1
w
THE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER
W. W. 8ANDKHS, I'ublliber.
NEMAHA, NEBRASKA.
GOING ALONE.
With turls In the sunny nlr tossing,
With HrIU In the merry bright eyes,
With laughter so clearly out ringing
A laugh of delight anil surprise;
All friendly assistance disdaining,
And trusting no strength hut Its own,
The past fears and trials forgotten,
The baby Is "going olone."
How often the help he has needed
lias carelessly tit rayed from his side:
The hand of the lo.'ed one to sustain him,
Ills tottering footsteps to guide.
See, he has fallen whllo reaching for sun
hpams Which Just as ho grasped them have
Jlown:
.And tears of vexation have followed
Uut now ho Is "going alone."
All through life he will learn
Th's lesson again nnd again.
'He will carelessly lenn upon shadows,
He will fall and weep over tho pain,
He will learn what a stern world we live In,
And ho may grow cold like tho rest;
"Rut ltoop a warm sunny welcome
For those who are truest and best;
Yet not trusting his all In their keeping,
Uut stronger and manlier grown,
'Chastened and taught by past sorrow.
Ho learned to walk bravely "alone."
And yet not alone, for our Father
The wandering fooutops will guide
Through all tho dark waves of earth life,
And over tho river's deep tide.
Ah! here Is a strength unfailing,
A strength we can perfectly trust,
"When all human aid unavailing
Tho "dust shall return unto dust."
Katherlno C. Ackerman, In Banner of
Gold.
I A CLEW BY WIRE I
S Or, An Interrupted Current. :
: BY HOWARD M. YOST. :
;5 CopyrlRlit, 1896, by J. B. Llpplncott Co. ;
CHAPTER IX. Continued.
Surah greeted me effusively. The
.good soul seemed to huve a constant
fear tliut each time she suw me would
.be the lust.
"Can you let me have n saw, a chisel
nnd u hammer?" I asked.
"Ach, yes. Bud vlmt for, Nel?"
"I am going to find out what is in that
cellar," I answered.
"How you ged in?"
"By cutting through the iloor."
"Dat will be hard work, Ncl. De tim
ber under de iloor is awful thick."
"1 know that. But I have plenty of
time, nnd so will be nblc eventunlly to
get through."
The tools were produced, and I start
ed homeward, Sarah sending after me
an curnest appeal for carefulness and
the avoidance of danger.
I intended to commence the task of
getting into the sealed apartment im
mediately upon my arrival home. The
thought that danger of some kind
might lurk in the cellar would not deter
me. And the pistol-shot I hud heard the
last night seemed to indicate that there
might be a degree of peril in the work.
I did not like the idea of the dank,
musty odors ascending into my sleep
ing apartment, but I could easily re
move to one of the spacious chambers
upstairs, and thus escape them.
On arriving at the house, 1 took the
"tools into my room. I looked over the
floor, and, after quite a time debating
where the hole should be made, deter
mined to begin over in one corner. Be
fore I had time to commence opera
tions, a loud knock sounded on the
front door.
Hastily shoving the tools under the
bed, I went out through the hall and
opened the door. My visitor was Mr.
Sonntag.
CHAPTER X.
I ushered the old lawyer into the
room. After a few commonplace re
marks he said: "That walling-up of
those cellnr doorways has made quite
an impression on me. Suppose we
have a look at them."
I was very willing. Together we de
scended the stairs to the storeroom.
Mr, Sonntag examined the place
where the door had been, minutely,
as though he expected to find in the
stones of the wall some intimation of
what was on the inside. He even went
so far as to scratch off patches oi the
whitewash.
"It is rather dark here," he finally
said, glancing around.
"Perhaps the door can be opened," I
suggested.
"1 have the key with me, but maybe
it would be best not to use it. Ghe mo
a few matches."
I handed him all I had with me, nnd
he, by the light afforded, examined
closely the places where he had
scratched off the whitewash.
While watching him, the thought
again occurred to me that I had seen or
met him previous to my arrival at Ncl
sonville. "Do you know it seems ns though I
had seen you before?" I said.
Yes, so you remarked during your
iuit to my office yestcrdny," Sonntag
replied, as he stepped back to where I
was standing.
