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About The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 24, 1893)
THE CRITIC. The critic, analyzing in his art The work of poet, painter, artisan. Must make their spirit his, if that he can Ba sure of knowing their immortal part. How can the mind, unless It Is intense In certain chords, be able to respond To kindred chords in others? Else the bond Is wanting. The hold beggar, lacking pence Supping with kings, at eating is their peer. And a true critic was the painter old Depicting in his picture, soft yet bold. The charms which gave a Jiulo to his sphere; In painting Christ in beauty and gold hair. Ho drew himself, a man extr-miely fair. —Edward S. Creamer in New York Sun. AUNT ES. I first met her in the family of a friend in Amsterdam. Everybody called hei Aunt Es, her full name being Estelle, oi Esther, I never quite remember which She was somewhere near 00 years of age though only her perfectly white hair he trayed the fact. Her skin was delicatt and nnwrinkled, her eyes sparkling anc bright, and her teeth so firm, white anc regular that one could not but pardor her the almost apologetic coquettishnesi with which she frequently displayed them. She must have been very pretty in he) youth—indeed, I may say she was prettj still—and furthermore, with these de sirable characteristics was combined s restless activity very unusual in one oi her years. The lively eyes, the versatile speech, the abrupt but significant move ments, the sprightly walk, all led to the supposition that the brisk 00 year old little woman had behind her a life oi toil and persistent effort. oucu was mo fact, tor Aunt Ks 101 many years had kept a little shop. Had kept? Nay, she still kept it and was as tireless at her post as ever when any profii was to be gamed by it. That the profit was meager enough her long life of pov erty attested, but she had been inde pendent, never had besought a favor from any one and felt, to use her own words, that a fair proportion of good had been hers through life. To induce her to dine with us once a fortnight required the most pressing in vitation. She came then in her gray woolen gown (summer and winter it was always the same), with little flounces on the skirt and snowy crimped ruffles at wrist and throat. She brought sweets usually for the children to nibble, at table was animated and gay, and when one inquired how the business prospered answered cheerfully ‘‘she believed it went right well.” And this “business” of Aunt Es’! ’Twas conducted in a cellar—one ot those damp, unhealthy Amsterdam cel lars, where to your amazement you will find tolerably clean stalls, and in the windows of which you will see dis played fruits, shoes, fishing tackle, cooperage materials and various com modities too numerous to mention. In such a cellar lived Aunt Es and at the same time conducted a little station ery shop. In order to reach this sumptu ous abode, which was about the size of a birdcage, one must descend 20 steps. Then you saw a small—a very small table, which answered the purpose of a counter, on which was displayed three or four prints, about as many letter pa per pads of different shades, an old glove case containing steel pens, goose quills and cheap lead pencils, six bottles of ink and four tape measures. That was all. At the end of the year the inventory of receipts showed nothing to waste, but in good months Aunt Es sometimes gained a profit of 12 to 15 gulden. This shop in the evening was turned into a dining room; at night it became a bedchamber. The counter was her dining table, and on the broad surface of a chest, upon which a mattress was laid, she slept. In this subterranean chamber she had lived 40 or more years quite decently and free from care, hoarding her little savings like a miser and looking hope fully forward to the time when she and the chosen of her heart should marry. When 18 years of age, Aunt Es an nounced to the members of her family that she had met the man of her choice. Like herself, he was a 6mall merchant— smaller, in fact, for whereas she pos sessed a shop, a table and an old glove case with steel pens, he possessed no shop at all, unless that could be called a shop which would close up and be con veniently carried under the arm. Karl—that was his name—was a cigar merchant, though not one of the whole sale sort who draw their wares direct from the plantations in Havana. His “walking” shop consisted of a box or case in which once reposed superfine Re galias, but in which, not without inward shame, he now packed for sale his three penny cigars. His general stock amount ed from 100 to 200, was sold to the work ing or lower classes, and it required two weeks for their disposal. 