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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 1897)
1(1 TTTTC OTVrATTA T > AlTjY TlTnTl. frNT.AV. TMSTVRTTATrV 7. AARON IN THE WILD WOODS 2 _ sjr The Story of a Southern Swamp. . By JOEL CHANDLER HARRIS. . M CHAPTER I. THE LITTLE MASTER. If you Imagine that the book called "The Story of Aaron ( so named ) the Son of Be All" tells all tbo adventures of the Ara While he was a fugitive In the wild wood you are very much mistaken. If you will g tack to that book you will see that Tlmolcon the black stallion ! Gruntcr , the white pig Gristle , the gray pony , and Rambler , th track dog , told only what they were askei to tell , And they were not anxious to tcl oven that. They would much rather tsv been loft alone. What they did tell tt-ey told without any flourishes whatever , fo they wanted to get through and be tlcn with It. Story telling was not Inheir lln and they knew It very well , so they said wba they had to say and that was the end t-t It s far as they were concerned , setting a wor'.h example to men and women , and to children too. too.It Is natural , therefore , that a man such n Aaron wan , full of courage nnd valuable t tbo man who has bough ! ) him from the speed later , should have had many adventures tha the animals know nothing of , or , If the knew , had no occasion to relate. In the boo ! you will flnd that Buster John and Swedes Susan asked only about such things as the heard ot Incidentally. But some of the mos Interesting things were never mentioned 1-y Aaron at all , so the children never askof about them. Llttlo Crotchctt. It will be remembered , wh know more about the matter than anybody except Aaron , was dead , and so tbsre wa noboJy to give the chlldnn any hint or cue as to the questions they were to ask. "You will say they bad Aaron close at hand Tha Is true , but Aaron was busy , and besides tba ho was not fond of talking , especially atou lilmsclf. And yet , the most of the adventures Aaron had In the wild woods were no secret. They were well known to the people In the neigh fcorbood and for miles around. In fact they were rrndo the subject of a great dea of talk In Llttlo Crotcbctt's day and many men ( and women , too ) , 'who were oh enough to bo wlso shook their heads , eve some of the events nnd declared that they had never heard of anything more mys terlous ; and It EO happened that this Idea of mystery deepened aud grew until It made a very rom&ntlc figure of Aaron and was a great help to him , not only when ho was a fugitive In the wild woods , but after ward , when ho "settled down" and turned his attention to looking after affairs on the Abercromblo plantation. All this happened before Buster John and Sweetest Susan were born , while their mother wan a girl In her teens. When Llttlo Crotchctt was allvo things were very different on the Absrcromblo plantation to what they were before or afterward. It Is true bo was a cripple and had -to go on crutches , except when ho was riding Gristle the gray pony. But ho was very active and nimble , and very restless , too , for he was here , there and everywhere. Moro than that , ho was always In a good humor , al ways cheerful , and most of the time laughing at his own thoughts or at something ho hat heard. For It was well understood on thai plantation , and , Indeed , wherever Little Crotchett was familiarly known , that , as ho was something of an invalid , and such a little bit of a fellow to boot , nothing un pleasant was to como to his ears. It he found out about trouble anywhere be waste to find It out for himself and without any help from anybody else. But , although Llttlo Crotchett was smal and crippled , ho bad a very wise bead on his shoulders. Ono of the first things he fount out was that everybody was In a conspiracy to prevent unpleasant things from coming to his ears and the Idea that he was to bo humbugged In this way made him laugh , it was so funny. Ho said to himself that If bo could have troubles while everybody was tryIng - Ing to help him along and make life pleasanl for him , surely other people who had no body to look out for them must have much larger troubles. And ho found It to bo so , al though he never said much about It. The truth Is that while people' thought they were humbugging Little Crotchett be was humbugging everybody except , a few who knew what a shrewd llttlo chap he was. These few had found out that Llttlo Crotchctt know a great deal more about the troubles that visit the unfortunate In this world than anybody knew about his troubles and ho had many. It was very peculiar. He would go gallopIng - Ing about the plantation on tbo Gray Pony and no matter