THE OMAIIA DAILY BEE : FBI DAY , AUGUST 18 , 1890. 0 i 1
: UNDER THE KOPJE.
A Story of IJurly Days in South Africa.
JJy P. Y. I1LA.CK.
Author of "Tho Test Chaplain , " "A LoU Sensation , " "The Outcast * . " Ktc
( Copyright , 1KB , by B. 8. McClure Co. )
The guard over the convicts \\ho worked
on the village roads looked up from the
work wearily. Ho removed his broad foil hnt
arid brushed the ducat from Ma reddened
1 brow and his checks and neck , sunburned
\ jr nlmoot to blackness. Ills KalHr charges
{ halted In their task and their gaze followed
his. In the clearly bright African air the
threatening gray Btono walls of the strong
Jail , built commantllngly on a high , big-
bow Idcrcd Kopje , looked close nt hand , al
though a good mlle away. Vryburg , the tiny
capital of the British territory , lay t < > the
left , hill-bound , silent , street deserted In
the furnace heat , two rows of glaring houses
with TOO fa and walls of galvanized Iron.
Suddenly a quick-eyed Kafllr cried : "Ua-
ors ! " and pointed to the flugstaft In front
of the Jail. With a grunt of relief the -while
man swung his rlflo to his shoulder , and the
Kafllra threw their tools Into the uhoolbar.
rows. There fluttered up the head of the
flaeotaft a red ( lag , the sign to all outside
working parties to return. Hut today work
ceased at 4 o'clock , and the convicts were
not marching directly to the Jail , but to a
small lake beneath the Kopje , \vhero twice
a week they laved themselves. An Instant
change took place In the manner of the
prisoner * . They Joked as they left their bar
rows In a shod and trotted forward so
quietly as to Inconvenience their warden.
A big , glossy black man , his fine flguro con
cealed by the prison clothes , led the wny.
humming as ho went , In low , ding-song ,
plftftiinnt melody , a , chant of ur times. The
others took It up ; one throw bis bands
warden shouted to him to halt , but Six
pence ran more swiftly , yet not In a direct
lino. In a llghtnlng-llko zigzag course he
darted from right to left obliquely , always
onward , but In such short , snlfe tacks that
he was an almost Impossible target. Five
guns were aimed at him ; five guns uwervcd
momentarily right and left to find a mark
before they were fired. Sixpence waved
his hand merrily over hU head and din-
appeared beyond the bluffs , unhurt. A Zulu
servant led down two saddled horses , but
the warden looked at the setting sun and
shrugged his shoulders.
"No use , " he said. "It'll bo dark In ten
minutes , and the black fellow will bo hidden
somewhere. I suppose you know ho was
In for manslaughter ? "
The village guard uung his head.
" 0 , I don't blame > ou , " said the warden.
"Older hands than you can be taken In.
I supncao ho 'burled ' himself tn the mud.
Of course , there will > bo an Inquiry. "
There was , but a very short one , held In
the Jail. In the middle of It n thundering
demand for admittance was made with a
knobkerry on the outer gate. The guard
who optraed the wicket led Sixpence before
the court of Inquiry , ns cheerful and fat
and with as broad a smile OR ever. He ex
plained to the court that ho had been home ,
had suffered from homesickness , had enJoyed -
Joyed himself and was gladly back again.
"Very UHlo food over there , " ho said ,
pointing to the north , "but plenty 'scoff1
here. "
So the bewildered officials took him In ,
to his great content , and , after giving him
l/W. 1/ . . . ' J.X flfjjf
* S t * - * a / 11. 1. * * I
r
"IS HE DEAD ? "
above Ills head and skipped a step of the
wardance. ,
"Easy , Sixpence ! " growled the guard.
"Easy , you big rascal ! "
The big Kaffir In the lead slowed up and
turned with . grin to the white man , pointIng -
Ing a finger down a great red throat.
"Ba-a-os ! Tabao ! " ho murmured.
The guard throw Mm a piece of tobacco ,
which the Kaffir cleverly caught and slapped
Into bis mouth. At oiico the four or live
other Kaffirs of the gang turned , and , readIng -
Ing good nature In their sentry's face , held
out tholT hands mutely.
' 'Like babies for candy , " mused the Kng-
llalimnn as ho distributed the small luxu
ries. "They're a rum lot. Not one of them
In for less than three years , and that fellow
Sixpence a lifer , and by Jove , to ECO them
laughing now , without a handcuff In tliu
crowd of 'em , you'd think them , schoolboys
going la swimming. "
They reached the little lake , shallow at
the banks , deep In the center , whore a
rushy , marshy Island lay , more water than
mud. The other working parties had fore
gathered and Sixpence and his comrades ,
each armed with a ploco of soap , soon
Joined tbo crowd In the water , swimming ,
spluttering , playing In the cool pond Ilka
boys. The white guards , leaning on their
rifles , stood at Intervals around the bank.
