Jr -f
DAKOTA COUNTY HERALD
)
I
s
4
I
Jill
I I"
CHAPTER XVI Continued.
18
"Be shnll have n military funeral,"
Rlcardo promised.
"Frotn the cathedral," Webster add
ed. "And tnkc a picture of It for
Ms people. He told mo about them.
I wnnt them to think ho amounted to
something, after all. And when you
get tills two-by-four republic of yours
going again, Rick, you might have
your congress award Don Junn n
thousand dollars oro for capturing Sur
ros. Then we can send the money to
his old folks."
"But he didn't capture Sarros,"
Rlcardo protested. "The man escaped
when tho guards cut their way
through."
"He didn't That was a ruse while
he beat It out the gate where you
found mo. I saw Don Juan knock him
cold with tho butt of his rifle after
I'd brought down Ms horse."
"Do you think he's there yet?"
"Ho may be provided all tills didn't
happen the day before yesterday. If
I wanted him, I'd go down and look
for him. Rick."
"I'll go right away, Jack."
"One minute, then. Send a man
around to that little back street whore
they have tho wounded It's a couple
of blocks awuy from here to tell
Mother Jenks and the young lady
with her I'll not bo back."
"They're both outside now. They
must have gone looking for you, be
cause they found you and Don Juan
first and then told me about it"
"Who told you?"'
"Mother Jenks."
"Oh 1 Well, run niong and get your
man."
Rlcardo departed on tho run, tak
ing the sentry at tho door with him
and In his haste giving no thought
to Mother Jenks nnd her companion
waiting for tho doctor's verdict In
tho palaco grounds ho gathered two
more men and bade them follow him ;
leading by twenty yards, he emerged
nt the gate and paused to look around
biro.
Some hundred feet down tho street
from the palace gate Sarros bay
charger lay dead. When Webster's
bullet brought tho poor beast down,
his rider had fallen clear of him, only
to fall n victim to the ferocity of Don
Juan Cafetero. Later, as Snrros lay
tunned and bleeding beside-his mount,
the stricken nnlmal in Its death-struggle
had half risen, only to fall again,
this tirao on the extended left log of
his late master; consequently when
Sarros recovered consciousness follow
ing the thoughtful attentions of his
assailant, It was to discover himself n
hopeless prisoner. The heavy carcass
of his horse pinned his foot and part
of his leg to the ground, rendering
him as helpless and desperate as a
trapped animal.
For several minutes now he had
been striving frantically to release
himself; with his sound right leg
pressed against the animal's back
bone he tried to gain sufficient pur
chase to withdraw his left leg from
the carcass.
As Rlcardo caught sight of Sarros
he Instinctively realized that this was
his mortal enemy; motioning his men
to stand back, he approached the
struggling man on tiptoe nnd thought
fully possessed himself of the dicta
tor's pistol, which lay In back of him,
but not out of reach. Just as ho did
bo, Sarros, apparently convinced of the
futility of his efforts to free himself,
surrendered to fate and commenced
rnther pitifully to weep with rago
nnd despair.
Rlcardo watched him for a few sec
onds, for there was Just sufficient of
tho blood of his Castlllan ancestors
till In his veins to render this sorry
spectacle rnther an enjoynblo one to
him. Resides, ho wns CO per cent
Iberian, a race which can hnto quite
as thoroughly as it can love, and
for a time Rlcardo even nourished tho
thought of still further Indulging his
thirst for revenge by pretending to
aid Sarros In his escnpol Presently,
however, he put the ungenerous
thought from him; seizing Uie dead
horse by the tall, he dragged the car
cass off Ws enemy's leg, and whllo
Sarros sat up, tailor-fashion, and com
menced to rub the circulation back
Into the bruised member, Rlcardo
neated himself on the rump of the
dead horse and appraised his prisoner
critically.
Sarros glanced up, remembered his
manners nnd very heartily and grace
fully thanked his deliverer.
"It Is not a matter for which thanks
are due me, Sarros," Rlcardo replied
coldly. "I am Rlcardo Lnlz Ruey,
and I have como back to Sobranto to
5y my father's debt to you. You
trill remember having forced tho obll
Cation upon me In the cemetery Botne
fifteen years ago."