where he stopped there was always a negro ready to let down the bars or the fence. How could this bo ? Why , It was the simplest matter In the world. It made no dlfferenco where the field hands wore working , nor what they were doing , the } were always watching for their Llttlo Master , ns they called him. They were sure to know when he was coming sure to sec him , nnd no matter how high the fence was. down It would come whenever the Gray Pony was brought to a standstill , It was a sight to see the boo hands or the plow hands when their Little Master went riding among them. It was hats off and "howdy , honey , " with all , and that was something the Whlte-Halred Master never saw unless he was riding with Little Crotchett , which sometimes happened. Once the Whlte-Halred Master said to Llttlo Crotchett : "Thoy all love you because you are good , my son. . " But Little Crotchctt was quick to reply : "Oh , no , father ; it Isn't that. It's be cause I am fond of them ! " Now , wain't ho wlso for bis age ? He had stumbled upon the great secret that makes all the happiness there Is In this world. The negroes loved him because ho was fond of them. Ho used to sit on tbo Gray Pony and watch the hands hoeing and ploughing , and , although they did their 'best when ho was around , he never failed to flnd out the tired ones and send them on llttlo errands that would rest them. To or.o It was , "Get mo n keen switch. " To another , "Seo If you can find me any flowers. " Ono of the worst negroes on the planta tion was Big Sal , a mulatto woman. She had a tongue and a temper that nothing could conquer. Onrn Llttlo Crotchott , sit ting on the Gray Pony , saw her hoelnpr away , with a rag tied around her forehead tinder her head handkerchief , 'So ho called her out ot the gang nnd she came with no very good grace , and only then because Bonn ) of the other negroes shamed her Into it. No doubt Llttlo Crotchett heard her disputing with them , but ho paid no atten tion to It , When Big Sal came up ho simply said : "Help mo off the horse. I have a heartache - ache sometimes , and I feel It coining on now. I want you to sit hero and rub my liead for mo. If you are not too tired. " "What wld ? " cried Sal. "My ban's too dirty. " "You get the headache out , nnd I'll get the dirt off , " said Llttlo Crotchett , laughing. Big Sal laughed , too , cleaned her handa the best she could and rubbed the youngster's head for him , while the Gray Pony nibbled the crab-grass growing near , But presently , when Llttlo Crotchott opened his eyes , he ol found that Big Sal was crying. She was hoi waking no futs about It , but as she sat with < ho child's head In her lap the tears were sti streaming down her face. "What are you crying about ? " Llttlo Crotchett asked. "God A'mlghty knows , honey. I'm des a cryln' , an * cf do angels fum hcav'm wuz ter come an * ax me I couldn't tell um no mo dan oflI dat. " Tula was true enough. The lonely heart Sllwl had been touched without knowing why , wl But Little Crotchctt know. "I reckon It's because you had the head bet j ache , " ho said. "I speck so , " answered Big Sal , "It looked ro like my hcad'd bust when you hollered at roe i me , but do palp all done gone now. " o > "I'm glad , " replied Little Crotchett. "I dope my head will quit aching presently. Sometimes U aches all night long. " "WeJI. uh ! " exclaimed lllg Sal. It was all aha could say. 1 i Finally , when she had lifted Llttlo Crotchett to his saddle ( which was easy enough to do , ho was s- > small and frail ) and returned , Uncle Turin , foreman ot the boo hands , remarked : "Yoij'll ' bo mighty blgglty now , I speck. " "Who ? ? " crlid Sal " Me Big , "God knows I fee ) so little an' mean I could far iny ha'r out by do haii'ful. " i Uncle Turin simple im4 kindly old soul , i' never knew then nor later what Big Sal meant , but ever afterward , whenever the woman had one of her tantrums , she went straight to her Little Master , and , If she sometimes came away from him crying , It was not his fault. It she was crying It was because eho was comforted and It all teemed so simple and natural to her that she novcr failed to express a deep desire to tear her hair out If anybody asked her where she had been or where she was going. It was not such on easy matter to reach the plow hands. The fields were wide and the furrowo were long on that plantation , and some of the mules Were nimbler than the others and some of the hands were quicker. So that It rarely happened that they all came abreast down the furrows. But what difference did that make ? Let them como one by one , or two by two , or twenty abreast , It was all the same when the Llttlo Master was In