The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917, October 02, 1896, Image 4
CHAPTER IX.-tCo*Tl*cSD.> "Ood bless you, sir. If ever Charles Coillnwood can serve your son, believe me, It shall be done. Heaven will re ward you.” This was Mr. Vernon's parting with the admiral. Both were conscious of a subtle, mysterious whisper, telling them it was their last meeting on earth —and so It was. That of Walter and Eleanor was still more brief. The young hero forced back the wild tumult that clamored eagerly to ask of her one promise to remalu faithful, and pallid and calm, held out his hand, saying earnestly: “May heaven bless you with all the happiness It has for earth! (lood-bye, Ellle." She had come weeping and sobbing from his father's embrace. The blue eyes had drenched with their briny rain the soft rose of her cheek to a faded white; the sweet lips quivered sadly. Walter's eye took In all, yet be said only: “Good-bye, Ellle!” Eleanor had no voice to reply. Part ing thus from the only friends she had ever known, with but a vague, unsatis factory hope of some time, somewhere meeting them again, quite prostrated her sensitive temperament. Weeping, fainting, nearly broken-hearted, her ancle carried her In his arms back to i the cabin, while Walter, with dry, burn- i Ing eye and rigid lip, descended swiftly to the boat that was to take them back to the 'Hornet.' In silent grief his father took a place beside him. The word was given to cast j off, when suddenly the admiral himself I appeared above, leaning over the rail- i Ing and calling Walter's name. He i threw down a ring wrapped in a sup of paper. Walter grasped It nervously. Full well he knew the ring; many a time had Elite brought It out to see the iparkles play in the sunshine that came flickering through the Hibiscus and palm trees; but be stopped not to exam ine it anew, but spread out the paper to read the brief line written there. Hur ried, blotted as they were, no diamond In England or India could be so precious to Walter Vernon, though they were only these. "I shall wait for you, Wal ter." Walter’s face was covered by hla hands, but the straight, shapely fingers could not hide the tears that at length cam* pouring through them. CHAPTER X, IVE years after the ‘Hornet’ and ‘Cot linwood* parted company upon the ocean, was gathered In merrle England, at a famous gallery of paintings In London, a fashion able crow d—t h e living tide swaying to and fro, yet lin gering ever, some for Art's dear sake, and some from obedience to a more ty rannical mistress—Fashion—at a group a£ pictures which bore the mark of a lew genius, whose star had but lately •hot up brilliantly on the sky of fame. Upon a seat not far from these pict ures sat a gentleman, whose foreign cloak and slouch hat nearly concealed his face and figure; only the brilliant, melancholy black eye roving restlessly ever the crowd, and the glossy black moustache shading the scornful Up, were visible. There was a listless lan guor In his attitude that seemed belled by the keen attentiveness of his glance. Suddenly the eye sparkled In earnest at tention, and quite unconsciously he bent eargerly forward. A gay party paaalng by floated toward him the sound of a well-known name. "Lady Kleaaor Colllnwood pray tell me In what direction you saw her?'' asked eagerly an aristocratic-looking gentleman "Ah, there It l»," eptrltedly replied a brilliant-looking girl, (wlatlng her pearl and gold opera glare affectedly, "you are no exception to the general rule. Vlerouat flomereat, the attrac ttona of our new atar outweigh all oth er*. Were *he not aa lovely In chaia, ter a* In peraon. I ahould be Jraloua of her, but aa It la, one tuuat anjtitaaae gracefully, 1 give you full permlaalon to leave ue and find her We aaw her la their carriage with lady Annabel and Nlr Mar.ua Willoughby." "t'pon my nord, t-ady laora. you are aa koea and aharp aa tko froaty air of thin November day. I aaaure you I gad preoeot company agreeable enough la keep mo hero until we meet or ever take the t'elllawooda I have a meaeag* far Lady Annabel from the admiral l wham 1 met at Hath. U> the way, l fancied I dtacavered a llkeaoec ta that j hoaatlfut gtrl aa the .anvee yonder to lady RlMiar Thle Veraoa k*»p« m private aa eae haunt about him Her j hap*, after alt, It wna a gtlmpee of her face that taeplred him to ea grand aa ••art" Tie gay talhara chattered ea. a« mtadful of