"There is no doubt of that being n
solid wall," he went on; "so if the
room behind it is being used for some
purpose, entrance is not gained from
here. See what pains have been taken
to hide tho work. The whole wall lias
been newly whitewashed. 1 that had
not been done, the new mason-work
would be glnrlngly perceptible. Let us
go into the house cellar and have 11
look at the dividing wall there."
It needed but a glance to sue that this
wall had not been tampered with. The
whitewash was old, and there was no
spot where it had been renewed.
"I have already examined the out
side place," the old lawyer remarked,
as we ascended the stairway,
"That was not whitewashed, and, if
I remember rightly, the stones used
looked old and worn like the rest of the
foundation," 1 said.
"Yes; the stones used in both the
doorways were old ones". But they are
of a different kind of stone," he re
marked, witli a shrewd smile.
"Different kind? What significance
would that have?"
"All the stone quarried about here is
limestone. You will find the founda
tions and walls under your house are
built with this kind. If any other kind
wns used it would have to be brought
from a distance. Sandstone was used
for the two doorways."
"And was therefore brought from a
distance?" I asked.
"Perhaps not in this case."
"But you said there is nothing but
limestone quarried, about here," 1 sug
gested. "And that is true. The r.tones used
in the doorwnys had been used before,
for they are old and weatherbeaten.
Do you remember a small stone build
ing up at tho mountain, which years
ago was used as a schoolhouse?" my
lawyer asked.
"Oh, yes! It was known as the
Mountain school," I replied.
"Well, it is fast going to ruin," Sonn
tag continued; "has not been used for
years, I am told. The point is here:
That old schoolhouse was built of
sandstone. Where the builders got the
stone I, of course, cannot say, but evi
dently not around here. It is my be
lief the stones in the two doorwnys
were taken from the old tumble-down
schoolhouse."
"And supposing your surmise is u
correct one, does it furnish you with a
clew to the person or persons who did
the job?" I asked.
"Perhaps," he replied, shortly.
As he raised his head to answer, rec
ollection Hashed upon me. "Ah!" I
exclaimed. "I have been cudgeling my
brain in the endeavor to remember
where I had seen you before."
Ho quickly turned toward me with n
half-smile on his face, but offered no
reply.
"1 have seen you in Philadelphia," I
continued.
"Possibly. I used to live there before
coming to Twineburgh," he remarked,
indifferently.
"You have been in Twineburgh but
six months," I went on.
"Yes."
"And I saw you for the first time
about a year ago. I almost knocked
you over as I was coming out of tho
president's office in the Safety security
bank. You were just going in, and 1
ran into you."
"Ah, possibly. I have had business
dealings with that concern," the old
lawyer replied.
"And you knew Mr. Perry, the presi
dent?" "Yes, slightly."
"Then why did you ask me at the
time if I was the president?" I asked.
Sonntag gave a twitch of the shoul-
I $MfSm
I
Mr. BonntutJ examined tho lilnco minutely.
tier, and his shrewd sharp eyes
twinkled.
"Did I ask you that?" he queried.
"Do you not remember?"
"Can't say that I do," he replied.
"It seems strange you should leave
the city to engage in the practice of
law m a small town like Twineburgh,"
1 said, musingly.
"Why strange?" was his curt ques
tion. "Oh, well, you are quite advanced in
yenrs, and, with your long experience,
ought to have commanded a larger and
more lucrative practice in a large place
like Philadelphia than in a small coun
try town."
He did not reply for a few moments,
but stood with a whimsical look on his
face with his eyes turned toward the
floor.
"I became tired of city life," he finally
said. "I hnve no family depending upon
me, nnd so nm at liberty to follow out
any whim which happens to take pos
session of me. There is enough business
here to enable a single man to live well,
besides allowing him more leisure. 1
was looking for such n business, and
nnd found it in Twineburgh."
"Well, you certainly are an odd fel
low, if you will excuse me for saying
so," I remarked, with 0 laugh.
"Yes, I am rather odd."
When we reentered my bedroom,
Sonntng's quick eye caught sight of the
tools under my bed.
"Going to cut through the floor?" he
asked.
"That is what I intended to do. I'm
going to know what is down there," 1
replied, decidedly.
Then I told him about the noises I
had heard which had seemed to come
from bencnth, the skimming of the
door, and the pistol shot. I also told
of the voices I hud heard both in the
attic and in my room, and all I had ob
served regarding them.
