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About Hemingford herald. (Hemingford, Box Butte County, Neb.) 1895-190? | View Entire Issue (July 29, 1898)
n . . ' i r-v. II '. ' V, t- Y IW 1 CONSOLATION. "When Molly came heme from the party tonight The party was out at nine There were traces of tears In hor bright blue eyes That looked mournfully up to mine. For Borne one had said, she whimpered to me, With her face on my shoulder hid, Borne one had said (there were Bobs In her voice) That they didn't like something she did. Bo I took my glfl up on my knee 1 am old and exceedingly wise And said: "My dear, now listen to me; Just listen and dry your eyes. "This world Is a difficult world, In deed, And people are hard to suit, And the man who plays on the violin Is a bore to the man with the flute. "And I myself have often thought How very much better 'twould be If every one of the folks that I know Would only agree with me. "But since they will not, the very best way To make this world look bright Is never to mind what people say, And do what you thing Is right." Walter Leaied. AT THE FOOT OF THE PASS PART I. "Come, dad, get up." "What's wrong?'" "Signal smokes down the valleys." "I'll be up In a mlnlt. Climb up and watch 'em." A girl or 18 had roused a man of 45 from sleep on his rude bed In a rough cabin at the foot of Middle pass In the Mogollon mountains of Arizona. A glance of the eye would have proved them father and daughter. The cabin was situated on a small plateau thirty feet above the trail and a steep, wind ing path led to other plateaus above. At sunrise the girl had stolen from her bed and climbed the highest elevation. Scarcely had she turned her eyes to the south when a puff of black smoke shot Into the aln miles away, and hung for a moment like a great black ball before It was dissipated by the morning breeze. " 'Pache signal smoke!' she whisper ed to herself, as she wheeled and be gan the descent to communicate the news to her father. Ten minutes later she was back on the upper plateau with her face to the couth. On her left hand was Sunrise valley, on her right Sunset valley; so father and daughter had named them The two valleys tan to the south for a distance of twelve miles and were then lost In the rolling plains. Neither was over half a mile wide, and between them, like a wall elected on a line, was a mountain ridge 700 feet high. At the upper north end of the two val leys merged Into one. and right there was the foot of Middle pass. They called It the font because, on the west ern side of the mountains, the pas began higher up. Prospectors, miners, and a few pack trains used Middle pass but only when necessity demanded It was a terribly rough way, full of gloom and peril, and those who tried the Jour ney once and lived to tell of It. utter ward took the North or South pass. Two years previous to the opening of our story, John Barnes had appeared on the scene alone, erected a cabin and prowled about for awhile, and then disappeared to return with his daugh ters, coming no one knew whence. Hun ters and prospectors thought hlni a queer man to thus expose himself and the girls to the danger of raiding In dians. The soldiers down at Forf Wheeler, ten miles away, had found him an agreeable man until they ven tured to ask him personal questions. He had lowered the curtain on his past life and would not raise It. The girl. Lottie. In her half-dress, with curly hair, red cheeks and flashing blue eyes, was a picture to keep men gaz ing; and. though born a chatter box. she knew where to draw the line. It thus came about that the pair were surrounded with mystery, and while a few argued that John Barnes had been driven from civilization for crimes against the law, the majority were In clined to look upon him as one who had been wronged and had given the world the go-by In consequence. The girl was no sooner In the upper plateau than he appeared below and called to her: "Well, gal; any more signals?" "Yes there they go again!" she ehouted. "There Is a puff there Is another. What does It mean?" "What's the color of the smoke?" a "Very dark." "That's 'Pache smoke, .stfre 'nun. One puff means that thar's sunthln' up at the fort. Two puffs, one right after the other, meane a force comln' out." "And now there goes three puffs," called the girl. "That means sojers comln' up the valley up the Sunset valley. Don't come down ylt." "Onp two three four!" counted the girl, after an Interval of three or four minutes. "What does four puffs mean, dad?" "It's for the Injuns to fall In behind the sojers and foller 'em along. Hell's broke loose, and we might as well git ready for the dance! See any sojers?" "Yes a couple on horseback, but they are a long way off yet." "Wall, come down. The sojers have n't seen the Injuns nor the signals, and they'll git