The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, July 06, 1888, Image 2

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    H
THEY TOOK HIM IN.
9
9 How Two Hardy Minora Dealt With
9 a LittloChap With Eyoglaesosand
M a Hard Hat.
9 Prom tho Donvor Kcpubllcnn.
"Wan' ter talk ter mo about mines ,
1 * h. " queried Uncle Billy Sampson to
9 a Republican reporter recently.
H The speaker was a tall , broadB
9 shouldered man of GO years of ago ,
M HU long , luxuriant beard had onco
M been a bright , sandy color , but was
B tiow liberally streaked with gray. His
M tface was bronzed and wrinkled , but
B lis form was erect and there was a
m clear , bright look in his eyes , which
M showed him to bo in perfect health
M and likely to resist the attacks of
B Father Time for many years more.
K His hands were large and brown and
fl In places calloused by work. His
H clothing was of the "hand-me-down"
H variety , and did not fit him very well ,
m but vanity was not one ot the old
m man's failings. He was not perfectly
H at ease in his now suit , however , and
B his actions indicated that he would
fl much prefer being attired in his old
fl suit of "ducking" with nis pants in
fl his boots.
fl He wore a blue shirt no amount
fl of persuasion could have induced him
• to put on a "biled" shirt and
fl smoked a pipe. Tho latter was I113
B dearest companion and his source of
H comfort in all troubles ; ho detested a
H | In the mountains ho was known to
K his intimate acquaintances as "Undo
Billy" few of them know his sur-
M name : to others he was known as
H "the old prospector. "
H | For years he had searched the
H mountains for precious metals ; ho
K had traced "float" for miles to dis-
H cover its source ; he had "panned"
m the placer grounds along a hundred
H mountain streams ; fortune seemed
H Against him , and the result of his la-
H bor had simply bsen enough to pro-
m vide him with food and clothes. He
fl had lived a life of exposure and pri-
H vation , far from civilization , and for
H many years had nothing to show as
H the fruit of his labor.
m About a year ago his luck changed
m and fortune favored him but we will
H let him tell his story in his own way.
m "A year ago last spring , " said
fl Uncle Billy , when ho had filled and
H lighted his pipe and settled himself
H comfortably in an armchair , "I was
H prospectin' in San Juan country. I
H had been over in ther Ten-Mile ther
H year before , but I didn't seem ter
H have no luck 't all , Old Jim Martin ,
H "who was down in the San Juan , writ
H me a letter to come down ther , as
H things were lookin' purty good.
flWell sit I went down thar , "
H continued Uncle Billy , alternating
H aoh word with a puff from his pipo ,
H "an' I went ud to ole Jim's claim. He
H called the claim the 'Mary Jane , ' art-
H er a eal back East he uster bo sweet
H on , but she married another feller , an'c
H that's one reason why ole Jim come
H 'cross the plains ; but he was alters
H kinder gone on the gal ever since. "
-"Did he have a good claim ? "
H _ _ ' "Kinder. He thought he had struck
" r\Vhat yer got , Jim ? ' sez I. "
H " 'I've got the lime and porphyry , '
H sez he ; , what more do I want ? ' sez
H - " 'Wa-al , sez I , ' kinder slow like ,
H "ceenis to me a little mineral would
help it along a bit , ' and then I laugh1
H ed at him , and purty soon Jim coms
H menced Iaughm ' . too.
9 " "That's so , ' sez Jim , 'but when yer
9 -sit the lime and porphyry you're sure
9 to get the mineral after a wjiile. '
9 "The next mornin' I took my pick
9 and struck out. I hadn't gone far be-
9 tore I picked up a piece of float rock ,
9 - -"Humph/ I , 'wonder whar that
B come from ; purty good-lookin * stuff. *
B "I looked right up ahead of me ,
B -whar thar was a sharp ledge of rocks.
Hi 'Thar's whar she comes from , 'sez I to
Bi inyselL ; ;
' "After selectins a location I started
bTi
: > Did you strike it ? "
B , : Xot " right away. I worked for
about three weeks without gettin'
anything : then a little streak of min-
eralcamein ; it wasn't a very big
B itreak , but ic looked rich. Jim was
B -working ' : on the Mary Jane , just below
B me. I hollered to him ; * Jim I've
B struck it ! "
B "Jim come up , got out his glasses
K and examined it. We've got it ,
I- pardsays he ; 'gray copper and na-
K tive silver. We've got a bonanzy ,
m sez Jim.
B * * I don't know what a bonanzy is ,
l Jim , 'sez I , 'but if it's anything good
j I hope vou're ruht. '
"We got a windlass and commenced
ork in dead earnest. * We sunk her
I forty feet and then got scared. '
| | "U hat scared you ? * '
! "Why , thedurned old thing com-
1 a enced to pinch out. 'Jim. ' sez I ,
I one mornin , ' * what do you think oE
I tfee Bonanzy now ? ' We had named
I the chum the Bonanzy.
I * * 'There's iust one thing to do ,
I says Jira ; 'sell out. ' "
I * -We commenced to blow about
J -what a bi ? mine we had , and t > urty
i soon we had the whole neighborhood'
J talkieabout it. Early in the spring
I a little chap with eyeglasses and a
I bard hat came into camp. He wore
I boots laced up in front and a cordu-
I ? roy suit. The boys spotted him for
I aWexpert. He said he was representt
] in' St. Louis moneyed men and was
J lookin' for a mine.
