THE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER
W. W. nANOKIM, I'abttihitr.
NEMAHA,
NEBRASKA.
THE STONE IN THE ROAD.
Long tlmo f?o thor lived a king
Known to l)o tfood and wIbo;
IIu taught hid people laziness
In all forms to desplfte.
"For the ticat thln of life," mM ho,
"Ood xlve to thoo who work;
IJnd lurk comes lint by mnilne8,
To those who love to hlrk"
Itlitht In tho middle of tho road,
CIoso by hi palace fair,
lie placed a atone, and watched to jco
Tho people pnlnff there.
Quite early In tho morning carno
A farmer, with hi corn.
Drawn by a yoko of onttn "Ha
As sure as you are born,"
lie crlod, In great disgust, "the king
I fas lazy subjects hero.
Now t must drive my cart one sld
And upset, too, I fear!"
He never thought to roll the stone
Hlmsolf. A soldier gay,
IWIth it long feather In hl hat,
Now marched across the way;
A merry song he sung, but as
He hold his hoad so high,
He stumbled o'er the stone and In
Tho dust was forced to He.
"Ah! silly drones, yo country folks,"
He Mtormod "your sense Is small,
To leave sueh stones where travelers
Are almost mire to fall!"
An hour later, merchants, six,
Hound for a village fair,
Came down the road and loudly blamed
Tho folks who loft It there.
And so for three long wcoks or more,
In everybody's way,
That Mtone, untouched by nnyono,
Aa an obstruction lay.
Then tho great king a message sent
To people far and noar,
JJIddlng them by his palace, on
A certain day; appear.
"My friends, 'twas I who placed thin atone
That In your wny hns stood,
To seo," the king said, "which of you
Loved most his neighbor's good,"
Ho stooped and quickly rolled asldo
Tho stone a box was there
"For him who lifts this stone," they read,
In lotterH largo and fair.
Out fell a ring and twonty coins
Of gold "This maxim true
Now take to heart," quoth our good king:
"Strlvo with your might to do
The work that right before you llos;
Don't go around tho stone,
Or scold your neighbor, when the fault
Hosts but with you alone."
-Ulzzlo do Armond, In Ohio Farmer.
el,ttf'f8,i,fP5'VfP5,rPi,rCl,r5,fff
Tom Tedona j
jy By S. Rhott Roman. ;
a-'?l,VB-fj.?.v?).?j.7,''?i5
TOXI line been altar boy now for
nearly six months, and, in conse
quence, his position had been greatly
improved, hot only with the community
nt. large, butnmong the nigged urchins
hwurhiing around Ducntur and Old
2-uvco xtruulti.
Even Merc Felix, the old bottle wom
an on St. Anthony's alley, was less
rancorous In her attacks, more cau
tions how she struck at him when he
"passed by, and not quite so viuious in
lier abiise of his (lend mother.
Ton! sat on the front steps of the
cathedral, and looked out at the beau
tiful, (lowering square In. front; at the
puling tints of the evening sky; the ta
pering masts and rigging and red fun
nel's of the ships lined up along the
wharves beyond where the trallleof the
levee front rolled in a distant, ceaseless
hunt and rumble; and at the curling
tsmokc of a. locomotive as it switched
Mime heavy freight trains back and
forth, with grumbling persistency.
For all seemed to Ton! a revelation
' something lie had never noted before.
And yet the MI years of his young,
hut troublesome life had been spent
right here, on the levee, in the narrow
streets and crowded alleyways adjoin
ing and around the old cathedral and
Jackson square, In which he used to
steal, to throw stones a't the sparrows,
when no one was looking.
Ton! sat idly, his chin resting in
the palms of his hands, his elbows on
his knees, mid he pondered if he were
really Ton! Tedona, the vagrant and
imp of yore.
The Ishmaeltte, whoso code of morals
had been summed up in the words:
"Po not be found out;" whose agile
lingers were wont to steal anything
available, and whose sharp .wits were
for sale to the highest bidder for any
nefarious job, to be executed in mysterious.-courtyards
and under the shad
ows of night, in those days not long
.ago, before Mere Laurent had taken
him in.
