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About The Red Cloud chief. (Red Cloud, Webster Co., Neb.) 1873-1923 | View Entire Issue (July 14, 1899)
THE BED CLOUD CHIEF. 1 P tramwKSTO) i mmv ul jnmxjiM&ZMP'' Krj''i.'3r'c5 msm irm w w Wfl-G55Mi5re'': NpSMlwai ri5W w s CHAPTER IV. (Continued.) "la that nil?" Miss Branscombc's look seemed to euy, and her color came back and the frightened look faded out 4of her eyes. I wondered what she had Jrcaded. Another gravely-entcn dinner was icarcely over when my summons came. Miss Branscombe started to her feet with a suppressed cry, nnd passed iwlftly from the room before me. "Only Mr. Fort, I was to say." The butler hesitated, looking anxiously at Miss Elmslle. "I beg your pardon, ,f ma'am, but the menage was partic ular." "Poor dear child!" murmured Miss Elmslle, rising and looking helplessly it me. "What can I do It It Is too late, I am afraid." "Will you leave It to mo?" I said gently. "Perhaps I can persuade Miss UranBcombc." "Yes, yes," she exclaimed, laying her trembling hand on my arm "you will persuade her." Those hours of anxious watching and enforced confldonce had thrown down the barriers of unconventionally, and mado us more Intimate than months of ordinary Intercourse would havo done. Doth tho elder and the younger lady turned to mc In their loneliness and their sorrow; already I had taken my placo as n friend with them. In tho corridor outside tho sick room Miss Branscombo was standing In tho recess of a window wringing her ' bands and sobbing pitifully. "Mr. Fort," she exclaimed, "they will not let me see him! Tell hlni that 1 am here surely they will not bo so cruel as to let him die without a word to mo at tho last! And I was like his own child. I must oh, I must sec him again before " Sobs choked her voice. I placed her gently on the window sent. "If you will wait patiently for ten T minutes, Miss nranscombe," I said, "I will como back for you." "And Charlie, my cousin," she said "you will not forget?" "MR. FOItT," SHE EXCLAIMED, "THEY WILL NOT LET ME SEE HIM." "I havo not forgotten," I answered rs I left her. It was soon over. The Colonel had reached a further stage In tho dark Journey, and the clergyman who sat by his side guided the baud which affixed a tremulous signature to tho deed 1 had drawn up In tho morning. It was tho Rector and a young footman who witnessed the signature, and then the Colonel spoke this time In a whisper. "Now send her to me. Stand by her all of you sho will need It." Thero were old frlonds old servants thero, but It wa3 on my arm that Miss Branscombo leaned as sho went to that Bolemn parting scene I remembered It afterwards. It was a brief and agoniz ing farewell, for the sands of life were almost run out, nnd then tho now mis- tress of Forest Lea was borne lnsensl bio from tho chamber where all that re mained of tho brave old Colonel was only tho mortal dust the Immortal spirit had fled. CHAPTER V. Tho first stage of my work was ac complished, and I might havo returned "to town at once, but I did not I lin gered at Forest Len through the next day. There were seals to afflx to all the dead colonel's cabinets and drnw ,, en; there were Interviews with varl T ous personages, and commissions for GMlss EJmsllo, which filled up my time V and gavo me an excuse for postponing ray departure. Tho truth was that I could not tear myself away. I hud a confession to make to Miss Branscombo .-which I could not forco upon her In the first hours of her sorrow, and which nevertheless must be mndo. It wns not likely that the secret of Col. Brans combo's last will would be kept until itbo legitimate moment for Its revela tion; the executor, the rector, must act upon 'his Instructions, one of which was to exclude Mr. Charles Dranscombe from the bouse. I might perhaps, I . wifefis. flattered myself, soften the blow to Miss Branscombe, or at least I might give her an explanation which should mltlgato her anger against myself, nnd account for what I dreaded she would regard ns u breach of trust. Hut Miss UranRfombe