JBEFOSE A
Slmmerman Xricltery Case IHaciated In
the Ncbrastta Supreme Court.
, , Lincoln ( Neb. ) special to tho Omaha
Herald : Thestate supreme court room was
ir crowded this morning * witli attorneys and
others , drawn there by the expectation that
the attorney-general would bring before the
court the matter of the escape of Simmer-
man , and make a notion that his attor
ney , Ii. 0. Burr , be disbarred. The attor
/ ney-general filed an information setting
forth the facts in the case , and charging
Burr with making falso representations to
the United States commissioner as to his
I power in the premises , and thus inducing
iiim to release Simmerman.
* Chief Justice Cobb expressed some doubt
- as to whether tho action of the attorney
was in contempt of the supreme court and
Its processes and privileges , as the action
was before the United States commissioner.
Upon consulting briefly with the other mem-
fcers of the court , however , he stated that
5t was their opinion that the case was one
' on which the court could act and that he
had no serious objections to acting
upon it , being only desirous that such
proceedings should b * taken with
duo care. He said that an order
would issue from the court to Mr. Burr for
his attendance at 9 o'clock to-morrow
anorning to answer to the charges. Burr
afterward secured a postponement of the
-case until Tuesday morning , as he would
be compelled to be absent from the city to-
Tnorrow. This being tho only business bo-
lore the court , it adjourned until Tuesday
morning.
The following telegram was sent by Gov.
Dowes to Attorney Gen. Garland to-day :
LINCOLN , Neb. , September 30. A. H. Gar
land , Attorney General , U. S. , Washington ,
D. C. Sir : Matthias Simmerman , under
sentence of death for murder , case now
pending on writ of error in United States
supreme court , has been released on bail by
tho United States commissioner at Kear
ney , Neb. Believing this to have been done
without authority of law , I would respect-
iully request that immediate instructions
bo issued from your department to the
United States officials in this and other
states and territories , for tho apprehension
4ind return of said Simmerman to ourstato
-authorities. Respectfully ,
JAMES W. DAWES ,
Governor of Nebraska.
PERSONAL AND
Miss Cleveland can converse fluently in
several languages.
Mrs. Grant receives an enormous number
of letters daily from all parts of the coun
try.
V Secretary Lamnr is just three score years
old. He looks as though.he might see two
ficore more.
Mr. Hopkins , the new minister to Liberia ,
was once a hotel porter in Pittsburg. Ho
must be wealthy.
t
A Boston woman has a "poet's rug'
made of patchwork cut from the old clothes
of well knownpoets. '
Governor St. John recently visited Presi
dent Cleveland. He considers the white
house water capital.
Princess Beatrice , who is very pious , had
J " several scripture texts embroidered in tho
linen of her bridal trousseau.
A woman baker at Macon , Ga. , adver
tises that she will deliver herBoston baked
beans to any part of the city on Sunday
morning.
Oliver Wendell Holmes' house is painted
abright yellow. A Kentucky editor thinks
It is singular that so distinguished a poet
as Oliver does not paint his house red.
Senator Palmer , of Michigan , has shipped
from his old homestead at Ashford , Conn. ,
where he was born , a large assortment of
old household relics , etc. , for the furnishing
of a log cabin erected onhisDetroitgrounds.
e-
Mrs. Ella Wheeler Wilcox : writes to a
Toledo friend that she has completed a
romance upon which she has been.engaged
for the past two years and in which she
has something to say about the freedom of
the press.
JTACK. FROST EUCDIERED TTJTS TIME.
Ttie Result Being that the Country is Blessed
With the Largest Crop of Corn Ever Pro
duced.