yere all right." When the girl had Joined her father on the lower plateau he continued: "Some of the park train men told me ylsterday that Lame B'ar and his devlir. had come outer hldln' and was headed this way. If them was 'Pache signal-smokes then we've got forty of the wust devils on top of the alrth to flght." "The soldiers will help us," said the girl, us she shaded her eyes with her hand and looked down the valley. "They'd fight If they knowed how, but they don't. It'll Just aggravate the In juns to hear 'em fhootln'. Git out the guns und ammunition, whilst I baits the trap." The girl entered the cabin, took down two Winchesters and a pair of revol ver, and saw that they were loaded and In working order. The fixed am munition was fo weighty that It re quired all her strength to lift the bag upon the rude table. As she sorted them Into two piles, the father passed her with a twenty-two pound keg of powder under his arm. and descending the trail, he clambered up to a pla teau on the opposite side. The two pla teaus were of the same height, and only 200 fept stretched between them. Behind the west plateau, however, rose a ragged cliff eighty feet high, and the man worked his way from crack to crack until he was thirty feet above the level spot. There, In a great seam, he left hl3 keg of powder.one end fairly exposed to any one looking up from the plateau opposite, and on descend ing he rolled together a lot of loose rocks to make a breastwork. When he returned to the cabin he tr.rust n single barreled hunting rifle through an nperture, and squinted until he knew that he had the exact range of the keg. Then he made the gun fast In Its place and explained to the won dering girl: "That's what they call strategy. It's sure that the Injuns wilt drive us Into the cabin, and then they'll look for a spot whar they can keep a shootln' and be safe. They'll pee that place over thar and go for It, and when 1 get 'cm all In a henp I'll explode that keg and bury 'cm under a thousand tons of rocks. Better go up and look for more smokes. The girl took the path to the top of the mountain and remained there halt an hour. No more signals were seen, but when she descended she announced that two troopers were close at hand. Ten minutes later a Corporal and a pri vate rode up and dismounted, and as soon as the the corporal had climbed up to the cabin he said: "We got news yesterday that Lame Bear had come out of his den, and might Bhow up In the valleys. The colonel thought the fort would be the safest place for you the next week." "See any signs as ye come along this mornln?" asked Barnes. "Nary a one." "No signal smokeB?" "No." "And ye don't see any now?" "Of course not. What do you see?" John Barnes pointed along the ridge separating the two valleys and count ed: "One two three four five!" Each puff of smoke was distinct by Itself, but each followed the other closely. "What does It mean?" asked the cor poral. "Nuthln' much. It's Jest the 'Pache! signal that the game Is In the trap. We hev bin seein' signals ever since ye begun to saddle up at the fort. It hain't much wonder that with slch ' eyes as ye've got down thar them red devils can go about as they please. Reckon It would be a heap more sen Bible If 1 was to bilng all of ye up yere till this rumpus was over. What ye goln' to do?" The corporal had Btarted to descend the trail, but he halted to answer: , "I'll send Jim back to the fort tc give the news, and will follow as sooi as you can make ready." "If ye send your man ye'll only And his dead body. Them Injuns has di vided forces and ar' In both valleys now, and no man kin ride through 'em. It's been too late this half hour. We've got to make our fight right yere." "I might get through, dad!" It was the girl who spoke. She knew that she could ride as well as any trooper, and she felt that she would take chances that would turn a ten derfoot soldier back., If she got through she could give the news; if driven back they would be no worse off. "She'd go light, and that horse of mine Is a runner," mused the corporal as he looked the girl over. "But they'd never let her through!" whispered the father, as he reached for his daughter's hand. "I'll try It. anyhow," she said, and two minutes later, with the father pro testing and the soldiers admiring, she was lifted to the back of the soldier'9 horse. The saddle had not been re moved, but the stirrups had been short ened by Inches, and the girl headed straight down Sunset valley and gave the soldier's steed his head. "She'll never do It they'll turn her back!" shouted the father, as he maae his way to the higher elevation, fol lowed by the corporal. A mile was covered while they could have counted a hundred another mile at the same pace. Then a puff of smoke was seen to leap from behind a rock to the left and the