remained In visible. Her cousin reported that ulie was quite ovuicome by her grief, and would not ns yet hear of consolation. The day, which had been brilliantly flno In tho early part, clouded over toward tho afternoon, and rain a gen tle, balmy summer ralu fell softly, but without Intermission. The change was moro in unison with the spirit of the moment nnd the hushed silence of the dnrkencd house; and as I sat in the library, busied with some writing for Miss Elmslle, the musical rythm of the raindrops, pattering softly down on tho laurel nnd berhcrls leaves outside the open window, seemed to me like tears bhed for n good man's loss. Miss Elmslle came In and out with n hushed trend, nnd gave me Instructions In n tubdued voice, sometimes staying to talk of the dead man upstairs of his virtues and consistent life, his trials nnd disappointments and, nt last, In natural soquenco. of Charlie, the scapegrace, and of Nona, the child of Col. llrauscombe's youngest brother. "Poor Charlie!" sho said, shaking her head. "He was always tho one bitter drop In Harold Brnnscombe'fl cup. Ho. Idolized tho boy such a beau tiful nngellc-looklng creature he wa3 so like the sister poor Harold loved and never forgot and ho spared neither trouble nor expense In his edu cation. Charlie was to bo tho heir, to carry on tho old name. And Nona well, ho had his hopes and dreams for tho denr girl. Hut Charlio ruined all; he nearly broke poor Harold's heart, and upset all his plans. Nothing could mend the boy; there seems to ben sort of mnd fever In his blood I don't know where ho gets It. He's as wlU to-day n3 he was six years ago. Only Nona In her youth and Inexperience, dear child! clings to the hope of his ever being better. All tho rest of us have long since given him up." "Miss Branscombe la attached to her cousin?" I ventured. "They havo been .lko brother and sister, you know," Miss Elmslle re plied quietly. "Nona cannot gtvo him up. But there is the dinner bell." Sho seemed glad to change the conversa tion, I thought. Miss Branscombe did not appear at the dinner table. Tho evening was still wet, but close and sultry. Miss Elmsllo nnd I took tea together In tho largo drawing room, which looked so empty and desolate now; and, while the gcutlo old lady babbled on of the fltorles of tho house, I sat Just behind the luce curtains at the opea window, looking out over tho lawn toward the encircling belt of shrubbery. It was a dark moonless summer night, nnd lato enough now for the shrubs to show blnckly against tho pale aky-llno. I had quite lost the thread of Miss Elmslle's somewhat monotonous talk, dreaming as I was of mnny things! with a pervading aenso of vague pain and unrest new to my experience, and due perhaps to the melancholy scenes in which I had Just taken paiL Suddenly It seemed to me thai a white shndow flitted across the bottom of tho lawn toward the trees, and was lost In tho darkness. Was It fancy? I wondered, looking Intently toward tho spot whero the figure had disap peared. I was not subject to fancies of this kind, and I at onco mado up my mind to luvo3tlgate tho phenom enon. With an excuse to Miss Elmslle, .1 went to tho hnll for my overcoat, and, letting myself out ,by a side door, I mndo my way cautiously over tne grass to tho spot where I had seen or fancied I had seen the white form appear and disappear. There was nothing but the shadows and the trees and the patter of the soft- falling raindrops on tho green loaves. So my eyes, keen nnd sure ns I had alwnya considered them, had played mc false. I turned back toward tho house, taking this time ono of two or three narrow winding paths within tho wood. My footsteps mado no sound on tho damp grass-grown ground. All at once the perfume of n cigar wus wafted toward me. Then I was not nlone In tho darkness; somebody else had a fancy for nn evening airing one of the gardeners or workmen, no doubt, on his way from some errand nt tho Hnll. But the shrubberies lay In tho front of the house, while the sorvants' offices were nil, a I knew, nt tho