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About The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 26, 1900)
HIS WORD OF HONOR. A Tale of the Blue and the Gray. BYE WEPNEJt. Cwemeb* MM. Mr CoMrrf llbUrr i Som. i A. _ _ _ _ ^ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ ^ rHAPTKR VII i< on ioned i Km time was (he courteous yet de eldad one of a man accustomed to see hi* medical authority recognized with* ***• opposition Edvard had not in tended to enter the sick chamber, where he would be obliged to meet IToreace. but the plainly intimated re dd** that hr should remain outside nettled him. He glanced haughtily at the donor and replied with evident The physician always ha- the right to command in mi cases 1 will t»oait hot shall rape t speedy n«ws of my uncle a health He gave the necessary orders to the servant, who was still ia the room aad then turned to Thompson again Th* doctor was ushered through sev er*: apartments no le»- rt« hiy fur nished than the drawing-room, then the man opened a door veiled by a heavy portiere and permitted the pby *b iaa to enter, while he himself re mained behind. CHARTER VIII Here too. a subdued twilight reign ed and in the dusk the new«omer at Sr- perceived only the white figure kanilfac beside the bed. with her fat turned in the pillows. The sick man I i inweif appeared to be ia a sort of , stupor, and. at the end of the room Italph was busied with mjom> medi- j • *e After ouev ituing himself by a retried glance that the door had again * used behind bim Doctor Htarkwoud approached the kaeeltng girl, bent down to her aad sold ia a low tone, with marked emphasis: ‘ Mias Harrison!" She slowly raised her pair, tear fr'****'d face The voice seemed to aiwass aeons memory her eye* rented I isfsiliaglf upon the stranger's fea tu«w* for a few seconds, then a Ma led cry escaped her lips "Ralph was the friend and confi dant of ray childhood. He is devoted to me with all his soul, and will do anything to save William. Won t you. Ralph?” She had summoned the old servant by a gesture. He laid his hand upon bis heart. "Yes, Mi.-s Florence—anything.” Maxwell looked keenly at him a few minutes, and seemed satisfied. "Miss Harrison's lover is to be res «ued he said. "Will you help us?” "Yea. master, as much as I can.” "Then first inform Mr. Harrison that I must remain here for the pres ent. as his uncle's death may take place at any moment. But I must re que-t him not to enter the sick cham le»r. Miss Florence does not wish it. Then find out for me in what part of house Lieutenant Roland is imprison ed and whether it is possible to reach him un.-cen. This can easily be learn ed from the servants; but be careful to rouse no suspicion.” Ralph s face showed that he clearly understood the iminirtance of the com mission. He promised in a whisper to obey exactly, and then glided noise h ssly out of the room. Maxwell again t .rued to Florence, who seemed some what sustained by his presence. "Do you really mean to try to reach W!1 am" she asked. "Suppose that } * iu .-hot:Id Ite discovered and recog nized as his friend?" John shrugged his shoulders. "Then we shall probably be shot to g-ther. Yes. Miss Harrison, a faint ing Bt will be quite superfluous here and cannot serve us in the least. If you are not resolute, the game will be lost; and I tell you frankly that it s a matter of life and death. We shall undoubtedly be considered spies, and your cousin will certainly do nothing to clear up the error. This is the exact state of the case. Will KNEELING BESIDE THE BED. "Bntor Maawetl! I* it you*" Hush* Don t mention ray n»me*“ ■aid Maxwell in a low. impressive t. I |h».*> here !►*- »■.: !!':.< L wwod. ltd are are o m alone.** He glanced sign 11< antly at tbe ne~ f**. a hoar attention had been attrait «d: but Florence made an eager ges ture at duueac "Ralph ta faithful and diatyeet. You reed fear Bo trr*i her» *■< a 1: in 1 vtll snswer for that.'* "no much the better Hut. first: | h'Ut htt happened here* I am lo «k ag fur William Isn't he in Spring held *. "Tas„ he is here, but a prisoner be- ' frayed by Edward, and just at the mo ment they dragged him away from me tka severe, perhaps fatal attach, came eg. Doctor Maxwell. will my father d*eT* John Max wet did not answer the de «..airing q west .ton at. ogre The flr*t ■ .*Lie at Harrison »«l tdd Lira that t mart hs ta thr affirmative, but he Le-si over the patient, frit of his j pulse and placed his hand upon his Least. It was a short but careful ex emtastioa. * Yea. Mis* llameon,** be said at 1 g "It is wasfte&e to with hold t he truth: rsa must face it. but the '"«**> i* over, and u.