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About The frontier. (O'Neill City, Holt County, Neb.) 1880-1965 | View Entire Issue (July 2, 1914)
, r Dlsfincllon SHAL ByWary Raymond Shipman Andrews Aufhor jjie perfecf Tribute, etc. 4 Copyright, The Bobba-Merrfll Compary* CHAPTER X—(Continued). Claire considered; this view was true; yet she wished her son to feel his part of the obligation to the marquis and to discharge it. "It is true, Francois. Yet there may be something wnich you can do for him, if it be only to bring him a book gladly. Moreover, it is this which makes one’s life happy—doing things for others. Watch and be ready to serve him with a good will when you may because of the thing which he did for our seigneur. Also be a friend to the young monsieur, his son— you can do that, for you know well how to play and to help other boys in playing” Francois nodded, and his exquisite smile, a smile whose sweetness and pathos and brillancy went straight to the hearts of people, lighted his small face "I will do that, mother. It will please me to do that.” Next morning the little brown figure which trudged through the beech wood was brightened by a large and vivid boquet held in his two hands, a point of color among the swinging shadows, blossoms from the new garden, grow ing now as only Clarie knew how to make things grow. When the tap of Francois at the li brary door, where one heard men’s voices talking, had brought the gen eral's loud command of "Entrez,” the little brown figure and the large bunch of flowers came in together and the boy marched straight to the stately Italian. Snapping his heels together as his mother had taught him he made u stiff deep bow, and presented his nuovgajr. X 1IC Jllct.1 t lUJft, tfc little iXSLUll ished at this attention, received it with grave courtesy but without mueft cordiality; it seemed to him rather an odd whim of Gourgaud's to have this peasant child about as one of his own family. And the gift of the flowers appeared a bit presumptuous. So that Francois' first effort at snowing his appreciation of the marquis’ heroism was not altogether successful. But Francois did not know that: to him all the world was kindly, with dif ferent manners of kindliness. The man ner of the marquis was graver than other people’s, perhaps—what then? Tim kindliness was undoubtedly there below the gravity. And it was tills monsieur who had saved the life of the seigneur; that, after all, was the whole matter. Francois wasted little time thinking of other people’s feeling to ward himself. I-Ie was much too busy witli a joyful wonder of his own at tile ever new goodness of his world. To the marquis, who hardly noticed him, he proceeded to constitute himself a shadow. “We will walk to the village together. Alessandro,’’ the general decided, of a morning, in his sudden way, and shout ed forwith for “Moison! Ho there, Moison! The cloak and hat of mon sieur the marquis!” But before Jean Phillippe had time to get to the door, the small person in homespun had lied like a rabbit and was hack loaded with paraphernalia. He worked as faithfully as ever with the general at the great book, what times the general could spare now' to work, away from his friend; he Played with his might as always, yet there were many times when he would squat at a distance behind the chair » °f ,th!;. visitor- motionless, while Aiixe and Pietro tried vainly to lure him away. At the first sign of a service to be done for the marquis he was up and at it; always quicker, always more Intelligent than the footman. The mar quis could not help seeing these atten tions and went through two or three stages of feeling about it—bored Irri tated, amused, flattered. The lad trotted at his heels as unobtrusively as a small dog and it was not in the marquis’ nature—a gentle nature, if proud and reserved—to resist such de termined devotion. So the little brown shadow made it way finally into his slow friendliness. ^ You have thrown a charm over my hoy Francois, Alessandro," the general said, well pleased. And the marquis answered thoughtfully: "It is a boy out of the common, I believe, Gaspard. At first I thought it a mistake that you should raise a child of his class to the place you have gtven him, but I see that you under stand what you are about. He is worthy of a good fate." ”1 believe he is worthy of any fate ” the general said, "and I believe he will make his fate if he has a chance a good one—perhaps a great one. He lias uncommon stuff in him. I mean to give him his chance.” And with that there was a conversation as to hoys between the two frierfds. The day came, after two months of such renewals of friendship when, on the next morning, the Marquis Zappi w-as due to start on his long journey V-/UL uii vntd lawn, in me shadow of the beech trees he sat and watched his son playing ball with little Alixe. Then he was aware of Francois standing before him. The boy held something in his closed hand, and with that he opened his fingers and stretched it to the marquis. The mar quis looked inquiringly at the yellow