resolves. She rather hoped that
In spite of his promlso ho would ven
ture to cross tho border so Uint she
could sco and bo near him, If only for
n day or for an hour. The possibility
frightened and yet pleased her. Tho
conventional woman within her
frowned, but her outlaw heart beat
fast at tho thought
Alalro did not explain her plans even
to Dolores, but when her preparations
wero completo sho took the Mexican
womnn with her, and during Ed's nb-scuco-
slipped nwny from tho ranch.
Boarding tho train at Joncsville, sho
was In Pueblo that night
It seemed at last that war with
Mexico was Imminent After months
of uncertainty the question had come
to Issue, und thnt lowering cloud which
had hung abovo tho horizon took omi
nous shapo nnd size. Ellsworth nwoka
one morning to learn that an ultima
tum hnd gono forth to President Po
tosi; that tho Atlantic fleet had been
ordered south ; nnd that marines wero
being rushed aboard transports pend
ing a general army mobilization. It
looked as if the United States hnd
finally risen ln wrath, and as if noth
ing less than a miracle could now avert
tho long-expected conflict
Blazo Jones took tho Snn Antonio
paper out upon tho porch and com
posed himself ln tho hnmmock to read
tho latest war news. Invasion I Troops I
Tho Stnrs and Stripes! Those wero
words that stirred Jones deeply and
caused him to neglect his work. Now
thnt his country had fully awakened
to tho necessity of n war with Mexico
a necessity ho had long felt ho was
fired with tho loftiest patriotism and a
youthful eagerness to enlist Blaze
realized that ho was old and fat and
near-sighted; but whnt of thnt? He
could fight Fighting, in fact, had
boea ono of his earliest accomplish
ments, and ho prided himself upon
knowing as much about it as any
man could learn. Ho believed in fight
ing both as a principle nnd ns an ex
ercise; ln fact, ho attributed his good
health to his various neighborly "un
pleasantnesses," nnd he. had moro than
onco argued that no great fighter ever
died of a sluggish liver or of 'any ono
of tho other Ills that beset sedentnry,
peace-loving people, Nations wero
llko men too much enso mado them
flabby. And BInzo had his own ideas
of strategy, too. So during tho perusal
of his paper ho bemoaned tho mis
takes hlo government was making.
Why wnsto timo with ultimatums? ho
argued to himself. IIo had never dono
so. Experlenco had taught him that
tho way to win a bnttlo was to beat
tho other fellow to tho draw; henco
this diplomatic procrastination filled
him with impatience. It seemed al
most treasonable to ono of Blaze's in
tenso patriotism.
no was engaged ln laying out a plan
of campaign for tho United States
when ho beenmo conscious of voices
behind hlfa, und rcnlized that for some
tlmo Paloma hud been entertaining a
culler in tho front room. Their con
versation had not disturbed hlra nt
first, but now an occasional word or
scntcneo forced its meaning through
his preoccupation, and he found him
Belf listening.
Puloma's visitor was n woman, nnd
ns Blaze hurkened to her voice, ho felt
his heart sink. It was Mrs. Strango.
She was hero again. With difficulty
Blazo conquered nn Impulso to flee,
for sho was recounting a story nil too
familiar to him.
"Why, It seemed as If tho wholo city
of Galveston was there, and yet no
body offered to help us," tho dress
maker was saying. "Phil was a per
fect hero, for tho ruffian was twice
his size. Oh, it wns an awful fight l
I hnto to think of It"
"Want mudo him pinch you?"
Paloma Inquired.
"Ileaven only knows. Somo men aro
dreadful that way. Why, ho left a
black-and-bluo mark 1"
Blaze broko Into a cold sweat and
cursed feebly under Wb breath.
"Ho wasn't drunk, cither. Ho wqs
Just naturally depraved. You could
seo It ln his fnce."
"How did you escape?"
"Well, I'll tell you. We chased him
up across tho boulevard and ln among
tno tents, and then" Mrs. Strango
lowered her voice until only a mur
mur reached the listening man. A mo
ment, then both women burst into
shrill, excited laughter, and Blazo him
self blushed furiously.
