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About Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190? | View Entire Issue (Aug. 14, 1896)
imjuuuuqi.il i mmnmiiim. THE KING OF THE MILL. I fniniininiiiMiinirimiK One summer evening, nftcr Btipper, Monsieur La Kobc, tho village notary, camo out upon the veranda of tho llo l Castor, his nnt In his hand, his unnothly-Bhavcu faco ruddy and pleas ant to look upon. Drabon, tho drum mer, who camo up from Montreal to Saint Pyx occasionally on business, eat smoking quietly In a chair that was tilted against tho wall. "Good cvoulng," said M. La lloso. "Good evening, Monsieur lo Notarlel" answered Brabon, Indolently. Then thcro followed a Uttlo spell of sllenco that was Intensified by the clatter of distant cow bolls. Presently thcro oppcarcd In tho street, immediately before tho hotel, a sort of living fantasy a singular, fork-faced old man, who strode slowly past, clad In a looso robo of many bright colors. His eyes had the un- E55E! mvA v& Singular, Dnrk.Pnccd Old Sinn, Clad In I.ooho nolle. tnlstakablo and restless look of the tfaft On his head was a crown of but tons, Bllvcr, bono, pearl, presumably sewn together on cardboard, and poking a headgear of remarkable bril liancy. Behind him walked u gray haired, gray-eyed woman In ordinary garb. Hor look wns clear and steady. Her domeanor in every way sane. Sot though It was plain to seo sho was a commonplace, rustic woman, there was something august in her carriage, unaccountably so, perhaps, but no nat ural ns tho studied poso of tho other wait constrained i nd unnatural. Her eyes were set fairly upon tho fantasti cal figure before her with a meek, pa tient look and an ovldtut Interest be yond his ludicrous pomp and preoccu pation. It waB not surprising, then, to tho notary that tills apparition, empha sized In the mnglo atmosphere of the summer twilight, thould have made Brabon cry out with astonishment: "Allonsl What Is this monsieur? I have been in St Pyx many times be fore, but I declare this is new!" "A very pathetic affair it Is, Bra bon," said tho notary, taking a chair and looking at bis watch, to be assured he bad time to tell tho tale boforo go ing for his customary evening chat with M. Le Cure in the presbytery rose garden. There Is a tale?" "Well, as you will a history, noth ing absorbing, but very human, very touching. Old Cesalre Molsson, a man with a largo family, a thrifty, sober, God-fearing man, once owned the mill by the Hlver of Angels" "Yes. I see it fiom here the suat white building near the cluster of wil lows yonder." "Exactly. Well, he was a man with a considerable family, I said did I oof and wlfen the epidemic of small pox occurred in the vjllago that was many years ago, monsieur poor Mols ton's family was attacked, and oue after another, his wife ami children, passed away, and ho himself, indeed, till there was only left his son Zeph rin, whom you saw go by a moment since " "It left hlin so the small pox?" "No. Ho was not at homo when tho epidemic occurred; ho was at college. Old Cesalro nrtnngcd to put by enough silver to educate the lad the brightest of his brood and M. Lo Cure also con tributed, for he had hopes that Zeph tin would becomi a priest." "Then, 1 presume, the shock of the great calamity unbalanced tho young man's mind?" "That may be pritty true, monsieur, though for a long time after the nffnlr he was thought to bo perfectly sound mentally. Well, Zephrin was obliged to leave college and take up the busi ness of the mill a lonely task it must hnve been for one w ho had tasted the sweets of knowledge. Then every dusty timber of the mill must have teemed to hltn like a ghost of the hap py days when tho place was brimming with laughter and good cheer. "He was not liked by the villagers on account of his silent and arrogant manner; ho was unlike any other mill er who had evor been kuown. When the Inhabitants came with their grists he received them with the grand air of a seigneur of the old days, who, amid bis courtly entourage, received the felfs of his dependents. 