> end will be pamtesn He will probably not re < ever L:* jsm unuim *<• Ftorvgre. oobbittg aloud, covered her fa*e with both hands, but Maxwell a:toured, ber no time to give way to her grief " And now for the living." he con tinued "Calm yourself Another life i* at at she. n» dear to yoa as tbe one now i swishing.. "h lliam*" cried the young girl, in terror, "la his life threatened? Tbey cumen led it tram me. They spoke srniy of imprisonment For heavens sake, tsdi me the truth*** ' First at all you mug tell rae what bws happened I have just arrived, and know none of the particulars." Taking her hand, he ted her to tbe wisSuv. where Florence, la hurried. informed b.tu of Maxwell listened glently without in t er» apt tag her Mot until she had ha shed her story did he ask a few brief, enact gwestkm* "Is Captain Wilson Mill in hprmg field?" So I heard from Ralph that he redd away half an hour ago** I "And when do yon expect your fam ily pbyafician and the real Uoctor Markwwod* "Toward earning They will not am*# bifisrr nersn o'rlork.' "WeO. then w# shall have a few boars at oar dispcsml. Can you rely upon ihla aid mas? Implicitly? you He here, fainting, while it is de i* i. or will you do what you can to heipr* These blunt words fulfilled their pur 1“ -** What William, with all his con . deration and tenderness, had failed t • do. his friend's sharpness accom plished. Florence, who was really on the verge of fainting, rallied her .~tr«t»gtto Her voice still trembled yet F rilled with kindling energy as she replied: I am not so weak as you imagine. ! have courage for anything where W .m is concerned. Tell me what I am to do.” ' For the [ resent you must remain quietly here, but be ready to respond at any moment if 1 call you. This room has another door. I see; so I *un leave it. unobserved, while I am ippmed t » be engaged in my profes oua! duties. After the message I nt to Mr. Harrison, he will probably reawlti near, expecting further new But if he doesn't—if he discovers and surprises you—if the doctors !..<u:d arrive a few hours earlier—” *'Yes. but one must not take the if- into account in such enterprises,” ■aid Maxwell, carelessly. “Several hundred 'ifs' menaced me when I rode after that obstinate William, yet here 1 am. and my identity is wholly un suspected. which is enough for the beginning.” He again approached the sick bed, where his prediction was being ful filled. Death was approaching slowly but calmly and without suffering, and he sibntly beckoned to the daughter to resume her place. CHAPTER IX. Edward Harrison had, of course, taken every precaution to prevent any attempt at escape or rescue. He had »«een forced to yield to Captain Wil son's demand for suitable accommoda tion* for his prisoner and his refusal to adopt other measures—indeed, the latter would have been superfluous. William was in the charge of his most bitter enemy, and he guarded him bet ter than any jailer. In a side-wing of the building, at the end of a long passage, was a room where many valuable articles were kept during the absence of the own ers. The only entrance was through a strong door with a double lock, and the one window, which also opened upon the passage, was protected by an iron grating, which, though not heavy, was remarkably strong. In addition, ttie corridor was closed by a second door, and Edward kept the keys of both in his pocket. No assistance mold come from outside, and her ronaln knew only too well that Flor ; ence had not the energy to attempt to free the prisoner, at least in her father's dying hour. William paced up and down the close, gloomy room in the most in tense excitement. So this was the end of the foolhardy ride which he had undertaken in defiance of every warn ing. True, he had thought of two al ternatives only—success or death in honorable conflict; and Colonel Bur ney, too, had had no other idea when he uttered the fateful words: “Dead or dishonored.’’ There was a third: “Captured!” True, this captivity meant death. The young officer did not deceive him self concerning his fate; but little as he feared death, his blood boiled in fierce rebellion at the thought of being sentenced as a spy. Anything save this shameful doom. There was one bright ray of hope for him: He trusted in the honor of the Confed erates. Unless Edward Harrison could hoodwink them into believing him a spy, he seemed reasonably safe. Then came the thought of Florence, who would now be left wholly without protection. How would she endure the terrible event, and what would be fall her after her father’s death? Ed ward. as the sole male relative, would also be the guardian and protector of the young girl, who would be abso lutely in this scoundrel’s power. Wil liam clenched his hands in helpless fury, and a low groan escaped his lips. Suddenly he started. He fancied that he heard his name spoken by some one close at hand. Of course it must be a delusion, yet he stood still and involuntarily glanced toward the window. The voice reached him again. This time more distinctly. “William! Don’t you hear?” With a sudden spring, the young man reached the somewhat high win dow, behind whose gratings the out lines of a human figure were now vis ible. “John—you? Impossible! It can’t be!” “I have the honor, however, to be myself.” was the reply. "Good even ing, Will!” “But how did you get to Spring field? How did you hear of my fate? How did you succeed in making your way here?” “Don't be in such a hurry. Put your questions slowly, in regular or der, and I’ll answer in the same way. We shall have plenty of leisure for it; it will be some time before I can saw through this confounded iron grat ing. The faint sound of a file showed that the rescuer was really at work, and at the noise fresh hope and courage filled the young officer's soul. Free dom! Rescue! He could have shout ed for joy at the bare thought, as if the rescue had already been accom- • plished. (To be continued.) KING CHARLES’ DOG. A;ivertNcd as Lost in the London t!a /.ette of 1667. In the London Gazette, 1667, there is the advertisement: “A Sore ger Falcon of His Majesty, lost the 13 of August, who had one Varvel of his Keeper. Ro ger Higs of Westminster, Gent. Who sover hath taken her up and give no tice Sir Allan Apsley. Master of His Majesties Hawks at St« James’s, shall be rewarded for his paines. Back Staires in Whitehall.’’ In the num ber for June 28. 1660, of the Mercurius Publicus: "A Smooth Black DOG. less than a Greyhound, with white under his breast, belonging to the King's Majesty, was taken from Whitehall, the eighteenth day of this instant June, or thereabouts. If any one can give notice to John Ellis, one of his Majesties Servants, or to his Majesties Backstairs, shall be well rewarded for their labor." The "Smooth Black Dog" apparently doe3 not turn up. says the Fortnightly, and the following an nouncement, in large italics, is to be met with in the next publication of this journal: "We must call upon you again for a Black Dog between a Grey hund and a Spaniel, no white about him. onelv a streak on his Brest and Tayl a little bobbed. It is His Ma jesties own Dog. and doubtless was stoln. for the Dog was not born nor bred in England, and would never for sake his Master. Whosoever findes him may acquaint any at Whitehal, for the Dog was better knowm at Court than those who stole him. Will they never leave robbing His Majesty? Must he not keep a Dog? This Dog's place (though better than some imagine) is the only place which nobody offers to beg." I FOOD FOR THE BRAIN WORKERS Tbote Who Are Subject to Mental Strain Should Keculate Their Diet. From the Sanitary Record: It is all right for the man who labors all day in the open air to eat freely, but the man of sedentary habits, the brain worker. must adapt his way of living to his needs. He must be well nour ished, for the brain is incapable of good work unless well supplied with pure blood, but such a man cannot pos sibly furnish vital force to digest three large meals daily. If he tries it nature will protest at every step. The chem ical changes of digestion will be im perfectly performed. The stomach will neither secrete freely nor churn the food with cheerful alacrity; the pyloric orifice contracts and allows such chyme to pass with grudging reluct ance; the intestinal lacteals are ashamed to absorb such miserable pa bulum, which chokes, irritates and congests them, so the large meal re mains in the digestive organs to fer ment, putrefy and steep the individual in foul gases and depraved secretions. But the system can furnish‘enough vi tal force to convert a small meal into pabulum of high standard, which will be absorbed without difliculty. Three such small meals are not enough to keep tbe individual properly nourished, however; four to six will be required. Each should consist of but one or at most two articles of food, the diet to be varied by changes at meals. The portion of food served must be small; the patient must stop as soon as the appetite is satisfied and gaseous disten sion is proof positive that the meals are still too large or too close to gether. The direction of the mind is more important than its progress. THE BOER WOMAN A FIGHTER She is Never Too Old to Shoot Straight. Two of my three trips to the Trans vaal have been made while the country was in a state of excitement, and on each of these visits I was very glad to get away in safety. My first trip was at the time of the famous Jameson raid, at the beginning of the year '95. The second journey was an uneventful one in ’97. i^ast year 1 again accom panied my husband. Prof. Mongreni de Lassomm, to South Africa, from which country we have just returned to San Francisco. My husband’s business, that of a prestidigitateur, takes him all over the world, and I always accompany him. Oom Paul, whose name the Boers pro nounce “Ome Powl,” is the last on the list of dignitaries before whom the professor has appeared in private ex hibitions of his skill. Others are the shah of Persia, empress of Russia, queen of Italy, king of Belgium and prince of Wales. But none of these proved more appreciative or genial than President Kruger, whom the Afri kanders. as a prominent Boer once said to me, regard as a god. The entertainment took place in the president’s home and in the presence of about fifty invited guests who en joyed Oom Paul’s kindly hospitality. The old gentleman was in a very jolly mood that evening, and was as pleased as a child at the program. The tricks with coins amused him most, and he laughed heartily at the mysterious ap- i pearance and disappearance of money which passed in and out of hats and pockets with lightning ease through my husband's hands. Oom Paul looks older than his pic tures. He has a very keen expression in his eyes, but this is not readily ob served. his eyes not being a conspicu ous feature. He cares nothing for in battle. Fighting to them is a busi ness, a duty—anything but a matter for sentiment. My opinion is that when there are no more Boer men left in the field, th? Boer women will take their places an 1 give desperate battle to the English foe. whom they hate with all