The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909, September 17, 1897, Image 3

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    "&
!.?-
W
i
h
-
THE NEBRASKA 'ADVERTISER
-
TT. W. 8ANDKKS, I'ablUhcr.
NEMAHA. NEBRASKA.
GHOST FAIRIES.
When the open lire Is lit,
In the evening after ton,
Then 1 like to come and sit
Where the lire can talk to mo.
iralry stories It can toll,
Tales of 11 forgotten race
Of the fairy ghosts that dwell
In the ancient chimney place.
They am quite the strangest folk
Anybody over knew,
Shapes of shadow and of smoke
I.lvltiR In the chimney flue.
"Onre," the lire said, "lonp apo,
With the wind they used t rove,
Gypsy fairies, to and fro,
Camping In the Held and grove.
'Hither with the trees they came
Hiding In tho logs; and here,
Hovering above tho llame,
Often some of them appear."
So I watch, and, sure enough,
I can ceo tho fairies! Then,
Suddenly thoro comes a puff
Whisht and they nre gone again!
-Frank Dempster Sherman, In Youth's
Companion.
p
BY OAI'TAIN CHAKLKS ICING.
ICopyrbjht, 1834, by J. II. Llpplncott Co.
XII.
The Christmas holidays were coming
on tit Walton Hall, where, sore stricken,
its mistress lay hovering between life
and dentil. Two weeks had passed since
the eventful night of the arrests, and,
-though no change had come over the
landscape, and days of sunshine were
few and far between, some odd altera
tions had taken place in and around
the old homestead. Of these the most
remarkable was the appearance three
times a day of a young oflicer in Yankee
uniform at the family board a young
officer who often prolonged his visit
until late in the evening. Mr. Isnac
Newton Lambert, though occupying his
tent in ennap, had become otherwise nn
inmate of the Walton establishment,
for, unknown to the beloved invalid,
her daughters were actually "taking
boarders."
Another boarder, who had come and
moved a modest bachelor kit into one
of the upstairs rooms facing the east
and overlooking the little wimp, was Mr.
Barton Potts, better known to all the
inmates as "Cousin Bart." Indeed, it
was due in great measure to his advice
and influence that Mr. Lambert was ad
mitted. Impoverished as were the Wal
tons in dire need, as it turned out,
now that the resolute woman who so
many years had managed the family
affairs was stricken down nothing but
prompt action and the helping hands
of kinsfolk- and friends stood between
them and starvation. Squire Potts
"Old Man Potts," as he was generally
called had urged on Mrs. Walton in
November the propriety of her abandon
ing the place entirely and taking shel
ter for herself and her daughters under
his roof. Even though in desperate
nued, she had declined for one reason,
because that would bring Esther and
"Walton Scroggs together again; for an
other, because she could not bear to
think of the old home becoming the
abiding-place of all the houseless, shift
less uegroes in the neighborhood. She
had offered the house, garden and cotton-fields
still remaining in her hands
to any purchaser at almost any price;
but' who wns there to invest in such
unprofitable estate at such a time?
In the midst of these cares and
troubles, which she could share with
her daughters, were others which she
could not. She durst not let them
know on how slender a thread her life
depended. That was one secret, held
as yet by their old family physician and
herself alone, because the knowledge
of it would bring such grief to "the
girls." There was another, which she
prayed they might never know, because
its very existence brought such grief
and shame to her; Floyd, her youngest
son, her darling, who hnd fought po
bravely by his brother's side through
the hottes't brltles of the war, had "ab
jured the faith of his fathers," as she
bitterly expressed it had become inti
mate with the federal officers and sol
diers, instead of sticking closely to
reading law in the oilice of her old
friend Judge Summers at Quitman.
And then, worse than all, she learned
through his own desperate letter that
he had enlisted in the cavalry. That
within a week thereafter, repenting of
his "mad folly," he should have de
serted the service and fled the country,
wns in the poor stricken woman's eyes
no crime whatever. That he should
nave enlisted, sworn to defend the ting
which was to her the emblem of in
solent triumph over the fallen fortunes
of the land she loved, the only land she
ever knew, the once happy, sunny
south that was infamy.