horse swerved to the light. Two puffs from a mass of rock close to the middle edge of the valley, and the horse was pulled up. Then five or six naked forms were seen, ranged across the valley like a skirmish line, and the horse was pulled around and came galloping back. "I thought she'd do It," growled the corporal, as he slapped his thigh. "Hell's loose and thar's fun ahead!" replied Barnes, as he began to descend. "Do you know anythln' "bout 'Pachea?" "Not much. I have only been up here twq months." "But ye'll fight?" "Of course." "That's k'rect, but mebbe It won't do any goo"dl Them Is edvils to flght them 'Paches, and In this case they've got fifteen to one. We've got about an hour to git ready fur 'em. and I reckon It's time we was at work." "I couldn't get through, dad!" ex claimed the girl, as she came gallop ing up, and was assisted to dismount. "How many 'Paches did ye see?" he asked. In reply. "I counted fifteen." "Then they hev divided, and we ar' cut off from the fort. Ever hev a brush with the Injuns, corporal?" "No." "And yer man ar' a tenderfoot?" "We know how to fight!" said the corporal, as he drew himself up. "Oh. ye do! Wall, that's to be settled later on. Shootln' a dozen cartridges Into the air or agin a rock hain't fight ln' not very much! Mebbt ye've seen the shadder of death movln' up and down and around ye before, but I'm tellln' ye that ye ar' now lookln' right into the eyes of that same, and If ye cum out of this fuss alive ye'll hev sun. thin' to boast of all the rest of yer days. When a 'Pache sets out on the warpath he means to kill!" "That pass is open to us." "That'B what I was waltln' to hear ye say. D'ye Imagine that Lame B'ar don't know of this pass? Don't he know the lay of these valleys? Didn't he order a dozen of his reptiles to cross the mountain thar' last night an' git Into that pass at some pint whar all hell can't drive them out.' ur cose he did, and If we was to fall back we'd find 'em barricaded and ready fur us, and then the rest of the crowd would close in behind. Bight yere Is whar we've got to fight." "Then let's get ready for It," said the corporal. "We put ourselves under your orders," PART II. The horses were led Into the dark and rugged pass a distance of twenty rods and made secure, and while the two soldiers were doing this work whatever utensils about the cabin that would hold water were made to serve the purpose, and at the end of thirty min utes the little band was ready for at tack. Not an Indian had been seen except by the girl as she rode down the valley, and by and by the corporal was Inclined to look upon the affair as a false alarm and one that had lowered his dignity a bit. "You expect to see them 'Paches cum welkin right up to your carbines, eh?" sneered John Barnes, as his eyes roam ed up and down the valleys. "That's like a tenderfoot. It's about half a mile down whar' the valleys begin. Thar's Just twenty-four rocks and bsuhes between us and that pint, and behind every one of 'em Is a redskin ready fur a shot. Ye haven't seen 'em bekase they hev crawled along like sarplnts, but they nr" thar, Jest the same." "But why don't the fight begin?" "It'll cum fast 'nough without wish- In' fur It. Ha! Thar It goes-the signal smoke! That's Lame Bar slgnalln' t the party In the pass behind us, On warrior was left on top of the moun tain over thar to watch fur the slg mils. One two three four five. It'i the signal to close In, and half an houi from this ye'll hear bullets slngln Corporal, kin anybody at the fort read signal smokes?" "I don't think so," was the reply. "Nice lot o men to send up yere to flght Injuns! If they could read sig nals we could tell 'em of our fix, but as It Is we'll hev to go It alone. It's time we got under shelter, fur some of 'em must be nenr 'nuff to reach us, You've got carbines and we've got Win chesters, and thar's loopholes fur all of us. If they wasn't Apaches we might hev a show, but It's goln to be a clus shave agin a wipeout. We must shoot Blow, and shoot to kill. They'll hang on to us till help comes from the fort, and that won't be afore tomorrer afternoon." All entered the cabin and made the door secure, and while the two troop ers went to the loophole, the pioneer In. spected the wenpons laid out, and his voice wob full of emotion as he said to his daughter: "Gal, thar's still time fur ye to git out o' this. If ye git Inter the bresh ye kin work yer way to the top of the mountain and then circle around to the fort. Ten minutes from now It'll bo too lute." "It's too late now, dad!" she Bald as she kissed him. "Goln" to stay with me?" "Yes, dad. 1 have no one but you you no one but me. Of what use If I did get away and you were killed! Let 'em find us both alive or dead together. "God bless ye, gal God bless ye fur the only friend I hev on alrth!" whis pered the father as he embraced her; and then holding her nt arm's length he continued: ! "Ye saw me set that trap over thar this mornln. Them sojers will light but the 'Paches will win In the end. When thar's no longer any hope that gun must be fired. It'll likely be fur you to do It. And fur God's sake, gal, don' le'. 