The McCook Tribune.
By If. M. KIMMKLL.
MoCOOK, - - NEBRASKA
John L. Sullivan may not be do
ing much to elevate the stage, but
be continues to get on an occasional
blgh lonesome himself.
Life Is a mission. Every other
leflnltkm of life ts false, and leads
all who accept It astray. Religion,
Iclence, philosophy, though still at
variance upon many points, all agree
In this—that every existence is an
aim.
NOt only does straightforward crit
icism serve the cause of truth and
Justice by reveallug the reality, in
stead of a distorted conception of it,
It also puts Into the bands of the
speaker an Influence for good which
can be gained no other way.
Some of these days capital will be
found to put a navigable canal across
t'be State of Michigan connecting
the lower end of Lake Michigan and
the upper end ot Erie The project
has been seriously considered for
some time and, like the Central
American canal or canals, will come
In time._
The principal present to Prince
Bismarck on his 80th birthday wa9 a
cuirass of steel from the Emperor.
It was probably well meant, but
when a man reaches the age of the
ex-Chancellor it would seem as though
bis attention should be directed in
some other direction than that of
militarism. But then theKalser is
nothing if not a war lord.
Miss Francks Willard and ninety
nine other women, whose mission is
to make a comparatively wicked world
as good as themselves, are about to
charter a vessel and girdle the earth
with tracts and kindred Insignia of
righteousness. It is feared that the
women will not fully accomplish their
designs, but if they do not have a
picnic it will be their own fault.
There are numerous ways in which
business most be watched. One must
love the business one Is engaged in,
and seek to make It all that It should
be. The mark of excellence cannot
be placed too high. Reward for nis
labor is sure to come to the diligent
man, and that was well known in the
time of Solomon, who said, “freest
thou a mao diligent In business? He
afecU stand before Kings; he shall not
stand before mean men. ”
Culture, In opposition alike to
egoism and egotism, quickens and ex
tends both intelligence and sensibil
ity, and thus yields a refinement
which carefully subordinates all
merely,personal attributes, sectarian
prejudices, or partisan considerations
to public Interests, general principles,
Che acknowledged standards of the
company ip which one linds himself.
This is what distinguishes the uni
versal code of politeness from the in
dividual code of vulgarity.
The Question of substituting scales
or “weigh bridges’' at English live
•took pMrtets for the guessing pro
cess ol reaching an animal’s weight
has been agitating the stockmen and
farmers over there for a numl>er of
years The butchers and traders pre
fer the guessing system, while tne
owners, seeing that they steadily get
the worst of It, are working for the
weighing system. It is really absurd
la tblg day of enlightened methods,
to jtlkTe a country like England guess
lag oft the weights of Its live stock.
Out in Trigg Oounty, Ev., where
everybody loves a good horse there Is
a Strong local feeling against the in
creasing Importation of ponies aod
broncos from the far West These
llttjtecreatures are esteemed by Ken
tucptyW degenerate stock, bred, In
deed, bv the accident of birth and by
hart conditions to a certain remark
able endurance, and a capacity to go
long without food and water, bnt
nevertheless not specially fitted for
the needs of Kentucky, and especi
ally undesirable in a region where
bbt** breeding Is a high solence
Ws learn from the California Fruit
©rower that the California Fruit
pnkm has retired from the field as a
frult-shlpplng organization. This
©atop has been an Important factor
In Introducing California fruits to
Eastern market* Much of Its work
has been done In the face of bitter
opposition and the lack of earnest
support from fruit growers who
should be most interested in its suc
cess. An era of demoralization of
markets is freely predicted, and it
Will tax'Individual enterprise to the
utmost to do the work the coming
year tdnt the Union has dope.
That there Is still profit In sailing
•mihtis shown by the fact that a
Hetf Hampshire corporation owning
mmit three-masted schooners, at its
annual meeting recently held, de
cia ed dividends averaging 11 per
cent on four of its largest vessels.
These dividends represented a year’s
earnings, and on the earnings of one
of Its schooners, which, after six
months of sailing, is stuck in the
mud on tho Louisiana shore, a 5 per
cent dividend was paid. A well
known, Hath-built four-master, only
seven years old, has already netted
$200,000 for her owners.