their heart. These Afrikander women are better soldiers than most men. One peculiar thing about the Boei” A ZULU BELLE. in their method of fighting is their custom of standing one behind the other, and when the front man falls the next in turn faces the enemy, then the one behind him. and so oil until the last is downed. Housekeeping in the Transvaal has its servant problem, for the blacks are very inefficient, lazy, untidy and un trustworthy. There are no other do mestics to be had. Once in awhile one ride bicycles, the two-wheeled vehicle., which is called a ricksha is the favorite means of transportation and outdoor amusement in Johannesburg. The ricksha man is extremely picturesque as to costume. He delights in gay colored clothes. On his head is a curi ous bushy covering of white vegetable fiber, and he wears anklets of bells that jingle as he runs. A ricksha costs three shillings an hour. The horse races attract thousands of people to Johannesburg, who come into town on wheels. A fine vaudeville performance takes place every night in the year, the best seats selling at $2, the lowest 60 cents. The first time I went to Johannesburg I lived in a barricaded house, where for days people were jumping by the windows in their haste to get out of town. This was because of the Jame son raid. There was a drought, too. and for some time we were compelled to wash our faces with soda water. At that time we gave our clothing to the blacks to launder, but we were wiser after our linen came back to us in shreds. The natives carried the laun dry bundles on their heads to a little stream about a mile out cf Johannes burg and washed them in muddy water, beating the garments on stones in order to cleanse them. Whatever happens in the Transvaal, I hope that no harm will come to ‘‘Un cle" Paul. 1 would like to visit South Africa again, pass by the marble lions, and hear the president laugh at my husband’s sleight-of-hand tricks in the home of the “god of the Boers." Ajreed to the Itargain. “In upper East Tennessee,” said a Memphis lawyer who was born in that parliamentary franchise, because in his experience “she will accept noth ing but what she believes to be right,” a quality which renders her a danger ous guide in political questions. Neith er man has. apparently, grasped the thought that there is something wrong about the institution itself that needs mending. The one pool will have its waters stirred to advantage by educa tion. and the other will gain by having in it more people who “will accept only what they think is right.” COMTESSE DE CAST1CLIONE. She nil n* Beautiful »■ "** Kccentrle. It needed the news of her death to remind Parisians that one of the most renowned of the beauties of the sec ond empire had lingered on in obscuri ty for all these years in their midst, says a Paris correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette. The Countess de Cas | tiglione was one of the most lovely i women of her epoch; but she was as eccentric as she was beautiful, and, however much she altered physically with advancing age, she remained true : to her character to the end. The only difference was that the nature of her eccentricities changed. In the hey day of her glory she was the heroine of adventures that did more credit to her audacity than to her judgment or reputation. She was wont to express the regret that she had not been born in Greece in the classic age, when no considerations of prudery interfered with the full appreciation of the hu m-n form divine. As it was. she was disposed to do her best to override prejudices with which she had no sym pathy. Thus she created a memora ble sensation, and. it must be con fessed, a very considerable scandal, by appearing at a ball in the Tuilerles dressed as Salammbo, in a tunic that allowed it to be seen that she had dis pensed with any covering whatever for her limbs. Were it possible to show her supreme contempt for the proprie ties many other stories might be told of similar exploits on her part. Wtfen her beauty began to vanish her anguish of mind was intense and was displayed LOUISE DE LASSOMM IN A JOHAN NESBURG RICKSHA. clothing of fashionable cut. The house j which is his home in Pretoria is quite j plain in appearance, but comfortably j furnished. On either side of the door j is a huge lion in white marble, the pair j being a gift to the president from Cecil j Rhodes. It seems rather odd just now ; to think of a British lion guarding a Boer house. The Boers impressed me as being a very uncouth sort of people, although those that we met were pleasant j enough. It is easy to see that they are required to pay little attention to j the courtesies of life while young, so j that their manners are devoid of pol- ' ish, and they frequently have a surly air. which does not by any means ere- ; ate a favorable impression upon j strangers. But of their fighting quali- j ties there can be no question, and Eng- j land need not expect to subdue them until their last shot has been fired, and their last ounce of strength is ex hausted. There is no more determined and stubborn race of people on earth j than the Boers. The children, both boys and girls are taught the use of firearms as soon as they are old enough to hold a gun. They practice