Not until wi! after her boy had
taken the step that made him a fugitive
from justice did she learn, or begin to
imagine the chain of circumstances
that led to it all. Whilo occupying a
desk in the office of Summers & Todd,
attorneys and counselors nt law, Floyd
ulso occupied a seat at the table of a
widowed relative who, left penniless
at the close of the war, had to stiugglc
m
Tfl
OSE
hard to keep body and soul together.
The efforts of Judge Summers had been
sufficient to save the house in which rIic
dwelt, and "taking boarders" became
her vocation. But paying boarder
were scarce, and even when her Inblo
was crowded with homeless people her
pockets were often empty. When
Sweet's squadron of the th U. S. cav
airy marched into town and took sta
tion there, the application of some of
the officers for "rations and quarters"
under her roof was coldly declined.
They went to a hotel, and suffered, as
(hey lese-cd, the pangs of indigestion.
Later it transpired that two of them
'ent to church, and this put, an unlooked-for
factor into the problem of
how to treat these conquering but un
popular heroes. Ilev. Mr. Pickett, of St
Paul's might condono his parishioners'
lefusiil to supply them with bodily food,
but it was impossible to refuse to min
ister to their spiritual necessities.
Their religious faith was identical with
that of his (lock; it was in political faith
that tlvoy differed. One might decline
to sit ni meat with them, but could
hardly decline to sit with them at wor
ship. They could be forbidden to cat
with the elect, but the elect would not
forbid them to pray. Even in the sanc
tuary, however, only hostile or averted
look's were vouchsafed to Col. Sweet
and Capt. Vinton when first they sough
its doors; but in the course of a few
months the women found Mint their sol
diers their husbands, brothers, or lov
ers, whom the war had spared wer.'
actually fraternizing with the Yankee
invaders, and that between those who
had done hard and honest fighting on
cither side there was springing up firm
and honest friendship. The irrceoncil
ablcs were limited, apparently, to the
noncombatants. When the squadron
was ordered elsewhere after a si:c
months' sojourn at Quitman, the popu
lace, was astonished to find how much
the troopers were missed and reallv
needed; for even Yankee custom ha 1
been acceptable in the stores and Yan
kee contributions welcome in the
church. Business hnd brought Co'.
Sweet to Summers' oflic and in the.
course of frequent visits cordial rela
tions were established, and Floyd Wal
ton could hardly treat with disdain n
soldier and ircntlcmnn whom his
patrons welcomed, even had he long
retained the disposition to do so.
The command had not been gone a
week before men were unaccountably
wishing it back, and when it reap
pcared, with certain additions, it. was
actually welcomed by people who would
have scouted the possibility of such a
thing the year before. This time Col.
Sweet announced to the rector that his
wife and daughter would speedily fo!
low, and were even then in New OrleniK,
awaiting his instructions to come. Th
hotel was no place for ladies in thoso
rough days; the rector went to Mrs.
Tower, and Mrs. Tower no longer re
sisted the inevitable. Floyd Walton,
going to tea one hot June evening, wa
astonished to find himself in the pres
ence of two ladies, one of them a pretty
girl of perhaps 1S, and to be presented
to Mrs. and Miss Sweet. Within a
weelc the young fellow was spending his
evenings at the Towers', and within the
month was hopelessly in love. Then
came trouble. He hadn't n cent in the
world. She was a soldier's daughter
and presumably poor. Whether she
was poor or not, he, nt least, had noth
ing to offer, and, having nothing, held
his tongue, though he could not hold
his peace. That was gone.
That was a wretched summer and
autumn. The fire raged along the gulf,
and cholera swooped upon the garrison.
Sweet got his wife and child away to
the mountains. They Jeft suddenly,
while Flovd was on a brief visit to his
mother aiid sisters. It was December
when they came back. Meantime Judge
Summers had abandoned practice and
gone to live at his old home at Sand
brook. Mr. Todd could offer young
Walton no help; there was no money
in law business just then. Matters
at Tugnlno were going from bad t.i
worse, and Wnlton found himself abso
lutely without money to pny his board.