Chicago dispatch : The corn crop of the
United States having passed the critical
stage , and whatever of danger that men
aced the cereal from frosts being now ended
owing to the maturity of the grain , reports
from 1,400 correspondents , give the area
and probable yield in every county in tho
leading corn producing states , and com
piled from these a close estimate of the ap
proximate yield of the crop of 1885. These
estimates have been based on comparisons
frith the yield of 1884 , taking the figures of
agriculttual bureau at Washington for the
.yield of last year. Reports of correspond
ents include not only the approximate ac
tual acreage , but also the percentage of con
dition as compared to last year , and the
percentage of increase or decease in acre
age.
age.This was done to approximate as closely
as possible the actual output , the correct
ness of which method was demonstrated
very fully in the estimate of the wheatcrop
June 1 by this bureau , and towhich fig
ures all recognized statisticians , including
the government bureau , have gradually ap
proached. In Indiana , Illinois and Kan
sas the ground plowed up owing to the
ruination of the winter wheat crop , and
-devoted to corn , is closely computed. In
-comparison by states returns show that
Indiana , Iowa , Minnesota and Missouri
have a slight increase in acreage over 1884 ,
-and Wisconsin is the only state showing a
decrease , but both Wisconsin and Minne
sota show a decrease in condition , and
Missouri also shows a slight decrease.
Other states all reveal an improvement ,
.and in Ohio , Illinois and Indiana the im-
.provement is marked.
This results in the following comparison
- = by states of the probable yield in the few
states named :
1884. 1885.
Bushels. Bushels.
Ohio 82,393,000 131,500,000
Indiana 104.757,000 125,702,000
Illinois 244,544,000 294,230,000
Jowa 252,600,000 296,805,000
iMissouri. . . . 197,850,000 189,360,000
3vansas 168,500,000 188,720,000
Nebraska. . 122,100,000 137.302,000
Minnesota. 23,630,000 21,148,000
"Wisconsin. 26,200,000 21,209,000
ifichigan. . . 26,022,000 30,185,000
Totals..l,251,506,000 1,436,236.000
The excess over last year 184.640,000
on the basis that the states and territo-
-ries outside of the ten named will produce
-as much corn as they did last year , or
643,400,000 bushels , and this would seem
to be assured from a study of the reporto.
It will give a total crop of 1,979,636,000
bushels , from which total it is safe to esti
mate that the yield will not vary in any
-appreciable degree either Tray ,
AJTIXPOBXAITX QUESTION SETTLED.
Being Sendered Zry AMittant Secretary JenJt *
of the Interior Department ,
Assistant Secretary Jenks , of the interior
department , says a Washington dispatch ,
has decided that Edna Rose Ward , the
little daughter of Fred Ward , who was
killed by a mob at Devil's Lake , April 22 ,
1885 , is entitled to the quarter section of
land for which her father lost his life. The
decision vindicates the Ward brothers in
their right to this claim , and is important
as a precedent in similar land cases. By
this decision it is established that an alien
who has not declared his intention of be-
coming a citizen acquires no rights by set
tling on public lands ; the wrongful removal
of a settler's house by an adverse claimant
does not affect his rights , and the guardian
of a minor heir of a deceased pre-emptor
can file a declaratory statement and com-
plete the claim. It will be remembered that
John Bell , who was not a citizen of tho
United States , settled on the claim in ques
tion. The township plat was filed Septem
ber 29,1883. Bell filed on the claim that
day. alleging settlement July 1,1882. E.
P. Ward , the guardian of Fred Ward's child ,
filed a pre-emption declaratory statement
December21 , alleging the settlement Febru
ary 21,1883 , nearly eight months later than
Bell. The testimony showed Bell was on
the land in June , 1882 , and built a seed-
house. In February , 1883 , he built a
frame house , and he had broken five acres
of land at this time. Fred Ward put a
shanty on the claim February 21 , and in
two hours a mob of twenty men removed
it. April 7 , Bell filed a declaration of his
intention to become a citizen. April 22 ,
Ward put another house in place. That
night he and his brother were shot and
killed. The decision of the department is
that while Bell was still an alien , "
placed his house on the land. His ai
was not a forcible intrusion upon the
Bell at that time was disqualified fro :
quiringlonds , Ward initiated a valid si
ment. The removal of the house coul <
destroy his claim. The land was
veyed and uninclosed. The law was
to protect Bell's rights , and there seei
bo no excuse for the violence which ci
tho death of the Ward brothers. A c ;
examination of the testimony fails to
that Ward did not make his settlem'
good faith , and the peculiar circumst !
attending the removal of his first shi
taken in connection with the facts ! sur
rounding his death , would seem to furnish
sufficient excuse for his absence from the
land in the interim. The land is now ol
considerable value , and will prove a fortune
for tho little child whose rights have now
been established beyond appeal. It was
understood at the time that Bell was act
ing for a syndicate of speculators.
