AFTTTE
BY jMCARY DEVEREUX
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY DON C. WILSON
CGyyrfgAt, I9CQ, by Z/Wfe, £trc*y)7, Ccyrr/wry)
C4[/ JPfgft) Paem&J
CHAPTER II.
Through the weeks of the late sum
mer, old Tatro, the butler, had been
attending the meetings held by the
peasants. But, being a firm believer
In the old regime, he had reported
faithfully to Monsieur le Baron all
that had transpired at these gather
ings, telling him of the vicious
speeches made by Fauchel, and of the
latter’s evident determination to in
fluence the peasants against the peo
ple of the chateau.
On a certain September morning,
after one of these reports from Tatro,
the baron said, “Find Margot, and
send her to me.’’
When the faithful old servant had
left the room his master looked out
of the window toward the park; but
his darkly circled eyes saw something
quite different from the trees silhouet
ted against the cloudless blue of the
sky.
They saw the pale, angry face of
Tomas Fauchel, the young schoolmas
ter, who, meeting the baron as he
came from the magistrate's door with
the pretty, sixteen-year-old daughter
of the Huguenot minister clinging to
his arm. had said, as he barred their
way, “To-day, Monsieur le Baron, you
have won, and have taken for wife
her whom her dead father gave to me
when he refused you, a Papist. But
I warn you to beware of the day when
I shall seek my revenge!”
The baron, in the strength of his
vigorous manhood, and in the happy
dreams of his passionate love, had
laughed at the melodramatic threat
of his humble rival. And to-day,
white-haired and lonely, he smiled
disdainfully as he recalled it.
But the smile died softly in a sigh
that was almost a moan, as thought
of the narrow mound he had looked
upon the spring before, banked with
violets and snowdrops, in the old
churchyard by the Loire, near the
cottage where he had known a brief
year’s dream of happiness. i
t
"Is it thou, my beloved Pizarro?"
But he now roused himself as Mar
got entered, and bade her to be seat
ed.
“Margot, I have sent for thee that
( may unburden my mind somewhat
as to matters which have been weigh
ing heavily upon me for many months
past,” he began.
Margot looked at him in silent won
der mingled with some alarm, as she
Dould see no reason for his words, nor
for the mood which seemed to inspire
them.
“These are troublous times,” he re
sumed more calmly, and dropping the
familiar manner of speech he had pre
viously used; “times when but a few
hours suffice to turn affairs from ap
parent security into confusion and
danger. I wish, therefore, to place a
considerable sum of money in your
care, for I feel that perhaps it may be
safer with you than with me. It is all
C have of my own to give Jean; and
It will relieve me to know that, no
matter what may come to me, or how
ever Etienne may seek to rob the boy,
my Jean will never know actual
want."
The baron was now standing by the
side of his desk; and pressing the
edge of a panel in the oaken wain
scoting, it • flew open, disclosing a
small recess, wherein were a small
metal box and a number of little can
vas bags.
“Come here,” he said, turning to
look at Margot over his shoulder.
She came to his side.
“See,” he explained; “you do so, and
so,” showing her how to manipulate
the secret spring. Then, after closing
the panel, he added, “See now if you
can open it.”
She did so, and the panel opened
again.
“Ah, that is well. Now you know
where the boy’s fortune is hidden,
and I trust you to guard it for him.
The bags contain gold coin, and the
box holds a few jewels, that are his,
as they were his mother’s; also some
papers, for which the future may
show* need, should any one seek to
deprive him of his rights as my son.
I shall leave it to your discretion as
to when and where you will take them
from their present hiding-place. Re
member, Margot, I charge you sol
emnly, that when I am not here, if—
If I am taken away, I trust you, above
all others, to protect my boy’s future,
and provide for his welfare.”
“That will I do with my life!** Mar
got declared fervently.
It was toward sunset that same day
when Jean came running in to an
nounce that he had seen soldiers rid
ing up the winding roadway that led
through the park.
Bidding the boy keep out of sight
until the cause of such a visit could
be ascertained. Monsieur le Baron de
scended to the reception-room, where
the officer in command of the sol*
diers soon presented himself, and de
livered a letter from Couthon, in
which the baron'e hospitality was re
quested for the bearer and his escort.