That made no difference to Mrs. Tower.
She told him his mother's boy was as
welcome ns her own, and made him wel
come where fascination nil too strong
already held him. Something in Jen
nie Sweet's gentle manner had changed
She wns nervous, ill at ease, and sought
to avoid him. Something in her
mother's manner, too, was very differ
ent. And one day the truth came out.
The frequency with which letters be
gan chasing one another from the north
explained the whole thing. Jenny had
met her fate that fatal summer among
the Virginia mountains, and was en
gaged to be mnrried. Mrs. Sweet re
ferred to the happy man as "a wealthy
gentleman from Philadelphia, a few
years older than (ienevieve, but a most
charming person." Genevieve herself
said little or nothing, but looked none
too radiant. Col. Sweet said less, but
looked much at her.
Then Floyd Walton found another
boarding place, and one where the in
fluences were worse. lie threw up his
position in the law office and took an
humble clerkship at a store. It paid
him enough to board and lodge him,
and here, from serving his customer's
with drink, he got to serving himself,
and to associating with a regular set,
some young townsmen, some soldiers.
There were stories of gambling nnd
quarrel even before Col. Sweet found
that Jenny, the apple of his eye, was
drooping In that southern climate, ami
sent her, with her mother, north "for
good." The next thing heard of Floyd
Walton was that ho had gone to New
Orleans with a discharged soldier; and,
even while grieving over her boy's In
frequent letters and evident hopeless
ness nnd depression, Mrs. Walton re
ceived a missive one day that left her
prostrate. She went alone to Quitman
as soon as able to move, and came back
within 48 hours looking years older,
nnd both the girls soon knew that she
had parted with the diamond earrings
that were their father's last gift to her
in the happy, prosperous dnys that pre
ceded the war. Floyd hod written that,
starving, drunk or drugged, and des
perate, he had been led by his associate
before a recruiting officer, had been
sent with others ns reckless as himself
to sober up at the quarters of a cavalry
command near the city, nnd that, the
next thing he knew, he with a squad of
seven recruits was on his way to join a
troop stationed within a few miles of
his home, instead, as he hod been as
r.ured would be the case, of being sent
to the Fourth cavalry on frontier duty
against the Indians in Texas. "They
broke their contract," he said, "and l
broke mine." He hnd deserted, and, if
captured, would be sent to hnrd labor
at. Baton IJouge penitentiary or to the
Dry Tortugas.
Such stories leak out despite every
effort to conceal them, but not until
just before Lambert's coming to join
Company 0 did Mrs. Walton dream
that. Esther knew of her brother's
peril. A sudden outcry In her garden
one day brought, her in haste to the
spot, and there were a drunken soldi'T
and her quadroon maid Elinor he de
manding liquor and she the return of
a pitcher which he had evidently
snatched from her hand. Madam Wal
ton's stately presence and her imperious
order that he leave the premises at once
jnly partially sobered him. lie gav
her to understand that if she reported
him he could bring shame upon her
head he knew more about her affairs
than she dreamed. His insolence tried
her temper, but could not alter her ton"
and bearing. It was not until he was
gone that Esther, trembling and in
tears, came nnd begged her to lodge no
KnoollnB by the bndslilo of hor olooplnc boy.
complaint against the man, as he in
deed knew more than she supposed.
And then, in reply to her mother's de
mand, Esther brokenly admitted that
she had already heard of Floyd's en
listment and desertion through thi.
very soldier. He had been at the house
before. What she did not tell her
mother was, that the news first reached
her through Walton Scroggs.
