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About Western news-Democrat. (Valentine, Neb.) 1898-1900 | View Entire Issue (May 25, 1899)
i AT ARLINGTON. ? In sacred place where long have slept the nation's glorious dead -Again is heard the funeral march , as sol diers slowly tread. Again with tear-dimmed eyes the throngs of reverent watchers see The crave receive the dust of those who died to make men free. * 'The emblems of the Nation's love and sorrow there are shown As to their final resting place are borne the brave unknown ; 'The flag at half-mast droops in grief for those who are no more , And fitting requiem for the dead the black-mouthed cannon roar. - Twas not in fratricidal strife these sous of freedom fell ; Ah ! no : their grand self-sacrifice proud history e'er shall tell. 'They fought for strangers who had long been crushed by tyranny They died to give to fellow men the boon of liberty. Prom every section of the land in loyalty they came To fight for honor of the flag , to win the hero's fame ; And now they lie at rest with those who to their country gave "Their lives , and all that they held dear , that country's life to save. 'Safe now in beauteous Arlington these later heroes sleep , Ami Fame above their hallowed graves shall ceaseless vigil keep. 'The Northmen and the Southmen there are resting side by side , A nation's pledge that nevermore shall section lines divide. Pittshurg Chronicle-Telegraph. LL right , " said Phil lip , strug- with his white tie. A ser vant had just in formed him that Jus father wished to see him in the library. Philip \vas arraying his comely self for the Mortons' ball , and as he finish er he surveyed himself a moment , then ( akini : up his gloves he stalked down the stairs and into the stately library where his father sat at a table writing. Philip's father was a great railroad inainiate. of whom most men stood in wholesome awe , but his stern face li-jhred up wonderfully as the athletic -figure of his only son came up to his chair and laid a hand affectionately on .his shoulder. " ? " Philip ask "What is it. Excellency ed. and the tones of his voice sent a thrill of pride through his father's -Sit down. Phil , " said his father , mo tioning to a chair near at hand. "Were .you in that crowd last night that nearly wrecked a horseless carriage , and 1"rirhi < 'ned a horse that an old woman from the country was driving ? She ui&ht have been killed if one of you 1 fjiK-y I know who ( Philip blushed ) hadn't taken a living leap at consider- .jih'.e rik Jind caught the horse just in time and stopped it. " "Ye.I was there , " said Philip. "You see. father , the boys took old Steele with them. He knows all about moto- cyclt's and things like that , but not much else. But Steele put on airs , so the boys pulled him off the seat , and two or three of us tried to run it. It really ran us , " said Philip , laughing. "Steele must have had his foot on something we couldn't find it and you never saw anything go so. father , never. I really don't know where they fetched up : perhaps they're going yet , for Steele turned sulky and wouldn't let them know where the brake was. " "I should think not , " said his father , smilini : . "Of course , but for the acci- deni there would have been no real .harm in such a thing. " "Except listening to Steele's lau- iiuaire. father ; it was electrically blue , lie was so upset , in more ways than "But. " went on his father , "is life -never iroing to mean anything but a frolic and good time to you , Philip ? Yet : are through school , and it is cer tainly time for you to take a more se- jL-ious view of life. You have no idea of what it means to earn your daily bread. " " ( ) h. but you do that for me far too well , daddy , " said Philip , laughing. "In JCact. .von earn cake , too. " "Yes. that's the trouble. Phil , and as "Jong as you are here it will be the same , I am afraid. My boy , you must cut adrift and steer for yourself awhile , I -think. " "When ? " said Philip , with startled 'face. "Now. " said his father , his voice 'trembling a little in spite of himself. "How much do you owe in town ? " "Oh. two or three hundred. I sup- 'pose. " said Phil , his mind intent on his father's meaning. "You don't think I have done anything wrong or disgrace ful , do you , father ? " and Philip's voice \was very anxious. "No. no. my boy , " said his father promptly. "No. no , I am not displeased ' with you in any way. my son. Heaven knows how 1 will get on without you but we won't talk about that now. You Hiave passes on all the roads. Here is -a check for $ .100. Now go out west .and begin at the lower round of the : ladder si ml climb up. Here is a letter to myfriend , the superintendent of the i Great Western and Northern Road. He will start you at work. Good-by : - don't , come home until you have earned your promotion. It's all my fault , Philip. I haven't brought you up just right , but since your mother's death I ; haven't been able to