The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922, August 20, 1901, Image 2

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    THE PAUPERS
DEATH BED
Trend softly! bow the hond .
Iti rovcrcnt sltauco Imwl . -
No imKftini; bell doth toll;
Yrt mi Immortnt soul
1h passing now. '
' '
BlraiiRfr, howcvir great.
With lowly rovnrence bowl 1
TliBro'n tino In thnl poor shed A
0110 by that paltry bod 5-,
Greater thnn thou.
Iletionth thnt bejtffnr'ft roof, W
I.o! Douth doth keep his stntpl ,
ICntorl No crowds nttend ', :'
KntnrI No guards defend '
This pnlncu Rate. ',.('-
That pnvrmcnt, dump nnd cold,
No smiling courtlors trend; .1
Ono silent woman stands,
Lifting with mengar hands
A dying hcud,
f
No mingling voices sound '.
All Infant wall nlonei
A sob suppressed ami In
That short deep Rasp and then
Tho partlnir groan. '
Oil I change ohl wondrous cluuiKel
Hurst nro thy prison barel ,f
This moment thcro, ho low, !;
tio agonized nnd now
Ilcyond the stars.
011 1 change stupendous chnngot
There lies tho soulless clodl
Tho sun eternal breaks;
Tho new linmortul wakes
Wakes with Ills God.
mi. .uji .11 11 ' TT m. - " ' ' ' " ' .II ' ' 1
A Slleht Mistake.
BY WILLIAM M'LEOD RAINE.
'.Copyright, 1D01, by Dally Story Pub. Co.)
Garrison examined tho photograph
long and oarnostly, as tho dthlcs of tho
situation seemed to require.
"They're as protty as ponchos, and
as llko as two pons. I congrntulnto
you on your taste, old man."
"I'm glad you llko her look. I
mean her sister for you."
"Thanks, awfully. Dy tho way,
which Is tho sister? To mo thoy look
as much alike as tho two Dromios."
Make flushed. "Tho ueuco ot It Is
that. I don't know Gladys from Noll.
They'ro twins, you know. I mot Gladys
one Hummer In tho Adirondack. That
was two years ago, and though wo be
came engaged I havon't soon her
since."
"And when did you boo tho othor ono
last? What's nor numo Noll?" askod
Garrison.
"I never have soon her. Of courso,
I've heard n groat deal about hor from
Gladys In hor letters. Tn ono way It
1b Just the samo as knowing her."
"Oh yes exactly. No dlffcrcnco at
nil," rigrecd Garrison Ironically. "I
must say I llko your gonoroslty, Jim.
It Isn't every man would bo so froo of
his sIstot'B-ln-law as you arc You
show tho propor spirit. Considering
the extent of your acquaintance with
her she probably wouldn't thank you
for disposing of her matrimonially,
though. Girls are a little odd that
way. They llko to'moot tho man thoy
are going to marry boforo their friends
arr&ngp the details at least, that has
been, my experience with American
girls." ,
"Well, you may guy me nil you
please, Dob, but I'll bet a hat you nro
running after hor beforo a week la up.
She'll lead you a morry chase, too, It
she )n anything llko her elstor," re
turned tho other young man com
posedly,
x Robert Garrison examined tho
photograph again, and when ho hand
ed lfback said dryly:
'My friend, I see your finish. When
those girls get off tho train you won't
A Second Gladys Standing Doslde
Htm.
,Jnow one frqm. tho other, You'll got
rattled and make a mistake su.ro as
shooting. Go slow, my son, It doesn't
do to bo engaged to a girl and not
recognize hor whon you boo hor. I
don't know much about tljo sex, but I
think I know that much."
DIalce scoffed, "Oh, I'll know Glndys
whon I see her. What do you take
me for? Thoy are not so much nllko
as all that, and there is always the
ring as a last resort."
"Well, I havo known girls to wear
gloves, m you need not bank on tho
ring. No, you'ro going to put your
foot In It. Thero's a vorv tirottv dl-
lomma In tho situation. It would
novor do not to show your Joy at aeo
Ing hor, and It wouldn't do to raistnko
tho Identity of your lady. I only hopo
you Won't If I pa ttin wrnno nnn Tint.
tor tolograph to Chicago and toll your
miss -Harrison to wear a rod ribbon
round hor arm. Send It to tha donot.
and 't will catch hor on tho train."