'hem devils git hold of ye nllve! Ktep one bullet to lire Into your own heart If wust comes to wust. D'ye hear that?" The sight of the Indians coming down the pass hnd stampeded the troopers' horses. They came galloping out of the ioom with frightened eyes and ears laid back, and stirrups Hy ing, and their iron hoofs made a ter- nuie uuuer us wiey uem ukuiiibi wic rocks. They ran straight down the val ley, headed for the fot, ard tnough not an Indian was to be seen, a score of war whoops echoed among the hills. "I told ye the reptiles war' In the pass," exclaimed John Barnes to the troopers, "and now we've got 'em on three sides of us. Be keerful how ye expose yerself, fer them 'Pache bullets will be red hot when they strike!" It was a bright sunshiny day, with little air stirring, and the notes of a gum bird which perched on the roof of the cabin sounded painfully loud In the stillness. The two troopers In the cabin had the muzzles of their carbines thrust through loopholes, and their eyes took in the pass at their feet as well as the bush bordered plain at their right. In the broad sunshine a rabbit hopped about I r.s search of food, though keeping clear of the clumps of bushes, nnd In the shadows of the pass they now and then seem ed to catch brief glimpses of darker shadows. The pair of vultures circling overhead at uch height that their gruesome cries were not heard below, looked down and noted the dusky fig ure lurking behind every bush and rock, and they narrowed their circles and stretched out their necks. For a long half hour the spot was as quiet as a city of the dead at midnight. Then the corporal's comrade withdrew his rifle, from the loophole and put his face to the opening. Fifteen seconds later he staggered backwards, threw up his nrma and felt full length on the floor, shot through the brain and dead before his ears drank in the re. port of the rifle that sent the bullet. Only one rifle cracked. There were no cheers. The shot came from the right. "No use!" growled the pioneer, as his daughter ran over-to the fallen man and lifted his head. "Durn a tender foot! Didn't he know that them 'Paches has Cut eyes like eagles? Let's see If they are on the other side, too." He moved -to one side and passed a white cloth before the loophole. Crack! went another rifle, an da bullet passed through the cloth and struck the op posite logs with an angry spat. That settled It; the Indians were In position to right and left, and their next move would be to reach the plateau and command the front. 'Here, dad what's the matter with the other soldier?" suddenly called the girl. The corporal had sunk down on the floor, dropped his face Into his hands and was shivering nnd moaning and sobbing. He was nn old soldier, but had put In his time in barracks Instead of the field. "He's kerflunked," replied the fath er. "However, I knowed he was a tenderfoot and didn't look fur any sand. Here you ain't you got any gizzard?" The corporal groveled on the floor and wept the harder. It might have been so with every soldier out -of a score. In the field he would have had comrades to his right and left officers to give orders time to work up his nerve. Here he was penned up, and the thud of the bullet as It struck hlH comrade sickened and weakened him. They left him huddled up against the logs to take their stations at the loop holes, and when the deep silence had been unbroken for a quarter of an hour the girl whispered v "Dad, they are workln at the rocks above!" "I hears 'em, gal!" replied the fath er, "but ef they pry that big rock loose It won't hit the cabin. The slope of the hill will take It to the left." Ten minutes later a rock weighing fifty tons came crashing down the slope, carrying small trees, bushes, dirt and smaller rocks befort It, and, clear ing the cabin by ten feet, It fell upon the trail below with thunderous Bound. At the first movement of the rocks the corporal had started up In terror and rushed over to the door, and, while father and daughter had their heads turned away, he dropped the bar and rushed -out. He dropped from the pla teau to the trail amidst the cloud of dust, and, heading to the south, he bounded away like a deer. He ran for thirty rods and then a rifle cracked and he bounded Into the air and fell dead on the grass. "A tenderfoot gone crazy!" growled Barnes, as he secured the door. "Both sojers dead, and we've got to go It alone. We've got to watch them cliffs over thar. I want Lame B'ar to git his hull crowd Into my