metal. “What Is this?" he asked: he was prepared now to be surprised by this hoy about once in so often, so he simply m. suspended judgment at a thing unex pected. ' It is for you. Monsieur the Mar quis.” Francois smiled radiantly and continued to present the ten-franc piece. The marquis, astounded, drew back with shock of indignation. Was this peasant child offering him money? Frfqseols went on happily, convinced thai *•# was doing something worth while. “But you may take it. Monsieur the Marquis: It is indeed for you. It Is my own: the seigneur gave it to me on my birthday, and my father did not put it with the savings, but said it was to be mine to do with as I chose. I choose to give it to you. Monsieur the Mar quis. So that you may have plenty of money—T know well what it is not to have enough money. It Is a bad thing. And it is convenient when on a Journey —money." He nodded his head, as man to man. “So, as it Is mine, I give this to veu." The brown fist wns outstretched, the gold piece glittering in It. and still the marouls stared speechless. Never In bis life had anv one presumed to offer him monev. He looked up at the face of the little peasant: It shone with peace and good will: he put out his 1 hand and took the gold piece and looked at It a long minute, and drew a leathe- case from his pocket and placed 1 u It within carefully, and put It away. M “Thank you. Francois." said the mar f ouls. And then he considered again | the shlr.Ing little fare. “Why have you | 1 7 done this, Francois?" he asked. "Why do you always—do so much for me?” "Monsieur the Marquis,” Francois spoke eagerly, "it is not much I have done before, only little things. This, 1 know it, is much, for it is a large sum of money and may be a great help to you. I am glad of that. Monsieur the Marquis.” By now Francois was squatting cross legged at the feet of the marquis. "I do it because you did that thing.” Then the marquis was entirely be wildered. ‘‘Did that thing? What do you mean, Francois?” “That thing in Russia, for my seig neur. When you saved the life of my seigneur.” "Oh,” said the marquis and stared down at the boy anxiously explaining. ‘‘I have been afraid that I could never show you how I thanked you for the life of my seigneur. I am sorry that my seigneur sabered you afterward, but that was a mistake. Monsieur the Marquis, you understand that it was a mistake?” “Quite,” said Monsieur the Marquis. "You have forgiven my seigneur?” Francois demanded. "There was nothing to forgive, Fran cois. It was, as you point out, a mis take.” "Yes. Monsieur the Marquis.” The heels of Francois came down on the sod with a whack of satisfaction as he sprang to his feet? "So it is all ar ranged. Only that even the gold is not enough. But I will do more. I will be a friend of Pietro. That will please ; vnn will it nnt 9’* The marquis was silent. “But I know that. It is a good thing to be friends ; —with me. Any boy in the village of : Vieques would be glad to be my friend, you know, monsieur the marquis. So it will be a good thing for Pietro. He is six months younger than I; I can : teach him how to climb and how to i fight and how to take care of himself. And I will, because of that thing you ' did. Because, too. I think well of Pie tro and besides because of your kind- ; ness to me.” ‘ “My kindness to you?” "Yes, monsieur the marquis—because 1 y'ou have been so kind to me.” \ And the marauis, in the silence of i his soul, was ashamed. < The next day he went. As they stood. ; gathered in the big doorway, he told - them all good-bye and lifted his boy l without a word. As he set him down i he turned toward the carriage, but in a 1 flash he turned back as if by a sudden j Inspiration, and laid a hand on little Francois’ shoulder. “You will remember that you prom ised to be a friend to Pietro. Francois?” "Yes, monsieur the marquis,” the :hild answered gravely. The marquis caught Pietro’s hand xnd put it into Francois’ and held the two little hands clasped so together n his own. “Always?” he demanded. “Always,” Francois repeated quietly, xnd those who heard the word spoken aelieved it. CHAPTER XI. THE CASTLE CHILDREN. Imperceptibly to the child, the life of J Francois swept Into a changing chan- 1 iel. More and more he belonged to the ’ general the castle; less and less, though 1 ie still lived with them and was faith- 1 tul to them, did he belong to his father 1 ind mother and the village life. After j i few months an event came which separated him from the old order J sharply. ! There was a farm in the Valley Delesmontes—five miles it was from ! Vieques—which was a dependence of ! :he seigneury; for centuries the same . iamily.had held it. and it was consid pred the richest holding for a peasant n that part of the world. Just now :he family all at once came to an end. It was necessary to find new tenants, md the general offered the place to L* Francois and La Claire. Even In :heir best days they had not been so J prosperous as this would make them. : It was a large farm of 400 acres, with ; i big house, with gardens and