refuse you any thing. " There was silence a moment , then Thilip came to his father's side. "You aren't angry with me , then , father ? " he said. "No , no , Philip , no , no , only anxious that you may grow Into a manly man. Good-by. " Philip put his hoyish head down on the back of his father's chair a min ute , then went upstairs , rapitHy changed his clothes , packed his trunk and valises , came down and caught the midnight train for the West , and it wasn't until he reached Topeka that he found he had left at home his check for $500 and had only a little silver and his letter of introduction to the super intendent of the great road that thread ed the West like a huge artery. He found the superintendent's office without difficulty and presented him his father's letter. After the superintendent had read the letter from his great Eastern friend he looked keenly at the somewhat slen der but athletic figure before him and smiled. "I have an opening. " he said ; "but it is by no means a bed of roses. " "What is it ? " asked Philip. "Not especially hard work , but it is in a lonely spot. There is a cut up the road about 150 miles. It is in the mountains , where washouts frequently occur. Telegraph poles wash down , wires are broken , etc. So it is neces sary to keep a watchman there contin ually. A railroad tricycle is furnished ; also a shack where , after a fashiou , one can live. Wages , $30 a month. Think you can stand it ? " The prospect was not alluring , but Philip had made up his mind to accept whatever offered itself without demur ; so he said : "Yes ; thanks ; I will take it. I suppose there will be shooting and fishing in plenty ? " "Yes ; plenty of that , fortunately. By the way , you will consider yourself my guest for a day or two if you irould like your father is an old friend of mine. " "Thank you , sir , " said Philip , grave ly ; "but I will go at once , if you please. " So the superintendent , well pleased his new watchman's pluck , furnished him with a list of directions , supplies needed and pusses. In the few hotirs before his train left Philip sold some jewelry and bought his simple outfit. Only one train a day from either di rection stopped at his station unless flagged , lie was dropped at his new abode just as night was closing in , frith supply boxes , gun , camera , ralises he had left his trunk in Topeka. He mnde many journeys up to where his little shack , or hut , literally hung on the mountain side before his possessions were landed on the floor of his one room. It was cold , but the former oc cupant had thoughtfully left a box fill ed with resinous pine knots , and Philip soon had a fire crackling delightfully in the rusty stove , and after a very frugal meal lie was so aonestly tired that he slept as he had rarely slept HEING POKE \VAKXED , THEY WENT CAU TIOUSLY AHEAD. before , though on a "shakedown" of fragrant balsam boughs covered with his great roll of blankets. Hunting , fishing and a touch of the outside world through the books and papers mj-steriously sent him supplied him with recreation outside of his somewhat monotonous duties in the weeks that followed. Fortunately Philip thoroughly loved nature and the magnificent views all around him were a source of endless delight. "When I've earned my promotion I'll bring his dear excellency out here , " he thought. "I'll show him a thing or two that will surprise him. The only tiling is there is nothing to do here that will earn a promotion. " However , one day , far up in the cut , he was tapping poles and scanning the track over a deep culvert , when all at once he lienrd voices below him. He dropped on his face and heard distinct ly the details of a plan to rob the pay car which would go through in about an hour. Surely this was an adventure at last ! lie ran back to the place where he had left his tricycle , just as the ma.il train , which had sidetracked for a few min utes on account of a hotbox , was pull ing out. "Whoop , " said Philip , then whiz went a rope round the brake on the rear car , and Phil and his tricycle were going down grade tied to the lightning mail. He had tied on behind a freight once or twice before this , and that was fun , but this beat tobogganing and every thing else that he had ever heard of in th < > way of speed. His front wheel ditl not often touch the track and he flung for his life. As the mail cars opened at the side no one saw him. "This means death. " he thought , "if I am thrown off , and I think likely it's death if I stay on , but I must get home before that pay car comes past. Evidently this is cither a promotion or a disgrace ; there's no middle track. " The train was slowing up though it never stopped close by Phil's shack. Unfortunately the tricycle could not slow up with equal rapidity. Phil's box containing knife and pliers had tumbled off long before , and now the tricycle tried to climb the rear car , the rope broke and Phil flew off and land ed near his own shack , fortunately in a