The old lawyer listened intently, utid
when I had finished walked to the win
dow. "Do you suppose that the sound of the
voices could in some way have come
from the telephone wire?" I finally
asked.
"Not being an electrical expert, lean
not say," Sonntag answered, turning
from the window.
"It seems impossible the voices could
be heard without the aid of a receiver,"
I remarked.
"Perhaps there is a receiver both in
your room and upstairs not like the
ones we are accustomed to, of course,
but one formed by nature. Certainly
there arc possibilities in electric force
which we have not yet discovered. You
say the sounds occurred only when a
wind was blowing which caused the
wire to swing against the lightning
rod?"
"That was surmise, for I have had no
opportunity to watch when the wind
blew. But it seemed the most natural
explanation of the rappings."
"And you had no way of ascertaining
whether the sounds in your room here
and in the attic were produced by the
same voice and at the same time, or
whether there were two voioos inde
pendent of each other?"
"Why, you know it was impossible for
me to be in the nttic and in my room
too," I answered.
"Perhaps we may be given an oppor
tunity to find out something about the
voices," Somitag said, with a gesture to
ward the window.
"How do you mean?" I asked.
"There is a thunderstorm coming up.
It will undoubtedly be preceded by a
wind," the old lawyer said.
"Yes, yes! How fortunate it is that
you are here!" I exclaimed, excitedly,
for I comprehended his meaning.
"Now you remain here, and I will go up
to the attic," I went on. "Each of us
must note the exact time the sound is
heard. We had better eompnre watches,
so that there shall be no difference in
each one's cstimnte of the time."
I pulled out 111 j-watch and approached
Sonntag. His hand went up to his vest
pocket and he was about to follow my
example, when upon our hearing came
that small, soft, high-pitched voice.
We stood gazing into each other's
eyes for a moment, then I made a rush
for the door.
The lawyer detained me, and in great
impatience I waited.
"Take paper and pencil with you," he
said. "Jot down the words and indicate
the raps in the exact order that they
come. I will do tho same with the
words and pauses. Now go."
I went up the two stairwnys on the
jump. The wind was coming up strong,
nnd the heavy thunder rolled in the dis
tance. Near the small window, where
I had heard the voioe, I took my stand.
The raps from above were louder now,
nnd besides, in the daytime, lost a great
deal of the uncanniness which the
gloom and solitude of night had given
them.
The voice was sounding, though not
ns distinctly as before, which was prob
ably on account of the loud moaning
nnd whistling of the high wind.
My paper and pencil were ready, and
I listened with strained attention to
catch tho words.
This is what my paper showed:
"Never will (rap, rap, nip) consent
under existing (rap, rap a grating
noise, probably caused by the wire be
ing held against the lightning rod by
the force of the wind) the property re
moved (raps) place to bring you (nips)
hid where (raps) never find (raps) talk
wisdom I shall (raps) night and take
(raps) dollar will you ever"
Right here the garret was flooded by
a blinding glare, and immediately fol
lowed crash on crash close above me.
Stunned by the noise and too dazed
for the moment to realize that the
threatening storm had burst, I feebly
tottered toward the stairs and sank
down upon the top step.
The rain was coming down in tor
rents and the roar on the roof seemed
but an echo of the thunder. 1 was soon
able to arouse myself from my dazed
condition, and, remembering the ob
ject of my errand, went back to the
spot where T had stood to recover the
paper and pencil, which had fallen
from my hands. There was no desire ta
continue investigations while thcBtonn
lasted; so, picking up the paper, T
hastened downstairs to my room.
I noticed n strange odor as I went
through the doorway, and saw Ponntng
standing in Hie middle of the room in
a nt range attitude. The pencil he had
used was still in his hand, but the paper
had fluttered to the Hour.
The old lawyer not seeming to notice
my approach, I tapped him 011 the arm.
lie gazed around at me with w ide, star
ing eyes, then drew a long breath.
"What was It that happened?" he
finally asked.
"Oil, did you catch it, too? Nothing
but a little demonstration of electrical
force," I replied. "It wan quite close
to us. The house must have been st ruck
by the bolt; or peuhnpa the lightning
rod saved It." v
"It was awful!" the old fellow ex
claimed. "There was a stream of fire
reached half wv across the room. It
came from the wall there, right near
the chimney. Well, it's over, and neith
er of us hurt." The old fellow shook
himself together. "After this, no more
experimenting in electricity for me. es
pecially during; a thunderstorm. I'll
ntlck to to the law," he said, with a
flash of his bright oj-cs which told me
he had recovered from the effects of
the shock.