New York’s trade with China and
Japan has not entirely departed
Tied up at East River piers recently
were the British steamer Hankow,
the American ships, St Paul, George
R. Skolfield, Indiana, and Luzoo,
the British ships Ancalos and Creed
mor, barks Freeman (American),
Assyria (British), Foohng Suey
(Hawaiian), and Iron Duke (German),
eleven vessels, averaging 1,500 tons
each, ail from ports on the far side
of the Pacific Ocean. At the same
time there were four American ships,
averaging over 2,000 tons each, at
East River piers loading for San
Francisco.
A sensational mystery which
threatened evil consequences to two
mep has just been happily explained
in New Hampshire. A French wood
chopper bad disappeared from the
neighborhood of Concord, and two
men who bad been seen with him
were charged with his murder. Hu
man blood was found on the shoes of
one and a check Id the woodchopper's
name on the other. The State had a
strong circumstantial case, and the
probabilities of conviction were great.
The missing man has just been found
at a town in a neighboring county,
and the discharge of the suspected
parties has been ordered.
Editob Moore, of Lexington, Ky.,
who Is In Jail, proposes to continue
the publication of his journal from
his prison cell. There aie advantages
about this system. The editor will
always be “in.’* He will not be both
ered by creditors, and he cannot be
assaulted by indignant Individuals
who conceive themselves to be slan
dered. Being already in jail, he can
not snccessfu'ly threatened with im
prisonment for libel. He will have
no office rent to pay and he will not
be disturbed by callers who want to
“glance over the exchanges.” Alto
gether Mr. Moore should be com
paratively happy, and he ought to
turn out good work. John Bunyau
made a hit with the "Pilgrim’s
Progress,” written in jail, and a Ken
tucky editor has numerous advant
ages over an English cobbler.
Another distressing example Is
noted of the wide difference between
theory and practice In the matter of
co-operative colonization. A scheme
for a great colony In Paraguay,
worked up in Austialia has collapsed
with disastrous results to many col
onists. Bitter experience teaches
that co-operative enterprises,
whether in colonization, manufac
ture or mercantile business, Is almost
uniformly attended by failure. The
causes leading to such failure have
been exhaustively discussed. In
ability to combine business ability
with mechanical skill Is the most
common explanation of the difficulty.
Building asso iattons, which have
been wonderfully successful, do not
belong in this catalogue, because
they are In the nature of savings
hanks rather than of joint business
enterprises.
Not since the cold -storage ware
house tire at the World’s Fair had
there been anything to e ual In hor
ror the catastrophe which caused the
death of the Milwaukee flremea The
two occurrences were not unlike.
In both cases the men were en
trapped in a situation where e. cape
was Impossible, and In both in
stances their comrades were com
pelled to look upon their death strug
gles without being able to render
aid- Such disasters as these seem to
Indicate that commanding o il ers of
fire departments do not always exer
cise good judgment in ordering
men Into positions of great danger.
Bravery and obedience to orders are
the prime requisites of a fireman,
but men should not be ordered to
certain or almost certain death, it
Is better that pro erty should be de
stroyed than that human lives should
be sacrificed. Financial loss may be
made up; the destruction of life can
not be repaired. The Milwaukee dis
aster may not have been preventable,
but the facts at hand seem to Indi
cate that the loss of life might have
been averted by caution and fore
thought
A Princess’ Canine Pets.
The Princess of Wale3 Is a great
lover of animals and has ho many
dogs at Sandringham that she can
not keep count of them. Every more
ing she goes to tne k*nnels and tl >
dogs are let loose to welcome he
They are always wll- with delight l
see her and jump upor her so frantic
ally as almost to knock her down. A
special favorite with the t’rlncess Is
Venus, the pet dog of the Duke of
Clarence.
A MUSICAL NEIGHBORHOOD.
1 lire In a mnslcal neighborhood.
S1V1 (Mainly nxoie out at ance It I could,
VtataAaaay flat till the first of next May,
an «M tdy weU that 1 can't gat away.
There* a young man down-a talrg who itte an
IMe at night.