' 3 " 'BBlysez Jim to me one day
5 wken we was talkin' about the expert
I 'let's take him in. '
If - * 'How ? ' sez I.
i 'l et's sell him tho Bonanzy ; I
I don't think he knows a mine from a
post hole. '
"To make a Ions story short , " said
Uade Bitty , "we took him in , $20,000
m good , money. By George ! " exclaim-
[ d the old man.growing excited at the
[ awakened memory of the transaction
; * bet me and Jim felt good. "
"You did take him in.sure enough , "
said the reporter , unconsciously re-
joicSns at the old man's good luck.
Uncle Billy looked at the reporter
-with almost a savage look. His '
whole demeanor had changed in an 1
instant.
"I'H tell you the balance of the !
story about that mine and you can 1
who took in.
jud'-'e for yourself got '
That feller knew more in a minit than 1
Hie an' Tim both put together did in a
rear He went back East and got
three other fellers in with him-big I
Ther took that ole 40-foot hole , '
wit up a shaft house , put in machm-
IryaaKl tagan-pf men to work.
;
'
y suit an'eye-glosses was 6uperm-
:
* * *
tf r t f * * *
tendont. Purty soon thoy mado a
Btrike ; then thoy built a mill ; then
thoy declared a dividend. You couldn't
touch that mino now with $2,000 ,
000 ; no siroe.
"Jim and mo nevor talk about tho
olo Bonanzy now. Ono day I said to
f
him : 'Jim , I seo tho ole Bonanzy outf
put another dividend yesterday. ,
Ho looked at mo kinder sad like and
said . : 'Billy , mo and you are two
derned old fools ; let's go take some-
' ' "
thin' .
.
+ o >
Done in a Minute.
Clovolnnd Proas.
"Well , well , don't frot ; I'll bo thero
in * a minute. "
But , my friend , a minuto means a
good deal , notwithstanding you affect
to hold it of no consequence. Did
you ever stop to think what may
happen in a minute ? No. Well ,
while you aro murdering a minute for
youxsell and ono for me , before you
get ready to sit down to tho business
we have in hand , I will amuso you by
telling you some things that will hap
pen meantime.
In a minuto wo shall be whirled
around on the outside of tho earth by
its j diurnal motion a distance of 13
miles. At tho lamo time wo shall
havo gone along with the earth , in its
grand journey around tho sun , 1,080
miles. Pretty quick traveling you
say ? Why , that is slow work com-
pared with the rate of travel of that
ray of light which just now reflected
from that mirror made you wink. A
minuto ago that ray was 11,100,000
miles away.
In a minute , over all the world ,
about eighty new-born infants have
each reached a wall of protest at the
fates for thrusting existence upon
them , while as many more human be-
ings ; , weary with tho struggle of life ,
have opened their lips to utter their
last sign.
In a minute the lowest sound your
ear can catch has been mado by 990 1
vibrations , while the highest tone J !
reached you after making 2,228,000
vibrations.
In a minute an express train goes a
mile and a Cleveland street car 32
rods ; the fastest trotting horse , 147
9-13 rods , and an average pedestrian
of the genius homo has got over 10
rods.
In each minuto in the United States ,
night and day , all the year round ,
twenty-four barrels of beer have to
go down 12,090 throats , and 4,830
bushels of grain have come to bin.
If there were a box kept at the city
hall in the city of Cleveland into which
every minute a sum sufficient to pay
the interest on the city debt had to
be dropped , the sum so dropped each
minute ; of the whole year would be 87
cents.
How about national finances ? Well ,
sir , in the same way , each minute ,
nieht and day , by tho official reports
for the year 1880 , the United States
collected $039 and spent $401 ; $17S
more than necessary. The interest
on tho public debt was $90 a minute ,
or just exactly equal to tho amount
of silver mined in that time.
Now , in the residue of figures I give ,
you frill remember that they represent
so much for every minute in the year.
All the preceding figures should be so
considered. And remember , also , that
wo are all the time , hereafter , talking
about facts connected with tho whole
United States.
The telephone is used 59.5 timesthe
telegraph 190 times. Of tobacco , 925
pounds are raised , and part of it has
been used in making 0,073 cigars , and
some more of it has gone up in the
smoke of 2,292 cigarettes.
But I am afraid that you will forget
that we are talking about a minute ,
sixty seconds of time. No ? Weil ,
then , every minute GOO pounds of
wool grow in this country , and we
have j , to dig sixty-one tons of anthra
cite coal and 200 tons ot bituminous
coal , while of pig iron we turn out 12
tons and of steel rails three tons.
In this minute you have kept me
waiting fifteen kegs of nails have been
made , twelve bails of cotton from the
fields and thirty-six bushels of grain
gone into 149 gallons of spirits , while
$00 in gold should have been dug out
of the earth. In the same time the
United States * mint turned out gold
and silver coin to the value of $121 ,
and forty-two acres of the public do-
main have been sold or given away.
WITHIN" A3 * ACE.
A War Correspondent's Jfarrow Escapo from
Death.
