The Loup City northwestern. (Loup City, Neb.) 189?-1917, July 25, 1907, Image 4
THE BLUE &HOE8. An Incident at a Flag Presentation in the Time of the War. The heroine of this true tale of war days was a little red-haired, chubby girl of seven years, and we will call her Eva, because that was the name of her beat friend, and both of the girls are yet alive. Eva was born in a clearing of the Wisconsin woods and she had never seen any sky that was not held up, all round, by the great arms of tall trees. Even the village, where there was a courthouse, three stores and a .mill, had a rib of trees around it. War had come, and the men of the settlement and the village were mus tering to march away. The county had furnished a whole company, and the women had made a flag for the departing soldiers. Eva had been chosen, being the daughter of the major of the regi ment, to present the colors to the company on the day of its march forth from the village. The speech, written by the combined aid of the major's wife, two school teachers and a minister, was safely stored in the small brain of the heroine of the day. She could say that speech forward or backward, or begin in the middle and go both ways. She was "letter per fect” But something happened on the momentous morning of the going away of the troops and the giving of the flag, writes Ada C. Sweet in Chi cago Journal. Eva’s aunt brought, from the nearest city, a pair of blue shoes for the garnishment of the small maiden. Already a white dress, and a red, white and blue sash had Her Mind Was Blank. aroused the vanity and pride of the little girl, and when the blue shoes came her head was turned entirely. No one in the clearing or the town had ever heard of blue shoes up to this time. It was hard to submit to the hair curling and ttib general primping up that was necessary for an appearance in public, but with fortitude the child stood the supreme test of being “dressed up,” and came out with fly ing colors. It was a stormy day in early May in the first year of the war, and the parting exercises were held in the great hall of the courthouse. Here the rustic company was drown up, undrilled, almost, and as yet ununi formed. ' But a martial fire glowed in every eye, and every man looked at last a foot taller than he actually measured. There was singing and praying and there were speeches by dignitaries, and at last came the presentation of colors. me BiiKen Danner, surely the moat beautiful thing that had ever been seen by this small girl—was unfurled, and its staff was placed in her hand as she stood on a table to be seep by all in the hall. Of all the things there present, though, the small girl had in mind only the lovely blue shoes. It was certain that the position on the table showed them off to the best advan tage, and she wondered what her en vious schoolmates were thinking as they looked upon her (n all her glory. The major, in the flrdt uniform ever seen in the county—it had come with him from Madison the day before— stood behind his daughter with the written speech in his hand ready to prompt in case the child’s memory should fail. None of the women could see, for tears, that day. The speech was to the effect that the wives and mothers of the soldiers had made the flag, and that every stitch stood for a prayer for the safe ty tof the brave boys who were to <&rty*thitt banner through' the storms of war. - It was impressed upon the men that they were expected to bring home the flag with every star, and every stripe unsullied by dishonor and made glori ous by victory. It must be brought back without fail, and in honor, this glorious flag of the nation. The major murmured the opening line in the ear of his daughter. But she was silent, for the first time prob ably in her life when there was a chance for her to speak. Rigidly she stood, and from her face all expres sion had fled. Her mind was as blank as her face, and the major, in pity, v was about to ask his accomplished and gentle wife to present the flag, when, with a supreme effort, the little maid spoke. Soldiers,” she said, in a high, strained voice, “Spfidiers, here is your flag. We have made it for you, and we have prayed and cried while we were making It Take it and be care ful of it. Don’t tear it, don't get it Soiled, and be sure and brine It bank!” Then the small speechmaker oov ftrtd her face, jumped down from the and fle$ oaf of the hall. 7&b audience Trent wild. Salvoes of cheers greeted the flag, but Eva ' knew that ail her school friends, and all at her cousins were laughing over her failure. She was inconsolable, and she refused to be comforted. From her feet she tore the blue shoes, realizing that they had been the cause of her undoing. Nothing could per suade her to wear them again. Only when the time-came for good bys and the marching away of the company, its flag gloriously to the fore, the tears of the giVl were dried. Then, awe at the grief and the stern repression of team which she saw all around her entered her self-absorbed brain, and for the first time the small woman wept for others and felt the woes of humanity pressing upon her. hitherto untouched heart She walked along the road in her white stockings and forgot everything but the marching men, with the fife and drum playing “The Girl I Left Behind Me”—they, and the women and children who walked beside them to the bridge over the river. Then the stay-at-homes stood still. And the hundred men marched away. STILL A MYSTERY. Unexplained Conduct of Hooker and Howard at Chancellorsville. There has been much speculation as to whether those who accused Gen. Hooker of having been intoxicated during the battle of Chancellorsville, were right or wrong. . The weight of the testimony of competent witnesses is strongly against the theory. It is asserted, on the other hand, that he was accustomed to the consumption of a certain quantity of whisky every day, that during the battle of Chan cellorsville he utterly abstained from his usual potions for fear of taking too much inadvertently, and that his brain failed to work because he had not given it the stimulus to which it had been habituated. Whichever theory be the correct one, certain it is, that to all appearances Gen. Hooker's mind seemed, during those days, in a remarkably torpid condition. On no such theories can we explain Gen. Howard’s failure to foresee the com ing of Jackson’s a rtack upon ovjr right flank—for he was a man of the sober est habits. How he, in spite of the reports constantly coming in, in spite of what, without exaggeration, may be called the evidence of his senses, could finally conclude on the second of May that Jackson, instead of in tending to attack, was in full retreat, I have never been able to understand, writes Carl Schur:! in McClure's Mag azine, except upon the theory that his mind simply failed to draw simple conclusions from obvious facts. SCHURZ STORY OF LINCOLN. His Keen Wit Proved Too Much for the Ambitious Count. One of the many foreigners who sought my intercession was a young German count, whose identity was vouched for by a member of the Prus sian legation, writes Carl Schurz, in McClure's Magazine. He had a long row of ancestors, whom he traced back for several hundred years. He was greatly Impressed with the im portance of this fact, and thought it would weigh heavily in securing him a position in our army. If he could only have an “audience" with the president and lay his case before him, he believed, the result could not be doubtful. He pursued me so ardu ously with the request for a personal introduction to Mr. Lincoln that at last I succumbed and promised to in troduce him if the president permit ted. The president did permit. The count spoke English moderately well, and in his ingenuous way he at once explained to Mr. Lincoln how high the nobility of his family was, and that they had been counts so-and-so many centuries. “Well,” said Mr. Lin coln, interrupting him, “that need not trouble you. That will not be in your way, if you behave yourself as a sol dier.” The poor count looked puz zled, and when the audience was over he asked me what in the world the president could have meant by so strange a remark. Beyond me U-Tjmi ot nvince. The wealth is one of the most com parative of terms was aptly illustrat ed by an old colored “mammy” In Charlston, S. C. She had been doing the laundry work of a certain family for quite awhile, but, deciding to leave the neighborhood, she had come to tell them that she would no longer be able to perform these duties. The lady of the house, wishing to secure another good washerwoman, inquired of the old woman as to the reliability of another negress who she happened to know lived next door to the first. “Laws, missus,” replied the old darkey, “dat woman doan’ do no washin’; sh’s rich, she is. She’s got a doorbell to her house.”. In the rear of the PhiladelphbJa li brary is a beautifully planted plot of ground, which is overlooked by a porch at the rear of the building, to Which access is through the French windows of the- library building. In the wall by the side of this porch is the inscribed cornerstone, which bears tribute to the young artisans who founded the library at the suggestion of Benjamin Franklin. Nearby is the broken stone that once formed the in scribed part of the pedestal of FmMr lin’s statue. Few visitors to the li brary appear to be aware of the ex istence erf this spot or of its interest ing features. Italy Ahead of England. “What strikes me as peculiar,” said the globe trotter, “is the fact that in nearly all the small Italian towns you see no many sewing machines, up-to date American ones, too. You see them in every little hovel in Naples, on the road to Pompeii and else where; but in London they are us ing either the little foolish machines you turn with one hand and try to guide with the other, or stitching by hand." i Don’t Soak Egg Boater. A dover egg beater never should be left in the water u soak, as the. oil ’ gem and Relics of Franklin. PdDir ttttne M©ninie Custom of House Warming a?)