For porhaps ten horrified seconds
Barron stared at Rlcardo; then tho
ark Mood In him came to his defense;
fcla ten-e poe relaxed; the fright
tan" .i, ift ala awarthy rount-
WEBSTER
MANSMAN
Peter B. Kyne
Author of "Cappy
Ricks," The Valley
of the Giants' Eta
CornWlflUw'KkT
nunco ns If orused with a moist
sponge, leaving him as calmly stoical
nnd Indifferent aa a clgarstoro Indian.
Ho fumbled In his coat pocket for n
gold cigarette case, selected a ciga
rette, lighted It and blew Binoko at
Rlcardo. Tho Jig was up; ho knew
It; and with admirable nonchalance
he declined to lower his presidential
dignity by discussing or considering It
Ho realized It would delight his cap
tor to know ho dreaded to face the
Issue, and It was not a Sarros practice
to give aid and comfort to the enemy.
"Spunky devlll" Rlcardo reflected,
forced to admiration despite himself.
Aloud ho said: "You know the codo
of our people, Snrros. An eye for
an eye and a tooth for a tooth."
Sarros bowed. "I am at your serv
ice," he replleo carelessly.
"Then nt daylight tomorrow morn
ing I shnll make settlement" Rlcardo
beckoned his men to approach. "Take
this man and confine him under a
double guard In tho arsenal," he or
dered. "Present my compllmonts to
the officer In charge there and tell
him It 1b my wish that a priest be
provided for the prisoner tonight and
that tomorrow morning, at bIx o'clock,
a detail of six men nnd a sergeant
escort this man to tho cemetery la
tho rear of the Ontedral de la Cruz.
I will meet the detail there and tako
command of It"
Two of Rlcardo's Imported fighting
men stepped to the prisoner's side,
seized him, one by each arm, and lift
ed him to his feet; supported be
tween them, he limped away to his
doom, whllo lift youthful conqueror
remained seated on tho dead horse,
his gazo bent upon tho ground, his
mind dwelling, not upon his triumph
over Snrros but upon tho prodigious
proportions of tho task before him;
the rehabilitation of a nation. After
a while ho rose and strolled over to
ward the gate, where he paused 'to
note tho prim evidences of tho final
stand of Webster and Don Juan Cafo
tero before passing through Qio por
tal. Rlcardo had now, for tho first time,
nn opportunity to look around him;
so he halted to realize his home-com
ing, to thrill with this, the first real
view of the homo of his boyhood. The
spacious lawn surrounding the palaco
had been plowed and scarred with
bursting shrapnel from the field guns
captured In tho arsenal, although the
building ItBclf hod been little damaged,
not having sustained a direct hit be
cause of Rlcardo's stringent orders
not to use artillery on the palaco un
less absolutely necessary to smoke
Snrros out Scattered over the grounds
Rlcardo counted some twenty-odd
government soldiers, all wearing that
pathetically flat, crumpled appearance
which seems Inseparable frora the
bodies of men killed In actloc Tho
first shrapnel hnd probably com
menced to drop In the grounds Just ns
n portion of the palaco garrison hnd
been marching out to Join the troops
fighting at the cantonment barracks
Evidently tho men hnd scattered like
quail, only to bo killed as they ran.
From this grim scene Rlcardo raised
his eyes to the palace, the castellated
towers of which, looming through the
tufted palixa. were reflecting the set
ting sun. Over the balustrade of one
of the upper balconies the limp body
of a Sarros oharpshooter, picked off
from the street, t drooped grotesquely,
his arms banging downward as If in
ironical welcome to tho son of Ruey
the Beloved. The sight Induced In
Rlcardo a senso of profound sadness;
his Irish Imagination awoke; to him
thnt mute flguro seemed to call upon
him for pity, for kindness, for for
bearance, for understanding and sym
pathy. Those outflung 'arras of the
mnrtyred peon symbolized to Rlcardo
Ruey the spirit of liberty, shackled
and helpless, calling upon him for de
liverance; they brought to his nlert
mind a clearer realization of the duty
that was his than ho hnd ever had be
fore, ne had n great task to perform,
n task Inaugurated by his father, and
which Rlcardo could not hope to fin
ish in his lifetime. He must nolve
the ngrarlnn problem; ho' must de
velop tho rich natural resources of hla
country; he must provide free, com
pulsory education and evolve from
tho Ignorance of the peon nn Intelll
genco that would build up that which
Sobrante, In common with her sister
republics, so wickedly lacked the
great middle class that stands always
as n buffer between the aggression
nnd selfishness of tho upper class and
the helplessness and chlldlsnness of
the lower.
