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THE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER'
W. W. SANDKK3, l'ubllhir.
NEMAHA, -
NEBRASKA.
A BABY'S DECREE.
"Tho dog that came to our houso was of sad
and mournful kind,
Ho sat down by the kitchen door and waited
thero and whined,
.'And, hearing him, tho girl went out nnd
threatened him with coal,
'Ami ho withdrew himself from view In
silent, gloomy dole
'Ho was a homely looking cur, patched In
with whlto and black
Ho waited till tho girl was gono and then
came slowly back;
So cheerless was the vagrant beast, so void
of grace or charms,
'That I, myself, expelled him then with
sound of llcrco alarms.
'That homeless, spotted, tramplsh dog, was
most persistent. Ho
Lingered outside tho yard until tho gate
clicked alter me,
.And then my wife's nuthorlty when I
ran for the train
.Ho came again, and was rebuked by her In
bitter strain.
But, lol as down the yard ho moved at
mournful, slinking pace,
.'Around tho fold of mamma's dress thero
peered a baby face,
JAnd then my boy declared himself with
noisy, Joyful whoop:
'A doggie turn to play wlf mo!" and scam
pered down tho stoop.
Now listen this Is passing strange; that
evening at tho gate
A dog, all patched with whlto and black,
met mo with bark elate,
And, guarded by tho merry girl, my boy
approached In glee,
And from tho porch his mother smiled most
shamelessly at me.
fTho
probato court Is mighty In Its man
dates and decrees,
But
there are legal processes that doublo
discount these,
And
when a baby Indicates a purpose and
Intent
Jn which adoption figures thero Is room for
no dissent.
Chicago Record.
MR. BARNES' WILL. ..
A great many
stories have been told
bout wills.
In fact, if it were not for the lost
-wills, the forged wills, the stolen will?,
.and the wills that have turned up just
at the right moment to avert untold
misery, the storehouse of iletion would
3iave space for sale.
I therefore feel that in telling still
another tnle nbout a will I urn imposing
on u long-suffering public. 1 fully un
derstand that it, would be only natural
for people to say:
"Look here, we arc sick of wills; es
pecially those in which we are notmen-
iioncd. If you must tell fcoraething,
iell it about love, adventures, halr-In-eadth
escapes or desert islands, and
let wills alone."
But there are two things that lead me
,to defy popular opinion nnd tell the
utory anyhow. One is that it really isn't
half bad, nnd the other is that both Bob
bins and Fox have asked me to make the
matter public, so that they will be set
right in the eyes of the community.
Only last week Bobbins came to me
.and said:
"Perkins, that business about old
.Barnes' will is n first-rate joke on Pox,
and I don't see why you don't write it
up for the papers. You needn't mention
toc at all, you know, except to correct
any false impressions."
"All right," said I, "if it will please
yon I will do it, of course. As yousuy,
it's an elegant joke on Fox."
Night before last when I was down at
the Octopus club, Fox drew me into n
corner and said in a confidential whis
per: "Perkins, why don't you print that
thing ubout old Barnes' will nnd show
p Bobbins? It's a mighty good thing
on Bobbins, nnd if you tell it right it
will make people laugh. The facts
-ought to be known anyhow."
I said : "Fox, I've been thiukingnbout
-that myself, and I've concluded todoit."
"That's right," said he, as we strolled
downstairs to take, on Fox's invitation,
a cold bottle. "That's right, nnd if
bobbins finds out you're doing it nnd
tries to make you stop, tell him to go to
thunder."