'It's like that always,' grumbled the erones; 'poor parents fill their children's minds with foolish notions ot greatness! Poor old Cesaire himself rest to his bones was not like thlB peacock; Cesaire knew his place bon vleux! A miller Is a miller, If his head be crammed with Latin or flour dust!' "Every one pitied Zephrin, of course, on nocount of his great be reavement and the business of the mill suffered no great retrogression In consequence of his singular demeanor. This eM-lustreness, this hauteur, how ever, wns taken lightly by the young folk of the village nnd often of a sum mer's evening, like thlB one, for In stance, they passed by the mill crying up at Zephrin. who Invariably pored over his books In the little dormer window, 'Behold the king of the mill!' Then, with gestures of mock gravity. Think of him mighty empire of rats!' "Quito so," said Barbon, "they taunted him Into Insanity with these gibes. The crown! tho robes! I see now how they camel" "Indirectly these taunts may have affected hU mind, monsieur. Ills curi ous attire and mien are obviously 6ug festive of the fact; but It Is my opin ion his sad derangement 1 only partly duo to tbem. 'Sr-v ClZLfwMWfMfflWuIll E .mwr'i ris"kw-uz""L?i '.jsl-kv - . . - -jr- -7 r . f zj? i A "Night after nleht the little dormer window of the mill was light till dawn; yet tho earliest comer did not fall to find Zephrin up and about. No ono could uuderstaud, for not another light savo tho miller's might bo found in all Saint Pyx not oven at tho presbytery, af tor 10 o'clock. At length the tongues of the gossips began to wag. It went abroad that no wns closeted each night with tho Old Man tho ovll one tie bating upon tho salo of his soul for riches and power to satisfy bis sinful pride. Again, others said it wns not Zcphrln's light nt all; but only tho glowing of tho ghosts of his family who camo to entertain him. Indeed, taken all in nil ,tho miller was become a fcarsomo Individual and tho neigh borhood of tho mill a plnco to be shunned after dark, unless ono had no foar In his heart If by any unfortu nato concurrence of Boreerles a person should chanco to meet a fire-fly whllo passing the mill, no plunging of steel Into wood might savo him from tho ovil Bplrlts. Even to bless himself nnd utter pious invocation, perhaps, might not avail! "In tho midst of Zephrln't Ill-reputo a singular thing occurred. Ho was known to liavc fallen Into conversation with a customer. It was this way: Coletto Dion camo often to the mill wKh fiie grist of her mother a poor widow with thirteen children, of whom Coletto was the eldest Ono day when sho camo down along tho dandelion dotted pathway leading to the mill, with her mother's grist In a bag upon her head, Zephrin watched her with much Interest. If common report may bo believed, sho was certainly, In thoso days, a picture not to bo blinked cas ually. Sho had the figure of a nymph nnd a face, for all It was common placo at points, something unusually lino for a villager. But tho Htep, tho carriago; It remains to this day, as wo have seen, monsieur, dignified, distin guished, majestic! At first glance, It is said, there wns some rcmarkablo re semblance between Colotto and Zeph rin and who can tell? It may lmvo been some vnguo suggestion of con geniality some thin rny, as from one distant planet to another which In spired tho miller's Interest "When, at length, sho arrived at tho door of the mill and deposited her bur den beside it, said he: " 'You have a meaning step, p'tlte, and a pretty one.' "'True?' questioned Colette, with eomothlng finely scornful on her elo quent lips. Sho was piqued, lot us be lieve, Blnco ho had not noticed her pretty face; for, though a woman mny bo conscious of her subtlest grace and charm, homage to tho features Is the thing tho real Joy. Isn't It bo, Bra bon? 'Well,' Bald tho miller, 'I doubt not there Is more In your mind than tuo more grinding of yonder grist, eh?' " 'It Is my mind now,' said she. 'It was my step lately!' " 'It Is the mind which regulates the stop, p'tlte. I nlways watch the atop when I would know tho mind,' he re sponded. "Now, thcro Is much in these frag ments which reveal the clearness of Zophrln's mind at that period and also the real character of the man and tho bent of his spirit. You see, It was the gesture, the carriage, the aspect, that Interested him most Why? Wo shall see. Though Colette, It may be pre sumed, did not realize the true signifi cance of his words, ehe rcmeinebercd them every one nnd repeated them to her mother, who In turn told every thing to the cure, Langlols, from whom I have tho story. Tho girl con fessed to her mother that sho was much BurprlBcd regarding the Ill reputed miller. 'Monsieur Molsson Zephrin,' she declared was not at all a weird man, but on the contrary, very sensible nnd good-natured. Yet her mother warned her she must be wary; such fine qualities oftentimes screened tho worst souls. Colette, however, maintained stolidly not a word of the village gossip was true. 