TILE OMAHA DAILY IJISK : W ISDN ICSDA V , DErEMHEU 27 , 18M ! > .
1 MERRY CHRISTMAS ON THE RAIL.
§ HY IIKKHLKT K. IIAMULIN.
O
( Copyright , 1STO , by Herbert B. Hamblln. ) ,
The train waw reported half an hour late. I
Wo clCBcd the cab windows and dropped
the curtain. Harry put the blower on n
quarter of a turn , to carry off the gas ; we
lit our pipes , cocked our heels on the boiler
butt and listened In comfort to the howling
blast without. As I Hat and puffed on my
fragrant old brlcrwood , my gaze became
riveted on the only thing visible , the steam
gauge , like n spectral face suspended in the
center of the uniform blackness. The
soothing hum of the blower , the warmth
nnd sciiBo of cozlncss , combined with the
hypnotic effect of my fixed gaze , set me to
dreaming.
Tomorrow would bo Christmas , and mother
was with us. It was her Ilrat visit alnco
my marriage. Katie , her poor little heart
a-lluttcr at the prospect of a vlolt from that
dreaded Inspector general , her mother-in-
law , had slaved herself nearly to death.
Three-year-old Bob had nearly wrecked his
mother's wonderful patience by his per
sistent efforts to render her labor futile ,
and I had "Jiggered" on the runs for a
month , to ranko sure of being homo on this ,
the greatest Christmas that ever was. For
a wonder , I had not figured In vain. Every
thing had como out exactly as 1 had hoped
it would. 1 would get home early enough
for Christmas dinner , nnd lalo enough to
preclude the probability of being sent out
ngnln before the next day.
A curling wreath of blue smoke floating
ncrofls thu face of the gunge arrested the
Hellish courHo of my thoughts nnd directed
thorn to the boy on the other side of the cab.
Harry Mcrvln had been on the road only n
couple of months , mcst of which time ho
Imd been firing for me. Ho WHS bright ,
pleasant and willing. It now occurred to me
that I rather liked him , but that I knew ab-
Holutcly nothing nbout him. It wasn't so
very mnny years ago that I was a strange
boy on the ame road my.self ; nnd this was
Christmas ove. I made a pretense of get
ting a light for my pipe at the gauge lamp ,
nnd leaned across the holler.
"Whore arc you going to spend Christmas.
Hnrry ? " I shouted above the noise of the
gale and the slatting of the curtain.
The lire glowedbrightly In the bowl ef
his plpis once , twice , before he answered.
Ho leaned against the boiler on his side so
that I could barely discern his features In
th dim light , and replied cheerfully :
"Oh , in the board'n' house , I guess.
Where else ? They're a-goln' to have roast
turkey nn' cranberry sauce nu' plum pud-
din' , I bear. "
' I soon knew his story n stepmother three
months rifter his"own mother's death , and ,
I-'menta'lly added , a red-headed stepson. He
had picked up n general Idea of llrlng whllo
beating his way on here from Wisconsin ,
and happening to arrive ( rl our roundhouse
just as u man was urgently needed , he
caught on.
"They're callin' us , " ho concluded , and
giving the bcllropo a Jerk , he stepped down
to hook up hl3 lire.
When -I got coupled up and ho stepped
up In the cab again , I said :
"Wo expect to' have n little time up to
our hoiiso tomorrow , Harry , and I should
like to have you come up and take din
ner with ua. "
"ThanU you , Alec , " he replied ; "I will. "
There wao an Inch of snow on the rails
when I got my orders to "run ns an extra ,
keeping out of the way of all regular trains. "
But Davis , the conductor , said ho had a
nice , light-running train , cars all loaded
with whisk brooms , mid straw hats. 1 was
glad enough to hear It , for there were 175
miles of iron , slippery with the falling snow ,
between old IS's pilot and home. If I
nvorngud the maximum of freight train speed
(20 ( miles per hour ) 1 would arrive homo by
! ) o'clock in the morning ; but It was a bad
night. 1 would never bo able to keep them
going at that gait , EO I promised myself
not to kick If 1 got homo by noon ; a very
liberal allowance.
It was a hard pull out of Tabor's Junc
tion. When the yardmastcr happened to bo
. 'feeling Just right ho would let ono of the
'switch engines get In behind a train and
'give ' her a shove for halt or three-quarters
; of n mile. But Davis was no crony of his ,
BO wo didn't gel It.
It was a fearful night. The gale howled
and the snow drove horizontally like a sand
Wast. The wind was on the fireman's side.
Which made it possible for me to look out.
'iJut all I could see waa an Impenternblo
white screen , made visible In ono small
spot by the headlight. I had been casing
the throttle when she slipped for I would
need all the sand 1 had before I got liomt ,
until she nearly stalled. That wouldn't do ,
so I gave her a bare taste and leaned out
to hear the gratifying crunch of it under the
wheels.