back. And, besides, my educated senses told mc that that cigar was of tho finest quality, not likely to be smoked by any but a connoisseur. Tho rector was a nou-smoker, nnd no other neighbor would, I knew, havo tho entree to tho shrubbery. My curiosity wns thoroughly roused, nnd the Instinct of my profession en listed In the discovery of the little mystery. Presently the sound of subdued voices a man's and a woman's reached my ears. Then I had not boon fancy-tricked home assignation of n tender nuturo had lured tho flitting figure hltherward a maid-servant from tho house, no doubt. But the fine Havana? Well, that wns no affair of mine; I would not nt nil events play tho eavesdropper. It was In carrying out this laudnblo resolve that 1 turned Into another pnth a shorter cut to tho house, as I bo llevcd, in my slight knowledge of tho place. It must however havo brought mo neaier to the lovers, for now tho manly voles was so raised that the subject of what appeared to bo nn nn gry discussion only Just missed meet ing my ears, and sobs from tho feninlo were distinctly nudlble. Tho courso of true love was not running smoothly, I concluded, ns I rctrnced my steps. At this moment tho sobs ceased nnd a feminine voice took up the response, pleading, remonstrant, nnd I was con scious of n sudden shock which brought mc to a standstill. Tho sweet, low tones were familiar to mc they were those of Nona Branscombo. Nona liranycombo, my Ideal of Inno cence nnd womanly purity, my Imper sonation of Una, keeping a clandestine appointment at night with her un cle's corpse hardly yet cold, too; hood winking her chaperon with a pretenso of illness and overwhelming grief! Oh, the shame and tho pity of Ul Oh, the shamo and tho pity! I did not stop to ask myself why tho blow should bo such a crushing ono to mc why a doubt of tho Innocence and goodness of Nona Branscombo should seem to make the world stand still, and plunge my whole outlook Into dark ness; I hurried blindly back to tho house, losing myself half a dozen tlmos among tho tortuous shrubbery paths and shaking tho raindrops from tho laden branches In heavy showers as I went. I had reached tho terrace on which the side door by which I had quitted the house opened, my hand wa3 on tho lock, when another applicant for admittance glided out of the shad' ows and stood by my side. (To be continued.) DOQ IDIOTS. Orajililn ni-nrrlutlon of Hie Mongrel lliut Throng Conntntlnonle. I never saw so much mud, such un speakable filthy streets and so mnny doga as Constantinople can boast, but nowhere havo I seen them described In a satisfactory way so that you know what to expect, I mean, says the Woman's Home Companion. In tho first place, they hardly look like dogs. They havo woolly tails llko sheep. Their eyes are dull, sleepy and utterly devoid of expression. Con stantinople dog.s havo neither masters nor brains. No brains because no mas ters. Perhaps no masters because no" brains. Nobody wants to adopt an Idiot. Thoy are, of course, mongrels of the most hopeless type. They nro yellowish, with thick, short, woolly coats and much fatter than you ex pect to find thorn. They walk like a funeral procession. Never have I seen one frisk or even wag his tall. Every body turns out for them, They sleep, from twelve to twenty of them, on a single pile of garbago, and nover no tice either men or each other unless a dog which lives In tho next street tres passes. Then they eat him up, for they arc Jackals aa well as dogs, and they aro no more epicures than os triches. They never show Interest In anything. Thoy nro blase. I saw Borne mother dogs asleep, with tiny puppies swarming over them like lit tle fat rats, but tho mothers paid no attention to them. Children seem to bore them quite as successfully n3 If they wero women of fashion. Nature' Intluenoe on Mnn. From the Chicago News: "Nature exorcises a wonderful and mysterlotu Influence over men. Certain plants are poisonous to some folks and medicine to others." "Yes, and my husband la always troubled with rheumatism when the