The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, May 30, 1902, Image 3

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A WARRIOR BOLD
By ST QEORQE RATHBORNE
Author of Little Mit Mllllont The Spidtrt
Wb Dr Jack Widow Mitt Caprict tic
Copyright 1001 Street and Smith Now York
CIIAI TEli VII
Take Care Captain Brand
Artemus looked Into his companions
lace as the other made this strange
and unexpected announcement
Himself something of a practical
joker It was natural that the dramatic
student of human nature should be
auspicious lest he fall a victim to some
deep laid plot to bring down upon his
head the laugh that cuts so keenly
But Charlie looked as grave as a
deacon Had he been attending the
obsequies of the man who was hung
lie could not have appeared more sol
emn
Matters of this character always pos
sessed for him a peculiarly strong In
terest and he was eager to glean the
particulars
Well It isnt given to most of us
to see a man hung and then meet him
afterward alive and well Tell me
about It Charlie my boy
Thero Isnt a great deal to narrate
At the time an Insurrection In Chili
was causing the most intense excite
ment and some very bloody battles
were fought about Santiago
I chanced to be as I said in Val
paraiso One day I found myself in a
crowd of excited citizens and soldiers
in the midst of whom stood a prisoner
a spy caught red handed upon
whom they were about to execute sum
mary judgment
That was Captain Nathaniel
The word was given and I heard
a roar from five hundred throats as
the wretch was jerked off his feet
One moment I saw him as he
dangled in space hands and feet strid
ing out wildly a spectacle I shall nev
jr forget to my dying day
There came a sudden shot and
Kedge fell to the ground in a heap
t ome one had cut the rope with a well
iimed bullet
Immediately the deuce of a row
broke out but bless you the affair
died away as speedily as it began and
then gradually it dawned upon the
ninds of the crowd that a great hoax
had been successfully carried out
For when they looked for Kedge
ia order to complete their artistic lit
tle job behold the man who had al
ready been partially hung had disap
peared nor were they able to discover
him though Valparaiso was thorough
ly searched
That is my little story and I am
almost ready to swear that our Capt
Brand in yonder is the identical
Kedge grown a little gray in the ser
vice of heating the world but just
the same old sixpence
Artemus nodded and they separated
for a time
But their meeting had not been un
observed
The ubiquitous baron had his eye on
them and possibly figured out some
wonderful game as connected with
his mysterious conversation
Charlie went back to Arline and
Capt Brand and the three chatted for
a while
Then Arline graciously consented to
play several favorite pieces while
Charlie idly glanced through a book
made up of fugitive songs and music
It was- while doing this he suddenly
came upon an opportunity to make
another test of the mans identity So
Charlie handed the well worn book of
music to the fair girl
Play that for me an old favorite
always revives pleasant recollections
Charlie was so situated that a side
glance into a massive pier glass gave
him an excellent view of the man who
had arisen from the dead
What Stuart had so accidentally yet
fortunately come across was the Chi
lian National Hymn He watched the
effect upon Capt Brand
When the first rather weird notes of
this Spanish American music throbbed
upon the air Brand sat bolt upright
upon the divan
Involuntarily he seemed to gasp for
breath his tongue partly protruded
from his mouth as though he were
being choked while his hand crept up
to his throat and clutched his loose
collar as if to tearjt away
Charlie exulted in the sight It con
firmed his suspicions
There was no longer the faintest
doubt remaining in his mind
This was the man
Finally they said good night
Charlie managed to whisper a few
sentences in Arlines ear while the
captain waited at the door so that
he was assured of seeing her again
on the morrow
Capt Brand led her away
One smiling glance she sent back
over her plump shoulder gods what
a thrill it gave the bachelor who re
ceived it
Here was a miracle
He felt dazed felt as though he
walked in a dream He who had scoff
ed at such a ridiculous thing as love
at first sieht whn hnd always declared
the holy passion a flower of slow
growth founded upon mutual friend
ship and esteem now discovered his
