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THE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER
TV. TV. SANDK11S, 1'ublUIier.
NEMAHA, NEBRASKA.
A DANDELION.
O, golden heart a-gleamlng In tho grass
On a fair morn o' May,
1 stooj) to touch you softly as I pass
Along tho common way. .
Thinking of ono blue-sky and whlto-cloud
day
When, froo from vexing care,
2 pulled ii ml curled your stems In childish
play,
And wove them In my hair;
Or breathed across your phantom seod
Hpliere thcro
With wonder nnd delight
To boo j oil, Hplrlt-llko, rise In tho air
And vanish out of sight;
Believing while I watched your shining
lllght,
Tho brooding, blessed Power,
Mysterious nnd silent as tho light,
Would bring you back, a llower.
Ah, sweet child-trust that bides through
sun and shower,
In wisdom all unskilled;
Alter long storms will come a fateful hour
Whon It thall bo fulllilcd.
IIopo's winged seeds, through all tho years
unchlllcd,
I'.looin In tho wayside grass,
Tho llower comes back and with heart
strangely thrilled
Wo bless It as wo pass.
Anno L. Muzzoy, In N. Y. Sun.
THE CJlUKCir MILITANT.
IJY 1JAK11Y 1'AIN.
As T pussod the vicarage, I thought
that It looked a likely place. I walked
on a few yards, nnd then it seemed
to me a pity not to see if the plaee was
.is good as it looked. So 1 went bael:
and asked at the back door if they could
give me a job of work.
The kitcheniunid said thoro wns no
work for me, and she was not Inclined
to alk. But she f etched me home bread
nnd cheese, and I had a uhauce to look
round. I marked the scullery window;
it was out of sight of the road, fas
tened with the usual simple catch, with
aio bars or shutters. A regular invito.
lion a window like that is. It seemed
to me n one-man job, and just as good
that night as any other night.
So that night, by half-past ten, I was
in the shrubbery of the vicarage got1'
den, smoking my pipe and watching
"the house. There was only one light;
it was in the study w indows downstairs.
At 11 o'clock that light went out and
another appeared in the upstairs win
dow. "That's all right," I said to my
belf. "Paruon's llnished writing his
sermon and gone up to bed." "When the
-whole house was dark, I went round it
once or twice, just to see how tilings
lay. I couldn't lln.1 anything bettor
"than the scullery window, but that was
quite good enough. I was impatient
io begin, but I did not consider it safe
-to start work until half-past twelve.
The window gave me more trouble than
I had expected; the catch was very
stiff, and 1 had nothing but my poeket
hnifo to force it back with. However,
I got it back at last and opened the win
dow very slowly, mi inch at a time, malt
ing no noise. Then I got in.
I no sooner got my feet down on the
scullery iloor thnn 1 was knocked head
long, and found a 13-stone weight on
my chest. I asked it, speaking under
dillleulties, to get off again. I was a
bit dazed, for I had come down hard
.and bumped my head, but I saw the
only thing to do was to sham drunk,
and I spoke thickly. I undid one end
of my collar, pulled my hair over my
forehead, hung my lower lip, and put
on a bleary stare. By the time that
man had got off my chest, struck a
match on the heel of his boot, and lit the
candle behind him, 1 looked a complete
drunk if ever any man did.
I could sec now that the man who
had knocked me over was He v. Wil
liam Lake himself. And the more I
looked at him, the more I felt sorry that
1 had overcome.
"Well," ho said, "you dirty little
ginger-headed, two-penny half-penny
scoundrel, what are you doing here?"
I hiccoughed and answered; "Tlior
thish was my housh nummer twenny
Willetsh Terrish. Ain't thish ri'7"
"That won't do," he said; "1 heard
jou round the house an hour ago or 1
shouldn't have been here waiting for
you. Besides, drunken men don't
open windows thut way. You're not
drunk. Drop it."
I thought about it for a moment, and
aw that there was a good deal in what
he said. So I dropped it. 1 fastened
1113' colhir again, sat up, and pulled oil'
my cap.