And nrerOpe on the banjo with wearisome
WMlaVfMll up and doirug tot I can't sleep a
1* »he saw ml of hie p!Utety-pUnkety-pUnk I
On t*e Abo* jam below there* • man with a
huge—
Qfe, Mbit tootlnty-tooalaW-tootlety-Uii't I
W fee aerrua It Is quite ae dlstie-slug, I think.
As the other owe* pnafcetypliakety-plinkl
A men on a trombone below tries to bang,
Su« efl be feta bora it it whaegfty-wbaiig;
And ft ti dreadful mixed up with tbe banjo and
nut*
Whang-whangety-pt Inker y-tootlety-toot I
And then there's a quartet of zealons young
Who try Boot and anthems again and again;
Bat ah that they do Is so woefully queer
tUr (henil go to a wood, whero there's no one
to bear'
Bare* a lady beside* on tbe eery first floor,
Aad on a plena t/ie scale ups rune o'er—
fast re, tee, fa, sol, and la, si, end db,
tint, apt and then down, sometimes fast, and
than flow.
Tbe Jantbor, too, hat tbe moeloej craze.
And cn the tro.,t etepe an acoordlou plays;
Ok. I'd move right away IT 1 could-wouldn't
feu 1—
Bat my rest la all paid, and to what can I do?
—Malcolm Bougies, In It. Nicholas.
JIM’S GRATITUDE.
A cold, bleak November day; a
prairie trail; a horseman in uniform,
riding at a gallop.
A turn la the road; a bushwhacker
bidden In the bushes a shot, and a
fall from the saddle
It was l ittle Jim, our third Ser- !
geant, riding across the country to
carry a dispat b. We called him
Little Jim because he was small of
staturo and because everybody liked
him He was only a boy, and odb
took Into his frank face and big blue
eyes made you his friend. The bush
whacker peered over the log and saw
bis victim lying on the stony road
and the horse galloping away in
affright and a smile of satisfaction
came to bis face as he rose up and
hurried through the woods. War is
not always war. Sometimes it is as- |
sassi nation—murder.
Twenty rods beyond the body lying
in the road Is a humble cabin, ten
anted only by a woman and
two children. War has forced
the husband and father into the
ranks At sound of the shot and
the clatter of hoofs they rise up from j
their frugal noonday meal and run
down to the gate. A dead man is bv
oo means a rare sight to mother and
children. Scores of dead have been
left on that highway n the last few
weeks, and at times the ca’ in has
been full of wounded men who
groaned and cursed.
"It's a Bluenose who's been bush
whacked," whispers the mother as
rite leads the way down the road, and
presently the trio are looking down
upon the lifeless form of our L ittle
Jim. No, not lifeless The bullet
struck him in the side and inflicted a
severe wound, but even while they
gave atjhlm he opens his blue eyes
and tries to realize his sltuat on.
"Looks jest Ike Unde Ian,”
whispers one of the ihildren i
"Let’s be good to him"’ pleads the
other.
She would. Assisted a bit by the
children, she got him to the house
and had captured a prisoner and a
patient at the same time. Her hus
band and her neighbors had come
home with gunshot wounds, and she
had helped to nurse them and send
them hack to tight tor the cause she
believed was right. Aside from a
surgeon our Little Jim oould not have
fallen into better hands, t-he probed
for the bullet and found it. and if
living to-day he wears It on his
watchchain. The Eastern volunteers
had been holding that road tor
week*, and all that afternoon and
evening the woman listened for the
elatter of hoofs that she might re
port what had occnnvd and hare her
patient taken away. Not a horse
man passed.
xnere were days aDa nignts wnen
Little ilm was out of his head and
raving of home and mother. There
were days and nights when his life
hung on a thread. He had the care
his own mother wou.d have given
him. Many and many a time he
called her his mother, and blessed
her that she had come down from
the old home to nurse him back to
life. By and by the crisis passed and
the soldier knew where ne wa< and
the situation outslda He Knew more
than the good woman would have
him. That little fam ly was being
put to sore straits to find him such
food as an nvalld must have and he
heard the chi drew cry out at night
because they had not enough covering
to keep them warm. Aiter a few
days, when he found there was no
chance to get word to the loyal line,
he begged of the woman do deliver
him up to the rebel authorities and
relieve her-seif of the burden. f;he
lud gnantly refused, and the chil
dren. who had ins stedon calling him
Uncle Daniel, cried at the thought I
of his going away.
i retty soon a new peril threatened.