With which advlco Mr. Bob Garri
son got up and danced n cheerful can-
A Noto and a Sphlnx-Ltko Smile.
enn on tho hearth, after which ho took
his. departure, promising to join IiIb
friend next day at thodopot.
Unfortunatoly Dlako was of a nerv
ous disposition, and ho began to con
coivo tho dreadful results ot making
a mistake. Ho told hlmsolf tho thing
was ImpOBSlblo, but it worried him
Just tho same. Two years aro two
years, nnd' In that time a girl develops
Into a young woman. Certainly In the
photograph he .could not make sure
which ot tho girls was Gladys. Somo
times It seemed to him that tho ono on
tho right was undoubtedly ahq, then
again ho was Just as suro that tho
other ono waa his betrothod. Ho had
seen her look exactly like both of
them. The more ho looked at It tho
moro It Boomed to htm that the two
pair ot dancing eyes in -tho photograph
challenged him mockingly for an an
swor. Finally ho throw It down In
despair.
"I'm making a mountain out of a
molehill," ho assured hlmsolf. "When
I soo tho girls I'll know which Is
Gladys fast enough. It's Just llko
Bob to try nnd worry mo nbout It,
I'll Just fool bin this trip."
Wovcrtholcsa ho found hlmsolf wip
ing tho drops of perspiration from his
brow at tho moro thought ot tho pos
sibilities. Ho did not llnd tho situation any
moro tolornblo noxt day at tho depot.
Bob, Garrison wna pn hnnd, full ot
bndlungo and advice aB to the bent
way of getting out ot It. Ho seemed
to tako it for granted that Blako was
going to make a mtBtnko, nnd by tho
tlmo tho train drew In Jim had allowed
himself to be badgcrod into a condi
tion in which ho wouul hardly have'
rocogntxed his own father.
Blako saw a vision ot lovollnoss de
scending tho car stopa which ho recog
nized at onco nB Gladys. Thcro could
bo ho doubt about It, and ho went for
ward with radiant faco and out-
siroicnou nana, uno oven woro a
brooch with a mlnlnturo set lu It on
tho bolt nbout hor waist which ha re
memborod to havo soon beforo. Jim
had always understood that It was not
tho propor thing to saluto a young
woman In a public place, but for this
one occasion he made an exception. Ho
was going to show Bob Garrison that
he was not so alow after all. A moment
later ho looked up to sco a second
Gladys standing bestdo htm with a
curious smilo on her Hps. For Just a
second doubt crossed his mind, but
then he roc6lloctod tho minlaturo and
smiled complacently. Out went his
hand to her In frauk brotherly greet
ing. Presently ho becamo awaro ot
Garrison hovering in tho background
shaking a fist at him, and Introduced
him with slight momentary confusion.
After which tho party gaily drove
homo In n cnb. , .,
Blako devoted hlmsolf to Mies
Gladys with n lover-llko ardor which
left nothing to bo desired. At, the
.houso tho young ladles left them for
a few minutes whtlo thoy departed for
their rooms to mako a chango of toilet
Luckily for Jim tho miniature was
still In evidence whon they returned,
so that ho was sure of 'his botrothod;
othorwiso, oven ho was forced to con
fess, thcro was not a pin to chooso be
tween thorn. While thoy hnd been
absent Jim had taken occasion to mako
somo remarks about the suro Instinct
of lovo for finding Its mate. Ho as
sured Garrison that one glunco Into
tho oyes of his Gladys had set hla
doubts nt rost entirely, with soma more
ot tho samo kind ot talk. As for Gar
rison ho simply grinned. nnd hoped
Jim had mado no mistake, because ho
expected to lay slcgo to tho vacant
heart at onco,
By what ho considered most adroit
management Blako succeeded in get
ting a mlnuto nlono with his sweot
heart In tho hall boforo ho left, but to
his surprlRO ho found that young wom
an somowhat coy, Tho reason for It
ho discovered n few minutes later. As
thoy woro going down tho stops hor
nlstor called him back and handed him
n noto and a svcct, sphinx-llko smile.
