V
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THE NEBRASKA ADVERTISER
W. W. SAM)i:ilS, l'ubllntior.
JNEMAUA, - - - NEBRASKA.
' DO THE NEXT THING.
When Napoleon heard his soldiers talk
ing about taking Vienna he gave them
this memoruble advice: "The way to tako
Vienna Is to take Vienna."
Have you anything to do?
Qo and do It. '
Time will never wall for you
riiuugn yuu sue it.
Shirks, llku drones, will never thrive.
Out there, man, and look alive!
'TIs n good and helpful plan,
Only try It.
Then, like a courageous man,
Square life by It.
Do the next thing now, nor say:
"To-morrow Is another day."
There's that letter, long delayed,
Go and write It.
That bad temper you've displayed,
Try to light It.
Take back that unkind remark.
Stab no enemy In the dark.
You'll not pass this way again
To undo It;
Cut your swath of ripened grain
Ere you rue It,
To the Mnsiei's granary bring
Sheaves, not leaves, for harvesting!
M. L. Itayne, in Chicago Record-Herald.
Copy right :d, :goo, by the J. D. Llpplncott Co.
CIIAPTEB XVII.
Benton's murder was certainly the
.sensation of the week in Manila, for
there were features connected with
the case thnt made it still more per
plexing, even .mysterious.
Mnj. Fnrquhar, who must have seen
young Foster frequently at Fort.
Averlll, had been sent to survey the
harbor of lloilo und could not bo
reached in time, but Dr. Frank, called
in course of the day to identify the
remnins. long and carefully studied
the culm, waxen features of the dead
soldier, and said with earnest con
viction: "This is undoubtedly the young
man who appenred nt Col. Brent's
-and whom I sought to question, but
who seemed to take alarm nt once
nnd, with some confused apology,
backed away. lie was dressed very
.neatly in the best white drilling sack
coat and trousers as made in Manila,
with n fine straw hat and white shoes
nnd gloves, but he had a fuzzy beard
.all over his face then, and his man
ner was nervous and excitable. His
eyes alone showed that he was un
strung, bodily and mentally. I set
him down for a crank or some one
just picking up from serious illness.
The city is full of newcomers, and
.as yet no one knows how many stran
gers have recently come to town. I
saw him only that once in a dim
"light, but am positive in this identi
fication." Two or three non-commissioned ofH-
ccrs of Benton's regiment were ex
.amincd. Their stories were concise
aand to the point. The young soldier
had come with the recruits from Sun
J'rancisco along late in August. H;
was quiet, well-mannered, attended
strictly to his own business, and was
eager to learn everything about his
tduties. Thay "sized him up" as a
.young mrn of education and good
family who hadn't influence enough
to get a commission nnd so had en
'llstcd to win it. Ho hnd money, but
siw bad habits. He helped in the
ofllcc with the regimental papers,
nnd could have been excused from
nil duty and made clerk, but wouldn't.
be. He said he'd help whenever they
wanted hitn, but he didn't wish to bo
excused from guard or drills or pa
trol or picket said he wanted to
learn all there was in it. Even the
rough fellows in the ranks couldn't
help liking him. He had a pleasant
word for everybody ihnt didn't bother
him with questions. He made one
or two acquaintances, but kept most
ly to himself; never got any letters
irom America, but there were two
"from Hong-Kong, perhaps more. If
he wrote letters tumsclf, he posted
them in town. They never went with
ihe company mail from the cunrtel.
"Everybody seemed to know that
Bonton wasn't his own name, but
-that was nothing. The main thing
queer nbout him was that he got a
pass whenever he could and went
by himself, most generally out lo
Paco, where the cavalry were, yet ho
ifsniri he didn't know anybody there.
It was out I'aeo way on the Calzada
Hcrrnn, close to the corner of tho
Singnlon road, the patrol picked him
up with his head laid open, and he'd
1een Highly pretty much ever since
and troubled about being robbed.