In tbo shallows a group of blacks danced a
mock war dance , naked as monkeys , ad
vancing and retiring with fantastic arms ,
crooning the hum of the Impls. Then It wan
difficult , almost Impossible , for the guaiita
to distinguish each bis , own men. In their
convict cl9thcs each prisoner bad some dis
tinguishing mark ; stripped , bobbing their
black and woolly heads In the water , thera
was a tantalizing likeness among all the
swimmers. After a tlmo they began to conio
out , .one by one , and dress. Then a guard
made hts gang frill In and marched them up
the kopje to the prison gates. Another fol
lowed , and another , until the village guard
was left last to bring In his men. Ho was
young and recently employed by the town ;
ha could not talk the native dialects , and
now bo was much perturbed , for ho could
give to himself no explanation of the evi
dent fact that there was none left iu the
water , and yet ho was ono man short , The
Kaffirs only chattered and laughed nt him ,
enjoying the excellent Joke. His eye anx
iously searched tbo surface of the lake ;
there was nothing there. The rushes on the
mud bank could barely have concealed a
rabbit. Hoping that Sixpence , the missing
man , toad , In mischief for the Kaffirs
abounded In malicious trlcKs slipped away
with another gang , the guard hurried the
others to the Jail , where ho reported what
had happened.
The warden of the Jail received the report -
port without comment or rebuke , but
promptly seized a rifle from the rack , loft
the otbw prisoner to bq shut up la the
cells by a few guards and took the rest at
a run to the lake. Meanwhile the gang bad
hardly left the bank of the pond before , In
the gathering dusk , there -was a rustle
among tlio scant rushes of the mudbank ,
The mud stirred , and from the soft bed
where It had b en entirely Immersed , leav
ing only the face to the air , arose the black
form of sixpence. Sllmtly be slipped Into
the water and swam ashore , aa silently , hla
broad face stretched In a Joyous grin. Ha
stayed for no covering , but crtuvlcM up the
elep banks , stooped down as low JIB ha
could and ran away across the stony bluffs
which surrounded the prison. He had not
gone 100 yards before the guards came run
ning down to the lake end saw him. The
\ .
twelve lashes for the trouble ho had caused ,
allowed the man who preferred prison to
freedom to resume his former life. He
never , alter that , behaved otherwise than
as a model prisoner , save once again , twc
years later , when ho escaped and returned
as ibeforo , taking bis lashes with perfect
good humor and eating a iblg supper Im
mediately after them. Ho became a privi
leged character , an uncommissioned assist
ant about the office , until , In ten years ,
with African self-complacence , ho lookei'
upon himself as Tar above all other prison
ers and rather as a permanent semi-official
permitted even on occasion to hold the keys
Indeed , ho had committed murder under the
greatest provocation , and his good humor
his strength and his faithfulness to tbo
only home ho had ever known , where meals
were certain all the year round , made o
him a favorite iwlth the warden , to whom he
attached himself as a kind of body servant.
Now , In these days , -when the land woi
very youuc and white men were few am
white women were unknown , the methods o
disciplining the unruly Kaffirs were primi
tive. Yet there was a greater Intimacy ant
n closer Intercourse between the whites and
the blacks than there over will be again
They fought frequently and were guilty
alike of savagery , the one to the other. The
white man , of course .was the victor always
In the end , but the Kaffir , on the surface
at least , bore little malice , and , having been
knocked down , arose with some adralratloi
In his heart for tbo man who had thrashed
him.
Sixpence had fought with his tribe ant
been conquered ; had committed a crime
and had been promptly punished for It. Par
from sulking over his misfortunes , ho was
possessed with a ep'lrlt of respect for the
Invaders of his country. The only tlmo the
negro over sighs Is when bo wishes ho was
white. Ixponco "wished BO bard and BO
often , and Imitated the white people BO
earnestly , that , save , when ho thrust his
broadly laughing face at a mirror , ho was
convinced that ho was pretty nearly white
Ono man , however , was his Ideal , his mat.
tcr , his demigod the warden.