The fact was that Etienne, recently
angered by his father's refusal to in
crease his already liberal allowance,
had, wTith characteristic villanv, let
fall some insinuations impeaching the
latter’s loyalty to the Revolutionary
cause; and the officer, who had been
ordered upon a mission which would
take him several leagues beyond the
chateau, was instructed to stop there
upon his return, the object being that
the Committee might, from the man
ner in which the baron received his
uninvited guests, form a better idea
as to his true sentiments.
Jean did not deem it wise to pre
sent himself until the dinner hour
should arrive, but had passed the
time in questioning Margot ana Tatro
as to the probable meaning of this
strange invasion of the chateau’s pri
vacy. Then, going in to the dining
room with an unusually subdued air,
although his heart was fluttering with
excitement, the lad's shyness evapo
rated in a glad shout at sight of the
officer standing before the fireplace,
where burning logs made cheerful the
apartment and warmed the chill even
ing air.
“Aha!" he cried, precipitating him
self upon his father’s guest, whose
arms went quickly around the boy
ish form. “Is it thou, my beloved
Pizarro?"
“Truly it is. little Monsieur de So
to ” answered Lieutenant Bonaparte,
laughing as he kissed Jean’s flushed
cheeks, wffiile the baron looked on
with amazement, and old Tatro
paused in the report he was making
as to the soldier’s dinner in the outer
hall, to stare with equal surprise at
these demonstrations of affection be
tween the stranger and his master’s
son.
When they were seated the officer
explained to Monsieur le Baron—al
though in a way not to bring In the
name of Etienne—how he had come
to know the boy; and Jean, now quite
in his element, and entirely at ease,
rattled on after a fashion that relieved'
his father from any extra effort in en
tertaining his guest.
It was nearing ten o’clock. The of
ficer and his host were seated in the
drawing-room, having a game of chess,
with Jean, very proud and correspond
ingly sleepy, because of sitting up so
long beyond his usual bed-t:me, watch
ing them from a near-by divan, when
Tatro, his face and voice showing the
greatest alarm, rushed into the room
and exclaimed, “Mon Dieu, Monsieur
le Barcn! The peasants! A great
crowd of them are coming up the ave
nue! Hark—you can hear their
shouts!’’
The chessmen and board fell to the
floor as both players sprang from
their chairs; and Jean, all sleepiness
banished from his eyes, stood beside
them.
“Call my soldiers at once,” ordered
Bonaparte, speaking to Tatro. “Mon
sieur le Baron,” he added, turning to
him, “we will do all in our power for
your protection.”
The dozen soldiers appeared, and
were ordered to post themselves in
the hall, where they stood, with ready
arms, behind their commander and
the baron, who were nearer the stout
ly barred door, listening to the wild
hubbub of voices now close to the
chateau.
The lieutenant waited until there
was a lull in the noice; then, raising
his voice, he called out, “Have a care
what you do, for the baron is not with
out protectors. I am an officer of the
Assembly; and in its name I bid you
disperse.”
There was silence, as if those out
side were surprised at signs of an
unexpected resistance.
There were more than fifty men out
side; with them were some women;
and Tomas Fauchel was their leader.
“Monsieur le Baron, will you per
mit me to arrange the defence as I
see fit?” inquired the young officer,
turning to his host.
“Most assuredly, sir; for I have full
confidence in your ability,” was the
reply.
“Then extinguish every light in this
hall, and close all the doors leading
from it, so that all here will he in
darkness,” said the lieutenant, now
speaking authoritatively. “And do you.
Greloire,”—looking toward his sol
diers—“with Murier and Leboeuf,
stand here beside Monsieur le Baron.
Watch that broken window, and put
a ball into every head that appears
there.”
Greloire saluted silently, and the of
ficer continued: “If Tatro will act as
guide, to pilot myself and the others
out through some unobserved way, we
will make a detour, and treat our
friends to an attack in the flank.”
Some of the hurled-in torches had
lit the hall for a moment; but they
were quickly extinguished by the
baron.