sight. It was hats off and "howdy , " with "Gee , Dcckl" and "Haw , Ithodyl" and "Whar you been , Llttlo Marstcr , dat wo ain't seed you senco day 'fo' ylstlddy ? " And so until they had all saluted the child on the Gray Pony. And why did Susy's Sam hang back and want to turn his mule around before ho had finished the furrow ? It was easy to see. Susy's Sam , though ho was the most expert plowman In the gang , had only ono good hand , the other being a mere stump , and ho disliked to be singled out from the rest on that account. But It was useless for him to hang back. Llttlo Crotchett always called for Susy's Sam. Sometimes Sam would soy that his mule was frisky and wouldn't stand. But the word would come , "Well , drive the mule out in the bushes , " and then Susy's Sam would have a long resting spell that did him good , and there would be nobody to complain. And so It was with the rest. Whoever was sick or tired was sure to catch the Llttlo Master's cje. How did bo know ? Well , don't ask too many questions about that. You might ask how the Gray Pony know the poison vines and grasses. It was a case of Just knowing , without knowing where the knowl edge came from. But It was not only the plow hands and the hoe hands that Llttlo Crotchett knew about. At the close of summer there were the coiton pickers and the reapers to bo looked after. In fact , this was Llttlo Crotchett's busiest time , for many of the negro children were set to picking cotton and the lad felt called on to lopk after these moro carefully than ho looked after the grown hards. Many a time ho hod half a dozen holding the Gray Pony at once. This made the older negroes shako their heads and say that the LlttloMaster was spoiling the children , but you may bo sure that they thought none the less of him on that ac count. And then there were the reapers , the men who cut the oats and the wheat , and the binders that followed after. At the head of the reapers was Randall , tall , black and powerful. It was fun to see the blade of his cradle flashing In the sun and hear It swing with a swish through the golden grain. Ho led the reapers always by many yards , but when he was making the pace too hot for them ho had a way of stopping to sharpen his scythe and * starting up a song , which spread from mouth to mouth until It could bo heard for miles. Aaron , hiding In .the wild woods , could hear It , and at such times" he would turn to ono of his companions the White Pig or Ilamblcr , or that gay Joker , the Fox Squirrel and say : "That's Randall's song. Ho sees the Llttlo Master coming. " The Whlto Pig would grunt and Rambler would say he'd , rather hear a born , but the Fox Squirrel would chatter like mad and declare that ho lost ono of his cars by sit ting on a limb and singing when ho saw a man cdmlng. " But the reapers knew nothing about the exporlenco of the Fox Squirrel , and so they went on singing whenever Randall gave the word. And Little Crotchett was glad to hear them , for ho used to sit on the Gray Pony and listen , sometimes feeling happy , and at other times feeling lonely indeed. It may have been the quaint melody that gave him a lonely feeling , or it may have been his sympathy for those who suffer tbo pains of disease or the pangs of trouble. The negroes used to watch him as they sang and worked , and say In the pauses : "Little Marstcr mighty funny ! " That was the word "funny" and yet it > had , a deeper meaning for the negroes than the whlto people ever gave It. Funny ! when : the lad leaned his pale cheek on the frail hand and allowed his thoughts ( were they thoughts or fleeting aaplrations , or moment : ary longings ? ) to follow the swift , sweet echoes of the song. For the echoes had a thousand nlmblo feet , and with these they fled away , away away beyond the river and Its bordering hills , for the echoes had twang- ; ling wings , like 'those of a turtle dove , and on these they lifted themselves heavenward and floated above the world and above the toll and trouble and sorrow and pain therein. Kunny ! when the voice of some eluger , sweeter and more powerful than the rtst , rose suddenly from the pauses of the cong and gave words , as It seemed , to all the suffering that the Llttlo Master had ever known. Aye ! so funny that at such times Llttlo Crotchett would suddenly wave his ( hand to tbo singing reapers and turn the Gray Pony's bead toward the river. Was he DREX L. SHOOMAN'S SALE. WAY AHEAD OF ALL OTHERS. Once a year we clean out all the odds and ends broken sizes broken lots shoes where ' * there's probably but one pair of a size or two pair * } w Aa&tK of a style this is our time of yearVe clear them out at ridiculous prices even for these times of course the store will be crowded but that's a * pretty good sign that you'd better be there. VT""C" , * * * f- r I' a fLi:5 , - . _ rP - * = - * fs - & i ? z . - / ' . f1 Al- , Boys' Shoes. Two broken lines of $1.50 and $1.75 Hoys' Shoes youths' I sizes among them cut to. . 