His attractions were such as to draw to
him perhaps a dog , and he fed and thrashed
Sixpence llko a dog , His accomplishments
appealed to the convict. Ho was a crar !
shot with revolver or rlllo ; ho rode dar
ingly ; ho could , throw an assegai as well as
Sixpence himself , and ho had mysterious
powers over pen and Ink which awed Six
pence , crouching In a corner of the nrT.te
Do Jough was an Afrikander ; his father iat
been a discharged English eoldler UU
mother no one Knew. Ho bad won his war-
dcnshlp by ferocious lighting In the terri
tory and by the respect bis prowess galnet
for him among the natives. His sullen reti
cence and sudden furies had won him ene
mies ; never bud he called any man a
friend. Therefore the life prisoner's dogllke
affection for him , after abusing him ai
first , in the slow movement of the months
dragged from him a feeling as near akin
to regard as la that of a school bully for the
fcinall boy whom he dally thrashes , but whom
ho will allow no other to threaten. It was
his privilege to select from the convicts a
personal servant , and ho chose Sixpence ,
even taking him away on a lonely hunt ,
even trusting to him to safely guide bin :
homo after a debauch.
Periodically he drank , and In excess , no !
In the Jail , nor In tbo village , but In n lonely
roadside tavern some miles away. Then for
months be was sullenly abstemious , cruelly
strict and unapproachable. Sixpence wel
comed these Intermittent frenzies of the
warden with glco , for In them the man's
nature swung about , and he was boister
ously Jovial. Then the Kaffir held high bis
head and wan filled with pride , because ct
the great cordiality and friendship th
drunken white man evinced for the utterly
unsophisticated and faithful black. These
outbreaks lasted about two dajs ; then the
Kaffir would lead his master's horse home ,
the warden slouching heavily In the saddle.
Reverence , affection for something , however
poor the Idol , Is good for man , savage or
civilized. Tbo raw Kaffir In his kraal re
veres nothing , loves nothing. Therefore ,
though such a prison life would have de
graded a white man beyond hope , It was
good for Sixpence ; ho learned to love. Ho
became human.
After such a debauch , ono night when
the sun had gene down , the two went home
ward. The warden was singing and abusing
Sixpence , who tried to sing also , for not
keeping the tune. They made n horrid
noise , a hearse and hideous bellow that
spread far from them over the veldt , until
It seemed to disturb tbo solemn echoes ot
the distant grimly darkening hills , and si
lence , above the plains , the gentler voices
ot the southern stars. Sixpence had hid
sham of drink , and It took but llttlo of that
to turn hl.s foolish brain. The moon , also ,
was not yet risen and , for these reasons , as
they passed along the trek and were un
aware of all but their own discordant music ,
1 a man stood tn front of them and blocked
their path before his approach was noticed
It was the resident magistrate , an English
civil servant , Just out , and a patron of the
1 warden. The latter , when ho saw whs
| stopped him , strode to sit erect and profit *
> a salutation , but the effort only unsettled
his balance and let him tumble sprawllngly
n the roadway. He looked up In an almost
sober spasm of shame and by starlight saw
duskily the gentlemanly face of the magls-
rate looking down upon htm with deepest
disgust.
"Again , Jlr. Do Jough ? " the high official
said , coldly. "In splto of warnings ! Tht.i
Is too bad. It Is Impossible that this can
go on. "
Do Jough staggered to his feet sullenly.
"Do as you like ! " he cried , sulkily. "I
can't stop It. I've been warden ot the Jail
or 5 ears and no man can say I have not
lone my duty. "
"I grant It , " tbo magistrate answered , al
most gently. "I grant It but this cannot
go on , you know. "
"It's got to go on. It can't bo stopped ,
Do jou think I haven't triad to stop my-
elf ? "
The poor wretch thrust his face fiercely
n front of the other's. The magistrate drew
> ack with n shudder from that horrid
> rcath. Then ho said , firmly :
"I am sorry for you , but It can't go on.
Tou are under arrest. "
Do Jough gasped , In sudden sobriety. Ar-
cst ? Inquiry ? Dismissal meant ruin. The
official stepped forward In the night. Six-
> enco was standing , vacantly grinning at the
lorso's .head , understanding nothing of what
was said. In bis hand he carried a knob-
terry , which the warden , as a defense , al
ways allowed him on their night expeditions.