And then, without warning, Floyd
suddenly came home. So troubled had
he been by the condition of his niotliei's
health and affairs as confided in Esther's
letters (sent undei cover to an old fam
ily friend now serving ns n surgeon in
the Juarez army) that, having earned
a little money in Vera Cruz, lie hastened
back and appeared there late at even
ing, worn and weary, before those lov
ing yet terrified eyes. He had ridden
miles on horseback that day, as he
feared recognition by officers or soldiers
still at Quitman if he came by rail that
waj or by federal deputies if he came
the other. Esther alone had received
him on his arrival, for sh", poor girl,
was watching at the old arbor near
the south fence for the coming of her
lover-husband, that day released from
the clutches of the law. Then, after
hearing her recital of their needs and
sorrows, he had sent old ISnsmus with
a message into camp, while she had
gone to prepare her mother for his
com inc.
Late that night, Mrs. Walton, kneel
ing by the bedside of her sleeping boy,
became suddenly aware of a scullle go
ing on underneath the window, and,
noiselessly descending the stairs, un
fastened the side door and came at once
upon the intruders, with the result al
ready known. Not until aroused by
the screams of Elinor and his sister
Kate did Floyd know anything of the
affair. Half asleep, and bewildered, lie
had jumped into boots and trousers
nnd rushed to the rescue. One glance
explained the whole thing, but it was
Esther who in desperation seized and
held him back when he would have
sprung to release his mother from
Iliggs' drunken grasp Esther who,
hearing the coming rush of Lambert's
footsteps, realized that what meant in
stant rescue for her mother meant
equally Instant oeril for him Esther
who uctuully ordered his hurried re-
V WM n 'IP
m- ; VA .71 '.'tiffin
p4,iI i 4 '
treat at Lambert's appearance. Not
until the following day did it occur
to her mother to ask how It was or
why It was she was up and dressed at
that hour of the night. At any other
time, perhaps, she would have found It
far more difficult to frame plausible
excuse, but almost anything would an
swer now. For hours she li.nl been
listening for the tap upon her window
that should tell her Walton had not
been spiiitcd away to a place of safety
until lie had come to bless and com
fort her with his love-words and en
rcsses. To her, at least, despite the
wild oats of his earlier days, her cousin
husband was all that was true and
tender and fond. For him she hnd
dared her mother's wrath, her younger
sister's indignation, and Floyd alone
wns her supporter in tho secret mar
riage that took place during her brief
visit to the Claytons in the early spring.
With the dawn of Sunday, his sig
nal at lost was heard, and she stole out
to meet him to tell of Floyd's return,
and to plan witli him for their joint
escape, for Floyd had told her that It
would be folly to attempt to remain
in hiding there. Already certain ne
groes of the neighborhood had seen
him, and it could i ot be long before the
military authorities were informed.
Walton was all helpfulness and sym
pathy. His brother, the conductor, hnd
planned to send his horse to the Wul
lon barn at ten that night, and "Wnl"
was to ride 'cross country ton friend's
in Barksdale county, leave the horse
there, and beat the point where the rail
way crossed the country road at 11:. '10,
when the "Owl" would stop and tako
him on the baggage car unless some
of Parmelee's spies or deputies were
aboard. There would be no trouble at
the capital, where the Owl often waited
an hour for the express. The engi
neer would slow up just east, of town.
Walton would drop oil' in the dnrknets
and make his way around to the west
by a brisk tramp of a couple of miles,
and there be taken on again about 1:30
a. in. and jostled away to the river. Once
there, all the sheriff's posses in the
south couldn't find him. Walton
promptly urgedthat Floyd go with him.
Itnsiuus was routed out from slumber
in tnc oorn and scni. away wun mes
sages to Col. Scroggs and "Cousin Part,"
and then the voice of Kate was heard,
calling for her sister. Instead of be
ing asleep, Mrs. Walton was painfully
nwokc and planning a diplomatic let
ter to be sent to Capt. Close. For hours
the only refuge they could oll'cr Esther';,
husband was the cellar, for Mrs. Walton
had insisted on being up and dressed
to meet Cousin Part, whom now she
desired to send for and consult.