farm j puddings and many horses'ana cattle— ‘ t rich, great place for them and for 1 :heir children. There could be no ques tion as to accepting the offer. They , Pould have their family together once j more and give them advantages beyond j ivhat had ever been planned; it was a : Jew start in life. And Le Francois, J Having learned his lesson so bitterly, . pould be trusted now to make the most ' )t it. It was almost a miracle to hap- . pen in old, quiet, little Vieques, where , phanges came mostly by slow years, . not often by thunderclaps. Yet beau- , ■ iful as it was. there were drawbacks, , One must leave one's village where pne's self and tile grandfathers and the , ?reat-grandfathers and before that oth- , ■rs, had been born and buried; one must leave one’s old house down the . street there, and the dream of buying , t back, which had kept despair out of L.icae uiumua ui poverty; moreover, what about Francois? I.a Claire and Le Francois, sitting stiffly on the fine chairs in the gen eral's library, where they had been brought to hear the great news, asked that question suddenly in a breath. The general glowered at them from deep ayes. "There is the screw." He fired the words at them like hot shot and La Jlaire shrank a little. There’s always a screw somewhere In every good thing. This time it's the boy.” There was a silence. Claire trembled. The boy is your boy," the seigneur of of the castle went on, quietly enough, and then in a flash brought his fist town on the table with a roar. "Rut. by heaven, he's my boy. too. now. He's i miracle of a boy and I love him like a son and I want to give him such a chance in life as I would have given bad he been born my son. Are you go- t ng to stand in the way of that?” ■ Like bullets the words struck La t la!re; she saw the way they led. and I I the rebelled at fate. It was cruel, now I < when they were able again to do all ! t or the child which they had planned, 11 o take the child away; yet that very n ibility to do for him was the gift of ! i ;he man who wanted him. What could < ihe say? ( "It will go hard with the lad to give 8l”* brnuffht out softly. He won't give you up; I should not t aspect him if he gave you up,” the 1 tellers 1 thundered, and the two peae inta breathed more freely. This great i rood fortune was not, after all, the price 1 it their son. By degrees the three came to an un ler* tunning. And the peasant parents, th® general, as he had said, lid Indeed love their boy; seeing also hut ha had a power beyond theirs to i levelop >Mm: seeing that advantages and a career were waiting for little ' Francois if their love for him should ( be unselfish; seeing these things, the > father and mother agreed to the gen- ! eral’s plan. A tutor was to be engaged for the three children; Francois was to live at the castle as if—it should be explained to him—he were going away to school, and every Friday he was to walk to the Ferine du Val—the Valley farm—ami stay with his people until Sunday afternoon. So. without realizing the change, the boy who had been the child of a peas ant cabin became the child of the cas tle, and while entirely loyal to the home he still held to be his own, he learned ways of living and breathed in ideas whicli could not have come to him at the farm. The Fridays were eagerly looked forward to, and it was excite ment and rapture to see and share in the new prosperity:—the large stone house of a story and a half, roofed with immense oak shingles richly dark with age; the farm buildings clustered about it. connected with stone walls, forming a large court; the big granary, standing aside on a hill slope; and thq mutltude of live stock—the TO cows, tins eight heavy work horses of the coun-* try, the six horses which pertained tq the farmer for driving and riding, and the two pairs of mild-eyed oxen, used for breaking the earth. The father and mother reigned busily and happily ovet all this plenty, and all the brothers and sisters w'ere together once more around them and the white-capped grand mother smiled a benediction from hei big chintz chair. Such a greeting as Francois, her especial boy, got from the grandmother on a Friday evening, aftei his long walk! This new order of things was well settled before six months had passed ifter the going of the Marquis Zappl. Francois was not now allowed to fill the place of secretary except in an In cidental way. The new tutor, a serious roung man whom the children aston shed and worried, copied the pages ol the history of the emperor. It was thought important now that Francois should work at his studies. There was r rumor already that ho and Pietro night go together, perhaps, in a year nore, to a military school—in fact, to Saint-Fyr itself, if the marquis thought veil of the place when he came home. \nd then iq three ur. four months more iomething happened. "un mo f-, ijnwi <» I, 'hen the letter came; Marcelle, the •ounger footman, had been sent to tho nayor’s In the village for the mall, vhich came by post to I'elesmontes and vas brought on by foot messengers to /icques, to