Seemed all right again, however,
when reporting for duty, and per
fectly snno and straight then.
Two very bright young soldiers,
Clarke and Hunter, were called in for
their statements. They, too, had en
listed in a spirit of patriotism and
desire for adventure; never knew
Benton till the voyage was nearly
over, then thy necmed to drift to
gether, iih it were, and kept up their
friendship ufter reaching Manila.
JtSXL " fVfHQKINS.113
Benton was not his relil name, and
lie was not a graduate of any Amor
lean college. He had been educated
abroad nnd spoke French and Ger
man. No, they did not know what
university he attended. Be was
frank and plensant so long at? nobody
tried to probe Into his past; never
henrd him mention Lieut. Stuyvesnnt.
All three of them, Benton, Clarke and
Hunter, had observed that young nlll
cer durlug'the month as he drove by
barracks, sometimes with the gen
eral, sometimes nmne, but they did
not know his name, and nothing in
dicated that Benton had any feeling
against him or that he had seen him.
They admitted having conveyed the
idea to comrades that they knew
more about Benton than they would
tell, but it was a "bluff." Everybody
was full of speculation and curiosity,
and well, just for tho fun of tho
thing, they "let on," as they said,
that they were in his confidence, but
they weren't, leastwise to any extent.
They knew lie had money, knew ho
went off by himself, and wnrned him
to keep a lookout or he'd bo held up
and robbed some night
The only thing of any Importance
they hod to tell was that one day,
just before his misfortune, Bonton
was on guard and posted as sentry
over the big Krupps in the Spanish
battery at the west end of the Cnlle
San Luis. Clarke and Hunter had a
kodak between them and a consum
ing desire tb photograph those guns.
Tho sentries previously posted there
refused to let them come upon the
parapet said it was " 'gainst or
ders." Benton said that unless posi
tive orders were given to him to that
effect, he would not interfere. So
they got a pass on the same day and
Benton cnslly got thnt post men
didn't usually want it, it was such
a bother but, unluckily, with tho
post Benton got the very orders they
dreaded. So when they would hava
made the attempt he had to say no.
They came away crestfallen, and
stumbled on two sailor-looking men
who, from tho shelter of a heavy
stone revetment wall, were peering
with odd excitement of manner at
Benton, who wns again marching up
and down his narrow post, a very
soldierly figure.
"That young feller drove you back,
did he?" inquired one of them, n
burly, thick-set, hulking man of mid
dle height. "I'uttin' on considerabla
airs, ain't he? What's he belong to?"
" th Infantry," answered Clarke,
shortly, not liking the stranger's
looks, wDrds or manner, and then
pushed on; but the stranger fol
lowed, out of sight of the sentry
now, and wanted to continue the
conversation.
"Sure he ain't in the cavalry?"
asked the same man.
"Cocksure!" was the blunt reply.
"What's it to you, anyhow,?"
"Oh, nothin'; thought I'd seen him
before. Know his name?"
"Name's Benton, far as I know.
Come on, Hunter," said CInrke, ob
viously unwilling to stay longer In
such society, and little more, was
tlfought of it for the time being; but
now the provost-marshal's assistant
wished further particulars. Was
there anything unusual about the
questioner's teeth? And a hundred
men looked up in surprise and sud
denly rearoused Interest.
"Yes, sir," said Clarke, "one tooth
was missing, upper jaw, next the big
eye-tooth," and as the witness stood
down the general and the question
ing officer beamed on each other and
smiled.
An adjournment was necessitated
during tho early afternoon. Lieut.
Bay's statement wns desired, also
that of Private Connelly, of the nr
tlllery, and an effort had been made
through the officers of the cavalry
at Paco to find sonic of tho recruits
who were of the detnehment now
quite frequently referred to in that
command as "the singed eats." But
It transpired that most of them had
been assigned to troops of their regi
ment not yet sent to Manila, only
half the regiment being on duty
foot duty nt that in the Philippines.