Both Fox and Bobbins arc bookkeep
ers by occupation, Fox working for a
wholesale grocer on Front street, nnd
Bo?bins being engaged in n gigantic
hardware emporium, where he is
obliged to rein his poetic fancy and keep
liis mind fixed on nails, stoves, flattrons
and other vulgar necessities. It is only
once a year, and then but for the short
space of some fourteen days, that they
are nble to escape from the bonds of
business and give free scope to the
reckless fancies with which they are en
dowed. By nn ingenious system of swapping
with their fellow employes they gener
ally mnnage to secure their vacations at
the same time, nnd then go just as far
from home ns their pocketbooks will
permit, in order that they mny pose ns
two prominent young plutocrnts, nt n
minimum risk of detection. They hnve
confessed to me that they find this pro
pensity nn expensive one, and that its
gratification entails a great deal of self
denial during the evil and uneventful
fifty weeks which they are compelled,
by a cruel destiny, to spend upon their
native heath. It seems only fair to sup
2ose, therefore, that their holiday com
prises a very vivid nnd entrancing fort
night as it recompenses them for so
.much.
Lust summer 'they went, on the
urgent suggestion of Bobbins, to Bar
Harbor. Bobbins said he had heard a
great denl about that place, and he
wanted to see if it was what it was
cracked tip to be. It had a nobby sort
of a name, anyhow, nnd hu believed it
would sound first rate for Fox and him
self to soy they summered there. If
it didn't come up to expectations they
could take a run down to Newport or
Capo Muy, where they would bo pretty
sure to find some society that was con
genial. Fox, having no violent predl
ection for any other plncc, they locked
up their rooms, hid the key where neit h
er they nor anyone else could by any
chauco find it again, nourished five
months' salary beneath the Impassive
glare of the ticket agent, and went.
II.
They hndn't been gono mora than a
week when I received a letter, of which
Bobbins had written onc-hulf nnd Fox
the other, in which they said that Bar
Harbor wus a bang up place, full of elite
people like themselves, and, although
they had at the dato of writing been
there only a day and a half, they had al
ready been social lions at a reception,
bathed with n man worth $18,000,000,
and rescued a bank president from
drowning.
This last item had a ring of heroism
about it which conflicted with my pre
conceived notions of Fox and Bobbins.
It subsequently proved, however, that
they had saved a man, and tho presi
dent of the Surplus national bank at
that. That this oid gentleman, whose
name- was Barnes, William Barnes, had
in some way got out of his depth, nnd
wos going down in the conventional
way for the third and last time, when
Bobbins, who is first cousin to the
Washington monument, and can wade
around where nn ordinary man would
bo completely under, rushed up to him
and dragged him to the beach. There
1? l.r Ittwl Iwkjitt innr1tT,rr n linnl.
called "How to Besuscitate the Partial
ly Drowned." blew down his throat,
jerked his legs and arms, punched him
in the stomach.nndsmackedhlmallcver
with a shingle, until the man, in sheer
desperation under these indignities, re
covered. He was very grateful, as was
only natural, nnd told Fox nnd Bobbins
that he could sec it would be nn insult
to offer them money (for which keen
perception they privately cursed him),
but he gave them each a diamond ring,
nnd strongly hinted that he would re
member them further nt some other
time.
He invited them to his house, intro
duced them to his family, which was not
extensive, ns it consisted of one daugh
ter, and so turned their heads by his
.little efforts to show his gratitude that
they became mere bundles of unmiti
gated conceit. At the imminent risk of
losing their situation and forfeiting
their only enrthly menus of support,
they prolonged their vncntion two
weeks beyond its proper limit, Fox tel
egraphing to the grocery and the hard
ware store that Bobbins was afflicted
with a high fever, and that he was nurs
ing him, nnd that he would bring him
home at the earliest possible moment;
a condition of things thnt did not co
incide well with the healthy glow and
plump appearance of Bobbins when he
returned to his desk one month after
leaving it.
"As a matter of fact, Perkins," said
Fox to me one evening shortly after
their return, "it was a mighty risky
thing to do, but I simply couldn't tear
myself nway. I don't mind telling you,
in confidence, thnt it's pretty much a
settled thing between Miss Barnes nnd
me, and, of course, under the circum
stances, I just had to stny."
Now this rather surprised me, as 1
hardly though there had been time for
nnything so serious as that; but Fox
explained that he was no slouch when
it came to love making, nnd that it was
all just ns he said, but that I imibt not
say anything about it yet, particularly
to Bobbins, "because," 'soid he, "Bobbins
has got a fool idea that the girl is stuck
on him, which is all nonsense.
