The Church
in the Swamp
By DALLAS LORE SHARP
(Copyright, bj Joseph B. Bowles.)
There was a time when the littls
flat-bottomed cotton boats touched at
almost every woody bend as they pad
dled down the Savannah from Augus
ta. But the streams of population have
changed their course since the coming
of the railroad. The low-lying swamps
are nearly deserted; and now, except
at the few regular stations, the boat
turns her shovel nose into the bank
only when she smells a barrel of resin,
a bale of cotton, or sights some lonely
dweller waving his hat or a pine knot
from a stump in the edge of the
swamp.
One autumn day about ten yeara
ago, I was put ashore nearly 150 miles
below Augusta, and struck in through
the swamp to the higher levels for
wild turkeys. It had been beautiful
October weather, but the game was
scarce. At the end of two days' wan
derings I had not heard a gobble, and
when night of the second day came
down with a dreary drizzle, I was back
along the river awaiting for the re
turning boat.
Just where I was I did not know.
1 did not relish the prospect of an
other night in the swamp, not in thi3
neighborhood, anyhow, alone, in the
rain and reeds, and among the snake3,
malaria and other beasts lodging there
aoout. I dared wait no longer, and,
shouldering my rifle, made my way
back to find a higher, dryer bed.
I had not gone far when I found I
was following an old path a hog trail
probably and, with ust a hop that
it would lead to a clearing, I kept on.
With the extra sense of a woodsman, I
felt I was nearing something or some
where; and, turning a bend over the
rising ground, I saw through the trees
what seemed like a number of plne3
biased by the pitch gatherers. But, on
approacoing, the pitch pines proved to
be, not pines, but gravestones. I had
stumbled upon an ancient graveyard,
Only a few of the names could be
made out. They were all in French,
ind I guessed it must be an old Hu
guenot burying ground.
Peering In among the cedars that
had rooted out many of the stones, I
caught a glimpse of a white house,
and hurrying forward as though I had
not done one of my 40 miles that day,
wondering if it was a white-washe!
cabin, a turpentine still or--I suddenly
stood before a meeting-house, older
and a thousand times more spectral I
than the graveyard. It was on a knoll,
and had been in sight of the river be
low once; but now the brush and trees
completely hid it, except when one
might happen to run upon it; and it
looked In the gloom as if I might be
the only one to have done that in half
a century. The door was locked. I
tried the windows. They were fasten
ed, too; but on the river side the end
window was partly torn away, leaving
an opening large enough to admit me.
I climbed inside and groped my way
about with the last of the light. A
dozen or more plain benches were
drawn up parallel with the platform
and close together. There was an
antique swallow-nest pulpit hanging
high up on the wall, with a kind of
tunnel stairway leading down from it
to the platform. It was a hollow,
musty place, and from the odor I
judged the bats must hfwe recently
assembled In large an frequent con
gregations here. It was spooky, too;
but it was a shelter, and any kind of
shelter a house at that! was the
wildest kind of luxury in such a place.
I laid my rifle on the platform and
prepared my bed; whistling a tune fit
to wake every old ghost about the
place. The back bench was out of the
draft of the broken window, and
spreading my rubber blanket on this,
with my game-bag for a pillow, I lay
down to sleep.
The wind freshened in the trees and
the pines broke out aloud in their
eternal dirge. The rain began to pat
ter in drops against the loose pane3. It
was .pitch dark. What a fit place to be
dead In the graveyard' outside!
Soughing pines, moss-hung cypresses,
night and storm and everlasting soli
tude! Rather, how unfit!
I fell asleep and dreamed I was one
of a large and happy congregation
listening to a good old father pleading
from the pulpit overhead. Then the
scene changed: the congregation van
lHhed, the morning sunlight and the
good-faced preacher disappeared, and
I was alone, in the dark with Satan
making ready from the pulpit to swoop
down upon me. I woke with a start
and shiver. For a moment the dream
was so real I could still see the gleam
ing eyes of Satan staring down at me.