theory in utter ruin and not only that
hut himself engulfed in the chaotic
debris
Finally he aroused himself to a
realization of the fact that there were
a few more people in the world besides
Arline Brand
How about the baron Had he learn
ed of his mistake by this time with re
gard to the identity of the Countess
Isolde
The idea of taking Arline for the
fascinating countess was absurd How
could so shrewd a man have been de
ceived Why did an occasional Hn
gerine doubt still find lodgment in
Charlies heart No woman could
play such a game Arline must bo
what she seemed Hank Peterhoff and
his miserable warnings
So he trusted blindly
If there was a pit he would fall Into
it headlong for lovo had already
blinded him
Or was the Russian bear still on
guard
Could the hotel bo surrounded by
his emissaries ready to entrap the
wonderful adventuress
Having decided to smoke a weed and
take a look around ere retiring to his
bunk Charlie lighted up and saunter
ed toward the open door leading to the
street
When he stepped out of the hotel
door he was astonished to discover
little knots of men dressed in the
well known uniform of the Antwerp
gendarmes standing near the Hotel de
la Paix
Then it burst upon him that he had
not placed enough significance upon
what the baron had confided to him
This did not mean the mere arrest of
a clever adventuress charged with no
specific crime save that of enslaving
men of rank and compelling them
through her witchery to contribute
from their wealth toward her regal
support It stood for something
grander something that might yet
shake a greater part of Europe with a
mighty convulsion since the conspir
acy In which the Countess Isolde was
connected concerned more than one
imperial throne
Charlie forgot that he had been
sleepy
His eyes were never brighter than
now
It seemed that the countess had tin
ally made a stupondous blunder and
Peterhoffs hour of triumph was at
hand
It would mark an epoch in the lives
of many prominent men in Europe
when Isolde Brabant vanished behind
the walls of a military fortress
Some who had been in the tolls
would breathe ea3y for the first time
in many moons and drink a bumper
to her long residence in t her new and
exclusive palace
So Charlie watched and waited deep
in reflection
When his cigar was about half con
sumed he thought he would saunter
down the street a short distance to
see what effect if any his appearance
might have upon the officers on guard
The result was really more than he
had anticipated
He had not gone more than a dozen
paces before without the least warn
ing he felt a rough hand laid roughly
upon his arm
As he turned to see what was want
ed a second hand gripped his other
arm
A bended face looked into his own
Messieurs I am afraid you he
began
Silence
Have made a little mistake
Silence on your life was hissed
He saw frowning pistols
It was evident that the officers
meant business
Charlie began to grow a little indig
nant
See here send for the baron he
insisted
He is engaged
But he is my friend he will be
angry with you for making so ridicu
lous a blunder
So But we carry out his orders
Now not a word more mynherr
Confound
Do you hear Not one word on
your life
Charlie shrugged his shoulders
Ah a whistle evidently a signal
The game was about to be called
Even as he stood there held fast by
his captors he saw a man enter the
door of the hostelry
It was Peterhoff
Another and another followed until
Charlie had counted a round dozen
At the same time there was a
stretching of lines in the street Sig
nals passed from mouth to mouth
and Charlie understood that the well
known Hotel de la Paix was in the
center of a strong cordon of officers
through which escape was Impossible
Alas for the countess It was her
hour of doom
He listened swayed by contending
emotions
Somehow Arline was in his mind
Perhaps there might be a fight
Some of those who would be found
in the society of Isolde Brabant were
desperate men connected with an
archists and nihilists sworn to re
duce society in Europe to one dead
level
They might take their lives in their
hands and endeavor to give battle
Still the awful influence of Peter
hoffs dreaded name was sufficient
under ordinary conditions to freeze
the fighting blood in the veins of
most men however brave they might
be
To his surprise he heard no shot
not even a shout or a scream
The barons sudden appearance m
their midst must have paralyzed the
conspirators
Presently they would be trooping