This prophecy about Bobbins proved
to be entirely correct. I came across
him that same evening gazing in a medi
tative way at the ground and poking
holes in it with his walking cane.
"Bobbins," said I, "you look as though
vou had something on your mind.
What's the matter?"
"Why, the truth is," said he, "I have
got something on my mind, and if you'll
promise to keep it quiet I'll tell you
about it."
"I won't soy a word to anybody," said
T, "if you don't want me to. What is
it?"
Bobbins looked carefully up and
down the street and then toward the
sky, ns if he thought there might be
some one evaesdropping in a balloon,nnd
then sold:
I am thinking about getting mar
ried." "Ho!" said I, "is that so? Whom are
you going to nmrry?"
"Why, u girl I met at Bar Harbor,
Miss Barnes, you know. By George.
Perkins, she's a girl among a thousand.
Of course, we haven't got the day fixed,
or anything like that, but it's all right."
"You haven't got any rivals, have
you?" said I.
"Not one," said Bobbins. "Fox has
nn idea that he has a cliancn witli her
hlnfself, but he's a conceited idiot.
Don't you think we might go and take a
ball?"
These disclosures possessed a certain
amount of interest. Barnes being a
millionaire, his daughter was rather a
valuable prize, aside from her charms of
person, which Bobbins lu.d been in-
clined to dilate upon. However, it was
no nffnlr of mine, so I left Fox nnd Bob
bins to their own devices, which un
derstood consisted largely in frustrat
ing tho detective efforts of a shipping
clerk in the hardware house who had
been deprived of his vacation entirely
by the long absence of Bobbins, and
who displayed a dangerous inclination
to probe tho whole thing to the bottom.
TABT HI.
It must have been about six weeks or
two months after all this that J was
seated one day in my office when the
door was filing violently open and in
rushed Fox and Bobbins in a slate of ex
citement that can only be described as
tumultuous.
Fox had a telegram which he attempt
ed to read, but Bobbins, being appar
ently very anxious to snatch it away
from htm nnd read it himself, he woa
not able to convey Its contents very
clearly. Finally, at my urgent request,
they stopped their seullllngnud became
a little bit rational.
"Barnes is dead," said Fox, sinking
into a chair.
"Dead as Hamlet," echoed Bobbins,
"and he's left us $20,000 apiece."
"Hut only on condition that neither of
us marries his daughter," they con
tinued together with the expression of
deeply injured and defrauded men.
This was information of such a start
ling nature that it was several moments
before I was able to thoroughly digest
it.
"Fox," said I, finally, "what made
him put that in?"
"How do I know," wild Fox, "unless it
was that he got disgusted at the way
Bobbins used to hang about tho girl
when everybody could sec that he was
not wanted. Maybe it wns only not
urnl, but it's confounded unfair to me."
"Well, I never saw such a conceited
ass as you are," put in Bobbins. "Why,
you hung around there yourself until
everybody was sick of the sight of you.
Why should they care anything for you,
anyhow? I saved the man's life. All
you did was to beat him with a stick un
til he was block and blue, and they
didn't have a bit of use for you, either
one of them."
"You talk like a lunatic," said Fox.
"You let the man lay around in the wa
ter until ho was practically as dead as
Hector, and then lugged him ashore and
sat down and watched me bring him to
life. Maria Barnes never would have
married you, and you needn't think it."
"Well, now, see here," said 1, "if this
will wasn't in existence all the man's
property would go to his daughter, and
whoever married her would get the ben
efit of the whole business."
"That's very true," said Fox and Bob
bins, "but the will is in existence."
"Perhaps it can be broken," said I.
"Why, that's a fact," said they, and
the more they thought about it the more
enthusiustic they got. I suggested to
them that it might be well to take their
$20,000 and let well enough nlone, but
they wouldn't hove it. Fox said that,
of course, it would he pretty hard on
Bobbins, who wouldn't get anything at
all, but he wasn't going to lose a fine
girl, worth a cool million in her own
right, for any measly $20,000, and Bob
bins said Fox had been talking in an
impudent and disagreenblo way, and
he wns going to get even with him by
scooping the whole outfit. In this
frame of mind they went off to hunt up
a lawyer.
