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About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 13, 1897)
If w "it? vv . ;, 'Jr THE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER XV. W. SANDKKS, l'ublliher. NEMAHA. NEBRASKA. INTERRUPTED. I hare sat for an hour tit my tabic, And tried to f;et on with my work; There's a poem to llnlsh a fable About the unspeakable Turk. It ought to bo pat to the minute, A fortunate mixture of fun, "With a spice of the serious In It Hut 1 can't et It done. My thoughts are nil throiiRlniraml fighting, I foci thorn at work In my brain, But as soon aa I want to bo writing Them down they urc vanished again; Gone hidden, like mites in a Slllton Or needles In trusses of hay; I wonder If Shakespeare or Milton , Were bothered that way? Oh, for one ray of light to Illumine The fancy and warm It to life! Just a chat with a friend, and tho gloom in My heart would bo gone. As tho life Urges on tho young soldier to battle When he would be skulking, or worse, So Jones' agreeable rattle Compels mo to verso. There's a footstep! I wonder, now, Is It Tho postman, a client, a dun, Or some fool como to pay me a visit, Just when I had fairly begun! 'TIs my door ho Is thumping on, drat It! I suppose I must go. Suroasfato Here's Jones with his gossip. "Hard at It?" Well, verses must wait! l'nll Mall Gazette, BY OAVTABN CUAIILKS II3KG. ICopyright, 1801, by J. IJ. Llpplncott Co. VI. Continued. Again the sound of the cheap ami despised tin. Lambert recalled it as a necessary concomitant of the street Lov and straw rides about the Christ mas holidays, and its summons, he thought, was never to prayer; it called for many a lively malediction. "Send Sergt. Watts, if you think it advisable," said he, briefly. "I'm going up on the road a moment." Again tho blast of the horn, short, staccato, imperative, and then an im patient, querulous voice at. the north end of the porch a voice calling: "You, Elinor! you wuthless black gadabout! wh' ah you?" And as Lambert scrambled up the fitcep path and reached the road an other voice, low, tremulous, eager, close at hand, whispered: "Oh, I thought you'd never come! Ilyuh! quick! Leave the money, shuah, and the pail, t'maw'ow night." And then, with a rustic of feminine garments, bending low, a slender, girl ish form shot across the beam of lamp light falling from an east window. Another form, also feminine, scurried nway from the hedgerow and some thing came rolling out into the road way, clinking sigainst tho stones. There was sound of voluble reprimand and flustered explanation at the north end of the building, a quick, kitten-like pat ter of little feet up the rickety old steps In front and in an instant tho girlish form seemed perched on the window sill. There a second or two it hovered, motionless, until a door slammed pround at the north side of the house. Then in popped the slender figure, out went the light, and but. for the sigh and complaint of the night wind in the rus tling branches of the old trees about the veranda all was silence at Walton hall. VI r. It was after ten when Capt. Close re turned,, and barely 11 when he again pet forth. This time a sergeant and ten picked men went with him, nobody but Close knew whither. "I may be gone two days, lieutenant," said he, in the laborious use of the title which nmong regulars "to the manor born" Jiad long been replaced by "Mr.;" and had not Lambert asked for instructions none probably would have bei .i given. Of his adventures during the day he said not a Avord. lie brought back the mule, and that was enough. The first thing Lambert and Burns knew of his return was the sound of his voice at the wagon, informing the guard that ho wanted coil'ce and something to cat. Then, paying only vague atten tion to Lambert's congratulations on his safe return, he told Burns to get a detachment ready at once, then dis appeared within the dark interior of Ins tent, leaving Lambert standing in some embarrassment and chagrin out Aide. "Looking to see if his strong box is all safe," whispered the first ser geant, as he came up. "It's under the boards under his cot and he never lets anybody come in, not even the mar shal." It was full five minutes before the captain reappeared. He struck no light meantime, but could be heard fumbling around in the darkness. When he cam'" forth he had some papers in his hands. "We'll go to your tent, sergeant," he eaid. "Your desk is handier. Ilow've you got along, lieutenant?" "Two men arc out, sir; Biggs and Murphy" "Dam blackguards, both of 'em specially Biggs; almost the oldest sol dier in the company, too," said Close, wrnthfully, seating himself at the desk and beginning to arrange the papers for signature. "I had been 1o'd T should find some splendid old oalco among the rank and file," hazarded Lambert, after a pause, GflPTfllN GLOSE and thinking his