What tho noto suld was this:
Doar Jim:
Do you remombor onco tolling mo
that a woman had no senso of humor,
that bIio could not understand a Joko
and would not rccognlzo ono If sho saw
It talking down tho street? I made
up my mind thon to play n Joko on you
thnt you would nover forget. My poor
.old Jim! How toll It for laughing?
You havo boon making lovo nil night
to Noll, whom you havo nover seen
beforo. Flvo times you havo kissed
hor to my certain knowledge poor me,
who havo had to put up with ono
meager handshake. I want you to bo
good frlondB with my sister, but I
think you havo gone a little farther
tonight thnn tho conventions demand.
Tho mlnlnturo? Oh, I lent It to my sis
ter for tho occasion! I hopo you will
appreciate the point of this Uttlo Joke.
I am qultd euro that your friend Mr.
Garrison will see it. Please call to
morrow at throe and do not make
any mistakes In Identity. Good night,
dear old stupid Jim!
Your unklsscd sweetheart,
Gladys Harrison.
THE DREADED BACK DRAFT.
One or tha Wont l'erlls That Confront
tha Firemen.
Next to n dangerous collar flro
nothing lu more dreaded by the men
than what Is known In their own lan
gungo ns tho "back draft." ThlB Is a
sudilon veering of tho flames, usually
caused by the burning away of some
portion of tho building that gives the
flro renewed draft and changes Its
courso completely. Tho firemen arrive
and find tho whole second or third
floor of a building In flamoa. Axes In
hand, hoy smash open tho doors, and
with tho hoso dnsh up the stairway.
This Is nil a flro, and. tho flames aro
rolling nbovo like n red pnll. With
tho englno nt work nnd good pressuro
on tho line, tho Imttlo botweon tho two
elements flro and water begins.
Inch by Inch ..the men fight their way
up the stalrwny, now to retrcnt as tho
flro gains upon them, and now to nd-
vanco as It rolls away for a momont
Tho encournglng words of the com
manding officer are heard behind
them urging thorn on: 'JNow, get In,
boysl That's It get In get Inl Make
tho next landing! Hit It up boysl"
nnd nil the other words of oncourago
mont that ho usually gives. They
llnnlly reach tho landing. They aro
on the floor with tho flro. It rolls
toward them, an Impenetrable wnlj of
flro tho deadly bhok draft! Tholr
only chanco ot escape Is to throw
themselves upon their faces, In hope
thnt It may roll over them, or to hurl
themselves down tho stairs up which
thoy have bo gallantly fought their
way. Botter a broken leg or arm than
death by roasting, nnd the water of
fifty engines could novor Btay tho pro
gress of thnt awful wavo ot flame.
Many n hrnvo fellow hns lost hla llfo
In this mnnnor, nnd very often nil tho
mombors ot a company return with
tholr oyobrows, hnlr nnd board singed
off, bearing ovldenco that thoy havo
boon "kctchod," ns they express It, by
a Icbs terrible form of this deadly
draft. St. Nicholas.
Kccentrlo llrltlili Magistrate.