'Tis customary in Holland, when the engagement is sanctioned by the families of both parties, for the engagement to continue from one to two years Dur ing that time the couple are free to come and go as the}- will—unchaperoned, un protected, save by the good God who smiles upon innocent love. Though Karl's business, reflected Aunt Es. was not as profitable as her own, yet they would marry. The marriage would be one of “Inclination," for they loved each other. A marriage of convenience, for their “commercial and social posi tions" were equal. And better than all it would be a marriage founded on rea son, for not until they had conjointly laid by a sum sufficient to establish themselves ami their children in a com fortable home would they rna y. Two thousand gulden! That was the very least, she resolved, with which she •would venture into taking a larger shop. Then the cigar and paper business would be united, and the chest, no longer com pelled to 6erve both as closet and bed stead, could return to its original uses. From the time of her betrothal and this resolution a great change was noted in Aunt Es. She who from early morn ing till late evening had trilled like a lark, and whose gay demeanor her neigh - bors with one voice had reproached, now became grave, if not severe. Two thousand gulden! Money, money for their marriage day. i'liat was her one aim and Tairpose in 1 fe Tliat was the one aiui and purpose of Karl too. But it was not easy in their several lines of business to save so large a sum. No, it was not easy. Zeal and perse verance brought no especial result. Mo nopoly swallowed everything. He sought to sell a better and consequently higher priced cigar, she to introduce to her cus tomers a new anil more finished style ol writing paper. But this double speculation failed and threatened the overthrow of both the stationery and cigar business entirely. “We must not be overhasty," said she to him one evening in her little shop, “and engage in doubtful speculation. Wbat one lias is known, what one may acquire is not. To lose the confidence of one’s customers will be disastrous. Let us wait. We will succeed in time.” And they waited. Courage and hope never forsook them. In the evening, seated behind the count er, he contemplating her with eyes of love, they built castles and formed splen did plans for the future. Now it was a mahogany bureau which tliat day he had examined in a cabinetmaker’s shop; then again a serious discussion of the propel management and bringing up of children. One day a bright idea came to Aunt Es. “A ticket in the lottery,” said fllie tc him tliat evening; “like a voice from *kf sky it came to me. We must each buy a ticket in the lottery,” and Earl impressed by her words and manners did as she bade him. The eve of the great drawings the coujile passed in happy expectancy. “Two thousand gulden 1" said she, with chiming eyes. "We will pray this night to the good God for 2,0U0 gulden,” and Karl, as he kissed her, said he would and promised in case either should have drawn a capital prize to dash up to hoi door on the morrow in a coach. Lioug Derore tno Hour oi tne drawing next day Aunt Es stood in anxious ex pectancy at her shop door. Every pass ing wagon—happily but few went through that narrow street—set liei heart to beating wildly. The sound of carriage wheels in the distance turned her faint, and more than once she caught at the lintel of the door for support. The clock marked the hour of noon when into the narrow street turned a fiacre, and oh, joy of joys, drew up be fore her humble little shop. 'Within sat Karl, and with a thousand visions of happiness before her eyes Aunt Es darted up the cellar steps and threw open the carriage door. “We have won, we have won,” she cried exultantly, “my Karl, my be trothed!” He gazed upon her sadly, his face very white and pain drawn. “What hast thou?” she asked trem blingly, reading suffering in his eyes. “Naught!” said he, making an effort to rise, “naught, my liebehen, save a broken leg.” Tenderly she cared for him, yielding him her chest and mattress, herself re posing in a wooden chair. In time he fully recovered and re turned to his business again. Thus the years went on, one hope after another departing. Still their courage did not sink. Neither remarked their whitened hairs, their strength fast di