Tho only man among them who had
traveled with Foster from Denver as
far as Sncramcnto was the young re
cruit, Mellen. He was on outposr,,
but would be relieved nnd sent to
Ermita as quickly as possible.
Connelly, said tho surgeon at the
Cuartel do Meysie, was too ill to be
sent thither, unless on a matter of
vital importance, nnd Sandy Bay,
hastening from Mnidio's bedside in
response to n summons, Was met by
the tidings that a recess had been
ordered, and that ho would be sent
for ngain when needed.
It was after three that witnesses
of consequence came up for examina
tion. Dr. Brick hnd got the floor and
wns pleading for post-mortem at
once. In this climate and under such
conditions decomposition would bo
so rapid, said he, that "by to-morrow
his own mother couldn't recognize
him." But the provost-mnrshal
drawled that he didn't see that fur
ther mutilation would promote tho
possibility of recognition, nnd Brick
was set aside.
It was a qunrtcr to four when
young Mellen wns bidden to tell
whether he knew, and what he knew
of, the deceased, and all men hushed
their very breath ns the lad was
conducted to tho blanket-shrouded
form under the ovcrhunging gullery
In the open putio. The liospltal
steward slowly turned dovrn the
coverlet, and Mellen, well-nigh as
pallid ns tho corpse, was bidden (oi
look. Look ho did, long1 and earnest-1
ly. The little weights Hint some one
had placed on tho eyelids were lifted;
the soft hair had been neatly,
brushed; the lips were j-eiitly closed:
the delicate, clear-cut features wore
an expression of infinite peace and
rest; nnd Mellen slowly turned ami.
facing the official group at the neigh
boring table, nodded. I
"You think j'ou recognise the do-,
ceased?' came the question. "If so,
what wns his name?"
"t think so, yes. sir. It's Foster
nt least, that's what I heard it was."
"Had you ever known him? to !
speak to?"
"He was in the same detachment
on the train. Don't know ns I ever I
spoke to him, sir," wns the nnswer. !
"But you think you know him bv ,
sight? Where did you first notice
him?"
"Think It was Ogden, sir. I didn't
pay much attention before thnt. A
man called Murray knew him nnd got
some money from him. 'Hint's how I
came to notice him. The rest of us
hadn't any to speak of."
"Ever see him ngain to speak to
or to notice particularly after you
left Ogden? Did he sit near you?M
was the somewhat caustic query.
"No, sir, only just that once."
"But you nro sure this is the mnn
you saw at Ogden?"
Mellen turned uneasily, unhappily,
and looked again into the still and
placid face. That meeting wns on a
glaring day in June. This was n
clouded afternoon in late October and
nenrly five months had slipped away.
Yet he had heard the solemn story
of the murder nnd hnd never, up lo
now, imagined there could be u
doubt. In mute putienee the sleep
ing face seemed appealing to him to
speak for it, to own it, to stand be
tween it nnd the possibility of its be
ing buried friendless, unrecognized.
"It's it's him or his twin brother,
sir," snid Mellen.
"One question more. Had you
henrd before you came hero who was
killed?"
"Yes, sir. They said it wns Foster."
And now, with pencils swiftly ply
ing, several young civilians were edg
ing to the door.
Jnmeft Farnham was called, and a
sturdy young man, with keen, weather-beaten
face, stepped into the little
open space before tho table. Three
fingers were gone from the hand ho
instinctively held up, ns though ex
pecting to be sworn. His testimony
was decidedly a disappointment.
Farnham said that he was brakemnn
of that train and would know some
of that squad of recruits anywhere,
but this one well, he remembered
talking to one mnn at Ogden, a tall,
fine-looking young feller something
very like this one. This might have
been he or it might not. He couldn't
even be sure that this was one of
the party. He really didn't know.
But there was a chap called Murray
that he'd remember easy enough
anywhere.