10 Per Cent Discount On all other Boys' Shoes In the house Except the $1.50 Complete Liue. The profit making margin of these won't admit of any kind of a discount. 10 Per Cent Discount On all the Quilted Bottom Shoes the Shoes that have the name of outwearing two and fliree ordinary pairs of Shoes and they do. DREXEL SHOE CO. , do corn off'n do cob , but spozen dcy wa'n't no corn on. de cob ? " > "Honey , ain't It do trufe ? " exclaimed Uncle Fountain. Thus the negroes talked. They knew a great deal moro about Aaron than the white ) cople did , but even the negroes didn't know is rnujh as the Llttlo Master , and for a very good reason. They had no time to flnd out things except at night , and at night- well , you may believe It or not , Just as you please , but at night the door of the swamp was closed and locked locked bard and fast. The owls , the night hawks , the wblppoorwllls and the chuckwlll's-widows could fly over. Yes , and the Willis Whist lers could creep through or crawl under vhen they returned homo from their wild serenades. But everything else , even that ed Joker , the Fox Squirrel , must have a coy. Aaron had ono , and the Whlto Grunter nd Rambler , and'oll the four-footed crea- ures that walk on born sandals pr In velvet slippers each had a key. The Little Master night have had ono for the asking , but ilways when night came he was glad to lo on lib sofa and read , or , better still , o to bed and sleep , so that ho never had iced of a key to open the door of the swamp ifter It was locked at night. ( To bo Continued. ) i TIIC GKXEUAL'S GHEETIXG. Dy llamlin Garland. It was midday In tbo battle of the wll- lerncss and a small teamster of 17 was landing bcsldo his wagon near General ilcado's headquarters and close to the gory , lurried nnd troubled surgeons , who were THE ) WHITE PIO. illowlng the rolling echoes ? He could never 3po to overtake them. Once i when this happened Uncle Fountain opped singing to say : "I wish I was a runaway nigger ! " "No , you don't ! " exclaimed Kamlall. "Yes , I does. " Uncle Fountain IncUted. "How come ? " "Kaze den I'd have Little Marster runnln' ter mo ov'ry chance he got. " "Go1 I way , nigger man ! You'd have Jim mmons' nigger dogs a'tcr you , an' deii hat'd you do ? " "Dat ar Aaron had um atter Mm , an' what'd do ? " "Do t Lord , He knows-1 don't ! Out-don't m git do contato In you mln' dat you kin what Aaron done Uouc , kaze you'll fool ' o'f , sbol" "What Aaron done ? " Fountain persisted. "Ho Cone fool dem ar nigger dogs ; dat bat be doue done. " I "Den how come I can't fool dem ar dogs ? " "How come ? Well , you des try um ono 3m , mo' spcshully dat ar col'-noso IK which ho name SounV "Well , I ain't blcoge ter try U when de blto folks treat mo right , " remarked Undo luntaln , after thinking tba matter over , "Dat what muke I Bay what 1 docs , " as- rtcd Handull , When you know 'zactly hat > ou got an' when > ou got mighty nigh liat you want , dat's de time ter lay low ' c y uotUtu' . Jilt's some' trouble ter tit lopping off limbs from faint soldiers In blue. All tbo horrors of battle were tbero rcn- tered ; rills of blood , stacks of livid limbs , rows fit suffering bodies torn and mangled. One by ono the blue-clad men were lifted to a rough table ; a keen knlfo silt sleeve or pantaloons , the sponge swung to the nostrils , the knife-blade fell upon flesh , tbo saw .followed. A few moments of rapid work and the subject. Inanimate as wood , .was laid aside to make room on the bed of slaughter " for a comrade. The young teamster stood there waiting for his wagonload of human torsos , feeling all the horror , all the benumbing terror of the battle. i 1 i 6 He could hear the dread continuous thun der to the front and could see the smoke rising llko a cloud above the batteries of crouching cannon , unseen but savage. Home seemed as far away as heaven to the boy , and tbo world appeared to bo given up to slaughter and to dying men. Standing EO , he saw a horseman approach- ins and forgot for the moment his terror by reason of his admiration for tha horse aud bis rider. The horse had a swift , steady rack , and as be came his burnished neck and forearms teemed to flash In the light. A His rider cat him gloriously , the reins In his left hand guiding as If by force of 'habit. ' Ho appeared not to know the hurto was movingHe descended hollows , " 's Shoes , A line of Pull Dross Shoes $0.00 and $7.00 cloth top congress styles cut to. . * Wo are throwing away that's tha way It seems n lot of $4 and $5 hand1 icade Calf Shoes for. . . . A few Solid Shoes on the new round toes cut from 5-1 to & 20 per cent off on all Uauan & Sous' Shoes. leaped furrows , skirted banks , yet the rider sat his saddle , careless , secure , grace ful and erect. t' His Introspective eyes fell upon the boy , and he drew -bis foorso-almost to a walk. Ho was a careworn man , dressed In a plain blue blouse , ranch faded , and bis bat was equally weather beaten. His face was pen sive , grave and unyielding as a granite mask. The boy thrilled with excitement and awe and worshipful admiration. Ho knew this sad-faced , careless , splendid rider to be the great commander. In General Grant's eyes flashed a sudden look of pity and horror. As ho passed he said : "Sonny , vbat are you doing here ? " He swept on , but bis tender , paternal cadence of volco and bis sad , sad face the boy never forgot. Once , long after , .when 'the boy was a middle-aged man and the general had been twice president of the United States , they met.In the midst of a. throng of people the commander stood , and the civilian approaching preaching , said : "I saw you once before , general. It was at the Wilderness. .You passed me on horse back , and you said : 'Sonny , what are you doing hero ? ' " The general's Impassive face darkened with the memory of that terrible day ; then a slow smllo crept round his lips and eyes. "I recollect you , " ho said. "But I didn't suppose you'd remember me. " "TISS ME DOOfJ-XIGHT. " Ktttc Th on Marr. ' "Pease , Mamma , pease , tlss mo Dood- Nlght. " My bluo-oyed love with sunny curls Stood pleading , 'tween her sobs nnd tears. 1 said. "I can't kiss naughty girls. " I led her to her snowy cot , "Pease. Mamma , pease. " she sobbed ngaln , "I won't be naughty any more. " 1 left her , nil her pleadings vain. I had been reared In Spartan school , And deemed It duty to control With rigid rule , nor never know That Love with love should sway the soul. I heard her sob , my Mother heart With yearning tilled to sooth nnd cheer , Yet I refrained , and In her sleep My Uaby stilt lay sobbing there. Twns midnight , when I felt a touch A fevered hand lay on my brow. My whlto-robed baby pleaded still , "Pease , Mamma , pease , I tan't s'cep now. " All through that agonizing night Delirious she moaned in pnln , The llttlo broken heart still plead Kor kisses that 1 eave In vain. i ' ! At dawn the Angela hovered near : Bho nestled close , nnd smiled , nnd said , "I won't bo naughty nny more. " And In my arms my babe lay dead. And I am old ; the passing years Have brought no comfort in tliolr flight , My heart mill hears tlmt sobbing cry , "Pease. Mamma , pease , tlss mo Dood- Night. PAST TUB BOCMIKI3I3PI3US. How Two I.HUe OMMren Went on tlio HOIIHU I'll our. The'cherublo Insistence of childhood and its utter Indifference do established forms and customs was strikingly Illustrated at the capital recently , relates the Washington Star. Two llttlo tots , nged about 4 anJ 6 , were trotting nroiuul/tntter some ladles and In the crowd got separated from their natural protectors. The children paused In front of the north entrance to tbo house and lookjj In through the doors as they swung back and forth : then'ono sald : "Maybe auntie went In there , " n ml'.made a break far the door. Four pairs of .hands reached for the youngsters , , all belonging to as many Agile doorkeepers , but the little ones flew past ni.d all but tripped up a long-logged repwsjiua- tlve who was Just ahead of them. He stopped In the door and began to remonstrate with them , but with childish Impatience they tried to push him aside , and , not being able to dose so , thrust their small head * between bis legs , one after the other , and scooted In onto the floor. The tall legislator paused iiphast at the Intrusion and was Just about to let thf ' door close when the two small malils came rushing pell niell back again , slid between bis legs and out Into the corridor. "Ain't nobody but Just men In Ihera , " re marked ono ; "auntie must a gone the other way , " and Into the crowd they ran. a CIIAUGINd Tlin HOSTII.ISS. h llrnve Il lv IVII.MV Ill le Tliroiiuli u Daiiil of InillnuM. In the January St. Nlcholcs Gertrude P. Greblo bag a story of frontier life called "Danny end the 'Major. ' " Danny was the Men's Shoes , The sizes are badly broken up lu our $7.00 Enamels so1 we cut the price on those that arq loft to. . ' A lot of $0.00 Enamels for. . . 3.5O A lot.of $5.00 Enamels for. . . 2.98 A lot of Winter Tans the regulation $5.00 kind we cut them to The $0.00 Winter Tans are decidedly , the best bargains hi the sale at. . . . 