A. COttAPSE OF BRICK TTALLS.
No Zives iMst , but a Large Amount of Prop
erty Destroyed. ,
At 1 o'clock on the morning of Sept. 30th ,
a large four story building In the rear of 193
Clark street , Chicago , suddenly began crack-
Ing and breaking like a ship in a heavy sea.
Half an hour after the posts began sinking
through the floor. The men working in a
bread bakery in the basement fled for their
lives. A moment after the floors gradually
sank down until the basement was filled. An
alarm of fire was turned in. While the alley
was crowded with policemen and firemen
were looking for the fire , the walls suddenly
fell in with a terrible crash. The policemen ,
firemen and reporters rushed pell mell into
the street. When the firemen with lanterns
went hack they found that the west and
north walls had fallen. The bricks fell in
and had they fallen out loss of life would
undoubtedly have occurred. The two other
sides of the huildins yet stand propped up by
adjoining buildings. The floors have all caved
in. Tne loss is estimated at about § 0.030 ,
as the building was very valuable , there being
§ 10,000 worth of desicated eggs alone in one
part. The second floor was st' red with flour.
On the third floor was a lanrc machine shop ,
with a valuable plant , and the fourth floor
was devoted to the manufacture of printing
rollers. Just before the walls fell in all the
gas went out in the building and the men
were compelled to grope their way out in the
dark. Panic stricken , they took refuge un-
der the basement in front The eradual
caving in of the building was first noted by a
boy in the engineer's room. He called the
attention of the engineer to the fact , but the
fireman told him he was crazy and recom
mended that he see a doctor in the morning.
The men outside in the alle > heard the crack-
inz some time before the crash , but did not
suspect that they were standing near a ver
itable Budenseik structure. The building
was supported entirely by wooden girders and
joists , and the collapse was caused by the
timbers dry-rotting where the girders rested
on the joists. The present owners took the
building after It had been pronounced safe
by the architect. It will be torn down. It
was ascertained that no one was injured by
the collapse.
FAVOR ROTATION IN OFJFK.E.
T7ie Greenbachers of Massachusetts Meet and
Declare *
Thirty delegates were present at the open-
Ing of the Massachusetts state convention
of the national greenback party in Boston.
The platform adopted announces adher
ence to the principles set forth at the na
tional party convention at Indianapolis ,
declares all action transferring power for
the coinage and issue of money to persons
or corporations should be revoked ; that
the withdrawal of legal tenders of small de
nominations is a vicious attempt to annoy
the people and disturb
business and is a
violation of law ; favers frequent elections
and rotation in office , and condemns the
attempt to create an aristocracy of office
holders under the pretence of civil service
reform , condemns also the unnecessary
long sessions of legislatures , and seta forth
that legislation for the better protection of
wngeworkers is demanded. Universal suf
frage is favored with a removal of all bar
riers which limit in any degree the right of
suffrage , and the re-enactment of the secret
ballot law is demanded. A full state ticket
was nominated by acclamation. James
Bumner , of Milton , is the nominee for gov
ernor
Great Destruction J > y Prairie Fire.
Travers ( Dak. ) dispatch : The most de
structive prairie fire ever witnessed in this
community occurred yesterday. A man
named Minden , living in Lake township ,
set fire to some straw while a strong south
wind was blowing at the rate of sixty
miles an hour. Instantly the flames were
beyond his control , traveling northward
with frightful strides. The flames con
sumed everything within their reach , in
cluding houses , barns , hay , grain and farm
machinery. It is estimated that a thou
sand tons of hay were destroyed. Follow
ing are the principal and heaviest losers ,
with the loss of each : August Brenning ,
house , barn , hay and five stacks of wheat-
William Crane , five stacks of wheat : Eobert
Handrick , four stacks of wheat , dwelling
house and contents ; John Buckless , twelve
stacks of wheat , barn , binder , plows and
harrows ; A. L. Hanson , granery and 500
bushels of oats ; A. D. Carey , dwelling house
and contenta.