grass begins to get tall upon our lawn." I'rompt Iteuctlon. "Oh, that horrid cat!" exclaimed the tearful young woman, "She has killed my beautiful canary! But the wings don't seem to bo injured n bit. They will look swell on my hat, won"t they, though?" Chicago Tribune. r.vldtmrn of Oreat'ue. From tho Chicago Record: "So many great geniuses have been fat raon." "Well, sometimes it taken genius U ears threo oquare meaU a do." THE DAISIES KNEW. One uftcrnoon wo sat on Iho little farmhouso veranda, looking flown the road, as city boarders will, na though expecting something to come along and rellovo Its monotony, when something did come. Over tho hill In tho Into sunshine of G o'clock enmo Pink and Harry, walking nnd talking, he hatless and smiling, sho gravu; both desperate ly Interested Pink held a daisy In her hand. Within ten yards of the house they scatod themselves upon u lock, Pink still twirling tho daisy. I saw that Pink wnH pulling It to pieces, nnd that Harry's face grew by tuniB hopeful and sad. "Not I" I heard him cxelulm once, then bo reached out and got another dower, wjilch Pink pulled to pieces. "Not!" ngnln, ho echoed, ns Pink purled her pretty lips and shook hor bend. "It Is alt non sense, anyway," bo added. But 1 could sec by Pink's face that sho did not agree with him. "I'll leave It to a mutual friend," said Harry at lust, as Pink continued to shake her head. "Como down," call ing to mo, "and settle tho dispute and my fnto," I heaul him add. On a big rook sat Pink with Harry beside her, the daisy petals Mattered around hor. Thero was nn awkward pauso aa I stood nt tho rock. Pink looked nt Harry pleadingly, but found no morcy. "It's this way, you hcc." said Harry, nervously. "1 know It Isn't well- you t,ce thn fact Is that I havo asked Mlus Pink to marry mo and sho has" "Asked the daisies," put In Pink, softly. "And thej mid," ventured I. "That ho loved mo uot," almost whispered Pink. And then the wholo plot dawned upon me. Thcso two silly young per- nc ii fr sons had been trusting their future happiness to the petals of a daisy. "I picked them off, ono by one," said Pink, gathering courage, "nnd I said: 'Ho loves mo, he loves mo not,' und It enmo out, 'Ho loves mo not."' "Try again," I ventured. "I did try threo times," said Pink. "And bo sho hns refused mo," said Harry, lifting an Injured faco from tho rock on which ho was leaning. Thero was nothing more to bo said, for before I could put In a word Pink sprang up and ran toward the house as fast as sho could go and we did not seo her again until evening. Then sho nppearcd In a long pink cloak, des perately becoming to her, nnd wnlked tho voranda for half on hour nlone. Harry spoko to her once, but sho hung her head and did not answer him, and thero woro tears on her Inshcs. Of course that sort of thing could not bo endured long, so next day Harry, after vainly watching and waiting for Pink to put in an appearance sho breakfasted In her room sauntered down to tho rock nnd neatcd himself behind It. Soon thero was a rustle, nnd to tho self-same place camo Pink, flushed ns from crying, and uot seeing him at all. Nevertheless, It was to tho aamo rock that thoy both called mo later to hear a now chapter In tho daisy story. Harry held the bunch, nnd I noticed that he carefully aclected a daisy, run ning ovor tho petals with his fingers. "See how this one comes out," said .to; and as he spoko I thought I euw him pull out ono of tho petals. "Try this one," said ho. Pink took It, Harry looking on, but I thought he seemed less nervous about results. Carofully Pink's pretty lingers trav eled over tho petals, pulling them out as sho said: "Ho loves mc; ho love me not" "Wll," said Harry, "Ho loves ne," announced Pink, "What did I tell you?" said Harry. "But yesterday!" "No matter," Insisted Harry; "tho dalalea know today," jkk0tTj ct?SIIJ If li ifiri rzzwm Jm ml Mm ' L w And from their happy faces, when I saw them walking together In tho even ing on tho veranda, I know Hint Pink thought so, too.