Harry gripped my shoulder and shouted :
"Merry Christmas ! "
I wished him thu etamo and many of
'em , and noticed that It was Just 12 by the
engine clock. She hadn't slipped slnco I
gave her the sand , but was pulling along
with suspicious freedom ; for wo were not
up the gradii yet. I told the brakeman to
go back on top of the train and see If the
caboose was coming. He went off growling ,
but he > ycnt , which was the main thing.
From the back of the tender ho gave mo
what 1 expected nnd dreaded a signal that
the train had broken In two. I whistled the
Hug back to protect tlm rear and kept on ,
I took'the cars I had to the next siding ,
four mtleH away. 1 had two moro cars
than the siding would hold. I backed them
all In hard against the stop block. Then
I cut the two head cars off , pulled them
out on the switch and backed down the main
track with them until the engine was b -
hlnd the two hcud care in the siding. I
had the brakeman cut thrsp two off and I
"slotted" them out on tbo main track nheail
of the engine , and ran alien 1 until thu two
cars behind the engine were over the switch.
I backcd > them In on the aiding , leaving the
other \v \ > o out ou the main line. Thim I
came back with the engine and went back
nftor the rest of the train ,
I had n four-mile back-up In the teeth
of the blizzard. 1 couldn't see a thing and
never know whcro 1 waa , I didn't dare go
fast , for I expected every nilnuto to hit
thu train , and I couldn't force myself to
go slow enough to s * > > p without punching
a hole In a newspaper. Snow and coal dust
swirled up under the foot of the curtnln ,
blinding ua , nnd the holler might have been
nn Ico-cream freezer for all of its effect
on the temperature. I tried to Invent a suit-
nblo reward for the yardmaster at Tnbor'ti
for not giving me a shove , only to remem
ber that engineers seldom have a cliunuu to
get square.
The crow had tied a red lamp to Iho
hrakcrod of the hcud car and gone back to
the caboose. Ixmg before I got hack tbo
lamp wtm transformed Into a mlnlaturo Ice
berg , but I didn't happen to hit hard enough
to smash anything. Wo found the draw-
Jiead of the other car hanging to this cue
by the link nnd pin Wo got It up In thn
tender , after a while , and coupled it. J
called the Hag , nnd Davis , nearly frozen ,
cllmbrd aboard. Ho said there wn no Hug
out , the tall lights being In plain sight from
the yard , and ho commenced to criticise my
solution of the recent dllllculty , Baying I
plnuld have backed the whole train down
Into the yard , anil demanded the eervkes of
u pushnr. There may ho a time for all
tHiipt ) . but that didn't seem to mo to bo
ihc time Jo listen to switch ehauty rallrpad-
i * BU 1 shut him off uud drove him bak
to his doghouse By ( tie lluie tb y got the
draw-head back Into He place In the car
and wo got away from the siding , wo had
been four hours coming a little over four
mlles , a magnificent beginning , truly.
"Our turkcy'll bo cold , Alec , " Harry re
marked , Jokingly , after we had started
again.
"Froze , " I replied slowly.
1 couldn't get then ! going over twelve
miles nn hour , and from that wo ran down
to about the speed of a slow walk. She
didn't steam very freely , which was to
bo expected. Thc weather would have
chilled a boiler Jacketed with a foot of
asbestos. She kept calling for moro water ,
so I wan not surprised when , whllo oiling ,
I discovered her flues to bo leaking badly.
After that I never passed a water plug ; and
the plump vision of my Christmas turkey
faded In Inteneo ggomotrlcal ratio to my
progrosa.
Daylight showed us a white Christmas
with a vengeance. The storm was still
raging with undlmlnlahcd fury , the nand-
llko snow continuing Its endless horizontal
drive.
Seventeen would he due In half an hour.
There wasn't time to get to the next siding
ahead of her , but there was a crossover
switch a. mlle ahead , where I decided to
back over , and let her pasa. My Hag the
head brakeman had gone Back to thp ca
boose ; a trip over the lop of that train that
I would not have taken for a controlling
Interest In the road. I commenced whist
ling for the switch as noon aH I got to It.
Ten minutes after seventeen was due , Davis
emerged from the whirling snow , seeking
Information. His faculties seemed to have
become benumbed ; I had to go Into all the
details before ho could understand that I
wanted to carry the brakenmn out ahead
to protect UK when crossed over.
I carried the man out half a mile , gave
him a bucket of lire and told him to burn
fencn rails or anything ho could gel hold
of to keep himself warm , but under no clr
eumstancei Jesert his post until called Ii.