XBE CLERKS WILL NOT GO ,
for the Chief Executive Orders that They
JSe Not Dlftutbtd.
Washington special : Some ago Gen.
Rosecrans , register of the treasury , called
lor the resignation of several ol the chiefs
of division in his office , because they dif
fered with him regarding the efficiency ol
some so-called reform he was introducing
into the office. They "were all clerks of long
experience and efficiency , and beh'evingthat
it was their duty to protest against some
innovation which Gen. Rosecrans , who
knows nothing whatever of book-keeping ,
saw fit to introduce , but it appears that
the president has overruled the general"
this respect , and has given him to
stand that in a bureau like that of t
later it is not safe to make radical c
from old systems. Gen. Rosecrans'
in this matter excited considerabl
meiit at the time , but as the days w
jWi was observed that the gentleme :
were requested to step down and o
Wipf red regularly at their accusl
places , and it became a matter of sp
lion when the resignations were to g <
effect. During the past week a Penm
nia congressman who had a Candida
01oc of thepositions when a vacancys
occur , called upon Secretary Mannin
asked to have his candidate given the' '
tion. The secretary informed him
tlte president had considered that th
ignations of the five chiefs bad not
requested upon sufficientgrounds , andj
foA the present they must not bedistui
foo there were no indications of a vac :
occurring < soon in the register's office the
congressman recommended his candidate
for amother position.
has
west
bid should be accepted. Requirements in
regard to advertising , gives notice to bid
ders of time and place of opening the bids
and permitting them to be present. This
makes it apparent that it was the inten
tion of congress to require , as a rule , the
acceptance of the lowest bid.
In any other view this legislation is use
less. There may , however , be circum
stances which would justify a departure
from this rule. Such circumstances , how
ever , should be considered , and if they are
shown to be material and that by reason
of their existence it is for the best interests
of the United States to accept the bid which
is not the lowest , such coursemay be taken.
"These circumstances should be such as
to effect the economy and best interests of
the service only , and not that of individ
uals. Proof of tbp insolvency of bidders ,
or other inability to carry out the contract
would be good grounds to reject the lowest
bid , but were the allegations of such inabil
ity without proof to sustain them they
would not warrant a departure from the
general rule.
"For these reasons I advise the secretary
to adhere to the rule which was evidently
intended to be applied by congress in such
cases as furnishing the best protection to
the public interests. "
THE SEAT OF
Ttfiscellaneow Matters of Interest at tTie So *
tlonal Capital.
SECRETARY ENDICOTT was the only ab-
lentee from the cabinet meeting on the 1st.
Among the questions considered at the
meeting were the proposed reorganization
of the civil service commission and the va-
cancy in the office of superintendent of the
coast and geodetic survey.
THE public debt statement issued on the
1st shows a decrease of the debt during the
month of § 12,857,805 , and cash in the
treasury available for a reduction of the
debt as $120,927,074. The payments on
accountof ; interestdueon bonds amounted
to about $7,500,000. This reduces tha
decrease of the debb to about $5,250,000.
SERVICE COMMISSIONER GREGORY
has not yet heard from the president as to
what action will betaken upon his resigna
tion. Commissioner Thoman is in San
Francisco , where he is holding civil service
examinations under the direction of the
commission.
SERVICES in memory of Gen. Grant wer
held in Washington under the auspices ol
the local commander of the Grand Army
of the Republic in the Metropolitan church ,
at which Gen. Grant was a regular attend
ant during his presidential terms. The
auditorium is one of the largest in the city ,
and was crowded. The funeral chimes wera
rung from 7 to 8 o'clock , and followed by
an organ voluntary by Dr. J. W. Bischoff.
A notable feature of the services was tha
chanting and singing of war songs by iba
St. Cecelia Ladies' quartette.
They Couldn't Make Him Speak.