For .Tonl's -bold intrepidity, his cool
.daring and matchless elYroiUery had
made him a tool of rare value for the
reckless, turbulent, criminal popula
tion mound the wharves, and his small,
fiharp features, brilliaut dark eyes and
short, curling black hair hnd become
well known to the local police, as was
li!s mocking insolence nnd his clever
ness in getting outof scrapes where one
less quick-.witted would have been cor
nered and trapped.
Ton! seemed hardly to recognize hlm
solf. , Jlow was !t he had refused, fiercely
and at last with bhnvs, to accompany
that lawless band of which he had erst
while been chief, gathered that evening
for n raid long meditated on old Me
lon, the butcher's, premises, out by
the barracks? Melon,, who was cor
dially hated by all the rabble of the
market?
It was not through fear of the stout
old Gascon (ii his s.t.( 1 , loni would
mock and with gi '' at both; nor
fear of hi bi-r-tiiouthrd 'Ior. Halt!
Ton! knw a s ra specific to quell the
noisy blinder ' t a watchdog, whether
bloodhound or lull pup.
It wits not hrcittiMt Toni hesitated to
appropriate lleiou'g fruit and vegeta
ble. War hnd waged too long and
fiercely between the two factions
(Tout's band and Melon, the close-listed,
brutal butcher) for hlrn to look
upon the destroying of his enemy ns
anything but a fair reprisal of war.
And when, with hooting and re
proaches, the boys scurried oh" down
Chartres street nnd left him alone on
the church steps. Tonl's desire to take
part in the expedition was so great tluit
he had nil but shouted to them to stop
mid wait for him.
Milt the cnthed rnl bell hnd chimed the
hour, nud Toni (mused, remembering
I'ere Laurent's words:
"Wait for me on the stepn, tnons Ills,
and I will take you with me to hear
some music some violin music which
Father Charles will piny fop us."
And in passing by Mere Laurent had
placed his hand on Toni's rough, tnnglcd
curls witii a gesture of protection and
was it affection'.'
At the thought, Tonl's rich Italian
blood surged up, coloring the dark
olive of his eherks, and his eyes, which
were watching the gathering clouds
being driven up by a summer storm
from ncross the gulf, shone like two
luminous stars.
No, not to please a Heavenly Fnther.
remote nnd unknown, one who hnd
not watched over those dark and un
happy days from which lie had
emerged, would Toni strive to follow
the narrow path jointed out to him by
Mere Laurent.
That path, which excluded passion,
vengeance and curses. Ill-will and theft,
nnd the paying buck of evil for evil, his
long-cherished dream, which was to
square up those old accounts of his op
pressed childhood, and settle, the debt
with compound interest he owed those
I who had so harshly treated him."
Loni would sit and plan how he
would wipe out the old scores when he
would be brawny and tall and power
ful, like tlit; sailors on the goclettesand
charcoal boats moored in the Old Masin.
Hut If lie was .to renounce the keen
pleasure over which he had so gloated,
vengeance on Mere Feljx and others, it
was only to please Merc Laurent, to
bring a smile to his dim. kind eyes, mid
to hear him say: "mons Ills." those
words which, sinking deep, made Toni's
heart swell with a passionate love and
pride.
. No, it was not for the sake of doing
right, lit the dictate of thnt remote God
in- Heaven. . It was for love of I'ere
Laurent.'
Ton! Tedona had been unwittingly
the cause of contention and reproach
in Father Laurent's quiet home, the
presbytere by the cafhedrnl.
Old Madame Jean, hts housekeeper,
hnd raised her hands in hoby horror ami
her voice in strong protest when told to
prepare a cot in the wing room forToni,
(he vagabond, who led all the pranks
and villainies committed by the gamins
of the levee. It was impossible that
I'ere Laurent would think seriously
of trying to reform so notorious a
young villain! '
''And to bring htm into the presby
tere! That quiet, orderly twos!
"It was impoMiibJe! Why. in a week's
time she, Madame Jena, would not hare
.'! chick or a hen left in the Jr&, nor
would Father Laurent have onoif thoee
beautifulsilrerspoonH presented to him
in gratitude by It la congregation.'