Rlcardo bowed his head. "Help me,
O Lord," he prayed. "Thou hast given
mo In Thy wisdom a man's task. Help
me that I may not prove unworthy."
Mother Jenks, grown impatient at tho
luck of news concerning Webster, left
Dolores to her grief in the room across
the hall and sought the open air, for
of Into she had been experiencing with
recurring frequency a slight feeling of
ftuffocntlon. She sat down on the broad
granite stepa, helped herself to a
much-needed "bracer" from her brandy
flask and wns gazing pensively nt the
scene around her when Rlcardo cnnio
up the stairs.
'"Ellol" Mother Jenks snlutod him.
"We're 'nve you been, Mr. Bowers?"
"I hare Just returned from capturing
Sarros, Mrs. Jenks. He Is on his way
to the arsenal under guard,"
"Gor' strike me pink I" tho .old lady
cried. " 'Ave I lived to sec this day 1"
Her face wob wreathed In a happy
smile. "I wonder 'ow the beggar feels
to 'nve the shoe on the other foot, eh
the 'cartless 'ound; I'm 'opln' this
General Ruey will 'ave the blighter
shot"
"You need have no worry on thnt
score, Mrs. Jenks. I'm General Ruey.
Andrew Bowers was Just my summer
name, ns It wqre."
"Angels guard me I Wot the bloom
In' 'ell 8iirprl8e won't wo 'nve next
Wot branch o' tho Ruey tribe do you
belong to? Aro you n nephew o' him
that was president before Sarros shot
'lm? Antonio Ruey, who was 'arf
brother to tho president, 'ad a son 'e
called Rlcardo. Are you Mm, might I
arsk?"
"I am tho aon of Rlcardo the Be
loved," ho answered proudly.
"Not tho lad ns was away at school
when Ms father wns hcxecuted?"
"I am that same lad, Mrs. Jenks.
And who nre you? You seem to know
a deal of my family history."
"I," tho old publican replied with
equal pride, "am Mrs. Col. 'Enery
Jenks, who wns your fnther's chief of
hartlllery an' 'ad tho bextrcme honor
o' dyln' In front of the same wall with
Mm. By tho w'y, 'ow'o Mr. Webster?"
she added, suddenly remembering the
subject closest to her henrt Just then.
"His wounds nre trifling. He'll live,
Mrs. Jenks."
"Well, that's better than gottln'
poked In tho eye with a sharp stick,"
the old damo decided philosophically.
"Do you remember my little sister,
Mm. Jenks?" Rlcardo continued. "She
was In tho pnlnco when Sarros at
tacked It ; she perished there."
"I believe I 'ave got a slight recol
lection ' tho nipper, sir," Mother
Jenks answered cautiously. To herself
she said: "I a'y, 'Enrretta, 'ore's a
pretty go. 'D don't know tho lamb Is
llvln' an' In the next room I My word,
wot a riot w'en 'e meets 'er I"
"I will see you again, Mrs. Jenks. I
must have a long talk with you," Rl
cardo told her, and passed on Into the
palace; whereupon Mother Jenks onco
more fervently Implored the Almighty
"t fe
"I Am General Rey."
to strlkij her pink, nnd tho Iron re
straint of a long, hnrd, exciting day be
ing relaxed at last, the good soul
bowed her gray head In her arms and
wept, moving her body from side to
Bide the while and demanding, of no
one In particular, n Blngle legitimate
reason why she, n blooming old bag
gage and not fit to live, should bo tho
recipient of such mnnlfold blessings
an this day hnd brought forth.
In the meantime RIcnrdo, with his
hand on the knob of tho door lending
to tho room where Webster was having
his wounds dressed, paused suddenly,
his nttentlon caught by the sound of a
sob, long-drnwn nnd Inexpressibly pa
thetic. He listened nnd mndo up his
mind thnt a womnn In tho room across
tho entrnnce hall wns bewailing tho
death of a loved one who answered to
tho nnmo of Cnllph and John, dnrllng.
Further envesdropplng convinced him
that Cnllph, John, darling, nnd Mr.
John Stuart Webster were one nnd the
same person, nnd so he tilted his head
on one side like a cock robin nnd con
sidered.