SUNSET
'J
hls was unbcnrablol It wns bad
enough to have that woman ln Joncs
ville, a constant menace to his good
name, but to nllow her access to his
own homo was unthinkable. Sooner
or Inter they were bound to meet, nnd
then Paloma would learn tho disgrace
ful truth yes, and tho whole neigh
borhood would likewise know his
shame. In fancy, Blazo saw his rep
utation torn to shreds and himself ex
posed to tho gibes of tho peoplo who
venerated him. Ho would become n
scandal among men, an offense to re
spcctablo women ; children would shun
him. Blazo could not bear to think
of tho consequences, for ho was very
fond of tho women and children of
Joncsville. Ho roso from his ham
mock and tiptoed down tho porch into
tho kitchen, from which point of se
curity ho called loudly for his daugh
ter. Alarmed at his tone, Paloma came
running. "What is tho matter?" she
asked, quickly.
"Get her out I" Blazo cried, savagely.
"Get shed of her."
"Her? Who?"
"That varmint"
"Fnthdr, what alls you?"
"Nothln alls mo, but I don't want
that caterpillar crawlln around my
premises. I don't llko her."
Paloma regarded her parent curi
ously. "How do you know you don't
llko her when you've never seen her?"
"Oh, I've seen her, nil J want to;
and I henrd her talkln to you Just now.
I won't stand for nobody tellln' you
bad stories."
Paloma snickered. "The Idea I She
doesn't "
"Get her out and keep hereout,"
Blazo rumbled. "She ain't right; she
ain't human. Why, what d'you reck
on I saw her do, tho other day? Makes
mo shiver now. You remember that
big bull-snnkc that lives under the
bnrn, tho ono I'vo been layin' for?
Well, you won't believe me, but him
and her nro friends. Fact I I saw
her pick him up nnd piny with him.
Who go' The goose-flesh popped out
on me till It busted the buttons of my
vest. Sho nln't my kind of people,
Pnloraa. 'Strange nln't no name for
her ; no, sir ! That woman's dam' near
peculiar."
Paloma remained unmoved. "I
thougllt you knew. Sho used to be a
snake-charmer."
"A what?" There was no doubt
about It Blaze's hair lifted. Ho
blinked through his big spectacles ; ho
pawed tho air freely with his hand3.
"How can you let her touch you? I
couldn't. I'll bet she cnrrles a pocket
ful of dried tonds and nnd keeps llvo
lizards In her hnir. I knew an old voo
doo woman that ato cockroaches. Get
Bhcd of her, Paloma, nnd we'll fuml
gato tho house."
At thnt moment Mrs. Strange herself
opened tho kitchen door to Inquire, "Is
anything wrong?" Misreading Blaze's
expression for ono of pain, she ex
claimed: "Mercy I Now, what have
you dono to yourself?"
But tho object of her solicitude
bucked away, making peculiar clucking
sounds deep In his throat. Paloma,
was saying:
"This Is my father, Mrs. Strange.
You nnd ho havo never happened to
meet before."
"Why, yes wo have I I know you,"
tho seamstress exclaimed. Then n puz
zled light flickered ln her black eyes.
"Seems to mo wo'vo met somewhere,
but I've met so many people." She
extended her hand, and Blazo took
It as If expecting to find it cold and
scaly. Ho muttered something unin
telligible. "I'vo been dying to scq you,"
sho told him, "and thank you for giv
ing mo Palomn's work. I lovo you
both for It"
Blaze was immeusely relieved that
this dreaded crisis had come and gone;
but wishing to mako assuranco doubly
sure, ho contorted his features Into n
smllo the, llko of which his daughter
had never seen, nnd in a disguised
voice Inquired, "Now where do you
reckon you ever bbw me?"
Tho seamstress aUwbk her hend. "I
don't know, but I'lrTplace you beforo
long. Anyhow, I'm glad you nrcn't
hurt From tho wny you called Paloma
I thought you were. I'm handy nround
Blck people, bo I "
"Listen I" Paloma Interrupted.
"There's someono nt the front door."
She left tho room; Blazo wus edging
after her when ho henrd her utter a
stifled scream and call his name.
