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About The Nebraska advertiser. (Nemaha City, Neb.) 18??-1909 | View Entire Issue (July 21, 1905)
41 l ltll PS. THE CARRIER KM R. D. BLACKMORE Author of "LORN A DOONE," "ALICE LORR AI N B," ETC., ETC. CHAPTER XXII. (Continual.) "So you inny, my dour boy, ami wol come now. This will lift you altogether beyond it. iota dear fntlicr may con wider It IiIk duty to continue the office, nnu ho on. Hut you will be a country gentleman, Kit, witii horses, ami dogq, tind Mnnton guns, and n puck of hounds, nnu a long barouche, and hot-house .grapes. And I will come and live Willi you, my darling; or at least make our country house of it, and show you liow to manage tiling. For the wholo world will bo trying to client you, Kit; you nro too Kood-naturod, and grand in your waj'Hl You must try to he a little sharp er, darling, with that mint of money." "Must IV Hut suppose that I won't have itV" . "Sometimes 1 believe you think it mall ly to provoke your mother. The money ought to have boon ours, Kit; mine by heritage and Justice; at leust a year and a half ago. Now I hope that you nee niSjifn in their jiroper light." "Well, I dare nay I do' he answered, with a little turn of sulkiness such iih Jjo often got when people could not un derstand him; "mother, you will allow mo to have my own opinion, aH you have yours." "You will behave, I trust, exactly as your parentH wish. They have seen bo much more of the world than you have, they are far better judges of right, and wrong; und their only desire is your high est interest. You will break your poor mother's heart, dear Kit, If you do any thing foolish now." Mr. Sharp did not como home to their arly dinner at half-pnBt one o'clock; In deed, his Wife did not expect Iilm much; and his son was delighted not to nee him. Kit sat heavily, but look his food as usual. The condition of his mind might bo very sad indeed; but bib body was not to bo driven thereby to neglect the duties of its own department. He helped his dear mother to sonn? loin of mutton; and when she only played with it, and her knife and fork were trembling, ho was angered, and his eyes sought hers; and she tried to look at him and smile, but made a wretched job of it. Chris topher reserved his opinion about this; but It did not help In any way to im pair his resolution.' "At seven o'clock all must be ready," !aId Mr. Sharp, towards the close of a : hurried conversation with Miss Patch, Grace Oglander being sent out of the 'way, according to established signal, "there is no timo to lose, and no Indies' tricks of unpunctuality, If you plense. Wo must have daylight for these horrid forest, roads, and time it so as to get into the London road about half-past eight. We must bo in London by two in the morning; the horses and all that will be forthcoming. Kit rides outside, and I follow on horseback. lTannah, why do j on hesitate?" "Because I cannot I cannot go away, without having seen that .Jesuit priest in -tho pig-net wallowing. It is such a grand providential work. Luke, 1 beg ,you, I implore you I can pack up ov- erything in an hour do not rob me of a sight like that." "Hannah, are you mad? You have mover been allowed to go near that, place, and you never shall." , "Well, you know best; but it does seem very cruel. But suppose that the child hhould refuse to come witii us we have no letters now, nor any other niinlstru .tion." "We have no time now for such trum pery; we must carry things now with a much higher hand. Everything hangs upon the next few hours; and by this time to-morrow night all shall be safe; Kit and the girl gone for their honey moon, and you sitting under the most fu rious dustman that over thumped a cushion." "Oil, Luke, how can you speak us if you really had no reverence?" "Because there is no time for such stuff now. We have the strength, nnd wo must use it. Just, go and get ready. I must, ride to moot my people. The girl, I Hiipposo, is with Kit by this time. .What a pair they will bo!" "I nm suro they will be a very pretty paid so far as poor sinful exterior goes and, what is of a thousandfold moro Importance, their worldly means will bo tho means of grace to hundred's of our poor fellow creatures." "Now, Hannah, no time for that. Get ready. And mind that thero must bo no femlnlnd weakness, if circumstances should compel us to employ a little com pulsion." ne went to thu place viere his horse whh tied, nnd there he 'found a man with a message for htm, which he just stopped to hearken. "As loovin as a pair o' toortlo doves." Black Georgo had been set to watch Kit und Grncie, during their private inter view, lest: any precaution should be over looked. "IUghV. Hero's a guinea for you, my num. Now you know what to do till I come back to stay whoro you are, and keep n sharp lookout. Cau the fool In the net do without nny water? Very well, after dark, give him some food, 'bandage his eyes, and wn?lk him to and fro, and let him go In Banbury." "All right, governor. A