"Very well," I said, "then what's the.
move now?"
I suppose he saw my hand slipping
round, for he said, quickly; "Have you
.any weapons?"
"Bless you, no! I only "
Befora I could finish he was sitting
on me again. I tried a smash at him,
but lie caught my wrist and nigh broke
it. After that I didn't try again. It
wasn't only that he was bigger, heavier
nnd stronger than most men; he was
quick as light, and you could never
tell from his eye what he was going to
do next. He went all over me carefully
nd took my knife, and the shooter, and
iny jemmy, Then I saw that the game
was up.
"What a silly little liar you are!" ho
aald.
As I have said, I saw thnt it was all
up, and I couldn't make It any worse.
I was a good deal disappointed, nnd 1
had been roughly handled, and alto
gether 1 was not in the sweetest temper.
So I spoke out. I said that I did not
want any (adjective omitted) preach
lug from a (substantive omitted) like
himself. All I asked was what his (ad
jective omitted) move was.
"If you swear any more," ho said, "I
shall bo compelled to cause you consid
erable physical pain."
I had ii bumped head and a barked
elbow. 1 was fairly copped, and my
temper got the, better of me again. It
was foolish of me, but I may have
thought that he, being a parson, would
not actually strike me. Anyhow , I said
that if he wanted to know what he was
1 could tell him. I did tell him in four
words. I omit the words.
Never in my life have I had such a
thrashing as I got then. He hit only
with the open hand; if he had used his
lists he'd have killed me. There was no
getting away from him, and no giving
him anything back. It was ding-dong
nil over my fnce and head until 1
dropped in a heap, bleeding like a pig,
nnd nearly sick. J t finished me.
"You're boss," I said. "You can give
your orders. I only wanted to see."
He stood there smiling, as if he had
rather enjoyed himself.
"Pick up your boots," he said, "and
put them on."
On entering the window I had my
boots hanging round my neck by the
laces; they had fallen off when he first
knocked me over. While I was putting
them on he turned back his cull's nnd
washed his hands at the sink. When he
had llnished he pointed to the sink.
"There you are," he said. "You can
repair damages."
1 was bleodig from my nose, nnd from
a cut lip, but the cold water soon
stopped thnt. When I hud llnished lie
asked me if I was all right.
"Pretty well," I sahl. "I'm a bit
shaky on the legs that's all. You
gave me a good doing."
"Take the candle, then, and go In front
of me into the study. I expect you
know the way." Of course I did. Show
me the outside of any house, and the
inside is no puzzle to me.
He picked up my knife, the revolver,
nnd the small jemmy, and followed me
into the study. He lit the lamp, gave me
the knife back again, nnd locked the
revolver nnd the jemmy away in a
drawer.
"And now," he said, "won't you sit
down?" He spoke to me as if I were a
lady visitor. I sat down, and he, taking
a chair opposite me, began to 1111 a little
old clay pipe.
"I really can't make this out," he said,
"you're so small and clumsy. You've
got a nasty temper, but you're not very
plucky. What on earth made you think
of trying to be a burglar?"
"1 don't know,' r"I said. "But thorcV
one thing I'd like to ask you, and no dis
respect. What made you think of being
a parson a man of your build and
strength, and so handy with your fists?
I. ask pardon, but you might have done
better."
He didn't seem to take that as cheek
at all. For a moment he didn't answer,
and sat sucking his little clay. Then he
sighed am', said: "I have sometimes
thought so myself. But it is quite cer
tain that you might have done better.
How did you come to this?"
"I had no bringing up, and I rend
penny trashy novels."
He tapped his foot impatiently on the
carpet. "Well, well go on."
"Then I was led away by bad com
panions and took to drink and gam
bling, and not knowing what it was to
have a mother's tender "
He got up nnd interupted me. "Now
drop all that," ho said. "I want facts;
tell me the story of your life. How did
you come to this?"