trap, and the 1 way to entice It Is to flght 'em off. ' Take the other loophole, an fire at every llvln' thing ye see." Another half hour dragged away with silence reigning over all, and then the father and daughter fired almultane ously from their respective loopholes. Tlloy had caught sight of two warriors wonting ineir way uuwn iu wie jiu teau through a seam In the cliff. The bronzed bodies, shining with grease and perspiration, wormed themselves along with snakelike motion, taking idantngc of every Inch of cover, but hey finally reached n point where the) .ad to expose themselves. The glil Ired but missed. The father flred nnd jne of the warriors uttered his death ry nnd plunged downward nnd lay on the plateau In full 8lght shut through the heart. "I missed him, dad," said the girl, as she lifted her face from her rifle. "That'B all right, gal." replied the father ns he left his loophole to light his pipe and walk about, "Tho red devils will Btay right whar they are till darkness comes, nnd we'll see one more sunrise Jest one morel" "But can't we beat them oft?" Bhe Inquired. "No bIiow. Lame B'ar haB got at least fifty bucks with him, and the odds are too big. 1 kinder hoped tho sojers would come, but they are ten dcrfoots and won't chance It. Fifty to two will wipe us out." Had the wind been blowing an they talked they might have heard the sound of rifles nnd carbines. A troop had been sent out, but In the narrow Sunset valley n dozen Apachea wer) blocking the wny of fifty soldiers, Tho afternoon wnned and everything about the pass continued quiet. The blrdB enme and sang, the rabbits hopped about, and a tenderfoot would not havo believed that there wns an Indian In miles of the place. The sun was dip ping behind Pnnther mountain when John Bnrnes turned from a cautious BUivey of the valley to say: "I wish ye'd gone, gal I really wish It." "But I wouldn't leave you, dnd," wan her reply. That night down nt Fort Wheeler there was an "Indlnn scare," and tho garrison wob under arms all night. I'p at Middle pass not even the howl of n coyote broke the stillness. It was a night of cloudless sky and twinkling stars and silvery moon, and the mo notonous chirp of the cricket would have lulled n wounded man to rest. In the cabin on the plateuu father nnd daughter pat In the darkness and now and then nodded In Bleep. At midnight, had an eye been able to pierce tho shadows veiling the cfltT opposite, It would have seen thirty lithe but stnl wait warriors descending from above. Their moccaslned feet found foothold In the crevices nnd their strong llngem gilpped at every knob nnd projection. They moved like shadows and made no noise, and once down on the pla teau they crouched behind the rocks John Barnes had piled up for them, nnd exulted. He had neither seen, nor heard, but he knew they were there. Dragging their way like a wounded serpent, the hours passed on, and at last daylight came. "It's daylight, dnd," said the girl, as she laid a hand on Ills arm. "So It Is," he replied, ns he raised his face from his handB. "Gal, come and kiss me!" "But we may come out all right." "Not with 'Paches, gal not with 'Paches. It'll be a wipe-out afore tho sun Is half nn hour high. Thar' goes the fust gun! Put yer arms around my neck and kiss me ngin nnd fur the last time. They've opened on us now, and the bullets will go whizzing through like bees. I'm goln to spring the trap and ketch half of 'em, but thur'U be nutf left of 'em to" He threw up his arms nnd pitched forward, shot dead by a bullet which had entered the loophole. The girl flung herself down and kissed hlB face and lifted his head In her lap, and ns the bullets whizzed over he she rocked to and fro and walled: "Oh! dad! dad! dad! He was all I had, and now he's gone, nnd" She must spring the trap and she must see that there was a bullet ready for her heart. As she struggled up a leaden missile struck her in the side. She fell, but lifted herself and crawled toward the gun. As she put out her hands a bullet went through the palm. Sh,e reached with the other and pulled the trigger, and above the shouts of exultant Indians above the roar of a score of rifles clear and distinct to her dying ears came a thunderous crash and then the silence of death. When the soldiers came to the rescue that afternoon they saw how It had been. On the grass lay the dead body of the corporal, with a look of terror still showing on his face; In the cabin the corpses of father, daughter and private; under tons of fallen rock they knew not how many. The llvln'p had fled in affright, and never again would an Apache signal smoke be kin dled In the valley. MRS. JOSE MARTI. Mrs. Jose Marti, whose distinguished husband waB one of the first martyrs to the Cuban revolution, Is now living quietly In New York with the family of her cousin, Dr. Bazan, who