A moment later the discharge of
musketry outside told that the lieu
tenant and his men had come upon
the scene. Then the air was rent by
more yells and imprecations, but with
a sound in them bespeaking dismay
on the part of the surprised maraud
ers.
A second volley rang out, and the
officer’s voice was heard. “Steady,
my men. Load and fire at will, or club
your muskets. Teach these people a
lesson—one in the name of the As
sembly.”
Those in the hall now saw a flam
ing torch thrust through the window.
It was held by Tomas Fauchel, who
waved it wildly as he shouted, “Show
thyself, thou craven baron, for neither
man nor devil shall force me from
this place until I have kept my oath,
and killed thee!”
The light of his torch fell upon the
uplifted face—white and stern—of the
baron, who said, laying his hand upon
tne musket with which Leboeuf was
taking aim at the half-crazed fanatic,
“Do him no harm, let him live.”
Fauchel, who had heard the words,
answered them with a mocking laugh,
and quickly extending his other hand,
pulled the trigger of a pistol, as he
tossed his torch into the hah and
yelled, “Die, thou damnable Papist,
and take to hell with thee no thanks
of mine for sparing my li#e.”
The baron reeled, for he was struck
fairly in the forehead. But he was
caught by Leboeuf. and his dead form
was not laid upon the floor before Gre
loire had planted a musket-ball in
Fauchel's head, and tumbled him
from the ladder—dead as the man he
had assassinated.
His fallowers, terrified by the lieu
tenant’s unexpected attack, were now
flying like scared sheep; and the fight
was ended.
An hour later the silence that
wrapped the chateau would have re
pelled the thought of such an uproar
having raged within it so recently.
The dead had been laid in upper
rooms, and Margot had gone to her
own part of the house, leaving Jean
in the drawing-room with the lieuten
ant, who was now walking up and
down, and now sitting on the divan,
beside the passionately grieving boy,
to whom he spoke words of tenderest
sympathy, stroking the dark hair, or
holding the burning hands in a cool
clasp that was infinitely soothing.
Some cf the soldiers took turns at
mounting guard in the lower hall, for
fear of a possible renewal of the at
tack. But the peasants’ outburst was
evidently spent, for the present, at
least, as nothing happened to disturb
the silence of the succeeding hours.
(To be continued.)
WHAT ATTRACTED THE CHILD.
Explanation That Hurt Vanity of
Opera Singer.
A certain well-known opera singer
who has spent the summer in New
York practicing, has heretofore been
highly flattered by the utter absorp
tion with her powers of vocalization
which seizes upon her landlady’s lit
tle daughter whenever the piano is
opened for the day’s exercises. What
ever ma>‘ be occupying the child, as
that sound strikes the air she drops
everything and hurries up to the
prima donna’s door, where she sits as
one entranced. As she is a quiet lit
tle thing and the attention most flat
tering. no objection has been raised
to her presence on such occasions.
The disillusionment for the prima
donna, however, occurred a few days
since, when the child, having as usual
been a rapt and attentive audience to
the practicing, the performer turned
at the close, and, smiling down at the
little face peering in at the doorway,
said in a pleased manner: ‘‘Well,
little one, what do you think of it
all?”
Drawing a deep, long breath, the
child looked her unblinkingly in the
e>es as she gasped out: “Can’t you
just holler!”—New York Times.
Time of Penance Shortened.
Abe Hummel, whose experience
with divorcees is probably as large
as that of any other two men in this
country, tells a story of a pretty wom
an who had just been freed from
bonds that were very galling. In her
joy at her release she declared to her
friends that she would not marry
again for at least two years. Just a
year later her engagement to another
man was announced, with the in
formation that the wedding would
take place in three months.
“How’s this?” asked one of her
friends. “How about that two-year
business?”
“Oh,” she replied, “I have concluded
that I’m entitled to eight months off
for good behavior. Same as they get
in jail, you know.”—New York Times.
The Great Army of Spiritualists.
The number of Spiritualists in the
United States and Canada is surpris
ing, when the figures of the National
Spiritualists’ association are studied.
The various societies tributary to
that central body have a membership
of over 250,000, and it is estimated
that more than a million and a half
people in the two countries are keenly
interested in Spiritualism.