Th': letter which had so bewildered
the company commander was brief
enough. It bore neither date nor
place, but went straight to business
"Mrs. Walton presents her compli
ments to the officer in command of the
federal troops here in camp and begs to
say that she finds upon investigation
that the two soldiers who visited her
premises last night did so at th" 10
quest of a member of her household,
who sought their aid in bringing cer
tain supplies from town whe her
servants proved too ungrateful to be
relied upon. Mrs. Walton deeply ic
grels that, the soldiers referred to 'in
now in danger of further punishment,
and, while utterly disapproving the
action which led to their employment
in violation of her express orders, she
nevertheless accepts the entire respon
sibility and begs that no further steps
may be taken against (hem, as she will
not only positively refuse to appear ns
a witness in the ease, but will prohibit
any of her household froin.soappcaring.
"Sunday morning."
And possibly the lady of Walton Mall
felt quite assured that her mandate
overruled any subpoena the fcd'-ial
authority could drult. Uiie thing is
certain, when Close read it over a sec
ond time he handed it to Lambert, uiy
ing: "So far us I am concerned, thai
blessed old lady shan't have any trouble
on 'iceount of them two scnlluwags.
She's got too much of her own. ITnlesii
you want to make an example of Ki,;gs,
you ean release him in the morning.
Murphy ought to be let off anyhow."
But when morning came it was found
that Higgs had released himself. How
ho managed to cut his way out of that
guard-tent without disturbing any
body, no one could explain, lie was
gone at daybreak, leaving no trace be
hind. to nn coNTiNunn.l
Siiivfil tin) Krmich Kopiibllo.
It was often said of M. Adrien Leon,
Kvho has just died near Bayonne,
France, that he saved the republic by n
single vote. On February 17, 187.", when
the remodeling of the. consitutioii was
debated, M. Wallon's amendment fixing
the conditions for the election of th.'
president was regarded n the crucial
test on which the fate of Franco do
pended. Leon, sitting in the right
center, hesitated, but was persuaded by
(Snmhcttti to s.upport the republicans at
the. last moment and the amendment
was carried by a majority of one. San
Francisco Argonaut.
HIi. i Wuh Too Young.
The other day a couple of little grrls
eamo to n physician's office to be vac
cinated. One of them undertook to
.speak for the other, and explained:
"Doctor, this is my sister. She is
too young to know her left arm from
her right, ho mamma washed both of
I them." Twinkles.
TRYING TO BORROW CARS.
Wrfltrrn It u 1 1 roil il Much Wholly I'mihlo to
lltinillo tlw Trunin OITnred Tin. in.
CmoAoo, Sept. M. The Chicago, Mil
waukee, St. Paul road Is trying to
borrow 0,000 cars from same of tho
southern roads to allow It to handle,
all of tho traffic that in offered It. Un
less It Is able to get cars U will have to
lose considerable business. Tho situa
tion is becoming very berious not only
with tho St. Paul, but with tho North
western, tho Iturlington, the Uock Is
land, tho Atchison and all of the other
western and northwestern roads.
They are simply unable to handle all
of tho tralllo that Is otl'erod them. All
of tho roads report that not only arc
they deluged with the amount of grain
traffic, but that westbound lucrchau
disc Is offered them in great volume,
doing away with tho necessity for
tho handling of empties on the return
trip. Notwithstanding that the
amount of traffic in sight for the west
ern roads Is the greatest they have hod
In a number of years it Is a fact that
freight rates arc in a condition far
from stable.
A. O. U. W. MATTERS.
Mlxnnurl l.tidgcH to Volutin CliitiiKlug 1
'Iltll
of ANnrHHini'iit -OIiIiiIidiiiu Trouble.
St. Loimh, Sept. I!!. The special
mooting of tho supremo officers of the
A. O. U. W. and tho grand officers of
Missouri lodge adjourned Saturday.
The officers of Missouri lodge asked
advice from the supremo officers in re
gard to the changing of their manner
of assessment from the level rate to
the classified plan, and It was agreed
to circulate statistics bearing on tho
tho classified plan among the members
of tho grand lodge, and let them vote
on it at the annual meeting next Feb
ruary. Tho most important business
was tho disposition to be. iniulo of
the recalcitrant Oklahoma members.