They had a dime-supper in the neigh f
borhood of Pawtucket , conceived and e
carried ont by the ladies. The condi et
tions of this novel supper were these : t
For every word spoken by the gentle t
men at the supper-table a forfeit of 10 a
cents was imposed ; but , on the other at
hand ( as duties are always compensated aii
with rights and restrictions with privil ii
eges ) , it was agreed that whoever iiii iiI
could weather the whole supper , sub ii
mitting to all queries , surprises , and iia
ingenious questions without replying , iiv
iiI
should be entitled to it gratuitously. d
Many and frequert were the artifices
and subterfuges resorted to by the I
ladies in attendance to intrap the un
guarded , and one after another stout
and discreet men went down before tha
constant volley of artful interrogations.
At last all fell out and paid the dime
penalty save one individual a queer
chap vhom nobody seemed to low
He attended strictly to business ,
passed unheeded the jokes , gibes ,
challenges. They quizzed him , bnf
in vain. He wrestled with turkey
grappled with the goose. He bi
out the cranberry-sauce with an
swerving hand , and he ate celer
the scriptural vegetarian ate grass ;
finally , when he had finished
fifth piece of pie , he whipped 01
pocket-slate and wrote on it in a It
and legible hand , "I am deaf an !
dumb. " Providence Journal *
At the department of state It Is said there
have been more applications filed for appoint
ments to the diplomatic service from Indiana
tban any other state ol Its population In the
union.
Beii toil's
Tom tho Youth's Companion.
Fifty years ago strangers , on enter-
ng the United States senate chamber ,
iskedthat Clay , Webster , Calhounand
Benton might be pointed out to them *
They were the four leading statesmen
} f the day , and the personal appear-
ince of each one justified the gaze of
lis admiring partisans.
But neither of the first three , not ev.
jn Webster , was more striking in fig-
are , face , or head than Benton. He
was conspicuous physically dressed
ve
public
address , he rarely said "fellow-citi
zens , " "no man since the days of Cic
ero has been abused as has Benton.
What Cicero was to Catiline , the
Roman conspirator , Benton has been
to John Caldwell Calhoun , the South
Carolina nullifier. Cicero fulminating
his philippics against Catiline in the
Roman forum ; Benton deuouncin *
John Caldwell Calhoun onthe floor of
the American senate. Cicero against
Catiline ; Benton against Calhoun. "
"Colonel , I believe you have madean
impression on these people , " said a
friend to him , after he had ended his
speech.
"Always the case , sir , " replied the
Egotistical but sincere man ; "always
the case , sir. No one opposes Benton
but a few black-jack prairie lawyers ;
fellows who aspire to the ambition of
cheating some honest farmer out of a
heifer in a suit before a justice of the
peace , sir ; these are the only oppo
nents of Benton. Benton and the peo
ple , Benton and democracy are one
and the same , sir synonomous term ,
BU : , synonomous terms , sir.
Two of Benton's active political op
ponents were Jones a state senator and
Birch , a judge of the supreme court.
They followed him in his canvassing ,
and replied to his speeches.
"Citizens , " said the amazed states
man , "I have been dogged all over
this state by such men as Claude
Jones and Jim Ilirch. Pericles was
once so dogged. He called a servant ,
made him light a lamp , and show the
man who had dogged him the way
home.
"But it could not be expected of me ,
Ditizens , that I should ask any ser
vant of mine , either white or black , or
any free negro , to perform an office of
such humiliating degradation as gal
lant home such men as Claude Jones
and Jim Birch , and that with a lamp ,
jftizens , that passers-by might see
what kind of company my servants
kept. "
A Very Tong-li Story.
From the San Francisco Post.