There are over 1,500 professional
mediums—or “psychics,” as they are
called in Spiritualistic circles—and
over 10,000 persons are in the habit of
engaging their services.—New York
Press.
The First Requisite.
‘‘Not long ago,” said Nat Goodwin,
“I was lunching with a friend and two
grass widows, neither of whom had
been divorced.
“One of the widows held up the
wishbone of the chicken.
“ ‘Let’s see which will be married
first,” she said to the other grass
widow.
“ ‘It seems to me,’ remarked my
friend grimly, ‘that you’d better see
which will be unmarried first’ ”—New
York Times.
Why John L. Doesn’t Train.
John L. Sullivan, in one of the
vaudeville houses, was telling the
story of his career. Someone in the
audience asked him why he did not
train down and take some of the flesh
off his stomach. He replied: “Boys,
if I could have as much fun taking off
the flesh as I had patting it on 1
would gladly do it any day in ths
week.”
An Object of Aversion. t
When de sun starts in a-shinin’ like he ■
never gwine to tire
An’ his onies ambition was to set' de
world on tire;
When de caterpillar's crawlin’
An’ de lazy crow's a-callin’
An’ de lightnin’ bug hangs out his lan
tern so's we kin admire.
Den you hears a soun’ as 'stressin’ as a
soun’ kin ever be,
Dat locus’ bug is tunin’ up his fiddle In
de tree.
Dar’s a law to stop de rooster when he
crows too loud at night
An’ one to stop de boys dat don’ con
trol delr voices right.
Dar is laws pertectin’ silence
F’um mos’ every kin’ o’ vi-lence.
Exceptin' f’um dat no-’count bug dat
comes so impolite.
Dar ain’ no use o’ kickin’ at his way so
very free
When dat locus’ bug is tunin’ up his
fiddle in de tree.
—Washington Star.
Badger Firemen’s Pet.
The Phoenix firemen have acquired
a new pet, the gift of A. J. Hansen of
Kyrene. It is a badger raised from in
i fancy on Mr. Hansen’s ranch at Ky
rene and is as tame as a kitten and
more playful than either a cat or a
dog. It has dug itself a home several
feet under ground near the engine
house, but comes out frequently to
play with the boys.
Mr. Hansen says the badger was
the most effective remedy he had on
the ranch for the extermination of
mice, gophers and other pests of that
sort, but it also has a weakness for
spring chicken that made it an ex
pensive piece of property. His chil
dren thought as much of it as any
child ever did of a dog, but after 150
spring chickens had disappeared he
thought it was time for the badger to
be deported.—Arizona Republic.
On Still Hunt for Ghost.
Ghosts arc not confined to old cas
tles and long-settled countries. A very
tangible one was recently causing the
inhabitants of Pinery. South Austra
lia, some annoyance. Dressed in
white and of human form, it suddenly
confronted a resident, who, with his
wife, was driving in a buggy. The
apparition so startled the horses that
they bolted. This added to the ter
ror of the wife, who wanted to jump
headlong out of the vehicle. The man
succeeded, however, in restraining the
horses and allaying the fears of his
better half, and then proceeded tc
look for the ghost, but did not succeed
in catching it. The residents of Pin
ery are now out nightly with shotguns
looking for the mysterious form, as
they believe the midnight prowlings
of the ghost are not altogether uncon
nected with the disappearance of their
best poultry. •
Remarkable English Will.
Quite a curiosity in the register of
deeds’ office at Augusta, Me., is a
copy of the will of Florentius Vas
sell, formerly of London. It is what
is termed an exemplified copy, and
is probably a facsimile of the orig
inal, written artistically in the old
English characters on eleven large
sheets of parchment and is authenti
cated under the big seal of the lord
archbishop of Canterbury, the head
of the prerogative court, the supreme
court of probate in England.
Remarkable Dietary.
Paterson, N. J., has brought to view
at various times no small number of
eccentric persons. The latest freak in
that community makes his breakfast
of a cucumber, his luncheon of a car
rot, a turnip or a raw potato, and eats
a few nuts for supper. This devotee
of a peculiar dietary never touches
| flesh or fish, wears very little clothing
and sleeps out of doors except when
rain is falling. He looks strong and
well, and asserts that he never feels
an ache or a pain.