"At tho capitulation of Paris tho
correspondents were eager to get into
that unlucky city and send a descrip-
tion to their papers , " writes Archibald
Forbes. "This was a somewhat dan-
gerous undertaking. The mornin ? aft
er the capitulation I secured a pass
through the German lines and walked
into j , the city all well. Words cannot
describe the condition of things. I
carried in my wallet five pounds of
ham which formed the first provisions
that were sent in. Imet some of my
colleagues there who had been shut
in during the siege. They were dining
on dog soup and horse steak , and
were eating a peculiar looking stuff ,
called bread , which was made chiefly
of sawdust and sand. The horse
steak was not bad. It had an odd
sweet taste with it , but ono has to be-
come accustomed to it to like
it. j Tho dog soup I did not
try. The difficulty then was to eet
the news to London. Telegraphing
was strictly prohibited in France , so
I rode hard for about 20 miles to a
railroad station that took the train
to Strasbourg ; from there I went to
Carlsbad and sent off my dispatches ,
I then returned to Paris , having ac-
complished a journey of 700 miles in
48 hours. On re-entering Paris , I met
several I of my colleagues , who _ chaffed
me considerably on their having been
in \ the capital first and sent off their
dispatches. I said nothing , but a few
days later they were very quiet when
they t saw the Daily News with the news
two j days ahead of their dispatches.
After the capitulation followed tho
J awful days of the Commune , when , as
M. Labouchere put it , 'they shot you
j first and apolosized to your body
afterwards. ' " One rtay I had the mis-
fortune j to be set upon by an excited
mob who took me for a German spy.
I 1 fought as long as I could , but final-
ly j fell down. Theraffians then danced
a sort of a war dance around me , kick-
ing j my head as they passed. I was I
just becoming unconscious when a .
) body of police rescued mo and I was"1
locked , up. Next day I was taken be
fore a masistrate , and on showing him
my British passport I was released ,
fortunately j without any broken bones
On ( another occasoin I was taken pris-
oner and along with several others
stood against a wall to be shot. The
order had been given to present when
an officer recognized me and I was re
leased. , "
1
*
'
I HAND.
as Small as a Child's , as Soft as
Velvet , and Ownod by a Darling
Little Woman.
I am a sound slcepor. With a clear
conscience and a robust constitution ,
it is impossible for a man to toss
sleeplessly on his bed. But that
morning I awoke suddenly two hours
.
beforo my usual time , and felt so
wide awake that I thought it must
certainly be 7 o'clock at the latest.
I pulled aside tho curtains of my berth
and held my watch under the glime
mering light. . It was only 51 I shook
it , looked again at it and glanced up
and down the car. No one was stirh
ring ; not even the porter in sight. I
pulled . my head in again , shivered a
little , turned over and tried to go to
sleep , but tho pillows seemed out of
shape and I could not comfortably
arrange them. The covering would
not adjust itself to me , and after
trying to keep my eyes shut a few
minutes , at last gave it up and rolled
up the curtain.
The air outside looked keen and
snapping. The ground with its covers
ing of snow sparkle d as if some prodia
gal hand had scattered diamonds in
profusion everywhere. The moon was
low , but seemed to be lingering for
one last look on so beautilul a land
scape. Away ahead I could occasion-
ally catch glimpses of the engine as
she rounded the curves , covered with
clouds of smoke that fell back over
her , dusky form like a mantle of eider.
She held her nose over the glistening
path , with its two parallel lines run-
ning into infinity , like a hound on the
trail , while the light on her forehead
,
darted flashes like a meteor. On we
flew. The low rumble and swaying
motion- the car on its springs be-
tokened our speed.
I lay back on my pillow thanking
fortune ' that I was in corcfortable
quarters and not breathing the fro3ty
airs as the men on the engine. As
dawn appeared I pulled up the curn
tain at the foot of the berth , piled the
pillows under my head , making my
position a semi-reclining one , and
watched the effect of the bright
streaks of crimson which were now
shooting over the hills and making
the shadows in the valleys disappear.I
On entering the car the evening be-
fore , as far as I could notice , the
apartments were nearly all filled.
Seeing this , I gave my valise and coat
to the porter , entered the smoking
apartment and did not leave it until
late so late in fact that it was almost
impossible j to find my berth , owing to
the poor light and the uniformity of
the made-up berths.
I now noticed as I raised the lower
curtian , in the half light of morning
that filled my apartment , a white ob-
ject 3 at the upper inside corner of tho
berth , to which I at first gave no at-
tention , thinking , as I remember now ,
that it was the corner of the sheet
.
that covered the berth above me. At
.
one time I saw it move , but the movesi
ment was so unatural for an inani-
mate object that it gave me a slight
start. As the light increased I found
my attention was all the more keenly
riveted _ on this white object in the corcr
ner. I saw it move a second time and
by decrees it began to take shape. 1
now discovered that it was a hand ,
but whether a large or a small one , a
man's or a woman's , I could not disU1
cern. I was pleased at making the
one discovery a little more daylight
would tell me what kind of a band it
was and give me some idea of its own- -
er.
I found out as my vision became
plainer that it was small probably
a child's. Next , that it was too slenti
der , for a child's aud not large enough
for , a man's. A slight movement of
the . hand betrayed a beautiful soli-
taire ring encircling the third finger
my interest very perceptibly increas- f
ed. ' I thought I was too old to be in- |
terested in such things. When a man
looks ( over a stretch of thirty years ,
and can honestly confess that such
trivial things as to be interested seri c
ously in a woman's heart never tronw
bled him , he should not confess that
in the secondary consideration ho I
should be taken so completely unaw
wares by a woman's hand. I wished
my bed had been made up the other
way * , then I would be directly under
the little hand and could study it s
from a distance , to be sure , but more
minutely.