"Toni Tedona was a brigand, ami it
was easy xo foretell what would 6e hi
ending."
Hut I'ere Laurent had smiled ' hi
alow, 'quiet smile, of companionate re
proof, which Madame Jean herself mmI
was like a ray of diin light from
Heaven, and reminding her of the char
ity of Him who had said to the thief;
"Meet me in paradise," had persisted
that Toni, the reprobate, he made wel
come under his roof.
"The boy i brave, and he liven not
'who can as.-rt that there is only eri
in bim: He is yomigand.'ha been hard
ly treated. Hi eyes are rearles and
true and I will trust htm."
So Toni was brought to the presby
tere. It had buen hard work for Mere
Laurent to implant into his wild and
passionate nature the seeds of those.
traditions and virtues which guide the
Christian world, but there was tasefna
tlon In the work, and he hail persisted.
And soon Mere Laurent realized th
magic of those two words "my .-on,"
and their effect upon Toni to quell his
burst of passion when troubled and
worried by the men on the levee for
whom he worked, word, which would
bring tears of repentance to his eyes.
So Mere Laurent skillfully and ' pa
tiently tended the wild plant he had
plqeked from the poisonous duiifrhill of
the street,' nud watched with prayerful
delight its. gradual unfolding into a
thing of beautiful growth.-
"You think you hae tamed him,
Mere? You wait mid see! One of these
days Toni will blaze out in a fit of fury,
iiiiu we win iitj assassinated!" instated
Madame Jean. ' . '
Hut i'ere Laurent only toughed
amusedly, if a little sadly. It had been
at Toni's own-request that he had taken
him as altar boy some six, months ago,
marveling that he should wis-h It.
Altar boy! Toni Tixlonn altar hoy!
When the news spread abroad down
the levee, among those r. t is compan
ions', formerly led b Iiru to the com
mission of deeds which wuld not bear
the light of day, and whi ii an individ
uality of interests nlne kept hidden
away from the scrutiny f the police,
how they yelled and shunted : derisively
and mocked nt the fane
And as Toni snt that evening on the
Btcis of tlie cathedral in the waning
tight, he cllnuhed his teth hard to
keep down the rage in h heart at the
' recollection of the nan es they had
cnlled him, nnd he realized full well
that it was through a birnlnggrutltude
to Mere Laurent, a lo- and reverence
beyond the power of urds or expres
sion for the noble. v "ite-haired old
priest, who had drawn him back from
the pit of darkness and crime into which
he was plunging, which hnd niiule him
ask to bo taken to serve mns as altar
boy, not from any piety or love of re
ligion. When with reverence and solemn
voice, with bowed heml tnd closed eyes
Merc' Laurent repented .iloud the serv
ice. "Sunctus! Sanctum' Sanctus!" the
bell tinkled and a hn-h fell 'over the
church, Toni's gaze fill with an un
speakable love on one who was an
earthly and heavenly father to him.
So, sitting on the cathedraF steps and
waiting to accompanv Mere Laurent to
hear the music of Mendelssohn and
Hach which Father (hnrles played so
well on his violin; Toni Tedona look
ing up at the evening sky and the sen
tinel stars, which smiled back at him.
felt a great yettrnin:: come over him. to
deserve the name given, with so noble a
generosity, nnd to be indeed a worthy
son to thnt saint on earth, a son upon
whom no reproach would ever gather
in years to come, no evil deed ever
cling.
The wind blew blustering and light
clouds began to obscure the deep blue
of the sky and the radiance of the
stars.
"Are you there, Toni?" said Mere Lau
rent's gentle voice. "I was detained by
n visit to a sick child. Alious, mon tils.
Come. We will cross the river and go to
hear rather Charles music for a little
while."
Springing up with a glad joy in his
eyes as Mere Laurent placed a frail,
withered hand on his shoulder, Ton!
and his friend the priest passed down
tiie steps, across the street, and into
the square, where the rising wind was
tossing the scents of the (lowers about
them, out to the crowded levee, to take
the ferry boat, pulling its way across
the broad, winding river.