Is one of the most prominent Cuban patriots In the American continguent. She came to New York from Havana Just after the death of General Marti, bringing her 19-year-old son, Jose Marti, jr., with her, hoping thus to divert his mind from the war for his country's freedom, ThlH was for "no lack of patriotism on her part, but be cause she believed that her son was too young to flght, and, motherlike, she could not bear to see her baby go to war, especially In the face of his father' tragic death In the same cause. Like many a similar ruse, It failed, and one day the boy came to her and said: "It'B no use, motherl I must go. I cannot shirk my duty any longer," and he went. He Is now with General Garcia In the Cuban army that did such gallant ser vice In the great flght at Santiago. He Is only 19 years of age, but has been promoted to the position of lieutenant and the management of a connan.and rides hlB father's own horse, which for tunately did not perish with his brave master. Mrs. Marti Is the daughter of Fran cisco de Zayas Bazan, a prominent law yer of Camaguay, Puerto Principle. Her marriage to Jose Marti was the result of a girlhood romance. Her sister had married a wealthy Mexican and Senor Ita Barzan had gone to Mexico to visit her. It was there that she met her fate In the shapeof the future Cuban general. He at that time was a poor scribbler, who earned his living by writ ing for the newspapers, but this made no difference to th wealthy senorltu, andIn spite of great family opposition she marled him. It will be remembered that, at the time of his death, she claimed his body In Havana, but this request from his bereaved widow waB refused by tho humane Spaniards. It was once customnry In France, when a guest remained too long, to serve a cold shoulder of mutton Instead of a hot roast. This was the origin of the phrase "to give the cold shoulder." Duke Adolf Fredrlch of Mecklenburg Schwerln, an uncle of the grand duke, who won an army steeplechase at Ber lin recently, Is the first prince of a reigning house to ride In a race In Ger. many. Flour, pressed Into bricks, Is In use In the army to facilitate transportation. PLAY TIME. The time for sklplng ropes Is here, The time for tops hn come; The bud In on the npplc bough, ( The blossom's on the plum. Along the lane and In the park The robin builds Itn nest, 'Twill soon be time for balls and kites And mnrblcR nnd the rest. Kite time, mnrble time, Skipping rope and ball; Fishing time, cycle time, Swimming time nnd nil. All that makes the year go round, Full of healthy fun; Skating time and coasting time, So the seasons run. The scholar shouting by the school Proclaims the Joy of spring; A flock of cyclers Bcurry piiBt Like birds upon the wing. I hear the humming of a top Upon the Btreotn below; ' That little girl ban Jumped the ropo A hundred times, I know. i Skipping rope and blossoming time, Time for spinning tops; All the year the fun Is here, Pleasure never stops. Time for fun and study, too; Time for work nnd play. Joys of Bprlng are on the wing, Summer's on the way. New York Herald. DRAMATIS PERSONAL A love drama has Just been enacted In which the three grand old men of Get many arc deeply concerned. They are Bismarck, the statesmnn; Schweninger, the physician, nnd Len bach, the painter. The young Emperor William Is also a personage In this drnma, for ho wob madly Infatuated with the woman who plays the principal role In It. Dr. Schweninger hna married the Bar oness Lola von Hornsteln. whom he had loved since she was a child. Ills pre vious marriage he regarded as a regret able and accidental obstacle to happi ness. BlBinnrck has given his blessing to his two old friends. Like them he disre gards' the court and the world, where he once played so great a part. "May you be happy, my children," he Is reported to huve tald. "Despise the world and It will respect you." These great Germans are curiously alike. All arc famed for the rdugh ness and even the brutality of their manners. Bismarck, above all other statesmen, represents physlcnl force In politics. He hns no respect for any I on but a strong man, preferably a. holdler. , For artiste and men of letters he i has always professed the most cheer- fur contempt. There Is, however, one artist whom he loves, and that Is Frunz von Lenbach. He has bo much strength In his character und In his art thut he compelH Bismarck's respect. Once Blsmnrck defplsed doctors. He was born with a magnificent constitu tion. He scoffed nt moderation In cntlng nnd drinking. Then, In old age, Indigestion laid him low and tortured him sorely, until, nt Inst, he cried for mercy. Dr. Schwen inger came to his rescue, stopped the guzzling and cured him. Bismarck had made cmnerors his tools, but In the doctor he met an absolute despot. He respected him. Thus the