Do Jough snatched It , a heavy-headed club ,
studded with nails. The magistrate slowly
walked away. Do Jough took a quick step
after him , and the club crashed Into the of-
Iclal's skuir. Do Jough dropped the stick as
the man fell and stood , still shaking with
passion , staring at the body. Then the frenzy
inssfKl , but < he trembling continued , tbo chill
of awful dismay. Ho lurched to the road
side and sat down on a dead anthill. The
night was quite still. The late , round , big
African moon was elowly rising above the
all walls on the kopje , more than a mlle
away. The lonely trek was soundless of the
Icet of passengers , the low of iwagon oxen ,
.ho lash-snap of the driver. In that lonely
wilderness there was no traffic. The Kaffir
etlll held the horse , still stared vacantly , hla
drunken grin not yet dead on his lips. Do
Tough looked up and met bis servant's eyes ,
lo motioned to him , and called faintly for a
drink. Sixpence went to the eaddlebags and
brought a bottle , and his master drank
jreedlly. Then his gaze was diverted to the
body in the path , and be was conscious of
thankfulness that it bad fallen face- down
ward , so that the eyes were hidden. He
spoke in "taal" to Sixpence.
"Is Is ho dead ? "
The Kaffir slipped the horse's rein. Into
his master's hand , went to the body and felt
of It , and stirred It with bis foot as be might
have done 'that ' of a horse not from con
tempt , not from hate , but because a dead
thing is a dead thing to a Kaffir , and llttlo
more.
"Ba as , " ho said , In broken English.
"Htm very dead. "
Do Jough gulped another drink and soon
the trembling ceased. He was far from be
ing a stranger to death by violence and soon
ho was able to collect bis wits and think ,
his face burled in his hands. But the face
of Sixpence underwent a change as he re-
THB WAIL DIED ON HIS TONGUE
sumed charge of the horse and looked down
upon the warden. The black man's slowly
acquired Ideas ot right and of wrong , of the
superiority of all white people to all black
were suddenly upset. This thing which the
warden had done was what he himself had
done , what many Kaffirs had done , but a
white man to another white man ? It was
a surprise. Slowly Sixpence's brain awoke
to the horrible fact that Do Jough his
master , his model , whom he had so deslret
to Imitate , was no better than himself. The
warden looked up at last and eaw the Kaf
fir's bewildered , saddened face , saddened as
a'dog's eyes are saddened when it misses
something that is cone and cannot under
stand , Sixpence's Ideal was dead/ ; dimly
and with dull pain he felt that there was
little to choose between belnjr white or
black.
"What ara wo to do ? " the warden asked.
"We can't no back to the Jail ? "
Sixpence bad not thoucht of that , but be
at once understood. He bad escaped hangIng -
Ing for manslaughter by a narrow edge , be
cause the Kaffir be had slain had been In
the wronir , but how could the warden es
cape banging ?
"To the kraals , " he said , his mind re
verting , childlike , to Its affection for and
obedience to his master. He suddenly grov
elled at the warden's feet , and began to
how ] softly , speaking in his nathe dialect.
"They shall not hang the master ; rather
me , Sixpence the Bccbuana. Am I not
black and of no use ? But the baas , bow shall
his children In the Jail live without him ?
But they shall not catch usl Know the
way through the big desert , Kallharl ; I will
show tbo baai the path to the kraals , and
my people will hide us and protect us. "
With a sudden , prolonged wall ho recol-
ectcd the delights , the plenty , the com
forts of his prison home.
"In the kraals , " he moaned , " -A-O starve )
n the Jail there Is plenty 'scoff. ' "
For a moment tbo warden's face bright
ened. Ho know as well as Sixpence that he
would bo hanged If caught , and he knew
that he could trust himself implicitly to
ho Bechuana's guidance , Ibut his eyes
gloomed airaln. Would not hanging be bet
ter than that ? To live among savages , to
starve and bo cold of nights and suffer
rom fever ? Surely some other way.
Something In the moonlight by the dead
man had drawn the Kaffir's notice. The
magistrate's left hand lay spread on the
road , the fingers pointing reproachfully at
his murderer. On one finger gleamed a
llamond ring. A Kaffir , dying , would hove
strength to steal a diamond. Forgetting
everything else , Sixpence passed the reins
again to his master , sitting on the antheap ,
thinking , thinking In a panic of fear and
doubt. Sixpence dropped by the body and
seized the dead man's hand. Dully , the
warden watched him and , as a lightning
lash reveals the hidden things , BO a sudden ,
urld thought banished the mist from his
brain and showed him what to do. Ho con
sidered rapidly. The convict had brought
ils horse to him and met him on the road.
No one had seen them together that night ,
save the magistrate , and he cnuld not tell.
It could all bo explained , easily explained ,
to the authorities. In his coat Docket he
felt his revolver , a little bulldog thing , but
quite , quite big enough. Sixpence knelt
by the body. The -warden sprung upon him
and grasped him toy the shoulders , so that
the black man looked round at him In dumb
amazement.