the eager Hatoaere hohiad them At length *nme a etlr of eape-u lion tlaro they eame Hamer*, i **e abet a craad ml elite fatlawe tea It have Utile chance far eeavemiien Mow vaadarfui la the *w*y lady Aaaa hat hold* wear all heart*, ellh her pal* j aplrltual tar* and geatle dignity I He* the Doha ef M I* lathing atlh her Mata yea atar daahlad aha might ha h oucneaa any day? nut never »>i wn* ao faithful and devoted to a huabind'i memory a* ahe. How ahe rauat have loved him!” "Ducheaa! Yea, ahe might have had her choice of two or three coroneta at the leaat. Everybody know* bow our beat and nobleat men have aued In vain. She wina almoat aa much admiration aa her daughter now.” “Huah, they will hear you! flood af ternoon.” "A fine day, Lady Annabel. I have a word for you from Hath.” The muffled figure bent forward yet farther. How the eye glittered with a luatre feverlah and unnatural! 'Tatdy Annabel Collin wood, Kleanor’a mother!” At the very name came the flood of old emotion, a weeping away the breaat work that for five yeara of atrenuoua toll, of atupendoua exertion, had been cloaely guarded, leat a alngle wave ihould overleap the reatrulnlng barrier. No wonder Walter Vernon Signor Vernonl he had allowed the Italian* to call him, and the name came with hla tame to England no wonder he gazed with breathleae Intercut aa the group idvanced, to aee for the flrat time Lady Annabel Colllnwood! He could have aelected her from a rowd of ladle* a* fair and gruceful the—a alender, pale-faced woman, with i well-bred, quiet grace, deep, mournful »yea—not like Eleanor'*, blue and tunny, but dim and dark oa the rald ilght aea, carrying with her a name e*«, Invlalble and yet potent atmoe there of refinement and purity. Title in «aw at flrat, but a *pcond look *how - id him flaahe* of light commenting tver the dim Irl*, and making the eye eaplendent; wave* of rich thought, ireaklng over the aymmetrlcal feature*, mu KH/uiyjiiK uivm wun ngru nuu : hade of eloquent meaning; smiles rare ind seldom, hut wonderful and magical vhen they came, arching Into beauty he lips that were Eleanor’s own. He elt at once the spell by which I>ady Vnnahel still swayed all hearts, al hough more than forty years had pass id over her smooth, fair forehead. She vas leaning lightly upon the duke's irm, but her attention was given to the oung viscount, who was relating In bia lvely way the meeting with the cour eoua admiral. The tall figure and massive head of he noble duke concealed the couple vho walked behind, and Walter was ibllged to wait until Jjuly Annabel and ter companion turned to the pictures tefore he beheld her for whom his heart tad sighed so long. Eleanor was only sixteen when they mrted upon the far-off Pacific. Five ■ ears, replete with the important :hange from girlhood to womanhood, tad passed—would she seem the same? His beating heart nearly suffocated aim as Walter once more gazed upon LAdy Eleanor Colllnwood. Ah, the relief! It was still hla Elite, though the youthful grace and beauty had ripened Into matured perfection— though the slender form had grown more stately, and the girlish diffidence had merged into a calm, self-possessed dignity—a well-bred grace that the Is land experience could never have given her. Still the soft blue eyes wore their guileless look of pleading Innocence; the sweet lips dimpled with the very smile poor Tom had so oft»n compared to the first sunbeam that glistened through the cloud over the sea, when the “Petrel" lay a wreck among the reefs. How swiftly his pulse leaped, his eye burned! Would that smile ever beam for him again? Not a bream of intelli gence had passed between them since their parting; forall he knew she might have forgotten his very existence. He could teat It speedily. And then, with Jen lout rage, me uuanown arum turned to her companion, on whose handsome face no plainly waa wrltteu hi* devoted admiration, There waa u manly, high bred air about hint that pierced poor Walter like a sword. He wua good, he waa noble, he waa worthy of her that could tie read at a glance No wonder ahe listened *o graciously to hi* anima ted word*. With a stifled groan Waller turned away. Duke, mar<|ul*. noble lord whichever be was he had a right to offer hla homage and suit; but for the plebeian painter, where waa there any hope, any plea whereby to win the favor of that high born, aristocratic mother, oven though Kleauur heraelt were iruo to