A very tough story which is vouched
; or , after a fashion , is going the rounds
1Ca
and : given for what it is worth. It is
related that Mr. S M was sitting in
his : back yard talking to some friends
when his attention was called to alien
ivith a brood of young chickens and a
large rat that had emerged from its
Isy and was quietly regarding the
young chickens with the prospect of a
meal in view. As the rat came from
nis hole the house cat awoke from her
afternoon nap and caught sight of the
rat. Crouching low she awaited devel-
opements , and stood prepared to
spring ] on his ratship. At the appear
ance of his ancient enemy , the cat , a
Scotch terrier , which had been sunning
itself in the wood-shed , pricked up its
ea s and quietly made for the place
where the cat stood. At this moment
a boy came upon the scene. The
chickens were not cognizant of being
watched by the rat , nor did the rat
see the cat , nor the feline the dog , who
BIA not noticed the coming of the boy.
A little chick wandered too nigh and
he was seized by the rat , whichVas in
turn pounced uponby the cat , and the
cat was caught in the mouth of the
dog. The rat would not cease his hold
on the chicken , and the cat , in spite of
the shaking she was getting from the
dog , did not let go the rat. It was fun
for the b : > y , and in high glee he watch
ed < the contest and the struggle of each
eo the victims. It seemed to him that
the : rat was about to escape after a
time : , and getting a stone , he hurled it
at the rodent. The aim was nosgood ,
and the stone struck the dog right be
tween the eyes. The terrier released
its grip on the cat and fell over dead.
It had breathed its last before the cat
in turn let go the rat and turned over
and died. The rat did not long sur
vive the enemy , and besidethe already
dead chicken he laid himself down and
pave up the ghost. The owner of the
dog was so angry at his death that it is
said to have come near making the
ptory complete by killing the boy that
killed the dog that shook the cat that
caught the rat that bit the chicken in
the yard on street.
ving
delivery at a special delivery of
fice. " Across the top of the tablet is
the legend , "Special postal delivery , "
and at the bottom the words , "Ten
cents , " separated by a small shield
bearing the numeral ' ' 10. "
> CARDSi
From tho Boston Conner.
The youth and maiden at alouo
U { > OM tJie pebbled stntml
Beside the sea. and in his own
Ha held her lily hand.
He gazed into her sapphire eyes
" 1 love you sweet , " ho said ; - \
The maiden answered him with sighs
And blushing hung her head.
He pressed the hand so soft and white ,
And kissed the dimpled rhin ,
And said , "If I played cards to-night
I know that I would win.
You ask me why , you shall bo told , "
Ho pressed the lingers white ;
"I know I'd win because I hold
A lovely hand to-night. "
GEAKDMOTHER'SSTOEY.
Written for the American Rural Home.
"Now don't talk to me about
snakes , " said dear grandmother
Brown , with as fine a contempt as so
sweet a voice and so kindly a face
could show It was hardly possible to
think of her as old , to believe that she
really began life with this wanning cen
tury , although there attached to her
the charm the dim half-light of the
"good old times" when our country
way very young ; the fascinating but
sturdy romance of life in the then
Western frontiers of New York State ,
of pioneer days in Michigan , of strug
gles and experiences that were exper
iences , in which wild beasts and In
dians , and all sorts of dangers and es
capes , commingled in delightful confu
sion.
"These little striped things no bigger
than your finger , ain't worth the name
of snakes , " grandmother continued.
"When I was young we had snakes that
were snakes addersblack snakes , rat
tle snakes and out in Michigan lots
more that I don't remember cow.
Did I ever have any adventures with
snakes ? Bless you , child , I should
think I did. You want me to tell
you one ? Well , I'll tell you one
that I thought of the minute you
came in and made such a fuss
just as though that young col
lege chap what did you say's his
name ? had saved your life by killing
a harmless little garter snake no
more'n two feet long ! What are you
so red in the face about ? Yes 'tis a
hot day. And it was just such a day
as this that I went down through the
clearin' to pick a basket of wild plums
to send to Aunt Mary. That was
when your grandfather I mean your
great-grandfather lived over on Can-
andaigua Lake. How old was I then ?
I was only a girl , going on 17 , but I
suppose you'd call it a young lady
now. And that makes me think of
your college chap again you'll find my
.Gather fan in the top bureau drawer ,
dear. lie isn't your college chap ?
Well , whatever you do , child , be hon
est with him and with yourself if you
mean 'Yes , ' say 'Yes , ' if you mean
'No , ' say 'No , ' but be mighty sure
you mean 'No , ' before you do say it.