After a lot moro whistling , fuming and
fussing , I got the train backed over , wo
closed the cab tight , and ate our lunches.
While gnawing at the kiln-dried boardlng-
house sandwiches nnd laughing at Harry's
nonsense about "white or dark meat , "
seventeen came puffing along , almost noise
lessly , like n polar bear towing a string of
icebercs.
I had lost nearly a gauge of water through
the leaky Hues whllo laying there. A
broomstick Inspection showed less than six
Inches in the tank , nnd the nearest water
plug was live miles away. Again I worked
the whistle cord. After awhile Davis came
ahead. He was muftled up In all the old
rags the caboose lockers could furnish , and
was a perambulating mountain of snow nnd
Ice. He was mad , at last ; as mad as I had
been all night.
"Oosh almighty ! " ho roared , so loud that
I hoard him above the nolso of the gale ;
"couldn't the fireman get down an' open
the switch 'thout cnllln' a man all the way
up from the hind end ? Mebbo you think It's
fun to waller 'round in this snow. "
I told him to cut the engine off and hold
everything on tbo eastbound track till I
got back from Selden water plug. As we
pulled over the switch Harry shouted :
"Hey , Davis ! "
Davis looked up , squinting comically Into
the teeth of the storm. Hnrry threw him
a kiss and yelled : "Turkey ! "
The conductor's reply was Inaudible , but
wo know what It was the mtet common
oxpresolon In railroad use.
When wo got back from the water plug
21 ( the mall ) was waiting. We followed her ,
getting good wheeling until she got so far
ahead that the snow drifted in behind her
again. Wo loaded the tender at Bolton
coal platform , piling big lumps that couldn't
blow uway nn top. My watch dropped out
of my pocket onto the shovel. I threw it
Into the tender , and Harry tossed a heavy
lump on top of It. After wo had found It
and stepped back on the engine , he naked
looking at the. clock :
"Is that all 'tis. 10:15 : ? "
I looked at my watch : 11:37. : Wo had left
the curtnln up , while coaling , and the englno
clock , less than two feet nbovo the boiler ,
hud frozen up and stopped.
During the next hour we nearly stalled In
big drifts twice. This set mo to thinking
about'train 19 ; she must be nearly due. 1
looked nt my watch , 11:37. : It hadn't turned
a wheel slnco that lump of coal hit It , and
now I had no time on the fnclne.
Seeing mo looking nt my watch , Harry
asked mo if It was broken. I told him it
was. "That's nothing , " said he , "BO'S the
record. " I tried to grin , but Just then she
plunged into a cut , at the foot of a slight
grade , that was filled twenty feet deep with
the beautiful. 1 had no longer any need
to worry about following trains. I was
anchored good and solid. I had a full tank
of coal ; we wouldn't freeze , and there- was
water enough for a long siege only for
those leaky Hues.
Engineers , when snowbound , must keep
tholr engine alive , that trains may proceed
immediately the road is opened , other
wise expensive delays will occur from thawIng -
Ing out , watering and firing up dead engines
In most Inconvenient places. My great
problem was how to get water into the
boiler. The pumps worked only when the
otiglno ran. I gave her steam. If the wheels
would slip on the rails and turn , I could
pump that way. She might have been a solid ,
jolntlees casting , for all the effect the steam
had on her.
Some thing had to be done and quickly ,
for the water was leaking out of her every
minute , and I bad only two gauges In her
when I stopped. We got the spare scoop
shovel and sunk u shaft through the- snow
on the left side of her. Then we cleared
thu enow uway from under her nnd all
about the wheels and marhlner ) It had
drifted a natural arch ou-r her by this time ,
no that It was quite warm down there ,
Harry brought down the hammer , some
wrenches and the torch nnd reported barely
ono gauge of water In the boiler. It was
time. Indeed , to hurry.
U was an awkward place to work , and
the smoke from the torch nearly destroyed
Its usefulness. I took down the side rods ,
that I might have but ono pair of wheels
to turn. 1 thereby reduced the nmount of
friction to bo overcome by the use of steam ,
which was water , the article I was Interested
In economizing.
I pounded my thumb , nnd cut off n Joint
of my left forefinger ns the last end of the
last rod unexpectedly slipped clear. Harry
chewed mo n tobacco poultice nnd tied It
on with n pleco of rag torn from his Jumper.
Wo left the rods In the snow , gave the rails
and tires a good oiling nnd hurried up Into
the cab. There was n flutter of water In the
bottom gauge-cock , ? < > I slipped nnd pumped
her until she threw water out of the stack.
The water was squirting out of four leaky
flues Inn way that would soon set us to
shoveling snow Into the tank. In Bplto of
my sore linger , Its clumsy dressing nnd dull
tools , 1 made flvo taper llue plugs out of n
! pleco of coal board. Harry covered the fire
with the flno coal and tmow , and put on the
blower to carry oft the smoke nnd gns. I
threw the coal boards In on the banked fire
and crawled In with my plugs nnd a ham
mer.