It was utterly unnecessary, said
certain bystanders, to question nny
more members of the guard, but tho
provost-marshal did, and not until
4:30 did he deign to send for the
most important witness of all, tho
brother of tho young girl to whom
the deceased hnd been so devotedly
attached. They had not long to wait,
for Sandy Bay happened to be almost
at the door.
The throng seemed to tnke another
long breath, and then to hold it ns,
tho few preliminaries answered, Mr.
Bay was bidden to look at the face
of the deceased. Pale, composed, yet
with infinite sadness of mien, tho
young officer, campaign hat in hand,
stepped over to the trestle, and tho
steward again slowly withdrew the
light covering, again exposing that
placid foce.
The afternoon sunshine was wan
ing. The bright glare of the mld
day hours had given place within the
inclosure to tho softer, nlmo.st shad
owy light of early eve. Hay had bu
just come in from the street without
where the slanting sunbeams burst
ing through the clouds bent hot upon
the dnzzling walls, and his eyes hnd
not yet become accustomed to the
change. Reverently, pityingly, he
bent and looked upon the features of
the dead. An expression, first of in
credulity, then of surprise, shot over
his face.
He closed his eyes as though to
give them strength for sterner test,
and then, bending lower, once more
looked; carefully studied the fore
head, eyebrows, lashes, mouth, nose
and hair, then, straightening up, h
slowly faced the waiting room and
snid:
"I never sot eyes on this man In
my life before to-day."
CHAPTER XVII I.
To say that Mr. Bay's abrupt an
nouncement was a surprise to tho
dense throng of listeners is putting
it mildly. To say that it was re
ceived with incredulity by pnrt of the
soldiery, and concern, if not keen ap
prehension, by old friends of Sandy's
father who were present, is but a
faint description of tho effect of the
lad'n emphatic statement.
To nine out of ten umong the assem
bly the young officer wns a total
stranger. To more than nine out of
ten the identification of the dead as
Walter Foster, Maldie Bay's luckless
lover, was already complete, an-1
many men who have made tip their
minds are Incensed nt those who dare
to differ from them.
True, Mr. Stuyvesnnt hud snid that
tho sentry, No. 0, did not remind hitn
except in stature, form, nnd possi
bly In features, of the recruit he
knew ns Foster on tho train. He did
not speak like him. But, when close
ly questioned by the legal adviser of
the provost-marshal's department,
tho officer who conducted most of tho
examination with much of the innu
ncr of a prosecuting attorney, Mr.
Steuyvcsant admitted that ho had
only seen Foster once to speak to,
nnd that was at night in tho dim light
of the Sacramento station on what
might be called the ofT-sldo of tho
train, where tho shadows were heavy,
nnd while the face of tho young sol
dier wns partially covered with a
bondage. Yet Vinton attached im
portance to his uido-de-enmp's opin
ion, and when Buy came out flat
footed, ns it were, in support of Stuy
vesant's views, the general was vis
ibly gratified.
But, except for these very few, Bay
had spoken to unbelieving cars.
Sternly the military lawyer took him
in hand and begun to probe. No
need to enter into details. In ten
minutes tho indignant young gentle
man, whoneverlnhjs life hnd told u He,
found himself the tnrget of ten score
of hostile eyes, some wrathful, soiivj
scornful, some contemptuous, nomo
insolent, some only derisive, but all,
snve those of a few silently observant
officers, threatening or at least inim
ical. Claiming first thnt. he knew Wnltcr
Foster well (and, indeed, it seemed
to him he did, for his mother's letters
to the Big Horn ranch had much to
sny of Mnidio's civilian admirer,
though Mnidie herself could rarely bo
induced to speak of him), Bay was
forced to admit thnt he hnd met him
only twice or thrice during a brief
and hurried visit to Fort Averlll to seo
his loved ones before they moved to
Fort Leavenworth, nnd then he owned
he pnid but little attention to the
sighing swain. Questioned ns to his
opportunities of studying nnd observ
ing Foster, Sandy had been con
strained to sny that ho hadn't ob
served him closely nt all. He "didn't
want to exactly." They first mot, It
seems, in saddle. The winter weath
er was glorious at Averlll. They had
a fine pack of hounds; coursing for
jnck rabbit was their favorite sport,
and, despite tho fact that Foster had a
beautiful and speedy horse, "his sent
was so poor and his hand so jerky ho
never managed to get up to the front,"
said Sandy.