I'ere Laurent's talk was of the dedi
cation to the church of their rcsplend
.ent genius by the old German masters,
Sehaitian Hach, Handel and others,
and, wrapt in his subject, he threaded
.his way abstractedly among tho heavy
belated Moats, market carts and back
ing and twisting trains, which cross
and recross on the levee front.
Toni went slowly by his side, and,
glancing up, thought that the stars
smiled npprovingly.
How was it?
None could say.
The darkening light of the evening
must have obscured the distance, and
fitful gusts of wind blew clouds of fine
white dust in their faces.
Mere Laurent, brought to sudden
consciousness of where they were,
paused, as a heavy engine backed rap
idly down upon them.
With an exclamation he stretched to
stize, Toni's hand and attempted to
erosM. not heeding the boy's imploring
effort .to detain him.
There weTe shouts of .warning and
the thunder of an engine. Then, with
one wild cry: "I'adre!" Toni sprang
forward, caught and tore him back;
filing him to one side, while wild cries
arose from the engineer and trainmen
around, saving Mudre Laurent, but go-;
ing himself to an awful fate.
"Mrni fils! mon fils!" wailed the gray-haired-
priest in anguish, wringing his
hand.
Ton! T-dona toy at the foot of the
altar. His face serene nnd smiling, was
nn marred and over his shattered body
a dark cloth had been drawn. Ta
pers burned around the compassionate
face of the Christ crucified, and silence
reigned in the cathedral.
I'ere Laurent knelt, nud, gazing at
the young and beautiful face, so grand
ly chhvded by death, alow tears fell
orer his withered cheeks. Massing his
hand over the dark curling hair with
a tender gesture of lave, he whispered
softly: "Mon fils! oh, mon fiU!' N. O.
Times-Democrat.
OrnH .SiircnMin.
"f know- the pumpkin pie was rather
thin tf to filling." saidfhe landlady, al
most crying; "but I don't think he had
aay righ.t to ay what he did."
''What did he say?" asked the second
table boarder.
"Ht: asked me if I didn't think that
the pin crust would be improved if it
hnd another coating of yellow paint."
What-to-Kat. '
.Soiiirtlilnt; Wrontr.
. Syhia What's the matter? You
look as if you had ost your best (rlend,
Maude I went to see a fortune tell
er yesterday, and she told me f was go
ing to marry a tall, (Jark man. The only
rich fellow I kiif,w is dumpy and ha's red
hair. Stray Ktoriert.
TALK ABOUT INDIANS
They Are Not Dying Out as Fast as
Is Generally Supposed.
How They Are Dlvlilrd Amoni; die
Mitten nnd 'I'eri'ilorle Legend
of the Origin of the Cher
okee Alphuhot.
Special Washington Letter.
' Our Indian brethren mny not have aa
much room in which to roam as in the
days when William Menn sold them a
gold brick under ("lie wide spreading
branches of an elm that once cast un
umbrageous shadow over a small por
tion of Fishtown, but they are almost
as numerically strong as they were
more than half a century ago. Figures
demonstrate the truthfulness of this
statement. A special Indian census,
that forms a part of the last general
census, gives the Indian population in
this country as 3So,4(tt, of whom, how-
.Sa6sVjH
' LMw--
0 -Ji . u
N.V .!
:
A CLUSTER OF INDIAN HOMES.
ever, only 1S.417 nre returned as In
dians, the remainder being those who
are in various ways affiliated with the
aborigines. Tire Indian population of
the United States is officially recordud
since ITS!), and up tc-lSOO, by the follow
ing figures:
tj?? Estimate of tho secretary of war Tfi.OW
""EKtlmate of Gilbert Imlay.. 60.CXI0
JS22 Report of Jeileiliah .Morse on In
dian affairs 171.417
l"!2.i Report of the secretary of war..129,3'".fi
1S20 Report of the secretary of war. .312,930
1S32 Estimate of Samuel J. Drake 293,933
1S34 Report of tho secretary of war.. .312,1110
lisob Report of the superintendent of
Indian affairs : 2J3.4BI
1S37 Report of the superintendent of
Indian affairs 302.49S
I'M Report of H. R. Schoolcraft 3SS.229
1Su3 Report of tho United States cqn-
. sua. 18M 400.761
ISM) Report of the United States cen-
, sjis 339,421
1S(.. Report of Hon. N. G. Taylor (ex
clusive of citizen Indians) 30C.92".