trio Bismarck, Schweninger and Lenbach came together. Their as sociation hns at length resulted In u strange, weird love drama. CHAPTER I THE GREAT ARTIST AND THE GREAT FLIRT. In the year 1896 Franz Lenbach. al ready the most successful painter of Germany, went to "Milan to make a por trait of the queen of Italy. Among this visitors to Milan that yeur were Countess Magdalena von Moitke and her mother. The Countess Magdalena, familiarly known as "Lena," was the most be witching little beauty that ever set the court of Berlin by the ears. From the uge of IS broken hearts hud ttrcwed her nath. She was a perfect type of Teutonic loveliness. She had golden hair, liquid blue eyes, peurly teeth and a fascinat ing miii He. She was a granddaughter of the great Moltke's brother. From childhood she was a favorite of Bismarck as well as of Moitke. Her family had the high est standing at court, but they were poor. The young Prince William, now the emperor, lost his head over her. He was not then the stern moralist he has since become. The whole court knew his adoration of the fair Lena. The prince was then newly mnrrled. His wife beenme Jealous und Infuriated. The Imperial family feared a scandal of too open a character. Lena's character was above reproach, except by those who consider flirting a crime, and from that standpoint she was, Indeed, a criminal. But the at tentions of princes are dangerous, nnd so for her own good and that of the Imperial house her mother carried her away to the Bcuth. At Milan she met Lenbach. The great painter begged to be permitted to trans fer her beautiful features to canvas. It would be a relaxation from the labor of painting queens. Lenbach found extraordinary artistic Inspiration In the maiden. He sketched her face again and again. One afternoon the Countess von Moitke, mother of Lena, entered the studio. Did she find Lenbach glued to his beloved canvas. Oh, no; he had found another occupation equally con genial to an artistic nature. His long arm he Is bIx feet and four Inches high encircled Lenu's waist, as they sat together in a large armchair, and he was telling her things not Intended for publication. When the mother Introduced herself the scene was as pretty n one as the artist had ever painted, but he unfor tunately was Incupable of calmly op. predating it. The mother thought that It wae time to settle her frolicsome duughter for life, Lenbach was rich, nnd although not of noble birth he enjoyed the favor of courts and princes. She requested un Interview with Len bach, nnd Informed him that he was bound as a gentleman to marry her daughter. He, with pleasant memories of Lena's waist, did not deny the ob ligation. It Is Bald that when the Emperor William heard of Lenbach's triumph he swore that he would have revenge by becoming a painter himself and teach ing all Germany how to paint. CHAPTER II. THE LENBACH'S ROYAL EXISTENCE IN MUNICH. Franz Lenbach and the Countess Le.nu von Moitke were married In Mu nich, where he hud formerly lived. As a matron the wus n brilliant succcbH. She was the great social lender In the charming old city. By birth she was noble and by marriage an artist, and so she became a link between the two classes. She was a splendid musician, the violin being her favorite Instrument. Beautiful, gen erous nnd sympathetic, ohe was adored by all. At her suggestion her husband built the most splendid house In Munich, h reproduction of a mediaeval German palace. From cellar to garret It was adorned with things of beauty. It was the palace of n prince of art. Lcnba.ch'B fame grew greater and greater Me hnd painted the old Em peror William, his son Frederick and his grandson William and nil the mag natefl of Germany. Blsmnrck sat to him ngnln and again. One of the finest portraits of Bls mnrck was mnde by Lenbach Just after he had been ousted from the chan cellorship by the young emperor. Tho aged statesman's aspect Is full of ma. Jeaty nnd sadness. He gazes Into tho past nnd his eyes Bay: "My glory hao departed." Lenbach found pecuniary necessities very urgent nnd report BnyB he rcBortcd to curious dodges to supply them. Once he prosecuted a Munich plcturo denier for rolling daubs with his nama attached. The dealer produced a third person who possessed a document whereby Lenbach agreed to Bell his signature for so much a picture. Ho lost his care. Lenbach'B bucccss In depleting tho fentureB of the great received Its cul minating reward when ho wns ennobled. The emperor authorized him to put "von" before his name. He Is now Franz von Lenbach Infltcnd of plain Franz Lenbach. Ho Is the only living nrtlBt who hnfl been honored In thin wny. His wife wiib largely Instrumen tal In securing the honor for him. Munich knew no more brilliant and perfectly matched couple than Frans von LcnbacliB was the Baroness Lola von