<s3 Hearty Mot toes Bel05 Revived—44 Honey Tea” a Novel Porn) of Entertainment—For a BridalLuncbeon. All old fashions are becoming new fashions sad a custom that is surely worthy of revival is the hearth motto and the house wanning. William Dean Howells has an especially peace ful sentiment over a fireplace in his hospitable home, which reads: "Home Keeping Hearts Are the Happiest.” Henry James in his English house haB this worthy saying, which, by the way, is from the Japanese: “Hear no evil, see no cyfl, speak no evil.” This certainly ought to revolutionize society, if read often enough and re membered. A prime favorite for the nursery is Robert Louis Stevenson’s ever popu lar: “The world is so full of a number of things; I am sure we should all be as happy as kings." Dickens has said so much for us to live by, and what could be more in spiring for a living room than “Re flect upon your present blessings— of which every man has many—not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some?” It is a very pretty custom to have the new house consecrated by the family clergyman, each room having a simple ceremonial. The following is a charming toast for a housewarming, and might be read in the entrance hall: Peace to this house where we shall enter in, Here let the world’s hoarse din Against the panels dash Itself in vain, Like gusts of autumn rain; Here, knowing no man’s sway. In the brief pauses of the fight. Let music sound, and love and laughter light Refresh us for the day. A Nautical Guessing Contest. A jolly party were dut on a yacht the other night and during a lull In the conversation the hostess pro pounded the following questions: What ship has no soft berths? Hardship. What do Quakers prefer? Friend- j ship. What ship requires the best men? Seamanship. What ship should saints sail in? Worship. What ship held only 12 persons? Apostleship. What ship should always protect its passengers? Citizenship. What ship should right itself, even when capsized? Clerkship. This ship is possessed of every “faculty ?” Professorship. Is looking for a mate. Courtship. Always has a house under it? Senatorship. What ship is always fastened to a peer? Lordship. Always managed by more than one person? Partnership. What ship is made for one of its own hands? Stewardship. What ship is never overloaded? Statesmanship. At a Honey Tea. AS experts claim that , the best honey is made from clover, the cen terpiece was a great bowl filled with red and white clovers. The place cards were decorated with clovers around which bees hovered in the most realistic manner. Honey was used for sweetening the tea, and milk was served with delicious hot bis cuit, also muffins, a delightful accom paniment to the golden honey in the ccmb. On the guest of honor’s card was written: “Sweeter than honey and the honey-comb.” Refreshments were served on the porch and the guests brought their fancy work, as the in vitations said “thimbles.” For a Bridal Luncheon. A bride qf a month was the guest of honor at a luncheon at which this hnique centerpiece was used and greatly admired. Over the table sus pended by streamers of pink tulle there was a good sized wedding bell of white and green flowers. Pink tulle wound with feathery asparagus went to the four corners of the table, and from these garlands white hearts fluttered. The place cards were cut in shape of slippera and the bride elect*! chair was ornamentetd by a huge bows of pink tulle. Pink satin bags clasped by a gilt china wedding ring were filled with puffed rice, and were the souvenirs at each place. The Aina used was white with band of pink, and the candles were shaded with pink and white wedding bells. MADAME MERRI. Vogue of Tinsel. There is at present a rage for tin sel in the decorative scheme of ladies’ dresses. Gold and silver braid is be ing introduced bn costume cloths. Toques have tinsel roses and foliage of many tints and shapes. Evening dresses of muslin and tulle glitter with ^insel like the costumes of a fairy queen in pantomime. Tinsel and passementerie trim mings twinkle on lace veils, collars and blouse boleros, while evening head dresses are nearly all artistic butterflies, leaves, flowers and lovers' knots built of tinsel fabrics. Even for table decoration gauze striped with tinsel prevails, and sil ver and ribbon is in great favor with young girls for evening wear and party dresses.—Home Chat. The Short Skirt. In spite of the fa'ct that skirts were predicted longer, there are very many fashionable skirts built in a very short walking length. Many of the skirts are very near the ankles, and there are a few daring ones that bold ly display the shoe tops. The English walking dresses are particularly no ticeable in this respect. There are dresses made for fashionable walking during the London season that are short and so full that they swing clear of the ankles, frankly displaying a very handsome pair of shoe tops. Hew to Maks the New Veil. For the very latest veil that can be made at home with small expense, get a round piece of sprigged net. about a yard in diameter, matching it to the hat in color, end finish the edge with three narrow bands of velvet or with a piece of lace edging. Dampen it and press the edges so they will lie nice ly, just undulating the least bit. Then throw the veil over the hat so that it hangs the same length back and forth and catch it in plaits at the back with fancy pins, letting it come close to the face. This is the very latest Parisian veil. Such veils are also made of tulle in the color of the hat. A useful pinafore is shown in this sketch; a firm material is best to use, such as holland, zephyr, cambric, or print The neck is cut square and outlined with a band of insertion or galloon, according to the material