Old Music Box Still Good.
George H. Bennett of Norway, Me.,
has a unique and valuable music box,
that is nearly a century old. It plays
as clear and sweet as when new and
the seventy reeds are in perfect con
dition. It was formerly the property
of Kendrick Cushman of Bethel, who
left it when he went to the gold mines
in ’49. He never was heard from af
terward and Mr. Bennett retains the
box.
Will of Immense Length.
The will of John Thompson, late of
Galloway, Ohio, besides being the
longest document of the kind ever
presented to the probate court of
Franklin county, is peculiar in various
other ways. The will and its codicil
ot even date cover twelve feet of
closely typewritten matter on pages a
foot wide, and is the second one of
the same magnitude drawn for Mr.
Thompson by the same attorney.
Youth of an Empress.
The youth of the Czarina of Russia
was passed in a very different atmos
phere from that of the magnificent
Russian court. Her father’s means
were very limited, and she was train
ed to have as few wants as possible,
says the Lady’s Realm. She had no
maid to dress her and take care of
her clothes, which were often made
by the hands of her mother, the Prin
cess Alice of Hesse.
New Fuel a Success.
Osmon, a new German fuel, is- made
from peat. The peat used contains
90 per cent of water, of which 20 to
25 per cent is removed by means of
an electric current. The peat is then
further dried and passed through a
machine which breaks it up and
forms it into briqi\ettes or nut-shaped
pieces. Osmon is free from sulphur
and burns without slag or smoke.
Much Labor Wasted.
George E. Churchill of Fort Fair
field. Maine, recently drilled a well
to the depth of 250 feet without ob
taining a satisfactory supply of water.
Within seven rods of the same place
he started another well and struck a
seemingly inexhaustable supply with
in eight feet of the surface.
Gun Has Killed Many Foxes.
J. Riley Rogers of Byfield, Mass.,
has in his possession a gun of the
old “King’s Arm,” owned by his
grandfather, the late Joseph Rogers,
with which more foxes have prob
ably been killed than any gun in these
L-arts. Mr. Rogers himself has a rec
ord with this gun of 149 foxes.
Interesting Mexican Stamps.
Porte de Mar stamps of Mexico
have an interesting history. They are
not really stamps, but merely labels
applied to the envelope in interior
towns to indicate the amount of post
age required to carry the pieces of
mail from a Mexican seaport to the
point of destination. They are some
times found canceled, but this is acci
dental, having been done when the
Mexican stamps upon the piece of
mail were canceled.
Conscience May Trouble Her.
Busy Body, a big maltese cat who
makes her home at the railway shops
at Indianapolis, Ind., and is the pet of
everyone from the president down to
the humblest employe of the road, af
ter establishing a record of killing
more than 10,000 rats and mice, has,
with charming feline inconsistency,
adopted four tiny mice.
Trees Quickly Made Into Paper.
Three trees were sawed down in
Elsenthal, Austria, one morning re
cently. At 9:34 a. m. they had been
converted into pulp and became pa
per, passed from the factory to the
press, and at 10 o’clock the first
printed and folded paper was issued.
The entire time consumed was 145
minutes.
Immense Block of Granite.
The largest block of Ascutney
green granite ever quarried was
shipped from Windsor, Vt., last week.
The stone was taken from the Nor
cross quarry, and measured 15 feet in
length and wms between three and
four feet square. Its weight was be
tween 15 and 20 tons.
Hen Hatched Eggs of Eagles.
A hen in Vermont has always played
in hard luck, never having been al
lowed by her owner to hatch out a
nest of chickens. This summer she
wandered away from the farm, and
later was found sitting on an eagle’s
nest. The eagles had been killed and
this hen hatched the eggs.
Poor Mary.
A Portland, Me., woman was over
heard on an electric car in that city
recounting to her companion the tri
als of a friend. “Why Mary tele
phoned to a lot of her friends this
morning to find out how to make a
cake! You see she didn’t know hotv
much soda to use.”
6eelc Noiseless Typewriter.