"By Jingo, thnt'fl most Interesting,"
ho decided. "Tho wounded hero has
a sweetheart or a wife and an Amer
ican, too. She must be a recent ac
quisition, because ull tho time wo were
together on tho steamer coming down
here ho never spoke of either, deeplto
tho fact that we got friendly enough
for such confidences. Something fun
ny about this. I'd better Bound the old
boy before I start passing out words
of comfort to that unhappy female."
He passed on Into the room. John
Stuart Webster had, by this time, been
washed nnd bandaged, nnd ono of the
Sarros servants (for tho ex-dlctator'n
retinue still occupied the pnlnce) had,
at Dr. Pacheco'B command, prepared n
guest chamber upstairs and furnished
a night gown of nmple proportions to
cover Mr. Webster'u belmndnged but
otherwise nnked person. A stretcher
had Just arrived, and tho wounded man
wai about to be carried upstair. Tho
late financial backer of the revolution
wns looking very pnle nnd dispirited ;
for once In his life his whimsical, ban
tering nnture wns subdued. His eyes
were closed, nnd ho did not open them
when RIcnrdo entered
"Well, I have Snrros," the latter de
clared. Webster paid not the slightest atten
tion to this announcement. RIcnrdo
bent over him. "Jack, old boy," he
Queried, "do you know a person of
femlnlno persuasion who calls you Ca
liph?" John Stuart Webster's eyes and
month flew wldo open. "What the
devil I" he tried to roar. "You hnven't
been speaking to her, have you? If
you hnve, I'll never forglvo you, be
cause you'vo spoiled my llttlo surprise
party."
"No, I hnven't been speaking to her,
but she's In the next room crying lit
to break her heart because she thinks
you've been killed."
"You scoundrel I Aren't you human?
Go tell her It's only n couple of punc
tures, not n blowout." Ho sighed.
"Isn't It sweet of her to weep over nn
old hunks like mcl" hp added softly.
"Bless her tender henrt 1"
"Who Is she?" RIcnrdo was very
curious.
"Thnt's none of your business. You
wait and I'll tell you. She's the guest
I told you I wns going to bring to din
ner, nnd thnt's enough for you to know
for the present. Vnyn, you Idiot, and
bring her In here, so I enn assure her
my bend Is bloody but unbowed. Doc
tor, throw thnt rug over my shnnks
nnd make mo look pretty. I'm going
to receive company."
Ills glance, bent steadily on tho door,
hnd In It some of the nlert, bright wist
fulness frequently to be observed In
the eyes of n terrier stnndlng expec
tantly before a rat hole. The Instant
the door opened and Dolores' tear
stalncd face appeared, he cnlled to her
with tho old-time camaraderie, for he
had erased from his mind, for the
nonce, the memory of the tragedy of
poor Don Junn Cafetero nnd wns con
cerned solely with tho tnsk of banish
ing the tenrs from thoso brown eyes
nnd bringing the Joy of llfo buck to
Hint sweet face.
"Hello, Sceress," ho cnlled weakly.
"Llttlo Johnny's been fighting ngnln,
afid the bnd boys gave him an all-fired
walloplug."
There wns a swift rustle of skirts,
and she wns bending over him, her hot
Uftle pnlms clasping eagerly his pnle.
rough chfceks. "Oh, my dear, my
dear!" she whispered, nnd then her
voice choked with the happy tears nnd
she wns sobbing on his wounded shoul
der. Rlcardo stooped to draw her
away, hut John Stuart bent upon him
n look of nuch frlghtfulness that ho
drew bnck nbnshed. After nil, tho pnst
24 hours had been quite exciting, nnd
Rlcardo reflected thnt John's Inamora
ta was tired nnd frightened and prob
ably hndn't enten anything nil day
long, so thoro wns nmple excuse for
her hysteria.
"Come, come, buck up," Webster
soothed her, and helped himself to n
long whiff of her fragrant hnlr. "Old
man Webster had one leg In tho grave,
hut they've pulled It out again."
Still she sobbed.
"Now, listen to me, lady," ho com
manded with mock severity. "You
Just stop thnt. You're wnstlng your
sympnthy; nnd while, of course, I en
Joy your sympnthy a heap, Just pause
to reflect on the result If thoso snlt
tenrs should happen to drop Into ono
of ray numerous wounds."