used; the armholes are finished by a small frilled epaulette. The waist of pinafore is gathered into a band cov ered with insertion, or whatever is used for trimming. ^*^^*^^*AAA** ******* I-LPJ-U-U-U-U IFrefttty Tn@s Many of the feuon’t tucked Bnen eolU» A flnUhed with fie. h**l« ' V*' ■ "£' ‘ , ' ' :ii"r embroidered ends, like those here 11 Imtiretoed. The little butterfly end should be embroidered on handker chief linen, Persian lawn, or some very sheer material,' buttonholed around the entire edge with No. 30 mercerized cotton. Work the dots as eyelets, and the lines in the out line stitch. The head may be done in the solid embroidery with eyelets for eyes. The tie with the little wreath should have a buttonholed scal lop around the edge, with the leaves, flowers and bow in the solid embroi dery. Ttye stem should be done in the outline stitch and the centers of the flowers as tiny eyelets. The tie Sdth the conventional pattern has a buttpnholed edge, with dots worked as eyelets and central figure in solid ^nhroidery. The outer dotted lines lpdlcate inters the tie is to be cut hfrd hr * Uny hem. MMMICAS^: mrRfiiB ICXZ* JWOZZDICJi An American Bayreuth on the Hud son, an institution which shall grow to be the center of students of music, and a place where lovers of classical music will be able to gratify their aes thetic tastes to the full, is the dream of Mme. Nordica, and she has avowed her purpose to bring that dream to re alization. The close friends of the prima donna know that the plans for carrying out such a gigantic project have been carefully nursed for many years. At first they were immature; in a sense they are immature still; but in the last few days they have taken on such a substantial form that their consummation is now practical ly assured. Mme. Nordica has pur chased a site of 20 acres at Harmon on-the-Hudson, for which she paid $100,000, and is now negotiating for an additional ten acres. She is at pres ent in Munich, where she will secure the plans of the Bayreuth opera house, which will be reproduced in all its de tails. together with the other institu tions in the musical community built by Frau Wagner. She will also en deavor to bring back with her the di rector of the Bayreuth opera house to act in the capacity of consulting di rector, and has planned that the grand opening will take place next summer in the Festival hall, which is to be named in her honor. Walter Damrosch, the well-known musical di rector of New York, will be the first conductor of the opera house. An architect has been secured, and other details have been arranged and are arranging; so the project may be said to be mready well launched. The expense of building this Ameri can Bayreuth on the Hudson will ap proximate $1,000,000, which could well come wumn iNoraica s lortune, but while she will bear a good share of it, and has already made the initial outlays, such as the purchase of the land, etc., it is believed that the Amer ican public will join in the financial part of the undertaking. It is the in tention to make the opera season— and this season will, after the insti tution is well under way, continue the year around, including the summer— not only- a high social function, but to have included in it days when pop ular prices of admission will be charged, so that all lovers of classic music may have an opportunity to gratify their, tastes. But the social part will be one of the leading fea tures of the musical festival. Arrangements have been made for the sale of 16 boxes at 525,000 each, regular admission prices to be charged to the occupants of th% boxes. Three of these boxes have already been sold, and it is believed there will be no dif ficulty in disposing of the others. When the opera is in full operation, it is believed it will be self-sustaining. There will also be a musical college in connection with the institution and buildings will be erected for class rooms and dormitories for the pupils. In short, the entire plan—theoretical ly and practically—will be carried out along the lines of the musical institu tion at Bayreuth. It will probably re quire an endowment fund of about $3,000,000 to aid in carrying on the schools and other departments. Mme. Nordica will devote the re mainder of her life to this project. She will be the active manager of the en terprise and will take a prominent part in the conduct of the school and the opera festivals, singing in leading roles, and attending to many of the details. The institution that she has taken as her model is located at Bayreuth, wl\ich is the capital of the government district of Upper Franconia, Bavaria, at one yme a principality under the rule of Margraves, of the house of Ho honzollern. Bayreuth is about 125 miles north of Munich, and is the Mecca of the Wagnerites, as the Wag ner theater was built there especially for the performance of his operas. This theater was erected 32 years ago, on a hill, reached by a broad street of shady trees. The former residence of Richard WagSer, the Villa Wahnfrled, —i——TTB8Bi..