It was not brought out in evidence,
but the fact was that Sandy could
never bo got to look on Foster with
the faintest favor as a suitor for his
sister's hand. A fellow who could
neither ride, shoot nor spar whoso
accomplishments were solely of the
enrpet and perhaps the tennis court t
tho boy had no use for. He and Mnidto
rode as though born to the saddle.
He had seen Foster in nn English rifl
ing suit and English saddle and an
attempt at tho English sent, but de
cidedly without the deft English hand
on his fretting hunter's mouth the one
dny that they appeared In tho field
together, nnd tho sight wns too much
for Sandy. That night at dinner, and
the later dance, Foster's perfection of
dress and manner only partially re
deemed him in Sandy's eyes, nnd
well really, that was about all ho
had ever seen of Foster.
Questioned ns to his recollection of
Foster's features, stature, etc., Sandy
did his best, and only succeeded in
portraying the deceased almost to tho
life. Except, ho said, Foster had long,
thick, curving eyelashes, and "this
mnn hasn't" but it wns remembered
thnt brows and lashes both were
singed off in tho fire, so that point
failed. Questioned as to whether ho
realized that his description tallied
closely with tho appearance of tho
deceased, Sandy said Hint that nil
might be, but sUIl "this isn't Foster."
Questioned us to whether, if tho de
ceased were agaiu to have the color
nnd .action the life that Foster had
n year ago might not thu resem
blance to Foster be complete'.' Sandy
simply "couldn't tell."
To Bo Continued.
A Vol co from the Demi.
The story of u law ease with strange
ly dramatic adjuncts comes from Uus
bia. One of the wealthiest landown
ers near Smolensk died not long ago,
and after the funeral his heirs looked
vainly for tho will, but without suc
cess. A few days later a young mnn,
seeing n grnphophonc on the tabic in
the library, put into it a record which
he supposed was that of a popular
Uussinn song. To his amazement nnd
terror, instead of a song lie heard the
dead man's voice recite the words of
the missing will. The heirs were noti
fied of the discovery, lawyers were
summoned, nnd they lost no time in
examining tho record containing the
will. It was found to be flawless, nnd
the question then nrcpt whether a will
eft on a grnphophone cylinder would
be deemed valid by the vi.urta. This
question Is now before tfiu supreme
court nt St. Petereliiyj. -Youth'
Companion
CAN'T OWN THEM ALL.
Tho Morgnu-IIIII S.viullcnVi Told Tlmt It .
Mint Not Wlpo Out Uiillwiiy Com
petition In Till Country,
Wnashlngton, Nov. 2". Tt In
known by government olllelnls
that the Northern Securities compa
ny owning nil tho stocks in the North
ern Pacific, Union Pacific and Chicago,
Burlington & Quiney railroads is ou
ly the beginning of the scheme which
J. P. Morgan nnd tinmen J. Hill hnvo
in mind. Morgan's ambition Is to
control tho transportation Hues of
this country, not only the railroads
but the steamship lines. Those who
hnvo talked with Morgan sny thnt
ho regards himself ns a benefactor In
trying to rescue the railroad proper
ties of tho country from ruinous
competition, nnd that, ho believes
such n consolidation of rallrond stock
will bo beneficial to tho whole coun
try. A close friend of President Boose
velt, who discussed thn question with
Morgan, pointed out to him that ho
wns taking tho greatest step thnt
had ever been made toward govern
ment control of railroads. "You may
bo Bincere, Morgan," snid this gentle
man, "ond you might succeed if you
were Ood. But no human agency,
except tho government of the United
States, will ever be allowed to own
nnd control the railroads of thn
United Stntes. There nro just two
nlternutlves to this question of trans
portation competition or govern
ment control. When tho people are
convinced or have good grounds to
suspect thnt roilrood competition Is
ended, they will insist on government
control. You nro on most dnngorouB
grounds, nnd if you go forward in
thin gigantic scheme you will precip
itate the greatest political question
of tho age, and bring the federal
government face to face with the ne
cessity of government control."