pile of balsam boughs , while the mail car serenely proceeded on its way , leav ing behind it a wrecked tricycle and a winded rider. Two men who had been standing in Philip's door , rushed to pick him up , and when his head stopped whirling around he looked into his father's eyes and saw the Western superintendent standing near. At this surprising event Philip near ly lost his breath again , but knowing there was no time to lose , he gasped out the plan he had overheard of de railing the pay car and then robbing it , and the car was nearly due now. So Jhe two , each supporting an arm of the dizzy watchman , helped flag tea a standstill the pay train and thgn , being forewarned , they went cautious ly ahead , followed by the Eastern pri vate car containing several railroad dignitaries and the pale young watch man who had wished immensely to par ticipate in the capture of the robbers. The capture was effected with neat ness and decision and Philip was re turned to his own abode where , after entertaining his father and employer at supper , they sat down before the fire to talk things over. "I came out , " said Philip's father with dignity , "to see how you were get ting on. " "Badly enough without you , dad , " said Philip , smiling , his hand in the old place , "but I couldn't come to see you until I had earned mv promotion , you know. " "There was nothing in the plan that prevented me from coming to you , though , " said the older man , smiling up into his sou's face. "And I really think you have earned your promotion and I shall take you home as my confiden tial clerk " "There's a bill for a broken tri cycle " began the Western superin tendent dryly. "Not allowed , " replied his Eastern friend promptly. "It was broken in the company's service. Son , you are promoted. Chicago Record. In the fourteenth century armor be came so heavy that many soldiers only 30 years old were deformed or perma nently disabled by its weight. A medical journal advocates the use of hot sandbags instead of hot water bags in the sickroom. As considerable invalidism is caused by the use of cold sandbags there is an element of poetic justice in the proposition. In the reign of Edward III. all the brewers and bakers were women , and when men first began to engage in these occupations it was thought so strange that they were called men brewers and men bakers. Bank of England notes are made from new white linen cuttings never from anything that has been worn. So carefully is the paper prepared that even the number of dips into the pulp made by each workman is registered on a dial by machinery. An arrangement to raise and lower car windows without trouble has been for the benefit of patented longsuffering ing travelers. Compressed air from the engine or elsewhere does most of the work. All the passenger has to do is to turn a crank or press the button. The number of communications by telephone in this country annually is 75,000.000 ; telegraph messages , 67.000- 000. There are 15,000.000 incandescent lights , 1,000,000 arc lights , 500,000 elec tric motors , and 1,000 electric railways. About 2.500,000 people in this country earn their living through electricity. A paper bicycle has now invaded the field. One of them , owned by a bicycle agent , is in use in Loii'lou. Paper fiber , similar to that sometimes used in the manufacture of railway carriage wheels , is employed for tubing , and is as strong as any in use. A factory is said to be contemplated for the pro duction of bicycles of this sort. Christmas was first celebrated in the year 98 , but it was forty years later before it was officially adopted as a Christian festival ; nor was it until about the fifth century that the day of its celebration became permanently fixed on the 25th of December. Up to that time it had been irregularly ob served at various times of the year in December , in April and in May , but most frequently in January. Said to Be Bullet-Proof. Dr. F. Moreno , the commissioner of the Argentine republic who is now in this country in connection with the ar bitration over the boundary dispute with Chili , has brought with him to London , I hear , a piece of the skin of the mysterious quadruped which Is said to exist in the interior of the territory of Santa Cruz , in Patagonia. Accord ing to the reports of the Indians , it ia ; i strange creature , with long claws and : v terrifying appearance , impossible to kill because it has a body impenetrable iilike to firearms and missiles. The piece of skin which Dr. Moreno has here fully confirms this description. I : im told by an expert who has seen it. ind a close examination and study lead to the- conviction that the animal to which the skin belonged Avas about the size of a cow. This specimen will short ly be sent to the British museum , but it may be added that hopes are enter tained that a whole skin , with the skeleton , will before long be obtained tor the museum , since this is one of the main objects of Harry Cavendish's