rare bait ho holl hnve of it, with a little swim In the canal, to clane 'un." "No hardship, no cruelty!" cried Mr. Bharp, with his finger to Ida forehead, H8 he rodo away; '.'only a little whje dis cipline) to lend him into closer attoutlou to his own affairs," BJack Georgo looked after hlsj muster. r ' ' ' - BY with a grin of admiration. "lie stlcketh at nort," said George to himself, as he began to fill a grimy pipe; "he sticketli at nort, no more thnn I would. And with all that house and lands to buck 'unl Most folk Willi money got no pluck left, for thinking of others as ownelli the mime." With these words lie snt down to watch the house, according to his orders. (trace Oglander came down '' r wind ing, wooded path, with her h-:;i pit-n-pattlng nt every step, becati." she was ordered to meet somebody. An idea of Hint kind did not plense her. A prude, or a prim, she would never wish to lie; and a little bit of flirting had been a great relief, and a pleasant change in Iter loneliness. But to bring matters to so Htern a point, and have to say what she meant to say, In as few words as pos sible, and then walk off these strong measures were not to her liking, because she was a most kind-hearted girl, and had inuch good will towards Christopher. Kit, on the other hand, came along fast, with a resolute brow and firm, heavy stride. He had made up his mind to be wretched for life, if the heart upon which he had set his own should refuse to throb respoiisively. But whatever his fate might be, ho would tread the high est path of generosity, chivalry and honor. And now they met in a gentle place, roofed with leaves, and tloored with moss, and decorated with bluebells. The chill of the earth was gone by and for gotten, and the power of the aky come back again; stately tree, and graceful bush, and brown depths of tangled prick llness everything having green life in it was sprendlug its green, nnd proud of it. I'ndcr this roof, and in these halls of bright young verdure, the youth and tlit maid came face to face botittlngly. Grace, ub bright as a rose, and flushing with true tint of wild rose, drew back and bowed, and then perceiving serious hurt of Christopher, kindly offered a warm, wliito hand n delicious touch for nny one. Kit laid hold of this and kept It, though wjth constant fear of doing more than was established, and trying to look firm and overpowering, led the fair young woman to a trunk of fallen oak. Hero they both sat down; and Grace was not so far as she could wish from yielding to a little kind of trembling which arose in her. She glanced at Kit sideways whenever she felt that he could not bo looking at her; and she kept her wise eyes mainly downward whenever they seemed to bo wanted not that she could not, look. up and speak, only that she would rather wait until there was no other help for it; and, as for that, she felt no fear, being sure that lie was afraid of her. Kit, on the other hand, was full of fear, and did nil he could in the crnftiest manner to make his love look up at him. He could not toll how she might take his tale; but ho know by Instinct that his eyes would help him where his tongue might fail. At last he said: "No, will you promise faithfully not to bo angry with me?" "Oh, yes, oh, yes to be sure," said Grace; "why should I be angry?" "Because I can't help it I give you my honor. I have tried very hard, but I cannot help it." "Then who could bo nngry with you, unless it was something very wicked?" "It is not very wicked, it is very good too good for me, a great deal, I am ufrnld." "There cannot be many things too good for you; you are simple and brave and gentle." "But this is too good for me, ever so much, because it is your own dear self." Grueo was afraid that this was com ing; and now she lifted her soft blue eyes and looked at him quite tenderly, and yet so directly and clearly, that he know in n moment what she had for him pity, and tniBt, and liking; but of heart's love not one atom. "I know what you mean," ho whis pered sadly, with his bright young fnco cast down. "I cannot think what can have made me such a fool. Only pleaso to tell me one thing. Has thero been any chap in front of mo?" "How cau I toll what you mean?" asked Grace; but her color showed that she could guess. "1 must not ask who it is, of courso." "I think that I had better go. Only, as I cannot ever meet you any more, I must try to tell you that I like you very much, and never hall forgot what I owe you; and I hope you will very soon re cover from this this little disappoint ment; and my dear fnthcr, as soon us wo return to Englnnd for I must go to fetch him " "Grace oh, let mo call you 'Grace' once or twice, it can't matter hero in the middle of tho wood Grace, I was so taken up with myself, and full of my miserable folly, which of courso I ought to have known better " "I must not stop to hear nuy more. Thero is my hand yes, of courso you may kiss it, after all that you have done for me." "1 am going to do a great deal more