that voluntary promise I will wait for you"? The Mach fold* of lady Annabel'* drent swept across hie levt. and while the hot blood mounted hla cheeh* Wal ter bent hi* hand, a* though hla pre sumptuous thought* e*re lull tare be fore that aed. dark eye Then n single word In Kleenor a welt hnewn vet re same la hla ear It was hurried, agitated, vehement W* well he understood overy ton* of that he loved voice he base something had ataitled her aad vet *h# had apohaa hut an* word “klatherP What I* tt. mr leva* asked lady 4 a natal, turning at #*«# skirt her daughter, atternalaly Push tag and pal Mlg, Stood before the fameuo picture* that had wen tu nek attaniton They ■ era aetdently vhamptoa picture*, rep resenting the same scene hr dev light aad nl midnight a high, steep point ti land, fulling ant late the sen. whet* ■urf beat Hi frothy petulance against the reef. The feathery palm-tree cano py and gorgeous vines whose brilliant blossoms lay like garland* over the white rock, betrayed the tropic clime no more plainly than the Intense blue of the over-arching sky. Nature was Inexpressibly lovely, but the gazer's eye was caught and riveted by the hu man figures. A young girl, graceful and beautiful, was seated there like a queen upon her throne, and beside her, nearly at her feet, reclined a youth whose countenance was partially con cealed as he was looking up eagerly in to her face, which wore a wild, sor rowful, yearning look, as her eyes and extended hand pointed to the far-off line where sky and water met. Not one could gaze upon the picture and not know the whole was not yet compre hended—the story not half told. CHAPTER XI. TH companion was dark In the back ground a dim sky and stars showing faintly the outHne of embowering tree; but upon the rock, instead of Its queen, blazed a bonfire that lit up luridly the foamy sea, and gave a ruddy gleam to three figures waiting near the youth and maiden and tall, grave man, who were all gazing off with a wild Intensity of expression that gave a gloomy look to every face over the water, "Ah, the pictures!" said Sir Clement Willoughby. “I have looked at them full an hour before, to-day. They are thrilling, are they not? I must seek out the artist; It will be an honor for any man to know him. That midnight Is superb." Eleanor stood with wild eyes that could not drink In eagerly enough the old familiar scene. Now the blue orbs kindled Joyfully, and again the tears came welling over them. "Oh, Walter. Walter!" cried she, In a tone of anguish that startled all and thrilled one heart with joy. "What alls* you, Eleanor?” asked her mother anxiously. "Ob, mamma, take me home, and let us come alone. I must see the pictures alone." The ladle* and gentlemen gathered around her looked astonished and em hnrrflflflUfl "Hut my child," said her mother gravely, "we do not understand; you owe the company some word of expla nation.” Klcanor struggled for composure, and dropping her veil over the flushed cheek and tearful eyes, said more col lectedly: "I was taken by surprise. It Is our Island home, mamma, and that Is Wal ter and Mr. Vernon and myself. Ob, those well-known scenes—It breaks my heart to go back to them, and yet to know nothing of the friends who shared them with me! It was Walter who painted the pictures. Oh, I am sure It was Walter! I must see him—I must And him." Lady Annabel turned hastily to the pictures, while a look of pain and an noyance swept across her face. She was evidently revolving some subject care fully In her mind, for after the first swift glance she dropped her eyes to the floor. Sir Clement Willoughby was re-ex amining the pictures, more especially the first one. His eye wandered queg tloningly over the graceful form of the youth at the feet of the Island queen, and when he turned to the other It was to catch what knowledge he could from the side glimpse of the boyish face. ITO ns COXTISCBD.I llom«« Will 11+multi. r ... The horseless age !« a long way off. It Is out of sight, and le llkoly to re main so, notwithstanding the arrival of the bicycle and the motor wagon. When the reaper was Invented pessi mists foretold the starvation of tha agricultural laborer. The sewlug ma chine was bitterly fought by people who saw nothing In store for the seam stress. The world to-day knows the results. It is true that electric street railways have dispensed with the serv ice of many thousand horses and that the bicycle has decidedly Injured the livery business, and yet It Is u fact that the export trade in American horses Is making giant strides forward The exports for !