Partly from admiring the man, and
partly from whim, I did not tell him the
story, and told him the plain truth too.
It was pretty strong, but I left nothing
out, and he never stopped me. When 1
had llnished he thanked me.
"Then," he said, "coming of decent
people, and with a fair education and a
good chance in life, you none the les-.
have been from your earliest boyhood
just about as bad as you are now bad
all through always bad."
"That is about the mark," I answered.
Then 1 thought to myself that it would
be one of two things either he would
take me out and hand me over to the po
lice, or else he would ask me to join him
in prayer. I expected the latter. He
did neither. He walked up and down
the room, with his hands behind him,
saying to himself : "And I preach ser
mons sermons sermons!" Suddenly
he smiled again in that queer way of
his. "You've kept me up very late," he
said, "and in consequence I've become
uncommonly hungry. What do you
say? Will you come and help me to get
us some supper? Very well, then, come
quickly. I don't want to wake the rest
of the house."
So 1 went with him into the kitchen
and carried things from there into the
study. He laid the table clean, white
cloth, silver forks and everything of the
best. There was a cold game pie, a ripe
Stilton, and a bottle of Burgundy. 1
never had a better supper in my life. He
passed me everything I wanted nnd tilled
my glass. For the life of me 1 couldn't
help grinning.
"Now then," he said, "what's amusing
you?"
"1 was only thinking, thnt's all. It
seems a queer way for a person like you
to treat a chap like me. 1 came here to
crack this crib, you fairly get me, ami
no word about the police never a
word. First you give mo a thrashing
and then you give me supper."
"Well, you can't deny that you want
ed them very badly. What else should
a parson have done? What did you ex
pect? Tell me honestly."
"Speaking honestly, 1 expected more
talk more parson-talk, you know."
"And what do you mean by that?"
"Why, the sort of thing 1 was always
hearing when I wns a boy about the
sinfulness of it, and repenting, and
hell."
"Do you think It would do you any
good if I talked like that?"
"Well, no."
"Nor do I." He chnnged the subject
then, and told me that there was a good
chance for work at Knton mills. They
were short-handed there for the mo
ment, and he could give me a line to the
foreman. "You tell me," he said, "that
you are interested in machines, nnd
know a little about them; that might
help you. If you can do anything at all
speeial anything, for instance. In the
way of repairs, when some trifle goes
wrong they'll soon find it out. Siniirt
men that go there stop, and work their
way up. It's the rarest thing for them
to be short-handed In fact, you're in
luck,"
I thanked him, of course. I had
meant, if lie let me off, to go to Enton.
But 1 had no Intention of going near the
mills or getting regular work of any
kind. However, I did not want to worry
him by telling him that I preferred my
own way of living, especially as he
seemed so pleased with the Idea about
the mills. After supper he sat down
and wrote a line or two to the foreman,
whom he seemd to know well. As he
was writing it, the clock struck three.
"You will start at once," he said, "so as
to be there early. You won't be able to
work that day, after being up.all night,
but you can begin work the next day.
It's important that you should apply
early, before everything s filled up."
1 thanked him again, and asked him
to put me on the right road. What 1
wanted was to get him out Into the
dark, lie came out of the house with
me, showed me which turn to take, and
said good-by. "Come and see me ngaln.
1 have much more to say to you when
the right time comes." 1 thanked him
and said good-by.
I walked until I heard his frontdoor
shut, nnd tlien I ran just about as hard
as I could go. I passed one policeman,
and he tried to stop me, but I dodged
him and got away. I was on the out
skirts of the villnge then, and once past
him I had a lonely country road and
nothing to fear.
You see, while I was on my back I
had noticed the parson'n watch chain.
I took care not to look at it again, butl
kept it in my memory. While he was
saying good-by to me in the dark I got
an easy chance. The parson's gold
watch and chain were in 1113' trousers
pocket, and he never had the least
notion when I took it. My notion was
now to get to Enton nboutflve, and take
a workman's train on to Waterloo.