« is not far away. Wagner is buried in the grounds. There is also the house of Jean Paul Richter, whose body lies in the Central cemetery near that of Franz Liszt. The building of the Wag ner Festival theater was the dream of Wagner’s life, and to carry out his plans he secured the aid of King Louis II of Bavaria, which, with small sub scriptions from the music lovers, made the proposition practicable. As Mme. Sctmmann-Heink says, one can not hope to reproduce the exact Wagnerian atmosphere along with the Wagnerian buildings at Harm cm-on the-Hudson. At Bayreuth the artists almost invariably give their services without charge and follow as far as possible the instructions and ideas of Wagner. For the most part they dis courage any exhibition of emotion on the part of the audience, ^id never recognize any applause th® may be given. When the operas were first produced there, the audiences in variably remained silent, but this rule is not now generally observed, except in the production of “Parsifal.” On those occasions the object is to secure every possible artistic reinforcement The singer is supposed to be the mere agent of the literary expression, the auditorium is completely darkened and the orchestra is placed beneath the stage, out of sight of the audience. These traditions of the musical festi val have been maintained through the efforts of Wagner's wife and his son— Siegfried. ine sue selected Dy .\ime. wordica for her musical conservatory is one of the most beautiful spots on the Hudson. It is 30 miles from New York on the direct line of a railroad on the east bank of the river opposite the Jersey shore. The prominence where the buildings are to be erected and which has been called Nordica Hill, rises 250 feet above sea level and commands a broad sweep of the Hudson for 25 miles, unrolling one of the most magnificent panoramic views that can be seen anywhere, not ex cepting the Rhine. A short distance from this hill is another which will probably be reserved for the home site of Nordica, as she intends to build a substantial villa near the scene of her endeavors. This hill comprises about five acres and has been called Piney Point, because of the thick growth of pine- trees that covers it. To the north of this eminence there runs down sheer for nearly 200 feet a precipice of solid rock. To the south east runs the Croton river, along banks lined with forest trees. Do You Wear a Soup Strainer? The pretty girl frowned. “Suppose,’.’ she said, “that the waiter had spilled that plate of soup over your head. Would you have scooped the remnants off with your hand and eaten them?” “No; certainly not,” he answered, and with an air of disgust he looked from the window out at the bathers, the white sand and the sunlit sea. “Then, for goodness sake,” she cried, “stop sucking them off your mustache. It is hideous to see you. After every spoonful you open your mouth, and slowly and complacently, as if you were doing something lauda ble, you take your mustache between your lips and suck the soup remnants from off the hairs. If you wouldn’t eat soup that had been among the hair on your scalp, why should you eat it after it has been among the hair on your upper lip?” He flushed. “Many a young man has been jilted,” said the girl, significantly, “for eating soup out of his mustache.” A young financier, aged four, who was given five cents for every mouse caught in a small trap, finally asked leave to spend the proceeds. The nurse was told to go wherever he led her, to see what he proposed buying. He passed all the toy and candy shops, but paused before a hardware store,' and, pointing to the window, exclaim ed, triumphantly: “I buy more mouse trap, Fanny.” U' ALIVE If* HIS COFFIN. Harrowing Experience of a Young French Priest Years Ago. A sad case of premature burial which occurred the Other day in France recalls the strange adventure of which Cardinal Donnet was, 80 year's ago. fhe hero. Forty years later the prelate himself related the pecu liar story to his colleagues of the sen ate, when that grave body was discuss ing the subject of premature inter ment “In 1826,” h«j said, “on a hot day and in a crowded chu-cta, a young priest, while delivering a sermon, wa3 suddenly seized with faintness and lost consciousness. He was carried out of the church, pronounced to be dead, and a f£w hours later his funeral was arranged for. But the priest was not 4ead.. He could not see, but he could hear, and what he heard was not of a nature to reassure him. He heard the doctor declare life to be extinct, he heard him make inquiries as to his age, his place of birth, and finally sign -the order for his burial. The vener able bishop of the cathedral in which the young priest had been preaching came to the foot of his bed and recited the “De Profundis,” the measurements for the coffin were taken, and night was drawing near. Imagine the hor ror df the victim, dead in all but in teHigence. Finally, ih the midst of the many voices which he heard around Mm, the priest distinguished <me whose accents were familiar to him. It was the voice of a friend of his childhood, and the effect of it was such that with a superhuman effort he ajwoke from the lethargic sleep into which he had fallen. Next day he was in his accustomed place in the cathe dral. To-day, Messieurs, he stands among you.” Needless to say, the dis course of the venerable divine pro duced a tremendous sensation, and when a vote was taken on the subject of the precautions to be taken in order to avoid