You'll have heartaches enough , dear ,
without laying in a stock of 'em
that you don't have any call
to have. There was a good-
looking young fellow that _ lived
near neighbor to us near neighbor
for those days , although our nearest
neighbor was two long miles away
that used to hang around father's cab
in a good bit. I knew what brought
him there , and I guess the rest of the
folks did. I was a little vain in those
days , child , and considerln' that I was
the only girl that was comin' on to
womanhood in all that country for
ten miles around , I got my full share
of attention. That kinder turned my
head , as it has turned the heads of
better girls than I was , and so I was
a little uppish and carried my head
pretty high on my shoulders. This
young fellow that I told you about
he had said as .much as that he loved
me , but I hung back , although all the
time 1 wanted to own up. One day I
heard he had taken Martha Forbes
Bhe was his Uncle Jared's housekeeper
to meetin' at the cross-roads school-
house the Sunday before. She was old
enough to be his mother , and cross
eyed , and she stuttered at that ;
and it didn't make any difference that
in a little sniff , I had told _ him I
wouldn't go to meetin' with him .and
that he needn't come for me. Girls
will bo girls and that means they
will be unreasonable when they set
out. I was mad all through , and the
morel though of that Martha Forbes
in my place , the madder I got. That
night he came , but I sent him off in a
'jiffy. ' I wouldn't hear a word of ex
planation. I just told him to go , and
that I neverwanted to see him around
our farm again. He was high strung ,
too , but he looked more sad than an
gry as he clapped on his hat and went
out into the ni ht without a word.
He had a strong , three-mile-and-a-half
tramp through the woods and when
I remembered that the woods weren't
safe I wanted to call him back but I
didn't. I went to bed and had agood
cry and then lay awake till daylight
worrying aboufc'hhn. Ifc would have
served me right if the bears or the
wolves had got him , with nobody on
earth to blame but myself. "
With a hand over her eyes grand
mother stopped so long that it seemed
as though she had fallen asleep.
"But what about the snake , grand
mother ? " softly , so as not to awaken
her if she were'really asleep.
"That's just what we're comin' to
now , " brightly. "You think I've been
wandering away from the path , as
they say all us old women do but I
haven't , child. I've only been telling
this so you'll understand the rest of
it better. "
"Well , as I was saying , I went down
into the clearin' back of the cornfield
to pick a basket of wild plums. Fath
er had warned me to always keep a
Bharp look out for snakes , and he "
wanted me to take a stout stick with
me whenever I went. This time I was
so nervous like and sort of upset that
I forgot it. The plums were plenty , ji
but the bushes were so high that I h
could hardly find my way from one
to the other. I stepped UD on a mg
\o-Tit must have been two leet through
so as to get a good look around
and"see which way-to go next. I
"I was just going to step down when
Hooked to see where I should put my
foot. I think that that has been ,
characteristic of me all my life , child
I always look to seo where my ioot is
going tiefore I step. If I had put my
foot down then from where I stood , it ,
would have gone into the wide-open )
mouth of a rattlesnake that was
coiled up there in a ring as big as al
half-bushel basket. That's the way ;
they get when they are ready tq
strike" i
"But didn't it rattle tc give yoii
warning , grandmother ? "
"No , indeed , child. That's the way
they beg when they want tosneal : ouc
of a fight. " i
"I've heard that a rattlesnake is art
honorable sort of an enemy , grand-j
mother , and always gives a fair warn-j
ing. " ,
"It isn't so , child. That's like1 a
good many other things they tell
about snakes that ain't true. But }
that snake just lay there swingin'
its head back and forth , softly
like. All I could see was its pink7
ish red mouth , rising from that coil
of green and black and yellow. I
couldn't move it seemed as though ] ;
had always stood there and shouldj
always stav there lookin' at it. At
first I couldn't think. No , child , I
don't suppose the snake charmed me '
but my nerves were sort of unstrung
you know , to begin with , and I believa
I was just paralyzed with fright. Then
Isomehow pulled myself together lonj
enough to know I'd got to do some
thing , for the snake wouldn't wait
much longer. There was a rail anc !