"Baas angry ? " he asked , like a child.
Then the look In the warden's eyes ter
rified him.
"Baasl The Baas ! " ho walled , but be-
'ore the wall died on his tongue the pistol
lad cracked close to the nipple on his black
jreast , and ho fell back besldn tbo magls-
, rate. In his hand he grasped the ring.
Do Jough seized the blood-stained knob
kerry and put It besldo him. Then the white
man leaped upon his startled horse and gal
oped away.
"A simple ending , " ho thought , with a
torrid chuckle. "Of course he murdered
.he chief for the diamond ; of course , com-
ng home , I found him rifling the body ; he
resisted , and I shot him. The poor beast-
well , It's only a Kaffir. "
In the moonlight , face up , they found
Sixpence , whru the guards from the Jail
came down the kopje. His face was not
distorted at a1. ! , but rather tbo reflection
of a pained surprise , as ho thought , In the
moment ot dying , that ho had been de
ceived.
MACAllA.Y'S ) IOUAS OF AMERICA.
Extract * from the Glttcle Collection nf
I.otterM ut IliiRnlo.
The Cluck collection of manuscripts and
autographs In the Buffalo public library con-
: alns much that Is interesting to the stu
dent of history and letters. The collection
includes a number ot poems by great au
thors , which are not Included In ordinary
collections of their works. Thomas Campbell -
boll ta represented ; so are Keats and Leigh
Hunt , each by a sonnet. The Keats manu
script Is dated January 16 , 1818 , and Is en
titled , "To Sirs. Reynolds' Cat. " Mrs. Rey
nolds was the mother of Keats' friend , John
Hamilton Reynolds , and of the wife of
Thomas Hood. She gave the sonnet to Hood ,
who published It in the Comic Annual for
1830. It is given in the "Poetical and Other
Writings of John Keats , " edited by Forman ,
but does not appear in ordinary editions. It
Is as follows , the spelling , capitalization
and punctuation of the manuscript being
followed : " ir -
TO MRS. REYNC-LDS'S CAT.
Cat ! who hast paat thy grand Climacteric ,
How many mice and Rats , hast in thy
days
( Destroyed ? how many tit bits stolen ?
Gaze
"With those bright , languid segments green
and prick
Those velvet ears but prythee do not stick
Thy latent taions in me and upraise
Thy Eentle inew , and tell me all thy
fravB
Of Fish and Mice and iRats and tender
ohlck.
( Nay look not down nor licit thy dainty
wrists
For all the weezy Asthma , and for all
Thy tail's tip Is nicked off , and though
the fists
Of many a Mold has given thee many a
Still is "that " fur eo soft as when the- lists
In youth , thou enterd'st on glass bottled
wall.
There ore two manuscripts by Leigh Hunt ;
one"a report of a lecture by Carlyle on Ger
man literature , the other the following eon.
net , "which Is not found in ordinary edi
tions of Hunt's poems. "
TO FAME.
Oh , Fame , -what art thou ? Who can know ,
alas !
His claim to any sharp In thee or thine.
Till ho has pass'd that dim and awful line.
Which no man ever pass'd or e'er shall
pass.
Prizing 'thy ' gifts ! Rare , beings still amass
Treasures that after ages count divine :
Yet ere they pass from earth thou glv'st
no sign
That they In nwmory sfcall outlive the
mass.
How oft , In life , they pine for very bread ,
Whllo wordy critics smirch their lays
with blotsn
How oft above each unremember'd head ,
Year after year , the dock or hemlock
rots ;
And then thou nam'st their love , or woe ,
or mrth ! ;
And towns that let them die , boast that
they gave them birth.
There Is a characteristic letter by Macau-
lay , Tvrltten from London March 25 , 1849 , to
an American ifrlend in response to a letter
of congratulation on his "History of Eng
land , " the first two volumes of which were
Just published. The letter to a curious reve
lation of the historian's conception o ;
American taste and habits :
My Dear Sir : I have received a very kind
and welcome letter from you , which It.woulc
t > e ungrateful In mo not promptly to ac
knowledge. What you tell one of the recep
tion which my 'book boa /found / In the United I
States gratifies mo much , but at tbo Game
tlmo surprises me. For it neeins to mo tlmt (
very few books have In as high a. degree the
merit or demerit of toeing Intensely English
and I should have thought that this pecu
liarity , which has conduced not a llttlo to
the success of my volumes here , would have
made tbom seem dull to a people wbo have
never Been anything resembling our court ,
our bishops , our country gentlemen , our
country clergymen ; to a people who are
strangers to the feeling of loyalty to a fam
ily , respect for an aristocracy , zeal for the
privileges of an established church. I should
have thought that our disputes about the
patriarchal theory of government , the divine
right of kings , regency , abdication , and so
forth , would have been as uninteresting to
you as the controversy between the follow
ers of Omar and the followers of All , I am
glad to find that I was mistaken.