commander should ghe some directions in the ease. "Old oaks? Old soaks, most like," was the disdainful answer " 'special ly Biggs. He come from the cavalry. Why, I've had them two fellows tied up by the thumbs three times since last Match;, and it hain't hurt 'em no more'n if they were cast iron. Better keep a guard over the mules while I'm away, sergeant or, rather, lieu tenant; you see, I ain't, use to bavin' anybody but the sergeant. Oh! Now 'bout them mileage papers o' yourn. You said not to send 'em. Why no! ?" "You've made out a charge of some sixty-live dollars for transportation of a servant, sir; I brought no servant with me." "What's the difference? The law 'lows it. Every officer's entitled to n servant. And if he does his own work he's entitled to what the servant would get. Yoti didn't black your boots on the way, did you? You had a servant do it. He was with you on the train porter of the sleeping-car, wasn't he? I never go in the durn things myself, but you did, 111 warrant. Well, you paid him out of your pocket, every time you changed ears or boat." "That may be, sir; but I ain't sign any such claim as sixJy dollars for transportation of servant when I paid no such sum." "Then how're you to get your money back? the dimes and dollars you've given to porters- and waiters on the way? Every ollieer 1 know would sign that certificate without question, and every quartermaster would pay it. Capt. Warren came with you to head quarters, at least. What d'you bet he hasn't drawn servant's transportation? You think it, over, lieutenant. There's no sense in you robbin' yourself this way. Write down to barracks, f you like, and see what they say at headquarter!-. They'll tell you just what I do." "I'll sign the accounts without that, and get tho mileage for myself," said Lambert. "I need the money. Then if it's allowable and proper I can col lect, for servant later." "Not much you can't. There's where you show your ignorance. Then the government would make you fight ten years for it, even if you'd brought a servant with you. The way is to get it first and let them stop it if it's wrong. But hero, T can't fool away time ar guin' simple thing like that. I've got to be miles away before midnight, and, no matter who comes and inquires, you don't know where we've gone. Now you won't need any commissary funds or anything while I'm away. Just pay cash and take receipts if you buy vegetables for the company." "You forget, sir, that my money's gone." "Sure you hadn't anything but what was in that pocket book? Then, ser geant, you do it, and keep account." "But. excuse me, captain," said Lam bert, flushing, "I myself will need money. 1 must find some place to board. Keep those mileage accounts as security, if you like, but let me have twenty dollars " "But you hain't signed them; they'ro no good." Til settle that," said Lambert, sharp ly; and, taking a pen, he drew a lino through the item for transportation for servant and altered the figures of the total accordingly, then, still standing and bending over the desk, slashed his signature with a sputtering pen upon the paper. Close carefully scrutinized the sheet, compared it with its dupli cate when that, too, was similarly fin ished, and stowed both away in a long envelope. "Sure you've got to have twenty?" he asked, as a soldier stuck his head inside the tent door, retired precipitately at sight of the junior lieu tenant, and then, from without, an nounced that the captain was served. "Well, I guess 1 can get it for you before 1 go." Slowly he finished, slowly signed, after close study of their con tents, the papers placed before him, then slowly left the tent without, an other word Not until he had buckled on his pisU 1 belt he carried no swoul and was about to start with his silent and yawning squad, did he seem to wake from his fit of abstraction, and then only when Lambert nppc.lcd to him for orders. "Oh, yes. Well, just have an eye on them mules, will you, lieutenant? Everything else, almost, is under lock and key. The quartermaster sergeant is pretty solid." "But in case of disturbance, or de mands for more detachments, or men wanting to go away?" "There won't be nuthin' now fur a week. Do's you like about givin' the men a litt'e lilxn'ty. They've had a good deal. Everything around here will bo quiet enough, and you'll hear what I'm after well, when I've got it." That night, though worn and weary and downhearted, Lambert could hard ly (Jeep. At 11 the little detachment had trudged away into the blackness of the night, and tho tramp of their march was swallowed up in the rustle of the crisp brown foliage and the creak of overhanging branches. The men re maining in cam) crawled back to their blankets; the cook fire smoldered away, only occasionally whirling forth a re luctant flight of sparks in response to Borne vigorous puiV of the restless wind; the