I chuckled to myself. llal called me
a ginger-bended scoundrel, stopped me
swearing, spoiled my little game and
given 1110 a thrashing, but I had the bet
ter of him in the end. There was his
watch and chain in my pocket, and in
less than four hours 1 should be hand
ing them over to Ike and getting three
or four sovereigns for them.
As I walked along It gradually began
to grow light, and somehow or other 1
lost my spirits. I stopped chuckling;
the more 1 thought about the neat way
that I had scored oil' that parson the less
I felt inclined to lnugh about that or
anything else. 1 got angry about 110th
ing. it may seem queer, but I was
angry with the parson for having stood
out there in the dark, close against me,
nnd given me my chance. 1 called him
all the names I could lay my tongue to
for his foolishness. I was just as angry
with myself, though, for no sensible
reason. Then I began te get nervous,
and took fancies, thought I heard steps
coming after me, and imagined there
was a policeman waiting to catch me
behind every big tree I passed. I didn't
enjoy that walk. 1 wished to heaven
that parson had taken me out by the
.scrufT of my neck and handed me over to
the police when lie first caught me,
though I don's know why I wished it.
"Who wants this blooming ticker?" 1
said out loud, pulling it outof my pock
et. "Strike me if I don't pitch it over
the hedge and be done with it!"
But 1 didn't. I pulh.d myself to
gether, and argued with myself. "If
you can aiford to throw money away,"
I said to myself, "that's the first I've
heard of it. You just plug on until you
get to Knton station, nnd don't give
way to such silliness." It's easier to
argue with yourself than it is to make
youself see the force of it. I went on,
but couldn't stop thinking. I wished 1
had never come near the vicarage. J
wished T had got my shooter out nnd
finished the parson on sight. 1 wished
I had never been born, 1 wished I was
dead. The farther 1 went the more
down-hearted I got. 1 had never felt
anything like it before.
At last I had done my nine miles and
stood outside Enton station. I stood
there for about a minute, and then 1
made' up my mind. "I chuck this," I
said, "and take that forsaken ticker
back to the parson again."
I was as tired as a dog when I got to
the station; but as soon as I had made
up my mind that seemed to pass oil. 1
made my way back n good deal quicker
than I had come. The sun shono and
the birds sang, nnd yov could see wo
were hi for it rare fine day. I met some
worklngmen on the road, nnd passed a
good morning to them. 1 could have
said good morning to the very policemen
thnt 1 li.td dodged a few hours before,
and not been afraid of him. I felt afraid
of nothing, and up to lighting any man
of my own weight.
As I drew near the vicarage 1 didn't
feel quite so chirpy. 1 had a nasty job
before me, but I made up my mind to
go through with It. They told 111c the
vicnr hnd breakfasted early and was
In his study, and would see mo there.
The vicar was standing up when I
went in, with his hands In his breeches
pockets and that curious smile on his
face. He looked a fine man.
"Good morning!" he said. "You're
soon baelc."
I put the watch and chain on the
table. "I I I've done a damned dirty
trick, and I'm ashamed of myself."
"Ah!" he said; "this is good. This
v a start."
He went on with what I suppose some
people would have called a parson-talk,
and I had that feeling In my throat us
If I were swallowing eggs whole until
1 could stand It no longer. But I needn't
go into that.
An hour afterwards T was on my way
again at Knton Mills-and he with me.
Idler.
A KING'S TOE NAIL.
t)no of King Victor ICiniimnuol's I'roHoutcil
t. 1 1 lit WIN-.
An Interesting story is told In regard
to the latu Victor Einniaiuiers toenail.
A few days after the death of King Vic
tor Emmanuel, King Humbert sent for
his half brother, Count Mlruflori, an
ollleer in the Italian army. Every one i is
aware oMhe fact that sons of royal
marriages do not look with favorable
eyes at the offspring of morganatic
marriages. Humors of the quarrel;)
caused by this onuilly had more than
once found their way through the
palace gates. .Count Mlruflori arrived
at the Quirlnal in an anxious frame of
mind. "I have promised his majesty,
my father," said King Humbert, "to
continue your pension of 10,000 francs
11 month that he was in the habit of
giving you. 1 hope some day to bo able
to give you the capital of this Income,
here Is a case containing two pistols
that belonged to the king. Keep them
in remembrance of him and this I beg
you to take to your mother. It Is his
toe nail, surrounded with diamonds.