Hornsteln. She wub as beautiful as Lenn, though In a less dazzling Cushion. Hera wus a grave, calm beauty. Lenbach hnd loved her In youth. In his pnsslon Cor Lena he had forgotten her. Then, In later yearn, they became great friends. She, too, was one of tho von Lenbach nnd bin wife. Life seemed a glorious harmony for them. But fato wan planning discord. Among tho Intlmnte friends of tho great painter's nmateur models. In 1892 Franz von Lenbach and his wife pnld a visit to Prince Bismarck at Frlcdrlchsruh. Dr. Schweninger, who hnd pulled the great statesman from the grave, wan one among tho other guests. It wan un Interesting party. Dr. Schweninger In a man who la forcible In nil things In medicine, In action, In conversation and In love. Prince Bismarck says of him: "He Ib the only mnn whose will Ifl as strong, or even stronger than! my own." Schweninger hn a room In each of Bismarck's houses, and goes and comes tin he plenseH. He receives a largo salary fiom the great man. He saw the beautiful Lena von Len bach nnd was Immediately enamored of her. In his characteristic way ho made love to her passlonutely. He cur ried her by storm. The society which gntheied at Prlnco Bismarck's houtu was notoriously a dnngeious one for women. Count Her bert Blsmnrck ran away with three ladles of rank before he submitted to the bonds of matrimony. Dr. Schwen inger's reputation was little better. Schweninger Ib a man of splendid physique. He Is six feet high, broad Hhouldeied, and bus the muscles of a blucksmlth, He brushes his light brown hair strnlght back from his forehead and hus a thick. Btubby beard. He wears gold-rlmmed Hpectncles, drinks heavily of beer and Rhine wine, nnd Ib altogether a line specimen of tho German. He has made himself famous by his denunciation of corsets for women and btlff hats for men, CHAPTER IV. A TRANSACTION Ifl WIVES COMPLETED. After the visit to Frledrlchsruh Franz von Lenbach did not fall to perceive a change In his wife. Strango to suy, It did not worry im much. Ot lute he hud found the society of tho Baroness von Hornsteln more nnd moro consolatory. Ihe Lenuuchs puld further visits to Prince Blsmnrck at his estates of Frled rlchsruh and Varzln. There Lena again met Schweninger. Their relations be came u scandal In aristocratic German society. In which the woman was a conspicuous figure. Dr. Schweninger ban neVl'f Been widely appreciated by fashionable so ciety. Only those who are IntcnselJ loyal to Bismarck tolerate the doctor. In 1893, when Blsmnrck made his fa mous visit to' the emperor nt Berlin, ho insisted on taking Schweninger, be cause he was essential to his health ond comfort. The empress, however, refused to receive the doctor on account tif his llulson with the painter's wife, It Is Interesting to -ecall here another bit of court hlsto.'y connecting: the emperor and von Lenbach. HI& majesty created no little sensation four years ago by overruling the hanging committee of the Berlin salon and giv ing a high place to i lady artist named: Wllma von Pnrlaghl. She was a puplL of Lenbach and a clever Imitator of his. It seems that the emperor's action wass due to his warm personal feeling foi the artist rather than to hla accurate. Judgment. Frnnz von Lenbach found the Bean-' dal annoying and his wife an encum brance. So he said to Schweninger: "You love my wife. I do not. I will get a divorce. In the meantime don't make any more scundal." Thus the two arrived at an amlcabla agreement, for which there ' are sev eral eminent precedents In German his tory. LlBtz agreed to transfer his wife to Richard Wugner. In order that he might be permitted to bring a divorce suit, Lenbach apos taslzed from the Roman Catholic church. In 1896 he obtained his divorce and in the same year he married Bar oness von Hornsteln. The divorced wife of Lenbach an nounced that she was going to marry Dr. Schweninger, but the unconven tional doctor seemed to tarry. A little more than a week ago, however, the world was surprised to hear that Dr. Schweninger and Lena von Moitke had made a trip to Heligoland, Germany's Grenta Green, and there been married. They went on to London for their honeymoon. Franz von Lenbach Is living as a prince of painters In Munich, happy with his second bride. Dr. Schwen inger will soon be back with his new bride to resume his old task of keep ing his great patient out of the grave. The favorite ilce of Marshal voa Mol'ke will aid him. The Belgian government has ordained that, In the interest of newsgathering, every newspnper In the country is en titled hereafter to a free pass over all the railways In the country. In time of war France can nut 370 ( out of every 1.000 of her populutlon In l IIC 1IC1UJ UCIIIIUI!- OIV, UIIU JIUBS1U ZIV. Ned Miss Sllmly's figure Is certainly not her fortune. Ted No; but her father's figure Is.