sentry yawned and dawdled alxnit the wagon and the store tent; even the mules seemed so sympathetic with their recovered associate that no whisper of a bray came from their pen on the bank of the .stream. Lambert had received the assurance of his sergeant, tlmt the missing men would surol turn up be fore breakfast on the morrow, and had given permission to that hara.sed and evidently disgusted official to go to bed. Then, after a turn around his sleeping enmp, the young fellow went to his lonely roost "to think things over." In the first place, as he lighted his candle, there was the tin pall which had rolled out from the Walton hedge row, and which, on inspection, he had found to contain about, two pounds of fresh butter, very neatly packed in lettuce leaves. That proved that the Wallons still had something of their old garden left. Lettuce could surely be raised only under glass at. this inclement sea son. Ho had hitherto had no time for close inspection of the contents. Now as ho turned over the leaves he found a little slip of paper on which, in a girlish and somewhat "scratchy" hand, were penned the words: "l'loase send small currency. It's hard to get change. You can have buttermilk to-morrow night if you'll bring a pitcher. Due, Sfi.10. You must pay it this time. I must have it." "Now, who on earth is this young ladj's customer?" thought Lambert. "Surely not Close. He never spends a cent on butter. Nobody else lives nearer than I'arinelee's to the north or town to the south. Can itbe that some of the sergeants have been buying supplies from this quarter nnd running up abut ter bill?" Burns had spoken of trouble between the captain and the old lady, and of all hands being forbidden to enter the Walton grounds on any pre text whatever. That, of course, did not prohibit the men from buying what the Walton servants offered for sale outside the fence, and if they wore so straitened in circumstances they might be glad to find a niarkc t. for their supplus produce even among the Yankee invaders, pro vided Mine. Walton were kept in ignor ance of the traffic. She was uncom promising. No intercourse with, no recognition of, the barbarians, was her rule to kith and kin, and the few negroes who still hung about th crumbling old place repeated her words with the fear born of long-continued discipline under her roof and rod in the days of then en forced and unquestioning servitude. These and other items of information as to his surroundings the young lieu- - &zv .;.''. v .vv? --'.... P 'tis.. " Was torn from tho ground. tenant had obtained from Sergt. Burns in the course of their evening watch to gether. He had no other means of studying the situation, and wasbutoue of many new and comparatively inex perienced officers tJirown upon their own resources at isolated posts nmong "the states lately in rebellion." Not yet 24 hours on duty with his company, he had len ordered to proceed with an armed force to the succor of officers of law supposably besieged by a rebellious mob, and now, at midnight, in the heart of a strange country and far from the heart of its people he was commanding officer of his company and cam), with out definite instructions of any kind and only his native common sense to guide him. Lambert has since told two women his wife and his mother how his thoughts wandered back to the peace ful old homestead in the far northland, and to the teachings of his boyhood days. He made a sturdy fight against the feeling of loneliness that oppressed him. He wished the wind did not blow so sulkily, in such spiteful, ieious puffs. It seemed as though nature had combined with old Lady Walton to give him ungracious welcome to this par ticularly shady side of the sunny south. The wind Itself wius whispering sarcas tic and withering remarks to him, like those the sergeant repeated as coining from Madam Walton to the defenseless captain; and even Burns' sense of sub ordination could not down his impulse to chuckle over some of them. What would Lambert do or say if the prim and starehj' dame were to call upon him, as she occasionally had on his su perior, driving him at last to the refuge of the nethermost depths of his tent, whence, as Burns declared, "the cap tain couldn't be induced to come out till the old lady was back inside her own door?" The last time he "tied up Biggs" a punishment much resorted to in the rough war days and those that closely followed them, especially by those offi cers who were themselves gradunted from the ranks of the oluntoors it was for trespass on the Walton place. The fellow hud climbed the fence and was pilfering among the old fruit trcci when caught by Madam Walton. That was bad enough, but he hud been im pudent to her, which was worse. The men the'mselves would probably hao clucked liini in the stream the old, self-respecting soldiers, that is had the captain not ordered