The wind was high outside, the rain
had ceased, the clouds were broken
and driving across the moon, and now
and then a faint flood of yellow light
fell through the curtalnles3 windows.
J was wide awake now and still gazing
up at the fiendish face in the pulpit. It
was no longer a dream. A heavy cloud
covered the moon, and two burning
balls of green glared down at me. The
cloud passed, and a great cat's head
showed against the wall. It rose a lit
tie, then disappeared inside the pulpit.
, There could be no mistake about the
creature. Never in my life In the
. woods had I seen a panther, but this
could be nothing else. There was a
creak on . the narrow stair along the
wall, and the panther's head appeareu
again over the balustrade. On, down
it came; softly and slowly winding out
on the platform, with as much lithe-
ness as a snake.
For a moment I watched the brute
with sometting of fascination. We
were face to face, with hardly 15 feet
between ua. The platform was a li
higher than the bencii on which 1 was
lying, and as the panther crept noise
lessly forward to the edge for a closer
look at me, her long, powerful body
was brought full into the moonlight in
all its terrible beauty.
Perhaps it was more than fascina
tion; it may have been fear from the
first so numbing me that I hardly knew
I was afraid. But when the wicked
head began to sink between the high
shoulders, when the eyes commenced
to change color, and the long tail
quickened and twitched as it moved!
from side to side, I understood my
danger. A quick, sure shot would save
me but where was my rifle? I was
afraid to move, too terrified to think.
Then from beneath the huge paws the
moon glinted on the dark steel barrel.
But my fingers closed about the
handle of my hunting knife, and as she
twitched and swayed for the spring, I
felt that my chances were worth the
trial. Every muscle In the sinewy
body suddenly grew tense. Her head
dropped till it just cleared the floor.
There was a quiver through the long,
lean frame, a scream and then an
answering scream; such a yell as that
cat never heard before. I uttered it so
unexpectedly, so frightfully, that the
beast was startled in her leap, and
went off an instant sooner than she
intended, with such a twist that she
rose high in the air and swerved in
her aim, landing across the back of the
bench instead of upon me. She made
a vicious grab at me in passing, but it
fell short, and as she struck the back
of the bench her weight and the ve
locity of her spring overturned it with
a crash, and I came down on the floor,
underneath, shut in between the back
and the seat, as though under an up
turned trough.
Her lightning swiftness had saved
me. As the bench turned she sprang
away, else she might have caught me
as it turned and dragged me with her
to the floor. Before I knew exactly
what had happened she bounded back
'upon the bench, growling and clawing
on my wooden shell as she might have
clawed a huge turtle. The solid ends
of the bench prevented her getting at
my feet or head; but at the same in
stant, it seemed, we discovered a large
crack between the edge of the seat
and the floor. The panther pushed her
bare yellow teeth under, close to my
face. I greeted her with another yell
that set her back upon her haunches.
Again she threw herself upon the
bench, and like a flash thrust a paw
beneath and buried the claws in my
arm. In a moment I would have been
dragged from my shell; but I was
watching for that paw, and met it with
my knife. 1 must have driven the
blade nearly through it, for with a
yelp of' pain and fright she leaped
away. ,
Again and again she made at me.
and struck at the crack, but could not
bring herself to risk another paw be
neath. In trying to get my wounded
arm from under me I moved the bench.
a ne panther snarled and retreated. I
moved it toward her and called. At
every move she backed further off.
spitting and snarling, until I heard her
leap past the end, run along the wall
and spring. There was a crash of
glass, two or three long leaps on the
turf outside, then all was still.
She had gone; but-1 did not follow
and shoot her. I was content to lie
there till daylight lent me mora
strength. When at last I crawled out
1 CRAWLED OUT.
I found the blood stains of the wound
ed paw on the hoor and grass outside;
but 'the panther had vanished in the
deep shadows of the swamp.
On investigating the pulpit and room
I discovered signs which showed th
panther had made a den of the old
church for a long time, and the swallow-nest
pulpit up on the wall, where
once the Huguenot minister had stood,
now served her for a bed.