The light grew in volume , but not
fast enough to suit my impatience. I
watched the hand as it hung there ,
limp j ; and motionless , with increasing
interest. I was tearful overy moment
it ! might be withdrawn. I sat up in
my berth , but my view was not suffi
ciently compensated. I t03sed my
pillow to the other end of the berth
and changed my position. A closer "
view of the hand showed me also a
wee bit of well rounded wrist protrud
ing j from a black sleeve trimmed
with lace. The hand was a
beautiful "one , small * pearly
white , and looked as soft'as a baby's ,
The veins were marked only the faintn
est under the almost transparent
skin. The nails were beautiful , well
rounded , daintify kept and polished ,
My inqui3itiveness would not stop
where the hand left off. I was not
now satisfied with the closer inspec-
tion I had obtained , but wanted to
know j if the owner of the hand was as n
comely in person as the little sample
1 j had of her led me to believe was the
case. I argued that such a white s
skin must belong to a fair complex-
ioned lady ; a brunette's would bo t
creamy in color. I , of course , wonC
dered how old she was I couid not I
see a wrinkle she must be young , s
Was she married or sinzle ? I never v
gave much of an } ' attention to the ii
ring fashions.but I knew that a young ; li
lady was at least engaged if she wore ! c
a ring on her first finger. It gave me 1
pleasure to know the ring did not
betoken j a sweetheart. Had the ring ;
been j placed on the second finger she I t
must ' have been a maried lady , but i I
then , if married , where was the plain i t
band wedding ring ? It was wanting. 1
The , ring being on the third finger did t
not argue anything. I next tried to 1 \
recall all that I had ever heard in i \
: . I had the -
regard to palmistry. given 1
matter some little attentionyears bep
fore aud could only recalled thecardi-
nal signs. The hand was partially I
j closed ; this was against me , but by (
twisting my neck I found the hand L 1
was clearly marked with dainty lines , , t
which I could now see but indistinctly i
The line that is first considered is the f
\ine \ tunning around and encircling tho i
t
! base of the thumb , called tho vital
]
line ; , if I remember correctly. The lino
was so marked that it betokened a.
good constitution and a fair Ieaso of
life. ] j Its course was nearer the base of
tho ] thumb than is usual , showing her
to < bo of a warm , confiding nature ,
firm , but Hympatliotic. Some other
linos showed a lovo of independence ,
and sound judgment ; othersa coquete
ish , rougish nature ; others that she
was tender of other's feelings. This
much I found : That I was uncone
sciously taking as much interest in
the "tale of the hand" as if I expected
ray own hand to be crossed with a
silver piece when I had finished tho
examination. : A few markings in the
center ! of the hand I desired to see ,
that the half light in the apartment
did not reveal. I never knew how it
happened , but can only remember
that I was so earnest in my endeavor
to trace out those markings that I
forgot the hand belonged to any one
_ forgot where I was. or the situation ,
and turned the hand around to the
light.
I noticed that my story was not
much appreciated by my audience.
This _ was made very evident by an
occasional yawn from some of the
members . of the party , or from their
changing their positions occasionally.
j did not desire to bore them with a
story | that I myself thought insipid ,
and as I closed the last sentence said :
"I see you aro not interested and
we are all tired , let us postpone the
balance of the story until to-morrow
night. "
"No , no ; go on ! " said Madge. "It
is just beginning to get interesting.
What did she do when you caught
hold of her hand ? "
_ ,
The moment my hand came in
contact < with the hand from above I
realized my mistake. Tho hand was
suddenly withdrawn. An overwhelmn
ing sense of my folly came over me. I
would apologize , but how ? I could
not say it was an accident , because I
had taken hold of the hand delibsrr
ately. Had I merely touched it that
would have been another matter. I
did hope at that , moment a collision
would happen , that in the up0
roar I could drop out into
the snow unobserved. With a
feeling somewhat akin to criminal , I
dressed quickly , secured my valise
and : coat and placed them in a seat
not occupied further up the car , and
then went into the washroom. Not
until ' I reached it did I feel secure. I
plunged my burning face into the cold
water , which animated me a littl < \
As _ I gathered my scattered forces
while completing my morning toilet.
I smiled at my sudden trepidation ,
-f had not been seen ; why not go back
and ; from another seat see if the
owner of the hand was as comely as
I had pictured her ? There were
twenty other persons in the car ; how
could she distinguish me from the
other3 ' ?
I went back into the car and took
a . seat near my own berth and wait-
ed patiently for the occupant of upr
per "seven" to make her appearance.
After a lapse of time that seemed
hours ( , while in reality it may have
been ' twenty minutes , I saw
the porter approach the berth
with the ladder , and immediately
a girlish head protrudhd from the
curtains with a half-frightened expres-
sion on her face. What I expected
from | so beautiful a hand was more
than realized. The face was beautiful
" large , lustrous eyes , a beautiful com-
plexion , and a well-formed head
crowned with a luxuriant growth of
auburn ' hair. As the curtains parted
and she stood for an instant , not
quite ' determined which way to go , I
caught her full outline. She was medi-
um in size , graceful in every moves *
ment , and was clothed in a warm col-
ored fabric which heightened the color
j
of i her complexion. As she passed me
-f imagined I caught a little rougish
twinkle in her eye but that may have
been ( only my imagination. I waited
patiently . 1 for her return , but my sta-
tion , Hudson , was called ere she came
back ! and I reluctantly got off.