The neutral territory was given up
to bushwhackers and Indians. One
dar a long haired, evil-looking man,
who e garb was that of a farmer, and
who was probably the would-be assas
sin of 1 Jttle Jim, was seen lurking
about the premises. The woman put
another pillow behind the soldier,
handed him his revolver and quietly
said:
"I have your carbine and shall try
to kill him If he persists In entering
the house. If I am killed then you
must take care of yourself ”
The Sergeant could hear every word
o< the .'onversatlon as the man finally j
advanced to the house and the wo
man stepped outside to meet him.
“book yere, woman,’’ he began,
“who yo’ got in yo’r house'!'”
‘•By what right do you ask that:'” ;
she demanded in turn.
‘•By the r ght everybody has to
kill a cussed Canuck wherever be kio j
find him. Stand aside and let me
see what sort of a fowl yo’ve had
cooped in yere for two or three
weeks. ”
Click! Click! sounded the hammer
of her carbine, and as she brought
the muzzle on a line with the man’s
heart she said:
“There’s the road! Yo* scatter! I’ll
count twenty and then I’ll shoot!”
lie backed away, m tterlng and
cursing, and for the next three days
the cabin was in a state of siege. He
hung about, determined to investi
gate the re, orts which had somehow
leaked out, but finding the woman
on her guard be Anally went away to
report to the rebel authorities.
Thauksg v:ng Da came—cold, bleak
and a flutter of snowflakes in the air.
Little Jim had been shot just three
weeks before, but such was the nurs
ing that on this day be was helped
out of bed and bolstered up in the
big rocking chair to cat Thanks
giving dinner. Tears came to his
eyes as he saw what e"orts the wo
man had put forth and how meager
the results. Mother, children, una
soldier were gathered at the.table
when there came a clatter of hoofs
and a clanking of swords, and a dozen
repels galloped up to the door. At
their head was a Se geant, who
pushed his way iu and seized wife
and children and kissed them before
he looked at the pale-faced man at
his table. He was followed by a Cor
poral, who was scarcely Inside the
deer before the children cried out:
“Uncle Daniel! Uncle Daalel!
Our other Uncle Daniel has come
home.”
The bushwhacker had made his
report to the nearest camp, and the
Sergeant had beec sect to bring the
prisoner In. He sat at the head of
the table and heard the story, and
when it was concluded he patted his
wife,on the head and said:
“You did just right, Alary. When
a loyalist is up, he’s our enemy; when
he’s duwn we can t strike him. 1
wish some one else had come, though.
My orders are to take him back, and
I’ve got to do It or stand trial. ”
* I’ll go with him, Jim.” protested
the woman. His wound has not
healed yet, and he’s no more strength
than a baby.”
. oiumeers in signt, sir:" reported
a man at the door.
“How iar away'/'”
“About a mile.”
“That let’s us out Twelve of us
can’t tight no thousand volunteers.
Good-bye, Mary good-bye, children!
I’m dog gone giad of t! Orders Is or
ders, but I'd a gone back to camp and
told ’em It wasn’t in me to bust up a
dying man’s Thanksgiving, no mat
ter whether he was a rebel or a loy
alist!”
Five minutes later the highway
was full of volunteer cavalry, and
half a do eu oilieers were in the
house. This time it was Little Jim
who told the story, and when ho had
finished every one put out hi9 hand
to the woman and said “God bless
you!” They took the Sergeant away
in the am ulance, but on the plate
on which he had eaten his Thanks
giving dinner they left a due reward,
and many a soldier’s haversaok was
emptied that want might be put afar
off. After the war, Little Jim rode
over that highway again to find the
cabin in ashes, but the soldier and
family aiive and well. His money
built a new and better house, fenced
in the Helds again, bought horses and
plows and seed and started the ex
rebel on the road to prosperity.