--New York Evcnlug World. STRANGE PRIENDS. Horse ns n rule are particularly doclln, and to It Is uot surprising to And Instance of friendship between them and smaller nuliuals, though oc casionally the choice of their compan ions Is not a little strange. Many nro the eases of mutual affection existing between homes nnd cits, tho most famous being that between (lodolphlu Arab and n black rat, which on tho death of his equine friend refuted to leave the body, nr.il on being driven away retired to n hayloft, refused food nnd died of a broken heart. More strange, however, wns a case, tho truth of which Is vouched for, In which a homo struck up tin acquain tance with a hen mid displayed Im mense tn tUf net inn whenever she r.inio Into hlu stall nnd rubbed against hlti legs, clucking greeting to her friend. Dogs and hoie generally get on well together, hut the following story from Manchester proves that In sonm canes the friendship Is something bore than a nine tolciiuion of each other. A carriage home, accompanied by his stable companion, a retriever dog, to which be was eceedlnly attached, was drinking it I a trough near the exchange. While the dog was walling for his friend to llnluli his draught a largo mustlrr picked a quarrel with him which ended In a light. Tho mnstlff, ns may be supiioxcd, had tho better of the battle, and the retriever wus se verely bitten. The horse, from tho moment ho heard his friend's cry, broke from tho man who was holding him, hurried to tho rescue, nnd after 4,J SSJ;iL iiuiv'' . -A r .. ',if ' " . r ttrte-Ujh'.' torn-! k!cklng,tho mnstlff ncross tho street, returned to the trough nnd finished his drink. ANIMALS THAT COUNT. Wonderful lliunluii n flint Kiion "Vt to Tneiily-rUe." Dr. TImovleff, a distinguished Rus Hlan physician, has computed thnt crows enn count ten, parrots four, dogs twenty-four und cnts six. Dr. TIm ovleff found ono horso belonging to n pensant thnt, when ploughing, always stopped to i est nt tho twentieth fur row, no more and no less. H0 nlso drove after ono horse that had been trained to htop for a feed nfter every twonty-Ilvo versts. On a familiar rond this mado uniform feeding places. Once, however, on a road this iiorBo had never beforer traveled, It Btopped for food after traveling only twenty two verats. , Tho doctor watched caro fully In returning over tho snmo road, and saw how the horso had mndo Its mistake. In the course of tho twenty two versts, which wero all carefully marked by tho telegraph company, woro threo other Htones almllar to tho verst signs. Theso the horso had seen and counted, being, of courso, unnblo to distinguish them from tho others. Couldn't He ,,y f fe ,lI She Do you think, dear, wo ci.nii i. really nnd truly happy In our mnrrled life? He How can wo help It, dar ling, when I shall try so hard to bo good to you? Why, It was only yea terdny that I Insured my llfo for 5,000 In your favor. Isn't that tho best evi dence that I am going to mnko you happy? Sho (doubtfully) But suppose you should live? Spare Momenta. Il Fllle tho Viieniifl)-, Judge: Mother "Dear mo, Bobby, your teacher tells me you stood at tho foot of your class this month." 'Bob by, (blubbering) "Well, that ain't ray fault. They've taken Tommy Tuffnutt out and sent him to the reform school." MALTA FEVER. Mnlta fever takes Itt namo from tho fact thnt It w.w first studied anions the Biltlsh tioops In the Island or Mal ta. It oecuro along tho bhores and among the Islands of tho entire Medit erranean sen. In this country It has become of Interest from tho fact that among the troops returning from Cubit last autumn several cases were found of a disease which closely resembled It. Indeed, It Is now believed that Mnl tn fover prevail In the Mediterranean of tho western hemlsphero as well a In that of tho eastern, It occurs Itt Hongkong, and doubtless also In the Philippine Islands. Malta fover prevails nil the year round, but by far tho greatest number of ensea occur In summer. It Is not believed to bo rontnglous; tho specific microbe, ns In tho enso of typhoid fev er, Is supposed to bo convoyed