The beautiful little town nestled so
quietly under the lee of the great black
St. ' Croix'bathing its feet , is as beauti-
ju in winter as in summer months. As I
left the car and stepped into the cold ,
invigorating air , I could not but ad-
mire . the quiet tranquility that reign-
ed everywhere. The blue smoke w as
curling upward from a number of
white . cottage chimneys that betoken-
ed warmth , peace and plenty inside.
* dropped my valise at the depot and
walked aimlessly down the high grade
approach of the immense bridge. I
indulged in some aircastle building
that was the nearest approach to
sentimentausm that had occupied
my thoughts for many a day. The
long train , now rumbling along the
farther end of the bridge , and so far
distant that it resembled a toy train
of . cars , contained a face and form
that had awakened a new desire in
me. A little white cottage in some
quiet L place like this , a wife , and may-
hap a little toddler at my knee but
nonsense. I started back at a rapid
rate , breakfasted , finished my busi-
ness and took the next train for St.
Paul.
It was the time of the ice carnival.
Such a throng of people in outlandish
costumes. At night the city was gaily
illumined with myriads of electric
lights and its streets filled with noisy ,
rollicking , gaily dressed crowds. I
hurried through my business , which
kept me occupied for several days
and then , being alone and having no
personal acquaintances in the city ,
did as the rest did bought a blanket
suit , a tasseled cap and followed
the crowd. I was not willing to ad-
mit then , even to myself , why I staid ,
as I took no particular in-
terest in tobogganing , or freezing my-
self standing on the corners watching
the various carnival companies in
their parades. But you can guess it.
On the third day I was rewarded.
was coming down Third
street ; the sidewalk was filled
with pedestrians , while the street was
in a continual jingle of passing sleighs
loaded with happy people. One turn-
out that attracted my attention was
remarkably fine. Three large horses
were hitched abreast , a semi-circle of
plumes over the central horse , while
the others were nearly covered with
bells. The heavy harnesses were trap-
ped with silver. The sleigh was low
ftnd broad , hidden with robes , while
the driver , on a high seat in front ,
was costumed like a Cossack. There
were two occupants beside the driver
an old gentleman and a lady. The
gentleman was so closely muffled
that he was nearly unrecognizable ,
but the lady was the one that had
occupied upper "seven. " She saw me ,
I think , before I recognized her. As
the sleigh passed me and was receed-
ing , - she pulled her mittened hand
from her muff and held it up , palm
toward me , for an instant , behind the 1
old gentleman , and seemingly trying
to avoid being seen by others or tho
old gentleman himself. There w'as a
most tantalizing and bewitching ox-
pression on her face as she did this.
In an instant tho faco was gone.
To say that I was dumbfounded at
her action would bo hardly expressing
my ] feelings. That she know or dovin-
ed my efforts at palmistryin tho car
was certain from her action. That
she wa3 amused at my nonplussed
expression was evident from the sup
pressed mirth , the fun , raillery and I
blushes which followed like quick rip- '
pies over her face. To my embarass- '
ment she had turned the tables on
me. Tho twinkle that I thought
I saw in her eyes as she passed mo
that morning in the car was not sup-
position. It was a reality. 1 t
I made my way to my hotel and
took the first train home. On my
way to the depot I was afraid to
look 1 < into a woman's face , fearing
that it might be she and that some
new phase of the matter might reveal
itself that I knew nothing about or
did not expect. Tho matter puzzled
me lor a long time , but I never could
come to any real opinion ol how sho
obtained the knowledge of my efforts
at palmistry
When I entered Mme. Y's residence
tho night of her famous reception , un
attended , tho house was ablaze with
light. Tho parlors and halls wero
crowded with guests , while the dan-
cers in tho saloon were making muscu-
lar . efforts to keep in motion , though
nearly futile for want of space. My
acquaintance was limited , and after
disposing of my wraps I was happy
that such was the case. I could get
into , a corner somewhere and watch
what was going on unobserved. I had
scarcely reached the lower landing
when I was confronted by an old
classmate that I had not seen for
years. His delight at meeting me was
not assumed and nothing would do
but that I must make the rounds
with him. Almost beforo I was aware
of it I was filling my card with
names.
I spent a most enjoyable evening.
I closed my last number and was
standing in the conservatory , wh'ch
opened from the drawingroom , talk-
ing j , with Brown , my old college chum ,
when my attention was attracted to
n graceful figure standing at the
further , end ot the drawing-room con-
versing with an elderly gentleman ,
Occasionally she would look in our
direction , artlessly shading her eyes
with her hand to get a better view of
us. There was something familiar to
me in the figures of both the gentlet
man and the young lady. I probably
stared so earnestly that Brown , not-
ing j , my lack of attention , turned , and
seeing the object that attracted me ,
said :
"That's the princess , Jim. They
have j come in late , and that is her
father , Senator X. Come along. I'll
introduce you. "
I tried to remonstrate , but it was
useless. The minute I saw her face ,
unaffected by the blaze of light , I
recognized her. I am not usually
timid , but I never felt so ill at ease or
awkward as I did at that time. She
saw my embarrassment and only
added to it by saying :
"Yes , Mr. "Brown. Mr Daly comes
very near being an old Iriend ; so much
so , in fact , that we should shake
hands. "
And as she said this she coquetishly
thrust forward the little gloven hand ,
which I clasped with a vigor that was
quite unnecessary. The conversation
branched off into various channels. I
stumbled along and wished I could
get ( away from those eyes. Finding
that Brown was in the middle of a
discussion with the Senator , I told
.her I had something to tell her , and
she very cordially took my arm and
we wandered back to the conservav
tory , now quite deserted. I then ex-
plained the ridiculous experience of
the sleeping-car how I was led into
it.and my succeeding rudeness when I
thought I was not known. She laughs
ed , heartily and said the occurrence
had been often amusingly thought of.