Well, the Sergeant feels that he can
never repay the debt, and the fam
ily think there wa9 never such an
other enemy in the world, and so
take it all around, it came out as
good as the ending of any story, and
hasn’t been concluded yet—Kings
ton Press.
The Devil’s Mirror.
"One of the most peculiar of stone
formations is the 'devil’s looking
glass,’ on the Nolacbucky River,”
said L. IX Taylor at the LtndelL "It
Is a palisade which arises abru: tly
from the river to a height of ioo
feet. It is perfectly smooth and
about 100 feet wide. When the sun
is at a certain stage it throws a
shadow over the water and reflects
the sunbe ms as a mirror would,
dazzling the eyes of the beholder,
sometimes almost blinding him with
its brightness. To go upon the river
in a skiff and look down into the
water, is to see an image reflected,
but always distorted. It is this
which gave the name to the forma
tion, and there are several interest
ing'legends connected with It, some
of which are devotedly believed by
the mountaineers. One of those
wh ch is generally given credence is
that every night at midnight, when
the moon shines, the devil goes there
to bathe and makes up his to let
using the rock, with the reflection of
the moonlight, as a looking glass.”—
St. Louis Globe Democrat.
Sunday In Australia.
Sunday in most of the capitals of
Australian provinces is not an enliv
ening day. Concert and theatrical
entertainments are contrary to the
law, hotels are rigorously closed as
far as the general public is con
cerned, and if a publican is caught
dispensing liquor he is heavily fiDed.
Steamers and trains are run only on
sufferance, although the shops are al
lowed to remain open. In Melbourne,
however, no shopkeeper Is allowed to
sell even a bottle of ginger beer or a
dozen of apples. Yet Melbourne Is
the only town where concerts are held
Sunday, and once they were high
class, bat as no charge can be made
for entrance they have retrograted
In character. An audience is ad
mitted to the concert hall or theater
bit by bit, each man or woman hav
ing to contribute to a collection made
at the door as they enter. Some
times, however, the plate is taken
round the seats as in church.—Lon
don Figara
_SOME BITS OF SPRING MILLINERY.
GOWNS AND GOWNING.
WOMEN GIVE MUCH ATTENTION
TO WHAT THEY WEAR.
Brief Glances at Fancies Feminine, Frivo
lous, Mayhap, and Yet Offered In the
Hope that the Reading May l'rove
Restful to Wearied Womankind.
Gossip from Gay Gotham.
New York correspondence;
h, V KKn of one sort
| J or another are an
important feature
in spring dro ses
* ^^and they promise to
f /^*contim e during the
summer. The most
common sort are
f! wildly flaring and
sharp pointed, and
the (rut ido po'nts
often reach near
ly to the shoulders.
Another and nov 1
sort of want ado: n
meut is shown in
the initial pictur .
This dress is of thin
'firay£j. woolen suiting and
i nje' its gored skirt is
I IA,; lined with sil and
ll'*sti loned around ttie
uuiuom. Liu: i unless ill inula is luiu
in boxp’eats, but the front lits snugiy
over the hips. The skirt garnitu o
consists of a deep gathered Bounce,
with sides curving upward, and just
touching the boxpleats. The bottom
of this Bounce is tin koil throe times.
The bodice has flit d linln : and a vest
of pique or of white watered sil t,
which is bordered with double brotoll s
sla hed near the shoulders and fo: m
ing a round collar in b ok. P ain
balloon sleeves and turned d< wn
collar linish this dainty c ;stu e. T is
vest is one with the collar, hut thoso
which are accompanied by shirt-front
and tie are for the most part cut high,
and show very little of the hint at 11 o
throat. For wear for receptions with
brocade coats, the wai.tcoat is of silk
to match the ground of the c at an l
the bos m showing abovo is hardly
rib
FURRED B'TM > AND ROUND.
more than ayoki of very fine mull, : t
ted to a folded e 11; r of silk like the
waistcoat. A fall of e il lace is at
tached to the collar at its lower edge,
and co.ers the mu 1 entirely in its soft
folds to the wai c at top. Waistcoats
are fitted in ge tleman'.y a hion below
the waist line in front, they finish at
the waist line with a slight point just
in fr n', or 'he . are made according
to the fashion of the couriers of the
time of Charles If., with t bs below
the waist, to shi w in front below the
short-cut coat.