Sr Harry Polnnd, a British magis
trate noted for hid brilliancy, Is caro
1083 in hla dross. Onco hla family por
sunded him to go to Poole and order a
fauhlonubly-cut suit. To tho chngrln
of tho household Sir Harry looked
moro outlandish in tho now clothes
than In his old oneK. His brother-in-law
went to Bee Poolo nbout It. "It la
not my fault, sir," the tailor assured,
him. "Every caro wna taken, but how
could wo lit n gontloman who would In
sist upon being measured Bitting
down?" And tho only satisfaction thnt
could bo obtained from Sir Harry Po
lnnd hlmBolf Inter on wns tho dry com
mont: "Well, It's my business, nnd not
yours. I llko to bq comfortable. I
Bpond three parts of my llfo sitting
down, nnd I prefer to bo measured bo,"
Figures may not lie, but thero lu al
ways more or less, doubt about, tho ver
actlytirthq 'flgures o'n a gas meter. '
Commander Tilley of tho United
States navy hns been the first to show
to the world that Undo Sam enn gov
ern a colony wisely and well. For the
space of more than a year he haa been
absolute ruler over tho people ot Tu
tuila, subject only to the control of
the far-away administration In Wash
ington. Thcro nrc flvo Islands under
the control of tho United States. Tu
tulla, tho largest, has a population of
somo 4,000, and la of tho greatest Im
portance, because It posscscs the mag
nificent harbor of Pago Pago, tho Att
est haven In the south seas. Here all
tho war ships belonging to' Uncle Sam
could ride In safety without the slight'
est crowding, and here wo nro con
structing a magnificent coaling station
and pier, at a c,ost of over $300,000. In
deed. It Is safe to say that If It were
not for this harbor the United States
would nover have dreamed of acquiring
an Interest in the Samoan group. Ma
nila, with a population ot 2,000, comes
next, and then there nro the smaller
Islets of Tau, Olosanga and Ofu.
Of tho Islands nnd their Inhabitants'
Commnndor Tllley writes:
Tho naUes of TutuIIa arc naturally
CHIEF OF TUTUILA.
a kindly, gentle, simple-minded race,
nnd It was only due to' the lack of good
government that they developed war
like tendencies. The first thing I did
wns to disarm the natives. They gave
up their gunu readily enough without
compensation. I considered thnt the
best way to govern these people twas
to let them govern themselves. The
Samoans nre still In tho patriarchal
state; tho head Of each household Is
supremo ruler ot his own little fam
ily, and these chiefs, In turn, .form a
council which governs each' village.
Each town. Is practically independent
of the other, though thero is a parlia
ment, or fono, for overy district,
which, however, used to do little moro
thnn tnlk. My aim was to modify this
system so as to adopt Ihe plan which
has proved so successful in FIJI, of ap
pointing natlvo chjefs as local magis
trates, or governors, In encli district
Tho great trouble was the super
abundance ot material available. Near
ly every other man was a chief, and,
naturally, they all songht the coveted
positions. There was no question about
tho head chief, Mauga. He was un
doubtedly' tho man of highest rank in
Tutulln, but tho minor chiefs nll
Beomed to havo equal claims to prece
dence. However, after an exhaustive
genealogical research, wo got tho right
mon selected, and tho natives thein
solvea elected them magistrates. Then
we held a general council and very
sensibly the natives began to insti
tute tholr own reforms.
There were many injurious customs,
which had existed from tlmo Immemo
rial, which could only be abolished by
gonoral consent. Chief among these
was the practice of going on malnngas,
or largo picnic parties. A whole vil
lage would suddenly make up Its mind
to tako a wandering holiday. All work
would bo dropped and tho merry party
would start on Us travels. With the
Samoans tho virtue of hospitality is
developed to an excessive degree, and
It was tho bounden duty of each vll
logo to lavishly ontortaln tho visitors.
Dances woro held, all tho pigs were
killed and fun and feasting were the
order of tho day. This wont on as long
as tho supplies lasted, nnd whon tho
resources of ono vlllago gavo out tho
tourists moved on to tho next. Ot
courso, when the vinltors returned to
their homes this boundless hospitality
hnd to bo reciprocated, so that there
waB always a malanga going on some
whoro. This system led to a shameful waste
of food and induced Improvident hab
its. If n village hnd nothing to eat, It
would go somewhere olso and get food.
If, however, provisions were plentiful,
others would come and eat with them.
Thus, no ono over thought of laying up
stores for tho morrow, and If thero was
n gonoral falluro of tho crops tho na
tives often suffered severely from lack
of food. Tho first Council decided unan
imously to prohibit malangas, and tho
custom wns dropped at once, for tho
natives aro wonderfully law abiding
nnd obedient.