premature burial, the senate voted as one man in favor of the most minute precautions. Don’t be stingy with kind words; they are worth a lot more than they cost STATE NEWS AND NOTES IN CON DENSED FORM. THE PRESS, PULPIT AND PUBLIC What ia Going on Hero and There That la of Interest to the Readers Throughout Nebraska. Bladen Is experiencing; rapid growth in business buildings. The Odd Fellows have dedicated their new hall at Eustis. In two days Stenhauer and vicinity . got; seven inches of rain. The Salvation Army are holding tent revival meetings at Wymore. A Modern Woodmen organization has been instituted at Arlington. Strang has voted bonds for the erec tion of a school building at Falls City. The yiefd of small grain in the vi cinity of Oxford is better than tsas expected. Heavy rains,quite considerably inter fered with success of the Tecumseh Chautauqua, The Beatrice Chautauqua is now on with a large number of tent campers in attendance. Stanton is to own its own electi*io light plant, bonds having been voted for this purpose. Thos. Marshal and James Crawford were drowned in Elm creek, Buffalo county, while bathing. It is found by the recent census that the population of Geneva has in creased 18 per cent since 1890. The county commissioners of Otoe county met to redistrict the county to comply with the new road law. In the vicinity of Paul Otoe county, wheat, oats and corn were beaten Into the ground by a heavy bail storm. The total property of Douglas county on a full valuation basis is $160,895, 380. Last year it was $152,866,875. Five hundred old settlers of Custer county met at Anselmo at a picnic in the grove and lived the pioneer days all over again. Recent bold burglaries at Broken Bow has decided the city fathers to strengthen the force of night police men by a man or two. Lee Greer, formerly clerk of the Omaha police court, has appealed to the supreme court for the reversal of a three-months’ jail sentence. Floyd Wilkie, aged 19 years, son of H. J. Wilkie of Brock, Nemaha county, was drowned in the Nemata river at Tangeman’s mill, south of Talmage. Iceland Wood, 21 years old, was drowned three miles south of Tabre Rock while attempting to rescue the stock of a neighbor from danger of high water. A writ of attachment was issued at Wymore for two race horses owned by A. Lawler, to satisfy a claim of $50 which it is claimed he secured wrong fully from H. V. Riessen. The industrial school at Kearney has been officially declared to be “a place of education and reformation” by the supreme court of the state and “not a place of punishment.” Mr. and Mrs. Lewis M. Stewart, who recently came to Red Cloud from Co lumbus, O., will take charge of the business college at that place at the beginning of the school year. The best yield of wheat yet reported in Gage county is at the farm of Charles Graves, who threshed twenty-two acres, which yielded thirty bushels per acre and tested sixty-two pounds. The walls of the new' normal heating plant at Peru are nearly complete:! and the heavy machinery is being hauled from the Burlington depot to the plant by means of a traction en gine. The bonded debt of Nebraska City is being reduced and soon we will be in the best of financial condition. At the session of the city council, Monday last, bonds to the amount of $5,000 were cancelled. . According to the report of the county assessor there are 307,778 acres of land in Oto county under cul tivation of which 134,019 are in corn, 39,952 in fall wheat, 42,209 in oats and 1,207 in potatoes. The Catholic congregation of Fair bury has let the contract for a new church and work will commence in si few days. The new edifice is to cost; $20,000 and will be of brick in the* shape of a cross. John Dougherty of Lincoln pleaded: guilty to a serious charge before Judge' Frost and was sentenced to three1 years in the penitentiary at hard la bor. He had prior to his appearance before the district court confessed his guilt and signed a statement to that effect. a lurious nan storm passed souin and west of Nehawka, in some In stances completely destroying the r crops over a district ten miles long, extending from north of Avoca to four mileB southeast ^f Nehawka, with an irregular width ranging from one to four miles across. i . Robert Haaker, son of R. B. Haaker, of Omaha, was drowned at Cut Off lake. The boy dived into the water and did not rise, having been seized with cramps. The total increase in valuation of property in Douglas county over last year amounts to $8,028,505. Deducting from this the *712,100 which repre sents the state board increases in rail road valuations in the county, the re mainder is divided in approximately equal shares between personal prop erty and improvements on real es tate. There was a decrease in the trans fer of real estate, as well as the mort gage indebtedness of Platte during the last week. There were seven trans fers amounting to $17,067, and the de creased mortgage indebtedness of the week was *5,455. The machinery for the deep well bor ing at Nebraska City is being un loaded. The work of sinking the well will tiegin at once. This well is to tie hot less than 2,000 feet deep, unless > some accident and is an exireriment to ascertain what is beneath the surface of the earth at this point