She explained thatinhersleepherarm
had fallen over the side of the berth
and she was awakened by a feelii g of
numbness in her hand , owing to the
position her arm was held in for so
long. ( She had no idea her hand ex-
tended below the line of the upper
berth. Her attention was further at-
tracted by a low voice in the berth
beneath , and on looking down had
. the hand of rather "
j.een a "prepos
sessing looking gentleman , " ' as she
put 1 it , in close proximity to her hand ,
and seemingly studying it very min-
utely. She knew at once what his
motive was , and still more so , bef
cause the gentleman was talking eith-
to himself or to some one in the berth
with . him. ( I have been told before
that I was in the habit of talking to
myself. It only confirmed me of the 1
usolessness ; of trying to throw off
bachelorhood. ) On pressing her to
know j what it was I said , she replied ,
that she had only caught enough of J ,
the conversation to hear him speakC
ing about the "Vital line , " the "Line
of truth , " and so on. She also said
she caught the expression of earnest '
endeavor on his face , and knew that 1
the accident happened nnintention- j
ally. When seeing me again in St. j
Paul she could not refrain from giv- } |
ing me to understand she knew all .
about it , and begged that I would for- j
give her rudeness and make allowJ J 1
ances for a little breach of etiquette , j 1
because it was "Carnival time. " i
Further conversation was inter- 1
rupted by the approach of Brown ,
and Senator X. The Senator said : j |
"I am looking for a man by your j 1
name Daly. I noticed by the papers
he \ was in Washington a few days ago. j j '
He is here to introduce a new piece of.
ordnance he ha3 patented. I did I
want to see him. I have an idea of
my own that will perfect this machine. I
I ] think. " !
"Why , Jim , that is you , " said ,
Brown , "Senator ; this is the Daly. " ! |
"Well , iust the man I wanted ! Mr. j '
Daly , your patent I have seen the ,
drawings is lacking in this , that the
. " I I
"Now , papa , do not commence i
talking \ gun to Mr. Daly. You will
never know when to stop. Let me ; 1
suggest that Mr. Daly call. " {
"Yes , dear , you are right , and its 1 I
late ] , too but , Mr. Daly , can you not ;
join j us at breakfast. We will be \
alone , , will we not , dear ? "
"Breakfasts are too conventional , ,
papa j , and perhaps it would be incon-
venient for Mr. Daly to breakfast at ;
our ( hour ; let me suggest dinner. You 1 '
will come , Mr. Dalv , and you also , ,
Mr. Brown ? "
Brown pleaded an engagement , but
I accepted s
"Yes , dinner that is better , " said I •
the Senator. "I will in the meantime !
get my ideas on paper about the gun ,
Daly ; and come early. We dine at 7. "
And giving his number for his cai' •
riage. thev bade us good night ,
T
That night , just beforo wo parted ,
Brown said abruptly :
"So you and tho princess aro old
friends | , Jim ? "
"How does sho como by that
name 1 ? "
"Oh , that is tho namo sho is known
by ] among her gentleman friends , and
that | is the namo given her by tho pa
pers | hero. She is so well liked , and is
such a regal-looking beauty did you
over seo such eyes and hair ? Sho re
minds ] me
'Hor ojroa wero blue , find Btich a pair ,
No star in henven wns over brighter ;
Her akin wnri most divinely fair ;
I never saw a shoulder whitor.
And there was something in her form
Juste en bon pointo , I think thoy term
it
That really waa enough to warm
Tlio icy bosom or a hermit. "
She has more admirers than any
other ( woman in Washington , and
treats | us all about the same , but she
is j 'still heart and fancy free. ' "
"Then vouaro ' an admirer , I should
take \ it ? "
"Yes I was ono ol them , but now I
admire , from a distance. Where did
you say you met her , Jim ? You did
not 5 seem a bit impressed with her
cordiality. ( "
"Oh , it was only a casual acquaint-
ance ( s > ome time back. "
"Eh , ha ! Good night , " and Brown
left j me.
I sauntered slowly toward my lodg
ings j ; tho bright moonlight and the
utter , quiet were restful. Tho cigar I
smoked , was a good one , but my
mind : was so busy in recalling her
overy , word and expression during our
short conversation that it went out
half ] a dozen times I was restless
that j night. I : loscd my ej'es
and t could see the little white hand
as , I first saw it in the half light of eartl
ly ] morning in my berth. I could seo
it j in its little silk mitten , held up to-
ward me from the sleigh. I could feel
it j , with its gloved warmth , lying caretl
lessly ] in mine , and then , as I gradual-
ly ] became unconscious , it seemed to
hang j over me , and as I would grasp
it i , it would vanish just out of my
reach. I , too , was becoming one of
" 1 ' "
"princess's" admirers.
The dinner next ovening was a
charming , expei ience just her father
and , herself. Her father , the Senator ,
was : , Ifou nd , an old friend of my fa
thers \ in their younger days. When
we arose from the table and the Senafi
tor j led the way into the library , or
his j den , as he termed it , she begged to
be j allowed to follow us , and over perA
plexing j details and seemingly unintern
esting designs to her , we spent the
evening. In comment on the idea of
her's that explained a certain perplexp
ity we were worrying over , her father
said :
"Well , now , daughter , you know
more about guns than either of us.