3.98 Lots of $5.00 and § 0.00 I'utont Leathers at 3.25 The best Patent Leather bar gain of the season Is our Mikado toes beautiful In design perfect In make they were $7.00 but lack of sb/es cuts them to 7-year-old son of an army captain , and the Major was a favorite horse. One day he was riding him In company with his friend , a Scotch corporal , when the horses of the post were stampeded , and the corporal was thrown and Injured. Danny started to ride for assistance , and this was his experi ence : Away to the north a cloud of dust marked the recent passage of the herd. On every other side swept the table land , empty and placid and smiling. And beyond , to the south , stood the fort and homo. Danny took heart , settled himself in the saddle , and put the major into a smart canter , holding the reins firmly and trying to recall the cor poral's Instructions while ho rode , thinking with an ever-recurring pang of his friend's condition , happy that the distance to the necessary succor was diminishing so rapIdly - Idly , and totally forgetful of the anxiety which had agitated the veteran before the accident that had separated them. Suddenly , at the end of some fifteen min utes of tranquil riding , as the Major gal loped along the edge of the timber which fringed the bluff , there was a loud cracking and crashing In the bushes and a gayly decorated war pony scrambled through them , his rider grunting In surly surprise ; while at the same moment , from the thicket be yond , thrco other half-naked mounted fig ures appeared and lined up In the path which led to safety. The child's heart stopped beating. His frontier tiolnlng told him that all that had gone before , even the tragedy which had darkened the afternoon , was as nothing com pared with this new and awful danger. In a paroxysm of terror ho tried to stop Major tried with all his small strength to turn him aside toward thp open plain , to check bis read plunge .i-to the very arms of the enemy. But for the first tlmo the horse paid attention neither to the beloved volco nor to the tiny hands pulling so des perately upop the reins. , . Whether It was the sight of an old and hated foe , or whether the wlso , kind heart of the animal realized tbo full extent of a peril , of which the child was as yet 'only half aware , It would bo hard to say. But llttlo Dan found himself going faster than ho had thought possible and faster and foster till the tawny , sunburned plain and the pitiless smiling sky , and the nearer , greener foliage of the willows , and oven the outlines of the dreaded savages them selves became as so many parts of a great rushing , whirling whole , and all his strength was absorbed in the effort to retain his seat upon the bounding horse. And so , llko some vision from their own weird legends , straight down upon the aston ished Indians swept 'the great bronze beast with Us golden-haired burden ! Down uppn. them , and through them , and away until by the time they had recovered from their amazement there was a good fifty yards be tween them and their flying prey ! And that distance , hard as they might ride , was not easily to overcome ! After that first wild rush the Major settled Into 1 a steadier' pace a smooth , even run , EO 1I easy to alt that the lad relaxed his clutch upon ! the animal's mane and turned his eyes to t tbo horizon , where gathering swarms of savages showed llko clusters of ants against the alone of the hillside. In his track , with shrill , singing cries , llko hounds upon a trail , came bis pursuers. And far to tbo south there was a puff of white smoke from the walls of the fort and a anoment later the first heavy , echoing boom of the alarm gun thundered across the plains ! TAICE.V FOH A ItOGUB. Art Aeior'w 10iiiiTli-ii < .e "vVlille Ii ml on. Francis Wilson , the actor , desplto the roguish roles ho assumes upon the stage , enjoys the reputation of being an accom plished gentleman of refined tastes and ex emplary habits , as well as an Industrious student and the possessor of ono of the finest private libraries In the country. Whenever ho is able to escape from the exacting de mands of bis profession ho Is usually to bo found with his wlfo and children at his luxu rious home In Now Itocholle. Occasionally , however , ho makes a brief visit to the old world , from which he Is accustomed to re turn with a collection of curios and presents 'or tils friends. , In tbo course of one of his recent visits to London ho had an experience which has afforded his friends considerable amuse ment. While walking along Ilcgent street one day , with an old acquaintance , ho saw some diamonds displayed In tbo window of Jeweler's shop. Ho looked at them criti cally for several moments , then , turning to his companion , ho said : I a "I have Just received on unexpected check In for $500 , and don't think I can employ It to t better advantage than by getting some ? diamonds for my wife. Let us go In. " I ti WlUon end his friend then entered the tl Ladies' Shoes , The French ounincl and calf 20th Century Shoes that have hccu soiling for $5.00 have been cut right square In two for Monday The new dark brown shade of the lace Extended Sole Shoes that were ? 