Now Pnlomu was not tho kind of
girl to scream without cause, and her
cry brought Blazo to tho front of tho
houso at u run. But what ho Baw there
reassured him momentarily; nothing
wns ln sight moro alarming than ono
of the depot hacks, ln tho rear sent of
which was huddled tho flguro of a
man. Paloma was flying down the walk
toward tho gaje, and Phil Strange was
awaiting on tho porch. As Blazo flung
himself Into view the latter exclaimed :
"I brought him straight here, Mn
Jones, 'causo I knew you was his best
friend."
"Who? Who Is tt?"
"Davo Law. He must have come ln
on the noon train. Anyhow, I found
him like that" Tho two men hurried
toward the road, Bide by side.
"What's wrong with him?" Blaze do
mnnded.
"I don't know. He's queer he's off
his benn. I'vo hnd a hard time with
him." '
Paloma was ln tho carriage at Dave's
sldo now, and calling his name; but
Law, it seemed, was scarcely con
scious. He had slumped together; his
face was vacant, his eyes dull. Ho was
muttering to himself a queer, delirious
Jumble of words.
"Oh, dad I He's sick sick," Paloma
sobbed. "Dave, don't you know us?
You'ro home, Dave. Everything is
all right now."
"Why, you'd hardly recognize the
boyl" Blaze exclaimed; then he added
his appeal to his daughter's. But they
could not arouso tho sick man from
hts coma.
"Ho asked mo to take him to Las
Palmns," Strange explained. "Looks
to me llko u sunstroke."
Paloma turned nn agonized faco to
her father. "Get a doctor, quick," shs
Implored ; "ho frightens me."
But Mrs. Strange had followed, nnd
now she spoke up ln n mntter-of-fact
tone: "Doctor nothing," she said. "I
know more than nil tho doctors. Pa
loma, you go into the houso and get a
bed rendy for him, and you men lug
him In. Come,' now, on the run, all of
you I I'll show you what to do." Sho
took Instnnt charge of the sltuatloi.
und when Davo refused to leave U10
carriage nnd began to fight' off his
friends, gabbling wildly, it wns sho
who quieted him. Elbowing Blaze and
her husband out of the wny, she loosed
JAfaod
VaGNTivCr
"I'm Going to Pack HIb Head In It."
tho young man's frenzied clutch from
tho carriage nnd, holding his hands In
hers, talked to him ln such n way thnt
he gradually relaxed. It was sho who
helped him out nnd then supported him
into the house. It was she who got
htm upstairs nnd Into bed, nnd it was
sho who finnlly stilled his babble.
"Tho poor man Is burning up with n
fever," she told tho others, "and fevers
aro my long suit Get mo some towels
and a lot of ice."
Blaze, who had watched the snnke
charraer's deft ministrations with
mingled nmnzement nnd suspicion. In
quired: "What aro you going to do
with Ice? Ice ain't medicine."
"I'm going to pack his head In It."
Blazo wns horrified. "Do you want
to freeze his brain?"
Mrs. Strango turned on him angrily.
"You get out of my wny and mind your
own business. 'Freeze his brain 1'"
With n sniff of indignation she pushed
past tho interloper.
But Blaze was waiting for her when
sho returned n few moments later with
bowls and bottles and, various reme
dies which sho had commandeered. IIo
summoned sufficient courago to block
her way and Inquire:
"Whnt you got there,now, ma'am?"
Mrs. Strange glared at him balefully.
With an effort ut patience she In
quired: "Say I What ails you, nny
how?" Jones swnllowed hard. "Understand,
he's n friend of mine. No magic goes."
"Magic?"
"No cockroaches or snakes' tongues,
or"
Mrs. Strango fingered n heavy chlnn
bowl as 'if tempted to bounce It from
Bluze's hend. Then, not deigning to
nrgue, she whisked pust him und Into
tho sickroom. It wus evident from her
expression that sho 'considered the
master of the houso n hurmless but
offensive old busybody.
For some tlmo longer Blaze hung
about the blckroom ; then, his presence
being completely Ignored, ho risked
further antagonism by telephoning for
Jonesvllle's lending doctor. Not find
ing tho physician at home, he sneaked
out to tho bnrn and, taking Pnloma's
car, drove away ln senrch of him. It
was fully two hours later when ho re
turned to discover that Davo was sleep
ing quietly.