Tho Oklahoma members were formerly
under tho Texas jurisdiction, but or
ganized a separate lodge in detlauce of
the wishes of tho supremo officers, for
which ofVenso they were suspended.
Ex-Gov. ltiddlo, of Kansas, was
authorized to go .to Oklahoma and
organize legal bodies. The present or
ganization will bo ignored.
CHEROKEE FREDMEN BARRED.
Cltlr.iuiHblp of Klin Tlioiumnil Oui'Htloiutil
by tlm Diiwih ('oiiiiiiIhsIoii.
Sir.oAM SiMtiNdH, Ark., Sept. l'l. Tho
Dawes commission, which is now at
Fort Gibson, preparing the final citi
zenship rolls to be used in the pro
posed per capita distribution of Chero
kee lands, has promulgated a ruling
which, in cil'oct, as far as tho commis
sion is concerned, denies Indian citi
zenship to 5,000 or more frcodinen of
the Cherokee nation, and indirectly
affects the validity of tho claim of sev
eral thousand whites who havo mar
ried Clierokces. The ruling is that tho
commission will hot enroll any negroes
and that they must go Into tho courts
and establish their claim to Indian
citizenship before tho government will
recognize ilium.
UPCHURCH EXPELLED.
M
K. (Tmri'li Nimtli ICi'JrHH h 1'riMiclmr
Who It ii DlNi'lpIn of MiiH'tlllcutloii.
Waco.Tcx., Sept. 111. -.1. 'J'. Upchurch
was tried by an ecclesiastic court of
the Methodist Episcopal church, south,
and a verdict of guilty was returned.
Ho is a disciple of Dr. Carradlne, of St.
Louis, in the sanctifiention faith., Tho
charge against him was contumacious
conduct and insubordination to
church discipline in assisting in tho
maintenance of an independent holi
ness movement not authorized by the
Methodist conference and reprobated
by tho bishops. Tho trial committee
recommended tho expulsion of l'p
churoh from membership, nnd his name
was stricken from the church rolls,
lie appealed tho case.
I'OHt O(lll'l) ItlTlllplrt.
Washington, Sept. I.'t. The post
office receipts during August in tho
principal cities of the country show
an increase over the receipts of last
year. This is considered remarkable,
when tho fact is considered that last
year there was a national campaign on
and the mails were being Hooded with
political literature of all sorts. At
St. Louis tlio receipts for tho month
were SliJO.yW, an increase of SO.llS.
At Kansas City they wore Slti,!J7, tin
Increase of 8.",00ii.
Tim I.iihL Hplltn Driven.
Hkaumont, Tex., Sept. lit. -Saturday
afternoon the last spike was driven on
the main line of the Kansas City, Pitts
burg it Gulf railway, which completes
that road from Kansas City to the gulf.
Tho track-laying forces mot at a point
11 miles northeastof lleaumont, where
tho last spike was driven with appro
priate ceremonies, in which the Beau
mont board of trade and tin? Port Ar
thur commercial club participated.
Kren Silver Ciiiiip-.'Miiiitliiir. ,
SiMH.NOKiKM), O., Sept. 111. Tho first
session of the silver canip-meoting will
bo held Wednesday at tho fairgrounds.
Allen (5. Thurinan will bo chairman.
W. .1. Bryan, Horace J. Chapman, dem
ocratic candidate for governor, John
Clark Hidpath, tho historian, and
Congressman DoArmond, of Missouri,
are announced for speeches before tho
cainp-mecting closes, September J').
Gov. I Iraki) ii Side .Uan.
Dkh Moinks, In., Sept. Ui. Gov. F.
M. Drake, uftor a few days in the city,
returned yesterday to Excolbior
Springs, Mo., where he is taking treat
ment. His condition when he loft was
not nearly so good as when ho come to
tho city. Hu is suffering intensely
from diabetes, which has been chronic
with him for many years.