minishing. She was past 60 and he 70 years of age. Aunt Es was ill, but she did not mention it. She felt very feeble, but overcame it that the business might not suffer. Usually, too, she had little pain, never complained and never thought to consult a physician. One day, however, this feeling of weak ness so overcame her that she begged of Karl, who was on his way to fetch a customer 25 cigars, not to leave her. She talked much, and in spite of her illness laid plans for the future. In the long years they had succeeded in saving quite a sum of money. Of the 2,000 gulden there was lacking only the half. The night came down. It was a mild summer night, and Aunt Es declared that she was quite well. “We are growing old,” she said pres ently, “and I have been thinking, Karl, we may as well be wedded now. In all probability we will have no children, and for ns two we have quite enough.” Karl found that idea very pleasing. “Yes, yes,” said he, taking her hand within his. “why should we wait longer, my liebehen?” Aunt Es smiled. “Tomorrow, then,” said she, closing her eyes, “tomorrow we will” She never finished the sentence. On the morrow the old chest returned to its original uses, while for Aunt Es was prepared a narrower bed in a neighbor ing churchyard.— Adapted From the French. Senator Proctor’s Quarry. Senator Proctor is the owner of one of the most valuable marble quarries in the country, and his home at Proctorville, in the Green mountains, possesses a beauty unrivaled in mountain districts. His eldest sou is manager of the works. Some idea of the value of these quarries and the enormous amount of work per formed can be estimated from the fact that there are 13.000 names on the pay rolls of the company, and the village of Proctor is made up entirely of the em ployees. There are 500 cottages in the village—beautiful little two story dwell ings—that are rented at $7 per month and always kept in the most perfect repair. The drives in and around the neighborhood are solidly macadamized by the hard marble siftings from the mines, and one may drive for miles over the picturesque roads on a roadway un exampled for smoothness and freedom from dust.—Washington Post. A Dying Man’s Vision. Judge John Stone, a pioneer settler of Livingston county, Mo., and for several terms a member of the county court, died at Utica on Wednesday, aged 88. He had been unconscious for some time before death, but Saturday night roused and said his eldest son, Samuel, of Mar cel. Cal., was standing by him, but would not speak. Sunday -a telegram came announcing the latter’s death at the hour when his dying father saw him at his bedside.—Chicago Record. DESCRIBE YOUR FRIEND. And Then See B»v Well Your Picture Will Fit Scores of Others. “He was a young inan and fairly good looking: smooth face and without glasses: wore a dark suit; was about 5 feet in height and looked like a married man. Anybody would know him." Such was the description turned in by a young woman who slipped quietly into the city editor’s office and wanted to advertise forChalmers. It appeared that Chalmers had left home, and nobody knew why, and this young woman had faith that her recital of his personal traits would bring him back. It was a good example of the average person’s power of descrip tion of a fellow being. It is totally inadequate! Though man be fearfully and wonderfully made, there seems to be an unaccountable in ability in nine persons out of every ten to give a creditable word picture of any one whom they have seen. Because we understand the looks of a person when we meet them, it never occurs to the mind that other people do not grasp a thorough idea of his appearance with a few passing phrases of description. Your friend comes in, and you ex pound to him that such and such a man has just called for him, but almost in variably your exposition is a jumbled lot of phrases which apply to the human race in general. The other day when I rushed into my office room with a column story on the end of my tongue—or at the tip of my pen, to be more accurate—I was given this greeting: “Hello! A man has just been in to see you.” “What did he look like?” “Oh, he was a good looking fellow— not very tall, rather heavy, but not too much so.” “Was he old or young?” “About 20 or 25, I should say.” “What color of hair?” “I don’t remember now. However, I don’t think he bad a mustache.” “How dressed?” “Oh. just an ordinary business suit.’ Have you ever heard such a descrip tion? If not, watch yourself next time you tell of some one’s call. You will be surprised to find that your description would fit almost any member of the human race. Why is it? I don’t know. We read in books that it’s because we don’t cultivate the habit of intelligent observation. There was once a boy who learned how to describe what he saw. Every morning he was sent by his father to walk rapidly by an elegantly arranged window, and then afterward to repeat to him all the things he saw at this one glance at the panorama and to describe them. At first the lad could remember but few things that his eye may have caught in the passing glance, but in time he could remember almost everything in a show window by merely seeing it once.—Boston Herald. At the Manicure’s. The manicure with the golden hair was bending over the hand of a new customer. “Do you want your hands bleached?” she asked. “Yes.” She applied the bleach, using more than the ordinary quantity upon the thumb and forefinger of the right hand. After working for about five minutes she stopped and said: “It is always difficult to remove nico tine with the first application.” “Wh-a-a-t?” gasped the society girl, elevating her eyebrows. “Nicotine? What do you mean?” “The cigarettes, you know,” replied the manicure. “It's perfectly awful how they stain the fingers, ain’t it?” And she smiled a smile that even the society girl couldn’t resist. That made them friends, and they fell to discussing the different brands of cigarettes. And when the job was done the society girl whispered: “What’ll take the stain off?” “Use lemon juice—I do—we all do.” “Thanks.”—New York Herald. About Opals. The prejudice against opals appears to be disappearing. Anyhow they are pop ular. There are several varieties of opals and therefore several degrees of merit. The precious, or noble, or oriental opal is the supreme. This has all the colors, and when these colors are broken into spangles it is then called the harlequin opal. Then comes the fire opal, or gira sole, with hyacinth red and yellow reflec tion. The former comes from Hungary, the latter from Mexico. The common, or semiopals, are nonopalescent. Thehy drophane, or oculus mundi, is nontrans parent, but becomes so by immersion in water or any transparent fluid. The cachalong is nearly opaque and of a blu ish white color. The hyalite is colorless, pellucid and white. The opal jasper or wood opal is the petrifaction of wood, opalescent, but without the coloring which makes the “noble” gem so pre cious.—Chicago Tribune. Working For a Holiday. An Englishman stopping at one of the hotels was commenting upon the ex treme restlessness and incessant go of Americans. He said, “You Americans have such a beastly idea of the compen sation of work.” “What do you mean?” questioned a Pittsburger standing near by. “Oh, you people work for money,” was the explanation. “I don’t see anything beastly about that," was the retort. “May I ask for what you Englishmen work?” “Why, we work for ourholiday,” was the reply.—Pittsburg Dispatch. Vienna. Vienna is of nearly circular form, be ing 12 miles in circumference. The old city, or city proper, is, however, scarcely three miles round. It was formerly in closed by fortifications. Immediately outside of these was a wide esplanade called the Glacis, which has been ele gantly built up and is called Ringstrasse, one of the most splendid streets in the | world.—Brooklyn Eagle. FLOWER SUPERSTITIONS. Maiden*' Barometer* For Divining th* Depth.* of Tltelr Sweetheart*' Dove. it is singular to see how many mr tn ingless ceremonies are now practiced by young women—ceremonies which were formerly used in earnest as love charms or incantations. Most of these have an am atory origin, and in connection with not a few certain flowers areused,presumably as a means of foretelling the future. In several parts of New England when a young lady expects a visit from her lover she will pluck a marigold, take it in her hand when he arrives and carry it until the end of his visit, when from its fresh or faded condition she will judge of the strength of his affection. A German girl, after having been called on by her lover, will put a star flower or dandelion in water and leave it there until his next visit, drawing an omen from its condition, while a Spanish maiden will take a moss rosebud, wear it on her breast, and if it expands to be come a perfect flower the omen is con sidered exceedingly fortunate. A super stition of the same kind is shown by the East Indian maiden who places a poppy in her hair. In England the primrose is used for the same purpose, and