,
You see , Mr. Daly , it's hereditary. "
Before I left she sang several charmp
ing j . little ballads , "favorites of pa-
pa's , " she said , and I went back to
my lodgings in love with the "prinei
cess. "
The next day and the next saw me
at the Senators. Occasionally I
would catch a glimpse of Cassie as she
flitted past or through the library ,
where the Senator and myself were
bnsily engaged over our drawings ,
Sometimes she would stop and listen
to our discussions. It was then that
designs , ideas and details would vanh
ish and leave me in such an absentst
minded state that it would be some
minutes after she had lelt use before I
could again collect myself enough to
proceed.
Much to my pleasure 1 found that
my work * was being lengthened out bev
yond all my former calculations. Aft-
er plans had been placed on file-1 had
no reasonable excuse forstaying. The
last evening in Washington I ( railed , .
with ; the full intention of tellingCa sie
some ! things her ear aloneshcnld hear.ai
I found myself in a semi-reception
when I reached the Senator's , , and
had only a few minutes with her to
say good-bye. The Senator said ho *
was sorry to lose me , as I had been
the only sociable friend of . thewinter.
I heard from ths Senator occasion"j
ally during the following summer on
business topics , and his daughter , but
only as to her health or some such
matter. In the following * September
I 3aw a newspaper announcement of J
the engagement of Miss X. , daughter
of Senator X. , of St. Paul , to Lieut. S.
A. Somers.T. S. N. It made me shiver fc
a little. I laid down the paper , and
through the curling smoke of mypipe "
saw a slender white hand form itself
and gradually grow dim and vanish in ?
the shadows beyond the range of my
lamp. I chided myself that I had let
my love lie dormant all this time and
had not even made a fairracefor that
which I desired above all things. Now
it was out of my reach.
The latter part of the next January
found me again at St. Paul during the
1carnival. . The day alter my arrival ,
returning to the hotel for dinner , I I
found a note from Senator X. , saying sc
he had seen an announcement in the d
Globe of my arrival , and insisted that bi
3 should have my things sent up to
his house and make his home my own of
during my stay ; and further explainp
ing that they had been home for some b
weeks and would not again return to si
Washington ' that season. Icalledthat as
afternoon and was met by Cassie , who ai
had \ been apprised by her father of his pi
invitation. She seemed embarressed w
at our first greeting , but it soon wore c
away and I found her even more pi
beautiful and kind than ever before , cl
When ] the Senator arrived he seemed si
delighted to see me , and at dinner tl
was in one of his merriest moods , cl
That evening a few of their friends a
came in and Cassie sang for us. Late d
that night the Senator and myself
talked j over the ordinance bill that fii
j had passed the previous spring so
favorable to myself , and planning
new moves necessary for its general m
introduction into the navy. That
suggested a matter of painful recollecai
tion t to me and I said : v
"I saw an announcement last fall , °
Senator i , that you wero to have a le
member of our navy as a son-in-law. "
"Where did 3ou hear that ? You
mean 1 Sumner ? No ; that was only a
little ] newspaper gossip. "
I could have hugged the old gentlest
man. 1 I mentioned that was where I c
had ] seen it in some newspaper. e
"No , Daly : the right man has not in
come i along yet. She is a jewel for el
some i man , but since her mother's V
death ( the thought of her leaving me in
is i painful , but sooner or later , it is ir
bound I to come. " w
The following afternoon a sleighh
ride ; was proposed by Cassie. The s'
Senator i had said at lunch that he tl
would not be back until late. rn
On entering the sleigh I noticed it to h
be the same one that I had seen on A
that memorable occasion the year beI'
fore. Our ride was delightful in itselft \
but I think we were both ill at ease , n
By some lucky intuition we again 5
passed the spot where I had first seen w
%
' '
A j . . . . . .
. . . | Mfn f-nrmimiMn jH H
tho slolgh and tho littlomittoncd hand Wm
thrust ! out beforo me. Glancing norv- ' MmL
ously at Cassio I noticed a slight tingo iSfll
of crimson on hor fnco. Sho laid her 13M
hand coyly on my arm and tho tingo 'IPI
deonencd as sho said : J H
"It was hero I treated you very un- fqm
kindly a yeafago. " x4&l
"You held it toward mo then and ; J
now , darling , will you not give it to i . ijpl
mo to keep forover ? " jF
And _ as I clasped tho little hand in 1 i ,
mino , it laid thoro a willing prisoner , [ \
and her tears told me a story far - ' .
moro delicious than I ever wildly ' J
dreamed of. James Dalv , in tho Lit- iJj
tlo Blind God on Bails. * f if
uj
A B-a-d Man .Sj .