'Indeed,' snkl she, 'they say almost as naughty things of me because they thluk I nin proud. And you know, mamma, I am not proud nor wicked.' So every time Colette fetched the grist to tho mill sho returned radlnnt and full of praise of the miller. At length one day he said to her, im she reported: necnnie a Common Sillier Could Never "Win Sly Henri. M 'Colette, I am going to ask you something.' " 'If It la one thing I know what my answer will be,' she responded with much piquancy. " 'Well, If I should ask you to marry me? " 'Then I should answer "No!" "Why? says the miller, his heart sinking to his boots, no doubt, but ris ing again very quickly when ho catch es tbo twinkle of mischief in her oyes. " 'Because a common miller could never win my heart,' says she coquct tlshly, yet with something truly dra matic in her pose. 'That is only for a great man.' " 'A seigneur?' ventured tho miliar. " 'Higher.' " 'A governor?' " 'Nay, higher.' " 'A prince?' "'Even hlghor.' " 'A king?' " 'Yes, a king.' Then, after a pretty pause: 'And tlint Is thou, my dear king of the mlllf " "Now ho draws her hands across the door of tho mill and kisses her fair head that Is fallen against his breast and that is all. Let us suppose they simply looked out In a day-dream, across tho little ltlvcr of Angels, to tho pleasant) daisied meadows and green fields about here. "'Well,' says Zephrin to her very gravely and with a new, strange look in his eyes -a. look that frightens her not a little. "'They call mo In contempt "tho King ot tho Mill," but they shall bow boforo mo yet as before a king. And Indeed I shall wear tho robes of a king and Bpeak the noblo words of a king, which I am getting by rote each night where they sec my lamp burning in tho dormer window. Heln! They shall Bit like rats, the rats whoso em peror they Bay I am now, while I hold them In spell with the bravo lines of Mollore Of Cornelllel Of Raclnol' " The good St Ann protect usl Who are thoy nil?' cries Colette, now much perturbed. But the miller continues without noticing tho Interruption. " 'And I Bhall come to you then with my triumphs; In my fine royal robes of purple and gold and ermine; with my glorious Jeweled crown. And I shall kiss your hand In linage to your In hoinago to your beauty and lay these laurels, these triumphs at your feet, my queen 1 my Colette I' "Just then appears a farmer with his grist and tho happy, frightened girl flits away like a startled bird." "Bon Dieul" said Brabon. "I sec. The stago was bis vagary 1" "Yes," uald the notary, bowing his head as before some great mystery. "At the collego entertainments, while strutting through the plays of these groat masters in the little hall, with its small stago and crude sceuory; before the common village audiences, he first heard the siren voice of Art And It is ns a siren's voice to some, you know, Brabon. Eh bleu! What Is the differ ence? Ho Is playing a role now how tragic a role." "But about Coletto?" interrupted Bra bon, with some impatience. The gentle sentimentality of tho notary escaped, to an extent the bluff, practical drummer. "Ah! there Is the ro'e tho role of beauty and distinction! Think of.ltl All along sho has believed In him vaguely. From the day ho had fright ened her with his strange talk, seem ingly bo Irrelevant to her happiness, her poor, small mind was filled with visions of mysterious greatness and Joys to bo in tho future much as nre our visions of the life to come. He asked her to wait. She must never bo tho wife of a common miller, but of a great man, a man whom tho whole worlr would applaud. And so she 'waited; trusting, loving, believing In him Infinitely; and even when her rea son Is fallen Into decay see tho de votion! Each day, all these years, she goes to the mill and attends upon him, performing the household duties, con ducting the business of the mill, detail ing the work and Instructing tho men hired to do the milling. Thus has she cared for him as no one would care for a child, and In all, save the matter of this vagary, he Is obedient to her Blight st whim." Brabon touched the notary's arm. "See! They come again." Once more the bizarre figure strolled past followed by the woman. They had wnlked to tho church where Co lette was making a novena for Zeph rln's recover'. To look upon the notary one would supiose un angel passed, but there was on the face of the drummer only a look of perplexed Incredulity. When they were gone a little way the notary arose, looked at his watch and made ns to set forth. Brabon de tained him. "Ono word, monsieur. They nre mar ried now?" "Oh. no! That could not be," he an- r i -l Bwered with something like a sigh. "They are still courting and looking forward