the mayor, who distributed t. Francois’ eyes were ~on his*"lel^ icur’s face as he read the letter nnd he boy saw the blood rush through the veather-hardened skin in a brown-red food, and then fade out, leaving it tray. The boy had never seen the gen ■ral look so. With that, the big arms vere thrown out on the table and the lig grizzled head fell into them. That ut Francois' soul—his seigneur was n trouble. And before he knew it ills hildtsh arm was around the big neck ind his cheek against the seigneur’s, ind the seigneur put up ills hand and iressed the little face closer. For long ninutes not a word was said and then he general's deep voice spoke, more rently than Francois had ever heard it. “It is a good tiling to have a son. my Yancois,” he said. Then he lifted his head and told the loy how the friend who he had found ately. after so many years of separa- , ion, had gone away not to come back i n this life, and how Pietro was atherless. Francois, holding tight y with both fists to the general’s land, listened wide eyed, struck to the leart. It was the first time deatti had ome near, and the face of it was grim, i fet instantly he rallied, because he i eit that his seigneur needed him. "But he had a brave life, my seig- 1 leur—It is the best thing that there is. 1 (Iy mother said so. My mother told ne that we shall smile later, when we re with the good God, to think that ve ever feared death on this earth. Yr she says one spends a long time ] zith the good God later, and all one's ] [ear friends come, and it is pleasant nd it is for a long, long time, while ' lere it is, after all, quite short. Is 1 lot that true, my seigneur? My mother aid it." But all the general answered was to | iat his head and say once more: "It s a good thing to have a son, my Yancois." (Continued next week.) Recallinq Some By-Gones. From the Washington Post. Suet and soapmaking! Also ash hop iers! Alas and alack, that venerable astitutlon is no more. The modern rospeetus for rural habitations and ccesqories provides no place in the ancieeape for thal once indispensable djunct to farm life and its blessedness. D’ye mind the ash hopper in the back f the house, just around the paling ence? An inverted pyramid it was, nto which the debris from the great (replace was poured, with buckets of zater thrown on the latter or else left o the sweet rains from heaven. Then he lye caught In the old iron kettle zith the piece broken out of one side— t was once used for making apple but er. After that, the soap boiling—then he soap. Fine stuff, that soap—took he dirt out, all right, and removed the ilde, too, if you weren’t careful. But the ash hopper has gone, along zith the roller towel, the mackerel kit, icg jowls, red apples and winter tur lips. The open fireplace, too, has lassed, before which you used to frv n one side, wnne icicles formed on the ither. Nor is there any attic room un ler the shingles where the boys slept vith pap's old cavalry saddle in one orner, and a sickly geranium roosting irecariously on the window sill. Nor lo we see the old time boots, slicked ip with a mixture of mutton tallow nd beeswax, which, however, didn't irevent a need for the services of four ilacksmiths and a plumber to get ’em iff o’ nights, when the bootjack failed, ind the blootjack itself—say, when you ome to think of it, a department bul etin has got more real sentiment and ’insides" between its covers than can le found in Kipling's "Soldiers Three” ir than Rossetti ever dreamed of in his isions of “Blessed Damozels” and that ort of thing. Oh you modern house vlves! He Was Hoping. From the National Monthly. A countryman named Street owned runaway row. As the season ad anced Street was compelled to make everal long pilgrimages into the coun ry for the reprehensible animal. On ne occasion the trail led on and on inttl Street had entered the environs of . town where a new trolley car system cas Installed. Just as the cow hunter urned a corner in the outskirts the ar lumbered up and the conductor ailed out: "Cedar street!" The owner of the cow stopped in his racks and bawled back at the man in ilue and gold: "No, darn her. I ain’t seed her; an’ chen I do it won’t be good fer her darned old hide either!” From the Argentine. From the Baltimore American. He—“What do you think about intro uclng this mediation?” She—“Is that the newest step?” PARADISE FOR THE BIRDS Providence Seems to Have Provided Temperate Zone for the Feathered Friends of Man. Up In the far country where* tho timber fails, the calendar la respect ed. There Is no summer before tho official day set for it The ground is held fast by frost until June is well started. There are flurries of snow, wild, bitter winds, a sky that has no mercy. And then, suddenly, the wind shifts and comes out of the south. It is summer then with a leap. The interest of the temperate zone in the northland is that It is there that have gone a great many of the migrating birds w'hich paid us a few days' visit and passed on. For all its Inhospitality to man, that country in summer is a paradise for birds. Its marshes are safe refuges from two and four-footed enemies. There is ex haustless material for nestB. And out of the pools come myriads of Insects, food that does not fall until the time for the southward bird movement ar rives. Some man has said that there is no Ood north of latitude 69. He did not Inquire as to what the birds, might have thought of that.