in coun try districts of New England the spikes of the rib wort plantain are taken, wrapped in dock leaves, placed beneath a stone, and if the next day signs of new buds appear the omen is considered happy. In France young ladies desirous of ascertaining the extent of a lover’s affec tion take the common daisy and pull off its leaves one by one, with the question, “Does he love me? Does he love me little? Does he love me much? Does he love me with all his soul?” Marguerite in “Faust” uses the common blue bottle with similar questions. In England the ash leaf is sometimes employed to ascer tain the faithfulness of an absent lover, and the Irish maiden learns of her future by putting a shamrock in her shoe, after which she walks abroad, and the first man she meets or one of his name will be her husband.—New York Advertiser. Some New York Breakfasts. Nearly every German bakery on Third avenue serves breakfast and luncheon to the furnished room population of the east side. Some serve eggs and cold meats, coffee, tea and chocolate. The majority, however, provide only coffee, tea, rolls and cakes. Nine out of ten of the customers take coffee and cake. The latter is not the French or Ameri can kind. It consists of four varieties dear to the German palate—apple, peach, prune and sugar. The last named is also called cinnamon. It is made of bread dough on the upper sur face of which is spread some butter, sugar and cinnamon. Then it is baked hard. The peach and apple cakes are made of thinly rolled bread dough,surmounted by slices of apples or peaches, as the case may be. When a little butter and sugar have been placed between the slices, the baker has approached as near perfection as possible. The dough of the prune cake is made like the other and covered thickly with mashed stewed prunes. In the best bakeries a slice of any of these cakes from four to five inches square is sold for 5 cents. A good cup of coffee or tea with milk and sugar costs the same. Those who like light and sweet breakfasts can thus be satisfied for 10 cents. Probably 5,000 east siders eat such breakfasts in the bakeries every morning.—New York Sun. The Origin of Starching. The course of history carries us back no further than the year 1564 for the origin of starching in London. It was in that year that Mistress Van derPlasse came with her husband from Flanders to the English metropolis “for their greater safety,” and there professed her self a starcher. The best housewives of the time were not long in discovering the excellent whiteness of the “Dutch linen,” as it was called, and Mistress Plasse soon had plenty of good paying clients. Some of these began to send her ruffs of lawn to starch, which she did so excellently well that it became a saying that if any one sent her a ruff made of a spider’s web she would be able to starch it. So greatly did her reputation grow that fashionable dames went to her to learn the art and mystery of starching, for which they gladly paid a premium of £4 or £5, and for the se cret of seething starch they paid gladly a farther sum of 20 shillings.—New York World. _ A Hair Splitting BIthop. It is recorded of a certain hair split ting English bishop, who was accus tomed to compose his “charges” in the train, and whose desk was always placed opposite to him, that he invariably treat ed it as though it were a living vis-a-vis. The train being very full on one occa sion, a would be passenger inquired if this place was taken, and the bishop, with his sunniest smile, expressed regret that there was no room. “1 don’t think that was quite right, my lord,” said one of his fellow passengers. “What was not right?” inquired his lordship urbane ly. “To say that the place was taken.” “Pardon me, 1 did not say that it was taken; I was particularly cartful to use the word •occupied.’”—San Francisco Argonaut. He Was a Senator. Senator Allen of Nebraska is a big, burly man who looks like a prosperous dealer in live stock. Shortly after his arrival in Washington he was stopped at the door of the senate chamber by a new doorkeeper, who informed him that no one save senators was allowed on the floor. Mr. Allen smiled sadly, waved liis hand and said: “Very well, sonny, I'm a senator. I don’t look it, I know, but I am, just the same,” and passed into the sacred precincts.—Chicago Herald. Her Preference. “How is it your little baby sister goes to sleep as soon as your father takes her?" Little Four-year-old—I ’spec’it's 'cause she’d rather do that than stay awake and hear him sing.