expedition to Patagonia. London Daily S'ews. Could See Two of Jupiter's Moons. A German tailor who died at Breslau in 1S37 had such keen sight that he was nble to see two of Jupiter's four moons with the naked eye. _ Sprayinjs Fruit Trees. The spraying of fruit trees in ordei to destroy injurious parasitic fungus and destructive insects has now almost become as regular a part of gardening work as weeding and in other ways cul tivating the garden crop ; but it requires just as much judgment as any other de partment of gardening. Sometimes in jury results from the strength of the copper solution. It is well , therefore , to use a small portion of lime , which is believed to be a security against the excess of the other articles. And again , spraying is often a failure through the application not being thorough. The under surface will sometimes be miss ed , or the spraying machine put in a position where the upper surface of the leaves receives little of the spraying mixture. It is not wise to spray where there is a probability of rain soon fol lowing , as in that case the mixture is washed off , and if by chance rain does follow , another application should be made. Meehan's Monthly. Valuable Jersey Cow. The above illustration , reproduced from the London Live Stock Journal , shows the Jersey cow Mabel 2. > d , the property of Mrs. Cyril Greenall , Walton Hall , Warrington , which won the first prize at the London dairy show and JERSEY COW MAI5ET , 23n. nlso numerous other leading prizes. She is a fawn , ten years old , and is one of the best all-around cows of the breed in the country , possessing considerable constitution , level outline and quality , < vith excellent udder. ? eed Germination. If all the grass seed usually sown were to germinate there would be about 2,000 plants to tbv square foot. It takes about 74,000 seeds of timothy to weigh an ounce. Careful experiments have shown that timothy seed covered by two inches of dirt cannot shoot into growth. Covered from three-quarters to an inch only about one-half of the good seeds will come forth. Red clover seed cannot get through two inches of dirt. White clover seed covered V/2 inches deep will not come through , and only about half will grow when cover ed from one-half to three-quarters of an inch deep. Alsike clover seed will not push through 1 % inches of covering. The above results were obtained by sowing the seed in finely sifted dark loam , which was kept moist during the process of germination. From one- quarter to one-half an inch is the right depth to cover grass seed. Hartford Times. A Handy Stanchion. An excellent and handy stanchion for cattle is shown in the illustration from the American Agriculturist. The feed rack is made of vertical bars 1 or 2 inches thick , bolted both at top and bottom be tween two side strip s. T h e stanchions a r e made the same as the other bars , or STAKCIIIOX. heavier if prefer red , but bolted only at the bottom , leav ing the upper end to swing freely. When vertical , the stanchion is held in place by a block nailed between the side strips on the right and a hinged strip on the left. In the cut this is raised , but when the stanchion is vertical it drops between the side strips and holds It steady. Whenever desired , the notch ed strip may be raised , the stanchion pushed aside and the cattle are free. Always be careful to leave just enough space by the stanchion to admit of easy rnotlon of the animal's neck. How Deep to Plant Potatoes. Except for the very earliest planting It is better on rich , dry soil to cover potato tate seed at least four inches deep. Then there will be no temptation to throw the earth around the potato as it grows , making a hill through which the tubers will grow outside the soil , and be made worthies for cooking by exposure to the sun. A potato that has been "greened" properly makes the best < ; eed. but in some of the potatoes that are greened in fall the eyes appear to be destroyed , so that the potato is not even good for seed. Pic Pork. Among the many radical changes : n farm management during the Ia < t quarter of a century there are few that have brought the farmer greater profit than that of marketing pigs at six or seven mouths old instead of keeping them three times as long. The best market demand at present is for good fat pigs , and they command the high est price. It has been demonstrated over and over again that the cost per pound increases with the age of the pig , and so it is in the line of economy to push the pigs from the start and sell early. Practical Farmer. Birds Eat Poisonous Fruit. A correspondent in Nature discusses the rather interesting question why birds are not killed by eating poisonous fruit. It is held by some that birds eat only the surrounding pulp , which in many cases is perfectly harmless , as , for instance , in the case of the yew , where as the seed is very poisonous. The real facts , however , appear to be that the birds actually eat largely