I had forgotten that it was hot nnywherc ,
but the experience I went through In that
hot firebox , perched over n miniature vol
cano , surrounded by boiling water , nnd , in
nplto of the blower , Inhaling smoke and mil-
phurous fumes would have been Invaluable
to Dante when seeking local color. 1 drove
the dry plugs tightly ; they absorbed moisture
nnd swelled until they were the tightest
flues In her. "Twns n good Job , nnd well
done. The perspiration congenial on my
face the Instant 1 stuck It out the firebox
door , nnd. before my feet were out , there
were Icicles on my whiskers.
It was getting Into in the aflerncon and
1 was never HO hungry In my life before.
Hnrry nsked me If there was "any cold
tapioca puddln' in the cupboard ? " 1 told
him there must bo grub In the caboose , or
some of them would have como ahead long
ago to see If wo had nny. He volunteered
to go back. U was a risky Job. climbing
over the tops of those cars In that weather.
If anything happened he would be a-guncr ,
with nobody near to help , and u tcmppra-
came In and Indorse 1 the hearty welcome
wp had already received from the women
folks. HP told us the well we fell Into wn *
forty feet deep and. had been abandoned
when he was a boy. because thp water "got
Mp'lled somehow. " As none but hla own
folks pver went there nnd nobody had ever
fallen Into It before he hadn't bothered to
eovpr It up. We knew now that the nva-
lancho that enabled us to get out of was
not the first that had fallen Into It , nnd we
thanked our lucky starn that we didn't start
the day beforo. Mrs. Uelknnp and Susie
soaked out my wounded finger and dressed
It with some of the soothing salve , hoiue-
mntlo for father when he cut his foot with
the ax.
The warmth , light nnd comfort ot the cozy
parlor , not to mention the congenial com
pany , contrasted so strongly with the bitter
gale and the dirty , cheerless cab that wo
found It Impossible to combat HIP urgent
invitation of our kind friends to remain with
them.
That night wo slept on feathers , between
blankets , nnd ns I drowsed off 1 remember
Harry droning a lot of rapturous twaddle
In my ear nbout sweet Suslo Belknap.
In the morning thu storm had moderated
souiowhat and I began to worry nbout the
engine. Should anything happen to her in
my nbspnco the cold , fishy eye of the master
mechanic would fall to discern extenuating
circumstanced. Wo each took on nnother
big tank of home-made sausage and pan
cakes and felt lit for the deed of our lives.
Dear , motherly Mrs. Belknap would have
loaded up with provisions , but I decline 1
everything but n pleco of boiled salt pork ,
a loaf of bread nud n package of coffee and
sugar.
1 had to speak twice a little sharply the
last time to Harry , who was bidding Susl ?
good-bye In the kitchen. 1 thought 1 heard
a suspicious smack , but I won't swear to
that ; still , those rod-headed fellows hang
him , he came awny and forgot the coffee !
Mr. Uelknap told us n better rend than
the wny we came , so we got back without
much trouble. The curtain had caught llro
from the furnace doer nnd broken every pane
of glass In the cab , rendering It uninhabit
able. The clock had thawed out , run
seven minutes and frozen up again. But
there was both lire and water In her so I
didn't much care. I pumped her full ngnln ,
and. though the weather was moderating
rapidly , as the cab \\as untenable we ad
journed to the snow help under her. Wo
" "
'HEY , DAVIS" ! "
turo that meant almost Instant death to the
partially disabled.
I sat and dozed , miserably , In the cor
ner of the cab. As I repeatedly lost con-
sciousnesH , my feet would slip off tbo
boiler butt , the heel of the left , co-mlng
down with a painful bang upon the Instep
of the right. This occurred at stated Inter
vals , like pile driving. Tiring of the monotony
ony , I sought to chance my position , and
became aware of an animated snowball ,
vainly striving to enter the gangway. I
1 pulled him alranrd , and when sullidenlly
thawed , ho reported the caboose deserted ,
and not a trace of anything edible In It.
He had seen nothing of train 111 and ho said
that all the engines on the road , coupled
I together , would not bo able to collide with
I our hind wid.
This merry Christmas to which I had eo
long looked forward was about over. It
soon became dark. Wo shoveled coal against
I the curtain , to keep the cold air out , caulked
I our window sash with waste , I pumped her
j full again , and wo shivered and dozed and
j starved through the longest night 1 ever
knew.