As tho Snmoans nro nnturally a vir
tues peoplo, I havo left tholr marital
customs undisturbed, except that It Is
now necessary to got n certificate of
permission from tho natlvo governor
bettor) the ceromony, Then tho couple
are free cither to go to a missionary
nnd have a religious service or to get
united in the old-fashioned native way,
fa'a. Samoa. Of course I hnve not in
terfered in any way with the religious
belief of tho people. Missionaries go
on with their work of evangelizing
nnd educating Just ns before tho nn
nexntlon. Tho London Missionary So
cloty hns by far tho largest number of
converts; In 'fact, In a religious sense,
It dominates tho group. Tho society,
which teaches nn absolutely unsecta
rlan form of Christian worship, has
churches and BChools nil over the isl
and, and a new high school for girls
has Just been completed at Leono nt
a cost of over 10,000.
The taxation question was n serious
problem at first, for Samoans, llko
most other people, naturally object to
bo taxed by others. Hero again I
turned to FIJI for example, and set
tled the matter by allowing tho natives
to tax themselves for their own bene
fit. Money was needed to defray tho
expenses of administration, nnd the
natlvo councils assessed each village
at what they considered n fair amount.
No money Is naked fbr, but each dis
trict must mako nnd deliver so mnny
pounds of coprn, tho dried kernel of
tho cocoanut, which Is tho chief natlvo
product. Formerly the nntlves could
only get a cent a pound from tho trad
ers for their coprn, but I havo sold It
by tender for nearly two cents. In
this way wo raise a revenue of nbout
$7,500, which Is sufficient to defray tho
modest expenses of our administration.
Manua.the other prlclpal Island over
which I have charge, Is some GO miles
from Tutulln, so that It Is more rarely
visited. I havo pursued the same pol
icy there, with slight modifications to
suit the pccullnr character of tho peo
pie. The Manunus, being so Isolated,
havo some strnnge customs, unknown
to tho rest of Samoa. They used to
havo a queen, whom thoy regarded
with tho greatest awo and reverence
They worshiped her so highly, Indeed,
that she was nover allowed to leave
her house, and was guarded closely
day and night. Tho poor girl natural
ly fell 111 under such treatment, and
ono night, a few years ago, the house
caught- Are and sho was suffocated.
Naturally, thero wore no other candi
dates for tho vacant crown, and, when
I took charge Manua wns getting along
as best she -could without a monarch.
I appointed a king, who, of courso, Is
In reality only a high chief, subject to
'ile
II Ta.WWUtT
A PATRIOTIC TUTUILAN BELLE,
rav control, hut the nntlvrn nro nultn
satisfied, nnd' havo now nbandoned the
custom of imprisoning their ruler.
Tho whlto population of tho group Is
very smnll.nnd Is not llkoly to Increase
much, as there nro fewopportunitles for
commercial development. ' Though tho
soli Is vory rich, tho country Is too
mountainous for cultivation, nnd thero
nro no largo level areas suitable for
plantations. The only native Industry
Is tho production of copra, which is
purchased by tho traders or exchanged
for European goods.
Franklin's Tomb Is Hlmplr.
Tho. vestry of Christ church In Phil
adelphia, replying to tho many sugges
tions for memorial tablets nt tho grnvo
of Benjamin Franklin, says; "It may
not bo generally known that tho grave
of Franklin, though simple, is what he
'.rtmsolf, In his will, dictated It to bo,
Tho church has for past yoarB main
tained a policy of kcoplug tho his
toric spot nB It Is."
Thoro lu a vast coal supply In Aus
traJla, which is almost unworked as
yet. - .
HOW TO TELL BOGUS MONEY.
An Eair Matter VThnn Certain Rulta
Aro llurne In Blind.
Talking ot counterfeiters puts me In
mind of one, a notorious rascal, who
was caught riot long ago In this city
while at his nefarious trade," said tho
ox-treasury official to tho Washington
Star. "Tho paper money this mnn pro
duced was absolutely perfect in overy
detail but ono thing, and It scorns
strange that a man of his knowledge
nnd experience of tho art of counter
feiting should not have known it"
Here the treasury official took a 1
bill from his pocket It was new- and
crisp nnd he pointed out a diminutive
letter C on the right under tho bill's
number and another down in tho othor
corner. "Now," ho continued, "I don't
Httpposo thero nre ten mon In a hun
dred outside the treasury department
who knows that these seemingly tin
neccssnry letters nro on United States
bills. And oven If they had noticed
them I nm willing to bet that not ono
of them could tell what they signify."