The king has had It mounted expressly
for her."
A toe nnil surrounded by diamonds!
What kind of a relic could that be? It
Is a talisninn. Victor Emmanuel let
one of his too mills grow for a whole
year, and on January 1 he cut this
curiosity, which was about three quar
ters of an inch long. A jeweler gave to
it the polish and brilliancy of the stone
ailed eat's-eye and mounted it in :i
gold setting with diamonds. The king
was in the habit of offering this strange
jewel to his wife and Countess Bosiiie
had as many its 11 of them. The 15th
nail presented by King Humbert to
Count Mlruflori had been cut January
1, 1878, and the jeweler had not hail
time to prepare it, for Victor Em
manuel died a week later. AVas this
talisman supposed to ward oil' sudden
death? It is very prolmtdc, for 15
years before his death n, popular pre
diction had announced that Victor
Emmanuel would die "colic scarpe,"
with his shoes on, and sure enough the
king did breathe his last while sitting
in an arm chair and In full dress. Cin
cinnati Enquirer.
THE PERCEVAL MURDER.
A l'ronlHitlo Droiiui ami Its Fullllliuuiit
In 1HV,,
One of our contemporaries revives n
curiously prophetic dieam and its ful
filment with regard to the murder of
Mr. Percrval, the prime minister, in
KS1L'. Mr. John Fox, a great mining
contractor in Cornwall, was on a visit to
a friend atltcdrutli; and on theniglitof
his arrival he dreamed most vividly that
he was in the house of commons, nnd si t
ting on one of the benches 111 the lobby
waiting for a member to giva him a
ticket of admission. A man was sitting
next to him who seemed Mry restless,
and constantly asked for Mr. Perceval.
Then the murder took place, a great
confusion arose, tho murderer was
caught, and his name Belliugham
elicited.
The dream at this point ended. Mr.
Vox had never been in the house of com
mons, never seen either Perceval or
Belliugham. His friends noticed Ills
disturbed state of mind the next morn
ing; but, on hearing the pni ticulara of
the dream, not unnaturally laughed at
It. The papers, however, soon eon
firmed it In every detail; and as the
story of the dream spread far and wide,
Mr. Fox was sent for to come to Lon
don', and immediately taken to the
house of commons. He immediately
pointed out tho bench he had sat upon
in his dream, the door through which
Mr. Perceval had entered, the exact,
spot where the murder was committed,
nnd also described the appearance of
both the victim and Belllnghain down
to the clothes both had worn.
in Sir John Bennick's autobiography,
in 18:25, it is related that the story of
Mr. Fox's dream had been heard by
him nnd his father, and was implicitly
believed, owing to tho high repute in
which Mr. Fox was held.-Newcastle
Chronicle.
HOUSE-CLEANING TACTICS.
Hint for 31cHlng tlio Annual Trlul with
C'ciiupiinitlvo Kane.
According to n long-established tra
dition, house-clennlng Is Imperfectly
done If comfort Ih permitted a foot
hold in the house during tho period
ot denning. Tho tradition Is utterly
and absurdly wrong. The "now" home
maker she wns evolved from a col
li go girl has proved it so. Shu hart
discovered tbat the spring rites to the
goddess of eloftnllncsn may be offered
with much system and little upheaval.
How she manages will be told in a short
series of articles, of which thle is thu
first.
Tho wise housekeeper cleans from tho
top toward tho bottom. If the lower
rooms arc cleaned first, they will bo
more or less soiled later with the dust
from the upper regions, which has an
tmplcuHiuit habit of sifting through
closed doors, Tho garret is thu first
part of the house which should receive
attention.