The reappearance of the cab windows noti
fied mo of the approaching dawn. What a
dismal Bight ! Our usually ne-at cab waa
thickly begrinicn with coal dust. Kvery
bolthcad and bit of iron In tbo cab itself , as
well as the windows , was disguised by the
dollcato tracery of that master silversmith ,
Jack Frost. To the artistic aense of the
1 well-fed and comfortably clad , It would have
j been beautiful ; to my dulled mind , It was
' emblematic only of the biting cold that raged
| without. Harry , tied In a hard knot , was
. snoring soundly in his corner. I had him
; spread the flro and I pumped her full again.
I Wo must bavo food at any cost , I know
I of but ono house In that locality an or-
| dlnary story-and-a-half farmuoune on a
cross road , about halt a mlle from where
wo lay. It was Invisible through the storm ,
but we know Us approximate direction. Wo
left everything In the best order possible ,
and started ; the wind at our backs , Harry
In the lead. j j '
I shall never forget that trip , floundering ]
aimlessly through the drifts like a pair ot I j
blind mice , If I llvo to bo 100. Three mln- I |
I utes after leaving the engine wo could not i !
I have found our wny back to It , no matter j
I what the necessity. Harry being younger I
and lighter than I , I had all I could do to |
keep him In sight. We full into an aband- I
oncd well. Fortunately It wan already I I '
nearly full of unow , so , barring a few bruises ,
wo received no Injuries. Wo would surely
have died hero , for the well was smoothly
I lined with brick , and we were too deep In ' r
! It to get out , had not the overhanging creat I i
of thu drift fallen from topheavlness , buryIng - j I
Ing us , at the same time It rained our level
, HUfllclcntly to enable uo to crawl out.
I Shortly after this , that providence which
bo often Intervenes on behalf of the helple s ,
, led us stumbling and half frozen to the , 1
I back door of the house. 1
I Farmer Delknap bad rasayod a trip to the
I barn to look after his stock and Ilia K : od i
! lady had lain down for her regular after-
dinner nap , ItMvIng the elcarlns up to her
I buxom daughter. Susie. The old lady had ' |
j just dozed oiT on Iho Bluing-room lounge
I when , like Incarnate spirits of the storm ,
' we two derelicts fell Into the entry. The
j last of our strength left us there and It was
| merely two heaps of rags , Ice and snow
that confronted the frightened women when
they opened the Inner door. Sulo waa the ! i
first to Identify us as human beings , and to- j
gether they dragged us Inside. I
The next thing I saw was brawn-oyed !
Susie bustling about the table , where Harry
was manfully attacking a stack of buck
wheat cakre , which Mrs. Delknap as
straining every nerve to keep replenished.
I waa soon seated opposite Harry. Sutsln
double-banked her mother at the grUldlo
and we sent the level of Hie b.nkwhrat
flour barrel do n u- > though tkt u it nu Iu4
fallen of i' The . ' ,
cui fan. .t i-iio\ol no
I Ueanc'1 up a bit and tao old gentleman
munclved our pork and bread in comfort
down there , Harryv calling out that ho had
found the wishbone.
The storm was about over ; I had kept my
engine alive , my stomach was comfortably
Illled and my mind /was easy. I lit my pipe
and was dozing off to the endless hum of
Harry's eulogies of Susie Helknap , when I
was rudely recalled to railroad realities by
the voice of Davis , shouting. The sr.ow-
plow with a gang of shovelers was half way
through the cut and Davis , cbuckful of busi
ness , was calling me to get ready.
"Whero the deuce have you been all sum
mer ? " I asked petulantly. For ho had all
the appearance of a'man who had been com
fortably housed and fed ; was shaved , oven.
"U'hy , my mother-in-law's ; jest back o'
them trees. "
"Well , it's a wonder you wouldn't ask us
over ; how'd you s'pcsu we was goln' to
stan' it ? "
"I expected you over every minute ; an'
when ye didn't como I thought mebbe you'd
ruther stay by the engine. Ono o' tbo boys
was over her ylsterday to see if yo wanted
anything , an' he said there warn't nobody
here. Whero'd yo go ? "
"Down to Dellcnap's. "
"Ilelknapa ? Gosh ! Wha'd ye go way down
I hero fur ? Why , It's four times as fur as
'tis up to mother's. "
" 0 , Is it ? Well , I'm mighty glad 1'vo
found that out , anyway ! "
They dug uu out and I slammed It to old
IS for dear life. I knew passenger train
19 was somewhere behind me , and I wanted
to get by the only switch there was be
tween me and homo without sidetracking
for her. I got by It all right and whllo
bucking a little pile of snow that had fallen
on the track since the plow passed shu came
up and coupled to our caboose ,
We went In this rest of the way flying.
Tbo sun came out and made a fairyland of
the heavily enow-covered landscape and
tempered the frosty air that came through
the broken windows. It was thirty hours
after Christmas dinner time when we
stepped elf her at the ash track , but I told
Harry to como on up to the house and we'd
pick the bones , anyway.