The belated cotton-boat picked me
up that morning, and as the captain
bound up my clawed arm, he told me
that more than once he had heard the
wail of some beast which he supposed
must be a panther, as his boat round
ed the woody bluff where the old
meeting-house stood.
Odd Benefaction.
A Massachusetts woman has for
years sent to a neighbor to whom she
is unknown every time he has been
running for political office in a district
with a large adverse majority party a
check with a note expressing a hope for
his success. She declares she does it
serve the public, and she has had the
satisfaction of seeing her candidate
elected every time.
The Reason.
Little Bessie I like you better than
sister's other beau.
The Beau I'm glad to hear that
Why do you like me?
Little Bessie 'Cause sister newr
eats the cheap sweets you bring, and
get ail of them. Royal Magazine.
-DELIGHTFUL ALMONT
E02EANCE OF THIS HISTOHIC
SPOT ON THE HUDC03I.
Home of the Livingstons, Famous
Throughout the Country in the
Eighteenth Century, Finds
a TCew Owner.
Occasionally the early history of
the country vis recalled by modern
transactions and such is the case
-with the sale of Almont. the pic
turesque country hom of the Living
ston family, in Barrytown on the
Hudson. A New Yorker, Cord Meyer,
has purchased the estate from Robert
S. Livingston, a grandson of the orig
inal Robert S. Livingston, and thus
there has passed out of the control of
the family the famous country seat
(which has been held by them for up
ward of a century.
But it was the career of the original
pwner. Col. De Veaux, a man of mys
tery, which made Almont famous
throughout the country in those early
jdays. Favored of the English nobility
and a protege of the crown, Col. De
THE RUINS OF ALMONT.
Veaux was given considerable grants
of land in South Carolina, but soon,
for reasons best known to himself,
he purchased from Gen. John Arm
strong, of revolutionary fame, his
country seat in Dutchess county
known as Almont.
Apparently possessed of limitless
wealth no one of his neighbors cared
to inquire its source, for De Veaux
brought with him into the heart of
this center of the old aristocracy a
reputation as a duellist and fire eater
which discouraged undue curiosity
about his affairs. He had been com
missioned by the Crown to suppress
some of the rebellions in the Ber
mudas and other EngLsh dependen
cies in the West Indies, and captured
. number of the forts which were in
SPORTS AND
That the life of the professional ball
player is not the snap that unthinking
fans are wont to
believe will read
ily be seen when
all the disagreea
ble features in
connection with
his profession are
taken into consid
eration. It is dif
ficult even tor training experts to un
derstand just how the diamond stars
contrive to keep in condition during
the playing season. In respect the
protracted and Intense strain ba.bal.
players endure without a ' murmur,
without breaking down and generally
without detriment to their speed and
all around ability, they are the most
remarkable and at the same time the
most puzzling body of athletes m the
world. The wonder should not be that
baseball players occasionally suffer
from charley horse at critical periods
in their team's fortunes, but that they
are not charley-horsed all the timo. In
the first place, the traveling part of the
business is an extremely irksome prop
osition for the baseball players. The
great majority of them, except the new
players taking their first look at the
cities, hate the traveling part of the
jobs with a deadly and vitriolic hatred,
as well they might. The average base
ball player takes his traveling a great
deal harder than the average man, for
ball players are a much more highly
Percy Skillen, the crack Dartmouth
pitcher, bids fair to make the best rec
ord of any of ?.he
college pitchers in
'the east this sea
son. He already
has won the four
games that he has
pitched, shutting
put the strong,
hardy representa
tives from Holy
Cross and Brown,
and held the latter
without a hit. He
held Harvard down
;to one run end
)cept the Univer
sity of Vermont
sluggers down to
hree. He was the
jfirst twirler to offi
ciate in a no-hit
Game this season,
and the stunt
has been repeated
only once since.
Last year, while
SKILLKN.
pitching .for
the
GAME OF BASEBALL IN ENGLAND.