*#&, just compiled, are |3,ui)b,tMH> In value about twice that of 1XSM Burope will keep on buying Amerlcar. horses, and tha equine which at home haa aurvived the competition of the steam railroad and the trolley line will hold Ita own with the ‘ bthe" and the horseless wagon Horses will tie cheaper, Juat as watches are chwaner now than for marly, that la all Nww Ywh Journal. raarad W«i«r la Ur Rmi« n>a Rat l.attaard II Warth Of lilt tl*t»u«t aVm h haa U*uu»t a tun foi dlturva (fom rU» ir* W Worth la iih I t hum* Tha r tarty man *lu>*t* that hia bifa aahad him la daad all «< hi* l> m parly to har aad am da thraau that If ha did an aha auuld hat lira bitfe him hut b«uM maha It hut tor him alt hU Ufa Ob aba a*taataa. ha mm a. aha tllad hia to a da) boot a with baiav Uoikiiii »•**. t#ra to tha ably raeafhtMhla ala maai af *•••» la Ihla b«rId Rrary aba bha haa irabb hayaad rhlldiah *m af h«arl aad ml ad MbtoRfcatgM that tha ably HUb« bhkh mahaa Ufa barth Utibd la tha fuud «a tab da far athara Rat C. J WuuA “Jayaam Hr»*»" af Kaaaaa taaau , laaa aaaabirto ahaa yua bbaiyaa u. aad Jla>aiat that II l« ably a Ika* loa way af ariua* "Jtmaa iamual" EYES MAY DECEIVE US » TESLA DOESN’T BELIEVE IN BALL LIGHTNING. Hot* Ha Explain* tha Mattar — A liar baapar Otxarvad That Lightning Dog a Mala la tha Saa and That lha Mb? Waa Sat on Fir*. AUjK of Are, vari colored and terri fying. have been peppered down from the skies upon the country In most surprising fashion the past month, if testi mony at second hand la trust ' worthy. In spite of all this, Nikola Tesla, the ir.oat famous of American electricians, says balls of Are are never dropped down upon us from the heavens that they're a myth, an optical Illusion. "I have never seen such balls of Are,’’ said Mr. Tesla, “though I have been close by when the lightning struck. I was blinded, of course, and believe every one else Is when the lightning strike* near them. If one sees anything then, it Is of about as much value sclen UAcally as what one sees when one Is struck on the head with a club. "There Is an explanation which may show how the idea of Are-balls orig inate!]. As a rule, we do not see the whole of a Hash. We get glimpses of It along the edges of clotuls or through tive he had seen a ball, though when questioned as to what it looked like he said that he couldn’t tell exactly. "The lightning dug a hole In the sea right out there," he said, "and the whole sky was set on Are," A FLAT-SEEKER'S EXPERIENCE. He Kindt lilt I.Utla Children t Orel dad Handicap. A story Is being told which, while It may not be true, visibly illustrates the tribulations of those who have committed the unpardonable crime of having children. The man of whom the talc Is told wat a man of family— quite a good deal of family, In fact. For some reason he did not want to tent a house. He wanted to get Into a flat or a boarding bouse. He tramped the town over seeking a place where he and his wife and children might shelter their weary bodies. He applied • t place after place, but it was of no use. As soon as the flat owners and boarding house keepers found out, that there were children they treated him like a thing apart, unfit to bo afforded accommodation like Christian people. If he bad been a savage, a leper or a criminal his ostracism could not have been more sudden or complete. Kx ptrlence made him wary about 4:30 In the afternoon, ufter he had met with twenty-one rebuffs. He determined to make a last desperate effort and to keep the fact a lion t his brood as shady as possible. He tackled a man Who ewns a block of flats. He wanted a mite of rooms for himself and wife, lie said. The bargain was progressing smoothly and tho man begun to hope that he might get a place to live in SEEN THROUGH ENGLISH EYES American Country Newspapers Surprint try Their Vivacity. From the Bedfordshire, Eng., Time* The Bedford Daily Mall Is another con temporary which It is Interesting to look through. Really the number ol local newspapers Is legion. A few weeks ago we quoted from the Bedford Gazette, which is published at the town of that name In Pennsylvania, but the Dally Mull Is the organ of public opin ion for the city of Bedford, Ind., and 1< a very readable sheeL Glancing through its columns, one