—Beau Monde. V ----—--—— circatjij l^sdiiced, * • ♦ H ♦ • ► On November 15th, tlie Price of the Tfie Qmuiiy Weekly Res Was Reduced to j ! No other paper in the country publishing 12 pages, r or 84 colums of reading matter, can be had for less f than $1.00 per year. This extremely low price is made l by the publishers in order to enable every English | reading family in the great West to read The Best and t Cheapest Newspaper published in the west. In order j to induce readers and others to raise clubs, The Following Offer is .Made: -o 2 Subscriptions will be received for.$1.25 5 Subscriptions will be received for. 3 00 10 Subscriptions will be received for. 5.00 On clubs of more than ten, each subscription.50 -O- ' Do not fail to take advantage of this offer. When sending in your own subscription, send us one or more orders for your friends and neighbors. Send us an order for your friends in the east who should be told of the great resources of this state. The Bee publishes more western news than any other newspaper in this f country, and makes the best immigration document ! that can be sent to the east. Address all orders to_ The Bee Publishing Co., j OMAHA, NEBRASKA. Dry Goods, CARPETS, ETC. Our mail order department is better equipped to give prompt and reliable attention, and better service than any other store oper ating in the -west. We guarantee satisfaction and will exchange any goods or refund the money. You cannot possibly do better than to trade with and Always send your orders to Jay J. Joslin & Son, Dry Goods, Millinery, Carpets. Cor. 16th and Curtis Sts., Denver, Col. Precinct Officers Elected. North Valley Precinct.—The precinct officers elected are as follows: Assessor, J. W. Daniels; justices of the peace, J. Ritteuburg and Frank Rahn field; constables, VY. Latham and (J. A Bede; judges of election, P. McKillip. J. Ritteuburg and George Bentley; clerks of election, R. (J. Catlett and J. YYalkington; road overseers, Charles Bentley and G. W. Arbogust. East Valley Precinct.—Assessor, C. W. Hodgkin; justices of the peace, J. Fletcher and A. F. Hardin; consta bles, J. Stenner and C. W. Harbert; road overseers, J. Stenner and C. \V. Harbert; judges of election, A. L. En yeart, E. T. Hoppe and N O. Finch; clerks of election, J. Fletcher and A. F. Hardin.—Cambridge Kaleidoscope. Brandy is a contraction of the old English brandwine, burnt wine. Morris’ English Stable Liniment Leads the procession. The wonder lin iment of the age. Cures after all oth ers have failed. Has stood the test of i tweuty years of constant use by one of j the leading veterinary surgeons of the English profession, and is now sold in 1 this country upon a positive guarantee. I Good for man or Dest. Price 50c and $1. Sold by McConnell & Co. Sept. 8— 3m. Prevaricator was properly a cripple with distorted legs. Congress is to be importuned by the railroad and express com panies to enact a law making at tempts at train robbery an indict able offense under fbe federal laws. There may be little objection to this except from those sticklers for state rights who want the states to retain jurisdiction over such cases. But while congress is engaged upon railway legisla tion, why not pass a law compell ing the railroads to equip their cars with automatic couplers and other life-saving devices. While legislating for the railroads, con gress should not overlook the de mands of the employes, the ship pers and the traveling public. An amalgamation of all the la bor organizations of the country is the latest project of the labor leaders. The choice lies between a loosely connected large organi zation and a number of well ce mented smaller bodies. Lack of cohesion has frustrated former at tempts of this kind, and it remains to be seen whether present circum stances are more favorable to an other attempt in this direction. We have been requested to an nounce Jim Harris of McCook, as the uext democratic candidate for congress from the fifth district. We refuse to do so unless Jim ap plies the sheep shears to those golden tresses that he now uses for suspenders. Such economy is not good democracy.-—Hastings Democrat. The Tkibcn'E had it on the un impeachable word of President Franklin of the Citizens bank, just before the election, that candidates Roper and Barnes were highly pleased with the support given the republican ticket. Please, Pete, can we stay in, now. Dave Bomgaedner and James Lindsay have reason to be thank ful that they still draw their salary regularly at McCook, from a dem ocratic administration.—Hastings Democrat.