From the point of view of Amer
icans, the game of baseball played a
the suburbs of London the other day
between a team composed of Amer
ican Rhodes scholars at Oxford and
one made up mainly of English foot
ball players, was tot a thing to rave
over, but it served to signalize cred
itably the revival of interest in the
sport in England. The official score
was 19 to 7, in favor of the collegians,
although they made 21 runs. The dis
rebellion. Reproductions of the forts
so captured were afteiward cut in
stone and adorned the mantels in the
old mansion of Almont.
De Veaux chose Almont as his
permanent home more on account of
the good anchorage svnd the shelter
for his ships provided by the deep
cove in front of the property, and
back of the island, now known as
Crugers, De Veaux's sloops always
came under cover of darkness and
the unloading was surrounded with
the deepest mystery. He brought
from the West Indies a corps of na
tives as slaves or servants whose
chief duty it was to keep the inquis
itive off his possessions.
When he came into possession of
the Hudson river property, about a
hundred and fifty of the 400 acres
rounding the mansion had been
cleared. The rest was a danse for
est of huge oak and hickory, which
was carefully preserved by the Liv
ingston family, and there remains
to-day some 200 acres of virgin forest.
De Veaux married Miss Catherine
Ver Plank, whose father was one of
the wealthiest Dutch settlers along
the Hudson, and in the latter years
of his life mingled in the society of
the place to a considerable degree,
and his mansion came to be a head
quarters of royal hospitality. The
old Van Alen mansion was improved
in princely style. It was of brick and
stone, 100x50 feet, two stories in
height with artistic porticos and
piazzas. The marble steps were im
ported by De Veaux in his own
ships.
In the wall of the dining room over
the sideboard the owner placed a dec
oration which was remarkable. Strips
of solid silver were set into the wail
in such a way as to represent the
waves of the sea, and when lighted
up either by the sun or from the huge
log fire in the stone fireplace re
sembled the setting sun on the ocean.
The walls and ceilings were studded
with silver buttons.
The site of the Almont mansion
commands a magnificent view for
miles up and down the Hudson river.
The Catskill mountains lie directly
across the river, the Overlook hotel
being in plain view. The late Fred
erick E. Church, in his day the lead
er of the so-called Hudson river school
of artists, spent his summers at Al
mont as the guest of the Livingstons,
as no place in the Hudson valley fur
nished such good material for the
brush. '
ATHLETICS
strung lot than the average lolk.
They've got to be high strung to be
speedy. There are times when ball
players a-rail are as nervous and peev
ish and fidgety and hard to deal with
as a bunch or babies on an immigrant
train. They become travel sore. They
always travel in the best sleepers, of
course, but this makes a comparatively
small diminution of the discomfort
when they're virtually traveling all the
time. The great majority of ball play
ers as many as 19 out of 20 smoke.
Not only that, but many of them
smoke during all their waking hour3
when they're not playing ball. Worse
yet, quite a lot of them moke clga
rettes. But smoking, even inveterate
smoking, doesn't seem to bother them
or interfere with their speed. But not
many of them drink. This fact ought
to be better known. Some ball plavera
who hardly know the taste of drink
have the reputation of being drinking
men. But here we have the combina
tion: The extreme fatigue of almost in
cessant travel, no dietary system what
ever, smoking on the part of almost
all, and pretty late hours for a good
many, and yet these ball playing ath
letes, unlike any other known kind of
athlete, go right on playing the game.
keeping In condition, and delivering
the goods. The one conclusion must
be that they're a mighty rugged and
hearty lot of men to start with, ai
though a great many of them don't
look it.
"green," he defeated Amherst, Holy
Cross, Georgetown, Harvard and Co
lumbia. Skillen is a southpaw, with
great speed and an excellent assort
ment of twisters. His- delivery is so
easy that he seldom has any trouble
with his arm, and has pitched on sue
cessive days withput any bad effects,
He is a born athlete, and always keeps
himself in first-class condition. Man
ager ColHns, of the Boston Americans,
attempted to sign him when he se
cured Glasee last fall. "Connie" Mack,
of the Philadelphia Athletics, and the
management of the Chicago Nationals
have been negotiating with him, and
it is likely that after the college rea
son is over he will be found with one
or the other. The chances favor the
latter, as Skillen's home is in Chi
cago.