gathers that this Bedford, though a much smaller place, Is In advance of its English namesake. For example, It already has an opera house, "located on J Etreet," but the fact that it Is being offered for sale looks significant. A two-story arbor, one-thtrd of a mile long, is being built of timber; the lower story is for a race track for horses, and the other a bicycle track. About 185,000 feet of building material will Ire used in this structure. Bedford in Indiana has a popular country fair, when the merchants of I he city make a great display of their goods and the young people go In for racing of all kinds. These amusements are carried on In the Floral hall. We wonder If they use that building for a flower market. The troys play at ball — presumably baselrall and a match with Bloomfield Is announced. Bed ford. Ind., Is noted for Its freestone quarries, and the boys In the local ball team are called the “OoUtles.” An other singular coincidence; Bedford In England stands on the name geolog ical formation. It Is only natural, of FRENZIED MEN WALK OVER BLAZINQ COALS. » ^ .. f Torturing the body seems a poor sort of religious rite, and yet that Is a necessary part of religious ceremonies In various countries. Dancing on red hot coals with the bare feet Is but one of the forms of worship adopted by re ligious fanatics in some countries. Though more or less common in India, it would never be popular in thla coun try. There Is no other country that can approach India In the matter of unique religious ceremonies, and no people who hold to a belief with the same unswerving fidelity that marks the In habitants of that torrid clime. On the day set for the fulfilment of the vows, three huge wagonloads of wood were hauled to an open space in front of the temple. The villagers as sisted in the arrangements, and the wood was placed in a regular pile about four feet wide and ten feet long. A trench about three feet wide and two feet deep was dug around the pile of wood, and the latter watt then set on fire. In about four hours the wood was re duced to a pile of live coals, six or eight inches deepe, spread evenly over the surface of the ground. A hundred natives then appeared with palls, and the ditch was filled with water. It siz zled and steamed as It struck coals which had rolled into the ditch. The heat was terrific, and It was im possible for the average person to ap proach near the blazing coals. Within the temple the eight men were prepar ing for the sacrifice. Prayers were ut tered und the goddess was beseeched to make the suffering of the men bb light as possible. As the hour approached for the climax, the eight men were al most frenzied, and their shrieks and howls could be heard for a long dis tance. Suddenly they dashed out of the tem ple and approached the heap of coals. They were dressed in loose, lemon-col ored garments, and were shrieking as if mad. The writhed and groaned and made hideous contortions, all of which was supposed to be the spirit of the god dens within them. Suddenly they Jumped into the water In the trench, where they remained for a few seconds, almost enveloped in the steam which was arising They leaped onto the bed of coals and began dancing and leuping back and forth. All the while they yelled an., the crowd set up a wail as if In answer. Not a moment did they remain quiet, and occasionally they jumped into the water to cool their parched feet. After several min utes of this exercise they ran, still howling and twisting, back into the temple, and the ceremony was over. A shotr time afterwards a European doctor examined the feet of the eight men and found, to his amazement, that neither feet nor legs were burned, and that the men had suffered no Inconveni ence. The natives claimed that the goddess protected the men by the exer cise of her marvellous power, and she now stands much higher In their opin ion than before. The sceptical Insisted that the feet of the men were hard and horny from go ing barefooted, and that for several weeks before the ordeal they had been hardened by the use of alum water. The fact that tlje feet were wet and that the men did not remain still, continu ally jumped about, stepping as lively as possible, also had much to do with the result,. The moral effect of the ceremony is bad, and the English gov ernment has repeatedly forbidden the pact Ice of It In public.- From the New York Journul. Am urea, or, otic might say, through < rack*. 