forth under escort to be hurried away
to gloomy prison cells
And as for himself
Charlie smoked calmly on
This was another experience that
was all
He seemed bound to suffer in the
cause of Arline Brand Because she
chanced to resemble the notorious
Countess Isolde in possessing an en
trancing figure and also golden hair
and eyes that rivaled the summer skies
of Italy forsooth the baron must fall
into error and bring about this en
tanglement
Well perhaps all things would work
together for good if he but put his
shoulder to the wheel
And the cause was one In which he
could stand considerable knocking
about with complacency
He watched the hotel door
The baron would be sorry on ac
count of his blunder Naturally ho
would want to make amends and
Charlie had already concluded to en
list his valuable services in the work
of unmasking Captain Brand
If anybody could accomplish this
matter surely it was Peterhoff whose
long experience and facilities for se
curing Information would stand him
in good stead
Ah there were signs of life
A number of sombre closed vehicles
came dashing down the gaasen
They drew up before the hotel
A few loungers gathered in the door
way out of idle curiosity Heads ap
peared at the windows across the way
as though some spirit of intuition
passing through space gave warning
that strange events were occurring
Charlies captors began to move
along toward the hotel door and of
course he was forced to accompany
them
He was still twenty paces away
when the baron came outbearingupon
his arm a lady with a sylphlike form
but who was heavily veiled
Charlies traitor heart leaped at
sight of her The graceful carriage
was so like that of Arline so queenly
and perfect
Yet he knew beyond peradventure
that this was the countess who had
finally fallen into the toils of the
fowler
Charlie was inclined to rush and
seize upon his friend the baron but
those two guards held his arms in a
grip of steel
Attract the attention of Peterhoff
he could not since the other had eyes
only for the woman at his side know
ing his men were capable of executing
the orders previously given
So he assisted her into a vehicle and
swept one last glance around
Charlie cried out
Other sounds there were in the
street just then At any rate the
baron never vouchsafed a single look
in his quarter but wared an arm
jumped into the vehicle and was gone
By this time the gendarmes were
issuing from the hotel each with a
companion most of the prisoners be
ing gentlemen
As fast as the vehicles were filled
with guards and captives- they dashed
away
Charlies turn came He attempted a
protest but was roughly shoved along
and thrust into one of the closed ve
hicles which presently lumbered
down the street
And so the innocent suffered with
the guilty
To be continued
A MIDNIGHT CALL UPON METHUEN
Soldiers Sense of Human Not Destroyed
by Hard Work
The recent capture and release of
Lord Methuen by the Boers has given
rise to a number of stories relating
to this unlucky commanders career in
the army says the Cleveland Plain
Dealer Long before the Boer war
began Lord Methuen was campaign
ing in South Africa at the head of the
famous band of rough riders known as
Methuens Horse A member of the
regiment G L Chesterton has since
made a reputation as a worker in the
field of London journalism and he it
is who tells this anecdote of cam
paigning on the borders of Bechuana
land
When we were encamped on the
big hill overlooking the Setlagoli Riv
er not very far from Mafeking Lord
Methuen used to occupy a common
bell tent near to which slept a couple
of his orderlies and myself his field
trumpeter One dark night the Hon
Dick Cotton came stumbling into
camp and endeavoring to discover the
whereabouts of the commander ap
proached us shouting in a high voice
Paul I say Paul where are you
Presently from the inside of the tent
came a more sonorous sound Is that
you Dick What do you want The
jaded wayfarer remarked Do you
know Paul that I asked one of your
men where I could find you and he
told me to go to Without a
moments hesitation Lord Methuen re
plied Come inside Dick come in
side
Tho Successful Wooer
Men would have a great deal more
chance of success in their wooing if
they understood better how girls like
to be wooed As it is they have no
idea on the subject that is at all use
ful and many a lovers suit is unsuc
cessful just because he is ignorant of
a girls tastes in that direction
Now if girls had the matter in their