1S70 Report of tho United States cen
sus ...,f 313,712
ISS0 Report of United States census
and Insllan ottlce -. COrt.MI
1S90 Report of United States census.. 219.273
Those' figures certainly contain a
surprise fpr you. From them you learn
that "Moor Lo" is not being wiped from
the face of the earth as rapidly as many
of you imagine. Why, even the names
of the principal tribes, as recognized by
the laws of the United States, furnish
n tabic surprising in its amplitude. It
contains these titles:
nll In KiiHtla.
The salt product Of the Hacbmqt di.s
triot, Uus'.sin, increases yearly, last
year output being 300,000. toua.
Apache
Arapahoo
Arickareo
HUckfeet
Rannock
Rrule
Comancho
Cheyenne
Chickasaw
Chippewa
Choctaw
Columbia
Colville
Creek
Crow
C't'sen and Pralrlo Sioux
Otter Tail
Ottawa
Pillager
Pawnee
Pottawatomie
Peoria
Plankeshaw
Pembina
Ponca
Pluto
Qtiupaw
Quinaelt
Oulllehiite
Turtle Mountain
ronKawa
Pottawatomie
Carlos band, Flat
head Caytise
Cherokee
Coeur d'Aleno
CaJ'.spcr
Diu ware
D'Wamish
K'athRd
Gros Ventre'
Hualapal
Iowa
Toseph's Band
Kiowa
Kaw . .
Kansas
Tvlckapoo
Ka3kaskla
Klamath
Mnlol
Miariil . .
Mar.dan
Modoc
Malcah
Mnnomonoe
Murji'1
.Mez rerce
Sac and Fox of tho
.vitssissippi
Sac and Fox of the
Missouri
Seminole
Seneca, and Seneca
of New York
Shawnen and Eastern
and Absentee
Shoshono and Ran
nock Six- Nations of New
York
Santee Sioux
Sioux, Yankton tribe
Phefpeater
Sheblt
S'Klallam
SittPton Sioux
Spokane
t'tes
Umatilla
Wlnnebat-OKhlsh
w Innebagoo
W'ea
Wichita
Walla Walla
w yandotte
and Arannhn
Navajo
eyenno
Northern Cheyenne Wahpeton Slouv
and Arapaho Northern Chey
Osaj;e
Otoe and Mls.scirla
The tribes mentioned are divided
numerically among, the states and terri
tories that form the great American re
public, as follows:
Nebraska -n.MS
Nevada ir,7
New Mexico.... fi.-cm
w York 5.31S
North Purollnn.
North Dakota.. 7.9S0
onio is
Oklahoma 13.1H7
Oreson 3,713
Pennsylvania .. 9S
South Dakota ..19,072
Texas i
Utah ......;..'... 2.MS
WashinKton'.... 7,."2i;
Wisconsin ii,09S
Wyoming '..-. 1.S01
figures. 'may have
given, you-new thoughts about the. orig
inal .owners' of American sui-J. Another
singular condition' concerning them' U
that among all of the nations that
compose the Indian tribes only one-
the Cherokee has a written-or print
ed kingunge, although' from 'the tim'e
Columbus." first set his foot upon the
fruitful ground that we now till' there
havebeen discovered 750 different lan
guages or 'dialects', spok'ca by an equal
Alabama 3S1
Arizona 2S,4txi
Arkansas 32
California 5,107
Colorado 9SS
Idaho 4,0fi4
Illinois 1
Indian Terrfry. 51,279
, Iowa 397
Kansas 0-15
Louisiana . 1
Massachusetts . '" 4
Michlsran ...!... l
Minnesota .:.... S.20S
Ml.s.ourl 1
Montana' 10.24U.
Thesv fact nnd
number of Inuum nations. VWiilc we
who use the English tongue employ
only 2G letters to give it expression,,
the Cherokees find 87 requisite for the.
voicing of their thoughts. Through this .
condition of culture, however, tlie
Cherokees have become the wealthiest
and most Intelligent of all Indians.
The story of the birth of their alpha
bet is entertainingly told by W." T.