I should greatly enjoy a trip to the United
States If I could be sure that I should be
as free and as obscure as I am when I go
to Paris or Brussels , that I should bo at
liberty to choose my own associates , and
that I should never be forced to make a
show of myself at dinners and public meet
ings. But my dislike of exhibition , which
waa alwaja strong , and which never yielded ,
except to clear public duty , has , since I
quitted politics , become almost morbid. And
what I hear of the form in which your coun
trymen show their kindness and esteem for
men whose names are at all known deters
mo from visiting you. I need not tell you
that I mean no national reflection. Perhaps
the peculiarity to which 1 allude is honor
able to the American character ; but it must
cause annoyance to sensitive men. Broug
ham and O'Connell would have liked nothing
better. But Cow per would bave died or
admlrexe , and have been shot or tarred and
iq pounsni eAtjq pjno.M uoaXfi ! pum 01108
feathered ; and , though I hao stronger
ncrvre than Cowptr's , and , 1 hope , a bet
ter temper than Byron's , I should suffer
much pain and give much offense.
I assure rou that I and many others re
member your vlalt to us with pleasure , and
hope to see you hero again. Wo have gene
through rough times , but n. quiet season
seems to bo before us. But I must stop.
Ever yours truly , T. 11. MACAULAY.
The collection contains , and this remark
able catalogue prints , several long letters
of distinct value to students ot American
history. There Is a heretofore unpublished
letter by George Washington , addressed to
"tho President of Congress , " and dated
New York , September 12 , 1776 the day o ?
that consultation of Washington and his
generals , which decided the evacuation ot
New York.
A I.Y.NC1I1MJ THAT I'All.UD.
Trlii of a MlnltiK Coiiipnnj Trrnatircr
S ml lie nly Cut Slinri.
The miners employed by the Annlrunl
Gold 'Mining company were getting out of
humor , says a Montana letter to the New
York Post. Their wages were long overdue
and the store refused further credit to them
and to the boarding house * The manager
had been keeping the wire hot , and finally
the treasurer came on. This was his third
day In camp. Ho had met tha men and dis
cussed the situation. And now the case
reeled. If there had been a city council , It
would have ordered the saloons closed ,
sworn In special constables and done other
things to Increase the tension. The sheriff
was forty miles away. The treasurer was a
stout old German , the head of a largo con
cern , and ot some importance In his own
city in the cast. It 'was ' his first visit to a
mining camp , and ho wished that ho had
not come. This was not the kind of strike
lo which ho was accustomed. Ho missed the
bright uniforms and brass buttons tbat held
In check the eastern labor troubles. It was
about dusk when ho lighted his cigar and
sauntered calmly about tbo camp. No one
; xxlil much attention , and ho strolled donn
: o the station. In the course of twenty
minutes or so ho came out and sat down to
read his paper. After a while ho folded It ,
and , yawning once or twice , rose and
stepped down upon the tics. His gait was
even and slow at first , but when ho reached
the turn ho walked faster and then with a
slanco over his shoulder broke Into a trot.
Bcforo his breath was quite gene ho came
to two men sitting on a log.
"Veil ! Good efenlng ! " he said , somewhat
startled , but not stopping.
"Good evening , " ono replied. And the
other added quickly : "Come , sit down ! "
The Invitation was given as ono would
say , "Come , have a drink , " but ho came
and sat down. The two men grinned and
chuckled , but no ono made any remark.
After a whllo ono said carelessly , "Lot's
go back , " and back they started. They
stopped at the station , where the treasurer
countermanded the special that he had or
dered , and the two proceeded to the camp.
The whole population had turned out. The
treasurer Inwardly shrank from such an
ovation. Ho felt himself helpless in the
lands of lawless men. But his face was as
blank as that of a poker player. They took
tilm to the hotel and placed a guard around
the building. A drunken man Is rather a
rare eight In Pony , but that night the men
were reckless , and two or three times a big
Fellow staggered , gun In hand , into the
treasurer's room.