According to tho same principle, ceil
ings and walls should be the first part
of each room to bo renovated. It re
quires only 11 little common sense to
see that thu kalsomlnlng of u ceiling
after carpets have been laid or floors
polished is apt to be disastrous to the
carpets or floors.
Those parts of the house which nro
used as storerooms, such hb attics and
cellars, require particular attention.
They need more soap and water, more
quick lime nnd more dusting than the
rest of the house to counteract thu ef
fect of laokof air and sunlight through
out the year. When the garret Is to
bo cleaned, therefore, the hygienic
housewife removes, If possible, every
thing from the room. (hirmcntti should
be shaken vigorously in the nir and
hung out in the sunlight. Chests should
be carried Into the yard and dusted out
with a cloth dampened In n mild solu
tion of carbolic acid. They should then
bo exposed to the sunlight until they
lire perfectly dry. As much as possible
of the clothing should bo disposed of,
nnd that which remains should be
wrapped In paper and returned to thu
chests. Tho lid of each chest should
have pasted or tacked inside a list of
its contents.
While thu contents of the garret arc
being freshened in the back yard or on
the roof, the storeroom Itself should bo
thoroughly cleaned. If It Is plastered,
n coat of whitewash will do wonders
toward clearing the atmosphere. If it
Is merely lathed, the lathes should bo
swept and dusted with a cloth wrung
out In a solution of carbolic acid. The
floor should be'treated in the same way.
Then when thu room is dry Its coti
tcnts should be returned to It and placed
lis neatly as possible in a well-regulated
attic.
The bedrooms, which should be taken
in order, mid not all at once, should ho
examined for useless or decrepit furni
ture. The former should bo disposed of
in whatever way the thrift of the owner
may decide. The disabled furniture
should be sent to a repairer's.
If carpets are used In the bedrooms
which Is something liygienists forbid
they should bo taken up, and not
cleaned on the floor. They may be sent
to the renovating establishment or re
stored to their original statu at home.
A thorough shaking and beating pre
pares them for tho removal(of stains,
(reuse spotu may bo removed by chloro
form. An old-fashioned but effective
method of cleaning an entire carpet
which has grown dingy Is to spread
it on the floor, sprinkle it with pared
and grated raw potatoes and rub these
over it with a stiff new broom. When
the potatoes are removed, the carpet
should be allowed to dry thoroughly .
Philadelphia llecord.
I'llllMipplo Dimitcrt.
A delicious dessert for a dinner or a
sweet disli for 11 luncheon is made from
grated pineapple prepared In tho fol
lowing way; After grating, drain tho
fruit by spreading it out on a sluvo.
Beat the whites of three eggs to n
froth, and add to them gradually three
tablospoonfulH of powdered sugar; beat
until stiff; then flavor with a teospoon
f ul of good sherry and a touspoonful of
orange juice. Whip one pint of cream
and stir or fold It n little at a time into
the egg and nugar mixture. Add tho
grated piueupplo a little at a time and
carefully, and serve in punch-ghmses
or custard-cups with fresh macaroons.
Servo very cold. N. Y. Post.
Kngngomoiit Kllpn.
The modern woman, with her mul
titudinous activities, needs an engage
ment list. Her desk should be pro
vided with one. If her means do not
permit her to indulge in u silver-framed
affair, shu may make a very good sub
Btltuto by removing the ghuss from u
leather-bound cabinet photograph
frame and substituting a piece of white
falate. On the slate the days ot thu
week should bo painted in color match
ing the leather, and the engagements
111113' he jotted down in pencil opposite
euch day. St. Louis Itcpuhllc.
An Krror uf .ludgiiiont.
Husband Somebody lias stolen a
wholo layer of thesu cigars.
Wife I gave them to the servants.
Husband Why did you do that?
Wife You said they were domestic
cigars, and I thought they must be In
tended for the use of the domestics.
Texas Sifter.
Accidental deafness may result
from inflammation or ulceration of tha
mucous membranes.