for you," criod Kit, quite carried away with tho yielding kindness of lovely flu gors. "For your sake I nm going to in jure und disgrace my own father. It is my father who has kept you here; nnd to .nlght he la going to enrry you off. MIhs Patch is only a tool of his. Your own father kuowH not a word about It. He belleveB you to be dead and buried. Your tombstone is sot up at Beckley, and your futher goes nnd cries over It." "But his letters his letters from Dc- merara? Oh my head bwIuih round! Let mo hold hy this treo for a moment!" Kit threw his arm round her dollcatc waist to save her from falling; and away crept George, who had lurked behind a young birch tree too far off to hear their words. "You must rouso up your courage," said Kit, with a yearning gaze nt hi sweet burden, yet taking no advantage of her. "Bouse up your courage, and I will do my best to save you from my self. It is very linrd It is cruelly cruol, and nobody will thank me." "Ilia letters from Dcmcrnra!" cried Grace, having scarcely heard a word he said. "How Could ho have written tliem? You must be wrong." "Of such letters 1 have never heard. I suppose they iiuutt Jinve been forgeries. 1 give you my word that your father has been the whole of the time at Beck ley, and a great deal too ill to go from homo." "Too ill.'-my father? Yes, of course of courso! How could he help being ill without mo? And he thinks I am dead: Oil! he thinks that I am dead! I won der that he could dare to be alive. But let me try to think a little." She tottered back to the old stump of the tree, and sat down there, and burst forth into an extraordinary gush of v. coping; more snd and pitiful tears had never watered an innocent face before. "Let me cry! let me cry!" was her only answer, when the young man clum sily tried to comfort. Kit got up and strode about: his in dignation nt her deep, low sobs, nnd her brilliant cheeks like a river s bed. and her rich hair dabbled like drifted corn, and about all the violent pain which made her lay both hands to her heart and squeeze his wrath made him long to knock down people entitled to his love and reverence. He knew that her heart was quite full of her father in all his long desolation, and was making a row of pictures of him in deepening tribula tion; but a girl might go on like that for ever; a man must take the lead of her. "If you ploac, Miss Oglander," he said, going up and lifting both her hands, and making her look at him, "you have scarcely fivo minutes to make up your mind whether you wish to save your father, or to be carried away from him." Grace in confusion and fear looked up. All about herself she had forgotten; she had even forgotten that Kit was near; she was only pondering slowly now as the mind nt most critical moments does some straw of a trifle that blew across. "Do you care to havo your father's life?" asked Kit, rather sternly, not see ing in the least the condition of her mind, but wondering at it. "If you do, you must conic witii me, this moment, down thu hill, down the hill, as fast as ever you can. I know a place where they can never find us. We must hide there till dark, and then I will take you to Beck ley." But the young lady's nerves would not act at command. The shock and surprise had been too severe. All she could do was to gaze at Kit, with soft, imploring eyes, that tried to beg pardon for her helplessness. "If we stay here another minute, you nro lost!" cried Kit, as ho heard tho sound of carriage wheels near the cot tjige, on the rise above them. "Ono question only will, you trust me?" She moved her pale lips to say "yes," and faintly lifted one hand to him. Kit waited for no other sign, but caught her In his sturdy arms nnd bore her down tho hill as fast ns ho could go without scratching her snow-white face, or tear ing the arm which hung on his shoulder. CHAPTER XXIII. Meanwhile Mr. Sharp had his forces ready, and was waiting for Grace and Christopher. Cinnaminta's good Uncle Kershoe (who spent halt of his useful timo in stealing horses, nnd the other half in disguising and disposing of tliem), although ho might not have desired to show himself so long before the moon light, yet, true to lienor, hero he was, blinking geneath a three-cornered hat, liko a grandly respectable coachman. Tho carriage was stopped in a shady place, quite out of night from the windows. In picturesque attitudes of tobacconizing threo line fellows might now be seen, it wit, Black George, Joe Smith and that substantial householder, Tiekuss Cripps. In tho chnlse sat a lady of comfortable aspect, though fidgeting now with fat, well-gloved hands. Mrs. Sharp had bog ged not to have to stop at home and wonder what might be doing with her own Kit; nnd tho case being now one of nock or nothing, her husband had let her come, foreseeing that she might bo of use with Grace Oglander. Mr. Sharp rode back to the cottage. Right well ho knew what a time Indies take to put their clothes upon them; and the more grow tho years of their practico