brush fence back of me , ten ieet from
the log. The only thing I could think
of was to make a rush for the top of
that fence. Then my mouth flew open
and the awfulest yell came out of ifc
you ever heard. At the same instant
I made a rush , a jump and a scramble
and the next I knew I found myself on
the top of that fence yelling in a way
to stampede Indians. I was as much
scared at the sound of my own voice
as I was at the snake , but I
kept on. Somehow I felt that when
I jumped the snake had jumped too ,
and had missed me. I guess it was
the y ° ll that made him miss. I didn't
dare to look around , but kept on yell
ing. It was half a mile to the cabin ,
and I didn't have much hopes of mak
ing anybody hear , but I said to my
self that I would never get down till
somebody came father , or the hired
man , or one of the boys. Then Ihearc !
a crash in the underbrush the next
minute I had tumbled off into John's
arms and " '
"Why.thatwasgrandfather'sname ! "
"You musn't interrupt me child
and I only had time to say : 'Tha
snake , John ! ' and be had given me ai }
awful kiss on my lips , yanked a stakq
out of the fence and was ready to fighb
the whole world forme. I don't know
whether it was the kiss , or the danger
he was in , but I came to my senses
quick enough when he had _ his arm
around me , and somehow I didn't feel
as though anything could ever hurt
me again while I clung to him and
there never did , if he could help it. "
And Grandmother wiped a tear or
two from her eyes.
"What became of the snake , Grand
mother ! "
' " 'It was waiting for me on the other
side of the fence. John killed it it
was six foot long , lacking an inch ,
and as big around as your arm. It
had eleven rattles , and I remember
they tried the oil out of it. Eattle-
snake oil was a great remedy in those
days. "
"How did it happen that John was
there to save you , Grandmother , after
you had so uncermoniously sent him
off the night before ? "
"He had come back to tell me he
was going away and that I would
never be bothered with him anymore ,
as I had said I didn't want to be.
He heard me call. 'That's Fan1 !
said he to father. 'Where is she ? '
father laughed at him. "That am't the
voice of a human creature , ' said fath
er. 'That's Fan , and I know it , ' said
John , and he followed the noise till he
got to me. It wasn't hard to tell
where the noise came from. I was so
broken up by the shock that every
thing I looked at was green and black
and yellow , like the snake , and so
father sent me away to visit for a few
days. When I came back I had my
weddinggown with me that's the one
packed away in the cedar chest up
itairs , and if you'll look in that little
box in the small drawer of my bureau ,
tied up with black and white ribbon-
white for the wedding , and black foi
the funeral , dear you'll find that rat
tle with eleven rattles. "
Then , with a bright and beamint
smile that lit up the time-defying face :
"It was a snake that got Eve turned
out of the garden , dear , and it was a
snake that opened the Garden of Edec
tome. "
Our Native Arabs.
< 3f all the tyrannies which afflict the
world none is more powerful than the
unacknowledged dread of waiters al
hotels. Yet one need not plead pover
ty to escape it. It happened once tc
a'gentleman traveling alone that hi
took a single day's entertainment a1
a Boston hotel. He paid his bill h
the morning without remonstrant
though it was "rather steep. " Tin
fare had been good and he was prepar
ed for the charge. At the door , as hi
was about to emerge , stood four wait
ers. Onehad his portmanteau , anoth
er his wraps , another his umbrella and
a. fourth flourished his clothes broom
He gazed at them till they themselve !
were forced to laugh. "Look here.fel
lows , " he said , "if you think you're
to have a quarter apiece you are mis
taken. I shall only pay a dividend a
25 per cent. Here's one quarter
which you may share amoni : you. '
Without pretense of poverty , thistrav
eler claimed justice.
Nobody wishes to be thousbl
"mean. " But it makes some diiferenci
as to who it is that thinks. A reason
able gratuity for attention is nevei
amiss , and backsheesh is as useful
judiciously applied at the door of a
hotel as at the base of the pyramids
Still one needs to be sure of his Aral
before he applies it. Philadelphia
Ledger.