SURPRISED INSURGENTS.
Sergt. Mc.Mulion mill SO Mnn Climb n
I'rorlplco on lloliol Inland mul
llout tli I'.ntiiny.
Manila, Nov. 25. Capt. Edward V.
Lawton's company of tho Nineteenth
Infantry bus attacked and captured
nn insurgent fort on Bohol island,
south of Cebu, in tho Viznynn group.
This fort wns surrounded on nil Bides
by a precipice and tho only entrance
to tho higher ground wns guarded by
a stockade with a lino of entrench
ments behind it. Capt. Lawton sent
Sergt. McMalion and 20 men to climb
the precipice and attack the fort In
tho rear. Sergt. McMahon's nnrty
accomplished their task after three
bourn' climbing through the thick
undergrowth of brush and vines that
covered the almost perpendicular
cliff. They took tho enemy by sur
prise und drove them from tho fort.
As tho Insurgents escaped they had
to pass the remainder of Capt. Law
ton's company at a distance of 150
yards. Here the enemy suffered ter
rible losses. The insurgents defended
themselves with both cannon and
rifles. The cannon wcro captured,
the smaller ones were removed,
while the larger on?s were buried.
Cupt. Lawton, in his report, makes
special mention for bravery of Sergts.
List nnd McMnhon.
Tho local steamer Alertn, with 200
passengers, including soma dis
chnrged soldiers from Olongnpo, Su
blg bay, to Manila, is believed to
have been lost.
WENT TO THEIR DEATH.
Eight OffloluU Who Kntoxod a Went Vir
ginia Minn to IiiKioit It Novur
Cutnn llnok.
Blueilelds, W. Va Nov. 21. Super
intendent Walter O 'Mai ley, of the Po
enhontus collieries company, along
with the state mine inspector, William
Priest; A. S. Hurst, chief coal In
spector for tho Castnor, Curran &
Bullitt company, of Philadelphia;
Bobert St. Clair, chief coal inspector;
Morris St. Clair and William Oldham,
sub-coal inspectors; Frn.icr O. Bell,
mining engineer, nnd .Joseph Vnrd
woll, manager of the Shnmokin Coal
& Coke company, entered the collier
ies to examine the true situation in
regard to the recent explosion nnd
flro in the Baby mine. They hnva
not been henrd from.
STOLE FROM MERCHANTS.
ArrcHt of Prominent Futility at riUxliurg,
Kitu., liroiiteH It Sentittlou nnd Un-
furtliH Nuiiioroim TIiuMh.
Pittsburg, Knn., Nov. 25, George
Lane, his wife, 1 1-yenr-old dnughter
and 18-year-old adopted son were ar
rested by the police und placed in
jail on the charge of robbery. Dur
ing the past, year nearly every store,
in Pittsburg had been robbed, and tho
police wcro baflled. Tho arrest of
the boy in a store and his confession
unraveled the mystery.
KoglmiM Vnntlerbllt to .'Marry.
New York, Nov. 25. Beglnuld Vnn
dorbilt, fourth son of tho Into Corne
lius Vaiidcrbilt, will wed Miss Kath
leen Neilson, a New York bello of re
markable beauty, who is yet in her
teens. Bcglnnld Vuudorbilt la a stu
dent ut Yale.
1