Texas Sifting ? ; Ho called himself ' f * *
Rattlesnake Bill , and looked as if tho 7 i
might bo a bad man to handle. Ho , Ri
was up for drunkenness. tm ' ]
"Do you plead guilty or not * ; ;
guilty ? " asked tho Austin justice be- * ( )
fore f whom ho was being tried. Mj\ \
"You don't try a man beforo the in- wiJ
quests aro hold , do you ? Don't you ;
tako ; mo around first to the undertak- 7 ?
er's shop to identify tho remains ? * * • >
That is what I havo been accustom to L
„
do in Colorado. I am alway asked to ,
identify my corpses. " J
"What remains ? What inquests ? " I
asked tho recorder. I
"Tho mangled remains of the police- sj\ \
man who tried to arrast me , " said tho * _ _
desperado. . "
"You aro laboring under some hallu- . •
cination : , my friend , " remarked tho * j
recorder. "You didn't kill any pol'ce - '
man last night. "
"Then he isn't dead yet. Take mo < f
to the hospital , where his I o 's ebb-
ing away. In Colorado I'm known as
tho Jumpin' Jimplecuto that chews r
up railroad iron an' they allors tako j , * '
me to the bedsido of tho dying police- ,
man who has tried to arrest me , so j 1 ) j !
that ho can identify me as the cyclone ' jfj
that devastated him. Have you / , ; 'J '
taken the ante-mortem of tho police- /a
man I partially destroyed last night ? " ii J
" 1 don't know what you aro talking y
about , " said tho justice. "You wero *
arrested and brought to tho lockup
by a little stick of a tailor , who '
couldn't < sleep on account of tho rack- }
el you made. " " * •
"So I was arrested by a civilian , .
was I ? Oh , well , that's all right. At J
first I afraid I had
was digraced my- t 1
self. < I was afraid I had allowed a
squad < of policemen to arrest me.
Any citizen can arrest mo with impu- 5 /
nity. Civilians aro beneath my re
sentment. < A civilian can kick tho 1
Ghoul from Ghoulville , who picks < j
pieces of men from between his teeth
after he has breaklasted , and I'll not
lay my hand on him. You can't
make mc fight an ordinary citizen.
It's ' the officers of law I'm after.
When I want a fight I want some two '
or : three policemen to tackle me as an
inducement. It takas five able-bodied
policemen to make it interesting '
enough for me to let myself out. I
never ' fi3h for sardines. "
Details of the Ichthyosaurus '
Find. ,
A Yeovil correspondent of the Lon- | M
don Standard writes : "A discovery ' fl
of : great interest to both the geologist- jfl
and the student of natural history jfl
has just been made in South Somer- m
set. Last week while some laborers ' jfl
were excavating a pit of blue lias on jfl
the Manor farm , Tintiuhull near Yeo- , fl
vil , they came across a truly magniii- fl
cent fossil of the ichthyosaurus. lfl ;
From the snout to theend of tho } fl
vertebra < the length was more than M
twenty-two feet , and the jaw , which tfl
was furnished with large conical teeth , > fl
was nearly three feet long. Threeoutof M
the four 'paddles' with which the anl- jfl
mal propelled itself were very distinct , "ia
and all its other structural peculiari- jfl
ties were fully develloped in the fossil. ijfl
Unfortunately , when the clay suis s > " - tM
rounding it was loosened , the fossil | -fl
fell to pieces , although one of its most IH
powerful ( 'paddles' ( measuring about < fl
thirty-four inches long ) was preserved }
intact. All the fragments , which > >
filled ' several tubs , were preserved by ' 9
Mr. Penny , the occupier of the farm , . jfl
and no doubt an expert in ichthyology j V
would have no difficulty in fitting W
them together. The spot on which ifl
this interesting fossil was found %
i& situated about midway be- .H
tween the Bristol and English jfl
channels ( about twenty-five miles • _ V
from ' each , as the crow would fly , ) " "
and about two miles from the present 9
bed of the river Parrett , which liowa 9
into the British channel. " 9
Dangers of Doing Good. M
American Dame Is it possible ? ' 9
And so you have perfected inventions t 9
todo everything by electricity , male \ 9
ing everybody rich and turning the 9
earth into a paradise ? 9
American Inventor Not only havo .9
conquered the earth but the air ai- JH
so. We wish to be in Paris or Lon- j fl
don < ; all we need to do is to touch a , fl
button and we glide on electric wings jiH
tc our destination. All the luxuries < |
the rich will become the every day f H
portion < of the poor , in fact there need 9
be rich since defl
< no , no poor , every -
sire of the human heart will be as free $ fl
air. Electrical machinery working fl
automatically will turn the whole ( fl
planet into one vast caravansary , of fl
which we will be the luxuriously ac- fl
commodated guests. The raising and fl
preparation of food , the making of M
clothing , the building of palaces , every , H
species of effort will be supplanted by j H
the ceaseless work of automatic me- M
chanism , and half an hour's exertion M
day will make every beggar a Van- i M
derbilt. < " ]
Isn't it glorious ! Are the plans all jfl
finished ? " fl
"Years ago. " fl
"Years ago ! Mercy on us ! What fl
under the sun are you waiting for ? " , | H
"I am naturally very sensitive , and j fl
am waiting for the time when the in- f fl
ventor < can benefi thisieilowmen whith- ij fl
out ' being called an octopus and soul- v fl
less monopolist. " Omaha World. j h
A Start. jfl
So you want to borrow $ .300 to J fl
start on ? "If you onK had $500 lH
capital you have a chanca now to j fl
establish a business that will grow v * " fl
into thousands and perhaps millions , M
? ' ' All you need is the start , is it ? M
Well.my son , I don't know about M
investing $500 in you until you have _ - H
invested something in yourself. I -r | ] fl
want to see you trot one heatany- ' 9
how , before I decide whether you are j fl
safe to back. Listen to me , my son ; H
the man who can make a $500 busi- H
ness grow into thousands , And per- 9
haps millions , always gets the $500. 9
Always. Hero , I'll tell you what 9
I'll do with you. I'll give yon a dob 9
lar. Now , a man who can make H
millions out of 500 , can easily make H
500 out of one. Good-by. Don't ; 9
work tQQ ha. ? . M