to water. Tho early symptoms nro like thoso of any other fover, nnmely: wakeful ness and hendache, a largo and flnbby tongun covered with a thin yellowish fur, los of appetite, nnd Romctlmoti niuiKca, or even vomiting. Thero Is n, Blight cough, nnd every night, townrd morning, the patient suiters from a profuse perspiration. After about n week of these symp toms, the fever, which hnH till now been very nllght, begins to rise. It rise a few degrees above tho normal, teel dom to n dungoroiifl height, nnd then goes on und on, sometimes for months, until the patience of everybody 1 ex hausted, The patient does not seem to be very Blck; Indeed, he often feels fairly woll. but tho wrotched fever continues, now up, now down, mid tho sufferer loses llesli und strength, nnd takes on a dirty, buIIow look. Occasionally ho hat rheumatic symptoms, which resomblo very closely thot-c of real Inflammatory rhetimntlsm. Ono of tho lnrger Jolnfct will suddenly become painful, red and swollen, remain so for a day or two, and then get suddenly well, whllo an other Joint begins to Buffer In tho name way. This may go on Indefinitely from Joint to Joint, till the patient la as weary of tho rheumatism as he Is of the fover. ... x. lnltn fever may last only a few weeks, or It may'coiitlnue with lntor-( vnis or nppaiont freedom Tor a year, or even two yenrs. Very fow pooplo dlo of tho dlHcnso. So far us doctor! have yet discovered, there Is no modi clno that will cure or shorten tho dis ease; all that can bo done Is to nuroo tho patient nnd keep up IiIb strength until the fever dies out. Quinine Is use less. Wo hhnll probably hoar more of this tiresome affection during the pre cnt summer. CONCERNING WOMEN, Probably no woman In England knows so much nbout women convlctu ns Adollno, (Itichesn of Bedford. Her grace holds permission from tho homo secretary to visit prlsona in which women nro Incarcerated for periods of over two years, and Bho has mndo ex cellent iiso of tho great trust Imposed In her. Sho nnd her colleague Lady Battersea, do their utmost to rIvo prls'.' oners on tlfSlr dlsohargo n fafr chanco of becoming useful and respected mem bers of society. Tho duchess of Bed ford Is a hnndBomo woman In thn prime of llfo, nnd when speaking from tho platform tho roBemblnnco In volro to her sister, Lady Henry Somerset, Ii very striking. , , tl- Hero are five golden rules which should bo observed by thoso who often arrange flowers: Put your flowers In very lightly. .Uso artistic glasses. Do not use more than two, or at tho most threo, different kinds of flowers In ono decoration. Arrange your colors to form n bold contrast, or, hotter still, a soft harmony. Tho aim of the decora tor should be to bIiow off the flowers not tho vases that contain them; therefore tho simpler ones are far preforablo to even tho most elaborate. OlaBsefl for a dinner tnblo should bo either white, a delicate shado of green, brown or roso color, according to th flowers arranged Jn them, llcnu Door. Buffalo Commercial: In old Now England farmhouses, in addition to the regular front entrance, It was the cus tom to havo a second outside door opening directly Into tho front parlor. A knock on this door usually meant that a bashful young man wae outside, who wanted to cnll on tho daughter of the family. Now that there aro no more bashful young men, a aofa or a chair Is usually rolled against the beau door, and callers' run tho gauntlet of tho family entrance. Overdoing It, Hicks U'h all right Indulging In a llttlo hyperbole when you aro mak ing love to a woman; but there's such a thing ns overdoing It. Wlcka Aa for example? Hicks Why, Dublcupp. Ho hns been married threo times, and ha told Miss Kwarry the other evening that Bho was the first woman ho ever loved. Boston Transcript. A Compliment. Llttlo Johnny Mrs. Tnlkemdowm paid a big compliment to mo today. Mother !ld Bho really? Well, thoro'ei no deny Inn that woman has ooe What did sho flay? Little Johnny She said aho didn't see how you cute to have such a nlco llttlo boy aa X was. Tit-Bits.