his summary pun ishment. Lambert was wondering what steps he should take in the inter ests of discipline, when he finally blew out his candle, determined, if a possible thing, to get to sleep. It was just r quarter-past 1!) when he wound his watch and stowed it under his rude pillow. His revolver, the day's pur chase, lay, with some matches, close at hand. He had even placed his sword and belt at the foot of his cot. The last thing he thought of before closing his eyes was that he would have to get a lantern on the morrow, even if he bought it of Cohen; but it was also the last, thing he thought of when the mor row came. Was it the wind again, whispering ugly things, or the ghost of Lady Wal ton, with her acidulated tongue, that roused him, lie knew not how many minutes or hours later? Some thing was whispering, surely. The wind had been doing a good deal of that sort of thing all the. night long among the leaves, a good deal of snarling and growling at times, and there was mut tered snarling going on around him now. That might be the wind; but tho wind would not trip up over a tent rope and say such blasphemous things about it, even if it did nearly pull the flimsy structure down. In an instant Lambert was wide awake. "Who's there?" he challenged, stern- iy. No answer not In words, at least but there was sound as of stealthy, yet hurried movement, more straining at the ropes on the side nearest the cap tain's tent, and heavy, startled breath ing. "Who's there?" he repeated, reaching for the revolver. "Answer, or 1 fire." Then came a mighty strain, a jerk, a stumble and plunge, the sound as of a heavy fall, followed by instant scram ble and a rush of footfalls around the rear of camp. Lambert was out of bed and into his boots in half a minute; but in his haste he upset the chair on which lay the matches, and the box went, rolling to the floor. Pistol in handv he darted out. in the night and found it black as Erebus. Quickly he ran to tho first sergeant's tent, but Burns was hard to waken after the long day's work. Once roused, how ever, he was soon out, lantern in hand, while Lambert hastily dressed, and then together they scouted cam). A glance, at their tent showed that IJiggs and Murphy were still absent. A peep at the watch showed that it was almost two o'clock; a search around Lambert's tent revealed nothing beyond the fact that the corner peg to which the tent fly was guyed was torn from the proiincl, and the soft, sandy soil showed that heavy boot-heels had made their imprint. Then Burns, still lantern bearing, went crouching low around the back of Close's tent, while Lambert, with straining ears, stood stock still an instant in front, then, of a sudden, tore like mad through the rousing cam), out past the dim white canvas of the wagons, out past the startled sentry, up the steep pathway to the hard red road beyond, down which he ran on the wings of the wind till he reached the gateway to the forbidden ground, for a woman's agonized shriek had rung out upon the night, and the sound of blows, of crashing glass, of fierce and desperate struggle, of muttered oaths, of panting, pleading, half-stifled erics, of wild dismay and renewed screams for help, all came crowding on the ear from the heart of the Walton place. to nu coNTiNimn. A Tlmrly I'r-Hijit. Tom was a colored boy about five, In a southern town, and he uis lazy and careless, but not so much so that ho di! not manage to get along somehow. And Tom fell in love, for Cupid is no re specter of color or condition, but ho went U) against his poverty at the first move, and then he began to think a way out. As an experiment, he went into the office of the clerk who pre sides over (lie marriage licenses. "Colonel," he said, "if l'se gwlntcr git married, would you give me a-wed-din' present?" "Well, Tom," said the colonel, "I'm not in that business, but seeing that it is you, I think I might do something. What would you like to have? Some thing useful?" " 'Deed, boss, I doan' want no udder kind of truck'. I only wants what I needs, boss." "All right. Tell me what you would like, and I'll see if T can stand it." Tom hesitated, and then rushed in. "I reckon, boss," he snid, "dat amar liage license wild do mo more good dan mos' any udder present, you could seleck." Nothing venture, nothing have, and Tom passed over the first obstacle in triumph. Detroit Free Press. A Hard i:SK, "You don't mean to say that it was an egg which made this seal) wound?" said the physician who had been called to dress the lecturer's injuries. "Yes," was the faint r-cplj. "Then it must have been an egg laid by a Plymouth Bock hen." Pittsburgh Chronicle-Telegraph. CANOVAS SHOT IJOW.S. An Italian Anarchist Ends tho Life of Spain's Premier. (Irrittrnt Incitement I'rovnlllng Among AH C'Iuhhi'i Tho Murder I'irt of mi -Auitrchlnt Connplriiriy KfToct on tlio Ctilmn