"Then you did not take any note of
the voice?" I remarked.
"Yes, yes. Here It is; and you? ah,
that's good. Now let us compare."
The two slips of paper were laid on
the table. "The first words taken note of
r ?
Wharo I lnul hoard tho voice I took my ntnnd.
on my paper," Sonntag began, "are, you
have my then a pause, and yours are:
Never will. Ah!" he exclaimed, in deep
satisfaction, "they seem to run along
well together. Now you begin und.reud,
and where the raps arc indicated pause,
and 1 will put in my words. Let's-seejf
we can get any sense out of It." g
This is what we read:
"Never will"
"you have my "
'"consent under existing "
"circumstances you have broken
faith with me in every "
"way why was "
"the property removed "
"from the original "
"place to bring you "
"to time what did you do .with it
safely "
"hid where "
"you can "
"never find "
"it unless you "
"talk wisdom I shall"
"go for it this very"
"night and take "
"it away and not one "
"dollar will you ever "
"Right here is where the shock
came," I said, after reading the last
phrase. "Of course I took no more
notes after that. Have you anymore?"
"No. The fiamc came, and I got no
further," Sonntag answered. "This
certainly is curious. There seems to be
a complete circuit formed somehow, or,
more properly, two circuits; when one
is closed the other is opened by that
closing, and vice versa."
While making the foregoing remark
the oltl fellow was leaning over the
table, intently scanning the two papers.
"You say a flame shot out into the
room?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Prom where?"
"Between the window and chimney, it
seemed to be," he replied, without lift
ing his head.
1 stepped over to the place indicated.
There was a large nail sticking in the
jv all, which had been covered with
w hitcwash. A fionn 1 coat which I had
hung on the nail tho night before was
now lying on the floor, a charred ruin.
The nail itself was blackened, and
was quite hot, as contact with my
fingers told me.
"Great heavens!" I exclaimed, start
Ing back, "tills is the strangest phenoni
enon. What a wonder the house is nol
nblnze!"
TO 111! CONTI.NUKD.l
An Old Story.
Frank Some genius in Birmingham
has invented a buttonless shirt.
Billy Why, that's old. I've worn
them ever since my wife learned to ride
a bike. Tit-Bits.
Tim Infant Olnsn.
"Bobby Longeari, give the nlural foe
child.' "
"Twins." L'llluBtre deToche.
CUMBERLAND PRESBYTERIANS
Itupnrtx of ommlttn to the (iiinrnl ,-
I antiilttt. ., A,. .!.. .11 nf .. .j t . .. .
.......j .... ...... n. .fan, .,,, rll1l,v illU
;tinrli Ik In Uootl .Mm)),..
Maihmum Mo., May til At yester
day's session of tho Cumberland Pres
byterian general assembly, Gen. II. II.
Norm an, of Murfrccsboro, Tenn., was
chosen moderator. Rov. J. W. Laugh
lin, of St, Louis, superintendent of tho
general missionary work, read tho re
port of tho board of missions and
church erection. From this report tho
following facts wore gleaned:
In spite of tho distressed llnnnrlnl condition
of the tline, there lire groat reasons for eon
Kriitulntlcin over the work of tho boat d. Tho
results from anniversary dav, 1803. were tnoro
gratifying than last year. Work has been car
ried on In 1H city missions. At present 13 ot
tlieso aro manned by well-equipped ami oul
clout missionaries, Tho Hold occupied by mis
sion work hi Japan embrace ono-twentlcth
of tho entire area ot tho empire and ono-elghtb
of the population. The women's board reports
a total receipt for tho year of Stl.0tW.7J. The
hum received for foioln missions was P,f70.
22; for homo missions, $2,1(12,27, tho church
erection. JI7A8I: .special nad synndleal ofTor
I ill?, f2l,l!.,M: a contribution from Mrs. I'.llza
both Uarelay, of Petersburg, Ill, of 913,811,
Tho church erection fund shows a total of 128,
MW.70. of which l.'O.lfil.W) Is loaned to IHoaurhcs.
A resolution was passed memorializing Prosl
dent MoKlnloy to secure religious liberty and
protection for missions liiCcun and tho Philip,
plno Islands, whoa tho government Is estab
lished, before allowliu? tliotn to pass from un
aer tho control of tho United States,
AS VIEWED IN LONDON.