1s t ua auppoae a wall of cloud between ua and the flush. The vio lence of the electric dischargee break* tula wall, producing flaatire* lit It. Juwt an an earthquake make* long algaag (tack* in a wall of atone or brick, und the light comer. to ua through theae •tr> akllke opening* "No*, auppoae the lightning blew a ; hole through the cloud wall Juat aa a ; cannon blow* a hole through the walk. ! of a fort We ahould thin aee a spot of t'.aaaltug light that would be a ball *u far a* our eyealght could determine I Hu<'h a ball might play many prank* according a* the cloud rift moved v. Iwut “The*# theories account well enough for all the It* ball atorte* that have , owe to my attention I believe the j ball Itaelf la a myth " The proprietor of the Tailed gtatea casino at Tar N<» haway. where one of the lie ball* wae reported to hate been reeu wl4 to a reporter that he teas out ua the casino platform ever the water all through the atorm and that ' ha aae the lightning strthe the water not far from where he ant. "I 4!da t tee aar tie halts, he eon tinned though I dent sender It nth • re thought rhey aaw some The light- j Stag eaa au close that theta aae no ■marvel between the Rash and the thunder dap The wind hies a bnrrl cane and leaked the warns to Nik and j • tied the air with spray When the j ughtat.vg »tru«h tfc# water the tew kwhed Mka kwlUsg uatal and the spray j Pew up like sparks It would he eaar , «a>H«gh la imagine that hatte ot alec | It tdty sere a«pled tag nut there “ Th* hath taper at Ike hotel waa poet when a sort of l-Just-thought-of-lt look tame over the face of the landlord. "Hive you any children?" The fa tal question had come at last. "Yea, seven of them." sighed the now thoroughly dispirited homeaeek er. "But." he added, with a sudden gleam of Inspiration. "I might drown a couple of them'" Buffalo Kx prist*. >* KoruuragsuasHt tor Use "Ho you re the Kccentrlc Young Man." i I'MTif i the farmer’s wife In a tone that would split a grindstone, ’’you're walking •• rose the continent on n * ager anti you rely on people aloug the runt* for entertainment, do voy*" "Yes mstUn. and If you wilt kindly tonal n chick " Haems to me there# something r#W .MacMti about yuur talk I bare beard language very much like tkat before Hut ike men ako sung that song dtda t tall themaelvea any fancy names they •ere lust plain oyster can willies It > would he much better fur yon, rouag ! fellow If yaw had |oiaed the union for ' if yau had you would have nut lead a j marb oa the gate punt which stands tor a bushv woman and a big bulldog gtn the place the go by 1 .No. | dual think I will nateurwge sa> esthete ttenerwals to day " ktltls Kapreaa VO Mis st tnesa* I was ua for leasts enough to leave my umbrella In n street cm yesterday." remar hod Manchester Vl hass umbrella was II’ sshad ll.i miagham "I dun t know I barrvwsd It Irani , Maaggs htttlMut t'hronnie T*hr ••hgH count*, that similar soils should grow the same kind of crops. There Is also a Bedford steam laun dry. which, "after being broke down four days Is ttguln able to get out first-class work.** There are other co- r Incidences, hut one eau r.ntlun only two: People get married there and It ruins sometimes. Married, al the home of the bride, Noah tllrdley to I kali* Kinder. Rev, Alexander Wag goner ..IBelating"- fame* that are Utily picturesque. "The bride wore a white lawu dr*Mi irininod with ptuk ribbon and while silk Is.* simple hut effective As fur the rum III slMHU half an hour M street from Blxt**ath to fourteenth was on* Mtllil sheet of water Its Rill width, aad the water t acked up over the ba-*tu*ni as far as hiuetoel a barker shop poured through the ..Ml holes tutu Utts Kills cellar, sad raa into several stare* otsr the f east dour silts gucth 4 re a few gllatpssu of life la a far distaat city where the people delight to style IheatseUe. Hsd fetdhtn* Ho they ever ihtak at Bed. furd la the aid . wastry * S Wsw tel tsoie* Mere tea sew raathiaatlea fur a Uaip ell which 1* said te give « tMitkoierit bright aad white light aad use that A will set go out easily The all »»*a. with iwo parts at heat lard «hi aad was part trf headlight alt la ehkh la .tid ed a piece <•» tear veaipher stsort .hs Site Of «« egg shea the total qwsatity at Ml does Wet etesed * gjg| K .hasps The forth bridge tg sk.#114*4 is esp. able at ssetaiulng the eetght cd .*« t»aa> tads slang frets the eater