Struggle. Madiiid, Aug. 0. Sonar Canovas del Castillo, the prime minister of Spain, was assassinated yesterday at Santa Agueda by an anarchist. The mur derer fired three shots, two of which struck the premier in the head and tho other in tho chest. The wounded statesman fell dying at the feet of his wife, who was with him, lingering in agony for an hour and then pass ing away with tho cry of "long live Spain!" which wcro the last words upon Ids lips. Tho assassin was Im mediately arrested, llo Is a Neapol itan and gives the nuinoof Uinnldi, but it is believed that this is an assumed name and that his real name is Miehelu Angino Colli. The assassin narrowly eveaped lynching at the hands of tho waiters and attendants who rushed forward. Detectives and civil guards immediately secured him. lie was very pale, trembled violently, and evi dently feared tlmt he would be killed on the spot, Tho inurdoror declares that he killed Sonor Conovas "in ac complishment of a just vengeance," and that the deed Is the outcome of a vast anarchist conspiracy. He is be lieved to have arrived at Santa Agueda the sumo day as the premier, and hu was frequently seen lurking in the pas sage of the bathing establishment, in a suspicious manner. The greatcstox citeineiit and indignation prevail among all classes. All the members of the diplomatic corps havu expressed their sympathy with tho government. Am AmttrlriiiiH View It. Wahiiinuto.v, Aug. !. Secretary of State Sherman received tho first news of tho Canovas assassination through the Associated press, lie expressed deep Interest in the details. He said: "This deplorable event will havu some, efi'cct, of cout'Ho, on thu political affairs of Spain, but to what extent I cannot say. Thu death of onu man is not necessarily going to change thu senti ment of thu wholo country. Spain is a very tenacious country. Her money is gone. Bur resources havu been ex hausted. Hut sliu means, evidently, to hold on to Cuba, .lust, how she can do it, under these circumstances, I can not see. Yot, sho is opposed to yield ing a point. As to the consequuuecs of thu conflict in Cuba, I do not caru to talk. Sunator Morgan, of Alabama, a mem bur of the foruign affairs committee of thu senate and thu champion of Cuba in that body, predicted in an intorviow last night Unit thu assassination might bo the forurunnurof a complctu change of government, a republic replacing a monarchy. This, hu thought, was thu present tendency, and yesterday's evunt he regarded as an evidence of. thu disintegration of the Spanish gov ernment. niniiiH I'rei'iloiii for (,'nlm. Wahhinciton, Aug. 1). Col. A. A. Aguira, who is stopping in Washing ton, said last night: "The assassina tion of Canovas will result in the de thronement of thu Spanish monarchy anil the freedom of Cuba. Thu people of Spain nro ripu for a revolution, be ing discontented over thu high taxa tion which grinds them down to pov erty, and, in somo cases, to starvation. This is thu beginning of the revolu tionary movement, and is connected with the recent attempt on thu lifu of thu queen." GOLD FOR 500 MILES. IJlillnl St ill OH CiiveriiiiK'iit Ccolou-lslH lliivn Traci'tl Hid AliiMltu lli'lt Tlmt DlHlulirc. Washington, Aug. '.). The geolog ical survey is about to publish a hugu volume of exhaustive information on the subject of thu Alaskan gold fields. A fuw months ago an expedition, head ed by .1. E. Spurr, returned from thu Yukon with an astonishing collection of newly-gained facts respecting thu resources of that region. The book will statu that there is room enough for a vast army of miners in the freshly-discovered fields, the gulches and Creoles which have shown good pros pects being spread over an area of more than 700 squaru miles. Thu purpose of ticologistSpurr's expedition was to find the source from which thu gold of the Yukon placurs was derived. This problem was absolutely solved by the discovery of a gigantic belt of auriferous rocks at least f()0 miles long and from fll) to 100 miles in width. Thu belt in question passes from Brit ish territory into American in thu neighborhood of Korty-Mllo creek. Specks of bright gold aru seun occa Mouully on thu surfaeu of rocks, but thu bulk of thu precious metal is disguised in tho form of sulphides and in combination with iron pyritu. Immunsu bodies of oro are in sight of unkuown thickness. Thu au thorities of tho geological survey be lieve that the Alaskan gold duposlts are destined to rival in productiveness those of South Africa. Naturally, the miners have struck first for thu gravel deposits, because they are on thu sur face and easily accessible. At a future day, provided with proper machinery and tho necessary capital, they will attack thu virgin rocks from which the metal of thu gravels is derived, and tho tho Yukon valley will become in all probability thu greatest gold producing region of thu world.