About two weeks afterward they
came back looking very disconsolate.
They had procured a copy of the will
and taken it around to a number of legal
lights who hod severally and jointly de
clared that it was on absolutely un
bankable instrument. It had evident
ly been drawn up, they Raid, with
the utmost care, and any attempt to
dispute its provisions was bound to re
sult in an ignominious failure.
"Well," sold I, "the onlj'monwhocan
break a will like that is the one who
made it. Ho you know who he was?"
"Why, yes," said Bobbins, "it was
drawn up by that fellow Peters, who
used to go out riding with Miss Barnes.
You remember him, don't you. Fox?"
"Of course, I remember htm," said
Fox. "Begular crank, though, and I
never thought much of him. I don't
see how a fellow like that ever man
aged to draw up such a good will."
"Well," said I, "I think you'd better
write to him about it, anyway, and see
what he says."
"Oh, nil right," said Fox, "I'll write to
him, and I'll come around and tell you
what he answers."
In about ten days Fox put In an ap
pearance quite radiant with joy.
"Look here," said he, producing a let
ter. "Here's a letter from Peters in
which he says he has had the matter of
old Barnes' will under consideration,
and he Is of the opinion that there are
several fatal flows in it which invali
date it completely, ne says if we are
willing to put up the necessary costs for
entering suit he is confident that the
thing can be broken into 10,000 pieces.
It won't be worth a continental cent."
Fox waved his arms and grew quite
lurid u he described whatPeters would
do to the will.
"I was deceived in that chap," said
I 'ox. "He's a downright clever fellow."
The cost of court proved to be a lit
tle bit steep, but both Bobbins and Fox
put up their money with a great dis
play of nerve and confidence. As for
Peters' fee, Bobbins said lie would pay it
.ill afterward, as it would be hardly fair
to expect Fox to put up money for some
thing he didn't get. Fox said It would
J be u healthy thing for Bobbins if he
made him pay half the fee onywaj', but
that he knew he wouldn't hove the heart
to do it. The process of contesting the
will, guided by the experienced hnnd of
Peters, went along very smoothly.
Point after point was scored by this
astute logician, who traversed little by
little the labyrinth of the law. Between
Fox and Bobbins there arose, as the end
drew near, a decided coolness. They
passed one another on the street wltti a
haughty air, and no longer frequented
together the economical lunch houso
where they had been accustomed to re
galo themselves. When they visited
mi! they came separately and spoke of
each other with evident distrust and Ill
feeling. It was therefore with considerable as
tonishment that 1 came across them one
day as I was going through the pari;
seated together on a dilapidated green
bench, Fox with his head on Bobbins
shoulder and Bobbins with his nnm
around Fox's neck. Their eyes word
closed, and they appeared quite lost tp
this world and all its variegated con
tents. Lying at their feet was an open
letter. In Idle curiosity 1 picked it up
and read it. It said:
"ftlcssrs. Pox and Bobbins: Dear Sirs
Tho court hns to-day decided the will loft
by tho Into William Barnes to bo null and
void. Ills entlro estnto gous to his daugh
ter. She nnd 1 wero married yesterday.
You will find inclosed my bill for $500 for pro
fessional services. Permit mo to con
gratulate you on tho entlro success of your
suit. Very respectfully,
"SAMUEL PET10US."
Presently Bobbins raised his head in
an aimless sort of way.
"Fox," Mild he, "they didn't do a
thing to us." N. O. Times-Democrat.
FELT HATS.
llow They Worn Mucin In tho Unpinning
of tho Century.