The next morning everybody was tired
and out of sorts. The manager tried to
stand the men oft until the sheriff could get
there , but It could not be done , and at last
ho led a committee into the presence of the
treasurer. They knew Just what they
wanted. The manager , disgusted with bis
chiefs attempt to leave him In the lurch ,
had gone over to their side. The treasurer
was to slgn _ a dispatch to , his partner. . In
Boston to deposit with a certain bank to
the credit of the Pony store an amount
equal to the full pay roll. Whe > n the store
company received a message that the de
posit had ibeen made bo could go. Ho
signed the dispatch with solemn stolidity
and leaned back in bis chair. When the
committee had retired bo turned to the
manager and asked :
"Veil , vet vas dcy goln * too do ? "
"They were going to hang you. "
The treasurer struck a match and lighted
a otgar. After a moment ho asked thought
fully :
"And vet good vould dot do 'em ? "
So the boys got their money and had
their IfltiRh. In moat any other camp than
Pony there would have 'been trouble. But
there Is no more orderly community In the
world than thla little gold camp , and you
cannot get ono of us to bellevo that the
man was tn any danger. Ho know that tbo
men ought to have their money , nd "con-
wlcnco doth make cowards of us all. "
.MILLIONS OK DICK.
They Arc Mntle of Vnrlonn Mnlcrlnls
ntul Solil In lnrnr Auttilicr * .
The bone dice used tn the United States ,
reports the New York Sun , ro all Imported
from France , though It may bo that the
bone of which they are made came orlgV
nally from this country. They arc made
In a manufacturing district not far from
Paris In which are produced various articles
ot bone , and also things partly ot bone , us ,
for Instance tooth brushes. Bone dice arei
made In eleven sizes , from 0 to 10 Inclu-
elvc , and In each of these sizes they are
made both square and round cornered , as
are all other kinds ot dice. In all kinds of
dice thcro ore sold of the square cornered
variety ten times , perhaps twenty times , as
many as of these made with rounded cor
ners. Round cornered dice are often used
In playing backgammon ; they wear n board
lota than square cornered dice would and
roll easier. Thcro are made some black
bono dice with white spots , but the sale
of three Is comparatively very limited , The
great majority of the very largu number
ot bone dice sold are In the form of the
familiar white cubes with black spots.
Celluloid dice , which are made In this
country , are of both opaque and transpar
ent material. The transparent dice are
made In saffron color , In magenta and In
green ; the opaque in imitation of Ivory.
The Imitation l\ory dice lire finished n
various ways as to color ot the spots , some
with spots of blue and some with red
spots. The spots on tbo various transpar
ent dice are made 'white. These various
kinds of celluloid dice are made In seven
sizes.
There are made In celluloid two styles
of poker dice , ono octahedron shaped and
containing on He eight faces representa
tions of the se\en , eight , nine , ten , Jack ,
queen , king and ace of ordinary playing
cards ; the other poker dice Is cube shaped ,
containing on Its faces , Instead ot the spots ,
numbering from one to six , as seen on
common dice , representations of the ordi
nary playing cards from the nine spot to
the ace Inclusive.
Dice nro made In various sizes of vege
table Ivory , of Ivory and of pearl ; the
most costly dice are these of pearl , a set of
five of medium size would cost at retail
about $7.50. Some of the bono dice are very
cheap , dice of small slzo selling at retail
tor a cent apiece , or 10 cents a dozen.
A considerable number ot dice ot one kind
and another nro Bold for use In the house
hold. All cabinets made to hold cards and
counters and so on have a compartment
for dice , which are part ot the equipment ,
and many dice for such use arc Bold sep
arately.
Take It altogether , the consumption of
dlco In this country amounts to millions
annually.
SupemtldoiiH Mnii Toil CIMI < N Alicnd.
Last week Mr. Horace Parks , a young
farmer , residing In the Red House neighbor
hood , called on Mr. John Donolson , the loadIng -
Ing carriage manufacturer of this city , for
the purpose of settling his soml-annual oo-
count , relates the Richmond ( Ky. ) Citizen.
Air. Donelson examined his books and stated
to Mr. Parks that his bill was $13. After
some hesitancy Mr. Parks remarked : "This
number seems to have started with me , and
continues to occur In all I have to do or
that may affect mo so as ever to refresh my
mind with Its connection , wllh my oxlslenco
I was born on the 13th dny ot the month ,
was the thirteenth child , my mother dies !
when I was 13 days old and my father died
when I was 13 years of age , and now my
bin la $13. Mr. Donelson , In consldcrablo
excitement , said : "I won't collect the bill.
Give mo $12,00 and your bill Is squared. "
All weak places in your system effectually
rlo d figalnst dl ease by DcWItt'a Llttlo
rCnrly Risers. They cleanse the bowels ,
promptly euro chronic constipation , regulate
the liver and nil you with new Dto and
vigor. Small , pleainnt sure : never crlpo.