5.00 broken sizes cut them to. . The Box Calf Shoes , the § 4.00 and $5.00 Wet Weather Shoes all go at fc All the small sizes of Shoes that sold up to § 5.00 have ' day at . Shoes -al go In one lot Mou- shop. The proprietor presented himself am asked what they desired. "You have a tray of diamonds In the window , " said the little comedian.Vil you let me see them ? " The stolid-faced shopkeeper surveyed his prospective customer from head to foot Ho saw a sharp-featured little man , will a long nose and bead-like eyes. Despite that his face was clean-shaven , myriads o Indomitable beard roots gave to his visage that peculiar bluish tint that Thespian foxes are wont to affect in their make-up. "Do you mant to bjiy , or only to look at them ? " asked the suspicious Briton , surlily. . "That deperds altogether upon how they please me. " retorted the comedian. "I cer tainly will not purchase unless I ain flrsl permitted to examine them. " The shopman left his place behind the counter and , walking to the door , ho quietly opened It. i " 1'vo had that same trick played on me once before , " hs said , as ho again surveyed his visitor critically. "I'm a bit wiser now. " "And at least 100 poorer , to boot , " ob served the comedian , as ho left the shop. Wilson's demands were supplied a few minutes later , however , by a Jeweler on the opposite side of the street. GOSSIP A1IOUT NOTUD PI3OPM ? . Captain Robley D. Evans of the United States navy who , by the way , objects to his nickname of "Fighting Bob" was a Junior oincer when the war broke out , and his Virginia -mother , thinking her son had not learned his own mind , sent In his re signation without consulting him. The re signation was at once accepted and the young man was out of the navy. But he found a way to Induce the department to rescind Its action , and saw much service during the war. Ho walks today with a sIght | limp , due to a wound , received lu'ac tion , i I The late Sir Isaac Pitman , the famous mas ter of shorthand , was fond of telling of the active * life ho led and his custom of rising at G o'clock each morning , although CG years of ago ; of never having taken a holiday until ho was GO , and having worked fourteen hours a day for several years. "I attribute my health and power of endurance , " ho con cluded , "to abstinence from flesh moat and alcoholic drinks. " Now look out for a veg etarian boom. Among the newly created Knights of the Legion of Honor ore the Commandants Pa trice MacMahon and Chanzy. MacMahon , duke of Magenta , Is the son of the late Field Marshal and President MacMahon , Ho Is 41 years of ago and married last March Princess Marguerite of Orleans , daughter of the duke of Chartres. Ho is In the corps known as tha Chasseurs a Pled , formerly the Chasseurs d'Orieans , of which his father , the marshal , was the first commander. Ho distinguished himself during the Madagascar campaign , and was attached to the person of the czar at the time of the review at Chalons on October 9. Commandant Chanzy also had a brilliant career In Madagascar at the head of his battalion in the One Hundred and Fiftieth regiment , Infantry. Major 'Handy ' says that Senator-elect Ma- eon of Illinois Is at his best In his home. His family Is his Idol. Ho has a swcgt wife and seven rlilldren , and nothing but neces sity tempts him ever to leave their society , In Washington ho used to drive about town in a ont-liorso vehicle , Into which the whole family was crowded , whatever might bo tbo father's business and destination , Mr. Ma son himself held the reins , ono of the chil dren piled the whip , and tha turnout , as a whole , looked llko that of a costermongcr out for a holiday. When he made A speech mother and children always filled a front bench In , the members' gallery of the lionso. When ono of his sons died , the father was heartbroken , Years passed before ho re covered his old form. At Springfield , during the senatorial struggle , his wife was never out of bis reach , A friend of Senator Quay tells the WashIngton - Ington Post the etory of tbo ucnator's first , and only law case. Ho was rather a bashful' ' young man , and above all things dreaded to speak In public. When ho arose to address the jury be became exceedingly nervous and could scarcely proceed with his speech. While lie was still struggling to overcome his excessive dlflldcnco bo chanced to glance around and saw some of the other attorneys the room laughing. Believing to a cer tainty that they were laughing at bis foren- .ilc efforts , he at onrc eat down and refuted to proceed further with bin remarks. From that day he E VO up the piattlco of law , re- Misses' ' Childr en's ' The sizes of the cloth and kid tops that sold for ? 