to a day of greatness and making roady for the wedding. Mon Dreu Brabon. That Is love, eh 7 St Louis Globe-Democrat ' Aeeomniodntlntr. "Of course I'm a friend of tho work lngmau," said the aspiring politician. "Then why don't you work occasion ally?" asked one of his auditors. "Oh, that's slmplo enough. I don't wish to crowd some more deserving man out of a Job." Philadelphia North American. .lIlliaiykaiEiiiiritrriiuwri'sqy THAT HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT. niirmmmnniTVTMi v Tbo houso that Jack! built 15 still standing, for this is a truo story, ns nny ono will find who will read tho records of the County of Belmont, in tho State of Ohio, where It Is written almost ns I hnve tcld it. Jake Hcatlierlngton waB an English miner's boy. Indeed he might have been called a miner himself, for from tho dny ho was Eeven years old ho had spent sixteen hours out of every twenty-four deep down in a coal mine. Ho had emigrated with his fatlior from England and he hnd a mule. Tho mule'B nnme was Jade. Jake said they mere pnrtners. Jack was the sturdiest little mule In tho Ohio val loy. He was oiily three and one-half feet high, but he was as stout as oak, and Jnko himself hadn't more pluck. "It' All Dccntmc of Yon, Jack." There was no load so heavy that Jack wouldn't do his best to draw It; there never was a hill he wouldn't pull up It; nud as for being afraid of whistles and noise and crowds Jack) simply gloried In them and nlways pushed Into the thickest of every din. Jnko had been nil his life a lonely fellow, nnd every day that he worked with Jack ho became happier. Ho fell Into the habit of talking aloud to him ns thoy went about, telling him how much coal they bud taken out to-day and what they had sold It for, and he confided to lilin all his future plaus. At night when the work was done Jake always smoked his pipe near Jack and planned the next dny. As for the mule his affection for the man was something unbent d of. It was only necessary to watch Jack's ears when Jnko wus near to know that his whole soul was wrapped up In his master. So devoted was Iks that he brayed with grief If Jake attempted to drive another animal, and if nny one on the premises dared to harness or drive him he kicked nnd balked un til the Intruder was glad to give up tho task. Every time that Jake saw his partner kick over a man who at tempted to use" him ho confessed that It mado him love Jack better. This was Jack's way of showing his affec tion, he said. Jake and Jack had not been in busi ness together long before It was evi dent that they were making a great deal of money. In an amazingly short thue Jake paid the last dollar on his eight acres nnd was able to buy a much larger piece of coal land. "It's Kicked Cp HU Heel nt the Miners all because of you, Jack," he said to tho mule, putting his arms around his neck. "I never could 'a done It with out you." His holiness grew so fast now that he began to hire men, nnd to buy other mules, and even to send coal down Hie river on his own fiat boats. Men looked on In astonish ment nt the way ho grew rich, and when they spoke to him about It he would say modestly, "Yes, Jack and mo's doing pretty good." About five years nftcr the partner ship was formed Jake and Jnck con cluded they'd buy n third piece of land. It wns a big piece which had nevr been opened, but they felt sure there wns coal there, and so It proved thousands upon thousands of tons of tho richest, blackest coal that any ono had over seen on the Ohio river. Tho firm bad made their fortune, but they never slacken their speed. To bo sure Jake dropped his pick aud shovel, for now ho had to superintend men, nnd build houses nud whnrves and steam ers. Jnck, too, no longer drew loads of coal, his one nnd only load was Jake. Thy had bought tho finest Ut tlo cart that hnd ever been seen in tho valley, and togather trotted from mine to mlno nnd from wharf to wharf looking nftcr their business, and as they rode Jake counted up in a loud voice to Jnck their earnings. This ho found very convenient for ho could no more rend and write and cipher than the mule. It helped hlin greatly to add up aloud to Jack, he said. As tho firm grew richer nnd richer Jake found that peoplo treated him with a respect which sometimes was very troublesome From Now Orleans nnd Pittsburg and Cincinnati and even from Now York camo bankers nnd steamboat builders nnd capitalists and tried to persuade him to invest his money In their enterprise. "I'll havo to talk It over with Jnck," ho always said, and though the men did not al ways know who Jnck was, they had