Dave slept for twenty hours, and
even when he awoke It was not to a
clear appreciation of his surroundings.
At first he wus relieved to find that
tho splitting pain ln his head was gone,
but Imagined himself to be still ln the
maddening local train from Browns
vllle. By nnd by ho recognized Palo
ma and Mrs. Strange, nnd tried to talk
to them, but tho connection between
b nil 11 and tonguo was Imperfect, and
he made a bad business of convcrsa
tlon. It seemed queer that he should
bo ln bed at the Joneses'. When he had
recovered from his surprise he turned
his head nnd buw Mrs. Strango slum
bering in n chair beside his bed ; from
her uncorafortnblo position and evl
dent fatigue he judged that she must
have kept a long and faithful vlgt
over him.
(TO BE CONTINUED.?
HomeTown
WsHP! ItIll iH
MAKING BACK PORCH USEFUL
Vines, Hammocks and Plants, Em
ployed With Discretion, Turn It
Into a Cool Resting Place.
Ono mny easily turn his bnck porch
to uccount by n little plnnnlng. To
turn the bnck porch into n cool .rest
ing place the use of vines nnd ham
mocks and plants has proved success
ful. These forms of dccorntlons used
with discretion cool off the Interior of
the house, keeping out the hent from
the scorching asphalt streets.
Permanent wooden roofs nre not
necessary for verandas and improvised
loggias. Awnings will easily serve this
purpose ln many Instances, for they
can bo run up and down nt every
change of the barometer and rob the
houso of no sun in the winter.
So-called front plnzzas, structures
thnt have roofs running nil around the
iirst story of 11 huuu and sometimes
only around one side, could hnve Its
roof flattened, hung with awnings and
mndo Into a lounging place for n fam
ily upstairs. A house may not pre
sent n good nppenrnnce of Itself, but
the piazza may make It the most In
teresting dwelling plnco on the street
A green and white awning hung
from the roof makes a nice nppenr
nnce. Boxes of red nnd white gerani
ums placed on tho rails, fastened with
vines fnlllng on the rail ndds to the
nrtlstlc effect. Turkey-red curtains
nlso ndd charm. Stray tables, chairs,
hammocks, 'bird cages and flowers on
stands and big pots may be so ar
ranged ns to make a comfortable
lounging plnce.
LIMITING SIZE OF CITIES
Speakers at Town Planning Confer
ence Place Ideal Population for
Municipality at 300,000.
Rodney H. Brandon, spenklng before
the Ad club on the worth ln dollnrs
and cents of n citizen to n community
In which he lives, declared that the In
habitant value decreases In proportion
to the increase in population, says the
Dos Moines Capital. The larger the
city, after n population of 25,000 hns
been reached, the less Is each inhabi
tant worth to the property owners.
This brings up the question, which
Is receiving more serious nttentlon ev
ery year, of how Inrge our cities should
be.
At the recent national conference on
town plnnnlng ln Kansas City a speak
er from Dallas declared that his ambi
tion wns to see Dallas with a popula
tion of 300,000, and thnt he did nqt
wnnt It to become any larger. Other
speakers concurred In the Idea.
A city of 800,000 has all the urban
advantages the Individual could want
It hns parks and modern playgrounds,
tho best there Is In stores, factories,
residences, transportation facilities
and the other accomplishments and
conveniences of the modern metropo
lis. Tho Ideal plan would be to require
n certnln nren of agricultural land to
each community nccordlng to Its popu
lation. Then when n city reached Its
maximum, It would have to branch out.
l'frllT'Tl,'I'T''fMfr'fHfl'MTt'T''f
FORGETFUL $
He cnlled for n city beautiful; X
He shouted It day by day; ?
He wanted n city where noise 2
! Where the spirit of art should X
X sway; j
4 He wanted a city that should be ?
? fair,
Where filth might never bo 4
t seen, $
4 And forgot, In 6plto of the zeal
he' had, J
To keep his back yard clean, i
The Congregatlonnllst $
il'lHl,'I"l'l"lll?l'llt'lfiill?lMl'll?tllX'X'A'
Test Soil In Selecting Site.