—Toledo Blade. ECZEMA ITCHED AND BURNED R. F. D. No. 2, Seymour, Mo.—“My scalp broke out with fine pimples at the start. They Itched and burned so much that I was compelled to scratch them and they would fester and come , to a head and break out again. The trouble was attended by such burning snd Itching I could not sleep, also when I sweat It burned the same. My hair fell out gradually and the jcalp kept rough and dry with Itching »nd burning. After about two years the pimples broke out between my ihoulders. My clothing irritated them. [ was troubled with that eczema five Dr six years." “I tried everything that was recom mended without any benefit until I used tho Cuticura Soap and Ointment according to directions, and Cuticura Soap and Ointment cured me sound and well in two weeks.” (Signed) S. U Killian, Nov. 22, 1912. Cuticura Soap and Ointment sold throughout the world. Sample of each [ree.with 32-p. Skin Book. Address post :ard "Cuticura, Dept. L, Boston.”—Adv A Stage Career. "Who is the principal character in his musical comedy?” "tittle Bo-Peep who lost her sheep. According to tho newspapers, she also ost a breach of promise suit." For Rose Bugs. It is a good plan to remember this ibout roses and rose bugs; that water it a heat of 122 degrees will kill the ■ose bugs without In any way hurt ag the roses. Better to Admonish. It Is better to admonish than to re proach; for the one is mild and friend y, the other harsh and offensive; the ine corrects the faulty, the other con dcts them.—Epictetus. Better a woman with rosy cheeks han a man with a rosy nose. If you think you can't do a thing— veil, you know the answer. WESTERN CANADA’S NATURAL RESOURCES PETROLEUM, NATURAL GAS, COAL AND FARM LANDS. The developments that have taken place recently In the oil and gas fields of Western Canada have but added another to the many previous evi dences that have been produced, showing the great wealth that has been an unknown asset for so many generations. The latest reports from the oil fields at Calgary show that there Is a production there that would appear to equal the best paying fields on the continent. Experts have been on the ground for some time. It Is said that one of the wells Is able to produce 2,000 gallons an hour. If this Is so there are but about a dozen wells In the world of greater production. Dur ing the past week discoveries of sur face Indications have been made which show that oil exists over a consider able portion of Alberta and Saskatche wan, while In Manitoba there have al so been showings. At Battleford, Saskatchewan, a few days ago discov eries were made which led to the fil ing for leases on twenty thousand acres of land, all having strong sur face Indications. Companies were formed to carry on immediate work, and In a couple of months, or probably less, the story will be told whether oil exists In paying quantities. But there are also the coal deposits and the natural gas deposits that are helping to make of Western Canada one of the wealthiest portions of the continent With the grain fields covering these hidden riches it is no wonder that a continued range of optimism is to bo seen everywhere. Early reports of seeding of all grains being successful ly completed all over the country are followed by reports of excellent and strong growth everywhere. During the first week in June most of tho wheat had reached a growth of from | twelve to twenty inches, with the most even appearance, almost universally, that has been seen for years. Oats appeared equally well, and covered the ground in a way that brought the broadest kind of a grin to overspread the farmer’s countenance. Barley, a favorite with tho hog rais- i ers, had taken good root, and was crowding oats for a first place, as to length of shoot. Cultivated fodder grasses aro getting great attention, as a consequence of the inclination to go more largely into mixed farming, and the raising of hogs, cattle and horses. Tho weather is reported fine, just what is needed, and if present favorable conditions continue, the grain crop of Western Canada for 1914 will bo the largest average In the his tory of the country.—Advertisement. The Play's Not the Thing. First New Yorker—Was the play poor? Second New Yorker—Randall stole home after the first act. Imagine pre ferring home! The Eternal Feminine. “Want to hear some bad news?” “Oh, yes! Goody! Who is it about?" —Houston Post. For every marriage in Kansas there are five divorces. WOMEN CAN HABPLT BELIEVE How Mrs. Hurley Was Rs> stored to Health by Lydia E. Pinkham’s Vegetable Compound. E!ldon, Ma — "I was troubled with displacement, inflammation and female weakness. 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