Several inventors are now at work
on a noiseless typewriter, as the sound
of a large number in an office gets on
one’s nerves. One man has made a
rubber device to kill the noise and a
second has made a glass case which
incloses everything but the keyboard
and the roller.
Mouse Plays Banjo.
Mr. H. C. Nelson of South Caribou,
Maine, has a wonderful mouse which
has successfully learned to play a
banjo. So expert has he become in
picking the strings that the cat has
become charmed, and the cat and the
mouse lie at ease in their domestic
relations.
Left Out Particulars.
One town clerk in Washington coun
ty, Vt., made hi3 returns to the sec
retary of state without naming the
man elected for representative. He
simply stated in the return that an
election had been held on the day
named and let it go at that.
Eels Clogged Mill Wheel.
The water wheel at the snuff fac
tory at Byfield refused to run freely
the other day, and on entering the
wheel pit it was found that the whee’
was entirely wound up and entanglei
with eels, which had been attracted I
by the lights in the mill.
Cat Is Prolific.
James Honod of Still River has a
cat which although but 18 months
old has had four litters of kittens
since Oct. 5, 1903. The first littei
numbered 5, second 7, third 8 and the
fourth 9, making a grand total of 29.
Postoffice a Family Affair.
For over fifty years the postofflce In
Alton, Me., has been in the hands of
one family, husband, wife and sons
successively, until recently, the young
est son, Frank McKechnie, resigned
on account of failing health.
Mine Down 3,000 Feet.
There is a gold mine in Australia
which is 3,000 feet deep, and the vari
ous tunnels are so hot that cold water
has to continually be sprayed over
the miners working a lode. The tem
perature is usually 108.
Got Her Big Check.
Miss Annie W. Manchester of Bris
tol, R. I., wrote to her father from
Williamsport, Pa., asking him to send
her a big check. He sent her one
three feet long and 19 inches wide.
It was for $10.
Watch More Than a Century Old.
A man named Tiffany of Bristol,
Conn., has just received from a Win
sted friend a watch formerly owned
by his grandfather. It is an open face
bullseye, over 125 years old and keeps
good time.
Late Hours and Longevity.
A statistician affirms that the major
ity of people who attain old age have
kept late hours. Eight out of ten
who reach the age of 80 have never
gone to bed till after 12 at night.
Tortoise 300 Years Old.
One of the oldest known living anl
mals on earth is a tortoise in New
Zealand that weighs 970 pounds. It
is known to be over 300 years old.
Knows All Languages.
The academy of Lincei, Italy, has
awarded a prize of $2,000 to Prof.
Trombetti, who is said to be master
of every language spoken in the world.
«
, THE WORLD’S CLEARING HOUSE ;
► -
Chicago is the Central Figure of Time, and the Cynosure and Cesspool
of the Universe—the apt characterization of George Warrington
Steevens, the Celebrated English Man of Letters, W ho Perished at
| Ladysmith, cut off in his prime. “His death eclipsed the gayety
of nations”—We may say with Dr. Samuel Johnson.
Two million people cluster in Chicago
frank and free.
In the big old clumsy city sprawling
’round the inland sea,
She smiles a sumptuous siren, lures you
ever to her side.
She’s a captivating lassie, shy and pi
quant as a bride.
And no matter where you wander you
may not escape her spell.
You’ll be homesick for old H'alsted as the
murmuring ocean shell.
As the storm-tossed sailor’s yearning is
for his native shore
You’ll be longing for Chicago and State
street’s mighty roar.
Clearing House of every nation under
neath the sapphire sky.
Ten thousand factory whistles fling their
challenge fierce and high:
Granary of hungry nations, famishing for
meat and bread;
Chatelaine of western prairies o'er the
living and the dead.
When you move away from State street,
you are merely camping out.
Leaving home and friends behind you,
jest and song and boyish shout,
Always roaming like Ulysses, with a
tierce and hungry soul
Always trailii g like a gypsy, questing for
fair grs.msward goal.
Take me b<ick to old Chicago, where
they're always on a strike.
Where there’s always something doing,
like Jim Bludsoe on the Pike.
Oh the bi" old city calls me like a moth
er »j her side,
I have loamed a graceless truant, swol
len with rebellious pride.