When we turned the corner there was the
house all lit up and , as we stamped thai
snow elf our feet In Hie entry , the cllnlng-
room door lied open and mother and Katie
who had become as thick as thieves and
little Deb , shouted a chorus of "Merry
Christmas" at UH.
The table , wJioso snowy linen contrasted
sadly with our begrimed ovcrclothes , was
pulled out full length In tbo mlddlo of the
lloor. In Its center , his drumsticks held
defiantly aloft , lay the great brown turkey ,
with not a brack In Its glossy skin. It was
supported on onu ldo by a massive dome
of mashed potatoes , whose generous white
expanse was mottled here and there by
little dabs of delicious golden butter. Del
icate , feathery fronds of celery nodded
jovially to the fat glass dish of cranberry
sauce , whllo delicious odors of coffee and
plum puddln' were wafted through the open
door from the kitchen.
What n Bight for tired a d nungry railroaders
readers !
"We waited for ye , pa ! wo waited for
ye ! " shouted boisterous Deb ; and so they
had. Katie had worn a path through the
snow to the switch tower and had timed
our arrival homo to the minute.
I noticed after that , during the wintr ,
Harry had a way of hanging out of the
gangway as wo approached Uelknap'e , so
GRAIN-Q ! GRfiiN-Q !
Remember that name when you want n.
delicious , appetizing , iiourLililnc fo./cl drink
to take the place of coffee Sold by all gro-
cora and liked by all whj have urst-d It.
Qraln-O Is made of pure grain it aids rtl-
pu.sUun and airenethi-R * the norvc * n Ii
lot a stimulant , but u health bulkier and
the children us wcl. as the n.4lth t-tn
drl ill It with great benelt POP'S ' ubr nl
"i as much as coffee ir.c and 2.c per pack
uee. Aak your ( jrocer for drain-0.
I tnadp II my business to Wow n crossing
signal thfro. And as I peered slyly from
under thp peak of my cap I would sco n
girlish flguro wnvc a white , cloth from tl\o \
l)9rl < piazza. Harry was promoted the fol-
lowltiK spring nnil the next Christmas Katie
nnd 1 nnd Bob stretched out our tow undrr
the hospitable mahogany of Mr. and Mrs.
Ilnrry Mcrvln.
Yes , ns 1 look back al It now , I think , take-
It nil In nil , It was the very merriest Christ
mas I ever spent , nnd 1 know Sue and
Harry do.
AJI.WMTIO.V I'OIl Till ] UUUItS.
nnniiKli In .stock to I.nil Through
TenYearVttr. .
Most of the ninmiinltlon used by thp lloers ,
says the Louden Mall , Is of Gorman manu
facture. A comparatively pmall quantity was
mnilo In Knglaml , and an equally email pro
portion was manufactured at the Transvaal
government works near 1'rptorla , A vnst
amount rf mystery nnd secrecy surrounded
the government powder factory , ns It was
railed , ami no one was allowed to visit It.
or even to npproarh within half a mlle of
the Inclosed buildings without an extra spe
cial permit. The factory was entirely run by
Hermans , nnd , curiously enough , thebe.ul
thereof was a Mr. Krugcr. who was always
careful to assort that ho was no relation
whatsoever to the president. The works
were near Daspoort , nbout four nlles out-
sldo of Pretoria , nnd In the Immediate neigh
borhood of the cemeiit works , where so-called
Transvaal Portland cement was badly made.
The powder factory Is most Jealously
guarded from Intruders , nnd oven the Ital
ians from the dynamlto factory not many
miles awny know nothing of Its Internal
economy. It Is thought questionable by watiy
whether any actual manufacture takes place
hero , or whether , an ? Is the case of the dy
namite works ( "MnatschaplJ veer Outploft-
baren Stoltcn" In the "Tnal" ) , the Imported
Ingredients nro Just put up In cartridges on
the spot , so as to appear to carry out the
requirements of the exclusive concession.
The ammunition Is takes ) nwny at dead of
night on mule wagons to one or other of the
forts around Pretoria , nnd n portion Is often
sent over to the Johannesburg fort , but not
by rail , as the Jolting might bo dangerous
In the cane of the carelessly put together ex
plosive. The mule wagous travel the forty-
two miles In the night , nnd unload at the
Johannesburg fort or. Hospital hill , in the
early morning. An escort of artillery rides
with the wagons nnd reports the duo deliv
ery of the ammunition.