The earliest pro; hecies of spring
and summer fas dons promised that
fur would be used for trimming even
in the hottest months. This promise
has been fulfil e 1 so far. but the fad o
lacks in reasonableness that it is not
surprising to see it tike on odd and
fr.itesque expressio's, as it frequent y
oes. Here in the second pict re is ah
example which shows plainly how des- j
perate is the search for novelty. The :
dress is of a very dark-brown cloth j
and the spiral trimm:ng black fur. I
The deep bas iue is in fluted pleats, and
a very high collar tops it
Now that so many fancy waist- are 1
te tuired it i- as well to learn a few
tricks of transformation. Be wise a; d
have two or tb ee waists made quite
Slain, about hips, thr at, and shoul
ers. Let the lee ves be of gigot pat
tern, full at the top and close below the
elbow. Employ only one materia! in
the construction of these waists, then
consider them as foundations merely, >
and plan a lot of accessories to use at
your pleasure with the foundation i
waists, and you will drive your neigh- i
bor friends mad with the idea that vou j
have several dozen fancy bodices. You ;
will have a foundation waist of black. ;
one of white, one of your pet color, and j
possibly one of (lower d silk. A finish
for the black will bo thus arranged:
arm straps of ribbon velvet to set ovor
tho shoulder are connected by a pioce
of velvet to crois the chest and one to
cross the shoulder at tho back. To
tho lower edge of tho front piece run
very full a piece of black not that
shall at tho co ners each the bust line
and slope to the waist line In front
Applique on the lower edge of tho not
a finish of cream guipure, and spiay
applique guipure Howe s, circles or
ere cents a' over it. I’attorns cut out
of cheap lace applique with excellent
effect. To tho shoulder straps fa.Ion
squares of not onil olll.hed in the same
way ami odgod on three sides with the
guipure. At tho hack comes a piece
to correspon I with tho front. At one
side whore the shoulder piece and the
cross ]> ecoof velvet meet, there should
bo a bow of ribbon velvet, finished at
the end, with guipure edge and with a
row or to of guipure above. A yoke of
/iK
A SKIRT TRIMMED ON * NE SIDF.
gtiipu o lace may !>o set in the open
squate, the collar of the same being a
wide ru e of guipure, hold high and
close about too throat by a tie of
velvet ribbon a-itened at the side and
furur h d with ends to match the side
bow below. This yoke rho Id be made
a liustable, and the ri bon at the
throat should not be fits eued to the
la e, for you will w nt tl.o same yoke
with white atin ribbon lor use with
the wl ite waist.
In the dress of the third picture
there is shown a handsome stv lo of
trimming, which c > s sts, for tho skirt,
of a band of changeable watered ril>
b >n ed cd on both s.dos with a fancy
bordi r . n i drawn thr< ugh buckles in
front and ha :k a> rh iwn. Tho jacket
1) dice h s a fitted vest hooking in
front which is c vered with a gathered
plastron of a contrasting shade of silk,
either open in the center or lapping
over, and edged with darker velvet
who; e ends lap over in tho waist and
form a belt. The basque is ideated and
garnished down the edges* f the fronts
with narrower ribbon than that on tho
skirt. The du ed sleeves are also
banded with ribbon near the wrist.
The dress goods is a changeable silk
showing mode and garnet.
Two house dresses are presented in
the next illustration, that at the left
lx n: a very pretty example of the
ers while tea gown. Its material is
ye l w surali and it has a round yoke
to which the st -night bn adtha are
gathered. Thu yoke is made of valen
FUR H ME WEAR.
cienneg insertion and strips of silk, and
the collar is entirely of laco insertion.
Copyright, IBM.
Olfl-TIme F tnhion<*.
Greek ladies had steel and brass
mirrors, parasols, fans and smelling
bottles.
Lay fig res f-r fitting on ladies’
dresses were invented in France about
13J0.
Corsets have been found on the
mu nmies of 1 gyptian prinoesses of the
royal family.
Ix 1516 Francis I. gave to hia Queen
the equivalent of $10,000 In our money
to buy a hat.