Of No Value.
"Is Wilkins as good as his word?"
"Every bit. But I have never heard
of his word being good for anything.
Milwaukee Sentinel.
crepancy is due to an oversight on the
part of the English scorer, who became
confused in two innings when runs
came in so thick and fast that he
neglected to mark up the missing tad
lies.
Limit of Optimism.
Uncle Henry What is your idea of
in optimist, Willie?
Willie Oh, a feller wot kin git fun
out o' goin' to school. Philadelphia
Recofd. v - - - ' -
TO USE FOR THE INVALID.
How to Make a Blackberry Cordial,
JiiaerDerry Wme and a Win
from Blackberries.
Blackberry Cordial. To one auart
juice add one pound granulated sugar,
and one tablespoon each of cloves, cin
namon, nutmeg and allspice. Boil
gently for 20 minutes and when near
ly cooled, add one-half quart of the
best quality of rum. Bottle while
warm and cork tightly. Seal if not
intended for immediate use. A table
spoon four times a day is the usual
dose, though in severe cases it may bo
increased to a small wineglass. Ex
cellent for summer complaints.
Elderberry Wine. To one quart
juice add three pounds granulated
sugar, dissolved in two quarts hot wa
ter. Set aside in a stone crock for
about six weeks. When bubbles cease
to rise on top of the liquid, It is ready
to bottle. It can be used at once, but
the older it Is, the better. The same
process can be used for currant w?ne.
and a very nice wine can be made
from huckleberries.
Blackberry Wine. Measure your
berries and mash them. To each gal
lon ben-ies add one quart boiling wa
ter. Let stand 24 hours, stirrine occa
sionally. Then strain and to each gal
lon add two pounds granulated sugar.
Bottle, cork tightly and let stand four
months. This Is another way: Mash
the berries, add one quart boiling wa
ter to each gallon berries and let stand
for 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
Strain into a keg, adding two pounds
best granulated sugar, and one-half
pint pure, refined alcohol to each gal
lon. Cork tightly and lot stand four
months, when It will be ready for use,
It is a fine wine to use in cases of sick
ness. One pint of best rye whisky may
be used instead of alcohol, if desired.
Farm and Home.
ON HOW TO USE MINT.
Hint Bed Easily Grown and Various
Ways In which the Delicious
Flavor May Be Imparted.
Mint is always In favor and a mint
bed will develop with the least hint
of encouragement. The uses of the
herb are countless.
Many sweet dishes are improved by
the flavor of a leaf or two chopped
fine. Chopped mint may be added to a
cooked vegetable, a meat salad, an
apple or celery salad or to cream of
pea or potato soup.
For a mint sherbet, the leaves are
merely bruised slightly, add a cupful,
packed down, to a pint of boiling wa
ter; steep for 20 minutes. Add the
grated yenow rind, and juice of - a
lemon and a cupful of sugar. '
Cover and . let infuse until cold,
Strain and pour into the can of the
freezer, packing with equal quanti
ties of ice and salt; freeze to a mush,
Remove the dasher, scrape the ice
from the sides of the can and let re
main in until ready to serve. Serve
in small green glass sherbet cups
flecked with gold.
If preferred, the following fruits
may be added to the sherbet. To the
quantity mentioned add the juice of
three oranges, a cupful of pineapple
juice and the milk from one cocoanut.
Turn into the freezer, and when hajf
frozen, stir in the stiffly whipped
whites of two eggs and a wine glass
ful of any preferred wine.
Mint sauce for spring lamb or for
game is made as follows: Chop fine
the well-cleaned leaves of a bunch of
mint and pour over them half a cup
of boiling water and two tablespoon'
fuls of sugar. Cover closely and let
stand in a cool place half an hour.
Then add a dash of paprika, a quarter
teaspoonful of salt and four table
jpoonfuls of vinegar. Mix thoroughly.
N. Y. Sun.
DON'TS FOB, CHILDREN.