in tho art, tho longer grow tho hours needful. Still ho thought Miss Patch had been quito long enough. But what could he say, when ho saw her at her window, with tho looking glass sternly set back upon the drawers, lifting her bunds In short prayer, as genuine a prayer as was ever tried. She was praying for a bless ing on this now adventure, and that nil might lend up to tho glory of tho King dom; sho besought to bo relieved at las from her wearying Instrumentality. Mr, Sharp still had some little faith left, und ho did not scoff at his sister's prayer, as a man of low nature might have done. Nevertheless he struck up with his whip at the ivy round her bedroom win dow, to impress tho need of brevity; and the lady, though shocked nt the sugges tion of curtailment, did curtail immedi ately. In less thnn fivo minutes she was busy at tho doorway, seeing to the exit of everything; nnd presently, with very pious precision, Blie gavo Mrs. Mar gery Daw half a crown, and a tract which Home friend should rend to her, af ter rubbing her glands with a rind of bacon nnd a worn-out pocket handker chief. (To be continued.) No woman knows tho Kecret of be ing ublo to keep a secret. CURIOUS DINNER PARTIES. Kplctircft of Eccentricity Who Search for iSoveltlCB. Ordinary methods of dining do no huU . i rybody, oven when tin; costli er luxury Is employed. Epicures of un oeoi'iittic turn of mind in search of novel! V llllVo. rerniirso in trntiffn nr. ' rnngementH, according to the Toledo ninoo. During the recent soasou at Dinnrdl :o Breton wnterinir nlnee. a very I 1 !'vei dinner was given by two dlstin ushed visitors, the vlcomto and vl cemtcase do Snusslne. The Idea was to make the dining room as much liko ji real garden an possible, and. with this object In view, real green turf wns laid over tho whole of Hie Hoot and daisies and other flowers wero planted in it. In the center of the "lawn" thero was a rookery, with a fountain playing and a live rabbit was gamboling near if. The guests at tended in flowing draperies, wearing garianus of rosea upon them, nnd thov took their scats on cushions on the grass while their food was served to them on wooden dishes, which wero laid on cninpatools In place of tables Fruit and wlno were scattered In urn, fusion on the grass and. In order in obvlnto all dllllcultles of passing tho suit ceimr around a huge loaf of bread, hollowed out nnd filled with salt wn! suspended from the ceiling and tills was swung around from ono guest to another ns required. Somewhat similar in conception was anouier very curious dinner party given a few months ago in New York by u well-known leader of American society Mrs. Arthur B. Proal. This wns a "farmyard" dinner. One of tho largest rooms in u leading restaurant was transformed for tho occasion into something that looked very much in- need liko n farmyard. Around tho walls wero scones representing fields and pastures and the floor wns strewn with agricultural Implements of all kinds, ns if tho farmhands had only just loft the place. Pigs and lambs were roaming about, rabbits stopped munching enrrots to skip away frightened ns the guests entered the hall nnd nt the same mo ment u represciitntlon of a rising sun appeared on the horizon, a roontor standing on a wooden box snlufpll ib (n his usual manner. Chickens, 'ducks and geese Immediately began to straighten their feathers and run tibout. A Dinner was served in iU inside of a huge egg, which was placed in tho center of tho landscape, reaching from the floor almost to the'.cclling, and which had been most skillfully fash ioned by a decorative carpenter. Thu fable inside was a perfect oval. It was hollowed In the .center and with in tho hollow part vere floral decora tions which .represented the white and yellow parts of .the egg. Tho yolk was made of daffodils and jonquils and tho oute1r..jlringe of white was made upyrdfNitreVS,nnd candytuft and such flowers ns one might sec on a country hedge. Thjj dinner was really arranged us a sort of rival In eccentricity to ono which was given tit the same time by another famous New York hostess Mrs. C. K. G. Billings, which came Id lie known ns the "horsebnek" dinner. All the guests were bidden to attend on horseback and they trotted into the dining room without dismounting and there took dinner from tabled which wore just saddle high. While tho guests partook of their soups and putrecs tho horses munched oats at tho mangers which hnd been provided for them. All the guests on this occa sion, numbering thirty-five, wero In dies. Hons' Rights. There la a story of an old Now Ilampshlro doctor who, on tuklng out a Avagon that had not been used foi some time, found that a hen was sit ting in It. He merely "harnessed up'! without disturbing her, and ho nnd biddy made a series of calls. Thi Boston Herald offers this true story of tho town of Amesbury, which owns a small flro appartus: Outsldo the flro limits Is a small community that, on petition, received nn appropriation for the purchase of a "hand-tub." It wns Installed In nn abandoned blacksmith shop, whoro It remained for two years, used only for decorative purposes In street parades, Last summer a stroko of lightning started a small flro in a farmhouse near by. The volunteer department milled at once, but when the arrived at tho engine-house, tho foreman stood at the door "Don't touch her, boys!" cried ha "I've got two hens settln' in the box. Let's uso buckets," They agreed, and tho lions were al lowed to pursuo their Incubating ways. Hopolesa. "Hair needs trimming badly, sir." "Yes, thnt's about tho way you'd trim it." "Better let me cut it?" "No, it's all right." "Conies down over your coat collar." "Yes, I'm going to havo tho coat col lar cut down." Cleveland Leader, When you give a compliment, ou giv It grudgingly? J SIMPLER FOOD NOWADAYS. A. Mitlor Tel! of the Clianeen In Ui American Table. "I believe people's tastes in foods are becoming moro simple," said J. T. Mueller, secretary of the Fraternity oi Oporatlvo Millers' Association, to the Kansas City Star. "They don't load up with beefsteak and hot cakes now adays at breakfast, as they formerly did. Even tho worklngmen manual labor, I mean havo learned to get along on lighter foods, from which they obtain just as much nourish ment Diets nro simpler now. Of courso the popularity of those foods, 'chop feed,' some people call them, and the large number put on the market, has resulted In the production of somo that are dark in color, which gives oflf portunity for ndultoratlon. A bnd qua? Ity of wheat Is used In these dark stuffs. "You don't see much genuine buck wheat nowadays. Did you ever think of that? This is because it is grown In so few sections of tho country; tho supply is so small that it is necessarily mixed with wheat flour. This doesn't injure it, however, If the addition is pure nnd good. Tho bleaching of flour doesn't Improve It. Tho tests show, too, that It doesn't injure it The new process dries tho flour ns age would not do, but does it in less time. Flour two or threo months old is whiter than when you first grind It. "There nro many kinds of flour now, standard grades, patents, bakers' wholo wheat flour, gluten flour. Master bak ers are taught in these times to under stand their work. They go to labora tories and schools Instead of learning by an apprenticeship. They learn nil there Is to know nbout flour and baking, with iho result that they can produce a loaf of bread so cheaply that no housewife can compete with them. If a woman values her time, her health, her looks, sho won't bake bread In these times, If she puts oven a small price on these she'll find that the loaf sho bakes costs much more than If sho paid a nickel for it at tho bakery. That's not advertising; It's a fact. Peo ple are not baking, nowadays; they're buying their bread, pies and cakes. It's cheaper. AN AMERICAN COFFEE POT. A Container for the Kerry Attached to the IU1. Whilo most civilized nations havo their characteristic coffee pots, tho iVmerlcan has adopted them all. In some instances ho has endeavored to comblno tho good points of each into a single machine, but coffeemnklng in this country appears to be a matter of Individual taste, and what suits ono individual does not please another, so that the American house-furnishing store offers a wide selection in coffeo pots. TJiere is a distinct tendency evt Jr. dent in nil the Improved designs af provide some means for removing tho JiK AHEWCAN COFl-'EK I'OT. coffee at a predetermined point in tho operation. Tercolators, coffeo bags and steamers are variations of this type. Tho illustration shows a novel means of attaining the same end. A cngo consisting of a perforated receptacle Is suspended from a hook attached to tho cover of the pot. This has the advan- tage of permitting the coffee grounds to bo removed conveniently nnd with out danger of scalding the hands. Thfl metallic perforated cage is moro con veniently cleaned than the coffee bag, which it is designed to replace. Oi course, tho pot can bo used for tea ns well- as coffeo, tho cage taking the place of tho familiar tea ball, the uso of which avoids tho extraction of the tannic ncld compounds upon standing, which gives to ten the well-known bit tcr taste. Tho Hating lie Received. "I hear your wife gave you a good rating last night," remarked the sport lng citizen. "Yes, she gave me a good rating," admitted the convivial citizen. "Such a good rating, In fact, that It's a pity I can't uso her as a reference instead of Bradstreet's." Louisville Courier Journal. I'rotty Sure ofThut. "Ho's bought quite a lot of that slock, I believe. Do you think ho'li realize anything from that deal?" "I think he'll realize what a chump ho was." Philadelphia Ledger. Bnok to His Native Land. Mr. Geering Where is tkat French chauffour that you had last summer? Mr. Sparker He went back to Ire land. Puck. A man's epitaph is about as much benefit to him ns a last year's snow ball. of men nro uonost becaiu mko mor money by belnjt so.