"I'm so sorry for you, Cnllph," she
murmured brokenly. "You poor, hnrm
less hoy I I don't see how any ono
could bo so fiendish as to hurt you
when you were so distinctly a non-combatant"
"Thank you. Let us forget The
Hngue conference for tho present, how
ever. Have you met your brother?"
he whispered.
"No. Cnllph."
"RIcnrdo."
"Yes, Jnck."
"Como here. Rick, you scheming,
unscrupulous, blood-thirsty ndventurer,
I have n tremendous surprise In store
for you. Tho sweetest girl In tho world
nnd she's right here "
RIcnrdo Inughlngly held tip his hnnd.
"Jack, my friend," he Interrupted,
"you're too wenk to mnko n speech
Don't do It. Besides, you do not hnve
to." lie turned nnd bowed gracefully
to Dolores. "I can see for myself she's
the sweetest girl In the world, nnd thnt
she's right hero." Ho held out his
hand to her. "Jnck thinks he's going
to spring n surprise," he continued ma
liciously, "quite forgetting thnt n good
soldier never permits himself to be
tnken by surprise. I know nil nhout
his llttlo secret, because I henrd you
mourning for him when you thought he
wns dend." Rlcardo favored her with
n knowing wink. "I nm delighted to
meet the futuro Mrs. Webster. I quite
understand why you fell In love with
him, bemuse, you see, I lovo him my
self nnd so does everybody else."
With typical Cnstllian courtliness he
took her hand, bowed low over It, nnd
kissed It "I nm Rlcardo Lulz Ruey,"
ho Bald, nnxlnus to spure his friend the
tnsk of further exhausting conversa
tion. "And you are "
"You're n consummate Jackass I"
groaned Webster. "I'm only n dear old
family friend, nnd Dolores Is going to
marry Billy Genry. You Impetuous
Idiot I She's your own sister, Dolores
Ruey. She, Mark Twnln, nnd I have
ample cause for common complaint
against tho world becnuso tho reports
of our death have been grossly exag
gerated. She didn't perish when your
father's administration crumbled. Miss
Ruey. this Is your brother, Rlcardo,
Kins her you damn' fool forglvo me,
Miss Ruey oh, Lord, nothing matters
Hny more. Ho's gummed everything
up and ruined my party. I wIhIi I were
dead."
Rlcardo stared from tlm outraged
WfibNtttr to hut xUtfcr and hack acain.
"Jnck WebaUx," he declared, "ym
nrcn't crazy, are you?"
"Of course, he Is tlo old denr," Do
lores cried happily, "but I'm not." SIh
Btepped up to her brother, and bet
arms went nround his neck, "Oh,
Rick," sho cried, "I'm your sinter. Tr
ly, I nm."
"Dolores. My little lost BlsUr, Df
lores? Why, I enn't bellevo Itl"
"Well, you'd better believe U." Joh
Stuurt Webster growled feebly. "Of
course, you can doubt my word nn
get nwny with It, now that I'm flat oe
my bnck, but If you dare cast asper
slons on that girl's veracity, I'll muf
der you n month from now."
Ho closed his eyes, feeling Instinc
tively that ho ought not spy on such 8
sacred family scene. When, however,
the affecting meeting wos over nnd Do
lores wns ruffling tho Websterlan fore
top while her brother pressed tho WeW
stcrlan hand nnd tried to say all the
things he felt, but couldn't express, i
John Stuart Webster brought them
both back to n realization of present i
conditions.
"Don't thank me, sir," he piped la
pathetic Imitation of the smnll boy o
melodrama. "I hnvo only done me
duty, and for that 1 cannot accept thlr
purse of gold, even though my fathei
nnd mother uro starving."
"Oh, Caliph, do he serious," Doloret ,
pleaded.
He looked up at her fondly. "Take
your brother out to Mother Jenks and
prove your case, Miss Ruey," ho ad-,
vised her. "And whllo you're nt It
1 certainly hope somebody will remem
ber I'm not accustomed to reposing on i
a center tnble. Rick, If you can per
suade some citizen to put mo to bed,
I'd bo obliged. I'm dend tired, oltf
horso. I'm nh sleepy "
Ills bend rolled weakly to ono slda,
for he hnd been playing a part and
had nerved himself to finish It grace
fully, even In his weakened condition.
Ho sighed, moaned slightly, am
slipped Into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER XVII.