own hands they would manage very
differently To begin with they would
never play the bashful lover There is
nothing less calculated to make a girJ
say yes to the important question
than the wooing of a lover who is shy
She despises a man who cant have
courage enough to ask her boldly and
when he stammers and hesitates over
it instead of walking up boldly to the
lions mouth he reduces his chances tc
a minimum says the Philadelphia In
quirer
Above all things woman delights lr
feeling the superior strength of man
When he comes and asks her to be hi
wife with a fine bold front and manlj
bearing the battle is half won
She respects and admires him foi
pressing his suit with decision an
when she begins to admire a man love
does not lag far behind The trem
bling timorous lover never comSflaiidf
her respect
The fool who buries his head in the
dust has usually the impudence to de
clare that there can be nothing di
vine
WITTY REPROOF GIVEN TO JUDGE
Shakespearean Quotation n 1erfcut Fit
for the Situation
One of the most successful of Phil
adelphias many noted criminal law
yers he may be referred to here as
B was once engaged in tho de
fense of a notorious thief whose caso
was very weak indeed The presid
ing judge was not a man of presence
was famously irritable and possesseu
very little of the respect and admira
tion of the lawyer When the evi
dence was all in the judge made tho
suggestion that as the case against
the accused seemed very clear in
deed it should be submitted to the
jury without further argument But
the lawyer insisted that an effort be
made in his clients behalf bad as
me case appeared to everybody pres
ent Then he launcned forth into one
of his celebrated exhibitions of vocal
pyrotechnics filled with dazzling fig
ures of speech fine periods of verbal
nothingness and many and apt quo
tations from Shakespeare which were
bent and colored to fit tho circum
stances of the case under considera
tion Time flew and the lawyer
talked talked until interrupted from
the bench with a sharp
Lawyer B It is half past one
oclock sir
Well Your Honor what of that
asked the orator
You know very well sir came
from the bench that this court is in
the habit of adjourning each day for
lunch at 1 oclock 1 oclock sir The
court has waited half-an-hour for you
sir half-an-hour
The lawyer looked amazed then
taking a step forward and extending
his right hand the forefinger pointing
reprovingly at the judge he said
I know Your Honor is a great lov
er of Shakespeare that the truths
and the philosophy of the great bard
are familiar to you But I fear Your
Honor does not always apply what he
knows of Shakespeare to the circum
stances of the moment I have in
mind a line in King Lear that reads
The lean lank and hungry judge
would hang the guiltless rather than
eat his mutton cold With Your
Honors permission I will close my
speech at this point
The writer regrets that he does not
know if the thief Avas acquitted
CRAMP COMPLIMENTED BY CZAR
Russian Knlor Pleased with Answer of
Famous Shipbuilder
Charles H Cramp the veteran ship
builder of Philadelphia told the other
day of his visit to Czar Alexander of
Russia the father of the present ruler
when he received the first order for
constructing in his yards a warship
for the great empire of Northern Eu
rope
The Czar received me standing
among some dozen or more of his
naval dignitaries he said and while
he was graciousness itself I was none
the less embarrassed You see I was
not used - to that sort of thing and
really was wondering every minute
just what would happen and what I
would be expected to do The Czar
stood rather close to me as we talked
and I found myself wishing I were
a bigger man as tie towered above
me Then all of a sudden he asked
Mr Cramp in what school of
naval architecture were you educat
ed
Your Highness I answered I
was educated in my fathers yards
We founded a school of naval archi
tecture
What put that into my head I will
never know continued Mr Cramp
but it took the trick The Czar
caught me by the hand and said Mr
Cramp you were educated in the
school that I am glad to have build
ships for my navy
Canned Food
It is amusing enough to discover
that the cattle rancher though 1000
cows come up to water at his tanks
every day or two will yet serve con
densed milk from cans that come
from New Jersey that his beef bears
the mark of Kansas City that even
his poultry and eggs are imported at
enormous prices from Kansas His