to wait until the partners hnd had a rldo together and thought the matter over. It was wonderful how few mis takes they made In spite of nil the flatter' and persuasion of tho flno gen tlemen from the cities. The truth was Jake and Jack both had a great deal of good sense nnd when they mnde up their mluds nothing could budge them. Of course ns he was so rich Jake's neighbors thought he ought to marry and so he did at last. Ho was very fond of his wife nnd bought her gowns nud Jewels, but Jnck hnd his heart. Everybody said that, even Mrs. Jake herself. After the two hod been in partner ship about twenty-five years Jake con cluded to build a house. As he was the richest man In tho valley he de cided he must have the finest house, but before ho hnd said anything to his wife about his project ho told his part ner. "It's you ns has done It Jack." he said, tears of gratitude In his oyeB. "It's you as has done It It'll be the house that Jack built an nothln' else." Tho liouse was begun nnd during the months It wns building Jake went every dny to see It Often his friends' and rich visitors went with him and always he said, "Yes. sir, it's a fine un. but Wie credit's to Jack, ne's built It sir." and so all up and down the river the new home come to bo known, greatly to Jake's jov, as the "Houso that Jack built." But Jake was not satisfied with having hlB part ner's name attached to his home, ho wanted his dear face and tender eyes nud great sympathetic ears In It ,and so ho had a splendid head of the mule carved In stone nnd put up as a key stone to the fine nrched portal. Then 'he was content. When at hist tho house was dono Jake refused to take any one through It until after his partner had seen it He made a great feto on the lawn nnd invited all Ids neighbors. Then In the prosenco of them nil he led Jack from his stable across the lawn up the steps Into the now house. From room to room wont the two old friends, Joke leading tho way and explaining lov ingly all the conveniences and lux uries which henceforth he aud his fam ily were to enjoy. He always declared that Jack understood and enjoyed it all and long nftcr he told how the mule rubbed his nose against the fine wood work and peered Into all the closets and kicked up his heels at the mirrors and cantered around the great drawing room nnd actually Iwunded up the broad staircase three steps at a time. "No one ever appreciated this houso like Jack." declared Jake. When the house was built Jack was already old for a mule. He wns 30, In fact, but happily he still had a long term of years boforo him. No prince ever received more homnge and lived In greater comfort than uid he In his last days. Jake himself cared for him; nnd Cantered Around the Iloom. the whole community petted hlra, and often visitors from far away came to look on his white hairs. At last, when he wis 40 years and 10 days old, Jack died. His death was tho one great sorrow of Jake's life. The man buried his old friend under a favorite treo, and often he went there to sit by his grave. Every visitor was taken out to seo the spot and to hear tho tale of Jack's honorable life. Philadelphia Inquirer. Pattl is singing again In London at tho old price. It Is about thno to ex pect her bore for nuothor farewell tour. TnLKl'HOM.NO IX THIS IIOCICIES. Hnrd Lnlior Hniulrcd In rinclne the Wire nnd Entnullnhltio- Commnnl. cation. Telephone construction in the Itocky Mountains is nttended with a great deal of hardship. The lino built from Leadvllle to Aspen several years ago Is a case In point. It took two months to cover the entire length, forty-eight miles. In ordlunry construction tho poles would bo set forty-two to the mile, but ntccrtnln points where sharp turns nre necessary, tho number some times Increased to seventy-five to tho mile. The members of the construc tion gang had to bo expert as axmen as well as linemen, for when timber was encountered a path of 200 feet on each sldo of the line hnd to bo cleared In order that wires might not' bo brok en when trees were blown over by tho terrific blasts which at times prevail In that region. A great deal of the comparative slowness of the installation was owing to the iunblllty of tho workmen to la bor in Buch a rarlfied atmosphere. At one point the wires were strung nt an elevation of 12,000 feet above the level of the sea. In such an altitude the linemen soon became completely tired; after he has climbed two or three poles he has to take a rest to recuper ate his energies. The preparation of the holes for pcles, which would have been tedious In similar ground even In an ordlnnry