Before the Chicago Tuberculosis in
stitute, held recently, one of the chief
questions under discussion was: "How
to Rid the Schools of Tuberculosis?"
In this connection Dr. S. A. Knopf, of
the New York health department,
gave the following advice for chil
dren:
Do not spit exept in a spittoon, or
a piece of cloth, or a handkerchief
used for that purpose alone. On your
return home have the cloth burned by
your mother, or the handkerchief put
in water until ready for the wash.
Never spit on a slate, floor, side
walk or playground.
Do not put your lingers In your
mouth.
Do not pick your nose or wipe it on
your hand or sleeve.
Do not wet your finger in your
mouth when turning the leaves of
books. -
Do not put pencils in your mouth or
wet them with your lips. . 1
Do not put anything in your mouth
except food and drink.
Do not swap apple cores, candy,
chewing gum, half eaten food,
whistles, bean blowers, or anything
that is put in the mouth.
Peel or wash your fruit before eat
ing it.
Do not kiss any one on the mouth,
Never cough or sneeze in a person's
face. Turn your face to one side, or
hold a handkerchief before ' your
mouth.
' Keep your face and hands and finger
nails clean; wash t your' hands with
soap and water before each meal.-
Farmers' Review.
To Believe Headache.
One way of relieving a headache- is
to apply a hot water bag to the feet.
This draws the blood away from the
head and so relieves the pain. In case
of an ulcerated tooth ' do not apply
heat to the face, but to the feet in
stead, and for the same reason it will
give relief. -.
COCOCXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXJ '
THE PIONEER
BARBER SHOF
CHARLES SOBER, Pra.
NlOH CLEANLY HAHDT, YOU ME "IEIT!"
01 So. Elntnth
CJCOXXXXXXXXXXXOCOCXXXXXOO
LZXj
We are expert cleaners, dyers M
and finishers of Ladies' and Uen- U
tlemen's Clothing of all kinds.
The finest dresses a specialty.
THE NEW FIRM
rj. C. WOOD & CO.
AoK FOR PRJCELIST.
PHONES: Bell, 147. Auto, 1292.
1320 N St - - Lincoln, Neb.
rxiixi
CXXXXX2XZXX
I PREWITT'Si
PHOTO GALLERY
1214- O STREET I
When you x want a
good photograph
call and see my
work. Satisfaction
guaranteed ....
it
it
it
it
it
it
Henry Pfeiff
DEALER IN
Fresh and Salt Meats
Sausage, PovKry, Etc .
Staple and Fancy Groceries.
Telephones 888-477. 314 So. Ills Street
PRICMBjHOTJSKIWjrjBKBTATljw
FIFTMWBWJBjTHJROOMS.
Mew Windsor Hotel
Lincoln, Nebraska
American and European plan.
American Plan fa to 93 per day.
European Plan, Rooms 50c to
91.50 per day. 92 rooms all out
Ide. Popular priced jrcstanrant
lunch counter and X.mdlcs -cafe.
SERVICE VMEXCKLLED, '
E. M. PEN NELL, Mgr.
ART STUDIO
New Location, 1127 O
Fine work a Specialty.
Auto 3336
To Laboring Men
For your Meats and Lard and Cured
Meats go to the
Farmer's Meat Co. 220 N.IOth
J. W. Woin, Prop., The Laborinf
Man's Friend.
Where you can buy
No. 1 Shoulder Roast at. ...7o
Boiling Beef, per lb. .3c to 6c
Lard, 2 and 3 lbs for 25c
Bert Breakfast Bacon, lb 13'&c
Best No. 1 Hams, lb 12'c
Shoulder 8teak, lb ......7J2c
Round Steak 10c
Bell Phone 899 Auto 1371
FAGANfS
OA F..E
1226 Q STREET
HANDLES EVERYTHIN8 131
SEASON -MODERATE
PRICES. FIRST
CLASS SERVICE
MEALS, I5cU AND UP
ALL NIGHT
TTThe American Savings 8
8 & Loan Association will 8
g help you to own your b
home. Call " at 1106 O 8
0 Street, first door east 8
jj of City National Bank O