A problem that should be solved by
tho wise prospective purchaser of a
building site is whether the soil at tho
depth of the cellar Is gravel, clay, sand
or simply rubbish and tin enn filler. It
Is always advisable to make such a
test, even ln n familiar neighborhood.
The general character of the neigh
borhood, type of residents, restrictions,
If any, nnd whether the lot will appre
ciate In value and prove n good Invest
ment nre other Important factors to bo
considered ln choosing n home site.
The amount of money nvullable f.or
building Investment will to some ex
tent determine the choice of the site's
location. Sentimental, business or pro
fessional rensous frequently cause the
selection of a site over one Just ns well
adapted for n desirable home location.
The advice of a good architect Is of
value from the very beginning of tho
desire to construct n home.
Building Codes Deficient
There nre more than 100 cities in the
United Stntes of upward of 50,000 pop
ulation where the building code hns
not been properly worked out on the
basis of a right and Intelligent use of
woods, according to the statement of
n prominent lumber man. The snmo
nuthorlty emphasized the importance
of making wooden shingles more fire
reslstnnt, so that there can bo n wider
use of these materials within the fire
limits of cities.
SKIHNERS 'i1
&&& N THE BEST l
IgpAACARONI I
Worried.
Old Lndy--Doctor, do you think
thero is nnythlng tho matter with my
lungs?
Physician (after a enreful examina
tion) I find, madam, that your lungs
nre ln n normal condition.
Old Lady (with' n sigh of resigna
tion) And nbout how long can I ex-'
pect to live with them In thnt condN
tion7
SKIN TORTURES
3
That Itch, Burn and Scale Quickly Re
lieved by Cutlcura Trial" Free.
It takes about ten minutes to prove
that a hot bath with Cutlcura Soaf
followed by gentle applications of
Cuticurn Ointment will nfford relief
and point to speedy healment ol
eczemas, itchlngs nnd irritations. They
nre ideal for all toilet purposes.
Free sample each by mall with Book,
Address postcard, Cutlcura, Dept L
Boston. Sold everywhere. Adv.
A Temperance Lesson.
Newton Newkirk, who has been
amusing newspnperreadcrs for a num
ber of years by chronicling the doings
of rural folks in the Blngville Bugle,
studies local color ln the Maine vil
lages during his vacation periods.
On one of the trips he formed tho
ncqunlntnnco of nn old resident who
had the reputntlon of being inordinate
ly fond of elder.
Uncle Hez presented n sorry spec
tacle when Newt met him In the rond
one day.
"What has happened to you?" In
quired the writer.
"I wuz up t' Sim Spradln's and
drank n couple o dippers 0' hard
elder."
"I see"
"On my wny back here I crossed tho
bridge over Gandof creek "
"Uh-huh 1 "
"And Just ns I reached the middle
of the bridge I heard a splash?"
"Whnt made the splash?"
"Well, thero was a man flounderln'
nbout In the water, and when I looked
nround to see who' It wuz, derned if it
wuzn't me." Pittsburgh Chronicle.
Fastened On.
It wns small Gilbert's sad fate to
suffer the attention of n well-meaning
doctor.
"Put out our tongue, my boy," the
persecutor said.
Gilbert feebly produced the tip of
that member.
"No, no, put It right out," the doc
tor said.
Gilbert shook his head weakly and
tears gathered In his eyes.
"I can't," he cried, "It's fastened
on." New York Globe.
No Chance to Shlno.
"GIthers must find It rather depress
ing to wear khaki."
"Why so?"
"Ho holds office ln several lodges
and has a collection of uniforms
whoso mngnlflcenco would shame an
oriental potentnte."
Fallen Greatness.
"Lizzie does put on such airs. Sho
says the young man she's engaged to
is at work in the trenches."
"I know that's Btrlctly true. He's
employed by a gas company."
. There are numerous cures for rheu
matism, and it usually lingers long
enough to give the victim n chance to
try nil of them.
A Call to
Your Grocer
will bring a
package of
Grape-Nuts
A delicious,
healthful food
and a pleas
ing lesson in
economy.
"There's a Reason"
1
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