of the ber ries , both pulp and seed , and that they very shortly afterward eject the seeds and skin by the mouth , thus avoiding any poisonous effects. Instances are recorded of finding the ejected seeds and skin of poisonous berries , although no instances are on record of any one having actually seen the birds eject the seeds. It has been asserted , although the evidence is by no means strong , that blackbirds have been known to eat the berries of Atropa belladonna , the well-known' deadly nightshade. Corn Kows Straight. It does not pay to make crooked corn rows , despite the well-known old saying that "the most corn always grows in crooked rows. " That is a reminiscence of days when stumps and stones obstructed the surface and made it impossible to do neat work in mark ing out. A strong horse , easy on the bit , is necessary in doing good work in marking rows. Still more is a clear sight to the end of the field on the part of the man driving the horse. "Unless the surface is very uneven four marks can be made at once , of which the in side one will follow the mark made in going around last time. This makes three rows for planting gained in going across the field , and six in going and re turn in sr. It does not take long to mark out a large field in this way. But if the surface is uneven it is better tc mark rows with markers having only three teeth. When Pettinjr Out Plants. An important point in setting out plants is to firm the soil well about the plant after setting it in the ground. This can be best done with the feet , tamping the soil gently immediately about the base and against the stalk of the plant. This serves to keep the plant in position , so that it will not be whipped about by the wind , and pre vents the air from getting at the roots. As the plants are knocked out of the pots dip the ball of soil surrounding the roots in water , and pour a little into the hole into which the plant is tc be set. Fill the soil in about the plant , and compress it as suggested above , and if no water is applied for a week the plant will not suffer. By the for mer method only the surface of the soil is wet and the roots of the plant re main dry. Woman's Home Compan ion. Buckwheat for Low Grounds. ' The buckwheat crop is peculiar in the fact that it can be put in after July and still make a crop of grain that furnishes excellent food for man. It is almost al ways sown on low. Avet land that could not be tilled earlier in the season. In fact , it is more often a failure than not if sown on high , dry land , even in the East , where there is usually plenty ot moisture. It cannot be grown with profit beyond the region of the great lakes , and the two States of Pennsyl vania and New York produce yearly more buckwheat than all the other States in the Union. Foft The laying of soft eggs that is , eggs covered with a membrane rather than a shell is easily ascribed to overfat- ness , but some hens persist in the habit , whether fat or lean , even if well sup plied with lime , and such fowls are doubtless affected with chronic disor der of the organs of reproduction. While these are all right for table poul- Lry , they are good for nothing else. If several hens in a flock lay soft eggs , it is a. sure sign of overfeeding. Live Stock. Restoring an Old Orchard. It is sometimes cheaper to restore an 3ld orchard than to plant a new one ind wait for the young trees to grow , rhis may be done by judicious pruning md removing all of the dead wood , c then manuring the ground in the fall ind applying fertilizers in the spring. c rhe manure must be used liberally , irst lightly stirring the surface soil and then applying the manure , which should be well worked in when spring jpens. "Wonders of the Bee. Every bee carries his market basket omul his hind legs. Any one exainin- I mr the body of the bee through a mi- : -roscope will observe that on the hind c egs of the creature there is a fringe of t ; tiff hairs on the surface , the hairs ap- j , iroaching each other at the tips , so as r o form a sort of cane. This is the bee's jasket. and in" * 'A ( after a succes.-i ourney. he wii 'km enough pollen to ast him for two or three days. Grafting Tomatoeon to Potatoes The United States Government at the experiment stations has succeeded in grafting the tomato top on to the pota- o root , and. strange as it may seem , he growing of a crop of tomatoes does lot seem to interfere with the growth > f the potato , and no doubt it will be- : ome common some time by this means : o grow the finest tomatoes and pota- : oes both from the same plant. THE FIREMAN'S LIFE. The Spectacular Side of It Doubtless Has Stronjr Attractions. Doubtless there is something in the spectacular side of it that attracts. It would be strange if there were not. There is everything in a fireman's ex istence to encourage it. Day and night he leads a kind of hair-trigger life , that feeds naturally upon excitement , even if only as a relief from the irksome . i idling