In the case of foreign Imported ammu
nition , Lec-Metford , Mauser and heavy gun
shells , It comes by German , French or
Dutch steamer to Dolagoa bay and Is there
unshipped , stored for n longer or shorter
period In the wretcned I In shanties on the
wharf which do duty for bonded ware
houses and then , when all 'the extraordinary
Portuguese formalities are complete. It Is
forwarded by train by way of KomntI Pooit
to Pretoria , where It Is taken , again at th
dead of night , from the railway station to
one of the forts or to the government mag
azine out on the veldt beyond the rac-
courso. Now and again , ns Indeed happened
Just before the present war broke out , the
Portuguese officials at Louronzo Maiquoi
( lelagoa bay ) for some reasons best known
to themselves refuse to pass the ammuni
tion nnd then there Is an angry and hotted
exchange of letters In a queer mixture of
Portuguese , Dutch nnd English , and after a
long delay the goods may arrive at their des
tination or they may not.
In at least ono Instance an amusing con
tretemps occurred. A large lot of ammu
nition , some 1,200 boxes , went astray at
the port nnd could not bo found. The
port authorities were sure that they had
1 > een landed , but the railway officials could
not account for them In any way. At last ,
after the lapse of many months , It turned
out that by some unaccountable error the
whole lot had been reshlppcd to Delra and
had got through to Bulawayo and was
comfortably reposing in the magazines of
the Chartered company of British South
Africa. The Boers Indignantly claimed
their ammunition. Mr. Rhodes' officials
said : "Very well , como and fetch it ; but
as we happen to want some of this par
ticular brand ourselves you had better lot
us pay you for It and say no moro on the
subject. " This actually happened , but It
was never found out whether the mistake
occurred on purpose or by accident.
On the whole , It has been found that the
French ammunition la more reliable than
that made in Germany , and there has also
been less palm oil , less bribery and corrup
tion In Its purchase , shipment and deliv
ery. In the case of one particular lot of
German cartridges it was reckoned that
the original cost was quadrupled by the
time they readied Pretoria , owing to the
number of hands through which they
passed and the number of officials who had
to bo "insulted" before they were passed.
Not only that , but when these cartrldqcs
were unpacked nnd distributed among tbo
farmers It was found that they were faulty
nnd dangerous , so that the whole transaction
\\as eminently unsatisfactory from every
point of view. These were Mauser
cartridges.
The quantity of ammunition stored In
the Transvaal Is absolutely colossal and
would KUfllco for a ten-years' war , even at
the present rate of usage.
TAKES A HIGH PLACE
Stands Well in the Esti
mation of the People.
Attention Is Naturally Excited When
Anything Is Prulsce by People
When We Know.
A thing that ntanda high In the estimation
of the public , and which la especially ri-com-
i mended by Omaha people , naturally exclteo
1 our attention more than If our own poopla
did not praise the article. Such a thing li
I going on right here la this city every day ,
people are praising Morrow's Kld-no-oWn
becaueo they cure. There la no deception ,
I no humbug , they do positively cure , and wo
{ f urn lah the evidence ,
Mr. II. L. Small of 1810 Ohio street , Bays :
"I have suffered from kidney trouble for the
past ten years , I had been so badly aflllcted
lately that I could not do any kind of work.
I hcul a dull heavy pain across the small
of my back almost constantly. The pain
extended from the region of my kidneys to
my shoulders. I wae nubject to spells of ;
dizziness and urinary disturbances of an !
alarming nature. I could not sleep well '
on account of nervounne.is. Learning about
Morrow's Kld-ne-olds I decided to try
them. I took them according to directions
and was greatly relieved In a very nhort
tlm ? . I continued to take them and they
I have completely cured me of all my former
i troubles. "
I Morrow's KId-no-olds nro not pins , but
Yellow Tablets and sell at fifty cents a box
at all druggists and hy the Myers-Dillon
Drug Co.
Mailed on receipt of price. Manufacturf ]
by John Marrow & Co. , Cbomlstg , Spring *
CeM , Ohio.
'M
Of'M f
IODIDE OF IRON
forAN'l2MIAl > > OORW > .S < jr > lir 111.001) .
CONSTI1ITIONAI. AKNHbS
SCKORILA. . lite.
None-genuineunler-ingni..l Ili.AM.Aftt >
AI.I. DKIM.C.IST *
E. FOUQCKA & CO. , N. V. Ajts. : for b. S.
WRITE FOR THE BEE ON THE
To begin the new year , 1900. THE BEE announces
a number of great special articles , fully illustrated.
Each of them is written by a man celebrated the
world over , each discusses a topic of universal in
terest , each reviews in some degree the progress of
the century now closing.
W. T. STEAD ,
For Editor of the "Knglish Review of Reviews , "
January 7th ON
" the Veil. "
"Breaking Through .