Throughout tho night there wna
rndlc firing here and there In tho cltjr,
ns tho Ruey followers relentlessly
hunted down the Isolated tletachmcnt
of government troops which hnd c
enped annihilation nnd capture In thi
finnl rout nnd fallen bnck on the city,
where, concealing themselves nccori
lag to their nature nnd Inclination,
they Indulged In more or less snlplti(
from windows nnd the roofs of build
lugs. Tho practice of taking no prlp
oners wns nn old one In Sobrante, auH
few presidents hnd done more thai
Snrros to keep that custom alive; en
go, firm In the conviction thnt to sur
render was tnntnmount to fnclng a fir
Ing sqund nt daylight, the mnjorlty ot
these Rtrngglers, with consummate
courage, fought to the death.
Tho capture of Birenaventura war
alone sufficient to Insuro a brief rcvo
lutlon, but the enpture of Sarros was
ample guarantee that the resistance to
tho new order of things was already
at on end. However, RIcnrdo Ruey
felt thnt tho prompt execution of Snr
ros would bo on ndded gunrnnteo of
peace by effectually discouraging any
opposition to tho rebel causa In the
outlying districts, where n few Isolated
garrisons still remained In Ignorance oi
tho momentous events being enncted In
tho cnpltal. For tho time being, RIcnr
do wns master of llfo and death In So
brante. nnd nil of IiIb ndvlsers nnd sup
porters ngrecd with him that a so
cnllod trial of the ex-dlctator would be
n rnther useless affair, nis llfo wai
forfeit n hundred Hints for murder nnd
treason, nnd to bo ponderous over his
elimination would savor of mockery.
Accordingly, nt midnight, n priest en
t oed tho room In tho nrsennl where
Sarros was confined, and shrived him.
Throughout the night the priest re
mnlned with him, nnd when thnt ear
ly morning innrch to tho cemetery
commenced, he walked beside Snrros
repeating the prayers for tho dying.
Upon renchlng tho cemetery there
was a slight wait until u cnrrlogo
drove up and discharged RIcnrdo Ruey
nnd Mother Jenks. MMie sergeant In
command of the sqund snluted nnd wns
brle'ly ordered to proceed with tho
matter In hnnd; whereupon ho turned
to Snrros, who with tho customary
sang frold of his kind upon such oc-1
cnslons wns calmly smoking, and '
bowed deprecntlngly. Snrros actually
smiled upon him. "Adlos, nmlgOH," he
murmured. Then, as nn afterthought
nnd probably because be was sufficient
of nn egoist to desire to appear a mar
tyr, he added heroically: "I dlo for
my country. May God have mercy on I
my enemies." I
(TO IH3 COHTINUKD.)
"Have a Tooth?" I
In the FIJI Islands n polished Ivory !
tnmbii, or whnle's tooth Is a symbol of
chieftainship, nnd ertremely vnlunblc, I
ns nny request 'nicked by nn exhlhl- '
Hon of n tnmbu Is theoretically
hound to he granted. Thus, If a Fijian
headman wishes to marry n neighbor- '
Ing chiefs daughter, ho sends a mes
senger first with tho precious tnmbu, j
supposing him to possess one. Neither i
the girl nor her father hns then nny ,
further choice- In tho mutter. The !
wedding has got to be. These ob i
Jects, ns may well bo Imagined, aro
Jealously guarded by their fortunato
possessors; and any Fijian, If well
enough off, will nurchoso ono from n '
foreigner for n largo sum. Tho na
tives never, or nt least very rarely,
can bo Induced to sell their tnmbus.
Tactful district commissioners fre
quently follow tho Fijian custom, and
when unking for hospitality on their
tours In tho Interior, send a whalo't
tooth with their messenger.
The Time.
"Is It admissible at any time for
a man to pay attentions to a married
woman?"
"Certainly. If she U bin wife
SPOKE 'OUT LOUD'
Presidential Language Emphatio
in the Extreme.
I
Under the Circumstances, However, It
Will De Understood, Not Intended
for Publication.
Cleveland was not u mnster of
KCholnrly eloquence, like Wilson, or of
vigorous epigram, like Roosevelt; yet
' on occasion ho could be fluent and on
I occasion witty. Of the two nnccdotea
that follow tho first shows his fluency,
I the second his wit.
I Mr. Jefferson Winter, namesake ol
tho famous actor, Joseph Jefferson,
who was Cleveland's Intimate friend
nnd fellow angler, tells the first story
Gray Gables, the Cleveland home,
nnd Crow's nest, tho home of the Jef-
fersons, were not far apart. While Mr
Winter was visiting at Crow's Nest
the men went Ashing.