Tho making of felt hats in 1800 was
a more difficult affair thou it is at the
present day. It was then a long and dif
ficult process, nor wero tho lints as
durable as those now made. Tho hat
body, as it was then called, was formed
in this manner: A block of wood In tho
form of a cone, wet, wos placed on a
large table; then the workman, holding
in one hand a long bow suspended from
the ceiling, would snap the string of
the bow among the wool on the table
until the wet block was covered with
wool fibers of a sufficient thickness to
form a hat. The block, with its cover
ing of wool, was then placed in boiling
water until the woolly fibers became
felted sufficiently to remove it from the
block.
A large copper kettle, set in brick
with a furnace beneath for heating
water, was placed in the center of the
room, with a wooden frame around the
kettle similar in shape to the hopper
of n grain mill. The workmen, stand
ing around with tho palms of their
hands covered with sole leather to pro
tect them from the hot water, rolled
and squeezed the hats until they wero
firmly felted. The hats were then
shaped on blocks until they assumed
the desired form; then they were lined,
bound und trimmed, and were ready for
sale.
It Is told of a Mr. Simmons, of Con
necticut, who manufactured hots in
this fashion, that whenever he saw a
stranger in the street wearing a hat
whoso shape was new to him he would
take it off, and after examining it care
fully would replace it on the owner's
head without apology, as if his action
were nothing singular. Youth's Com
panion. PRESERVING FRUIT.
A Now Method Trlocl with Urnut Success
in tho "IV out Iiidlo.
Details of a new process for keeping
fruit in a fresh condition have recently
been received from France. A scientist
noted that pears and apples kept for sev
eral months in an atmosphere saturated
with vapors of water and ulcohol, und he
resolved to carry the experiment fur
ther with a view to learning the possU
bility of reducing the scheme to tho
requirements of everyday needs and
methods. With this object in view, the
operator placed a variety of fruit, in
cluding grapes, together with a bottle
containing 01 cubic inches of alcohol at
90 degrees in a brick receptacle from
which the light and air were excluded
by a common wooden door. In two sim
ilar receptacles, the door of one being,
left open and that of the other closed,
but the ulcohol being absent from both,
other fruit was pluced, and they wero
placed in a deep cellar, the atmosphere
of which registered about 50 degrees.
Twenty days later the contents of the
two last named chambers were found to
be absolutely worthless, but the recep
tacle in which the bottle of ulcohol had
also been place presented a very differ
ent spectacle. Not only were the grapes
firm, full and entirely free from mold,
but the bloom upon them was found to
be us fresh as though the bunch had just
been taken from the vine. The chamber
was closed for another month, ;.nd at
the end of that period everything was
still as fresh as formerly, and the fresh
ness was evident equally as much in tho
taste as in the appearance. These ex
pertinents have certainly added to out
methods of fruit preserving n process
which is not only Inexpensive, bat ex
ceedingly useful. Barbados (W. I.)
Home Builder.
The British empire has nn area ol
Z 1,31)0,310 square miles and a population
of 402,514,800 persons, the former be
ing equal to 21 per cent, of the supposed
surface of tho land, the latter 27 per
cent, of the population of tin: world.
GLADSTONE'S BITTER WORDS.
Unglitnd'ft "Oram! Old Mn" Say tho Saltan
of Turkey In im Aimsiflftln.
London, Sopt. 11. Hon. W. 13. Glad
stone has written still another letter
denouncing tho sultan of Turkey. In
jjj---, this communication
Mr. Ulaustono says:
"In my opinion, the
assassin, and not
his Molmmmcdau
subjects, is tho au
thor of tho mas
sacres. From first
to last, their atroc
ity has no parallel
in recent history.
Tho notion of Eu
rope is a miserable,
w. k. ar.AnsTOKK. disgraceful mock
ery, and Bomo sovereigns nnd govern
ments lmvo given dlroct coun
tenance and support to tho assassin.
Indeed, tho presence of tho embassies
at Constantinople is In itself sub
stantial countenanco of support to him
and tils guilty proceedings. Tho coer
cion which should long ago have boon
applied to him might ovou now bo the
means of averting another horlos of
"massacres."