Take me back to old Chicago far across
the sundering sea.
Let me get in touch with Halsted—Bub
bly Creek's the place for me.
What's the good of always roving like a
swallow on the wing.
Sweeping like a stealthy sea gull always
yearning for the spring.
I ways roaming like Ulysses with a
fierce and hungry soul.
Trailing like a swarthy gypsy, sashay
ing to the farthest pole.
Every man brags of his birthplace—Chi
cago is the town for me—
Oh the big old clumsy city, sprawling
round the inland sea!
JAMES E. KINS El.LA.
Registry Division, Chicago Postotfiee.
War Prisoners of 1812
In his article on the American pris
ners of war of 1812 at Dartmoor,
John G. McNec-I tells of an attempt to
escape from the prison which rivals
the famous attempt to escape from
Libby prison:
“A committee was formed to watch
both guard and prisoners, to see that
no undue communication went on be
tween them, and enough were told off
to do the work while others rested,
and all went on in the every day rou
tine as usual. On the 20th, after tak
ing most careful measurements, the
digging was begun. A shaft was to
i be sunk in both prisons to a depth of
twenty feet, and then at this depth
a tunnel 250 feet long was to be be
gun. This would carry the excava
tion beyond the outer wall, which
1 extended down six feet to the plane
of the road outside. The work prog
gressed rapidly, but the difficulty was
to dispose of the loose earth. It was
done in this way: A little at a time
was emptied into the stream which
ran through the court at four miles ap
hour, each of the men Emptying a
small quantity when unobserved.
They also obtained permission to
bring some lime into the prison under
the pretense of whitewashing the
walls, whitewashing the openings. No.
5 being unoccupied, and no guard be
ing posted there, digging was also
begun in that prison. A large hollow
spot was soon found, and large quanti
ties of earth were removed *0 It. A
lamp was kept lighted to expel the
foul gas. and in a month the tunnel
had grown to forty feet. In Septem
ber the tunnel had much increased,
and the openings were so cleverly con
cealed that they were not discovered
by the guard. They were so small
at the top that but one man could
squeeze in, although within the tunnel
four could walk abreast.
“On the 5th, to the horror of all,
Capt. Shortland entered the prison
with a large guard, and walking
directly toward the hole, said he
knew of the work in No. 5, but as his
informant had not told him correctly,
then began to sound the entire floor
with crowbars, but so carefully had
the work been carried on that it was
a long time before the openings wrcre
discovered. He then questioned many
as to what they had done with the
earth, but all answered that they ate
it.
“To prevent further attempts the
prisoners were removed from the
yard which inclosed Nos. 5. 6, 7, into
the inclosure on the north side which
contained Noa. 1, 2, 3, but as there
was no suspicion of the attempt in
No. 4, that prison was left as it was.
The other tunnels were filled witff
large stones, and the captives 'wero
kept in No. 2, while this was done,
and then removed to No. 4, as No 2
was badly cut of repair. The prised
ers did not give up all hope, but for
the present kept very quiet. A court
of inquiry was held, and several T^
tried, but as the penalty was death
the evidence was not considered suf
ficient to convict. Afterward the dis
covery Of the plan was thought to
have been made through the turnkeys
hearing voices in the tunnel.”—Lo3
Angeles Herald. j /
Sleeps on His Boots
Gen. Fred Grant always sleeps with
his boots under his head when he is
traveling on a train and quite fre
quently when he puts up for the night
I in a strange place.
The story of how he formed this
habit came out one night several
years ago when a fellow' traveler be
held the general occupied in carefully
tucking his foot covering underneath
the pillows of his sleeping car berth.
“I guess I’ll never break the habit,”
said the general in his slow, easy
going way, “no matter how much I'm
laughed at, as you’re doing now. But
once it was no laughing matter to me,
I can tell you.
"While the civil war was being
fought I was a cadet in West Point.
One summer time when vacation was
close at hand my father promised me
that I could spend it in the field with
him, and as soon as I was permitted
to leave the academy on furlough 1
took the train south to join him.
“I was in high spirits until I awoke
from a fine night's slumber and start
ed to put on my boots. To my horror
they were not where I had placed
them, and though I searched for them
high and low' they could not be found.