Ilr liiiiliiir with ii lirlpf rrvlctv of the pruuri'nn of the couiilrr In
no I CHIT , .Mr. SU'iut Icmln lliMvuril ( liroiich the innrvHft of ( hv nmtrr-
Inl n orlil , tclrnriiphy. < el < M > hon < - , \-ltii } , Hitrlrlret rONropr mill
Iroto.ifi U'li'irrnphy , to thr lionlorlniiil Jiint hj on l to the pomil-
Mtltli-M of lliiillKht trnimfrrt'iiff or li-li-inh > , the 11 Irplrnn IrleK-
raphy of ( liollKht. He | irtnenlM the ulioli1 Mihjeet of imjchlo re-
nniri'li n * It ii | > | trai" * uf the enit of the eentiiry lit the elenrent nnd
iniiMt eoiivlnrlnir milliner. In till * artlele the writer ulno given the
cxnet iiiethodn of uumintiiilentliiK' ' > telepathy , o tlint niironc mnjr
prnetlce It.
W. T. STEAD ,
Editor of the "Ktijlish Review of Reviews"
For ON
January 14th "True Bncidents of Thought
Transference/ '
Till * IN mi n mi * ui a I HprlpN of Intter-ilny Khont Ntnrlen , Klvliiir n
p.luiitlflc iieeoiint of miiiiy notfihlo liiNtniiceN of telepathy , of limit
niihoitImeiit. anil of iipparltlciiiN , Nome of Mlileh enme miller the
Trrltcr'H ieri < oni ! ohservat loll. The nrtlele ul < > treiitn fully of
nic-lIioilM of medium ivrltlniv.
HENRY M. STANLEY ,
The World's Greatest Explorer ,
For ON
January 21st "The Unexplored Regions of
the World. "
In thin ntory of the iinilliieovercil the ivorlil'i RrniiteNt explar v
dcHcrlhcN Home of the tiiNkn which the KeoKrnpher of the 20th ccn-
tiirjiiniNt noire. He telln with trraiihlu Intereitt of the hniiRcr * t
the iintloiiN for Africa , how ilccnile liy ileeaile , the IDiitrllnh , the
( lermaiiN , the French , have heeii crowding ileeper ami deeper lnt
the JmiKle and yet leavIiiK vant areun nlmnnt nntoiiclied. Hla no-
count of Hie commercial nnd Nclentltlc poNNlhllltlcN of uiidliicoverrd
South America , AuHlrnlln , Slherla , In of a Ulnd to ( Ire the Imagina
tion of the yoiiiiwrcr ( ceiieratloii which inunt nolve thenc problem * .
The nrtlele will lie very fnlly UliiNtrnted with mup nnd with th
Intent portrait of the author.
Dr. CYRUS EDSON , ,
Famous Chief of New York Health Department ,
For ON
January 28th "Medicine in the Closing Year of
the Nineteenth Century. "
A rnild and faneliiatlnur nnrvey of the recent nntonlnhlnnr no >
ronuiIlHliiiientN In mcillcliic and niircery , with an Invnliiiilile nnni-
miirv of the very latehl iiielhodn of treatment of noiiic of the more
Important dlNciiNCN. "Can typhoid fever he cured f" "AVlint are the
oliHMccM of recovery III pneumonia f" "Ducn I'liNlenr'n Inoculation
real1 cure ralilenf" Ther > e iiic Mon nnd many oilier * equally 1m-
liortmit and liitereNtlnur lire nil aimwcred hy one of the urentent
of American iinthorltleN In medicine and In the IlKht uf the world' *
latest knowledge.
Dr. FREDERICK A. COOK
For Famous Antarctic Explorer ,
February 4th ON
"Walking to the Pole. "
Dr. Cool.lielleveH that the pole will llnally hi ! renelicd hy M
Hturilr parly of AmerlcaiiM on foot ) he ulvrN In thin article III *
rcr.Niiii for thin helleft telln what eijiilpmeiit IN neeennary and hinr
IOIIK a time will lie neeenNiiry to eomplefe the expedition. The nr-
tlule In , In Nhort , n elear and concise prcNeutatliin of the very Infect
cnncIuxioliK of cilllorcr * on the lirolilcm of the poleN , It will be
rlehly Illnxtraleil with pletnreM ( alien hy llr. Cook In ( lit- Ice reuloui
PROF. N. S. SHALER ,
For I'amotis ( luolojjist t > f Harvard ,
February llth ON
"The Earth's Deepest Depths. "
/1lil nrtlele iirninlieN to he of much more Minn ordinary Intrrrd.
Immediately following Prof. Shaler's article ,
there will be articles by SIR NOR/HAN / LOCKYER ,
England's greatest astronomer ; by PROF. JOHN
DEWAR , the famous Chemist , who was the first to
liquefy hydrogen ; and by several other men equal
ly celebrated.