atmosphere, was an espe cially slow and fatiguing operation. It was often necessary to blast n hole for the polo by the use of giant powder, nnd nn ex-miner who hnd hnd nn ex tensive experience with explosives, wns nsslgned to the job. The digging of one pole hole would sometimes occupy him n w'jfle day, working honestly. Over 300 pouuds of powder were used on the line for thlB purpose. When tho continental divide was reached tho poles had to bo aban doned, nnd the wires placed In a cable, which was burled In a two-foot trench for a distance of 7.000 feet. Tho ad visability of abandoning aerial con struction nt this point wns demonstrat ed by tho experience of tho company that maintains the Lcndvllle and Den ver line. At ono point on that line, Mosquito Pass, tho poles were orlg Innlly set seventy feet npert As soon as the wires were covered with sleet they snapped, ard the lino wns use less. Double tho r umber of pole3 were then used, with the same result Tho Bpace between Hie poles was then re duced to twenty-five feet, but when the sleet enme tho line wns swept down flat Eventually nn underground ca ble was laid for two and a half miles, and there hns bsen no trouble since. Denver Field nid Farm. SMALL, GIRLS AHE 1'Ol'UIiAIt. "Dcnr, Yon're So Tnll," They Say, nnd the Man In Vain. The short girl has many advantages over the tnll one. She haB to go through life looking up and nothing Is so becoming to eyes as that Her lash es show more and so does her hair. There are curves of cheek, chin and throat that look their prettiest to a man who must look down to them. A small girl Is more easily held ard more easily kissed. It Is nicer to havo to lift her face up by the chin, nnd It Is more epicurean nud satisfactory to reach down to the upturned lips. It Is comfortable when you hold a girl on your knee to have her head Just come to your shoulder, Instead of hav ing to hang over surplus, as It were. Everything about a small girl Is llkely to be a provocation the unexpectedly tiny hand, tho distracting morsels of feet, the little head, the little nose. A small girl can bo fascinating event In a temper, ehe can be delicious when sho cries, she can be lovely when ehe pouts, and none of these moods 8lts well on a big woman. Then, too, the man in love Is Inclined to pet names, and he wants to call his girl "Blrdy," whether she weighs 200 or not; yet he is not insensible to tho appropriateness of the title when given to a real little flilng. A man likes to feel big, by compari son, at least A really large man does not object to seeming almost a giant besldo the girl of his heart, and It js almost necessary to the short man's vanity that he Bhall seem big to the little creature he Is going to marry. It Is. yery fetching to have one's girl say: "Please, dear, my neck gets so tired you're so tall." Don't you know what that means? Well, get a bit of a girl ajid you will (iud out. On tho whole, tho small girl has the best of It. Kansas City Star. THEIR LUCK AVAS 11AD. So They Threw Awny the Iluuhlt'a Foot nnd diluent; Coin. Two men were talking about luck at the corner of Baltimore nnd South streets recently. Neither of them had. liad a recent visitation of Dame For tune, and In consequence both were loud In their denunciations of that fickle lady. "I haven't had a good thing for three years," said one of them In a tone of deep disgust. "I hnve tried my best to overcome the hoodoo, but somehow I can't do It. I've tried every sort of mascot, but I can't get out of the rut. For two ywirs I hnvo carried a rabbit's foot but it seeniB to have come from a Jonah Babbit and not one of the regu lar kind. Darn this luck, anyhow." The other man sympathized deeply, nud told his own troubles In the same disgruntled style. He, too, had a mas cot In the shaio of a Chinese coin. "They nre all a snare and a delu sion," he said, aud his face looked more woelwgone than ever. "Darn this luck, anyhow." "Mascots are not what they are cracked up to be," assented the other. "I'm almost tempted to believe In Jonahs as the liarbliigers of good for tune. I'm going to get rid of this rah bit's foot at any rate." "I am right with you," said the other. "Darn this luck, anyhow." Tho rabbit's foot nud tho coin ap peared from their iwckets, and with a more hopeful maimer than they had yet shown the two elmrnis were tossed together In tho middle of tho streets near tho tracks of tho city passenger railway. Then the two "hoodooed" men went down tho street nrm In arm. "Darn this luck, anyhow." was the last thing heard as they disappeared In a doorway. Baltimore Sun. Vk ". r