Some rascal had walked off with them
in the night and he had also helped
himself to my hat, as I discovered
later on.
•‘I was in a nice dilemma and mat
ters were helped only slightly by the
porter scurrying around and finally
raking up a pair of dilapidated rub
bers and an old hat that looked as
if it had been through a season’s
campaigning. But I had to make the
best of the situation and when I
stepped forth into the cold world at
Washington I must have presented
an amusing spectacle as regards head
and feet.
“I didn’t have enough money with
me to trny new boots and hat; neither
was I armed with any letters which
would give the shopkeepers confidence
in me. There was only one thing to
do, and I did it. I tramped around
Washington looking up my father's
friends, and when I found one I
poured my troubles into his ears and
he graciously advanced me the price
of the articles of clothing I needed
most. And you can rest assured that
when I took my boots off that night
I slept upon them, and I’ve been doing
so ever since.”
Why Togo Wins Success
The world knows Admiral Togo as
a man of the sword pure and simple.
The world, as often, is mistaken. He
is something greater than a fighter;
as a judge of men he ranks much
higher than a soldier. His men never
cease to rr.arve! at the ease with
which he accomplishes the most dif
ficult task of a commander, and at
the rarily of mistakes that he makes
in ihe choice of his subordinates.
There is a saying among the men of
the Nippon navy that runs something
like this:
“There is only one commander
who uses his subordinates like his
own fingers, and the name of that
man is Admiral Togo.”
The old time idenl of the Samurai
was the welding of the soldier and
the scholar in one, and Admiral Togo
is not false to the ideal; Le is a stu
dent as well as a fighter.
“1 am no scholar,” he is reported to
havo said. % “From my early youth,
however, my masters have compelled
me to examine and follow carefully
the teachings of the school of Yomei.
It seems to me that a soldier can de
rive a great deal of benefit from the
study of Yomei.”
The admiral is certainly not the
first or tho only soldier of Nippon
who has acknowledged his debt to the
teachings of the Chinese philosopher
whom our people know under the
name of Yomei. The school of Yomei
emphasizes a perfect poise of the
soul. The students of Yomei value
more than anything else the quiet bal
ance of nerve*. the equilibrium which
cannot be disturbed by a little thing
like a bursting shell within a few
feet of a man or a sword gleam a
few inches before the eyes. The first
lesson that a master of sword or a
master of jiu-jitsu tries to instil into
the mind of a Samurai youth is the
importance of attaining coolness of
nerve and perfect poise of the soul.
In the eyes of the Nippon fighting
men these qualities are much more
important than the clever handling
of sword or gun.—The Century.
ANTIDOTE FOR SPIDER’S BITE.
Toad Ate Piece of Plantain When
Bitten by Enemy.
Naturalists, keeping their eyes open,
see more than other folks. A natural
ist said in a club:
“A poisonous spider and a toad
were fighting so fiercely in a field
recently that they didn’t notice my
approach. I sat down on the grass
beside them.
“The spider was a big, black fellow,
very quick and fierce. He was the
aggressor. He would dodge about,
circle, retreat, advance, and then,
presto! all of a sudden he would.be
on the toad’s back, biting away for
dear life.
“The toad, with a movement of its
forefoot, would brush the spider ofT,
and then it would hop to a plantain
that grew by my hand and eat a piece
of it.
"This fight lasted lor an hour. The
aggressive spider would bite the toad;
the toad would eat the plantain; the
combat would go on again.
“I. to vary the monotony, tore the •
plantain up and put it in my pocket.
Thus, the next time the toad came to
eat it, there was no plantain there.
The poor creature seemed distressed
at this. It hopped to and .fro busily, as
though in search of another plantain,
and the spider, meauwhi:e, followed it,
biting it again and agiin.
"But the toad paid no heed. It wa3
too busy looking for another plantain.
As it searched its hops became weak
and erratic. The spider's poison
seemed to be working on it. In a little
while it fell over on its side dead.
“I am now convinced,” the natural
ist ended, “that toads find in the plan
tain leaf an antidote for the poison
of spiders. ’