Nmrxpitper Continue Tlmlr I'm-Aiiinrlcuii
CoimiKMits Wlmt ii Kiiropt'iiu War
Mlglit llrlng on.
Loxtm.v, May 21. The weeklies con
tinue their pro-Ainorlean comments on
tho war and Its International develop
ments. Tho Speaker says:
Tho ultlmato rusttlts of tlio war cannot bo
doubtful. Any check tho United Status may
recolvo will only Increase Its determination to
persist. Tho Intervention of tho powers would
inako that determination unalterable; and If
European complications bring on a Ihiropoau
war, every ureal power In Kuropo, except our
selves and (Jorniaay, will Had what Italy nail
Spain have found already that Its government
Is sitting on a volcano.
Tho Spectator, discussing tho Span
ish crisis, says:
The plain truth of tho matter Is that If Senor
Sagasta should fall to protect Cuba or to In
duce somo of tho continental powers to vonturu
upon aotlvo liitorvontloa ho will bo super
seded by a military dictatorship or a revolu
tionary Junta.
SECOND CALL IMPROBABLE.
Unless Uiiriri'Ht-ou Clrclliimtiiiiciis llnvelop
No Morn Troops Will lie NoccnHury
Wants l'lvo 1,'olorml KckIiiiuiiIh.
Wahihnoto.v, Muy 21. It Is now
stated that President MoKlnloy will
mako no further call for volunteers
unless unforeseen circumstances ren
der suoh a stop necessary. Tho mus
tering in of tho 125,000 men alroady
called for is proceeding most satlsfac
torily. Tho president considers 125,
000 volunteers, tho 10,000 immunes and
tho regulars sulllolunt to carry on u
successful war. Tho organization of
tho regiments is progressing most sat
isfactorily. President MoKinloy is
greatly in favor of giving the colored
people flvo of tho ton regiments that
are to bo raised.
Mimloror Now h I.loiitiiiint.
Ixii:pk.ni)KN(;i:, Mo., May 21. Charles
15. Myers, who about eight years ago
was convicted of murder in this coun
ty and sentenced to bo hanged, but ro
prlovod and later discharged as insane,
is now a lieutenant of a Pennsylvania
company of volunteers stationed at
Chlckaniauga. Myers was convicted
forkilllng.John Wolr, of Independence,
whllo ho was sleeping in tho Liberty
street depot. Ho was murdered for
his money, Myers striking him with a
coupling pin.
Irul ill KnowMlldo lii tlio North'.vi'st.
Skattuc, Wash., May 21. Tlio
steamer Morgan City has just arrived
in port with tho news of a terrible
snowslide down tho Valdcs glacier.
Fully 100 persons wore caught by tho
avalanche and burled allvo. Many
wore rescued, however, but probably
20 lives were lost. Among the dead is
A. Johnson, of I5ubt St. Louis, 111.
The Valdos mountains aro on tho gulf
of Georgia, coast of British Columbia.
Tlio Cuban lllockiiiln Kimorlcd Illusory.
Lo.NDON, May 21. Tlio Madrid cor
respondent of tho Standard says: 151
Imptircial expects Senor Aunon to dis
play great vigor in tho marine ollice.
Tho other papers aro less enthusiastic
about him. Tho blockade of Cuba
and Porto Rico is considered illusory
as Spanish warships and merchant
vessels aro frequently moving from
port to port between tho islands.
Cyclono Cihihch lilt; Propitrty I,oks,
Rocki'oui), 111., May 21. Nearly a
score of lives lost, dozens of persons
injured, closo to SI, 000,000 worth of
property destroyed, many farms laid
wahto, growing crops out oil', and with
ruin and devastation ovurywhero In
Its destructive path is tlio partial rec
ord of tho terrific oyclone that swept
over Carroll and Oglw counties Wednes
day evening.
.MoKlnloy Will Touch tlio ltutton.
Omaha, Nob., May 21. At noon,
Wednesday, Juno 1, President MoKin
loy will bo placed in telephonic com
munication with the officials of tho
Transmlsslsslppl exposition and his
message will bo read boforo tho assem
bled people on tho grounds. Tho presi
dent will touch tho button that will
start tho exposition machinery in motion.
f
J