Handing nnothcr bill to tho reporter,
tho ex-treasury mnn nsked him to rend
tho Insf four figures. Thoy wero 5321.
The trenstiry mnn snld almost lnstnnt
ly, "The letter on thnt bill Is B," which
wns correct. Half a dozen other bills
were produced nnd when the treasury
mnn wns told the Inst four figures of
their numbers he wns nblo to tell with
lightning rapidity what letter would
be found on each bill. In ench caso
the letter was either A, B. C or D.
"The explnnntlon is simple," said he.
"If you take tho Inst four figures of
the number on any bill, no matter
what Its denomination, nnd divide'
them by four you wilt havo a remain
der of 0, 1, 2, or 3. If tho remainder Is
zero the letter on the bill will bo A.
If it is 1 the letter will be B. If it is
2 tho letter will be C and If it is 3 the
letter will be D. This Is ono of tho
many precautions taken by tho gov
ernment ngnlnst counterfeiters. You
cn toll Instantly whothor a bill, Is bad
or good by making thnt test. I would
n't give a 5 cent pleco for a $1,000 bill,
no matter 1iow perfect It Beemcd, If Its
llttlo letters jtlld not correspond with
tho remainder obtained by dividing
tho Inst four figures of its number by
four."
HELEN FORSYTH'S ODD
WAISTBELT SOLD.
A mngnlflcent specimen of New
Zealand greenstone, which Is extreme
ly rare nowadays, wns sold last week
at Messrs. Debenhnm & Storr's auction-rooms
in London. The stone,
which Is fashioned into a waistbelt,
waa tho property of thq late Helen
Forsyth nnd was sold for. $500. It Is
set in gold nnd the greenstone Is dec
orated with grotesque figures of Mnorl
deities... Somo ot the panels are set
with brilliants, forming monograms
and allegorical figures of birds. The
waistbelt wns a present to MIbs For
sytho and wns highly prized by hor.
Its orlglnnl coat Is snld to hnve ( been
$5,000. It wns abput tho last of her
effects to bo sold.
Stock Exchange Biting.
Wo havo n protty assortment of
fiSnng on tho Now York Stock Ex
change, but It 'Is not a marker to that
which is current in what Londoners
call their "house." Tho legalized
gambling institution in Cnpel Court
liaB many od.d nicknames for securi
ties. "Berwicks" are shares of tho
Nfct,hweatern Railway, "smelts' aro
English and Australian copper shares,
"pots" are Bhojcs of the North Staf
fordshire Railway; "muttons" aro the
Turkish loan of 1865, partly secured
by the sheep tax; "Morgans" aro tho
French ,'fl per cents, floated by that
Arm; "Slngapores" are the British In
dian, Extension telegraph shares,
"Yorks" arc Great "Northern Rail
way shares, "Leeds" are shares of tho
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway,
"Dovers" aro Southeastern Railway
shares, "Brums" are London and
Northwestern Hallway shares, "Co
hen" nro tho Turkish lonn of 18C9,
Aonted by the firm ot thnt name;
"dogs" aro shares of tho Newfound
land telegraph. Victor Smith in Now
York Press.
Hau Has night to Spit.
Tho laws and rules against expecto
rating in public places, as street cars,
ferry boats, waiting rooms, etc., nro
becoming moro and moro wldeaprend,
But a Now York Judge has mado a rule
which will either send tho anti-spitting
ordinances Into "Innocuous desue
tude" or create an unprecedented de
inand for cuspidors. Tho Judgo re
ferred to discharged threo men haled
beforo him on tho charge of spitting
on tho floor of a ferry boat Ho said
to tho officer who mado tho arrest:
"What'a the use of arresting these
men? You know wo will havo to dis
charge them whenever there is no ac
commodation such ns a cuspidor. Men
have to spit, and if cuspidors aro not
provided thoy havo to spit elsewhere.'
The French olive-growers have to
reckon moro and more with tho com
petition of tho olive-growers of Tunis.