Toward sundown, he says, we went
from the bass grounds where wu had
been fishing to a little lake hidden In
woods, owned by Jefferson and stocked
by him with trout. MMierc we wero
Joined by John G. Carlisle, Clove
land's secretary of the treasury; tall,
lank, pale-faced, saturnine, garbed In
black, wearing n "plug hut" and en
ergetically chewing tobacco tho very
picture of an old-time country lawyer.
Cleveland nnd Jefferson put out upon
the hike In n small boat, while Mr.
Carlisle and I remained on the bnnk.
Cleveland, ns Is well known, wns nn
lmmenso bulk of u man a sort ot
colossal Cap'n Cuttle, he appeared to
me. Ho and Jefferson stood In tho
boat, almost back to back, and whllo
both were casting at the same mo
ment they cnnio violently Into col
lision, stem on. Tho result wns that
Jefferson plunged overboard on ono
side, nnd Cleveland, ranking u vain ef
fort to seize nnd save him, lost his
own balance and toppled over on tho
other. I have heard home strlklnglj
ol Urinal, grabble ami vigorous lan
guage first nnd last; but I have never
henrd anything to equal the Impromp
tu dialogue between those two really
affectionate cronies, clinging to ojmo- '
site sides of tho half-submerged Hut
boa t.
Carlisle observed the aquatic disas
ter with exemplary calm and listened
to tho Interlocution with iittentlvu and
manifest admiration. Then he turned
a twinkling eye upon me and blandly
remarked: "Most eloquent, but wholly
ldlol"
So much for Cleveland's fluency,
now for his wit. Not eloquent, but by
no moans Idle, was Cleveland's brief
answer to a telegram that ho re
ceived whllo visiting at Crow's Nesl
during the fight for the Democratic
nomination lu ISO?.
It was from n seputor, himself nn
nsplrant for the presidency, who had
the political audacity, not to speak
of personal Impertinence, to tele
graph to the lending candidate: "Tho
time has now come for you, In the In
terost of your pnrty, to withdraw from
this contest." Cleveland showed tho
message to his host,
"What answer shnll you make?" Jef
ferson asked.
Without a word Cleveland took tho
telegraph blank, turned It over nnd
wrot6 tho reply on the back nnd be
fore giving It to the waiting messenger
handod It again to Jefferson.' This
was his messngo:
"Somebody hns been taking nn un
panlonnblo liberty with your name.
G. Cleveland."
It was thu neatest of rebukes, and
the most Impossible to resent
Youth's Companion.
No Cherries Without Birds.
Of course, there wouldn't he nny
cherries If there wero no song blrdfj.
The bird puts tho cherries on the tree,
why shouldn't ho eat his own cherry?
Thu farmer only holds a second mort
gage on that cherry. Ho may think
otherwise and kill tho bird; thou thu
bird won't get thu cherry and neither
will the farmer. Thu worm will get
tho cherry; the aphis, the slug, thu
mite, the blight, will get thu cherry,
and the farmer's second mortgage will,
according to John Burroughs, shrink
to nothing.
In other words, were the millions
of bushels of bugs which the song
birds consume for food In one season
released, the forests and onqy would
be presently wiped out, and with them
the life of tho people. San Fruncl.scu v
Chronicle.
Advance Guard of Tremors.
In the theory that the movements of
the enrth'H crust constituting an earth
quake begin on u very small scale, to
be followed later by thu greater ml
Justments thnt do tho dnmugv, Orlls
L. Kennedy of San Bernardino, Oil., h
believes that he can give earthquake
warnings by observing the cracks In
Inyurtf of cement, put down In certain
California districts. It Is asserted
that In this way Mr. Kennedy pre
dicted the qunko that destroyed part
of Ilemet nnd San Jacinto, Oil., some
thing more than a year ago. He Is
now planning to construct a ribbon
of cement about a foot- thick and
1.0(H) feet long for laboratory pur
poses.
Incidental Discussions.
"Illnim," said .Mrs. Corntosso), "you
don't tako as much Interest In polities
as you did last summer."
"Yes, I do." replied her husbnnd.
"But the new hired man Is such a lino
talker I'm afraid to say anything that
might start him for feur he'll demand
the salary of a lecturer."