A dispatch from Constantinople pub
lished hero assorts that a wholesale
niassacro of Christians is planned to
occur there within a fortnight and
that Armenians lmvo been deported
from there on board ships nnd have
been drowned in batches, being shot
through specially constructed chutes.
ANGRY BOY'S CRIME.
An
Okliilinnm Youth, I'urlonn with Kngc,
Murilorit Ills llrother.
Er, Bkno, Ok., Sept It The homo of
J. S. Mathews, 30 inilos south of hero
In tho Chickasaw country, was tho
scene of a terrible tragedy. Two "sons
of Mr. Mathews wero playing together
and Barney, aged 17, teased and irri
tated his younger brothor, ugod 11,
until ho became furious with anger
and after throwing a numbor of things
at his tormentor he ran into tho houso
and grabbed his father's shotgun. Just
as ho came out of tho door with it ho
mot his oldor brother coming in, and,
still besido himself with angor, ho
pressed tho gun against Barney's
breast and pulled tho trigger. Tho
charge ontered Barney's breast and
killed him instantly. Tho entire fam
ily uro prostrated over tho torriblo
affair. Tho youthful murderer has not
been put under arrest and probably
will not be, owing to his oxtrcmo youth
and tho great provocation ho was la
boring undor.
FUSION IN MISSOURI.
Democrat und ropulUts Unite to Ilnfcat
McKlnloy In Thut Stato.
St. Louis, Sept. 14. After a session
of soveral hours the populist stato com
mittee, latu Saturday afternoon,
adopted a resolution to accept tho
fusion plan for electors proposod by
the democratic state central commit
tee. A sub-commlttco of three, of
which Cljalrman Bosello will bo a mom
bor, will bo appointed to confer with a
liko committee of democrats as to tho
districts which shall bo included in tho
fusion. Tlio number of electors tho
populists will got is four thrco dis
trict electors and ono oloctor-at-largo.
Tho democrats aro trying to securo tho
consent of tho populists to fuse on state
ticket and congressmen. Tho popu
lists may agree to this if they will bo
given thc'lioutenant-governorand rail
way commissioner aud four congress
men. DUEL OF LOCOMOTIVES.
A Manufactured Collision Will Ito One of
tho Ciirulvul Week Attractions.
Kansas Cixv, Mo., Sept. 14. Ahead
end collision between two locomotives,
such as was exhibited recently in Chi
cago, Des Moines, la., and other places,
will bo given near this city Tuesday,
October 0, and will bo ono of the at
tractions of carnival week. Two 00
ton engines, each with two box cars
attached, will bo started toward each
other on a level stretch of track
several miles apart. Tho engines,
while going at full speed, will meet In
front of where tho spectators aro
massed.
Cantor Oil Work llurnccl.
Kansas Citv, Mo., Sopt. 14. Firo
consumed tho three buildings of tho
Marsh castor oil works last night.
Tho damage is variously estimated at
from 535,000 to. 100,000. Tho latter
estimate is placed upon it by Mr. F. C.
Marsh, of tho firm of Marsh Bros.,
lessees of the establishment There is
8100,000 insurance on tho building and
contents. Tho origin of tho firo is un
known, but it is supposed to have start
ed from a spark from a passing Sjiuta
Fe locomotive.
Florida ItopuhllraiiM May Qlvo Way.
Pknsacola, Fla., Sept. 14. Chair
man Hillman, of tho republican stato
executivo committee, was hero Satur
day and it is curreutly reported among
the sound money democrats that tho
republicans will take down their elect
ors and give a united support to tho
Palmer and Buckner electors; also
that sound money candidates for con
gress will bo put in the field and that
they will also rcceivo solid republican
support.
l'UHlonUts (Hvo Up South Dakota.
St. Paul, Minn., Sopt. 14. Tho na
tional democrats of South Dakota aro
certain to vote for MeKlnloy, all the
leaders having cast their lot with tho
republicans. It is announced from re
liable popultstlc sources Miat the popu
lists concede tho defeat of their stato
ticket und have decided to devote all
their energies to capturing tho legislature.
flfl
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