Whitaker, president of the Orphans
home at Mryor Creek, L. I. He is 'a. '
Cherokee himself, and says that When
his people occupied a large part of"
North Carolina, Georgia and Tennes
see, here was in the tribe one buck
who was regarded as especially dull
and lazy. "His name," says Whitaker,.
"was Se-qua-ynh, and he took no pleas--ure
In the chase for game, seldom had
his bow and arrow, the war whoop had
no fascination for him, and he re
fused to take part in the dances which
thrilled the hearts of' the braves. Se-qua-yah
was good-natured and kind, but.
always wore the look of one burdened
with some deep and hidden sorrow, pre
ferring nt all times to be alone in the
woods when not assisting his frquaw
around the wigwam; something In
dians nre seldom found doing. The pe
culiar actions of the Indian could not
be understood by his fellows, and
finally he came to be regarded as men
tally off balance as an Indian would
say: 'Head heap go round.' My and
by there came to Se-qua-yah's wild
home a little girl babe, and there shone
a new light' in the queer Indian's eyca
upon her advent. The little one was.
named Oo-he-chae, which means 'has.
arrived, or been given.' As the child
grew the father became more and more
devoted and would spend hours with
her in the woods, returning to the wig
wam only when the face of the Great
Spirit, as the- called the sun, had gone
down behind the mountains, now called
the Mine Midge; perhaps the most beau--tif
ill, picturesque mountain range in
tlie southern states. Se-qua-yah was
not idle, while spending his days in the
woods. While listening to the prattle
of his child, the notes of the feathered
songsters and the barking of the squir
rels as they scurried from limb to limb
and tree to tree, the mind of the In
dian was solving a problem which none
of his people had ever been able to
solve., and which was to lift them from
ignorance to intelligence and Chris--tianity.
"Years rolled by, and still Se-qua-yah'
was in the woods cutting queer-looking
characters on pieces of bark stripped-from-
poplar trees. As each character
was fashioned he would sit down and
teach Oo-he-chae, who had grown to
be an Indian maiden of perhaps 14
years, how to pronounce it. She was-.
an apt pupil and took great pleasure in
the work her father was prosecuting.
When S7 characters had been cut on
as many different pieces of bark Se--qua-yah
declared hi work finished and
told Oo-he-chae that they would talk
'with mouth open.' It was not long
before the two could put words and
sentences together by cutting tlie char
acters on large pieces of bark, and then
Se-qua-yah told the braves what ho
could do. This they doubted, and.
when Se-qua-yah would sit on a large-.
rock many miles away from Oo-he-chae-'
a doubting Indian would carry mes-
INDIAN WOMAN AND GIRL.
sages cut on a piece of bark, which she
would read, and, having been taught ta
make the characters, she would send
one in reply. For many moons hun
dreds of Indians gathered to see this
wonderful wort;, and the father anil
daughter, were at first regarded as evil
.spirits who had been sent to break up
the peace and happiness of the red
men. This idea or belief, however,,
finally died out, and other Indians were
taught to "read and write.' Whcp.it
became common Se-qua-ynh conceived
the idea of publishing a newspaper',,
which he eventually, did, calling it the-Oo-luli-hee
Sali-uah-liee, meaning tu
Kuglish the Cherokee I'hounix reviv
ing or taking a new start. Like a ma
jority of newspaper enterprises this,
one proved a failure and publication
was suspended, probably tvjam a luck
of advertising .patronage. However,,
after the Cherokees were tramped over-'
tlie dirt road to their present nation
the paper was revived under the name,
of. the Cherokee Advocate, a seveu
eoltimn; four-page paper, which was af
fir,st printed all Cherokee, but which,
now' conies out half Kuglish." .
Mr. Whituker says the paper .has a
splendid eirciilation.-and.is o fit en calle'd-Se-qua-yah's
paper. "These facts oau
not be disputed," says Mr.. Whitaker..
"and there'nre hundreds of Cherokees.
living to-'dhy. who remember old man.
Se-qna-yah, whose Knglish nmn'e was
Guess. This was his given name, for
an Indian -full-blood has no surname
. . .. .'SMITH D. FRY. .
1
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