2.CO are nearly complete but we cut them to. . ' .l I. I.I. The misses' I > ncc ami But ton Shoes worth up to ? U.OO I. a pair are cut to . There's a broken lot of Misses' Shoes that used to sell for -up to $1.75 that r we've cut to Some Children's $1.25 Shoes because the sizes are broken they are cut to V fused nil cases that were offered to him and entered Into local politics. "Two Inseparable comrades , " says the Philadelphia Ileeord , "both members of the Loyal Legion , are General II. S. Huldekoopcr and State Senator Francis A. Osbourn. Both are veterans of the civil war , In which un pleasantness each lost an arm. But whllo General Huldekoopcr Is minus hla right arm. Senator Osbourn mourns tbo loss of his left. For years It has been the practice of the two veterans to make ono pair of gloves defer for both. Whenever the general purchased a new pair Kb Invariably sent tbo right glove to the senator , and when the senator In vested the general would get the left glovo. Up to last Monday the senator hadn't re ceived a 'glovo from the general for about a year , and had concluded that his old friend was getting parsimonious , when a package was banded to him In his scat at Harrlsburg. On opening the bumllo the senator was over joyed to flnd a right-band glove. " iA dramatic story was told at tlio Hamilton college alumni dinner held In New York re cently. General Schuylcr Hamilton gave some Interesting Incidents from the llfo of his grandfather , and described n meeting between Aaron Burr and -Mrs. . Hamilton , daughtcr-ln-law of Alexander Hamilton and the mother Ot the speaker , in 1830. "As Colonel Hurr entered the room , " ho said , ; my mother. In pxtremo agitation , seemed about to faint. Colonel nurr , noticing this , but not knowing Jier , immediately went to the sideboard , poured out a glass of water and advanced to hand it to her. It was all done most naturally , gracefully nnd courte ously. My mother shook her head and mur mured : 'I am the daughter of Alexander Hamilton. ' Without a word Colonel Ilurr placed the glass of water on the nldcboard , bowed In silence to the Misses , Nathan and quietly retired. It was to him , as to my mother , evidently a _ very painful meeting. Colonel I Burr deportc'd hlniPolf llko a digni fied gentleman. I was a llltlo boy about 8 years old. Then I learned for tbo first tlmo to Impress the fact upon my memory that Colonel Burr had killed my grandfather. " How H Sliiy Jl ' Hour. Chicago 1'o'stl "Is tin-re nny mire way ot getting one's writings accepted by the mag azines ? " Inquired tbo youiiR mini. "There IB , " answered the man who bnd been In the business of willing for a lonir time. "What IB It ? " "Klrst acquire a reputation for something ) braided wrltliiB. " mwvi'iod the old-timer. "Jt doesn't innke much illlfpionro what It la so long ns tbrro In nothing literary about It. Just But yourself known for almost any thing fioin crlmo to philanthropy , and the magazines will bo ufter everything you wiltc. " On January 23 Mr ? . John Alexander cele brated the ninety-ninth anniversary of her birthday at her homo In West Clmrlton , Saratoga county , N. Y , She was born In the adjoining town of Galway. Mr . Alcx-- amler has never ridden on a railway train , and though she lives within ten miles of a railroad track * ho has but once viewed a rain of cars In motion. She Is In excellent health and possesses all her faculties. , SALT RHEUM Moat torturing and disfiguring of Itching , burning , scaly skin aud scalp humors U In. etantly relieved by a warm bath with dim- CUKA Ho A ! , n single application of Cirncuiu ( ointment ) , tbo great ekln cnro , and a full dosa of CUTICUUA. HKSOLVK.NT , greateit of blood purifiers aud humor cures , when all else falli. ( nticura InoUthtoaiihoiilthiirorlii. PorTiiDiooAKDC Coir. . I'fopi . Boiton. H w to Curt B ltlU > ura"fi . CHI I IHin UAID Plmpir ' B bj BUralihii , rALLInu nflln Kidney and uterine palm , rboa * BACKACHE mitlsm , sciatica , aching nerrei , And painful muiclcs , eoro Jungs re * llvved quick as an elocttlc flub bjr ACHE CoUot' Voltaic Electric Matter * .