in quarters. Try as they may "X to give him enough to do there , the time hangs heavily upon his hands , keyed up as he is , and needs be , to ad venturous deeds at shortest notice. He falls to grumbling and quarreling , and the necessity becomes imperative of holding him to the strictest discipline , w , under which he chafes impatiently. "They nag like a lot of old women. " said Department Chief Bonncr to mo once ; "and the best at a fire are often the worst in the house. " In the midst of it all the gong strikes a familiar signal. The horses' hoofs thunder on the planks ; with a leap the men go down the shining pole to the main tloor , all else forgotten ; and with crash and clatter and bang , the heavy engine swings into the street , and races aAvny on a wild gallop , leaving a trail of fire behind. Presently the crowd sees rubber-coat ed , helmeted men with pipe and hose go through a window from which such dense smoke pours forth that it seems incredible that a human being could breathe it for a second and live. The hose is dragged squirming over the sill , where shortly a red-eyed face with dis heveled hair appears , to shout some thing hoarsely to those below , which they understand. Then , unless some emergency arise , the spectacular part is over. Could the citizen whose heart beat as he watched them enter , see them now , he would see grimy shapes , very unlike the fine-looking men who but just now had roused his admira tion , crawling on hands and knees , with their noses close to the floor if the smoke bo very dense ever pointing the "pipe" in the direction where the en emy is expected to appear. The lire is the enemy ; but he can fight that , once lie reaches it , with something of a L-hance. The smoke kills without giv ing him a show to fight back. Long practice toughens him against it. until iie learns the trick of "eating the smoke. " He can breathe where a can- llo goes out for want of oxyiren. By holding his mouth close to the nozzle , le gets what little the stream of wnU-r H-ings with it and sets free ; and within i few inches of the floor there is nenr- y always a current of air. In the last miergeney , there is the hose that he ; an follow out. The smoke always is lis worst enemy. It lays ambnshes 'or him which he can suspect , but not vard off. He tries to by opening vents n the roof as soon as the pipe-men are n place and ready ; but in spite of all u-ecautious , he is oft n surprised by he dreaded back-draft Century. Boj's. , if any one has an easy time In this world of push and pull , t is not the boy of the family. For his hands are always full , 'd like to ask , who fills the stove ? Where is the girl that could ? Yho brings in water , who lights the fire , And splits the kindling wood ? Lnd who is it that cleans the walks After hours of snowing ? n summer , who keeps down the weeds. By diligently hoeing ? Lnd who must harness the faithful horse When the girls would ride about ? ind who must clean the carriage off ? The boy , you'll own , no doubt. md who does the many other tilings Too numerous to mention ? 'he boy is the "general utility man , " And really deserves a pension ! 'riends ! Just praise the boy sometimes , When he does his very best ; Lnd don't always want the ea y chair When he's taking a little rest. ) on't let him always lie the last To see the new magazine : .ml sometimes let the boy he heard , As well as to be seen , 'hat ' beys are far from perfect Is understood by all ; lut they have hearts , remember. For "men are boys grown tall. " .ml when a boy has been working His level best for days. : does him good. I tell you. To have some hearty praise ! [ e is not merely a combination Of muddy boots and noise , .ml he likes to be looked upon As one of the family joys. -The Gem. A Testimonial lor Veracity. Pearson's Weekly tells this story : It's a moighty foine thing to have a liaracter for truthfulness. " remarked I'Grady when he returned home the ther evening. "Indade an * it is that same , " agreed [ rs. O'Grady. with an approving nod s she hauled one child out of the fcn- er and scraped the cinders off his "ock. "An' what makes ye say that he-lira : " " 'Cause me master belaves in me cracity intoirely , " was the response of helim. He lighted his short pipe ami > ok his accustomed seat on a broken iiair near the chimney. "I toulil him lis morning that I couldn't help bein ite. an * that I had run a moile in a linute an'a half to get there in toime. n * what do you think he said ? " * "Mebbe that ye desarved another six- : -nce a week. " "Better than that. These are his very ' ords : 'O'Grady , ' sez he , 'Oi wud jus't - soon belave ye if ye sed ye had done in half a minute. ' So ye see what iith he has in me veracity intoriely. " Salisbury as a 3Iiner. Lord Salisbury. England's prime min- t-e , once handled a pick and shovel Arms tlie great Australian gold craze set out as a gold hunter , and th * vel in which he lived as a rough red- . .Irted miner is still standin-