constant- j ly. From one generation to another the Boers have been preparing for war, . until to fight is now their natural in- j stinct. The women are as courageous , and combative as the men. A Boer woman is never too old to shoot straight. You should see them as 1 have seen them coming to the station to say good-by to husbands, fathers, brothers and sweethearts on their way to the front. Such stoicism is aston ishing. Not a tear does a Boer woman shed when she sends a son away from her to fight for his country. Not a tear does she shed when he falls finds a Zulu or Kaffir who is faithful and honest. We had one with us that we named Ben. He was very proud of the suit of clothes my husband gave him. and became quite attached to us. He obeyed our commands implicitly. A Zulu servant brings his blanket with him. and at night rolls himself up in it. sleeping like a housedog outside the door, in a hall, or anywhere else on the floor. If he is on the street after 9 at night he must be provided with a written excuse from his employer, otherwise the police will arrest him. The law deals very severely with the natives in the Transvaal. One night poor Ben forgot his “passport,” and was promptly thrown into jail. We did not discover him for three days. In the mean time we had to hire another Kaffir, who proved as worth less as the blacks usually are. My husband invited a friend to dine, and when we looked for a quart bottle of champagne which he had provided it was nowhere to be seen. Neither was our servant. We found him in a drunken stupor propped against a table. So we dined without our wine. Before he left he stole Ben's clothes and a number of other articles. Ugly as the blacks look, though, they are not dangerous unless drunk. They are not permitted to walk on the side walks in Johannesburg, and must keep to the middle of the street. While formerly they wore only a cloth about the loins, they are now nearly all dressed in odds and endk of the white man's clpthes. but go barefooted. Life in the Transvaal for women is very pleasant. In Johannesburg I saw more bicycles than in any other city, and I have visited all the large cities of the world. But while all women country to a Memphis Scimitar report er. “there once lived a fellow named Johnson, who was a thief. He lived near to a wealthy man. and year in and year out he stole his neighbor’s hogs. Finally the wealthy neighbor tired of such a state of things, and one day when he met Johnson he stopped him and said: ‘Now, look here, John son. This stealing must stop. You have been stealing my hogs for years, and I’m tired of it. You’ve got a good Christian wife, and good, honest chil dren, and I don't want to cause you any trouble, but if you don't stop steal ing my hogs I’m going to send you to the penitentiary. I'll tell you what I’ll do. If you promise not to steal from me any more. I'll give you 500 pounds of bacon every time I kill hogs. Is it a bargain?’ Johnson thought for a moment, and then said: ‘Well, Mr. Smith. I'll do it, but I’m satisfied I'll lose bacon by it.’ Both lived up to the bargain.” King of Siam and HU Whet. The king of Siam has forty wives, and in the harem are 3,000 women who never go out. When Miss Jessie Ack erman, in a missionary spirit, urged upon him the benefit of education for them, he replied: "You know with edu cation there always comes culture and refinement. If I educate my women I should educate them into a state of discontent, for they would want many things which it is impossible for them to have.” Now that is a perfectly logi cal statement, and the king's mind, to all appearance, has traveled as far as that of the Lord Chancellor of Eng land. The Lord Chancellor is very anxious lest women should gain the in her actions and mode of life. She possessed a portrait, or rather a full length picture, of herself, by Paul Baudry. One day her friends noticed that it had disappeared from the walls of her drawing room. The comtesse had fretted over the fact that every day she was growing more and more unlike the exquisite creature portrayed on the canvas, which, in a final fit of anger and vexation, she had cut up into strips with a pair of scissors. For many years she had lived as an abso lute recluse, without a servant of any kind, in an apartment only furnished with carpets and cushions, the shut ters of which were always closed. Nature as an Embalmer. A curious circumstance concerning the body of Admiral Spotts has been reported from the Falkland islands, where he died 17 years ago. The Falk land physician who attended him dur ing his fatal illness was present at the exhumation of the body when the cruiser Badger was sent for it last year. The coffin had disappeared, but the corpse was absolutely unchanged even the features having retained the exact appearance that they presented on the day of death. This wonderful preservation was due to the action of the peat water which saturates the islands. It had embalmed the body completely. They Earn a Living Picking Worms. Some Japanese women earn their livings by picking worms from the leaves of growing tobacco. The worms secured are put into a bottle, and this bottle serves as evidence that the woman has earned her wage. Without It Bhe would not be paid. .1