butter also comes canned If it were
not for the patient Chinese gardener
even the best irrigated valleys would
be without fresh vegetables But if
the Southwesterner fails in gardening
he does delight in flowers vines and
shade trees They relieve the monot
ony of the gray desert and link him
with his old green home in the East
He will let his fields go thirsty in
time of drought before he will allow
the rose bushes and the pepper trees
in his front yard to suffer Indeed
so industrious has he been in sur
rounding himself with shade and ver
dure that he is open to criticism for
overdoing the matter overcrowding
his small grounds An irrigated val
ley town in blossom is a marvel long
to be remembered The Century
Ko fined a Fortune
Lawyers will hardly find wireless
telegraphy so productive of fees as
was the telephone litigation over
which put millions into their pock
ets Prof Bell had a strenuous time
He took the first working model of
his instrument to John A Logan and
offered Black Jack a half interest
for 2500 saying that it would do
away with the telegraph and that
there would be millions in it Logan
replied I dare say your machine
works perfectly but who would want
to talk through such a thing as that
anyway I advise you to save your
money young man Bell then of
fered a tenth interest to an examiner
in the Patent Office for 100 in cash
It was refused That tenth interest
was worth 1600000 in 15 years The
giant intellect that refused it is still
examining patents
t vStW
DECORATION DAY EPISODE
Simple but Patriotic Exercises in
Western Frontier Town
For genuine patriotism one must
go to the country or better still to
the frontier or mountain towns Awa
from the maddening rush for wealth
the people live closer to nature and
also get opportunities to form social
acquaintances which develop into the
closest friendships Holidays to this
class are something out of the ordi
nary Having thus delivered himself
the old time newspaper man pondered
a while and then resumed somewhat
as follows Away back in 1883 I vas
stranded in a little mountain hamlet
In Colorado called Georgetown It
was Decoration day My cash had
run out the two weeklies had a full
complement of help and I was up
against it
Going along the main street I ran
across a local correspondent for one
of the weeklies whom I had met in
Denver He gave me the glad hand
and asked if I had struck any aurifer
ous ore Having told him of the de
pleted condition of Uie treasury he
stated that a committee appointed by
the G A R post had met with hard
luck in lassooing a speaker for the
program at the cemetery Then an
idea struck him
Say pard why cant you give us
a lift Theres a five dollar gold
piece in it
Did I take it Well I delivered
the best speech ever made in the
Rockies But you should nave seen
that procession Miners wearing their
red or blue shirts with great leather
belts to hold their trousers in place
sans coat and vest but shod in high
top boots and on their heads were
slouch hats or sombreros adorned
with rattlers Here and there was a
real veteran whose empty sleeve or
limp demonstrated that he had helped
defend the stars and stripes Alto
gether there were fewer than 300 men
in line But patriotism pure and un
adulterated beat in every breast I
was accorded a position of honor at
the head of the line alongside my
friend who was past commander of
the post and measured about 5 feet
4 The commander was 6 2 anu
we made up a great bunch The line
of march took in the main street of
the town and then over two miles of
Tocky road to the cemetery Once
there I delivered my little talk and
then the veterans tenderly placed
flags and flowers on the graves of
their beloved dead Many a teardrop
fell upon the blossoms as the old boys
passed them around and recalled their
gallant comrades of years agone
There was no work in Georgetown
that day for it was a holidaf devoted
to the memory of the brave men who
fought to preserve the nations honor
Give me the frontier for the real ar
ticle in patriotism
Let No Soldier Ee Forgotten
The significance of the day should
inspire every veteran soldier and sail
or to pay homage to the valorous
deeds of their comrades of ISLS The
annals of our country have been made
glorious by the noble nd heroic sac
rifices of her sons
It is our duty to keep ever present
in our memories the historic deeds of
the patriotic dead our countrys
dead
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