AHOUT I1.\\AXAS.
Onntitltlrn of tlir Km It
CuiiHiiiiicil lit TlilH Country.
"Thcro Is no fruit , either of domestic or
foreign growth , for which thcro Is such a
steady demand at all seasons throughout the
Vinlted States , as the banana , " said a lending
wholesale dealer In fruit In Now York to
ft Washington Star writer the other day
"Indeed , the banana , llko the peanut-eating
bablt , seems to Increase In this country an
nually. Ten years ngo 0,000,000 bunches
of bananas would satisfy the American de
mand for the fruit , but last year the twenty
or more Importers of bananas sold as many
as 1C , 000 , 000 bunches. Of thai quantity
about -4,000,000 bunches , chiefly ot the jol-
low-sklnncd variety , wore alone consumed
In New York City. *
"Whllo the yellow-skinned fruit Is now-
more abundant , cheaper and more exten
sively eaten than ever before , the red-
skinned banana grown In Cuba Is both scarce
and hlgh-prlccd. Such bananas are at pres
ent only shipped In comparatively small
quantities nnd arc selling readily at from
5 to 8 cents each , retail , The Cuban prod
uct Is limited , owing to the fact that many
ot the larger banana plantations were > > o
badly ruined or neglected during the re
cent war thai they do not yield the great
amount o fruit that they formoly did. In
the matter of taste , however , the Cuban
variety Is In no way superior to the com
mon yellow sort , but the red-tinted banana
Is by Borne considered more ornnnfontnl lo
place on the table and for that reason It In
a favorite.
"Bananas como from Union , In Costa
Rica ; Santa Marta. In the United States ot
Colombia , nnd also from the Island of Ja
maica , where Is perhaps grown Iho finest
quality and largest quantlly of the rc'llow-
skluncd frull. The banana irco yields 'mil
every month In the year. Each tree boars
from ono to three bunches of the frull , con-
lalnlng from 100 lo 200 bananas. The fruit
Is not allowed to ripen on the tree. It Is
gathered whllo still green and given BO
many daya to ripen on the steamer on which
It Is shipped to , market In this counlry.
"When buying bananas never purchase Iho
long , ihln ones , unless jou want fruit which
will pucker your mouth. No mailer how
well ripened thceo Ihln bananxs may appear
lo be , they will always bo found both sour
and acrid. This Is because the bunch which
contained tbom was picked too soon. The
banana grows fastest at first In length.
When it has reached its full development
in that direction it suddenly begins to swell
and In a few days will double Its girth.
It Is at the end ot this tlma that It begins
to ripen naturally , and the effort of the ba
nana Importer Is to have the fruit gathered
at the Mast possible moment , and yet be
fore the ripening has pi-ogrcsscd oven
enough to tlngo the bright green of tbo
fruit with yellow. A difference of twenty-
four hours on the trees at this time will
make a difference In tbo weight of the fruit
of perhaps 25 per cent nnd all the differ
ence In Its final flavor between a inickery
sour and Ibo eweclnccs and smoothness
which arc characteristic ot the ripe ba
nana" "
An Honest Malt Tonic
that is decidedly pleasant to take , and may be depended upon to
build up a depleted system , producing flesh , strength , blood
and sound nerves. Should you wish such a tonic be particular
to state clearly to your druggist that you want
-a non-intoxicant. ) Awarded
Diploma and Gold Medal at
Trans-nisslsslppl and International Exposition Omaha.
Prepared by VAL BLATZ BREWING CO. . Milwaukee , U.S.A.
Omaha Branch : 1412 Douglas St. Tel. 1081.
Nebraska's
A
History Returning
of the Heroes
T2eginning with the issue of August
Gallant * " " 6th will be published a series of the best
pictures of the gallant First Nebraska Regiment.
It will be a worthy souvenir of the celebration of
first their return. In order to obtain this pictorial his
tory complete , subscribe at once for
Nebraska The Omaha
Regiment Illustrated Bee
from IT WILL INCLUDE
The Farewells at Leaving Home , Fighting the Insurgents.
Gamp Life at Lincoln , The Return to San Francisco ,
Photographs Life in Camp at San Francisco , Nebraska's Reception to Her
The Trip Across the Pacific , Sons ,
Nebraska Boys In Philippines , Portraits of Nebraska's ' Heroes ,
On the Field and in Gamp , Pictures of the Companies ,
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ShftfiOMraxxx )